Betty White was a beloved actress all over the world. Now, Huron County citizens are learning of her connection to the area and loving her even more.
“Betty White’s maternal grandmother was born in Wingham, which is a town in the northern part of Huron County,” says David Yates, a local historian. “They migrated from the British Isles, like a lot of people did in the late 19th century. According to the grandmother’s birth certificate, her dad was a woodturner which means that he probably worked a lathe at one of the local planing mills.”
A few years after White’s grandmother, Margaret Hobbs was born, the family moved to Oak Park, Illinois. From there, Hobbs got married and moved to California, where White was born in 1922.
“There’s another Canadian connection. Betty White’s paternal grandmother was born in Aurora. She was born to a very distinguished upper Canadian family. They were Lundys, as in Lundy’s Lane. Lundy’s Lane was a battle in the War of 1812 and 1814. Her paternal grandmother was born in Aurora and is buried in Aurora, Ontario.”
Maggie Sepers, a Huron County local, thinks it’s super cool that White has connections back to her home.
“It’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s pretty cool to think that you have the same but different experiences as somebody,” says Sepers. “If she or any of her relatives were in that space and now you’re in that space, you’ve shared something, whether you know it or not.”
“It’s interesting to speculate how much Betty White was aware of her grandmother’s Canadian roots,” says Yates. “Margaret Hobbs was only 45 when Betty White was born. I’m sure somewhere along the way Betty White was aware of her Huron County ancestry.”
Although White wasn’t Canadian, she definitely earns the title of honourary Canadian in the eyes of Huron County natives.
Comments