Mary Anne Whelan was born on August 18, 1889, in Hungerford, Ontario, Canada, father, Daniel Whelan (1863-1938), was 26, and her mother, Bridget (née Phillips) (1872-1901), was 17. Mary Anne was an only child. (**note re spelling of last name: appears that Mary Anne’s father, although born Daniel Whalen, took to spelling it “Whelan”, as did Mary Anne).
Mary Anne married Clayton Loucks on January 12, 1914.
Clayton Loucks was born on June 9, 1886, when his father, William Loucks (1843-1914), was 43 and his mother, Victoria (née Wagar) (1853-1907), was 33.
Mary Anne and Clayton had three children:
- Clayton William Loucks Jr. (July 8, 1914-April 6, 1987)
- Mary Kathleen Loucks (February 1916-August 16, 1916)
- Donald Loucks (February 23, 1917-February 23, 1979) married Edith Grace Fennell, formerly Woods (October 10, 1911-August 29, 1981)
The fact that the couple was married in January and Clayton William Loucks Jr. was born on July 8, 1914 (less than seven months later) suggests that it may not have been a white wedding. No record of his birth has been located.
Mary Kathleen Loucks, the couple’s only daughter, is born in February 1916. As with her older brother, Mary Kathleen’s birth is not recorded. As she died less than six months later on August 16, 1916, of cholera, her exact birth date is unknown. At the time of her death the family is living in Desorento, Ontario, likely because it was close to family. Her burial location is also unknown.
In 1921, the couple are living at 673 Brock Avenue in Toronto. Clayton Sr. (34), is a lineman. Mary Anne (30) is at home with Donald (3) and Clayton Jr. (6) is at school.
Shortly after the census, on July 18, 1921, Mary Anne was widowed. Clayton Sr., who was an electrician by trade, was electrocuted on the job (I’m working on a story about it—stay tuned). He was interred at Prospect Cemetery in Toronto.
Mary Anne, widowed with two young children, remarried quickly, on September 26, 1922, to Frederick Samuel Gardiner at St. Anthony’s Church in Toronto. Mary Anne was 33 years old.
Mary Anne’s daughter says the couple was introduced by Frederick’s aunt Winnifred Stevens who lived up the street from Mary Anne and Clayton in Toronto.
Frederick Samuel Gardiner was born on December 31, 1886, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, his father, Samuel Gardiner (1859-1914), was 27 and his mother, Teresa (nee Stevens) (1861-1921), was 25. He had one brother and seven sisters.
While Mary Anne continued to own (and rent out) the home on Brock Street, she moved with her sons to Frederick’s family home at 446 Herkimer Street in Hamilton. Her daughter recalls helping her mother to prepare the cheque for the mortgage. (Mary Anne’s address is listed at 42 Smith Avenue.)
The couple lived in Hamilton, Ontario, where Mary Anne had six more children with Frederick:
- Unnamed Baby Girl Gardiner (stillborn July 29, 1923)
- Frederick Douglas (Doug) Gardiner (August 17, 1924- July 15, 2005) married Sylvia Gwendolyn Bridgehouse (February 25, 1923 – August 25, 2015)
- Jean Winnifred Gardiner (November 18, 1927-October 5, 2019) married John Leonard McPhail (November 25, 1927-December 3, 1996)
- Mary Pauline Gardiner (September 2, 1929- April 16, 1976)
- Charles (Chuck) Samuel Gardiner (September 25, 1933 – February 19, 1987) married Dolores Anderson
- Unnamed Baby Boy Gardiner (stillborn November 10, 1932)
The couple’s first child, a baby girl, is stillborn prematurely on July 29, 1923. The birth is not registered and the death certificate does not list a name. She’s laid to rest in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery on August 6th. The family is still living on Herkimer Street.
Frederick Douglas Gardiner is born the following year on August 17, 1924.
Jean Winnifred Gardiner is born on November 18, 1927.
Mary Pauline Gardiner is born on September 2, 1929.
Charles (Chuck) Gardiner is born September 25, 1933.
The couple’s final child, a son, is stillborn prematurely just like their first on November 10, 1932. The birth is not recorded, and again, the death certificate does not list a name. The certificate suggests that Mary Anne was only six months pregnant. He’s also laid to rest in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, on November 12th. The family is still living on Herkimer Street.
A border crossing record dated December 13, 1940, shows that Frederick, his brother Charles and his mother’s sister Winnifred crossed into Niagara Falls, New York to visit his sister Amy Gardiner in the hospital.
Mary Anne died on October 11, 1957 at the age of 68. Her obituary reads: “Mrs. Frederick Gardiner, the former Mary Ann Whelan, of 446 Herkimer Street, died in St. Joseph’s Hospital yesterday. Born in Reid, Ont., she had been a resident of Hamilton for the last 35 years. Mrs. Gardiner was a member of St. Joseph’s Church. Surviving besides her husband are four sons, Clayton Lucks (sic) of Hamilton, Donald Lucks (sic) of Niagara Falls, and Douglas and Charles Gardiner both of Hamilton; two daughters, Sister Mary Regina of the Sisters of the Precious Blood, Hamilton, and Mrs. John McPhail of Hamilton. The body is at the P.X. Dermody Funeral Home for funeral on Tuesday morning at 8:30 o’clock to St. Joseph’s Church for Requiem Mass at 9 o’clock. Burial will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.”
Frederick died of heart failure on April 14, 1964, at the age of 78.
The couple are buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Section 3. The stone reads “GARDINER / Mary Anne / WHELAN 1889-1957 / wife of / Frederick S. / GARDINER / 1886-1964.”
Clayton Loucks Jr. was struck with polio and epilepsy at about age 7. He never married and spent much of his adult life in hospital. He died on April 6, 1987, and is also interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
Main image: Mary Anne, Frederick (“Pops”) Gardiner and their two eldest children
