Christena LeMaistre

Christina with her husband, 1949

Christena "Tena" Lemaistre (nee Currie) (11 September 1873 - 14 December 1954) was a wool worker and Scottish immigrant who lived most of her life in Almonte, Ontario.

Early life

Christena was born in Scotland to John Currie and Mary Riddell on 11 September 1873 in Innerleithen, Peebles, Scotland. She was likely named after John's mother.

With her family she emigrated to Canada in 1883, arriving in Quebec on 8 June. They made their way over to Almonte immediately.

Marriage and family

In 1896 her "sister" Jessie was born. Considering that Christena's mother Mary was 51 at the time, and Christena was 23, it's possible that Christena was in fact the mother.

Marriage license, 1899

On 4 April 1899 she married blacksmith Edward Joshua LeMaistre (1876 - 1949), who had come to Canada from Jersey, Channel Islands. Just a few days later, on 17 April 1899, their first child, Laura, was born.

Her husband's 1949 obituary stated that they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1948, which would be the second verified example of a lie told to protect Christena's honour, and second example of a child potentially born our of wedlock. Her marriage license also lies about her age, listing it as 23 instead of her true age of 25, likely because her husband was 22, and a significantly older bride is not socially preferable.

They had 3 daughters and 3 sons:

• Laura (Mrs. Nesbitt) 17 April 1899 - 29 August 1968
• Grace 1901 - 20 December 1926, died of sapraemia
• John A 1902 - after 1954
• George 1904 - 1984 [1]
• Edward Wyndham (Ted) 1908 - after 1954
• Dorothy (Mrs. Herb Townend) (1911 - 1983)

Christena may also have been the secret mother of her sister Jessie Houston.

In 1949 she was living on Water Street with her husband and possibly others.

Obituary

Christena was a faithful member of St. Paul's Anglican congregation, a member of the Parish Guild and the Women's Association.

Christena died 14 December 1954.

Sources

Almonte Gazette, 1954

Canada Voters Lists, Lanark, Divison 56 and 56A, 6351, Page 2, 1949

Ancestry.com. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. FHL Film Number: 6035516

1899 Carleton Place Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1936 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Ontario, Canada, Select Marriages. Archives of Ontario, Toronto