Share via Share via... Twitter Facebook Pinterest × Table of Contents Kitwanga Post Office History Postmaster Bio and Genealogy Kitwanga Kitwanga, British Columbia, Canada Kitwanga BC alt- Gitwangak- People of the Place of Rabbits alt- Gitwangar, Kitwaugah, Kit-Wah-Gah Located in Gitxsan Traditional Territory Cassiar Land District Unincorporated Area Located at the junction of the Kitwancool River and the Skeena River Elevation- 584 ft above sea level CNR Kitwanga Station Photo Courtesy Brian Wolfe, Ladysmith BC Kitselas 1592.7 miles from Winnipeg Kitwanga Superior School Totem Poles at Kitwanga ca 1915 Credit: William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada/PA-011216 Disclaimer I am fully aware the First Nation Population were here, long before the European History shown on my pages. I will leave the Native History to them. I have trouble doing the last hundred years! Note- Some of the men listed below are First Nation Ancestry Native Girl fishing, ca 1915 Credit: William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada/PA- Kitwanga CNR Station Hudson's Bay Store Bottom 3 photos courtesy Brian Wolfe, Ladysmith BC Tid Bits of History as I find them 1910 Indian Mission Settlement here 1913 Ferry installed at Kitwangar, in 1913 by the Prov. Government, crossing the Skeena River 1916 V. E. R. Ardagh- Physician, Drug Store Rev. Vernon Edmund Russell Ardagh (Jr.) b- 1863, Arivjhabar, West India d- Feb 6, 1944 in Coquitlam BC, age 80 son of Dr. Vernon Edmund Russell Ardagh Sr., mother- Elizabeth Staton Graduated from Edinburgh University Medical Missionary in Metlakatla BC Father was a Surgeon in the Indian Army his Widowed mother died Aug 14, 1894 age 49, in Metlakatla she lived in Clover Bank, Northam, Devon before going to Canada Vernon Jr. married- Emma Frances Ardagh, nee Thelwall, bet: Jan-Mar, 1889, Reg Dist, Barnstable, Devon England b- July 22, 1867 in Reg. Dist. Thame, England d- May 14, 1955 Prov. Infirmary, Marpole, Vancouver BC, age 87 son- Sydney Vernon Ardagh b- July 14, 1891 in Metlakatla BC Enlisted in WWI, surveyor living at Gitwangak daughter- Kathleen Francis Ardagh b- Metlakatla BC son- Edward Russel Ardagh b- Metlakatla BC A. H. MacIsaac- Telegraph Operator plus numerous Farmers, Miners etc: Ralph Gordon Craddock- Farmer b- June 2, 1885, in London, England d- Oct 1, 1962 in Steadman Private Hospital, Vancouver BC, age 77 son of Henry Gordon Craddock and Lillian “Lily” Spencer Retired Club Steward when he died married Nettie Murphy June 11, 1925 in Vancouver BC Francis F. “Frank” Doig- Farmer b- ca 1870 in ON d- Mar 11, 1927 in Woodcock BC, age 57 son of William Doig and Amelia Smart Emory Dutton- Farmer b- Mar 8, 1902, Seattle WA d- July 25, 1965, Wrinch Memorial Hospital, Hazelton BC, age 63 Railroader for 12 years son of Llewellyn Dutton and Charlotte Thomas married Myrtle Bard, Apr 15, 1922 in Prince Rupert Leon Kenneth Dutton- Farmer b- Nov 20, 1899, St Paul MN, USA d- Dec 3, 1977, Skeenaview Lodge, Terrace BC, age 78 buried in Kitwanga Cemetery Horace Du Vernet (see below)- Farmer Mike Lauzon- Farmer b- ca 1855 d- Aug 10, 1925, in Kitwanga, age 70 Archibald Stephen Tordiffe- Carpenter b- Dec 30, 1881, in England d- Mar 25, 1964 in Cottage Private Hospital, Matsqui BC, age 82 lived in Smithers Forestry Civil Servant son of Cyril Tordiffe, and Beatrice LNU married Alice Tomlinson, June 15, 1905 in Victoria daughter of Robert & Alice Tomlinson, see my Cedarvale page David Lawrence Wells married Margaret Matthews Bryant, Oct 29, 1929 in Kitwanga L. Achelli- Farmer J. Bingham- Farmer A. Burns- Farmer Wallace Campbell- Farmer F. Cellini- Farmer J. W. Durran- farmer L. E. Ellsworth- Farmer J. W. Lakinits- Farmer P. Lauzon- Farmer George Lawson- Farmer T. E. Moore- Teamster A. Olsen- Miner B. L. Olsen- Farmer L. Pallitti- J. E. Sequin- Farmer M. J. Sequin- farmer J. S. Toogood- Farmer J. Turley- Farmer Harry Willex 1926 S. Bodnar- CNR Section Foreman Francis Benson- Section Man S. Bryant- Section Man A. Campbell- Pumpman A. Grant- Section Man J. Johnson- Section Man A. Reodnack- Section Man J. Tucker- Section Man J. Weget- Section Man C. Brownell- CN Operator Miss E. Cavalier- Teacher J. H. Kinley- Teacher Mrs. E. Simms- Teacher James Fowler- Section Man b- in BC, age 23 in 1921 William C. Washburn- Government Telegraph Operator (still there in 1930) still shows up in 1958 voters list in Kitwanga, as a Clerk Ambrose Derrick- General Store Charles Derrick- Pool Room and Conf. Hudson's Bay Company Trading Post T. W. Harris & Co. - General Store Kitwanga Lumber Co. Ltd.- Sawmill James Ryan- General Store b- in BC, age 42 in 1921 wife- Maggie Ryan, age 40, son Phillip Ryan, age 20 Robert Alfred Sampare- General Store and PO (see below) plus numerous farmers 1930 RCMP William Hinton H. Sinoneau HBC Otto B. Utterstrom- Manager 1940 Oct 17/19- Crib and Pier of the Ellsworth bridge at Kitwanga washed away with flooding. 1943 Dec 21, 1943 P/O R.F.W. Sedgewick's Hurricane airplane plunged into the Skeena River, after his Hurricane struck a cable of the Kitwanga ferry Post Office History Name of Office: Kitwanga Federal Electoral District: Skeena (BC) Office opened Jan 1, 1910 Former Name- Gitwangak, changed Aug 1, 1917 Postmaster Information: Name of Postmaster Military Status Date of Appointment Date of Vacancy Cause of Vacancy Reverend Alfred Edwin Price 1910-01-01 1911-03-15 Resignation Horace DuVernet 1911-06-01 1914 Change of site Joseph Augustus Sampare 1914-06-23 1917-01-27 Resignation Robert Alfred Sampare 1917-03-01 1931-08-27 Death Joseph Augustus Sampare 1932-01-30 1946-06-10 Resignation Mrs. Katie Rowe 1946-07-15 Acting “ 1946-10-17 1946-12-28 Resignation Evan Lewis Davies 1947-02-01 Acting ” 1947-04-23 1955-04-01 Resignation Norman Graham Simpson OAS 1955-09-09 Acting “ 1955-11-10 1960-04-07 Resignation George Edward Brown OAS 1960-06-30 Acting ” 1960-08-12 1960-12-02 Resignation Eldon Lynn Nelson 1960-12-03 Acting “ 1961-09-08 1966-07-19 Resignation Mrs. Marjorie Lynn Nelson 1966-11-17 Acting Mrs. Marjorie Elaine Ward 1966-12-29 Additional Information: Dwelling - 1946-07-15 Store This reproduction is NOT represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of the National Archives of Canada. The source of this material is the National Archives of Canada Postmaster Bio and Genealogy First Post Master Rev. Alfred Edwin Price b- 1863, in England, age 55, widow, in 1919 d- 1931 He built the St. Paul Church in Kitwanga in 1893, also a school here. Missionary with the Church Missionary Society from 1889 to 1912 in Kitwanga He moved on to Massett and Metlakatla His diary is in the BC Archives son of Frederick Thomas Price and Amelia Clare married 1st, Elizabeth Anstee, May 10, 1888 in Victoria BC they had a son Reginald Price married 2nd, Elizabeth Jane Soal, Mar 20, 1919 St. Andrew's Church, Prince Rupert b- in England, age 46 in 1919 d- daughter of William Soal and Mary Anne Harknett see link below Horace DuVernet Appointed Justice of the Peace in 1917 Horace DuVernet, b- Sept 29, 1886, Kingston, Frontenac co., ON d- ? Greenville, SC? 1891 age 5, living in St. James Ward, Toronto, ON son of Stella Yates b- Jan 11, 1849 in Kingston, Canada, d- Dec 11, 1928 in Prince Rupert, BC, age 78 buried in Fairview Cemetery, Prince Rupert, BC daughter of Horatio Yates see my Arthur Gould Yates Page she married the Most Rev. Professor Frederick “Fred” Herbert Du Vernet, Sept 7, 1885 b- Jan. 20, 1860 at Hemmingford, Que, d- Oct 21, 1924 in the evening, at his home, in Prince Rupert, BC, age 64 buried in Fairview Cemetery, Prince Rupert, BC Married Beatrice Irene Bradt, Apr 29, 1911 in Vancouver BC b- 1883, in ON d- ? Her father- William C. Bradt 2nd he married- Lilian Monica Pretoria King b- Mar 27, 1901 d- May 18, 1983 Horace had 3 children by one or both, of the women above a Mrs. Horace Duvernet left Kitwanga, BC in July 1925, for Greenville, Greenville Co. SC, where her husband, Horace went some time before article says it was 13 years, before 1925, the family went to Shandilla on the Skeena river, also called the DuVernet farm. one a son H. Duvernet, possibly Henry? there is a Duvernet Dr near Greenville, SC daughter- Alice Frances (Francis?) Du Vernet, b- Mar 16, 1899, in Toronto, York Co., ON d- July 24, 1952 in Prince Rupert, BC, age 62 married James Byres Gibson- Jan 24, 1929, in Prince Rupert BC b- Jan 31, 1881 in Portadown, Armagh, Ireland. d- July 24, 1952 in Prince Rupert, BC, age 70 Father- James Gibson, mother- Isabel Mould note- they both died same day. Joseph Augustus Sampare b- ? d- ? married Catherine Langwukl, Feb 16, 1898 in Kitwanga had a daughter Evelyn, baptized in Kitwanga storekeeper in Kitwanga Robert Alfred Sampare b- ca 1875 d- Aug 27, 1931 in Kitwanga, age 56 son of Alfred Sampare, b- Quebec, and Boneita Harris, b- Gitwangak married Mary Lizzie Sampson, Oct 14, 1894 in Kitwanga married Harriet Brown, Dec 13, 1910 in Kitwanga married Flora D. Magar, May 31, 1929 in Prince Rupert Mrs. Katie Rowe b- d- Evan Lewis Davies b- Feb 11, 1885 Lampeter, Wales d- Sept 28, 1963, Prince Rupert General Hospital, age 78 occupation Telegrapher, when he married he lived at Telegraph Point, Souris River when he died he was a widow married Grace Beatrice Taylor, Dec 6, 1914 in Metlakatla BC b- Putney, Surrey, age 34 when she married daughter of George B. Taylor Ext Links Note- not my sites, links may or may not work Gitwangak Battle Hill http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/bc/gitwangak/index.aspx Soal and Price Family http://www.sole.org.uk/backwood.htm Photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadagood/galleries/72157622314439389/ © Last modified: 2019/02/24 16:42by dlgent Log In