A PROMISE TO MY DOLL
As I discover the story, I paint. I am illustrating the moments captured in my late Granny’s secret collection of snapshots.
Edith “Phoebe” (Dobson) Crozier
1865-1942, New Carlisle, Quebec, Canada
Married to John A. Crozier Jr. Marriage record states that bride could not write her husband’s name.
Mother of Martha Helena, Lilian, and Martin.
Martha’s Last Baby
She brought her unwed daughter and grandson home, and raised him as her own.
A Promise to my Doll
Granny kept a worn envelope full of old pictures. In a second envelope within the first, another collection, of her two best life-long friends and a mystery man, my father’s father, and his name is Sydney.
Granny Fox
Outwardly, life was directed and shaped by patriarchy. Inside herself, she was free to love who she loved.
Vera was Lorna’s older sister. They were very close, and Granny visited her often. Once, we spent the weekend with Vera, and I woke in the night and tiptoed to see what they were doing. My Granny and Auntie had been crocheting a complete set of clothes for my doll as I slept. I pretended I didn’t see, but Vera always knew a lie for what it was.
