Biography of Francis Fleury Atkinson. Written by her Grandson Rick Atkinson June 2002 Unfortunately I have very little information on the Fleury family. Nanny had a brother Victor who had 4 sons and a sister Agnes (Clark or Clarke)in Stellerton NS, Canada. Nana was a robust woman and was exceptionally strong. In her youth she told me she cut a finger off a friend with an ax on a dare. She only had a 4 Th grade education but was self-taught and was very bright. Dad, Mom and my 3 brothers lived with Nana and Pa Atkinson at 7 Maple Terrace, Belmont until 1951. We would spend many if not most weekends there and always had Christmas at her house. Nana was always hand braiding rag rugs, sewing, knitting and hand crocheting doilies, loved to play scrabble and said she never took a drink in her life. She always smoked Pall Malls. She was a great cook, baker and flower gardener. She taught my brother Rod how to refinish furniture (most of which he took to clean re: stole!). It is still at his house being cleaned. Nana taught her 4 grandsons Ricky, Roddy Rocky and Randy how to swim at Brant Rock. We used to go out onto Brant Rock itself for fun, picnics,sailing little boats etc and she would actually let us swim back from the tip of the Rock back to shore (a several hundred yard swim) under he watchful eye when I was about 8 years old which would make Randy about. We found out when Nana was dying, that she never knew how to swim herself and was actually terrified of the water but she said matter of factly that she wouldn't have hesitated to save us if there was any problem. Nana was in and out of the nursing home on Coolidge Hill Road in Watertown for last 10 years of her life. She was always making little ornaments for the great grandchildren, knitting and trying to crochet. She had several heart attacks and suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis. Nana was fiercely protective of each of us but in truth my brother Rocky was her favorite.