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WHONNOCK NOTES Occasional papers of the Whonnock Community Association to promote the research and understanding of the past of our community. e Series Editor: )red Braches f No. 5 ISSN 1206-5137 Winter, 1999 Whonnock 1897 John Williamson’s Diary Compiled by Fred Braches Whonnock Community Association, P.O. Box 134, Whonnock, B.C. V2W 1V9 2 John Williamson’s Diary Whonnock Notes # 5 Thank You √ John Williamson, who wrote the diary back in 1897, √ Albert E. York, John Williamson’s grandson, who took the trouble to tran- scribe most of it, preserving this important document for us all, √ Robert York, Albert York’s son, who provided me with information and who gave me the go-ahead to publish the diary in these Whonnock Notes, √ Many descendants of the “Whonnock” York family who tried to help me to find the diary, √ Brian Byrnes, who showed and shared his copy of the diary with me, √ Numerous archivists and librarians who kept feeding my hunger for information on the year 1897, √ The Municipality of Maple Ridge for finding ways to give me access to their archives, √ My wife, Helmi, who continues to believe I am having fun, √ The people of Whonnock who patiently waited for the next issue to come, and, √ above all thanks to Sue Schulze at the Whonnock Post office, who sells copies of the Whonnock Notes to a faithful and growing readership. Where To Get the Whonnock Notes Sue Schulze has a stock of all issues of the Whonnock Notes handy at the Whonnock Post Office. If you are not planning to come to Whonnock, and want to buy copies of these or previous Whonnock Notes, please contact )red Braches, PO Box 130, Whonnock B.C. V2W 1V9. Phone (604) 462-8942, E-mail: [email protected] Whonnock Community Association, P.O. Box 134, Whonnock, B.C., V2W 1V9 Winter, 1999 Introduction 3 JOHN WILLIAMSON’S DIARY OF 1897 John Williamson, the author of the diary, was the father-in-law of tries from the diary which were not included by A.E York in his Levi Charles York, owner of the Whonnock general store from 1894 transcription of the diary itself. These missing quotations have until 1906. Fortunately, some decades ago, one of L.C. York’s sons, now also been copied as entries in the diary itself. Albert E. York, heard from his niece Ethel Jackson about the exist- The transcription of the 1897 diary entries in these Whonnock ence of the Williamson diary, and he decided to transcribe it. As Notes follows A.E York’s typewritten text closely with the following A.E. York explains in a letter: “I had retired and made typewritten exceptions. In his transcript A.E York placed quotations from the copies, a lot of tedious work, but put in some carbons, and sent one diary between quotation marks. Here the diary entries are shown copy to Keith[Wilcox], another to without quotation marks. Notes and Ethel [Jackson née Wilcox], and commentaries made by A.E. York an excerpt or two to a son, also a CONTENT in his typewritten text are here daughter of my sister Gwen shown between (parentheses). Text INTRODUCTION 3 (Cooke).”1 placed between [brackets] in this Ethel Jackson lived in Mission BACKGROUND 4 transcript includes clarifications or in later years, where she gave a - The Arrival of the Yorks in Whonnock corrections. Mostly that is done at copy of A.E. York’s transcript of - Thoughts about John Williamson a first occurrence only. Idiosyncra- the diary to Karin Edberg, sister- - Life in Whonnock in 1897 sies in spelling, grammar and in-law of Whonnock’s Theodore A.E. YORK’S INTRODUCTION TO THE DIARY 8 puctunation were generally kept M. Lee.2 Ted Lee, a descendant of unchanged. Some minor changes JOHN WILLIAMSON’S DIARY 9 the Whonnock Norwegians men- were made where obviously the tioned in the diary, shared his APPENDICES typist and not John Williamson, copy with fellow Whonnockian - Notes and Comments 30 made an error. In this transcription and local historian Brian Byrnes. - Names of people mentioned in the diary 42 names of ships are italicized and Brian Byrnes kindly permitted - York and Williamson families 51 names of mineral claims are shown me to reproduce the transcript. I - Mineral claims records 57 in SMALL CAPS. tried to find the original diary but APPENDICES: had no success. A.E. York had died NOTES AND COMMENTS—provides in 1992, and as so often happens information arranged by date. with documents in private hands, no one today seems to know Some of the material is immediately related to specific diary what happened to the original diary.3 Fortunately Katherine entries, but other notes and comments provide contemporary (Isbister) Fadden brought me into contact with A.E. York’s son, R.C. reading material from minutes, newspapers and other sources to (Bob) York, who at least could provide me with a second copy of highlight the matters discussed in the diary. A.E York’s transcript. His and our copies missed a few pages, but NAMES OF PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THE DIARY—The diary includes 300 dif- not the same ones, and we were able to complete both sets. ferent names referring to around 200 family names. I have listed We can’t be grateful enough for A.E York’s efforts in transcribing the names alphabetically and, where possible, added some form of the 1897 diary. The quotation marks around the text he transcribed identification from directories, voters list, or census. Information suggest that he tried to make a true transcript of the original text, about most individuals is scarce, and about some—in particular but we cannot compare his typescript with the manuscript for those outside the area—we don’t know more than their name confirmation and corrections. We know from A.E. York’s comments mentioned in the diary. Prominent in the diary are the descend- at the end of his transcript that he did not copy existing entries ants of the first settlers of the area such as the Robertsons, Gar- from 12 November to 31 December 1896 but we don’t know if he ners, Gardners, Cromartys and more. These bicultural families, omitted any other text. For example, between the entries of 13 dating back to the days of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and mostly January and 17 January A.E York noted: “On several pages here it of Scottish-Sto:lo descent are closely related and I thought it would says ‘Not any Pass yet’.” Was that all that was entered on these dates? help to add a diagram showing these relationships in this section. In the section BACKGROUND, are some notes on the arrival of the I have done the same for two Norwegians settler families: the Lees Yorks in Whonnock, as well as comments on John Williamson and and the Nelsons. this small community in 1897, and events touching the lives of YORK AND WILLIAMSON FAMILIES—information provided by Robert York Whonnockians at that time. and others on the families. A.E . York introduced the diary entries with some information MINERAL CLAIMS RECORDS—I have listed registered claims as recorded on the family and his personal memories (A.E. YORK’S INTRODUCTION at the Mineral Titles Office in Vancouver. TO THE DIARY). This introduction included a few quotations of en- Whonnock Community Association, P.O. Box 134, Whonnock, B.C., V2W 1V9 4 John Williamson’s Diary Whonnock Notes # 5 BACKGROUND THE ARRIVAL OF THE YORKS IN WHONNOCK4 John Williamson may well have come to Whonnock with L.C. York L.C. York5 and his wife did not step into a vacuum when they moved and his wife, but there is no evidence of his presence until 1896. He west from the Prairies and came to British Columbia. Two neph- seems to have remained in Whonnock with the Yorks until 1906 ews of L.C. York’s, children of a half-brother, a son from an earlier when they sold the shop and moved to Vancouver. The involvement marriage of L.C. York’s father, had lived in Mission for some years. of John Williamson in the store became evident as from 1896 when Archibald and Andrew Nelson York may have arrived in British the Maple Ridge municipal assessment rolls showed John Columbia as early as 1887.6 Andrew would then have been 15 years Williamson’s name together with L.C. York’s, replacing Edward old and his brother, Archibald, 29 years, ap- Parris’s, who left for Slocan City early in 1896. proximately the same age as L.C. York. At the John Williamson’s name stayed on the roll un- end of the 1880s J.W. Horne created a short- til 1900, after which year only L.C. York’s is lived local storm by projecting and selling sites mentioned. of an “instant” Mission City on the swampy flats The store in Whonnock must have been prof- where St. Mary’s Mission started twenty years itable enough to convince L.C. York in 1897 before. The core of Horne’s project was the con- not to sell the shop and move to the Kootenays struction of a main street attracting a workforce with his Mission friends and relatives. There of more than 1,000 men by 1891, and that meant was talk in Whonnock that Mr. York would fail, business. In 1889 Merril Des Brisay opened his and Mrs. Margaret Sutherland, who bought shop and the York brothers, butchers by trade, property not far from the Whonnock store in must have done the same and did good busi- 1895, would have been eager to take over the ness.

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