Edith Simms Murdock (1890-1930)

Edith was the younger sister of my grandfather Alexander Simms.  She was the fifth of eight children born to farmers William Simms and Agnes McAllister in Dundas, Ontario.  Her date of birth was January 13, 1890.

On the Census records of 1891, 1901 and 1911, I have found Edith living in Mountain Township with her family.

Edith (with no middle name I've been able to discover) married Erroll Glen Arron Murdock (1896 - 1975) in about 1920.  On the 1921 Canadian Census of Mountain Township, Erroll is actually the enumerator and he and Edith are married and listed as boarders.

Over the next 8 years, Edith and Erroll were blessed with 5 children, a boy and then 4 girls.   Tragically, as Edith was expecting her sixth child, it was found she suffered from uterine cancer.  The child was stillborn and buried beneath a tree in the yard as they knew Edith would follow within days.  This sad event happened on March 15, 1930 and Edith was buried with her baby in the South Gower Cemetery.  Thank you to Erroll's grandson Dave for this information.

 Her five surviving children ranged in age from 9 to almost 2 and Erroll would have likely been encouraged to give them to family or others to raise but it seems he was determined to keep his family together.  

Erroll remarried Lillian Bainbridge and they went on to have 4 children together.  Dave shared with me that they were all raised as one family - not "step" or "half" just brothers and sisters -  in the South Mountain area.  Their Aunt Mary (Simms) Bryan  often hosted the Murdock children and memories of her kindnesses lived on with those little children.  Family is certainly more than blood lines and DNA, as Mary knew and showed.

William Henry Simms (1880 - 1945)

William Henry Simms was the eldest son born to Irish immigrants William Simms and Agnes McAllister.  He was given the middle name of his paternal grandfather.  Born in the South Gower area of Ontario on October 26, 1880, his birth record says no doctor was present and the birth was registered by his father William on November 18 of 1880.  William and Agnes had married in Antrim, Ireland in March of that year and had crossed the Atlantic to make their home in Canada in June, arriving on the 15th on a ship called the Montreal.

On the 1891 Canadian census, William was enumerated as a ten year old with four younger siblings in the farming household.  There was no change looking at the 1901 census.

In 1917 on the11th of April, 36 year old "Bill" married Mae Miller.  She was the 21 years old and a resident of Haddo.  Her father James was owner of the General Store in Haddo in 1905.  

On the Census document from 1921, Bill and Mae were renting a farm in Dundas county and had one child.

The 1930 US census records showed the Simms family in Oswegatchie town in New York State with 5 children and William as a labourer.  This form says they immigrated in 1918 but that doesn't fit with the 1921 census, unless they returned for a time.

His son, William John Alton's obituary from 2008 says:

He immigrated to this country with his family, when he was almost 4 years old. The family
crossed at Prescott, Ontario to Ogdensburg by way of the very huge ferry, the Joseph Dubrule. They brought some horses and horse drawn equipment to start their new life on this side. The family eventually settled on a farm on the Black Lake Road.

The following is the text of the letter that Mae wrote to her sister-in-law, my grandmother Mary Simms upon learning of the death of William's brother Alexander in 1941.  Alex was my grandfather and last time they would have seen each other was 38 years before.  It is hard to imagine this reality two generations ago and it makes me sad for them.

My dear Mrs. Simms,

We just received word Alex has passed away.  Will is awfully upset - although he knew he had not been well.  Doris used to write to Jean.  Will has intended to go out to see him since he knew he wasn't well but he didn't get.  He hasn't seen him since he went out west.  You have our deepest sympathy.  I am sure Will wants to know if you have any snaps if you would mind sending one and we will return it.  He just would like to know what he looked like.  I suppose the funeral might be today.  We hope you or someone will write us the particulars.  Well will close now and may the Lord bless and keep you all in this hour.  You are ever on our minds.  I am not a very good writer any more.

Lots & lots of love & sympathy - Will & Mae Simms

Less than 4 years later, William died on January 20,1945.  He was buried in Pine Hilł (Eel Weir) Cemetery. His wife Mae died on October 19, 1960 and is buried beside him.

Edna and Billy Simms in the summer of 1945 - children of William and Mae

Children of William and Mae:

Norma Jean (1919-2005) married Earl William Livingston and had a family of 4

James Miller (1923-1985) married Charlotte Hughes and had 2 daughters

Claude Malcolm (1924-1938) drowned at age 13 - link to his blog post

William John Alton (1926-2008) married Dorothy Jane Livingston and had a family of 7- link to obituary

Edna Lorraine (1928-2012) married Webster Fields and had 3 children - link to obituary

Steven Carruthers (1873 - 1939)

Steven was the brother of my great grandmother Margaret Carruthers Kinnaird.  He was born in Winchester, Ontario on April 12, 1873, the son of Andrew William Carruthers and Jean Steven.  As the second youngest of a family of eight, he soon realized he would need to move west to get his own land.  At the age of 19, it seems it did just that.

The local history book called Prairie Neighbours written in 1981 says that Steven came west to Kinsmore, north of Lenore in 1892 but eventually decided to homestead in 1894 at Umatilla, north of Grandview, Manitoba.  The image below from Western Land Grants is for the Northwest Quarter of 28, township 26 in range 23 W1.  

On July 1, 1896 a marriage between 23 year old Steven and Grace McCrae who was 17,  was recorded at Strathclair, Manitoba. Online records say she had been born on November 28, 1878 in Grandview, Manitoba to James McRae and Jane Steven.  

Research on the town of Grandview has found that T.A. Barrows built the largest saw mill in Manitoba in Grandview in 1903 on the banks of the Valley River.  The incredible thing to me is that this operation employed up to 1000 men at one time between logging, planing and milling lumber to supply the pioneers to the south.  This enterprise continued for 5 years until a larger mill opened by Mr. Burrows at Bowsman.  This prosperity meant that Grandview has water sewer and electric systems second only to Winnipeg in Manitoba at that time.  

The 1901 Canadian Census showed Steven and Grace on their farm, north of Grandview, with 3 children.  Ten years later the family lists seven children and in 1916 there are nine.  

Thanks to Ancestry contributor "Bowdige60" for the above photo of Grace and Steven.

On the 1921 census the same nine children are listed and three of them are recorded as being "deaf and mute".  If that was true, what a challenge that must have been in so many ways.  One more daughter was born after this census.  Ten children would be another challenge but large families were the custom of many of the Carruthers families it seems.  

Steven and Grace's 4 sons and 6 daughters were named Stewart (also spelled Stuart), Ross, Mabel, William, Elsie, Jane(Jean), Les, Hazel, Edith and Grace.  Their community would have included the nearest school called Spruce Bluff and the United Church at Umatilla.  The Prairie Neighbours book says that as the boys came to working age, they came to the Hargrave-Victor area where they were employed as hired men for local farmers.  The eldest son Stewart married and had 4 sons in the Virden area and Elsie married Charlie Forester (who ran the Pool Room)  and had 2 sons and 2 daughters who lived in the same area.  

This wonderful photo was taken at a studio in Virden by W. Henfrey from the 20's of Elsie and Jean Carruthers.  It was among photos in my Grandma and Grandpa's trunk.  

Grace died on April 14, 1949, ten years after Steven who passed away on October 31, 1939.  Both are buried in Grandview Cemetery.  

Louisa "Louie" Milne Gunn (1893 - 1980)

Louisa Milne was the youngest child born to John Milne and Ann Robertson in Botriphine, Scotland in 1893. At the age of 18 in 1911, she set off for Canada with my great grandfather John and her sister Isabella.  Her brother Alexander made the trip seven years earlier and was farming in the Virden, MB area.  Sister Mamie Duguid and her husband Charles accompanied them to begin life in Brandon.  It was here that "Louie"  married Donald Gunn, a Scottish immigrant himself from 1913, on October 9, 1918.  

l-r Charlie, Muriel and Jack Gunn - late 20's ?

The 1921 Canadian Census finds Donald and Louisa along with two young boys Jack and Charlie on Belmont Avenue in West Kildonan, part of present day Winnipeg.  His occupation is listed as "Teamster" but later Voters Lists say he is a fire chief and even later a fire prevention officer. In the book Alarm of Fire written in1982 by Vince Leah it states that in the 1940's, the West Kildonan Fire Department expanded under Chief Donald Gunn and that he had first been named Chief in 1919.  They began with a horse drawn pump wagon but acquired a more modern Reo pump and hose truck in 1926.   It appears there is an extensive Fire Fighters Museum in Winnipeg that I will have to put on my list of places to visit. Donald Gunn played the bagpipes and was Pipe Major of a local band.

Charles Gilchrist Gunn was an Army private and a bagpiper with the Queens Own Cameron Highlanders Regiment in Winnipeg. Apparently as was not uncommon, he lied about his age to sign up for the war.  The picture below of Charlie was printed in the Winnipeg Tribune on August 25, 1942 on page 4. Tragically it was announcing that Charlie has been reported missing after the battle of Dieppe.  This site tells the history of his Regiment and his role as the piper.  I was unaware of the pipers' role in battles until my sister found this information on the Canada At War website.

The article below, clipped from the Monday, August 24, 1942 edition of the Winnipeg Tribute relates the irony of Louie recognizing her 21 year old son as the piper on the front page of the paper and that evening hearing he was missing.  It would not be until December of that year that he was officially declared dead.  Page 78 in the WWII Book of Remembrance in the Peace Tower at Ottawa is displayed each year on February 20th and includes the name of Private Charles Gilchrist Gunn.    He is buried at the Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery, Hautot-Sur-Mer  in France.

Found on Newspapers.com
Charlie's older brother Jack was also in WW2 in the Royal Canadian Artillery. He worked at a car dealership before the war and married Lillian Ann Nichols on June 29, 1946.   Jack worked as a warehouseman after the war and joined the West Kildonan Fire Department where he eventually became the  first Fire Prevention Officer. Jack joined the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders during the 1950 Winnipeg flood and then took up the pipes as well.  He remained with the Cameron Reserves until he was forced to retire at age 55.   (Thanks to Jack and Lillian's daughter Lynn for helping with details for this blog post.)  The only daughter of Donald and Louie, Muriel, married Robert Arthur Nichols (brother to Lillian) on May 18, 1946.  The picture below is of curly headed Muriel sitting on the shoulders of her cousin Alex Milne during a visit to Hargrave, MB.

The 1953 voters list has Donald and Louie at 264 Belmont Avenue and their niece Violet Halls lived with them at that time and worked as a stenographer.  On April 30, 1975 , Donald Gunn passed away in Winnipeg.  At that time, Louie survived him and was living at 260 Templeton Avenue.  Louisa died in 1980 and is buried at Kildonan Presbyterian.
I wonder if any of these unidentified photos below from my Grandma's trunk , who was Louie's niece, are connected to the Gunns. Any information from readers would be most welcome.  

Isabella "Tibbie" Milne Hall (1888-1987)

Isabella Milne was born in Scotland in 1888, seventh of nine children of John Milne and Ann Robertson, who were my ggrandparents. A daughter-in-law of her sister Helen recalls hearing that Isabella worked as a nanny at Grant's Castle in Scotland at one time. I am guessing it was Castle Grant which is located just southwest of their hometown of Keith and is pictured below.  There's a YouTube video of the inside of it here and a second part here.

Isabella Milne came to Canada with her father John and younger sister Louisa aboard the Ionian in 1911. Sister Mamie and her husband Charles Duguid accompanied them as well. Isabella was affectionately nicknamed "Tibbie" by her family.  They all settled in Brandon, Manitoba where she no doubt first met and fell in love with her future husband, Charles Frederick Hall.  They were married on the 10th of July in 1912 in Brandon.

A daughter-in-law of her sister Helen tells me that Fred worked for C.N. Railway and one of his jobs included having to ride at the front of a plow to clear the tracks after a snowfall.  He was never injured doing this dangerous job and worked there for many years. The Halls had two children, a girl Violet (1913-1995) and a boy John , also known as Jack (1918-2011).  My Grandma wrote in a list of gifts that "Uncle Fred and Aunt Bella" gave her bath towels a for a wedding gift in 1927. Her cousins Violet and Jack gave her a pair of vases.  

Using the 1940 Voter's List found online at Ancestry.ca, the family was found at 845-6th Street in Brandon. Fred is listed as a section man for the C.N.R., John is a  B & B laborer, Violet a stenographer, and Isabella at home. This is just down the street from her sister Mamie and her husband Charles Duguid and where her father had lived as well until he died in 1934.

By 1962, Jack was married to a woman named Jessie and they lived at 846 -8th street, according to the Voter's List.  Jack's occupation is a switch foreman.  He and Jessie had one daughter.  John (Jack) died at age 92 in August of 2011 in Winnipeg and his online photo gallery is here.  This wedding photo below of Jack and Jessie Hall was given to his cousin, my Grandma Frances Milne Kinnaird.

Fred and Tibbie retired to 113 Smith Street in Winnipeg in 1968 as was found in the clipping from the Brandon Sun's June 1 edition of that year. 

Fred Hall died in Winnipeg 1973 and Tibbie in 1987.  They are buried along with Violet who died in 1995, in Brandon Cemetery.

If any readers have any additional or correcting information about the Hall family or a photo to share, I would love to include it.  Please comment below or email me at ssimms@escape.ca