RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Canada => Topic started by: Gerry on Wednesday 13 October 04 23:59 BST (UK)
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Hello
My great uncle, Tom Heap. was born in Baxenden, Lancashire, England in 1896. He emigrated to Canada after WW2 and died there in 1980. He made periodic visits to his home town and I can recall meeting him in the 1970s. I don't know where he lived in Canada and I wonder if anyone can give me any information on him?
Gerry
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Can you tell me more about Tom Heap in the UK? I have recently started researching a Heap family in Lancashire. I have Harry Heap of Haslingden Lancs. His son was also Tom Heap born 1903 in Rossendale Lancs. Our family remained in England
Margaret
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Hi Margaret
Many thanks for contacting me. Tom Heap (1896-1980) was the son of William Henry Heap and Mary Ellen Heap (nee Slinger) and was born in Baxenden, Nr. Accrington, Lancashire. Both his parents were from Baxenden and there appears to be no connection with Haslingden, a town some 4 miles from Baxenden. By coincidence Tom had a brother called Harry and my records show he was born in 1891 and died aged 2. Tom Heap went to live in Canada and only last week I picked up that in the 1970s he was living in Carbonate Street, Nelson, British Columbia. Apparently he used 'Nelson' to his advantage on one of his last visits to his roots in Lancashire. While staying with my aunt he visited a dentist and optician, obtaining a set of dentures and new glasses on the National Health at the taxpayer's expense by using 'Nelson' (a local town) as his address. The facts are true but how he explained it away I don't know. My interest in Tom Heap, my great uncle, is family history and what did he do in Canada? As far as I know he did not marry - that's not to say he lived in batchelor life! I put the posting on this site just in case it strikes a cord with someone. Sorry I cannot help with the Haslingden collection but good luck with your research.
Gerry
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Gerry, thanks for your reply
Have you visited the BC Archives at
http://search.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/sn-5E2D2F1/gbsearch/Births,Marriages,Deaths
I found the following when asking for Tom Heap. If you just put in Heap and search each index you will get a number of hits some in Nelson.
Tom Heap Place Prince George Reg. Number:
1982-09-004299
Date: 1982 3 11 (Yr/Mo/Day) Age:85 Event: Death
Microfilm #: B13618 (GSU # 2051675)
Happy Hunting
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Hi Margaret
I was not aware of the BC website and thanks for drawing this to my attention. I believe the Tom Heap shown, aged 85, is my great uncle. On his infrequent visits back home he talked very little about his life in Canada, at the time it was his business and did not matter but when researching family history you want to know what your relations did in the past and now its too late! What did he do in Canada, who did he live with, did he marry, did he have a family? I don't know and probably never will. Anyway, many thanks Margaret for finding the record of his death which has been duly recorded.
Gerry
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Hi Gerry,
Don't give up so easily on finding out more about your uncle.
Nelson has a community website with a bulletin board. Why not try posting there, asking if anyone knew him or if there are any descendants. I was going to suggest the local newspaper, but the website might be a better idea.
http://www.nelsonpc.com/bb/
Good luck
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Hi Carmella
Many thanks for the website address and I will certainly try the bulletin board.
Gerry
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Gerry,on the BC Archives website where your uncles death is noted,you can order a digital copy of his original death cert.On there it will tell you who gave the info of the person,it could be a clue if he was married and her name.
Well worth the $20.00 Canadian.
I do a lot of research in Nelson BC and will remember to keep my eyes open for his name.
Nelson at the turn of the century was a mining center,my own great grandparents arrived from Scot in 1904 and settled there.
Good luck!
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Hello
the BC Vital Statistics information is available for only the cost of photocopying - the problem is when you can not do it yourself so here are some suggestions
join this mailing list and post a request for someone to look it up for you when they are at the Archives. In your email put any information you have or are looking for - there are many people on this list who are great at digging up information.
http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/CAN/CAN-BRITISH-COLUMBIA.html
try this site and find a volunteer to do a public records look up for your death registeration.
http://raogk.com/bcolumbia.htm
If you do use this site you MUST make sure you make ONLY ONE request every two weeks - the admin monitor the requests to make sure no abuses the volunteers. If you make more than one you will likely receive NO HELP.
you could try to email the Public library in Prince George to see if they could find an obit for you in the newspaper archives
here are some emails for them
For further Local History information please contact Joan Jarman at jjarman@lib.pg.bc.ca or Jeff Kozoris at jkozoris@lib.pg.bc.ca .
I grew up in Southern Alberta and knew an oldtimer named Tommy Heap when I was young - he had come to Canada with T.D. Jenkinson and had been a jockey in England. I have no idea when or where he was born though.
here is a link to a mention of the Tommy Heap I knew - he is mentioned at he bottom of the page
http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/loc_hist/lh_page.asp?Goto=lhaa0006
Good Luck
Sam
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Hello again to Gerry,
here is an interesting bit for you
this is a link to WW1 signup papers for a Tom Heap here in Canada. He is listed as being born in Accrington, ?????, England - his father is William Henry Heap living at 374 Rosebank (or Nosebank) Lanes, N. Accrington Lanes but he lists his birth as May 25 1893
http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc006/383983a.gif
he is listed as signing up in New WestMinster in British Columbia on Dec 24, 1914
I think this is him in the 1901 Cenus of England
Thomas Heap 8 Lancs Accrington Lancashire Bolton
Good luck
Thelma
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Hello mpb
I read your note about looking for Heaps from Haslingden - here are two of them in Canada in WW1
Benjamin Heap born Dec 17 1874 Haslingden Lancashire, sister is listed as Alice Naomi Heap of 443 Bury Road Bolton - sign up date is Oct 14 1915 in Montreal, Canada
http://data2.archives.ca/cef/gpc006/383970a.gif
John Thomas Heap born Oct 23 1876 Haslingden England sister is listed as Alice Naomi Heap - sign up date is Dec 1 1919 and he is listed as living at 20 Stanley Street Montreal
Good luck
Thelma
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Hi Thelma
The Attestion Paper you found for Tom Heap is spot on and many thanks for this. I did not know he was in Canada as early as 1914 but this document is proof and it shows the correct name of his father and also the address. The full address is 374 Rose Bank, Manchester Road, Baxenden, Accrington, Lancashire and the family are still there in the 1901 Census. Tom is shown as aged 4 which varies from what he says on the Attestion Paper but census returns often have dodgy dates etc. I really am grateful for you fiinding this information for me. I'm having trouble downloading a copy, the paper is an odd size and does not fit on A4 . Changing to landscape does not solve this as I cannot get the image to fit. There must be a method but have still to find it.
Gerry
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Hi Sam
Many thanks for sending me the interesting article on Tommy Heap. From Thelma's reply I now know my great uncle, Tom Heap, was in Canada in December 1914 when he signed an Attestion Paper for the Canadian Overseas Expiditionary Force. The 1901 Census for England shows him aged 4 (say 1897), the Attestation record shows his birth as 1893 and he died in 1982 aged 85. Working backwards it looks as if he was born in 1897 and he gave a wrong birth date on his Attestation paper? He shows his profession as 'farmer' but whether he was also a jockey and if Tommy Heap and my great uncle is the same person we will never know. I will follow up your suggestion for the public records look-up and see if anything can be turned up in the archives. Many thanks for your interest
Gerry
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This has been an interesting message board and thank you to those who gave information on the Haslinden Heaps I have not been able to link them to my new son in laws family yet but I know they must be connected because of name and place similarities. Just have to find the link one more generation back.
Team work really works !!!!
mpb :) 8)
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Hi Gerry
My names Phillip Heap, I have just been reading your post about Tom Heap. and hopefully might have something for you. If Your William Henry Heap and Mary Ellen and mine are the same then we may be distant family. I am looking at Jack Heap who is my Grandfathers Father and also the son of William Henry Heap and Mary Ellen. Tom isn't on the 1891 census as he would not of been born as yet. but other brothers include George Tempest, Nicholas and William and they lived on Ashworth St in Baxenden, Lancashire at the time. Jack married Beatrice Sowerbutts of Baxenden and had my grandad John Garsden Heap(known as Jack) who married Ruby Westwell. of Acre Haslingden. at this time john was living at 420 Manchester road Baxenden.john Garsden and ruby had 3 children Anthony my father shaun and donna. Fred who married Doris had 3 children Brian, Dorothy and Roy.Harry married Mary and they had 5 children Fred, Barry, Stanley, Robert, and May. also just to complicate things for me, my Great grandmother Ruby Westwells Mother Was Clara Heap so that has gone from heap to Westwell and back to Heap again. Most of the Family now are dotted around the Rossendale valley. with me and my brother with our families in Rising Bridge just up the road from Baxenden and my parents and others living in Haslingden. I even have another family of heaps living accross the road from me and wouldn't even know if we where related in some way. One thing i did miss out was that Jack Heap who would of been your uncle toms brother died when my grandfather was only 9-11 from shrapnell from the first world war. maybe your uncle may have mentioned something like this. if he even knew about it, or maybe he didn't people were not the very best of communicators of family history back in those days.
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Big welcome to rootschat, Margaret & Philip... Not your families, but you may find a connection somewhere...One of the contributors is from B.C.... J.J.
http://www7.de/OpenYoo.de/dir.php3?/Society/Genealogy/Surnames/H/Heap/
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Hi Gerry
Just to Update you, I know you haven't been on and seen my last post as yet, but your William Henry and Mine are the same. i have John Heap, William Henry's sons Marriage Cert now and it shows them living at 374 Rose bank, Manchester Rd. John Would have been your Great Uncle Toms brother. My Grandad was also named after William henry's brother John Garsden who played cricket and died in 1931 in blackpool i think it was for England, on the censuses though you will see his name as John G or John Gane which Gane is incorrect. anyway welcome to the long winded heap family of baxenden. hope to hear from you sometime maybe to see if you have anything tracing them further back as i am at William Henry's mum and dad John Heap and Ellen at the Dog & Partridge.
yours
Phill
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Hi Phil
Sorry for the belated reply to your many messages but I haven't been using my computer this week. I'm sending you a PM to continue this correspondence.
gerry
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Hi Gerry, I came across your post tonight and I'm excited to let you know that I knew Tom Heap as my Uncle Tommy. Tommy boarded with my Grandmother at 304 Carbonate Street, Nelson, BC for many years and my mother knew him from the time she was a teenager to his death at her home in Prince George.
My mother is willing and eager to share her memories of Tommy with you. Please contact me if you would like to further information.
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Hi Shelly, This looks like your first posting so first of all welcome to Rootschat and many thanks for getting in touch.
Yes, I would very much like to share your mother's memories, not just for myself but I have an aunt aged 95, still very articulate, who new Uncle Tom very well plus two cousins who have met and remember Tom. Look forward to hearing from you. Gerry.
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Shelly1234
Welcome to Rootschat
You need to make 2 more posts even to say hello and then you will be able to use the PM (Personal message) system to exchange private information with Gerry. You access the PM by using the little green scroll under the user name of the person you want to contact.
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Hi Shelly,
Welcome to RootsChat.
I have been trying to get intouch with Phlipflop but sadly he has changed his email address so we are unable to contact him at the moment. Lets hope he see's this message and gets back intouch soon.
Regards
Sarah :)
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Hi Gerry,
I would like to confirm that you received my email with attached photos.
Thank you
Shelly