One of the problems with researching family history is going off on a tangent that takes up your time. Not only that it brings surprises you never expected.
What started me off on this story is a newspaper article I found on Find My Past website.
Kelita Stacey was my g g grandmother Everil Stacey's eldest brother who was born in Ecclesfield, Yorkshire in 1961. He died in November 1949 in Rotherham, Yorkshire and left the sum of £1109 of which £200 was to go to his son George who had emigrated to Canada. His cousin said he had gone to Canada a number of years ago with his sister and another brother.
This started me on the journey to find out when he emigrated. I checked the passenger lists of ships going to Canada. The first I found was William Stacey, Kelita's second son had emigrated at the age of 21 in 1911, sailing on 17th June on board a ship named Teutonic from Liverpool to Montreal. There were no other Staceys with him. My next find was John Charles Stacey 26, the eldest of Kelita's sons, who sailed on 2nd May 1914 on board a ship named Canada, also heading for Montreal.
The next find surprised me. On 3rd August 1923 Annie Stacey 59 and Mary Stacey 26 sailed together on board a ship named Montclaire also going to Montreal. These were Kelita's wife and daughter. Mary was a few years older than this, I believe she was 65. Perhaps that was thought to be too old for sailing all that way so she bent the truth a bit.
The last one I found was George Stacey born 1995, who is the one I had been searching for. He sailed on 3rd October 1924 on board the Canada heading for Montreal.
Amazingly Kelita's wife and all his children had gone to Canada and left him home alone. I doubt I will ever know why. I do know that John Charles did return as he was living in England with his father in 1939 when the 1939 register was taken prior to WW2.
Another task for me now to try and find out what happened to those living in Canada.
William Stacey was living in Vancouver, British Columbia on the 1921 Canadian census. He was living in lodgings and working as a "motorman." On 7th May 1928 he married Margaret Welsh a 42 year old spinster in Vancouver. They were still living in Vancouver on 1931 census but don't have any children recorded at that time. He was still a motorman. Margaret died on 5th January 1953.William died on 22nd May 1981 at the age of 91 years. He was buried in Ocean View Burial Park in Vancouver
|
Name |
William Stacey |
|---|---|
|
Sex |
Male |
|
Age |
91 |
|
Birth Date |
09 Dec 1889 |
|
Birth Year (Estimated) |
1890 |
|
Birthplace |
Yorkshire, England |
|
Marital Status |
Widowed |
|
Father's Name |
|
|
Mother's Name |
|
|
Event Type |
Death |
|
Event Date |
22 May 1981 |
|
Event Place |
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
I also found George and his sister Mary in Vancouver. According to the 1931 census they were living together in a lodging house. George was working as a labourer in road construction and Mary was listed as a lodger. He died 10 years after his father Kelita, I wonder if he ever received his inheritance.
George Stacey
Sex Male
Age 65
Birth Date 02 Apr 1894
Birth Year (Estimated) 1894
Birthplace, England
Marital Status Single
Father's Name Kelita Stacey
Mother's Name Anne Ward
Event Type Death
Event Date 17 Nov 1959
Event Place Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
I have been unable to find their mother Annie on the census but later found her death on 3rd February 1931 which was probably before the 1931 census was recoded.
|
Name |
Ann Stacey |
|---|---|
|
Sex |
Female |
|
Age |
74 |
|
Birth Date |
03 Nov 1856 |
|
Birth Year (Estimated) |
1857 |
|
Birthplace |
, England |
|
Marital Status |
Married |
|
Father's Name |
|
|
Mother's Name |
|
|
Event Type |
Death |
|
Event Date |
08 Feb 1931 |
|
Event Place |
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
The photo on the left is Annie Stacey (Ward) Kelita's wife.
The photo below is Mary and William Stacey in Canada in 1969 with their cousin Annie Jennings (right), who visited them from England. The photo of Annie Stacey given to her by William
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