Lorana Wilkinson
Lorana Wilkinson (1868 – 14 November 1918), whose name also appears as Laura, was a Canadian woman, part the important family that was the original eponym of Leamington, Ontario. She was the grandmother of Bruce Newman and Jack Newman, among others.
She was the daughter of John James Wilkinson and Levina (Robson) Wilkinson, of Mersea township, whose farm was at Lot 12, Concession Road 5 — directly adjoining (one lot east of) the farm of James Newman at Lot 11.[2] John and Levina had ten children: Alvin, Burns, Leila, Alexander, Lorana, Almeron, Scott, Philomena, Philemon and Emilia.[2] It is possible (indeed, likely) that she is from the same family that was the eponym of "Wilkinson Corners", the original name of Leamington, Ontario. [1] John and Levina Wilkinson are buried in the Lakeview Cemetery, Leamington.[2]
She married William Newman in 1891. They had 3 children:
- Earl Clinton "Clint" Newman (20 June 1892 - January 1972)
- Lena Clare "Clare" Newman (1895 - 1954)
- William Harold "Harold" Newman (27 June 1906 - 29 September 1993)
Sometime between 1914-1917, William and Lorana separated, and she was left destitute. By this point, her oldest son Clint and his father had become estranged (See Why_Clint_Newman_left_his_family). (Need information on what Clare with doing during this time; apparently she maintained a good relationship with her father.)
In 1917 and 1918, Lorana travelled with her young son Harold to visit family in Leamington, Ontario, and in the United States. On 17 April 1918 they crossed into the U.S. to stay for a time with Clint and his wife Eugenia ("Genie"), who were then expecting their first child. Clint paid for their fare back to Winnipeg in the summer of 1918.
Schools were closed due to the Spanish Influenza epidemic, so Harold went to work with his father, William. Both William and Harold got sick with the Spanish Flu. While nursing them, Lorana herself fell ill. The doctor judged that it was she who was seriously sick and admitted her to hospital with double pneumonia; the wards were so crowded that her bed was placed in a hallway. She died in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 14 November 1918. Her husband William and their daughter Clare accompanied the coffin to Leamington, Ontario, where she was buried in the Lakeview Cemetery.[2]
Sources
[1] Correspondence from Loraine (Newman) Houston, 2025, recounting her father Harold Newman's recollections of his mother's final illness and burial.
[2] Newman, Ken. "The Travelling Kind: In Search of the Newman Family in Essex County." Trails (Essex County Branch, The Ontario Genealogical Society), 2016, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 30–33 PDF; with Mersea Township directories (1870–1903) and the 1880 township map PDF.