Paying Respects at Ross Bay Cemetery - #1 (52 ancestors)

BURIALS: BOORMAN, SCHOENECKER, GOSSE, WHITTAKER, IRVINE, ROBSON 

Theme: Start

ROSS BAY CEMETERY, Victoria BC Canada
Looking west from in front of the grave of
Joyce (Thomas Boorman) SCHOENECKER.
Arnold SCHOENECKER's grave is at the base of this tree as shown, right side.

As part of the new 2018 “52 ancestors in 52 weeks” challenge, this first posting focuses on multiple relatives in my husband Terry Boorman’s tree who are all buried in Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, BC, Canada.  Instead of one ancestor this week, this is about one cemetery with multiple family burials.  I’m  feeling unconventional!  But I have a good reason for this approach.

The optional theme this week is “start”, and to get inspiration I decided to look back to when I started my blog in 2012 .  Back then I chose to start close to home here in Victoria, looking at burials for Terry’s paternal relatives in Ross Bay Cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in the area. 

​At that time I only wrote about 7 BOORMAN burials, with all but one of them resting in the Boorman family plot in Block O.  They are marked with only a single gravestone, inscribed simply with their surname “BOORMAN”. 

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Boorman family plot gravestone in Ross Bay Cemetery, Block O, Victoria, BC, Canada

However, there are additional family burials in this historical cemetery, which is situated on Dallas and Fairfield Roads, right on Victoria’s scenic waterfront.  One of these relatives died only last year.  So this posting is about Ross Bay Cemetery and some of the other family burials that we have found so far.  There are likely more to be found.
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SCHOENECKER

My husband Terry’s mother, Lillian “Joyce” BOORMAN (nee THOMAS), was buried in Ross Bay Cemetery in 11 May 2006, as was her second husband Arnold John  SCHOENECKER in 1988.  Joyce died peacefully on 24 Feb 2006 in a nursing home in Victoria.  Arnold was born 27 Sep 1910 in St Paul, Minnesota.  He was previously married with 2 children and worked as a labor negotiator in the US.  He married Joyce in Victoria on 17 May 1970 and for a short while they lived in Seattle before returning to Victoria.

Joyce’s ashes were buried by her two children under a large tree on the eastern edge of the cemetery, close to where Arnold was buried under a neighbouring tree.   Joyce certainly has a marvellous view of the surrounding trees and monuments.

​GOSSE & BOORMAN

GOSSE family plots, just south of the Wilson monument

According to the Ross Bay Cemetery Index, the GOSSE family secured 3 adjacent burial plots in Block Q on the west side of Road U (a paved path), just south of similar plots acquired by the prominent Wilson family (not related).  While the Wilson family erected a massive monument across their plots, it is in stark contrast with the grassy GOSSE plots beside them, adorned only with 2 small and simple flush-mounted markers:

1. Plot 71: One name listed: Josiah Gosse
2. Plot 70: Six names listed a small metal plaque: GOSSE; Josiah 1938, Susannah 1946, Frank (S S Sophia) 1981, Josiah (Si) 1937, Llewellyn 1930, Katie (nee Boorman) 1991

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NOTE: The cemetery index says that the 2nd Josiah (1853-1937) is buried in Block P Plot 124 on the east side of M Rd with Deriah Gosse and Anna Maria Gosse; the index does not list Katie at all, at least that I could find.

Katie Evelyn BOORMAN as a girl in Victoria
in a formal portrait with her dog

Katie Evelyn BOORMAN was Terry’s father’s first cousin.  She was the only child of Walter William BOORMAN (buried in the Boorman plot mentioned above) and Marian Emilda GUTHRO.  Katie was born on 18 Jul 1899 in Victoria BC at 57 Kings Road.  Two months after she turned 8, her father succumbed to typhoid in 1907.  In 1909 her mother remarried to Albert Edward WHITTAKER, but they had no further children.  Katie’s mother Marion died 29 May 1942 in Victoria and is buried with her first husband Walter William in the BOORMAN plot in Block O. Ten years later in 1952, Albert was buried in Block A.

The only photo I have of Katie is a formal portrait of her as a child, dressed in elaborate finery and accompanied by a very large dog.  Not your usual portrait but wonderful to have.

Katie met and married Llewellyn Sparkes GOSSE on 15 Apr 1924 in Victoria.  I have rarely seen such a detailed wedding announcement (including gifts and out of town guests) as was published the next day in the Victoria Times:

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Home Wedding was Pretty Ceremony. 
Nuptials Last Night of Miss Katie Boorman and Mr. L Gosse.
A very pretty wedding took place last night at 9 o’clock at the home of the bride’s mother, Mrs. A. E. Whittaker, Balmoral Road, when the Rev. Dr. Campbell united in marriage Katie Evelyn Boorman, only daughter of the late Mr W W Boorman and of Mrs A E Whittaker, Balmoral Road, and Mr. Llewellyn Sparks Gosse, third son of Captain and Mrs. J Gosse, 235 Belleville St.
The ceremony was performed in the drawing room under an arch of greenery from which was suspended a large floral bell, while potted plants and cut flowers were artistically arranged throughout the rooms.
The bride, who was given in marriage by her stepfather, Mr A E Whittaker, looked charming in a gown of powder blue Canton crepe, simply fashioned and embroidered with steel beads and wore a wreath of orange blossoms in her coiffeure.   Her only attendant was Miss Mildred Russell, who looked fascinating in a  fawn Canton crepe costume.  The groom was supported by Dr H L Alexander of Portland, Oregon.  During the signing of the register Mrs. Morton sang “Beloved, It is Morn,” accompanied by Miss Dorothy Morton, who also played the Wedding March as the bridal party entered the drawing room.
A delicious buffet supper was served in the dining room which for the occasion was in a color scheme of blue and gold.   Streamers in these shades formed a canopy over the table, which was centred with a three tier wedding cake, surrounded by bowls of daffodils and blue candles in bronze sconces.
The following friends of the bride assisted in serving: The missed J Homans, Edith Parsell, Marguerita Hicks, Alice Findler, Della Fair, Evelyn Macdonald, Dorothy and Gertrude Gosse, Quida Beacham and Florence Russell.
Among the many beautiful wedding gifts was a set of flat Community silver, presented by the members of the commercial staff of the BC Telephone Company of which the bride has been a member for a number of years, also a set of aluminum ware from the employees of the Union Oil Company, with which company the groom is associated.
On their return from the honeymoon, which is to be spent in Vancouver and the Sound cities, Mr and Mrs Gosse will reside in Coper Apartments, Menzies Street.   Among the out of town guests at the wedding were Mr and Mrs Fred Beacham and daughter of Chemainus, Mr and Mrs I L Dougan of Cobble Hill, Captian and Mrs T S Gunns of Vancouver, Captain and Mrs J Goss of Vancouver, Dr and Mrs Homer Alexander of Portland, Mr and Mrs J F Strang of Vancouver, Captain and Mrs J F Gosse of Colwood, Mrs. A D Losee of Seattle, Mr R Sparks of Vancouver and Mr R Gosse and daughter of Rossland.”

​After Llewellyn’s early death on 19 Apr 1930 following surgery and his subsequent burial in Ross Bay Cemetery, many years passed before Katie was remarried to a widower Douglas Edmonds PEARSALL. Douglas passed away in 1976 in Vancouver, and Katie died 15 Nov 1991 in Victoria, then cremated in Royal Oak.  Athough her burial is not recorded in the Ross Bay index under Pearsall, Gosse or Boorman, the memorial plaque placed by family on the Gosse plot implies that Katie (nee Boorman) was buried there.

Alan Frank Guthro GOSSE, 1925 - 2017

Katie and Llewellyn had one son, Alan Frank Guthro GOSSE,  born 11 Mar 1925 in Victoria.  He was Terry’s second cousin. We had the pleasure of meeting him in 1999 at a Boorman family reunion, where he shared some of his family stories and photos.  One of the group photos showed and impish Alan as a young boy with his grandmother Marian, together with Terry’s grandparents and 2 aunts (when they were girls)I was contacted by Alan’s daughter last year to let me know that Alan passed away on 16 May 2017 at the age of 92, and that his ashes were buried at Ross Bay.  His name is not yet in the cemetery index, nor is there a marker for him yet.  But on a recent visit to Ross Bay Cemetery to pay our respects, we noticed a patch of recently disturbed grass in Gosse plot 70 that is likely his resting place.  Alan Gosse’s online obituary provides more information on his life and family. 
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The other GOSSE’s known to be buried in this plot included Llewellyn’s parents Capt. Josiah GOSSE (c1865 - 28 Apr 1938) and Susanna “Susie” SPARKES (c1868 - 7 Jun 1946).  They both died in Vancouver.  Frank was Llewellyn’s oldest brother who tragically drowned while working in Alaska when he was only about 26.

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Daisy & Harry Boorman with 2 granddaughters Sheila and Audrey Boorman,
on the right: young Alan Gosse and his grandmother Marian (Guthro, Boorman) Whittaker (sister-in-law of Harry Boorman)

​IRVINE & ROBSON

Evelyn Maud “Eva” ROBSON was born 3 Jun 1870 in the Medway District of Kent England.  Her parents were my husband Terry’s great-great-uncle and aunt: William Matthew ROBSON (1842-1923) and Annie TICK / MUNRO (1847-1923).  They started their family while still in Kent, where their son Jim and 2 daughters Eva and Emma were born.  Sometime in the mid 1870s they decided to give New Zealand and try, and their daughter Annie was born there in 1877.  But by 1880 then had moved again to the west coast of Canada, settling on Mayne Island where their 2 youngest children Eliza May and Stanley Howard ROBSON were born.  William Matthew ROBSON’s sister was Francis Jane “Fanny” ROBSON (1844-1924) who married William Scoons BOORMAN (1842-1909) - Terry’s great-grandparents.  There were some later interconnections between these families as described in my 2012 posting:  “ROBSON / BOORMAN Wedding in 1897, Victoria BC”.

Back to Eva ROBSON, who was the member of this family to marry Andrew IRVINE on 17 Aug 1894 in Victoria BC.  Andrew was born in the Shetland Islands in 1866, son of John IRVINE and Margaret JOHNSTON.  I know nothing about his early life or when he emigrated.  Andrew and Eva had 5 children together between 1895 and 1907, some at least on Mayne Island.  Some of the others are listed as born in Victoria, but back then the Victoria District encompassed quite a large area including the Gulf Islands, so it’s hard to be certain.  But by 1921, most of this IRVINE family was living in Victoria City, except for their oldest son Robert who was living in Vancouver (poised to marry a girl from Washington State the following year and eventually move to California).  Andrew worked as a seaman until 1932.

Eva died first on 22 Apr 1924 from cancer at age 53, then Andrew followed her on 7 May 1943 following a sudden stroke at age 76.  Just this past October I realized that both Andrew and Eva IRVINE were buried in Ross Bay Cemetery.  It turns out their grassy double plot is very close to Fairfield Road across from the Fairfield Mall.   Officially they are buried in Block 3, plots 90 and 91 on the west side of road 46.  There is no grave monument, only their surname “IRVINE” engraved in the cement curb surrounding the raised grassy area. 

A final side note to the IRVINE name: Terry's father was named William Irvine "Bill" BOORMAN, and we're still not certain where his middle name came from.  Bill BOORMAN'a father (Harry Eustace Boorman) and Eva (Robson) IRVINE were first cousins on Harry's mother's side.  But why would Harry name his first born son after the husband of a first cousin?  There must be more to that story!
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​These families of Terry's certainly didn’t go in for a lot of memorial showmanship, but no doubt it was much more affordable that way.  The cemetery records have been very helpful in tracing the lives as well as the deaths of these Victoria relatives.
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REFERENCES
Ross Bay Cemetery Index - City of Victoria Archives
Plot Map  of Ross Bay Cemetery - interactive with incomplete index