David Adams Family 1900 – 1920

 

 

 

 

DAVID   ADAMS

FAMILY    HISTORY 

1900 – 1920

 

INTRODUCTION

1900 – 1920

In 1900, all four families, Adams, Finch, Mozley and Lewis lived in or near London, England.  By now, Walter Harrison Mozley had married Maude Lewis in 1897.  Charles James Adams would marry Annie Florence Finch in 1901.  Stella Maude Mozley, mother of David Adams, had already been born in 1898, and David’s father would be born in 1902.  Over the next 11 years, David’s aunt and uncles would be born:

• 1898 -Stella Maude Mozley
• 1902 -Charles George Adams
• 1904 -Elsie Winnifred Adams
• 1904 -Walter Alan Mozley
• 1911 -Cyril H Adams

Charles James Adams, pictured here, was a photoengraver, while Walter Harrison Mozley was listed as being both a farmer and a clerk. 

In 1906, W.H. Mozley was already becoming acquainted with Canada during an undetermined amount of time spent in Winnipeg that year.  In 1909, he would move Maude and their two children to Winnipeg permanently. 

Charles James Adams would emigrate to Winnipeg in 1912, followed in 1913 by Florence and their three children. 

In 1917, 15 year old Charlie Adams would begin his 60 year motor mechanics career. 

In 1916, 45 or 50 year old W.H. Mozley would serve overseas in WW1, where somehow he would connect with 21 year old Andrew Neil Mackay, to become Stella’s first husband.  By 1920, there would be a separation between W.H. Mozley and the rest of his family.  The story goes that he became a potato farmer in Alberta. 

Both Mozley children would go on to post secondary education, for Stella resulting in an 1919 appointment as Commissioner of Oaths in Manitoba.

 

THE ADAMS CHILDREN 

Charles James and Annie Florence Adams had three children:

• Charles George Adams born May 5, 1902

                               

During his childhood, my grandfather, Charlie, told me he took an interest in birds and collected birds eggs.  He also said he liked to whittle and would make whistles out of sticks. 

When very young, he became very proficient at playing the violin and shared  his gift, entertaining his family, both at that time, and in years to come. 

His interest in motors and cars also came at an early age.

 

 

 

THE MOZLEY CHILDREN

 Walter Harrison and Maude Mozley had two children:

•   Stella Maude Mozley born February 17, 1898
•   Walter Alan Mozley born June 19, 1904

 Sadly, there are no pictures of Stella as a young child, but there are a few of Walter Alan. 

These two pictures shown were done by a professional photographer and done in a postcard format, and used by his parents for Christmas and New Years greetings.  At a guess, the pictures were taken when “Boy” was 4 or 5, so the year would have been 1908 or 1909.

My father believed that there had beenwealth in the Mozley family, given stories he remembered his mother telling him of the family sailing around the Isle of Wight in a yacht.  This is, however, speculation, as there is no concrete proof of this.  

My grandmother, Stella, said very little of her life as a child in Britain and later in Canada.  Near the end of her life, in fact the last time I would see her, I asked her, “Did you have a happy childhood?”.  She didn’t elaborate, but simply said, “Yes, I think I did.”  She then recalled a pastoral sort of setting in Britain, walking, and looking behind her to see the cows following her. 

I do vaguely remember a conversation one time in which she spoke of her earliest memories, and at that time, she said she was actually able to recall her own birth.  She could also remember being under a year old, still not walking, and recalled the approach of someone by name of Frank.  I was in awe of how well she could recall at that time such early events in her life.

She did relate one story to me that came in response to an incident when we had been at a favourite vacation spot, Harrison Hot Springs in B.C.   My two aunts, Joy and Joan, and I were in the swimming pool. Joy became totally frustrated with my refusal to swim or even get my face wet and in a moment of poor judgment, pushed my head under the water.  At eight years of age, I decided right there and then that Joy was trying to drown me, and I was terrified.  As soon as I was able to free myself, I wasted no time getting out of the pool, and ran shrieking and crying into the cabin to tell my grandmother about the episode.  

My grandmother listened carefully to my tale of woe, and after she had calmed me and convinced me that she was sure Joy had had no intention of drowning me, she related to me a most unfortunate incident from her own childhood. 

Her father and she were in a boat out in deep water, and he wanted Stella to learn how to swim.  He was sure that the sink-or-swim theory was bound to work, so he dropped his daughter over the side into the water.  Having no idea whatsoever how to swim or even float, she held her breath and sank to the bottom.  Her father had not banked on her using the “sink” part of his theory.  Realizing the error of his ways, he quickly dove into the water and rescued her from where she sat at the bottom before the poor girl drowned.  This was not a method her father ever tried again. 

I remember how comforting it felt to hear of the parallel experience, and to know she understood the terror I was feeling.  Later, she admonished Joy and stood up for me.  Joy, too, never used that method of teaching me to swim ever again! 

When Walter Alan Mozley was born, Stella was already 6 years old.  Very early on, they acquired their nicknames, which they kept all of their lives.  Stella was referred to as “Girlie”, and her brother was “Boy”, or “Boy Boy” when he was young.  All of us who called Walter Alan Mozley “Uncle” always affectionately called him “Uncle Boy”.

Both “Boy” and “Girlie” graduated from school, and went on to post secondary education.  Uncle Boy went to the University of Manitoba in the field of zoology, and did his doctorate at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. 

 It is not clear to me the field that Stella studied, nor which college or university she attended, but it may well have been legal studies.  She was on June 20, 1919, appointed a Commissioner of Oaths for the Province of Manitoba, and indeed, all of her working life, she worked in law offices as an Administrative Assistant. 

Stella was also a gifted singer and pianist.  There was a point during her younger years, she once told me, that she had considered being an opera singer. 

The above picture is the only pre 1920 picture that I have of Stella.  She would have been in her late teens in this photo.

 

EXTENDED FAMILY

ADAMS 

Before leaving England, the Adams children did have at least two grandparents left.  Their grandmother Adams lived until either 1907 or 1909, but it is not known how long their grandfather Adams lived.  For two years after they moved to Canada, they did still have one grandmother, Annie Finch, who died in August of 1915. 

Sitting in the centre of the above picture, taken mid 1911, is Annie Finch.  She is flanked by Charlie and Elsie, while Cyril sits upon his mother, Flo’s lap.  I believe that the woman on the far right may be a sister of Florence Adams. 

Whether Charles James Adams had any siblings, or other relatives, I don’t know, but I do know that Florence had at least two brothers and two sisters.  The only one whose life span I know was Herbert who died in 1906 at age 29.  The only other name I know is Flo’s sister, Jessie.

 

 

 

   

 

 

EXTENDED FAMILY

MOZLEY

 I do not know the lifespans of the grandparents of Stella and Alan Mozley, just that their names were Edward Mozley (wife’s name unknown) and Thomas and Catherine Lewis.  Two postcards tell me that Thomas Lewis, or “Pater”, as he was known to Maude Lewis, was alive in 1907. 

Maude Mozley had at least three sisters, Edith (also known as Leigh), Dorothy (also known as Dollie), and Mary, and possibly, there was a Helen.

The rest of the relatives I have discovered through Stella’s postcard collection: 

• Polly and Kathleen were definitely nieces, addressing W.H. Mozley and Maude respectively as Uncle and Aunt 

• An Alice Cottis, who signed a card to Stella as “Aunt” spoke of her husband as Uncle Percy. Perhaps a brother or sister of W.H.? 

• Someone who signed as Auntie Nell(?) referred to an Uncle Len as well as an Uncle Ernest. I wondered if the Uncle Ernest might be the Charles Ernest Mozley listed on W.H. and Maude Mozley’s marriage certificate.  Perhaps W.H.’s brothers?  This same card mentioned an Eddie, who was a school boy, and Nell(?)’s son.  No doubt this boy was a cousin of Stella and Alan. 

• There were in the collection a few cards from Wales, mostly from “DL”, at a guess, Dollie Lewis. 

EMPLOYMENT

CHARLES JAMES ADAMS:

Charles Adams senior was a photoengraver by trade.  Because of the chemicals he used, he developed a skin sensitivity to sunlight, so always had to wear long sleeves, even in hot weather

WALTER HARRISON MOZLEY:

What Walter Harrison Mozley did for a living in Britain is unclear, but his marriage certificate lists him as being a “clerk”.  On his military attestation form for enlistment for overseas service in 1916, his trade is listed as “farmer”.  It was said by my father, and one time by my grandmother, that after the war, he worked in Alberta as a potato farmer.

 

EMMIGRATION FROM BRITAIN TO WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

MOZLEY FAMILY

 Postcards in Stella’s collection, tell me that the Mozley family emigrated in the late Spring to early Summer of 1909.  There are no real details other than that about their journey from Britain to Canada, no ship name or actual dates.  David seemed to recall Stella telling her that upon arrival in Winnipeg, they lived for a time out in the country at Morse Place. 

I do know from one postcard written to an Alice Taylor in Cardiff, Wales, during her first winter, that Stella was unimpressed with Canadian winters!“For snow and slush,” she wrote, “Canada is the worst place.  Well, at present, it is simply awful & I am afraid that I shall have to stay away from school”.  Needless to say, she did adapt, enduring 43 more Winnipeg winters.

 Both  of these pictures were taken after the family’s arrival in Winnipeg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EMIGRATION FROM BRITAIN TO WINNIPEG MANITOBA

ADAMS FAMILY

 

Cousin, Leslie Anderson, tells me that in 1912, Charles James Adams emigrated to Canada.  The following year, in 1913, on July 3, 1913, the rest of the family, Annie Florence and her three children, 11 year old Charlie, 9 year old Elsie, and 2 year old Cyril, boarded a ship called the AUSONIA.  Sailing from Southampton, they traveled for 11 days, arriving at the Port of Quebec on July 14.  How they traversed the country from Quebec to Winnipeg is not certain, but there is a good chance they went by train.  CJ and Flo settled at 834 Prince Rupert Ave in Winnipeg until 1949. 

This is Elsie Adams’ identification card for her arrival at the Port of Quebec.  With the stamps being in pale green, it’s hard to read, but it does identify confirm the above mentioned sailing information.

 

 

WORLD WAR l

WALTER HARRISON MOZLEY’S SERVICE

 On January 31, 1916, at the age of either 45 or 50, depending on whether his birth date was 1871 or 1866,  Walter Harrison Mozley enlisted to serve overseas during the first world war.  As per his military attestation paper, he had had four years prior experience and service in the military with the 3^rd County Yeomanry in London, England.  The New Lexicon Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, Canadian Edition defines “yeomanry” as:

• a volunteer mounted armed force… for home defense and the Concise Oxford Dictionary defines it as:

• voluntary cavalry force raised from farmers etc

His trade was listed on the form as “farmer”.

Three postcards sent during 1916 to son, Walter Alan Mozley, indicate that he may have begun his service at a military base on the east coast, before being sent over to France for his overseas service. 

On a card, which he himself did not date, but which was postmarked March 29, 1916 in Montreal, Quebec, W.H. Indicated that he had just arrived at St. Johns, New Brunswick at 10p.m. the previous evening.  He and his fellow military personnel had boarded  the T.S.S. Metagama, a Canadian Pacific Ocean Services Ltd steamer with “new one class service carrying only cabin and third-class passengers.  He anticipated being on board for many days. 

On July 13, 1916, there was another postcard postmarked July 14 at a location in France, which said they was leaving for France the following day. 

The final card is dated September 4, 1916, and looks like it may have been enclosed in an envelope as there is no address on it.  The picture shows a town with a church steeple at the end of the road.  It is entitled “STEENVOORDE – Rue de l’Eglise”, and on the back it says Impr. Edia, Versailles.  I am guessing it is from France, as well. 

It is not known just when W.H. returned to civilian life, but it seems that he ended up in Alberta after the war, becoming a potato farmer.

 

MOZLEY, WALTER HARRISON MILITARY ENLISTMENT FORM

 Residence:               390(3?5?6?) Lilac, Winnipeg, MB 

Born:                         1871, January 17

                                                London, England 

Wife:                           Maud Mozley

                                                308 Lilac, Winnipeg, MB (address                                                                                           crossed out)

                                                Block D Ste 1 Maple Leaf Apts

                                                Corydon Ave, Winnipeg, MB

 Trade:                        Farmer

 Prior Service:          3^rd County Yeomanry London England

                                    4 years

 Appearance:            medium complexion, blue-gray eyes,

                                    dark hair

 Religion:                   Church of England

 Military Specs:        DVR 312012

                                                RG 150 Accession

                                                1992-93/166

                                                Box 6456-18

 Enlistment:               January 31, 1916

 This information I obtained from the Canadian Military site on the internet.

 

 

 

THE MACKAY CONNECTION

 Stella Mozley would marry Andrew Neil Mackay in May of 1920, but it is unclear when exactly she met her future first husband.  

The earliest reference to Andrew Neil Mackay is a military attestation paper for enlistment to serve overseas on June 17 of 1915.  This form shows that he was born on December 5, 1886 in Scotland.  On November 20, 1920, when Joy was born, he would have been 35 ready to turn 36 on December 5.  This matches the information on Joy’s birth registration, definitely suggesting that the Andrew Mackay on this enlistment form and Joy’s natural father may well be one and the same. 

The military specs listed on the form are:

• 153239
• RG 150 – 1992-93/166
• box 6919-37

 Walter Harrison Mozley’s enlistment form lists the following specs:

• DVR 312012
• RG 150 Accession – 1992-93/166
• box 6456-18

 The middle row of specs are the same “RG 150 – 1992-93/166”, so there is a strong possibility that Mozley and Mackay may well have met one another during their respective services, and Stella may have met Mackay through her father upon their returns to civilian life 

The military information listed here and the forms are from the Canadian Military site on the internet.

 

EMPLOYMENT

CHARLES GEORGE ADAMS

Charlie Adams junior began his 60 year career in 1917 at the age of 15, when he took his first job working with cars as a motor mechanic.

STELLA  MOZLEY

 Although I do know that my grandmother, Stella Mozley, was appointed a Commissioner of Oaths for the Province of Manitoba on June 20 of 1919, it is not clear whether or not she began employment related to this appointment before the 1920s, and whether or not she was working at the time she married Andrew Neil Mackay.  I do know that in the early 20s from postcards in her collection that she was working in the legal department at Union Station in Winnipeg.  At this time she used her then married name of Stella Mackay.

 

WIND DOWN

1900 – 1920

 With the end of 1919 approaching, people were rejoicing that the war was over, but also in a state of recovery.  For the Mozley family, it meant the end of the family unit as they had once known it.  Walter Harrison Mozley, for whatever his reasons were, had “left the fold”.  

Stella was approaching the age of 22, working in the legal field, and probably had begun her romance with Andrew Neil Mackay.  Whether or not she lived for a time in Calgary is uncertain, but she would marry her lover in that location. 

Walter Alan Mozley was now 15 years of age, and completing his schooling.  They lived together with their mother, Stella, and grandmother, Maude (Mum-a-Mum) at 443 Stradbrooke Avenue in Winnipeg.

 Both the Mozley and the Adams families had learned to adjust to life in Canada, and they had lived with the trials and tribulations of the war years.

I do not now how WW1 impacted the Adams family, but cousin Leslie tells me Charles James was not enlisted.  In the 1920’s, these two families would become connected with the marriage of Stella Mozley and Charles George Adams.

 ADDITIONAL PICTURES