Samuel Phelps French (1844 - 1926)

Born 5 Jan 1844 in Frampton on Severn, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Susannah (Smith) French — married 17 Feb 1871 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 13 Mar 1926 at age 82 in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada

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Biography

Samuel Phelps French was baptised February 2, 1844 at Frampton on Severn in Gloucester.^[1][2] He was the third son and eighth child of Thomas French and Jane Phelps. His birth was registered in Wheatenhurst, Gloucestershire in the first quarter of 1844.^[3] Two more sisters were added to the family before his father passed away in 1849.

In 1861, Jane French, widow, was farming 196 acres at Frampton on Severn in Gloucestershire. Children at home were Elizabeth, 27, Margaret, 25, John, 22, Mary A, 19, Samuel P, 17, Clara, 14 and Catherine, 12.^[4] It is said the French family had held the lease for Church Farm for 200 years.^[5]

At age 27 in winter 1871, Samuel married 20-year-old Susannah Smith.^[6] Their marriage was registered in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire in the first quarter of 1871.^[7][8][9]

The census later that year show the couple at Church Farm. Residing with them are Samuel's sister Margaret and a cousin, Margaret Phelps.^[10] Samuel and Susannah added four sons and a daughter to the family: Samuel Jr., Thomas, Frank, Jack, and Elsie.

Apparently the lease for Church Farm expired in 1881,^[5] and Samuel consequently sold his stock and implements.^[11] At the time of the 1881 England and Wales census, Samuel and Susannah French are listed as visitors in the household of Francis and Mary Gordon at Finborough Road in Kensington, London. Samuel is cited as a farmer (out-of-business).^[12]

[Samuel Phelps French] arrived in New Orleans and came up the Mississippi to Winnipeg [presumably over land from Minnesota], where he bought a large ranch. Mrs. French came later bringing with her five small children... ^[5]

In Manitoba four more children were added to the family: George, Percival, Clara and Herbert Stanley.^[13]

In WInnipeg they suffered many hardships. They had a number of acres in wheat. One year the crop was destroyed by hail stones and the next by frost, so Mr. French decided to try British Columbia, a province of which he had heard a great deal. [In 1891] he, along with his sons, Tom and Frank, came to Sicamous by C.P.R. and from there walked through Cherryville in search of a place to settle. The returned to Vernon and purchased property... They made the journey from Sicamous to Enderby by boat and from Enderby to Vernon by stage, as the Shuswap & Okanagan Railway into Vernon was not completed until September 1891...

In 1898 Mr. French, Sr., bought the old Walker place consisting of some 900 acres for his sons Sam and Tom...

Sam French was a member of Vernon's City Council in 1903...

Parts of the original Walker place were sold and the remainder of the property split up about 1907 between Mr. French, Sr., and Sam and Jack... In 1911, Mr. French Sr., built the house on that part of the property which is known as the Broadview Ranch, where he lived with his son Percy until his death...^[5]

Indeed the 1901 Canada census found Samuel and his family, except for sons Thomas (who had married in 1898) and Frank (who had moved to Fairview, BC), farming outside Vernon.^[14] As the older children continued finding their own ways, by 1911 Samuel and Susannah had only the youngest three at family farm.^[15] Wife Susannah passed away in 1912, Samuel retired, and son Percy took over the ranch.^[16]

Samuel died in Vernon, British Columbia on March 13, 1926,^[17][18] and was buried in Vernon Cemetery.^[19]

Research Notes

• The modern rural municipalities of East and West St. Paul, Manitoba are separated by the Red River and lie just north of the Winnipeg municipal limits. In the 1880s St. Paul was a single community despite being separated by the river, the nearest bridge being 5 miles south in Winnipeg. It appears the French family lived on the west side of the river, because the Ruperts Land Indian School was established there around 1890, and in spring 1891, the associated "Mr. Ozure and family have arrived and occupy the house formely used by Mr. S. P. French."^[20]

Walker Lands In 1890s

The 1898 Walker land alluded in ^[5] was not purchased but leased.^[21] It was (part of) 960 acres contained in three crown grants awarded to Francis Walker in 1884 and 1887: 1884-0137, 1884-2698, and 1887-0270. The subsequent land sale and purchase arrangements were presumably carried out between Walker and the various French individuals.

Girouard Lands In 1890s

Furthermore, 80 acres of the Girouard lands mentioned in ^[5] were purchased by French Bros in late 1895,^[22] and was presumably (a portion of) BC Crown Grant 1884-0215. That grant had been acquired by Luc Girouard in July 1884, part of a total of 1239 acres he obtained near Vernon over an eight year span, and was adjacent to the Coldstream-area Walker holdings, as demonstrated on these maps. Luc Girouard had died in early 1895, and his brother Theo was in Vernon on a number of occasions in the following months, disposing of the estate.

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPV2-3ZQ : accessed 26 October 2015), Samuel Phelps French, 02 Feb 1844; citing FRAMPTON ON SEVERN,GLOUCESTER,ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 855,690
2. ↑ Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers. Gloucestershire Archives, Gloucestershire, England. Reference Numbers: GDR/V1/407 Ancestry.com. Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1913 [database on-line]. Ancestry Record 5066 #12224706
3. ↑ FreeBMD: Births Mar 1844, Surname: French, Given Name: Samuel Phelps, District: Wheatenhurst, Volume: XI, Page: 539.
4. ↑ Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Class: RG 9; Piece: 1770; Folio: 63; Page: 11; GSU roll: 542865. Ancestry.com. 1861 England Census [database on-line]. Ancestry Record uki1861 #16220218
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5} "The French Family -- 1881-1966", The thirty-first report of the Okanagan Historical Society, 1967, pp. 128-132, https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0132206
6. ↑ "MARRIAGES - February 17, at the Congregational Church, by the Rev. A. M. Brown, L.L.D., Samuel Phelps French, of Frampton-upon-Severn, to Susannah, third daughter of Mr. R. Smith, of Framilode.", Cheltenham Mercury, March 11, 1871, page 2
7. ↑ FreeBMD: Marriages Mar 1871, Surname: French, Given Name: Samuel Phelps, District: Cheltenham, Volume: 6a, Page: 596.
8. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DLQ-N3P : accessed 26 October 2015), Samuel Phelps French, 1871; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Marriage, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
9. ↑ FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Ancestry Record 8913 #10362260
10. ↑ Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871. Class: RG10; Piece: 2626; Folio: 60; Page: 10; GSU roll: 835319. Ancestry.com. 1871 England Census [database on-line]. Ancestry Record uki1871 #1564547
11. ↑ Gloucestershire Chronicle, March 19, 1881, page 1
12. ↑ Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881. Class: RG11; Piece: 47; Folio: 26; Page: 45; GSU roll: 1341011. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census [database on-line]. Ancestry Record 7572 #13252732
13. ↑ Census of Canada, 1891, Manitoba, Lisgar (6), St Paul (Q), page 2, family 9, Samuel French; RG31 - Statistics Canada, roll T-6293 (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1891/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=114637 : Accessed January 18, 2020).
14. ↑ Fourth Census of Canada, 1901, British Columbia, District No. 5 Yale Cariboo, S. District No. J, Polling sub-division No. 4 Yale East/Vernon, page 15, lines 7-15, https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1901&op=img&id=z000013754
15. ↑ Fifth Census of Canada, 1911, British Columbia, District No. 14 Okanagan, S. District No. 1, Enumeration District No. 16, Vernon City, page 20, lines 25-29, https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1911&op=img&id=e001944447
16. ↑ Sixth Census of Canada, 1921, British Columbia, District No. 25, Enumeration Sub-District No. 5, Coldstream, page 19, lines 42-50, https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1921&op=img&id=e002878520
17. ↑ Registration of Death for Samuel Phelps French, Registration Number: 1926-09-374068, BC Archives Mfilm Number: B13129, GSU Mfilm Number: 1927306, Event Date: 1926-03-13, Event Place: VERNON, Age at Death: 82, Person: SAMUEL PHELPS FRENCH, BC Archives - Royal BC Museum.
18. ↑ "British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLG8-RML : accessed 26 October 2015), Samuel Phelps Sr French, 1926.
19. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #172477119
20. ↑ Manitoba Free Press, May 29, 1891, page 6
21. ↑ Vernon News, September 8, 1898, page 5, https://bcrdh.ca/islandora/object/news%3A257117
22. ↑ Vernon News, December 12, 1895, page 5