Mazo de la Roche How some historical sleuthing uncovered a famous author’s Orillia connection

BY TRISH CROWE-GRANDE

HEN IT comes to Canadian Wliterary icons, Orillia is syn- onymous with , his summer home on Brewery Bay and his most well-known novel, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. However, there is another Canadian writer who achieved widespread literary fame and had an Orillia connection. That writer is Mazo de la Roche. Mazo de la Roche: Enjoyed popularity on a par with Stephen Leacock. De la Roche was one of the most prolific writers of her day, penning 15. This connection, however, was 23 novels, more than 50 short stories not discovered until more than 40 and 13 plays from the 1920s to the years after her death. 1950s. Her most popular creations That’s when Barrie writer Heather were the Jalna series of novels, which Kirk, who had extensively researched sold about 10 million copies in 193 Roche was the only child of Alberta de la Roche’s life, released her 2006 English-language editions and 92 Louise Lundy and William R. Roche. biography Mazo de la Roche: Rich and foreign-language editions. The only The family moved frequently due to Famous Writer. Kirk was the first de la other female writer of Mazo’s time, her mother’s chronic health issues and Roche biographer to document the living in Canada, who enjoyed com- her father’s job as a travelling sales- author’s Orillia connection through parable success was Lucy Maud Mont- man. While she spent much of her her research at the Simcoe County gomery, author of the Anne of Green life in the area, Mazo de la Archives, the Orillia Museum of Art Gables series. The only male writer Roche — as she was known later in & History (OMAH) and the Orillia in Canada of comparable stature was life to reflect her French ancestry — Public Library. Two years later, as re- Leacock himself. spent four years of her childhood in ported in The Packet and Times, Kirk Born in Newmarket, Ontario, on Orillia, a substantial amount of time came to Orillia as a guest of OMAH’s Jan. 15, 1871, Mazo “Maisie” Louise for a child between the ages of 9 and History Committee to share her re- search on de la Roche and her family’s to date by Kirk and Jenkins, as well as that, during Daniel Lundy’s time as Orillia connections. to revisit de la Roche’s life, specifi- foreman, the factory flourished. Before she wrote the 2006 biogra- cally her time in Orillia and how her Concurrently, Lundy’s son-in- phy, Kirk had written three articles world-famous Jalna series, about the law, William Roche, was moving in on de la Roche but had not once fictional Whiteoak family who lived between jobs and living alone in To- during her research seen any men- in southern Ontario between 1854 ronto. This triggered Kirk to question tion of the novelist’s Orillia ties. Nor and 1954, might have subtly reflected where de la Roche and her mom were had Kirk encountered any references her time in Orillia. living during this time. In the past, to Orillia in three biographies of de Kirk’s research in various archives de la Roche had visited her maternal la Roche and in the novelist’s own led her to census and tax records that grandparents regularly as they were autobiography, Ringing the Changes. verified that de la Roche’s maternal a welcoming couple and provided So, after Kirk’s two books about de grandparents, Daniel and Louise Lun- a comfortable place to live. In later la Roche were published in 2006 and dy, had lived in Orillia for four years years, the author reflected on this 2007, she met with OMAH volunteer from 1888 to 1894 when de la Roche time warmly. So it was in 1888 that Donald Jenkins to plug some gaps and would have been between 9 and 15 Alberta Lundy Roche and her daugh- pinpoint where de la Roche had actu- years of age. After the Lundys eldest ter first moved up to Orillia, staying ally lived. Kirk outlined her research son Frank was killed in a workplace with the Lundys, who lived at 40 in a 2008 article Mazo in Orillia: A accident in Newmarket, the family Coldwater Road (a copy of the Deed Long and Winding Detective Story for moved to Orillia where Lundy was dated 1886 indicates Lot 3 north- Literary Historians. able to secure the general superinten- east corner of Albert and Coldwater, Despite de la Roche’s decision to dent position of a new factory being with a duplex structure owned by remain mum on her Orillia ties, the built in the area — The Longford the Ironsides). The Lundys provided burgeoning city must have left an im- Manufacturing Co. — the Thompson young Mazo and her mother with the pact on her. In 2018, Esmée Rees (de brothers’ wooden ware factory. The emotional and financial security they la Roche’s adopted daughter) came to business, which manufactured pails, needed at this time. meet with OMAH Executive Direc- wooden ware and barrels, was known Located in the OMAH research tor Ninette Gordy to donate a collec- locally as the Pail Factory. It was file is a copy from the Simcoe County tion of her mother’s original publica- located near the waterfront on Front Archives (entry #913 in the Orillia tions, including the Jalna series as well Street at the bottom of Coldwater Public School records) which indi- as a few other personal mementos. Road, as listed in the Orillia Industry cates on August 29, 1892, Mazo, age This donation has been documented Archives (1886-1901). 13 years, and the daughter of Wil- and included in OMAH’s archive. Reports unearthed from the Orillia liam living on Coldwater Street, was In light of this donation, it’s appro- Times (1890) by Jenkins regarding registered to attend a private school. A priate to review all the research done the Thomson brothers’ factory shows photocopy of an Orillia Daily Times article dated April 24, 1889, states that a Miss Lafferty opened a private school opposite the English Church School house on 14 Coldwater Road West, which now is the office of Jill Dunlop, the local MPP. In her autobiography, de la Roche stated she attended a “small private day school kept by a gentle and charming Irish woman,” who was believed to be Miss Lafferty. Not only did young Mazo have the Lundy connection in Orillia, she also had a connection with the Clements. When reflecting on de la Roche’s life, her close relationship to Caro- line Clement, her first cousin (once removed), must be noted. Caroline grew up with Mazo as she too lived with the Lundys during a turbulent childhood that saw her father James dealing with unsteady employment in Dakota Territory where the family lived. Caroline’s mother, Martha, was the younger sister of Mazo’s grandmother and, due to financial A colour sketch of a woman horse-jumping signed by de la Roche. difficulty, had dropped off Caroline in Orillia prior to returning to her hus- interest in acting and writing based last.” Two weeks later, an article titled band in the United States. The two on her joy of imagining. Together High School Report, in the Orillia young girls were raised as sisters by with Caroline, she would write and Times of April 19, 1894, pinpoints the Lundys, who provided a steadying act out plays for their family and start- “M. Roche” as being in “Form C” of influence. ed a newspaper, each copy written out the “Orillia High School”. In what Mazo and Caroline embarked on a and sold to family members for two is believed to be an average stand- lifelong friendship in 1886. In 1889, cents a copy. It was the beginning of ing: (a number which was based on Caroline’s parents and brother eventu- Mazo’s writing career with Caroline the weekly examinations for three ally moved to Orillia from the United close by her side. months ending March 25) an “51%” States and Caroline joined her family Mazo de la Roche and her moth- average makes it appear that de la to live a few blocks from the Lundys. er lived with the Lundys from 1888 Roche was barely scraping by. With James Clement’s experience as a (while her father was living alone in Heather Kirk acknowledges Jenkins carpenter, Grandpa Lundy got him a Toronto) to 1890 (when she and her in her article Mazo in Orillia: A Long job at the Pail Factory. parents moved briefly to Galt) and and Winding Detective Story for Lit- During the summers, the family from 1892 to 1894, when at the time erary Historians, for his sourcing and made one-day excursions by ferry the Lundys moved from Orillia back interpretation of 19th- century tax from Orillia to Strawberry Island in to Toronto. Over those four years, records to determine the modern ad- Lake Simcoe where Mazo and her de la Roche’s father would show up dresses of where de la Roche and her cousin would enjoy making their periodically in between multiple sales extended family, the Lundys and the own adventures. During the rest of jobs. Clements, lived. It appears that after the year, Mazo and Caroline attended Donald Jenkins, a retired lawyer in time spent at the Coldwater residence, the little private school run by a Miss 2008 and an OMAH volunteer at the the Lundys lived at today’s 29 Albert Cecile Lafferty, later Mrs. Gertrude time, had independently spent many Street and then moved to today’s Dryer, wife of Orillia’s chief of police. hours searching for documents relat- 82 Albert Street North, which now In the fall and spring, the girls would ing to de la Roche’s Orillia years. The houses apartments. Both these houses take long walks and played the usual social column of The Orillia Times are large, two-storey red-brick houses childhood games like hide-and-seek. of April 5, 1894, stated that “Mr. that could easily accommodate an In the winters they joined their W.R. Roche, of this town, commer- extended family and well away from friends to skate on the lake. During cial traveller for a Montreal clothing the lakeshore where the Pail Factory this time, Mazo started to develop an firm, went to Winnipeg on Saturday was located. Caroline’s family, the Clements, lived for three years at today’s 153 Laclie Street and then for two years at today’s 52 Front Street South. The Front Street address was adjacent to the Carmichael Carriage Works. These are somewhat smaller two-storey redbrick homes but lo- cated relatively close to Lake Couch- iching and the Pail Factory. Both the Lundys and Clements rented their accommodation rather than owning. In research files at OMAH, deed copies indicate the Clements’ landla- dy on Laclie Street was Miss Isabella Gilchrist while the Lundys’ landlord at 29 Albert was William Ironside, another Orillia carriage maker. In another Kirk article, Caroline Clement: The Hidden Life of Mazo de la Roche’s Collaborator, she esti- mates that between 1888 and 1890, young Mazo and Caroline along with their families would spend summer holidays on Strawberry Island in Lake Simcoe. Until the First World War, the tiny island was a popular summer destination for Orillians because they could take a brief ferry ride there for a single-day excursion. Upon discov- ering a cave, the girls loved to play Robinson Crusoe and Friday. The big boat that young Caroline and Mazo and their family took to Strawberry Island was probably owned by Wil- liam Thompson of the Pail Factory. The steamboat Geneva often took picnickers from the Thompson broth- ers’ factory on such excursions on Lake Simcoe. Donald Jenkins during his research located a tinted photo of the impressive, double-decker Geneva at the dock in Barrie. For Mazo de la Roche, the Oril- Mazo de la Roche her life-long friend Caroline Clement in the 1930s. lia years of her childhood seem to have been relatively happy, despite influenced the creation of the fictional by Mazo de la Roche who the true her mother’s chronic illness and her wealthy Whiteoaks of Jalna – with inspirations for her successful Jalna se- father’s wanderings. For her, Oril- the Lundys and Clements them- ries were, her legacy to the Canadian lia represented the beginning of her selves, including their time in Orillia, literary scene is evident in the praise sisterhood with Caroline Clement providing the principal sources. But and recognition she received during and the welcoming, secure home of Donald Jenkins suggested that the her life. OMAH is grateful for Esmée her beloved grandparents, Daniel and wealthy Thompsons, who owned the Rees’s kind donation of first publica- Louise Lundy. It also represented the 10,000-acre Dalton Ranch 20 miles tions of not only the Jalna novels but academic and social challenges of a outside Orillia and ran a successful also some of her mother’s other work. private grammar school and co-edu- business that included production of Upon recent perusal of these books, cational public high school. Kirk feels wooden pails made of white oak – various correspondence has been Orillia may have provided a potential may have inspired de la Roche. found that documents the far reach model of a family that could have Though it was never made clear de la Roche’s novels had. In a 1935 copy of her novel Finch’s Fortune is a type-written letter from the legal firm Curtis Brown Ltd., advising the author the novel had been pub- lished in Finland (Jalnan Perinto). Enclosed in a 1934 publication of her book Beside a Norman Tower is a letter dated November 15, 1955, from F.A. UpJohn of the publishing house The MacMillan Company of Canada Limited requesting Mazo and Caro- line’s presence at a reception to meet with booksellers at The King Edward Hotel in Toronto. On a personal note, in the 1942 edition of her novel The Two Saplings is written in pencil the signature of Mr. Wakeford Roche. Inside a 1939 edition of The Sacred Bullock and Other Stories of Animals, a folded handwritten note and map, written in pencil and unsigned, was located. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS It could very well be the handwriting Undated photo of Mazo de la Roche with a canine companion. of Mazo de la Roche. At this time, Below: Pencil sketch by de la Roche of an old man, possibly her father. Mazo and Caroline were living in England and the note indicates that that marks de la Roche’s grave in the the map with names such as River cemetery of St. George’s Anglican Wye, Hay and Hereford was made by Church in Georgina, next door to a Dr. Brett Young when they lunched Sibbald Point Provincial Park on the together and it was for a scene for south shore of Lake Simcoe, near some characters in the novel. Sutton. In the 1920s, it was a popular In a 1957 edition of Mazo’s auto- place for Mazo, her mother and Caro- biography, Ringing in the Changes, line to vacation in the summer. Years handwritten in pen, is the dedication: later, Caroline Clement was buried “Esmée, with dearest love, mommy. next to her long-time companion. And for David too.” Who David It is interesting to note that near might be is unclear, but folded inside where de la Roche and Clement were this book was a photocopy of a black laid to rest, Stephen Leacock is also and white photo, of two women – buried – two celebrated Canadian Mazo and Caroline, along with an literary icons with strong Orillia unidentified man – with the note, connections. “Hi Esmée, thanks for looking into this for us. Call me if you recognize the man in the photo. Thank you, enjoyed drawing as sketches done by RESOURCES: Audrey.” Mazo de la Roche, though not dated, Kirk, Heather. Caroline Clement: The Also in OMAH’s collection are were included in Esmée’s donation Hidden Life of Mazo de la Roche’s Col- some personal items such a cigarette to OMAH. There is a lovely colour laborator. Spring 2005 box circa 1930 of polished, gold-co- sketch of a woman horse-jumping Kirk, Heather. Mazo de la Roche: Rich loured material with a push-type that has been signed by the author as and Famous Writer. Copyright ©2006 lock and engraved in an angle “M well as a pencil sketch of a handsome de la R” on the bottom with bits of bearded gentleman – perhaps Mazo’s Kirk, Heather. Mazo in Orillia: A Long tobacco still inside. Also donated father? and Winding Detective Story for Literary was a silver-plated candle holder in A few months after Mazo de la Historians. Fall 2008 three individual pieces marked M Roche passed away, Caroline Clement Orillia Museum of Art & History: & W #@3550, circa 1890, around made arrangements with the Sander- Contributors to Ms. Kirk’s Research the time Mazo lived with the Lun- son Monument Company of Orillia Jean Sarjeant (2003) and Donald Jen- dys in Orillia. It appears that Mazo to provide the distinctive granite cross kins (2008)