In the 1913 Vancouver directory, the resident at 778 Gilford Street was “C.V. Mackensen.” Although it is not certain, it appears that this person was Carl von Mackensen, sometimes known as Karl Mackensen von Astfeld.
Family Background
Karl Mackensen von Astfeld was born on June 29, 1878, in Strasbourg, which had become part of Germany after the end of the Franco-Prussian War. His parents were Karl Wilhelm Rudolf Mackensen von Astfeld (1848-1929) and Luise Adelheid Klara Loebbecke (1847-1905). Karl’s uncle was General August von Mackensen.
Early Life
Karl became a second lieutenant in the Landwehr Cavalry.
In 1902, he married Lily von Dippe (born 1885). This marriage was annulled, and there were no children of the marriage.
Karl retired from the military.
To British Columbia
Carl von Mackensen arrived in British Columbia, and about 1910 he acquired the Bryce family home in Port Kells.
He became well-known for inviting local residents to his large Christmas parties.
He also had a substantial poultry establishment at Port Kells.
He travelled between North America and Germany several times in the years between 1910 and 1914.
He went to San Francisco, California in 1912.
Lawsuit: Injuries on Jericho Road in Surrey
In December 1913, Carl was injured when he was thrown from his carriage on the Jericho Road in Surrey. (The road name later changed to 72nd Avenue: Surrey’s Historic Road Names; https://www.surreyhistory.ca/historicroadnames.html.)
In April 1914, Carl’s lawyer was in court to argue Carl’s lawsuit for $5,000 against the Municipality of Surrey. The lawyer argued that the municipality had failed to maintain the roads properly. The judge was Justice Clement (William Henry Pope Clement (1858-1922); https://westendvancouver.wordpress.com/biographies-a-m/biographies-c/clement-william-henry-pope-1858-1922/).
Justice Clement agreed that the municipality was responsible, but he awarded only $350 in damages.
On April 6, 1915, the British Columbia Court of Appeal reversed Justice Clement’s decision. The appeal court held that the municipality had no statutory obligation to repair the highway. (Von Mackensen v. Surrey (District), 1915 CanLII 359, 22 Dominion Law Reports 253 (BC CA); https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcca/doc/1915/1915canlii359/1915canlii359.html.)
War and Internment
When the First World War began, Carl’s heritage and his allegiance to Germany prompted rumours that he was a German spy.
In January 1915 he was arrested.
The Canadian authorities later transferred him to an internment camp in Vernon, British Columbia.
While Carl was in the internment camp, the Buscombe Security Company sued him to foreclose on some of his real property.
Carl he corresponded (primarily with German-Americans) to secure books for the camp’s library and prizes for its 1917 summer sports fest.
The Kelowna Museum has a carving that Carl made for the camp doctor, Benjamin De Furlong Boyce (1866-1945), as a token of thanks.
Deportation and Later Life
The Canadian government confiscated and sold Carl’s property.
After the war, Canada deported him to Germany, along with other prisoners. According to some sources, the deportation appears to have been an urgent one. It may have taken away most of the camp’s 1st class prisoners and 2nd class families, at their request, perhaps because of political disputes within the camp.
Carl tried to reclaim his Canadian assets, and he attempted to restore his reputation, but he was unsuccessful.
He died in Germany in 1967.
The Port Kells house was in disrepair for many years. It later became The Baron’s Manor Pub at 9568 192 Street, Surrey, British Columbia; http://thebaronsmanor.com/.
Sources
Canada’s Historic Places, Baron Von Mackensen House; 9564 192 Street, Surrey, British Columbia, V4N, Canada, http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=2598.
“Spy or Casualty of War?” Surrey Leader (Surrey, British Columbia), July 24, 2005, pages 14-16 [includes photographs and biographical information].
Baron’s Pub in Surrey, B.C.: Carl von Mackensen: Spy or innocent victim?, Examiner.com; January 14, 2010.
Spy House, by Eve Lazarus, January 26, 2013, http://evelazarus.com/spy-house/.
“Black, White, and Red Poultry Farm,” British Columbia, Its History, People, Commerce, Industries and Resources, compiled by Henry J. Boam, edited by Ashley G. Brown; London, England, Sells Limited, 1912, pages 281-282; https://archive.org/stream/britishcolumbiai00boam#page/281/mode/1up; https://archive.org/stream/britishcolumbiai00boam#page/282/mode/1up.
Note: May 26, 2016: thanks to Don McNair for information on the Black, White , and Red Poultry Farm, and for details on aspects of life in the internment camp at Vernon and the deportation at the end of the First World War.
Thanks for your work on Carl v Mackensen. A team of us in Vernon are doing preliminary research for a book on the internment camp, and fragmentary references to him are fascinating: he ran a substantial chicken farm in Port Kells in 1912, which warranted a lot of coverage in Boam’s British Columbia (pp 281-82 of https://archive.org/stream/britishcolumbiai00boam#page/282/mode/2up); while in the Vernon camp, he corresponded and advertised (primarily with German-Americans) in order to secure books for the camp’s library and prizes for its summer sports fest in 1917 (A. Schwarze Collection, Dresden, Germany); the Kelowna Museum has a carving he made for the camp doctor, B.F. Boyce, as a token of thanks. Another note: that trainload of deportees in July 1919 appears to have been an urgent one. It may have taken away most of the camp’s 1st class prisoners and 2nd class families, at their request, perhaps because of political disputes within the camp.
Vernon Internment Camp
Book offers glimpse into internment camp; Vernon Internment Camp in operation from 1914-1920; Vernon Morning Star, February 14, 2018; https://www.vernonmorningstar.com/community/book-offers-glimpse-into-internment-camp/.
Researcher uncovers details about Vernon’s WW I internment camp, CBC News, March 3, 2018; https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/researcher-uncovers-details-about-vernon-s-ww-i-internment-camp-1.4556693.
Vernon internment camp shut down 100 years ago, Vernon Morning Star, June 7, 2020; https://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/vernon-internment-camp-shut-down-100-years-ago/.
Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund; https://www.internmentcanada.ca/articles_by_camp.cfm?lid=31: Articles: Vernon, British Columbia; Camp Opened: September 18, 1914; Camp Closed: February 20, 1920; MacDonald Park ; 4200 27th Street, Vernon, British Columbia.
Benjamin de Furlong Boyce (1866-1945) (physician at Vernon internment camp)
Benjamin DeFurlong Boyce (30 March 1866 – 25 September 1945); https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/K8VJ-XG8.
“Dr. B. F. Boyce,” by Reba Schoenfeld, Thirty-Seventh Annual Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 1973, pages 52-55; https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ohs/items/1.0132201#p53z-2r0f:
“Canada Census, 1871,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4Q6-Y4J : 24 October 2018), Benjeman Boyce in household of George Boyce, Percy, Northumberland, Ontario, Canada; citing 1871; citing National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
“Canada Census, 1881,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVXP-F5J : 20 May 2019), Benjamin Boyce in household of Gyles Stone, Percy, Northumberland, Ontario, Canada; from “1881 Canadian Census.” Database with images. Ancestry. (www.ancestry.com : 2008); citing Gyles Stone, citing Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
“Canada Census, 1891,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWLP-8PN : 3 August 2016), Benjamin Boyce, Percy, Northumberland East, Ontario, Canada; Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada film number 30953_148159.
“British Columbia Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932; 1937-1938,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JD8G-QHM : 6 April 2020), Benjamin De Furlong Boyse and Mary Elins Sanborn, 13 Apr 1893; citing , British Columbia, Canada, British Columbia Archives film number B11386, Vital Statistics Agency, Victoria; FHL microfilm 1,983,979.
“Canada Census, 1901,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHVG-VWT : 16 December 2019), Beng F Boyce, Yale & Cariboo, British Columbia, Canada; citing p. 6, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa.
“Recensement du Canada de 1911,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV95-7CCH : 16 March 2018), Benjamin F Boyce, 1911; citing Census, Yale and Cariboo Sub-Districts 1-54, British Columbia, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,417,664.
Canadian Expeditionary Force; Name: Boyce, Benjamin De Furlong; Rank: CPT; Reference: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 968 – 8; Item Number: 58214; Record Group: Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF); https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=58214; Digitized service file: B0968-S008; http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?op=pdf&app=CEF&id=B0968-S008.
Ancestry.com. 1921 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2013. Original data: Library and Archives Canada. Sixth Census of Canada, 1921. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada, 2013. Series RG31. Statistics Canada Fonds. Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 21; Census Place: 21, Yale, British Columbia; Page Number: 27. Name: Benjamin L F Boyce [Benjamin DeFurlong Boyce]; Line Number: 18; Family Number: 319; Household Members: Benjamin L F Boyce: 55; Mary E Boyce: 54; Darcy Hinkson: 22.
“United States Deceased Physician File (AMA), 1864-1968”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WZWK-LMZM : 11 August 2019), Benjamin De Furlong Boyce, 1945.
“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLG-HQ6K : 5 August 2020), Benjamin DeFurlong Boyce, ; Burial, Kelowna, Central Okanagan Regional District, British Columbia, Canada, Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery; citing record ID 106498103, Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106498103: “Dr Benjamin DeFurlong Boyce; Birth: 31 Mar 1866; Death: 25 Sep 1945 (aged 79); Burial: Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery, Kelowna, Central Okanagan Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Plot: Pioneer; Memorial ID: 106498103. [includes photograph].
Mary Eliza Sanborn (wife of Benjamin De Furlong Boyce)
Mary Eliza SANBORN (1867–1944); Birth: 20 JAN 1867, Warkworth, Northumberland, Ontario, Canada; Death: 30 NOV 1944, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada (ancestry.ca).
“Canada Census, 1871,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4QX-ZV7 : 24 October 2018), Mary Sanburn in household of Alanzo Sanburn, Percy, Northumberland, Ontario, Canada; citing 1871; citing National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
“Canada Census, 1881,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVXP-3XM : 20 May 2019), Mary Sanborne in household of Alonzo Sanborne, Percy, Northumberland, Ontario, Canada; from “1881 Canadian Census.” Database with images. Ancestry. (www.ancestry.com : 2008); citing Alonzo Sanborne, citing Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
“British Columbia Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932; 1937-1938,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JD8G-Q4Y : 6 April 2020), Benjamin De Furlong Boyse and Mary Elins [sic] Sanborn, 13 Apr 1893; citing , British Columbia, Canada, British Columbia Archives film number B11386, Vital Statistics Agency, Victoria; FHL microfilm 1,983,979.
“Canada Census, 1901,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHVG-VWY : 16 December 2019), Mary E Boyce in household of Beng F Boyce, Yale & Cariboo, British Columbia, Canada; citing p. 6, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa.
“Recensement du Canada de 1911,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV95-7CCC : 16 March 2018), Mary Boyce in entry for Benjamin F Boyce, 1911; citing Census, Yale and Cariboo Sub-Districts 1-54, British Columbia, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,417,664.
Ancestry.com. 1921 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2013. Original data: Library and Archives Canada. Sixth Census of Canada, 1921. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada, 2013. Series RG31. Statistics Canada Fonds. Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 21; Census Place: 21, Yale, British Columbia; Page Number: 27. Mary E Boyce in household of Benjamin L F Boyce [Benjamin DeFurlong Boyce]; Name: Benjamin L F Boyce [Benjamin DeFurlong Boyce]; Line Number: 18; Family Number: 319; Household Members: Benjamin L F Boyce: 55; Mary E Boyce: 54; Darcy Hinkson: 22.
“British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993”, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLPQ-2QH : 8 November 2017), Mary Eliza Boyce, 1944.
“Find A Grave Index,” database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLG-HQX9 : 2 July 2020), Mary Eliza Boyce, 1944; Burial, , ; citing record ID , Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106498104: “Mary Eliza Sanborn Boyce; Birth: 20 Jan 1866; Death: 30 Nov 1944 (aged 78); Burial: Kelowna Memorial Park Cemetery, Kelowna, Central Okanagan Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Plot: Pioneer; Memorial ID: 106498104.”
WestEndVancouver 