Rosa Leigh Leigh-Spencer (often known as “Miss Leigh-Spencer” or “R.L. Leigh-Spencer”) was a real estate and mining promoter.
She was a sister of Oliph Leigh Leigh-Spencer (1852-1905), who lived at 1847 Barclay Street in 1900 and from 1902 to 1905. (Further information appears on the page for Leigh-Spencer, Oliph Leigh (1852-1905); https://westendvancouver.wordpress.com/biographies-a-m/biographies-l/leigh-spencer-oliph-leigh-1852-1905/.)
Family Background
Rosa Leigh Leigh-Spencer was born in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England on November 3, 1857. Her parents were Oliph Leigh Spencer (1816-1885) and Philadelphia Rosa Williams (1832-1902).
Oliph Leigh Spencer was a clergyman. He was born in London, England, about 1816. (He was sometimes called “Leigh Spencer.”) His father was Richard Leigh Spencer.
Biographical Register of Christ’s College, 1505-1905, Volume 2, 1666-1905, page 455; https://books.google.ca/books?id=I9s8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA455#v=onepage&q&f=false.
On August 5, 1851, in London, Oliph married Philadelphia Rosa Williams. She was born about 1832. Her father was Rev. John Charles Williams, the rector of Sherington, Buckinghamshire.
Leigh Spencer died on December 10, 1885.
Philadelphia Rosa Spencer later moved to Canada. She was living in Vancouver when she died on July 29, 1902. She was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver.
Rosa Leigh-Spencer: Early Life
For much of the time from 1861 to 1881, Rosa was living with her parents. In 1871, she was a student in Louise Clarkson’s school in Broughton, Buckinghamshire.
In 1886, Rosa travelled to Canada. She stayed briefly in Nova Scotia before moving to Toronto, Ontario, where she remained for about five years.
To British Columbia
In 1891, Rosa moved to New Westminster, British Columbia, where she stayed for about a year.
She then went to live in Nanaimo, British Columbia for about five years.
During much of her time in Nanaimo, she lived in a series of residential hotels, one of which was the Hotel Wilson, which appears on the right in the photograph below.
Rosa had a series of disputes with the operator of the Hotel Wilson. Some of the disputes led to court applications, which often turned out unsuccessfully for Rosa.
In 1895, she was a realtor and an agent for Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York.
She was living at the Windsor Hotel in Nanaimo.
To Vancouver
By August 1898, Rosa was a real estate agent and mining broker in Vancouver. She was living at the Badminton Hotel.
She lived at the following addresses in Vancouver.
| 1899 | Badminton Hotel (603 Howe Street) |
| 1900 | 619 Granville Street (office address) |
| 1901 | 872 Burrard Street |
| 1902 | 551 Granville Street |
| 1903 | 1847 Barclay Street |
| 1904 to 1909 | 551 Granville Street |
| 1910 | 2325 West First Avenue (also 2325 West First Avenue in Northern Who’s Who, 1916) |
| 1911 | 551 Granville Street |
| 1912 to 1914 | 553 Granville Street |
| 1915 | Tea rooms at 4780 Fraser Street; residence at 553 Granville Street |
| 1916 | 553 Granville Street |
| 1917 | Confectionery and residence at 4894 Fraser Street |
| 1918 to 1919 | Confectionery and residence at 4780 Fraser Street |
| 1920 to 1921 | Tea rooms and residence at 4780 Fraser Street |
| 1922 | 2149 Gilley Avenue (New Westminster, according to directory listing) |
| 1923 | Not listed under Vancouver names |
| 1924 | 2149 Gilley Avenue (Burnaby) |
| 1925 to 1927 | 2149 Gilley Avenue (Burnaby) (sometimes listed as Leigh Spencer) |
| 1928 | 2149 Gilley Avenue (Burnaby) (listed as Spencer-Leigh) |
| 1929 | 2149 Gilley Avenue (Burnaby) Not listed under Vancouver names |
| 1930 to 1936 | 2149 Gilley Avenue (Burnaby) |
| 1937 | Not listed under Vancouver names |
Building on Granville Street
In 1901, Rosa built a two-storey brick building on the west side of Granville Street, between Pender Street and Dunsmuir Street. The address of the building was 551 Granville Street.
Until early December 1901, her offices were at 619 Granville Street.
By December 13, 1901, she had moved into her new space at 551 Granville Street.
She was a member of the Vancouver Horse Show Association, the Hunt Club and the Kennel Club. She was well-known for her interest in breeding show dogs. In 1905, she was the only woman who appeared in the list of the Kennel Club’s officers.
The photograph below shows Rosa with Ernest Ramsay (“Chubby”) Ricketts (1866-1920), an English-born theatre manager who was also a member of the Kennel Club.
Rosa appeared in the 1908 Vancouver society directory.
In the early 1900s, croquet was popular among Vancouver elites, and Rosa’s name often appeared in the list of participants. Mrs. Walter Taft Hutchins, who lived at 1891 Barclay Street, sometimes hosted tournaments at her home. Rosa and Ida Cambie won second prize in a 1904 tournament.
Rosa was an unconventional personality. She was a sturdy woman who wore tweed clothes and smoked cigarettes in public.
One gathering at the home of Mrs. Hutchins became the subject of a story that appeared in the Vancouver News-Herald about 50 years later. According to the story, while Rosa was playing croquet she noticed Mrs. McKinnon staring at her through a lorgnette. (A lorgnette is pair of eyeglasses with a handle that the wearer uses to hold up the glasses.)
The story said that Rosa produced a small telescope from her pocket and she stared back at Mrs. McKinnon.
An earlier version of the story said that Rosa did not have the telescope with her at the initial encounter with Mrs. McKinnon, but that she brought the telescope to a later party.
Rosa was one of only a few women who appeared in Who’s Who in Western Canada (1911) and Northern Who’s Who; a Biographical Dictionary of Men and Women (1916).
In 1909, Rosa had some health issues, and she decided to sell the contents of the Exchange Café.
She seems to have recovered fairly quickly from her illness, since she resumed her social activities later in 1909.
In April 1910, Rosa hosted a tea at Glencoe Lodge to honour her niece, Dorothy Leigh Leigh-Spencer. Dorothy was preparing to marry Ernest Fairbairn Guthrie in Victoria, British Columbia on May 12 1910. (E.R. Ricketts was one of the guests at Glencoe Lodge.)
The Second Leigh-Spencer Building
In 1910, Rosa received a permit to build an eight-storey steel-framed building at 553 Granville Street.
It appears that she lived briefly at 2325 West First Avenue, possibly while the new building was under construction. (2325 West First Avenue was the home of Richard Henry Featherstonehaugh Purdon (1883-1953), who was a rancher and dog breeder.)
| District: | Vancouver |
| Permit: | |
| Owner: | Spencer, R. L. (Miss) |
| Architect: | Houghton, E. W. |
| Builder: | Spencer, R. L. (Miss) |
| Legal Address: | DL: 541 Block: 32 Sub: Resub: Lot: 15 |
| Date (Y-M-D): | 1910-01-05 |
| Street Number: | [549-553] |
| Street Name: | Granville Street |
| Value: | $80,000.00 |
| Remarks: | Steel frame office building, 8 storeys |
| Reference ID: | VN-3100-3101-906 |
This view of the west side of Granville Street appears to show the Bower Building under construction. Rosa’s older Leigh-Spencer building is just to the left of the Bower Building.
The existing Leigh-Spencer building had to be removed before the new construction could proceed.
The architect for the new building put a construction office on the street in front of the building. The Union Steamship Company was one of Rosa’s tenants, and it had six weeks remaining in its lease. Union Steamship objected to having the construction office in front of their space, because it blocked their light and it interfered with their business. They went to court for an order to remove the construction office.
The result of this court application is not available, but the construction of the new building did proceed fairly soon afterward.
In April 1910, two mortgage lenders applied to stop the demolition of the old building until Rosa had settled the issues relating to their mortgages.
By early May, the mortgage lenders were satisfied, and Rosa’s contractors were allowed to finish the demolition of the old building.
In October 1910, the contractors who were excavating the lot for the new building claimed that they had not received proper payment. They sued to get their money.
The court ruled in favour of the contractors.
The postcard image below shows an arrow pointing to the steel frame of the Leigh-Spencer Building.
The new building was finished by March 1911. Along with office space on the ground floor, Rosa had an apartment on the building’s top floor.
Even after the building was finished, however, several disputes remained unresolved. In October 1911, an auctioneer’s notice said that the property would be sold in November 1911.
A similar notice appeared on the front of the Leigh-Spencer building itself.
The auctioneer stopped the sale by “buying in,” because the bids had not reached the reserve price.
In December 1911, another series of legal issues arose, this time relating to the assignment of the architect’s interests to another person.
Later in December 1911, the auctioneer was again planning to offer the building for sale.
These further auction attempts were unsuccessful.
Finally, at the end of February 1912, the auctioneer sold the building to Frederick Alexander Montgomery.
Frederick Montgomery was an Ontario-born realtor who had arrived in Vancouver about 1907.
Rosa hoped that she could regain control of the building.
Around this time, other creditors were acting to collect amounts that Rosa owed them.
In April 1912, Rosa assigned her real property to three trustees, who would collect rents, pay expenses, and distribute the rest to the creditors.
In October 1912, a hardware company obtained a judgment to pay for extra supplies that were not included in the original contract for the Leigh-Spencer building.
Also in October 1912, a trustee was trying to sell some of Rosa’s other properties.
By 1915, a mortgage holder was still trying to collect amounts owing in relation to the building. Rosa decided to act as her own lawyer, and she asked for a delay so that she could get enough money to resolve the situation. She was not expecting the money to arrive until after the end of the First World War.
It appears that the foreclosure applications proceeded, and that the trustees obtained title to the property.
In September 1915, Rosa claimed that the trustees were acting fraudulently in relation to the foreclosure.
Rosa’s claim of fraud was not successful. The new owners changed the name of the building to the “Central Building,” and they prepared to remodel the building to make it more suitable for their proposed tenants.
In July 1916, the sheriff served Rosa with a notice of possession, which required her to vacate her apartment in the building.
Rosa did not regain control of the Leigh-Spencer building, and it had a series of owners over the next several decades.
The Leigh-Spencer building remained on Granville Street until the 1990s, when it was demolished to make way for part of the Pacific Centre shopping complex.
Rosa: Later Life
After Rosa was no longer associated with the Leigh-Spencer building, she moved to South Vancouver, where she operated a confectionery and grocery store at 4780 Fraser Street. (The image below shows the building at this location in 2009.)
In August 1917, a fire damaged the building, destroying Rosa’s grocery and confectionery stock, along with her personal possessions.
It appears that the building was renovated or rebuilt, since Rosa was selling eggs and puppies at the same address until the early 1920s.
To Gilley Avenue
From the early 1920s until the late 1930s, Rosa lived and operated a kennel near the corner of Gilley Avenue and Kingsway in Burnaby.
The address at that time was 2149 Gilley Avenue. Burnaby’s street numbering began changing in the late 1950s to conform to the numbering systems elsewhere in the Lower Mainland. Properties on the former 2100 block of Gilley Avenue now have addresses in the 6900 block.
Dr. Trevelyn Sleeth operated a kennel and veterinary hospital nearby. (See Dr. Trevelyn Sleeth, Vancouver Vet; Vancouver as it Was, May 31, 2016; https://vanasitwas.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/dr-trevelyn-sleeth-vancouver-vet/.)
In December 1922, Rosa sued the British Columbia Electric Railway Company for injuries that she suffered while she was a passenger on one of the company’s street cars.
She settled the lawsuit in June 1923.
A 1934 article in the Vancouver Province described Rosa’s life, and it included the following photograph of Rosa dressed in her working clothes.
Rosa never married.
In January 1937, she developed pneumonia and she went to the Kingsway Nursing Home in Burnaby for treatment.
The treatment was not successful, and Rosa died in Burnaby on January 15, 1937. She was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver.
Sources
Leigh-Spencer family
See the sources section on the page for Leigh-Spencer, Oliph Leigh (1852-1905); https://westendvancouver.wordpress.com/biographies-a-m/biographies-l/leigh-spencer-oliph-leigh-1852-1905/.
All Saints’ Church, Renhold; Notes on Vicars; Leigh Spencer (1859-1885); http://www.all-saints-church-renhold.org/notesonvicars.html:
Leigh Spencer (1859-1885) was christened in Banstead, Surrey on 28th June 1817, the son of Richard Leigh & Ann Spencer; Richard was a Solicitor. He was admitted to Christ’s College, Cambridge on 2nd July 1835 and matriculated in the same year graduating BA in 1839 and MA in 1845. He was ordained Deacon at Hereford in 1840 and Priest in 1841. He became Curate of Wollaston, Shropshire, 1842-1843; Carlton with Chellington, Bedfordshire, 1844-1846; Long Marston, Hertfordshire, 1847-1850; Harpenden, Hertfordshire, 1850-52; and Little Linford, Buckinghamshire, 1852-59. He became Vicar of Renhold 25th November 1859 and the Patron was Charles Polhill Turner of Howbury Hall, Renhold. He married Philadelphia Rosa, born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and had two sons, Gerald Leigh, born 19th September 1854, who attended Jesus College Cambridge and became a schoolmaster and priest, dying in 1919; Lowther, who attended Lancing College and Magdalene College, Cambridge, but died of Scarlet Fever on 23rd May 1875 at Cambridge. They also had two daughters: Rosa Leigh Spencer, born in Harpenden c.1861 and Maude Leigh Spencer, born in Renhold in 1858.
Leigh died on 10th December 1885, aged 69 and is buried together with members of his family by the path he would have walked from the old Vicarage, which was opposite their church (plot R14). The Churchyard confirms that his son Lowther Leigh Spencer attended his father’s old university – dying in 1875 aged only 21, and is described as “scholar of Magdalen College”.
Leigh Spencer contributed from his own money to the thorough restoration of the church in the early 1860s. He was described by the Bedfordshire Mercury in 1891 as having been “a much respected Rural Dean”. His daughter Rosa Leigh-Spencer donated the lectern in the church in memory of her father in 1887.
“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV5-7JJ3 : 28 September 2020), Philadelphia Rosa Williams Spencer, ; Burial, Vancouver, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada, Mountain View Cemetery; citing record ID 26322928, Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26322928/philadelphia-rosa-spencer: “Philadelphia Rosa Williams Spencer; Birth: 1832; High Wycombe, Wycombe District, Buckinghamshire, England; Death: 29 Jul 1902 (aged 69–70); Vancouver, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Burial: Mountain View Cemetery; Vancouver, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Plot: HORNE1/1/01/016/0006; Memorial ID: 26322928.
Philadelphia Rosa Spencer, probate file; https://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/spencer-philadelphia-rosa: “File GR-1415.24570 – Spencer, Philadelphia Rosa; Vancouver Supreme Court probate/estate files; Spencer, Philadelphia Rosa; Microfilm B02535; Accession number(s): 91-4202; P-00459; First page of probate file: image 1547 of 2147; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L97Z-6J69?i=1546&wc=M69N-466%3A332530701%2C332530502%2C332556201&cc=2014768; Last page of probate file: image 1579 of 2147; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L97Z-6J7J?i=1578&wc=M69N-466%3A332530701%2C332530502%2C332556201&cc=2014768.
Rosa Leigh Leigh-Spencer
Rosa Leigh Spencer (1857 – 15 January 1937); https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MVJ9-XQ4.
“Miss Spencer Doesn’t Like Lorgnettes,” by S.T.F., Vancouver Province, May 12, 1934, page 50, columns 1-2 (includes biographical information on Rosa L. Leigh-Spencer).
“She Found Room at the Top,” by Aileen Campbell, Vancouver Province, March 31, 1977, page 23. (includes biographical information on Rosa L. Leigh-Spencer, along with illustrations and historical information on the Leigh-Spencer building.)
Leigh Spencer Building – Granville Street; https://changingvancouver.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/leigh-spencer-building-granville-street/.
“England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NXYW-NBD : 30 December 2014), Rosa Leigh Spencer, 30 Dec 1857; citing Harpenden, Hertford, England, reference item 4; FHL microfilm 1,537,791.
Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Christening Index, 1530-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008. Original data: Genealogical Society of Utah. British Isles Vital Records Index, 2nd Edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, copyright 2002. Used by permission. Name: Rosa Leigh Spencer; Gender: Female; Christening Age: 0; Birth Date: 3 Nov 1857; Christening Date: 30 Dec 1857; Christening Place: Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England; Father: Leigh Spencer; Mother: Philadelphia Rosa Spencer.
“England and Wales Census, 1861,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7TZ-3DD : 6 April 2016), Rosa L Spencer in household of Leigh Spencer, Renhold, Bedfordshire, England; from “1861 England, Scotland and Wales census,” database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.
“England and Wales Census, 1871”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD8D-48C : 25 April 2019), Poore [Rose] Spencer in entry for Louisa Clarkren, 1871.
“England and Wales Census, 1881,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27C-6NF7 : 11 December 2017), Rosa Leigh Spencer in household of Leigh Spencer, Renhold, Bedfordshire, England; from “1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census,” database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 7, Piece/Folio 1624/103, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,490.
“Lady Cook, Who Recently Started in Business as an Outside Broker in London, is Apparently to Have a Rival in the Field,” The Financial Times (London, England), Edition 3,416, April 10, 1899, page 2: “Lady Cook, who recently started in business as an outside broker in London, is apparently to have a rival in the field. At the Hôtel Métropole there has arrived an enterprising lady named Miss R.L. Leigh Spencer, who describes herself as a “mining broker,” and is understood to have properties which she wishes to place in London. Already she has two offices in British Columbia—at Vancouver and Nanaimo—so that she is no mere beginner.”
Victoria Daily Colonist, November 24, 1907, page 11, http://archive.org/stream/dailycolonist19071124uvic/19071124#page/n10/mode/1up: “Mrs. [sic] Rose Leigh-Spencer, Vancouver, is in St. Joseph’s hospital having undergone a slight operation. She is doing well, and expects to be about again soon.”
“Will be the Highest Building on Granville: Fine Office Structure Which Miss R.L. Leigh-Spencer is Erecting,” Vancouver Province, May 14, 1910, page 16, columns 3-4 (includes biographical information on Rosa Leigh Leigh-Spencer).
Miss R. L. Leigh-Spencer, Who’s Who in Western Canada, 1911 page 237.
Sicker v. Spencer, (1911), 178 British Columbia Reports, page 41 (British Columbia County Court).
Bleasdell [Blisdell] Machinery Company. v. Spencer, (1913) 11 Dominion Law Reports 75; 24 Weekly Law Reports 47 — 4 Western Weekly Reports 139; 1913 CanLII 693 (British Columbia Court of Appeal), https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcca/doc/1913/1913canlii693/1913canlii693.html.
“British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993”, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLL5-2MR : 30 September 2015), Rosa Leigh Leigh-Spencer, 1937.
“Miss Leigh Spencer, Pioneer City Business Woman, Dies; Colorful Figure Took Important Part in Development of Mines and Real Estate,” Vancouver Province, January 16, 1937, page 27 [includes biography and history of business dealings].
“Miss Leigh Spencer Dies in Hospital,” Vancouver Sun, January 16, 1937, page 3.
“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVV5-7JJH : 13 December 2015), Rosa Leigh Spencer, 1937; Burial, Vancouver, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada, Mountain View Cemetery; citing record ID 26279056, Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26279056.
Dashwood Watts Ricketts (father of Ernest Ramsay Ricketts)
Dashwood Watts Ricketts (1805-1887); Family of Dashwood Watts Ricketts and Fanny Gertrude Thomson; https://woodlloydfamilyhistory.com/fam3258.html.
Fanny Gertrude Thomson (mother of Ernest Ramsay Ricketts)
Family of Dashwood Watts Ricketts and Fanny Gertrude Thomson; https://woodlloydfamilyhistory.com/fam3258.html.
Ernest Ramsay Ricketts
Ernest Ramsay Ricketts (1866–1920); Birth: 4 FEB 1866, Leamington, Warwickshire, England; Death: APR 1920, Marylebone, London, England (ancestry.ca).
Ernest Ramsay Ricketts (1866 – Deceased); https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KCZ5-Z6N.
Ernest Ramsay Ricketts (1866-1920); https://woodlloydfamilyhistory.com/ind10453.html.
English Bay Theatre, Vancouver as it Was; https://vanasitwas.wordpress.com/2016/10/09/english-bay-theatre/. (includes references to E.R. Ricketts).
Robert B. Todd. “Ernest Ramsay Ricketts and Theatre in Early Vancouver,” Vancouver History, Vol. 19, No. 2 (February 1980), pp. 14-23.
“Vancouver’s Social Arbiter,” Vancouver Sun, December 3, 1938, page 4, column 3.
“England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975”, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NYHW-JZQ : 20 March 2020), Ernest Ramsay Ricketts, 1866.
“England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XXYJ-YPX : 26 February 2019), Ernest Ramsay Ricketts, 24 Mar 1866; from parish registers of the Church of England, database and images, citing Christening, All Saints, Leamington, Warwickshire, England, Warwick County Record Office, England.
“England and Wales Census, 1871”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5YH-9L9 : 28 September 2019), Ernest Runway Ricketts in entry for Dashwood Waltr Ricketts, 1871.
“England and Wales Census, 1881,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27D-NMZG : 12 December 2017), Ernest Ramsey Ricketts, Felstead, Essex, England; from “1881 England, Scotland and Wales Census,” database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 1, Piece/Folio 1812/129, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,687.
“Canada Census, 1891,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWLS-7D8 : 3 August 2016), Ernest R Ricketts, Ward 2, Hamilton City, Ontario, Canada; Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada film number 30953_148143.
“Canada Census, 1901,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHVJ-9HC : 9 December 2020), Ernest R Richetts in household of Lora Long, Burrard, British Columbia, Canada; citing p. 1, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa.
Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists.; Class: BT26; Piece: 258; Name: Ernest R Ricketts; Arrival Age: 39; Birth Date: abt 1867; Port of Departure: St John, New Brunswick, Canada; Arrival Date: 25 Apr 1906; Port of Arrival: Liverpool, England; Ports of Voyage: St John; New Brunswick; Ship Name: Lake Champlain; Shipping Line: Canadian Pacific Line; Official Number: 110650.
Ernest Ricketts, 1075 Barclay Street, (wife listed as Agnes); “Recensement du Canada de 1911,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:27XY-YM6 : 16 March 2018), Ernest Ricketts, 1911; citing Census, Vancouver Sub-Districts 19-50, British Columbia, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,417,662. [Note: Ernest Ricketts was not married. The person listed as his wife may be his sister, Gertrude Ricketts. She was married to Gilbert Purcell, who was a British lawyer and judge. Gertrude Purcell was visiting Ernest Ricketts at the time of the 1911 Canada census.]
Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists.; Class: BT26; Piece: 634. Name: Ernest Ramsey Ricketts; Arrival Age: 50; Birth Date: abt 1867; Port of Departure: New York, New York, United States; Arrival Date: 7 Jan 1917; Port of Arrival: Liverpool, England; Ship Name: Shiladelphia [sic]; Shipping Line: American; Official Number: Fdneign 159617.
Ancestry.com. Brompton, London, England, Cemetery Registers, 1840-2012 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2019. The National Archives; Kew, London, England; Office of Works and successors: Royal Parks and Pleasure Gardens: Brompton Cemetery Records; Series Number: Work 97; Piece Number: 188. Name: Ernest Ramsey Ricketts; Death Age: 54; Birth Date: abt 1866 19 Apr; Burial Date: 19 Apr 1920; Cemetery: Brompton Cemetery; Burial Place: London, London, England.
“England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2J4H-3V3 : 31 December 2014), Ernest R Ricketts, 1920; from “England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Marylebone, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
“E.R. Ricketts Dies in London,” Vancouver Daily World, April 30, 1920, page 10, column 1. [Note: this article states that Ernest was born in the West Indies, and that his father was the governor of Barbados. Ernest was actually born in Leamington, Warwickshire. Ernest’s great-grandfather, George Poyntz Ricketts (1749 – 8 April 1800), was the governor of Barbados from 1794 to 1800. George Poyntz Ricketts; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Poyntz_Ricketts.%5D
“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DMST-94ZM : 29 September 2020), Ernest Ramsey Ricketts, ; Burial, West Brompton, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Greater London, England, Brompton Cemetery; citing record ID 211237429, Find a Grave; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/211237429/ernest-ramsey-ricketts: “Ernest Ramsey Ricketts; Birth: 1866; Death: 1920 (aged 53–54); Burial: Brompton Cemetery, West Brompton, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Greater London, England ; Plot: West portion, compartment 1; Memorial ID: 211237429.”
Frederick Alexander Montgomery (realtor in Vancouver)
Frederick Alexander Montgomery (1873–1966); Birth: 18 APR 1873, Enniskillen, Bruce, Ontario, Canada; Death: 1966 (ancestry.ca).
“Canada Census, 1881,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVN3-T62 : 15 December 2020), Fredk. Montgomery in household of John Montgomery, Walkerton, Brockton, Bruce, Ontario, Canada; from “1881 Canadian Census.” Database with images. Ancestry. (www.ancestry.com : 2008); citing John Montgomery, citing Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
“Canada Census, 1891,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWKH-7X7 : 3 August 2016), Frederick Montgomery, Deloraine, Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada; Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada film number 30953_148097.
“United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9G4-887 : accessed 5 February 2021), Fred Montgomery in household of William Cohen, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 207, sheet 6B, family 108, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,105.
“Recensement du Canada de 1911,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV95-STWH : 16 March 2018), F A Montgomery, 1911; citing Census, Vancouver Sub-Districts 51-76, British Columbia, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,417,663.
Nancy Marianne Collins (wife of Frederick Alexander Montgomery)
Nancy Marianne Collins (1878–1954); Birth: 6 OCT 1878, Oakland, Alameda, California, USA; Death: 12 APR 1954, Modesto, Stanislaus, California, USA (ancestry.ca).
“United States Census, 1900,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9G4-88W : accessed 5 February 2021), Nannie Montgomery in household of William Cohen, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 207, sheet 6B, family 108, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,105.
“California, customs passenger lists of vessels arriving at San Francisco, 1903-1918”, database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZXFN-NSN2 : 16 November 2020), Naomi Montgomery, 1907.
“Recensement du Canada de 1911,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV95-STWC : 16 March 2018), Nanmie Montgomery in entry for F A Montgomery, 1911; citing Census, Vancouver Sub-Districts 51-76, British Columbia, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,417,663.
“California Death Index, 1940-1997,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VP75-N53 : 26 November 2014), Nancy Marianne Holmes, 12 Apr 1954; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
“California, Oakland, Mountain View Cemetery Records, 1857-1973,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W48B-GF6Z : 16 September 2019), Nancy Collins Holmes, ; citing Burial, Oakland, Alameda, California, United States, Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland; FHL microfilm 008266240.
Dorothea Jane Montgomery (daughter of Frederick Alexander Montgomery)
“California, customs passenger lists of vessels arriving at San Francisco, 1903-1918”, database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ZXFN-NS2M : 16 November 2020), Dorathia Montgomery, 1907.
“Recensement du Canada de 1911,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV95-STWZ : 16 March 2018), Dorothea Montgomery in entry for F A Montgomery, 1911; citing Census, Vancouver Sub-Districts 51-76, British Columbia, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,417,663.
“New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXLP-5RR : 11 December 2020), Dorothea Montgomery, 1927; citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
“United States Census, 1930,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH1W-KX6 : accessed 5 February 2021), Dorthea Montgomery in household of Golden Benefiel, Tucson, Pima, Arizona, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 65, sheet 5A, line 30, family 101, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 61; FHL microfilm 2,339,796.
Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007. Name: Dorothea M Flournoy [Dorothea M McVay], [Dorothea M Montgomery]; Gender: Female; Race: White; Birth Date: 17 Sep 1901; Birth Place: Sutter Creek-Plymouth, California [Sutter Creek|]; Death Date: 15 Apr 1985; Claim Date: 28 Aug 1963; Father: Frederick A Montgomery; Mother: Nancy Collins; SSN: 550468980; Notes: Feb 1971: Name listed as DOROTHEA M FLOURNOY; 15 Aug 1963: Name listed as DOROTHEA M MCVAY.
“United States Social Security Death Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JTC3-6PX : 11 January 2021), Dorothea M Flournoy, 15 Apr 1985; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
“United States Public Records, 1970-2009”, database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJJJ-JRBW : 13 June 2020), Dorothea M Flournoy, 1998-2004.
“California Death Index, 1940-1997,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VG1G-SLW : 26 November 2014), Dorothea Jane Flournoy, 16 Apr 1985; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
Richard Henry Featherstonehaugh Purdon (dog breeder in Vancouver)
Richard Henry Fetherstonhaugh Purdon (11 November 1883 – 19 January 1953); https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/G9NZ-BG4.
“England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:268Q-FQC : 13 December 2014), Richard H F Purdon and null, 1914; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1914, quarter 1, vol. 2C, p. 775, Windsor, Berkshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
“British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPCL-JRZY : 18 April 2019), Richard H F Purdon, Youngest Son, Yeovil, Somerset, England, United Kingdom; records extracted FamilySearch and images digitized by FindMyPast; citing Yeovil, Somerset, England, United Kingdom, 13 Feb 1914, The British Newspaper Archive, Ireland; FHL microfilm .
“England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:268Q-FQC : 13 December 2014), Richard H F Purdon and null, 1914; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1914, quarter 1, vol. 2C, p. 775, Windsor, Berkshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
“British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993”, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLRC-HXW : 8 November 2017), Richard Henry Fetherstonhaugh Purdon, 1953.
Richard Henry Fetherstonhaugh Purdon, death notice, Vancouver Province, January 22, 1953, page 29, column 3: “On Jan. 19, 1953, Richard Henry Fetherstonhaugh Purdon, late of 3248 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Survived by his loving wife; 2 daughters, Mrs. Mary N. G. Siddall, El Monte, Calif – Mrs. Audrey Fellcite Shannon Donaghadee. Northern Ireland; one brother, Arthur Purdon, Berkeley, Calif. Fdneral service Fridav. Jan. 23, at 3:30 p.m., in St. Stephen’s Church, 22nd and Marine Drive, West Vancouver, Rev. E. W. P. Carter officiating. Cremation. Hollyburn Funeral Home, West Vancouver, in charge.”
Mary Barbara (Molly) Purdon, death notice, Vancouver Sun, October 12, 1971, page 51, column 4;: “On October 6, 1971, at hospital, Mary Barbara (Molly), dearly beloved wife of the late Richard H. F. Purdon, of Vancouver, and. mother of Mary, California and Felicite, Northern Ireland. Service in Donghadee parish church, Friday, October 8; afterwards at Roselawn Crematorium. Deeply regretted by her sorrowing daughters, son-in-law and grandchildren.”
WestEndVancouver 
