by Mary (Lockwood) Branin
Photo: Lockwood Family Reunion June 2018
Elsie Mary Lyne was born March 4, 1889 in Adelaide, South Australia, to Hannibal and Rosa Jane Lyne. On September 15, 1915 she married Horace McCarthy who died May 14, 1918 in England during the World War I. Many of the soldiers in England died from a huge flu epidemic.
Stanley Arnold Lockwood was born September 16, 1896 in Adelaide, South Australia to William Henry and Florence Gordon Lockwood. While a young boy the Lockwood family moved to Western Australia and lived in Fremantle and Cottesloe, near Perth.
He probably only went to 4th grade in school and then got jobs. One job was working as a laborer with a construction crew in far off country area. On a trip back to work after getting supplies he shot a kangaroo. When he and his buddy checked they found a baby in the mother’s pouch. They took it back to camp and tried to raise it on canned milk but it died. That cured him of hunting.
Since he had to find jobs he never had time for sports which maybe led to his disinterest. Elsie, on the other hand, played field hockey on an inter-state team in Australia. She also played tennis. For this reason she shared her interest in sport with son John, while Stan had little in common with his son.
Stan joined the Masonic Lodge while in Perth and said the man who introduced him to the lodge was one of the biggest crooks he ever knew. However, Stan believed a Mason would never cheat a fellow Mason. Stan carried in his billfold a small Christmas card he received in 1917 from his Masonic friend and I quote:
Courage Brother, do not stumble
Though the path be dark as night.
There’s a star to guide the humble
Trust in God and do the right.
Let the road be long and dreary
And its end far out of sight
Foot it bravely, strong or weary
Trust in God and do the right. Rev. Norman MacLeod
After arriving in Escondido he joined that local Lodge and was a member throughout his life.
In 1921 Stan and four friends were looking for carpenter work. They tried New Zealand and then took a sailing ship to San Francisco. They got work in the shipyards. Later Stan moved to Pasadena and made friends. He built himself a house. During the depression he couldn’t pay the taxes and the renters couldn’t either so he lost that home.
In 1924 Stan drove his Model T Ford to New York and took a ship to England, then on to Australia to visit his parents in West Australia. He was returning to USA when He met Elsie on a ship from Fremantle to England. She was on her way to England with her father, brother and sister to visit relatives and visit the grave of Elsie’s husband, Horace. It took about a month and by then I guess Stan and Elsie were an item. They corresponded for a year until Elsie left all her relatives and friends and sailed to California to marry Stan on September 7, 1925. Elsie was expecting to live in Pasadena but Stan had changed his mind and they came to Escondido. They lived in a rental apartment at the corner of Second and Kalmia Streets while Stan got a home built on Felicita Road
Elsie’s widow’s pension continued for one year after her remarriage so they saved that money and used it to make a visit to Australia in 1930 for the occasion of the Golden Wedding Anniversary of Elsie’s parents on September 29. By then they had two daughters, Florence, age 4 and Mary, age two. They were there until late February of 1931, getting back to Escondido just in time for the birth of a son, John on March 10.
They were probably pretty broke on returning to Escondido. With the depression in full swing there would be little call for a carpenter. Maybe he only got work on needed repairs. They decided to rent out the home on Felicita and moved in with a friend, Dave Gloss. Stan built two more rooms onto Dave’s two room house to accommodate the family. He got a job tearing down a house and in exchange for the labor was given the materials which he used to build a home for his family on South San Diego Boulevard. . The dry outback of Australia had taught Stan to save water and conserve energy. On the sunny side of our house he built a slanted wooden tray with water pipes coiled behind glass. This made a very adequate solar water heater but we also had an electric booster that could be turned on if the sun didn’t shine.
Sunday mornings we always attended Sunday School and church at the Methodist Church located at 4th and Kalmia Streets. Elsie sang in the choir or substituted if needed as organist or choir director. For a few years she was superintendent of the Primary Department. Stan helped usher, passed the collection plate and served on the Official Board. He also did any odd carpentry jobs at the church. Our big meal on Sunday was soon after church followed by naps or resting on the part of the parents. Elsie liked to work the Sunday crossword puzzle. A big outing might be a drive later in the day. My brother and sister would say to me, “You ask Daddy. He won’t say ‘No’ to you”. Sunday evening was back to church for evening services. In summer we might fit in a few hours at the beach in Oceanside.
I don’t remember my parents ever sharing a bedroom, probably because Dad liked to read in bed while smoking his pipe and Mother was a very light sleeper. “British Reserve” best described their relationship. I noticed Dad always gave Mother a peck on the cheek when he came in from work as he placed his black lunch pail by the sink. I don’t ever remember kissing my mother or being kissed or hugged by her. Dad used to come in and give us a goodnight kiss each evening.
Friday nights were “Family Night” at the local movie house. The whole family was admitted for 35 cents. The big splurge was the pack of gum conveniently containing 5 sticks. On Saturday nights the stores stayed open late. We were usually down town that night strolling back and forth on the three blocks of the shopping area.. We met and visited with friends along the way.
The only regular chore expected of the children was washing the dinner dishes. We rotated the task and Florence and John often bickered over whose turn it was. I remember one such evening when my father went after them with his belt. I ran outside and hid by the passion fruit vine until the ruckus calmed down. This is the only time I remember Dad administering discipline. Usually Mother only needed a firm voice or a smack to the bottom. On this occasion my mother was sick with a really bad sore throat that was diagnosed as quinsy. This was the only time I remember her being sick. The only time I remember Dad going to his bed during the daytime was when he had a tire explode on his wheelbarrow as he was putting air in it. I guess he was really shook up.
After wearing a truss to control a hernia for many years Stan had hernia repair surgery in 1943. He could no longer easily climb around buildings so he took a job as building appraiser for San Diego County. When daughter, Florence graduated from high school Escondido offered very few job opportunities and no further education. Therefore, it was decided that we would move to San Diego. Stan bought a two-bedroom house on El Cajon Boulevard with a guesthouse on the rear of the property. We actually moved while John was away at Boys’ Scout Camp. When he got home he found a note directing him to the neighbors. They had an address and money for him to take a bus to San Diego where he found a streetcar to take him to our new location. John was a pretty smart kid at only 13 years of age.
Elsie only made coffee when friends from Los Angeles came to visit. The preferred beverage for every meal was hot tea. Before their marriage Stan admitted to enjoying a Shandygaff ( beer with lemonade) but since Elsie was a teetotaler there was never any alcohol in our home.
Since Stan was working for the County Elsie found a part-time job there. At one point Stan, Elsie, Florence, Mary and John were all working for the County. We moved from the home on El Cajon Boulevard to a huge rooming house Stan bought at 14th and A Streets. We lived there until one by one the children got married and left home. Stan and Elsie moved back to Escondido in 1952 and lived there the rest of their lives.
I only remember one time when I heard my father swear. He had bought a new 46 Ford sedan as soon as new cars were available after World War II. It turned out to be a ‘lemon’. Stan referred to it as that ‘damned’ Ford. He wrote many letters to Ford who had the slogan “There Is A Ford In Your Future’ He told them he had ‘a Ford In His Hair’. Eventually they had the car completely re-wired and I think that solved the problems
Elsie died in 1963 at age 74 when a clot went to her heart. There was no cardiologist in Escondido nor a CCU at our hospital. Stan died in December 1964 after 8 months bedfast at a local nursing home due to prostate cancer. He told me a man should ever marry an older woman because she would not be around to take care of him during his final illness. These were hard working people who were completely honest and responsible citizens.