Notes:
Lucy was the third child of Fred Lamb and Margaret Cooper.
Married George Howard Anders June 7 1917?. Had 5 children with
George. He committed suicide when baby Marian was only 9 months
old. Lucy went on relief to feed her kids.
The church at Christmas helped with presents, a tree, food
basket, and a bike for Ray. Shortly after Lucy remarried.
Wilfred Kerry was her new husband and they stayed on relief
(welfare). Wilfred had just been released from jail when they
got married. (Evelyn does not know why he was in there). Wilfred
and Lucy had two more children, Alan and Gordon. Lucy was short,
heavy and smoked all the time. Her top lip and her hair were
stained with nicotine (yellow). Lucy played the piano by ear, no
music. I don't know whether she could read music or not, any
song she ever heard she could play. I remember in the early 50's
when Grandma Kerry and Wilfred lived on Usher St. in Brantford
the piano took up most of the living room. At that time, Wilbert
as we kids called him was making some money by peddling
vegetables door to door. Lucy was working as a cook at the
Brantford General Hospital Nurses Residence. The student nurses
used to live in residence when in training at B.G.H. I don't
know how she cooked with that cigarette hanging from her mouth
all the time. I always looked forward to her bringing over the
Lemon Snow pudding that was left over. I am still looking for
the right recipe, I have tried many but can't find the right one
yet. Grandma K. was an excellent cook. But looking back I wonder
if some ashes from her cigarettes dropped into the food she was
preparing and we thought it was pepper. In 1946 when we came
back to Canada we stayed with Grandma K. and Wilbert On Larry
Browns farm in Port Rowan. Ward and Evelyn, my mom and dad
worked in tobacco farm to make some money. Because of the war
some things were still rationed, this must have started during
World War Two. Butter, Sugar, gasoline were doled out by these
Ration Books The books had small coupons which were used in
conjunction with cash to make purchases. I remember Grandma K
trading butter coupons for sugar so she could bake and Preserved
rations she didn't need because they made their own on the farm.
At harvest time Grandma would cook the meals while the crops
were being harvested, The richest farmer in the area would own
the harvester. So all the farmers pitched in and went from farm
to farm to thrash (cut) the grain. So the cook of the household
they were working at prepared lunch and dinner for about 20 men
until each farms crops were cut and put away for the winter.
Then they would move on to next farm.
Grandma K. and Wilbert moved to a shack in Burch Ontario. The
floors were so crooked that if you dropped something on the
floor you went over to the wall to pick it up. Their well was
under the kitchen floor and when you needed water they lifted up
the trap door to bail up some. When they lived there they also
raised geese and ducks. This is how they earned some money at
this time, of their lives. Ward and Ev went out to Burch one
weekend and killed and cleaned all the geese that were being
sold. Plucking all the feathers and saving the down for pillows.
Lucy and Wilbert gave them all away and didn't offer any to Ward
and Ev. Feelings were hurt again. Lucy and Wilbert were always
buying derelict houses and Ward and Ev would help clean them up
to make them livable. When the Burch house was cleaned up they
moved to Usher St. in Brantford Ont. Another mess to clean up.
In the early 50's Grandma K. worked at the Brant Hotel on
Dalhousie St. as a housekeeper she used to smuggle out their red
wool blankets in Wilbert's guitar case. Grandma Kerry handled
the money in the family. She only left small change in Wilberts
pockets. If he was going out for a beer with the boys Grandma
would always if he had enough to buy a loaf of bread. Wilbert
would consider himself lucky to have 20 cents left to buy two
beers, draft beer at that time was 10 cents a glass. I don't
know why we kids did not call Wilbert grandpa. After Wilbert
died Grandma K. worked for the C.N.I.B. as a housekeeper. She
worked there a long time, and would sneak some of the kids into
her room to watch T.V. Grandma Kerry was not big on gift giving
I remember only receiving 2 in my life. #1 was a red wool
sweater with short sleeves and when I wore it all I did was
itch, I cannot wear wool still. #2 a rolling pin she gave to me
as shower present when I got married and she told me it was to
keep my husband in line. She had a strange sense of humor. Lucy
neglected her first 5 kids when her last two boys Alan and
Gordon were born. I remember her only talking about them. At the
age of 65 she retired from living and working. She felt at 65 it
was the end of the world. She said she couldn't do anything, she
played that part to the hilt, she also decided at that time she
should move in with Ward and Ev. They told her no way, so she
moved into a seniors apartment building while she was still
capable of taking care of herself. Eventually she had to move
into a nursing home, John Noble Nursing home in Brantford was
originally a home for T.B. patients a dreary concrete block
building. When Grandma K. was there the building hadn't been
up-graded in fifty years. Lucy was bitter, cranky, frustrated
and lonely. My lesson learned from her is REMEMBER WHAT YOU SOW
IN YOUR CHILDREN'S YOUNGER YEARS IS WHAT YOU REAP IN YOUR OLDER
ONES. In 1936 Lucy and Wilbert lived with their kids in a duplex
at 217 Dalhousie St. in the other half lived Lavina (Tapley)
Marlatt. Evelyn and Ward met when Ward came to Canada to visit
his grandmother, Grandma Smale. She Lived next door at 219.
In 1944 Aunt Marian went to the states to visit Ward and Ev
and brought me (Beverly) back to visit Grandma K. on a train
from Detroit. Grandma K. lived at the corner of Clarence and
Dalhousie St. There was no front yard only train tracks. the
house has since been torn down. Around the corner from her
house was the College movie theatre it cost 6 cents to go to the
show then. Gordon used to sneak me in the back door, so we could
buy candy with our 6 cents.
Data source was the Muma Family Tree website which is no longer active.