In memory of...

When we were in Scotland I took a lot of pictures of cemetery headstones, especially in Closeburn and Dumfries.

Most of the images I got were of Kirkpatrick family members’ stones, but occasionally I found ones that stirred my imagination. Some even moved me to tears, such as this poignant story.

You can’t read it all, but here is what it says:

In Memory of
Bridget, wife of Thomas Wilkin,
Surgeon, who died on the 12th December 1840
aged 40 years
Also Robert their son, who died
21st February 1831 aged 1 year and 4 months
Also James Pennington their son,
who died 24th October 1839 aged 1 year
Also Mary their daughter, who died
1st February 1833 aged 9 days
Also Catherine Mary their daughter, who died
at Kendal 20th July 1854 aged 20 years
And Amy their eldest daughter,
wife of Henry F. Bainbridge,
who died in Liverpool 27th September 1871
aged 46 years
Also the above Thomas Wilkin,
who died in Suffolk 16th February 1873
aged 72 years

“Looking unto Jesus”

Imagine the heartache this family must have endured…

“Amongst the Kirkpatricks, from earliest times, ‘Roger’ and ‘Ivone’ were favourite and common names. In our family there were only two ‘Johns’; one lost amidst the mists of the past, though figuring in the Ragman’s Roll.

“In later generations, few of the eldest sons escaped being called ‘Thomas’, thereby causing confusion amongst their descendants when trying to distinguish them.

“These ancestors of ours not only married two or three times, but in those days of large families, there were often two of a name, where one child having died, the parents christened a later arrival with the same name.

“In Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe’s family, there were two Isabellas, one John William and one William John!

“He has pointed out that a ‘nephew’ was frequently alluded to as a ‘grandson.’

“All these complications seem designed to tease antiquarians.”

“Finally, a theological authority has pointed out to me that the big Oxford dictionary has a long article on the derivation of the word ‘Kirk’; and it decides that it must come from the Greek word ‘Kyriakon’, meaning ‘the Lord’s (house)’. Jameson’s Scottish dictionary states this is generally accepted.

“In our earliest charters the name is often spelt Kyrkepatric.”

Interesting!

Nana with "Bumpy" - Frank and Annie Salter

Nana lived to be just one month shy of her 103rd birthday. My dad (her nephew) tells me she was already over 100 when he saw her at a family reunion, eating and laughing and yakking it up with kin, happy as a clam.

Wow.

Her great age, which she attributed to taking a spoonful of kerosene every day(!), was impressive by itself, but her start in life is even more interesting. Born in a time when incubators and neonatal ICUs were still far in the future, she was a preemie twin who miraculously beat the odds.

When I was at the Ashcroft Museum recently, I was amazed to find this undated article, possibly from the Ashcroft Journal:

A kitchen oven was turned into a makeshift incubator when Annie Salter was born more than a century ago, several months premature and weighing a little over one pound.

Neonatal technology was still decades away when her grandmother wrapped tiny Annie in cotton cloth, laid her in a cigar box and popped her in the warm oven with the door open.

“It was quite the miracle,” said Salter’s daughter Kae Larson of the remarkable survival in a rural home in 19th-century Dog Creek, BC.

Incredibly, Salter’s mother had miscarried a twin about three months earlier.

Nana as a young woman

The oldest of 11 children, Salter, now 102, was born March 23, 1896 and spent much of her life caring for and feeding others.

First it was her siblings. After she married Frank Salter Dec. 25, 1917, there were her own two children and often several young members of her extended family all living under the same roof.

Sometimes Salter worked as camp cook in the southern Alberta oilfields where her husband toiled.

She couldn’t stand to see anyone go hungry. During the ’30s Depression, she would cook up a huge, hearty stew every Sunday and invite in a dozen or more unemployed oilfield workers, recalled Larson.

“She always said the reason she got married on Christmas Day was that was the one day of the year she knew there would be plenty of food on the table,” said Larson, sitting beside her mother’s wheelchair in the Capital Care Grandview nursing home, 6215 124… [page cut off].

What a gal. Over and over I read stories of the hearty, hard-working, humorous Kirkpatrick women and it makes me so proud.

Nana’s obituary was also included on the photocopied sheet I found:

SALTER, Annie
March 23, 1896 – February 21, 1999

On February 21, 1999 Annie Salter of Edmonton passed away.

Leaving to mourn her loss her daughter and son-in-law, Kae and Ken Larson of Edmonton; daughter-in-law, Pat Salter of Calgary; eight grandchildren, Alec (Anne) Deeves of Calgary, Ronald (Dede) Larson of Singapore, Melody (Dave) Livingston of Grande Cache, Mavis (Ray) Berard of St. Albert, Donna of Edmonton, Dawn Giles of Cobble Hill, B.C., Darlene Bell of Blackie, Alberta and Denise (Darcy) Anderson of Calgary, along with 21 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Frank in April 1983; grandson, Barry Deeves 1988; son, Jim 1994; parents, Jim and Emma Kirkpatrick; five sisters and five brothers.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 27, 1999 at 2:30 p.m. at Evergreen Funeral Chapel, 16204 Fort Road, Edmonton (1/2 mile east of Manning Drive on 167 Avenue – 1/4 mile south on the old Fort Road), with interment in Evergreen Memorial Gardens. Reverend Hart Cantelon officaiting. Special thanks to the staff of Capital Care Grandview. If friends so desire, in lieu of floral tributes, memorials may be made to Capital Care Grandview in care of the Capital Care Foundation 500, 9925 – 109 Street, Edmonton, T5K 2J8. Evergreen Funeral Chapel (Telephone: 472-9019).

Nana was quite a character and I do have more things I plan to post about her in future.

Home of family history galore

When I was on a recent road trip, I finally got the chance to do something I’ve been meaning to do for years. I stopped in at the Ashcroft Museum (in beautiful downtown Ashcroft, British Columbia).

Kathy, the lady who works there, was so kind and helpful and I enjoyed chatting with her about family connections – the Kirkpatricks and the Felkers and other kin in the area. We even found out we have a tentative family tie – it’s several times removed and by marriage, but still…

I got to photocopy a lot of stuff. Some of it raised as many questions as it answered. For instance, Kathy’s records seem to state that Litta and Mary were two different people (sisters), but I thought Great Uncle Sam had said they were one and the same and that Litta changed her name to Mary when she married a certain fellow. Now there’s a good story to try to dig up some dirt on if ever there was one!

Even the Grand Ol' Opry had to start somewhere, right?

Directly across the street from the museum is the Ashcroft Opera House. The Kirkpatrick Family Orchestra played there many times. Even Great Uncle Sam himself played there.

Ashcroft was also home of the Kirkpatrick Restaurant. An ad in an unidentified newspaper (probably the Ashcroft Journal) is dated February 3, 1900 and reads:

RESTAURANT! Next door to Cargile Hotel. Open day and night. Meals 25c. J. D. Kirkpatrick.

That would be James Douglas Kirkpatrick, no doubt. Some day I’m going to write about ol’ James and his amazing wife Emma (Bowe). The timing of the ad is exactly right – James Douglas lived between 1867 to 1933.

Good ol' George Dawson of Ashcroft and Dawson Creek fame. (Click on image to view larger.)

As I was leaving I spotted an unexpected connection that is not family-related, but geographically. On the wall of the museum was this picture of George Dawson. Being from Dawson Creek, I recognized it immediately. The plaque above the picture of George explains the link to Ashcroft. So I guess Ashcroft and Dawson Creek have more ties than just Dawn-Ann Kirkpatrick!

There was so much cool stuff at the Ashcroft Museum that I have lots of blog material for some time to come now. Watch for letters from the war from Great Uncle Sam and a moving tale of the innovative farm “incubator” that one great aunt spent her first days in.

One interesting item I found was quite amusing. Read on:

RCMP News (June 27, 1968 P)
- I think the source of this was the Ashcroft Journal
Clifford Kirkpatrick was moving back to this area from Burnaby yesterday, to Cache Creek with a car and rental trailer. A four-year-old boy, Darcy Harris, was reported missing to Burnaby RCMP by his parents, and enquiries and search around the parents home revealed that the boy had been playing near where Mr. Kirkpatrick was loading furniture and somehow got into the trailer. The boy was found in the trailer at Cache Creek, safe and sound, wearing summer clothes.

I just love the last phrase. Like what he was wearing was any concern? Hee hee…

Now, I realize I’m probably just being a typical grandmother and most folks out there are bored with video of babies, but indulge me, please? I proud and I’m happy – that’s reason enough for posting. :)

So now, without further ado, my twin grandbabies (who, by the way, are Kirkpatrick descendants)!

Who knew our Sir Thomas was such a fashion plate?

Getting geared up for the Calgary Stampede

I’m really lucky in that I get to see my Dedy fairly regularly, as he lives just a couple hours’ drive away. Occasionally he comes in for family gatherings and appointments and – even more occasionally – I go out to his town for Legion events and just to hang out camping.

This blog post serves no purpose but to let my Dedy know how much I appreciate him and am so glad he is part of my life. I believe we choose before we’re born who we will be spending our lifetimes with and I do believe I chose well.

So, happy Father’s Day, Dedy. I love you! :)