Eliza Lee (1866 – 1943)
Eliza (or Elizabeth) Lee was born in Ontario on 22 September 1866 to Ann Lee1-8. Her father’s name is not known, but is believed he died at sea before the wedding date17.
When Eliza was not yet two when her mother married Solomon Angst in 1868. At that time she and her mother had been living in Minto, Ontario13.
Solomon and Ann gave Eliza four half-brothers and sisters: Mary Ann, Levi, George Henry and Sarah Ann1,.
By 1871 the family was living in Harriett, in the North Huron County of Ontario1and in 1881 the family had moved to Elma in North Perth County in Ontario2.
After her mother died in 1881, it is believed that Eliza went to live with her maternal grandfather Jonathan Lee and his family in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba17. The four oldest children all left as they “weren’t wanted by their step-mother” (p.149)17 . It was in Portage La Prairie where she married William Young on 24 May 1886 at the age of 199. It is unknown how they met, but Portage la Prairie was the nearest large town to where William Young was living at the time, so perhaps his travels took them there.
William and Eliza started their family quite quickly and in 1891, while still living in Manitoba had both Annie Dale and Rose Mary3. While in Manitoba, by 1901, they expanded their family to include Edward, Wilbert, Gordon and Elizabeth4, as well as William who lived less than a year and John who lived less than two months. Sadly, Rose Mary had also passed away at the age of six13,14.
Adding another four children, Henry, Amos, Margaret, and Thomas, they packed up 8 children and moved to Saskatchewan in early 19065,16 . Another child, John, lived only a year15. Annie stayed behind in Manitoba as she married in 190514.
They homesteaded in Saskatchewan building a house that was only 14 x 32, less than 500 square fee, to house all those children16. A son Frank was born in 1908 but only lived a couple of weeks14,15. Two more daughters Fairy Mable and Mammie Inea were born here in Saskatchewan6,7.
When her husband William died, Eliza moved to live with Gordon on his homestead in Rose Valley, Saskatchewan8.
Eliza lived until she was 77 in the Rose Valley area. She became sick with cancer of the stomach and liver in 1943 and died of pneumonia on 22 December 194310. She is buried in the Rose Valley Cemetery11,12.
Link to Eliza Lee in Genealogy
1Census. 1871. Canada. Harriett, North Huron, Ontario. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 7 June 2018. Listed as Eliza Angst.
2Census. 1881. Canada. Elma, North Perth. Ontario. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 7 June 2018. Listed as Eliza Angst.
3Census. 1891. Canada. Marquette, South Cypress, Manitoba. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 4 Jun 2018.
4Census. 1901. Canada. MacDonald, South Cypress, Manitoba. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
5Census. 1906. Canada. MacKenzie, Saskatchewan. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
6Census. 1911. Canada. Humbolt, Saskatchewan. Series RG31-C-1. Microfilm reels T-20326 to T-20460. Collection: Census of Canada, 1911. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2017.
7Census. 1916. Canada. Humbolt, Sasman, Saskatchewan. Record Group 31-C-1. LAC microfilm T-21925 to T-21956. Collection:1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 2017.
8Census. 1921. Canada. Humbolt, Sasman, Saskatchewan. RG 31; Folder Number: 151. Collection: 1921 Census of Canada. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed November 2017.
9Marriages (CR) Canada. Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. 24 May 1886. YOUNG, William and LEE, Eliza.
10Deaths (CR) Canada. Rose Valley, Saskatchewan. 22 December 1943. YOUNG, Elizabeth. No. 6416 1943.
11Rose Valley and District Historical Society (1981). A tribute to our Pioneers. Saskatchewan: Rose Valley & District Historical Society. P. 63.
12Ross, Kathleen. (2018) Conversation with Alvin Qually, 18 July. Rose Valley Cemetery Committee. Regarding burial of Elizabeth Lee, Records are that she was buried on 24 Dec 1943, grave is unmarked and they have no location on map. However, grave be located in NE corner with others of that era [note: near Degerness graves].
13Marriages (CR) Canada. Minto, Huron, Ontario. 20 July 1868. ANGST, Solomon and LEE, Ann. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS7D-18XC?i=234&cc=2568642: accessed June 2018.
14Young, Mrs. Ernie. Handwritten record provided to Kathleen Ross (nee Degerness) in December 1982. Original author Mrs. Ernie Young of North Saskatoon.
15Arndt, Arlene. Handwritten record provided to Kathleen Ross in August 2018. Original authors various.
16Dominion Lands Office, Department of the Interior. Homestead Files. 28 April 1910. YOUNG, William. File No. 1287279.
17Page, Barbara. The Lee Tree: Jonathan Lee (1817 – 1903) and his descendants. Fleming Printing Ltd.: Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada.
