Salt Spring Island Archives The McLennan Family

Jessie Brethour McLennan 1891-1995

Jessie was named for the woman who delivered her at the Wesley Brethour home in Sidney. Jessie may not be her intended name as her father called her his little Jannet, pronounce Seanette, the Highland way of pronouncing Janet. As a young woman, she was apprenticed to a milliner in Victoria, where she met and later married Alfred Williams, a native born Victorian and school teacher. Jessie was a lady. She never let her back touch the back of her chair. She was a most gracious hostess and always knew the correct way to behave. She had a wonderful sense of humour and a mind that remained razor sharp until the day of her death at age 103. At 102 she could still beat an expert challenger at Scrabble. After marriage, the Williams family moved to Vancouver, where they spent the rest of their lives with frequent visits to Salt Spring while her parents were alive.