Letter from Joan Turner (trussler)
Following is information re:

Born October 4, 1880 ­ Parish of St. Alphonsus & Columba, Ballybrack, Diocese of Dublin.

Daughter of Patrick Fleming and Julia McKenna

Godparents ­ Uncle James Fleming/Marie Green

10 brothers and sisters ­ Charlotte was the youngest (Uncle Mike has a picture of 7 of Nanny's brothers in navy uniforms ­ but no names)

Nanny's family, the McKenna's, turned up in Boston.
In 1936, Nanny's nephew visited Canada - ___________Fleming ­ Warrant Officer in Navy (brother's son?)

Some details of her life we recall from her stories to us as children:

- relatives provided clothing
- sent to convent to work as housemaid
- went to England ­ worked in hospital in Aldershot where she met Grandad
- James Francis Turner (Turley) ­ met in 1901
- Married in 1902
- Had 9 children, but only 4 lived: (some reports say 11 pregnancies and five boys died)
- Frances (Aunt Bobby) born Leeds, Yorkshire, England (Grandad stationed there) 1906
- Phyllis (Aunt Dee) born Dublin 1908
- James (our Dad) born Dublin 1910
- Wilhelmina Rose (Aunt Dodie) born Toronto 1913 (Nanny was carrying Dodie on ship's voyage to Canada, mentioned being sick on trip)
- Nanny worked for Mr. Barry as housemaid in Toronto while Grandad was at Camp Borden
- I can remember Nanny taking me on several Christmas Eves to see Mr. Barry in what appeared to me as a child as a very large home. He was a widower.
- Nanny (and Aunt Dodie) lived upstairs from us on 8 Redwood Avenue in Toronto from the time we moved there, when I was maybe 4, so 1937, until about 1947 or 1948 when they moved out to Lakeview, across the street from Aunt Bobby and Uncle Jim. While at Redwood, Nanny looked me, Jim, Mike and Les as our Mom (Elsie) worked at Eaton's.
- Nanny died August 1963 at age 83 of heart failure.

Following is information re James Francis Turner (Turley) (father of my father Jim).

Born 1865 ­ Glasgow, Scotland
Grandad's father was born in Edinburgh, Scotland (Mr. Turley)
Brother Edward (Ted) Turley
Sister ­ Catherine (Aunt Kate) Turley, older than Grandad ­ she married a McDonald who was a captain in Scottish regiment. (Could our Grandad have been with a Scottish regiment?)
Other Brothers and Sisters ­ we don't know.
Grandad graduated from Oxford and Sandhurst.
Was in Army ­ an officer ­ for some reason was demoted
Fought in India ­ as young officer ­ involvement with local women? which would have been frowned upon on those days.
Fought in Sudan with Kitchener
Battle of Omnedon and with Winston Churchill
Zulu Wars
Boer War
Spoke 17 languages/dialects; interpreter; some spying; secretary to an officer.

Grandad ­ in England was cricket instructor at Club. Good billiard player.

1901 to London ­ in hospital (in medical corps or ill ???) ­ met Nanny

1906 ­ stationed in Leeds, Yorkshire, England

Charlotte and James and three children came to Canada in 1913 ­ Nanny was pregnant with Aunt Dodie (Rose). Lived in Toronto.

Grandad was posted at Camp Borden (north of Toronto) ­ went AWOL to see Dodie born.

Military service in (1) Army (2) Navy (3) Army. Was at Camp Borden when Germans blew up the camp during the First World War.

Grandad ­ died in 1923 in Toronto of nephritis (complicated by malaria?) ­ buried in Mount Hope Cemetery (near O'Keefe monument)

Their children:

Frances (Aunt Bobby) married James Stewart in Toronto. No children. Jim Stewart was a barber and looked remarkably like Bing Crosby (at least I always thought so). He used to make me toys ­ furniture for a doll house. Uncle Jim died June 5, 1960. Aunt Bobby married Dennis Brown ­ 1963. Dennis died July 19, 1991, age 70. Aunt Bobby died October 28, 1994 ­ age 88.

Phyllis (Aunt Dee) married when she was very young and that marriage was annulled. She subsequently married Sydney Noye, an Englishman, who could play the piano by ear (an accomplishment which impressed us kids). They had three children, Walter, Susan and Philip. Dee worked at Eatons in her younger days and was the one who introduced our mother Elsie to her brother Jim. Aunt Dee was a fun-loving, cheery woman and a great favourite with me. Aunt Dee died of cancer June 11, 1970 at age 62 (we were living in Nova Scotia at the time and I flew up to see her in hospital). Uncle Syd died in 1981. You would have to call Susan to get the details about Syd's family.

James Francis (our Dad) married Elspeth Turner Allan (Elsie) in 1932. They had four children, Joan (July 6, 1933), James (November 14, 1934), Michael (March 18, 1937) and (Thomas) Leslie (February 19, 1939). Jim worked as a mould maker at Canadian Standard (bathroom fixtures). Elsie worked in the cash department at Eatons. Jim died June 4, 1958 (age 48) of a blood clot. He had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for at least 8 years and was rendered mostly immobile. Elsie died November 5, 1982, three years to the day after suffering a stroke.

Wilhelmina Rose ­ Aunt Dodie ­ was born in Toronto. She never married. She worked at stenography all her life. She was very beautiful as a young woman, dark curly hair, an Irish peaches and cream complexion. Dodie died in Montreal September 17, 1995, age 82.

Their children:

Phyllis (Aunt Dee) and Walter:
Walter Noye
Susan Noye ­ susannoye@hotmail.com
Philip Noye

Jim and Elsie:
Joan Theresa Hartigan, born in Toronto July 6, 1933. Married Gordon Roland Trussler on October 16, 1954. Five children ­ Michael, September 24, 1955, James, December 9, 1956, Charlotte, June 6, 1959, Donald, March 7, 1961 and Patricia, November 17, 1963.

James Patrick born November 14, 1934 in Toronto. Married Molly Reid March 24, 1962. Three children, James, June 16, 1963; Katherine, May 3, 1965; Christopher, September 25, 1970.

Michael (Uncle Mike) born March 18, 1937 in Toronto. His children are all his nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews. All love Uncle Mike.

(Thomas) Leslie born February 19, 1939. Married Ilga Petersen February 18, 1966. They had three children ­ Kathleen March 24, 1967; Sean February 6, 1976; Martin November 6, 1978. Ilga died of Lou Gehrig's disease January 22, 1994; Les died September 20, 2002 of skin cancer.
Their children:

Joan and Gord:

Michael Gordon (Educator) married Helena Szeen, July 1, 1977. Children: James, November 26, 1978; Diana Elspeth, July 27, 1989; Joana Lauren, January 21, 1992.

James Roland (F.C.A.) married Christina Hemphill May 24, 1980. Children: Kathryn Grace, May 23, 1984; Paul Joseph, October 1, 1985; Marc, May 21, 1988.

Charlotte Lesley (Geological Engineer) ­ son Ryan Scott, October 18, 1985.

Donald Patrick (Photographer) married Ana Hernandez October 30,1998. Children: Christian, November 29, 1999; Jessica Leigh, July 9, 2003.

Patricia Sean Marie (R.N.) married Patrick Howe December 1, 1989. Children: David, November 26, 1991; Jennifer, January 26, 1993; Steven James, January 15, 2001.

Jim and Molly:

Jim married Martine September 1, 1990. Children: James, May 21, 1992; Matthew, September 29, 1995; Brendan, August 5, 1997.

Katherine married Gary Marshall May 7, 1988. Children: Katelyn Jane, January 12, 1993; William Malcolm, September 21, 1994; Dana, August 18, 1996; Holly Katherine, February 5, 2001.

Christopher. Unmarried. Works for Hydro in Toronto.

Les and Ilga:

Kathleen married Mario Araujo , August 16, 1992? Children: Brandon, January 4, 1995; Shane, February 7, 1996.

Sean married Melissa, September 16, 2000. Child: Mackenzie Catherine, June 18, 2004

Martin married Amanda in 2003. Children: Alyssa Catherine, July 9, 2002; Nathan Thomas, May 9, 2004.