New Year

Happy 2020!

Now that 2019 has come to a close, I am proud to say that I managed to complete my version of the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge. Instead of following the given themes, however, my main objective was to try to get a new post up every week.

For the new year, I will try to do the same, but of late I haven't been all that successful in keeping up so I will see how long it goes.

Profile: Lewis Dyer and Fanny Sophia Williams

Profiles: Lewis Dyer [1838-1906] & Fanny Sophia Williams [1853-1924]

Lewis Dyer was born 30 January 1838 in Devonshire, England [D04846, D04848, D04885]. He immigrated to Canada and worked as a dry goods clerk, initially in Uxbridge, Ontario [D04846, D04847, D05263].

Fanny Sophia Williams was born 27 Mar 1853 in Guelph, Wellington, Canada West [D04846, D04848, D04849]. She was the daughter of Isaac Amos Williams and Caroline Seymour Sanders.

She grew up in Guelph [D03763], but later moved with her family to Mount Forest, Wellington [D03788] and then later Port Perry, Ontario County [D04846] where she met Lewis. The two were married on 11 July 1875 in Port Perry, Ontario [D04846]. As a couple, they first lived in Uxbridge, but later moved to Lindsay in Victoria County [D04848].

Lewis and Fanny had two children, Ethel Verena Seymour Dyer, born 23 Mar 1880 [D05265] and George Harold Lewis Dyer born 26 November 1884 [D05884].

Lewis died 2 May 1906 in Toronto at the age of sixty-eight [D04855] of apoplexy. After Lewis died, Fanny moved in with her daughter and son-in-law [D05268]. She herself died 23 July 1924 at the age of seventy-one [D04849]. They are both buried in St. James Cemetery in Toronto [D04849, D04854]


Sources
[D03763] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Wellington, Guelph, p. 31; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 20 May 2018). Rec. Date: 5 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 20 May 2018.

[D03788] 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, district 35, sub-district e, Mount Forest, p. 49, dwelling 173, family 173; RG 31; digital images(accessed 20 May 2018). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 20 May 2018.

[D04846] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, Reel 18: 339, 6765, Dyer-Williams; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages,"(accessed 26 Dec 2018).

[D04847] 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 133, sub-district J, Uxbridge, p. 46, dwelling 218, family 229; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 17 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D04848] 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, district 120, sub-district C-8, Lindsay, p. 8, family 82; RG 31; digital images(accessed 27 Dec 2018).

[D04849] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS940 Reel 16: 2099; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D04854] St James Cemetery (Toronto, York, Ontario), C Ravine. Rec. Date: 27 Dec 2018. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D04855] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS940, Reel 5: 1269; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D04885] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS940, Reel 5: 1269; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (27 Dec 2018).

[D05263] 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 102, Uxbridge, p. 30, family 152; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry (accessed 27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 30 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D05265] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS929, Reel 44: 452, 23008, 19; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 21 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D05268] 1921 census of Canada, district 142, sub-district 14, Toronto, p. 24, dwelling 105, family 131; RG 31; digital images, ancestry.com (accessed 27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 1 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D05448] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS 929 Reel 1-245: 590, 35359, 31; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (5 Feb 2019). Rec. Date: 21 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 3 Feb 2019.

Profile: Gabriel Williams (1825-1854)

Gabriel Williams [1825-1854]

Gabriel Williams was born in 1825 [D00029, D01459, D01530] in Gloucester, England, the son of Thomas Williams (ca. 1792 – 1868) and Sibyl Foxwell (1798-1874). He was the fourth child and second son of the couple.

Gabriel grew up in Minchinhampton, Gloucester. The Williams family moved to Liverpool in the 1830s and when Gabriel was old enough to begin working, he followed in his father’s footsteps into the clothing industry and worked as a hatter’s assistant in Liverpool [D01530].

The Williams family emigrated to Canada West in the early 1840s and first settled in Orillia, Simcoe County but eventually relocated to Guelph, Wellington County. Thomas Williams set up a business as a brewer in Guelph and like his brothers, Gabriel worked as a brewer as part of his father’s business [D04688].

Sadly, Gabriel died 22 May 1854 at the age of 29 years and was buried on 26 May 1854 [D01459].



Sources
[D00029] (Minchinhampton, Gloucester, England), "Baptism Record - Gabriel Williams," Batch No C049002; Dates 1813 - 1875; Source Call no; 0857041; FHL microfilm.

[D01459] "Deaths," Guelph Mercury, 25 may 1854; digital images, Ancestry.ca (ancestry.ca : accessed 9 Jun 2018)

[D01530] 1841 census of England, Liverpool, Lancashire, folio 45, page 37; digital images(accessed 6 May 2018); citing PRO HO 107/559/15.

[D04688] Canada. Ontario. Wellington. Assessment Roll for the Town of Guelph, 1853. Guelph Public Library, Guelph. Guelph Public Library, Guelph. Guelph Public Library, Guelph.

Profile: Private George Wilfred “Fred” Smith (1888-1918)

For Week 4 of the 52 Ancestors Challenge, I'm going off theme

---

George Wilfred “Fred” Smith [1888-1918]

George Wilfred Smith (or Fred Smith as he was later known) was born 5 September 1887, the son of Adam Smith and Kate Julianna Williams and the twin brother of Charles Smith [D04795]. Like his brothers and sisters, he was born in the family home in Eugenia Falls [D04832]. He spent his early years in Eugenia Falls and for a time worked as a sawmill operator [D04736].

Fred enlisted on 22 September 1914, just shortly after World War One began [D04976]. He was one of the very first from the area to enlist [D04864]. Upon enlisting, he joined the 15th Battalion and was made a private in Company D, regimental number 27543 [D04976] [D05062].



Fred trained with the battalion for a few months and sailed over to Europe to join the rest of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces in France. In April of 1915, he fought in the battle of St. Julien which was part of the larger second battle of Ypres and one of the first occasions that the Germans used poison gas on the western front. Fred was one of the soldiers gassed and taken prisoner in that battle on April 24, 1915 [D04976, D04864].

Fred spent most of the war in a German prisoner-of-war camp. Despite living in less-than-favourable conditions he kept his spirits up and wrote many letters home to his family. His letters home were usually quite cheerful despite his circumstances [D04830, D04865, D04836].

Fred wrote the letter below to his twin brother Charlie on May 1, 1916 from his prison camp in Germany. It was very likely never read by Charlie as it probably arrived after he had died.

Langensalza, Germany.
May 1, 1916

Dear Brother Charlie:

You can certainly believe that I was glad to get your letter and to read that you and the rest are well. Hope that the warm weather will help father and Uncle Sidney to enjoy better health. The weather is nice and warm here just now and we have a football team so we have that way to cheer us up a little.

Well, how many eggs did you get away with on Easter? I got some for 20 pfennings, or 4e. I had about a dozen Easter week. We have not been getting our letters regular on account of changing camp. Hope it will be better soon. The camp Orrdrufs was taken for convalescent camp. Oh, say! Some one sent me a parcel of underwear, chiclets, magazine, pipe and can of veal and ham and I wish you to thank them in the Montreal paper as the address is blurred so I can't answer and thank them and if it was not intended for me tell that I am sorry. I will put my address on the back of this [sheet?]

Well, Charlie, I do hope this awful old war will soon be over and may God bless and keep you all spiritually and physically, lovingly yours, brother Fred.

P.S. - Give my love to father and mother.

Address - Kriegsgefangenen Laegar, Langensalza, Germany [D04868]

In September of 1916 a letter was received from Fred, written from his prison camp in Germany thanking the Eugenia Women’s Institutes for the boxes of comforts sent to him [D04910].

In February of 1917, a letter was received from Fred in Germany thanking his many friends for the many little comforts they have sent him [D04912].

In May of 1917, Kate received a letter from Fred from his prison camp in Germany. The letter included a photo to show that he was still in good health [D04913].

In June of 1917, Kate received another letter from Fred in Germany stating that he was ill, but a second letter arriving in July indicated that he was feeling well again [D04916].

In the fall of 1917, Fred was freed from the prisoner-of-war camp as part of a prisoner exchange. He was sent to a hospital in Switzerland [D04864, D05025 p404].

In the summer of 1918, Fred wrote a letter home from Switzerland under the pseudonym “Old Bill”. The letter was published in the Flesherton Advance, June 13, 1918. Having seen many atrocities and feeling the effects of having been involved in the war for almost four years, he wrote the anonymous letter as a call for anyone who was able to help out with the war effort.

Dear Sir, - Having head through a certain source that you would be pleased to get a letter from anyone in the army, I determined to immediately send you one. I would like it to be one that would bring good results. You see it is with an eye to the interests of the good old flag that I am writing this at all.

What I am going to say relates to manpower, as they say today. Is it possible for Canada to send many more men to the army? Can the women of Canada do any more than they are doing to allow of more men joining up? If not, do they not realise what they owe the army for protecting them against German Militarism? But then, if only all men would only try to imagine what their feelings would be just supposing that all men were slackers and that Germans were in possession of Canada, why everyone medically fit at all would insist on going to the front. Just imagine for a moment our women and children undergoing the horrible treatment the inhuman outrages and insults as the unfortunate Belgians received. It's up to every man who is physically able to do his utmost and the women's duty to see that every man available shall go, as they are doing in "Blighty." No one knows better than I do for experience (I believe that old saying) is the best teacher. If there is anyone who does not believe that, I advise them to try only one month in Germany. So you see, the prospect of being under German rule during a life time (if you don't like to think of any one else) would not be very pleasant, would it? Yours till 1920 or the end of the war.

- Old Bill
[D04894]

In July of 1918, Adam and Kate were waiting to hear word about Fred’s return. Unfortunately, the message that they received was not at all what they were expecting because on 27 July 1918, Kate Smith received news by cable that her son Fred had died in Concert, Switzerland. No further details were given at that time. [D04865, D04921]



Fred’s mother, Kate received a letter later in August 1918 from Switzerland. In the letter, one who had attended Fred’s funeral in Switzerland had indicated that he had died in hospital of influenza [D04919]. Later correspondence confirmed that he had died on 22 August 1918 at the age of 30 at a hospital in Switzerland due to influenza [D04839]. This must have come as a surprise to the family, as they had no idea that he had been in such a serious condition [D04830, D04865, D04836]. The last letter that they had received from him was written on June 15th and he seemed to be in good health at the time [D04864].

Back in Eugenia Falls a memorial service was held on Sunday September the 8th at noon in the Eugenia Presbyterian Church [D04920, D04921]. Rev. McVicar performed the service and the church was overflowing with community members, including a large number of Fred’s fellow Orangemen [D04921]. Many people in the town came to help the Smith family deal with the tragedy as this loss represented their third son to have been lost in two years after Charlie drowned and Emerson was killed in 1917 [D04830, D04865, D04836].

Fred’s remains were buried in Vevey Cemetery in Switzerland. The cemetery is also known as St. Martin’s Cemetery. The inscription reads “He is not dead, just gone before” [D04839]. A funeral service was held for him in Switzerland. He is also commemorated in Flesherton Cemetery along with other members of the family [D04351].



After the war, Fred’s mother was a big part of ensuring that a war memorial was set up in Eugenia Park to commemorate the fallen soldiers from the area, including her two sons. The memorial was officially dedicated on 21 July 1921 and list both Fred and his brother Emerson [D05025 p 401 & 402].

Sources
[D04351] Flesherton Cemetery (Flesherton, Grey, Ontario).

[D04736] 1911 census of Canada, Ontario, district 72, sub-district 4, Eugenia, p. 7, dwelling 70, family 70; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com (accessed 20 Oct 2018).

[D04795] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS929; Reel: 81: 309, 9796, 32; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (25 Oct 2018).

[D04830] "Private Fred Smith Dead in Switzerland," Grey County Surname Collection, 1918; digital images(accessed 17 Nov 2018), Grey County Surname Collection.

[D04836] "Private Fred Smith Died in Switzerland," Grey County Surname Collection, 1918; digital images(accessed 17 Nov 2018), Grey County Surname Collection.

[D04864] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, 1 Aug 1918, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 9 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04865] "Private Fred Smith Dead in Switzerland," Flesherton Advance, August 1, 1918, p. 2, col. 3; digital images(accessed 17 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04868] "A Letter From Germany," Flesherton Advance, July 6, 1916, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 17 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04894] "Ole Bill Writes From Switzerland," Flesherton Advance, June 13 1918, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 18 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04910] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, September 7, 1916, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 18 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04912] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, February 22 1917, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04913] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, 31 May 1917, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04916] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, 26 July 1917, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04919] "Eugenia Paragraphs," Flesherton Advance, 22 Aug 1918, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04920] "Eugenia," Flesherton Advance, 5 Sep 1918, p. 1, col. 1; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04921] "Eugenia," Flesherton Advance, 12 Sep 1918, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 24 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D04976] Canada, "Service Record Card - Fred Smith"; digital images, 48th Highlanders Museum (http://48highlanders.com/04_03.html : accessed 10 Nov 2018).

[D05025] Mildred Young Hubbert, editor, Split Rail Country: A History of Artemesia Township (Owen Sound, Ontario: Stan Brown Printers Limited, 1986)

[D05062] Canadian Expeditionary Forces Fifteenth Battalion, Nominal Roll of Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men (Ottawa: Government Printing Bureau, 1915), 13.

Update on the 52 Week Challenge

I've done 3 posts so far as part of the 52 ancestors challenge. I am planning to continue with the challenge, but I am going to change things up a bit.

For one thing, I'm finding it difficult to keep with the themes of the challenge and also stay focused on the families that I am currently working on. So, I'll continue writing ancestor profiles; they just may not meet with the theme of that week.

Also, it's getting a little much to post two blogposts each week: one profile for the challenge plus the regular X-Files posts. So I'm going to aim for about one post per week. Which means that the profiles will likely get posted after the week of the challenge.

So there you have it. I'll continue the goal of one ancestor profile per week, but they may not follow the weekly themes and they may likely appear after the challenge week.

Profile: Pytches Clement Rust-D'Eye (1838-1898)

The next theme for the 52 Ancestors Challenge is "Unusual Name". So, for this one I'm going for Pytches Clement Rust-D'Eye. He has both an unusual first name and last name. Any time I come across a record with the name "Pytches Clement Rust-D'Eye" I never have to worry about whether or not I have the right person.

On a side note, at one time I wondered where the name "Pytches" came from. As I got along further in my research, I found that it was actually a family surname. In fact, it helped in indentifying which couple was the correct one when I saw that the wife had the surname "Pytches"

---

Pytches Clement Rust-D'Eye (1838-1898)
2nd great grand-uncle

Pytches was born Pytches Clement Rust on 1 November, 1838 in Hastings, Sussex England (the family later changed their surname to "Rust-D'Eye" in 1852). He was the son of Edgar Rust, Rector of Drinkstone, Suffolk and Ann Dioness D'Eye [D00166]. He was baptized on 13 November, 1838 and his father performed the baptism [D00166].

He spent his early years growing up in Hastings, Sussex [D01513, D01622]. After his father died in 1852 he moved to Norfolk and at the time of the 1861 census he was living on his brother George Hastings Rust's farm. He was listed as being a landed proprietor and so was living off of his land holdings at the time [D01586].

He was shown again as living on his brother's farm in 1871 [D01556], but had moved out and started his own farm in Gisleham, Suffolk by 1881 [D01363]. Pytches' brother George emigrated to Canada in 1882 but some of the family remained in England, including their daughter Evelyn. Evelyn was staying with her uncle Pytches in 1891 [D00782].

He remained a farmer in Gisleham, Suffolk until his death on 21 July 1898 [D01985]. He never married. He was buried 25 July 1898 in the cemetery of Holy Trinity Anglican church of Gisleham, Suffolk [D02639].

Sources:
[D00166] St Clements (Hastings, Sussex, England), "Baptism Record - Pytches Clement Rust"; FHL microfilm 1,061,077.

[D00782] 1891 census of England, Gisleham, Suffolk, England, folio 26, page 12, 38; digital images, Ancestry, Ancestry.ca (accessed 15 Oct 2017); citing PRO RG 12/1490.

[D01363] 1881 census of England, Gisleham, Suffolk, folio 26, page 10, 2; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry.ca (accessed 13 Jan 2019); citing PRO RG 11/1900.

[D01513] 1841 census of England, Hastings, Sussex, folio 19, page 2, Rust, Edgar; digital images; citing PRO HO 107/1107/5.

[D01513] 1861 census of England, Watton, Norfolk, folio 135, page 20, 110; digital images(accessed 13 Jan 2019); citing PRO RG 9/1238.

[D01556] 1871 census of England, Watton, Norfolk, folio 128, page 13, 61; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestra.ca (accessed 13 Jan 2019); citing PRO RG 10/1842.

[D01622] 1851 census of England, Hastings, Sussex, England, folio 260, page 49, 201; digital images(accessed 12 Jan 2019); citing PRO HO 107/1635.

[D01985] England and Wales, death certificate for Pytches Clement Rust-D'Eye, died 21 July 1898; citing 04a/623/46, S quarter 1898, Mutford registration district, Kessingland sub-district; General Register Office, Southport.

[D02639] Holy Trinity Anglican (Gisleham, Suffolk, England), England, Select Deaths and Burials, "Burial Record - Pytches Clement Rust-D'Eye," 377; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry.ca (accessed 13 Jan 2019).

Profile: Margaret Farriage

The next installment of the 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks challenge is "Challenge". For this one I'm choosing to profile one of my ancestors who is proving to be one of the biggest challenges to find anything on: Margaret Farriage.

---

Profile: Margaret Farriage [? - about 1834]
4x great-grandmother

It's difficult to put together a profile for someone when you know next to nothing about them. The sources I have for my 4x great-grandmother are very few. You can read more about what I have and have not been able to find by searching for past blog posts using the X00055 tag.

Here's a brief rundown of what I do know about her:

• She married George Miller, carriage maker on Oct 25, 1832 in Toronto Township (now Peel Region). Church not known [D00800].
• At the time of her marriage was living in Nelson Township (now Burlington, Ontario) [D00800]
• The only source that I have found that gives her full name is from the Marriage Bonds of Upper Canada p 239 [D00800]. I have found no other occurrence of the surname Farriage in Upper Canada around that time. I have checked the taxation records for Nelson Township around that time and found no occurrences of the name. I suspect that the surname may have been incorrectly recorded by the scribe.
• She appears to have given birth to two sons, John born about 1833 and William born 10 May 1834. I don't have sources identified at this time to confirm John Miller's birth, it is more based on family lore. John and William may have been twins. William Miller's Marriage Records lists his parents as George & Margaret Miller [D01116]. No maiden name given.
• She likely died some time between May 10 1834 (likely date of birth for William Miller) and Dec 9 1835 (likely date when George Miller married Amelia Grant Munro). The family would have been living in either Nelson Township or Cooksville at the time.
• According to the 1891 Census, she is of Scottish origin [D00772] based on William Miller's information provided. That being said, this was several years after she had died and William Miller would have been very young when she died.

So, not much to go on. I have a marriage date, and a location of where she was living at the time. A date range for a date of death. But no date of birth and as mentioned previously, I'm not even entirely sure about the surname. It also doesn't help that this is a time period in Upper Canada from when there are very few surviving records.

My latest option that I am pursuing is that her surname was actually Farrier, as I there were a couple of families with that surname living in Nelson Township in the 1830s. But nothing positive yet. Solving this case may need to involve DNA.

Sources:
[D00772] 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 68, sub-district Owen Sound River Ward, Owen Sound, p. 26, family 107; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry (accessed 14 Oct 2017).

[D00800] Canada, Upper and Lower Canada, 23: 2956, Miller-Farriage, 1831-10-25; digital images, Library and Archives Canada, Library and Archives Canada (accessed 11 Nov 2017).

[D01116] Ontario, Ontario County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869, Wellington County: 9, Miller-Hardy, 1857; digital images, FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch .

Profile: Private Emerson Claude Smith (1881-1917)

I've decided to start off 2019 by taking Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. I don't know how far I'll get with it, but I figure it will help start the process of writing and documenting the research that I've found so far.

Each week there is a theme to get you going on choosing an ancestor to profile. For week one, the theme is "First". So, I've decided to profile a First World War soldier. I've been doing some work on the Smith family of Eugenia Falls and so for this week, I'm going to profile Private Emerson Claude Smith.

Private Emerson Claude Smith (1881-1917)
2nd cousin, 3 times removed



Emerson Claude Smith was born 13 October 1881 in Eugenia Falls, Grey County, Ontario Canada, the son of Adam Smith, a blacksmith, and Kate Julianna Williams [D04797, D04735, D04798]. He spent most of his early years in Eugenia Falls, Grey County, Ontario but did work for a number of years in Edmonton, Alberta [D04861]. He did not fallow his father into the blacksmith trade, but instead became a woodworker for a period of time. [D04736]

Emerson enlisted to fight in World War 1 in Owen Sound on 14 December 1915 [D04906, D04798, D04799], about fifteen months after his younger brother, Fred enlisted. His attestation papers give a physical description of him as being 5 ft, 8 inches in height, 165 pounds with blue eyes, fair hair and fair complexion. He had a scar on his right knee [D04798]. His attestation also gives his occupation prior to enlisting as a chauffeur [D04798].

Upon enlisting, Emerson was assigned service no 838414 and assigned to the 147th (Grey) Battalion which began recruiting in late 1915 [D04799].

After training for almost a year, the 147th sailed on the SS Olympic to England, departing on 13 November 1916 and arriving on November 21st [D04799]. Emerson was transferred to the 8th Reserve Battalion on 1 January 1917 and then on April 1st to the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles Battalion [D04799]. His unit landed in France April 22nd and he was reported as having arrived for duty on April 27th [D04799].

Sadly, Emerson was killed in action on 7 June 1915 at the age of 36. He died at Vimy Ridge, after being in France for only about two months. [D05025 p405, D04861, D04799]. He was buried at Petit Vimy on the slope of Vimy Ridge [D05025 p405, D04861].



Emerson’s mother, Kate Julianna Smith was given the memorial cross for losing her son [D04799]. She may have also received some consolation in a letter that Emerson wrote to her just before his death. The letter in included the following passage that seems to indicate that he was comfortable with whatever fate lay in store for him:

"I am not just as good as I might be, but I am going to try very hard to lead a better life. Do not worry too much about me, because God will bring me through safely if He sees fit." [D04805]

The Smith family printed this memorial in the Flesherton Advance 6 June 1918 in his memory:

In Memory Of Pte. Emerson Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Smith, Eugenia, killed in battle June 7, 1917.
Somewhere in France, near the long battle line,
Stands a cross on the grave of that dear son of mine.
He suffered, he died, that his country might live.
Paid the full price, gave all that could give.
Through he lies far from home, over the sea,
I shall meet him again in the life that's to be.
- Father, Mother, Sisters, Brother.[D04863]

After the war, Emerson’s mother was a big part of ensuring that a war memorial was set up in Eugenia Park to commemorate the fallen soldiers from the area, including her two sons. The memorial was officially dedicated on 21 July 1921 and list both Emerson and his brother Fred. [D05025 p 401 & 402]




Sources:
[D04735] 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, district 66, sub-district A-5, Artemesia, p. 14, dwelling 126, family 126; RG 31; digital images(accessed 15 Oct 2018).

[D04736] 1911 census of Canada, Ontario, district 72, sub-district 4, Eugenia, p. 7, dwelling 70, family 70; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com (accessed 20 Oct 2018).

[D04797] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS929; Reel: 48: 8357, 26; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (25 Oct 2018).

[D04798] Canada, "WWI CEF Attestation Papers, 1914-1918," Attestation Papers: Emerson Claude Smith; digital images, Ancestry.ca(accessed 11 Nov 2018).

[D04799] Canada, "Emerson Claude Smith WW1 Military Service Record"; digital images, Library and Archives Canada(accessed 27 Dec 2018).

[D04805] "Claude Emerson Smith," Flesherton Advance, 16 Aug 1917, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 2 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspapers.

[D04863] "In Memory," Flesherton Advance, 6 Jun 1918, p. 1, col. 2; digital images(accessed 2 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspapers.

[D04906] "Eugenia Soldiers," Flesherton Advance, 30 Mar 1916, p. 3, col. 2; digital images(accessed 10 Nov 2018), Grey Highlands Newspaper Collection.

[D05025] Mildred Young Hubbert, editor, Split Rail Country: A History of Artemesia Township (Owen Sound, Ontario: Stan Brown Printers Limited, 1986),