Back porch of the W. A. Mawhinney house at the corner of Canada Way and Pitts Street. Presumably William and Annie standing in photograph. William is at the bottom of the stairs and Annie at the top of the stairs. A curtain shades the porch.
Back porch of the W. A. Mawhinney house at the corner of Canada Way and Pitts Street. Presumably William and Annie standing in photograph. William is at the bottom of the stairs and Annie at the top of the stairs. A curtain shades the porch.
History
This home was built by Captain William J. Eyres. In 1912, it was reported in The British Columbian: “Captain Eyres of Seattle is remodelling the front of his house on Douglas Road and otherwise improving it.” The house was later sold to William A. Mawhinney, who subsequently built houses at 6011 Buckingham Avenue and 7616 Burris Avenue.
Photograph William George Alcock in his British Columbia Electric Railway uniform with his hand in his breast pocket. He was an interurban tram conductor before 1922.
Photograph William George Alcock in his British Columbia Electric Railway uniform with his hand in his breast pocket. He was an interurban tram conductor before 1922.
Series consists of letters and land title certificates of William Holmes along with a newspaper clipping refering to the European Ash tree that was planted by the Holmes family on their land in District Lot 1 in Burnaby.
Series consists of letters and land title certificates of William Holmes along with a newspaper clipping refering to the European Ash tree that was planted by the Holmes family on their land in District Lot 1 in Burnaby.
Fonds consists of photographs pertaining to the William Holmes family, family grave markers in cemetery in Ireland along with original correspondence, land title certificates and a newspaper clipping.
Fonds is arranged in series:
1) William Holmes family photographs series
2) William Holmes family…
Fonds consists of photographs pertaining to the William Holmes family, family grave markers in cemetery in Ireland along with original correspondence, land title certificates and a newspaper clipping.
Fonds is arranged in series:
1) William Holmes family photographs series
2) William Holmes family records series
3) Holmes family cemetery photographs series
History
William Holmes was the first non-Indigenous resident of Burnaby and was born in Kilkenny Ireland January 4, 1812. In 1833, at the age of 20 yrs, William Holmes immigrated to Canada from Ireland in with his parents, Joseph and Jane (McCullough) Holmes and ten other family members including two of his married brothers and their wives, two sisters with their husbands and two unmarried brothers. This was the first group of thirteen to leave Ireland and set up homesteads in Canada near the shores of Lake Huron. The family settled on land concessions in Huron County, Ontario about 14 km southeast of Goderich.
The area in Huron County was first founded in 1832 by John and Samuel Holmes and the community was known as Holmes Hill before becoming Holmesville [ca. 1850]. In 1837, William Holmes is noted as owning Lot 23, Concession IX, Goderich Twp. Much of the village of Holmesville grew up around the five road concession near the border of his brother’s farm so William decided to open a store. The Holmesville post office opened on March 1, 1855 and William was appointed the first post master which he operated until May 1857. William met and married Mary Richardson in 1841 and the couple had three daughters: Jane (1844-1926) (married Charles Studdert Finlaison in New Westminster in 1863); Anne Maria (Annie) (1846-192?) (married John Gunther Jennings in New Westminster in 1865 and married Robert Johnson in New Westminster in 1877) and Elizabeth (1848-1934) (married Thomas Carrington of Lakes District in 1867). William’s wife, Mary (Richardson) Holmes died in Holmesville sometime between 1848 and 1853.
Following the death of his first wife, Mary, William married Charlotte McCullough (McCulloch). The couple had four daughters; Arabella Charlotte Amelia (1854-1943) (married Arthur Robert Green in 1887); Laura (1855-1867); Arabella Henrietta (1857-1929) (married Clark Wesley Gillanders in 1880) and Mary (1863-1864). During the late 1850s, William became aware of the gold rush and opportunities opening up in British Columbia so left for the west coast in 1858 at the age of 46 yrs. In preparation for his move to the west coast of Canada, William obtained a letter of introduction from top government officials of Canada.
William Holmes arrived in British Columbia in 1859. Upon arriving, he first worked running pack trains from Harrison Mills to Lillooet. After earning some money, he decided to re-invest it in land. His first pre-emption of land occurred on January 21, 1860 for 160 acres situated on North Road from the Military Camp to Burrard Inlet and distancing 25 chains south of the Brunette River and 20 chains south of the river with the land extending in a westerly direction. On March 17, 1860, Holmes received a Crown Grant for this and other land in the immediate area totalling 415 acres of which was known as Lot No. 1, Group 1, Rural Land, New Westminster District. The balance of land was situated on the east side of the Brunette River – Lot 13, with 344 2/3 acres of which he made an application to purchase on June 26, 1860, and a Crown Grant dated March 16, 1861 covering 86 acres. Holmes also pre-empted land in Port Moody and Pitt Meadows in 1860 and 1861. The name of “Brunette River” is officially attributed to William Holmes who referred to the river as “Brunette” due to it’s dark colour originating from the peat lands above the lake.
Following his purchase of property, he sent for his wife Charlotte, their three daughters and her three step daughters (from William’s first marriage). Charlotte and the six children made the long trip to B.C. by ship and rail, crossing the Isthmus of Darien at Panama. They arrived in B.C. in October 1861 and moved into a one room log cabin built by William. The cabin stood on the North Road at the foot of Sapperton, on a bluff overlooking the Brunette River. Eventually the family moved to a larger dwelling but the original cabin remained on the site until the 1890s when it was burned after being used as a sick house.
Mr. Holmes was instrumental in organizing the first Orange Lodge in British Columbia. He was a prominent Orangeman who joined the order in 1840 and was the first master in the order of the City of New Westminster when the Lodge No. 1150 was established there. Charlotte Holmes died in New Westminster in 1893 at the age of 70 years and William Holmes died in New Westminster September 11, 1907 at the age of 95 years.
File consists of photocopied photographs, newspaper articles and correspondence pertaining to William J. "Bill" Devitt, who served as Burnaby Police Chief from 1921 to 1936. These pages were compiled by the Burnaby Village Museum when researching information for the writers of "Follow that Fire."
File consists of photocopied photographs, newspaper articles and correspondence pertaining to William J. "Bill" Devitt, who served as Burnaby Police Chief from 1921 to 1936. These pages were compiled by the Burnaby Village Museum when researching information for the writers of "Follow that Fire."
File consists of family history records related to the Beamishes, William Randolph Beamish's adopted family, including a letter certifying the birth and baptism of William John Beamish on December 13, 1860, and June 9, 1861, respectively; a certificate for William John Beamish for the Probationers'…
File consists of family history records related to the Beamishes, William Randolph Beamish's adopted family, including a letter certifying the birth and baptism of William John Beamish on December 13, 1860, and June 9, 1861, respectively; a certificate for William John Beamish for the Probationers' Course of Study of the Methodist Church of Canada; sermon notes written by W.J. Beamish, as well as "his life as he wrote it”; a financial statement of Newington Circuit; his ordination picture; and obituaries for W.J. Beamish.
History
William John Beamish was born in Prescott, Ontario, on December 30, 1860. He was brought up and confirmed in the Anglican Church. While in his teens, he was attending a Methodist Church, became converted, and entered the same church as a candidate for the ministry. His probationary years were spent in the Northern Ontario lumber camps, ministering to the men on Lake Tallon Mission and Nipissing Junction. Mr. Beamish attended McGill College and after ordination at Smiths Falls, Ontario, on June 2, 1896, was appointed to Locksley circuit near Pembroke, then followed pastorates at Hammon, Mille Roches, Moulinette, Morewood, and Berwick. In 1905, while at Morewood, he married Miss Agnes Crabbe, a nurse from Ottawa, formerly Pembroke. Together, they served Wakefield, Quebec, Newington, and Easton's Corners, Ontario.
Coming to British Columbia in 1911, they settled first at Kaslo, then Salmon Arm, Vancouver (Dundas), and Maple Ridge. In 1918, Mr. Beamish superannuated and bought a home in Burnaby where he resided until his death on July 26, 1942.
During his period of superannuation, Mr. Beamish served for about seven years as minister of East Burnaby Methodist Church and until his death, was a valued member of this congregation, now known as East Burnaby United.
He was ever a true friend of the minister and his presence in the congregation was an inspiration. While in good health, he gave his time freely to sick visitation and, in a word, "he went about doing good."
Funeral services were conducted by Rev. W.R. Walkinshaw, with Rev. H.E. Horton representing Westminster Presbyterian assisting. Four retired ministers and two laymen acted as pall bearers. His reamins lie in Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
He was survived by his wife; one son, Randolph; two daughters, Ethel (Mrs. Paul B. Derrick) and Ilma (Mrs. William Dunn). He was a good husband, a loving father, a dutiful son, and a faithful minister of the Gospel.
-- This text was composed and written by Rev. R.W. Walkinshaw and later published in The Observer, the United Church magazine. It has been lightly edited here for grammar and punctuation.
1 photograph : b&w ; 2.9 x 4.9 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.4 cm
Scope and Content
Photograph of William "Bill" Kask, Sr., standing in front of a tree at Alex Kask's home at Hastings Street and Kensington Avenue. The property later became the site of a Shell filling station.
1 photograph : b&w ; 2.9 x 4.9 cm print on contact sheet 20.2 x 25.4 cm
Description Level
Item
Record No.
370-006
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
BHS1999-03
Scope and Content
Photograph of William "Bill" Kask, Sr., standing in front of a tree at Alex Kask's home at Hastings Street and Kensington Avenue. The property later became the site of a Shell filling station.
26 photographs : 1 original photograph + 19 jpegs + 6 copy prints
Material Details
2 copy prints + 1 jpeg are duplicates to the original; 3 copy prints are duplicates to a larger copy print
Description Level
Fonds
Accession Number
2011-11
2006-03
2012-03
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of photographs of the William and Ellen Martin family, pioneers of Burnaby.
History
William Martin and Ellen Ward met while attending school in Glasgow, Scotland. They married in 1916 while William was on leave from the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force. After the war, they immigrated to Canada with their two-year-old daughter, Margaret.
They spent a few years in Vancouver where three more daughters were born: Barbara (later Punnett); Juanita (later Safarik); and Sally (later Forbes). With their four small daughters, they moved to Los Angeles where William worked as a craftsman for Samuel Goldwyn Studios.
In 1926, they returned to B.C., where William purchased five acres of land on Spruce Street in Burnaby. Much of the land had been logged but not cleared. Dynamite was used to remove the large, burnt stumps. While William prepared the land for a new house, the family lived in a temporary building that was later used for a garage. The seven-room house that William built was one of the first houses on Spruce Street. During this time, William and Ellen’s two sons, Bill and Jackie, were born.
The Martins made good use of their property. They kept chickens, ducks, and a goat, planted fruit trees, and had a large raspberry patch. The children enjoyed their large playground, much of it still heavily forested. In the winter they walked to Deer Lake to ice skate. They hiked Burnaby Mountain and sometimes walked to Capitol Hill where there was a recreation centre.
All six children attended Douglas Road School and South Burnaby Secondary School. Margaret became a schoolteacher; Juanita and Barbara did office work after attending Sprott Shaw Business School; Sally became a public health nurse; and Bill and Jackie became doctors. Margaret taught in Burnaby schools for 27 years. Before her marriage, Sally served as a public health nurse in Burnaby for three years. Bill had an ophthalmology practice in Burnaby until his retirement.
Margaret married Jack Greenall, the eldest son of another Burnaby family who lived on Nursery Street on a large property with a garden, greenhouse, and chicken house. Margaret and Jack had three children: Dr. Martin Greenall, Sharon (later Ingalls), and Diane (later Macnair). Margaret later married Peter Andrusiak and had two sons: Gordon and Peter. All of her children were raised in New Westminster. Margaret was active in her community and was awarded the New Westminster Citizen of the Year award in 1992. She died July 26, 2006, at the age of 89.
Formats
Records from accession 2011-11 exist only in electronic format - copied 2011
Studio portrait with members of the Love family and William Parker inside an automobile with a fabric backdrop behind them. William M. Parker and Sarah (Love) Parker are seated in the front, George Love is standing behind and Phoebe and Esther and an unidentified man are seated in the back of the v…
Studio portrait with members of the Love family and William Parker inside an automobile with a fabric backdrop behind them. William M. Parker and Sarah (Love) Parker are seated in the front, George Love is standing behind and Phoebe and Esther and an unidentified man are seated in the back of the vehicle.
Photograph of William Michael Parker standing next to a Model T. Ford with the lettering "P.Burns & Co." painted on the side. William Parker is wearing a long white coat, wool cap and black tie. The car is on a dirt road with a young forest of conifers behind. William worked as a manager for P.Burn…
Photograph of William Michael Parker standing next to a Model T. Ford with the lettering "P.Burns & Co." painted on the side. William Parker is wearing a long white coat, wool cap and black tie. The car is on a dirt road with a young forest of conifers behind. William worked as a manager for P.Burns & Co. from 1921-1935 and was the proprietor of Tenth Street Meat Market (306 10th Street) from 1936 and retired in 1957. P. Burns & Co. was a market that had many franchises in western Canada and became Burns & Co. in 1928.
3.5 cm. of textual records; 17 small b&w prints; 10 med. prints; and 6 large b&w prints.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of materials related to both Ran's personal life and his professional life as Reeve of Burnaby. Included in the materials are records related to his biological family as well as his adopted family, including records related to his reunion with his birth mother. Notable among his prof…
3.5 cm. of textual records; 17 small b&w prints; 10 med. prints; and 6 large b&w prints.
Description Level
Fonds
Record No.
66671
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2018-08
2023-03
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of materials related to both Ran's personal life and his professional life as Reeve of Burnaby. Included in the materials are records related to his biological family as well as his adopted family, including records related to his reunion with his birth mother. Notable among his professional records are photographs and newspaper clippings documenting his meeting with Queen Elizabeth II during an official visit prior to her coronation.
History
William Randolph "Ran" Beamish was born in Warren, Ontario, on November 11, 1908. He was the child of Gertrude Applegate (nee Pearce) and Randolph Applegate, but when he was put in an orphanage at birth, he was adopted by William Beamish and Agnes Crabbe and raised as their only son. Agnes Crabbe was the daughter of James Crabbe and Emily Widger; Emily Widger was the daughter of Henry Widger and Agnes Oldridge. When Agnes Oldridge passed away, Henry Widger remarried Jessie (maiden name unknown) and had Gertrude, who later went on to give birth to Ran, meaning he was eventually adopted and raised by his first cousins. Ran married Marjorie Davies and had two children, Joanne Beamish and Donna Beamish.
Ran served as the Reeve of Burnaby from 1950 to 1953. He died on January 2, 1965, in New Westminster at the age of 56.
3.5 cm. of textual records; 17 small b&w prints; 10 med. prints; and 6 large b&w prints.
Scope and Content
Series consists of records that were compiled into a binder as a scrapbook by Ilma Beamish Dunn, the adopted sister of William Randolph Beamish. Scope and content notes at the file- and item-level have been drawn from the thorough recordkeeping Dunn employed in creating the scrapbook.
3.5 cm. of textual records; 17 small b&w prints; 10 med. prints; and 6 large b&w prints.
Description Level
Series
Record No.
66672
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2023-03
Scope and Content
Series consists of records that were compiled into a binder as a scrapbook by Ilma Beamish Dunn, the adopted sister of William Randolph Beamish. Scope and content notes at the file- and item-level have been drawn from the thorough recordkeeping Dunn employed in creating the scrapbook.
Photograph of Harry Williamson and Marjorie Williamson sitting in a wagon at 6965 Antrim Avenue. In the background can be seen charred trees that were destroyed by a brush fire which swept the Antrim Avenue property in 1922. Harry and Marjorie were the children of Minnie Sharples Williamson.
Photograph of Harry Williamson and Marjorie Williamson sitting in a wagon at 6965 Antrim Avenue. In the background can be seen charred trees that were destroyed by a brush fire which swept the Antrim Avenue property in 1922. Harry and Marjorie were the children of Minnie Sharples Williamson.
Photograph of the original Williamson shack at 6965 Antrim Avenue. This building later became a chicken house when another family home was built. Mr. Williamson is standing with his wife Minnie Williamson (nee Sharples) who is holding their baby daughter, Marjorie.
Photograph of the original Williamson shack at 6965 Antrim Avenue. This building later became a chicken house when another family home was built. Mr. Williamson is standing with his wife Minnie Williamson (nee Sharples) who is holding their baby daughter, Marjorie.
Photograph of William Tate Wilson, owner of McKay Market and later Reeve of Burnaby, 1943-44. McKay Market was located at 2624 McKay Avenue (later renumbered 6555 McKay Avenue).
Photograph of William Tate Wilson, owner of McKay Market and later Reeve of Burnaby, 1943-44. McKay Market was located at 2624 McKay Avenue (later renumbered 6555 McKay Avenue).
Photograph of the Wilson residence. It appears to be Lonsdale Lodge, which was built by J.R. Wilson, a longtime resident of Burnaby, and caretaker of the municipal buildings at Edmonds. This was most likely taken at its official opening ceremony in 1926, as a number of people are present. This is a…
Photograph of the Wilson residence. It appears to be Lonsdale Lodge, which was built by J.R. Wilson, a longtime resident of Burnaby, and caretaker of the municipal buildings at Edmonds. This was most likely taken at its official opening ceremony in 1926, as a number of people are present. This is a photographic plate created for a newspaper press, also known as a "newspaper cut."
Photograph of the Winch family home, 1230-13th Avenue, East Burnaby. Harold Winch lived here between 1922 and 1929, and Ernie Winch for a longer period. Note the wisteria arbor along the front walk.
Photograph of the Winch family home, 1230-13th Avenue, East Burnaby. Harold Winch lived here between 1922 and 1929, and Ernie Winch for a longer period. Note the wisteria arbor along the front walk.
Photograph of Grades 3 and 4 at Windsor Street School. Margaret Urquhart (Peggy) is in the 3rd row, 4th from left. The teacher, to the right, is Miss Burke.
Photograph of Grades 3 and 4 at Windsor Street School. Margaret Urquhart (Peggy) is in the 3rd row, 4th from left. The teacher, to the right, is Miss Burke.
The Winston handy atlas of the world : with gazetteer of the world comprising countries and their political subdivisions; the cities and towns of the world; with populations according to the latest census; and key to their locations on the maps
Photograph of an unidentified woman in a long dress tied at the waist, holding an unidentified boy standing in front of her. He is aged about three, and wearing stockings and strapped shoes with his shirt and shorts. He has his arms crossed across his chest. They are standing in front of shrubbery.
inscribed in black ink, verso, t. "Doesn't want to/ pose any longer/ for pictures.", stamped, l.l. [sideways] "B10"
Scope and Content
Photograph of an unidentified woman in a long dress tied at the waist, holding an unidentified boy standing in front of her. He is aged about three, and wearing stockings and strapped shoes with his shirt and shorts. He has his arms crossed across his chest. They are standing in front of shrubbery.
Photograph of an unidentified woman holding an unidentified young girl's hand, standing by the porch of a house. The woman is in a blouse and a skirt that goes just above her ankles. The girl is wearing a dress down to her knees, with pockets on the dress. She has a bow in her hair and is holding a…
Photograph of an unidentified woman holding an unidentified young girl's hand, standing by the porch of a house. The woman is in a blouse and a skirt that goes just above her ankles. The girl is wearing a dress down to her knees, with pockets on the dress. She has a bow in her hair and is holding a doll in her right arm. The location is not identified.
Photograph of a young woman standing outside, with sparse vegetation behind her. There appears to be a hill or a mountain in the background. The woman has short dark hair, and is wearing a sweater on top, a long skirt with three tiers, and shoes with metal buckles. According to the accession regis…
Photograph of a young woman standing outside, with sparse vegetation behind her. There appears to be a hill or a mountain in the background. The woman has short dark hair, and is wearing a sweater on top, a long skirt with three tiers, and shoes with metal buckles. According to the accession register, the location is at Buena Vista, Burnaby, between 1912 and 1925.
1 photograph : b&w ; 1 x 1 cm cut to size on page 24.5 x 32.5 cm (pasted in album)
Scope and Content
Photograph of a woman bearing the initials W.L.R. The photograph has been cut to shape around her outline and pasted on an album page with similar pictures collectively titled "Heads and Tales."
1 photograph : b&w ; 1 x 1 cm cut to size on page 24.5 x 32.5 cm (pasted in album)
Description Level
Item
Record No.
477-493
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Accession Number
2007-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of a woman bearing the initials W.L.R. The photograph has been cut to shape around her outline and pasted on an album page with similar pictures collectively titled "Heads and Tales."