WILLIAM FICK & HARRIET GELLING

Generation No. 7

1.2 WILLIAM FICK (ROBERT⁶, JOHN⁵, JOHN⁴, JOHN³, JOHANN DANIEL², JOHANN HEINRICH¹)  was born on the 23rd of October, 1879, in Douglas, Isle of Man, and died on the 2nd of February, 1977, in Scarborough, Ontario. He married HARRIET GELLING on the 22nd of November, 1900, in Kirk Braddan, Douglas, Isle of Man. Harriet was a daughter of JAMES GELLING and CATHERINE MOORE CORRIN. She was born on the 8th of September, 1881, in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancaster, England, and died on the 28th of  June, 1973, in Toronto, Ontario. Both are buried in Resthaven Memorial Gardens, Scarborough, Ontario.

 Notes for WILLIAM FICK & HARRIET GELLING: 'Willy' lost his right hand above the wrist at age 18 while working in a bakery in Douglas, IOM. In June of 1906 he emigrated to Canada aboard the S.S. Kensington and found work in Glenn Morris, Ontario, shoveling gravel. In September of the same year his wife Harriet and daughter Eleanor 'Nellie' followed him to Canada aboard the S.S. Empress of Ireland, and in 1907 their son William Douglas was born in Glenn Morris. Willy soon found more suitable work as an Insurance Agent for London Life, working first in Brantford, then Kingston (District Superintendent) and finally Toronto, in 1913. Willy left the insurance company soon after moving to Toronto and began working for Canada Dairies. Two children were born in Toronto, Edward Albert and Cecil Haig. After a short stint in Castleton, Ontario, where Willy tried his hand at farming, and two more children were born, the twins Gordon and Walter. The family returned to Toronto in 1924, first to St. Helen's Ave., then to 205 Degrassi Street. Willy rejoined Canada Dairies, where he stayed until his retirement. In 1909 Harriet returned to the Isle of Man with their two children, Nellie and Douglas, and while there a third child, Hilda Elizabeth, was born. Sadly, while Harriet was still confined, Nellie contracted scarlet fever, and soon died. Harriet, with her two remaining children, returned to Kingston, Ontario early in 1910. Two more children were born in Kingston, Mona Irene in 1910, and Herbert Howard in 1912. Harriet became blind at age 56 due to glaucoma.  William and his brother Robert were active members of the Manx Society and organizers of the 1927 Manx Homecoming.