Robert Foster

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Biography

Robert Gordon son of Joseph Foster, Plumber, and of Mary Ann Guilfoyle, his wife, was born on the twentieth day of May and was baptized by W.R. Cruikshank on twenty-fifth day of July one thousand eight Hundred and eighty-nine in the presence of his parents, Joseph (Foster-4422) and Mary Foster(Guilfoyle-19) at St. Mathew's Presbyterian Church, Montreal.

In the 1891 census of Canada, Province of Quebec, Montreal Centre St. Ann's Ward, Robert Gordon is 2 years of age living with his parents and seven siblings. Ann Foster, Robert's sister, passed away 08 Jan 1892. Her death was due to laryngitis and capillary bronchitis,

In 1901, Robert at age 11 was still living in Montreal St Anns Ward with his parents and two younger siblings as well as his oldest sister, Margaret Foster, her husband and two children. On the 11th May 1911, Robert's father, Joseph Foster died and Robert and his oldest brother James Foster were the witnesses at his burial at Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.

Ist of June 1911, Robert was recorded as boarding with the McMullen family at 56 St. Alphone, Hochelaga, Montreal. Robert was unmarried and occupation was a driver employed by GTR (Grand Trunk Railway).

June 12, 1912, Robert married Margaret MacDonald, spinster of Montreal, daughter of John & Annie Macdonald, at Methodistes Church, Rue Sherbrooke, Montreal. Early in WW1, Robert was working A locomotive engineer and the couple lived at 120 Chestnut Street, St. Henri, Montreal. On July 12, 1915, Robert enlisted in 1st Overseas Siege Battery C.F.A., Canadian Expeditionary Force. He served, as a gunner, in Canada and accompanied his unit to England. He was returned to Canada and was discharged from service in Halifax, N.S. on the 14th of January 1916 in consequence of being medically unfit with Acute Rheumatism & Endocarditis.

Robert and Margaret had four children during the first six years of their marriage, John joseph Foster was born in 1913 but died in infancy. Mary Foster and Robert Foster were born in Montreal and Frank Foster in Cobourg, Ontario where Robert's occupation was a train engineer loading barges in Cobourg harbour.

In 1921, the family lived at 156 Sackville Street, Toronto East. Robert was working as a trainman for Toronto Tramways. It is possible the family moved to Toronto because Margaret was sick and required medical care and eventual hospitalization. Margaret died at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto on 21 June 1921 of chronic nephritis and uremia leaving Robert with three young children.

After his wife's death, Robert and the children returned to Cobourg. They lived on Station Street and Robert worked on the railway. When Robert was working, Mary Foster "May", the eldest at age 7-8 years would flash the lights if she needed her father and he would see the light from the railine behind the house. This continued for a length of time until Robert's sisters, Rachel Foster and Violet Foster encouraged him to return to Montreal.

Robert worked as a yardman at the Canadian National Railway in Montreal. Robert met Mary Ann Campbell Chalmers at the Royal Bank. They both went to the bank every pay day; they talked weekly and Robert was encouraged by his children to start a relationship. Robert and Mary were married by authority of licence at St-Mathews Presbyterian, Pointe-St-Charles Montreal, Quebec on 28 April 1926.

(per son Gordon Chalmers Foster)

At the age of 65, Robert Gordon for pension purposes applied through Superior Court, Montreal, Department of Civil Status for proof of birth date and received an Act of Birth, a TRUE EXTRACT from the duplicate of the REGISTER of Civil Status kept for the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine deposited in the Archives of the Superior Court for the District of Montreal, the 15th day of December 1954.

Sources

Source Information:

Ancestry.com. Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin

Source Citation: Year: 1891; Census Place: Ste Anne Ward, Montréal Centre, Quebec; Roll: T-6406; Family No: 273.

Source Citation: Year: 1901; Census Place: Montréal (City/Cité) Sainte-Anne (Ward/Quartier), Montréal (city/cité), Quebec; Page: 6; Family No: 60

https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1911&op=pdf&id=e002054922

Quebec Vital and Church Records (DrouinCollection)1621-1967 1912 Montreal, Que. Methodistes Rue Sherbrooke Registres Photographies au Greffe de Montreal Folio eleven

Ancestry.com 1921 Census of Canada Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 89; Census Place: Ward 2, Toronto East, Ontario; Page Number: 4

Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968 1926 St-Mathews Presbyterian Pointe-St-Charles Montreal Que. Folio 20

Act of BIRTH OF Robert Gordon FOSTER CANADA Province of Quebec District of Montreal # 11785 SUPERIOR COURT Montreal Department of Civil Status. Document is in Sheila Iacono's possession

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Sheila Iacono for starting this profile.

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