Arthur William Spokes 1859-1929

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 Spokes. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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?