The 1
st Generation of our Smith Ancestry in
Canada is about
Russell
Cannon Smith (1920-1995) and Margaret Cecilia Mumford (1922-1998). In the 2
nd
Generation of the family history, the focus is on Ernest Milburn Smith
(1894-1948) and Bridget “Bessie” Cannon (1891-1982). This is their story (updated August 20, 2017)!
About Ernest Milburn
Smith (1894-1948)
Ernest Milburn
Smith was born on May 5, 1894 in Tantallon, Halifax County, Nova Scotia. He was
the fifth of eight children (six boys and two girls) born to John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) and Deborah
Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940). At that time, his father was 42 years old and his mother was 34 years old.
|
Ernest Milburn Smith 1916 |
When he was 21 years old,
Ernest Milburn Smith enlisted for service in World War 1. He joined
the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on December 21, 1915. According to
the records, all five of his brothers also enlisted (see
Smith
Ancestry – Remembering the Battle of Vimy Ridge).
While fighting in France, Ernest was wounded in the shoulder and sent to a
hospital in Scotland to recover. During his stay at the hospital, Ernest met Bridget
“Bessie” Cannon. When the war ended, Ernest and Bessie were married on January
15, 1919 in Govan Parish, Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Scotland. Ernest was 24 and Bessie
was 27.
On August 13, 1919, they boarded the S.S. Baltic in Liverpool, England and sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to start a new
life. Upon arrival in Canada on August 21, 1919, Ernest was discharged from the army. His discharge paper (presented below) indicates that, at 25 years old, he was 5 feet, 7 1/2 inches tall with brown eyes, brown hair and a "fresh" complexion.
|
Ernest Smith - Army Discharge Certificate 1919 |
The 1921 Canada Census indicates that
Russell
Cannon Smith (our direct line ancestor) was their first child. His Certificate
of Birth states that Russell was born in Halifax on March 18, 1920 and that his
father was a shoe repairer by trade. As the family tree shows, Ernest and
Bessie had three more children over the eight years from 1920 to 1928 – Eunice
(Una), Doris and Jean.
|
Ernest Smith and Bessie Cannon Family Tree |
Ernest and Bessie were married for 29 years when he passed
away at the age of 54 years. The Nova Scotia Certificate of Registration of Death (No. 005851) notes
that Ernest made his living as a cobbler (shoemaker). It also records that he
stayed at Camp Hill Hospital for several months before he died on November 9,
1948. His death was due to heart failure caused by arteriosclerosis and
complications from diabetes. Ernest was buried at the Halifax Fort Massey
Cemetery on November 12, 1948.