Somber Sunday - 5 April 1882, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Somber Sunday, or, here in Canada, Sombre Sunday, a day to post obituaries or sad stories, is the idea of Brenda Kay Wolfgram Moore who writes at Day-ly Genealogy Blogposts.

I am posting deaths from British Columbia, Canada the first Sunday of each month – today from The British Colonist, 5 April, 1882

PARALYZED – We regret to hear that Captain JACK, chief wharfinger ¹ of the Hudson Bay Company, has been stricken with paralysis and is lying seriously ill at his residence. p.3

WHAT SOME PEOPLE SAY – That John KENNEDY, a Victoria pioneer, is dying at Seattle of pneumonia. p. 3

Also Legal Notices

Re Estate of Thomas LEWIS of Sumas; contact Mrs Thomas LEWIS of Sumas BC p.1
Re Estate of David Latimer BALLANTINE; John James BALLANTINE, Adminstrator p.1
Re Estate of James LOWE, late night watchman at the Albion Foundry; Mr Joseph SPRATT, Administrator p.1
Re Estate of John LEWIS, late of the town of Yale. Also concerning James CAMPBELL, Frank CROTTY, George STUART p.1
Re Estate of Hugh ROSS, late of Barkerville; Alex MUNRO, Executor, Victoria p.1
Re Estate of Peter BROWN; Joseph MASON, Administrator, Barkerville, p.2

And from page 1, an intriguing note:

Mr HAYWARD begs to intimate that he (sic) coffins lately seized by the customs authorities were not imported by him. ²

Further regarding James JACK, from The British Colonist, 6 March, 1882, p.3

DEATHS
In this city, on the 5th inst., James JACK, a native of Paisley, Scotland, aged 51 years.
The funeral will take place on SUNDAY at 2 p.m. from the residence, Superior street, and from the Presbyterian Church, Courtenay street at 2:30 oclk.
Friends are invited to attend.

DEATH OF A WORTHY CITIZEN
Capt. James JACK, wharfinger for the Hudson Bay Company, who was stricken with paralysis on Monday evening, died early yesterday morning. On Monday he was in excellent health and spririts and attended to his duties on the wharf as usual. Between 7 and 8 o’clock, while in his own house, he was suddenly paralyzed. Mrs. JACK conducted him to a sofa, but he never spoke intelligibly and scarcely moved after. Capt. JACK was a worthy and greatly respected citizen. Faithful, energetic and assiduous there was no employee of the great corporation in whose service he was for fifteen years, who was more entitled to their esteem and confidence. Capt. JACK leaves a wife and daughter to lament his untimely decease. ³

Notes:
1 wharfinger – from my big 1958 Oxford International Dictionary – 1552 – old form wharfager – an owner or manager of a wharf
2 I believe this would be Charles HAYWARD, undertaker (and carpenter, contractor). He was later a Mayor of Victoria, as was one son, Reginald. The company is still in business.
3 James JACK’s death registration gives the cause of death as: cerebral apoplexy 3 days. James’ Jack’s wife was Ángela (also indexed as Angalah/Anglah) GURARO (d 1912); the daughter was Helen Louisa (d 1886). Angela was born in Mexico, Helen Louisa in California. Both died in Victoria, BC, Canada. If anyone has a connection, I do have additional information about their life in British Columbia. I am not related and as far as I know there are no descendants for any of the three. They are buried together in Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria.

Newspaper references, all from The British Colonist, Victoria, British Columbia, on-line: www.britishcolonist.ca


^{I 'accidentally' posted this article to my other blog, CanadaGenealogy first. (Must make more coffee!) so am posting as a duplicate here. Watch this blog for future Sombre Sundays though.}