James Weir & Sarah Dixon

Parents of Jennie McCarthy – James Weir and Sarah Dixon

Jennie Weir McCarthy’ s parents were James Weir, 1850-1914 (age 64) and Sarah Dixon, 1860-1897 (age 37) who married in 1878 in Keene.

I, James Earl Doris, 1936 – am the sixth generation following the arrival of James and Catherine Weir in Canada, as illustrated below:

James Weir, 17?? -1865 and Catherine
Andrew Weir, 1814 -1887 and Ellen Marshall
James Weir, 1850 -1914 and Sarah Dixon
Janet (Jennie Belle) Weir McCarthy, 1886 – 1965 and Vince McCarthy
Fern McCarthy Doris, 1907 – 1994 and Earl Doris
James Doris, 1936 -

Sarah Dixon was baptized on June 2, 1860 in Dent, a small village in Yorkshire. She was the second Sarah in the family. The family moved to Liverpool in 1868 where her mother Elizabeth Middleton died that same year, and was buried in Liverpool. The father, John, and his children then came to Canada. By 1897 John was living at Drummond Station.

James Weir worked as a labourer when they lived in Keene for a few years. All the children, with the exception of Rolly were born there. In 1890, the James Weir family moved west after he became a policeman on the immigrant trains going west. They lived for a time on the Bow River in the cow town called Calgary. Legend has it that they lived on land that eventually became RCMP quarters. When the Gold Rush started, many Easterners on their way west slept on the floors of the Weir home.

A group from Keene, including James Weir, built a cottage for Prime Minister Sir John A. McDonald’s wife in Banff. On a trip in the 1980s, I took a photo of a small inn in Banff called Otonabee House, named after the Otonabee men who built it.

The Weir family later moved to Nelson, then to Kaslo, a beautiful place in the Kootenay Mountains, beckoned by the lure of the Gold Rush. Sarah died there at age 37 of pneumonia, which she had picked up in helping her neighbours. After Sarah died, Jim Weir agreed to send the children to the east to be raised. One can assume this must have been a heart-wrenching decision for him and for the children. Sarah’s father, John Dixon and James’s father, Andrew Weir, signed a legal document, agreeing to be responsible for the children.

11-year old Jennie (my grandmother), 14-year-old Marshall, (father of Dr. Orm Weir of Kamloops), Ormond (nine) and Rolly (four) came east on the train. Uncle Joe says that his mother talked of rough-looking men on the train carrying guns who nevertheless kept watch over the youngsters. Jennie, Orm and Rolly were raised by their Aunt Belle Weir, who never married, and the Dixons in Keene.

In June 1987, I took my mother, then aged 80, and my Aunt Lois out west to find the grave of Sarah Dixon Weir, 90 years after she died. A cedar slab at the back of the cemetery contains the following:

Sarah Dixon, wife of James Weir, who died February 19, 1897, aged 37 years. Gone but not forgotten.

After leaving Kaslo, it appears that James Weir drifted, following the Gold Rush. My mother recalled that he had once given her brother Gene a $20 gold piece. At one point, he transported horses to the Boer War in South Africa. He apparently visited his children in Keene several times before he died in 1914 in Vancouver, where he had resided at 11 Hastings Street, probably a rooming house. A letter from his son, Orm, dated January 16, 1914, describing the death of his father, states:

Dear Sister and family:

You will know before now that Father died last Sunday afternoon at 4:15. He took ill with epilepsy while out feeding his chickens and fell down in the yard, unconscious and never came to his senses …….

Last Monday morning I arrived here in the North (from the U.S.), had breakfast with him and had a long chat. He was in the best of health and fine. I left Monday night on my way to Arizona on a deal and my office people caught me by service wire in Seattle as I was going to the train Wednesday morning. I immediately boarded a train for here (Vancouver) but Dad had died 36 hours before I arrived.

I am awfully glad I had made friends with him a year ago yesterday. He and I were going East when I came back from Arizona as I expected to clean up nearly $300 in a couple of week’s play. I was just about broke so he sent $200.

We had the funeral today at 2 o’clock and so I feel low, as I was the only one of the family there. Everybody was lovely and helpful and he certainly had a lovely funeral – the best money could get, and there were nearly 100 people there, over 50 being from around home. Kate Knox, you know her, helped lovely so please write and thank her. The pallbearers were… The first four you know from home, and the last two lived with Dad for a number of years. I had Reverend M. Long speak. He had lived next door to Father for four years and he certainly spoke swell of him. We got a lovely oak casket costing $175 and covered it with crepe, a nice dress suit shirt on him and Dad certainly looked (fine).

Jenny, I know he died the way he would wish, not having to suffer. I had a lovely bunch of white lilies, carnations and roses with “Father” written on it. You do not need to worry. He received every attention.

(signed) Orm

A second letter to Jenny of January 21 states:

……. yes, I am sure glad we both made friends with Dad, and he was very happy about it. He always wanted to know if I had heard from you and was talking about your babies. He would have been home this coming summer for sure and would no doubt have stopped.

We buried him here for the time being. I was out of money and we could hardly do anything else. R. B. Ellis, Official Administrator, 318 Homer Street is looking after the estate. Write him giving your age and state whether you wish the estate wound up now. Of course if Rolly is not of age it will have to stand until he is.

Still a vagabond travelling all over, but not drinking for over a year. Am going North just as soon as I get the price.

Love to all.

(signed)Orm

A third letter from Orm to Jenny reveals that his father left no will:

Father has a house and a lot (at) #1823 Granby Street at a value of $4,000, all clear so far as I know. He has left no will so we will all share alike, but the estate cannot be closed for a year on account of no will unless one shows up and then Rolly is of age. There did not seem to be any money in the bank. I will fix things in shape to be looked after and Marsh, you and Rolly can make any arrangements.

A letter of February 11 comes from South Fort George, B. C.:

Dear Sister and family:

Back in the north again with a nice pair of frozen heels but feeling good. Had a six-day stage trip with the thermometer running from 30 to 45 below all the way. Some cold, eh, but you do not notice it so very much. Business is very quiet here and I am hustling some to get a job.

In a letter to his sister, Jenny, another brother, Marsh states:

Orm sent me some of Father’s things and Maggie (his wife) is going to send a share of them to you, his spoons, sheets, pillow cases etc., as soon as it gets warm enough that she can wash them. I am going to keep his clippers and comb. I also have his pen that I am using now. I don’t know what Orm did with his quilts etc. I wrote him to send them to you, and when you write to him, tell him you would like to have them, for you have more rights to them than anyone else. I hope that your baby is better (Eleanor ?). Must be quite a lot with a sick baby. ……. We may buy a car in the Spring when we will be over often. Now it takes four to five hours to arrive and that is a long time to sit on a rig.

The baby is awake again and is on my knee and it is a job to write since he is pulling at my paper. Guess you know how that goes. Well, that will be all this time.

Love to all and write soon.

Your loving brother, Marsh (living in Bethany)

In the east, Marsh was contacted after the death of his father to ensure that the undertaker was paid. This sum was never recovered from his estate because his belongings had been looted or stolen, according to Dr. Orm Weir.

James Weir and Sarah Dixon had six children: Ormond, Marshall, Janet (Jennie), Rolland, Andrew, and Claude – the last two dying as infants.

Ormond, 1888 – 1916 was raised in Keene like his siblings after the death of his mother in 1897. After being employed for three years in Peterborough at a bank, he went west in 1907 (age 19) to Vancouver where his father lived. We know from letters he wrote to his sister, Jenny, that in the next few years he travelled through the western Unites States, and spent some time in 1912 in Nogales and Juarez in Mexico. We know him best as a soldier for only a few months in 1916 as documented by several letters that are now very faded and difficult to decipher.

On February 24, 1916, he wrote:

You will no doubt be surprised to learn that I enlisted on the 4th of the month. Joined the 62nd, which has been in training for the past eight months. We have been selected to go overseas with the first bunch going, and our company Major told us today we were due to leave here (Vancouver) around March 11th and I will be glad to get away. You can write me at the address I will give and when we cross the pond, don’t fail to write at least twice a month.

I gave your name (Jenny Bell McCarthy, with address) as my next of kin so if anything should happen you will be advised by the proper authorities and any pay I have due will be paid you. After we get to England, they keep back $15 a month.

Would like to call and see you before we leave but it is not possible but will sure call for a long visit after the war is over.

Glad to see the children are getting along so well at school and I always look for their names in the paper every time Auntie (Belle) sends them to me. Had a letter from Auntie and Arch (her bachelor brother) yesterday and they seem to be well. Also heard from Rolly and wrote him tonight giving him hell for not writing you.

On March 12 he writes from Vancouver that he is to leave for Halifax en route to England the next day:

Well I am on leave this afternoon for the last time here as we are leaving for England tomorrow morning. Presume we will sail from Halifax but as yet do not know to what camp we are going to in England. Hope to find out before we sail and will let you know where to write. Glad to get away from here …………… Hope to see a number of the Keene boys in England.

Best regards to all and write as often as possible. Will send my will to you from England.

The next letter reports of travel through Ottawa noting that:

Parts of Ottawa and Montreal are very dirty and old looking. Ever since we left Moose Jaw it has been very cold with all kinds of snow and it looks like a very late spring.

He arrived overseas on April 8. In his first letter from England, he predicts the war will end soon:

There is every probability the war will be over this year. I gather this from talking with soldiers home on leave from the front. Hope it does finish this year and that the government will give me a pass to get home for a few weeks. Going to tell you something and that is, a fellow who is a soldier any length of time will be absolutely useless. To be a Sergeant in Canada looks good, but over here, a Private is much better off and a great many Sergeants revert to the ranks. Nothing more just now.

In another letter, he complains of the weather and regrets he did not stay longer in Mexico:

The weather is just like it is in Canada, cold and rainy. However those things are bound to be, but you people keep on smiling. The war is on its last legs now and we may be home before this time next year and then me for a little bit of fun down in Mexico again. Have often felt sorry I did not stay there for a year or two when I was down in Nogales and Juarez in 1912. The King is supposed to look us over tomorrow.

In his July 8 letter he writes of Dominion Day celebrations:

Three months today we reached England and it seems a short time. We are at the ranges now and will likely be here for another two weeks as there are nearly 5,000 taking the course.

A week ago today, Dominion Day, we were reviewed by the King and from what I can gather, the 4th Division which we are in will go over the last of the month. On Sunday last we had big sports to celebrate Dominion Day and they were very good, better than any I ever saw in Canada. Received 15 sacks of Durham (tobacco) from San Diego Thursday. Several Toronto battalions here, also one from Belleville, but have not seen any boys from home. We are working all day today and also tomorrow. Going to town tonight for ham and eggs as we are being fed poorly. Will let you know next week how I have made out shooting.

August 1:

Have been looking for your letter for some time. It only came this week. We are the busiest bunch of boys ever lately, all kinds of work and we are feeling fine over it.

………… We have been here nearly four months and hope to get away some place next week. Will write you when we reach our destination. Enclosing herewith the amount from the Pay Office regarding my will which is in your favour covering all personal property, money and real estate. Just keep it and keep it quiet as there may be some property coming up which might be changed.

August 5:

As I promised you different times, I had my face put on paper and send you herewith a sample. If you compare it with the one I sent from Vancouver, you will note I have put on some flesh, and the best part is it is solid muscle. Nothing much to report from around here other than the Allies are still going strong and getting stronger all the time which helps a great deal. Sam Hughes’ inspection (Hughes was minister of Defence in Canada) comes off on Monday and we have to doll all up for it. The papers here call him “The Kitchener of Canada”.

Uncle Joe says that his mother kept that photo in her bedroom until she died. It bears an uncanny resemblance to Uncle Orm who was in fact named after him.

His final letter is from “Somewhere in France”, September 3, 1916:

Dear Sister and family:

Your much looked- for letter came at noon today and it grieved me very much to learn Jean (Gene) was so badly injured and I hope he has recovered by now and does not suffer any permanent injuries. It made me think of the day I saw Dick Elmhurst knocked down off one of their heavy horses. Take good care of the boy, also the other kiddies and yourself.

Received a parcel from Auntie yesterday which was awfully nice ……….. Understand Marsh has an auto. Does he ever come over to see you… ? Do you know anything of Rolly, where he is etc? I had one card from him in April from Syracuse.

From what I have heard, Auntie looks very good but Arch is failing fast. Let me know if they have changed much during the past nine years since I was home.

You will notice we are in France and have had a little share in the big work. Sorry I am unable to give you any particulars but be assured I am alright and you need not worry at all. A couple of weeks ago we had a small look at the rim of Hell and we are all ambitious to have the time come so we can see inside using the bayonet as an opener. The front line trenches are the safest of all and all the boys would rather be there than in the supports. We have work, plenty of it to do – no child’s play – and I trust we do ourselves proud at every opportunity.

The opinion generally calls for a collapse and finish this Winter, if so will hope to see you all in May flower time.

Bye Bye for now. Take good care of yourselves and remember I do not get the opportunity to write as often as I would like.

Love to all, your brother, Ormond.

Six weeks after this letter was written he was killed near the village of Courcelette, a town a few miles north east of Albere in France on October 14, at the age of 28.

He left a wife, Lolita McLaughlin, and a daughter Florence who are never mentioned in his correspondence. In later years Jenny is reported to have dreamed that Lolita was trying to get in touch with her. Uncle Joe remembers stories of two government officials visiting the farm after the war to question Jenny about Lolita.

An article in the Peterborough paper states:

Former Local Resident Gives Life For Empire. Pte. Ormond Weir, formerly on staff at Toronto Savings and Loan Co. and a Well-known Keene boy is Killed in Action. Enlisted in Vancouver. Word was received in Peterborough this afternoon of the death in action of a well-known Keene boy, and a former resident of Peterborough in the person of Pte. Ormond Weir. Pte Weir was a son of the late Jas Weir of Keene and received part of his education here; afterwards being employed for three years on the staff of the Toronto Savings and Loan Co. during which time he made many friends in Peterborough. Leaving here he went to Vancouver where he was employed when the war broke out. He enlisted in the 62nd battalion and transferred to the 59th battalion with whom he was fighting when he was killed on Oct 14. Pte Weir’s sister, Mrs. Vincent McCarthy, two uncles, Messrs Marshall and Archibald Weir and an aunt, Miss Belle Weir reside in Keene. He was a second cousin of Ald. A. Weir of Peterborough.

A letter of November 6, 1916, made it official:

Dear Mrs. McCarthy,

Will you kindly accept my sincere sympathy and condolence in the decease of that worthy citizen and heroic soldier, your brother, Private Ormond Weir.

While we cannot too deeply mourn the loss of such a brave comrade, there is a consolation in knowing that he did his duty fearlessly and well, and gave his life for the cause of Liberty and the upbuilding of the Empire.

Again extending to you my heart-felt sympathy.

Faithfully,

Sam Hughes
Lieutenant General
Minister of Militia and Defence for Canada

This was accompanied by a card that stated:

The King commands me to assure you of the true sympathy of His Majesty and The Queen in your sorrow. (signed) Secretary of State for War

A year later a letter came from Ottawa from the Officer i/c Estates, Militia Headquarters, Ottawa to Mrs. J. B. McCarthy, dated Sept 4, 1917:

Madam,

With reference to the estate of the deceased soldier named in the margin ( No.464640 Pte. O.L. Weir, 54th Battalion), I have the honour, by direction, to enclose herewith a cheque drawn in your favour for $132.14, being the balance of pay due to this estate.

I have the honour to be Madam, your obedient servant.

Lieut. for Officer i/c Estates

His namesake, Dr Orm Weir of Kamloops, told me during a visit to Toronto in July 2000, that his uncle was not killed at Cambria as originally reported. Dr. Weir told me that he had planted a cross in the ground at Adanac Cemetery (Canada, spelled backwards) near the town of Courcelette..

Marshall Middleton, 1882-1923, the second child of James Weir and Sarah Dixon, married Maggie Comrie, 1881-1978, and they had six children. He was a station agent in Omemee, dying at the age of 41 after being hit on the head by a baseball and later succumbing to his injury on the operating table. Their six children were: Harley, Archibald, Margaret, Jean, Clarence, and Ormond.

- Harley, 1909 -1977, was a sales supervisor at Canada Packers. He was very active in Peterborough, having served as president of the Kinsmen club, as a director of KawarthaGolf and Country club, a member of the Emergency Measures Organization, and a founding director of the Peterborough Memorial Centre. He married Viola Freeman and had two children, Mrs. Joan Harris, 1939, and Marshall Harley, 1936-1997. After Viola died of a heart attack he married Helen Reid, 1914.

- Archibald, 1910 -1991, worked at CGE and married Margaret Duvall, who later became blind. They were childless. Arch Weir worked at CGE until he enlisted in the RAF in 1942. An article in the Peterborough Examiner has a photo of Archie and his brother Orm, with the caption, Brothers Meet Overseas. Archie was an outstanding softball and hockey player in Niagara Falls and is in the Peterborough Hockey Hall of Fame.

- Margaret, 1915, married Harry Hamley, 1914, who was Superintendent of Business for the Peterborough Board of Education. They have two children, Rodger Harry, 1945 – and Catherine, 1948 – who teaches French in Brantford.

- Jean, 1917-1998, married Roland Hunter, 1912, no family.

- Clarence, 1913, married Eunice Armstrong. Their offspring – two daughters, Heather Ann, 1952 and Sylvia Joyce, 1958.

- Ormond, 1920 – , now retired after a distinguished career as a vascular surgeon in Kamloops, British Columbia. An article in the Peterborough Examiner of August 18, 1987, recounted how five of eight members of the University of Toronto Knox College residence 1941 basketball team were students from Peterborough. … the best player among them was Orm Weir, well known in Peterborough sports circles, who went on to play for Queen’s University after the war.

He married Joan Sherman, 1928, the daughter of the Anglican bishop of Winnipeg, and brother of Bud Sherman, MP. Joan attended school with TV personality Monty Hall, and worked at Eaton’s in Winnipeg. As of 1999, she has had 22 books published, several for young readers. In 2000 she was working on a book, Maybe Tomorrow, about an experiment to educate Aboriginal and white students together in the face of opposition from the parents of the white students.

Dr. Weir enlisted in World War II as a navigator in the Pathfinder Bomber Command. This group would lead the way on a mission and release flares to show other bombers where to drop their cargoes. Then they would turn around and discharge their own bombs. Following the war, he was accepted at Queen’s University because of his war service. After graduating, he studied at Duke University, interning in Edmonton and Brantford before settling in Kamloops, B.C. He and his wife have four children:

- Ian, 1955, a TV writer and producer, whose credits include the series, Cold Squad, Nothing too Good for a Cowboy, and Edgemont Road. Ian lives in Langley, B.C.

- Paul, 1959, a lawyer in Vancouver

- Michael, 1961, who heads up a firm of chartered accountants

- Richard, 1964, who works for a developer in Vancouver. He did research for Caldwell Associates in real estate prior to working for the Bosa family.

Dr. Weir told me that his mother received a Mothers’ Allowance of $25 a month after his father’s death. When his brother, Harley, reached 16 he quit school to help support his mother, at which point the government cut back her allowance. The children all helped out with their paper route money. He said neighbours would give food to another family, the Starks, who were also facing difficult times. They in turn shared what little they had with the Weirs.

Janet (Jennie) Isabella, 1886 -1965, the third child of Jim Weir and Sarah Dixon, who married Vince McCarthy.

Rolland, 1893 – 1966, the fourth child and the only one born in Calgary. Rolly was one of the first Canadian hockey players to play in the U.S., playing in Syracuse, New York where he remained as an official scorer at games. I remember his yearly visits to his sister Jennie. He married Ann O’Keefe, and later, his second wife, Agnes Garland. He suffered from diabetes and is buried in Syracuse.

Andrew, 1891, seven weeks.

Claude, three days.