Her mother, Charlotte "Lotta" Dunn Bridgwood, was an Irish-born vaudevillian who acted professionally under the name "Lotta Lawrence", which was the source of Florence's stage name. Lotta's company, the Lawrence Dramatic Company, operated in the Hamilton, Ontario. area. Florence made her stage debut with the company sometime around her fourth birthday. She was an accomplished whistler who had earned the nickname "Baby Flo, the Child Wonder Whistler" by the time she was six years old.
