WHANNELL/Fort Saskatchewan

[Auchencrieff]

 ???I wonder if anyone can help me find details of the murder of Mathias Schmidt in Alberta, Canada
James Whannell was hanged in Fort Saskatchewan for this murder on 20th February 1934/35
James may be an ancestor and I would appreciate any help in solving this puzzle.

[cosmac]

http://members.shaw.ca/canada_legal_history/ab.htm#second
This site clarifies the date of hanging to 1934.  Whannell's age is 21.

http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/newspapr/
There are some newspapers from Alberta online but unfortunately they can't be searched except by flipping through them manually.  They don't cover the year of execution but might cover the year for the actual murder

http://lethbridgeherald.newspaperarchive.com/AdvanceSearch.aspx
The Lethbridge Herald used to be free to search and now it is a pay service.  They show 3 hits for Mathias Schmidt and 6 for James Whannell but no way to know what type of article and if related until you pay for the service.

You could always ask the Edmonton Public Library - Ask a Librarian feature - if they could look up any information on the hanging/murder.

Debbie

[Auchencrieff]

Many thanks for your suggestions.

[Auchencrieff]

Hi
I briefly read your message and I am not quite sure what you mean by 'ask a librarian, perhaps if you have time you could message me with how I can do that.
I really appreciate the time you have taken to respond.
I understand that James arrived in St Johns in February 1930 so I am keen to find out what went wrong and also what happened to the rest of the family.
Many thanks

[cosmac]

http://www.epl.ca/
Link to the Edmonton Public Library.  Their "Ask a Librarian" feature is on the upper left that looks like the opening of a chat forum but you can send your query in an email format.  They answer questions on a number of subjects and they might be able to further your research or suggest another source for such material.

If this is the correct family they arrived 9 Feb 1930 on the Montcalm from Greenock Scotland to St. John New Brunswick.
Mary Whannell, 45, widow, b. Mochrum Village, Scotland, housewife in Scotland and intended occupation in Canada housekeeper, passage paid by E.S.A. (which would mean Empire Settlement Act), going to her employer Mr. Paul Kriegel Grimshaw, Alberta and her next of kin was her daughter Mrs. Mary E. Nichol, Barwhit, Gatehouse, Kirkcoudbright, Scotland
She was travelling with sons
James, 17, b. Gatehouse, was a bobbin mill worker and in Canada was going to be a farm labourer
Robert 14, b. Gatehouse, scholar in Scotland and farm labourer in Canada

If you do a google map search for Grimshaw you will find it around Peace River in northern Alberta.  It's just a small village.

Debbie

[Auchencrieff]

Debbie
I really appreciate the information you sent and will send a query to the library.
Thankyou so much
Regards
Janette

[J.J.]

This site has the execution as 1935 http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/canada.html
but the obit does say  Matthias obit appeared Jan 6 (or June 1) 1934 and that he was born ( *& died?) in Weberville
  * the place of birth is to proceed place of death and only one place is noted.
http://gp.abgensoc.ca/rg19321951.html   SCHMIDT, Matthias; 40; Weberville AB; RG; 1934-6-1

[Auchencrieff]

 :)Many thanks for the help and support I am really do appreciate the information.
I have been trying to trace my great aunt Mary (James mother) for some years without success so it is tantalizing to discover this information.

With Debbies information I have been able to access the information on the ships record and find section 19 reffering to physical information difficult to read.
I wonder if someone could kindly send me that part of the information.

Although I have done a lot of research on my family it has all been very local in Scotland so I don't know if there was a process of form filing on entry to Canada.

It is also intriguing why Mary left her small village in Scotland with her two youngest children and travel to Canada and how she met Paul

One door opens and hundreds of questions arise as a result.

Ialso managed to Google Grimshaw. Would there have been a particular address that the family arrived to.
I seem to be asking a lot and I am happy to do the research only I don't know which websites if any would be most appropriate.

[J.J.]

Noted that there is no Mathias Schmidt on the 1911 Canada born Alberta, so he may have been elsewhere in Canada or out of Country as well ( Germany/Prussia, etc.) so that obit may have been the place of death only? J.J.

p.s.  did you look through the newspapers for those dates?