Vera May (Wheeler) Watkins (1904 - 1998)

Born 19 Sep 1904 in Miami, Thompson, Manitoba, Canada

Ancestors

Wife of Joseph Edward Watkins — married 24 Nov 1926 in Golden, British Columbia, Canada

Descendants

Died 11 Feb 1998 at age 93 in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Peggy Watkins [send private message]

Biography

This profile is part of the Brisco, British Columbia One Place Study.

Vera was born in 1904 in Manitoba,^[1] the daughter of Henry Wheeler and Minnie Orchard.^[2][3]

Their family moved to Alberta and her father was granted land In the area of Settler, Alberta.^[4][5] They later lived in nearby Gadsby, Alberta; her father was a farmer and blacksmith.^[6][7] After the death of her mother, Minnie, her father, Henry married Helen.^[8]

Vera married Joe Watkins in 1926 in Golden, British Columbia.^[2] They had two children Phyllis and Edward (Ted). Their family lived in Brisco and Joe worked as a mechanic.^[9][10][11] From about 1940 to 1942, they lived on the North Coast of British Columbia in Stewart and Premier where Joe continued to work as a mechanic (for a mining company).^[12] They moved south to Trail about 1943 and Joe worked for Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited (CM&S). They then moved to Kelowna around 1949.^[13][14] Joe passed away in 1952.^[15][16]

Vera later moved to North Vancouver, British Columbia where she passed away in 1998; she had been a retail cashier.^[3]

Census Records

Census of the Northwest Provinces, 1906

Strathcona, Alberta

Image PDF

Household: Name, Relationship, Age, Place of Birth, Year of Immigration

Henry Wheeler: Head, 28, Canada

Minnie Orchard: Wife, 23, U.S.A., 1904

William Wheeler: Son, 3, U.S.A., 1904

Vera Wheeler: Daughter, 1, Alberta^[5]

Census of Canada, 1911

Gadsby, Red Deer Sub-Districts 1-78, Alberta

FamilySearch image

Household: Role, Gender, Age, Birth Month, Birthplace, Year of Immigration

H S Wheeler Head, Male, 34, Nov, Ontario

Minnie Wheeler Wife, Female, 32, Mar, Michigan, 1903?

W H Wheeler Son, Male, 7, Sept, United States, 1908

Vera May Wheeler Daughter, 5, Oct, Female, Manitoba

Eva V Wheeler Daughter Female, 3, Mar, Alberta

Mildred N E Wheeler Daughter, Female, 1 April, Alberta

Ella Anna Wheeler Daughter, Female, 2 mos., July, Alberta^[6]

1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta

Red Deer, Alberta

Land info: 39, 17, 4

Image PDF

Household: Name, Age, Relationship, Place of Birth, Year of Immigration

Henery Wheeler: 37, Head, Ontario

Minnie Wheeler: 33, Wife, United States, 1904

William Wheeler: 13, Son, United States, 1904

Vera Wheeler: 11, Daughter, Manitoba

Eva Wheeler: 9, Daughter, Alberta

Mildred Wheeler: 7, Daughter, Alberta

Ella Wheeler: 5, Daughter, Alberta

Velma Wheeler: 3, Daughter, Alberta^[7]

Census of Canada, 1921

Village of Gadsby, Red Deer, Alberta

Image PDF

Household: Name, Age, Relationship, Place of Birth, Year of Immigration

Henry Wheeler: 41, Head, Ontario

Helen Wheeler: 41, Wife, Scotland, 1913

Vera Wheeler: 16, Daughter, Manitoba

Eva Wheeler: 14, Daughter, Alberta

Ella Wheeler: 10, Daughter, Alberta

Velma Wheeler: 8, Daughter, Alberta

William Wheeler: 18, Son, USA, 1908

Hamish McDonald: 14, Step-son, Scotland, 1913^[8]

Census of Canada, 1931

Brisco, Kootenay East, British Columbia

Household: Name, Gender, Age, Relationship, Marital Status, Birthplace, Occupation

Joseph Wathers: [Watkins] M, 28, Head, Married, B.C., Motor Mechanic (Public Works Dept.)

Vera Wathers: [Watkins] F, 26, Wife, Married, Manitoba, Home Maker

Phyllis Wathers: [Watkins] F, 3, Daughter, Single, B.C.^[9]

City directory info

Years/Listing/Directory

Town: Brisco

1929, 1930, 1931, 1932/Watkins, Jos mechanic/Wrigley's BC Directory^[10]

1934/Watkins, Jos mech/Sun British Columbia Directory

1935, 193, 1937, 1938, 1939/Watkins, Jos mech/BC and Yukon Directory^[11]

Town: Stewart

1940, 1941/Watkins Joe E mech/BC and Yukon Directory

Town: Premier

1942/Watkins J E miner^[12]

Town: Trail

1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947/Watkins Joe E (Vera) oiler CM&S h1443 Columbia/BC and Yukon Directory^[13]

Town: Kelowna

1949-1950/Watkins Joe r RR2/Kelowna City Directory

1951-1952/Watkins Edw L acct r 736 Glenwood

Watkins Jas E (Vera) trk drvr r 736 Glenwood^[14]

Town: Kelowna

1954: Watkins, Edw L adv clk BC Tree Fruits r 736 Glenwood

Watkins, Vera M wid J E h 736 Glenwood^[16]

Vera's Story by Ted Watkins

My grandfather’s name on my mother’s side was Henry Adolphus Allen Wheeler. All we know is that the Wheeler family at some point had come from England. Henry was born in Whitby Ontario on June 26 1878. He must have spent some time in Michigan, in either Flint or Brown City near Detroit. He met and married my grandmother, Minnie MaryAnn Orchard somewhere in Michigan on March 17 1883. Before they came to Canada they had their first child, William [Bill] born in Flint Michigan on October 12, 1902. By the time my mother, Vera May Wheeler was born on September 29, 1904 they had moved to Miami, Manitoba. Miami is a small farming community southwest of Winnipeg. Henry and Minnie along with their two children moved to Stettler, Alberta.

Stettler was as a very nice small town, probably around 4 to 5 thousand people. It was east of Red Deer in the heart of Alberta. At that time the TransCanada railroad [Canadian Pacific Railway] had been built through the town. The railway was offering tracts of land dirt cheap in order to create settlements next to their train lines. In other words, customers. Grandpa obviously took advantage of the situation and bought property. Grandpa worked as a blacksmith and a butcher, at different times. My mother grew up and went to school until she had finished grade 8. It was in Stettler that mom’s younger sisters were born; Eva LaVerne (March 3, 1907), Mildred Ellen (December 17, 1909), Ella Ann (February 1, 1911) and Velma [Bunty] (February 1, 1913). In September 1916 when my mother was only 13 her mother, Minnie died of tuberculosis. At about the same time Mildred also died of tuberculosis. It was then left to mom and her older brother, to bring up the family. Grampa Wheeler was very busy establishing a blacksmith shop. Uncle Bill and his sisters did an amazing job of raising the family. They became and always were a loving and close knit family with an amazing sense of humor.

One snowy Christmas shortly after their double tragedy a coal oil lantern was knocked over and ignited some curtains. Soon the whole house was in flames and of course there was no fire Department. Grandpa [Henry] saved my mother's life [Vera] by throwing her through a window and into a snowbank. Her clothing were in flames and before they could be put out she received serious burns to her body. She kept the scars of the rest of her life. They lost everything except the clothes they were wearing and their mothers wedding ring, which mom happened to be wearing at the time. With the usual Wheeler optimism the family bounced back.

Some time, probably in the 1920s the family moved to Golden. Grandpa and Uncle Bill only stayed in Golden for a short time before returning to Alberta. The four Wheeler sisters stayed in Golden. All of them worked except Auntie Bunty, who was still going to school.

Mom worked in the store in Golden. It was here that she met Auntie Annie Watkins and they soon became good friends . Annie invited her to move to Brisco and that there was a job working in Blair's Store there. It seemed like a good opportunity so Mom move to Brisco and began working in Blair's General Store. The Blair's who had immigrated Scotland had no children so Mom lived with them in the back of the store. Mom tired of the job in Brisco and wanted to try the big city. As a result she moved to Seattle, Washington where she got a job as an elevator operator at the Bon Marche. Mom returned to Brisco to pack up the rest of her clothes and and planned to return to Seattle and become an American citizen. Through her friendship with Annie she met her future husband, Joe Watkins. Their first date was a drive in his truck. It wasn't long before they fell in love and were soon engaged. They were not engaged for a very long and were married. They went on their honeymoon in Vancouver, which they like so much that they decided to live there. They lived in an apartment just off Lonsdale in North Vancouver. Joe got a job in a butcher shop. They would have been very happy to have stayed but Dad's brothers wanted him to come home to help run a small sawmill that they were starting up on the promise that the brothers would build Mom and Dad the house on some of Grandpa's land. They returned to Brisco and moved into their newly built home.

Source: Ted Watkins^[17]

Read more of the family story here: Ted Watkins. Chapter 1: The Beginning

Research Notes

Death certificate has her birthplace recorded as: Miami, Manitoba. Her birth was registered in nearby R.M. of Dufferin, Manitoba.

The 1906 census recorded her birthplace as Alberta (instead of Manitoba).

Sources

1. ↑ Birth: "Genealogy Searches for Unrestricted Records (Births)," online database. Entry for Vera May Wheeler; Registration Number: 1904-007707, R.M. of Dufferin, 19/09/1904. https://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/Query.php Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency (vitalstats.gov.mb.ca : accessed August 10, 2018).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Marriage: "British Columbia Marriage Registrations," online database with images. Entry for Joseph Edward Watkins and Vera May Wheeler; Registration Number: 1926-09-311081, Golden, 1926-11-24, Groom's parents: Edward Watkins and Lavina Walker, Bride's parents: Henry A. A. Wheeler and Minnie Mary Orchard. Marriage certificate. Royal British Columbia Museum: BC Archives (royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/genealogy : accessed August 08, 2018).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Death: "British Columbia Death Registrations," online database with images. Entry for Vera May Watkins; Registration Number: 1998-09-003461, North Vancouver, 1998-02-11, Birth: 19 Sep 1904, Miami, Manitoba, Spouse: Joseph Edward Watkins, Parents: Henry Adolph Allan Wheeler and Minnie Mary Ann Orchard. Death certificate. Royal British Columbia Museum: BC Archives (royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/genealogy : accessed August 08, 2018).
4. ↑ Land: "Land Grants of Western Canada, 1870-1930 " online database with images. Henry Adolph A Wheeler, Part: SW, Section: 2, Township: 40, Range: 19, Meridian: W4, Folio: 137 Liber: 333, Microfilm Reel Number: C-6199, Item Number: 503714. Library and Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/land/land-grants-western-canada-1870-1930/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=503714& : accessed 29 Mar 2021).
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Census 1906: "Census of Northwest Provinces, 1906," online database with images. Entry for Vera Wheeler; Province: Alberta. District Name: Strathcona. District Number: 21. Sub-District Number: 15. Family Number: 356. Page Number: 31. Microfilm: T-18362. Reference: RG31, Statistics Canada, Item Number: 772749. Image jpg Library and Archives Canada: Censuses (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1906/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=772749 : accessed August 21, 2018).
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} 1911 Census: "Canada Census, 1911," database, citing Census, Red Deer Sub-Districts 1-78, Alberta, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,417,655, FamilySearch Record: QVB8-TRTK FamilySearch image (accessed 1 September 2022), Vera May Wheeler, single daughter, in household of H S Wheeler in Red Deer Sub-Districts 1-78, Alberta, Canada. Born in Manitoba.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Census 1916: "Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, 1916," online database with images. Entry for Vera Wheeler; Province: Alberta. District Name: Red Deer. District Number: 41. Sub-District Number: 19. Family Number: 106. Page Number: 10. Microfilm: T-21954. Reference: R233-47-9-E, Item Number: 380501. Image PDF Library and Archives Canada: Censuses (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1916/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=380501 : accessed August 21, 2018).
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Census 1921: "Census of Canada, 1921," online database with images. Entry for Vera Wheeler; Province: Alberta. District Name: Red Deer. District Number: 10. Sub-District Number: 22. Family Number: 3. Page Number: 1. Reference: RG31, Statistics Canada, Item Number: 759932. Image PDF Library and Archives Canada: Censuses (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1921/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=759932 : accessed August 18, 2018).
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} 1931 Census: "1931 Census of Canada," database with images, Ancestry Sharing Link - (Ancestry ca Record 62640 #6643985 : accessed 2 July 2023), Vera Wathers [Watkins](26), wife, in household of Joseph Wathers [Watkins] (28) in Brisco, Kootenay East Unorganized territory, British Columbia, Canada; citing Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Seventh Census of Canada, 1931; Folder Number: T-27362; Census Place: Kootenay East, British Columbia, Canada; Page Number: w.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Directory 1929-32: British Columbia city directories: 1860 to 1955: Wrigley's BC Directory, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://bccd.vpl.ca/.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Directory 1934-39: British Columbia city directories: 1860 to 1955: Sun BC and Yukon Directory, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://bccd.vpl.ca/.
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Directory 1940-42: British Columbia city directories: 1860 to 1955: Sun BC and Yukon Directory, 1940, 1941, 1942. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://bccd.vpl.ca/.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Directory 1943-47: British Columbia city directories: 1860 to 1955: Sun BC and Yukon Directory, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://bccd.vpl.ca/.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Directory 1949-52: British Columbia city directories: 1860 to 1955: Kelowna City Directory, 1949-1950, 1951-1952. Accessed December 11, 2018. https://bccd.vpl.ca/.
15. ↑ Death of spouse, Joe: "British Columbia Death Registrations," online database with images. Entry for Edward Joseph Watkins; Registration Number: 1952-09-012413, Kelowna, 1952-12-21, Age at Death: 49, Birth: 31 Mar 1903, Brisco, B.C., Spouse: Vera May Wheeler, Parents: Edward Watkins and Lavina Walker. Death certificate. Royal British Columbia Museum: BC Archives (royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/genealogy : accessed August 08, 2018).
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1} Directory 1954: British Columbia city directories: 1860 to 1955: Kelowna City Directory, 1954. Accessed 15 September 2020. https://bccd.vpl.ca/.
17. ↑ "Background:The Wheeler Family." My Story The Brisco Years. January 31, 2013. (https://reddragon17.wordpress.com/introduction-henry-and-minnie-wheeler-family/ Accessed September 16, 2018). Saved to the Internet Archive Wayback Marchine on 1 Sep 2022.

See also:

• "Brisco & Spillimacheen: A History" Compiled and edited by Hedi Trescher. Published by Brisco Hospital Aid, 1998