Boorman Family Genealogy - Growing Our Family Tree

Happy Holidays 2022

12/26/2022

In spite of indications to the contrary, I am still actively involved in family history and DNA research. I'm just not focused on blogging right now. Hoping you will still contact us if you are related or if you find any of the information in this blog or on the other pages of this website to be of interest. We'd love to hear from you!

We wish you and yours a wonderful holiday, with good health and happiness in 2023. World peace and brotherhood would be nice too!

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Jillian Diane (Boorman) Slagboom - Rest in Peace

6/29/2022

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Jill (Boorman) Slagboom, 2011

Terry’s older sister Jill would have turned 80 today, and we are remembering her with love. Jill sadly passed away on 19 April 2021 after an extended illness. Her outgoing and welcoming nature, plus her abundant talents and accomplishments as an artist, enhanced many lives. She is sorely missed.

Jill’s husband and their 2 children wrote a lovely and fitting obituary, which is shared below. It was also published on the funeral home website, where a video and slideshow can also still be viewed. As her death and funeral occurred during the Covid lockdown, only 10 could attend the funeral in person, but many others attended via Zoom. The sheer quantity of condolences on the following link speaks to large number of long time friends and family that Jill nurtured.

Obituary for Jillian “Jill” Diane Slagboom (nee Boorman)
June 29, 1942 – April 19, 2021

https://www.mccallgardens.com/obituaries/jillian-jill-diane-slagboom-nee-boorman

Jill passed away peacefully on April 19, 2021 at the age of 78. She leaves behind her loving husband Barry, whom she was married to for 55 years, her son Kevin (Cynthia), daughter Tisha, and granddaughters Hannah, Kailee, Phoebe, Madeline and Caitlin, and her brother Terry Boorman (Claudia). Jill had an early passion for art and she evolved into an accomplished and well-known Canadian nature artist. Her paintings expressed realism and exhibited the colours and abundance of Vancouver Island as well as the places she travelled to. Jill completed many private commissions, was an "artist in residence" on the SS Universe to Alaska and taught painting throughout Greater Victoria, including at her home studios. She was a long-time member of several art clubs and associations, including the Federation of Canadian Artists, Saanich Peninsula Arts & Crafts, the Victoria Sketch Club and was an enthusiastic member of the Victoria Plein Air painter's group, called the Al Frescoes of Victoria.

Her favourite place was always at home in her garden and in her studio and she hosted many paint-ins in her garden with other notable artists. Jill was extremely creative in all areas of her life, was a vivid storyteller and maintained her love of art and the experience and tranquility that this brought into her life. She and her husband enjoyed travelling, Jill loved to see new places, to put her feet in the sand and to swim in warm ocean waters. In later years, they ventured up and down the island in their RV and spent summers with friends at Westwood Lake. Jill was the much-loved matriarch of the Slagboom family. Birthdays and special occasions always required special attention and an excuse to have family and friends over. These gatherings were central to her life and happiness, as were the many dear friendships she gained over the years. Jill's presence, warmth, and compassion will be missed by many whose lives she has touched and by the legacy of her paintings.

A Memorial Service will be held in person for the immediate family at McCall Gardens on Friday, April 30, 2021 at 1pm. All others are invited to join virtually on Zoom.

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2018 Genealogy Research Recap

12/14/2018

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(Graphic designed by Freepik)

Christmas is almost here (yet again), and as usual I reflect on what progress I have made in my genealogy research over the past year. This is not always an easy task; I really should keep a better research log! But I do have a ton of emails to fall back on as well as my digital genealogy trees and my DNA research accounts and notes to review.

At the start of 2018 I resurrected my enthusiasm for blogging, and decided to at least start on another 52 week challenge to write one family history story each week. It involved gathering information I already knew about individuals or groups of deceased relatives (in both Terry's and my trees), doing further research to fill in some of the gaps, and writing it in a way that is hopefully more interesting for living relative who are not genealogists. I did pour a lot of effort into this for the first 4 months, producing 17 blog articles (to the exclusion of almost everything else). See these 2018 posts which involve the surnames BOORMAN, HENSON, RICHARDSON, ANDREW, COMPTON, SEELEY, and JOHNSTON.

The topics covered in this year's blog postings:

The discovery of the local grave of Terry's Aunt and Uncle Audrey and Don KING, and many other BOORMAN relatives in the Royal Oak Cemetery (2 postings).
Terry's grandfather Harry E BOORMAN served in Vancouver BC during WWII as head of the 68th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, which focused on recruitment and training.
Used the England Tithe Survey records to explore BOORMAN land usage in Kent in the 1800s.
Amelia Alice BOORMAN Terry's maiden great-aunt, was an early school teacher in the Victoria BC public school system specializing in needlework for girls.
Used Vancouver BC Fire Insurance plot maps to learn more about the locations of Terry's JOHNSTON and KERFOOT families (the Irish side), but mysteries remain.
Explored the life and descendants of Terry's relative Louisa (BOORMAN) Seeley because descendants are DNA matches.
Reviewed the 1790 will of William BOORMAN.
Life of Ernest Frederick COMPTON who immigrated to New Zealand and Australia.
Reviewed the life of Eliza Pring COMPTON, my great-great-grandmother.
My ANDREW Aunt Eleanor JONES hand-crafted a stain glass sun catcher for my mother
Celebrating my ANDREW mother's 100th Valentines birthday with cards and photos (2 postings).
Explored one branch of my early maternal RICHARDSON roots in Sussex England.
I finally found my father Claude HENSON in the 1921 Canada census. Reviewed his life, including photos of family and his WWII kit bag and hat.
"Strawberry" HENSON had a unique nickname and a huge family in Arkansas.
My memories and photos of our ANDREW family reunion in 1959.

But it seems it's either feast or famine with my blogging, as the year is now ending with only one additional posting that summarizes my 32 third-great-grandparents. Starting in May I needed to devote more time to my volunteer work with our local Victoria Genealogical Society where I am now a Director, which encompasses my continuing duties as their Webmaster and co-organizer for their DNA Special Interest Group. There were other VGS projects that needed attention, some still ongoing. So even my own research took a back burner for a while, except when I got welcome emails for others that drew me back into my research for brief periods. Thanks to those who contact me or add comments to my blog posts. Always welcome.

My website is gradually growing, with a new Grigg and Cornish page added this week. And I added more photos to my Andrew page. But the main growth is in the blog (in spite of not doing the full 52 postings this year). My "tree" reports have not been updated this year (based on the information I am editing all year in my family tree software), so that is something to focus on early in the new year.

On the DNA research front, I am trying to encourage close relatives to test, as it makes it much easier to identify what the connections are with other matches, and it broadens the number of new relatives you can find. So I was very happy when my maternal first cousin Mary recently decided to test at AncestryDNA (where I tested a year ago). Her results are now in, and she is one of my top two matches at that company. So now I am on a mission to review and contact all our shared matches, most of whom are 4th to distant cousins. I am currently corresponding with some newly found ANDREW and COMPTON cousins, and this gives me great pleasure:) My list of contacts is happily growing. Last year my maternal cousin Lorelei (also a cousin of Mary) tested Family Tree DNA (where I originally tested late in 2015), so this provides a 3rd set of results from the same grandparents on my mother's side. I also have a first cousin Sherrill on my father's side who has tested. Thank you all! Terry' sister has also tested, as well as our older son. It's fascinating to compare both the variances and similarities between related matches, and through their results get access to even more new cousins.

Family history is my passion and I consider it my personal treasure hunt. That's because each of our families is important and very special, and learning their stories truly does help you better understand your roots. So here's wishing all of you and your special families a wonderful Christmas, and happy and healthy times in 2019.

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Claudia's 32 Third Great Grandparents

8/28/2018

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A challenge has been made to identify all 32 of our third-great-grandparents (3GGPs).  Pass it on!

That’s a lot of names to find!  As we push our pedigree chart of direct ancestors back to earlier times, the number of our grandparents doubles with each generation: 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, then 16 great-greats (2GGPs), and 32 great-great-great-grandparents (3GGPs), etc. 16 are on our father’s side (ancestral numbers 32 to 47), and 16 on our mother’s side (ancestral numbers 48 to 63).

After many years of family research I now know at least a bit about most of them, although there are still gaps and uncertainties. And one of my maternal couples is duplicated due to intermarriage (making them my ancestors in 2 different positions in my pedigree). My 32 ancestors in this generation were  born in the late 1700s or early 1800s, when record coverage is more limited. It’s one of the reasons why most of us have gaps in our trees in these earlier generations, or at least some uncertainties due to a limited amount of substantiating records.

Summarized below are my 3GGP ancestor names that I already know, divided into 4 groups associated with each of my 4 grandparents. This list will come in handy for my DNA research when trying to identify possible common ancestors for my DNA matches who are estimated to be my 4th cousins.

CLAUDIA'S 32 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS (3GGPs)

HENSON LINE 3GGPs
(Paternal Grandfather)

32 - William H "Billy" HENSON
1803 Wilkes NC - 1887 Washington AR
33 - Lavina OSBURN
1805 Knox KY - 1895 Washington AR
34 - Reuben FRALEY
1783 Russell VA - >1870
35 - Mary Polly FLANNERY (FLANARY)
1792 VA - <1840
36 - William ORRICK
1783 NC - c1859 Pike AR
37 - Celia Ola STRICKLAND
1787 NC - 1862 Pike AR
38 - Benjamin DYER
1798 Wilkes NC - 1835 Crawford AR
39 - Martha Patsy POGUE
1806 NC - 1882 Crawford AR

HUNT LINE 3GGPs
(Paternal Grandmother)

40 - John Thomas? HUNT
1798 NC - 1884 Crittenden KY
41 - Elizabeth ALLEN
1795 VA - 1865 Lawrence MO
42 - Joseph POLAND
1817 TN - 1879 Caroll AR
43 - America CALENDER
? ? - 1855 KY
44 - William CROW
c1790 VA or OH - 1853 Warren IL
45 - Catherine SNOOK
1791 USA - 1889 Knox IL
46 - ? PATTERSON <unknown>
? NC - ? ?
47 - Margaret ? <unknown>
1788 SC - ? ?

ANDREW LINE 3GGPs
(Maternal Grandfather)

48 - William ANDREW
c1782 Cornwall/Devon England - 1833 Cornwall
49 - Honour GRIGG
1784 Cornwall - 1861 Cornwall
50 - William HOPGOOD
<unknown, probably bef 1800 Cornwall>
51 - <unknown>

52 - Thomas Compton COMPTON
c1789 Hampshire England - 1850 PEI Canada
53 - Hannah JEFFERY
1790 IofW England - 1871 PEI Canada
54 - James COATES
1790 Suffolk England - 1862 Suffolk England
55 - Sarah ROBINSON
1795 Suffolk England - 1862 Essex England

RICHARDSON LINE 3GGPs
(Maternal Grandmother)

56 - Henry Proctor RICHARDSON
c1789 Sussex England - 1850 Sussex England
57 - Ann PACKHAM
1799 Kent England - 1838 Sussex England
58 - James HARRIS
1799 Gloucester England - 1877 Gloucester
59 - Lucy RANDALL
1797 Oxfordshire England - 1875 Gloucester
60 - William Spencer COMPTON
c1799 ? - 1847 PEI Canada
61 - Harriet Clarissa HASZARD
1798 PEI Canada - 1841 PEI Canada
62 - Thomas Compton COMPTON <same as 52>

63 - Hannah JEFFERY <same as 53>

As you can see, my father's ancestors lived in the USA and moved often, following the frontier where records weren't always kept. My mother's ancestors came from south England and PEI Canada - a small island where I have multiple connections to the COMPTON family. I have a brick wall in my maternal HOPGOOD line and in my paternal PATTERSON line. And there is some uncertainty in some of the other lines as well. More research is always needed!

I have already written stories about some of these ancestors (only 4 so far in this generation), and I have included links above where appropriate. It seems I also have lots more stories still to write!

The next generation back contains 64 direct ancestors (4GGPs). Oh no, that IS intimidating! I have many more gaps in that generation.

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BOORMAN Burials in Royal Oak Burial Park - #17 (52 ancestors)

5/6/2018

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Theme: Cemetery

I started the year off writing about family burials in Ross Bay Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries here in Victoria, BC, Canada. So it seems more than fair to introduce you to some of Terry’s other BOORMAN relatives buried in the newer and largest community burial park in Greater Victoria. The Royal Oak Burial Park and Mausoleum first opened in 1923, and is indeed a beautifully green and peaceful place on 135 acres.

All of the burials I will be listing here are for members of a single BOORMAN family, most of whom are shown in this family group portrait taken in Victoria in 1942:

BOORMAN Family, 1942, Victoria BC in Harry and Daisy Louise’s back yard with their 5 children and some spouses:
Standing (L to R): Joyce and Bill, Daisy Louise and Harry, Valerie and Ken, Audrey
Sitting in front (L to R): Sheila, Jack and Mary Boorman

Row of 4 BOORMAN graves: Harry, D Louise, Ken and Valerie

There is a row of four BOORMAN graves for Harry, Daisy Louise, Ken and Valerie in the upper (northeast) part of the "Garden of Remembrance", close to the park’s office and south of the Garden Chapel.

Harry Eustace BOORMAN (1881-1951)
Terry’s grandfather Harry Eustace BOORMAN served in WWI as a recruiter in Vancouver BC, where he was commanding officer of the 68th Battery Canadian Field Artillery (see my last blog posting). But Harry started life in Battersea, Surrey, England, born on 16 Jun 1881, the youngest of seven children of William Scoons BOORMAN and Frances Jane “Fanny” ROBSON. Harry was still a teenager in the mid 1890s when most of this family emigrated to Victoria on the Pacific west coast of Canada.

The first record of Harry in Canada is the 1897 Victoria City directory when he was working as a clerk for C D Mason and living with his parents at 129 Michigan Street in the James Bay area. Later that same year, his sister Henrietta BOORMAN married their cousin Jim ROBSON, and Harry attended the wedding. By 1900 Harry was a clerk with the Board of Trade, no doubt gaining valuable business and financial experience there. By 1902, Harry was also gaining military experience as part of the 5th BC Regiment militia where he rose through the ranks for about six years. By the time his father died in 1909, Harry had already moved to Vancouver to further his carrier, but still acted as the informant on his father’s death registration.

Harry and D Louise BOORMAN in later years

Harry met Daisy Louise JOHNSTON in Vancouver and married her there on 30 May 1910 at the JOHNSTON family home at 1419 Harwood Street. By then Harry was working as a bookkeeper, and was also treasurer of the National Finance Co Ltd at 1770 Georgia. He also called himself a broker and financier. The young couple went on a trip to California where their first son Bill was born in January 1911. They were back in Canada in time for the 1911 Canadian census. I've also found a record of Harry and Daisy Louise returning from England via New York, traveling with one of her sisters, in Jan 2012. No mention of baby Bill, so perhaps he was cared for by his grandmother back home while they had a holiday.

Back in Vancouver, their second son Ken was born in 1913, and their third son Jack in 1914. It looks like Harry went into partnership with a James J Hunter, forming the brokerage firm of Hunter and Boorman operating at #308 - 470 Granville. And at some point he also joined the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders militia unit. He was a busy guy! And then the Great War started and, as previously discussed, Harry served well on the home front until January 1919. Their daughter Sheila was born in 1917, and Audrey in 1920, both in Vancouver. By 1921 the family had moved to Victoria, closer to his Boorman relatives. Harry got a job as manager with the BC Bond Corporation.

Then came the market crash of 1929. Harry didn't fair well. He was sued by some of his clients and ended up serving time in jail, which had a lasting affect on him. Yet he seems to have rallied as in 1933 he started up his own family business, acting as manager of Boorman Investment Co. Ltd. which over the years grew to offer investments, insurance, mortgages, real estate sales, and leasing and property management services. These companies were in family hands for three generations, and have only recently been sold.

In his later years, Harry suffered from angina, and in 1938 he had some kind of coronary event (I can't read the doctor's handwriting!). He retired in 1948 and his three sons continued to run the business. On 21 Apr 1951 at the age of 69, Harry died of congestive heart failure.

FOUR BOORMAN BURIALS IN THE ROBP "GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE"

Daisy Louise (JOHNSTON) BOORMAN (1887-1961)
Terry’s grandmother was buried as D. Louise BOORMAN beside her husband Harry. I have written before about her and her extended Irish Canadian family in JOHNSTON - What house is this anyway? and in JOHNSTON, James Irvine - Luck of the Irish

After her husband died in 1951, Daisy Louise lived with her daughter Sheila and Tom SMITH and family. Terry remembers his parents and his aunts and uncles taking turns having his grandmother over for Sunday dinners. She died ten years after Harry on 6 May 1961 at the age of 73 due to cancer.

Kenneth Lloyd BOORMAN (1913-1959) and
Valerie Cornelia (KENNEDY-SMITH) STOCKS (1917-1982)
The next grave beside Daisy Louise was their middle son Kenneth L BOORMAN and his widow Valerie C STOCKS. Sadly, Ken was the first of the five siblings to pass away from a heart attack on 28 May 1959 at the young age of 46, two years before his mother. His teenage son and daughter were tragically left without a father.

Ken worked in the family business as a salesman of stocks and bonds and manager for Boorman Investments. And like his older brother Bill, Ken attended the Royal Canadian Naval College HMCS Royal Roads in 1941. He served in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve during WWII as a Lieutenant (RCNVR). He was originally attached to the Esquimalt (Victoria) Division, then later to the Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa Divisions. A more complete list of Ken's wartime postings can be found on the Unit Histories website.

On 29 Nov 1941, Ken married Valerie Cornelia Kennedy-Smith in Victoria where they lived and raised their two children until his early death in 1959. Valerie was the daughter of George and Gladys Eleanor (Fullick) Kennedy-Smith. She remarried in October 1961 to Peter STOCKS, and passed away on 24 Apr 1982 in Victoria BC at age 65.

William Irvine "Bill" BOORMAN (1911-1966)
Terry’s father Bill BOORMAN is also buried in the lower section of the Garden of Remembrance not too far from his parents. Bill died much too young and before I had even met Terry. I have written before about Bill’s houses and career in real estate, as well as his service as a Canadian naval officer in World War II. His military service has since been summarized on the Unit Histories website as well.

Bill's health was never the same after the war and about 1958 at the age of 47 he suffered the first of three heart attacks. Eight years later he died instantly from his third attack, just over a month after his only daughter was married, and while at home on a Sunday on his way to answer the phone. He was only 55, and never lived to meet his four grandchildren. Heart trouble certainly runs in the family. Bill’s cremains are buried in Block F, Plot 124 in the Garden of Remembrance, right beside a path in the lower section of the Chapel Garden.

(On a side note, one of my own maternal relatives is buried quite close to Bill, as mentioned in a previous blog posting about Arther Austin CRESWELL.)

Sheila and Jack Boorman in WWII military uniforms
with their father Harry E Boorman, c1942

John Stuart "Jack" BOORMAN (1914-1998) and
Mary Johnson Montgomery (ALEXANDER) BOORMAN (1917-1999)
Jack BOORMAN, the youngest son, and his wife Mary ALEXANDER are buried in a newer section of the Royal Oak Burial Park, closer to the back in section U near the Mausoleum.

Jack was born 30 Nov 1914 in Vancouver. He served in the army in WWII, and on 14 Mar 1942 he married Mary at St Andrews Presbyterian in Victoria. They had two sons and one daughter. Jack worked in real estate for the family business, and was interested in his family history. He died on 30 Jan 1998 in Victoria at the age of 83. Both their sons also worked at Boorman Investments.

Mary was born 26 Mar 1917 in Victoria, as was her twin sister Marshie ALEXANDER, both the children of Archibald ALEXANDER and Margaret Thompson McGREGOR. She graduated from the Royal Jubilee School of Nursing in 1939 as an RN. Mary developed Alzheimers and died on 20 Nov 1999 at the age of 82.

Audrey Evelyn BOORMAN (1920-1977) and Donald Victor KING (1919-1978)
Audrey and her husband Don KING both died from heart problems while still in their 50s, after two of their three daughters had married. They are buried side by side in the "Grove of Remembrance" section, Block C, Plots 393 and 394 of the Royal Oak Burial Park. I have only recently learned of their burial locations, so we recently made a special trip to the cemetery to visit their graves.

Audrey BOORMAN was born 12 Dec 1920 and was still an infant when the family left Vancouver. She grew up in Victoria, and by 1945 she was renting at her parents' home at 865 Newport and working as a clerk at Canadian Bank of Commerce. She was soon to be married.

Don KING was born in in Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He served in WWII before marrying Audrey, and worked in the family shoe store on lower Yates Street in Victoria, started by his father A V King. Audrey worked at the store as well.

The only members of this particular BOORMAN family NOT buried in the Royal Oak Burial Park are Sheila Frances BOORMAN (1917-2002) and her husband Thomas Alfred SMITH (1915-1994). Instead, they are buried up-island in Parksville BC. Also, Bill's wife and Terry's mother Lillian Joyce (THOMAS) BOORMAN SCHOENECKER is buried in Ross Bay Cemetery here in Victoria.

Southeast entrance to Garden of Remembrance, Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria, BC, Canada

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Harry Eustace BOORMAN (1881-1951) in WW1 - #16 (52 ancestors)

4/27/2018

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Theme: Storm
Updated: 1 May 2018 - another photo added at the bottom.

I am very excited to share with you a newly found photo of Terry’s paternal grandfather Harry Eustace BOORMAN, thanks to a recent email from an informative military enthusiast and volunteer with The 15th Field Artillery Regiment RCA Museum and Archives in Vancouver - thank you Stu McDonald! This photo shows two men on horseback in military uniform - the officer on the right is Harry - and was found on the City of Vancouver Archives site. It was taken during the First World War, a time of horrific loss, turbulence and destruction overseas, so I think it fits right in with the “storm” theme this week. Wars are the biggest man-made storms I can think of.

“W.S. Holland and Major Boorman on 'Credential' at Little Mountain”, ca 1916/17 (WWI uniforms), Vancouver, BC, Canada
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/w-s-holland-and-major-boorman-on-credential-at-little-mountain

According to John D. Redmond, Assistant Curator with the 15th who joined our conversation: “The date given, '1911' is incorrect, as the uniforms are WWI. Officers in 1911 did not wear open collar tunics, and ORs tunics had seven smaller buttons, and were of a different cut. Also, of course, there was no artillery unit here [in Vancouver] in 1911.”

So this photo was more likely taken in 1916, the year Harry enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). Or perhaps in 1917, which could more easily have been read as 1911 during indexing. The location of “Little Mountain” is now in the middle of Queen Elizabeth Park near Cambie at 33rd in Vancouver. Perhaps they used this area for their training? And the magnificent horse that Harry is mounted on was named ‘Credential’, a very fitting reference to Harry’s civilian occupation of Financial Agent.

Portrait of
Harry Eustace Boorman

Looking more closely at Harry BOORMAN's WWI military file on the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) site, Harry declares (on 4 May 1916) that he served with the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada in Vancouver, and formerly 6 years with the 5th Regiment Canadian Artillery (RCA) in Victoria BC. Both of these militia units became volunteer reserves during the Great War. For the war effort, Harry signed up on 22 Mar 1916 as a Captain, and was assigned to the 68th Depot Battery as their commanding officer (Acting Major). This would explain the reference to “Major Boorman” in the photo title (see above caption).

A news article posted in the Vancouver Daily World on 25 Mar 1916, page 23, gives more details about Harry’s appointment to the 68th Battery:

VANCOUVER OFFICER TO COMMAND BATTALION
Captain. H. E. Boorman, It is Announced Will Head 68th Unit.

What will be known as the 68th Battery of Artillery has been authorized as the contribution of Vancouver district to the brigade which will be raised in the west under Col. A. T. Ogilvie, formerly officer commanding Military District No. 11. Capt. H. E. Boorman (local major), it is understood, will be placed in command of the battery, the organization of which will be proceeded with immediately.

Captain Boorman, Colonel Ogilvie and other military officers were in conference this morning at military headquarters. There are some 150 men now in training at artillery barracks. This detachment, it was intended, should form the third overseas draft, but it may now be diverted to form the nucleus for the new battery.

Training will be conducted under nearly active service conditions as is possible.

Other officers of the 68th brigade will be drawn from the officers of the Vancouver Volunteer Reserve. Mr. A. H. Stewart, formerly of the London Scottish and the Hongkong Rifles, will probably be second in command, while Mr. J. M. Stewart will also be transferred to the battery.

Provisional Lieutenants Macdonald, Borland, Wilde and Cooke will be taken on the strength of the new unit also.

The 68th battery, it was announced, will have permanent headquarters in Vancouver, and overseas drafts will be supplied through it.

From the LAC “Guide to Sources Relating to Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force - Artillery” (on page 111):

68th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery
Organized in March 1916 as a draft-giving depot battery under the command of Captain H. Boorman. Known as Boorman’s Artillery. Authorization published in General Order 69 of 15 July 1916. Mobilized at Vancouver. Recruited in British Columbia. Absorbed by No.11 Artillery Depot in October 1918. Disbanded by General Order 191 of 1 November 1920.
Archival references:
Appointment of officers RG 24, vol.1372, file HQ 593-6-1-ART
Inspection reports, clothing and equipment RG 24, vol.1683

Harry remained in Canada for the duration of the war, leading the recruitment of infantry soldiers as directed by Ottawa. He was very successful in his appointed task, as many soldiers signed up with the 68th through a series of at least 20 different drafts. Recruits were then trained and assigned as replacements to other existing units overseas.

The City of Vancouver Archives has portraits of a number of these uniformed draft groups, sometimes including officers. Harry probably delegated the honour of posing with these recruits to some of his officers. But I think I've found Harry in a 1917 group portrait of the 68th unit, complete with dog mascot. It looks like Harry, wearing a very serious expression, sitting front row centre:

68th Battery C.F.A. - May 21, 1917 - Photo 33B by Stuart Thomson
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/68th-battery-c-f-may-21-1917

I have to include a final photo of the 68th, showing them on parade through downtown Vancouver. No doubt this was a promotional tactic to try and gain more recruits, and it was probably a fairly long route based on the number of parade photos in the archives. Could the Captain riding alone behind the buglers be Harry? I don't think it's the same horse; 'Credential' did not have a large white blaze on his face, or at least it wasn't apparent in the top photo. In the following parade photo, I was also interested in seeing the surroundings: buildings, streetcars and onlookers in Vancouver, as Harry would have known them.

CVA 99-469 - 68th C.F.A. parade [along the 100 Block of East Hastings Street]
http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/68th-c-f-parade-along-100-block-of-east-hastings-street

These photos represent a part of Harry's life that we knew very little about, and we still hope to learn even more. In 1916 when he enlisted, Harry would have been age 35, already married with three children, and a fourth before war's end. Referred to as Captain H.E. Boorman on his last CEF pay certificate, Harry was demobilized on 31 Jan 1919, when he returned to civilian life and his residence at 1678 Davie Street in Vancouver.

There were to be more storms ahead in Harry's life, but he weathered these war years, respected and in a position of authority in service to his country.

Added 1 May 2018:

Another impressive photo has now been uncovered, thanks to Leon Jensen, webmaster of the Vancouver Gunners website (including the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA among other organizations). He found this large group photo (see below) of the 68th Battery CFA in the collection of 15th Field Artillery Reg't Museum & Archives (accession #985.115.01). And this time the photographer, Stuart Thomson, has penned in Capt. Boorman's name! It is dated 22 May 1918, in the final year of the Great War.

Harry is quite recognizable in this photo, and apparently more relaxed and comfortable in his position as Commanding Officer of this large WWI Battery. As we have not yet found a single formal military studio portrait of Harry, I have cropped him out of this group photo for his personal file, and to complement this large photo, displayed here with permission from the 15th Field RCA Museum and Archives.

Acting Major H E Boorman, OC,
68th Battery, Vancouver BC, 1918

68th Battery C.F.A. - Vancouver, B.C. May 22nd 1918 - Capt. H.E. Boorman O.C.
Displayed with permission of the 15 Field Regiment, RCA, Museum and Archives; collection accession #985.115.01
http://www.vancouvergunners.ca/whats-new/group-photo-update8357418

An overview of Terry's paternal BOORMAN line can be found on our Boorman page.

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Edward BOORMAN (1785 - 1858) - #15 (52 ancestors)

4/15/2018

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Theme: Taxes

In my recent story about Terry’s ancestor William BOORMAN II who died in 1790, I promised that: “William III’s youngest son Edward became the next BOORMAN wheelwright of Staplehurst [Kent, England], keeping up the tradition of trade if not the first name. However, Edward did not own his property according to tithe records. But that's another story!”

It’s now time to share more details about William's land and his grandson Edward BOORMAN.

About 1837 when England instigated their civil registration programs for births, marriages and deaths, they also initiated a very comprehensive tithe survey of land ownership, occupancy and usage throughout Britain that lasted until the early 1850s. According to online dictionaries, “tithe” means “one tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for the support of the church and clergy”. Further clarification is provide by a guide on this Tithe Survey, published by the National Archives, which says in part: -

“By the early 19th century tithe payment in kind seemed a very out-of-date practice, while payment of tithes per se became unpopular, against a background of industrialisation, religious dissent and agricultural depression. The 1836 Tithe Commutation Act required tithes in kind to be converted to more convenient monetary payments called tithe rentcharge. The Tithe Survey was established to find out which areas were subject to tithes, who owned them, how much was payable and to whom.”

I have recently discovered these tithe survey records (both indexes and images of the registers and associated maps) are available on The Genealogist site by subscription - https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/tithe - although searching the index is free. The Boorman name is listed 1,342 times in the index, although many names if not properties are usually repeated multiple times.

Tithe Apportionments Register, Staplehurst, Kent, England, 1838.
Outlined in red: properties leased by Edward BOORMAN, wheelwright
© TheGenealogist © Crown copyright images reproduced courtesy of The National Archives, London, England

Edward BOORMAN of Staplehurst Kent is listed 6 times as occupier of various plots, all listed on the same page of the Apportionments register [piece 17, sub-piece 343, image 34]. One of the plots he rented [number 1032] was owned by a Charles Ingram:

Plot 1032 a “cottage and garden” and cultivated as a “meadow”

The other 5 plots were all owned by William Jull, and also cultivated as a meadow:

Plot 395 was an orchard
Plot 396 a wheeler’s shop, shed and yard
Plot 398 was a house and garden
Plot 399 a house
Plot 400 was a garden and sheds.

Its unclear how Edward could “occupy” all three houses. If he was sub-letting two of them, perhaps he qualified as occupier as long as his name was still on the lease. Or did some of his extended family live in these properties?

Lot 397 (on the corner of High Street and Chapel Lane) is not included in Edward’s list because it was the property of the Independent Chapel (also known as The Lower Grove or The Presbyterian Meetinghouse; non-conformist) that had been leased to this church in 1766 by Edward BOORMAN’s grandfather William. According to the Tithe index, Plot 397 was owned in by a large group of men in 1838:

Landowner   John Osborne Junior & Samuel Harman & Samuel Buss & Robert Barling & Richard Booy & William Foster & George Mullinger & Thomas Harnden & Isaac Watson & Joseph Brown & George Archer Junior & Richard Holmes Junior
Occupier   Robert Orpin
Parish   Staplehurst
County   Kent
Original Date   11th August 1838
Plot   397
Reference   IR 29/17/343
Tithe Apportionments, 1836-1929 [database online]. TheGenealogist.co.uk 2018
Original data: "IR29 Tithe Commission and successors: Tithe Apportionments" The National Archives

Perhaps the occupier Robert Orpin was the minister? What’s also interesting here is that, in spite of being a church, the owners still had to pay a tithe of 1£ 17s 6d to the Rector (presumable of the official Church of England that stood a short way up the hill on High Street).

I am uncertain about how to accurately read the numerical columns in these registers, partly because of the excessive use of “ditto” marks, even at the top of pages.

“Quantities in Statute Measure” [A. R. P. columns: 1 acre = 4 roods, 1 rood = 40 square perches (also called rods or poles), and 1 perch = 16½ feet]]
“Amount of Rent-Charge apportioned upon the several Lands, and Payable to the Rector” [£ s d columns = English pound, shilling, pence]

How reliable was this survey or am I not reading these numbers correctly? I have my doubts that all these plots were each over 4 acres in size. Was the tithe to the rector on the Ingram property alone really 8£ [from previous page], 18s, 6d [recorded as “ 18 6]? The total tithes payable on all 5 of the Jull plots was perhaps 8£ 3s 6d [recorded as “ 3 “].

If my understanding of this process is correct, payment of these tithes to the Rector would have been the responsibility of the land owner rather than the occupier, but would have likely been passed on to the occupier as part of their rent.

Although not all parishes were included in this survey (excluded if tithes weren’t applicable in that area), these extensive tithe records are a valuable resource for many parts of England in this time period. I’m glad that Staplehurst in Kent was among those parishes surveyed, and that these entries provide insight into the extent of Edward's leased properties and status.

Tithe Survey map, Staplehurst, Kent, England, 1838.
Outlined in red: properties leased by Edward BOORMAN, wheelwright
© TheGenealogist © Crown copyright images reproduced courtesy of The National Archives, London, England

Edward BOORMAN was Terry’s 4-times-great Uncle, the youngest son of William BOORMAN III (1746-1824) and Ann WELLER (1745-1829) and the 9th of their 10 children. His grandfather William Boorman II left extensive property in Staplehurst, Headcorn and Cranbrook (all in Kent) to his grandchildren under the care of his two children William BOORMAN and Mercy CARPENTER. After the death of these children, the properties were then to be sold or otherwise equally divided among the next generation. The information in these tithe documents confirms that Edward was not a landowner, so the Staplehurst properties inherited by his father William must have been sold, with the proceeds split about 8 ways amongst his surviving children, including Edward. Yet it was Edward who continued his father’s wheelwright business there, and probably continued to occupy at least some of these ancestral lands as tenant after his parents’ death in the 1820s, judging by the land description and proximity to the Independent Chapel.

Edward married twice, first to Sarah HUCKSTED in 1808 in Maidstone Kent, and secondly to Harriet TOWN in 1845, 11 years after Sarah’s death. Edward and Sarah had at least seven known children between 1809 and 1823, only one of them a girl. Edward died in Staplehurst on 14 Jun 1858 at the age of 71, and was also buried there. Although listed on his parents’ gravestone, it is not clear if he was buried with them.

They say taxes are inevitable, so I wonder what other types of taxes Edward had to pay during his life? I wouldn't be surprised if the money he inherited from his father and mother's estate was taxable.

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

England Tithe Survey Research Guide (National Archives) - http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/tithes/

National Archives Catalogue - Staplehurst Tithe Map -
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2302460

The Genealogist Tithe Records - https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/tithe

England Tithe Records (National Institute) -
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/England_Tithe_Records_(National_Institute)

The Tithe Surveys of the Mid.Nineteenth Century By H. C. PRINCE -
http://www.bahs.org.uk/AGHR/ARTICLES/07n1a3.pd

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Amelia Alice BOORMAN (1869-1918) - #14 (52 Ancestors)

4/12/2018

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Theme: Maiden Aunt

Terry’s paternal Great Aunt Alice was the sister of his grandfather Harry Eustace BOORMAN. Alice was actually named Amelia Alice BOORMAN by her parents William Scoons BOORMAN and Frances Jane “Fanny” ROBSON”. According to her birth certificate, she was born on 12 Jul 1869 at 2 Cedar Terrace in Fulham, Middlesex, England.

Alice was the third of their seven children, and grew up in the London districts of Fulham and Battersea near Wandsworth, just across the Thames. Her father supported the family as a grocer, and then as a coal merchant clerk. By 1891 at the age of 21, Alice was already employed as a board school teacher. Like her older sister Lillie (Frances Eliza), she never married. Perhaps because of that, we have been able to find out some interesting details about her life.

Like many in her family, Alice emigrated to the west coast of Canada - my home town of Victoria BC - sometime between 1892 and 1896. Probably in 1894 if the 1901 census is to be believed, or in 1895 according the 1911 census. Although she was not listed individually in the city directories in this period, she was mentioned in the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper on 29 July 1896, page 6, as “Entitled to Teach - Results of the Recent Annual Examination for Teachers’ Certificates … qualification to teach in the public schools of British Columbia”. Examinations were held starting on 3 July. Alice was granted one of the 17 “Third Class Grade A Certificates, Maximum Marks 1950. Boorman Alice A, [mark] 1114”. She was 10th in her class.

On 27 May 1897, Alice attended the wedding of her older sister Henrietta BOORMAN to their maternal cousin Jim ROBSON. I have previously written about this Victoria wedding and the large group photo showing many family members, most still unidentified. Many many years after this event, a grandchild wrote a caption on the back of the photo. It says, in part “Granny's Maid of Honour -- directly behind her and her two Brides-Maids.” Unfortunately no names for them are known with certainty. But we know from the marriage registration document that the witnesses were Walter Wm BOORMAN and Alice A BOORMAN, both of Victoria. They were both siblings of the bride and cousins of the groom, and likely the names of the Best Man and the Maid of Honour. But Alice could have been any of the three woman attendants standing behind the bride in this cropped version of the photo.

Alice Amelia BOORMAN was probably the Maid of Honour at her sister Henrietta's wedding in 1897.
But which of the three attendants is she?

Alice had three sisters (as well as three brothers), so it seems likely that the bride and the three attendants were all siblings (however some could be the groom’s sister(s) instead - he had four of them). Alice’s oldest sister Frances (known as Lillie) stayed behind in England when the family emigrated to Canada, and was operating a lodging house on the Isle of Wight in 1901. Did she make the long journey to western Canada in 1897 to attend the wedding before returning to England? Perhaps not, as it was such a long way. No such travel records can be found for her or any of the family traveling to Canada in the 1890s.

Alice's youngest sister Kate is still quite a mystery; according to the 1901 census Kate was living in Victoria with her brother William and his young family. Kate’s birthdate is incorrectly recorded, but she is listed as William's sister. It also says that both William and Kate immigrated in 1889. But Kate (born Oct 1877) would have been only eleven or twelve at that time, and it seems unlikely that her parents (who didn't emigrate until about 1894) would have entrusted her care in a new country to their son who was barely 18 in 1889. Regardless, it seems probable that Kate was already in Canada in 1897 and attended her sister’s wedding as a bridesmaid, age 19.

Alice was said to be age 30 in 1901, living with her parents (a little vanity is allowed as she would have been almost 32). Their street address is not provided in the census, but directories list the males at least at 129 Michigan in the James Bay area.

In 1907, Alice would have been greatly sadden by the lost of her oldest brother Walter William BOORMAN due to typhoid. She was listed as “Miss Boorman of Victoria” in Walter’s obituary. Only three sisters were mentioned, so what happened to the fourth?

Then in 1909 her father died of cancer: another painful loss for Alice and the family.

We know that Alice pursued her career in teaching, specializing in sewing and needlework. An amazing 2-page spread in the Sunday Supplement of The Victoria Colonist on 14 Mar 1909 was titled “Useful Arts in Victoria Schools”. It’s an enlightening history of the development of public education in the City of Victoria in this early period. Alice is mentioned once as “Miss Boorman” in the article, and pictures of some of the students were included. Sure wish they had included a photo of Alice as well. Here are a couple of excerpts:

“It is more than nine years since Dr. Robertson, now of Macdonald College, visited Victoria, and in an enthusiastic address convinced his audience of the benefits that would follow a thorough training of the hand and eye. As a result of his visit the Board of School Trustees accepted the offer of Sir William Macdonald to establish a manual training centre as an experiment - the school board only giving it a home. The annex to the Central School was taken for the purpose.” …

The program started off with woodworking (“manual training”) for the boys, but quickly expanded to include classes in drawing, design and colour work. Domestic science and then needlework were also introduced for the girls. This required extra training for the teachers, who were often ill prepared to teach these subjects.

“… Needlework was taught by some of the women teachers to their girls when the boys went to manual training, and a short course in plain sewing was given in the three classes in the intermediate grade of the Girls School. This did not meet the needs at all, and through the efforts and influence of Mrs. Jenkins, Miss Boorman was appointed to teach all the girls in the common schools the art of plain needlework. This work has been hitherto done with very little assistance from the regular teachers, and but few can form any idea of the arduous labor required of the teacher who takes full control during five days in the week of more than a thousand girls ranging from the tiny tot, who does not know the finger upon which the thimble should be place, to the girl in the senior class, who can cut, fit and finish a garment.”

A Sewing Bee at the Public School in Victoria in March 1909,
no doubt arranged and taught by Miss Alice Boorman.
From The Victoria Colonist, 14 Mar 1909, Sunday Supplement, page 1

So Alice played a recognized role in this progressive expansion of Victoria’s public school curriculum. The complete news article can be found on the Daily Colonist website. In several other editions I have also found mention of Alice BOORMAN, providing more insight into her life and activities:

Alice was publicly rewarded for her work with a pay increase that same year …
1909 British Colonist April 16 1909 page 02 Normal School for City of Victoria - Teacher’s Salaries
….That Miss Boorman’s salary be increased by $30 per annum.

Other work-related clippings:
1909 British Colonist July 02 1909 page 2 CAN NOW SEW Diplomas awarded to the girls…
Miss Boorman is the special teacher in sewing…

1909 British Colonist Sept. 02 1909 page 03 SOCIAL AND PERSONAL
Miss Boorman of 1328 Alfred Street will resume her sewing classes on Saturday next.

It also seems that Alice managed to find time for her own personal needlework projects as well, and on at least two occasions, entered her own handiwork in the exhibition:
1907 British Colonist September 29 1907 page 30 Prizes awarded at Fall Fair - Fancy Work
Most Handsome toilet set – Alice A. Boorman, Victoria.

1909 British Colonist September 18 1909 “Victoria’s Show” page 2
2nd prize for children’s pinafores in the ladies sewing category Miss A. Boorman

Another time she might have helped out at the fair?
1908 British Colonist September 23 1908 page 014 THE EXHIBITION IS UNDER WAY (cont. from page two) ….supervision of Miss Boorman the teacher of various grades.

I was heartened to find this news clipping, which shines some light on Alice’s civic and political views:
1907 British Colonist December 22 1907 page 15 COURT OF REVISION IS NOT ADVERTISED
The name of Alice Boorman is included in the list of the names of women who voted against removing the names of women from the voters lists.

The following notice may just be announcing a summer holiday? Or was this break health related?
1910 British Colonist June 02 1910 page 05 SOCIAL AND PERSONAL
Miss Boorman will not receive this Friday, nor until the first Friday in September.

In the 1910 city directory, Alice was living at 1328 Fisguard with her brother Albert and family. In the 1911 census, Alice was living with her widowed mother at 1324 Fisguard (now Balmoral) in the Fernwood area of Victoria, and next door to her brother Albert and his young family. In 1913 and 1915 directories her address was listed as 1324 Fisguard.

We have found a marvellous article on the history of this house, published in the Winter 2007 edition of the local community periodical "Fernwood News". Not only does it list Alice Amelia BOORMAN as the original owner of 1324 Balmoral Street (previously 1324 Fisgard) since 1910, but it also provides some of her genealogical information as well. Details of subsequent owners are also covered. The house was designated a heritage building in 2007. The authors also mention nearby houses belonging to her relatives. Here is a partial clipping with transcription (click on the following images to enlarge):

History Corner
1324 Balmoral (Previously 1324 Fisguard)
Designer/builder: David Herbert Bale
The original owner, Alice Amelia Boorman (c.1871-1918), lived here from 1910 with her widowed mother, Frances Jane (Robson) (1844-1924), until Alice's sudden death after an operation to repair a ruptured ulcer. Alice was a needlework specialist, teaching the subject at local schools. Frances came to Canada with her family and husband William Scoones Boorman (c.1843-1909) from London, England, in 1894. The family lived on Michigan Street in James Bay for nearly ten years. William was a clerk at the Driard Hotel for several years before his death. He had two houses built near this house in 1905, also designed by David Herbert Bale, 1328 and 1340 Balmoral (originally Alfred, then Fisguard), and a family tennis court between the two, where 1334 Balmoral now stands. Son Albert Sidney Boorman (1876-1947), a cabinetmaker with J. A. Sayward and then a box factory foreman with Canadian Puget Sound Lumber Co., lived at 1328 with his wife Frances “Fanny” (Oliver) (c.1888-?), whom he married in 1910. Alice lived at 1328 until 1324 was built; after Alice's death, Albert and Fanny lived in 1324 until the early 1920s. Another son, Walter William (1871-1907), a bookkeeper with B. Williams & Co. (528 St. Charles, Rockland), lived at 1340 with his wife Marian Emelda “Mamie” (Guthro) (c.1876-?), until his death from typhoid fever. ...

Credits: Fernwood News, Winter 2007, page 3
The Fernwood News would like to thank Jennifer Barr and the Victoria Heritage Foundation for their assistance. Victoria's Heritage Neighbourhoods, Volume One (Fernwood and Victoria West) is published by the Victoria Heritage Foundation, 2004. Copies of this volume and Volume Two (James Bay) are available at local bookstores.

As noted in the above article as well as in her obituary and death registration, Alice sadly died on 13 Jun 1918 in Victoria’s Royal Jubilee Hospital following surgery for a "ruptured gastric ulcer". I am wondering if she had an overly nervous personality, or did she find her job and recent family losses so stressful that she developed an ulcer? The informant for her death was her brother Albert S BOORMAN who said she was living at 1328 Balmoral. Had she moved back to this old address, or was she still next door at 1324 with her mother? Perhaps in his grief, the number 1328 came more readily to mind? He may not have been the most reliable informant, as he "could not say" what his sister's birthdate was, and also said that Alice had been in Victoria and Canada for only 15 years. In fact it was at least 22 years. She was only 48 years old when died, at much too young an age.

Alice was one of the BOORMAN family members buried in the historic Ross Bay Cemetery, fairly close to home.

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JOHNSTON - What house is this anyway? - #13 (52 ancestors)

4/9/2018

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Theme: Homestead

The JOHNSTON / KERFOOT family, 1911
On steps: Daisy Louise (nee JOHNSTON) BOORMAN and her brother Russell Kerfoot JOHNSTON.
On veranda: Deborah S (nee KERFOOT) JOHNSTON holding baby William I BOORMAN (1st grandchild),
her mother Eliza Jane (nee NEELAND) KERFOOT, Della E JOHNSTON, Irene JOHNSTON (later DELISLE).

Bill BOORMAN's baptismal certificate, 1913, Vancouver, BC

Old family photos hold secrets, especially when there are no captions, and we're still struggling with this one. Although no formal caption was written on the back of the above photograph, the people in it had previously been identified by older family members.  It was taken in 1911 and depicts the infant Bill BOORMAN (Terry’s father, born on 16 Jan 1911) and his extended JOHNSTON family on his mother's side.  Another portrait, taken on this same occasion, includes only baby Bill and three female adults (as shown in a previous post about Bill Boorman’s life).

Both these photos are very important family keepsakes as they include four generations of Bill BOORMAN's female JOHNSTON, KERFOOT and NEELAND ancestors.  Bill’s father Harry Eustace BOORMAN isn’t even included!

We had always assumed that these photos were taken to commemorate Bill’s baptism.  The family is obviously gathered together in formal dress, and it was an important enough occasion to warrant having formal portraits taken (presumably by a professional photographer).  However, Bill’s colourful baptism certificate says that he wasn’t baptized until 22 Aug 2013 at 1419 Harwood Street in Vancouver by his Uncle Samuel Fletcher KERFOOT, a Methodist Episcopal minister then living in North Dakota. Bill was then two and a half years old.  So I think this 1911 photo is simply in honour of Bill’s birth as the first grandchild on this JOHNSTON side of the family.

Street number 1409. Where?

One would assume that this important birth celebration would also take place at the family's home. But look again at this photo, and focus on the house rather than the people. What address was it? The house number is partly shown in the shadows above the front door, but unfortunately the tops of the numbers are cut off. When I first looked at a slightly trimmed version of this photo, it looked like the address was 1407. But I now realize the house number is almost certainly 1409. Not a match for 1419; it's off by 10.

I'm sure this is just wishful thinking, but could the street numbers on this street have been revised around that time period, and the actual number on the house not yet been updated? I so want this to be Deborah’s house in the photo!

If not, then which street and which city are we truly looking at? And whose house was it?

Although baby Bill BOORMAN had been born in California when his parents were on a temporary visit there, the JOHNSTON family had been living in Vancouver BC Canada since about 1890, having moved from Ontario to Manitoba before journeying to the west coast. By 1910 some of the family was living at 1419 Harwood Street, including Daisy Louise’s mother Deborah and her grandmother Eliza Jane, both widows. Daisy Louise’s father James Irvine Johnston had died in Vancouver in 1900 (no address recorded on his death registration), her grandfather James Elden JOHNSTON in Vancouver in 1901 (no address), and her widowed maternal grandfather Samuel KERFOOT passed away in 1906 at 1041 Burrard St, Vancouver. With the surviving widows living together at 1419 Harwood, that would have been the logical place to hold a family celebration.

In my research collaboration back in 2016 with Randi, a Johnston second cousin, we wondered if they might have used a neighbour’s porch, perhaps because it was larger or better suited for the photo. So we searched city directories, census and old maps trying to see if such an address existed. On modern maps, their house and its neighbours no longer exist, replaced with a utilitarian 1950-ish apartment or condo building now called Sunrise Court. In fact, there are no single family dwellings left in this area - how sad. Harwood parallels Beach Ave and is two blocks off Sunset Beach Park. Prime real estate! House number 1419 on Harwood is between the Broughton and Nicola cross streets, and if there had been a house numbered 1409, it would have been replaced by the apartment building on the corner at 1315 Broughton Street.

With a bit of digging, I have found two different Vancouver City maps online from this period. The first is the 1911 map by the White Print Company which shows surveyed lots and blocks and street names, with civic block numbers in red, but no individual civic addresses. So while it's a good overview map of Vancouver, it's not much help with our quest. Then just today I found the online collection of Goad’s Fire Insurance Interactive Section Maps from 1912 which includes the civic address, lot dimensions and the outline of buildings on the lots. As shown on the following map, I found 1419 Harwood in District Lot 185, on a 66 ft by 131 ft lot backing onto a 33 ft lane. The large square wooden house in Block 51, Lot 19 was situated closer to the front and right boundaries of the lot, and a small square garage or shed was right off the back lane on the right side boundary (yellow references a wooden structure). If the outline of the house is correct, it didn't have a veranda that jutted out into the yard, which the one in the photo may have had. It would be nice to see an old photo of the full front of the house to be sure.

1912 Vancouver City Goad's Fire Insurance Map, including District Lot 185
showing the location of 1419 Harwood Street, home of the widow Deborah S JOHNSTON.

The City of Vancouver Archives may well have further information on this property, but that will likely require a personal visit if I want to learn more about this JOHNSTON home.

One of the problems I'm still having is that I can’t find this family in the 1911 census. Was there a section missing from the census pages, or was it badly transcribed, or had she moved out of province? In the 1910 Henderson City directory, Deborah (widow of James) was living at 1419 Harwood, but in 1911 she is not listed at all in the directory Looking for that address, her home was then occupied by a Francis J Gillespie (I don't know who he was). But the following year in 1912, Deborah is back at that address (also in 1913 and 1914 at least).

Did she rent out her house and go on an extended holiday to California to help her daughter through Bill’s birth? But if this was the case, I've been unable to find any record of her relatively brief stay there. The US census in 1910 was too early to record them. Of course I may be way off the mark with this theory.

There was no house number 1409 listed on Harwood in the directories or on the above map, so we need to keep looking elsewhere for the house in the photo. It may belong to another relative or even a family friend. I have found some of the other members of this Johnston family at different residences in Vancouver in 1911, but none at an address containing the number 1409. Baby Bill BOORMAN and his parents were living as 1209 Jervis in a big apartment block (another number only 1 digit out!) Could the whole JOHNSTON family been visiting their BOORMAN in-laws in Victoria where baby Bill's paternal grandparents and other relatives lived? Or what about the KERFOOT relatives in Vancouver? We've searched both without success. A California address would be a long shot, only if all Vancouver Johnston relatives also traveled there to visit the new baby (and be included in the photo) before everyone returned to Canada in time for the 1911 census.

So the identify of the house in the photo remains a mystery, and the search continues.

Elsewhere on my site you can find summaries and other links for Terry's:
Johnston and Dever lines
Kerfoot, Neeland and Smith lines

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Ernest Frederick COMPTON (1828-1890) - #12 (52 ancestors)

4/2/2018

2 Comments

Theme: Misfortune

Calliope Dock, Stanley Bay, Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand
Reference Number: PAColl-5932-03.
The barque `Gladys' at Calliope Dock, Stanley Bay, Devonport, Auckland, circa 1903.
Photograph taken by Henry Winkelmann.
http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=12484

Ernest Frederick COMPTON was involved in the shipping industry in Auckland NZ,
and was the Chairman of the Harbour Board in 1881 and 1882.
He died there in 1890, 13 years before this photo was taken.

Some families get more than their fair share of misfortune. Such was the case for Ernest Frederick COMPTON, my maternal Great-Great-Great Uncle, oldest brother of my Great-Great-Grandfather George COMPTON (who married Eliza Pring COMPTON). He had been listed for some time in my family tree, based on the scanty information found in his baptismal index, and in a published family history book “The Hazard Family of Rhode Island, 1635-1894: Being a Genealogy and History of the Descendants of Thomas Hazard ... “, written in 1896 by Caroline Elizabeth Robinson.

From these sources we learned that Ernest was born 8 Mar 1828 in Lot 17, Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada, the son of William Spencer COMPTON and Harriet Clara HAZARD. He was baptized in the local Anglican Church in Richmond on 13 Apr 1828. As extracted from the above book:

He moved to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and embarked in business.
About 1872 he settled in Auckland, New Zealand, where he erected the substantial buildings in which he carried on business until his death.
He was managing director of the Auckland Tug Company, and was for several years a member of the Harbor Board, and Chairman in 1881 and 1882.
He died leaving a widow, 2 sons and a daughter.

I knew nothing else about about his wife and family, or his life. My first impression was that he had a good life with success in business and a small but loving family. But it pays to dig further. I have only recently learned more of his story from a woman in Australia who has been researching these Compton’s for her husband’s relative, and has kindly shared some of her information and recent discoveries. Thank you Janice!

From his obituary (in part, below), published 24 Jun 1890 in the New Zealand Herald, we now know more about Ernest’s life and timeline:

“ Death of Mr. F.E. Compton …
Mr Compton was well known in the city, particularly in shipping circles, and bore the reputation of being a shrewd business man and of strict integrity. He was born in Prince Edward Island in 1828, and migrating from his birthplace at manhood, sojourned for some time in San Francisco. After a somewhat long stay there, he came down to Victoria and embarked in business as a drysalting merchant in Melbourne, meeting with considerable success. Eighteen years ago he decided to come to New Zealand, and took up his quarters in Auckland, carrying on his provision business in Lower Queen street. When the Harbour Board reclamations were finished, Mr Compton leased a section and, in conjunction with Mr John Batger, erected the substantial premises where he carried on business till his death. About four years ago he disposed of his provision business to Mr R S Reynolds, and devoted his energies to the furtherance of the interest of the Auckland Tug Company. This concern, whose inauguration was due to his energy, was conducted by him as managing director with spirit and success up to the present time. Mr Compton took great interest in all local maritime concerns, and was for several years a member of the Harbour Board, and in 1881 and 1882 presided over its affairs as chairman, during which time he proved himself to be one of the most energetic and persistent advocates for the construction of the Calliope Dock. He leaves a widow, two sons and a daughter to mourn his decease. His eldest son, who has reached maturity, is in business in San Francisco, but Mrs Compton and the younger children reside in Auckland. His funeral is arranged to leave the Waverly Hotel tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon at three o’clock for the Symonds street Cemetery.”

Another version of his obit offers a few additional facts in these extracts:
In his early life Mr Compton was at sea on Nova Scotian vessels for some time, and there gained that practical maritime experience which proved so useful to him in after life.
Mr Compton leaves a widow, two sons, and a daughter. About a year ago, his second son died. His eldest son is now in business in San Francisco.

These biographies definitely focus on his achievements and career, with his family only mentioned as an apparent afterthought only by number, not by name. And to add insult to injury, his funeral notice listed all the dignitaries and even what carriage they drove in to the funeral (all were male, including “Master Compton”), but his wife and daughter weren’t even mentioned. But surely they attended the funeral? They must not have been newsworthy enough in this Victoria era!

Ernest Frederick’s death at the age of 62 was caused by a sudden heart attack during dinner. The misfortune here was that he died too young. And although he had a known heart condition, he seemed to be on the mend at the time of his collapse. But as it turns out, there was a lot of family-related tragedy in his life that wasn’t mentioned in his obituary.

We don’t yet know exactly when Ernest emigrated to San Francisco USA and then to Australia. By 1863 he was in Australia, still single and listed as departing Melbourne Australia for Sydney Australia. Sometime in 1864 he married Emma Louisa ABBOTT (although one index I found lists her first name as Donna). They were married in Tumut, New South Wales. Ernest would have been age 36.

From Australia and New Zealand birth and death indexes, the following sad story emerges:

1866 - Their first son Ernest Spencer COMPTON was born in 1866 in Balmain Dist and died that same year in the Albury Dist of New South Wales, Australia.
1867 - Their second son William Spencer COMPTON was born in 1867 in Albury Dist NSW, and survived his father. He was the “oldest son” listed in his father’s obituary, then living in San Francisco. He may also have been the one who worked aboard ship as a cook, travelling regularly between San Francisco and the southern colonies.

Subsequent children were all born in New Zealand (so Ernest’s obituary was not accurate about his arrival in New Zealand - said to be about 1872, rather than 1869 or earlier):

1869 - Their third son George Frederick COMPTON was born in 1869. He died 7 months later in 1870.
1871 - Their fourth son Thomas COMPTON was born in 1871. According to his death notice in the Auckland Starr, published 13 March 1889, he died of typhoid at the age of 19 (probably 18). This was the year before his father’s death.
1872 - Their fifth child and first daughter was Emma Louisa, born 1872 and died age 10 months (although the index says 10 years).
1874? - I haven’t yet proven that they had another daughter, also named Emma Louisa, reportedly born 1874 and died 10 months later (no supporting index entries).
1876 - Their next child born in 1876 was Ernest Frederick Jr. who we think outlived his father.
1878 - Daughter Maud (middle name Slevna, Plevna, or Plona?) was born in 1878. She was only 12 when her father died.
1879 - Their youngest child was Elizabeth Florence, born 1879 and died the same year when only 4 months old.

Out of 8 or 9 children, only 3 were living in 1890 according to Ernest’s obituary (those would be William Spencer, Ernest Jr and Maud). One died in his late teens the year before his father (that would be Thomas). The remaining 4 or 5 all died as infants. Considering that the infant mortality rate for New Zealand in this time frame is considered to be 8% to 12%, this family’s 50% loss (or more) was way off the charts. The word “misfortune” doesn’t even touch the amount of anguish and hardship this family faced. Their money, business success and high social standing paled in comparison at such times.

This family's onslaught of grief certainly makes me count my own blessings. Is it any wonder that his widow Emma took her 2 underaged children back to Australia soon after Ernest died to try and put the past behind them?

The search for more connections and stories about Ernest and Emma and their descendants continue, in collaboration with Australian researchers.

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

Book, “The Hazard Family of Rhode Island, 1635-1894”, Caroline Elizabeth Robinson, 1896 for the author - https://archive.org/details/hazardfamilyofrh00byurobi

NSW Australia BMD Index (historic) - http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/Pages/family-history/family-history.aspx

New Zealand BMD Index - www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz

New Zealand Infant Mortality Rates - https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/30308/new-zealand-infant-mortality-rate-1862-2015

Regional Infant Mortality Trends in New Zealand, 1873-1940 (including comparisons to Australia) - https://www.nzae.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Sadetskaya.pdf

More information on my COMPTON line can be found on my COMPTON page.

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Jillian Diane (Boorman) Slagboom - Rest in Peace

Obituary for Jillian “Jill” Diane Slagboom (nee Boorman)
June 29, 1942 – April 19, 2021

2018 Genealogy Research Recap

Claudia's 32 Third Great Grandparents

BOORMAN Burials in Royal Oak Burial Park - #17 (52 ancestors)

Harry Eustace BOORMAN (1881-1951) in WW1 - #16 (52 ancestors)

Edward BOORMAN (1785 - 1858) - #15 (52 ancestors)

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JOHNSTON - What house is this anyway? - #13 (52 ancestors)

Ernest Frederick COMPTON (1828-1890) - #12 (52 ancestors)

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Obituary for Jillian “Jill” Diane Slagboom (nee Boorman)June 29, 1942 – April 19, 2021

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Obituary for Jillian “Jill” Diane Slagboom (nee Boorman)
June 29, 1942 – April 19, 2021