TBA - dates (personal life)
“No one ever opens it. They only look in the front, for the births, the marriages and the deaths.”
Because of the content, many spoilers under the cut
-UPDATED/CORRECTED AS OF JAN 2022-
in chronological order
Early 1870s, button factory is built
Avilion is built in 1889
Liliana is born in 1896
Reenie is born in 1900
Richard is born in the first half of 1900
Callista Fitzsimmons is born in 1900
Benjamin commissions the Chase Industries book in 1903
Liliana’s mother dies in 1905
Winifred is born in 1906 or 1907
Alex is born in 1909 or 1910**
Adelia dies of cervical cancer in 1913
Norval and Liliana are married in July 1914
Norval and Liliana conceive Iris in a Halifax motel room in August 1915
Iris is born in early June 1916 (a Gemini)
Percy is killed in Ypres Salient 1916
Eddie is killed at the Somme 1916
Benjamin dies from effects of stroke in August 1916
Norval returns from WWI in 1918
Laura is born in November 1919
Liliana dies of a miscarriage in 1925-26
The Weary Soldier is debuted in November 1928
Alex enters the Chase family life, Labor Day 1934
Alex hides in attic mid-December 1934 to first week of January 1935
Iris’ bridal party on April 6th, 1935
Iris and Richard marry in May 1935
Laura runs away and is found in August 1935
Iris and Alex reunite August 1935
Myra is born in 1936
Norval drinks himself to death 1935
Xanadu Ball in February 1936
Queen Mary cruise in early summer 1936
Aimee is conceived in a Toronto motel room in July 1936
Richard commits Laura to BellaVista Sanctuary in February 1937
Aimee is born in May 1937 (a Taurus)
Alex is killed in Holland in November, 1944
Laura dies by suicide on May 18th, 1945
Richard dies by suicide “several days” before June 4th, 1947
Sabrina is born in 1971*
Aimee dies from a fall in August, 1975
Winifred gets custody of Sabrina in August, 1975
Winifred dies of illness on February 18th or 19th, 1998
Iris dies of heart failure on May 26, 1999
*likely conceived in a motel room in August of 1970 to continue the tradition
What we know about unknown dates:
Adelia was 23 when she got married to Benjamin, who was 40. It was before 1889
Myra is born sometimes between Iris’ wedding and the return to Avilion
Callista Fitzsimmons is 28 when she comes to Avilion
Richard was born in a month before June
(Bigger) Guesses
How old is Norval?
He is called a “young man” when he proposed to Liliana. And a “young husband” when she sends him off to war. It is also noted that Norval and Liliana have known each other for years and they were cast as love interests in fair plays. Also said that when his mother died, him and his brothers were “mostly grown up.” It is likely that Norval was in his early 20s at the time of proposing.
**What is Alex’s age?
When Iris first sees Alex, she compares him to a “young man” or “university student.” She emphasizes that he is “not a boy, a man.”
He’s called a pal of Callie’s, who would be 34 on this meeting
Iris finds 30 (the youngest age she thinks Richard could be when she sees him the same day. She later calls him “well on the other side of being interesting” in terms of romantic interest).
He dropped out of the ministry, before he changed his mind relatively recently. Norval thought he was still preparing to go. If Catholic, minimum age for this is 25. If Anglican, minimum age is 23. Methodist tends to also fall in this range.
Iris’ uses information Alex told her for the book. He had an professor who said he had a diamond-hard intellect, implying that he must have already been in university.
Alex was found alone during WWI after his parents died. We don’t know if this was near the beginning or end of the war, but was likely 1914 or 1915. He doesn’t really have memories of this. His first real memories start at the orphanage. He had to be at least 2 years old.
All the above considered, it is most likely Alex was born somewhere between 1909 or 1910 making him 24-25 when Iris & Laura meet him.
