Alexander "Sandy" Coutts

1850 - 1928  (77 years)

• Name	Alexander "Sandy" Coutts
  Born	13 Sep 1850	Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
  Residence	1851	Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	Presbyterian
  Christened	11 May 1851	Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  Gender	Male
  Name	Sandy Coutts
  Occupation	1871	Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  	Blacksmith
  Residence	1871	Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  	C. Presbyterian
  Occupation	1891	New Westminster, , British Columbia, Canada   [3]
  	trade instructor -Pent.
  Residence	, British Columbia, Canada
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-181886
  Died	24 Apr 1928	New Westminster, , British Columbia, Canada   [2, 6]
  Buried	Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, , British Columbia, Canada   [6]
  Person ID	I181886	Generations
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2024

  
  

  Father	William John Coutts,   b. 1824, , Scotland ,   d. Feb 1893  (Age 69 years)
  Mother	Ann Wilson,   b. 20 Mar 1829, Gattanside, Melrose, , Roxburgh, Scotland ,   d. 23 Jun 1921, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 92 years)
  Family ID	F176778	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  ...relevant page of the 1891 census, that has info on Alexander Coutts and family. If you up the zoom on the occupation, after the bold inking of Trades Instructor is , faintly, Pent. There is also, even fainter, suggestions of an over-write in other areas of the Trades Instructor entry. There is no family lore to suggest Alexander taught in a trades school, nor do I know of any such school being in existence in New Westminster at that period of time, and I would have guessed that Blacksmithing would have been learned under a direct, indentured apprenticeship. BC Pen, at that time, likely didn't involve trades training, so I would venture to guess that Alexander didn't want it made too public, his affiliation with the Pen. Subsequent census', in 1901 and 1911, show him to be in the same polling area as the Pen and the Insane Asylum [which were within about a mile of each other], which would make sense if his primary means of transportation were his own two feet. Unfortunately, I can't decipher the writing that gives his street address in the 1911 census. My best guess is in the neighbourhoods of Sapperton or Queen's Park, which are either side of the Pen, Asylum, and Fraser Graveyard [Graveyard actually more or less in Sapperton]. Family lore tells of Alexander being the FIRST blacksmith at BC Pen. I haven't found any documentation or other sources to confirm this, or to put a date to it. The 1911 census shows Alexander as having worked, in 1910, at a Cannery, for 21 weeks, 60hr weeks, earning $450 total. There was a cannery, on the Fraser River, near to the Railway bridge and Patullo Bridge, New Westminster side [left bank]. This would be very near the Pen and Asylum sites. I don't know when it started or closed, but it was operating in the late 1930's when my aunt and mother worked there. It would be, I would guess, largely seasonal employment. Family lore tells of Alexander coming to New Westminster from the U.S.A., but census data always points to the place of birth as Ontario. His wife, Annie Fraser, is consistently linked with the U.S.A., specifically, Ithaca, New York. As their marriage, in Victoria, B.C., predates the completion of the C.P.R. [transcontental Canadian Railway], it makes sense that Alexander took passage by rail, or by sea, travelling across the U.S.A., or between ports of the U.S.A. on its' east and west coasts, before arriving in New Westminster. The marriage of Annie Fraser and Alexander Coutts is recorded as being on the date of 1880/9/8, according to BCArchives vital statistics. So, somewheres between the census of 1871, and the marriage of Alexander and Annie [Fraser] in 1880, it would appear that Alexander, son of William Coutts, a blacksmith, left Waterloo, and ended up in the wilds of British Columbia. By what path, I know not. And how A&A came to meet? I know not. Old family photos show Alexander seated in a chair, his Annie standing beside him. They were head to head. Safe to assume, he was big, and she was tiny? Email Kelly Coutts McGrath

  
  

• Sources

  [S269] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wellesley Twp. - 1871, Div. 2a, Pg 54. [S1888] Canada, British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993, Film Number: 1952313 Digital Folder Number: 4437653 Image Number: 811 British Columbia Archives Film Number: B13134 Registration Number: 18822. Death Date: 24 Apr 1928 Death Place: New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada Name: Alexander Coutts Age: 77y 7m 11d Birth Date: 13 Sep 1850 Birthplace: , Ontario Spouse: A Coutts Father: William Coutts Mother: Annie Wilson [S1889] Census - British Columbia - 1891, New Westminster district 2 subdistrict 2 pg 5. [S242] Census - ON, Waterloo, Wellesley Twp. - 1851, Div. 3 Page 1. [S101] Church Records - ON, Waterloo - Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Register - transcript of cards, Kitchener Public Library. Alexander Cootes b. 13 Sep 1850 Wellesley Baptised 11 May 1851 Wellesley Child Of William Cootes & Ann Cootes Residence: Wellesley Volume 1 Page 352 Rev. Geo. Case [S3231] Find A Grave, Cemetery, F., America, N., Columbia, B., District, G., Westminster, N., & Cemetery, F. (2017). Alexander Coutts (1850-1928) - Find A Grave.... Findagrave.com. Retrieved 14 November 2017, from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144914413.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 13 Sep 1850 - Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Presbyterian - 1851 - Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Christened - 11 May 1851 - Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Blacksmith - 1871 - Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - C. Presbyterian - 1871 - Wellesley Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - trade instructor -Pent. - 1891 - New Westminster, , British Columbia, Canada Residence - - , British Columbia, Canada Died - 24 Apr 1928 - New Westminster, , British Columbia, Canada Buried - - Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster, , British Columbia, Canada  = Link to Google Earth