Editor's note: BarrieToday published a story on Remembrance Day about Second World War love letters that had been discovered in the basement of a Toronto home by a Stroud contractor. BarrieToday history columnist Mary Harris quickly hit the internet to see what more she could find out about the couple following the war. While there are still several unanswered questions, here's what we were able to find. If you have any information that could be helpful, please email us at [email protected].
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With every answer there comes a dozen questions. That is how I often view family-tree research.
The tale of Amy Gorman Whitley, subject of an intriguing article this past week by BarrieToday about a treasure trove of wartime love letters, definitely fits that model.
A slightly battered box, stuffed behind the furnace of an older home in Toronto and brought back to Stroud by local contractor Dave Smart, has set multiple amateur family historians off in different directions, each of them eager to solve a mystery. I include myself in that group.
It has been a collaborative effort. Even though we have not entirely completed the puzzle, we have made a lot of progress in the past few days. It is hoped that our findings may be seen by someone with links to Amy or Arthur Whitley, either close family or friends who knew them personally.
Amy Florence Gorman was born on March 22, 1906, at Agincourt, Ont., to William Gorman, a carpenter, and his wife, Florence Underwood. She was their fourth child, but the only one to survive past infancy. Sadly, each of Amy’s three elder siblings died at a very young age.
However, Amy was not the Gormans' last child. She was followed by three younger brothers: Percy, Russell and Albert.
In Toronto, on Oct. 24, 1933, Amy Gorman married Arthur Robert Whitley. Arthur, a year older than Amy, was a chauffeur at the time while Amy was a telephone operator.
About a year after their marriage, Amy and Arthur had a daughter, who only lived for one day. This may have been their only child.
Amy’s brothers married, too, but just one of them had a child. Russell Gorman married Stella Green and their daughter was named Edith.
Both Russell Gorman and his brother, Albert, died prematurely at 47 years of age. Percy made it to 64, while Amy outlived them all, by far, and passed away in 2000 at 95 years of age.
You can see that Amy Gorman Whitley’s lineage is unusually sparse. There are very few leaves on that family tree. No children, only one niece and it would appear that she and Arthur may have eventually gone their separate ways.
Arthur is not mentioned in her obituary and they are buried in different cemeteries. They both remained close to their Toronto roots in life and death.
Coincidentally, Amy's aunt lived in Stroud and she may have had a close connection to her father’s sister, Martha Gorman, who had married Alex Mackie and moved to the local village sometime prior to the mid-1950s.
Martha and Alex Mackie lived on Victoria Street, near the intersection with Nelson Crescent. Alex passed away in 1970 and Martha followed in 1973. Both are buried in St. James Cemetery, less than kilometre from their home.
Seemingly, the Mackies had only one child as well. Jean Margaret Mackie married Charles Tutton and moved to the United States.
Who then would Amy Gorman Whitley’s closest relative be? Her sole niece, Edith Gorman, may yet be living, but would be advanced in years by now.
A 1978 obituary for Edith’s mother, Stella Green, gave Edith’s married name as Stewart and listed her two children as Paulette and Carl Stewart. It's very likely that these two — Amy’s great-niece and nephew — are out there somewhere.
Your job, dear readers, is to share this widely and see if any of the aforementioned names ring a bell with anyone out there.
As someone who loves family treasures, I know that I would be beyond excited to learn that a priceless collection of memorabilia connected to my people was waiting for a home!
Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard and the team at his constituency office are also on the case, hunting down any possible military leads to Arthur Whitley through Veterans Affairs.
There are also several eager people in the 10,000-member 'If You Grew up in Barrie…' Facebook page who have been contributing clues along the way.
Innisfil historian Amanda Wilce has been up at all hours with me trawling through online databases.
Amy’s distant cousin, Cathy Boomer, who lives in Strathroy, Ont., also shared some of Amy’s maternal ancestry, which includes English kings, United Empire Loyalists, and the Salem Witch Trials.
Share away! Sharing is good.
