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Descendents of Thomas Speedy (14 Oct 1815- 26 Jan 1900)
and Isabella Patterson (9 Nov 1815 - 26 Nov 1888)

Third Immigrant Generation
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50. Matthew Alexander Piercy . Son of Thomas H. Piercy & Jane Speedy. Born 25 Dec 1867 in Harvey, NB. Christen 11 Aug 1868 in St. Paul's Church Records, Fredericton. Died 3 Feb 1889 in Union Mines Saw Mill (Cumberland). Buried in Denman Island, BC.

 

    Copied from obituary in 1967 Piercy Family Tree book:

    Death of Mr Matthew Alexander Piercy

    One of the sad occurrences not infrequently encountered was the sudden and unexpected decease of Matthew A. Piercy, eldest son of Mr and Mrs T. H. Piercy of Denman Island, which took place at the Union Mines Saw Mill.

 

    The young man had been during the previous week enjoying a few days visit at his parents home and on resuming work at the sawmill where he was employed, suffered a severe attack of pleurisy and this speedily developed into pneumonia, and on Sunday morning last in spite of every endeavour to save his life, the end came.

 

    The remains were on Monday conveyed by special train to Jack Hart's Point, hence by boat to his father's home.   On Tuesday, followed by a large concourse of sorrowing friends, to the burying grounds near the site of the new church.   He was laid in the first grave dug in the new cemetery and thus closed his earthly career.

 

    Rev. W. W. Baer addressed the congregation from Philippians and conducted the graveside service.

    Matthew Piercy was much respected by all who knew him.   A young man who was of genial temperament and had quiet inoffensive disposition, steady, sober and industrious.   His projects and success were enviable.   The bereaved family have the heartfelt sympathy of the entire community in the separation by death from the first born of their home.   He was 21 years of age.   He died on February 3rd, 1889.

 

51. Isabella Piercy . Daughter of Thomas H. Piercy & Jane Speedy. Born 18 Oct 1869 in Harvey. Christen 15 Jul 1870 in St. Paul's Church Records, Fredericton. Died 16 Dec 1931 in Courtenay, BC. Buried in Courtenay Civic Cemetery, Section A.

    BC Vital Stats:   d. 16 Dec 1931, age 62, at Courtenay, BC.

 

   She married Robert "Bob" Cessford, son of John "Jack" Cessford & Margaret Grieve. Born 15 May 1857 in Harvey Settlement, NB. Died 16 Oct 1925 in Comox, BC. Buried in   Courtenay Civic Cemetery, Section A. Occupation Miner, Farmer.

 

    Bob went to BC in the 1880s, worked his way across Canada on the CPR, and settled in the Comox District of Vancouver Island.

 

    Copied from newspaper obituary:

    Lived Many Years In Comox District

    Late Mr Robert Cessford Came to Cumberland in Eighties.

    A resident of the district for 37 years and of the Courtenay section of it for the past twelve, Mr Robert Cessford passed away on his homestead last Friday after an illness of two weeks.

 

    Mr Cessford was one of the New Brunswickers who came out to British Columbia in the eighties.   He worked his way across Canada on the C.P.R. and came to Cumberland where he worked for the Robert Dunsmuir, Ltd. and later for the Canadian Collieries for twenty-five years.   He left the mining town to take up farming.   He tackled a piece of uncleared land twelve years ago near the Puntledge Indian reserve and by dint of unremitting labor cleared twenty acres of it and made it one of the best homesteads in the district.   In August of last year lightning set his barn on fire and in an hour he had lost barn and crops, home and farm implements.   Unfortunately he had had very little insurance.   This was a heavy blow from which he never seemed quite to recover.   But there was no definite illness till two weeks ago when he took to his bed and died in his sixty-eighth year on Friday.

 

    Mr Cessford left to mourn his loss his wife, Messrs. J. T. Cessford, W. W. Cessford, R. J. Cessford (sons), Mrs R. F. Lefley, of Victoria, Mrs Harold Grant, of Camp 2, and Miss Margaret Cessford (daughters), Mr W. D. Cessford of Vancouver, Albert Cessford of Princeton, Thos. Cessford of New Brunswick (brothers) and Mrs Pollock of New Brunswick (sister).

 

    The late Mr Cessford was a charter member of Cumberland Lodge A.F. & A.M. and a charter member of Union Lodge No. 11 of Oddfellows at Cumberland and both orders took part in the funeral on Tuesday afternoon, which was under Masonic auspices.   The funeral service was conducted from the family residence, the Rev. W. T. Beattie officiating, to the Presbyterian cemetery at Sandwick, where interment took place.   The pall-bearers were Messrs. D. Thomson, P. McBryde, D.R. Macdonald, S. Horwood, H. G. Blackhall and Len Piket.   The principal mourners attending the funeral included a number from Denman Island, where Mr Cessford had many relatives and friends.

 

    They had the following children:

  195   i.   John "Thomas" Cessford

  196   ii.   William Wallace "Bill" Cessford

  197   iii.   Ethel Cessford

  198   iv.   Lena Cessford

  199   v.   Robert James "Bob" Cessford

  200   vi.   Margaret Jane "Peggy" Cessford

 

52. Elizabeth Selena "Lena" Piercy . Daughter of Thomas H. Piercy & Jane Speedy. Born 29 Dec 1871 in Harvey Sta. Died 8 Jan 1932 in B.C.

 

    She married William Baikie. Born 28 Jul 1864. Died 29 May 1941 in BC.