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Research in Other Countries => Canada => Topic started by: carom on Saturday 26 August 17 23:26 BST (UK)
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My great uncle b.1888 in England went to Canada in about 1910. We have some great glass slides showing the log cabin he built. It all looks very pioneering.
He married in Somenos in 1914, then returned to the UK to join up. After the war he went back and in 1924 his address was RMD1 Mill Bay, Cobble Hill, Vancouver Island. I think he lived there until they returned to the UK in the late 1950's, understand he became a chicken farmer.
I'm very interested to learn more about the settlers and how this area developed. Can anyone enlighten me or suggest where I could look for more info?
Thanks
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I looked on Google and found these interesting sites:
http://www.maureenduffus.com/vancouver-island-history.php
http://www.vihistory.ca/
I also looked on some online libraries and it looks like there are a few history books on Vancouver Island.
Online library links:
https://archive.org/
https://openlibrary.org/
https://www.hathitrust.org/digital_library
https://books.google.com/
http://www.gutenberg.org/
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He likely would have gotten his land through homesteading. See if you can find him here:
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/land/land-grants-western-canada-1870-1930/Pages/search.aspx
and/or here:
http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/gator/crowngrantsearchrequest.do
There was a nominal charge (I think a tenner) to claim a parcel of land, but in order to be granted Letters Patent you had to prove that you had lived there and improved the land ("proving out"). This was done by farming it, building buildings (like his log cabin!) and fences, wells, barn or stables, etc. Likely there was absolutely nothing on the land when he got there so building his own house was a matter of necessity.
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Dig around this site and maybe you will find him by name!
https://millbaymalahathistory.com/about/
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Thanks for the suggestions. I've not found him by name as yet, but some interesting reading.