Mabel Bentley

  General Notes:

Went to live near Vancouver around 1930. Mabel had a golf driver (stick) made for me and she brought it on one of her visits. She and Amy Jordan (Madge Brooks fathers friend) were great friends and toured together on their motor bikes
(Letter written July 1977 by Harriet Pick (Bancroft).
Note on genealogy chart of 77 that she went to Vancouver with a Whalley who was a fruit farmer from Ross on Wye.
Gabriola Museum provided further information 9/3/2003 to be added.
From Will of Martha Bentley, Mabel was a spinster in July 1936
Added 9/11/09 from email from Gabriola Island museum.
John Whalley is listed (occupation farmer) on the 1920 voters' list for Gabriola. Mabel is not. (This was the first election in which women were eligible to vote and were listed. British subjects were eligible -- a bit strange that she isn't listed.)

John Whalley is listed as "farmer" in the 1925 directory for Gabriola.

John Whalley is NOT listed in the 1930 or 1935 directory for Gabriola.

John Whalley is listed as "retired" in the 1937, 1945, 1947, and 1950 directories for Gabriola

John Whalley is NOT listed in the 1955 directory for Gabriola.

A search of on-line records of the British Columbia Archives show:

1. Probate/estate files for the Nanaimo region (in which Gabriola is included): for John Whalley, 1955
for Mabel Whalley, 1965

2. A death registration for Mabel Whalley, who died in Nanaimo on February 3, 1965, aged 81.
(This would make her date of birth c1884 -- pretty good fit, likely is her.)

3. No death registration for John Whalley, who probably died in 1955 (from 1. above)
but was not registered (could have died out-of-province -- the probate file would likely tell more about that).

Neither appears to be buried on Gabriola (i.e. not on our cemetery list).

That's all I can give you from my computer at home. At first glance, it looks as if the Whalleys farmed on Gabriola from 1920-25, were somewhere else from 1930-35, and returned to Gabriola to retire from 1937-1950.

If you need/want more, I can:

Ask our archivist to check out files at the museum -- e.g. school files, to see if she taught here; Women's Institute files to see if she was a member, etc. Ask a few of the old-timers on the island if they knew the family.

Give you information on how you might get more information from the BC Archives (e.g. you can get a copy of the death registration, which includes information not shown on-line, like cause of death, next of kin, date of immigration, etc. Costs about $15, I think.) Copies of probate information can also be requested.

The first will take a week or two. The BCArchives info I can give you easily.

Please let me know if this is helpful, if you have specific questions you want answered, If you want me to look for more info, or if you want to know how to access the BC Archives.
10/24/09 Added from Phil PJ, said she left for Canada after her mother died. Taught at Horton Bank Top School. Owned a motor bike. She married "old sweetheart" and sent Apples to the Hudson family from husband's orchard in Canada

  Research Notes:

7 on 1891 Census
9/14/09 FreeBMD shows birth Sep 1883, Changed from 84

  Noted events in her life were:

• 1891 Census Bradford Bentley Charles: Mabel Bentley, daughter aged 7 , Scholar,born Bradford, 5 Apr 1891. ⁴⁸³

• 1901 Census Bradford Bentley: Mabel Bentley aged 18 daug born Bradford, 31 Mar 1901, Elm Cottage, Hollingwood Lane, Great Horton, Bradford. ⁴⁸⁴

• 1911 Census Bradford Bentley: Mabel Bentley aged 27, Single, Council school teacher, born Bradford, 2 Apr 1911, Elm Cottage, Hollingwood Lane, Great Horton, Bradford. ⁴⁷⁶

• Will: Will of Martha Bentley, 6 Nov 1936, London. Martha Bentley of Elm Tree Cottage, Hollingwood Lane great Horton, widow died 17 July 1936 Admin London 6 Nov to Lily Stansfield (wife of Walter Senior Stansfield) and Mabel Bentley spinster. Effects £ 8303 17s 5d

Mabel married John Whalley. (John Whalley died about 1955.)

  Marriage Notes:

Was spinster in 1936, but probate in Gabriola shows her with Walley name