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 Bertha Estelle Rushton was born August 29, 1881 in St. Thomas, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. She was the third child born to Hiram and Eliza Schmachtenberger Rushton. Her older sister and brother were Cora Ann and Horace Holroyd (Hollie), and younger sister Blanche Winifred was born two years later.
Not much is known about Bertha’s youth. When she was 17 years old, she married James Keillor Watson, also from St. Thomas. For the first few years of their marriage, they lived with Bertha’s parents, Horace, and Blanche; Cora had married and moved out of the family home in 1898. In about 1903, Bertha and Jim emigrated to Detroit, Michigan.
In 1900, Bertha and James had their first child, Ariel Laverne. Between 1900 and 1912, they had nine children, with only Ariel and her brother Horace Holroyd Watson surviving to adulthood.
The children included:
Ariel Laverne – born February 22, 1900; Ariel lived to age 95 and died May 30, 1995
Keillor – born December 1901; died May 6, 1902 at age 6 months of convulsions
Gordon Earl – born August 1903; died September 5, 1904; 1yr 1mo of cholera
Horace Holroyd – born July 25, 1905; known as Holly, he lived to age 25 and died January 10, 1933 of tuberculosis
Edna Anita – born in January 1907; she died March 5 of that year, age 3 months, of convulsions
No Name (male) – stillborn March 3, 1910
Others unknown
Bertha was severely depressed by the loss of her children. When she again lost an unnamed infant in 1912, the combined effects of so many hardships were too much. She died at age 30 on May 12, 1912, leaving 12 year old Ariel and 6 year old Hollie. Her body was returned to her hometown, and she is buried in St. Thomas West Avenue Cemetery. |
