The Diaries of Charles Oldfield

By Jazmine Aldrich

The ETRC recently acquired the diaries of Charles Oldfield (1868-1953). At first glance, the diaries – which span from 1904 to 1949 – appear to be relatively mundane; they are the notes of a Townships farmer regarding his crops, his livestock, and a few passing comments about his family life. With a bit of context about Mr. Oldfield’s life, however, the diaries reveal a fascinating tale of a family man who overcame adversity.

Charles Oldfield was born in England in July 1868. He immigrated to Canada in 1884. He married Laura Baird in 1895 and together, they had four children: William (1896-1970), Edith (1900-1946), Ella (1901-1988), and Flossie (1904-1985).

Charles’ only son, William served in France during the First World War. Inside the cover of Charles’ 1916 to 1917 diary, he recorded William’s regimental number as well as his mailing address in London, England. He also recorded the comings and goings of his three daughters amidst his notes about work and the weather.

Charles and Laura’s children gradually flew their nest. On June 22, 1921, Ella married Ralph W. Betts at the Methodist Parsonage in Sherbrooke. Edith married Vernon Ward of Leominster, Massachusetts on June 22, 1926.

Tragedy struck the family shortly thereafter, however, when Laura suffered a stroke on June 29 of the same year and did not recover; she died on July 9, at 63 years old. She was buried at Lakeside Cemetery in Bishopton.

On March 15, 1928, Charles married Laura’s younger sister, Phebe Edith Baird (1872-1960). Flossie married Leslie Orr at Trinity United Church in Sherbrooke on March 21, 1931. Each of these life events warranted its entry in Charles’ diary: “Went to Sherbrooke and got married, Phebe & me” and “Flossie married today”, respectively.

On November 16, 1932, the Sherbrooke Daily Record reported that “Mr. Charles Oldfield, who has been in Montreal, has returned home. His many friends are sorry that he has lost the sight of both eyes.” This abrupt report seems to be the only official trace from that period of Charles losing his eyesight.

In 1976, Record Correspondent Mrs. Lionel Allison – née Daisy Pease (1914-2006) – published a series of articles on the history of Tupperville and Upper Brookbury. In one such article, she discussed Charles Oldfield whom, she explained, owned and operated a farm on the Mill Road to Dudswell.

Mrs. Allison reported that “Charles […] suffered an accident in the barn which cost him his eyesight. He was tying a cow up when a small stick he had in his hand broke and a piece went into his eye. Infection set in and, as a result, he lost the sight of both eyes.”

She goes on to write that “Mr. Oldfield, who was a very clever man, was not discouraged because of his disability. He planted his own garden, hoed and weeded it and did some carpenter work. People could not understand how he was able to do these types of work so efficiently. He even wrote his own letters using some sort of scale he made to guide him along the lines on the paper.”

The accident may explain why there is a gap in the diaries, between 1932 and 1934; while it is possible that one or two diaries are missing, it is also possible that Charles’ near-daily writing habit was put aside while he adapted to life without eyesight and gradually taught himself to write again. When his diaries resume, the handwriting is markedly different but the author’s voice, the use of the first person, and the consistent handwriting all indicate that it was still Charles writing the entries.

William married Eva Mouldy (d. 1966) at St. Peter’s Church in Sherbrooke on November 3, 1934. Charles wrote the following on that date: “Willie got married. Flossie & Leslie went down with them. Had wedding supper here.”

Tragedy once again struck the Oldfield family when Edith died on April 18, 1946. She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Leominster, Massachusetts. Charles’ diary entries for this and the surrounding days are largely illegible as the pages appear to have been written over twice.

According to Phebe’s obituary, Charles died in 1953. Phebe died on December 3, 1960, at William’s home in Sherbrooke. Both Phebe and Charles were buried in the family lot at Lakeside Cemetery in Bishopton.

William died on March 5, 1970, at his home on London Street in Sherbrooke. He was interred at St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery in Sherbrooke. Flossie died on February 18, 1985, in Thunder Bay and was interred there. Ella died at the Sherbrooke Hospital on February 9, 1988 and was buried with her parents.

The ETRC is collaborating with the Anglican Diocese of Quebec and the Musée d’histoire de Sherbrooke to rejuvenate St. Peter’s Cemetery in Sherbrooke. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact ETRC Director Etienne Domingue. If you would like to peruse the diaries of Charles Oldfield or other archival records held by the ETRC, please contact the ETRC Archives.