Hello all

More about Richard Barrett Oliver's family came to light while I was researching my 'Olivers on the move' talk for the online gathering last weekend. I will add it here in batches - but Shane please feel free to move posts if you think they belong in different threads. First, here is some more about Richard's son, Philip.

Philip Oliver a.k.a. Philip Barrett Oliver (b.1881)

Dean Crawford's 'Belinda Jean Macey Family Tree' on Ancestry has a reference to Philip being in the Royal Marines in 1900. The National Archives catalogue does indeed have a reference to a Stonesfield-born Philip Oliver being discharged from the Royal Marines, after enlisting in 1900 aged 19. The discharge register to which this catalogue entry relates hasn't been digitised, but his service records (as plain Philip Oliver in ADM 159/19/11265, have been, and can be downloaded from the National Archives website.  Usually this costs £3.50 per document but at the moment it's free because of the pandemic. See https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7750517

I won't post the actual document because of copyright restrictions, but here's some of the information it contains:

• Name: Philip Oliver
• Date of Birth: 9 June 1881
• Where Born: Stonesfield, Oxford
• Trade: Plasterer
• Religion: Church of England
• When enlisted: 25 October 1900
• Where enlisted: London 19½
• Next of kin and their address: (F[ather]) Richard. Stonesfield nr Woodstock, Oxford  
• Description on enlistment: 5'7[and eight-tenths]", fresh complexion, light brown hair, grey eyes, small scar
• Description on final discharge: 5'9½" 
• There follows a list of his postings between 1900 and his discharge in 1906. His conduct and ability were almost always 'V.G.' with just one 'Good'.

He travelled to Canada in 1909, arriving in Quebec on the 'Lake Erie'on 28th August 1909. He was 28 years old, a plasterer, and going to his parents in Victoria, BC. Interestingly, his marital status is given as 'W' for widower on the passenger list, whereas on the Canadian 1911 census and when he married Anne Reece in Canada he is shown as a bachelor.

From Oxfordshire parish registers on Ancestry, he had indeed been married before going to Canada. On 26th January 1907, 25 year old Philip Oliver, bachelor, mechanic, of Stonesfield, son of Richard Oliver, mechanic, married 23 year old Jane Matilda Edwards, spinster, of Finstock, daughter of Walter John Edwards, shopkeeper, at Holy Trinity church, Finstock & Fawler, after banns. Both signed, as did the two witnesses, Walter Edwards and Fanny Oliver. The latter is presumably Philip's sister, who emigrated to Canada with her parents later that year.

Very sadly, it appears that Philip's young wife died the same year: the death of a 24 year old Jane Matilda Oliver was registered in the third quarter of 1907 in the Chipping Norton registration district (which would have covered Finstock & Fawler at that time). I can't see a corresponding burial in online parish registers, but the Finstock & Fawler burials on Ancestry end in January 1907. (From the Oxfordshire History Centre catalogue, a later burial register covering 1907-2014 has now been deposited there.)

Jane's death certificate would have to be obtained to discover the cause of death. Perhaps, as her death came within months of the marriage, it was due to complications of pregnancy or childbirth.

-- Edited by jane on Wednesday 16th of December 2020 12:27:50 PM

-- Edited by jane on Wednesday 16th of December 2020 02:24:19 PM

Hi Shane and Jane

Well here is some information on Richard Barrett Oliver and Thomas F.R. Oliver in Canada. I am afraid it may be a jumble because I added things as they came to mind so hopefully you will be able to make sense of it.

It seems that Great-Grandfather Richard Barrett and Grandfather T.F.R. were both builders and plasterers. I found a web site on heritage homes, "Oak Bay Heritage Register", (Oak Bay being a municipality of greater Victoria) That lists with a photo and discription a house built by Richard Barrett Oliver in 1909.

 As to T.F.R. I personally know of 4 homes he built 2 of which I have visited. When he built the the last he was in his 70's. They have all since been demolished.

One home in particular he built in 1900 and to which he took his Bride, Harriet (Hattie) Eloise Oliver nee; McGillivary to after their wedding in Sumas B.C. on April 17, 1900. Their 2 daughters, Doris b.1901 and my mother Marjorie Eloise b. 1904, not 1905 as has come up a couple of times were both born in this house. My mothers wedding reception was held there after her wedding on April 17, 1930. Although my parents were married in Victoria my father was not Canadian. He was from Berkeley, California where he met my mother in church while she was living with an Aunt and Uncle for a time.

After my parents returned to California after a 1 week Honeymoon they had about 2 weeks together when my mother received word that her mother had suddenly died.

In 1933 T.F.R. Oliver married his second wife Harriet Susanne Hann in Victoria.

I don't know when T.F.R. left Stonesfield but I do know he arrived in Victoria in 1891 and I remember my mother saying that he had gone to the US before moving on to Victoria.

I sent Shane a photo of him taken in 1888 when he was 19 years old and which we feel may have been taken just before he left home.

I do somewhat remember my Grandfathers sisters and brothers. One sister Sarah Ann Kirby nee. Oliver still has at least one Grandson living in Victoria and he told me that his Grandparents came to Victoria in 1910 after his Grandfather John Henry Kirby finished his training as a plasterer in London.

I will be in touch, Richard 

Hi Jane,

I've taken a look at the question you posed around whether the family in the diagram below were the last UK based branch of Richard Barratt Oliver's family, all others having emigrated to Canada.



I have to say, I think its quite possible.

There are at least two other possible Frank/Francis Olivers that needed to be catered for elsewhere, but having done that, I would suggest that the above family is Francis William Oliver, b. 1873, son of Richard Barratt Oliver.

I think the marriagein the Headington district in 1894 is also correct as the 1911 census details that Frank and Minnie had been married for 16 years and I can find no other suitable record - though, why they married in the Headington district when they were both born in Stonesfield is a little confusing - there may be a back story.

More generally, I'm struggling for find researchers out there with members of this family branch in any online tree's - confirmation from a living link would really be ideal.

Frustratingly, at the end of the Oliver Day there was a couple who came up to me and mentioned they descended from a 'Frank Oliver', at the time I only knew of two and they said it wasn't one of those, they were planning to make contact after the day but sadly I've never heard from them - they possibly may be able put us right on all of this.

In a previous thread we saw a photo of Leslie during WW1.



Just looking at him in a little more detail, records suggest that he married and had a daughter so perhaps there may be descendants here?



Side note, Richard Barratt and his family sailed on the Corsican, here's a picture or two and a link to info on that ship:

http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=cors2





Thanks
Shane

A few more bits and pieces on this family:

The City of Victoria website has some indexes to marriage and obituary notices from the Victoria Daily Times , from which I discovered that Mary Oliver (Mrs Richard Barrett Oliver) lived to be 90, dying in January 1937.  Here too we find the marriage of Percy T. Whittington to 'Nellie' Oliver [Ellen] in 1903 and Percy T. Whittington's death in October 1915 aged 39.  Also the marriage in 1933 of Thomas F.R. Oliver and Harriet Susanne Hann.  Some of the other death notices may well be for related Olivers, so it would be worthwhile finding out if archives of this newspaper are online anywhere.

On the same website there's an index to burials at Ross Bay Cemetery.  It includes the burials of Richard Barrett Oliver, his widow Mary, and (in a separate plot) their son Thomas Francis R. Oliver.  Ellen Cuming and her husbands Percy Whittington and Cecil Cuming are all buried there, as are Albert & Fanny Boorman.

Passenger lists, where available, should fill in details of when the various members of the family left England.  Charles Ernest Oliver was already in Canada by the time of the Canadian 1901 census (he is listed in Victoria with wife Edith and a baby daughter Violet) but his parents were still in Stonesfield at this stage I think. 

Sarah Annie Oliver married John Henry Kirby in the Woodstock district in 1899.  I have not yet found them in England in 1901 but they must be around somewhere: their son Thomas was born in Abingdon 1908 according to his death registration.

Must go in search of lunch now.

Jane


More added later, from Victoria Newspapers 1858-1926 :

Percy T. Whittington (native of Barrow in Furness, Lancs) who died 1915 at Victoria was survived by widow (formerly Miss N. Oliver) ['Nellie', i.e. Ellen ] and son Lawrence. [the British Columbia death index has a Lawrence Richard Whittington, son of Percy, and wife of Mary Golby, dying in 1946 aged 41.]

Mrs T.F.R Oliver of Victoria is one of the six suriving children of Donald McGillivray, who died 1913.  [from this I discovered that Thomas had married Harriet Eloise McGillivray (date/place not yet traced).  She died 1930 according to the British Columbia death registrations on FamilySearch, and (like Thomas) is buried in Ross Bay cemetery though I had not identified her as one of the family before.

Doris, eldest daughter of Mr T.S.R. Oliver [presumably error for T.F.R.] of Oak Bay, died 1923. [death registration gives her date of birth as 1901.]  She had been a teacher at Pamberton.  The pallbearers include B. Kirby [i.e. Bernard Kirby?] and L. Whittington [presumably Lawrence Whittington].

British Columbia marriage registrations pick up another child of T.F.R.Oliver from this first marriage, namely Marjorie Eloise Oliver, who was born 1905 and married Edward Smith Ross in 1930, Victoria, BC.

There's also a ref. in the newspaper index to a Private C.C. Oliver.  I suspect this is an error for C.E. Oliver, for it says he was formerly a plasterer.  Pte Oliver, who left in Aug 1915 with 1st Canadian Pioneers and was considered a crack shot, is reported to be ill with bronchitis in the 'Colonist' of 12 Dec 1916.  This fits with the WWI attestation papers of Charles Ernest Oliver which gives him as a Sapper.  His birthdate is given as 1874 in the attestation papers, and birthplace as Birmingham (where I think Richard B. Oliver lived for some time?).  What confirms that he is 'our' Charles is that his wife is given as Edith Isobel (Banks) Oliver.  According to the newspaper, she and three children were of Oak Bay.

Let's hope that some of their descendants are out there and will come across this site via Google.


-- Edited by jane on Sunday 12th of December 2010 01:21:40 PM

-- Edited by jane on Sunday 12th of December 2010 06:47:57 PM

Quite by chance, when looking for another Oliver who had emigrated to Canada, I came across some references to Richard Barrett Oliver and family on the FamilySearch Beta website:

Richard Barrett Oliver (son of Stephen Oliver and Sarah Barrett) born 22 Nov 1843 according to death registration, died 30 Dec 1916, Victoria, British Columbia (BC).

His son Philip, born 9 June 1881 Stonesfield according to death registration, married Ann(e) Reece 1914 Vancouver BC, died 1961 Victoria BC.  Philip's widow died 1977. 

Richard's daughter Fanny married Albert Sydney Boarman, 1910, Victoria, BC.

Jane