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)

Who Shares Your Birthday – August

On September 3, 2022 By Vicky BriggsIn Aug 2022, Briggs, Henry Clarendon Briggs6 Comments

Yes, I know it’s September – I did put together this post to be published in August but actually forgot to hit the “Publish” button so you may be in for two posts in September for “Who Shares Your Birthday”. In the meantime, let’s look back at August.

Back to our monthly “Who Shares Your Birthday” installment. I really do enjoy doing these however it’s sometimes hard to find someone in our family that’s not too far down the line that we might be interested in getting to know. Thankfully, I was able to not go too far, and this fellow is very interesting, at least in my eyes!

So, to begin with, “Happy belated Birthday” to Maielle (Aug. 21) and Elijah (Aug. 23)!

Now, let’s see who shares your birthday. Henry Clarendon Briggs, also known as “Harry”, born August 27, 1877, in Victoria, BC. Harry is the second child and second son of Thomas Lasher Briggs and Mary Irving, and older brother of Thomas Albert Briggs (my great grandfather) which makes him my great granduncle.

^{ca 1884 (7 yo) With brother William, ca 1880}

Harry lived with his family at Irving House, 302 Royal Avenue, New Westminster, BC until approximately 1904, as noted in Canada Census records for 1881, 1891 & 1901.

According to this newspaper article, on September 7, 1904, he married Jean (“Jeannie”) Craig McAlpine.

^{Newspapers.com; Victorian Times, September 8, 1904, pg 5}

I have found another article dated September 11, 1904, noting they had married the day before. So far, I have not found marriage registrations to confirm the actual date of marriage.

In a newspaper article from Newspapers.com, The Province dated May 23, 1905, it looks like Harry and his wife were living in Revelstoke. I have been unable to locate any records confirming this information other than this article.

Interesting to note, Harry’s cousin Albert T. Briggs (son of Albert James Briggs) is listed in the 1908 Victoria City Directory as a clerk at R.P. Rithet & Company (his uncle Albert is listed as well as working at Lands & Works Dept.). Could be a good assumption that Harry moved to Victoria for a job sometime between 1905 and 1909, where he is listed in the 1909 Victoria City Directory as a manager at R.P. Rithet & Company.

Harry and Jeannie lived in Victoria up until October 1925. This information was found in another newspaper article. During this time, Harry’s main occupation was in sales. From 1911 to 1915, his occupation is listed as “Harvey & Briggs”. Harvey & Briggs were listed as liquor distributors for Vancouver Island. After that, Harry was a life insurance agent for a couple of different companies.

Through Newspapers.com, I was able to obtain several newspaper articles which showed how involved both Harry and his wife, Jeannie, with music with both noted as singers in the church choir. More notably, Jeannie, was a well-known soprano singer often attending garden parties, lunches and most interestingly enough, the Lieutenant Governor’s residence as a guest and performing for the guests on several occasions.

Below is an article from December 31, 1920, having a picture of Mrs. Harry Briggs, one of two pictures I’ve been able to locate, which shows her popularity as a singer:

^{The Victoria Daily Times · Fri, Dec 31, 1920 · Page 6}

So far, I have found nothing to indicate that Harry had any children with Jeannie or anyone else. The couple seemed to love entertaining, especially so for Jeannie, as there were several articles which show they were hosting guests at their home for lunches, teas and dinners.

^{The Province · Mon, Jul 11, 1927 · Page 8}

Some of Harry’s residences gleaned from Victoria City Directories 1909 to 1925 are listed as:

625 Niagara Street, Victoria (1909 – 1912)
1509 Gladstone Avenue, Victoria (Oak Bay) (1913 – 1914)
1513 North Hampshire, Victoria (1915 – 1925)

In 1926, Harry (and Jeannie) is listed in the Vancouver City Directory living at #202 – 1531 Davie Street. This building was once known as Gabriola Mansion, which holds a very interesting history. Originally built in 1900 – 1901 for industrialist Benjamin T. Rogers (founder of B.C. Sugar and its refinery). After his death in 1918, his widow sold the property. In 1925, Gabriola House became a 20-unit apartment building known as the Angus Apartments. Over the years, the building has housed many people and restaurants, and has been empty since the mid-2000s. It is known one of the most haunted places in Vancouver. The building is a Vancouver Heritage site which is currently being restored into apartments once again, and townhomes built adjacent to the original building. It is known one of the most haunted places in Vancouver.

Sometime between 1932 & 1933, Harry and Jeannie moved to 1386 Nicola Street, Vancouver, up until 1941, when they moved back to the Victoria area (#6 – 1370 Beach Dr., Victoria – Dorchester Apartments).

For much of his life, Harry was a salesman with some directories noting his occupation as a stockbroker later in his life, and up until his death in 1946. Interesting to note, his death is recorded as June 1, 1946, however, he was listed in the 1947 Victoria City Directory. I guess they put it all together before his death or it’s an oops!

Harry passed away June 1, 1946, from carcinoma of the bladder (bladder cancer), as indicated on the Registration of Death.

It seems Harry and his wife, Jeannie, were the “talk of the town” in society circles and society newspaper articles in Victoria, Vancouver and New Westminster noting over 200+ articles I have found showing their travel plans, tea parties, dinners, concerts, etc. – too many to show here!

Very handsome man indeed! I hope you have gotten a little glimpse into the life of Henry “Harry” Clarendon Briggs. There is much more to his story than shown here – maybe something for future posts.

60th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

On July 31, 2022July 30, 2022 By Vicky BriggsIn Briggs, Grant Briggs, Irving House, July 2022Leave a comment

I’m back and hopefully will be for a long time to come. Yes, I have been away for awhile taking care of some medical issues and all is good now! This seemed like a good time to make my return to the We Are Family Briggs blog.

This time last week Sunday, the Briggs family reunited on the lawns of Irving House in New Westminster, BC, to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of my parents, Grant & Jeannette Briggs. Some family members were not able to make it which we certainly missed (my youngest brother and his family, some cousins and a couple of my mother’s brothers).

Grant & Jeannette married on June 30, 1962, at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Maillardville. They started their life together in New Westminster moving to Port Coquitlam in 1971. They lived there until the early 80’s moving to Langley. In 2004, they made the big move to the little town of 100 Mile House and live there today.

They have three children, Veronica (me, born in 1962), Ronald (1964; wife Kim) and Shawn (1969; wife Michelle). As well, my father has a daughter, Cris (1959; husband Gary).

They have also been blessed with 9 grandchildren (Justin, Nichelle (Braydon), Amanda (Jack), Taylor, Jeremy, Cole, Dale, Maielle & Shia) and 4 great-grandchildren (Elijah, Levi, Elodie & Blake). Sadly, two great-grandchildren, Elliott & Ezra have passed.

In New Westminster, the Briggs family has a family home, Irving House. This home is now a heritage site, and is part of New Westminster’s and our history. We decided to have a picnic on the lawns of the home as our ancestors may have done in the late 1800s to the early 1900s. I won’t go on about the history of Irving House – that’s for another post!

The New West Record (local newspaper) was invited to join us and put together a wonderful article and video which I invite you all to view – they did a wonderful job and we are very thankful.

https://www.newwestrecord.ca/local-news/new-wests-irving-house-is-this-familys-ancestral-home-5630866?fbclid=IwAR2JCZGZCr3F9WN7JsJH0kEPCCP0-dYlA1M5KyztFmSdBm-kuK7end2QxkM

Also attending was New West City Councillor Jaimie McEvoy who made a presentation on behalf of the City to Mom & Dad for their 60th – a job well done!

A good time was had by all! I have to say a special thank you to the Heritage Program of New Westminster in helping me to set all this up, to the volunteers and staff at Irving House for their time and patience, and most of all to all the family who attended and made my parents’ celebration all that more special! They were very happy to see everyone.

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad with many more to come!

Who Shares Your Anniversary?

On March 19, 2022March 20, 2022 By Vicky BriggsIn Briggs, Irene Matthew, Mar 2022, Matthew, Stanley Briggs5 Comments

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted but I’m hoping to get back to trying to post at least twice a month.

This month, instead of the normal “Who Shares Your Birthday” post (and, yes, I know I missed last month!), I thought we’d try a little something different as there is an important anniversary to celebrate during the month of March – one that is important to our family.

Let’s start with acknowledging the birthdays we missed from February – happy birthdays to my Dad (Grant) who celebrated his 82^nd, and to Bradley. In March, we have several birthdays. Firstly, my son, Dale, then we have Blake, Amber, Lynda and last, but certainly not least, my Aunt Ev!

Now onto the celebration of the month – the anniversary of my grandparents’ wedding – Stanley and Irene Briggs, married March 19, 1938. Today would have been their 84^th wedding anniversary. I’d thought we could look at that little journey – it leads us to the base of our large family tree.

No one can know when or how they met those many years’ ago – one can only speculate. However, if someone in our family has a story to tell, we would certainly love to hear it!

The one thing that I have learned from the couple of courses I have taken in genealogy is that knowing a date or having a story does not clearly mark that day in history – having the documentation to prove it, can make a clearer picture, especially if you have pictures!

This leads me to my first piece of evidence – the engagement announcement. This announcement was in The Province newspaper dated 15 Mar 1938 (found on Newspapers.com):

Wow! I was so excited when I found this little gem as it had so much information in it – Stan & Irene’s story was starting to form. Even though we know their life together started well before that announcement, we at least have this to know their life story was beginning.

Well, little did I know that this story was going to become even better with the next item I found – the wedding announcement which was in The Vancouver Sun dated 31 Mar 1938 (found in Newspapers.com):

There is so much detail in this article that I was giddy and nearly fell off my chair! As I’m typing this, I’m a little teary thinking of how they must have felt on their wedding day. The reporter was very explicit in the details especially so with Irene’s wedding dress. Just trying to picture it was wonderful – what is even more wonderful is seeing the actual picture – sigh…..

The details are wonderful and I’m so happy to have found this! Let’s go over some of the information:

A.H.P. Matthew’s home is at 1313 Seventh Avenue, New Westminster.
Married in the evening
It shows Grandma’s full name of Irene Stella Hartford.
Grandpa’s father was T.A. Briggs (Thomas Albert)
Rev. Sharkey performed the ceremony
Miss Lillian Lueken – daughter of Charlotte (“Lottie”) Matthew (Grandma’s sister) and Henry Lueken, therefore Grandma’s niece.
W. H. Matthew is William Henry (“Harry”) Matthew – Grandma’s brother could sing!
A gorgeous description of Grandma’s wedding dress!
Best Man and Maid of Honour are husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Fletcher. Their full names we will learn of later.
Mrs. L.D. Craig is Francis (“Frankie”) Matthew (married to Lockart Dolson Craig), Grandma’s sister.
Miss Aileen Matthew is Beatrice or “Aunt Lena”, another sister of Grandma.
A description of the dress Mrs. Briggs wore – wife of T.A. Briggs – Effie.
Hostess aides were:
- Mrs. W.H. Matthew – Daisy (Grandma’s sister-in-law)
- Mrs. H.G. Champion – Laura (Grandma’s sister)
- Miss Beatrice Beagle – Grandma’s niece, daughter of Fred & Alberta (“May”) (Grandmas’ sister).
- Bernice Matthew – Grandma’s niece, daughter of William & Daisy Matthew.
Description of the wedding cake.
Description of what Grandma changed into when leaving for the honeymoon.
Their residence/home upon returning from the honeymoon – 1716 London Street, New Westminster.

Well, with this article, I feel like I was at the wedding! You can certainly see it was a family affair. Knowing Grandpa was an only child, I’m sure there was family there other than his parents – some aunts and uncles. It would sure be nice to know the guest list!

Well, the next best thing is a picture of the wedding couple! I thought I might try a little something that I have found through an ancestry program, My Heritage. They have tools where you can clean up the picture and even add some colour to see what it may have looked like on that day. They also have an animation feature which I found a little freaky. Anyways, here are the results side by side for you:

Whew, I tell you, what a beautiful couple. Grandpa looks so proud and Grandma – well, what can I say, she’s just so beautiful! The article certainly described her wedding dress to perfection. I am so grateful to have found it.

We’re not finished, I have one more piece to this story – the Certificate of Registration of Marriage:

There is so much information in this one document to the genealogist’s eye that I was…..well there are no words. Let’s go over some further items we have gleaned from this document:

Grandpa’s occupation – Tin Smith
Shows Grandma as divorced – something that I knew of but have now confirmed.
Both of their home addresses at the time of the marriage.
Full names and birth places of both of their parents.
Grandma and Grandpa’s signatures.
The full names of the best man and maid of honour – Robert Leonard and Florence Allen Fletcher of 4224 Bond St., Burnaby. Not sure who these people are but seem to be good friends of Grandma and Grandpa as I haven’t found evidence that they were family.
Name and address of the Reverend.

I think that about sums up the story of my grandparents wedding day. I certainly felt like I could have been there having the wonderful article of their wedding day.

To finish off our story, I have one final picture of the wedding party: Stanley & Irene Briggs, Robert & Florence Fletcher.

I hope I have given you a glimpse into the day my grandparents were married. If you have any other stories from this day, I would love for you to share them.

Happy anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa!

Take care, everyone!

What’s In A Name?

On January 11, 2022January 11, 2022 By Vicky BriggsIn Briggs, Jan 20225 Comments

Happy January! In my part of the world, we have experienced a lot of snow, a lot of cold and now a lot of rain – it is regular January weather! I hope you’re staying warm and dry enjoying the real winter we seem to be experiencing.

If you’re looking for our regular “Who Shares Your Birthday” post, there will not be one this month – I’m sorry. I have not been able to find someone of interest in the family trees to do a story on that has a birthday in January. Hopefully, throughout 2022, we can find someone.

That does not mean we cannot wish those in our family that have birthdays this month. Happy birthday to my niece Nichelle (5th), my nephew Taylor (today!), my great-nephew Levi (13th), my cousin, Mike (27th) and my sister Cris (29th). Whew, there are a lot of birthdays in January! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to find a relative of interest to write about but keep your fingers crossed for next year!

So, instead of our regular monthly birthday instalment, I thought I would give a little insight into the Briggs family name; it’s origin and meaning.

Briggs – what does it mean? Where does it come from? Where do I come from? Well, those are real life questions; they are the life questions that are much easier to answer than, “What is the meaning of life?”.

I did a DNA test through Ancestry.ca. It revealed the following:

If you think the origin of the Briggs surname comes from England, you would be wrong! The earliest variant of the Briggs surname originates from Norway. As you can see from my DNA results, I do have 4% Norwegian DNA. Likely, if I was able to research that far back (still trying!!) we will find a Briggs line that would originate from Norway. History shows, there has been many instances of migrations from the Scandinavian sub-region of Northern Europe (includes Norway, Denmark and Sweden) into Great Britain as early as the 9^th century.

When it comes to my family tree, my father’s side of the family mostly came from England. This includes the Briggs, Matthew, Hartford and Press tree branches. My mother’s side comes mostly from France and some from England. This is the reason for the high percentage coming from England as there are more lines from there.

The Briggs surname originates from Norway with instances occurring in England and Scotland. It is one form of the surname Bridges. Other surname forms are Brydges, Brigge, Bryggja, Brycg along with several other different spellings of Briggs. The surname Briggs is classified as a Northern English surname found mainly in West Yorkshire.

Briggs can have one of two meanings:

“Dweller By the Bridge”, live by or near a bridge (topographical)
“Bridge Keeper”; building and maintaining bridges, protector (occupational)

A “topographical” surname is given to those who live on or near a certain man-made or natural phenomenon that was found in the land. In this case, the topographical location was that of a bridge.

This surname of Briggs in the topographical and occupational sense was used for someone who lived near a bridge, or someone who was a bridge keeper; building and maintaining bridges. In the Middle Ages, maintaining a bridge was one of the three main feudal obligations.

This history of the Briggs name can be found as far back as 1205. This person’s name was recorded as “William de Bruges”. The name was mentioned in a document referred to as the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire, a document which was ordered, decreed and written under the reign of King John of England who ruled from 1199 to 1216.

Another instance of a recording of a variant of the surname Briggs is that of Gilbert atte Brigge, recorded in the 1272 Pipe Rolls of Surrey.

A famous Briggs found in England was one Henry Briggs (1561-1630), who was a Professor of Astronomy, and published many of the early books of astral navigation. Not sure if he’s part of our family line but a important name in history books.

There are also instances of the Briggs name in Scotland that can be found in the county of Aberdeenshire and were referred to as the bricklayers. So far, there has been no connection of Briggs ancestors in Scotland, only that of the Irving line.

I hope this has given you an insight into the Briggs name. If you anything to add to this, please feel free to post a comment – I really enjoy reading them!!

Who Shares Your Birthday?

On December 5, 2021October 10, 2022 By Vicky BriggsIn 2021, Dec 2021, Irving, Mary IrvingLeave a comment

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 30^th, just five days after her 22^nd 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 25^th, 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.

Lest We Forget

On November 11, 2021November 10, 2021 By Vicky BriggsIn Briggs, Nov 2021, Press, Thomas A. Briggs4 Comments

On this day, I would like to acknowledge and remember those ancestors

who served in WWI.

Thomas Albert Briggs (my great-grandfather): L/Col; 239^th Railway, 5^th Battalion; Served August 30, 1916 – February 4, 1919:

Errol Chandler Briggs: Pvt; 93^rd Aero Sqn, US or 374^th Aero (Service) Squadron ASSC (Aviation Section Signal Corp), Served December 13, 1917 – April 2, 1919:

Stanley Kingston Briggs: Capt, 29^th Battalion, 104^th Bengal Fusiliers; Served November 7, 1914 – February 17, 1919 (general demobilization):

Dr. John Alfred Briggs: Major, #10 Cdn Field Ambulance, Served March 5/15 – February 7/20 (general demobilization), awarded Military Cross, continued in service at Esquimalt, drowned at sea (details unknown):

William Alexander Irving: Acting Major, 10^th Brigade, Cdn Field Artillery, 1^st Heavy Battery, Served September 24, 1914 – October 11, 1916; KIA – “While returning from his battery observation point east of Pozieres {France} in company with a battery telephonist, about 10 am on October 11, 1916, he was severely wounded in the back by splinters from an enemy high explosive shell which landed about 100 yards from the battery position. He expired while being conveyed to the dressing station.”:

Frederick William Bond Press: 231^st Battalion Overseas, Served April 6, 1916 – February 4, 1919 (no image available).

I know this may not be all our family members that have served; however, these are the ones that I have found so far.

Please remember our family members who have served for us and our country today at 11 am.

Errol, Thomas, Stanley & John Briggs (brothers) – 1918

Thank you.

Halloween & Ghosts

On October 31, 2021October 31, 2021 By Vicky BriggsIn Briggs, Irving, Irving House, Oct 2021Leave a comment

It’s Halloween and you know what that means – spooky ghosts! Some believe and some don’t. Regardless of what you believe, there are ghost stories out there and I have found some.

Irving House was built in 1865 by Captain William James Irving, and possibly the oldest home in the Lower Mainland. William and his wife, Elizabeth lived in the home with their young family. He died in 1872. The house stayed in the family, housing two generations. Thomas Lasher Briggs and Mary Irving (William and Elizabeth’s daughter) raised their family in the home calling it Hollymount. Later, Naomi and Manuella Briggs, daughters of Thomas and Mary, stayed in the family home until 1950. At that time, they sold the home to the City of New Westminster. I have shared this picture before but will do so again so you can get a “picture” in your mind.

Here’s where the stories begin. I found a book, “At Home with History, The Untold Secrets of Greater Vancouver’s Heritage Homes” by Eve Lazarus. Interesting read – if anyone would like to read it, you’re more than welcome to borrow for a small fee of a visit and a cup of tea!

One particular story caught my eye, and I would love to share it with you. In 1980, Jim Wolf started researching the history of Irving House and spent a lot of time in the home. An excerpt from the book tells the story:

‘Wolf says that another time when he was in the house, a patient came over from nearby St. Mary’s hospital and asked him if children lived there. “I asked her why, and she said she was looking out of her window at the hospital the night before, and there were three little girls dancing on the lawn in their white nightgowns.”’

Well, I’d like to think those three little girls were Naomi, Manuella and Beryl Briggs, the only daughters of Thomas and Mary. They were the last females that lived in the home as little girls. Beryl was the first to pass in 1917, while Naomi and Manuella lived the longest of all the children of Thomas and Mary.

Naomi, Manuella & Beryl Briggs: