The Royal Family and the Culberts

No, we're not members of the Royal Family. (Although virtually everyone of European ancestry like us is descended from royalty - specifically Charlemagne.) However, our relative, the late Helen (Needham) Culbert (1918-2018) the wife of Kenneth Arthur Culbert did have a brush of sorts with royalty. On her 100th birthday, Helen Culbert received congratulations from Her Majesty  ...

Helen Culbert's birthday greeting from Queen Elizabeth II. Click image to enlarge.

Helen Culbert on her 100th birthday in 2018.

Yesterday, 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died. 70 years earlier, her father, King George VI died on 6 February 1952. Here's how our ancestors and relatives in Lucan, Ontario paid tribute to their late King ...

Source: Exeter Times-Advocate, 21 February 1952, page 11.

A few of our relatives are mentioned in that same 1952 edition of the newspaper in regard to a meeting of the Lucan W.I. (Women's Institute). 

I've broken up the Lucan W.I. article into three parts to show the highlighted names of three Culbert woman and to show photos of the Culbert women (where applicable) from my collection. 

Mrs. U.F. Stanley who read "A Tribute to the King" was Leda Marie (Kent) Stanley (1892-1971), the wife of U.F. "Roy" Stanley, Lucan's hardware merchant. Leda's mother, Mary Ann (Culbert) Kent was the youngest daughter of John Culbert and Mary Ward. No photo available of Leda. Please contact me if you have a photo of Leda.

Mrs. Cap Howard, district director of the Lucan Women's Institute was Cora Letitia (Culbert) Howard (1881-1957). She was the wife of Cap Howard, retired, who had a reputation for having been one of the best stage coach drivers in Middlesex County, and later a motor bus driver. Cora's father, Joseph Culbert was the son of John Culbert and Mary Ward.

Cora Letitia (Culbert) Howard in the front seat of her husband's motor bus. Her husband, Cap Howard stands at the front, c1912.

Mrs. Cliff Culbert was Gladys Lillian (Beattie) Culbert, the wife of Clifford Burton Culbert.

Gladys Culbert in 1942.

King George VI with his daughter, Princess Elizabeth who would become Queen following his death in 1952, seventy years ago.