Caroline Ann (Davies) Brown (1897 - 1961)

Born 28 Apr 1897 in Woolwich, London, England

Died 5 Oct 1961 at age 64 in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

In the 1901 census, Caroline was 3, living with her parents, William W. Davies (1857-1911) and Caroline (Green) Davies (1869-?). She had siblings (with age at the time of the 1901 census):

• Olive Davies (14)
• Maude Davies (12)
• Mary Davies (10)
• Thomas Davies (6)
• Louise Davies (1)

On 13 Jul 1917, Caroline married Charles Frederic Brown (1888-1979).

Caroline emigrated to Canada as a teenager, and was hired as a domestic in the household of Charles Albert Massey and Frances Rhoda Vandegrift. On the morning of 8 Feb 1915, Caroline shot and killed Massey, alleging that he had been making advances, and she feared that he would sexually assault her. She was tried for murder in a trial presided by over by Chief Justice Sir William Mulock, and acquitted.

Margaret Grainger ... the granddaughter of Carrie Davies ... told me that she had clear memories of her grandmother: "She was a happy, smiling person," she said. Although Margaret’s grandfather [Charles Brown] proved to be an unsuccessful businessman, and the family was never financially secure, Margaret recalled a loving grandma and a harmonious household where she often stayed as a little girl. But when Margaret was barely in her teens, Carrie died – too young to collect a pension. In the words of Margaret’s mother: "She died of hard work."

The conversation with Margaret altered my perception of the adult Carrie. I had assumed that she had a sad life, with the wolf never far from the door and jarring memories hidden just below the surface. But according to her granddaughter, she had successfully left behind the unhappy past.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ "I Wish I'd Known...", More Massey Revelations, by Charlotte Gray

• "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2F7Q-1V1 : 1 October 2014), Caroline Ann Davies, 1897; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Woolwich, London, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
• 1901 England Census - Class: RG13; Piece: 612; Folio: 77; Page: 2
• The Evening Telegram: City of Toronto Archives
• The Maid, the master - and murder, Toronto Star, 12 Feb 2017
• The Massey murder : a maid, her master and the trial that shocked a country, Charlotte Gray, Harper Collins Canada, 2013, ISBN: 9781443409230
• Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928 - Archives of Ontario; Series: MS932; Reel: 429
• Caroline Ann Davies Brown on Find A Grave: Memorial #174103324 - McEvoy-527 14:41, 17 March 2018 (EDT)
• Charles Frederick Brown on Find A Grave: Memorial #174103325 - McEvoy-527 14:41, 17 March 2018 (EDT)