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Descendents of David Cessford (1803 - 21 Jan 1862)
and Margaret "Peggy" Piercy (1804 - 21 Jul 1864)

Third Immigrant Generation
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19. George Wellington Cessford . Son of Robert Cessford & Margaret Nesbitt. Born 15 May 1872 in Harvey, York Co., NB. Died 11 Aug 1959 in Victoria, BC. Occupation Capt. Sealer.

    From 1901 Census for Victoria, BC, George was born 15 May 1872 in NB, and was a Capt. Sealer.

    From notes written by Jessie Pearson March 1997, and sent to Bill McEwen:   "George was a deep sea whaler--went to sea as a cabin boy in 1889 for eight dollars a month on the Schooner Ariel.   He left sealing, after many years on a chartered boat, and returned to Victoria where he took up work as a carpenter.   He and Aunt Nell with daughter Muriel lived on Henry Street, close to Mary St.   Aunt Nell died in St. Joseph Hospital.   Muriel lived in Seattle until her death.   We knew very little of Muriel, have no dates."

    Copied from newspaper obituary - 1959:

    G. W. Cessford

    Seal Hunter In Old Days Dies in City

    A pioneer Victorian who was one of the last survivors of the famous Bering Sea seal hunters made famous in Jack London's novel "Seawolf" died in St. Joseph's Hospital yesterday.

    He was George Wellington Cessford, 87, a personal friend of the man many believe was the model for London's ferocious central character "Wolf" Larsen.

    In his sealing days, Mr Cessford matched wits with the deadly Russian patrols off Copper Island when the sealers would slip within the prohibited 30-mile zone around the Russian coast in search of valuable fur seals.

    He was seal hunter and one of the charterers of a vessel which was "high boat" among the sealing fleet in 1895.

    When the sealing boats were not running from the Russians, they were often fleeing the guns of the U.S. patrol boats which tried to maintain a 60-mile prohibited area around Alaska and adjacent islands.

    Mr Cessford came to Victoria from New Brunswick at the age of three, travelling with his parents to San Francisco by rail and to Victoria aboard the old ship Pacific.

    Recalling his boyhood a few months before he died, he remembered when he was 11 watching six square riggers riding out a storm in Royal Roads and seeing four of them driven ashore.

    His father was employed in a tannery on what is now the grounds of Royal Roads.

    Mr Cessford went to sea in 1889 as a cabin boy on the schooner Ariel for pay of $8.00 a month.   In 1905 he left the sealing fleet and returned permanently to Victoria where he worked as a carpenter until his retirement in 1945.

    He is survived by his wife Nellie, at home, 43 Hibberson Crescent.

    Funeral will be held on Friday at 2 p.m. from Chaplins funeral home, with Rev. Roy McGillivray officiating.

    He married Nellie.

    (In Vital Stats for BC, Death Registration Index, a Helen Cessford died 14 Jul 1971, age 84, in Victoria, BC--this may have been Nellie, this information would have to be verified/jh)

    They had the following children:

  42   i.   Muriel Cessford

20. Almira "Myra" Cessford . Daughter of Robert Cessford & Margaret Nesbitt. Born 10 Apr 1874 in Harvey, York Co., NB. Died 1 Aug 1956 in Victoria, BC. Buried in Ross Bay Cemetery.

    From 1901 Census for Victoria, BC, Almira was born 10 Apr 1874 in NB, and was a dressmaker.

    From notes written by Jessie Pearson, March 1997, sent to Bill McEwen:   "Almira (Aunt Myra to all or us) was married to Jack Dodd.   He worked for the years I can remember as a Janitor at the Parliament Bldgs...... Aunt Myra died in the Gorge Hospital (Nursing Home), was buried at Ross Bay, as most of the Cessfords living in Victoria were. .... No children of this marriage."

    She married John C. "Jack" Dodd, 16 Sep 1902 in Victoria, BC.

    They lived in Victoria.   Jack worked as a janitor at the Parliament Buildings.   No children.

21. John Harvey "Jack" Cessford . Son of Robert Cessford & Margaret Nesbitt. Born 19 Sep 1876 in Esquimalt, BC. Died 21 Jan 1929 in Victoria, BC. Buried in Ross Bay Cemetery, Victoria, BC.

    From BC Vital Stats, Death Registration Index:   John Harvey Cessford, died 21 Jan 1929, age 52 yr., in Victoria.

22. Margaret "Madge" Cessford . Daughter of Robert Cessford & Margaret Nesbitt. Born 13 Nov 1878 in Esquimalt, BC.

    Information from notes written by Jessie Pearson in March 1997, and sent to Bill McEwen:    "Madge followed her brother Jim to Alaska, and married Tom Gleason in Alaska, but the marriage didn't last long.   She worked for a family by the name of Agnew in Seattle, Wash.   (Mr Agnew was a banker.)"

   She married Thomas Gleason, in Alaska.

23. Thomas Piercy Cessford . Son of Robert Cessford & Margaret Nesbitt. Born 9 Jan 1882 in Esquimalt, BC.

    Thomas was living in Seattle in 1936.

    (In BC Vital Stats - Marriage Registration Index:   Thomas Piercy Cessford married Antonia Julia Droob 30 Apr 1910 in Victoria.   In Death Registration Index:   Antonio J. C. Cessford (female) died 5 Sep 1935 at 48 yr. at Shawnigan Lake, BC.)

    He married Antonia Julia Droob, 30 Apr 1910 in Victoria, BC. Born Approx 1887 in Denmark. Died 5 Sep 1935 in Shawnigan Lake, BC. Buried in Ross Bay Cemetery, Victoria, BC.

    Antonia Julio died 5 Sep 1935 at age 48 years.

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