Smith Ancestry – 3rd Generation: The Story of John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) and Deborah Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940) – Part 1

The 1^st Generation of our Smith Ancestry in Canada is about Russell Cannon Smith (1920-1995) and Margaret Cecilia Mumford (1922-1998). The 2^nd Generation of the family history is about Ernest Milburn Smith (1894-1948) and Bridget “Bessie” Cannon (1891-1982). The following story looks at the 3^rd Generation - John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) and Deborah Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940).

About John Caleb Smith (1852-1940)

John Caleb Smith was born on February 29, 1852, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His father, Caleb Nickerson Smith (1811-1893), was 41 and his mother, Mary Catherine Whynacht (1818-1900), was 33. John was baptized June 27, 1852 at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, French Village, Halifax. He was the 8th of 12 children - 7 boys and 5 girls.

John was a lumberman by trade. As his family tree shows, John was married twice and had 10 children of his own. He married Lydia Ann Boutilier and they had 2 children. After Lydia died, he married a second time to Deborah Emmeline Boutilier and they had 8 children together.

John Caleb Smith Family Tree

Lydia Ann was born on September 25, 1854, in Halifax. Her father, Joseph (Josie Joe) Boutilier (1827-1898), was 26 and her mother, Catherine Publicover (1824-1902), was 29. Lydia was one of 5 children – 3 girls and 2 boys. Sadly, her youngest brother and sister both died in 1880.

Lydia Ann Boutilier Family Tree

On April 3, 1877, when he was 25 years old, John married Lydia Ann Boutilier in St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Hackett’s Cove, Halifax. John and Lydia had two children during their brief marriage – Clement Seymour (1879-1926) and Herbert Isaiah (1881-1885), who died as an infant. Lydia Ann Boutilier died as a young mother (at the age of 26) on June 6, 1881, less than 3 months after Herbert was born. Apparently, she committed suicide and was buried in Halifax.

John Caleb Smith married Deborah Emmeline Boutilier in Tantallon, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on October 27, 1881, when he was 29 years old. Emmeline’s story is told in Smith Ancestry – 3^rd Generation: The Story of John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) and Deborah Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940) – Part 2.

John Caleb Smith died on July 10, 1940, in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was buried at St. Margaret’s Anglican Cemetery in Tantallon, Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Death Certificate (#28) indicates that he passed away of natural causes at the age of 88 years. His son Weldon Smith signed as informant.

John Caleb Smith - NS Death Certificate 1940

Smith Ancestry - 2nd Generation: The Story of Ernest Milburn Smith (1894-1948) and Bridget “Bessie” Cannon (1891-1982) – Part 2

About Bridget “Bessie” Cannon (1891-1982) - Updated August 21, 2017

Bridget Bessie Cannon was born on August 21, 1891, in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Her mother was Ann Loughlin (1866-1938), age 25, and her father was William Daniel Cannon (1859-1935), age 32. (In celebration of her birthday, this posting is being updated on August 21, 2017 with personal documentation provided by Bessie's great granddaughter, Annette.)

Bessie Cannon Birth Certificate 1891

Cannon Family Tree

The Cannon Family Tree shows that Bessie was the fourth of seven children in a family of five girls and two boys born during the 14-year period from 1886 to 1900. The 1901 Scotland Census lists her as age 9. The records show that most of the Cannon children emigrated: Annie and William went to Australia, Bessie and Margaret went to Canada and Henry moved to Canada then the United States.

Bessie served in the Scottish Women's Land Army (see registration card below). According to the family history, she was a very strong, interesting woman for her time. "She actually shot and killed a German soldier who would have raped and killed her during her service in the Boer war and was also engaged to wed another man before meeting Ernest - and she quickly broke off that engagement."

Bessie Cannon met Ernest Milburn Smith while he was recovering from his wounds at a hospital in Scotland during World War 1. At the end of the war, Ernest proposed marriage and Bessie accepted. The marriage record (presented below) indicates that they were married on January 15, 1919 in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Ernest Smith and Bessie Cannon Marriage Certificate 1919

Ernest Smith and Bessie Cannon, circa 1919

As a young married couple, they sailed from Liverpool, England to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on the S.S. Baltic which transported Canadian soldiers and their war brides (third class free passage). The following records show that they departed on August 13, 1919 and arrived in Canada on August 21, 1919 to begin a new life.

Bessie (Cannon) Smith - Canada Immigration 1919

Bessie (Cannon) Smith ID Card - S.S. Baltic 1919

Many war brides were transported in smaller ships such as the Corsican, Grampian, Megantic and the Tunisian, which could carry up to 2000 passengers. The Olympic (sister ship of the Titanic) was by far the largest ship to bring soldiers and their dependents to Canada. It could carry more than 5000 passengers. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada usually took 7 days. Most ships left from Liverpool but with many dockyard strikes during 1919, a number also left from ports at Southampton and Glasgow. During the winter months, the ships docked at the eastern Canada ports, such as Pier 2 in Halifax.

It is noteworthy that more than 50,000 war brides came to Canada after the World War 1 in an immigration scheme that was paid for by the Canadian government. In January 1919, the Government of Canada passed an Order in Council offering the dependents of Canadian soldiers free third class passage from Europe to Canada. (More information about war brides is available online at Canadian War Brides of the First  World War.) 

Bessie Cannon, circa 1927

Bessie Cannon - 90th Birthday 1982

When Ernest died in 1948, Bessie had been married for 29 years. She was 56 years old and carried on, cheerfully enduring many hardships. She lived for more than 30 years. During that time, she raised one of her granddaughters until she married. Then, in her senior years, Bessie was offered a home with her daughter (Doris) and her husband. 

Bessie (Cannon) Smith - Obituary 1982

Bessie died on February 12, 1982 after celebrating her 90^th birthday with her family. Her obituary states that Bessie was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. May she rest in peace! 

Read more about Ernest Milburn Smith and Bessie Cannon in Part 1 of this blog posting.