Herb Stocks and Ida Babcock
The following notes were written after a conversation with Ida Stocks, July 1993.
Herb Stocks’ father Abram Stocks, and Jenny (McKenzie) Stocks lived in the Aurora Cemetary Caretaker’s house for a short time. They then moved to the farm across the road. Abram died on the farm and two years later Henry Bruce Stocks, Herb’s brother died. Jenny then sold the farm, and moved into her parents’ home, Yonge Street S., Aurora, situated on the south corner of the Dunning farm. Jenny died in 1924.
Jenny’s father Henry Bruce McKenzie was at one time the toll collector at the tollgate located on Yonge Street, near the present Vandorf Sideroad.
The house owned by Jenny’s parents was red brick. Herb often took Jim, Mary, and me to visit Aunt Annie and Uncle Bill Brown. Annie was Herb’s sister. Bill sold bread and baked goods for Weston Bakeries, door-to-door in Aurora, and surrounding environs.
Herbert Samual Albert Stocks was christened Herbert Albert Samuel Stocks but has his name legally changed. Daughter Mary says he did this to avoid the initials H.A.S.S.; preferring instead H.S.A.S.
Herb Stocks worked at Sisman’s Shoe Co. Ltd. in Aurora and began courting Ida around 1928 when she was 19 years old. Dad had assumed the mortgage on the old Staley property and had given assurance that Mr. Staley could reside there as long as he lived. Upon his death, Herb and Ida bought the Staley property to build their home. I remember in the spring of 1930, the basement for their new house being scooped out by Drummer Lloyd using a horse and a drag scoop. The house was built by Mr. Charlie Boynton and Sons. Herb owned three things that fascinated me: a Chevrolet with a rumble seat; a typewriter with a red and black ribbon; and a Remington .22 caliber repeating rifle, which dissembled into two and packed neatly into a hard leather-bound case. I frequently rode in the rumble seat, often to collect beechnuts or butternuts; and was allowed to occasionally use the typewriter; and eventually went hunting with Herb, was taught to use the .22 rifle and shot a groundhog on Lambert Wilson’s farm. He took me fishing for all manner of fish: catfish; perch; crappies; bass; pike; pickerel; and lake trout. Herb knew when to fish, where to fish, how to clean and prepare the various fish and eagerly shared his skills. He became salesman for Sisman’s and travelled throughout Eastern Ontario. He discovered a fine lot on Blackfish Bay on the Madawaska River, bought a number of old log barns, hard them squared on three sides, and I was privileged to help him build his cabin.
Ida still retains the cabin in a shared ownership with Nancy. Jean and I spent the first 5 days of our honeymoon there. What a beautiful spot. Especially since Mary and Nancy sprinkled paper flowers in an “Apple Pie Bed” for us. We went fishing and Jean caught a nice bass which I prepared for dinner.
Herb died on November 21st, 1948 at age 48. Cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage. Ida had attended Shaw Business School in Toronto before her marriage, and faced with the prospect of raising three young children, went to work for the Ontario Government as a field worker in Community and Social Services. She eventually moved into the Queen’s Park Office and stayed until her retirement. Ida still lived in her home at 27 Royal Road in Aurora, in her 85th year, and managed very well with the aid of Victorian Order of Nurses, Homemakers, and Meals on Wheels. Barry, Ron, and I performed most of the manly jobs around the house. She enjoyed her garden after I had worked it and planted flowers each spring. Grandson Tim Case assisted me in this chore in 1993. Jean was by my side in 1994.
My sister certainly has been a model of strength and tenacity. She exhibits all the qualities of a loving sister, mother, Grandmother, aunt, Great-aunt, and Great Grandmother.
In their first year of marriage in 1931, I used to creep out of bed on Sunday mornings, run down to their back door, where Herb let me in, and then snuggled into their bed, between them.
They had a magnificent stone fireplace in their living room, and Herb enjoyed a good fire. He began burning soft coal in the fireplace and I remember one bitterly cold night when Herb crawled to our place almost overcome by coal gas fumes. Ida and Jim were rescued, tragedy averted and all recovered without any permanent ill effects. Ida was pregnant with Mary at the time and Dr. Devins worried about possible damage. Records proved that no damage occurred to the fetus. Needless to say, no more soft coal was burned in their house.