It’s December!! While it may be the month where Christmas is celebrated, it is also a month where we have some birthdays to celebrate.
So, to begin with, “Happy Birthday” to Tyler – the one and only birthday in December (that I can find so far)!
Now, let’s see who shares a December birthday. This is an extra special one as her birthday falls on Christmas day! Let me introduce you to Mary Irving Briggs.
Mary was born December 25, 1852, to Capt William James Irving and Elizabeth Jane Dixon. At the time of her birth, the Irving family was living on the east side of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.
In 1859, the Irving family, consisting of William, Elizabeth and four children (Mary, John, Susan and Lizzie), moved to Victoria, BC. In the early 1860s, William began work on a home in New Westminster, BC, which is now known as Irving House. In early 1965, the family loaded all their possessions onto one of Capt Irving’s vessels, the Onward, and steamed from Victoria to New Westminster.
During Mary’s early years in New Westminster, she attended St. Ann’s Academy, a Catholic girls’ school, along with her sister, Susan. An interesting fact here is that even though the Irvings were staunch supporters of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, St. Ann’s was highly regarded and the only ‘private’ school in the area.
Mary & Susan, ca 1872; Mary Irving – 1865, 1867 & 1868
As soon as Mary was old enough, both her and her sister, Susan, were sent to St. Helen’s Hall in Portland for their schooling (now called the Oregon Episcopal School). Further education was done at the Home Institute in San Francisco, again with Susan and with her brother, John.
At 20 years of age, Mary’s father, William, passed away suddenly in August 1872. The Irvings continued to live in their New Westminster home while Elizabeth raised the children over the next 13 years.
And herein lies my connection to the Irving branch of the Briggs family. In 1874, Mary Irving married Thomas Lasher Briggs on December 30th, just five days after her 22nd birthday. They were married by Reverend Robert Jamieson at Old St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in New Westminster.
After their marriage, Mary and Thomas moved to Victoria, where Thomas operated a wholesale hardware store. During the next five years, the Briggs family grew with the births of their first three children: William Irving, Henry Clarendon and John Alfred.
In the early 1880s, the Briggs family of five, moved back to New Westminster, to Mary’s girlhood home (Irving House) which they had purchased at a public auction held by her brother, John, on October 3, 1884. During their residence, they called their home, “Hollymount”.
The Briggs family grew further with the births of six more children: Beryl Dixon, Thomas Albert (my great-grandfather), Naomi Spencer, Stanley Kingston, Manuella Octavia and Errol Chandler.
In the book, “Irving House: A Family History”, authored by Archie Miller (previous curator of Irving House), he writes:
“Mary and Thomas Briggs were prominent figures in New Westminster society, and after Thomas’ death on November 27, 1920, Mary remained active in the community. She was a member of the Governor Seymour Chapter Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E.), the Women’s Missionary Society of St. Stephen’s Presbyterian Church, and the Red Cross Society. She was one of the first directors on the board of the Young Women’s Christian Association (Y.W.C.A.) and was also active in the Women’s Auxiliary of the Royal Columbian Hospital and the Victorian Order of Nurses. She remained a vital force in New Westminster until her death on November 25, 1931 at the age of 78.”
As you can see, Mary was and remained very active in New Westminster society and history much so after her husband’s death. She remained in their family home until her death.
I have to say, I had a difficult time trying to put together Mary’s story. I spent over three weeks thinking about her and wondering how to put her story into words for the Blog. I had a very strong urge to open my laptop on November 25th, after a very long day at work, and the words just flowed. At that time, I did not know she had passed away on that day until I finished putting it all together in under an hour. I guess you can say, something was in the air which prompted her story.
I hope you have enjoyed getting to know Mary, my paternal great-great-grandmother. She seemed like a strong woman with a very giving soul.
We Are Family Briggs 