Canada Immigrant - Alexander McNaughton

[Benzol]

My great uncle Alex was believed to have been a sailor. He appears in the 1901 census for Victoria BC as a fireman on the SS Willapa berthed in Victoria on the night of the census. The 1911 census shows him married with children, still in Victoria. It also says that he immigrated to Canada in the 1890s. It's difficult to say but looks like either 1892 or 1897. Is there anyone out there who might know if there are Canadian records which detail immigrants into the country other than via shipping lists? I suspect great uncle Alex jumped ship! Are there likely to be ship crew records for the Canadian Pacific Steamship company which owned th SS Willapa? Any advice appreciated thanks.

Benzol

[nickgc]

If anyone knows the answer it might be this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Mtsmallwood

Picture of a Willapa in Juneau, Alaska in 1897 at

http://content.lib.washington.edu/cgi-bin/viewer.exe?CISOROOT=/transportation&CISOPTR=759&CISOMODE=thumb

May or may not be correct one (rather small).

Have you checked BCArchives for additional info on family?

http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/index.htm

Update:  Just found this interesting bit...the Willapa was built in US!  "built by Frank Whelan, Astoria, Ore. | Built as the tug General Miles for Ilwaco S.N. Co, Ilwaco, Wash. 1891 rebuilt as passenger ship for Portland & Coast SS Co., Portland, renamed Willapa. 1895 purchased by Alaska SS Co., Seattle. 19th Mar.1897 stranded near Bella Bella, BC, refloated and sold to Canadian Pacific Nav. Co., Victoria, BC. 1903 sold to Bellingham Bay Transportation Co., Port Townsend, Wash renamed Bellingham. 1917 rebuilt to a lighter and had various owners until deliberately burned at Seattle on 13th Aug.1950."

As to your question, I think that you need to have someone check the UK to North America passenger lists for the 1890s.  I think it is fairly obvious that he didn't arrive in Victoria on the Willapa, but was simply working on it in 1901.  A British citizen wouldn't necessarily have to jump ship in Canada, since it is also British.  All my maternal ancestors came from GB to Canada between 1800 and 1891, and (as far as I know) automatically became Canadian citizens.  No citizenship test, etc. as in US.

Good luck on this.

Nick

[LemonMallie]

Hi Benzol - I think Nick is probably correct in assuming that Alexander simply worked for the steamship company.  The Canadian Pacific Navigation Co ran ships up and down the west coast of Canada and America before it was bought out by the expanding CP group of companies.  This site has more information on the history of the various companies - http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/cp.html. 

I checked the BC Archives site but they don't seem to have anything on the company or ship post 1900.  It is very unlikely that any crew lists survived - I think the only surviving CP company is CP Rail and they state on their Archives site (http://www.cprheritage.com/) that they do not  hold any staff records.

It looks like Alexander married Maria Peers/Lupton in 1904 and died in 1937 - both events in Victoria.  I can look up his death registration as this will contain details on how long he lived in Canada, in the province and in the city.  This might help you trace his arrival in Canada.  As Nick mentioned, British subjects were automatically considered citizens of Canada up until the late 1940s so he would not have had to apply or pass any tricky Canadian history exams to get in the country!

The BC birth index ends in 1903 so no chance of finding his children's births.  But there is a possible marriage for Jeanie - Jean Maria McNaughton married Steven Trach in Victoria in 1929.  I am going to the library tomorrow so I will check that one as well.

Lynwen

[Benzol]

Thanks Nick and Lynwen.

Lynwen, I know quite a bit about great uncle Alex in Canada. He had three children they were all married but I have no access to records. Any chance of wedding details dates and places. I already have births and deaths. The children:
Jeannie Maria 1905-1984 marr. Stephen Trach
Mary Lily 1906-1937 marr. Frank Townsend. 1st child Rodney 1931
Alexander Peers 1907-1957 marr. Victoria Stafford.
I didn't know Jeannie's middle name was Maria nor her year of marriage, an exact day and place would be great.
Great uncle Alex died 21.8.1937. If the records give details particularly of his arrival in Canada this would be good.

I am sorry to hear that the Canadian official records don't exist for immigrants. Nor apparently the shipping company's records. I'm trying to establish what happened to Alex between the time he left the Industrial School in Perth Scotland in the early 1870s and when he set up home in Canada. I'm pretty sure he sailed the seven seas as my sister owns a couple of oriental vases, souvenirs from one of Alex's trips. I'll have to turn to the UK ships crews to see if I can find any details.

[nickgc]

Benzol,

If you have an LDS family history center nearby, you should be able to order photocopies of the following marriages using the "GSU" number.  I've done so before and they have good information.  Couldn't find Alex. Peer. McN.

You can look at all of these at the BCArchives link I posted in my first message, and also (I think) order from them, but LDS is cheaper ($3 US?) in the event Lynwen can't get them.


Groom Name:     Alexander Mcnaughton
Bride Name:     Maria Peers
Event Date:     1904 1 9 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Event Place:    Victoria
Reg. Number:    1904-09-012886
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number:  B11368
GSU Microfilm Number: 1983525

NB that she is also listed (same record numbers as surname "Lupton")



Groom Name:     Frank Townsend
Bride Name:     Lily Mary Mcnaughton
Event Date:     1930 9 26 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Event Place:    Oak Bay
Reg. Number:    1930-09-366508
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number:  B13759
GSU Microfilm Number: 2074555

Groom Name:     Stephen Trach
Bride Name:     Jean Maria Mcnaughton
Event Date:     1929 12 26 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Event Place:    Victoria
Reg. Number:    1929-09-349629
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number:  B13757
GSU Microfilm Number: 2074553

====

What is the exact date of the last that you have him in Perth?   Do you know his area of study at the Industrial School?  I presume that you find him in Scotland in 1871, and not in 1881 or 1891?Where in Perth was family located?  What was name of school?

re the oriental vases:  you certainly know more than I do about your uncle, but I do want to point out that the Vancouver, BC area has the largest Asian population in North America...larger even than San Francisco.

Regards,

Nick

[Benzol]

Hi Nick,
Thanks for the marriage details. I can't think what has happened to Alexander Peers McNaughton's marriage perhaps it was much later. I'm told that he died without children, so he may have married later in life.

Alexander McN senior. I found him in the 1871 census age 14. He was recorded in Fechney Industrial school Perth. Nothing after that until he turns up in Canada. he and my grandmother, also Jeannie McN, had a very poor upbringing. Their mother died at the age of 22  in 1861. For some reason my great grand father William McNaughton couldn't cope and so they both ended up in Industrial Schools.  William McN was a flesher (butcher) in the centre of old Perth City as were his grandfather, father and brothers. William lived 84 South Street Perth at the time of his wife's death.

Unfortunately the Fechney School recods no long exist for the period concerned. After 1900 they are in private hands. Therefore I've no idea of what his schooling consisted. However I think the education was based on various trades, carpentry and other manual trades. Also he must have learned to read and write. I do know that most of his working life in Victoria he was employed by the City Electric company.

Cheers Benzol

[LemonMallie]

Marriage details for Alexander and Maria Peers:

Alexander McNaughton, 45yrs old, bachelor, Presbyterian, resident of Victoria, born in Perth Scotland, occupation Seaman, father William McNaughton, mother Lily Douglas.

Maria Lupton (name of 1st husband), 42yrs, widow, Roman Catholic, resident of Victoria, born Victoria, occupation none, father Henry Nugent R Peers, mother Eleanor Yal?

Married on 9 Jan 1904 at the Archiepiscopal Palace by Rev J. Leternue.  Witnesses T. Thompson and Brenda Peers.

*Maria Newsham Peers married Louis Edgar Lupton on 29 Jan 1889 in Victoria.

[LemonMallie]

Marriage details for Jean and Stephen Trach:

Jean Maria, spinster, 24yrs, Presbyterian, residence 2403 Fernwood Rd Victoria, born Victoria, father Alexander McNaughton born Scotland, mother Maria Peers born Victoria

Stephen Trach, bachelor, 24yrs, Greek Orthodox, occupation labourer, residence Portland Hotel Victoria, born Manitoba, father Michael Trach born Russia, mother Antonyi Strauyk born Russia

Married on 26 Dec 1924 at 916 Johnson Street by Rev WJ Lipprell according to the rites of the United Church of Canada.  Witnesses Alexander Smith, Portland Hotel and Lily McNaughton, 2403 Fernwood.  Both the bride and groom could read and write.

[LemonMallie]

Marriage details for Lily and Frank Townsend:

Lily Mary, spinster, 24yrs, Presbyterian, born Victoria, occupation housemaid, residence 2403 Fernwood Victoria, parents Alexander and Maria

Frank Townsend, bachelor, 21yrs, Baptist, born Oxford Eng, occupation carpenter, residence 1869 Leighton Rd Victoria, father Herbert Townsend born Oxford, mother Annie Kench or Kinch born England (exact place unknown)

Married at the residence of Rev Charles Thomson, 873 Oliver Street, Oak Bay.  Witnesses  Mrs S Trach of 739 View Street Victoria and Arthur Townsend of 1869 Leighton Street.  Both the bride and groom could read and write.