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!

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: