Book provides record of burials not found in area cemeteries
There is a well-known adage that there are only two constants in our lives: death and taxes. My contention is that there is a third constant: dealing with human remains following death. It is this third constant which prompted the writing of a book, the subject of this article.
Isolated Burials in the Central Okanagan with Genealogies and Local History was written by Susan D. Campbell and Robert M. Hayes, members of the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society (KDGS). It is part of a set of 16 books which provides information about various Central Okanagan burial grounds. These books include transcriptions of grave markers found in cemeteries located between Peachland and Oyama, photographs of some of these markers, burial maps, histories of the cemeteries and sources of information. Eight of these books are fairly traditional cemetery transcription books, while seven of the books provide additional biographical, genealogical, historical and geographic information.
The 16th book in this cemetery series, Index of Names in the Central Okanagan, written by Susan D. Campbell and Gweneth Neil, is a comprehensive list of more than 9,000 names found in the previous 15 books.
Isolated Burials is different from most other cemetery books. It records burials not found in cemeteries; it is an examination of burials found in more remote locations, sometimes far from human habitation. However, it not only records these burials — names, dates and locations of burials — but also provides detailed information about the people, their families, photographs and histories of their communities.
More than 40 burials are documented in Isolated Burials. First Nations and early Chinese burials, in various Central Okanagan locations, are referenced.
One of the earliest known isolated burials is John W. Williams. A native of Wales, Williams was mining for gold on Mission Creek in the mid-1870s. While pursuing the elusive golden ore, Williams was accidentally killed on May 3, 1877, when his mining tunnel collapsed, entombing him forever. He was 52 years old.
Williams’ life and death are commemorated on a memorial stone marker in the Saron Welsh Independent Chapel graveyard, Troedyrhiw, Merthyr, Wales, thousands of kilometres from his unknown final resting site on Mission Creek. A photograph of this marker is included in this book.
Alfred Taggart’s burial beside Hydraulic Creek is another remote location cited in this book. Taggart, a local trapper and construction labourer, went missing in April of 1914. Three months later, his badly decomposed remains were discovered in Hydraulic Creek canyon. Taggart had fashioned a small camp at that remote location. The local coroner ruled that Taggart accidentally drowned, and he made the decision to have Taggart’s remains interred on site, location now unknown.
Other burials cited in this book are more well-known, including two at Pauls Tomb, a well-known landmark and hiking destination. Rembler J. (1831-1916) and Elizabeth Hannah (1831-1914) Paul retired to Kelowna in 1905, having secured a comfortable living through mining and land speculation ventures. The Pauls spent some of their local retirement time on their property, north of Kelowna. There, they constructed their family tomb, with room for eight coffins. Their earthly remains, and possibly the body of one of their pets, were deposited in this vault. Extensive genealogical information about the Paul family is included in Isolated Burials, as well as stories and photographs of Elizabeth and Rembler Paul and their family.
In a forested location above the east side of Wood Lake are the graves of two residents of what is now the District of Lake Country.
William Bourdillon Hebbert, retired lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy, moved to the Okanagan Valley in 1921, first living at Coldstream and later near Winfield. He, his wife Jessie (nee Palmer) and their two sons lived near Winfield for a number of years. William Hebbert prospected for gold on his property above Wood Lake. He died at Oyama on April 23, 1939.
Phyllis Doreen Pattullo’s is the second grave located in remote country to the east of Wood Lake. Born at Vernon in 1929, Pattullo and her family lived at Oyama. Sadly, she did not live a long life; she died at Kelowna on Jan. 8, 1940. Since there was no nearby cemetery, her body was interred near Hebbert’s grave. Both of these graves are marked, but are on private property. The owner of this property generously granted access to these two graves for the production of this book.
Many unmarked pioneer graves are listed in this book, their exact locations unknown:
— Sarah (nee Stepetsa) and George William Simpson, who died in 1901 and 1902 respectively. Their bodies were interred somewhere on their ranch in Ellison.
— Mary Ann and George Robert James Whelan, who died in infancy on the Cloverdale Ranch in 1889 and 1890 respectively. Their bodies were buried somewhere on the Whelan property in Ellison.
— Isidore Boucherie, who came to the Central Okanagan in 1861. He died at a very advanced age in early November 1894. His body was buried somewhere on his ranch on Mt. Boucherie.
Burial details, extensive biographical information and photographs of other local pioneers and their families are included in this book: — Joseph Cary: the Commonage — Campbell-Brown family: Oyama — McKinley family: McKinley Landing — Thomas Jones: Ellison District — William (Scotty) Donaldson: Ellison District — Spencer family: Ellison District — Jaimal and Lakha Singh: Ellison District — McDougall family: Central Okanagan — Pierre Denis: Okanagan Mission — Johns family: Okanagan Mission — Marshall family: Westbank — Elizabeth Mary Strang: Westbank — Muirhead family: West side of Okanagan Lake — Chiba family: Fintry — James C. and Alice I. Dun Waters: Fintry.
People who have hiked near Bear Creek North Road, on the west side of Okanagan Lake, may have visited Stocksmoor. This is the final resting place of the Reverend Philip Stocks, who arrived in the Central Okanagan with his wife and daughter in late November 1914, having fled from Belgium as war loomed on the horizon. The Stocks family settled on the Westside, on property which their three sons had earlier acquired and cleared. Philip Stocks did not enjoy good health and he died at home on July 31, 1916. His body was interred on the family property, and a granite marker with a simple epitaph marks his grave: Rev. Philip Stocks Died July 31, 1916 Aged 61 Years Lord Remember Me Biographical information and photographs of the Stocks family are included in this book, creating a clear picture of pioneer life in that part of the Okanagan Valley.
Much time was devoted to researching and writing Isolated Burials in the Central Okanagan with Genealogies and Local History. Numerous sources — public and private archives, newspapers, government and church records, and members of pioneer families — were used in the compilation of this book, which boasts more than 250 pages. It is an informative and enjoyable read for anyone interested in local history. Numerous photographs, many from private collections, are included in this book.
Additional information about Isolated Burials and the other volumes in this series of cemetery transcription and history books can be found on the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society’s website, www.kdgs.ca.
Copies of Isolated Burials can be obtained by contacting Bob Hayes, 250-7638859.
Robert Michael Hayes is a lifelong resident of Kelowna and is a descendant of the pioneer Clement and Whelan families. He is a life member of the Okanagan Historical Society and a retired elementary schoolteacher. This article is part of a series, submitted by the Kelowna Branch, Okanagan Historical Society. Additional information would be welcome at P.O. Box 22105, Capri P.O., Kelowna, B.C., V1Y 9N9.