Off to the west to make their fortune

This is a picture of my three Great Uncles: Robert MacFarlane "Farley"(DOB 1878), Alexander Stewart "Stewart" (DOB 1883) and Alphonse George Inglis (DOB 1881). They were among the many, many young men who left their homes in Nova Scotia and went west in the early 1900s to find their fortune. Their destination, Greenwood, British Columbia.

In Greenwood: The Early Years of Canada's Smallest City and other West Boundary Towns,  Reed Turocotte notes that "in 1896, Greenwood went from almost nothing to a small mining camp in a matter of months. In 1897 it went from a mining camp to a real live town. Throughout the year the sound of hammers and saws were heard throughout the Boundary Creek Valley with houses and businesses being built at a feverish pace." Finds of cooper, iron, coal and gold drove the economy and by 1901, the population had risen to over 1,300 people.

When brothers, Farlie, Stewart and Alphonse Inglis arrived in Greenwood, they found a thriving city with numerous hotels, two newspapers, a hospital, a school and many other amenities. In spite of the fact that they were all in their twenties, family legend suggests that their mother, Annie, went out west with her boys and stayed to cook and clean until they got settled. I am always amazed to think that she made that long trip, leaving behind four younger children, including my grandfather Charles, to be cared for, no doubt, by her one older daughter, Katherine.

In the early 1900s, mining was a dangerous occupation and deaths were a common occurrence. I knew from my Great Uncle Alphonse's grave stone that he died on May 27, 1906 at the Sunset Mine in Greenwood but only recently found information on exactly what happened. Apparently a fuse failed to ignite after Alphonse dropped it into the drill hole and after a few minutes, he went back to check on it. Unfortunately for him, the fuse was only delayed and exploded as he looked into the hole. He died within a few minutes.

This link provides a transcript of the inquest Fatality at Sunset Mine excerpt from The Ledge, Thursday May 31, 1906

A second mention is made of Alphonse in the June 7th, 1906 edition of The Ledge

Resolution of Condolence: The following resolutions of condolence were adopted by the Greenwood Miners Union, No 22, W.F.M. touching the death of our departed brother, Alphonse G. Inglis, who was killed at the Sunset Mine on the morning of May 27th, 1906.

Whereas; the hand of the grim reaper death has gatherd from among us one whom we had all learned to love and who was cut down in the prime of life at the age of 24 years and 8 months, and now his work is done and all that is mortal has been laid to rest in the silent tomb; but the lessons learned from his noble life remain and will encourage others on to heroic deeds, and we realize with deep regret something of the sorrow of the stricken father and mother, sisters and brothers and dear friends, the home with the vacant chair, and the longing for a smile and words of comfort and cheer from one who has been so kind and affectionate, we also realize the fact that this Union and community has lost one who always stood for the uplifting of his fellow man and to better the conditions of all with whom he came in contact.

Farlie and Stewart returned home with Alphonse's body and he was interred in the North Lochaber Cemetery where he could be close to his family.

Hope you are having success digging for your roots.... until next time

African Nova Scotians in Cumberland County

In recognition of Black History month, the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) is hosting a talk on February 28th at 2:00 p.m. in its office at the Quaker Landing Building, 33 Octerloney Street in Dartmouth.  Dr. Darlene Strong will be sharing her insights about the experiences of African Nova Scotians in the early days of Cumberland County. 

Dr Strong has a Phd in Education and Administration, is a published author, artist, musician, singer, educator, and facilitator. She has authored four publications/productions related to the history of the Black experience in Canada: Connections" - The Underground Railway; Color Me Free – Afro Canadian History; Black Artisans of Cumberland County ; Sand Hill Discover Your Destiny; Brookdale Literacy / Resource Video Cable 10.

Drop by for Dr. Strong's presentation and check out the resources in the research library at GANS.

Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files

As part of the Government of Canada's First World War commemoration activities,  the Library and Archives Canada has been digitized Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) service files.  New files are been being added monthly. If you are researching someone who participated in WWI, this might be a good place to look for information.


Officers of the Canadian Army Medical Corps
(image from  https://camc.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/uniform-ww1-canadian-army-medical-corps/)

A love story - told and retold .......

I love these two pictures of Annie Inglis and her husband, Alexander Campbell Stewart. Annie was my great grandaunt and she was born Oct. 7, 1863 in Lochaber, N.S. Her parents where John Inglis and Cecilia McLaughlin. Alexander was born Nov. 30, 1839 also in Lochaber. His parents were Peter Stewart and Janet Inglis. John and Janet Inglis were siblings which made Annie and Alexander 1st cousins. Annie and Alexander married in Lochaber in 1885. They had a daughter Margaret Cecilia on Feb. 6, 1887. Between their marriage and Margaret's birth, Alexander left Lochaber in search of employment. Annie did not hear from him for many, many years and so eventually moved to Massachusetts. In 1905, Alexander reappeared and they remarried. This story caught the attention of quite a number of newspapers and its retelling emphasizes the need to take what is written by others with a grain of salt.

Here are some of the conflicting/questionable issues that arise from the various articles:

When did Alexander leave for the west: One article reports that Alexander left a week after his wedding to Annie.  As noted above, they had a child born in 1887 so it seems he was around for a bit longer than a week.

How did they meet: One newspaper says Alexander and Annie met for the first time while traveling to Boston on a boat. This is highly unlikely since they were cousins and both lived in Lochaber.

Their families were not happy about the relationship. A number of newspapers mentioned this - a) They were married against the wishes of their parents; b) Annie's family objected to the second marriage and 3) Annie's parents kept her from meeting Alexander in Minnesota. This could possibly be true but I have no other evidence that this was the case. He was considerably older than her but I don't think that was not particularly unusual at the time.

What was Alexander doing for 20 years: One paper suggests that Alexander "rose to become a manger of one of the largest concerns in Minneapolis". According to the information I have found in Town Directories for Minneapolis, Alexander was a laborer, a hostler and at best a foreman with the Boston Ice Co.

Did Alexander look for his wife: One paper says Alexander, after returning from the west, went to the village where he was born (Lochaber), and searched unsuccessfully for many days for Annie. This seems odd to me since the two were related and both their families lived in the same area. Lochaber was not a large place with the 1901 census reporting only about 350 residents.

How did they meet again: One paper's version is that while visiting with his brother in Salem, Alexander accidently bumped into his wife on the street in Salem. Another newspaper says Alexander appeared unannounced at Annie's door in Salem after 20 years away.

The oddity of sharing a name in common: One report said "Another peculiar part of the affairs is that her name was Inglis and his mother bore the same name". This is not particularly odd. As noted above, the two were first cousins.

Regardless of the discrepancies, Alexander and Annie remarried in December 1905. Annie died just three years later at the age of 44 on April 6, 1908 in Salem. Alexander died on June 8, 1911 also in Salem.

I have added the articles. Hope you can read them as they are quite entertaining.

 

The Mysterious Disappearance of Pearl Adamore

For many young people in Nova Scotians during the late 1800s and early 1900s, work was hard to find and many immigrated to places like Boston and Lynn, Massachusetts looking to make their fortune.

Thanks to its textile and shoemaking industries, Lynn was to become a major manufacturing centre. It was however a city of contrasting life styles. Many wealthy landowners built summer estates there and it became a fashionable resort destination for Bostonians. However, for the many immigrants drawn to the prospect of work, life would have been difficult. While the manufacturers struggled to keep labor costs to a minimum, the reality confronting Lynn shoeworkers on a daily basis was low pay, long hours, unhealthful working conditions, and irregular employment. The shoeworkers in Lynn worked a 5½ day, 50 hour week. The work was strenuous, tedious, and in many cases unhealthful due to poor ventilation and lighting, and dangerous chemicals and machinery. (1)

In 1885, 20 year old John left his parents, George and Margaret Adamore, in Halifax with high hopes and made the journey to Lynn via Boston. On August 6, 1893, he married Elizabeth Duckworth who worked as a dressmaker. John worked for many years in various jobs at the shoemaking factories but by 1926 he was working as a kitchenman. While they lived in Lynn for the rest of their lives, they moved many times within the community.

In 1901, they had a daughter named Pearl. The following articles from various newspapers recount at least part of the life of Pearl Adamore. 

Boston Globe, December 2, 1915
Missing since Nov 23: Mother of Pearl Adamore, who is ill, desires her daughter to return home
Miss Pearl Adamore, who is 15, has been missing from her home 267 Essex Street, Lynn since Nov 23 and every attempt has been made to find her.  Her mother is very ill and desires to come home and everything will be right when she returns.  The Lynn police have been searching for her and her mother has requested the aid of the Globe in finding her.

Pearl weighs about 95 pounds, is slim, light complexioned, light brown hair and blue eyes. When she left home, she wore a white dress, long black coat, brown hat, black button boots and a string of pink pearls. She is about 5 feet, 5 inches tall.

Boston Herald, Dec 1915
Girl at Psychopathic Hospital Identified: Doctors do not know if Pearl Adamore is Shamming
A 15-year-old girl who has been held at the Psychopathic Hospital since Tuesday under the name of Jennie Anderson was identified yesterday as Pearl Adamore, who disappeared from her home, 267 Essex Street, Lynn, on Nov 22. She was found wandering about the streets of Boston last week and turned over to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.  The agents were unable to learn her history or where she came from, so they sent her to a home. The Physicians there thought she needed mental treatment and advised her removal to the Psychopathic Hospital.

Her identity remained a mystery until a Lynn police circular was received at the hospital.
The doctors are unable to determine whether she has suffered a nervous breakdown or is shamming and she will be kept under observation for a few days longer. She has run away from home before.

Boston Journal,  December 4, 1915
Mystery Girl in Hospital Pearl Adamore: Lives in Lynn and at First Denied Identification by Friend
Late last night the girl of mystery at the Psychopathic Hospital, who was identified yesterday afternoon, steadfastly denied that she was Miss Pearl Adamore or that she ever lived in Lynn, admitted that the identification was correct.

The hospital authorities, however have been unable to discover why she sought to conceal her true name. and the reason for her disappearance from home is still not clear. Her parents, Mr. & Mrs. John Adamore of Essex St. Lynn, are coming to the hospital tomorrow to see her, but it is understood that she will be kept there for some days yet. Pearl, who is 15 years old, was yesterday positively identified by Edward Simard, a Lynn friend. However, when Simard said, on first seeing her, that he knew her well and that she was Pearl Adamore, she declared"

"I am not. I never saw you before and I never lived in Lynn. My home is in Halifax. I spent a week in Providence before coming to Boston".

In the evening however, she admitted that she is the missing Lynn girl. Previously she has given her name as Jennie Anderson.

She was found wandering about the streets of Boston last week by a woman who notified an agent of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and afterward she was taken to the Society's home in Mt. Vernon Street. On Nov 30 she was sent to the Psychopathic Hospital.

Springfield Daily News Dec 1915
Identified as Lynn Girl: Boston, Dec 2, 1915
A girl who has been under observation since yesterday at the Boston Psychopathic Hospital was identified today despite her vigorous denial as fifteen-year-old Pearl Adamore of Lynn who has been sought for a fortnight. The identification was made by 17 year-old Edward Simard of Lynn, a friend of the Adamore family, and well acquainted with Pearl.

After this episode in 1915, I was unable to find Pearl in any of my genealogical searching. Perhaps she was, after observation, permitted to return home with her parents or perhaps she remained in the Psychopathic Hospital; it is unclear. Considering people could, at that time, still be institutionalized for being socially problematic, her rebellious running away may have worked against her.

Hopefully she was able to come to terms with whatever her issues were and went on to lead a happier life.

Until next time....


(1)  Life in Lynn Shoe Factories