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Research in Other Countries => Canada => Topic started by: DianaCanada on Monday 13 January 20 20:08 GMT (UK)
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Am trying to find out what happened to James Birchall, b. Jun Q 1885, Burnley, Lancashire, the son of Joseph Birchall and Lucetta Smith. He married Ethel Dean and she died in Mar Q 1925, Burnley. He then married my relative Louisa Newton Cooper in 1926.
In 1927 I found him on a passenger list, from Liverpool to Quebec (Sep 3, landed Sep 8). He is listed as a groundsman, 42, paid his own way, wife Louisa Birchall, 95 Manchester Rd., Burnley.
This is the last I can find of him. I was not able to find him on any passenger lists returning to the UK and his wife died in Fulham, London in 1959, age 90. She is listed as widow of James Birchall, a golf club groundsman. I have no evidence that Louisa joined him in Canada - she is with her sister on the 1939 Register.
Any information on James after 1927 would be appreciated!
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she is with her sister on the 1939 Register.
Is she a widow or married?
I found him on a passenger list, from Liverpool to Quebec (Sep 3, landed Sep 8). He is listed as a groundsman, 42, paid his own way, wife Louisa Birchall,
That infers wife was on the passenger list too? If so she must have returned or am I reading it wrong and he travelled on his own :-\
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she is with her sister on the 1939 Register.
Is she a widow or married?
I found him on a passenger list, from Liverpool to Quebec (Sep 3, landed Sep 8). He is listed as a groundsman, 42, paid his own way, wife Louisa Birchall,
That infers wife was on the passenger list too? If so she must have returned or am I reading it wrong and he travelled on his own :-\
Thank you for your response, Millepede! On the passenger list she is listed as his relative in England, back in Burnley. She is listed as Married. I actually thought it was W for widowed and when I realized it was a M, I had to find James!
I did find a James of the same age and a golf clubhouse manager in Ohio in 1940. I was very excited until I found Naturalization and a passport application that ruled him out - very disappointed, I couldn’t believer there’d be two James Birchalls b in England, same age, and such similar occupations!
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On the passenger list it looks like James is going to a job in Montreal, but is so blacked out, I can’t read the rest of it.
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He married Ethel Dean and she died in Mar Q 1925, Burnley.
Ethel's burial at Burnley Cemetery, 21 March 1925. Age 39.
Residence 4 Windle Court
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJW-Z1P1?i=696&cat=1017697
Graves Register shows that A873 was purchased by William Dean in 1886. Five burials?
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJW-K9C8-6?i=574&cat=1017697
For what it's worth(!)
Lovell's Montreal Directory 1929-1930
Only three Birchalls, including James Birchall, auditor, apt 21 7270 Sherbrooke W.
Seems unlikely, but anyway he wasn't listed the previous year.
The 1930-31 directory has another James
Jas Birchall, caretaker, apt 3391 Evelyn Verdun
Both James still listed for the next year or two, which is as far as I looked.
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Was his birth registered as Burchell?
BURCHELL, JAMES
Mother's Maiden Surname: SMITH
GRO Reference: 1885 J Quarter in THE BURNLEY UNION Volume 08E Page 176
Is this him?
Burnley Express, 3 November 1915
(best guess from free ocr text)
PRIVATE J. BIRCHALL. Pve. James Birchall (18874), of the 1st East Lancashire Regiment, has lost his left eye as a direct result of being gassed. He has been in hospital from July 6th, and is still in hospital...Now is in the Edinburgh War Hospital.... his wife has now learned that has had the left eye removed ...
That chap is in the new WW1 pension records via ancestry, I don't have access to the images on fold3 - James Birchall, b. 1886, residence Burnley. Disability. Discharge date 15/03/1919
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He married Ethel Dean and she died in Mar Q 1925, Burnley.
Ethel's burial at Burnley Cemetery, 21 March 1925. Age 39.
Residence 4 Windle Court
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJW-Z1P1?i=696&cat=1017697
Graves Register shows that A873 was purchased by William Dean in 1886. Five burials?
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSJW-K9C8-6?i=574&cat=1017697
For what it's worth(!)
Lovell's Montreal Directory 1929-1930
Only three Birchalls, including James Birchall, auditor, apt 21 7270 Sherbrooke W.
Seems unlikely, but anyway he wasn't listed the previous year.
The 1930-31 directory has another James
Jas Birchall, caretaker, apt 3391 Evelyn Verdun
Both James still listed for the next year or two, which is as far as I looked.
The Verdun listing seems more likely. I can see where he might have gone from a groundsman to a caretaker.
I don't know much about Ethel, just that she had died the year before he married Louisa Newton Cooper, so they were both widowed. He and Ethel had three daughters: Bertha, Doris, and Eva (1906,1907, 1914) and I have only found Doris, married, and on the 1939. The other two have eluded me so far, have found no marriages or deaths for them in England/Wales. Thought they might have gone to Canada, perhaps on the domestic-hiring scheme they had then.
There might be electoral lists I can look at for James, in Quebec.
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Was his birth registered as Burchell?
BURCHELL, JAMES
Mother's Maiden Surname: SMITH
GRO Reference: 1885 J Quarter in THE BURNLEY UNION Volume 08E Page 176
Is this him?
Burnley Express, 3 November 1915
(best guess from free ocr text)
PRIVATE J. BIRCHALL. Pve. James Birchall (18874), of the 1st East Lancashire Regiment, has lost his left eye as a direct result of being gassed. He has been in hospital from July 6th, and is still in hospital...Now is in the Edinburgh War Hospital.... his wife has now learned that has had the left eye removed ...
That chap is in the new WW1 pension records via ancestry, I don't have access to the images on fold3 - James Birchall, b. 1886, residence Burnley. Disability. Discharge date 15/03/1919
Yes, the spelling of Birchall varies; it is not that widespread around Burnley. His father was Joseph, mother Lucetta Smith.
I think the WWI soldier might be him - I tried to find military records for him, so thank you for that.
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Eva Birchall aged 16 years, born Burnley, weaver, domestic, arrived in Canada 8 August 1930 on the Albertic- Eva was going to James Birchall 3391 Evelyn Street Verdun Montreal. Grandmother was listed as Rosetta Smeeth, 9 Slater Btr, of Westgate Burnley. Passage paid British Doms Emigration
Sandra
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Eva Birchall aged 16 years, born Burnley, weaver, domestic, arrived in Canada 8 August 1930 on the Albertic- Eva was going to James Birchall 3391 Evelyn Street Verdun Montreal. Grandmother was listed as Rosetta Smeeth, 9 Slater Btr, of Westgate Burnley. Passage paid British Doms Emigration
Sandra
Sandra, thank you! This then, is my James. His mother was Lucetta, quite sure this Rosetta would have been her though. I will look for a remarriage for her.
Where did you find this reference?
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Just found Eva’s marriage in Verdun in 1933 to Neil Campbell. All parties living on Evelyn Street, Verdun. It names her parents as James Birchall and Margaret Dean, rather than Ethel, but everything else fits. Found this in the Drouin Collection.
FreeBMD shows a marriage of Lucetta Burchall to Richard Smeeth in 1905, Burnley.
Thanks for everyone’s help!
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The name was slightly smudged and could have been or was meant to be Lucetta - there is a Lucetta Smeeth on the 1911 census. There was a marriage of Lucetta Burchall to Richard Silas B Smeeth in 1905 Burnley - 8e 369
Sandra
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Just found Eva’s marriage in Verdun in 1933 to Neil Campbell. All parties living on Evelyn Street, Verdun. It names her parents as James Birchall and Margaret Dean, rather than Ethel, but everything else fits. Found this in the Drouin Collection, Anc.
Sorry had to pop away for a while. Yes, I see that marriage. 1934
Sandra
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The same couple appear on a Canada Voters List - 1965/68 - Neil Campbell - stat.engineer and Eva Campbell a cashier - 1118 Valiquette Street Verdun.
Sandra
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Canada Voters List shows a Eva Campbell - - retraitee (retired) apt 2 Rur Rolland Verdun in 1972
Sandra
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I think the WWI soldier might be him
It is indeed him. Now having seen the full newspaper article, it says he was previously employed at the brewery at Keighley Green.
Wife resides in Rylands Street. Three children.
The article is accompanied by a photograph of Private J. Birchall.
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This was the father of Neil Campbell - Maitland Campbell husband of Elizabeth McKenzie died 1938
The Gazette Montreal, Quebec, Quebec, Canada 20 Jun 1938, Mon - Page 9
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42271038/obituary_for_maitland_campbell/
marriage of parents -
Maitland Campbell - Elizabeth McKenzie Gray - 1902 -
646/2 338 - Govan
Elizabeth Campbell appeared on a Canadian Passenger List 7 August 1926 - Elizabeth 45 years - Andrew 17 years - Peter Campbell 15 years. Going to father Maitland Campbell 446 Lagauchetuieve West Montreal.
Sister Margaret Irving, 1 Anderson Street Govan.
Sandra
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Was his birth registered as Burchell?
BURCHELL, JAMES
Mother's Maiden Surname: SMITH
GRO Reference: 1885 J Quarter in THE BURNLEY UNION Volume 08E Page 176
Is this him?
Burnley Express, 3 November 1915
(best guess from free ocr text)
PRIVATE J. BIRCHALL. Pve. James Birchall (18874), of the 1st East Lancashire Regiment, has lost his left eye as a direct result of being gassed. He has been in hospital from July 6th, and is still in hospital...Now is in the Edinburgh War Hospital.... his wife has now learned that has had the left eye removed ...
That chap is in the new WW1 pension records via ancestry, I don't have access to the images on fold3 - James Birchall, b. 1886, residence Burnley. Disability. Discharge date 15/03/1919
I have access to the newspaper so will look this up (I checked earlier but didn’t find it), and will look at the pension records too.
Thank you so much!
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Found the newspaper reference to James, poor guy. Have added it to my archive.
Also found the exact death of his first wife, same paper, 25 Mar 1925, Ethel died 17 Mar.
Thanks again to everyone for their help.
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There appears to be at least one child born to Neil and Eva. The child may be still alive so I won't post details here. You can find the baptism in 1934 at the same church the couple were married at, in image 54.
PB
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There was also a birth of a son 6 January 1940 - baptised 28 April 1940 (you could easily guess the names) - United Church Chalmers
Sandra
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Thank you Sandra.
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Have you made any other progress yourself on James Birchall, Eva and Neil or the two children ???
Sandra
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Have you made any other progress yourself on James Birchall, Eva and Neil or the two children ???
Sandra
I am actually only concerned with James directly, and have basically come to a standstill in regards to where and when he died. All I know is that he died before his second wife did. I feel he likely died in the Montreal area, and whatever church he was buried from is not included in the Drouin collection on Ancestry. It is possible that his death might have been noted in the Montreal Gazette, or more likely the Montreal Star, but as far as I can tell, neither are digitalized.
I went from having nothing more than his name, the Quarter and and Louisa married in, and the reference to him on Louisa’s death certificate to finding out a whole lot more within 48 hours, through my own searching combined with help here. So am very happy with the outcome!
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Never found any death notice or obituary in Montreal papers.
Just wondered out of curiosity where Eva and Neil were buried, sometimes this is helpful if there are any family burials/plots in the same cemetery ???
Sandra
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It looks like there are few Quebec cemeteries transcribed and put online.
I imagine they are buried in a Protestant cemetery in Verdun, but I don't see any indexed online.
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Eva Birchall Campbell 1914 - 1993 and Neil Munro Campbell 1903-1979 can be found on Billion Graves buried in Nova Scotia
https://billiongraves.com/grave/Eva-Birchall-Campbell/8921647
If this link doesn't work they are in Mount Hermon Cemetery Dartmouth/Halifax Nova Scotia
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Eva Birchall Campbell 1914 - 1993 and Neil Munro Campbell 1903-1979 can be found on Billion Graves buried in Nova Scotia
https://billiongraves.com/grave/Eva-Birchall-Campbell/8921647
If this link doesn't work they are in Mount Hermon Cemetery Dartmouth/Halifax Nova Scotia
Great find Cosmac.
Sandra
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Thank you, Cosmac.
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Four years since I originally posted this! I had a look at the 1931 Canadian census and found James living at 3391 Evelyn St., Verdun, Montreal region. He is listed as the head, greens keeper (bowling green), age matches b. 1885, with housekeeper Margaret Thompson, 28, single, b. Scotland.
Two children are also listed: Nettie, age 2, and Maitland age 8 months, as his daughter and son, their mother listed as born England. I found baptismal records for Janet Hunter Thomson Birchall (b. 1928) and Maitland Campbell Birchall, (b. 1930), and a third son, Robert Millingchamp Birchall, b. later, in Nov 1931. All three are listed as the children of James Birchall and Margaret Thomson (all records spell it this way, except the 1931 census), listed as his wife. I found no marriage record for James and Margaret, and it seems in 1931 they were not claiming to be married.
The children were all baptized on the same day in 1932 in Pointe-Claire, which is a good distance from Verdun.
All three children are deceased, and I found obits on line for all three. Robert died in BC in a float plane crash on 30 Jul 1981 in Ocean Falls. Resident of Fonthill, Ontario. He is also on Find a Grave.
The three all left Quebec, perhaps their parents did too, but they have been part of the general Anglo leaving (as I was) the province in later years as political tensions increased.
Still no luck with finding James' death or burial, but my conclusion is that he had a common law relationship with Margaret and never returned to Louisa in England. His death may have occurred later than the Drouin church records on Anc* would record.
One odd note - the older son, Maitland Campbell was the name of James' daughter Eva's future father-in-law (Eva was b. in England, daughter of Ethel Dean and James, but on her marriage her mother is given as Margaret Dean). Eva married Neil Campbell in 1934, and what I found on line, they may have changed their name later to Mackenzie, his mother's maiden name.
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Hi,
No help with James but I think Margaret remarried to a Gauld In Robert's obit from the Ottawa Citizen in 1981 it says.....loving son of Margaret Gauld.
Canada Voters List, 1972 Scarborough, Ontario 63 Billington Crescent
Birchall, Maitland, ship's officer
Gauld, Margaret, retired
Mackenzie, Janet
MacKenzie, Neil, supervisor
Canada's Voters List 1974, same address, Margaret isn't listed.
DB
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Thanks, db! I saw that voter's list but did not click to who Margaret Gauld was.
Very curious as to why Janet and her husband Neil changed their surname from Campbell to Mackenzie (his mother's maiden name).
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Same family?
In the 1962 Register of Voters for Glagow Scotland, among a number of people listed at the same address are….
Maitland Birchall
William Gauld
Margaret Gauld
There is no occupation given for voters but the names Maitland Birchall and Margaret Gauld appear to match up with the later 1972 Canada list posted above by dbree.
Anyway, food for thought.
PBq
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Same family?
In the 1962 Register of Voters for Glagow Scotland, among a number of people listed at the same address are….
Maitland Birchall
William Gauld
Margaret Gauld
There is no occupation given for voters but the names Maitland Birchall and Margaret Gauld appear to match up with the later 1972 Canada list posted above by dbree.
Anyway, food for thought.
PBq
Great find, polarbear! Not proven, but given the unusual combination of names, I would say very likely this is the same family. Perhaps William Gauld was a native of Scotland, as Margaret was, and they decided to move back there.
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Maitland and the Gaulds also appear at the same address in 1959, 1960, and 1961.
We know the 3 children were baptized in Sept 1933. Then just a few weeks later Margaret and the children apparently travelled to Scotland….
Arrived 23 Oct 1933
Going to Main Street Dunlop Ayreshire
Margaret Birchall housewife
Janet 5
Maitland 3
Robert 2
Country of last residence Canada
Country of future residence appears to be Scotland
I don’t know when Janet married but there is a Janet Birchall age 26 who travelled to Canada in 1954. Seen in the UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists. Her last address in the UK was given as 7 Kirkland Road in Dunlop Scotland. Given that Margaret and the children were going to Dunlop, I wonder if this might be her daughter? More food for thought.
PB
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Again, very useful information, polarbear. For some reason I thought William might have been Canadian but there is no reason to assume this. I did follow up on a William Gauld who was living in Hamilton, Ontario (where Maitland later lived) in 1931, but that fellow died unmarried in Hamilton in the late 1940’s.
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James Birchall was my grandfather. His occupation was greens keeper at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, where he lived with his wife, Margaret Thomson (married in 1927) and his three children, Janet (Nettie), Maitland and Robert. Janet was named after her maternal grandmother, Robert and Maitland were both named after close friends of my grandfather. Maitland's middle name comes from a member of the Campbell family who was a second cousin to my great grandmother.
The family returned to Dunlop and James died in May of 1941 and is buried (with my grandmother and great grandmother) in the village cemetery. His death certificate lists Margaret Thomson as his wife as well as Joseph Birchall, his father and Rosetta Birchall (nee Smith), his mother.
Neil MacKenzie emigrated to Canada in 1952 and Janet Birchall followed in 1954. They were married in Toronto in 1954. There was never a change of family name. Neil's mother was Annie MacKenzie (nee Richie) his father was Kenneth MacKenzie.
Margaret Birchall married William Gauld in 1947, who died in 1962. Four years later she emigrated to Canada and lived with Janet and Neil and their daughter. One year after this, Maitland moved in with the family.
When Maitland Birchall emigrated to Canada he worked as a 2nd and 1st mate on ships on the Great Lakes. He then became a Master Mariner and was captain of the Canadian science ships "Bayfield" and "Limnos". Following his death in 2017, I took his ashes back to Dunlop where he is buried in the same village cemetery as his parents and grandmother.
Members of the family have no information regarding a "first wife".
After my visit Scotland and doing searches in Edinburgh, I quickly came to the conclusion that it's very easy to get bogged down in records. When researching my grandfather's military record, I found no less that four James Birchalls, all from the same area of England. Apparently Birchall and Burchill are common names.
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I will look over my notes again but it seems unlikely to me that he is not the same individual - how many James Birchalls from Burnley would have worked as golf course groundskeepers, which is rather an unusual occupation, in fact, he is the only one I have found amongst thousands of relatives!
Louisa Newton Cooper Birchall was my grandfather’s cousin. My grandparents immigrated to Quebec about the same time James did.
Not completely ruling him out, but I want to look it over again.
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James Birchall was my grandfather. His occupation was greens keeper at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, where he lived with his wife, Margaret Thomson (married in 1927) and his three children, Janet (Nettie), Maitland and Robert. Janet was named after her maternal grandmother, Robert and Maitland were both named after close friends of my grandfather. Maitland's middle name comes from a member of the Campbell family who was a second cousin to my great grandmother.
The family returned to Dunlop and James died in May of 1941 and is buried (with my grandmother and great grandmother) in the village cemetery. His death certificate lists Margaret Thomson as his wife as well as Joseph Birchall, his father and Rosetta Birchall (nee Smith), his mother.
Neil MacKenzie emigrated to Canada in 1952 and Janet Birchall followed in 1954. They were married in Toronto in 1954. There was never a change of family name. Neil's mother was Annie MacKenzie (nee Richie) his father was Kenneth MacKenzie.
Margaret Birchall married William Gauld in 1947, who died in 1962. Four years later she emigrated to Canada and lived with Janet and Neil and their daughter. One year after this, Maitland moved in with the family.
When Maitland Birchall emigrated to Canada he worked as a 2nd and 1st mate on ships on the Great Lakes. He then became a Master Mariner and was captain of the Canadian science ships "Bayfield" and "Limnos". Following his death in 2017, I took his ashes back to Dunlop where he is buried in the same village cemetery as his parents and grandmother.
Members of the family have no information regarding a "first wife".
After my visit Scotland and doing searches in Edinburgh, I quickly came to the conclusion that it's very easy to get bogged down in records. When researching my grandfather's military record, I found no less that four James Birchalls, all from the same area of England. Apparently Birchall and Burchill are common names.
Could you tell me te date of James and Margaret’s marriage? I couldn’t find one in the Quebec records, and as I mentioned, on the 1931 Canadian census, Margaret is listed as his housekeeper, not his wife. He is listed as married, she as single.
James was married twice before he went to Montreal; his daughter Eva married Neil Campbell in Montreal. Eva was from his first marriage.