Canadian arranged marriages?

[Greensleeves]

Good point about the loss of so many potential husbands in WW1 Mazi - I hadn't put two and two together there.   Does seem like a suitable course of action for a woman with children to support, and a farmer in a similar situation.

[medpat]

My grandfather was in WW1 and he was born in 1873. He had never been in the army prior to the war, he looked after the war horses.

The older men volunteered.

My gt grandfather in his 60s joined the Labour Corps as he was a master builder, had male relatives  50 to 60 yrs old joining the Labour Corps, they were all railway workers.

Did you know there were pen pal clubs and magazines. Anyone seen the film Hello Dolly - Dolly Levi the matchmaker.  Was the aunt just the link and down as a relative for convenience, aunty could have been a matchmaker via links in UK.

[Avia]

Hi Groom

Was Mabel's father actually Arthur Frank or Arthur Frederick as in this 1883 marriage record to Julia Ham.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFTW-7LY


If he was Arthur Frederick then Mabel's marriage would appear to have been a family arrangement and that Eliza Gale could be Mabel's cousin William's wife.


Arthur Frederick Sutton B: 1862 Reading had a sister Alice Eliza B: 1858 Greenwich

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5YX-ZKY

An Alice Eliza Sutton married William Gale in Barton Regis District 1885.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DYQ-9HX

1891 Census has them living 14 Haversham Street, Barton Regis, Bristol

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WBH9-CN2

Their son William John Sutton Gale was christened Bristol in 1886.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NNSY-4VF

He married Eliza Ann Stokes in 1905 St Thomas District Devon

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:267H-KSL

Shown on later passenger lists the 1921 Census of Canada where they are living in St Thomas, Elgin suggests that William 1st emigrated c 1913 and his wife (Liza) and 4 children c1914 and a son also born in England c 1918.

Further info on William John Sutton Gale and Eliza Ann Stokes

http://mfo.me.uk/getperson.php?personID=I8747&tree=E1

There is a William and Alice E Gale in Canada 1921 living in Yarmouth, Elgin where Mabel married in 1920.  Alice's emigration year is given as 1914. Both were B: c. 1860 England so my thinking is that the Mrs Gale mentioned on Mabel's application form could have in fact been her aunt Alice Eliza Gale nee Sutton and her son William and wife Eliza who lived St. Thomas, Elgin, were the witnesses to Mabel's marriage.

[groom]

Brilliant Avia - I think you've cracked it. Yes her father was Arthur Frederick, sorry that was a mistake, it was her brother who was Arthur Frank John. So it does look as she was a relative and perhaps arranged the marriage between Mabel and a neighbour Thomas Harris, knowing that both were struggling to bring up children on their own. It was still a big gamble wasn't it, to go all that way and marry within hours of meeting. They must have hit it off, as a daughter was born a year later!

Thank you very much, that's another puzzle solved.

[groom]

 I've just checked and it does look as if Eliza Gales last two children were also born in England. Florence in 1915 and Clifford in 1918. That is rather odd as it means she was crossing the Atlantic during WW1. I wonder why she felt the need for them to be born outside Canada?

[Avia]

Hi Groom

So pleased that it looks like we've got there with Mabel.

We can only guess at how much of a leap of faith it would have been for her to move out to a far away country with her children and marry a man that she perhaps had only learnt about from her father's family.

Mabel's cousin William served in England with the Canadian Expeditionary Force 1916-1919 and his extensive service file gives addresses in Exmouth and Folkestone for Eliza during this time.

http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/first-world-war-1914-1918-cef/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=403812

It is of course a possibility, depending on when Thomas became a widower, that when they were back over in England, William and/or Eliza may have met up with Mabel and have talked to her about Thomas and, perhaps, even shown a photo.

[polarbear]

It looks like Eliza was in Canada for a short time and then returned to England, possibly at the time of  William's signing up?

Eliza and all her children are on a passenger list in 1918. She is a returning resident. Added: the transcript indicates they may have come in through New York.

Added: Wm John Sutton Gale returned to Canada 23 Aug 1919.

PB

[groom]

Thank you Avia and PB. It looks as if Eliza just didn't fancy staying in Canada alone while William was at war doesn't it?

Why is it that all the branch lines on trees seem to be more interesting than the main one?

[a-l]

I was going to suggest that Eliza could have been a middle name but I was too late!