Flora Eaton
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (January 2007) |
Lady Eaton | |
|---|---|
 Lady Eaton with daughters Florence Mary and the adopted Evlyn | |
| Born | Florence "Flora" McCrea November 26, 1879[1] |
| Died | July 9, 1970 (aged 90) |
| Resting place | Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 6 |
Flora Eaton, Lady Eaton (née McCrea: November 26, 1879 – July 9, 1970) was a Canadian nurse who became the wife of department store heir Sir John Craig Eaton.[2]
Life and family[]
Raised in a large family in Omemee, Ontario,[1] Flora McCrea moved to Toronto to become a nurse at Rotherham House, a private hospital on Sherbourne Street. While working as a nurse, Flora met a young patient, John Craig Eaton, who was the son of Eaton's department store founder Timothy Eaton. The two eventually fell in love and were married in 1901.[2]
They built a massive mansion in 1911 to accommodate themselves and their growing family. Named Ardwold, the home was one of the most lavish ever constructed in Toronto. They were the parents of four boys and one girl, along with one adopted daughter.
In 1915, John Craig Eaton was knighted and became Sir John Craig Eaton, and his wife became known as Lady Eaton. After her husband's death in 1922, Lady Eaton continued to live in the Ardwold mansion until the mid-1930s, when she decided to retire to her country residence, Eaton Hall in King City, north of Toronto. The contents of Ardwold were then auctioned off, and the mansion was demolished.
Lady Eaton was interested in the occult, and she had a séance room built in the turret of Eaton Hall. The ceiling of this circular room is painted with the zodiac. When she died in 1970, her maid was so distraught that she hanged herself there.[3]:82
Lady Eaton was a member of the board of directors of Eaton's of Canada and took an active role in the company, overseeing the development of restaurants in the Eaton's stores. She was also very active with local charities, and she allowed Eaton Hall to be used as a military hospital for Canadian soldiers during the war.
Legacy[]
In addition to Eaton Hall (once part of Seneca College and later a conference centre), Lady Eaton Elementary School in Omemee and Lady Eaton College at Trent University in Peterborough are named in her honour.[1]
The Eaton family donated several buildings to the village of Omemee, including the Trinity United Church rectory and Coronation Hall at the corner of King and Sturgeon streets, as well as the pipe organ in Trinity United Church. The Eatons had proposed that Omemee change its name to Eatonville and offered to be benefactors of the village, but the town fathers[who?] refused.[citation needed]
In 1994, Royal Doulton produced a figurine in Lady Eaton's image. Limited to a production of 2,500, each figurine was marked with its production sequence and was intended to celebrate 125 years since the founding of the T. Eaton Co. Ltd.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Lady Eaton College". Trent University. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Santink, Joy L. (2005). "Eaton, John Craig". In Cook, Ramsay; Bélanger, Réal (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XV (1921–1930) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- ^ Columbo, John Robert (1999). Mysteries of Ontario. Toronto, Canada: Houndslow Press. ISBN 0-88882-205-7.
External links[]
- Chung, Andrew (2009-05-17). "Deprived of an art deco wonder". Toronto Star.
- John Craig Eaton and Flora McCrea Eaton fonds, Archives of Ontario
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- Eaton family (Toronto)
- 1879 births
- 1970 deaths
- Canadian nurses
- Women nurses
- Canadian socialites
- People from Kawartha Lakes