Version 6.01

11 February 2025

David March © 2014

FLORENCE ANNIE HEWSON

Florence Annie Hewson was born on 16 November 1897 in Widnes, Lancashire, England to William Romily Hewson (1869-1905) and Annie Baldwin (1874-1947). Florence had one brother, William Stanley (1895-1977). Her mother, Annie Baldwin was born in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England to Joshua Baldwin (1837-1904) and Mary Ann Cave (1841-1902). Annie had six brothers, including Ernest (1881-1971).

Florence’s father owned his own newsagent and tobacconist business at 114 Albert Rd, Widnes, Lancashire. When he died on 10 July 1905 he left the business and £596 to his widow, Annie. Her children were aged 10 and 8 years old.

In April 1907, Annie and the two children boarded SS 'Ionian' in Liverpool bound for Montreal, Quebec where they landed on 28 April. They were headed for Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. It seems that Annie and the family were unable to settle as they returned to England aboard SS ’Victorian’ in November of the same year.

The 1911 census found the family at 41 Vine Street, Widnes where only William aged 15 years was in employment. He was a junior clerk in the soap trade.

Annie’s brother, Ernest, had immigrated to Canada in April 1904 aboard SS 'Lake Manitoba' as a labourer bound for Winnipeg, Manitoba. By 1909, Ernest had travelled west to Nanaimo, British Columbia where he married Bertha Foster (1894-1981) on 10 December of that year. Ernest and Bertha lived in Nanaimo for the rest of their lives and raised three children, Elsie, William Ernest and Mary Irene.

Meanwhile on about 6 June 1911, Annie and her two children once more embarked for Canada. They boarded SS ‘Victorian’ at Liverpool and arrived in Quebec on 16 June. They were to join Annie’s brother Ernest in Nanaimo, British Columbia. We have been unable to find any records of this period of their lives.

Annie, Florence and William were living at 517 Ave K North, Saskatoon in 1917-1919. Florence was a dressmaker in 1917, a stenographer for Home Insurance Co in 1918 and then a stenographer for Hudson’s Bay Co in 1919. William was a dispatcher for CNR. The family returned to British Columbia about 1921 and lived in Kamloops. Florence continued to work for Hudson’s Bay Co until her marriage on 18 June 1924 to John Horace Christopher Best (1899-1963).

John was born on 3 May 1899 in Clifton, Kansas, USA to William Ferguson Best (1871-1941) and Sarah Augusta Carlile (1872-1940). John had seven siblings, William Kidd (1893-1970), George (1895-1977), Mary Elizabeth (1901-1962), Viola Charlotte (1904-1981), James Archie (1910-1989), Arthur (b 1910) and Ethel Kathleen (1916-1998). John had come to Canada with his family in about 1905. They farmed in Humboldt before coming to live at 413 Ave K North, Saskatoon by 1916.

In 1916, John was a teamster and a truck driver in 1921 still living at the Ave K North address. This may have been when John and Florence met.

John and Florence had one daughter, Phyllis May born in 1928 who died in infancy and a son, Raymond Horace born in 1930.

John later worked as an engineer in Kamloops. He died on 31 October 1963 in Victoria, British Columbia. Florence died on 5 February 1971 in New Westminster, British Columbia.

This family tree can be found on Ancestry under the title 3rd Ave Hewson Tree.

Signature on her marriage certificate 1924