written by Lillian Pelley
Lydia (Stacey) Hiscock (Photo courtesy her grand daughter Brenda Martin)
Born on September 4, 1907 at Little Heart’s Ease, little did Lydia know that she would live through two World Wars, and see the introduction of air travel, space travel, television, telehone, cell-phone and computer.
In one hundred years, she has seen the hemline go up and the hemline come down. She has seen all styles of footwear and clothing come and go.
Lydia grew up in a family of six [seven] brothers and sisters – Albert, Sara, Ada, Eliza, Walter, Rita [and Maud].
Her parents were Charles Stacey of Woody Island and Elizabeth Drodge of Little Heart’s Ease.
Lydia attended school in Little Heart’s Ease.
With a twinkle in her eye she says, “I was the smartest one there I used to whisper answers to the others.
“It was fun going to school then and we played games such as ‘King George’ and Jump Rope.”
When she was 9 or 10 years old, Ldia left school to help her mother at home.
“I even stood on a box to make bread,” she says. She brought water from the well, groceries from small stores. They raised their own vegetables, cabbage, carrots, turnips and potatoes. Pigs were raised and used as food. She notes, “There were no freezers then.”
At age 22, Lydia married George Hiscock in Little Heart’s Ease. They raised their family there. They had eight children – Lloyd, Cyril, Winston, Alvina, Lucy, Evelyn, Laura and Norma.
Lydia and her husband left Little Heart’s Ease and resided before moving on to Sunnyside. Her husband passed away in 1987.
Following her husband’s death, Lydia lived in Sunnyside with her three sons nearby, until she moved into the Clarenville Retirement Center in 2006.
Reflecting on her life, Lydia says, “Christmas wasn’t always very bright. A few raisins in a man’s stocking were about all you could expect – no apples or oranges then.
“There were ‘Times’ and Concerts, Mummers and, of course, a church service on Christmas Day.
“Mother sewed most or all of the clothes we wore.”
While raising her own family, Lydia was very active in her church especially in Sunnyside.
Her daughter, Evelyn, remembers her mother as a “hard-working woman,” washing and spreading fish on the flakes. She cared for her family in the best way she could. There was no indoor bathroom and no washing machine for her to use in the earlier days.
Lydia sits in her room now and reflects on her life, always with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes. A woman of strong faith and courage, she is grateful for anything that is done for her.