Hilda Lois Small Ingersoll
Castalia (Grand Manan), Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada
Canadian, 1921 - 2015
Canadian, 1921 - 2015
| Death Place: | Grand Manan |
| Death County: | Charlotte County |
| Death Province: | New Brunswick |
| Death Country: | Canada |
| Biography: | Hilda Lois Small Ingersoll had a sister who was two years older. Their mother passed away when she was only 7. Their father worked in the woods, so an aunt and uncle took them in. She worked as a housekeeper on White Head Island, also in Milltown and St. Andrews, NB. She married Grimmer Ingersoll in North Head, Grand Manan, NB on September 30, 1953. Their son, Morrill, was born April 30, 1956. In August of that same year, Grimmer took the assistant light keeper position on Machias Seal Island, which is 19 km southwest of Southern Head, Grand Manan, NB. Grimmer's father, Earl Ingersoll, had also been a light keeper on Machias, with his wife and 7 children in the early 1930s. While they were stationed there, their daughter, Laurel, was born May 7, 1959, at the St. Stephen, NB, hospital. In April 1960 they were transferred to Swallowtail Light, for Grimmer to take over as principal light keeper. The lighthouse became a one man station in 1979, and Grimmer became the last keeper there, retiring in 1985. The mat of Swallowtail was hooked while they were stationed there, in the late 1970s, after both children had finished high school, and had left the light station. It was the view she saw out her kitchen windows every day. The helicopter was a terrifying noise for their fluffy white cat, Pooh. In the early 1960s and 1970s, she used to braid oval or round mats, using a nail on the window sill to hold the braid. They would get boxes of rags with their supplies every year, so some of the material from these would have been used in the braiding and hooking. In the 1960s, there were large pet rabbits kept at the lighthouse. There was even a gate on the access bridge to the light, with a sign saying to, Please keep it closed so the bunnies won't escape. The rabbit hooked mat was made at the same time as the Swallowtail mat, late 1970s or early 1980s while they were still living at Swallowtail. The other project that Hilda undertook was to save the red maple leaf from the flags that flew beside the keeper's home, those of which were worn out in the wind and weather. She made them into a full sized white quilt. |
If you need more information, please contact us at NBMR.RTNB@gmail.com.
