LOUISA BRUNETTA GOSLING

Louisa Brunetta Gosling - age 5. Photo handed down from her to her son Edgar Hopkins

From 1916 onwards, her life is narrated below by her grandchildren, Kenneth & Joyce Hopkins; many thanks to them. As such, she is referred to as Nanny: they also seem to think she was Louisa Burnetta.

1899. Born 17/6/1899 at 39 Bertram Strret, Roath, Cardiff to James Gosling & Jane Taylor. "She had eight brothers and four sisters that we[ Hopkins descendants] know about and possibly more!: in fact 3 more were born, of which 2 sisters who died as tots in 1892/3". See tree. On the b.c.her father is a Joiner's Machinist - he only became a baker between Nov 1900 to March 1901.

This b.c. was issued on 5/5/1949, presumably to enable Louisa to obtain a passport to travel back to Wales to see her Gosling family; she was there before the end of June!.Presumably she did not need one in 1913 when she travelled out to Canada.

1901. Aged 1, living with her parents and 6 of her siblings at 39 Bertram Street, father now a baker.

1912. Her widowed father, James, goes out to Canada as a settler in August. She & younger brother Edgar probably left with elder sister Annie Gerrard

1913. Went to Canada with her younger brother Edgar Gosling..1/3/1913.-they arived at St John New Brunswick on the Empress of Ireland. Ages given are 2 years too young - I wonder if their fares were less as younger?!!

They were going to their father, James Gosling, at 151 Metcalfe Street. He had gone out there as a 'settler' in August 1912 & then he returned to Wales in Mar 1919. 151 Metcalfe Street was the 1912 home of her married sister Edith Angel 1879. So, presumably they lived with Edith, husband, and their 5 young children when they first arrived.

1916. She was married to Frank Ernest Hopkins on April 4, 1916 by a Justice of Peace in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Nanny was only sixteen years old on this big day in her life. Having married in St. John, they then settled there, having 3 sons, Ernest 1917, Robert 1918 & Edgar 1920 . Ernest's son, Ken Hopkins - email contact - knew her well and the rest of this page is thanks to him. . 1960. She died 1960 in Dolbeau, Quebec

Jan.1918 Louisa & Frank with first child, Ernest, born Jan 1917. Louisa with, probably, her 3rd child Edgar in 1922- he left alone with her elder sister Annie in Cardiff 1926-1929.

Ken's Story. This has been added to as Ken, family & Gosling Bear have discovered more facts in late May/June 2011.

Frank Ernest Hopkins, born Jun 1895 Basingstoke, had lived in Hanwell, Ealing, London and joined the Merchant Marines when his father, William Hopkins, died in 1910. Story has it that he was attending a concert in New Brunswick and missed his ship - intentional or not?? He worked in Saint John in a paper mill. He met Louisa when both were staying at the same boarding house- this 'myth' handed down in the family. Their three sons, Ernest Hopkins 1917, Robert Hopkins 1918 and Edgar Taylor Hopkins 1920, were all born in Saint John, New Brunswick. The latter was obviously named after her youngest brother Edgar, with who she had travelled out to Canada in 1913.

"Edgar was born in Saint John, NB in Dec 1920, the youngest son of Frank and Lou.. When he was just 2, the following is the story of how Edgar lost his fingers:

Edgar and his older brother Bobbie seemed to be forever getting into trouble. The most notorious event was the day the two boys were in the basement where Bobbie was supposed to be splitting wood for the furnace. As the story goes, Edgar was two years old and Bobbie four years old. I have often wondered why two such young boys were allowed to use an axe. Apparently Edgar was teasing Bobbie by putting his hand on the log just as Bobbie was ready to swing the axe. This happened a few times and Bobbie warned Edgar that if he did it again, he was not going to stop his swing. Well, what should never have happened did happen. Bobbie swung the axe, Edgar left his hand on the log and in a split second, Edgar was minus the two middle fingers of his left hand. From that day on, Edgar had to learn to manage without the two fingers.

hopkins-sailors . hopkins-edgar-1927 . hopkins-edgar-1929

Edgar,Robbie & Ernest 1922. Newspaper article referring to 1927? . Edgar & his dad, right, in 1929

Furniture in the left & centre photos very similar: but probably not proof that centre picture was also taken in Canada: if it were, then date must be prior to August 1926 when he was taken to Cardiff.

The scanned picture of the three brothers in their sailor suits was taken in Saint John, NB. Ken scanned this picture several years ago and is still looking for the original to see if he can make a better copy. If you look closely, you will see where the two fingers are missing. The photo for the Dolbeau newspaper article was submitted by Edgar Hopkins himself , cerca 1990?, because some people didn’t believe he was that young when they were cut off: What we do not know was whether the photo was taken in Cardiff or Saint John, as, according to the following he was certainly in Cardiff in 1927: Ken does not recognise the chair as one in Dolbeau, but his memories of chairs there is 20 years later anyway. My feeling is that the photo was taken in Oct/Nov 1926 in Cardiff, just as his mother prepared to leave him there for, what turned out to be, almost 3 years

"When he was three[ actually 5] , he was shipped off to England to live with an aunt. (He may have been hard to handle, but we have no proof.) This was actually written in Jim’s book. When his aunt died four years later[ this not in fact true] , his uncle sent him back to Canada under the care of the ship’s stewardesses. As a teenager, he delivered groceries using a pony and two-wheeled buggy.”- extract from the above mentioned book. Also from this: "Frank worked for Atlantic Sugar Refinery in Saint John, NB before moving to Dolbeau in 1927? and lived in a camp down by the field close to the mill.". This would be where the Pulp & Paper Company eventually built houses for employees. No mention of Newfoundland!!!! - Ken's comment. But, Jim, son of Robert Hopkins, seems to think that Frank Hopkins and family went to Corner Brook, Newfoundland to work in the paper mill and a short time later, it was recommended that he go to Dolbeau since they had just built a new paper mill there.

Gosling Bear thought there must be some truth in the above devastating revelation, and found that the aunt concerned was Annie Gerrard, nee Gosling, 1883, as a ship's record for 1929 reveals. Ernest Taylor Hopkins, stated age 8, arrived back in Quebec from Southampton on 22/8/1929 on the Montclare. The ship's record states that he was detained for Safekeeping, being released on 23/8/1929. Also that he was travelling inland on CNR. And that his last residential address in the UK was 144 Broadway, Cardiff, that of indeed an aunt, Annie Gerrard..

1926. Found - in Sep 2011 - that Edgar Hopkins, aged 4, travelled with his mother, Louisa Hopkins, 28, housewife, from St. John arriving Liverpool on 30/8/1926 on the Nova Scotia, destination 144 Broadway, Cardiff. He was actually nearly 5 yrs & 8 mths at this time - born Dec 1920.

Then Louisa Brenetta Hopkins, 28, sailed back on 3/11/1926, 3rd class on the Newfoundland, from Liverpool, her last address being 144 Broadway, Cardiff . So....Edgar Taylor Hopkins spent the next 33 months in Cardiff, without his mother, from age 5+ to 8+, just in the cruel ? care of his aunt Annie Gerrard. We cannot be certain that Louisa intended leaving him there; he could for instance have become ill there?, or Annie could have persuaded her that he would have a better future in Cardiff. Alternatively maybe he was left for medical treatment. In 1926 Annie was a widow with 4 sons aged 12-18.

Also there is no truth in the statement that the aunt died, though young Edgar may well have wished her dead!. Annie lived until 1948, but her husband Thomas Gerrard did die in 1925, [ this before Edgar even arrived there] and she remarried in 1932.

June 2011 memories of Joyce: "Edgar said that his Auntie Annie was very mean to him and used to put him into a cupboard under the stairs in the dark I read something about her nature in some of the family stuff I read recently[ Harold's views] and that made me think about Edgar's comment. Edgar sort of laughed about it but in such a way that I knew he did not think it was funny. And of course it must have been scary because I believe he was very young. I can't imagine why he was sent over and could he have gone by himself" - this before we knew he went over with his mother

And Edgar's son Craig said that this was a very unhappy time for Edgar and he did not want to discuss it with either Craig or Brenda.

1927/8. Frank and Louisa and certainly only 2 of their 3 boys seemingly moved to Corner Brook, Newfoundland -see Jim Hopkins' comment above. After a short time, the family moved once again, this time to Dolbeau [red A on map below], Quebec in order to work in a new paper mill, which was constructed only a year earlier in 1927. These were vast distances for a family to travel.

Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited is a vital force in the economy of western Newfoundland. Construction of the mill began in 1923 with the first paper produced in 1925. It was then incorporated in 1927 as the International Paper Company of Newfoundland Limited. Shown below as it is now.

"Frank lived in a camp down by the field close to the mill. This would be where the Dolbeau Pulp & Paper Company eventually built houses for employees". -Dolbeau Papermakers book

1929. Her youngest son, Edgar Taylor Hopkins, aged 8+, arrived back in Quebec from Southampton on August 22nd on the Montclare & then travelled inland on CNR. His address in the UK had been 144 Broadway, Cardiff - that of Louisa's much older sister, Annie. She had left him there in November 1926

Louisa 1934 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hopkins Family 1937, Ernest, Edgar, Robert, Frank & Louisa

Looking back, I consider Nanny as a businesswoman. After raising three sons, she ran the family home as a boarding house at the request of the paper mill manager. She always had either 3 or 4 men boarding there since there wasn’t room in the mill owned and operated “staff house”. Nanny prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner for these men as well as for Poppa. Peter and Reggie Muirhead were pretty much permanent boarders and shared a large bedroom. For a short time their brother Blair also boarded there. Nanny ran a pretty tight ship. Another boarder who stayed for a short time got into the habit of coming home drunk on Saturday nights. On one of these occasions, he was snoring so loudly that Nanny threatened to shove a hot potato down his throat if he didn’t stop!!!!

As though Nanny didn’t have enough to do, my sister Joyce, and I would still get invited to a sleep over.

My very first thought of my grandmother is of a very generous, large and loving person. She really enjoyed dancing and Dad told me that she was very light on her feet.

I remember my grandmother being an excellent cook and never saw her use a cookbook!!! Everything she cooked or baked was “by taste”. It was always a treat to have a pancake breakfast, have a warm Welsh cake with raisins as a snack and occasionally hot freshly made doughnuts. Homemade bread was always available and it tasted so good toasted with melted butter. Nanny always baked for the Woman’s Auxiliary to raise money for the church. My sister Joyce would pick up Nanny’s baking and deliver it to the church hall. Nanny’s baked goods were always sold prior to even being delivered… they were that good!

Her husband, Frank or Poppa loved to go partridge hunting and trout fishing when he wasn’t working in the paper mill or working in his vegetable and flower gardens. Poppa would clean the partridge, but Nanny would clean the trout. Like all the meals she prepared, she cooked partridge and trout to perfection.

Nany & Poppa with their 1928 Buick - probably taken ~1928? . Frank & Louisa 1928 at 105 Mill Avenue,Dolbeau

The homes of Nanny and Poppa’s three sons, Ernest (my Dad), Bobby & Edgar could all be seen from their house. Dad would stop by every day on his way home from work unless he was working the midnight shift. I loved dropping in also and enjoyed sitting around the large dining room table with all the boarders. I couldn’t get over how much they ate!!!!! Even after a full meal followed by desert, they would often dip fresh homemade bread in molasses as filler!!! On the few occasions when Nanny and Poppa were away, they would come to our home and Mom would feed them.

With a house full of men to shop for, do laundry and feed, Nanny was very busy and really didn’t have time to do much outside the home. She enjoyed knitting and I was never without socks, gloves, toques or mittens. In the afternoon she enjoyed sitting at the kitchen table and played solitaire while sipping on a cup of tea. My favourite spot in the kitchen was rocking in the rocking chair by the stove. I salvaged this rocking chair from my Uncle Bobby’s hunting and fishing camp and used it in our home for several years. It is currently (2011) in my eldest son Erik’s home.

Nanny and Poppa always hosted the annual Christmas turkey dinner and with their three sons, three daughters-in-law and five grandchildren, the table was full. Nanny was always the last person to sit down at the table to eat. She was very busy taking care of the rest of us and when she finally got to eat, there seemed very little on her plate. I suspect that she snacked in the kitchen while preparing the meal. Her favourite part of the turkey was the neck!!! It kind of grossed me out at the time, but I know better now and always save the neck meat to add to homemade turkey soup.

Nanny and Poppa would often drive to a farm outside of town to buy fresh eggs. I loved going along with them and would chase the hens and roosters around the farmyard. On one of the trips, the farmer said I could take one of the hens home in the car and much to my surprise, Nanny and Poppa agreed. When we got home, Dad was at work and Mom was out, so I let the bird loose in the basement. As you can imagine, that did not go over very well!! My next challenge was to catch the bird and tie it by one leg so that it could run around under the back porch. After a few days, the neighbours German Shepherd had just about gone crazy trying to get the bird. As expected, there was soon a return trip to the farm.

Nanny was the custodian of five small tin banks shaped like a cash register. She had one for each grandchild and they only accepted dimes (a 10 cent coin). After inserting the first dime, the bank would lock and could not be opened until the counter registered $10.00. But, Nanny knew how to open these little banks whenever she wished! If we were planning a trip to Chicoutimi with Mom and Dad to visit my Aunt and Uncle (Alice & John Flood), she would somehow open the bank and give us the contents to spend.

A postman did not deliver mail, but everyone had a locked mailbox at the post office. It was too far for Nanny to walk so I would ride my second hand bike to the post office to pick up our mail and any mail for Nanny and Poppa. We shared PO Box #63 with Nanny and Poppa. One day Nanny took me to a bicycle shop and bought a 3-speed Raleigh bike. It had to have a low bar so both Joyce and I could use it, but that was just fine with me. At least, I thought everything was fine until we got home with the bike and Dad saw what we had been up to!!! To say the least, Dad was not pleased with either me or with his mother for this expensive item behind his back (as he put it)!!! After some discussion between Dad and Nanny, the bike had a new home.

I really don’t remember Nanny ever being ill. There were no doubt times when she wasn’t feeling well but she was a workhorse with a lot of people depending on her.

1949. Louisa visited her brother Harold Gosling in Rumney, Cardiff. This was her second visit back there since she had left at the age of 13, the previous one being in 1926.

1960. Nanny had a stroke in January 1960 and a second one six months later. Unfortunately, she passed away on June 7, 1960 and is buried in the Protestant cemetery outside Dolbeau, Quebec, Canada. Her death hit my Dad, Ernest, like a ton of bricks and much of his hair turned white in what seemed to be overnight.

Having to depend on memories going back fifty five to sixty years ago I thought I should ask my sister, Joyce, to share her thoughts of Nanny and the following is what she sent me on May 11, 2011:

Here are some more thoughts/memories of Nanny!!!!!!

It seems that any time I stopped by to see Nanny, she had a treat of some sort. The best time was when she was baking!!!!! I would watch her make fairy cakes, doughnuts, bread and rolls. She would save some of the bread dough and drop chunks into fat and then turn them over to make singing biddies, which were so good with butter and jam!!!!!! If there were no baking to be had, Nanny would head to the buffet in the dining room and find a chocolate coated biscuit with marshmallow, always a favourite when we were kids. Around 4 p.m., Nanny would make tea and toast for herself and Poppa.

When mixing dough, Nanny would tip the large heavy bowl and beat really hard!!!!!! I do that sometimes and think of her.

When the church had a bazaar twice a year, Nanny could be counted on to make rolls and raisin buns, which I would take to the church basement, hot from the oven. Always, Nanny's baking was sold before it arrived!!!!!!

Nanny made excellent pea soup. I have never been able to get the same results!!!!!!

At suppertime, I often saw Nanny make an onion sandwich for herself after everyone had eaten!!!!!

There was always excitement in the air when the word was out that Nanny was going to make ice cream!!!!!! Kenny and Poppa would chop ice from the river and use that in the ice cream maker. We would take turns turning the crank and could not wait for Nanny to determine when it was ready for tasting!!!!!. It was the best I have ever eaten. The ice cream maker with the container inside would then be taken out to the stoop by the back steps. I was often tempted to open the lid of the container as I was leaving and stick my finger in for another taste but couldn't bring myself to do it!!!!!

Nanny worked hard but when she took time to relax, she was always knitting. She made socks, mittens, gloves hats and baby clothes and gave everything away!!!!! I can see her sitting knitting in her chair while Poppa listened to the hockey game. In summer she sat on the screened front porch to knit, protected from the mosquitoes!!!! We would wave as we rode by on our bikes.

Nanny would attend Sunday evening services at our community church. I loved to hear her voice, which stood out in our small congregation.

In 1952, I traveled with Nanny and Poppa by car to Montreal, on to Toronto to visit friends of theirs and then to Niagara Falls. It was a special trip. Joyce was then aged ~12

1949 I had lots of questions for Nanny about her trip to Rumney, Wales, in 1949. She stayed with her brother Harold & Esther Gosling 1896 - Anne's parents: the trip paid for by Harold . Anne thought it was her 2nd visit back, and indeed it has so proved to be, with the discovery of her 1926 voyage. I still have the Welsh doll she brought back for me. I always wanted to meet the family and it was so interesting to meet the Gosling family on at least four different occasions. On my first visit we talked about Nanny a lot and it was a thrill for me when I realized I was sleeping in the same room where Nanny had slept because she had described it to me. During Nanny's visit, she was alarmed by a dream she had about something happening at home. I can't recall the details of her dream but my father, Ernest, had been badly burned in an electrical accident in the paper mill.

From left, Miriam Gosling/Prankard 1884, Esther, Louisa,1949 Rumney . Louisa & Frank c.1945?. Louisa, Madeline, Lizette & Mickey in Dolbeau house

Anne's recollections of Louisa's visits to them in Wales, was that she came over twice [ I doubted this, but, this now proved to be correct ,with the discovery of her 1926 visit from Canada ], her father, Harold, paid her flight over, and she stayed with Harold & Esther/Hetty & family this second time. Anne remembers her as a very happy lady with an amazing laugh, very infectious, & she loved having her around. Will ask her sisters what they remember of her - nothing!.

In March 1961, Frank Hopkins received his Certificate of Canadian Citizenship and returned to England to 71 Carlyle Road, South Ealing W5, London. Sometime later he bought a house at 11 Williamson Close in the town of Diss, located in Norfolk, England. His sister Fanny Turner, who had also lost her husband and did not have much, moved in with him. Poppa supplied the place to live and in return she cooked, cleaned, and looked after his clothes. Poppa really enjoyed gardening and for several years he had a job looking after the flower gardens for an elderly lady. This job not only consisted of a salary, but also included bus fare to and from his home, tea at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, and lunch.
Poppa returned to Canada 13 times to visit his family. During one of his trips in 1965, Gretchen and I announced that we were getting married. Poppa always arranged his trips to Canada for a set number of days and unfortunately had to go back to England. When we sent out the wedding invitations, we thought we would send him one as a souvenir. We were very surprised and pleased when he replied to the invitation saying that he would be coming back for the wedding which took place in Arvida, Quebec on September 25, 1965. He told us that when he got back to England and thought about the wedding, he knew that Nanny would have wanted him to be there and that's all it took.
His son Edgar, traveled to Diss in 1978 to present him with a wall plaque from the township of Dolbeau to commemorate his contribution to the town's history. Poppa was one of the first men to work at the paper mill. The townspeople of Dolbeau were celebrating the 50th anniversary of their existence as a town and as part of the celebration they sent a carved wall plaque to those who were there in the beginning. The plaque was made of local wood and was inscribed: "The Elders planted the seed. The youth inherit the tree." The words were carved in French but Edgar had them translated before he took it to Diss. A newspaper article shows a picture of Edgar presenting the plaque to Poppa. Poppa's sister Fanny is also in the picture.

When Fanny, Poppa's sister became ill, she moved to a Senior Citizen Residence, called The Nunnery, and since Poppa did not want her to feel alone, he moved there also. Following Fanny's death, Edgar flew to England several times to attend to family matters and eventually Poppa agreed to move back to Dolbeau and live with Edgar and his wife Mickey. Due to his deteriorating health, Poppa had to be hospitalized . He died in the hospital on September 11, 1985 and was cremated. He was buried with his wife Louisa Brunetta, beside their son, Ernest Frank Gosling, just outside Dolbeau.

And in 2016: from Tom Broderick , prof. of Physiology, Glendale TBRODE@midwestern.edu

I was looking up old friends from Dolbeau, Quebec on the internet and came across your family history on the Hopkins side. I lived in Dolbeau, in the “Quartier des Anglais” , from 1964 to 1979. We knew Edgar and Bob as well as their wives. Both Bob and Edgar were machinists at Domtar, the local paper mill, and my father worked upstairs on the paper machines. I remember as young kids (including my 2 brother) we would go trout fishing and hunting at Bob’s camp located what it appeared then as an extremely long drive on a dusty gravel road north of Dolbeau. My dad and Bob would drink beers (Labatt’s 50) after work. That I remember well because I was the one that enjoyed the beer foam (both liked their beers warm). Edgar was into curling, and we used to throws stones between games at the Dolbeau Inn. We have old pictures of the fishing trips. If I can locate those old pictures, I’ll send them to you.

Ernest Hopkins 1917. Married ? and had 2 children, Joyce & Ken. Ken married Gretchen in 1965 and had one son & one daughter, 4 grandsons

Edgar Taylor Hopkins. Born Saint John 16/12/1920- died 1/5/2007 Dolbeau, Quebec . 2 children, Craig & Brenda.

"Before he passed away, my Uncle Edgar sent me the pocket watch (needs a key to wind it!) and wedding ring that belonged to Frank Hopkins (Poppa)."

As mentioned above, he got taken back to Wales as a small boy, seemingly aged almost 6 , and then left there for nearly 3 years, a fact he seems to have buried until 1999. As a result of our investigation into this period of his life, his nephew Kenneth wrote the following in June 2011.

He could very well have been a bad boy, but he was a very good man. I lived in Dolbeau until I went off to University in Montreal. During that time all three brothers, Ernest, Robert and Edgar all lived a "stones throw" from their parents and saw each other every day. Father and sons all worked in different areas of the paper mill and all walked to work. As a young man, Edger played in the men's softball league and was the pitcher. During the winter he played on the local men's hockey team and was an avid curler. He was very involved in the planning of the company owned and operated recreation center and was instrumental in having them include two curling rinks. Edgar was by far the best curler in Dolbeau and a force to recon with in bonspeils within the Saguenay, Lac St. Jean region. Edgar was also involved with the younger people and was actually my cub master. Every year the school had a Christmas concert and Edgar would faithfully appear dressed as Santa Clause. Edgar was also very musical and played the piano beautifully.... by ear! When his wife Mickey was so sick with cancer, her retired early so that he could look after her. Once she was moved to the hospital, he slept there every night. After my dad was killed accidental, Mom moved to Montreal and Edgar would write to her as well as to me and Joyce on a regular basis. After several years, Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's yet he continued to write post cards to her on a weekly basis with pictures of Dolbeau and the surrounding area. Even when Mom's memory was completely gone, he continued to write. Edgar looked after the grave yard just outside Dolbeau for the English families who had been members of the protestant church. He donated the money to buy a riding lawn mower and went to cut the grass on a regular basis. What more can I say about my uncle with two fingers missing!!!! Just imagine, he played all these sports and played the piano with two fingers missing. He was a very good man and this is how I will always remember him.