Cemeteries in Lovett, Alberta (ghost town)

[sami]

The 1928/29 Henderson's Alberta gazetteer and directory has listings for both Lovett and Lovettville. There is a population of  350 in Lovett and a population of 60 in Lovettville at that time. Too bad they don't list everyone, but it does give you a few more names to work with.

http://www.rootschat.com/links/0wvf/

I am somewhat confused by the two listings. Which is more specific to this Cemetery topic?

sami

[RedMystic]

From what I can tell Sami, Lovett & Lovettville are the same place. The CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) called their stop in the village Lovett, but the village called itself Lovettville. 

[valeriec]

I have been looking through a lot of books that I have that aren't on-line as well as the census and the Nova Scotia Genealogy vital stats site.
The death of Thomas Letcher is from the Moss Diary by Joseph Moss. He kept a notebook and diary of all deaths that happened in the town or to Springhill Families. It is a wealth of information.
It appears that the Letcher family will start with
Joseph and Patience (Martin) Letcher, Cornwall, England
I have found at least 3 sons and possibly 4
Richard Martin Letcher, b. July 12, 1864, Cornwall, England, d. Feb. 11, 1959, buried in Wentworth
   m. Emma Budd
Joseph Henry Letcher, b. July 15, 1873, d. March 1, 1950, buried Hillside Cemetery, Springhill
   m. Sarah Alice McCarthy in 1891
George Albert Letcher, b. April 8, 1897, Westville, d. Oct 26, 1957, Northport, burial Northport Hillside Cemetery
   m. Effie Deliah Taylor, b. May 14, 1876, Parrsboro, NS, d. Dec 23, 1955, Northport, burial Northport Hillside Cemetery.

George Letcher and Effie Deliah Taylor
m. April 26, 1893
1901 Census, Springhill
George Letcher, b. Apr 8, 1867 year is wrong, age 27
Effa D., b. May 14, 1865 year is wrong, age 25
Thomas, b. Dec 23, 1895 year is wrong, age 7
Marey P. b. Sept 24, 1895, age 5
Effa M., b. Nov 5, 1897, age 3
George L., b. Sept 5, 1899, age 1
I can't find the family on the 1911 census but they may have been on the move. In 1909, there was a huge strike by coal miners in Nova Scotia that lasted for several months and many of the miners were still on strike at censu time in 1911. As most miners lived in company homes, many were displaced and were living with family members or on the road looking for work. Many from Springhill went west to Canmore and area.
Another son was born between the 1901 and 1911 census.
Ernest Albert Letcher, d. 5/9/1979, Pugwash, NS, age 74, buried at Northport Hillside Cemetery.
  m. Stella Agnes Brownell, b. 1905 and d. September 28, 1971, buried Northport Hillside Cemetery
  1 August 1929
He is the informant on both his mother and father's death certificates.
He has 2 sons that are still living in the Northport area and are on Canada 411 just in case that information becomes important at some time.

Now on to Thomas Letcher
b. December 23, 1893, Springhill, NS
d. December 6, 1918, out west of the flu
m. Florence Harvey, age 18, 1912
one of the witnesses was Mrs. Matilda Bainbridge, her sister

I checked the 1921 census for Florence Letcher but didn't get what I expected.
1921/Nova Scotia/Cumberland/Dist 55 Rodney
Main St., Springhill
Bert Bainbridge, age 44
Matilda Bainbridge, age 32
Pearl Letcher, age 8, b. about 1913, Alberta, niece
F. Letcher, age 2, b. about 1919, Alberta, niece (same name as the mother just in case could be living)
I think these are 2 of the children of Thomas and Florence.
There is no sign of Thomas' wife, Florence just the 2 children. I can't find anything else on this family anywhere.
Is it possible that Florence also died in the flu epidemic.

Thomas Clifford Letcher
Reg # 716058
106th Battalion
enlisted March 22, 1916, Springhill, NS

I am really hoping that one of these 2 sites will work and you can access his picture.
I did a search for 106th Oveseas Battalion CEF and this came up
www.angelfire.com/trek/rifles/rindex.htm
Number 12 Platoon, picture #23
T. C. Letcher
www.angelfire.com/trek/rifles/page39.htm

fingers crossed that the link works, I am off for a well earned coffee and break.
Oh, My Dad's cousin married one of Joseph Henry Letcher's sons, so he would have been Thomas first cousin. Sadly, none of his children lived so no help there.
Val

[RedMystic]

Wowzers Val. You're right. You deserve a cup of coffee - with a shot of Bailey's! I'm going to print this off to work through it carefully.

Any sign of where George Letcher and Effie Deliah Taylor are buried - maybe I missed it in my skim. I know George was in the Red Deer area in 1916 so that fits with your strike info. Daughter Marie Patience Letcher was in Edmonton in 1916. She married & went to Calgary, then eventually to Fernie, BC. It looks like son George Lavers Letcher died in Kelowna, BC.

Your find on Pearl & F Letcher born in Alberta but back in NS in 1921 is intriguing! I must try to find out if they are daughters of Thomas & Florence.  The on-line trees don't have a death date/place for Florence. Hmmmm. It makes me wonder if she dies in AB too.

I will also need to double back to see when George Lavers Letcher came west as the children could be his I suppose.

I haven't tried the links yet, but I will. Sooooo much great stuff to dig through. 

[valeriec]

George and Effie Letcher are buried in Northport Hillside Cemetery.

Regarding the 1921 census, I think the children Pearl and Florence are children of Thomas and Florence as Matilda was Florence' sister and they are listed as niece. There is no relation between Matilda and George Lavers Letcher.

Val

[RedMystic]

That's tremendous Val. Amazing finds.

I think they are the right kids too. It may mean that Florence died in Alberta so the kids got sent home to NS - darn the privacy laws in that province that make it sooooo hard to search!!

AND you found a picture or Thomas Clifford Letcher. (The links you posted worked perfectly!  )

[valeriec]

I found the other 2 children on the 1921 census

Evelyn Letcher
age 7, b. 1914, NS
granddaughter
Dist 55/Rodney/Syndicate Road, Springhill
William Harvey, head, age 59
Harriett Harvey, age 52
John Harvey, age 13, son
Evelyn Letcher, age 7, granddaughter

Georgina Letcher, age 5, boarder, in the household of Elizabeth Fraser
A lot of boarders in this house.
Interesting find
Florence McDonald, married, age 27, b. 1894, NS is the line above Georgina. I wonder if she remarried after Thomas died. Off on another search.
Val

[Crunwere]

What a super idea RedMystic - and look at all the info you and your friends have collected here so far - amazing.

From being almost forgotten poor little Lovett is now having lots of attention!

Didn't realise Alberta had strict privacy laws.

Where will your 'Find a Grave' page be - or is it not set up yet.  Only wondering as the only Lovett I could find last night was another one!

Great that pictures are coming to light for some of the men too - though perhaps the poor deserter's story also is worth doing - as who are we to judge what his state of mind was at the time. 
There is a memorial to those 'Shot at Dawn' in the uk - and it has apparently got Canadians named as well - so who knows?

2001 What many now see as one of the great injustices of the First World War is about to be honoured in Britain as a memorial to 306 deserters, including 23 Canadians, nears completion in the English Midlands.

[Crunwere]

There is a list of Canadians executed for desertion here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canadian_soldiers_executed_for_military_offences

Not sure if you have the deserter's details or not.