Memorial for a successful real estate broker in Jordan

 Out in the Niagara area a couple of weeks ago and visited a cemetery in Jordan.  Came across this impressive stone and family plot.  I wondered what a man did in his life to command such a memorial?

Roy Webster Haines was born on 16 September 1876 to parents Webster G Haines (Haynes), a farmer and Sarah E Laws in Lincoln County. (1)

I find Roy with his parents in the 1881 & 1891 census still in Lincoln County along with brothers Archie and Merril.  Webster was of German descent, and Sarah was English. Their religion is Disciple.(2) In the 1881 census I notice a Laws and another Haines family living close, and suspect they are related.(3)

I'm wasn't able to find much more about Roy but did see that he was married Louisa Johnson on 24 July 1911 in Windsor, Ontario(4)

His death certificate listed his occupation as a broker and he passed away May 6, 1914 at 62 College St, Toronto, York County, Ontario from septic poisoning after a bout of pneumonia.  Yikes.   Interestingly, the registration was stamped corrected 27 March 1941 and signed by A. J. Haines (his brother).  The only correction I think might have been made was to his age.  It was originally written as 30 years but corrected to 37 years, 7 months, and 21 days. I wonder why?!   

His obituary provided a little more information.  Roy was an employee of Great Western Securities in Toronto.  His funeral took place on 10 May 1941 at the family house in Jordan, and then buried at the methodist cemetery at Jordan Station. (5)  More searches proved fruitless so I decided to search for information about him on newspapers.com.... finally, some information that explains the lavish burial plot. There were additional articles in the St Catharines Standard.  On May 7, it was explained that Roy was a successful man in real estate with a suite of offices in the Kent Building.  He was able to handle "large surveys" and was a generous, aimable and popular man who's business interested extended into the "old country" (Germany?).  Sadly he died  at 9 A.M. after a brief illness, with his wife and mother at his side He died as a result of ptomaine blood poisoning (old term for food poisoning), despite the best medical treatment and attendance.(6)    Then there was a follow up article published about his funeral in the same paper on May 14.  Roy was the sole proprietor and manager of the Great West Securities Company.  He funeral was the largest the village had seen with flowers from 12 friends and people in attendance came from the Standard Bank, the Title and Trust Company in Toronto as well as friends from Victoria Harbour.  His pallbearers were Albert, Morgan and James Wismer, William Troup and George High, all of Jordan and W. Haines and A. J Johnson of Toronto.(7) 

(1) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 24; Record Group: Rg 80-2

(2)Canadian Census Year: 1891; Census Place: Louth, Lincoln and Niagara, Ontario, Canada; Roll: T-6351; Family No: 40

(3)Canadian Census  Year: 1881; Census Place: Louth, Lincoln, Ontario; Roll: C_13254; Page: 18; Family No: 90

(4) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 152

(5) St. Catherines Standard. St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada · Saturday, May 09, 1914. Page 1

(6)St. Catherines Standard. St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada · Friday, May 07, 1914. Page 2

(7) St. Catherines Standard. St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada · Thursday, May 14, 1914. Page 2

John Reid

 Yet another little one in the Hamilton Cemetery.  John Reid died Sept 16, 1916 after 3-4 hours of convulsions.  He was 19 months old and suffered from catarrhal jaundice.(1)

I have yet to find a birth record for John but I was able to find quite a bit for his family, which I'll save for another post. 

Briefly, George and Ellen Reid immigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1907, and in 1911 were living in Hamilton with their children George, Aleck John, Adelaide and Charles.(2) In the 1921 census, another child Amelia aged 8 appears.  George, Aleck John, Adelaide and Charles are all still living with their parents(3)

According to Amelia's birth record, George and Ellen were married on 25 June 1904 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.(4)

(1)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 227

(2)Year: 1911; Census Place: 2 - Ward two, Hamilton West, Ontario; Page: 26; Family No: 291

(3)Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 97; Census Place: 97, Wentworth, Ontario; Page Number: 27

(4)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 231; Record Group: Rg 80-2

Hiking Mount Nemo

John and I did a post Christmas hike up to Mount Nemo from the Walkers Line access point, in Burlington.  The trail wasn't too bad with enough snow to cover the ground and was a bit icy in spots.  The hike has incredible views, steep cliffs and deep crevices in most cases an extremely short distance from the marked trail.  We ventured occasionally but seldomly off the beaten path.  With the snow and leaf cover, we could have easily fallen into hidden opening in the ground.  At one point on the path, we saw a bench, which was in a bit of an odd location as faced a row of bushes (maybe cedars?) and had a limited view.  

 

We wondered who this lady was who died so young and was memoralized on the trail.  My first thought was that she passed away from an illness and this was an area that she loved to hike but unfortunately was wrong.  

  Spring a lady from North York was out hiking with friends on the afternoon of Sunday September 8, 2013.  The group veered off the trail and ended up on an unmarked trail on private property.  Spring was sitting on the edge of the cliff attempted to take a picture of the escarpment.  She lost her balance and fell 24 metres below.(1)  A police officer and doctor were hiking at the time and were the first people to reach Spring.  They performed CPR until paramedics arrived to take over but unfortunately, Spring succumbed to her injuries.(2)

(1)https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2013/09/10/woman-who-died-at-mt-nemo-was-hiking-unmarked-trail.html

(2)https://www.toronto.com/news/toronto-hiker-posing-for-photo-prior-to-fatal-fall-from-mount-nemo-cliff/article_75b33df8-63b1-5578-b7f6-e92d310e9244.html

Robert Halton

John and I visited the Hamilton Cemetery before Remembrance Day and walked through the section with the stones of our fallen soldiers.  This one caught my eye for two reasons, Robert's young age and his last name, being the same as the county I grew up in.   

  Robert Halton attested on January 28th of the same year when he was 17 years 9 months old and was living at 43 Beechwood Avenue at the time with his father Alfred Edward.  He was born 10 March 1898 in Bolton England, was 5'6" and had brown eyes and auburn curly hair.(1) 

I did a quick search and quickly found his death record. Robert died on 19 May 1916 in Hamilton after 10 hours of haemorrhaging due to an accidental shooting.  He was a forge mechanic.(2)  His service record states that he accidentally shot himself (3) Geez, definitely not what I was expecting. I'll have to work my way over to the Burlington Public Library and see if I can get more details from the Hamilton Spectator.

RIP Robert, you were too young to die so senselessly.

(1)https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?op=pdf&app=CEF&id=B3966-S049

(2)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 227

(3) Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Canada; Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918)

Another little lamb in Hamilton cemetery

 Another lamb stone for a child in Hamilton Cemetery, not too far from Wesley Charles Spike.  Minnie Lee was born in England to parents Gibblum Lee and Grace Alice Walker (1) on March 29, 1909 and baptized in Hollinwood Church in Oldham, County England on July 14 of the same year(2) 

Gibblum and Grace were married on 3 February 1903 at Hollinwood Church.  Gibblum was a carrier and Grace was a doubler (yarn winding).  Gibblum's father Thomas (deceased at the time) was a collier and Grace's father William Thomas was a gas stoker.  Thomas and Sarah Ann Hill were witnesses (3)  

Minnie appears with her parents, older brother William(5 years), and recently born brother Henry in the 1911 Census of England at 30 Lee Street in Oldham, the home of her uncle Arthur Gilfoy and Aunt Martha Ann.  There were 4 rooms in the house, with 4 adults and 6 children living there. Her older cousin Lilly was already working at the tender age of 13 as a reacher for weaving! (4)  Gibblum's occupation was a gas stoker. It was noted that Gibblum and Grace had two other children who passed away and unfortunately as you will soon see, Gibblum and Grace would experience the loss of several more children

On 14 Sept 1911, Minnie, her mother (28), and brother William Henry (5) arrived in Quebec City on board the Empress of Ireland.(5)  Baby Henry appears to have not survived to make the trip. Grace was going to meet her husband, a city labourer in Hamilton, who arrived in Canada ahead of her in April(6).  Not too long after their reunion, they conceived their 6th child, who sadly stillborn on 25 Jul 1912.  The family was living at 313 Birmingham Street in Hamilton.(7)  The family welcomed another daughter Grace Alice on 30 October 1916 while living at 179 Birmingham Street in Hamilton.  Gibblum was a foreman for City Works.(8)

From the 1921 census it appears that Gibblum and Grace and had a son George in 1918(9) and another son Thomas in 1921.  I didn't see a record for a child born in the 1916 timeframe but I suspect that there may have been a child who did not live.

Our Minnie died on the 17th January 1919 from respiratory issues and had lymphatic leukaemia, the 5th child to pass at a young an age in the Lee family.(10)

(1) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 260

(2)Ancestry.com. Manchester, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

(3)Ancestry.com. Manchester, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

(4) The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911

(5)Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: T-4781

(6)Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: T-4740

(7)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 181

(8)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 280; Record Group: Rg 80-2

(9)Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 62; Census Place: 62, Hamilton East, Ontario; Page Number: 29

(10)

Charles Wesley Spike taken by whooping cough

 John and I walked around the Hamilton Cemetery Sunday morning to look at the veteran's stones and we encountered a number of stones for children. A few with little lambs caught my eye. Charles Wesley Spike was born at 211 Picton St East (Hamilton, Ontario) on 24 April 1916 to mother Millicent Amy Needham and father Charles Thomas Spike, a soldier with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces.(1)   Not even 5 months later little Charles developed whooping cough and died.(2)   Charles and Millicent were married 15 July 1915 in Hamilton(3) and Charles attested 10 Nov 1915(4).  I feel for Millicent, she gave birth without her husband, took care of her son without him and also helplessly watched her baby get sick and die without him.

Charles Sr. was a sail and tent maker prior to the war and emigrated from Devonshire England. When he returned home in 1918, he and Millicent had two more boys by 1921, Clifford and Harold.(5)

I poked a little bit into the history of Charles Sr.  It seems Millicent married a bit of a bad boy.  According to his attestation record, he was just shy of 24 years old, had several tattoos and had already had 4 years military experience.  He listed his experience with the 13th R.R (Royal Regiment), which is the militia in Hamilton but I also discovered that he served time in England.  He enlisted with the 9th Lancers on 24 June 1911, but by 27 Oct, he was reported to have deserted in Canterbury. (6)  By December of the same year, he was on the Empress of Ireland bound for Canada.(7)  Charles died at the age of 49 in the Christie Street Hospital in Toronto on 24 March 1942 of pneumonia and is buried in Prospect Cemetery.  His son Clifford reported his death and he stated that his dad's occupation was sailmaker but he had not worked in the job since 1929(8) I wonder if he had some lasting health issues from the war. Tragedy seems to have struck a second time for the Spike family in 1942.  Harold Leslie while serving in France with the Royal Regiment of Canada died on 19 August at the age of 21 and is buried in Janval Cemetery, Dieppe.(9)  You can see a picture of him here: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2317453.  According to the veterans website, Clifford also served in the war and there was younger brother Kenneth back in Canada in 1942.   In doing some further searching, Charles and Millicent had another child, a daughter who was born prematurely and died 7 Nov 1922 (scanned death records image on Ancestry for Wentworth County (Hamilton))

Millicent was born in Pontefract, England and emigrated to Canada with her parents in 1904 and by 1906 settled in the town of Indian Head, Saskatchewan.(10)  She seems to have well outlived Charles and died in 1959 (according to an unsourced ancestry tree).  There's a lovely picture of her on Ancestry.

(1)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 280; Record Group: Rg 80-2

(2)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 227

(3) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 35710 

(4)Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Canada; Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918)

(5)Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 63; Census Place: 63, Hamilton West, Ontario; Page Number: 12

(6)The National Archives; Kew, London, England; MEPO 6: Metropolitan Police: Criminal Record Office: Habitual Criminals Registers and Miscellaneous Papers; Reference: MEPO 6/54

(7)Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: T-4825

(8)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS 935; Series: M023563; Reel: 678

(9)Commonwealth War Graves Commission; Author: Peter Singlehurst; Series Title: British Commonwealth War Graves Registers, 1914-1918; Archive Name: London, United Kingdom

(10)Year: 1906; Census Place: 43, Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan; Page: 26; Family No: 7

Your friends in Scotland have not forgotten about you

 

I went on a bucket list trip to Scotland a couple of months ago and absolutely loved every minute of it.  So much rich history, beautiful buildings, and interesting stories.  While on a ghost walk, we visited GreyFriars Kirkyard. While standing at the entrance, near the GreyFriars Bobby memorial, I turned around to see this plaque on the wall.  I was 14 years old when this disaster happened but for whatever reason, I didn't remember the details. After a few google searches and the reading articles about incident and the everlasting effects of this catastrophe, I can only think that my brain has suppressed my recollection because my conscious mind cannot fathom the injustice served up to the people in Bhopal, which continues to this day.   While I'm deeply troubled, I am definitely not alone.  It seems that the Black Workers’ Conference of the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) was deeply troubled well before I was.  In 2014, the STUC unanimously passed a resolution to support the people of Bhopal and their rights to justice. (1)

(1) https://www.hindustantimes.com/bhopal/scottish-workers-back-bhopal-gas-survivors-struggle-for-justice/story-iAXbaop1nu9Q3gzBaz3T8K.html