From Your Affectionate Father: George Ernest Duke, Calgary, Alberta, 1905

George Ernest Duke has signed his portrait, "With Love, From Your Affectionate Father, Geo. Ernest Duke, Xmas 1905."  The image was taken by E. B. Curlette, a prominent Calgary photographer who operated in the city from 1899 through to the 1940s.

In 1901, there was a George Ernest Duke, Tobacco Merchant, living in Calgary with his wife Myrtle¹; He was born May 21, 1858 in England and immigrated to Canada with his wife around 1895.  In 1911, George and Myrtle lived at 511 - 4th Avenue West, Calgary².  No children resided with the couple.  While the birth dates are all wildly different in the 1901, 1906 and 1911 censuses, I think these are the same couple throughout.  George is listed as either a tobacconist, or tobacco merchant.  The immigration years are fairly consistent, with the exception of one census.  More research would have to be done to tie the George Ernest Duke in the Canadian censuses to the following family.

In 1881, there is a George and "Myrtilla" Duke, and daughter Zoi [Zoe?] M. H. Duke, three years old, who lived in West Dean, Sussex, England³.  Zoe was the second child born to the couple; their first was George Lewis Duke, born 18 Feb 1876 near Chichester, West Dean⁴.   Another Duke child, named Edwin Ernest, was born in 25 Sep 1881, also near Chichester⁵.  It is possible that George Lewis died in infancy, since he does not appear in any of the censuses with his parents. 

I was unable to find the family's immigration records to Canada online, but the search was neither exhaustive nor thorough and I am optimistic that one could be found.  I searched for Zoe on Google and I lucked out.  Archives Canada has a brief biography online about Zoe, which you can read here.  It gives her immigration year as 1896, which are in the same ballpark as the Dukes I found in the Calgary censuses.  Zoe was a painter and the Glenbow Archives in Calgary has collected her papers and work.  She married Sidney J. L. Dunning, a member of the Northwest Mounted Police in 1898 which may explain why she was not in the household of her parents in the 1901 Canadian census.

An obituary for George E. Duke appears in the August 31, 1925 issue of the Calgary Daily Herald.  While it sounds as if George has always lived with his daughter in Calgary, the censuses say something else.  I've looked at the 1901, 1906 and 1911 censuses for Zoe M. H. Dunning and George E. is not living with her in any of them.  She was living in Saskatchewan for all three.  As the Archives Canada biography states, she moved back to Calgary in 1918, around the time of her mother's death the same year.

If we have the correct George Ernest Duke, this photograph would have been a Christmas gift to Zoe from her father.  I think the chances are good that I'm on the right track with my findings, but as always, we would require more research and a second photograph of George Ernest Duke to compare with ours to be certain.  If you have a photo of the Mr. Duke described in this blog, I'd love to hear from you.

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1 1901 census of Canada, Calgary (Centre), Alberta, The Territories, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 202, subdistrict # R-1, p.11 (penned), dwelling 88, family 89, George S. Duke family; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 19 May 2013); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm T-6428 through T-6556.^↩
2 1911 census of Canada, Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 1, subdistrict # 2, p.1 (penned), dwelling 5, family 5, George Duke family, digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed May 19, 2013), citing microfilm LAC microfilm T-20326 to T-20460^↩
3 “1881 England Census,” database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 May 2013), entry for George E. Duke (age 30), citing PRO RG11; Piece: 1136; Folio: 87; Page: 12; Westbourne registration district, Westbourne subdistrict, ED 18c, schedule line number 57, GSU roll: 1341277.^↩
4 "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/ND9Y-CMT : accessed 20 May 2013), George Ernest Duke in entry for George Lewis Duke, 18 Feb 1876.^↩
5 "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J3LL-XV4 : accessed 20 May 2013), George Ernest Duke in entry for Edwin Ernest Duke, 25 Sep 1881.^↩

From Your Loving Wife, Nora Allen & Baby, c. 1899, Calgary, NWT

When I found this cabinet card photograph of Nora Allen and her baby in an antique store I knew the image must have been recorded prior to 1905. The photographer's imprint on the front indicates that it was taken in Calgary, Northwest Territories.  After Alberta became a province in 1905 the imprint would read "Calgary, Alberta."  The photograph was seems to have been displayed on a wall.  There is a large pinhole in the middle upper edge. 

  As you look this photo over

  as its stories bright unfold

  May your loving eyes discover

  Our love for you will neer grow cold.

  From Mother and Baby to Dear Father

  [--dunna forget?]

The photograph was taken by the C.W. Binkley Studio, likely in the late1890s, judging by the mutton sleeves on Nora's dress.  Sadly, the little baby has faded quite a bit.  I'm glad that the photo has been scanned, and that we'll at least have this version before the picture fades any further.

I found an Allen family in the 1901 Census of Canada, The Territories, Banff District:


George A. Allen, 30, born Feb 1871, England
Nora Allen, 26, born March 1875, Ireland
Trisa Allen, 3, born Sept 1898, Alberta
Lillian G. Allen, 1, born Nov 1900, Yukon

According to Canada Marriages, 1661-1949 on Familysearch.org, George Arthur Allen, son of William and Mary Ann Allen,  married Nora Theresa Stack, daughter of Thomas & Mary Stack, on 22nd October 1896 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Calgary.

I stumbled upon a wonderful picture of Nora Allen's husband, George Arthur Allen, taken at Banff in 1892 on the RCMP Graves blog, which honours members of the North West Mounted Police and The Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  I went through George Arthur's NWMP Personnel Records at  http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca and learned that he served from March 17, 1892 through to January 31, 1900.  Two of those years were spent in the Yukon.  In 1940, he signed up as a RCMP Special Constable in Victoria, BC for a term of six years.

In the NWMP engagement papers for 1898 that I found online, George lists his nearest kin as being "Nora Allen, c/o Mr & Mrs. Wm. Allen, 2 Onslow Street, Leicester, England."  It would appear that Nora is living in England with her in-laws at that time.  She is not living with them by the time the 1901 England Census rolls around.

Nora died in 1960 in Victoria, BC, and George Arthur, in 1962 in Vancouver.  While I am not absolutely positive this is the same Nora Allen featured in the photograph, I feel it is entirely plausible.  These photographs were found on Vancouver Island, just north of Victoria and all of the information seems to fit, but it sure would be nice to locate another photograph of her to be certain.

Update February 6, 2016:  This photograph has been reunited with a family member in BC.

The Boy in the Sailor Suit: Douglas Johnston, Calgary, ca. 1915

This young man's name is Douglas Johnston, "age 5 years &  4 mos." The photograph was taken at the Brewer Studio in Calgary, Alberta.  On the Glenbow Archives photograph database I found several photographs taken by this studio.  They seemed to be in operation between 1912 and the mid-1930s, possibly later. 

It's hard to date this one.  If I had to guess, I'd probably go with 1915 or so.

I had a look at the 1906, 1911 and 1916 Canadian Censuses and found a Douglas Johnston, b. 1911, son of Agnes and Joesph Johnston living  on 19th Ave W., Calgary with his parents in 1911 & 1916.  I can't really say if this is him, or not, at this point, but I'll be looking into it further.