52 Ancestors in 52 weeks - Week 9 Theme - Disasters

In previous posts, I have written about several disastrous events involving either my ancestors or those of my husband. In February 2015, I told the story of my greatuncle's death at the Sunset Mine in British Columbia and in November 2011, I highlighted the sinking of the S.S. Florizel. In this week's post, I return to the family of William Inglis Sr. who I wrote about in week 6 of this challenge.


William Gordon Inglis Sr. was born September  17, 1900, in North Lochaber, Nova Scotia, the only son of John Kirk Inglis and Annie Bell Forbes (1). In the 1901 Canadian Census, he can be found living with his parents and seven of his eight sisters on Lochaber (2). In 1921, William was still living in Lochaber with his family and is listed as a farmer (3). 

On October 25, 1926, William crossed the border into the United States. On his immigration card, he is listed as a farmer and described as 5' 11" with blue eyes. His destination was 2543 Wakefield Ave. Oakland, California, the residence of his maternal cousin, Alexander Forbes. (4)

On March 14, 1929, William married Mildred Stevens of Cisco, Texas. By 1931, the couple was living in Warren, Cochize County, Arizona and he was working for the Phelps Dodge Corporation as a shift boss. This company owned and operated the Copper Queen Mine on the outskirts of Bisbee, Arizona. Copper production had begun in the Bisbee area on a limited basis about 1880. It was individual prospectors at first and then companies gradually became involved and took over individual claims and brought them into production. Phelps Dodge Corporation, through a subsidiary of the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company, became the dominant force and eventually the sole operator in that mining district (5).

The sad events of March 1931 are laid out in a number of newspaper articles sent to me by Bill Inglis, William's son. The articles are copies and do not show the newspaper's name.

March 5, 1931

"Hard Boiled" Hat Saves Miner's Life When Hit by Rock

"Hard Boiled" Safety Hat Circa 1930. The helmet
was made of canvas, glue, and black paint,
and given the trademarked name
“Hard Boiled” because of the steam used
in the manufacturing process

The efficiency of the "hard boiled" safety hat adopted by local mining companies once more was demonstrated yesterday, when W.G. Inglish (sic), C.Q. miner, escaped with a bruised forehead after being struck by a  rock hurled from the blast. Copper Queen officials agreed that death would have been instantaneous if Inglish (sic) had not been wearing a safety hat.

Inglish (sic) had set off a blast in the Sacramento shaft and ran down the drift to hide between two sets of timber. When the blast went off, a heavy rock apparently ricocheted from the opposite wall and struck Inglish (sic) full on his safety hat. The force of the blow dented in the hat, which will withstand a blow of several hundred pounds, and caused a bruise of the forehead. Copper Queen doctors say that undoubtedly the rock would have killed Inglish (sic) instantly had it struck his unprotected head. 

Inglis (sic) was treated at the Copper Queen dispensary ad left for home after making two vows - that he never would work in a mine without a safety hat and that the next time he set off a blast he wouldn't remain in the same drift.

March 11, 1931 

W.G. Inglis hurt in the mines on March 4 continues in a very precarious state of health in C.Q. hospital.

March 14, 1931

W.G. Inglis Victim of Mine Injuries

W.G. Inglis who was struck by a rock following a blast at the Sacramento mine several days ago, succumbed to his injuries this morning. He is survived by his wife, who is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Stephens of Tombstone Canyon.

Mr. Ingles (sic) was struck by a rock from a blast set off by other workers in the same drift, the stone ricochetting from a  wall and bounding between timers behind which he had taken refuge. It was at first believed that the "hard boiled" safety hat had saved his life, but later it was discovered that an additional wound, caused by glass from his drilling glasses, had become infected. An operation removed the glass and he was apparently on the road to recovery when death came. 

Funeral arrangements will be made by the Palace Undertaking Company when relatives in Los Angeles are heard from.

William's Original Marker in the Evergreen Cemetery

William's death certificate indicates he had two surgeries, one on the day of the accident and one six days later. His cause of death is given as an abscess of the brain with a secondary cause of depressed skull fracture (6). According to his son Bill, William's funeral cost $338.50. He is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Bisbee (7) and thanks to Bill's follow-up, now has a correct headstone.

Mining was and continues to be a challenging and dangerous profession. Although conditions have improved since the beginning of the 20th century, estimates suggest such mining accidents kill about 12,000 people a year (8) with many more seriously injured.


(1) Nova Scotia Vital Statistics, Registration Year 1904,  Page:68100149, Birth of William Gordon Inglis  https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=1904-68100149&Event=birth&ID=154565
 (2) Library and Archives Canada, 1900 Canadian Census, District 27, Sub-District H-1, Page 2, Household 20, Family 20.
(3) Ancestry.com. 1921 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2013, Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 39; Census Place: Lochaber, Antigonish and Guysborough, Nova Scotia; Page Number: 2
(4) Ancestry.com. U.S., Records of Aliens Pre-Examined in Canada, 1904-1954 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Records of Aliens Pre-Examined at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Prior to Admission at the U.S.-Canada Border, compiled 1923 - 1933; National Archives Microfilm Publication: A3463; NAI Number: 3929766; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; Record Group Number: 85
(5) Queen Mine Historical Tours: Early Bisbee Mining History http://www.queenminetour.com/History
(6) Ancestry.com. Arizona, Death Records, 1887-1960 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. https://search.ancestry.ca/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8704&h=59316&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=iAL9&_phstart=successSource
(7)  Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. https://search.ancestry.ca/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60525&h=39876205&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true#?_phcmd=u('https://www.ancestry.ca/search/categories/34/?name%3Dlliam%2BGordon_Inglis%26death%3D1931_bisbee-cochise-arizona-usa_67301%26name_x%3D_1%26_phtarg%3DiAL8%26queryId%3D01ef073d2f1a59d83b88a6a36ded1237%26successSource%3DSearch%26successSource%3DSearch%26queryId%3D01ef073d2f1a59d83b88a6a36ded1237','successSource')
(8) The Dangers of Mining Around the World (2010), https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-11533349
 

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