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William Edward Pugh

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William Edward Pugh

Birth	:	13 Dec 1879 Southwark, London Borough of Southwark, Greater London, England
Death	:	19 Feb 1917 Spokane, Spokane County, Washington, USA
Burial	:	Sunset Memorial Park, North Olmsted, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.3991780, -81.9039050
Plot	:	Sec W
Description	:	Notes by Mindy C. Pugh: William Edward Pugh was the third child of poor parents in south London, England (Southwark, Surrey): George Pugh (a London dock worker, or "porter") and Louisa Mary Ann (nee Ash) Pugh. His siblings were: Eleanor Louisa or "Nellie" (1875-1951; Find a Grave Memorial #144101944); Alfred George (1877-1956: Find a Grave Memorial #144066137); and Sidney Herbert (1882-1952: Find a Grave Memorial #125724736)--the last being my own grandfather. Following his mother's death in early 1888, William's father George was apparently unable to take care of his children (perhaps he was already in failing health), for by... Read More	Notes by Mindy C. Pugh: William Edward Pugh was the third child of poor parents in south London, England (Southwark, Surrey): George Pugh (a London dock worker, or "porter") and Louisa Mary Ann (nee Ash) Pugh. His siblings were: Eleanor Louisa or "Nellie" (1875-1951; Find a Grave Memorial #144101944); Alfred George (1877-1956: Find a Grave Memorial #144066137); and Sidney Herbert (1882-1952: Find a Grave Memorial #125724736)--the last being my own grandfather. Following his mother's death in early 1888, William's father George was apparently unable to take care of his children (perhaps he was already in failing health), for by the summer of 1888 his three sons were in the care of J.W.C. Fegan, an evangelical who operated several "rescue homes" in the London area (and who accepted only boys). Fegan and other London "rescue home" operators routinely shipped orphans and semi-orphans over to Canada, where it was assumed that the children would have a brighter future. The three Pugh brothers were therefore fated to be among the 80,000 "Home Children" (most under the age of fourteen) who were apprenticed as agricultural laborers and domestic servants in rural Canada between 1868 and 1925. Their elder sister, Nellie, was old enough at the time to find work as a domestic servant and remain in England. Fegan's shipped William to Ontario from Liverpool on March 26, 1891. His ship, the S.S. Parisian, arrived at Halifax on April 5, 1891. He had a less steady beginning in Ontario than his elder brother Alfred George, who had arrived in 1889; William ran away from his first two employers. On May 30, 1891, he was engaged by Fegan's "distributing home" in Toronto to Cornelius Campbell of Georgetown, Ontario for room, board and clothing for three years, but on October 2, 1891 he ran away from Campbell and returned to the Toronto home. There he remained for the winter of 1891-92, during which time his youngest brother Sidney arrived there from England. A photograph of young William and Sidney together (from which the above image of William is cropped), both dressed in suits and with somber faces, was almost certainly taken in the period (April-May 1892) when both boys were at Fegan's Toronto home. On May 24, 1892, William was engaged by Fegan's Toronto home to John Jackson of Elmbank, Ontario, but in October 1892 William ran away from Jackson, who reported the disappearance to Fegan's Toronto office--which duly noted in its records "Ran away, whereabouts unknown." On November 14, 1892, Fegan's Toronto office learned that William was at the home of Francis Cluster of Brittania, Ontario, and arranged for his return to their office. On December 2, 1892, Fegan's engaged William to a third farmer, Ebenezer Webster of Newmarket, Ontario, this time for wages for a three-year contract ($30 for the first year; $40 for the second; $56 for the third). William would now remain at Newmarket until late 1898; during this period, William began duplicating his brother Alfred George's record of steady employment and modest wages. William's record at Fegan's Toronto office indicates, under date of June 9, 1893, that "Bills to settle wages $8.51. Bal kept to pay time lost time and necessary expenses while boy was sick." Evidently William had not been well during the winter of 1892-93. A notation made on William's record dated December 16, 1893, states "Bills for $15.00 to settle"--the meaning of this is not clear, but it suggests that William had somehow incurred another loss of wages with his employer. On June 9, 1894, it was noted that "Bal of wages $8.00..a/c $8.63 settles to time of leaving May 2;" the record proceeds to record that William had been engaged to Joseph Webster of Newmarket for employment on May 2, 1894, on the terms of $40.00 for seven months. On July 27, 1894, one of Fegan's representatives from the Toronto office visited William at Joseph Webster's and reported "Visited--doing fairly well--comfortable home." On December 2, 1894, William's record noted "Re-engaged--terms 1 yr 3 mo. f.c. & s. (food, clothing, shelter) to Mar. 1/95--$50 to Mar 1. On February 15, 1895, it was recorded "Balance of wages $3.00 a/c $15.35. On October 15, 1895, "Bal of wages $9.65 a/c $15.35." On January 10, 1896 William's record noted that he was no longer with Joseph Webster, but was now "With Geo. Brown, New market P.O." On September 16, 1897, it was noted "Visited--this boy is doing very well--has a good home." William was now reaching adulthood, and the end of his period as a laboring "home child." The last two notations on William's record at Fegan's home in Toronto read: "Aug. '98: With Claver Doon, Newmarket, Ont."; and Aug. 9, 1898, "Visited--Doing very well--intends to go to Woodbridge to be near his brothers." Since June 1898, Alfred George had been working at Humber, and since 1892 Sidney had also been working at Humber--a post office location just south-east of Woodbridge. With the disappearance of William from Fegan's records in the summer of 1898, one can only speculate on his whereabouts for the next few years. Perhaps he traveled with Alfred George for a time. It is not known exactly when William first arrived in Washington State and when he met his future wife, Maggie Jordan of Winona, Washington. Years later, Maggie told her (and William's son) Charles Elmo Pugh that William had come to the U.S. at the age of 14, and had never left it, except for three years spent in Canada (those were 1910-1913). We know that Maggie was wrong as to William's age when he first entered the U.S., as it could not have been any earlier than 1898--when William was nearly 19. Then again, William was uncertain about his age; when he died in early 1917 his family thought he was 34--that is, born in 1882--but even so, 1882 plus 14 still only adds up to 1896, still too early for William to arrive in Washington State. What we can learn with certainty from Maggie's tale is that she must not have met William immediately after his emigration from Canada; so, if they married in December 1904, they probably met a year or more before, and therefore William probably arrived in Washington State in the years 1900-1902 (gone from Canada by their 1901 census, but not yet in the U.S. as of their 1900 census). William Pugh and Maggie Jordan were married on December 12, 1904 in Spokane, Washington State, where both were residents; their marriage record indicates that William was a "fireman." The minister was Jacob Durbahn, a Methodist. On October 30, 1905 their first child, Gladys, was born in Spokane; Gladys' birth record specifies that her father William was a "locomotive fireman." On June 1, 1910, Maggie wrote the following postcard message (posted from Seattle, Washington) to her husband's sister-in-law, Mrs. Sid (Ethel) Pugh of 90 Hancock Street, Manistee, Michigan: "My Dear Sister, rec'd your card. every one all O.K. out this way. I have been alone for about six wk. aful lonely. will be pleased to hear from you. Maggie Pugh." The 1910 Federal census, which would have been taken a few weeks before this postcard was written, documents that Maggie was living in Spokane. Not long after this, William moved Maggie and their daughter Gladys to Alberta, Canada, to live on a farm adjacent to the farm owned by William's brother Alfred George (at Red Deer). There, William and Maggie had a son, Charles Elmo, born in August 1912. Six months after the boy's birth, the family moved back to Washington State. William died on February 19, 1917, on Orchard Avenue, Spokane, Washington. His obituary, which ran in the Tuesday morning edition of the Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Washington for February 20, 1917, recorded: "Pugh--Funeral services for William E. Pugh, aged 34, who died yesterday at his home in Orchard avenue, will be held this afternoon at Winona. Mr. Pugh is survived by his widow, a small son and daughter, two brothers in Canada and a sister in England. The body will be taken to Winona this morning." The ranch of William's brother-in-law Charles Jordan was outside Winona (Whitman County), and this is almost certainly the reason why William was buried there. Curiously, William's death certificate apparently reflects a confusion of two people. The name, place of death, and place of burial is accurate (William E. Pugh, of Orchard Avenue, buried at Winona), but the age at death is given as 65 years and three days! Therefore, the other information given on the certificate might or might not have applied to William: laborer at a paper mill; born in Canada; cause of death, lobar pneumonia, left lung--7 days, with pericarditis--2 days; the undertaker was the Turnbull Company. Very little is known about William. On January 6, 1992 William's daughter-in-law Helen Pugh (who never knew him) wrote to Ralph A. Pugh: "He" (her husband Charles Elmo Pugh) "knows very little about his father as his mother would never tell him very much about him and he feels angry about that. We assume it may not have been a happy marriage. Gladys was older and worshipped her father, in fact, it became a lifetime obsession her her and his loss was never really accepted by her." Helen added that her husband's maternal uncles "with whom he spent a great portion of his life, knew his father and only told him that he was a very likeable person and a hard worker."

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is William Edward Pugh's memorial?
William Edward Pugh's memorial is located at: Sunset Memorial Park, North Olmsted, Cuyahoga County, USA.
When did William Edward Pugh death?
William Edward Pugh death on 19 Feb 1917 in Spokane, Spokane County, Washington, USA
Where are the coordinates of the William Edward Pugh's memorial?
Latitude: 41.3991780
Longitude: -81.9039050

Family Members:

Parent

Spouse

Margaret Elizabeth Jordan Pugh

(1885 - 1963)

Siblings

Alfred George “Alf” Pugh

(1877 - 1956)

Children

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Sunset Memorial Park
North Olmsted, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3991780, -81.9039050

2. Butternut Ridge Cemetery
North Olmsted, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4071999, -81.9056015

3. Old Chestnut Grove Cemetery
Olmsted Falls, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3796390, -81.8962700

4. Chestnut Grove Cemetery
Olmsted Falls, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3767800, -81.8960300

5. Saint Mary of the Falls Cemetery
Berea, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3732986, -81.8908005

6. Coe Ridge Cemetery
North Olmsted, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4281006, -81.8921967

7. Saint Marys Cemetery
Berea, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3782997, -81.8581009

8. Evergreen Cemetery
Westlake, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4303017, -81.9449997

9. Maple Ridge Cemetery
Westlake, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4431000, -81.9028015

10. Saint Paul Lutheran Church Cemetery
Middleburg Heights, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3885994, -81.8432999

11. Berea United Methodist Church Repository
Berea, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3711920, -81.8512490

12. Westview Cemetery
Columbia Township, Lorain County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3487320, -81.9006577

13. Adams Street Cemetery
Berea, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3633003, -81.8482971

14. Dover Congregational Church Columbarium
Westlake, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4557850, -81.9213970

15. Hickcox Park
Middleburg Heights, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3745079, -81.8311920

16. Saint Adalbert Cemetery
Middleburg Heights, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3732986, -81.8292007

17. Westlake Christian Church Columbarium (Defunct)
Westlake, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4633790, -81.9059930

18. Thompson Cemetery
Rocky River, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4579360, -81.8660890

19. Fowles Family Cemetery
Middleburg Heights, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3592529, -81.8309860

20. Saint Paul Lutheran Cemetery
Westlake, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4659271, -81.9324112

21. Woodvale Cemetery
Middleburg Heights, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3614006, -81.8244019

22. Saint Patrick Church Cemetery
Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4341774, -81.8220596

23. Fairview Park Cemetery
Fairview Park, Cuyahoga County, USA
Coordinate: 41.4511986, -81.8361969

24. Fields Cemetery
North Ridgeville, Lorain County, USA
Coordinate: 41.3708000, -81.9953003