Louis Francois Hily

This post looks at Louis John Hiley's parents and where they came from.

His father Louis François Hily was born in St Pierre et Miquelon, tiny islands off the coast of Newfoundland, in 1892. Though part of North America, they remain territorial possessions of France. The inhabitants speak French and adhere to French customs and traditions.

Louis François married Mary McKinnon in February 1917. He was a Boilermaker by trade and by this time was living in Halifax on Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia. Later that year he signed up to fight in the First World War. Louis's surname was Hily but his 3 children all adopted the surname spelling Hiley. Mary was from Nova Scotia.

Louis and Mary's grave in Holy Cross Cemetery
Sydney, Cape Breton

A page from the stamp collection of David Hiley

Next month - look out for

The Hilys of  Brittany in France