James Holden was born 1874 in
Sussex, England. His wife Florence Illsley was born 1875 in Middlesex,
England. In 1906 James, Florence, and their children Alice, Florence,
James W., William, John and Rose, emigrated to Canada aboard the S. S.
Kensington, landing in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Their daughter Myrtle May was
born Aug 1906 in Simcoe.
James started a small plumbing
business which grew to be James Holden and Sons, Plumbing, Heating and
Wiring Ltd. Florence was a mid-wife, delivering many children in the area.
In 1931 Florence formed the Ladies Auxilary of the Simcoe Branch 79
Legion. She
served as its president 1931-1934 and 1941-1946, a total of 10 years.
Florence died in 1957; James died
in 1963. In Nov 1983 Florence was honored with a room in the Legion Hall,
named The Florence Holden Room.
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