Remembering the WWI Service of Lester Edgar Ince

The wait for Lester Edgar Ince's military service file has finally ended! I downloaded it and have done my preliminary examination to its contents. If you're waiting for these records to come available, you'll know when they have for your ancestor when this link appears on the page for their previously published attestation papers.

The compiled service file is published as a PDF, so you'll need Adobe Reader or some other PDF software to view it. They're free to download, but the process of doing so can take several minutes because the files are quite large. Lester's service file was a total of 180 images, and took between 3 and 5 minutes to download completely.

What you find in your ancestor's service file will depend completely on what their World War I service was like. What you'll find in the file of a decorated officer will vary greatly from what you find in the file of an enlisted man. Because Lester was a black man serving in a predominantly white unit, at a time when whether black men should participate in Canadian military service was hotly contested in society, it shouldn't have surprised me to see no awards of any kind in his file.

Instead his file consists predominantly of medical records. I can see that piecing together his military service will likely rely on creating a timeline of his injuries and hospital stays, and then filling in the action that would have caused them. For the average enlisted man, this process will likely be identical, and tell much of the same story.

The first of his injuries are reportedly shrapnel wounds on his thigh and leg, that were superficial in nature according to his treating physicians. Lester spent time in France, and was at Ypres, where a shell landed approximately fifteen feet from him. As a result he experienced prolonged "shell shock," which caused him great distress throughout the rest of the war. He struggled with noises, was easily irritated, had nausea and loss of appetite, and dizziness. He had disturbing dreams and woke frequently from sleep. He was unable to ride in vehicles without becoming incredibly uneasy, and encountered a great deal of anxiety now associated with post-traumatic stress disorder

Based on his treatment records, I'm also postulating that he experienced first-hand the chemical weapons engaged by the Germans. Lester was treated for severe conjunctivitis, likely the result of contact with poison gas. He also was tested and treated for syphilis, a common ailment among all participants in the European theater. Venereal disease became such a crisis among the British armed forces in Europe, state sponsored prostitution began. After the introduction of this program, all soldiers were required to use contraception. Those who developed any type of preventable disease faced disciplinary action. I'll be interested to take a closer look at the timing and implementation of those measures, to see how they coincide with the enforcement (or lack thereof) within his unit.

I am endlessly glad that I watch Jan Peter's Great War Diaries docu-drama while it was still on Netflix. Even though I watched it several months ago, the thoroughness with which it handled the subject of World War I is incredible. The context includes each of the fronts of WWI action, and civilian life with respect to each, as told through the words and diaries of those who lived there. By the time I finished the documentary, I had the distinct notion that the only way I could have gotten better insight into the war would have been to have spoken to Lester Ince myself. 

I look forward to studying his service file in the weeks and months ahead, especially in relation to a book I'm still reading on his unit. 

Charles Pinheiro and the Caribbean Diaspora

A diaspora is a spreading of an entire generation or population from its home into foreign lands. Many nations throughout history have experienced diaspora, including many of the Caribbean islands throughout the mid-to-late 1800s. In the generations following the fall of slavery, many African-Caribbean freedmen left the islands, in search of a new home.

Cities throughout Canada became attractive places for men and women alike from the Caribbean. Two of my ancestors, Charles Henry Pinheiro and Lester Edgar Ince, decided to settle in Halifax, Nova Scotia between 1875 and 1900. From what I can tell, neither of them ever returned to Barbados--but both of them surely left family members behind.

I made this video to honor them, to tell their stories. But I'm also hoping to connect with their relatives and descendants in Barbados, if any exist. 

Fun fact: I just realized that Lester Ince lived to see the day in 1966 when Barbados created this flag!

Pinheiro is a rare name to find in Barbados because it's a Portuguese name, likely dating back to the European Jews of that name who kept slaves. I'd be interested in connecting with anyone in Barbados, black or white, with that surname.

Lester Edgar Ince was born 5 August 1881 to Frederick and Mary Ince in Saint Peter, Barbados. He lived an incredibly long life in Canada, dying on 15 January 1974 in Montreal at the age of 92. If he had any siblings and they lived anywhere near that long, someone somewhere might remember him or his family. 

I would love to connect with anyone in Barbados with information about either of these two families. If you're in Barbados and interested in helping me find members of my family, please reach out and let me know!

Lester Edgar Ince, Died Age 92

FindaGrave.com, Lester Edgar Ince, Sr, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=108173529 : 8 Jul 2015) headstone image for Lester Edgar Ince, Sr., taken by FindaGrave volunteer Graceti.

So excited to discover that Lester Ince lived a long life! He had me worried there for a while, seeing as he up and disappears after he returned home from World War I. I had no evidence at all to support that he survived the Halifax Explosion, and was working on the theory that his was an unaccounted death.

But no! He relocated with his children to Montreal, and was buried in the same cemetery as his daughter, Muriel Ince Michaels. In fact, when I searched the Mount Royal Cemetery database for her, I recall checking at some point to see if other family members were also buried there. I came across Lester's name, but had no way of confirming who he was because only the death date was given. For all I knew, someone in the family might have named a child after him. And I refuse to make assumptions.

Once the wonderful volunteers at Find a Grave fulfilled my photo request, I had the confirmation I needed to say that was my 2x great grandfather. I'm so grateful that his age is on his headstone, because that little bit of basic math is what provides the confirmation!

Now all I need is his military service file, which is in the process of being digitized by Library and Archives Canada. Waiting for them to reach box 4688 is making me lose all kinds of diplomacy.

I won't comment on anything else until I get it. Because whatever the rest of his story is, I know it's worth the wait!

Awesome Finds, Big Ships, and the Great War

Lester Edgar Ince Sr is one of those ancestors I have on the back burner. I've had him there for some time, but it always amazes me the way breakthroughs can still happen in ways you didn't expect.

HMS Ariadne, provided by Wikimedia Commons

According to the 1911 Canadian census, he immigrated from Barbados (then the British West Indies) to Canada some time around 1900. I have not yet located him on the 1901 census, which could be because he immigrated after the census was taken. The absence of proof makes me question when exactly he immigrated to Canada, and how I can prove it.

To answer that question, I need to understand more of how he spent his life before moving to Canada, as well as the policies controlling immigration between the British West Indies and Canada. 

One new find has given me what I need to begin painting the picture of his life before immigration. He served in the Royal Navy aboard the ship HMS Ariadne, and his service record provides me with some crucial missing information.

Discovery, digital images, The National Archives - Kew, (http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6795093 : 27 October 2014), Entry for Lester Ince, citing ADM 188/551/362251

Check out that Place of Birth. Lester was born in the parish of Saint Peter!

Barbados is divided into regions called parishes, and all local records in Barbados are organized according to parish. Anyone who does research in the Caribbean knows that if you don't have a parish, you are out of luck. No parish = No happy dance!

Gettin' that parish!

And I can tell you from personal experience, these Royal Navy records do not always include parish information. This was pure luck. Finding someone's parish usually is.

I also find it interesting that Lester was a jeweler, especially since his father's occupation on his marriage record was given as a cooper. How does the son of a barrel maker become a jeweler? You know there's an interesting story at the other end of that question.

As for policies limiting immigration between the British West Indies and Canada, both countries were territories of the United Kingdom. From what I can tell, they all held British citizenship. There was no legal requirement for British subjects to be naturalized upon immigration to other British territories. This makes tracing his or anyone else's entrance from the Caribbean into Canada a unique challenge.

Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics, digital images, Nova Scotia Archvies, (https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/ItemView.aspx?ImageFile=1821-16&Event=marriage&ID=69164 : 27 October 2014), Entry for marriage of Lester Ince and Ethel May Pinheiro, citing Halifax County, Nova Scotia, "Registration Year 1909, Book 1821," p. 16, line 228.

In 1909, Lester Ince married Ethel May Pinheiro. They lived with her parents, and gave birth to five children in the harbor area of Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

Soldiers of the First World War: 1914-1918, digital images, Library and Archives Canada, (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/first-world-war-1914-1918-cef/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=487849 : 27 October 2014), Attestation papers for Lester Edgar Ince, citing RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 4688 - 18 [Page 1 of 2.]

After the outbreak of World War I, Lester Ince Sr. enlisted for military service. He was not the only black man to do so, but was one of the few who were chosen. He was assigned to the 60th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. Colored regiments were formed after he enlisted, and there is no record to suggest he served in a colored regiment.

The records that would shed more light on his military service are available at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. All of the World War I service records are in the process of being digitized and published online. They anticipate finishing with the project some time in 2015.

But thanks to Ancestry.com, I recently discovered a passenger list that is shedding some light on the end of Lester's military service in World War I.

Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865-1935, digital images, Ancestry.com, (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1263 : 27 October 2014), Entry for L. E. Ince entering Halifax, Nova Scotia on 14 November 1917, citing Library and Archives Canada RG 76-C, T-4756

Note that L. E. Ince's number (458117) matches the number on his attestation papers. This is the same man married to Ethel May Ince, of 54 Gerrish Street in Halifax. Although the list title says it's of medically unfit men, that's an oversimplification. Browsing through the list reveals men being sent to Canada for non-medical reasons. The reason for discharge given for Lester Ince is "Dis. of A.G." I have been searching for over an hour for some clue as to what that is, or 1Que Reserve unit, or Military district 6, or classification 3.

Ancestry.com gives the arrival date of the Olympic in Halifax, Nova Scotia as 14 November 1917. One notable fact about the Olympic is that it was a massive ocean liner, a sister ship to the Titanic.

RMS Olympic, image provided by Wikimedia Commons

I think it is safe to assume Lester Ince arrived in Canada alive, given that no note is given on the passenger list of his death. So the question becomes, what happened to him between November 1917, and when the 1921 census was taken? Why didn't he return to his family? And if he did return and left, why and where did he go?

I have a feeling that I won't have all of the answers until I see his full service file. But of course, you never know. I said that before, and I have this much more information without it. Sometimes patience done properly has its rewards.

Exploring the Black Community of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Good research questions get you thinking about your old roadblocks in new ways, and that exactly what just happened with all of the questions I was asking myself yesterday. I have just had an incredible flow of answers and new information. I can hardly keep up with it, between the fast pace and the excitement I'm feeling.

So let's just start with the questions I began with yesterday, before I make a mess!

Question 1: Did Charles and Lester working for the railroad impact their moving from Barbados to Halifax, Nova Scotia?

Answer: YES!

Google Book Search for "Intercolonial Railway and Barbados" produced this result. And you want to talk about genealogical serendipity--I didn't even put Charles' Pinheiro's name in the search, and the blurb on the search result included his name. I would have skimmed right on over it if I hadn't seen the name. I love this stuff!

Check out this page from this book I found, North of the Color Line: Migration and Black Resistance in Canada, 1870-1955 by Sarah-Jane Mathieu. Saje Mathieu teaches history and the University of Minnesota. It was at this point that I began to recognize that my ancestor is a very well-researched individual in all the right circles.

Question 2: Where did Charles go to church? What bearing did it play on his personal life?

Answer: St. Paul's Church of England

I hit Google Books again, this time for Charles Pinheiro in Halifax, and found a fantastic article by Judith Fingard, From Sea to Rail: Black Transportation Workers and their Families in Halifax, c.1870-1916. She goes into an unprecedented level of detail on the personal life of my ancestor.

Fingard mentions that he was a member of St. Paul's Church of England, with the exception that he and his wife Rose Dallas were married in the Methodist church because her family was Methodist. He was also a Freemason, and Fingard points out how many other black men in the railway industry would have been masons in the same lodge together.

Question 3: What happened to Lester Ince?

Answer: He joined the military

My family has veterans galore. Now I can say I have them from two different countries. Lester Ince joined the Canadian military as part of the troops assembled to fight in World War I. Library and Archives Canada provides access to the applications, which provide insight into what Lester looked like and his other military service.

Lester Edgar Ince CEF WWI Attestation, front

Lester Edgar Ince CEF WWI Attestation,back

Because he doesn't appear with his family after the war in the 1921 census, I think it's safe to theorize that he died in the war. That would certainly explain why he doesn't show up in any of the death or burial records back in Halifax. I'll have to keep looking so I can substantiate that theory, but it does provide me with my next step.

Question 4: What happened to Charles? Where did he die? Where is he buried?

Answer: He moved to Montreal and died there.

And there's an obituary! I can't find an online archive for the newspaper yet. But thanks to Judith Fingard, I know there's an obituary for him in The Halifax Chronicle of 22 July 1944. Once I get a copy of this obituary, hopefully it'll tell me where Charles is buried. He was a true patriarch. He loved and cared for the extended generations of his family. I want to know where the final resting place of his body is. If I ever get the chance, I want to be able to pay my respects.

I wrote to Judith Fingard with what I deduced must be the email address provided to her from the university. I asked her for whatever help and insight with which she could provide me. She just wrote me back about 20 minutes ago, and we'll be touching base in a couple of weeks. I'm simply in awe of how quickly and completely these pieces are falling into place.

There is even MORE to go into, but I'm going to call it good for today. Be on the lookout for the follow up with Judith Fingard, the missing Pinheiro census records, and the new records I found for Rose Dallas and her family!

My Barbadian Immigrants in Nova Scotia

So when we left off in terms of new discovery, I was unraveling the mysteries of my Black Canadian heritage. When I said I was taking a break from them, I ended up taking a break from genealogy in general. I've slugged my way through some adulthood complications, and I've decided to continue plugging away at these same families.

I may not be able to take the lines back into the records of their native countries, but I can fill in the gaps I still have missing. And many of them center around the men in these families. So I want to take the time to revisit all of the documentation I've already found, establish what I know about these families, and make some specific research questions so I can decide what I need to find and where to look next.

Charles Pinheiro is definitely the patriarch and staple of this family. It's only from knowing about him that I've been able to find as much information as I have. He's always attached to anything significant that happens to his descendants. The important events in this family either occur in his house, or his signature is attached--as was the case when his grandson Lester died at 12, or his granddaughter Muriel was married. Even after his only daughter, Ethel May Pinheiro, married Lester Ince--they still lived in her father's house as a large extended family.

According to the records, Charles is originally from Barbados and he entered Canada some time in or around 1875. Lester Ince is from Barbados as well, entering  Canada in 1900. They both work for the railroad, Charles for IRC, or Intercolonial Railway. Lester works for CPR, or Canadian Pacific Railway. I'm instantly beginning to wonder if their ability to immigrate across the globe was related to their jobs. Did either of these railroads have shipping sectors in their business that would have picked these men up in Barbados and brought them to Canada?

Charles Pinheiro and family on the 1891 Census for Halifax, Nova Scotia

They were members of the Church of England, and it appears that Ethel and Lester were married in an Anglican Church somewhere in Halifax. Where was that church? What does that mean in terms of their personal beliefs and lifestyle?

Charles Pinheiro and family on the 1911 Census for Halifax, Nova Scotia

Between 1911 and 1921, something happens to Lester Ince and he is no longer a part of the picture. Ethel's last child, William Ince, was born in 1916. So some time between 1916 and 1921, Lester Ince either died, left, or was simply away from home when the 1921 census was taken in Halifax. But I have my questions about what was going on in this relationship--because when you look at the 1921 census, Ethel's marital statue was written over. This census taker appears to have done this more than once on this page, so it may be irrelevant. But the question remains of where Lester was and what happened to him. If he died, where was he buried?

Charles Pinheiro and family on the 1921 Census for Halifax, Nova Scotia

These documents have quite a few addresses on them, which I need to compile and explore as best I can. The numbers on the streets have changed drastically, but if I can find a decent historical map of Halifax, I should be able to figure out where things were.

• 54 Garrish Lane--Charles' home
• 174 Gottingen Street--Charles' home at time of Rose's death
• 80 Oxford Street--the address attached to Muriel's marriage license, appears to be the address of the Church. What church is it?

Charles outlives his wife and seems to disappear off of the record. Is he buried in Camp Hill cemetery like the other members of his family? What happened to him? Where did he die? 

These are just a few of the questions I was able to come up with after looking at the records again. I barely got these questions down before I started finding the answers to them. Sometimes the information is just waiting for us to find it, and we can barely keep up with it once we do.

Everything we know always merits a second look. And overwhelming majority of the time, what we need to keep moving forward is buried somewhere in what we already know.

That Sweet Trick with the Enumeration Map

My husband is one of my greatest allies when it comes to doing genealogy. He is an amazing researcher with a very clear vision of what he needs to do to overcome a problem. He comes up with solutions many times that I didn't even know existed. A good example is how he found Muriel Ince Michaels on the 1921 Canadian census.

I had the copy of the 1911 census where her family is living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Lester Ince and Ethel Pinheiro are living with Ethel's parents, Charles Pinheiro and Rose Dallas. Note how it says Charles is from Barbados.

Lester Ince and Ethel Pinheiro on the 1911 Halifax, NS Canadian Census

I had been filling in all sorts of gaps around this family using Nova Scotia Historical and Vital Statistics, and had the marriage record for Lester and Ethel. Because of that record, I was able to get the proper spelling of her maiden name. With that name in tow, a list of records pop out.

I find the records for their children: Ernest, Garnet, and Lester. I find out that Lester dies of bronchitis. I'm able to look through the Canadian census records again, this time for Charles and Rose. Their 1891 entry appears:

Charles Pinheiro and family on the 1891 Halifax, NS Canadian census

But I'm not satisfied. I need the confirmation that Muriel actually belongs to this family. Because she's born in 1913, I know she'll appear on the 1921 Canadian census. When my husband comes home and finds me sitting on the couch typing furiously on the computer, he doesn't have to ask what I'm doing. He already knows.

When I brief him that I'm still working on the Canadian lines of my research, he offers to search through the census for me to find the page I want. I have no doubt of his abilities. I've seen him work.

I leave him to go and do the dishes. By the time I come back, he's announcing, "I found it."

Ethel Pinheiro Ince appears without her husband on the 1921 Halifax, NS Canadian Census, with two more children

My eyes dart to find their name. Two more children's names appear... Muriel and William!

I look at him in pure awe. He's used to it. He gives me this look which can only be described as I'm Sort of a Big Deal.

"How did you do that?" I demanded to know. He showed me this:

1911 Halifax, Nova Scotia enumeration district map

This map shows all of the census enumeration districts for the city of Halifax. On the 1911 census my ancestors are living on Gerrish Lane in Ward 5. If you look at the top of the 1911 census, it says Ward 5.

So, when he went to Ancestry.ca and started looking through the census records, he went to the city of Halifax, scrolled directly to Ward 5, and started looking. He got about 4 pages in to one of the first sections he looked at before he found them.

So, to anyone trying trying to work up the mental capacity to dig through the 1921 census, there is an easier way. 

Pay attention to the enumeration information on the census records you already have. Look up a map if you want to see it in front of you. Narrow your search down to a section of the census and look through it that way. Take a lesson from my husband and save yourself a lot of unnecessary work. It will leave you feeling much better in the end.