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Research in Other Countries => Canada => Topic started by: Velveteen on Saturday 23 October 10 03:17 BST (UK)
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According to my father and his two surviving brothers, they had an "Uncle Crosby from British Guiana (where my family was from although my grandfather had gone to the UK by then) who was in the Royal Flying Corp and who went to Canada and died in an air crash" either before they were born or while they were children. This is complete hearsay and in my 10 years of research I have NEVER come cross any hint of a brother to my grandfather called Crosby, only two sisters, and another sister who was stillborn.
HOWEVER. My grandfather's aunt had an illegitimate son called Frederick Kearton Crosbie Choppin(born 1886), who would have been 8 years older than my Grandfather. This seems to have been quite open, and he and his mother lived and travelled with her parents, my Grandfather's Grandparents.
This boy, Frederick Kearton Crosbie Choppin, was in the UK airforce first world war, and was seconded to the Canadian Royal Flying Corp. He and his wife Jessie emigrated to Ontario, Canada. EVERYTHING about what I have uncovered for Frederick Kearton Crosbie Choppin matches the family stories about "Uncle Crosby", except that I have no death date, place or reason for him. I'm beginning to think that "Uncle" Crosby was actually COUSIN Crosby and that he and my grandfather had just been brought up as if they were brothers.
If I could find death details, or a record of a fatal air crash involving Frederick Kearton Crosbie Choppin in Canada it would confirm my suspicions, but I'm not sure where to look? I haven't found any death record at all for either him or his wife. I know they were both alive in 1930, but that's where the trail ends. There is a Frederick Choppin and his wife Jessie buried in Holy Trinity Church, Pembroke, ON. But this is a cousin, who happened to have the same name, AND married a wife with the same name as the guy I'm looking for. ::)
Where would I find resources for Canadian air crashes from around 1930-1960? Probably ones connected to the Royal Flying Corp.
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Well...there's AirDisaster.com, but they don't start until 1950 and mainly civilian:
http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/database.cgi
The Canadian Transport Safety Board's database only goes back to 1990.
Then there's the National Transport Safety Board. It's American, but it is authorised to take part in a foreign accident investigation if the aircraft involved is 1) flying to or from America, 2) built in America, or 3) registered in America. Not much data from the dates you want:
http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/A_Acc2.htm
They have a searchable database here, but their data seems to only go back to 1962:
http://www.airsafe.com/analyze/ntsbdb.htm
I've had an interest in aviation safety for a number of years, and have quite a few websites bookmarked, but I couldn't find anything that might help. Particularly with military aviation...they tend to hold their cards pretty close to the chest. I'm pretty sure they don't put data online :P
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Cheers,
China
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If one of them flew in WW1, there should be a record.
Try http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/cef/001042-100.01-e.php
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The Royal Flying Corps
REF: AIR 76/86/48
Full name Crosbie-Choppin, F.K.
ID OC0225308
Object CC2_05224
Collection Archives
Classification Casualty Record Series
Series Casualty Card Type - Incident
Initials F.K.
Surname Crosbie-Choppin
Rank 2Lt
Organisation Royal Flying Corps
Unit 39 Training Squadron
Prisoner of war No
Casualty date September 14th 1917
Accident Flying accident
Result of accident Injured
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Informant was J R Crosbie-Choppin of 28 Charville Rd, West Kensington.
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Hi
What was Jessie's maiden name
Margp
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Here's a Frederick & Jessie Choppin in the 1921 census of St John New Brunswick Canada. His birthplace is given as England, his father's as Denmark! and mother's as West Indies. His occupation given as soldier in militia. He is shown as coming to Canada in 1904. Jessie and children all born in Ontario. This family was still in St John in 1927 as they had a son James M born 16 Jun 1923 who died on 12 Oct 1927 in St John NB. Mother's name on death cert Jessie Thomson.
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Paul
That very useful record actually says at the very end that he was injured,does that mean killed,or just injured?
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The Frederick and Jessie who were in NB in 1921 onwards must be this pair:
There is a Frederick Choppin and his wife Jessie buried in Holy Trinity Church, Pembroke, ON. But this is a cousin, who happened to have the same name, AND married a wife with the same name as the guy I'm looking for. ::)
(The Jessie there is nee Thomson and daughter Gertrude is buried with them).
The Frederick and Jessie we are looking for is the Frederick married to Jessie Ruth Barker (or Stuart Barker) in the UK in 1908 and emigrated to Canada in 1920:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/2HGX-X91
This may be a sighting of him:
images.ourontario.ca/Partners/Barrie/BaPL002755660pf_0054.pdf
(newspaper)
- F.K. Crosbie Choppin of Toronto was a speaker at the Allandale YMCA, from the "Canadian Life Brotherhood".
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/archivianet/020105_e.html
- this archived index has some references to air accidents in Canada. No direct hits but it seems many of them are indexed with just the date and "pilot + n passengers killed", or name of pilot but not of the passengers.
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Hi
According to the marriage Fredrick's father, was James Frederick Mayer Choppin
Margp
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I think you should try a new post simply asking for a lookup in Toronto newspapers for a death notice or obituary for Frederick Kearton Crosbie-Choppin. The search for an airplane crash only muddies the water.
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There's a file on the National Archives site for a Frederick Kearton Crosbie-Choppin : -
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8246110
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You can email http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/contact/#form and they will do a look up for you.
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I am not sure if the OP is still active they have been on line since June 2012
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"He was in the RNR (Royal Naval Reserve) also. From RNR records born 21 February 1886, Georgetown, British Guiana
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Hi, I've got three scenarios here:
I found a Jessie Choppin living in Renfrew, Ontario in 1962. Would this be the one with maiden name Thomson?
I have a Jessie Choppin on my family tree who had two daughters, Caroline Elizabeth (1857-1923) and Eleanor Kay (b. April 14 1860), all of St. Vincent. Not sure if Choppin was Jessie's maiden name or married name. But the name Jessie sure was popular back then. Would it have been short for Jessica?
I'm trying to determine if/how the Jessie in Renfrew (and Pembroke earlier on) is related to Gerald Hampden Choppin. When he and his young family emigrated to the U.S. in 1949, their last known relative was noted as Jessie Choppin of Pembroke, ON. She was the aunt of Gerald. Not sure if this is the same Jessie you're researching, but if it is, can you please let me know.
Thanks,
Cheryl
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A link for an aviation website that gives aircraft that have crashed worldwide. 12 passengers or over. Not normally military aircraft at war.
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Hi Cheryl,
Welcome to RootsChat
Hmm originally poster hasn't been around since 2012 and never acknowledged this thread anyway, shame when everyone added bits :'(
Sandra
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Not sure if this chat is still active, but there were questions about Frederick Choppin and Jessie (nee Thomson) Choppin in Pembroke Ontario and in New Brunswick. I am their granddaughter. If anyone wants more info, please get in touch