After moving around with the army, Henry Joseph & Georgina eventually settled in Leeds, England, where James Alfred was born on 1 July 1894. He was the last of nine children (we know of) born to the couple and was their only male offspring to survive to adulthood. James was baptized at St. Paul's Anglican Church that August, and he grew up in Leeds. In the 1911 census, at the age of 17, he was working at a cocoa factory. He married Isabella Pickles in 1913.
Isabella was also born in 1894 also in Leeds, and growing up, she appears to have been know as Isabel, Bella and Bell to her family, although her birth name was registered as Isabella Rochester Pickles (Rochester was her grandmother's maiden name). Her parents, Samuel Pickles and Margaret Connell, had both been born in Leeds as well. But while her husband James Alfred was the youngest child in his family, Isabel was the eldest in hers, and her parents were about 20 years younger than his parents.
Bell's mother was Catholic, having come from Irish Catholic parents. During the 1911 census, Bell and her family were living at 7 Haymount Street in Leeds. Bell was 17 then and worked as a machinist at a boot factory. When she married James Alfred (JA) in 1913, she still had that job, and he was listed as a chocolate maker, so likely still working at the cocoa factory. A true Yorkshire lass, Bell never got taller than 4'11".
JA and Bell were married in St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Leeds in 1913. This is the same church that Bell's parents (Samuel Pickles and Margaret Connell) were married in 21 years earlier. As noted, James Alfred's family was Anglican (Church of England) rather than Catholic, but Bell's mother came from Irish Catholic parents, so she and her children would have been baptized into the Roman Catholic religion and brought up Catholic. Typically, marriages were done in the bride's church and this appears to be the case in this instance. Also typically, the family followed the mother's religion as women tended to be more devout than men.
JA and Bell had their first child, a girl they named Eileen, on 8 May 1914 in Leeds, and shortly after that the First World War broke out.
***JA enlisted that same year, on 29 November 1914, when the young family lived at 38 Danube Terrace, Gelderd Road, which is in the Holbeck suburb of Leeds. It is likely that at least two families lived in the front of the house with another two living in the back, each with their own entrance.
***Above is a photograph of the home at 38 Danube Terrace taken in the 1960s before the building was torn down. The house would have looked nearly the same when they lived there 50 years earlier. On the right is what looks like a shed, but this was an outhouse called a 'toilet block,' which would have been for all residents of that building and the building next door.
JA served as a gunner in the Royal Field Artillery (Territorial Force) with service no. 1631. JA, however, would have only seen combat for a short period before he was wounded in June 1915 and eventually returned to England and discharged. He served for "one year and fifty-four days" before being discharged as "no longer physically fit for War Service" because of the injury, which was shown to be a gunshot wound to his leg. For his service, he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star and the British War and Victory Medal. (See more on James Alfred's service in a separate post in the military category.)
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| James Alfred Lowe in Hospital in France during the First World War (seated far right). |
How JA spent his time from 1916 onward is unclear, as is why the family moved to Halifax (about 25 km west of Leeds), but that is where they were living in 1920 when the couple's second child and first son, James Edward, was born in 14 March 1920. The family was living at 14 Oates Street in Halifax, Yorkshire. James Alfred was shown on the birth certificate to be working as a crane driver at a gas engine works.
A six-year gap between children is unusual, and since JA was discharged from the army in 1916, it is unclear why this occurred. There are no records indicating any lost children. It is possible that even though he had been discharged in 1916, he was still involved in the war effort and may have been away from home. But it is also possible that there was a miscarriage or similar event that has not been found (yet). Family stories indicate that there was at least one child lost and possibly more.
JA became a member of the Order of Buffaloes in Halifax having been accepted into the organization in 1921. Also in 1921 he and Isabel had their second son, Vincent, and then in 1923, their youngest, Henry (known as Harry) was born.
After they arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia they headed west across Canada by train. It probably took about a week to get to the prairies. Again, we don't know what prompted the move to Canada, other than the possibility of free land and a better life. What we do know is that within months of their arrival, they were in a small town in Northern Alberta called Hythe, where they would have been assigned to work on a farm. A portion of whatever salary was given for the farm work would have been set aside to repay the Canadian government to cover the cost of their passage from England.
In June the following year (1929), JA made an "Application for Entry for a Soldier Grant" to the Dominion Lands Division of the Department of the Interior and showed his place of residence as Hythe, Alberta. This type of grant gave a man who was at least 18-years old 65 hectares/160 acres of land either for free or for a small fee ($10). The claimant agreed to cultivate at least 16 hectares/40 acres of the land and have built a permanent dwelling on it within three years.
When war became imminent, JA and his son Jim both enlisted (senior in the army and junior in the navy). But JA was rejected about six months later as being physically unfit for military service, the results of having been gassed during the First World War. He had already closed his tailor shop by the time he was discharged, which was unfortunate.
The couple's second son Vincent also enlisted when he was of age and served in the Canadian army in Europe. (See separate post on Vincent's military service in the military category.) Harry was too young, although rumour has it that he attempted to join by lying about his age, but didn't succeed.
When war broke out, Bell volunteered at a hospital, and after the war, she worked at Vancouver General Hospital, in the laundry, for many years until she retired.
At the end of the war, the couple, along with their son Jim and his wife Joanne, lived at 2536 Woodland Street. In the 1946 directory, JA was working as a baker at a chain of bakeries in Vancouver called The Woman’s Bakery. The first bakery in this chain opened in 1905 but did not have a name. Eventually, the bakery began to be referred to as The Woman’s Bakery because the business was owned by a woman. The name stuck, and by the 1920s, when the business was taken over by the founder’s male cousin, there were 17 locations. In 1946 when JA was working there, the city directory showed 10 locations.
Later that year, JA went to work as a ship's cook and baker. This was a notable career change as he carried on working on boats until into the 1950s including a cable repair ship out of Victoria, a sternwheeler out of Whitehorse, and a tugboat on the Fraser River. (See separate post on JA's maritime career in the military & occupation category.)
A six-year gap between children is unusual, and since JA was discharged from the army in 1916, it is unclear why this occurred. There are no records indicating any lost children. It is possible that even though he had been discharged in 1916, he was still involved in the war effort and may have been away from home. But it is also possible that there was a miscarriage or similar event that has not been found (yet). Family stories indicate that there was at least one child lost and possibly more.
JA became a member of the Order of Buffaloes in Halifax having been accepted into the organization in 1921. Also in 1921 he and Isabel had their second son, Vincent, and then in 1923, their youngest, Henry (known as Harry) was born.
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| Eileen, James Edward (Jim), Vincent, Henry (Harry) |
With few opportunities for the lower classes in England in the 1920s, the couple applied for immigration to Canada.
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| A picnic in Halifax before the family emigrated to Canada. Bell is sitting in the front row on the right with her sons. Eileen is elsewhere in the photo. |
The family’s last address in the United Kingdom was the same address they had when Isabel gave birth to all three sons, 14 Oates Street in Halifax.
They left England via Liverpool on 28 March 1928 on a White Star line steamship called the Regina. The ocean voyage took three weeks, and James Alfred had $150 to his name.
After they arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia they headed west across Canada by train. It probably took about a week to get to the prairies. Again, we don't know what prompted the move to Canada, other than the possibility of free land and a better life. What we do know is that within months of their arrival, they were in a small town in Northern Alberta called Hythe, where they would have been assigned to work on a farm. A portion of whatever salary was given for the farm work would have been set aside to repay the Canadian government to cover the cost of their passage from England.
In June the following year (1929), JA made an "Application for Entry for a Soldier Grant" to the Dominion Lands Division of the Department of the Interior and showed his place of residence as Hythe, Alberta. This type of grant gave a man who was at least 18-years old 65 hectares/160 acres of land either for free or for a small fee ($10). The claimant agreed to cultivate at least 16 hectares/40 acres of the land and have built a permanent dwelling on it within three years.
The area where they settled was known as the Sunrise Valley near Dawson Creek in the Peace River Region of British Columbia. (For more information, visit the post called Homesteading: James & Isabella Lowe in the Military & Occupations category.)
The fact that they ended up near Dawson Creek seems to be a complete coincidence as JA's mother's maiden name was Dawson, and in his own name. I like to think that they were offered several locations and chose Dawson Creek because of the name connection, but I have no evidence to support that.
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| Isabella Rochester Pickles Lowe in front of the homestead cabin near Dawson's Creek, BC |
Despite both JA and Bell having been city-raised in a mild climate, they managed to build a small log cabin near Dawson Creek and survived the harsh winters, staying there until the mid 1930s. The family lived a simple existence with few belongings. They entertained themselves with music, and all the children seemed to have be musically gifted playing multiple instruments.
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| James Alfred and Isabel's four children outside the family cabin in Dawson's Creek. |
But living in Northern B.C. was a struggle, and in 1936/1937, after six-seven years on their farm, JA and Bell moved south with their three sons to the large city of Vancouver. Their daughter Eileen was over 21, married and already had children of her own, so she stayed up north.
In Vancouver, the family lived at 2266 Vanness Avenue until 1937. The boys continued with their schooling, and JA worked as a tailor and had his own shop in downtown Vancouver until the start of the war.
In Vancouver, the family lived at 2266 Vanness Avenue until 1937. The boys continued with their schooling, and JA worked as a tailor and had his own shop in downtown Vancouver until the start of the war.
From 1938 until 1940, they lived at 3208 Porter Street near Trout Lake. Both these addresses are in the Cedar Cottage neighbourhood. The boys attended school and also joined the army militia, the Duke of Connaught's Own British Columbia Regiment and were in the regimental bugle and drum band.
When war became imminent, JA and his son Jim both enlisted (senior in the army and junior in the navy). But JA was rejected about six months later as being physically unfit for military service, the results of having been gassed during the First World War. He had already closed his tailor shop by the time he was discharged, which was unfortunate.
In 1942, JA was working as a tailor at the ordnance office, so he probably made uniforms, and the family lived at 3992 Victoria Drive. The following year he and Bell were living at 1732 Kitchener. By 1944 he was working at the Boeing plant, likely in a war-related occupation, and they had moved to 1840 E. 5th, still in Vancouver.
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| James Alfred, Henry (Harry), Vincent, James Edward |
The couple's second son Vincent also enlisted when he was of age and served in the Canadian army in Europe. (See separate post on Vincent's military service in the military category.) Harry was too young, although rumour has it that he attempted to join by lying about his age, but didn't succeed.
When war broke out, Bell volunteered at a hospital, and after the war, she worked at Vancouver General Hospital, in the laundry, for many years until she retired.
At the end of the war, the couple, along with their son Jim and his wife Joanne, lived at 2536 Woodland Street. In the 1946 directory, JA was working as a baker at a chain of bakeries in Vancouver called The Woman’s Bakery. The first bakery in this chain opened in 1905 but did not have a name. Eventually, the bakery began to be referred to as The Woman’s Bakery because the business was owned by a woman. The name stuck, and by the 1920s, when the business was taken over by the founder’s male cousin, there were 17 locations. In 1946 when JA was working there, the city directory showed 10 locations.
Later that year, JA went to work as a ship's cook and baker. This was a notable career change as he carried on working on boats until into the 1950s including a cable repair ship out of Victoria, a sternwheeler out of Whitehorse, and a tugboat on the Fraser River. (See separate post on JA's maritime career in the military & occupation category.)
The couple lived for awhile at 2083 E. 37th, which they also shared with his son Jim and his wife Joanne. Then JA and Bell moved to 2610 E. 7th on their own, where they stayed until at least 1955.
In 1955, JA went to bartending school, probably because working on the boats was becoming difficult as he got older. He took a job as a bartender at the posh Quadra Club on Seymour Street in downtown Vancouver. A private club where at least one person in the party had to be a member, the Quadra Club was known for presenting famous entertainers and hosting Hollywood celebrities as guests.
The couple's other sons married and had children of their own, and Bell helped look after the families of all her boys in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. She also gardened, baked and canned preserves throughout her life. She loved their dog, Whitey, and had a pathological fear of cats.
In 1955, JA went to bartending school, probably because working on the boats was becoming difficult as he got older. He took a job as a bartender at the posh Quadra Club on Seymour Street in downtown Vancouver. A private club where at least one person in the party had to be a member, the Quadra Club was known for presenting famous entertainers and hosting Hollywood celebrities as guests.
The couple's other sons married and had children of their own, and Bell helped look after the families of all her boys in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. She also gardened, baked and canned preserves throughout her life. She loved their dog, Whitey, and had a pathological fear of cats.
The couple bought a house in Burnaby on E. Pender Street and eventually they both retired.
He died on his 80th birthday on 1 July 1874 at Burnaby General Hospital. On his death registration, his son Vincent listed his former occupation as a restaurant cook, so he may have done that after he left the Quadra Club or that was just how Vincent remembered his working career. JA's cause of death was prostate cancer, which he had suffered from for about 18 months before he died. He was buried at Victory Memorial Park at 2977 King George Highway, Surrey, BC on 3 July 1974.
After her husband passed away, Bell developed dementia. A few years later, she had a serious fall and suffered a broken hip. She was moved into a care home, Queen’s Park Hospital in New Westminster, where she died on 27 June 1982 of pneumonia. Other significant conditions contributing to her death were listed as congestive heart failure and senile dementia. Bell was cremated and interred at Victoria Memorial Park in Surrey, B.C. on 5 July 1982.
Prepared using information available as of 3 May 2021.
After her husband passed away, Bell developed dementia. A few years later, she had a serious fall and suffered a broken hip. She was moved into a care home, Queen’s Park Hospital in New Westminster, where she died on 27 June 1982 of pneumonia. Other significant conditions contributing to her death were listed as congestive heart failure and senile dementia. Bell was cremated and interred at Victoria Memorial Park in Surrey, B.C. on 5 July 1982.
Prepared using information available as of 3 May 2021.
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