Fonds / Collection

Burnie Smith Collection.

Description Level

Collection.

GMD

Graphic Material.

Date Range

1922-1968?

Creator

Burnie Smith (nee Swenson).

Fonds Number

CR-195.

Accession Number

2020-005. 2022-049.

Physical Description

16 photograph prints : b&w ; scans.

History / Biographical

Burnie Violet Smith (nee Swenson) was born in 1956 to parents Don Swenson and Pat Swenson (nee McDonald). Her father Don Swenson was born February 19, 1927 and passed away January 12, 1999. Her mother Pat McDonald was born February 7, 1927. Don and Pat met at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and married on October 6, 1951. They had six children. Burnie was the first girl born to the couple, after her two older brothers. The family grew up on the farm at the end of River Road West that was originally purchased by Burnie's great-grandfather Paul Swenson. He purchased the first half of the farm in October 17, 1888 from his brother-in-law Ben Young for $4450. He purchased the second half from Ben Young for $4000 on January 7, 1899. Ben Young had previously bought the farm from Philander Wheeler Swelt of New Westminster on May 13, 1881 for $817. Alfred Smith bought the farm from the crown two days earlier on May 11, 1881 for $155. Burnie attended Ladner Elementary School and Delta Secondary School. She then went on to study at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and graduated in 1977 as a Registered Nurse. Burnie first worked at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), then at St. Vincent's Hospital, and finally at Delta Hospital, retiring from her hospital career in December 1990. Burnie married Ron Smith at the Ladner United Church on October 22, 1983. They had three sons. Two of them are married and each have two children of their own. Since marrying, Burnie and her family first lived on Paton Drive in Ladner and then later on moved close to the original family farm on River Road West on 5 acres of property along the Fraser River. Burnie's maternal grandparents: Norval May Moodie was born in Perth, Ontario on March 15, 1891 to Thomas A. Moodie and Janet Elizabeth Moodie (nee Finley). Norval graduated from Royal Victoria school of nursing in Montreal in 1915. She was a nursing sister with the Canadian Army Corps and went overseas during World War I. She returned to the family homestead in Sexsmith where she met her husband Gordon Kilgour McDonald, whose family had a homestead next to theirs. Gordon was born September 27 1895 and died of blood poisoning on March 9, 1927, a month after his daughter Pat McDonald was born. Gordon and Norval had a double-wedding with Gordon's sister Mary "Minnie" McDonald who was marrying Fred May. The wedding was conducted on May 5, 1922. Norval passed away May 2, 1988. Burnie's paternal grandmother: Violet Minnie Hoey was born on July 23, 1899 in Gilroy California (She passed away January 27, 1973). She was born to John Caius Hoey (born 1868 and died 1915 in California) and Mary Elizabeth Parr, known as Lizzie (born 1870 and died on January 28, 1944 in Coquitlam, BC). John and Lizzie were married on October 17, 1895 at the Parr Residence in California (Lizzie's parents were William Parr and Mary Daves). Lizzie's older sister Minnie Parr married Thomas Ladner in California when she was 16 after Thomas Ladner's first wife Edna Booth passed away. Thomas and Minnie's children were Leon Johnson Ladner (November 29, 1884-April 12, 1978), Alice Parr Ladner, and Violet Mary Ladner, as well as a girl they adopted named Pearl Alma Ladner. Pearl's original name was Zelma Hobbs (mother was named Pearl Alma Daves and father was named John Francis Hobbs). Zelma Hobbs was already related to Minnie, she was adopted and renamed Pearl. She was born 1901 and died 1976 (named after her mother who died). It was about 1903 when Pearl was adopted. Because she was close in age to Violet and Irene, she would often play with them and because her siblings were much older. Her sister Violet Mary Ladner was born in 1888 and died 1955 (13 years older). Her other sister, Alice Parr Ladner was born 1886 died 1972. John Hobbs and Pearl Daves were married at a double wedding with John Caius Hoey and Lizzie Parr. John's sister Electa Catherine Hoey, known as Kate (died 1947), would later marry Edward Ladner (died 1944) who was the son of Thomas and Edney Ladner. They had two sons, Russell Ladner (July 10 1900-November 12, 1966) and Maxwell Ladner (born 1903). In 1908, Violet Hoey, her sister Irene, stayed with their mother Lizzie at the home of Thomas and Minnie Ladner. Violet and Irene Hoey already moved to Vancouver. The Ladner home was treated as their country home. Irene Mildred Hoey was born Jun 3, 1903 and died 1990. Violet Minnie Hoey was born Jul 23, 1899 both were born in Gilroy California. Burnie's paternal grandfather: Arthur Jens Swenson (July 31 1895-February 6, 1977) was born to Paul Swenson (November 30 1864-May 21, 1919). Paul Swenson was born in Sweden to Sven Palsson and Karna Palsson (nee Olsdotter). From 1912 to 1914, the Swenson family traveled back to Sweden to visit relatives. On August 1, 1914, Arthur Jens Swenson, who had just turned 19 the day before (and WWI had just started days before), traveled with his family on the R.M.S. Mauretania from Liverpool to New York. In the Spring of 1917, he arrived for military training in England, having enlisted for service in the war. He arrived in Flanders, Belgium in October, near the end of the Battle of Passchendaele. He served on the front through the winter of 1918 and was wounded in France on June 4. The wound was not severe and he returned to his battery. He was accepted as a cadet in the Royal Air Force (R.A.F) just two months before the end of the war. Mabel Swenson was born June 8, 1898 and passed away on September 12, 2001. She was the youngest child of Paul Swenson and Anna Swenson (nee Jenson). Anna Jenson (April 18, 1869-April 21, 1959) was born to Jon and Anna Jonsson. They had another child named Alfred Jenson (born 1867). He married Hanna Swenson on May 15, 1893. Hanna was also born in 1867, the youngest daughter of Sven Palsson (July 2, 1815-January 10,1908) and Karna Palsson (nee Olsdotter) (April 30, 1824-April 21, 1875). Anna Jenson would marry Sven and Karna's only surviving son Paul Swenson. Paul and Anna Swenson would have four children: Clara, Sidney, Arthur, and Mabel. Of the males, only Arthur had children. Arthur and his wife Violet Swenson had 4 children of their own: Maureen, twins Don and Paul, and Beverely.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of records that document the Swenson and Hoey families that the donor has acquired. The collection contains 16 scanned photographs. The collection is arranged into one series: 1, Photographs.

Notes

Title based on the provenance of the collection. Dates based on information on the back of the photos or estimated through analysis of the content of the photos. Arthur Jens Swenon's WWI letters were donated to the Delta Archives by Burnie's brother Art Swenson. They were given to him by Mabel Kemp (nee Swenson)'s son David Kemp (September 25, 1931-October 12, 2015).

Acquisition Source

Burnie Smith.

Custodial History

Photographs acquired by Burnie Smith from various members of her family and kept within a large binder. Photographs selected from the binder to be scanned for the Archives.

Name Access

Burnie Swenson. Burnie Smith. Burnice Swenson. Burnice Smith.

Subject Access

Farming.

Geographic Access

Delta.

Category

CR.

Access Restrictions

None.

Less detail