William Lewis Consier--- A Mystery

October, 12, 1886 is the birthday of William Lewis Consier, our mother's dad. He was born in Quebec, Canada according to the memorial record distributed at his funeral. Our grandfather would have been 123 years old this year. He died on August 7, 1968. I spoke with Fiddler this morning. She believes that Grandpa never knew his birth date. A date was made up so that he would have basic information to use when necessary. Birthdays were not important when Grandpa was a boy. Record keeping was not that accurate, even when it was done, at the time Grandpa was born. Does anyone have any information about Grandpa Bill's birthday? I had not heard that the date was made up.





Grandpa was a sweet man; he was kindness himself. Grandpa was also an independent thinker. I remember trying to convince him to attend church when I was young. He resisted my attempts at evangelizing with a smile. Grandpa felt each person had to develop a personal relationship with God. Church membership was not necessary in his book. For as long as I knew him, Grandpa did not attend church. He tried to live by the golden rule, however. He treated each person the way he wanted to be treated.





Grandpa was a jolly man who hummed to himself. He was short and had lots of thick brown hair. That hair grew thin and grey as Grandpa got older. He spoke with a stutter when he got excited about a topic. Carol pointed out to me, the other day, that Grandpa often drummed his fingers on the table. He used to hold me on his lap and sing his favorite songs to me. Songs like this one:





I love a lassie, a bonnie bonnie lassie,


she's as sweet as the lily in the dale.


She's as sweet as the heather,


the bonnie purple heather,


Molly, my Scott's blue belle.





Grandpa was part French and part Scotch. I believe his mother was Scotch, since his surname is French. I wonder how his parents met. Grandpa never spoke of his parents to me. Fiddler believes he had siblings and that his mother died in childbirth. Grandpa was orphaned as a child and went to live with an Aunt and Uncle. He did not get along with them. As a young man, Grandpa migrated to New York. He worked as a bell hop and door man at a hotel. He also shined shoes. He saved his money so that he could attend the opera. Grandpa loved classical music. He listened to a radio broadcast of a live opera from the New York Met every Saturday afternoon. As a teenager, I listened to rock'n roll. He thought rock'n roll was disgusting. He could not understand my taste in music!



Our grandfather loved adventure. He traveled across America on the railroad working at odd jobs when he was young. He wanted to see this great country. Grandpa served in the Canadian military during the first World War. He was stationed in Egypt and other locations. He was struck down with malaria. He met his wife in a Canadian hospital where he was being treated. Grandma and Grandpa moved to Detroit after our mother was born. There was more opportunity in the states. Grandpa became a citizen of the United States and loved this country. He always saluted the flag during the Pledge of Alliegence, even if the Pledge was broadcast on tv. Our mother became a United States citizen as a result of Grandpa's citizenship.





Grandpa was hit by a car in Detroit when he was out walking. He suffered a head injury and had a plate in his head. Grandma Honor had taken a train to Canada at the time. She was visting her sisters and shopping for woolen underwear. (I am not making this up.) Grandma Honor wore every pair of the scratchy underwear home to avoid paying an import tax. She had to go to the hospital as soon as she arrived in Detroit, and ended up spending a long time there while wearing the itchy wool. I think I recall someone saying that the hospital was so crowded that Grandma found Grandpa in a little closet for a room. She was NOT happy about that.





As a result of his head injury, Grandma would not let Grandpa drive a car. She was afraid he would crash it. Therefore, Grandma did all the driving. Some of us can remember the predicaments Grandma got into in her later years behind the wheel. She was a good driver, though, until she entered her senior years. We used to sing with her as she drove to town. She would treat her grandchildren to an ice cream cone or some other treat. We always looked forward to a visit or an outing with Grandma and Grandpa.





Grandpa would treat Grandma like a queen. On Sunday mornings, he would take her tea and toast while she rested in bed. A small vase of flowers would be on the tray in the summer months. They told me, one time, that they prayed for their grandchildren every night. They prayed that we would have a good future and find love like they had. Our grandparents were poor, but they had dignity. They believed in the future.





So, today I feel a sense of loss. I wish I knew more about Grandpa. I wish I would have recorded an in depth personal history of my grandparents. I was too young when they died to appreciate their past.





I wonder what Grandpa's family was like. Was his mother born in Canada or did she migrate there from Scotland? What was Grandpa's father like? How did his parents die? How many siblings did he have? What did the family members look like? There are a lot of unanswered questions that bother me.





Grandpa would just laugh at my curiosity if he were still alive. He would urge me to just relax and enjoy the day. I can still see his beautiful smile in my mind. I will close by saying, "Grandpa, I am thinking about you today. I miss you and I love you. I am glad that I have warm memories of you to keep your story alive. I wish my children, grandchildren and my niece and nephew could have known you. They would understand what class is all about."