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Welcome! This page
covers one of the URIDGE families who settled
in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
If you came to this page directly from a
search engine or other external link, I
suggest you begin by visiting the home page:
URIDGE, EURIDGE Family
History.
Ernest Albert Uridge
was born on January 25, 1876. His birth
was not registered by his mother, Caroline
Janette Uridge nee Poynter until five
weeks later on February 28, 1876. His father
was stated as
William John URIDGE.
When Ernest married
Margaret Laidlaw BLACKHALL, August 22,
1898, his name was Ernest Albert URIDGE
otherwise Ernest Albert COLEMAN and his
father was Ernest Henry URIDGE (deceased).
However, William URIDGE at the time was
not deceased. Nor was William deceased
when a William
COLEMAN married Ernest's mother Caroline
on 10 November 10, 1883.
The following narrative,
photographs and documents, illustrate the
life of Ernest. Many thanks to his great-granddaughter,
Christine
Thomas of Canada, for her co-operation
and collaboration.
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Copy
of Ernest Albert Uridge's
birth certificate |
Ernest
was born on January 25, 1876 at Egham,
Surrey, England. His parents were
William URIDGE (1842-1917) and Caroline
POYNTER (1844-??). He had four brothers:
William John Humpton, Thomas Edward
(died in infancy), George James, who
died in South Africa, and Henry Adolphus
Umpton. He also had two sisters: Elizabeth
Emily, and Alice Maud Poynter. |
| Ernest
married Margaret Laidlaw BLACKHALL
on August 22, 1898 in Newcastle upon
Tyne. His occupation on his marriage
certificate was a driver in the Royal
Artillery at Newcastle Barracks.
Ernest
and Margaret had fourteen children:
Caroline
Emily E., June
21, 1898 - 27 Apr 1932
Margaret
Laidlaw,
born 1901, died in infancy
Albert
William David, January 26, 1903 - June 16, 1969
May Violet, March
28, 1904 - January 23, 1990
Gladys
Isabella, born
October 30, 1905 - March 30, 1928
Ernest
A., March
29, 1908 - April 2, 1958
Annie,
born July 21, 1909, died in infancy
David
Blackhall,
May 3, 1911 - October 21, 1985
Percy,
born 1913, died in infancy
Harry,
born 1915, died in infancy
Charles,
born 1916, died in infancy
George,
born 1916, died in infancy
Mary Valecar
M.,
born May
30, 1918, died February 3, 1990
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Copy of Ernest
and Margaret's marriage certificate
Ernest
Albert and Margaret URIDGE
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5
Delaval Road, Benwell,
Newcastle upon Tyne |
Ernest worked in an ammunition
factory in Newcastle upon Tyne.
In 1915-1920, he and Margaret ran
a small corner shop in Benwell,
a suburb of Newcastle. They lived
above the shop with their eight
children. |
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| In
1920, they met a Mormon (name unknown)
who made Ernest a substantial offer
of work, homes and prosperity in
Canston, Alberta, Canada. Ernest
had just inherited some property
in New Zealand but Margaret did
not want to go there. They decided
to use the proceeds of the property
to make a new start in Canada. He
had to make a choice, now with lots
of money behind them, they decided
to make a new start in Canada. Travelling
second class, they arrived in Montreal,
Quebec. However, they could not
understand the language. Furthermore,
Margaret had a miscarriage and had
to be hospitalized. Poor Ernest
was stuck looking after seven children
in a new land.
Over the years, Ernest
made some poor investments. For
example, they purchased a horse
farm and then could not rent out
the house so most of the family
ended up living there with them.
In 1932, they ran the Kings Arms
Hotel in Lethbridge; the venture
succeeded due to Margaret's good
business sense. She became very
homesick and returned home five
times, sailing on luxury liners,
taking some of her small children
with her.
They made it to Lethbridge,
Alberta and could not find their
Mormon acquaintance anywhere, so
they settled there until 1938 when
some of the family decided to travel
to Vancouver in search of work. |
Old Chief
Mountain, Lethbridge
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| Ernest
mainly worked as a cook and in the
low season took casual work, such
as shoveling coal. He decided to go
to British Columbia to create a better
life for his family. He found employment
as a cook with Pendork Surveyors. |
Ernest,
as a cook with Pendork Surveyors
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| On
October 28, 1937 he went missing
whilst working as a cook for the
Canadian Pacific Railroad, at Spences
Bridge, Kamloops,
British Columbia, Canada. The
cause of death was accidental drowning.
It
seems that he had gone to the toilet
beside the railroad tracks. However,
it was out of service, so he went
to the river and fell in. They later
found his wallet, and watch etc.
in the toilet. Although Ernest
did not drink excessively, it was
understood that he was drunk at
the time of the incident. |
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NO TRACE FOUND
YET OF MISSING CAMP COOK
Provincial
police and Indians of the Spences
Bridge district have been unable
to find any trace of Ernest
Albert Uridge, 62, who disappeared
on the morning of October 28.
The last man to see him was the
station agent.
Mr Uridge was the cook with a
C.P.R. telegraph wire crew.
At the time of his disappearance
he was wearing a pair of dark
work trousers, blue shirt, black
coat sweater, a grey cap and pair
of brown slippers. He is 5 feet
3 inches in height, fair complexion,
grey eyes, hair and moustache
greying ; tattoo marks on one
arm. His son Ernest, 1765 East
Pender, is making the enquiry.
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| Margaret,
his wife was distraught trying to
find him. She and their daughter
May rode the street cars looking
for him. Anytime they saw someone
who looked even a little like him
Margaret would jump off the street
car and grab him, thinking and hoping
it was Ernest.
In 1938, native North
Americans found Ernest's body hanging
from a tree branch at the edge of
the river, close to where he had
fallen in. |
Written by Teresa Pask, August 2000 from information supplied by Christine
Thomas.
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