Ellen (Nellie) Heywood was born in England in 1900 and came to Canada in 1905 with her parents Sam and Ellen Heywood and her older brothers: Sam, Fred and Albert. Nelly’s father Sam came as a blacksmith to the CNR and so his family had train passes to Grand Beach. There is a photo of Nelly and her mother Ellen on the boardwalk taken in 1915. Heywoods lived on College Street and Nelly went to Britannia school. At age 16 she went to work as a ward aide at Grace Hospital on Home Street.
At Grace Hospital, she helped care for Pearl (Turner) Birt who was dying of the 1918 flu epidemic. Pearl and her husband Jim Birt were both from Prince Edward Island. Nelly felt sorry for Pearl’s little girls: Vive age ten and Aileen age seven. She offered to babysit the girls at their home 285 Brooklyn Street. When Pearl died her husband Jim Birt first had the children placed in the orphanage on Portage Avenue opposite Polo Park. The nuns were very harsh – telling Aileen to stop crying for her mother and to go to sleep. Jim asked Nelly to marry him and help him with the children. They had Helen in 1919, Dave 1921 and Jim born 1922. Jim was only 6 months old when Nelly died of a miscarriage March 8, 1923. Nelly is buried in St. James Cemetery and her oldest son Dave’s ashes are buried in her grave. Nelly’s husband Jim took the children to Fort Frances, Ontario and raised them on his own, vowing never have them get separated again. When the children were grown up family returned to live in St. James.
At Grace Hospital, she helped care for Pearl (Turner) Birt who was dying of the 1918 flu epidemic. Pearl and her husband Jim Birt were both from Prince Edward Island. Nelly felt sorry for Pearl’s little girls: Vive age ten and Aileen age seven. She offered to babysit the girls at their home 285 Brooklyn Street. When Pearl died her husband Jim Birt first had the children placed in the orphanage on Portage Avenue opposite Polo Park. The nuns were very harsh – telling Aileen to stop crying for her mother and to go to sleep. Jim asked Nelly to marry him and help him with the children. They had Helen in 1919, Dave 1921 and Jim born 1922. Jim was only 6 months old when Nelly died of a miscarriage March 8, 1923. Nelly is buried in St. James Cemetery and her oldest son Dave’s ashes are buried in her grave. Nelly’s husband Jim took the children to Fort Frances, Ontario and raised them on his own, vowing never have them get separated again. When the children were grown up family returned to live in St. James.