Individual Details
Samuel Thomas Kirkpatrick
(23 Nov 1914 - 26 Dec 1979)
A letter written by Samuel Thomas Kirkpatrick to his nephew Samuel in November 1963
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November 23, 1963
Dear Sam,
I have kept my promise. have written what I could about your Dad. It was much harder then I thought when I started. Although my mind is very keen, I find that concentrated thinking over a period of two or three hours is very tiring. I do have to admit that I have slowed up mentally well as physically. But that has to be expected of any man my age. By the way, tomorrow is my birthday. I will be 80 years of age, and still going strong. I hope you will do as well as I have when you reach your four score years. Now regarding mental fatigue, I had a day off after writing a couple of hours, otherwise I would make mistakes more so. I use a typewriter. I do make mistakes in spelling and in typing I often hit the wrong key, sometimes I hit a key twice when once would have been enough. I miss a letter here and there. Most often I leave out a word. Those mistakes are hard to correct, unless you clutter up every page with pencil marks. So I left them as they were written, and trust you will understand what I meant, after figuring out what I wished to say. I find it difficult to select the proper words and then put them together in a way that will express myself without wasting alot of words. That is where the lack of Education has been a disability to me. In regards to history,
page 2
this is not a very good example. It is patchy. So much of his life was spent when I was no where near him, and had no knowledge of his activities. So it was hearsay, but during that he and I had talked. He did tell me more than he told any of his own family. Him and Emma both loved to talk about things. That happened in the good old days. Anyways I done the best I could and hope you all find it interesting. It is something that will live after I am gone. I suggest you get your good wife to devise some sort of cover to the pages, so they will not be wrecked when they are handed around to the umpteen relations to read. My niece Fay (Mrs. Bob Lewis, of Vancouver) lost her husband a week or so ago. He died after several years of broken health. Fay was almost a wreck in trying to take care of him. They were mis-mated, never got along. Fay was living and loved good tunes. She played accordian- banjo & guitar. She had to ------- all that Bob didn't dance. He wanted church tunes, Fay liked old time dance tunes. He had a jealous streak that he could not hide. All her relations quit visiting her on account of Bob. So Fay had sixteen years of misery. An it was a God send to her that he finally went, otherwise she would ---- evil of our world to do down. Mis-mating is the great
page 3
The rest of our folks are well as far as I know. Brother Tom and I are the only ones left of the original Kirkpatrick Family. We have out lived our brothers and sisters by a large margin. Tom is four years younger than I, but he is in very good condition & still working. So he will no doubt reach the 4 score mark. I have outlived 9 nephews and 7 nieces. So all those who are following in my footsteps will have to go some to equal my record.
Well we are prepared to spend winter The plans we had in view have all fallen through. We could not agree on terms. Now things are looking up for the coming year. We have a full report on the Grand---- mine. Which has been doing exploratory work for several years. They have completed exploring, have determined the total tonnage available & are satisfied with values obtained & will start next spring on 42 million ------- or program to put the mine into production. First there will be 6 miles low level tunnels driven ----- buildings for workers & 20 miles all downgrade truck roads to tide water at Stewart. The report say it will be a couple of years before the milling and shipping is under way. But when it does, there will be a hundred men employed at the mine and mill and at least 2 hundred families will work ---------- it.
page 4
---------------. So it looks like things will be booming here next Summer. If so, we will be heading South, and I mean fast. For 27 years Vi and I have been isolated up here where the only means of getting here was over 600 miles of slow boat and the fare is out rageous. We have been unable to afford a holladay since I retired. We hope to settle down where our folks will be able to call on us now & then. I have been somewhat worried about you and George as you both had health troubles. Now I don't want to outlive anymore of my Nephews. So take care of yourself. We have had a very mild Fall so far. No snow till the middle of November. This morning it was around the zero mark, no it is raining again.
I will have to close for this time and hope to hear from you in the near. I have not heard from any of the folks for a long time.
With best wishes to you and all the family.
I remain ever,
Uncle Sam
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Obituary not found at newspaperarchive.com, April 13, 2018.
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November 23, 1963
Dear Sam,
I have kept my promise. have written what I could about your Dad. It was much harder then I thought when I started. Although my mind is very keen, I find that concentrated thinking over a period of two or three hours is very tiring. I do have to admit that I have slowed up mentally well as physically. But that has to be expected of any man my age. By the way, tomorrow is my birthday. I will be 80 years of age, and still going strong. I hope you will do as well as I have when you reach your four score years. Now regarding mental fatigue, I had a day off after writing a couple of hours, otherwise I would make mistakes more so. I use a typewriter. I do make mistakes in spelling and in typing I often hit the wrong key, sometimes I hit a key twice when once would have been enough. I miss a letter here and there. Most often I leave out a word. Those mistakes are hard to correct, unless you clutter up every page with pencil marks. So I left them as they were written, and trust you will understand what I meant, after figuring out what I wished to say. I find it difficult to select the proper words and then put them together in a way that will express myself without wasting alot of words. That is where the lack of Education has been a disability to me. In regards to history,
page 2
this is not a very good example. It is patchy. So much of his life was spent when I was no where near him, and had no knowledge of his activities. So it was hearsay, but during that he and I had talked. He did tell me more than he told any of his own family. Him and Emma both loved to talk about things. That happened in the good old days. Anyways I done the best I could and hope you all find it interesting. It is something that will live after I am gone. I suggest you get your good wife to devise some sort of cover to the pages, so they will not be wrecked when they are handed around to the umpteen relations to read. My niece Fay (Mrs. Bob Lewis, of Vancouver) lost her husband a week or so ago. He died after several years of broken health. Fay was almost a wreck in trying to take care of him. They were mis-mated, never got along. Fay was living and loved good tunes. She played accordian- banjo & guitar. She had to ------- all that Bob didn't dance. He wanted church tunes, Fay liked old time dance tunes. He had a jealous streak that he could not hide. All her relations quit visiting her on account of Bob. So Fay had sixteen years of misery. An it was a God send to her that he finally went, otherwise she would ---- evil of our world to do down. Mis-mating is the great
page 3
The rest of our folks are well as far as I know. Brother Tom and I are the only ones left of the original Kirkpatrick Family. We have out lived our brothers and sisters by a large margin. Tom is four years younger than I, but he is in very good condition & still working. So he will no doubt reach the 4 score mark. I have outlived 9 nephews and 7 nieces. So all those who are following in my footsteps will have to go some to equal my record.
Well we are prepared to spend winter The plans we had in view have all fallen through. We could not agree on terms. Now things are looking up for the coming year. We have a full report on the Grand---- mine. Which has been doing exploratory work for several years. They have completed exploring, have determined the total tonnage available & are satisfied with values obtained & will start next spring on 42 million ------- or program to put the mine into production. First there will be 6 miles low level tunnels driven ----- buildings for workers & 20 miles all downgrade truck roads to tide water at Stewart. The report say it will be a couple of years before the milling and shipping is under way. But when it does, there will be a hundred men employed at the mine and mill and at least 2 hundred families will work ---------- it.
page 4
---------------. So it looks like things will be booming here next Summer. If so, we will be heading South, and I mean fast. For 27 years Vi and I have been isolated up here where the only means of getting here was over 600 miles of slow boat and the fare is out rageous. We have been unable to afford a holladay since I retired. We hope to settle down where our folks will be able to call on us now & then. I have been somewhat worried about you and George as you both had health troubles. Now I don't want to outlive anymore of my Nephews. So take care of yourself. We have had a very mild Fall so far. No snow till the middle of November. This morning it was around the zero mark, no it is raining again.
I will have to close for this time and hope to hear from you in the near. I have not heard from any of the folks for a long time.
With best wishes to you and all the family.
I remain ever,
Uncle Sam
------------------------------------------
Obituary not found at newspaperarchive.com, April 13, 2018.
Events
| Birth | 23 Nov 1914 | North Vancouver, , British Columbia, Canada |  | ||
| Birth | 23 Nov 1914 | Vancouver, British Columbia | | ||
| Death | 26 Dec 1979 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | | ||
| Alt name | Sammuel Thomas Kirkpatrick | | |||
| Burial | Queens Park Cemetery, Calgary, Calgary Census Division, Alberta, Canada | |
Families
| Father | James Douglas Kirkpatrick (1867 - 1933) |
| Mother | Emma Bowe (1872 - 1925) |
| Sibling | Anne Christine Kirkpatrick (1896 - 1999) |
| Sibling | Alice Isabel Kirkpatrick (1897 - 1967) |
| Sibling | James Douglas Kirkpatrick Jr. (1899 - 1918) |
| Sibling | Francis Ludwig Kirkpatrick (1901 - 1963) |
| Sibling | Charlotte May Kirkpatrick (1903 - 1986) |
| Sibling | John Gillham Kirkpatrick (1903 - 1982) |
| Sibling | Elsabe Violet Kirkpatrick (1905 - 1972) |
| Sibling | Jean Caroline Kirkpatrick (1907 - 1949) |
| Sibling | George Theodore Kirkpatrick (1910 - 1972) |
| Sibling | Olivine Emma Kirkpatrick (1912 - 1990) |
Endnotes
5. Find A Grave.