Wedding Day - DURNELL, SOPPET, 1940 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Some 'unidentified' photos from my collection.

I believe these three snapshots are related to the wedding of Yvonne Durnell and Alexander Soppet in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on the 24 August 1940.  I did find an article describing a shower and mentioning the bride, groom and Mrs. James Shand and Marjorie Taylor.

I think it likely that Yvonne and my mother were friends, and/or that Mrs. Shand and my mum or grandmother were friends. They must have been neighbours at some point - Mrs. Shand lived at 224 Spence St. in Winnipeg and my mum lived at 270 Spence St. The photo captions are in my mother's hand.

 Marj, Yvonne and Mrs. Shand, 1940

 Yvonne's wedding, Aug 24, 1940

1940 [The woman on your left appears to be my grandmother, Amy (Irwin) Scott.]

 __________________

From the Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 24 August 1940, page 10. 

In honor of Miss Yvonne Durnell, whose marriage to Alexander Soppet was an event of Saturday, Mrs. James Shand and Miss Marjorie Taylor entertained at a cup and saucer shower Tuesday evening at Mrs. Shand's home, 224 Spence st.  Guests numbered 12.

Newspaper clipping located at Manitobia.ca
As of 2018, Manitobia is part of the University of Manitoba's Digital Collections.

Updated, 2019 - to include the new web address of Manitobia (above) at the University of Manitoba. 

Raise the Jolly Roger - Pirate Gold Winners 1933

The Winnipeg Free Press Pirate Gold Winners for 1933 are found!

Winnipeg Free Press, 8 August, 1933 pp 1 and 2

1st Prize - Mrs. O.W. Struthers of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, $25. Hers was a "perfect score" - her winning epitaph for the pirate -

Here lies an old pirate, a bold buccaneer,
Who lived to repent of his bloody career.
For learn ye who pause by this stone grey and cold,
That pain is his guerdon who hoards pirate gold.

2nd Prize - Miss Anne Purkow of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, $15

3rd Prize - Mrs. R.A. Buckland of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada $10

More prize winners:

Mrs. G.A. Simpson, Winnipeg
Miss Jean M. Grosse, Dickens, Manitoba
Mrs. R.F.Greer, Carman, Manitoba
E. Enston, Winnipeg
Alice M. Northwood, Birtle, Manitoba
Elizabeth Vernon, Winnipeg
Joan E. Jackson, The Pas, Manitoba
S.H. Vipond, Winnipeg
David McIntyre, Stonewall, Manitoba
E.E. Wood, Winnipeg
E.V. Jackman, Winnipeg
Norman D. Pogue, MacGregor, Manitoba

Joan Richardson, Winnipeg
J.D.C. Bruce, Winnipeg
G.W. Steele, Winnipeg
Mrs. A.E. Thrift, Winnipeg
Miss G.P. Porter, Winnipeg
J. Carey, Winnipeg
A.K. Tod, Makiuak, Manitoba
George A. Burkett, Winnipeg
Mary M. Pedlar, Woodside, Manitoba
Sidney Castle, Ninotte Sanatorium, Manitoba
Mrs. S.G. Baird, Winnipeg
K.D. Bruce, Winnipeg
Mrs. Doninar J. Lawson, Shoal Lake, Manitoba
E. Snider, Winnipeg
R. Brown, Winnipeg
Mrs. C.H. Lockhart, Rama, Manitoba
Oswald Badcock, Winnipeg
Miss H.E. Fowler, Canora, Saskatchewan, Canada
Mrs. David Young, Yorkton, Saskatchwan, Canada
Mrs. H.J. Hansell, Winnipeg

The Winnipeg winners do have addresses listed, so if you don't have access to the newspaper, contact me and I'll do my best to copy the entry for you.

(Thank you NewspaperARCHIVE.com. I do love being able to read these papers on-line.)

My original post about this contest is at: http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com/2008/09/raise-jolly-roger-its-talk-like-pirate.html

Raise the Jolly Roger - It's 'Talk Like A Pirate Day'

A pirate might yet figure in my genealogy - but so far the closest I've come to the sea is Lancelott Rogers, rope maker, born abt 1785, in Backwell, Somerset, England. That's this close to Bristol - one of England's greatest ports, often associated with pirates and privateering. My brother is still hoping for proof that we've a pirate or two in our family.

While searching Winnipeg newspapers of old, I did find that in the dark days of the 1930's, Winnipegers had a rare chance to win some 'Pirates' Gold'. Readers were told about a pirate, Antoin Beluche, and shown his murderous sketches - clues to the missing words in his will. I do wonder if my mum and grandma or grandpa entered this contest. And, I wonder who the winners were. I can't seem to find that news in the papers. If anyone knows a winner, please comment! [For all the winners, see my next post: http://canadagenealogy.blogspot.com/2008/09/raise-jolly-roger-pirate-gold-winners.html ]

This is all in fun nowadays, isn't it? but piracy was originally dead serious. You can learn more about a real pirate who may have been from Bristol, Edward Teach, 'Blackbeard', here:

BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2006/09/11/blackbeard_feature.shtml

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard

Pirate Gold contest, Winnipeg Free Press, June 1933