Ethel Ada Sherwood Pollock
Poodiac, Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada
Canadian, 1893 - 1947
Canadian, 1893 - 1947
| Death Place: | Mercer Settlement |
| Death County: | Kings County |
| Death Province: | New Brunswick |
| Death Country: | Canada |
| Biography: | Ethel Ada Sherwood Pollock was the daughter of Stephen Henry Foster Sherwood and Ada Carter. She was the third child of Stephen's second marriage and they lived on the Sherwood property in Poodiac. She attended the local one room school on Lakefield Road, Poodiac, until grade eight when she worked as a domestic in Saint John. Her father was a Justice of the Peace and farmer, she read voraciously from his library. She became skilled in sewing, quilting, hooking, cooking, butter-making and poultry husbandry. In Sussex on February 1911, seventeen-year-old Ethel married thirty-three year old Thomas Samuel Pollock, a childhood beau. They lived on his family home in Poodiac. Their first child, Lawson Talmadge was born on November 11, 1911. After Stephen Sherwood's death in 1912, Ethel and Thomas managed both farms until her younger brothers were old enough to take over. Marion Estella, 1914 and William Frederick, 1917 were born on the Pollock farm. The family then moved to a farm in Mercer Settlement. They planted potatoes and continued to care for Thomas' elderly parents. Samuel Clifford was born in 1921 and Ethel Viola in 1932. Ethel raised hens and made and sold butter at the Saint John City Market. The older children helped her to branch out to free range turkeys for the Christmas market. Ethel travelled to Saint John by train until Lawson was old enough to take over. They shipped milk from their dairy herd by train to Saint John. Ethel was very much involved in the Mercer Settlement Community Church. She purchased and donated hymn books to the congregation. She helped organize the Mercer Settlement Friendship Club which met for quilting bees or sewing and knitting circles. Ethel played the violin and mandolin, probably taught to her by her father. She also played her parlour piano. Ethel loved to take photographs and documented the renovation of their four room house to an eight room house with a walk up attic. The family also added sixteen feet to their sixty foot barn. Her rug hooking and quilting were her down time. Her boys volunteered for the armed forces, Lawson the RCAF in 1937, Clifford, Canadian Army in 1939 and Fred the Canadian Army in 1941. All saw service overseas. Fred was killed in Hong Kong and Clifford died in Italy. Lawson returned home. Ethel's health was failing, possibly from a broken heart and died soon afterwards. Her daughter Marion continued her love of rug hooking. |
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