Vancouver- First Days- Historical Glimpse 1884-1917

Vancouver The First Years 1884-1917 Drawing, photos compiled by Della Burford and Dale Bertrand- Executive Directors of the Roberts Heritage Foundation about the talented Roberts family who settled in Vancouver in 1883. John Hugh Roberts was from humble beginning as a tailor in Wales and even as a young man always kept a dairy. He became a prolific writer who wrote 60 years of detailed dairies and also spent nine years on mystical druid manuscripts. The family was his wife Anne, son Tomhu Huron Roberts (Tomtu) ,daughters Mississippi, Sarah and granddaughter Winnie.
Tomhu Huron Roberts (Tomtu) was trained in art in Toronto at Odell and Trout and apprenticed at Bridgman & Foster and did exquisite small sketches that were portraits and landscapes. He moved with is family to Vancouver and sketched all that surrounded him. His sketchbooks also had notes on how to do art.
Daughter Mississippi and William Steele who had a photography business in Winnipeg called Steele and Co. had three children one was born in 1886 in Vancouver Charles Steele who was the First boy to be born in Vancouver after incorporation. He went to Mount Pleasant elementary School and studied as he said reading, writing and rithmetic. He studied accounting at Pittman College and in 1907 from a $5 bill he made within 18 months $35,000 in cash he started his Pioneer Real Estate business. He went thru the tough times like the depression but said he came out relieved that he was not owing anyone anything. I had the pleasure of meeting him and he loved antiques and was a very generous man. He was friends with Mary Bertrand and when he passed away at age 91 all his family drawings, writings photos and paintings were left to her. So thus we are able to share a little bit with you about this remarkable family. Della and Dale

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Vancouver
• historical Vancouver
• John Hugh Roberts
• Tomhu Huron Roberts
• Tomtu Huron Roberts
• Early Canadian artist
• Steele & Co
• Charles Steele
• first boy born in Vancouver.

[dellabirdhelmet]

Received this message - thank you - "I AM" so grateful to you for keeping up your determination to finish this project.

I think you did a wonderful job of putting together the pictures and stories of Roberts.

Edna Director of the Roberts Foundation

(Other Directors are Doug Atkins, Mary Lynne Ogilvie, & Joanne Randall Williams.

[dellabirdhelmet]

These are pages from the booklet Dale and I worked on for the Roberts Heritage Foundation - layout by Iris Funck - just a glimpse of the history of the Roberts family - because of the various talents of the family there are written dairies, photos, drawings and paintings which could be an incredible book - maybe in the future!

[dellabirdhelmet]

Comment sent to us: Thanks Della & Dale. Really Interesting. Quite an important part of Vancouver's historical record. Good work! Kim :)

[TheWINKYFACES]

Interesting compilation of early colourful canadian pioneer. Thanks for keep our history stories told and not forgotten.

[EricBobrow]

Nicely done! It looks like these are taken from a book - is there a book in the works?