Stella Nicklos

Stella Nicklos was also known as Stiliani Tsimbidis. She was born on Thursday, 25 January 1912 at Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. When her father later changed his surname to Nicklos so too was her's. Steliani is reduced to Stella, the name by which she was commonly known. Stiliani means 'Pillar of Faith' in Greek. Her immediate family of step-brothers and step-sisters called her 'Babe' because she was the youngest. She was baptized on Thursday, 13 June 1912. The baptismal document is officially translated as: '...the baptismal date of Stiliani Tsimbidis (the last name also probably spelled Chimbidis)...' MEMORANDUM 'The undersigned verifies that today the 13th of June, 1912 I baptised in conformity with the rules of the Eastern Orthodox Church the daughter of Nickolaou St. Tsimbidis of Ikaria and Mperthas Tsimbidis, named Stiliani by godfather, George Pengou of Megarion. Signed: Stefanos Makarinis, Deacon of the Portland Creek Community, in Victoria, B. C. the 13th day of June, 1912. She appeared in the household of Nickolas Tsimbidis on the census of 17 January 1920 at 4146 49'th Avenue SW, Seattle, King Co., Washington, USA. She is recorded as: Nicklos, Stella, daughter, female, white, age 7, single, unknown date of immigration, attending school, able to read and write, born Canada, mother tongue English, father born Canada(?), mother born Canada, able to speak English. She witnessed the marriage of Millicent Eva Lavinia Arnold and William John Nicklos, Saturday, 21 August 1926. She appeared in the household of Nickolas Tsimbidis on the census of 8 April 1930 at 911 1/2 Palos Verdes Street, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California, USA. She was recorded as: Nicholos, Stella, daughter, female, white, 18, single, able to read and write, born English Canada, father born Egypt, mother born English Canada, immigrated 1912, naturalized citizen, able to speak English, wage worker as a clerk in a soda fountain. Stella and Neil Argue McLeod were married by Baptist Minister Edwin B. Pratt on Sunday, 27 November 1938 at First Baptist Church, of Queen and Hill, Seattle, King Co., Washington, USA. On Sunday, at four o'clock in the afternoon. Ethel E. Nichols and Lester Jackson witnessed the marriage. She appeared in the household of Lefterios Constantine on the census of 9 April 1940 at 1828 Fifth Ave. W., Seattle, King Co., Washington, USA. She was recorded as: McLeod, Stella sister in law, female, white, age 28, married, born English Canada, attending school, resided at Los Angeles, California on April 1, 1935, not working. Stella died on Wednesday, 9 August 1989 at Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, at age 77 years, 6 months and 15 days. She was cremated. She said that her family all lived at 4146 49th Avenue SW, Seattle, King Co., Washington but her mother wanted her to be born a Canadian citizen--reason unknown, so she was born in Victoria at the Royal Jubillee Hospital. She was then taken back to Seattle where she grew up. (The address she gives does not show up in the Seattle City Directory for 1912 to 1939.) Her birth registry has never been found and the hospital's records have long since been destroyed. In 1972, it was discovered that there were no government birth records of her. Without these, she would not be able to receive government retirement subsidies. A 'delayed registration of birth' was recorded with the Division of Vital Statistics, British Columbia. She is registered as STELLA CARMOODY (her mother's first-married surname) 1972-08-21. She told her daughter that she and her mother did not return to Seattle for nine months. She was baptised in Victoria, BC, on June 13, 1912. Her mother and Nick were not married because divorce proceedings were to be heard Dec. 20, 1912 with William John Carmoody (Petitioner), Elizabeth Carmoody (Respondent) and Nicklos Chinbides (Co-resondent). Her father and mother are registered in the 1915 Seattle City Directory under the surname Nicklos and that is what she has always known her surname to be. Coincidentally, she was introduced to a Canadian Navy seaman which her father had invited home, and ultimately married him. She therefore returned to Victoria for residency and remained there the rest of her life with the exception of a year or so when she lived in Halifax during WWII. An autograph entry in Neil A. McLeod's photograph album written by her, states, 'Miss Stella Nicklos', '639 W. 7th St., San Pedro, Calif.'. Under 'What They Had to Say', she writes, ''Tops''.