Whonnock History Notes

Charles Miller

2012-01-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Val Patenaude (Maple Ridge Museum and Archives) who contributed this newspaper cutting from the The Gazette of 17 January 1963. Today Charles Miller is remembered most as Ruskin's historian. He published two books: The Golden Mountains in 1973 and the Valley of the Stave in 1981 (Hancock House). The Golden Mountains is still much thought after by treasure hunters and many (most) of the mines have been rediscovered. The Valley of the Stave is equally valuable for those interested in regional history.

Church and Cemetery on Whonnock IR 1

2012-01-21T20:25:00.000-08:00

A recent “Ancestry” information exchange showed some confusion about Whonnock's First Nations cemetery and the church that stood on the Whonnock reserve.

Valerie: “There is a small "First Nations” graveyard on the side of the highway at a place just East of Maple Ridge called Whonnock” 

Roree: “.... this is indeed the Whonnock area. My cousins and I are descended from these people and this church and this graveyard contain some of the older records that are difficult for us to find since it requires some travel....One of my cousins a very astute genealogist found this church and the graveyard some years ago, but sadly had run out of time to record any of the information from the church or the graveyard.”

There are two First Nations cemeteries in this eastern part of Maple Ridge. The one Valerie Walton mentions is on the south side of Lougheed Highway and on Langley Indian Reserve No. 5. The other one is on Whonnock Indian Reserve No. 1 and that is the one Roree refers to. There are no plans of either cemetery.

There was a Roman Catholic Church on Whonnock IR 1 built by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) around 1860 (?). It was demolish more than half a century ago. It is unlikely that there were any records kept at that church. The OMI fathers at Mission kept the records of baptism, marriage and death of all in their care in the area, including the Whonnock IR. Those researching First Nations/Kanaka roots are familiar with those records.

The little First Nations cemetery on Whonnock Reserve No. 1 is just east of the municipal Whonnock cemetery. In 1997, when I recorded the grave markers, I found a few iron so-called “OMI” crosses. They had been removed from the graves where they stood originally and are now no longer at the cemetery. These crosses were marked “Cathrine Feb 1888,” “Patrick Feb 1889,” Alick Mar 1892.”

There are remnants of some wooden crosses without any wording left.

The only surviving markers were the following:

Willie D. / Cheer / Born / June 15, 1879 / Died / Oct. 30 1908 / Rest in piece [up- right column, text on east side]
Roxley H. Cheer / Born May 21, 1907 / Died Aug. 9, 1912 / Gone but not forgotten [stone cross, information on base] 
In loving memory of / Johnny Louie / Died June 23, 1937 / Aged 13 years / Save in the arms of Jesus [marble cross. broken from base]

Reference: Whonnock Notes No. 2 – Cemeteries in Whonnock

Keaho=Ohia?

2012-01-14T20:47:00.000-08:00

Cheer descendants propose the name Keaho for their Hawaiian ancestor although no Hawaiian by that name is known to have served the Hudsons Bay Company. An alternative spelling of his name suggested would be Keea but that man only served at Fort Langley for five years (1852-1857) before disappearing from the records.

Sound-similarities with the name Cheer point to the possibility that Keaho was in fact a man called Ohia or Ohier. Ohia served or lived nearby Fort Langley from 1845 until at least 1860. Catholic church records show the baptism of two of his sons, Charles (1852) and Basile (1953). Their mother was an unknown Kwantlen woman. It is also thought that he had two children with a daughter of Peeohpeeoh, baptized by an Anglican cleric in 1858 at Kanaka Village.

The Canada Census of 1891 shows the household of the Cheers at the Whonnock reserve at Stave River. Included are Katherine (60), a widowed mother, and her three sons: Daniel (40), Joseph (33) and Thomas (29)—the three showing a father from the Sandwich Islands. No records have been found yet showing their father’s name or where they were born.

Also listed is Catherine’s youngest, a stepbrother of the three sons with the name George Beebee (16) showing a Hawaiian father as well. Church records show that he was baptized on 7 June 1875 as a 6-month infant. His father is shown as Pipi[1], Kanaka, and his mother as Tseléwoluote of Whonnock. This is the Native name of the woman called Catherine, the mother of the three Cheer sons.

That same Native name can be recognized in an earlier baptism record: 14 October 1866: Baptism at St. Mary: Anselme, age 3 months. Father: “Tia,” Kanaka, living close to Fort Langley. Mother: Tseléroulote of Fort Langley. In all probability Catherine was also the mother in an earlier baptize record. 24 March 1864: Baptism at Fort Langley: Felicie, age 6 months. Father: Tia, Mother Chelerouet.

The name of the father of these two girls, Tia, is not a known name in the HBC records. It is thought that it might be Keea, but Keea was only known to be around in the late 1850s—too early to father these children.

Was this “Tia” in fact Ohia? Listing the known children of Catherine and the known children of Ohia—except Ohia’s children with Peeohpeeoh’s daughter and Catherine’s son George Beebee—in chronological order shows that they could have born from the same parents.

Daniel	1851	Cheer	Catherine
Charles	1852	Ohia	unknown
Basile	1853	Ohia	unknown
Joseph	1858	Cheer	Catherine
Thomas	1863	Cheer	Catherine
Felice	1864	Tia	Catherine
Anselme	1866	Tia	Catherine

The break in time between Joseph (1858) and Thomas (1863) happens to be the time Ohia was living with Peeohpeeoh's daughter Algace Piawa and had children with her. Did Ohia than return to "Catherine" fathering Thomas, Felice and Anselme?

It seems that Ohia is a plausible alternative to the mythical Keaho as the progenitor of the Cheers.

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[1] 21 January 1885: Baptism at Whonnock: Joseph Piepie, age 65 years, son of Aly [Ali'i?] and Peel, Sandwich Islands. Same date: Marriage at Whonnock: Joseph Piepie age 65 years and Catherine, age ca. 40 years. Catherine, mother of George, Joseph, Thomas would have been in her mid-fifties in 1885 rather than about 40 years. Would this be her marriage? Another “Cathrine” died in Whonnock in February 1888.

“OLD BORIE” Achille (draft)

2012-01-11T19:17:00.001-08:00

The OMI records show that on June 6^th, 1866 Achilles Sirkoulatsa, son of Kouatkalat of Whonnock was baptized in Matsqui. On that same day he married Eléonore Krouisselevondt, daughter of Skrayetetletch of Port Douglas. Achilles’s age at that time is approximately 25 years.[1] His father, known as Kolasten of Whonnock, was probably put his sign on petitions in 1868 an 1878. His son known as Achile or “Old Borie,” born around 1840, would live well into his seventies.

On September 5^th 1866, the baptism is recorded at Mission of “Marie,” a daughter of Achile and his wife Eléonore from “camp des Honock,” the Whonnock Reserve. The OMI records show the burial of a 5- or 6-year old child of Achile, “watchman Honoc” on April 2^nd 1871. In January 1878 the baptism is recorded of a three-week old daughter called Ida. The parents are Achille Scastan and Eleanor Kwassiloutte.

Eléanore may have died before 1886 when Achile, then 60, married Sophia (55). The “Indian Census” of 1887 showed that “Borie” had two children, both daughters—no names shown—and two “youth,” a boy called Louis and an unnamed sister. “Old Borie” seems to be missing from the 1881 census but in 1891 he is shown as “Ashel,” a 72-year-old man married with “Sophia” of 80 years. He is missing again from the 1901 census but reappears in the 1911 Census as 101-year-old “Borrey Asheel.”

The 1891 census does not show any offspring in his house but—this is a guess—there is a nearby household of a James “Schell.” That surname could easily be a corruption of a name pronounced “Ashel.” The 58-year-old James Schell is shown with a 21-year-old wife Louisa and two children: Stanley (2) and Mary (1).

In 1911, Borie, said to be a centenarian but probably in his seventies, shared his house with three “lodgers,” a 38-year-old woman called Felicite and her children: son Georgie (12) and daughter Susanne (10). It is not clear if these were relatives or not. It was perhaps just a convenient arrangement for the old man.
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[1] There is also a record of the marriage of Faustin Skeyerélem, 28-year-old son of Koualoughsten (sp?) from Whonnock dated 6 June 1866 and, on 22 February 1873 one showing the marriage of probably a brother, Basille Colasten and Margarite. His fathers name is recorded as Kouotlautsten (sp?). A transcript of a selection of OMI entries includes the note: “Bacil, chief of Whonnock, 1877”

Fidele (draft)

2012-01-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

The first OMI record of the Chief was for his baptism on Christmas day 1863. His name was recorded as Fidele Tsielsak, a Kwantlen man of about 25 years. The OMI records of November 1871 include the baptism of Augustin, son of Fidele Siatlark of Whonnock and Augustine M-Tsa. The child Augustin may have died in infancy.

Ten years later the 1881 Canada Census shows Fidele, as a 50-year-old man listed only with his given name “Peter” married to “Susan,” age 55. They were the parents of two sons called Felix and Peter of respectively 12 and 7 years.[1]

In the 1891 Census “Peter” Fedele is a 55-year-old married man and his wife’s Native name is shown: “Metzet.” Their sons are 17-year-old Felix and 9-year-old Peter.

In 1901 now “Chief” Fedele was shown as a widower of 85 years (should be 65) and his sons Felix and Peter as 30 and 26 years old.

Lastly in the 1911 census 70-year old Chief Fidele is present with a 40-year-year-old wife Felicity.

Chief Fidele’s son Peter Fidele married Amanda Skrelia from Matsqui on September 6^th 1898. The 1901 census shows the couple at the Whonnock Reserve. They are shown to have an infant daughter called Christine but a listing of the Indian Agent of that time show an infant son called Harry.[2] Peter and his family are not listed in Whonnock in the 1911 census. It is possible that they moved away or Peter died. Notes of an interview done around 1937 mentioned Amanda’s maiden name as “George” and suggested that she was married to a second husband Dick Harry. She had a son first called Fred Fidele who was later called Fred Harry, taking the surname of his stepfather.

Peter’s older brother Felix Fedele would stay in Whonnock until his death in 1928. He was born in January 1875 and baptized on February 27^th 1875 at St. Mary’s in Mission when he was a month and a half old. His parents are shown in the OMI records to be Fidele Tsiattakre and Augustine Metsa.

The 1901 Canada census shows Felix as 30 years of age and married to 26-year-old “Isabella” with an infant son called Charles, who may have died in infancy.[3] Around 1902 Felix and Isabelle had a daughter called Amy and in September 1904 they had another son they called James.

The 1911 census shows a 30-year-old woman called “Mary” as Felix’s wife, but that is probably a mistake. The family included James, then 10 years of age. [4]

Virginia Catherine, born 14 January 1912, was baptized that same month, a daughter of Felix and Isabelle, here called Isabella James. [5]

Another daughter called Lucy Ann was born around 1915 and it is thought that she later married a man from “up north.” [6]

Virginia Catherine died in Victoria BC on 16 January 1931 of pulmonary tuberculosis. Her death certificate shows her age as 12 years of age but since she was born in 1912 she would have been around 19 years in 1931. Her father, Felix Fedele, had died a few years earlier, in 1928, of the same disease that was so widespread and so lethal.

Felix’s sons James and Robert were the last male Fideles living at the Whonnock Reserve. Robert drowned in the Fraser at Albion in April 1937. The Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Gazette reported that the 16-year-old had been helping on the fishing boat of his brother-in-law Dominic Gabriel[7] when he slipped and fell into the water.

A just as tragic an event ended the life of James, a bachelor all his live. He was apparently asleep and died of smoke inhalation when his house at the Whonnock Reserve caught fire on November 16^th 1951.

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[1] The ages shown here are as recorded in the Census and were obviously just guessed by the enumerator or his informant, or both.

[2] The OMI records of August 1904 show the baptism of a son of Peter Fedele called Eli Francis, born in Whonnock. The name of the mother is listed as Catherine “whose maiden name was Jany.” It is not clear if the father was Peter Sr. or his son.

[3] Infant mortality was high with tuberculosis as the main cause but also the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 had a major impact. The following footnotes show the names of two girls and two boys, children of Felix and Isabella, who may never have reached maturity.

[4] Also in the household are daughters Celestine (8) and Rosie (6). Nothing more is known about the two girls.

[5] In September 1913 Felix and Isabelle are mentioned as the parents at the baptism of an infant called Frances Xavier, born 17 August 1913. No other records found about this child.

[6] A son, called Robert was born around 1921. Again, we have no further information about what happened to him.

[7] Amy married Dominic Gabriel on June 4^th 1922.

Giant sturgeon

2011-12-25T12:34:00.000-08:00

From Robin Nadin this snapshot: "A picture of a sturgeon caught by Hank Lee off Crescent Island in May 1943. It was 800 lb. and had 100 lb. of caviar The blond girl is Shirley Lee, Ted's daughter and Robin Nadin and the boy is Wally Swinden"
Robin's parents, Edward Albert (Ted) Nadin and Kathleen, née Sprott, owned the Whonnock General Store ("Grahams" across Showler's Red and White) from 1936 to 1957 when they sold the store and moved to Canim Lake in the Cariboo where their two sons, Peter and Robin, still live.
Mary Sprott, a sister of Mrs. Nadin, was married to Frank Daniels.

Howie Henderson

2011-10-23T11:27:00.001-07:00

Obituaries (10/19/11)
Henderson, Howard (Howie) July 6, 1925 October 8, 2011 Howard passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. He will be missed and remembered by his brother Scott, sister Dorothy and children Wendy, Bruce (Sharon) and Brad (Marola), grandchildren Raymond, Nolan, Lindsey, Derek and Kelsie and great grandchildren Nathan, Brandon and Carson. Born in Vancouver and raised in Whonnock, Howard lived a full life. He trained as a paratrooper while still in his teens and served his country as a member of the 1st Parachute Battalion in the European Theater during World War II. His working years were spent logging on Vancouver Island, starting in Ucluelet and retiring as Woods Foreman at McMillan Bloedel, North West Bay Division. He spent his retirement years enjoying his hobby farm in Coombs. Howard with his many stories and experiences will be dearly remembered by family and friends. A farewell to Howard will be held at Yates Funeral Home in Parksville on October 29th at 1:30pm.

234404 Vancouver Island

Courtesy Joanne Peterson

More from Debbie R

2011-08-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a wee bit more research on John [Stuart Black]and his family.

I managed to track down John's mother Ellen and brothers Francis and Herbert. Ellen died in Bonar Bridge, Scotland in 1898. His brothers both became Headmasters. Francis was Head Master in a school in the Highlands and Herbert was a headmaster in a school in Sunderland, Co.Durham, England.

John and Catherine were married in Brussels, Ontario in 1895 and Charles was also born there. The three other children were born in North Dakota, USA. From the 1910 USA census the family were living in Langdon, Ward 1, Cavalier, North Dakota. Farris was born there in June of that year. John's occupation on the census is Fur Trader.

The family must have moved from North Dakota to Whonnock later in that year.

Catherine died in San Diego, California in 1959.

I found that Helen moved to the USA in 1931 with her husband Merton Rose. They had two daughters. Helen died 2006 in San Diego.

Charles died in 1991 in British Columbia. He and his wife Mildred had a son Hugh Donald Black in 1927. Unfortunately Hugh died in 1937 in Vancouver.

Jean married Roscoe Eustis and she passed away in 1988 in British Columbia.

John Stuart Black -- ancestry. Courtesy Debbie R.

2011-08-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you very much for sending the photograph of the grave marker of
John Stuart Black.

From the family research that I have done I found
that John was a first cousin of my great Grandfather. John's father
Alexander Stuart Black was a brother of my Great, great grandmother
Mary Stuart Black. There were 12 children in total. They were born in
the family croft of Clachaig, Nethy Bridge, Scotland. Right in the
shadows of the Cairngorm Mountains in the Highlands of Scotland. I have
found Stuart Black's farming at Clachaig since 1700 and it is still
farmed by Donald Stuart Black today.

Alexander became a Bank Clerk and moved further north to Bonar Bridge,
in the county of Sutherland. He married Ellen Russell in 1862 in
Inverness. Ellen was born in Australia and was living in Gosport,
Hampshire, England before her marriage to Alexander.

They had 4 sons, all born in Bonar Bridge, Sutherland - John Stuart
Black b. 9th Sept 1863; Charles Alfred Stuart Black b. 4th January
1866; Francis Russell Stuart Black b. 29th April 1868 and Herbert
Stuart Black b. 4th November 1872.

Alexander Stuart Black died in 1889 and the remaining family seem to
have left Scotland as I have been unable to find any further records of
them in Scotland or the rest of the UK. Not sure if they all went to
Canada, but John Stuart Black emmigrated to Canada in 1889 (documented
on 1911 census). He married Catherine Augusta Cormack in Brussels,
Huron, Ontario on 9th November 1896.

Black Family

2010-10-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

The Black family settled in Whonnock in 1910. John Stuart Black (sitting centre) had retired from the HBCo. His wife Kate (Catherine Augusta Cormack) to the left with sons Charles (at the rear) and Farris (front). Next to Charles is daughter Helen and the younger daughter Jean is sitting on the right. The gentleman behind her (the photographer) has not yet been identified. (Photo courtesy Shirley Ryan, Helen's daughter)

Kate was a founding member of the Ladies Club that built the old community hall (the Ladies Hall) in Whonnock. She was very active in the community and the United Church. Both Helen and Jean were employed at the Whonnock post office at some time. The Black family suffered a serious financial setback by the collapse of Dominion Trust just before the First World War but kept their land and home in Whonnock. Charles served overseas in that war. John Stuart Black is buried at the Whonnock Cemetery. After his death in 1932 the family moved away from Whonnock.

Turgoose (Sanichton)

2010-09-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

It is not commonly known that after the collapse of the co-operative Ruskin Mills in 1899 and its surrender to Heaps some members regrouped into another co-op incorporated in Ruskin in 1899 under the name The Industrial Union; one that focussed on agriculture. The charter members of The Industrial Union were: Selby-Hele + wife), Kinraide, Morrow, Charlton, Haycock, (Ms) Donnelly, Boissevain + wife. They tried to establish a permanent farm on the Fraser in the Boundary Bay area but could not get the land they wanted at an acceptable price. It seems that the co-op then moved its operation to Vancouver Island. Under Turgoose the 1900-1901 Henderson Directory listed the Industrial Union (Selby-Hele president, Kinraide vice-president, Charlton secretary) as well as the names of Boisevain, Kinraide and Morrow (these three perhaps doing farm work). Also listed at Turgoose was Charles Whetham (JP). Whetham’s close association with the co-op movement in Ruskin is well-known but his presence in Turgoose is a surprise. Further information wanted.

Whonnock Failure

2010-09-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

We know that the old Whonnock general store burned down in March 1916 when Mr. Methot was the store keeper. Click here to refresh your memory. I always wondered if Methot had purchased or leased the store from Whiting. A few days ago I came across a little note in the Coquitlam Star of 8 August 1914 under the heading "Whonnock Failure"

Mr. R.S. Whiting, a leading merchant and storekeeper of Whonnock, last week made an assignment of his business for the benefit of his creditors. The Westminster Trust Company are the assignees.

Mr. Methot, it appears, was also the owner of the store and Postmaster Whiting would have moved the post office from the store to its present site a year before the fire and not after the fire.

The second home of the Godwins

2010-09-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

Recently Paul Godwin, son of Eric Godwin seen running on this picture, visited Whonnock to see where his dad made his first steps and where his grandparents, George Godwin and Dorothy Purdon had lived. George Godwin was the author of the book The Eternal Forest despised by the Whonnock residents. Click here to read the Whonnock Notes discussing the book.

The old-timers knew that the Godwins lived on 268th Street where today the Carlsons have their home but not that they later moved to another place in Whonnock. The assessment records tell us that they only paid the taxes on that property on 1913 and 1914 but not before 1916 did they return to England--George to fight in France. Where did they live between 1914 and their departure in 1916? Paul’s visit made me look again at the assessment records and I discovered that they moved to 9352 Spilsbury Street. That is where the house on the photograph stood and where that young Eric was running. Eric and the house are now gone but there is still a Douglas fir growth behind the new house. It certainly was a more convenient place—a larger house and close to the railroad station and an easier walk to the general store and the post office.

Spilsbury

2010-08-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Assessment records show that in 1910 Edward Watson purchased the Spilsbury home and 70 acres of land of the SE part of DL 326. Ashton W. Spilsbury kept the western part of 34 acres. The 70 acres were repossessed by Spilsbury in 1922 and were sold by creditors. The house must have been adjacent to River Road. We don't know when the house was demolished. Jim Spilsbury puts the focus for the monetary troubles of his father on the Watsons who had stopped paying for the 70 acres they bought (war-time moratorium of debt). But Spilsbury also had to pay municipal taxes on property he still owned in Whonnock beginning with the 34 acres left of DL 326. In addition Spilsbury owned the SW 1/4 of Section 1, Township 12. In 1912 he subdivided the northern half of the 160 acres into four 5-acre lots (numbered from 1 to 4) and six 10-acre lots (numbers 5 to 10) obviously trying to sell. Beginning in 1911 he also owned three lots in DL 329, sub div F: Lot 1 (4.46 acres) Lot 5 (7.83 acres) and Lot 6 (.28 acres). DL 329 was subdivided in 1910 and it seems that AWS took his share of the land when it became available. It seemed a good investment at that time but unfortunately after a boom, the economy of British Columbia took a sharp downturn. Many went bankrupt in that pre-war recession and AWS survived barely.

Twigge

2010-08-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

It is generally believed that in 1891 Major-General John Twigg (correctly Twigge) together with his brother Samuel Knox Twigge purchased District Lot 438, a parcel of around 150 acres at the point where Stave River meets the Fraser.
It is also believed that it was Major-General John Twigge who allowed the Canadian Co-operative Society to build and operate the Ruskin Mill on a few acres of their property. It may well be, however, that Samuel Knox Twigge was the the one to do so, because the assessment and collection records of the period only show his name until 1905 when he sold the DL 438 to E. H. Heaps & Co. The S.K. Twigge and family did not live in Ruskin but in Vancouver where he also had property.
Samuel Knox Twigge died in January 1906 leaving behind his wife Frances (née Vance) who may have returned to the United Kingdom after her husband's death (?).
Samuel and Frances Twigge had a daughter named Sidney Ann Jane. The part of the road from Ruskin to Stave Falls through the Twigge property was named "Sidney Road" (now part of 287th Street) after her. In August 1910 Sidney Twigge married Lieutenant John Gibson Kenworthy and moved to a 17,000 acre ranch in the Chilcoten. In 1914 Kenworthy (see photo) left his wife and a young son behind on the ranch to fight in the war in Europe. He died in April 1915 and his wife eventually sold the ranch. She left for the UK around 1923.
Another daughter of S.K. Twigge was Mary Mabel Twigge who married Charles E.W. Johnson in 1896. She died at Alkali Lake in 1934.

New History and Heritage pages

2009-07-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

Whonnock's history and heritage information--photographs and written text--has found a new home on the Web. To view the new pages click here or click on "History and Heritage" on the main page of the Whonnock & Ruskin Web site.

Card from John Williamson

2009-07-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

From Mrs. Williams, a great-great-granddaughter of the diarist John Williamson I received scans of a Christmas card mailed in 1910 by Williamson to his granddaughter in Ladner.

Click on pictures for enlargement.

Late Pleistocene Occupation--More than 10,000 years ago

2009-04-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

"The stylistic qualities of surface scattered artifacts collected from 68 sites in the inundation zones of Stave and Hayward Reservoir suggest that the area has been continuously occupied since late Pleistocene times." (Duncan McLaren)

Duncan McLaren currently operates Cordillera Archaeology which specializes in providing archaeological consulting services. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria.

Whoh-nuck - "where they hung the heads".

2009-04-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

J.S. Matthews and August Jack made special trips up and down Howe Sound by steamer, for the purpose of recording sites and traditional names of villages and landmarks, during 1934-35. On the west (Downtown Squamish) side of today’s Mamquam Blind Channel (formerly East Branch of the Squamish River), only one traditional place-name was recorded as part of this project: Whoh-nuck - "where they hung the heads".
(Tim Woodland)

Whonnock P.O. Safe Carried Bodily Away, Saturday

2009-02-08T14:33:00.000-08:00

Yeggs who broke into the post office at Whonnock, B.C. took the heavy safe from the building and moved it away in a wheelbarrow. The safe weighed 200 pounds and contained $18 in cash, $132 in postal notes abd $74 in stamps.
The postmaster, Mr. Whiting, did not discover the loss until arriving at the postoffice on Sunday afternoon when he immediately notified the police.
Later the safe was found carefully covered up with old pieces of carpet on the adjoining lot, where Mr. W.L. Baines resides. The postal notes and the stamps were still in the safe when found. The door of the safe had been pried off with a chisel.
Weekly Gazette 13 March 1936

Arthur William Spokes 1859-1929

2008-12-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

Click pictures for enlargement. Gravemarker courtesy Sivertz sisters, 2004. Top Beatrice Johansen nee Spokes. Below Arthur Spokes

A.W. Spokes's 20-acre farm was in Ruskin (NE portion of NE 1/4 Section 5 YWP 15). His land may have been on the east side of Whonnock Creek south of what is now 104th Avenue. I think he bought the property in 1908.

Arthur Spokes, an engineer, arrived on the vessel Victorian at Halifax 19 April 1907, final destination: Vancouver. With him travelled his 40-year-old sister Beatrice Stokes. Beatrice Spokes married Gorgen Johansen in Sapperton on 11 September 1907.

Adjacent to Spokes's grave are the unmarked graves of Johansen and Mrs. Johansen. Beatrice C.Johansen died in New Westminster in March of 1940.

Anthony Childs Spokes, a nephew of Arthur and Beatrice, died on 4 April 1929, age 40, New Westminster.

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Vital Events:

Gorgen Johansen x Beatrice Spokes, 11 September 1907, Sapperton, Reg No. Reg. No. 1907-09-119268, Microfilm B11382

Beatrice C Johansen died 30 March 1940, age 76, New Westminster. Reg No. 1940-09-571038. Microfilm B13168

Arthur William Spokes died 12 June 1929, age 69, Ruskin. Reg. No. 1929-09-424637. Microfilm B13137

Anthony Childs Spokes died 4 April 1929, age 40, New Westminster, Reg. No. 1929-09-422026. Microfilm B13137

Check: Gorgos Johansen died 3 August 1943, age 69, Bella Coola, Reg No. 1943-09-628957. Microfilm B13180

GR-1422 -- New Westminster Supreme Court Probate cases
B09626 Spokes, Anthony 3411/1929
B09626 Spokes, Arthur William 3423/1929
B09490 Johansen, Beatrice Caroline 6709/1940

Kipp

2008-12-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

Click on the illustration to see an enlarged copy of a "birth" page of a bible showing in the lower part the name and birthdates of the children of Samuel Ephraim Cromarty and Carolina Augusta (Garner)Cromarty. Obviously these names were all written down by the same person at the same time.
The same applies to the two names written above perhaps by another person at another time. The names are James Kipp, March 4 (no year) and Robert Kipp, March 7 (no year).
Family tradition suggested that James and Robert were brothers but they were in fact father and son. The 1901 Census shows that James was born on 4 March 1865 and that Robert was born on 7 March 1890 (confirmed by his Recruitment paper).

Maple Ridge census of 1917

2008-07-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

Among the surviving records from the early years of the district is a census of the population of Maple Ridge showing a total of 2210 individuals. The census dates from the spring or summer of 1917. There were at that time in Maple Ridge 1893 whites, 241 Japanese, 62 Chinese, and 14 Hindoo. First Nations people living on the Katzie and Whonnock Reserves were not included in this census.
Compare the 1917 Maple Ridge population of 2210 with the 2006 number: 68,949

Wannick Cannery at Rivers Inlet

2008-07-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

Wannuck: (sometimes Wannock or Whonnock), built in 1884 by Wannock Packing Co., Messrs. A. McNeil, W. McDowell, and S. McDowell. It was located at Wannock Cove, on the north shore of the Inlet, west of Moses Inlet. It was acquired by Victoria Canning Co. (R.P Rithet, Thomas Ladner and partners) in 1892 and became part of the B.C. Packers Association merger in 1902. In 1926, it was acquired by B.C. Fishing & Packing Co. with R.P. Rithet Co. as agent. In 1982, it was included in the B.C. Packers Ltd. Merger. It was abandoned in 1934. It was the site of the first summer hospital on the Inlet.

(Cannery Village: Company Town by K. Mack Campbell)

Whonnock at Rivers Inlet and the Fraser River -- not related

2008-07-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

In the early 1880s, when a rail station and a post office had to be named, the white immigrant community on the Fraser River adopted the name Whonnock, an Anglicised version of name of the tribe that lived there. It is a Downriver Halkomelem name related to pink or humpback salmon. "Place where there are (always) humpback salmon" or "Place of the humpback salmon," are the most common interpretations of meaning of the name Whonnock. This Halkomelem name was also given to Whonnock Lake and Whonnock Creek.

Not everyone knows that there is another place in British Columbia called Whonnock and that there is a Whonnock River. This Whonnock and the river are at Rivers Inlet. In Kwakwakawakw (Kwakiutl) the name means "the owner of the river." Aside from the similar modern spelling of the name there is nothing that connects these two places or the First Nations peoples who lived there.

"Whonnock" was not used as a surname at the Fraser River, but it is well-known family name at and around Alert Bay and Rivers Inlet. As Shanon Whonnock explained it her great-great grandfather started using the name John Wanuwk and church records show a variety of spellings until, as from around 1828, the writing settled at Whonnock. Shanon's great-great grandfather acquired the name Wanukw through marriage. "It comes from his wife's grandmother who was a princess of a Chief from Rivers Inlet."

Port Coquitlam

2008-05-04T09:55:00.000-07:00

Looking into Port Coquitlam's history I came across three books:

History of Port Coquitlam by Edith D. Chambers, B.A. Thompson, 1973.

Port Coquitlam: City of Rivers and Mountains, Debbie Caron, Beth McWilliam, Dhorea Ryon and Diane Rogers, City of Port Coquitlam,1988

Port Coquitlam: Where Rails Meets Rivers, by Chuck Davis, Harbour Publish,2000.

For historians the 1988 publication by the City of Port Coquitlam is the best choice.

Brodie (work notes) IV

2008-05-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

Headstone inscription Shoal Lake (MN)

S270 Brodie Janet (Dickson) (Beattie) BRODIE / March 15, 1842-December 21, 191(5)?/ Born in Gattonside Scotland / Died Whonnock, BC / Wife of John BRODIE / Mother of John J. D. Beattie. Note: Janet died in 1914

S270 John James Dickson BEATTIE / Killed in Shoal Lake / March 7, 1907 / 23 years. Question: What killed him? ANSWER: John Beattie, "assistant station agent" was run over while coupling cars. (Manitoba Free Press, 8 March 1907)

James Beattie, aged 60, died Rapid City, Manitoba (fairly close to Shoal Lake) dated 12th June 1886. Question: is this Janet's first husband?

Cheer family

2008-05-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately the name of the Hawaiian ancestor of the Cheer (or Chier)family is still unknown. At one point I felt that it could be Keea (also Keea, Kia or Kea) or perhaps also Ohier. But that is all just guessing. I thought Keea, because the ancestor of the Whonnock Cheers and perhaps all Cheer descendants is mentioned as named: "Keaho" Cheer; he was married to Catherine or Katherine Cheer (1831-1888).

Many Cheers lived on the Whonnock Reserve and on the reserves at the Stave River, a few miles east from here. Charles Miller writes extensively about Harry and "Rose" Cheer.

My notes show three sons of Keaho and Katherine Cheer: Daniel (b.1851-1929), Joseph (b. Abt 1858) and Thomas (b. 1863). Of course there may have been other children, including daughters.

I think that the settling of Cheers on the Whonnock Reserve started with son Daniel, who was enumerated in 1891 at the Whonnock Reserve with his wife Mary Samiate and their children: William, Henry (Harry), John, Alex and Ida. Absent according to one informant was perhaps another son called Jack, but he could also be the same as John.

In the 1901 Census Daniel and Mary are still listed with all the children mentioned in 1891 with the exception of Alex. John, William and Henry were then married: William with two children: William and Phillip.

Henry (alias Harry) Cheer married Anny Harry from Nooksack WA in 1898. She died in 1930. Cheers at Whonnock Reserve in 1930 shown in a Census Book of the Indian Agent are Edith, Ray, Clarence, Katherine, Johnny, Peter and Angeline -- all children of Henry. Since the 1950s none of the Cheer descendants lives on the Whonnock Reserve.

Unravelling the Cheer family is not easy. The 1911 Census enumeration of the Whonnock Reserve shows more complexities and confusion with yet other Cheers.

Brodie (work notes) III

2008-03-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

Certification of Registration of Death 1918-09-398458 Microfilm B13133
James Hugh Brodie 15 August 1928, Cancer
Vancouver BC: 2576 2nd Avenue West
Married - Scotch -
Birthplace Paris, Ontario - b. 1856.
At place of death 2 years, in province 5 years.
Father John Brodie, b. Scotland
Mother: Mary Waterson, b. Beith, Scotland
Informant: John Brodie, Whonnock BC, brother.
Burial: Ocean View, 17 August 1928

Equidistant

2008-02-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

The photo shows a standard station house at an unknown location somewhere on the north-shore of the Fraser between Port Moody and Hope. The first station buildings at Hammond and Whonnock looked just like this one. Stations were built at “at points about equidistant from each other,” a distance of about ten miles. A 1884 time card shows the distances between the stations: Port Moody 0, Port Hammond 12, Wharnock 20, Mission 30, Nicomen 40, Harrison River 49, etc. In the initial stage of the construction of the railroad Onderdonk gratefully used the existing private wharfs at Port Haney, but he made clear that he did not intend to build a station there. It would not have fitted in the scheme. Photo source

Streetnames in Hammond

2008-02-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

City Plan for "Port Hammond Junction" drawn up by Edward Mohun in 1882 and presented in 1883 by Emmeline Mohun, William Hammond and John Hammond. It subdivided a large parts of the lands of Emmeline Mohun and William Hammond.

Plan included street names some of which have been identified:

Chigweel Street (should have been Chigwell Street) Edward Mohun was born in Chigwell, England Chigwell is a civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles (18.7 km) north east of Charing Cross in London and near the boundary with the London Borough of Redbridge. It is served by a London Underground station and has a London (020) area code.

Stenton Street William Hammond was born in Fen Stanton.Fen Stanton lies on the Cambridge border of the old county of Huntingdonshire, on the south side of the River Ouse

Waugh Street Emmeline was the only child of HBC Chief Trader John Tod and Eliza Waugh.

Bromley Street Emmeline Mohun's first husband was William Henry, who died in 1878. Newton took charge of Fort Langley a few month after they married in September 1856. Newton was a native of Bromley, Kent.

Ospringe Street In the 1600s there are two William Hammond here: one William Hammond esq. of St. Albans, and later a William Hammond, esq. of Canterbury. Is this just a coincidence?

From: 'Parishes: Ospringe', The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 6 (1798), pp. 499-531. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=62988. Date accessed: 12 February 2008.

Lorne Road This is the only "road." It is named after he Marquess of Lorne, governor general of Canada,married to Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria. The vice-regal couple visited British Columbia in 1882, when the plan for Hammond was drawn up.

Princess Avenue This only "avenue" and it honours Princess Louise.

Timeline for the Columbian newspaper New Westminster

2008-01-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

BRITISH COLUMBIAN 13 Feb 1861 - 25 July 1869 (absorbed by Daily British Colonist and Victoria Chronicle)
DOMINION PACIFIC HERALD 31 July 1869 - Dec 28 1881
THE BRITISH COLUMBIAN Jan 4 1882 - 31 Jul 1886
DAILY COLUMBIAN 31 July 1886 - 22 May 1900
COLUMBIAN (Daily Columbian) 23 May 1900 -23 July 1910
BRITISH COLUMBIAN 25 July 1910

WEEKLY COLUMBIAN 1886 - 1945

Haney Handicapped

2008-01-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

Under that heading the Daily Columbian of Saturday February 4 1899 informed its readers that…

The good people of Port Haney have a grievance, in that they claim to be discriminated against in the matter of rates shipping facilities, etc., by the Canadian Pacific Railway. What they want now, is the privilege of purchasing tickets to New Westminster or Vancouver, without being required to walk to Port Hammond. At present, such tickets are issued at Port Hammond, at one dollar, but unless Haney folks can make it convenient to trudge the mile or so to the next station, they have to purchase a single fare each way, or $1.70 for travelling a little less than Hammond folks. ... True, the railway company so far acceded to the request of residents of Port Haney, as to build a station there, and appointed a station agent. But it remains a mere flag station, with no operator, and without privileges enjoyed by other flag stations. It is said that the number of people using the railway at Haney is twice as great as at Hammond, and the people want, particularly the chance to buy return tickets to this city, such as is enjoyed farther up the line, where people cross the river from Chilliwack and take the train.
The demands of the Port Haney people seem to be reasonable enough, and, doubtless, placed before the railway officials in the proper way, and backed up by petitions, deputations, etc., the C.P.R. will be disposed to meet them half way at least.

When in 1884 Onderdonk, the contractor who built the railroad from Port Moody to Savona, started offering a local service moving mail, passengers and freight between Port Moody and Yale, Hammond (1883) and Whonnock (1884) had railway stations but not Port Haney. Locomotives pulled flatcars with rails and other equipment for construction of the tracks at the end of the line and passengers and freight generated some much needed extra income. A “Time Card,” dated 10 August 1884, shows Port Hammond and Whonnock between Port Moody and Mission, but Port Haney is not on the list.

It made no sense to build two stations only a couple of miles apart for the small population of Maple Ridge. Other factors may have played a part in the choice of Hammond but it could have been the terrain: The flat lands of Hammond were obviously more suitable for a larger railroad operation than the slope at Port Haney.
Haney still did not have a railway station when the Onderdonk section was turned over to the CPR, and when on 4 June 1886 the first transcontinental steamed into Port Moody the CPR time table still did not mention Port Haney.

At first, the absence of a rail station seems not to have bothered the Haney residents as they could travel to New Westminster by steamer. But after Vancouver was reached by the railroad in 1887, there was a growing demand for trips to the new city and in 1890 the correspondent in the Daily Columbian complained that “no station accommodations are provided and the nearest telegraph office is Port Hammond, three and a half miles distant. These defects should be remedied by the company without loss of time. The requirements of Port Haney are becoming very urgent.”

Almost two years later, in the spring of 1892, the people of Port Haney and Langley were petitioning the CPR at Vancouver, “for the establishment and construction of a regular station at Port Haney,” and with positive results. That summer the CPR called for tenders “…for the erection of a passenger station and freight shed at Port Haney.” The Port Haney railway station, located opposite D. Docksteader’s store and hotel, was completed in August of 1892.

Port Haney people finally had their own station, but they could not buy their tickets there. In January 1893 the Columbian suggests that “ .. it will be a great convenience to the travelling public when a ticket office is opened in connection with [the station]. The C.P.R. should get a move on in this direction, and try to meet the convenience of the people.” Reading “Haney Handicapped” it appears that issue was still not resolved in 1899.

From 1892 Maple Ridge had three stations: Whonnock, Haney, and Hammond. A 1913 timetable shows that they were all flag stations, where trains only stopped if there were passengers and that stations at Silverdale, Ruskin and Pitt Meadows had been added. fb

Menzies Island

2008-01-03T14:55:00.000-08:00

"Sheridan Hills" (plural) is the name shown on the maps made by Captain George Richards and the officers by H.M.'s surveying ship "Plumper" in 1859-1860 for the outcroppings in the Pitt Polder. Sometimes the name Menzies Island or Menzies Mountain props up in the literature for what is officially known as Sheridan Hill. I had the idea that the name referred to Hal Menzies, but Donald Waite corrected me as follows:

I got my information from Wilma Robinson, Hal's daughter. William Henry Menzies, Hal's father worked for the CPR and came out from Rat Portage, Ont. to New Westminster in 1890. He moved to Haney in 1893 and first settled at the north end of McKenney Creek (where it empties into the Alouette River) in 1898 before moving to Menzies Mountain in 1900.

Hal at that time would have only been 15. I believe Hal taught school in Whonnock or Ruskin for a few years before hanging out their real estate shingle at Port Haney. His partner was Donald Bruce Martyn and their clerk was Angus McIver, son of John McIver, Maple Ridge's first settler II believe Sam Robertson of Albion also claims that distinction). Anyway, Don left to fight in the First World War. He ended up running along a German foxhole by mistake and ran into several Germans. He shot a couple and took the rest prisoner and for this became a war hero.

Oh yes, his position in the real estate company was taken up by his brother from Ontario, John Blake Martyn (later Reeve of Maple Ridge). Fast forward 20 years and D.B.Martyn, Hal Menzies et al are on the Soldiers' Settlement Board with respect to the Japanese. Hal's full name is William Halbert Menzies. Hal married Ethel Best, daughter of Hannah and James Best, early Maple Ridge settlers.

Their real estate business catered to both river and boat traffic. Hal became great friends of Sol Mussallem and used his new autos to show potential clients sites for potential homes. They had a great networking scheme set up. They would hang out in the local coffee shop (beside the Bank of Montreal - the Billy miner pub) and wait like spiders for a client. They get a small down payment and turn the client over to the bank for a mortgage. Sometimes they even sold a car for Sol.

The Times Colonist

2008-01-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Times Colonist is celebrating its 150th anniversary in style -- with a new website that is sure to become one of the most important resources for historical researchers throughout the province.

Working with the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia, we are placing thousands of pages of back issues online. Access will be free, as our lasting gift to the people of British Columbia

.

For more click here

Mary Hairsine

2007-10-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

On behalf of BC Hydro, who'd lost information about its location, I recently revisited a grave on Hairsine's old property. Charles Miller writes that the grave "was Thomas Hairsine's lasting rememberance of his wife..." and that Hairsine "would climb to the grave site every morning or afternoon and sit and meditate, drinking in the beauty of the view. " In fact Mary's husband was Joseph Robson Hairsine. "Thomas" was the name of one of her children. Mary Hairsine was a daughter of William Magnus and Mary (Salunimia) Cromarty. William Cromarty was cooper of Fort Langley. Mary Hairsine left three children: Thomas Malcolm, William Gowan, and Margery.

Brodie (work notes) II

2007-10-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

http://web2.gov.mb.ca/cca/vital/Query.php Edith in England was given this link for vital information from the government of Manitoba.

Here she found the registration of the mariage of John Brodie and Janet Dickson (first names) Beattie in Portage la Prairie on 15 April 1891. She also found a registration of the death of a John Dickson Beattie at Shoal Lake on 7 March 1907. The inclusion of the name Dickson as a first name suggests a family relationship. Purchase of a copy of the certificate may be necessary to find out.

Janet Dickson's death certificate shows her birthyear as 1842 so she was around 50 when she married John Brodie. Her father's name is given as John Dickson. His daughter, Janet Dickson could have been married to a "Beattie" before she married John Brodie (is John her son) or did her mother have married a Mr. Beattie?

Who built the Byrnes houses?

2007-09-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

After the "Looking Back" column, Whonnock's Aunt Hill appeared in The News, 8 August 2007, I received a call from Margaret Matson (née Leaf) telling me that not Winnifred Gordon, but a Miss Rogers built the two Byrnes houses for herself and her sister, a Mrs. Davies. Miss Rogers must have sold the houses to Mrs Gordon since Byrneses acquired them from her and not from Miss Rogers.

Brodie (work notes)

2007-09-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.whonnock.ca/whonnock/PDFs/WhonnockUnited.pdf

Janet Brodie (Dickson) – b. 14 March 1842 d. 21 December 1914 in Whonnock. Buried Shoal Lake, Manitoba. Father John Dickson Mother Esther Hardie.
She was 5 years in district (arrived 1909) and 41 years in the country (arrived ca. 1873, 31 years old). She has been traced in Melrose, Scotland, in 1871 (census) living with her mother, Esther.

John Brodie – b. 3 October 1852 d. 15 June 1938
Father John Brodie Mother: Mary Waterson. Burried Whonnock Cemetery
He was 37 years in the district (arrived 1911) and 81 years in the country (arrived ca. 1857 -- 5 years old). Trade: retired Hudson Bay factor. Census 1881: John Brodie, Male, Scottish, 29, Scotland, farmer, Presbyterian. Little Saskachewan, Manitoba. John Brodie's name shows up in Maple Ridge assessments for five acres starting in 1910.

Canada census 1901. Manitoba/Marquette/Shoal Lake/r3/page 11. Household 126. Shows John and Janet Brodie as Head/wife.

There are four Brodie graves at the Whonnock Cemetery—only John Brodie’s has a grave marker. The others seem empty. Inscription on grave marker: BRODIE / In loving memory of / JOHN BRODIE /1825 - 1938 / Born Beith Scotland.

John Brodie’s grandmother (Elizabeth Brodie nee Wilson) died in Buffalo NY on 24 May 1875. John Brodie’s mother, Mary Waterson, b. 1858, died in Paris Ontario 4 July 1897. Obit in Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald, an Ayrshire local paper that was circulated in Beith. Canadian obit seems to show 5 August 1897.

Descendants in the UK have following obit (publication source unknown):

Passed away at his residence in Whonnock, June 15th 1938, in his eighty-fifth year, John Brodie, He leaves to mourn his passing five nephews, Arthur, Vancouver; Andrew, Toronto; Charles, New York; Herbert, Buffalo NY; Russel in Wisconsin; and one niece Miss Ruth Brodie, Buffalo NY and his sister in law, Mrs. James Brodie. Funeral services will be held at the United Church, Whonnock, June 17th 2:30 o’clock. Rev. Mr. Guy of Coquitlam officiating. Internment: Whonnock Cemetery.

The nephews are children of John Brodie's two brothers:

James H. Brodie A Mrs. Jas. H. Brodie or Mrs. James Brodie, sister-in-law of John Brodie, appears in the communion role of the United Church in Whonnock in 1929 and she is recorded by the church as moving away on 4 May 1939, almost a year after John Brodie’s death.

The US 1880 census lists a James H Brodie (aged 24 - b. 1856 in Canada), with a wife named Dorcus, (age 23 ) in Buffalo, Erie, NY. If Dorcas was the Mrs. Jas. H. Brodie in Whonnock, she would have been 82 years old when she moved away from Whonnock.

Andrew Brodie married to Lena Millman. Sons John Arthur (Vancouver) and Andrew (Toronto).

John (from Whonnock) seems also to have had two sisters, who are buried with their parents in Paris, Ontario.

Mary Brodie, who died on June 21st 1872 (14 years of age) and Elizabeth Brodie who died 1867 aged 19 years.

The Dangers of Dave's World

2007-08-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

I discovered on the Internet that in 2000, Jay S. Jones, submitted a thesis with the title The Cleansing Time at Simon Fraser University, for his MA degree. The thesis is available in pdf format on the Internet. Click here to read or download the 118 pages.

Simon Fraser slept at Hammond

2007-08-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

Where did Simon Fraser and his companions sleep in the night of 1 July 1808? Fraser refers to a "native village" and a good number of inhabitants. The records don't give definitive information where that village could have been but it is placed somewhere between Mission and Barnston Island.

A few years ago, Nick Doe, using Simon Fraser's latitudes and tidal observations, established convincingly that the "native village" would be at Hammond or very close by. Perhaps on the south shore, but definitely not furher up the river. (BC Historical News, Vol. 33 No. 2, Spring 2000 and personal communications).

Archaelogical evidence has shown that there was once an extensive village site at Hammmond.

Supporting evidence to Doe's claim is the fact that the villages from Hatzic to Port Haney had been depopulated by the smallpox epidemic of 1782. No large settlements could be expected on that stretch of river.

Kirby II

2007-08-19T14:26:00.000-07:00

1911 Census of Canada / B.C. - New Westminster / 40 Dewdney Riding /
page 3

Living at Whonnock - Immigration 1888? M.W. is a farmer
33 23 Kirby M.W. M Head S Jun 1865 45
34 23 Kirby Hanah J.D.M. F Sister S Mar 1858 53
35 23 Kirby Agnes D.R. F Sister S Jul 1866 48
36 23 Kirby Henrietta C. F Sister S Aug 1868 42
37 23 Kirby Shirlda H.E. F Niece S Jul 1906 4

Neighbours included Spilsbury & Baker/Boulanger [Annie Spilsbury & August
Baker].

Aunt Hill

2007-08-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

"Looking Back" column in The News, 8 August 2007

The two neighbouring Byrnes homes, west of the post office, were constructed for Winnifred as speculative rental houses in 1931 and 1932 by contractors Ralph Daniels and Dick Whiting. These buildings are now part of Whonnock’s heritage.

Margeret Matson(nee Leaf) suggests that it was not Winnifred Gordon, but a Miss Rogers who built the two houses for herself and her sister, Mrs. Davies, with three boys and a girl. Mrs. Gordon must have bought the houses from Miss Rogers since the Byrneses purchased the house(s) from her.

Kirby

2007-08-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

At the Whonnock Cemetery are four graves of members of the Kirby family: Murdoch William Kirby (1865?-1945), Agnes D.R. Kirby (1862-1950) Hannah G.M. Kirby (1858-1956). Also the grave of Evelyn Shields (1906-1931)

Five Kirby's siblings came to Canada. (1) Hannah, (2) Agnes, (3) Norborne, (4) Murdock, 5) Henry Grey. Norborne returned to England. Murdock farmed in South Langley (Campbell Valley)before settling in Whonnock around 1911. Hannah, Agnes, both unmarried stayed with Murdock.

Henry Grey Kirby (did he come later, around 1900? and settled in Burnaby(?). I know of five children: (1) John Murdoch, (2) Emily Maude (who married Albert Shields); (3) Henry Gore Reginald (uncle Reggie); (4) Eleanore Constance (5)Isobel Hastings (who married Wedge).

Evelyn, who lies burried in Whonnock,was the daughter of Emily Maude and Albert Shields.

Arthur Wedge married Isobel Hastings Kirby on 30 July 1930 at Edmonds BC
Burnaby) She died on 3 January 1961 in Maple Ridge at the age of 67.

Henry Grey Kirby died 25 November 1932, age 81 in Burnaby.

Eleanor Kirby died 23 December 1984, age 97 in Haney (Maple Ridge)

Henry Gore Reginald Kirby died 18 December 1971, age 87 in Haney
(Maple Ridge.

Emily Maude Shield died 23 May 1922, age 42 at Langley

Whonnock and the Kwantlen

2007-08-10T12:33:00.001-07:00

Katzie Ethnographic Notes / by Wayne Suttles; edited by Wilson Duff. by Suttles, Wayne P., 1918-,Victoria, B.C.: British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1955, [1979 printing].

page 12

Avove the Katzie were several villages that, according to Simon, were wiped our or nearly so, by smallpox before Fort Langley was founded. [Listed sites at Derby, Whonnock, Ruskin, and at Hatzic.] On the south bank between the last two were the Matsqui, who survived the epidemic.

Simon referred to the "Derby people" as a "separate tribe" who owned the Salmon River on the south side of the river and possibly Kanada Creek on the north side. He referred to the Nicomekl River, from which the Indians and early traders portaged to the Salmon River, as ... the "river of the Semiahmoo. However, a Semiahmoo informant at Lummi said the original inhabitants of Mud Bay, where the Nicomekl has its mouth were a tribe called [Snokomish] and that their river was called [Snokomish, now become Nicomekl. The [Snokimish] were wiped out by the smallpox before the whites came, whereupon the Semiahmoo, who had intermarried with them, extended their territory northward to include that of the former [Snokomish] around Mud Bay.

In view of these two accounts it seems likely that the Derby people, who we might call "Sokomish," occupied both a segment on the Fraser and a bit of saltwater shore-line at Mud Bay, together with the two streams that make canoe navigation from one
place to the other possible with only one short portage. After the Snokomish were wiped out, the Semiamoo took over the salt-water section of their territory so that what the Semiahmoo considered the "Snokomish" river came to be the "Semiahmoo" river for the people of the Fraser.

According to Simon, after the Hudson's Bay Company established Fort Langley the Kwantlen moved up-stream to be near to the fort and established themselves on McMillan Island. For this reason they became called the "Langley tribe." After this move they took over the territory of the other villages wiped out by smallpox mentioned above.