Genealogical Profile: George Forbes (1868–1951)

Genealogical Profile: George Forbes (1868–1951)



Early Life
George Forbes was born on 14 May 1868 in Woolwich, England, to James S. Forbes and Ellen Benson. Little is known about his early childhood, but he immigrated to Canada circa 1880, at the age of 12. This significant move marked the beginning of a life that would span vast distances and diverse occupations.

Religious and Family Life
George was a devoted Roman Catholic, with records of his faith appearing as early as 17 February 1887 in Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada. On 27 February 1897, George married Jane Louisa D’Eye at St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto. Their union was witnessed by James Forbes and Madeline D’Eye.

Together, George and Jane had three children:

1. George Edgar Augustine D'Eye Forbes (b. 1898)
2. James P. Basil Forbes (b. 1899)
3. Gertrude Ellen Forbes (b. 1901)

Sadly, Jane passed away on 20 January 1905, leaving George to raise their children.

Career
George’s professional life was as varied as his places of residence. He initially worked as a telegraph dispatcher in Toronto (1897) and later served as a train inspector in Edmonton, Alberta, by 1921. Over the years, George developed a long-standing career with the Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R.), working as an employee from 1885 to 1928 and holding roles such as dispatcher and train inspector. By the time of his retirement, his dedication to the railway industry was well-established.

In later years, George shifted careers, working as a fruit grower in Naramata, British Columbia by 1945, a region known for its thriving orchards and vineyards. His residence in Naramata reflects a quieter chapter of his life.

Residences and Travels

George’s life was characterized by frequent relocations. He lived in several Canadian provinces, including Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Notable residences included:

• 20 Ross Street, Toronto (1897)
• Suite 15 Leamington Mansion, Edmonton (1921)
• Naramata, British Columbia (from at least 1945 until his death)

George also traveled to Seattle, Washington, USA, on 20 December 1945, perhaps reflecting his ties to family, business, or leisure pursuits.

Later Years and Death
In his later years, George resided in British Columbia, where he lived for 23 years. At the time of his death, he had been living in Vancouver for four months at 1970 McNicoll Street. George Forbes passed away on 13 April 1951 in Vancouver due to chronic myocarditis and generalized arteriosclerosis. He was buried at the Ocean View Burial Parkin Burnaby, British Columbia, on 16 April 1951.

Legacy
George Forbes’s life tells a story of perseverance, faith, and adaptability. From his beginnings in Woolwich to his varied career and family life across Canada, George’s journey exemplifies the experience of many immigrants who contributed to the development of their adopted country. His commitment to family, work, and faith continues to be remembered by those who study his life and lineage.

Genealogical Profile: Jane Louisa D'Eye (1868-1905)

Genealogical Profile: Jane Louisa D'Eye (1868-1905)

Birth and Baptism Jane Louisa D'Eye was born on 20 March 1868 in Watton, Norfolk, England. She was baptized shortly after, on 24 March 1868, in her hometown [D01885].

Parents and Family Background Jane was the daughter of George Hastings Rust-D'Eye (1836-1885) and Henrietta Fox Addison (1838-1921). Her family’s lineage connects to English roots, with her father’s death in her teenage years marking a significant moment in her early life.

Early Life In 1871, Jane resided at Wick Lane, Watton, Norfolk, England, and was recorded as a scholar in the census. By 1881, she had moved to Market Place, Swaffham, Norfolk, England, where she was attending a ladies' school as a boarder, continuing her education.

Immigration to Canada On 13 May 1883, Jane immigrated to Canada, arriving in Quebec City, Quebec aboard the SS Oregon. This marked the ship’s second voyage with the Dominion Line. The journey began in Liverpool on 3 May 1883, with a stop in Belfast before crossing the Atlantic. The SS Oregon was a notable ship, launched in 1882 with accommodations for over 1,300 passengers, predominantly in third class. Jane's move to Canada was part of a significant wave of British migration during this period [D02319].

Religious Life Jane’s faith journey saw changes over time. Initially recorded as Church of England in the 1891 census while residing in Toronto Junction, York, Ontario, she converted to Roman Catholicism in February 1897, shortly before her marriage.

Marriage and Family Jane married George Forbes on 27 February 1897 at St. Michael's Cathedral, Toronto, York, Ontario [D01887, D07127]. The ceremony was officiated by Father James P. Tracey. The couple had three children:

1. George Edgar Augustine D'Eye Forbes (b. 1898)
2. James P. Basil Forbes (b. 1899)
3. Gertrude Ellen Forbes (b. 1901)

Life in Canada As a young wife and mother, Jane resided in Toronto Junction, where George worked as part of the C.P.R. dispatching office. Jane’s primary role during these years was that of a housewife, supporting her family.

Health and Death Jane battled phthisis (tuberculosis) and general exhaustion for two years before passing away on 20 January 1905 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada [D07120, D07122]. Her death was reported in the Calgary Herald on 24 January 1905, which noted her lingering illness and the subsequent transport of her remains to Toronto by her husband. She was 36 years old [D07122].

Historical Context and Legacy Jane’s life offers a glimpse into the experiences of young women migrating to Canada during the late 19th century. Her story of resilience, religious conversion, and early death reflects the challenges faced by many settlers during this era. Her descendants, through her three children, carried forward her legacy in Canada.

Conclusion Though Jane’s life was brief, her journey from Norfolk to Canada highlights a narrative of adaptation and endurance. Her story remains a testament to the lives of many women who left their homeland in search of new opportunities and contributed to the fabric of Canadian society.

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Sources:
[D01885] (Watton, Norfolk, England), Norfolk, England, Church of England Births and; digital images, ancestry.com

[D01887] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, MS932; Reel: 91: 121, 1368, Forbes-D'Eye; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages".

[D02319] Canada, "Passenger List - SS Oregon 1882"; C-4532 C-4532, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.

[D07120] Alberta Provincial Archives of Alberta, Alberta Canada Deaths Index, 1905: 227; digital image, "Alberta Deaths,".

[D07122] "Local and General," Calgary Herald, 24 Jan 1905, p. 8, col. 3; digital images, newspapers.com.

[D07127] (Ontario, Canada), Ontario, Canada, Roman Catholic Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, "Marriage - George Forbes and Jane D'Eye,"; digital images, FamilySearch.org.

X00120 Solved!!

I had posted previously about X00120 and the mystery of what happened to Jane Louise D'Eye and George Forbes after 1897.

In my previous post, I had found George's death certificate noting that he had died in British Columbia in 1951 [D07117]. I had also narrowed down Jane's date of death between 1901 and 1921, as I had found their daughter's baptism record in 1901 [D07119] and the 1921 census shows George as being a widower [D07118].

But I did some searching on newspapers.com and came across an article in the Calgary Herald dated 25 January 1905 that mentioned that the wife of George Forbes, a CPR employee had died recently [D07122].

The last Friday before January 25th 1905 was the 20th of January. I then checked the death indices for Alberta and found a death registration for a Jane Forbes who died 20 January 1905 [D07120].

So, mystery solved. It took researching in four provinces, two religions and two languages, but I have finally managed to trace Jane D'Eye after 1897. The article in the Herald indicates that her remains were shipped to Toronto and her death registration indicates that she was buried at an Anglican church. I haven't yet been able to track down which church at this point, but that's a mystery for another day.

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Sources:
[D07117] British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, death certificate 1951-09-004040 (1951), B13208; British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, Victoria. Rec. Date: 24 Jun 2018. Cit. Date: 17 Dec 2020.

[D07118] 1921 census of Canada, district 6, sub-district 83, Edmonton, p. 11, dwelling 132; RG 31; digital images, ancestry.com (accessed 17 Dec 2020). Rec. Date: 1 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 17 Dec 2020.

[D07119] Église Saint-Romuald (Farnham, Quebec, Canada), Drouin Collection, "Baptism - Gertrude Ellen Forbes," B.119; digital images, ancestry.ca (accessed 20 Dec 2020). Rec. Date: 20 Dec 2020. ID: D07119. Cit. Date: 20 Dec 2020.

[D07120] Alberta Provincial Archives of Alberta, Alberta Canada Deaths Index, 1905: 227; digital image, "Alberta Deaths," (19 Dec 2020).

[D07122] "Local and General," Calgary Herald, 24 Jan 1905, p. 8, col. 3; digital images, newspapers.com (accessed 19 Dec 2020).

X00120 What happened to Jane Louise D'Eye after 1897?

George Hastings Rust-D'Eye and Henrietta Fox Addison had thirteen children born between 1862 and 1881. So far, I've been able to trace what happened to all of them except for one of them: their fifth child, Jane Louise D'Eye, born in 1868.

Jane came to Canada in 1883 with the rest of the family [D02319]. I have found her Marriage record from 1897, indicating that she married George Forbes, a telegraph dispatcher for CPR [D01887].

But that is the last record that I have found for her. Nothing after that marriage. I haven't found either George or Jane in any census record or death record. At least until recently.

I had a new look on my tree on Ancestry and specifically at the hints for George Forbes (none of the hints for Jane Laura D'Eye were valid). There were a number of hints given for George Forbes, but it's hard to tell which ones are valid and which ones can be ruled out. This is partly because the name George Forbes isn't that uncommon, but also because working for the railway, it's likely that he moved around a lot so it's difficult to say where he could have been living at any given time.

There was one hint, however, that caught my attention, it was a passenger record showing a George Forbes living in Naramata B.C.[D07128]. So I thought that I'd check with the British Columbia death indexes to see if I could find that person. Sure enough there was a George Forbes who died 14 April 1951 living in Naramata, B.C. [D07117].

In the record, the year of birth matches, he's a dispatcher for the C.P.R. He's listed as a widower and his wife's name is given as Jane Louise D'Eye. So it's definitely the right person. Not only does this tell us what has happened with George Forbes, but we now know that Jane had passed by 1951. This gives us a date of death range between 1897 and 1951, which is still quite a wide range.

Another piece of information that the death record gives was that he was in the province twenty-three years prior to his death. So, this means that he would have been living outside of B.C. during the 1921 census. With that in mind I did some additional searching in the 1921 census and managed to find a George Forbes living in Edmonton in 1921 with his daughter Gertrude. The dates match, he is listed as a widower and he is listed as a CPR employee, so it is likely that this is the same George Forbes [D07118].

Gertrude E. Forbes is nineteen years old in the 1921 census, which puts her birth year at about 1902 and also notes that she was born in Quebec. I next checked the Quebec birth records and found a Gertrude E. Forbes born in Quebec in 1901, with her parents being listed as George Forbes and Jane Laura D'Eye [D07119].

So, no definite answers yet, but we can at least now pin down Jane Laura D'Eye's date of death between 1901 and 1921.

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Sources:
[D01887] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, MS932; Reel: 91: 121, 1368, Forbes-D'Eye; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages". Rec. Date: 9 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 17 Dec 2020.

[D02319] Canada, "Passenger List - SS Oregon 1882"; C-4532 C-4532, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa. Rec. Date: 17 Dec 2020. ID: D02319. Cit. Date: 17 Dec 2020.

[D07117] British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, death certificate 1951-09-004040 (1951), B13208; British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, Victoria. Rec. Date: 24 Jun 2018. Cit. Date: 17 Dec 2020.

[D07118] 1921 census of Canada, district 6, sub-district 83, Edmonton, p. 11, dwelling 132; RG 31; digital images, ancestry.com (accessed 17 Dec 2020). Rec. Date: 1 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 17 Dec 2020.

[D07119] Église Saint-Romuald (Farnham, Quebec, Canada), Drouin Collection, "Baptism - Gertrude Ellen Forbes," B.119; digital images, ancestry.ca (accessed 20 Dec 2020). Rec. Date: 20 Dec 2020. ID: D07119. Cit. Date: 20 Dec 2020.

[D07128] "Manifests of Alien Arrivals in the Seattle, Washington District," online images, ancestry.ca (accessed 20 Dec 2020), manifest, Nederland, 20 Dec 1945, 1207. Rec. Date: 20 Dec 2020. Cit. Date: 20 Dec 2020.