Flossy said that she would stay on the town council for as long as the people wanted her, but died shortly after making that statement due to a heart attack. Her love for harness racing was also well known with many of the horses being trained and raced in her name. She often worked a colt herself. In this book’s setting, Flossy would have been fifteen years old.
The Jackson family were the first
recorded family of colour to settle
in Petrolia. They originally settled
in Petrolia seeking business
opportunities, and they succeeded.
Four generations of the Jackson
family operated a landmark called
“Jackson Pool Room” that was a
barber shop, a shoe shine parlor,
and later a pool hall. The Jackson
Pool Room, a frame structure, was
located in Petrolia’s main street,
which was then called the tenth line,
next to the former Van Tuyl &
Fairbank building.
Florence “Flossy” Stone was, to say the least, an inspiration. She was born in Petrolia on March 7, 1892. Being a life-long resident in Petrolia and a general do-gooder, Flossy decided to run for a position on the town council, because she was noticing the lack
of connection between the town and the town’s chairmen, and she only wanted the best for Petrolia and its residents.
However, it was difficult for her to get a position, because women were still considered unfit to hold a municipal spot. Before her
victory in 1937, she was defeated nine times, but still managed to become the first woman in Western Ontario to hold a position on
a town council. Flossy was re-elected six times during her municipal career.
She did many good deeds for the community, including opening one of the first retirement homes in her own house, and being
very enthusiastic towards Petrolia’s well-fare committee.