The Zilliax Story

Today's blog post is not the story of a Boulton relative but of a young teenager who left his hometown in the 1920's and obviously kept a piece of Reston in his heart. He and his wife willed $3000 to the Reston Public School District upon their deaths and what follows is as much as I know of the Zilliax story.  Any further information is most welcome to me at ssimms@escape.ca  

John Theodore "Ted" Clayton Zilliax was born in Reston, Manitoba on April 1st, 1907 to parents Charles and Edith. Charles had been born in Listowel, Ontario in 1863.  In 1889 he made his way to Chicago where he married Edith Bowman eight years later.  The couple had three daughters and tragically lost at least two more children in infancy.  According to the census, Charles made a living as a sewing machine dealer in Chicago in 1900.  At some point after this, the family made the move northwest to the Canadian prairie town of Reston, where Charles became a pump man for the C.P.R.  I assume it was his job to keep the water tank along the railway track filled and ready for use by the steam engines of the day.  

Five short days before Christmas 1909, Charles Zilliax died of heart failure at age 47.  His widow Edith would have been heartbroken, but needed to carry on for her children. Seven years later in the 1916 Canadian census, she can be found making a living as a washerwoman, living with daughters Ester (19) and Helen (12) along with 9 year old Ted.  Seventeen year Eva (their third daughter) was likely working as hired help for another family.  Ted would have attended Reston Public School in these years and one can only assume it must have been a positive experience for him. Perhaps a special connection was formed with a teacher or his classmates or he enjoyed his studies.   He is likely somewhere in the group pictured below.  

The Zilliax Family lived in “New England”, the part of Reston south of the railway tracks, on Lauderdale Street.  Check Google maps - it’s there!  The community was given this name as the first inhabitants by name of Haines and Hollowell were recent emigrants from England. The Zilliax property was later bought by Rollie and Harriet Ludlum where they operated a dairy to supply milk to the town from 1927-1960.  I believe this home is the red one still standing about a mile south of Reston in the picture below.

 

Online records indicate that in January of 1922, Ted left Canada with his family.  The yearbook photo below found online is from the Englewood Evening High School in Chicago, Illinois where he was a student in June of 1931. 

The 1930 US census has 23 year old Ted as a meter tester for the Electric Power Company in Chicago and living with mother and 2 sisters.  By the 1940 US census Ted is a service man for Gas & Light Company, living with his sister Ester, who was a clerk in a drugstore along with their mother.  In 1951, Edith Zilliax was returned to Reston to be buried in the local cemetery alongside her husband, 41 years after his death. 

On August 9, 1958 Ted married Mary Beatrice Blasi.  She was born in Chicago in 1916 youngest of 6 children of a mason.  That is the last available information of Ted and Mary's story until the end.  Just 6 days after turning 97 years old, Ted died on April 7, 2004 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. His wife Mary died in the same city on January 27, 2006.  The Zilliax Family Trust had been established and their wishes were carried out.  

The Reston School students of today are the recipients of their generosity with the money they left being used to improve the outdoor play and learning space. We hope Ted and Mary Zilliax approve. 

Follow Up - Clippings found in the December 1910 issues of the Reston Recorder that tell the tale of Charles Zilliax’s untimely death a few days before Christmas.  

Letters from "Your Affectionate Dad"

Over 30 letters between J.W. Bushby and his daughter Elsie has proven to be some wonderful reading material for me this fall.  He wrote newsy letters about the times he was living in and always signed them "Your Affectionate Dad, J.W. Bushby".  A previous blog post about this man here highlighted his talented drawings as a young man. The letters are in a crisp cursive script written with a sharp fountain pen although he didn't use any punctuation, they are easily read.  I'd gladly pass them on to anyone interested but here is a sampling...

James William Bushby left his home in Milton, England on September 11, 1913 with two of his daughters, Elsie (Randy's Grandma Boulton) and Gertrude.  They arrived at the port of Quebec City aboard the Ausonia on September 21.  Letters from his son Walter seem to indicate he left his home in New Jersey to see them at Quebec after almost 10 years apart but after that brief reunion, the three travelers pushed on to the prairie town of Reston, Manitoba where their other son/brother Arthur was living with his wife and family and working as a carpenter.  J.W. was also a carpenter so no doubt worked alongside his son for some time as they were settling into life in the farming community.

The first letter to Elsie was dated November 3, 1914 and was written from her brother Walter's home in Westfield, New Jersey.  He says it has been one month since he arrived there and the pavement gave his feet "what for" for a while but that he is alright now.  It was Election Day there and all the shops were closed for the day.  He tells Elsie that there are two Picture Palaces where one can amuse themselves for an hour or two and the charge is 10 cents.  

A letter from the summer of 1915 indicates James, Walter and his wife Martha along with their 2 girls Dorothy and Edna are moving to a larger and better nearby house at the same rent - $20/month.  He is planning to join the Carpenters Union and by the next year is making $50-$60 a month.  In January of 1918, he tells Elsie that he has had a good month of work on fixing sleigh cutters and bobsleighs as there has been heavy snow there that winter.  He has had to wear the felt boots he had at Reston for the first time since moving to New Jersey.  

  September 1918 brings some bad news:

I had a bit of bad luck about 3 weeks ago  Martha & kiddies went down town between 10 & 12 am when she came back some sneak had opened the cellar opened my tool chest and took $70.00 out they evidently was going to take tools but as soon as they found the money that was good enough the only other thing I missed (?) was a circular flap (?) cutter and they took the padlock as nothing was broken they had keys to fit and old hands at the game.  The day before I expect the same gang broke into another house and departed with about $300.00 worth jewelry, clothes...

 His love for his grandchildren comes through in his letters and he always asks after his Boulton grandchildren as well.  In fact in one he includes a P.S. - The kiddies are as lively as crickets and as noisy! 

A letter from later in 1918 tells of the terrible Spanish influenza going around with many deaths of mostly young strong people from 20 to 35 years old.  He tells of six and eight funerals a day but at least peace is to be celebrated from the Great War.  James worries about continuing to have work with so many soldiers coming home looking for jobs.  In June of 1919 he tells Elsie he is now making $116/month but six months later he has received a letter from a Mr. Moody back home in Milton, England offering him work there on building an "Airdrome".  

Yours to hand  Well I have my passport at last but cannot get passage before the 19th June on the SS Imperator.  Passages are booked up 3 months ahead but it will not matter much I must work on and get more dollars together that's all.  The day after I paid my deposit I had a letter from Myra she wanted me to go to Vancouver and make a home there and if I had not paid the deposit and knew I had so long to stop here I think I should have done it and then I could have seen you all but Travelling is an expensive job the passage from New York to Southampton is about 12 pounds (?) - over double we had to pay from Southampton to Winnipeg. 

 James' letter from England in June of 1920 says he has done nothing but shake hands with one and the other since arriving home.  He tells Elsie she would hardly know Milton and he has reopened his old carpentry shop.  He encloses a spring of heather for her with his letter and continues to write but his handwriting becomes more difficult to read.  In October of 1924 he tells his daughter about his cataract operation and his Christmas greetings for 1925 are written by a friend on his behalf.  Letters to Elsie from her sister Dorrie explain their father has moved in with her for his care and he remains there in Leicester until he passes away on August 8, 1931. 

Reading the letters gives a real sense of the man he was and how the miles never stopped him from expressing his love and interest in his family.