Who Shares your Birthdate – December

It’s the month of December and the season of giving! For me, it’s always the season of giving – you don’t need to wait for Christmas or birthdays to give. My gift to you is the celebration of family and getting to know another member of our family.

Before we meet that person, let’s wish Tyler a happy birthday!

Last December, we met Mary Irving Briggs who is my paternal great-great grandmother and born on December 25^th. Here’s a link to her story if you missed it:

https://wearefamilybriggs.ca/category/irving/mary-irving/

Now let’s see who shares your birthday in December. Allow me to introduce you to William Irving Briggs born to Thomas Lasher Briggs and Mary Irving on December 26, 1875, Victoria, BC, a day after Mary’s 23^rd birthday.

The birth registration shows some interesting items:

William’s full name
Date of birth
Names of parents, Thomas Lasher Briggs and Mary Irving
Profession of father, Thomas, as merchant
Original signature of Thomas Lasher Briggs
Street the family lived on in Victoria – Gordon Street

It’s amazing how much information you can get with one document!

William is the oldest of nine children. One of them being my great-grandfather, Thomas Albert (“Dick”) Briggs. So that makes William my great-granduncle.

The Briggs family lived in Victoria from about the beginning of 1875 to 1881, at which time they moved to New Westminster. The 1881 Canada Census shows the family in New Westminster. A City Directory for New Westminster from 1882 shows Thomas L. Briggs’ residence as “Royal Avenue” – presumably Irving House.

This picture is from the New Westminster Archives which shows William as a student at a school in Portland:

William had eight siblings (five brothers/three sisters), and all were raised at Irving House.

William married Helen “Nell” Frances Jackson April 8, 1896, in New Westminster. One interesting item to note in the Marriage Registration (although there are a lot of interesting items!), is William’s profession is noted as “Student-at-Law”. Before this, I have not been able to find anything to verify this information. The only indication of his being a law student is noted is his obituary as having graduated from Osgoode Hall in 1897. Osgoode Hall is located in Toronto, Ontario and was a very prestigious law school at that time. Hopefully, with a little bit more digging, I hope to find more to confirm this information.

The 1901 Canada Census shows William and Nell, along with their son, Lemuel, living with her mother. Not sure why this is the case as the City Directories for 1900 up to 1905, show William’s home at Irving House. Although the address does say 248 Royal Avenue – this was the original address until 1909 which showed 302 Royal Avenue. I’m guessing this is because of growth in the area where addresses did tend to change to accommodate other residential growth.

I have found several newspaper articles and City Directories which show William’s journey throughout his life. Rather than doing a paragraph for each article, let’s take a look with a timeline:

DATE	NEWSPAPER/ CITY DIRECTORY	CONTENTS
1897	City Directory	Student-at-law, Lorne, h 248 Royal ave.
1900 October 20	The Victoria Daily Times	Holidaying with friend J.B. Kennedy in Kamloops, BC, “for the good of their health”
1901	City Directory	Student-at-law, h 248 Royal ave.
1901 April 03	The Chilliwack Progress	Mr. Alex Henderson & Mr. W. I. Briggs, eldest son of Mr. T.L. Briggs, have formed a legal partnership in New Westminster. Mr. Briggs is comparatively new in the profession, having recently been called to the bar, after studying in the office of Messrs. Morrison & Dockrill.
1901 November 7	The Province	Young Men’s Liberal Club was formed. W. I. Briggs was elected as an officer and appointed the position of secretary.
1901-1902	City Directory	Henderson & Briggs; h. 248 Royal
1902	City Directory	Morrison, Whiteside, McQuarrie & Briggs, h 248 Royal
1903	City Directory	Morrison, Whiteside, McQuarrie & Briggs, h 248 Royal
1903 August 13	Daily News Advertiser	Mr. W.I. Briggs, the well-known barrister of this city, was up at Pitt Lake yesterday afternoon with a small party in the yacht Night-hawk. While coming down the lake on the return trip and below the stone quarry, Mr. Briggs signed an object to warrant further investigation which was later to be determined as a corpse.
1903 December 24	Daily News Advertiser	Lost – “Cap”, the liver and white spaniel owned by Mr. W.I. Briggs was lost last week while on a shooting trip with his master down river.
1904	City Directory	Barrister, Bank of Commerce block, h. 248 Royal ave.
1904 March 26	The Province	Mr. W.I. Briggs has severed his connection with the legal firm of Morrison, Whiteside, McQuarrie & Briggs and has opened offices for himself.
1905	City Directory	Barrister, Bank of Commerce block, h. 248 Royal ave.
1905 March 23	Vernon News	Mr. Briggs was a partner of Aulay Morrison K.C., before his election to the Supreme Court Bench several months ago.
1905 July 07	The Victoria Daily Times	William Irving Briggs, of Revelstoke, barrister and solicitor, to be a notary public within and for the province of British Columbia.
1907 November 2	B.C. Saturday Sunset	W.I. Briggs of the firm of Scott & Briggs, Revelstoke…..
1908 April 18	B.C. Saturday Sunset	Mr. and Mrs. W.I. Briggs have moved into their new residence on McKenzie Avenue.
1910	City Directory	Revelstoke; barrister and solicitor, First St
1916 October 31	Daily News Advertiser	Yesterday afternoon at the high school Trustee W.I. Briggs on behalf of the School Board, presented Ernest Frey with the Governor-General’s medal…..
1917 January 5	The Victoria Daily Times	William Irving Briggs, of the same city (Revelstoke) has been named as a coroner for the province.
1917 February 1	Vernon News	A.E. Kincaid, who was appointed acting police magistrate at Revelstoke after Dr. J.H. Hamilton, the magistrate, left for the front, has been replaced by W.I. Briggs.
1928	City Directory	Barrister, h 400, 1041 Comox
1928 December 6	The Surrey Gazette	Mr. W.I. Briggs has opened a law office in the new Parr block, recently completed and expects to reside in Cloverdale. Mr. Briggs has been connected with the law business in Revelstoke for the last 20 years, and has held during that time, almost continuously the office of City Solicitor, and for a number of years was coroner, also acting as deputy policy magistrate for some time.
1929	City Directory	Barrister
1930	City Directory	Retired; 806 W. 18
1933 – 1938	City Directories	Barrister retired; 1286 W. 14

Sometime in 1905, William and his family moved to Revelstoke, BC (determined by newspaper articles, city directories and the 1911 & 1921 Canada Census). It is said he was in Revelstoke for approximately 20 years (as noted in December 6, 1928, newspaper article.

William and Nell had five children – Lemuel (1899), Helen (1904), Mary (1909), Kenneth (1911 and Beryl (1917).

William passed away March 17, 1938, at the age of 63. The cause of death is unknown as I’ve been unable to obtain the death registration (working on it!):

As you can see, William had a very full if not short life. A sad part of his death is he was unable to attend his youngest daughter’s wedding (to John Farthing) in 1941.

Here are some more pictures for you to enjoy:

^{First picture (abt 1900) – William; second picture (abt 1909) – (back) Lemuel (son) and William, (seated) Elizabeth Irving Ryan (grandmother) and Mary Irving Briggs (mother); third picture (abt 1914) – (back) William Irving Briggs, John Briggs, Mary Irving Briggs, Thomas L. Briggs, (seated) Nell Briggs (wife), Kenneth Briggs (son), Elizabeth Dixon Irving, (on the grass) Lemuel, Helen and Mary Irving (William & Nell’s children). All pictures are from the New Westminster Archives.}

Thank you for joining me in getting to know William Irving Briggs!

It’s November with More Birthdays!

On November 6, 2022November 6, 2022 By Vicky BriggsIn 2022, Frederick William Press, Nov 2022, Press1 Comment

November is upon us with changes in weather, changes in time and changes in age! The weather is becoming cooler (yay!), time change is happening (boo!), and it’s another birthday for me (it’s just a number!).

Let’s start by wishing those in our family whose birthday is in November. Happy birthday to Dennis, Cole and Braydon! And an extra special mention to my great-nephews Ezra and Elliott – one day we will meet.

On to more family connections – who shares your birthday? Born November 15, 1863, to Edward Albert Press and Elizabeth Mary Beevor is Frederick William Press. Frederick is my great, great grandfather:

Frederick was born in North Walsham, Erpingham, Norfolk, England, a small village in northeast England. I do not have a copy of his birth registration but will hopefully be able to order one soon as I have the registry information. However, I do have the baptism registration showing his birth date, and baptism on October 13, 1972, in Worstead, Norwich, Norfolk, along with his siblings (Edward, Bertha, Walter, Frank, Arthur, Sydney and Percy). This was not an uncommon practice as priests travelled from community to community doing mass baptisms (along with marriages and funerals).

^{Baptism Date Name & Birth Date Parents Last Name District Father’s Profession}

Frederick and his family lived in a few places in this area (as noted by the ‘7’ in the map below). The 1871 Census of England and Wales shows the family of eight (parents and six children) on Langate in Smallburg, Worstead. The 1881 Census of England and Wales has the family located at Spa Common, Muckle Hill House, North Walsham, Erpingham, Norfolk.

A marriage licence was applied for by Elizabeth Barnard with the consent of her father, Daniel, for marriage to Frederick William Press, on September 27, 1886, and they were married on October 1, 1886. Their first child, a son (Frederick William Bond Press Jr.), was born on April 6, 1887. We can only guess why they married; however, the math says it all! The marriage took place in the Parish Church of Mutford in the County of Suffolk.

The 1891 Census of England and Wales shows the following information for the household of Frederick W. Press:

Address: Cromer Road, Overstrand, Erpingham, Norfolk, England
Age: 26
Occupation: Miller
Wife: Eliza Press, age: 23
Son: Frederick W.B. Press, age 4

Norfolk Electoral Registers for the period 1889 to 1907, puts the family in these areas:

1889 to 1892 – Roughton, house on Callows Farm
1893 – Roughton near Joy’s Mill from Cromer Road
1894 – Roughton near Joy’s Mill
1895 – Overstrand, Suffield Park from Roughton
1896 – Overstrand, Suffield Park
1897 to 1898 – Cromer, Station Road
1899 to 1907 – Roughton, Mill House, from Cromer

The 1901 Census of England and Wales shows a move happened sometime between 1891 and 1901. It lists the family’s last name as “Prep” which made it a little more difficult to find:

Address: Thorpe Road, Roughton, Erpingham, Norfolk, England
Age: 36
Occupation: Miller
Wife: Eliza “Prep”, age 33
4 children: Frederick W.B. (13), George E. (7), Effie (5) and Leonard A. (3).

1904 Kelly’s Directory (Norfolk) shows Frederick’s occupation as Miller/Merchant at Roughton Mill. He is also listed under the “Corn & Flour Merchants” section at Roughton Mill. On June 5, 1907, Frederick left his family and England via Liverpool on the ship Lake Manitoba landing in Montreal, Canada on June 16^th. Leaving the family would have been a very hard decision to make but it was for the benefit of their family as a whole.

Frederick’s wife, Elizabeth (“Eliza”), and their five children (Frederick, George, Effie, Leonard and Bertha) followed in October 1907, coincidentally on the same ship, Lake Manitoba!

Within four years, the family settled in New Westminster, BC at 1316 – 10^th Avenue as shown in the 1911 Canada Census. In the 1909 City Directory, I have found both Frederick and his son, Frederick Jr., listed at 826 1^st (presumably 1^st Avenue in New Westminster).

1921 Canada Census’ show Frederick and his wife still living at 1316 – 10^th Avenue, as well as the City Directories for the period 1925 – 1937 and the Elector’s List for the year 1935.

Frederick passed away November 3, 1937. At this time, it is not known the cause of his death as I’ve been unable to obtain the death registration.

The Vancouver Sun, Nov. 4, 1937; Newspapers.com

Frederick was buried on November 6^th, at Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster.

Frederick, at the age of 35, his wife and family immigrated to Canada in 1907. This is the first of the Press family in our line to come to Canada . The family has been in Canada for over 115 years spanning four generations. Thank you for taking the hard journey across the ocean and across Canada (probably by train) to bring our family here.

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know Frederick. We are truly blessed to have such brave members of our family for immigrating to a strange country where our family now calls home.

Take care, everyone!

Who Shares Your Birthday?

On October 10, 2022October 13, 2022 By Vicky BriggsIn 2022, Briggs, Irving House, October 2022, Stanley Kingston Briggs2 Comments

October is upon us, Fall is in the air and Summer is behind us, although the weather does not indicate it as it is still unseasonably warm. Well, we’ll just have to make do – who could say no to a little bit more sun in our lives, of course!

In the meantime, let’s begin by congratulating those family members with birthdays this month. We’ll start with my mother, Jeannette and my son, Jeremy. Also celebrating are Amanda, Lauren, Shia, Elodie and Moiya. Special birthday wishes to my dearly departed cousin, Donna.

Let’s see who shares your birthday! Last October, we featured my great grandfather, Thomas Albert Briggs. There is so much more to his story than what we have seen so far and I’m still working on it. In the meantime, let’s highlight another family member – Stanley Kingston Briggs.

Stanley Kingston Briggs, born October 25, 1888, in New Westminster, BC, to Thomas Lasher Briggs & Mary Irving. Stanley is a younger brother of my great grandfather, Thomas Albert Briggs, which makes him my great granduncle.

Stanley is listed in the 1891, 1901 and 1911 Canada Census as a son in the home of Thomas Lasher Briggs located at 302 Royal Avenue, New Westminster. In the 1911 Canada Census specifically, his occupation is listed as “salesman” at a “grocer” earning $900 per year (at the age of 23.

In a newspaper article (Oregon Daily Journal) dated June 11, 1908, it indicates Stanley Kingston Briggs graduated from Hill Military Academy (Newspapers.com). This was not a surprise to me as several of the children of Capt William and Elizabeth Irving (parents of Mary Irving, Stanley’s mother) did go to Washington, Oregon and California schools for their education. It seems the Briggs family carried on that tradition.

Stanley enlisted in WWI – another interesting item as noted in his Attestation papers, is that he had been in the military for the prior three years in the 6^th D. C.O.R. I have yet to figure out what it means – another mystery to delve into! He enlisted November 13, 1914, and discharged January 23, 1919. I do have copies of his military records which I’m still transcribing – another story for another time.

This following picture is of Stanley Kingston Briggs (lower left), along with his brothers, Errol, Thomas (standing), and John. Not sure when the picture was taken but can be assumed it was late 1918 or early 1919 as that is when they had all returned from overseas and it was in a newspaper article in The Province, April 30, 1919 (Newspapers.com):

Upon returning to Canada, it is unsure as to where he lived. I’m sure he stayed with his parents for a period of time.

On June 1, 1920, Stanley married Laura Victoria Towns in Vernon, British Columbia. There is a lot of information in the Marriage Certificate the most interesting that the marriage took place in Vernon, and his occupation is listed as “Engineer”:

Laura was from Edmonton, Alberta and it seems they may have returned there as their first son, Stanley Kingston Jr. was born May 1921 in Edmonton. They had a daughter, Mary Louise, born in 1924 in New Westminster, BC – It seems they had returned to his Stanley’s hometown. Their next and last child, Thomas Irving was born in 1926 in Woodfibre, BC (located northwest of Squamish).

Noting the birth places of Stanley and Laura’s three children, it seems they did move around to different areas between Alberta and BC – could be because of work – not sure. I have been unable to locate any of Stanley, Laura or Stanley Jr in the 1921 Canada Census so not sure if they were still in Alberta or not. I would assume that they were as the Census was taken as of June 1, 1921, which would have been shortly after Stanley Jr. was born.

The is another document I have found dated 1949 which shows Stanley’s occupation as “Storekeeper” and still living in Woodfibre (#49 & 50). It also shows a Thomas (#72) living and working in Woodfibre (millhand), which could be his son but unable to verify:

Another document I found shows Stanley and Laura living in North Vancouver. The document is rather large so I will not show it here. It is from the 1954 BC City Directories for Vancouver, BC.

Sadly, just a little over a year after retiring as a grocery store manager, Stanley passed away November 10, 1954:

I’m not sure who the brother, Earl (Portland) is but I’m going to hazard a guess that it may be “Beryl”, who is a sister of Stanley’s, living in Portland, Oregon at that time with her husband, Walter Edmonds. It is common to see these kinds of errors in newspaper reporting so we can’t always assume that the information is correct. The information is the same in the funeral home record. I have been told by other genealogists that some of the information in the funeral home record is taken from the newspaper obituary.

Another interesting item to note, my grandfather, S.L. Briggs (Stanley Leonard) is shown as one of the pallbearers. S. Briggs could be Stanley Kingston Jr.

This is just a little peak into Stanley Kingston Briggs’ life as there is a lot of information still to be found, including what is contained in the military records. In the meantime, it seems he was quite the photogenic young man as evidenced in these pictures – enjoy!

(All pictures are between 1891 & 1894 – the young girl is his sister, Manuella)