Category: Briggs

Cherished Family Memories: Sunday Dinner Reflections

On By Vicky BriggsIn Briggs, Evelyn Briggs, Grant Briggs, Irene Matthew, May 2025, Richard BriggsLeave a comment

Picture this…..

It’s a balmy spring afternoon, the sun is out, the piano is playing in the background, there’s conversation all around, kids are playing outside in the backyard, maybe collecting apples from the tree, playing tag or maybe even downstairs sliding back and forth on the rec room floor, adult siblings joking around fighting over their favourite cookie that their mother made and a beautiful lady sitting, listening, looking around at all her family gathered in her home for Sunday dinner.

That’s what it was like when we visited my grandma (Irene Stella Hartford Matthew) in her house in Delta on any given Sunday. My grandpa (Stanley Leonard Briggs) passed away at the age of 53 when I was young (6 years old) and I don’t really remember much about him. I don’t really remember having these dinners until I was a bit older.

My family (my dad, mom, brother and I) were living in New Westminster when Grandpa passed away in 1969, not long before my youngest brother was born. It was unexpected after having heart surgery, which was supposed to fix the problem he had, but had a heart attack about four days after the surgery and didn’t make it. Grandpa passed away 56 years ago today.

Grandma came from a large family where she was the youngest of nine while Grandpa was an only child. Grandpa did most of the household finances, shopping, cooking and other household chores as she was not raised to do those kinds of things. Grandma didn’t go to school as she had an illness when she was quite young, and her parents decided she would stay home and be schooled by her father who was a teacher. Her mother passed away when Grandma was only 14 years old, and three of her sisters ended up taking care of her. She married when she was 22 only to be divorced a short five years later. She married my grandfather a couple of years later.

They had three children – Grant Irving (1940), Irene ‘Evelyn’ (1943) and Stanley ‘Richard’ (1944). All three married and curiously enough, each had three children, just like their parents.

After Grandpa passed, my dad moved our family to his parent’s home. My parents took it upon themselves to show Grandma how to take care of her household which included finances, cooking and outside chores. We lived there only a year, but it is something that I remember quite vividly.

Going back to the ‘picture’ above I asked you to try and see, you can imagine the family gatherings at the house with my dad and his brother and sister, fighting over the cookies (my grandma’s famous heavy cakes), their spouses thinking their crazy, and all nine grandkids playing in different areas of the house and outside.

Grandma always made dinner and if it was someone’s birthday, there was always a homemade angel food cake with that person’s favourite icing and goodies in the middle (mine was Smarties!).

The reason I wanted to do a post like this was to ensure those memories remain for me. I know for my siblings and cousins, the Sunday dinners may have some different memories, but I hope this will help to bring some of the wonderful memories back.

Happy memories! Oh, and Happy 65th Birthday to my beautiful cousin, Sandy!

How Family History Shapes Our Lives

On By Vicky BriggsIn 2025, Briggs, Grant Briggs, Mar 2025, Thomas A. Briggs, Thomas Lasher BriggsLeave a comment

When thinking of an historic event, you may think of the Great Depression, World Wars, Pearl Harbor, Fall of the Berlin Wall or a more recent event, Covid-19.

When I think of historic events, I lean more towards major events in people’s lives. Although the historic events mentioned above can impact many lives, events, either minor or major, can influence someone’s path in life.

So, as you can imagine, there can be many such events in everyone’s life, meaning it would make it difficult to narrow it down to just one.

I’m not going to delve through all my ancestors to try and come up with something but take an easier path and go with an event in my own life. See there, I just altered my path!

There have been many events that have taken place and adjusted my path, impacting not only my life but also those of my own family. There are two major events that have happened in my life that have led me down the path to genealogy.

The first is my cousin Donna’s passing in October 2018, and the second is my dad’s open-heart surgery in November 2019. I won’t go into the specifics of these two occasions; needless to say, they both spoke to me in different ways but in some way became one.

My cousin, Donna, passed from cancer. When she found out what type of cancer she had, she thought it may have been genetic. She was insistent that her family all take tests to find out if they may have the cancer markers for what she herself had. If anyone knows Donna, they will know how pushy she could be when she wanted something, so I’m sure her family did take those tests.

Now, onto my dad, Grant. I know more about this story as I was part of pretty much every event leading up to and after his surgery.

A genetic medical condition, aortic stenosis, resulting in my dad’s open-heart surgery was one of the biggest eye-openers for our family and myself especially. I remember my mom & dad telling me about it and my first question was how we did not know this before. Well, as it turns out, Dad did know about it and he had mentioned it to his doctor quite a while ago. As a result, it was monitored if not regularly but enough to know that when my dad started feeling out of sorts, running out of breath on one of his many walks, he decided to check in with his doctor. This resulted in going to see a heart surgeon who concluded that yes, it was time for the surgery Dad was told he would need eventually. I attended appointments with my parents so I could be another set of ears for understanding everything and assist wherever I can.

Here’s where I started asking Dad questions – how did he know he had this heart condition. Because he was overwhelmed with all that was going on, the discussion didn’t last long. So, I started digging into family history. I wasn’t sure how to do this but started where one would think to start, by doing genealogy.

I started with Ancestry.com, and as what usually happens with most who start, became overwhelmed with all the information coming at me from many sources and not really understanding what to do with it.

It took a lot of research, a quick little course or two, joining a local genealogy society and a lot of questions. The outcome, I was pointed in the right direction and found the information I needed.

It turns out, my dad’s father, Stanley Leonard Briggs, had the same heart condition as indicated in his death certificate.

Registration of Death 1 Stanley Leonard Briggs – ca 1962 2

My grandfather, Stanley, had surgery to replace the aortic valve, however, four days later, he had a heart attack and passed. He was very young, and it was devastating as it was thought the surgery would have helped with the issue of aortic stenosis by replacing the aortic stem valve.

Stanley’s father, Thomas Albert Briggs, did have a heart condition and high blood pressure as shown on the Registration of Death.

Thomas Albert Briggs, ca 1945 3 Registration of Death 4

Thomas’ father, Thomas Lasher Briggs, passed away at 81 years of age. At this time, it is unknown how he passed or of what. Some would naturally assume that it was of a heart attack, especially given his age. I do not have a copy of the death certificate – one item on my list to obtain.

Thomas Lasher Briggs 5

As a result of finding out what Dad had was a genetic condition, my two sons and I were tested, and yes, we all have the same condition. So, we need to get checked periodically so when the time comes, we will need the same surgery my dad and grandfather had.

I’ve also found out that some other family members on my dad’s side have the same condition. They knew about it before I did my research. Since having spoken with my uncle, he was the one that passed on this information. To think we could have known before if only we had thought to speak about it!

An historic event for me is going through a major event in life that causes one to take precautions for what may happen in the future. My sons and I are trying to take better care of ourselves, getting exercise and eating better. We know this will not stop the condition from developing, but it will make us more aware if we are having any effects wherein it would cause the surgery to be needed.

Let’s just say I was very pleased with myself for being able to find out this information. If I hadn’t gotten the genealogy research bug, it may have never been known that it was a genetic issue that our family needed to be made aware of.

Oh, and I love doing this type of research – it is immensely rewarding finding out things about your family’s ancestors that brings light to who we are today.

I’d say that’s an historic event – how about you?

  1. BC Museum Archives, Registration #1969-09-007215, Vital Stat Image 004479284_02037.jpg ↩︎
  2. Personal photo ↩︎
  3. Personal photo ↩︎
  4. BC Museum Archives, Registration # 1949-09-002395, Vital Stat Image 004438070_00408.jpg ↩︎
  5. New Westminster Archives, Item IFP0036, ID 31098, ca 1910 – 1919 ↩︎

Naomi and Manuella Briggs: A Bond Like No Other

On By Vicky BriggsIn 2025, Briggs, Irving House, Manuella Octavia Briggs, Mar 2025, Naomi Spencer BriggsLeave a comment

Whenever I think of sisters, I am reminded of the song, Sisters, from one of my favourite Christmas movies, White Christmas. The first couple of lines of the song reminds me of sisters, Naomi and Manuella Briggs.

“Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters.”

Naomi Spencer Briggs, born July 25, 1886, and Manuella Octavia Briggs, born April 6, 1891. They were two of nine children (six boys and three girls) born to Thomas Lasher Briggs and Mary Irving.

Naomi Spencer Briggs, 18861 and Manuella Octavia Briggs, 18932

You ask, what is so interesting about these two sisters? Well, you can say they’re interesting in one aspect (they led a very quiet traditional life of the times), but in other aspects, they were almost like twins!

Here are many similarities:

  • both born and raised in the family home, Irving House, 302 Royal Avenue, New Westminster
  • both lived in the family home until it was sold to the City of New Westminster in 1950
  • both moved and lived together in their next home at 702 – 6th Avenue, New Westminster
  • both moved and lived together in their next home at 206 St. Patrick Street, New Westminster
  • both never married or had children
  • It is not really known what Naomi did with her time, but I have heard from some sources that she was a music teacher; Manuella was a piano teacher until she passed away – both had the musical gene!
  • both passed away at the age of 86 – Naomi February 12, 1973, Manuella December 19, 1977
  • both are buried at Fraser Cemetery

Here are a couple of the differences:

  • Naomi passed away at St. Mary’s Hospital; Manuella at Royal Columbia Hospital
  • Manuella was the second May Queen of New Westminster in 1904

Newspaper Article3 Manuella, 1904 May Queen4

As you can see, the similarities overwhelm the differences. One more similarity – they were both beautiful women and loved to pose for the camera!

Naomi, 19145 Manuella, abt 19146

Looking back through records, it seems they were pretty much together from the day they were born until Naomi passed, and Manuella was on her own until she passed. Talking with other family members that were more in touch with Naomi and Manuella in their later years, one of their nephews, Kingston Jr, had lived with them off and on throughout the years.

I don’t know about you, but if you’ve ever seen the movie, White Christmas, and are familiar with the song, Sister, I can just see them performing that song together – it really speaks to me for some unknown reason – it would’ve been a sight to see!7 8

Both Naomi and Manuella were very involved in the community, donating a lot of their time, and hosting many events at their homes as indicated in several newspaper articles. This was carried on after their mother, Mary Briggs moved back down to Portland, Oregon.

I would have given anything to having gotten the chance to get to know Naomi and Manuella. They seem like great aunties that would have doted on their nieces and nephews. Plus, I have a little bit of the music bug having taken piano lessons when I was younger.

If you’ve never seen White Christmas, here’s a link to my inspiration for this blog post:

I hope you have enjoyed a little glimpse into my thoughts about Naomi and Manuella Briggs – they seem to be two of a kind – sisters!

Naomi and Manuella Briggs, 19679

  1. New Westminster Archives, Item #IFP0050, ID #31107; Mrs. R. Maynard, photographer. ↩︎
  2. New Westminster Archives, Item #IFP0057, ID #31114; Mrs. R. Maynard, photographer ↩︎
  3. Newspapers.com/image/500448705; The Province, Sat. Apr. 23, 1904, Page 13 ↩︎
  4. New Westminster Archives, Item #IHP1422-030, ID #19123 ↩︎
  5. New Westminster Archives, Item #IFP0054, ID #31111 ↩︎
  6. New Westminster Archives, Item #IFP0061, ID #31118 ↩︎
  7. New Westminster Archives, Item #IFP0125, ID #31179 cropped, 1967 ↩︎
  8. New Westminster Archives, File #132, Item #IHP10000-0309, ID #54543 cropped, Abt 1960 ↩︎
  9. New Westminster Archives, Item #IFP0125, ID #31179 ↩︎

A Window into WWI: The Diary of Dr. Tillman Briggs

On By Vicky BriggsIn 2025, Feb 2025, Tillman Alfred Briggs1 Comment

Recently, I had the pleasure of making a connection with someone who had done a search for a name in my family tree. This ancestor is not in my direct line; however, it is someone that I had put on the back burner to research later due to his involvement in WWI and WWII. My great-grandfather, Thomas Albert Briggs, and three of his brothers were in WWI. There were several cousins that were also in WWI and I will be researching those in the future.

Right now, we’ll take a quick peek at Dr. Tillman Alfred Briggs. He is my 1st cousin, 3x removed. In other words, His father, Alfred Penner Briggs (2nd great granduncle), is my 2x great-grandfather’s (Thomas Lasher Briggs) brother.

Photo Credit – The Canadian Letters & Images Project

Tillman was born June 12, 1886, in Victoria, BC, to Alfred Penner (“Pen”) Briggs and Hazel Evelyn Veronica (“Minna”) Tillman. He was the oldest of five children (two brothers and two sisters). The birth date is noted in the birth registration and death registration, and the year is noted on his headstone. The thing I found amusing is that 1887 is the noted year of birth in his military records specifically the attestation papers – maybe he was nervous?

The 1911 Canada Census lists Tillman as a student at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, where I’m going to assume he became a doctor as the 1921 Canada Census lists his occupation as doctor.

So, what happened between 1911 and 1921 – World War I. Tillman enlisted November 23, 1915, in Victoria. His Attestation notes his occupation as a physician. At the time of enlisting, he was already a part of the military force with the No. 5 Field Ambulance (based out of Quebec) for approximately three years, and a physician/surgeon at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Victoria.

Now back to the connection I mentioned above. Capt Tillman Alfred Briggs was part of 116th Battalion CEF (Cdn Expeditionary Force). Mark Carmichael has a Facebook page called “116th Battalion CEF – The Great War”. He reached out to me through Ancestry asking for information, pictures, stories, etc. on Tillman. Mark had found a diary of Tillman’s starting October 18, 1915, and ending June 21, 1919. I did eventually find it (as he had pointed me in the right direction) on Vancouver Island University’s website under Canadian Letters and Images Project:

https://www.canadianletters.ca/collections/war/468/collection/67603

Mark is posting Tillman’s diary entries along with some wonderful context and pictures that truly make you feel like you are there. It takes a lot of research and time, and trust me, I know all about that! I urge you to look up his page – the first entry is titled “Finding Gold” on November 22, 2024:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1379071039110354

Upon Tillman’s return, he lived at the family home located in Victoria (which to this day is still standing – 154 South Turner Street).

I have not done extensive research on Tillman, however, I have collected a lot of data which I need to sift through and ensure it’s validity.

It appears that Tillman was also involved in WWII (which is probably where the above picture is from as it is noted from around 1940), just haven’t verified the information yet.

Tillman passed April 20, 1958, at the age of 71 of a heart attack in Nanaimo. He was physician/surgeon up to his untimely passing.

There is a lot more to Tillman’s story which will take time to dissect. Having been given the gift of the knowledge of his diary from Mark, and his wonderful stories, I feel I have been challenged to put together Dr. Tillman Briggs’ story before and after his diary entries.

One more tidbit of information to note – Tillman was awarded the Military Medal from King George V in 1919.

I look forward to challenging myself to learn more about Tillman. As well, I look forward to more stories from Mark and his context from the diary entries.

Thank you to Mark Carmichael for bringing Tillman back into the forefront of my research – I look forward to more diary entries and stories!

UPDATE: Mark has created a Substack page to make sharing of Tillman’s diary entries much easier for everyone to access:

Captain Briggs Great War Diary | Heroes of the Great War | Substack

Enjoy!

Family Time: Celebrating 85 Years

On By Vicky BriggsIn 2025, Briggs, Feb 2025, Grant BriggsLeave a comment

This past week was full of surprises – the first being, I need to remind myself to slow down and not rush through the courses. Aced all the assignments, rushed to get the exam completed and did not do as well as I thought I would – surprise!! Don’t rush and take your time to absorb the information. Time to move on and do better with the rest of the courses.

The best surprise of all was seeing my dad, Grant Briggs, for his 85th birthday. He was so happy to see his grandsons (my two boys) and it proved to be the perfect time to take some family photos as my mom had been asking for some updated ones.

I’m proud of my sons for taking the time to travel and see their grandfather for his birthday – they made him very happy (and their grandma, too!!).

Plans for another visit coming soon but, in the meantime, happy 85th birthday to my Dad, and many more – we already have plans to be there for the next one!

Exploring Family Nicknames

On By Vicky BriggsIn 2025, Beatrice Eileen Matthew, Evelyn Briggs, Hartford, Henry Clarendon Briggs, Jan 2025, Richard Briggs, Stanley Briggs, Stella Hartford, Thomas A. BriggsLeave a comment

As I had mentioned in my blog post of December 30th, I’m following the program of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks wherein they provide weekly prompts to give ideas for genealogy writing. This week’s prompt is ‘Nickname’. This was a tough one for me as we do have several nicknames in our family tree but some are difficult to determine why they have those nicknames.

The first one that comes to mind is my great-grandfather, Thomas Albert Briggs. Newspaper articles I have found, use the nicknames ‘Dick’ and ‘Dixie’. Having asked a couple of family members if they knew why, they were just as stymied as myself.

All articles are from Newspapers.com: image numbers 63307641, 775512106, 775779796 (missing one)

Other family members I have found to have nicknames are the following:

  • Henry Clarendon Briggs: Harry
  • Beatrice Aileen Matthew: Lena
  • Stella Hartford: Tilla
  • Hazel Evelyn Veronica Tillman (wife of Alfred Penner (Pen) Briggs): Minna
  • Eliza Gregory (wife of John Thomas Herbert Matthew): Lila
  • Helen Frances Jackson (wife of William Irving Briggs): Nell
  • Margaret Henry (wife of Albert James Briggs): Mattie

There are several that have a shortened version of their Christian names:

Ernest → Ernie                 Stanley → Stan                Ronald → Ron

We also have some that use their middle names instead of their given first names:

  • My Aunt Ev whose given first name is Irene after her mother
  • My Uncle Rich whose given first name is Stanley after his father

And finally, there is me! My given Christian name is Veronica and I go by Vicky – to this day, I’m still not sure how I received that nickname.

Nicknames are a part of every family – some you know why and some you just have to scratch your head.

If you know of others in our family, please let us know – bonus if you know why!

My Favourite Photo

On By Vicky BriggsIn 2025, Briggs, Jan 2025, Stanley Kingston Briggs, Thomas A. Briggs2 Comments

Since starting on my genealogy research pathway, there have been a lot of photos I have come across both old and new. It was very difficult to think about which one would be my favourite (there are a lot of favourites!!). Over the past couple of days, I’ve been scrolling through all the photos and this one kept coming back to me.

I look at this picture quite a bit as it tells a story of one family at a very difficult time – four brothers all coming home from WWI and sitting for a photo in their uniforms. This photo was posted in the local newspaper with a wonderful article that summarizes their WWI story:

Briggs Family Has Fine Record For War Service

NEW WESTMINSTER, May 1 – There was a great reunion at the home of Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Briggs, 302 Royal avenue, when the four sons of this pioneer New Westminster Family returned from overseas all physically fit after long months of active service.

Major John A. Briggs, M.D.C.M., went overseas as medical officer with the 48th Victoria Battalion. He was transferred to the 3rd Canadian Pioneers in France, then served with No. 10 Canadian Field Ambulance. It was in this unit that he won the Military Cross and his majority. He is seated at the lower right of the picture.

Seated opposite is Capt. Stanley K. Briggs who went overseas with Vancouver’s famous 29th Battalion as a non-commissioned officer and won his commission as lieutenant and later caption, on the battlefield.

Corp. T. A. Briggs, standing behind Major Briggs, enlisted in the 239th Railway Construction Company and saw considerable active service. He returned home some months ago and is a fireman at No. 1 hall.

Corp. Errol C. Briggs, the youngest of the four, was studying electrical engineering at the University of Washington when the United States declared war and he immediately joined the 93rd Aero Squadron. He is now in Portland, Oregon.

All four are native sons of British Columbia. Major Briggs was born in Victoria and the others at the family home on Royal avenue. Mr. Briggs, the father, has ben retired for some years. In earlier days he was a well-known figure in business circles as superintendent of the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company, which for years operated a line of river and gulf steamers from this city.

http://www.newspapers.com/image/498234647 The Province (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) Wed, Apr 30, 1919, Page 20

The article pretty much sums up where they were and what they did. What it doesn’t tell are the hardships they endured after coming back. As with most stories of war veterans, there are many that we do not hear about. Some I have heard, but there are still more questions than answers.

Corp T. A. Briggs is my great-grandfather. He had a very tough tour during WWI starting in a hospital in England, going onto France, back in a hospital in England and then being sent home medically unfit and discharged February 1919. I have his military records – they tell of his hardships during his time overseas. One day I’ll document all in a blog post (hopefully later this year).

I’m very proud to be part of this family and to carry the Briggs name. There are family members on my mother’s side as well that have joined and served our country with pride and dedication – thank you.

In the meantime, I love this  picture for the story it tells but also for the stories it doesn’t tell.

If you have a favourite photo, please share telling us why – I look forward to seeing your photos!

Who Shares Your Birthday – February

On By Vicky BriggsIn 2023, Briggs, Feb 2023, Grant Briggs3 Comments

2023 is the year for consistency for me – consistency in my home life, my work life and in my blog life!  My commitment is to do at least one blog post a month and work up to two by mid-year. So, keeping that in mind, here is the next entry for Who Shares Your Birthday!

For all the Who Shares Your Birthday blog posts, they have been ancestors. This time, I decided to focus on someone that is still in our presence and always makes himself known when he is in your presence – my dad, Grant Irving Briggs.

The reason I decided to do this is two-fold: first, because it’s been 3 years since his open-heart surgery, and we are so thankful it was done so he’s still making his “jokes”; second, because I really could not find an ancestor interesting enough to make themselves known (really, there wasn’t anyone with a birthday in February!).

I should also mention, we do have another family member in our midst with a birthday in February – Happy Birthday to Bradley!

Now, let’s get to know my dad. Grant Irving Briggs (Dad) was born February 6, 1940, in New Westminster, BC to Stanley Leonard Briggs and Irene Stella Hartford Matthew (Grandma & Grandpa).

At the time of Dad’s birth, Grandma and Grandpa made their home at one of two addresses: 1716 London Street, New Westminster or 1591 16th Avenue, Burnaby, BC. The reason why I say this is the 1939 City Directory for Stanley Briggs listed the first address, the 1940 City Directory listed the second address. Sometime between the two City Directories (not sure when the information was collected and when the City Directory was produced), they had moved.

Dad has two siblings. His sister, Irene “Evelyn” was born in 1943, and his brother, Stanley “Richard” was born in 1944.

Dad started Grade 1 at Stride Avenue Elementary School. According to Dad, they moved sometime during that year (about halfway through the school year) to 830 Henley Street, New Westminster, and then he went to Lord Kelvin Elementary School in New Westminster. He then went to Vincent Massey Junior High School and Lester Pearson High School where he graduated in 1957.

After Dad graduated from high school, he continued his education going to the School of Psychiatric Nursing at Essondale.

Grant’s first daughter, Cristine Godwin, was born January 29, 1959. Cris was given up for adoption to wonderful parents at that time. Fortunately, for our family, she reached out to Dad after her adoptive parents had passed away. We are so blessed to have her and her family in our lives!

In 1960, he moved to 11705 – 72nd Avenue, Nth Delta with his parents.  Grandma and Grandpa still owned the house on Henley Street as a rental property.

Dad graduated from the Psychiatric Nursing program March 1961:

6th row, 3rd from right

During the summer of 1960, Dad met my mother, Jeannette Marguerite Marie Gobin. They married June 30, 1962.

Dad did start his professional career in psychiatric nursing but felt there was such an influx of female nurses into psychiatric nursing that he would not be able to progress as he had hoped. They had a visit from their life insurance agent that began the start of his new career in life insurance. It didn’t last very long as he did not feel right about trying to sell insurance to people that may not be able to afford it. So, he had a relative that was a truck driver and so as they say, the rest is history! Dad was a truck driver until he retired from Aggressive Transport as an owner-operator. In his own words, it was the best decision he made!

Mom and Dad made their homes in many places until they finally settled with their young family in Port Coquitlam, BC. They had three children:  Veronica (Vicky), Ronald and Shawn.

One of the things I can remember about Dad as I was growing up, is he was a hard-working husband and father, having hardly ever missed a day of work. He did have a couple of times when he was sidelined from work, and it really did drive him nuts as he loved to keep busy. He still does to this day.

Having open heart surgery in November 2019, the recuperation was hard for Dad. He just wanted to get outside and continue with the day-to-day activities he was doing before surgery. It took a while to recover, however he is still out and about puttering around.

Dad is an aspiring musician and I say that light heartedly! He has an ear for music which is something I wish I had been able to pick up. There was always music in the house (much to Mom’s chagrin!) for as long as I can remember. He plays the piano, guitar and steel guitar (and probably some others!), and still practices the guitar daily.

Mom and Dad have made their home in 100 Mile House having moved there several years ago. Just this past year, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. First picture is from their 25th wedding anniversary:

I hope you have gotten to know my dad a little bit more. Trust me, he is quite the character and loves to show it!

Please help me in wishing my dad a Happy 83rd Birthday! Hoping to go visit Mom and Dad soon so I can wish him a happy birthday personally.

Have a great week everyone – take care and be safe!

Happy New Year & Birthdays!

On By Vicky BriggsIn 2023, Albert Thomas Briggs, Briggs, Jan 20231 Comment

It’s a new year – 2023! This is the time when some will look for new and different ways to change or make their lives better for themselves and those around them. These occurrences historically have been called “resolutions”. Personally, I do not like to set resolutions as I figure if there is a need to make changes, don’t wait for the one day a year – do it right then and there (although sometimes it does take longer).

Instead, let’s start the new year by wishing several from our family a happy birthday! There’s Nichelle (5th), Taylor (11th), Levi (13th), Mike (27th) and last but not least, my big sis, Cris (29th)!

Now, onto who shares your birthday. This is a bittersweet one and you will see why as we get to know Albert Thomas Briggs, born January 26, 1890, to Albert James Briggs (2x great-granduncle and brother of my 2x great-grandfather, Thomas Lasher Briggs) and Margaret (“Maggie”) Henry.

Albert was one of three children born to Albert and Maggie: Alice Maude born in 1891, and Bernard Henry born in 1892. Unfortunately, Bernard passed away less than a year later in 1893.

At the time of Albert’s birth, the family lived at 1 George Street, Victoria City. The 1891 Canada Census lists the family in the Johnson Street Ward of Victoria City, and the City Directory for 1891 list their address as 1 George Street, Victoria.

The 1901 Canada Census list the family still living in Victoria, only showing a District Number of 4 which is the same district as listed in the 1891 Census.

The next City Directory I have found was for 1905 which shows the family still living at 1 George Street. The 1906 & 1907 City Directories did not show Albert James Briggs, but the 1908 did show him living at 1203 Chambers Street, Victoria. So, sometime between 1905 and 1908, the family moved to their new home. Coincidentally enough, Albert Thomas Briggs was listed in the 1908 and 1909 City Directories for Victoria. Both directories listed him as a clerk working at R.P. Rithet Co., Ltd. (same company his father worked for) and living at 1203 Chambers Street.

Sadly, Albert Thomas passed away from an accidental drowning June 3, 1909. There were several newspaper articles depicting the mystery of how he had come to be in the water and drown.

As a result of the number of questions, a coroner’s inquest was conducted. The results of the inquest were accidental drowning. It is noted that he may have hit his head on the way down, which rendered him unconscious, thus being unable to rescue himself.

The obituary was in the Evening Post, June 8th. Reading through, it showed he was a popular young man.

There are no individual markers on the BRIGGS Family plot in the Ross Bay Cemetery, Victoria, BC – only the surname curb inscription.

There will not be a lot of posts like this one as most of those who died young did not have as much paperwork or newspaper articles. As Albert’s father was a well know figure in Victoria at that time, and because of the mystery behind his death, this was one of those ones that I was able to find information on his death.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know Albert Thomas Briggs throughout his short life.

Take care and be safe!

Sources for pictures:

  1. Canada, British Columbia Birth Registrations, 1854-1903,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-X4NC-28?cc=1307731&wc=9XRV-4WL%3A1072807501 : 14 May 2014), 004401547 > image 837 of 3002; Vital Statistics Agency, Victoria
  2. Newspapers.com; The Victoria Daily Times, Friday, June 4, 1909
  3. Newspapers.com; The Evening Post, Friday June 4, 1909
  4. Newspapers.com; The Evening Post, Saturday, June 5, 1909
  5. Newspapers.com; The Victoria Daily Times, Saturday, June 5, 1909
  6. Newspapers.com; The Evening Post, Monday, June 7, 1909
  7. Newspapers.com; The Victoria Daily Times, Monday, June 7, 1909
  8. Newspapers.com; The Victoria Daily Times, Tuesday, June 8, 1909
  9. Royal BC Museum, Albert Briggs, Registration Number: 1909-09-022987; BC Archives Mfilm Number: B13081; GSU MFilm Number: 1927291; Victoria
  10. Find A Grave: Albert Thomas Briggs; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117738271/albert-thomas-briggs
  11. Family Search; Albert Thomas Briggs profile; unknown official source.

Who Shares your Birthdate – December

On By Vicky BriggsIn 2022, Dec 2022, William Irving BriggsLeave a comment

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 25th.  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 23rd 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 DIRECTORYCONTENTS
1897City DirectoryStudent-at-law, Lorne, h 248 Royal ave.
1900 October 20 The Victoria Daily TimesHolidaying with friend J.B. Kennedy in Kamloops, BC, “for the good of their health”
1901City DirectoryStudent-at-law, h 248 Royal ave.
1901 April 03The Chilliwack ProgressMr. 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 ProvinceYoung Men’s Liberal Club was formed. W. I. Briggs was elected as an officer and appointed the position of secretary.
1901-1902City DirectoryHenderson & Briggs; h. 248 Royal
1902City DirectoryMorrison, Whiteside, McQuarrie & Briggs, h 248 Royal
1903City DirectoryMorrison, Whiteside, McQuarrie & Briggs, h 248 Royal
1903 August 13Daily News AdvertiserMr. 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 24Daily News AdvertiserLost – “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.
1904City DirectoryBarrister, Bank of Commerce block, h. 248 Royal ave.
1904 March 26The ProvinceMr. W.I. Briggs has severed his connection with the legal firm of Morrison, Whiteside, McQuarrie & Briggs and has opened offices for himself.
1905City DirectoryBarrister, Bank of Commerce block, h. 248 Royal ave.
1905 March 23Vernon NewsMr. Briggs was a partner of Aulay Morrison K.C., before his election to the Supreme Court Bench several months ago.
1905 July 07The Victoria Daily TimesWilliam Irving Briggs, of Revelstoke, barrister and solicitor, to be a notary public within and for the province of British Columbia.
1907 November 2B.C. Saturday SunsetW.I. Briggs of the firm of Scott & Briggs, Revelstoke…..
1908 April 18B.C. Saturday SunsetMr. and Mrs. W.I. Briggs have moved into their new residence on McKenzie Avenue.
1910City DirectoryRevelstoke; barrister and solicitor, First St
1916 October 31Daily News AdvertiserYesterday 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 5The Victoria Daily TimesWilliam Irving Briggs, of the same city (Revelstoke) has been named as a coroner for the province.
1917 February 1Vernon NewsA.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.
1928City DirectoryBarrister, h 400, 1041 Comox
1928 December 6The Surrey GazetteMr. 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.
1929City DirectoryBarrister
1930City DirectoryRetired; 806 W. 18
1933 – 1938City DirectoriesBarrister 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!