Emily Mary Allison

Delburne

1895-1965

Description

Life and Work

My grandmother Allison was small in stature, but physically strong. She loved outside work and wasn't much on cooking or housework.

She would bake her Christmas cake by propping her cake pan up on one side to keep it level in the oven- the floor In the old house was sinking in one corner.

She would bake her cake, take it out and then three days later decide it wasn't done and bake it some more. Her baking was often flat due to her reluctance to use the required amount of sugar.

Being English, one of her better dishes was Yorkshire pudding. When I went to school she would save some for me and I would run down to her place and have it for my after-school snack.

She was a staunch Methodist and was instrumental in starting the Great Bend Ladies' Aid. In her later years, she would arrive at the meeting and announce "what a time I've had getting here," though her family always brought her on time.

At one meeting, the roll response was "What I see out my kitchen window." Some complained about the mess and eyesores. Emily replied, "Two prisoners gazed through prison bars, one saw mud, the other saw stars."

Contrary to current nutritional wisdom, she had a healthy appetite for salt and Jersey cream. Granny died in 1965, at age 95.

Sources

Contributor: June Campbell, granddaughter
Emily and Edwin Allison came from Yorkshire, England to the Great Bend district in 1906. They settled on the farm still owned by the Allison family on secondary road 225.

Photo: The image is copyright of Anthony Henday Museum
Associated Member Museum: Anthony Henday Museum