Hurst of Ireland

 

 Robert William Hurst
1875-1950

Hurst Family in Victoria BC

by Bill Irvine

Robert William Hurst 1875-1950

Robert William Hurst was born to Andrew Ephriam & Elizabeth (nee McCready) Hurst, on August 22, 1875, in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland. When the Hursts emigrated to Bobcaygeon, Ontario, in 1885, along with mother and father came, Anna Elizabeth [July 12, 1873]; John "Jack" [1874?]; Robert William [August 22, 1875]; Mary Jane [June 8, 1879]; Ephriam Andrew [1883]. Death had already claimed one son, James, at an early age after being born March 26, 1878. There were two other children that were still-born. After their arrival in Canada, four more children were born to them:--> Margaret Theodore "Peggy"[12/13/1885]; Harriette "Hatty" [about 1886]; Jemima "Mima" [?]; Myrtle Elizabeth May [?].

Robert Hurst met and married one Florence Corrine Platt, September 27, 1899, in Bobcageon. It was not many years after that Bob became manager of the Peterborough Canoe Company -->, in Bobcaygeon. It was here they started their family of five children: Heleana [1902]; Rexford [1904]; Margaret (Glee) Corrine [1906]. After moving out West in 1907, they had their last two children, Reginald [1910] and Gwendolyn Florence [1911].

The Hursts first moved to Duncan, BC, and brothers, Ephriam and Robert , worked at the Chemainus Sawmill. After a year or so, they moved to Victoria and Bob started working for Lemon-Gonnason Lumber Company [corner of Bay & Government Streets] as a millworker in 1908. He later became a member of the management team as an estimator. During this period Bob & Flo lived on Blanshard Street near Hillside Avenue.

By 1911, the Robert Hurst family was complete, with four children living. It was now time for "Granma & Grandpa" to be moved out from Bobcaygeon. In this same year, Bob & Ephriam built their parents a new house at 2653 Graham Street, and now mother and father were settled in Victoria. Eldest daughter Anna and sister, Peggy and her children, lived with the elder Hursts in their new home.

Bob started his own business, with brother Ephriam as partner, in 1925. Named the Canadian Western Woodworkers, it was located at the end of Garbally Road (on the north side of the street). Bob & Flo bought the house at 1018 Bay Street after renting on Blackwood Street for a while.

Robert and Florence had five children:

Heleana, 1902-74
Rexford, 1904-09
Margaret Corrine, 1906
Reginald, 1910-57
Gwendolyn Florence, 1911-75

Three of these lived with them at the new house on Bay Street: Reginald, Margaret (who Rexford had nick-named "Glee") and Gwen. Reginald was a mentally challenged individual but lived a happy and productive life working in the glazing shop of his father's mill. Glee, by now a school teacher, left in 1925 to take up a position at Beaver Lake, British Columbia. This being located forty miles east of William's Lake; near Likely, BC, and the placer mines on the Quenel River. Gwen was at home attending school; she was age fourteen years at this time.

Hurst Family Members
Victoria, British Columbia

Andrew & Elizabeth Hurst children

Anna Elizabeth [July 12, 1873]
John "Uncle Jack"[1874?]
Robert William [August 22, 1875]
Mary Jane [June 8, 1879]
Ephriam Andrew [1883]
James (died) [March 26, 1878]
Harriette "Hatty" [about 1886]
Margaret Theodore "Aunt Peggy"[1885]
Jemima "Mima" [?]
Myrtle Elizabeth May [?]

Sunday, May 23, 1993 by wji

Aunt Peggy

Margaret Theodora Hurst was the first child born after the Andrew & Elizabeth McCreadys arrived in Canada. This beloved lady was known to everyone as "Aunt Peggy". Aunt Peggy married Joe Carveth and they had three children: Ted, Annebelle and Grace. After Grandpa & Grandma arrived in Victoria [1907] and moved into the new home Eph & Bob had built on Graham Street, Peggy and her children lived with them, and sister Anna, for a while. They later lived in the last house on Moss St. (at May); earlier they had lived on Denedin St. Joe Carveth was in the army during WW1. Aunt Peggy worked at Spencer's Store [later T. Eaton Co.] in Victoria.

Hurst Family Members
Victoria, British Columbia

Glee

Personal Data Sheet for Margaret Corrine Hurst Born: 03/09/1906 in Bobcaygeon, ON

Margaret has been known as "Glee" throughout her entire lifetime. This was a nickname given to her by baby brother, Rexford. Glee believes that after Rexford's death, at age 5, her parents continued the name as a reminder and tribute to their beloved son.

Glee went to an elementary school [on the corner of John St.] near Point Ellice House when her family lived on Tanner St. She later attended North Ward School on Douglas Street. The family moved to a house on Gorge Rd. (across from Mac's Coffee Shop and when the war [WW1} ended in 1918, they moved to David Street. Sometime in this era, they also lived on Blackwood St. Glee later went to the Normal School [Camosun College Young Bldg. 1993]; she started in September 1925 and graduated as a school teacher in april, 1926, and left the family home at 1018 Bay St. to teach in Beaver Lake, BC (forty miles east of William's Lake, BC, near Likely. She took all the necessary belongings in the same steamer-trunk that her grand-parents used to move from Ireland to Bobcaygeon in {about 1880}.

Glee gave up teaching in 1936 and went to work for the HBC in Victoria. She married Sandy Craigmyle in {1937} and their son, Grant, was born June 9, 1939. They purchased their own home at the corner of Gorge & Garbally {get address} in 1940 but, unfortunately, Sandy was killed the next year when a load of lumber crushed him to death in the Cameron Sawmill (at the foot of Garbally). In {1945} Glee married one Magnus Lehiem, a dashing and debonair serviceman in the Canadian Army. "Oly", as he was called, had been a champion skier in his native Norway before emigrating to Canada. about this time [1950] Glee started her own ladies' apparel shop [Judy-Glee Style Shop] (1) next to the hardware store in Esquimalt. Glee and Oly enjoyed a good life-style but later on, Oly's heavy drinking took its toll on their marriage. They were divorced in {?} and Oly continued to drink. During WW2, Oly worked at his father-in-law's mill and suffered the loss of three fingers on his {left} hand when a table-saw blade flew off and hit his hand. Fortunately, his injuries were not more severe.

Glee later, about {1960} lived with, but didn't marry, "Fergy" Fergeson. Fergy was an engineer with the Canadian Hydrographic Surveyors and served on the William J. Stewart vessel. Fergy's son, Ron, was a longtime policeman and detective with the Victoria Police Force. His youngest son, Buddy, serve in the RCN for a while. Fergy died in {1970} and Glee later married {first name}Leigh. He was a member of the RC Legion and got them nice living accommodations at the Legion homes on East Saanich Road. They were also able to get sister Gwen into the complex which made her circumstances much better. After Glee and {?} split up, the two sisters spent much time together although the sibling rivalry in this family was obnoxious. Between Heleana, Glee and Gwen, there was never more fighting in any family!

Hurst Family Members
Victoria, British Columbia
Notes from Annabel (nee Carveth) Constantine
Sat 4-30-1994
Notes from audio tape made June 1993 at Annabel's home in Seattle, WA 2348 42nd AVE, East 98112

Annabel Carveth became Mrs. Albert Constantine in 1931. After having two self-induced miscarriages ("good old quinine!), her son James Douglas was born in 1944. "Old Al didn't want me to have any kids," said Ann, " . . . he was sure I'd die if I had a baby." "so then, when I got pregnant again, I didn't tell him. He didn't find out until I was four months along." when Al noticed my stomach was getting big so he suggested I go to the doctor to if I had "colitis". "This isn't colitis, Al, I'm five months pregnant." "You're going to be a father, Al." Annabel and Albert called the fetus "Colitis" until he was born; then he was named James Douglas, after Sir James Douglas, Chief Factor and Governor of the Crown Colony of Vancouver's Island.

"We were married thirteen years September the fifth; Jamie was born two days later on September 7, 1944. We always said he was our thirteenth wedding anniversary present."

"I got pregnant," Ann continued, "when we were at the Empress Hotel (in Victoria) Christmas of 1943." Apparently Annabel had the flu during this time. Julia threw a party while we were there and we all attended the ball (snow Ball) at the Hotel. We all attended at Christmas dinner. The reception for Grant's wedding was held at a big, old hotel in Esquimalt -- the Old England Inn. It was a grand affair. The bride descended the wide staircase and there was a little window, way up high, where she threw the bouquet from. This was about 1961. Eventually, a baby boy was born to the Craigmyles. The baby was a dead-ringer for Grant. But, Glee, Grant's mother, did everything she could to turn Grant against his wife, and child. Every time Grant got to drinking, he would take it out on his wife and the baby. The baby was a nervous wreck because of this. They had to take the little one to the hospital emergency ward a couple of times. This was because of the way Grant was acting. The baby was scared to death.

Glee tried to make Grant think it wasn't his child. Glee was at Annabel's home in Seattle when she called home to Grant in Victoria. At that time, the wife and baby were both in the hospital. Grant said it was because, "she has acid." The mother's name was Pam; she was a beautiful little girl. She may have been adopted or raised by an aunt. Her mother attended the reception with another couple of relatives. They were just lovely people.

Pam just couldn't take the trauma in their marriage: Grant was even jealous of Pam's cooking. Grant would come home and cook after work. If "she" cooked dinner, he was sore as heck. He most likely ate the meal but would start a fight over it. Otherwise, Grant was always quiet when he was sober.

Annabel was born March 21, 1908, in Bobcaygeon, Ontario; this makes her an Aries. According to an old Greek almanac, one that friends of mother [Peggy] had in Vancouver, states those born on March 21 are not true Aries. This search was brought about because the hostess in Vancouver thought Anna was so much like her mother. apparently these persons have a separate horoscope from the other Aries. During this trip to Vancouver, Anna had her son, Jamie, with her. They looked up his horoscope for September 7. They were surprised to find he too has a separate horoscope. He may be Virgo. Jamie's second wife, Bobby (nee Dowty), was born August 15, as is a Leo. Donna, Jamie's first wife, and mother of Michael and Devon, was born in October.

Aunt Mary died from leukaemia in Victoria. The doctors were treating her for penitious enema for a long while. A lot of these doctors had not even heard of leukaemia in those days. Mary had married Reginald Meighen (2), the prime-ministers first cousin.

Luciel Dukowski's daughter owned an apartment block up on Queen Ann Hill, in Seattle. These people were good friends of Peggy Bailey (formerly Carveth).

Grace Carveth was born October xx, 1906. The same year as Glee Hurst.

Aunt Mary was the last child born in Ireland and Peggy was the firstborn in Canada, at Bobcaygeon. Anna, Jack (John), Robert & Mary were born in Enniskillen. Grandma, Elizabeth (nee xx) McCready, had two children that died. Young Jamie and another that was stillborn. Jamie died at three or four months old of malnutrition. Sister Anna said that her mother was sick during this time.

Another story was when, "the bull killed Aunt Mary." Grandma had just had that baby and the bull hadn't killed Aunt Mary. It did, however, pin her hard against the wall of the barn. It turned out she was alright. Grandma collapsed over this episode and had to be put to bed due to her shattered nerves. Elizabeth [Gramma] had just given birth to Jamie a few days earlier and couldn't get out of bed after the shock of the "bull" incident. The oldest daughter, Anna, just a teenager, now had to take care of the baby and her mother. Anna remembered how the baby reacted during this period. She recognized, later, that a baby can die in just a few days without proper nutrition. It always worried her about how wee Jamie died while in her care. With mother laid up continuously, anna had to feed the baby; it seemed he was always hungry. Jamie cried all the time and no one knew why.

Margaret Theodora (Peggy) Hurst, married Joseph Carveth in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. Joseph was a medical student at the time. After they married and Peg was pregnant with Grace, Joe decided to give up his studies because it would cost too much. Later, he took up being a veterinarian. he got along just swell as a vet. There was lots of work for a vet but not much money. He mostly got paid in produce from the farmer's gardens. Annabel even remembered years later when she nursed in Seattle, the doctors commenting how they got paid with buckets of paint or something else they could use. This was done because no one had any cash.

Annabel's son Jamie spends a lot of his time in court with the cases he's on. He was very handsome in his younger days, but now is over-weight. He lives out by Everett, WA. This is quite a ways north of Seattle. Jamie commutes to his office in Belleview, across the lake on the east side. There he is a detective with the Belleview Police Department. He loves his work and enjoys the commute each night and morning. Jamie bought a new truck. Part of the reason for this was his wife, Bobbie, has a bad knee. Getting in and out of the Mazda was uncomfortable for her.

Annabel remembered living at her parent's home on Graham Street in Victoria. The house had large walk-in closets and some even had windows. Chests of drawers were built right into the bedrooms. The bedrooms were all big.

Jamie's first wife, Donna, couldn't cook worth a bean when she got married. She didn't now "China" was a type of dishes. But she sure learned!

Uncle Eph never lived next to brother, Bob, on Bay Street. Mr. Sidwell lived next door to the west. Sidwell worked at the Canadian Western Woodworkers Sash & Door Company which was owned by Ephriam & Bob Hurst. Ephriam & Lillian lived over on Empress Avenue, not far from Bob's house (just off of Blackwood St.).

When Bob & Flo bought the house at the corner of Bay & Graham Streets, Annabel suggested they should have bought Grampa's house (near Hillside on Graham). Andrew Ephriam Hurst had died in the bedroom at his daughter Peggy's home in Seattle. The body was then removed to Victoria, where he was buried. An auction sale was organized by Annabel at the old home in Victoria. Grandma, Elizabeth, was removed to aunt Mary's home to live. When Flo & Bob bought 1018 Bay Street, Reginald, Glee and Gwen were still living at home. The family was renting a house on Blackwood Street (off Hillside, near the Sikh Temple).

Mon 5-02-1994

Archie Atkens was mayor or chief of police in Victoria and was a friend of Peggy's. It was an elected office and Aunt Mary helped him with his campaign. Mary was in charge of the corset department at the Hudson's Bay store on Douglas Street. Aunt Mary married Reg Meighen and later died of leukemia. She had the Mae Meighen Corset Shop on Fort Street. The business was started on Yates Street but when the hotel was renovated, she moved the business to the corner of Fort & Quadra Streets. One night, after a hard night of campaigning, Archie was dropping Mary off at her store when she invited him in for a little night-cap. It turned out Archie's wife was hiding in the back seat of the car and heard all the conversation between them and there was hell to pay over that! Mrs. Atkin threatened Mary with a law suit if she didn't leave her husband alone. After this episode, it was all out in the open what Mary & Archie's relationship was all about.

Published by WJI

Bill Irvine
Victoria, BC, V8P 5M3
Phone: 477-2491

Endnotes

1. Judy-Glee was the name chosen as Glee's partner was her cousin, Judy (nee Meighen) Barkley. Judy and her husband, James, operated the pavilion at Cadboro Bay Beach in the 1950's. Judy was the daughter of the prime-minister's cousin.

2. Arthur Meighen was born June 16, 1874, near Anderson, ON. Elected to the House of Commons in 1908 as a Conservative, he later became Solicitor General (1913), Secretary of State (1917) and Minister of the Interior. Prime Minister Borden, after resigning for health reasons, appointed Meighen prime minister in 1920. He was appointed prime minister again in 1926 when Lord Byng asked him to form a government. This lasted only three months.

3. Andrew Ephriam Hurst & Elizabeth McCready (446kb) photo above:
Andrew Ephriam Hurst & Elizabeth (nee  McCready)
Family ca. 1889
Left to right: Father & Mother Hurst; Mary Jane; Myrtle Elizabeth May, in front; Robert W., back;
Ephriam Andrew, centre; Anna Elizabeth, back; Harriette "Hatty", centre; Margaret Theodora "Aunt
Peggy", seated front; Jemima "Mima", standing centre, and John.

4. Margaret Corrine, 1906 (this be Glee who received this life-long moniker from her brother Rex who could not pronounce her given name)

published by wji november 2 2023 from Hurt archives