I remember hearing the tale about my great grandparents' house in Calgary.
Thomas & Elizabeth (nee Slicer) Thomson were married on December 31st 1908. They immigrated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada from North Berwick, Scotland.
He arrived in 1909 & she arrived in 1910 (according to records found). They purchased their home in Calgary (or so the story goes, no records have been found) and prepared to live happily ever after.
Sometime in 1913 they rented their house in Calgary out & returned to Scotland. Elizabeth wanted to be with her family for the birth of their first child. Maisie was born May 24th 1914 at her grandparents home on Clifford Road, North Berwick, Scotland.
World War 1 broke out a month later on July 28th 1914.
The family was trapped in Scotland for the duration of the war.
Thomas volunteered for the British Army, signing up November 19th 1915.
My grandmother, Mary, was born a month later on December 20th 1915.
October 11th 1920 the family arrived back to Canada (according to the passenger lists).
I'm not sure why the family waited a full 2 years after the war ended. It's possible that it had to do with the baby brother who was born & died that grandma told me about. I haven't been able to find any records for this lost brother.
For almost 7 years my great grandparents resided in Scotland while their house in Calgary was rented out.
Through the lens of today this story seemed completely impossible, and yet research indicates that is exactly what happened.
According to the tales grandma told they arrived back in Calgary & the family who had been renting the house had cared for it the entire time, and then moved out so grandma and her family could move back in.
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| In the yard of their home in Calgary after their return from Scotland |
I was able to find the address of their home in Calgary from the 1921 & 1926 Prairie census. 923 5th Street, North West Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The census below is from 1926.
Google Maps streetview - the house as it stands today.
Looking at this photo of grandma with her father and sister in front of their home - I am left believing this is not the original house.
The house looks closer to the front of the lot in this photo than the position of the current home.
It's also hard to say if the neighbours house is the original home or a rebuild when looking at this photo of grandma & her sister.
The 1921 census records 2 rooms - I think there is little chance the house we see today on Google Maps Streetview is the same house my grandma and her family lived in.
This was grandma & great auntie Maise's walk to school when they were the ages in the photos above
Grandma and her sister attended Hillhurst School.
Grandma went to the 75th Anniversary celebration in 1987.
I have no idea how much my great grandparents paid for their home initially or what they sold it for, but I'm pretty sure they would be shocked at the value in 2022.
Finding your roots in the maps available online!
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
Sources:
923 5 St NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1R3, RedFin, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://www.redfin.ca/ab/calgary/923-5-St-NW-T2N-1R3/home/156786660
Public Access, Assessment, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://assessmentsearch.calgary.ca/Map/MapSearch.aspx?featureType=PARCEL&featureList=180168507
Maps:
Directions, Google Maps, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/923+5+St+NW,+Calgary,+AB+T2N+1R3/Hillhurst+School+%7C+Calgary+Board+of+Education,+1418+7+Ave+NW,+Calgary,+AB/@51.057463,-114.0881551,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x53716ff476f76cc1:0x926d2bd6fb817b8f!2m2!1d-114.0747507!2d51.0601547!1m5!1m1!1s0x53716feb5f3d0dd5:0xc9cac996ac813e79!2m2!1d-114.0931992!2d51.0591861!3e2?hl=en&authuser=0
Google Maps, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/923+5+St+NW,+Calgary,+AB+T2N+1R3/@51.0601547,-114.0769394,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x53716ff476f76cc1:0x926d2bd6fb817b8f!8m2!3d51.0601547!4d-114.0747507?hl=en&authuser=0
Public Access, Assessment, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Retrieved February 9th 2022 from
https://assessmentsearch.calgary.ca/Map/MapSearch.aspx?featureType=PARCEL&featureList=180168507
Links:
Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/
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