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HOMER, Sylvia - Died 1962 in Trail - Help!

HOMER, Sylvia - Died 1962 in Trail - Help!

Posted: 8 Jul 2014 4:01AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Homer
In the Provincial Archive of BC Vital Events Index, I found the following:

Vital Event Death Registration
Name: Sylvia Homer
Event Date: 1962 8 15 (Yr/Mo/Day)
Age: 46
Gender: female
Event Place: Trail
Reg. Number: 1962-09-010826
B.C. Archives Microfilm Number: B13258
GSU Microfilm Number: 2033500

Someone on this list once told me that filmed registrations can be viewed at no cost at the Provincial Archive in Victoria, at some public and university libraries in the province, and at LDS family history centres.

I am hoping that some kind soul will help me by transcribing the information on Sylvia's death registration, whatever that may be (I am not familiar with these kinds of registrations in Canada).

I am also seeking an obituary for Sylvia, if at all possible.

Re: HOMER, Sylvia - Died 1962 in Trail - Help!

Posted: 8 Jul 2014 5:10AM GMT
Classification: Query
Here's the death certificate. Please let me know if I can help with anything else.

Cheers,

Soosi
Attachments:

Wow! Thank you!

Posted: 8 Jul 2014 5:43AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Homer, Ilott
Thank you so very much, Soosi. You are FAST! I don't suppose that you have easy access to a newspaper that might have carried news of her death, do you? I'm trying to verify her children and I keep banging my head against that proverbial brick wall. Grrrr...

Again, thank you so very much for your kindness in posting that death record.

Re: Wow! Thank you!

Posted: 8 Jul 2014 9:57AM GMT
Classification: Query
Hi!

Looking at some of your other queries I don't think this is the Sylvia Homer you are looking for. Her death certificate gives her maiden name as Ilott. I found Syliva Ilott, age 19 of Trail, BC marrying David Homer of Trail, BC on 19 September 1934 in Colville, Washington. They stayed married until her death in 1962. So her maiden name was not Homer and she never married Verne McKenzie.

I have searched for Sylvia, Verne Jr and Robert McKenzie but so far have come up empty. Will continue to look and will let you know if I find anything.

Cheers,

Soosi

Strange Coincidences...

Posted: 9 Jul 2014 4:12AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 9 Jul 2014 4:23AM GMT
Surnames: Homer, Ilott, Seaman, Tod
I agree that at first glance it appears that I have the wrong person. That may be true, actually. However, I have discovered some strange information.

In the 1930s, the name of David Homer's mother was Elizabeth Tod (she remarried after David's father died). When Verne McKenzie married Sylvia Homer in 1932, he did so under a false name (Vernon Seaman... a name that he never used in all of his life, except this one time). They also were married in Colville, Washington, by the way. Witnesses to that marriage were Verne's stepfather, Ralph Seaman, and Elizabeth Tod.

Sylvia Ilott would have been 16 years old at the time of this marriage. Maybe it's a long-shot, but could Elizabeth Tod, a family friend from Trail, have lied and claimed that Sylvia was her daughter so that Sylvia could marry Verne McKenzie? Then, maybe Sylvia married Elizabeth's son, David, after she was divorced from Verne?

I may be barking up the wrong tree. I've just got a funny feeling about the whole thing and I won't be able to let it rest until I know for certain that Sylvia Ilott-Homer is not MY Sylvia Homer.

Our oral family history tells us that Verne McKenzie married Sylvia Homer, but Sylvia Homer does not appear to have existed in Canada or in the U.S. and no information has ever been located about her after she and Verne were divorced. This strange theory may explain that problem. I do not want to inject theory in to my genealogical record, though, so that is why I am seeking actual documentation to rule out (or rule in) Sylvia Ilott-Homer.

As far as Verne's children, Verne Jr. and Robert, no one left alive in my family is even sure that they were Verne's biological children, or even that they existed for that matter.

Re: Strange Coincidences...

Posted: 9 Jul 2014 12:38PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 9 Jul 2014 12:44PM GMT
Okay, that tidbit helped a lot. Sylvia Homer and Sylvia Ilott were two different people and they were sisters-in-law and to make it even more confusing for searching, they were both born in England in 1915. Syliva Ilott married David Homer and they stayed married until her death in 1962.

The Sylvia Homer that married Vernon Seaman (McKenzie) was David Homer's sister and daughter of Elizabeth Annie McPherson Homer Tod. Because her marriage certificate is in the name Seaman she would have had to use that as her legal name and her children would be born Seaman, not McKenzie. So first about Sylvia's parents and siblings:

David Homer Sr was born in 1886 in Barrow-In-Furness, Lancaster, England:
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=...
He died 22 October 1925 in Trail, BC.

Elizabeth Annie McPherson was born 30 June 1879 in West Derby, Lancashire, England:
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=...
She died 19 November 1964 in Trail, BC (see attached).

David Homer Sr and Elizabeth Annie McPherson were married in 1907 in Blackburn, Lancashire:
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=...

They had four children:

1. Edward Homer was born 5 May 1909 in Barrow-in-Furness. He married Mary Irene Kavic on 25 May 1931 in Trail. He died 29 November 1979 in North Vancouver. (See attached)

2. David Homer Jr was born 29 April 1911 in Barrow-in-Furness. He married Syliva Ilott on 19 September 1934 in Colville, WA.

3. Elizabeth Homer was born in late (Oct-Dec) 1912 in Barrow-in-Furness. She married Donald Lorin Mercer on 1 March 1933 in Trail (see attached). I found a number of border crossings for her going to visit her husband in Idaho. She and her two daughters, Lorraine and Patricia, are in the 1940 census in Ketchum, Idaho but her husband isn't listed and her residence is given as Vancouver. I couldn't find anything else about her, her husband or daughters after that.

4. Sylvia Homer born April 1915 in Barrow-in-Furness:
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=...
She married Vernon Seaman on 25 July 1932 in Colville, WA:
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=...

1911 Census of England:
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=...

David Homer Sr came to Canada first and Elizabeth and the children followed sailing from Liverpool to Quebec in June 1920 on the SS Corsican:
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=...

They settled in Trail, BC. They were incorrectly transcribed from the 1921 Canadian census as "Bonar" instead of Homer (I entered a correction):
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=...

Five years after David died Elizabeth married Alexander Tod on 6 June 1930 in Trail (see attached).

I then searched for Sylvia, Vernon and Robert Seaman instead of McKenzie:

I was not able to find anything more on Sylvia. She probably remarried and I am trying a few more avenues.

Vernon David Seaman was born 7 January 1933 in Trail. He married Barbara Allibone. He died in a plane crash on 15 June 1970. He's buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Trail. (See attached)

I found a Robert "Bob" Seaman also buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Trail. The only information it gives is that he died 1 June 1997 but was not interred until 19 Mary 1999. No age or any other information.

Hope that solves the "Sylvia Problem".

Cheers,

Soosi



Attachments:

Re: Strange Coincidences...

Posted: 9 Jul 2014 7:15PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Seaman, McKenzie, Homer
You are AMAZING! I cannot thank you enough for all of the time and effort that you put in to gathering this information for me. i wish that I could repay you in some way. Please know that you have broken through a long-standing brick wall. No one alive in my family knew anything but whispers and rumor and now I can actually say that Sylvia really existed and so did her sons. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I never really considered checking for Seamans because Verne never used that name, except on the one marriage record. I feel like a dope now.

Verne McKenzie (aka Vernon Seaman) died in Anchorage, Alaska, on 09 Mar 1970. His obituary made no mention whatsoever of his sons, so I wonder if they were estranged from him. My father knew Verne, but only as Verne McKenzie. My father also knew that Verne had two sons. But, my father died many years ago and all that I have about the McKenzie family came from my father's written notes. No one else in my family knows anything about Verne.

I am guessing that Sylvia remarried at some point, too. At least now I know that I can continue to search for her. Yay!

Re: Strange Coincidences...

Posted: 10 Jul 2014 12:21AM GMT
Classification: Query
It's my pleasure to be able to help! And I'm thrilled to say I've found what happened to Sylvia. I went to the Trail directories and found the following:

1936
SEAMAN Vernon of Trail Taxi

1937:
SEAMAN Mrs Sylvia ladrs Crystal Lady r 1951 Columbia

1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 and 1943:
SEAMAN, Mrs Sylvia 1951 Columbia

1944 - she's no longer there so I went forward a few years and looked for her sons and found:

1953:
SEAMAN, Robt bottler Palm Dairies r 424 Olivia Crescent
SEAMAN Vernon D bottler United Dairies r 424 Olivia Crescent
WILEY Harold H (Sylvia) of Riverside Tire Service h 424 Olivia Crescent

now I went and looked at the 1944 directory again and found:

WILEY, Harold H (Sylvia) of Riverside Mtrs r 1959 Columbia

Then I looked at Voter Registration and found:

1963:
at 1475 Daisy Street, Trail
WILEY Harold Henry, garageman
WILEY Mrs Sylvia --
HOMER David, lead burner (this was the year after his wife Sylvia Ilott Homer died)

1972:
at 1475 Daisy Street, Trail
WILEY Harold Henry, retired
WILEY Mrs Sylvia, retired
HOMER David, retired

Another find was a border crossing in 1944 by automobile:
Harold H Wiley driving to Hanford, Washington accompanied by Mr and Mrs A M Tod and Sylvia Seaman. The address given was 1959 Columbia, Trail, BC and they were going to Lorin Mercer (Sylvia's brother-in-law - husband of Elizabether Homer).
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=...

I then went back to Mountain View Cemetery in Trail and on the Robert "Bob" Seaman died 1 June 1997 and interred 19 Mary 1999 there is a note that says "shares the row with Harold Wiley".

I also found (not all the grave sites have been transcribed so information is missing):

Mrs Sylvia Wiley in section 60, plot 508, died 13 March 2010 and interred 21 May 2011
and
In Loving Memory Harold Wiley 1909-1982 - it has a note that says "shares the row with Robert Seaman"

So I'd say Vernon Seaman McKenzie left Sylvia and the boys in 1936/37 (maybe Robert had been born but maybe she was pregnant with him when Verne left. Vernon Jr was only 3). Harold and Sylvia married in 1944 and they may have courted for years. He'd been previously married but don't know if he was widowed or divorced. He obviously took on the role of the boys' dad. He was from Franklin, Manitoba.

I'm now searching for obits but no luck so far.

Cheers,

Soosi

Obituaries

Posted: 10 Jul 2014 1:00AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 10 Jul 2014 1:00AM GMT
Wow! Just... wow! This is terrific! This data has opened up a whole other branch of the family for me. Really amazing. Maybe I could help to find obits. My problem is being so very unfamiliar with any of the towns of BC. I simply don't know where to look for specific information. I suppose that I could try to contact the newspaper offices themselves.

I see that Cherryville is in Okanagan and it looks to me as if the nearest large-ish town is Vernon. I would think that the plane crash in which Vernon died would have been newsworthy. He lived in Kamloops at the time of his death, so I also would think that his obituary was in the newspaper there, but I haven't yet found any information about where their old newspapers are archived and the Kamloops Daily News has ceased publication altogether. On the other hand, he was buried in Trail, so maybe his obituary was in that newspaper.

I haven't found any information about where old Trail Daily News newspapers might be archived, either. It seems likely to me that Robert's death and Sylvia's death were in that paper.

I'm so curious to know now whether Vernon and Robert had descendants. Perhaps I have some cousins up there in Canada.

Maybe I should begin other threads asking for a volunteers in Kamloops and in Trail to seek out the obituaries. I would think that both cities have local libraries... or maybe each of the newspapers keep their own archives.

You've already done so very much and I feel bad about taking up more of your precious time on this one subject. At least I know for certain now that my area of focus, in general, should be Trail.

Re: Obituaries

Posted: 10 Jul 2014 5:18PM GMT
Classification: Query
So far I'm hitting a brick wall with obits. Hopefully someone in Trail will know where to look. In the meantime I'll keep searching.
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