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My Holiday “Puzzle” – Tipton Evans

Like many other people, it is my tradition to put together a jig-saw puzzle or two during the holidays. As I was visiting the Mission Store yesterday, I stumbled upon a challenging puzzle for myself to solve during the next few days (or weeks), which is almost like a jig-saw puzzle – putting together the pieces of research into a whole picture.

As I was browsing through the store, I came upon this portrait of a gentleman, and it always makes me somewhat sad to find family pictures that are unclaimed by their descendants.
As I turned this picture around,
I was pleasantly surprised to see, that someone had properly identified the person in this large framed photograph, not only that, but also listed his children.
So, my question and my problem:
Tipton Evans and all his children lived spread out in the USA,
how did his large portrait end up here on Prince Edward Island, Canada?

First Question: Who was Tipton Evans?

Usually my first stop is Ancestry.com – and is was quite easy to find the information on Tipton, with a name like that, even found another picture of him.
I found him in the 1850 US Census, the fifth of 8 children of George H. Evans, a farmer, and Mathilda Latham.
In the 1860 US Census Tipton, a merchant by trade, is 28 years old, and married to Lizzie – who at this time is 18 years old and they have a 1-year old daughter named Katie (1859)
In the 1870 US Census
two more children are added:
William F Evans (1862)
Hallie Evans (1863)
In the 1880 US Census
we find 4 more children:
Mary Evans (1872)
Robert Evans (1874)
Sarah Evans (1876)
John Evans (1880)
This completed the family, and it matches up with the names on the back of the portrait.
His wife Rachel Elizabeth “Lizzie” Fugate who was born Feb. 26, 1841 in Virginia dies on Feb 3, 1885 at the age of 44 – which leaves Tipton to care for a still young family.
It seems by looking at all the sources, that Tipton was born and died in Tennessee. He did not take his portrait to the Maritimes.23

Excerpt from the book, Old Time Tazewell, written by Mary A. Hansard (1825-1899), pages 17-18. shared by beancounter173 at Ancesty

“Elizabeth Fugate, oldest daughter, was married sometime in the fifties to Mr. Tipton Evans, a son of George Evans, who was raised on Chucky River. He settled in Tazewell and has been selling goods ever since. He purchased the brick house and lot above the Kelley Hotel known as the Blackburne lot. He raised a nice family of sons and daughters. Katie, their oldest daughter, married Johne Word and went to Texas. Hallie, the second daughter, married Thomas Fulkerson, a son of Dr. James Fulkerson, and lives at the stone house built by his uncle, William Graham. He owns the farm also. There are others, but I do not know their history. Lizzie, their mother, died several years ago when some of the children were small, and left them in the care of their Grandmother Fugate, who took a great interest in their welfare until she too was called away by death. Mrs. Fugate died in the fall of 1892, according to my recollection, but not until she had seen Lizzie’s family all old enough to care for themselves. Mr. Evans sill lives at the brick house, but has never married again.”

Second Question: Did any of his children move to Canada?

Katie Evans-Word
Katherine Mathilde “Kate” Evans was born August 12th, 1859 in Claiborne County, Tennessee
At age 18, on the 27^th Dec. 1877, she marries 29-year old John Pogue Word (Jan. 10^th, 1848 in Kentucky – 26 Feb. 1920 in Lampasas, Lampasas County, Texas, USA)
They have 3 daughters:
– Elizabeth Word born May 4^th, 1879, Texas and dies on Jan 21^st , 1883 at the age of almost 4
– Little Mary Ward born 27 Feb 1881 and dies June 5^th, 1886 at the age of 5
– Sarah Katherine “Kitty” Word Wheeler born 1886 and dies April 1^st, 1973 in Texas
In the 1930 census she is widowed and lives with her widowed sister Hallie Evans Fulkerson in Lampasas, Texas.
Katherine dies April 29^th, 1947 at age 87 in Texas after fracturing her hip. She leaves behind one surviving daughter.

William Fugate Evans
William F. Evans was born in March 1862 in Tazewell, Claiborne County, Tennessee.
He married Katie Crist on Sept. 29th, 1893 in Denver, Colorado, where he was a postal clerk.
They had no children.
He died in 1925, she died in 1932 both in Denver, Colorado.

Hallie Evans Fulkerson
Hallie Jane Evans was born August 26, 1863 in Tazewell.
Hallie marries Thomas Graham Fulkerson (1842 – 1923), a farmer, on Oct. 10th, 1883 in Tazewell, Claiborne County, Tennessee. (She was 20 and he was 41)
They have 3 children:
– Tipton Evans Fulkerson was born 21 Oct 1884 in Tazewell and died 17 Dec 1957 in Gillette, Montana
– Fred Francis Fulkerson was born 17 Aug 1888 in Tazewell and died 25 Jun 1908 at age 20.
– William F. Fulkerson born Dec. 20, 1890 in Tazewell, Tenn. and died in 21 Sep 1976 in Newark, Ohio
Hallie died 18 Jan 1942 Newark, Licking, USA

Mary Evans Adkin
Mary Lou Evans Adkins
Mary was born Dec. 22^nd, 1870 in Tazewell
She married Joseph Abraham Adkins, a lawyer, on Jan. 12^th, 1889
Their Children:
Evans Jasper Adkins – Apr. 26^th, 1891 – Lampasas, Texas – Mar. 3^rd, 1958 in Brady Texas
Hubert Kenneth Adkins – July 28^th, 1896 in Brady, Texas – Oct. 17^th, 1972 in Laredo, Texas
Gerald Joe Adkins – Nov. 10^th, 1903 in Brady, Texas – Mar. 18^th, 1971 in San Antonia, Texas
Walter Fugate Adkins – Oct. 17^th, 1904 in Texas – Jan. 6^th, 1983 in McCulloch, Texas
Mary Jo Powell – Sep. 16^th, 1906 in Brady, Texas – Mar. 17^th, 1991 in Brady, Texas
John Robert Adkins – Nov. 25^th, 1908 in Brady, Texas – June 18^th, 1987 in Brady, Texas
James Newton Adkins – May 4^th, 1911 in Brady, Texas – Dec. 15^th, 2000 in Bell County, Texas
Mary Lou died June 24^th, 1951 in Brady, McCulloch County, Texas, USA at the age of 80

Robert Henley Evans
Robert was born Sept. 20^th, 1873
Married Lizzie Avens Kyle Divine on Apr. 24^th, 1895
Merchant/Grocer
Their Children:
– Hilda Evans born Aug. 26^th, 1897 in Cumberland Gap, Tenn. And died Aug. 12^th, 2001 in Johnson City, Tenn. (um)
– Ada Evans born July 5^th, 1901 and died Nov. 2^nd, 1987 in Johnson City, Tenn. (um)
– Robert Tipton Evans was born May 7^th, 1905 and died July 1984 in Johnson City, Tenn. (1 child)
– John Divine Evans born July 17^th, 1908 in Bristol, Tenn. and died Jan. 7th, 1994 in Johnson City, Tenn. (um)
Robert Henley died Mar. 6^th, 1935 in Johnson City, Tenn. – leaving behind one grandson.

Sarah Evans Brown
Sarah Ethel was born 20 Nov, 1875 and died 13 Oct 1939 in Bristol, Tenn.
She marries Charles Mays Brown (1875-1961) on Oct. 19^th, 1898 in Claiborne, Tennessee
Their children:
Elizabeth Brown Francisco born Sept. 11^th, 1899, Tenn. died 1995 in Bristol, Tenn.
Mary Catherine Brown Faucette born about 1905 and died 1964 in Bristol, Tenn.
Louise Brown McIver born July 3^rd, 1908 – Oct. 8, 1986 in Bristol, Tenn.

John Latham Evans
John Latham Evans was born
April 7, 1880 in Tazewell, Tenn.
married Nellie Jameson Cannon on Jan. 31, 1907 in Bristol, Tenn. They have no children.
He dies on Sept. 27, 1934 in L0s Angeles, California.

Did you ever make a jig saw puzzle and when you get to point of finishing you realize there are some pieces missing?
This is how I feel after this research.
Sure, I have found out about who Tipton Evans was, about his life and children. All those pieces of the puzzle fit with the information I started with.
However, my original question was not answered.
Among all his descendants, there was not one that made it to Prince Edward Island, not even to Canada for that matter.
If anyone has a missing piece, please help clear up this mystery and help me finish the puzzle.
Anyone wants to claim this portrait as their heritage,
let me know.
P.S.
I did inquire at the Mission Store whether their products come from off Island and was told that they only sell used goods from the Island.

Contents of Album #1

Vintage Albums and their contents: This first album has 14 thick cardboard leaves (28 pages – vertical layout). There is room for 24 cabinet cards and 16 Cvds.
I do not know the origin of this album, except that it was bought about 15 years ago at an auction sale here on PEI. It contains a collection of 13 cabinet cards and 3 CvDs and a small cut-out from a post card.

I first photographed every page, to make sure that the photographs corresponded with the right names, even after I took them out. This will ensure that I do not mix up the photos.
Unlike previous photo identification, this task was slightly a bit more challenging. I do have names to go with the pictures, I do not know where these pictures came from. I only know that all these pictures have a common thread – here on PEI – one person that was the keeper of this album.
The challenge will be to figure out who this person was.
If I were the keeper of this album, I would logically put in the people first that were closer related, than the pictures in the back.
(The first number represents the page the photograph was found on, the second number is the photograph number, the highlighted yellow number behind it represents the order I was able to discover their identity.)

Page 1: photo 1 (12) A picture of a young boy, whose name according to the writing is Daniel MacDonald. On the back of the photograph is written: “Daniel to his cousin Mary A.” Photo was taken at LaRoche Studio, Seattle.

Page 2: photo 2 (6)
Even though there is no picture, there is a Helen Younker associated with these families. Helen Jane Matheson (1911 – 2007), daughter of Daniel Herbert Matheson (13 May 1883, Oyster Bed Bridge – 2 Apr 1963) and Lavinia Florence MacDonald (18 Feb 1884, Ebenezer – 13 Dec 1975, Charlottetown), marries Fred. C Younker

Page 3, 4 and 5 are empty (no photographs, no names)

Page 6: photo # 3 (7)

Photo of a young man with the name George Arthur. Photograph was taken at Notman Studio in Halifax. George Arthur, was born Sept. 12, 1866 (Lot 4, P.E.I.), the son of Gilbert Arthur & Catherine MacDonald. In 1891 he resides in Halifax as a medical student and not only becomes a doctor, but also a minister. He marries Rosa Belle McPherson (March 21, 1866 NS – 1947) and they make a home in Saskatchewan, later in Lavoy, Alberta where he dies 21 Mar 1943. Buried with his wife, their stone reads:”They Served Greatly”.

Page 7: photo # 4
Mr. & Mrs. Duckworth – photograph taken in Ward Studio, Taunton – Massachusetts.

Page 8: no picture, no name

Page 9: photo # 5 (9 + 10)
Venie Murray (left) – Lavenia “Venie” Adelaide Murray, a music teacher, born Jan. 3, 1880 in Charlottetown, daughter of John Archibald Murray (1858-1919) and Mary “Minnie” Ann McLure (1863). She died June 20, 1944 in Mass. USA. In Boston, on June 24, 1902 Venie married David Hamilton (right ), who was born March 19, 1875 Quebec. He died May 20, 1954 in Quincy, Mass.
Center: May Profit,
Photo taken in Boston, Massachusetts

Page 10 and 11: photo # 6 + 7
Mr. & Mrs. J. M. Campbell
Mrs. J. M. Campbell + Harold

Page 12: photo # 8
Ambrose Wise – photograph taken at G. H. Cook in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Page 13, 14, and 15 – no photos, no names
Page 16: No photograph, name Ambrose Wise

Photograph was taken at
C. Lewis, Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Page 17: photo # 9 (4)
Donald MacKay (Jan. 13, 1836 – Jan. 2, 1895) was a store keeper, fish merchant and political figure in PEI. He represented 2nd Queens in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1876 to 1886 and 1890 to 1893 as a Conservative member. He was born in New London, PEI, the son of Donald McKay, a Scottish immigrant. He was a justice of the peace, a commissioner for Small Debt Court and a member of the board of Railway Commissioners.
He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1886 and 1893. McKay died in Oyster Bed Bridge at the age of 58. On Feb. 17, 1861 Donald married Jane Matheson, daughter of John Matheson and Catherine McMillan, born April 28, 1839 on Glasgow Road, and died before 1891 . They had one daughter, Janet Isabel born in 1873.
In 1895 Joseph Gallant acquired the Oyster Bed Bridge store which had belonged to the late Donald MacKay.

Page 18: photo # 10 (5)
The names are George P. Matheson and Isobel Matheson (referred to on the back as Mrs. W. M. McRae)
George Philip Matheson (Feb. 29, 1876 – Sept. 30, 1966, Wheatley River) married Mary Anne MacDonald (15 Sept. 1878 , Ebenezer – Nov. 5, 1975 ,Wheatley River).
George’s sister Mary Isobel (Dec. 28, 1877, Ebenezer – Aug. 3, 1952 Charlottetown) married William Matheson McRae.
Their parents were John Matheson (Aug. 8, 1842, PEI – Feb. 14, 1916 – married abt. 1868 to Jane Rebecca Blatch (Dec. 20, 1840 PEI – Jan. 26, 1926)

Page 19: photo # 11 (6)
Pictured here are Donald Leslie Matheson (June 30, 1890, Oyster Bed Bridge – 1906 (age 16)) and Janet Phyllis McD. “Jennie” Matheson (31 Mar 1892, Oyster Bed Bridge ) They were the 2 oldest children of Charles Lemuel Matheson (Oct. 4, 1854, Oyster Bed bridge – 18 Dec. 1932, Oyster Bed Bridge) and Martha Isabel Dixon (Apr. 1, 1865, Royalty Junction, PEI – Nov. 24, 1954, North Milton).
Photograph was taken at
C. Lewis, Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Page 21: empty

Page 20 & 22- photo # 12 + 13 – (1 + 2)

2 photographs with the same person: Suzannah Mariah Blatch was born Nov. 2, 1870 on P.E.I. – the daughter of Philip Robert Blatch (Dec. 6, 1838 P.E.I – April 23, 1894) and Catherine Matheson.
Sometime in 1899 she joined her sister Catherine Jane “Kate” in Rochester, Monroe – New York, where they were boarders at the same address (204 Main Street – Rochester) until 1902.
On Sept. 24, 1902, at the age of 32, Maria married John L. Schmidt (later changed to Smith) in Rochester, NY. John was form German parentage, and made his living as an instrument maker for an optical company. They had 2 children, Robert B. and Ina B. Smith.
The pictures of Maria and Katie Blatch were both taken in Rochester, New York – at the “Studio of A. L. Lehnkering, 208 East Main Street , opposite Whitcomb House, a block away from their boarding house.

Page 23: photo # 14 (3)

Catherine Jane “Katie” Blatch was born December 22, 1868 on P.E.I., the older sister to the above Marie Blatch. In October 1889 she arrived in Boston, Mass., and from there made her way to Rochester, New York, where she worked as a domestic for many years. At the age of 41, on Nov. 29, 1909 she married the 47 year old George William Emmons, the son of John Emmons and Keziah Rockefeller. George was a carpenter. This was a first marriage for both of them, and they had no children. After the death of her husband in 1917 at the age of 54, Katie moved in with her sister Maria.

Page 24and 25: empty

Page 26:
photo # 15 (8)
Mary Anne MacDonald (15 Sept. 1878 , Ebenezer – Nov. 5, 1975 , Wheatley River), daughter of Norman MacDonald and Elizabeth Robina Bolt. She married George Philip Matheson.

photo # 16 (11)
William Howard Green (1872-1953) son of Mary Anne MacDonald and John Garmen Green. He was married to Clara Artur (1874-1947), daughter of James Albert Arthur and Aleica Sarah Murray.

photo # 17
taken in Bridgeton, New Jersey

photo #18

Page 27 and 28: empty

Read further: “The Connection” (coming soon)

Resources:

Island Register – Descendants of James Blatch
The Burglary Case – Donald McKay

Vintage Albums and their Contents

I bought 2 vintage albums on Facebook Marketplace.
The seller said, she had bought thee 2 albums about 15 years ago at a local auction sale, here on PEI.
Both albums were in decent condition, both made for cabinet cards and CdVs.
Cabinet cards were a style of photograph which was widely used for photographic portraiture after 1870. It consisted of a thin photograph mounted on a card typically measuring 6.5″ (16.5 cm) by 4.25″ (10.8cm)
The carte de visite (CdV) was usually made of an albumen print, which was a thin paper photograph mounted on a thicker paper card. The size of a carte de visite was 5.4 cm (2.125 in) × 8.9 cm (3.5 in) mounted on a card sized 6.4 cm (2.5 in) × 10 cm (4 in) – I guess these were the old fashioned wallet size pictures.

Album # 1

Album # 1
Light green cover, embossed with a floral pattern, as well as the word “Photos”. Partial copper latch on the front (back and closure are missing)
The spine is made of fabric, and still carries a few remaining strands of a once thick, dark green velvet.
It measures 10.5″ (27cm) x 8.5″ (21cm) x 2.25″ (6cm ) with 14 thick cardboard leaves (28 pages – vertical layout). There is room for 24 cabinet cards and 16 Cvds.

Read further:
Contents of Album #1

Album # 2

Album # 2
Antique Victorian Photo Album is covered in maroon colored velvet. The pile has worn off of most of the album and it is quite worn around the spine, edges and corners.
There are 12 leaves (24 pages – horizontal layout) and will hold 44 standard cabinet cards and 12 CDVs. There are several frames that that have a tear in the frame paper.
It measures about 12″ (32cm)by about 9″ (23cm) by about 2 75″ (7cm)thick.
The front and back hinge are both there, however the latch is missing.

Read further:
Contents of Album #2

Lesson to be learned: Identify the photographs you have. Once you are gone, no one will know who they were.
Use a photo safe marker or pencil and write the names on the back of the photograph as well, as well an estimated date or occasion picture was taken.ci

Read further:
Contents of Album #1
Contents of Album #2

Field Finds – A Cannonball?

Not a P.E.I. Potato!

Again, another clue or an another question: Who lived here on these lands before us? What were their lives like? What events shaped our ancestors lives?
During the harvest season it is not only potatoes that are dug up. Among the tons of rocks, buckets full of golf balls (that’s what you get when you live on “golf island” – PEI has been ranked as Canada’s #1 golf destination with 26 golf courses) and an occasional treasure.
I think that the brothers Marty and Rick Lagina from TV show “The Curse of Oak Island” would have been quite excited about such a find on Oak Island (if you think how excited they get over a button) and they would get all their researchers to find out where it could possible have come from.
To me a cannonball is a sign that it was not always “the good old days”.
It is a sign of conflict, of war, destruction and fear.

According to British Cannonball Sizes, this size and weight cannonball was used as round shot in Saker Guns (cannons).
The saker was a medium cannon, slightly smaller than a culverin, developed during the early 16th century and often used by the English.
I was unable to find any documented cases of armed conflict in this area.

There is another possibility:
I just read that between 1750 and 1950 there were roughly 700 shipwrecks around the Island coast. Could it be that cannonballs washed ashore?

Both possibilities were unhappy occasions, however.

For now we can say:
A Cannonball ????
Found in a potato field ?????

in Rustico ?????

Helpful Links:

British Cannonball Sizes
Saker (cannon)

Field Finds – Clementson Brothers – Royal Patent Stoneware

Story from a Photograph – (Un)known Soldier 3

Feeling confident about the identity of soldier 1 and 2, we tried to find out who soldier # 3 was.

Unknown Soldier 3

No information on the following photograph, other than that it was part of the estate of Harold Stewart and purchased at the same time as the photograph of Gordon Dewar.

Cardboard 9″x 6″ (rounded corners) and the photograph itself measures
5.5″ x 4″ with embossed frame border and leaves around the picture.

Embossed studio name at the bottom of the cardboard.
“Ed. Sharp – 221 Westminster Bridge Road S. E.” with a crest.

A crest with a lion on one side and a unicorn on the other side standing on a ribbon with the words “Dieu et mon droit” , which has been translated in several ways, including “God and my right”, “God and my right hand”

There was no other information regarding Ed. Sharp, only one other photograph with the same studio mark on the following site:
The children of William and Eliza Hall

This address is in London, England, almost on the corner of Westminster Bridge Street and Kensington Street. It is no longer a photography studio, but a restaurant and inn called “Horse & Ranch”.
This information will not help us to identify the person in this photograph.

This soldier is wearing a
WW1 British Army Soldiers Tunic/Service Dress – British Uniform, Pattern 2.
2 chest pockets box pleated, with straight cut flaps secured by a button.
2 lower skirt (hip) pockets with flap and a button.
5 General Service buttons
Plain Cuffs
He is wearing a leather belt.
(Service Dress)

Stand and fall collar. This was often tailored by Canadians, however, by the addition of hooks and eyes that closed the front of the collar, giving the appearance of a Canadian stand up collar.
This jacket had “rifle patches” on the shoulders above the chest pockets , which consisted of an extra layer of wool which resisted the wearing out of the shoulders due to field chafing from the field equipment.

Cap badge – is a badge worn on uniform headgear that distinguishes the wearer’s regiment, corps or branch.
Also collar badges on each side.
In this case these differ from the cap badge. It is difficult to identify these badges, except for some of the outline.

Checking with “The “British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum” – page 3 – there were not too many possibilities.
These were the closest matches:
The left is a General Service Cap Badge worn by the Canadian Field Artillery, the right is a Canada CEF General Service collar badge.

Shoulder straps were originally designed to keep backpacks, ammunition pouches or bayonets from slipping off the shoulder. They often displayed badges of rank, shoulder marks and regimental insignia.
This one is fastened by one button. There is a badge on the strap – very possible – C.F.A. (Canadian Field Artillery)

Pre WW1, lanyards were used by the Gunners to hold a fuze key for setting time fuses and also for all mounted troops to keep the clasp knife handy (hooves, horses, stones for the removing of).
On WW1 mobilisation all soldiers, infantry included, were issued with a lanyard for the clasp knife.
Lanyards were worn by officers so that they may suspend a whistle, compass, or other similar item in a practical way, attached to the shoulder via the lanyard and closed within a pocket; this would ensure that the item would not be lost if dropped. Lanyards were often of a regimental pattern, ensuring that the colouring remained continuous throughout the unit. On active service such lanyards were often a standard khaki

The Good Conduct Chevrons were worn on the left sleeve of the Service Dress uniform, with each 1-bar chevron representing two years of service.
Good Conduct Chevrons
It granted a pay bonus as a sort of “carrot” to get non-promotable enlisted men to behave. As the “stick”, a stripe would be removed for an infraction (a write-up in the Regimental Conduct Book) and a Court Martial would forfeit all of them. The soldier would then have to start from the last stripe earned and work his way up again

Carrying a swagger stick, and wearing a ring, almost looks like a signet ring, on his right hand.
A swagger stick was a short stick or riding crop usually carried by a uniformed person as a symbol of authority. Swagger sticks were carried by all other ranks when off duty, as part of their walking out uniform

Boots and puttees, which were strips of cloth that were worn wrapped around the lower leg in a spiral pattern, from the ankle up to below the knee. They provided ankle support and prevented debris and water from entering the boots or pants.
The oval of leather covering his laces indicates that he is wearing spurs.

Now that we had “dissected” the photograph and the uniform, we came to the following conclusions.
– Since we purchased this photograph On Prince Edward Island with 2 other photographs of Island soldiers, we can somewhat assume that this soldier was also from PEI.
– Because his picture was part of the estate of Dr. Harold Stewart we can assume that this soldier is somehow related to Dr. Harold Stewart or his wife Margaret Stewart (McLure).
– This soldier was at one point in England to get his picture taken, which is nothing out of the ordinary, since all Canadian troops were all shipped to England first. And if they had an extended leave, they’d most likely go back to England too.
– The fact that he is wearing a “Good Conduct Chevron” (1 bar) on his left sleeve would suggest that he has been serving in the army for at least 2 years.
– There is a high possibility he was a member of the C.F.A. (Canadian Field Artillery)
– Because we did not have enough information to find this soldier’s identity, we started to research from the other side. We decided to find out how many member of Harold Stewart’s and Margaret McLure’s family were enlisted during WW1, and which of these, if any, would meet our search criteria.
We started this search at Ancetry.ca
There were many young men that set out to England and to the front to fight for freedom – many never came back, the ones that came back were never the same.
Many of Margaret’s McClure’s and Harold Stewart’s family went, many second and third cousins.
We only named the closest relatives here.

… and so the search continues:2

Margaret McLure's family

Father: Chester Gavin McLure – b. Feb. 15, 1899 – Aug. 31, 1979
Mother: Agnes Loretta Llewellin – b. Oct. 23, 1901 – May 9, 1993

(John) Charles McLure (brother of William David McLure (soldier 2) brother of Chester McLure, uncle of Margaret McLure, born Dec. 11, 1895 in Murray Harbor, PEI.
Enlisted: May 27, 1918 in Charlottetown
Almost 23, 5’5″, 133 lbs., carpenter by trade
Rank: Private; No. 3204459
1st Dpo Bn. N.S. Regiment (102nd Draft)
Arr. in England Aug. 15, 1918
C.A.M.C. – Canadian Army Medical Corps
Theater of War – England, Canada
Discharged: Aug. 28, 1919 (Demobilization)
He died in 1966

The 1st Depot Battalion, Nova Scotia Regiment with headquarters at Halifax was authorized as a training and administration depot under General Order
57 April 15th 1918.

Harold Clarence Stewart's family:

Father: Carl Sinclair Stewart (4 Oct 1902 – 23 feb 1973)
Mother: Florence Evelyn Dewar (12 dec 1903-26 apr 1987)

First we have William Weston Dewar (Dr. Harold Stewart’s uncle) Not only was he the brother of Florence Dewar Stewart, he was also the father of Gordon Albert Dewar, our first soldier who was killed in action in 1944.
He was born in Brudenell, PEI – Sept. 17, 1892, the son of Albert James Dewar and Levinia Catherine MacDonald.
William W. enlisted in Fredericton NB – on Dec. 21, 1914 into the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force (CEF) – service number: 85939
(with him was his friend and neighbour Beacher Dewar (according to the 1901 Canada Census he lived 2 doors down, even though they had the same last name, so far we could not establish family connection . Beacher, who’s service number was 85940 – was not the only one of his family at the front in France. 3 brothers and one brother-in-law were also there, fighting for freedom. )
William W. (21) a farmer by trade, was 5’6″, 140lbs and declared fit for service.
He was transferred to the 24th Battery, 6th Brigade, CFA (Canadian Field Artillery) with an assigned pay of $20 a month. His rank was “Gunner” and often his rank is marked as “Driver”. According to the papers he transferred to the
9th Battery, 3rd Brigade overseas and served in France and Belgium for 3 years.
He was slightly wounded, was hospitalized a few times, mainly with rheumatism and some other contractible disease, which was quite common in those days of war. He received a “War Service Badge” Class ‘A’ – No. 146843
Officially discharged (demobilization) on April 11, 1919.
(information from Fold3)
Ancestry.ca is a great tool for me to plant my family tree online, but the best part is that you get to see other people’s family tree (depending on settings) As I was browsing and researching these soldier’s lives I stumbled upon William Weston’s picture (photos that were originally shared by Kerry White).
I did contact Kerry White via Ancetry.ca, and she was quick to respond:
“I can’t really confirm that this is Wm Dewar but the facial structure etc looks very like pictures I have when he was older.
I have, however, forwarded all your info & pictures to Preston MacDonald who was married to Wm’s son, Ken’s wife, Thelma. He would have known Wm and I hope he can confirm the identity of the soldier in your photo.
I will let you know when I hear back from him”.

The top picture is a General Service
Cap Badge worn by the Canadian Field Artillery, the bottom a General Service Collar Badge.

Next we have William Weston Dewar’s brother Elvin Albert Dewar (Dr. Harold Stewart’s uncle) born Feb. 9th, 1892 in Brudenell, PEI.
Elvin (25), by trade a locomotive engineer, enlisted Feb. 14, 1917 in Regina, Saskatchewan. He was 5’9″, 194lbs. service number: 2188406; Rank: Sapper
He joined the Sask. Railway Construction Co. CEF, overseas.
He served with the C.R.T. (Canadian Railway Troops) in France and Belgium.
He left Canada Feb. 16, 1917, arrived in Liverpool Feb. 26, and on March 18, was transferred to Purfleet, the C.R.T Depot. On May 28th arrived in France, where he was part of the 6th and 7th CRT (no 85th – Canadian Engine Crew Co.))
He received a “War Service Badge” Class ‘A’ – No. 218398
Officially discharged (demobilization) on May 19th, 1919
The Badge Registry: The Canadian Expeditionary Force. Page 3
This page (half-way down) shows the badges the Canadian Railway Troops wore.
(information from Fold3)
Elvin belonged to the Railway troops, and badges do not match, not even close.

Interesting information regarding the CRT in WW1 – Canadian Railway Troops

We are not certain, and we have not heard back from Kerry regarding identification of possibly William Weston Dewar.
But we are about 75% sure, by the uniform and the photograph from Kerry, that this was indeed William W. Dewar.

Update – Dec. 6, 2019 – message from Kerry:
“Preston agreed that he thinks you are correct. He sent the photo on to a closer relative to confirm but I haven’t heard back yet.”

Resources:

Service Dress
CEF Cloth Headgear
Military Abbreviations used in Service Files

Canadian Expeditionary Force
RFA or RGA
Canadian War Diaries
Canadian Railway Troops
Territorial Regiments
Good Conduct Chevrons
The British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

Story from a Photograph – Soldier 1 – Gordon Dewar

Story from a Photograph – (Un)Known Soldier 2 and His Uniform

Story from a Photograph – (Un)Known Soldier 2 and His Uniform

No information on the following photograph, other than it was part of the estate of Harold Stewart and purchased at the same time as the photograph of Gordon Dewar.

(Un)Known Soldier 2

I love to do research with my daughter Mary, even though it is at very long distance. Together we researched all the components, features and details of the Canadian Uniforms in order to identify who this soldier was.
We quickly realized that this image was WW1 and that this person was an officer in the Canadian Army.

1. Sam Browne Belt & Shoulder Cross Strap
The Sam Browne belt is a wide belt, usually leather, supported by a narrower strap passing diagonally over the right shoulder to indicate officer status.

2. The Canadian Militia began the war wearing the Service Dress cap, which was characterized by a stiff crown and peak, with a leather chinstrap retained by metal buttons.
Regimental badge located above the strap (not clear enough to be identified)

3. WW1 British Officers tunic with open collar.
An open collar design, allowing the wear of a shirt and tie underneath
Identical regimental badge, as on cap, located on the collar.

4. Shoulder straps were originally designed to keep backpacks, ammunition pouches or bayonets from slipping off the shoulder. They often display badges of rank, shoulder marks, regimental insignia. This one is fastened by one button. There is a badge on the strap, however we were unable to identify it from this angle.

5. A 1914-18 War – Officer’s Uniform with front closure and 4 button front.
Pockets: Two breast pockets,
box pleated, with scalloped cut flaps secured by buttons.
2 lower bellows pockets with straight flaps and closed with one button.

6. Cuff insignia – Staff officers wore rank badges on shoulder strap. Field officer wore them on the cuff.
He has two pips on each cuff
indicating his rank as Lieutenant.
Unfortunately, this distinctive scalloped cuff style worn in the first years of the war, made officers an easy target for the enemy and the pips were soon moved to the shoulder strap.

7. Military Medal – The medal was awarded to an individual for associated acts of bravery.
The silver medal (not normally worn) is round with a diameter of 1.4 inches. The obverse depicts the head of the reigning monarch; on the reverse, the text: “For Bravery in the Field” is engraved within a wreath of laurels. The ribbon is dark blue, 1.25 inches wide, with a narrow vertical stripe of white, flanked by two red stripes which are in turn flanked by two white stripes; all stripes being 0.125 inches wide. (Blue and Red colors don’t show on sepia pictures)

8. Officers breeches, leather gaiters, military boots and spurs, gloves and carrying a swagger stick – which was a short stick or riding crop usually carried by a uniformed person as a symbol of authority. Swagger sticks were carried by all other ranks when off duty, as part of their walking out uniform

9. He is wearing a ring on his right pinkie finger, as well a signet ring on his left ring finger.

Now that we have “dissected” the uniform, we came to the following conclusions.
– Since we purchased this photograph On Prince Edward Island with 2 other photographs of Island soldiers, we can somewhat assume that this soldier was also from PEI.
– Because his picture was part of the estate of Dr. Harold Stewart we can assume that this soldier is somehow related to Dr. Harold Stewart or his wife Margaret Stewart (McLure).
– By identifying the uniform we concluded that this young man was a Lieutenant and had been awarded the Military Medal.
– We tried to identify the badge he was wearing on his cap and collar. By itself it was impossible, even with magnification. Mary found the following site
The British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum
– We compared all the badges with the badge of our soldier, and came to the conclusion, that the “Lord Strathcona’s Horse” badge (Cavalry) on page 3 was the closest to the outline of our badge.
– We moved our research to Island Newspapers.ca

With search terms of “Lord Strathcona’s horse, and Military Medal”, the first person I came upon was Sgt. William David McLure.
I remembered that name, because I had researched it when trying to find the identity of Gordon Dewar.
McLure was the maiden name of Dr. Harold Stewart wife, at whose estate auction we acquired the photos in the first place. What did not match our research was the fact that he was a Sergeant, not a Lieutenant.

We found William’s service record on Fold3 William David McLure

We decided to give our unknown soldier a name, since we were 75% sure :
William David McLure, born May 24, 1890 in Murray Harbor, PEI.
His parents were Cartney David McClure and Margaret Dixon. William had a brother named Chester, who was the father of Margaret Stewart.
I tried to find out what happened to him and was saddened to learn that he died fairly young, probably through the effects of his experience in the war.

William McLure
Summerside Journal
17 April 1933, page 4, col.3
Two boys going along the shore at Murray Harbor North, about 5 miles from Murray River, about 6 o’clock Friday evening discovered the body of William McLure, aged about 43, lying on the flats. The deceased, who was a son of the late Cartney McLure, had been employed by the Island Fertilizer Company in Charlottetown for the past two years and spent the winter at his home in Murray Harbor North. He had not been feeling well for the past week and a few days ago complained of a pain in his head. Friday afternoon he had supper about 4 o’clock and immediately after, in apparently good spirits, left for the shore to dig clams. It is thought he was seized with a weak turn while on the flats.

His final resting place is in the Murray Harbour North Presbyterian Cemetery

Resources:

Military Abbreviations used in Service Files

The British & Commonwealth Military Badge Forum

Military Medal (MM)

Their Glory Cannot Fade
Canadian Army, World War, 1914-1918 — Medals, badges, decorations, etc

Uniforms WW1

Story from a Photograph – Soldier 1 – Gordon Dewar

I find it always so sad, when photographs are auctioned off; no one to claim that family member as one of their ancestors. Probably treasured by those that lived and knew their stories, but unimportant to those that are left, because they do not know who they are and have no connection.
So, I bought these photographs at the estate auction of the late Kensington dentist Dr. Harold Clarance Stewart, with the intent of finding out who these young men were.
This purchase consisted of 3 black and white photographs, depicting 3 different soldiers. Only the largest frame (8″x 10″) had information on the back: “Gordon Dewar – killed in England”
The other 2 images have no identification marks, no names or dates, even after I disassembled the frame at home).

Task 1:
I want to know why this picture was in the possession of Dr. Stewart and his estate.
I found the obituary of Dr. Stewart and the obituary of his wife Margaret Stewart (McLure) online

From his obituary I learned, that his father’s name was Carl Stewart and his mother was Florence Stewart and her maiden name was “Dewar”

Task 2:
Find out about a soldier named Gordon Dewar, by researching Island Newspapers.

Gordon Dewar’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. William Dewar of Brudenell.
Gordon’s rank: Gunner

There are some similarities between my photograph and the image from the newspaper. To say it is him,
I can not be sure.
The information I do glean from this obituary:
– he was killed in action Aug. 8th, 1944 in France
– four brothers: Kenneth, Athol, Stewart, James
– one sister: Margaret

Task 3
What is the connection between Florence Stewart (Dewar) – Harold Stewart’s mother – and Gordon Albert Dewar?
The Obituary of Gordon’s father, William Weston Dewar, makes a clear connection.

William Weston Dewar, a veteran of WW1, was married to Florence Mathilde Dewar (Gordon).
one daughter: Margaret MacKinnon
Kenneth, Athol, Stewart, James. There was another brother named Elvin who predeceased him in 1952.
He also leaves 3 sisters: Lillian, Jessie, and Florence Dewar (Mrs. Carl Stewart)
This, to me is proof why this picture was found in the estate of Harold Stewart.
Gordon Albert Dewar and Harold Stewart were first cousins.

Gunner Gordon Albert Dewar

August 8, 1944
Service Number: F/78103
Age: 21
Force: Army
Unit: Royal Canadian Artillery
Division: 3 Lt. A.A. Regt.
Cemetery:
BRETTEVILLE-SUR-LAIZE CANADIAN WAR CEMETERY
Calvados, France

This cemetery lies on the west side of the main road from Caen to Falaise (route N158) and just north of the village of Cintheaux. Bretteville-sur-Laize is a village and commune in the department of the Calvados, some 16 kilometres south of Caen. The village of Bretteville lies 3 kilometres south-west of the Cemetery. Buried here are those who died during the later stages of the battle of Normandy, the capture of Caen and the thrust southwards (led initially by the 4th Canadian and 1st Polish Armoured Divisions), to close the Falaise Gap, and thus seal off the German divisions fighting desperately to escape being trapped west of the Seine. Almost every unit of Canadian 2nd Corps is represented in the Cemetery. There are about 3,000 allied forces casualties of the Second World War commemorated in this site

There is a bit more to the story:
The History of the Third Canadian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (3LAA)

a page on the internet – a diary of what happened to that regiment that Gordon was a part of. It states, August 8, 1944 – on the day he died:

On 8th August, 1944, American Fortresses, due to an error in navigation, unloaded their bombs a short distance south of Vaucelles causing a large number of casualties. Eight members of the Regiment were killed and a number injured. No anti-aircraft guns fired at them.
Casualties on 8 August 1944 were:

K18091 Gunner John Earl Boyd – Killed Age 30, son of Hugh Archibald and Edith Jane Boyd of Kamloops, British Columbia; buried IX. A. 11 Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, Calvados, France

F78103 Gunner Gordon Albert Dewar – Killed Age 21; date of birth September 1, 1922 Roseneath, Prince Edward Island, son of William Weston Dewar and Florence M. Dewar of Brudenell, King’s Co., Prince Edward Island; buried VI. F. 13 Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery

L10546 L/BDR David George Farrow – Killed Age 24; son of Ernest T. Farrow and Ann Farrow of Regina, Saskatchewan. Buried VI. F. 12, Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery

B111901 Gunner William Leo Fortier – Killed Age 21; son of Albert and Mary Fortier of Toronto, Canada; buried VI. F. 10, Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery

D124613 Gunner Joseph Bernard Horn – Killed Age 22; son of William Horn and Regina Horn of Montreal, Quebec; buried V. F. 7. ,, Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery

K76810 Gunner Albert L. Kinney – Died of Wounds Age 26; son of Milo J. and Florence A. Kinney of South Fort George, British Columbia; buried VI. F. 11, Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery

K15182 BDR Gordon G. Sheldon – Killed Age 39; son of John Herbert and Lena Sheldon; husband of Exie Estelle Sheldon of Stockton, California, U.S.A.; buried VI. F. 15, Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery

Update: December 12, 2019:
Message received from Gordon Hume Dewar:
“He was indeed my uncle, he was killed in France. I was named after him. His father was William Weston Dewar from Roseneath, Brudenell area. His wife was Florence Gordon. My father, Kenneth was Gordon’s brother.
Gordon was engaged to an English lady at the time of his death.“
Case closed

Not all mysteries can be solved

Now that I figured out Gordon’s connection, and identification, I am curious as to who the other 2 soldiers in the other 2 pictures?
Continue reading:
(Un)known Soldier 2
Unknown Soldier 3

Estate Sale Finds – Dr. Harold Stewart

A real life auction sale is just as exciting, if not more, than an online auction. Everyone is there for the same reason, to bid on and purchase items for the least amount of money. After attending a few of these auction, you see the same familiar faces.
You get to know those that own stores, whether antique or collectibles, those that come to bid on one specific item and those that come for entertainment. People know each other, they come prepared with coffee from the nearby Tim Hortons or Robins and die-hards come prepared with lunch.
This one was no exception. Interested buyers rummaging through boxes, turning over merchandise for recognizable marks, getting a bidding number and finding the best seats.
The main contents of this particular auction was that of the estate of the late Harold Stewart, dentist from Kensington, and other items from other estates.

My purchases:

1. Story of Gordon Dewar

I find it always so sad, when photographs are auctioned off; no one to claim that family member as one of their ancestors. Probably treasured by those that lived and knew their stories, but unimportant to those that are left, because they do not know who they are and have no connection.
So, I bought these photographs with the intent of finding out who they were.
This purchase consisted of 3 black and white photographs, depicting 3 different soldiers. Only the largest frame (8″x 10″) had information on the back:
“Gordon Dewar – killed in England”
The other 2 no names or dates, even after I disassembled the frame at home)
Click here to read about
– “The Story of Gordon Dewar“
– (Un)Known Soldier 2 and His Uniform
– Unknown Soldier 3

2. Ice Boat Crossing - Ticket

Genuine Original Passenger Ticket for ice boat crossing between Cape Tormentine (NB) and Cape Traverse (PEI)

Argyle Township Court House & Archives

I might seem very surprising, that during all my years of researching my family tree, that I have never been to physical place of research. All my research so far has been done online, due to the fact that all my ancestors originated in Friesland, a province in the Netherlands. I have spent hundreds of hours in their online Archives – AlleFriezen finding as much information about my family as I could, even getting to see original birth, marriage and death entries in the archives. So, this was a first – a field trip into vault full of original papers and books. We were on a long weekend trip in the Yarmouth area of Nova Scotia, Canada when we came upon the Argyle Township Court House & Archives, which is located right next to the oldest courthouse in Canada.

The Argyle Township Court House & Gaol is Canada’s oldest standing courthouse, built in the village of Tusket, Nova Scotia in 1805. It operated as a working courthouse and jail from 1805 until 1944. The building served as the Municipal Offices for the Municipality of Argyle from 1945 until 1976

The Methodist Church, constructed in 1877, is now the home of the Argyle Township Archives, located right next to the court house.
The Argyle Township Court House Archives (ATCHA) has become a major centre for genealogical research. The archive has built a substantial collection of genealogical resource material to service the growing demand by the public. Our holdings include all available census records for all counties in Nova Scotia, as well as Nova Scotia Birth Records (1864-1877), Death Records (1864-1877) and Marriage Records (1864-circa 1910) for the entire province, and much more.
ATCHA has the largest collection of microfilm in this part of Nova Scotia. There is usually a qualified genealogist on hand to assist researchers.
Even though it was almost closing time, the staff went out of their way to show us around. When asked if we wanted to go and have a look in the vault, there was no moment’s hesitation on our part.
It was thrilling to see the actual books, registries and boxes full of documents all housed in this climate controlled vault, to preserve the past for the future.
My only regret was, that I did not have a name to research at that moment.

Argyle Township Archives

Sad Irons

When I was growing up, we ironed everything, from kitchen towels to the big duvet covers. Maybe it is because of that, that to me ironing is one of those chores, that is close to the bottom of my “things I don’t like to do” list.
Once, my husband and I went on a weekend trip to Halifax with our youngest 2 children. We stayed in a hotel downtown. As we had a walk about in the room, all of a sudden our youngest son – maybe age 6 at the time – came running, very excited, shouting:
“There is a surfboard in the closet!” We were surprised,
we were not in a beach hotel, nor anywhere close to a beach. So we followed him, and there behind the sliding closet doors was an ironing board. He probably never saw me using an ironing board before – so he assumed it was a surfboard.
Though, when I think about it, he had never seen me on a surfboard either.
So it I might seem odd, that I have developed an interest in the history of clothes irons, probably somewhat ignited by a recent purchase at an online auction.
Looking at the history, a conventional solid metal clothes iron of the 19th century weighed around 5 pounds (2.3 kg) to 10 pounds (4.5 kg) and had to be heated on a stove. It was so hot, that often a rag or thick cloth mitt was utilized to touch the metal handle to prevent burning the fingers. Once this all-metal iron cooled down, the ironing job at hand had to stop until it was reheated.
Improvements were on the horizon.

Mrs. Pott's Sad Iron with Removable Handle - 1871

Sad Iron, U. S. Patent 113,448, April 4, 1871, Mary Florence Potts, Ottumwa, Iowa. The invention is a detachable handle for pressing irons. This permits a person to heat a number of iron bodies on a stove, attach the handle to one and iron with it until it cools, then attaching it to another heated iron body.
This is an ad for the Mrs. Pott’s Cold Handle Sad Iron. The base of this iron could be put on the wood burning stove to get hot while the wooden handle was removed by lifting the knob below the handle releasing it from the base. The advantage of Potts’s system was that there was always a waiting heated base ready to be switched out with the used cooled base, so the ironing could continue immediately.
The iron was more comfortable to use than the flat iron that had attached handles and made of steel causing the handle to become as hot as the base. A set of nickel plated sad irons sold for sixty-four cents. Extra handles could be had for eight cents each.

My Collection:

These images show a smoothing iron (sad iron) handle and a bases. The handle itself has no marks, dates or other recognizable features, and it will fit on all the bases.
The first base was manufactured by the A. R. Woodyatt & Co. foundry in Guelph, Ontario Canada between 1899 and 1902.
Size 2 (6.2″ long, 3″ wide and 1.5″ high) and weighs about 5 lbs.
The A. R. Woodyatt foundry was located in Guelph, Ontario
This company later merged with the Guelph Malleable company into the Taylor-Forbes company at Guelph, which continued to make sad irons.
The following image shows
2 bases (bodies) from the The Ives & Allen foundry, also known as H. R. Ives & Co, Montreal.
These are the Mrs. Potts-style sad iron. They are double-pointed in shape and they requires the detachable handle. The top plate is cast with lettering:
H.R. IVES & CO. MONTREAL at the top
MRS POTTS IRON PATENT GROUND.
The top plate has two convex slotted screws affixing it to the body of the iron. It has a smooth sole. It is embossed near the latching area: N0. 55 SIZE 1 (3.7 lbs., 6″ long, 2.5″ wide, 1.5″ high), the other Size 3 (5 lbs., 6.5″ long, 3.5″ wide, 1.5″ high)

These types of irons were usually sold in sets and the three or four bases shared a single detachable handle. One would keep a couple iron bodies heating up on one’s stove, while a hot was being used. When it cooled, one would unlatch the handle and pick up a hotter iron by latching the handle to it.

Asbestos Sad Irons - 1906

In 1906, there was a new invention in the iron department. The Asbestos Sad Iron design really did use asbestos.
It was under the handle, inside a “hood” or cover that fitted over a heated “core”. There was also a bit of air space between the iron and the cover to help keep it cool.
It “bottled up” the heat, said an ad, so it was all channeled through the hot solid steel surface that pressed the clothes smooth. No heat rose upward to bother the woman ironing.
Most often sold in sets of three there were other sets that came with various irons or bases.

My Collection:
Neither of the hoods has any identification marks as to where it was manufactured.
The 3 bases are all the same (5.8lbs., 6.5″ long, 3.25″ wide) and all the 72-B embossed on the top. There is more lettering, however, I am unable to decipher it.
I think it says Made (left) USA (right) – # 1 on both sides.

I will try to add to my collection, and update. As for now, I will continue to use my sad iron, a sad iron because it sits in a dark closet, barely used, not living up to it’s full potential.

First Question: Who was Tipton Evans?

Excerpt from the book, Old Time Tazewell, written by Mary A. Hansard (1825-1899), pages 17-18. shared by beancounter173 at Ancesty

Second Question: Did any of his children move to Canada?

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Page 20 & 22- photo # 12 + 13 – (1 + 2)

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Album # 1

Album # 2

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Not a P.E.I. Potato!

in Rustico ?????

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Unknown Soldier 3

Margaret McLure's family

Harold Clarence Stewart's family:

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(Un)Known Soldier 2

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Gunner Gordon Albert Dewar

Not all mysteries can be solved

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2. Ice Boat Crossing - Ticket

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Mrs. Pott's Sad Iron with Removable Handle - 1871

Asbestos Sad Irons - 1906

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