Emigrated to Halifax, Canada from Cumbernauld County, Scotland, in her early 20s and lived in Toronto. Met and married native Syracusan Lester Capels while he was in the Canadian Army. As she was a Presbyterian, her mother-in-law (Mary Carroll) asked her to remarry Lester in the Roman Catholic church, hence their second marriage in February 22, 1927. The 1937 Syracuse Directory lists their residence as 590 Delaware Street. Later a single mother of seven children, she was a housekeeper at Our Lady of Pompeii Rectory for several years. She was over 60 years old when she returned to visit Scotland for the first time with her daughter.

Obituary for Elizabeth CAPELS, died September 28, 1986
Services for Elizabeth E. Capels, 93, of 715 E. Brighton Ave., who died Sunday at a local nursing home, will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Keegan-Osbelt-Knight Funeral Home. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery, DeWitt. There will be no calling hours. A native of Scotland, Mrs. Capels lived in Syracuse since 1915. Surviving are two sons, Norman of East Syracuse and Frederick J. of Syracuse; three daughters, Mary Stolusky of Guilderland, Helen Bartholomay of Rochester and Catherine Spies of Liverpool; a sister in Scotland, 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
[Source: either the Syracuse Post-Standard or the Herald-Journal, October 1, 1986]

• Married: 3 MAY 1916 in Toronto, Canada ³
• Married: 22 FEB 1927 in St. Lucy Church, NY ⁴
• Marriage fact: in Lester abandoned the family in 1928; Mary had him declared legally dead, though was suspected at the time to still be living.
• Marriage Ending Status: Other

1. Edward Lester "Eddie" Capels b: 13 DEC 1916 in Gasport, New York
2. Norman Alexander "Norm" Capels b: 14 MAR 1918 in Syracuse, New York
3. Helen Janette Capels b: 3 OCT 1921 in Syracuse, New York
4. Frederick James "Jim" Capels b: 27 JUL 1925 in Syracuse, New York
5. Thomas Findlay Capels b: 14 JAN 1928 in Syracuse, New York
6. Living Capels
7. Living Capels

1. Title: Extract of an Entry in a Register of Births kept at the General Registry Office, Edinburgh, Scotland
   Author: John Longwill, Registrar
   Note: Extracted from the Register of Births for the Parish of Cumbernauld in the County of Dunbarton, May 5, 1953
   Repository:
   Note: General Registry Office, New Regiser Office, Edinburgh, Scotland
   Media: Civil Registry
2. Title: Catholic Cemetery Administration office, 2/27/2001
   Repository:
   Media: Other
3. Title: Register of Marriages, Parkdale Presbyterian Church, Dunn Avenue, Toronto, May 3, 1916
   Repository:
   Media: Book
4. Title: Certificate of Marriage, St. Lucie Church, Syracuse, NY, February 22, 1927
   Repository:
   Media: Official Document