General Notes

The following information came from Beth Ellen Locke Ridgway, given to Gary Winn Kay, her son-in-law, who took notes as she spoke:

Frederick Arthur Locke was born either in Bath, England or Melksham, England. His father died when Fred was 29 years old. Fred's brothers were William (Will) and Walter. His sisters were Ellen; Florence; Agnes; and Louisa. None of the sisters married. According to Mama Beth, they were "beautiful girls, but they waited too long."

The Locke's were Quakers. William came to the U. S. soon after Fred came. Fred worked his way over as a steward on a boat.

Fred and Walter went to Cape Town, South Africa, where Fred worked as a bartender. When General Smut came into the bar, Fred would talk to him and wait on him. Fred was about age 17 at the time. He me Annie McLean in Cape Town, South Africa and married her there. He took Annie back to England, where Frederick McLain Moffatt Locke was born. Annie's father, Beth's grandfather, died in South Africa. He was an engineer for the British Government. He built bridges. Annie lived in various places around the world, including Kuala Lumpar, Indonesia, as a child. She had no formal education. She had governeses. Beth's grandmother, Annie's mother,  settled in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her name was Mary Moffatt, and she had a large goiter. Annie said she never saw her mother lie down to go to bed (apparently due to the goiter).

In England, Annie lived with her mother-in-law, Fannie Winterson Locke, and Fred worked as a steward on a Cunard liner from New York to London, saving money to move to the states. (Note: Papa Locke wrote that he worked for American Lines, so Mama Beth could have been wrong - GWK). He moved from England to Arlington, NJ  around 1912. Their baby was about five years old then. Fred got a job with DuPont. Annie brought the baby, Frederick McLean Moffatt Locke, aka "Mac", over by herself, and she got very seasick on the voyage over.

Beth was born in 1913 at the Lying In Hospital, Manhattan, NY. She and her family went to the Quaker Church in New York every Sunday. Florence (Flippie), her sister, was born in 1916 at Kearny, New Jersey at Hudson Hospital. Annie's bed was put on concrete blocks at the time of Flippie's birth to control bleeding. The bed fell, and she got a prolapse of the uterus, for which she never had surgery.

Fred worked at DuPont until the depression hit. The Arlington, NJ plant closed. DuPont wanted Fred to move to Italy or Massachusetts. He went to Massachusetts and considered moving to Italy, but Annie didn't want to go. (Note: Mama Beth may have been wrong when she said Massachusetts, because the family actually moved to Hartford, Connecticutt - GWK). Fred  bought a filling station in Irvington, NJ, and he and Mac tried to run it.

Mac graduated from Kearny High School and Bucknell University in the arts. He meant to go into the theater in the business part. He participated in school plays, such as "Taming of the Shrew", and he worked at Roxie's Theater in the summer time as an usher. Fred went to work for Fuller Brush Company. (Fuller Brush apparently came after the filling station business failed - GWK). Mac married Anna (Ann) Lieber while in college. He managed the Buckneell football team for four years. He went to work for DuPont after the filling station business failed. He worked in public relations. He and Ann lived with her parents. They had two boys, Frederick Arthur Locke II and Malcolm Stuart Locke. Mac died in 1959, six months after his father had died. Both are buried in the Arlington, NJ cemetery.

Beth graduated from Kearney High School in 1932. She finished her first year of nursing school in February 1933 and went to Presbyterian Hospital, East Orange, NJ in September 1933 in nursing training, where she met her future husband, Dr. Robert Edwin Ridgway from Royston, GA.

Walter Locke had a daughter in South Africa. Will came to the states with a wife 20 years younger than him, and they had two children. Will's wife was named Nellie, and their children were John Henry and William Henry. William Henry died with meningitis at age nine. John Henry Locke lives in Ft. Pierce, FL. He went to Florida with his dad, Will, when Will retired. He married in Ft. Pierce. His wife left him with a baby boy, and he remarried. He and his second wife had triplets that died.

Some of the Locke sisters came to the states, also. Florence first worked for Prudential. She died in 1917 during the flu epidemic, and only Fred attended her funeral. Ellen, known as Nell, and Louisa (Louise?) came to the states when Will came over. They lived with him in East Orange, NJ. All of the girls who came to the states are buried in East Orange, NJ with Will's nine-year old son. Will and Nellie are buried in Ft. Pierce, FL. John Henry (Johnny) still lives in Ft. Pierce, FL. Agnes was the only sister to stay in England. Fred went back to see her and stayed with her only one night.

Beth's mother died in November 1943 at home in West Hartford, CT of a possible heart attack. She is buried in New Jersey. Flippie was in Georgia, and Fred called for her to come home when the mother, Annie, known as "Nan" by Fred, got sick. He called Flippie back about 30 minutes later to tell her Annie had died.

Annie Moffatt was supposed to be named "Ann", but the officials put Annie on her birth certificate. They called her "Nan". She died in West Hartford, CT, where Fred had moved with the Fuller Brush Company. Flippie was still at home then, working for Prudential Insurance Company. (Note - Mama Beth may have been confused when she said Fred called Flippie in Georgia; he must have called her--Beth - GWK).

James, aka Jim, was in South Africa, as was Dick, both brothers of Annie. Beth has no further information on them. Their sister, Jenny, died in South Africa. She married a man named Hewitt, and they had no children.

After Annie died, Beth stayed with Fred for about two weeks. He moved to Georgia shortly thereafter. Flippie came with him. He sold out everything. His son, Mac, stayed behind in New Jersey. Mac died in 1959 and is buried in New Jersey. Annie stayed with Beth for eight months after Beth's daughter, Susan, was born in Georgia.

Frederick Arthur Locke, aka Freddy, is divorced and is retired from the U. S. Marines, where he was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He lives in Colorado now. He graduated from Bucknell University. He has four children.

Malcolm Locke graduated from the University of Georgia. He is a chemist and lives in Union, New Jersey. He has two sons.


Note: the notes above were typed from notes I took as Mama Beth spoke, but I do not recall when she provided this information. The notes that allude to events above were taken many years ago - Gary Winn Kay, April 1995.