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Stuart Laing with his sister Hazel and grandfather Donald Menzies.1922
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Stuart Laing was born in 1919 at the old Nichols Hospital in Peterborough. Stuart grew up in a house on John Street. It is a short street with only 8 houses. He lived there until he was 21 years old. When Stuart was young Monaghan Road was the western boundary of the city, Parkhill Road was the north boundary, Lansdowne Street was the south boundary and the river and canal were the east boundary.Stuart has one sister, Hazel, who is older than him. She is now in her early 90s and lives in Huntsville with her daughter.
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Donald Menzies with his children Roy and Mary Jane. Photograph taken by the Roy Studio.1892
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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The Laing family immigrated to Upper Canada in the early 1800s, settling in Monaghan Township, just south of Peterborough. He is quite sure his dad was born in Peterborough. Most of his father's close relatives, beyond his immediate family (parents, siblings), lived in the United States.Stuart's mother was born in Duluth, Minnesota. His mother's close relatives were mostly in Peterborough. Many of his mother's aunts, who lived in Peterborough, were spinsters. Stuart claims he had a lot of spinster great aunts in his family and he jokes they either didn't find the right man or were too picky.
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The sons of William Menzies. Stuart's grandfather Donald is in the front row on the far right.1875
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Donald Menzies with his wife and their daughter Mary Jane (Mary Jane was Stuart Laing's mother).1889
Duluth, Minnesota, United States of America
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Mary Jane (Mamie) and Roy Menzies.1889
Washburn, Wisconsin, United States of America
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Mary Jane (Mamie) and Roy Menzies.1891
Duluth, Minnesota, United States of America
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Certificate of Qualification for Stuart's father, Roy.4 June 1907
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Articles reporting on the deaths and funerals of Stuart Laing's grandmother and aunt.2 September 1910
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Stuart had five old maid aunts who all lived together on Gilmour Street. They were his paternal grandmother's sisters. One aunt had been married but her husband had died so she ‘was as good as an old maid'. One of them ran a millinery shop, where she made hats, on Hunter Street between Water and George Streets. Two of them worked at Robert Fair's store on George Street. It was also a millinery store. One worked in the upstairs, and one worked in the downstairs part of the shop. Another one stayed home as the housekeeper and cook. Their sister, Stuart's grandmother, drowned in 1910. There were also two brothers in the family. One of the brothers lived near his sisters' house on Gilmour Street.Stuart's father worked for a company on George Street and later worked for the DeLaval Company. He was a machinist for DeLaval, retiring from there during World War Two. There were a lot of factories in Peterborough at that time, several big factories like CGE (Canadian General Electric), DeLaval, Johnston Motors, etc. In the late 1940s, the 1950s and into the 1960s there was an economic boom in Peterborough. Nobody was out of work, all of the big factories were going strong making things that people didn't have during the war.
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Article reporting on the drowning deaths of Stuart Laing's grandmother and aunt.2 September 1910
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Stuart Laing talks about Sundays when he was growing up.14 March 2006
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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The Laing family went to Knox United Church every Sunday.Stuart and his sister Hazel, did go almost every Sunday to his aunts' place on Gilmour Street and have supper with them. Sometimes the whole family would go and sometimes just Stuart and his sister, but quite often the whole family would go.
The aunts were very hospitable hosts. They had an old gramophone and he could wind it up and play music. He didn't have one at home and he thinks his aunts must have been fairly well off. They lived on a good street, three of them worked, they had no children or husbands.
Stuart's mother liked to quilt. This was one of her main hobbies. She also did needlework. He doesn't remember his dad having any artistic pursuits. He was very laid back. He just went to work and came home and took it easy when he got home.
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