William Robert (Burris) Burrows (abt. 1878 - 1958)

Born about 2 Oct 1878 in Westville, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada

Ancestors

Son of John Burris and Mary Jane (Calder) MacLean

Husband of Ethel Evelyn (Laird) Burrows — married 4 Jul 1907 in Coleman, Alberta, Canada

Descendants

Died 19 Oct 1958 at about age 80 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Biography

Bill (Burris) Burrows served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I
Service started: 11 Jul 1916
Unit(s): 54th Battalion
Service ended: 17 Jul 1919

William Robert Burris (aka Burrows) was born on 2 Oct 1878^[1][2] in Westville, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada.^[3] He was the son of John Burris and Mary Jane Calder.

On 4 Apr 1881 Bill was living with his parents in River Hébert, Cumberland, Nova Scotia. His father's occupation was Farmer.^[2]

In 1883 Bill's father John died in a tragic coal mining accident at Chignecto Mines. In 1886 his mother Mary Jane married John Thompson, but she was widowed again by 1891.^[4]

On 6 Apr 1891 Bill was living with his mother in Springhill, Cumberland, Nova Scotia, along with four siblings. His two older brothers at home were working as Coal Miners.^[4]

Bill completed three courses at military school in Fredericton, New Brunswick, presumably in his teen years.^[3] He later followed his older brothers who were pursuing mining careers in British Columbia.

On 31 Mar 1901 Bill, along with older brother Jim, was lodging in the home of his married brother Charlie in Fernie, Kootenay East, British Columbia. Bill, Jim, and Charlie were working as Coal Miners.^[5]

Bill relocated to the mining region on the east side of the nearby Crowsnest Pass. On 4 Jul 1907 he married Ethel Evelyn Laird in Coleman, Alberta. His occupation at the time was Hotel Waiter.^[6]

On 1 Jun 1911 Bill, Ethel, and their two children were living in Coleman, Alberta. They were boarders in the household of George Davies. Bill's occupation was Coal Miner.^[7]

While living in the Crowsnest Pass, Bill and his brothers Jim and Charlie fought as prize fighters in the local area and travelled as far as Calgary, Alberta, and Rossland, B.C. to participate in bouts. Bill was a heavyweight, Jim (the most successful of the three) was a welterweight, and Charlie was a featherweight. [add newspaper citations]

In December 1915 Bill, Ethel, and their two children were living in Coalmont, British Columbia, where Bill was working as a Miner. Their young son John became ill and died of pneumonia.^[8]

On 11 Jul 1916 Bill, age 37, volunteered for the WWI Canadian Expeditionary Force, 72nd Battalion (Rocky Mountain Rangers).^[3] At his medical examination he was described as 6' tall, 205 lbs., with a dark complexion, blue eyes, and black hair. His apparent age was listed as 35 years. He embarked for England on 25 Oct 1916 and arrived in France with the 54th Battalion (Kootenay) on 7 Dec 1916. He served on active duty with the rank of Private for 2 years and 6 months, and was discharged on 17 Jul 1919. He was hospitalized for illness twice but received no injuries.^[9]

On 1 June 1921 Bill, Ethel, and their daughter Dora were living in Coleman, Alberta. Bill's occupation was Miner.^[10]

On June 1 1931 Bill and Ethel were living on 2nd Street in Coleman, Alberta. Bill's occupation was Miner (coal mine.)^[11]

In about 1940 Bill retired from mining. Bill and Ethel returned to British Columbia and lived near her family on Vancouver Island.^[1]

In 1958 Bill and Ethel were living in Union Bay, British Columbia. Bill was treated at Shaughnessy Hospital in Vancouver for Laryngeal Cancer and died there on 19 Oct 1958 at the age of 80. He was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver.^[1]

Research Notes

Bill was born after 1877, when Nova Scotia stopped requiring birth registration. No delayed registration has been found. Accordingly his LNAB is uncertain; Burris was chosen because most siblings who have birth records were named Burris, including sister Margaret born in 1876.

The birth date given on his WWI attestation was 2 Oct 1880. He may have understated his age. The birthdate provided on his death certificate matches other records.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Province of British Columbia, "BC Archives - Genealogy," database with images, Royal BC Museum (http://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Genealogy : accessed 14 January 2018), Death - William Robert Burrows, 19 Oct 1958, Vancouver.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Government of Canada, "1881 Census," database with images, Library and Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1881/Pages/1881.aspx : accessed 16 January 2018), William Burrows in household of John Burrows, River Hébert, Cumberland.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Ancestry.com, "Canada, WWI CEF Attestation Papers, 1914-1918," database, Ancestry.com (https://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=1086 : accessed 14 January 2018), William Robert Burrows, 11 Jul 1916; citing Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, ON.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Government of Canada, "1891 Census," database with images, Library and Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1891/Pages/1891.aspx : accessed 16 January 2018), William Burragh [sic] in household of Mary J Thompson, Springhill, Cumberland, NS. Note: the surname of all four boys was transcribed as "Burragh," although it appears to have been written as "Burraghs" on the second page.
5. ↑ Government of Canada, "1901 Census," database with images, Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1901/Pages/1901.aspx : accessed 16 January 2018), Wm Burrows in household of Chas Burrows, Kootenay East - South, Yale and Cariboo, British Columbia.
6. ↑ William Robert Burrows and Ethel Evelyn Laird, Registration of Marriage (4 July 1907, Coleman, Alberta), Record No. 1940 of K; Provincial Archives of Alberta, Edmonton AB.
7. ↑ Government of Canada, "1911 Census," database with images, Library and Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1911/Pages/about-census.aspx: accessed 14 January 2018), Sterrett [sic: Burrows, Wm] in household of Geo Davies, Coleman, MacLeod, Alberta.
8. ↑ "British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FL29-X8Y : 13 April 2017), John Burrows, 1915.
9. ↑ "Personnel Records of the First World War," database with images, Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca : accessed 18 January 2018), William Robert Burrows, Reg. No. 688266.
10. ↑ Government of Canada, "1921 Census," database with images, Library and Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1921/Pages/introduction.aspx : accessed 18 January 2018), Robert [sic] Burrows, Coleman, MacLeod.
11. ↑ "1931 Census of Canada," database with images, Ancestry.com (accessed 12 Aug 2023).

• Paternal relationship is confirmed with an AncestryDNA test match between Jean Rae and E.P. (managed by n1pnh), second cousins. Predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: 2nd - 3rd Cousins based on sharing 323 cM across 14 segments; Confidence: Extremely High. According to the DNA Painter Shared cM Project, the probability of a 2C relationship is 49.57%.

• Maternal relationship is confirmed with an AncestryDNA test match between Jean Rae and E.P. (managed by n1pnh), second cousins. Predicted relationship reported by AncestryDNA: 2nd - 3rd Cousins based on sharing 323 cM across 14 segments; Confidence: Extremely High. According to the DNA Painter Shared cM Project, the probability of a 2C relationship is 49.57%.