Christena LeMaistre
Christena May "Tena" LeMaistre (nee Currie) (11 September 1873 - 14 December 1954) was a wool worker and Scottish immigrant who lived most of her life in Almonte, Ontario. She was the Dean of the Almonte Sisters - born first, and the most prolific.
Early life
Christena was born in Scotland to John Currie and Mary Riddell on 11 September 1873 in Innerleithen, Peebles, Scotland. She was likely named after John's mother.
With her family she emigrated to Canada in 1883, arriving in Quebec on 8 June. They made their way over to Almonte immediately.
Marriage and family
In 1896 her "sister" Jessie was born. Considering that Christena's mother Mary was 51 at the time, and Christena was 23, it's possible that Christena was in fact the mother.
On 4 April 1899 she married blacksmith Edward Joshua LeMaistre (1876 - 1949), who had come to Canada from Jersey, Channel Islands. Just a few days later, on 17 April 1899, their first child, Laura, was born.
Her husband's 1949 obituary stated that they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1948, which may have been a revision of history to keep their first child Laura from being revealed as born out of wedlock. Her marriage license also misstates her age, listing it as 23 instead of her true age of 25, possibly because her husband was 22, and a significantly older bride is not socially preferable.
They had 3 daughters and 3 sons:
- Laura (Mrs. Nesbitt) 17 April 1899 - 29 August 1968
- Grace 1901 - 20 December 1926, died of sapraemia
- John Alexander "Jack" (April 1902 - 28 May 1973)
- George (1904 - 1984) [1]
- Edward Wyndham "Ted" (1908 - 1993) [2]
- Dorothy (Mrs. Herb Townend) (1911 - 1983)
In 1949 she was living on Water Street with her husband and possibly others.
Legacy
(bold still alive)
- Laura had one son Allan
- Grace died at 25, presumably without issue
- John had four rhyming children: Jackie, Shirley, Gracie, Teddy.
- George had two daughters: Ruth, Georgia.
- Edward had five children: Ted III, John, Jamie, Beverley, Bette.
- Dorothy had three sons: Randy, Gerry, and Ted.
Thus Christena's legacy is 6 children and 15 grandchildren.
Possibly Georgia Armour and Shirley McAuliffe are still alive, but this is not confirmed.
Christena was surrounded by Teds; her husband, a son, and THREE of her grandsons (Ted LeMaistre III, Teddy LeMaistre, Ted Townend, from Edward II, Jack, and Dorothy, respectively) had the name.
Obituary
Christena was a faithful member of St. Paul's Anglican congregation, a member of the Parish Guild and the Women's Association.
Christena died 14 December 1954.
I only have faint memories of my grandmother [Christena LeMaistre]. I remember her as being very stern. Again I have a memory of her at her funeral and her in the casket in the living room of her home. Not a great memory.
— John LeMaistre, 26 March 2019
Sources
Almonte Gazette, 1954
Canada Voters Lists, Lanark, Divison 56 and 56A, 6351, Page 2, 1949
Ancestry.com. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. FHL Film Number: 6035516
1899 Carleton Place Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1936 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Ontario, Canada, Select Marriages. Archives of Ontario, Toronto