Frederick Mercer Eastwood and Annie: Lightkeepers at Race Rocks 1891-1919

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This photo was contributed by their great granddaughter Geri Stevenson ( see below)

(One version:) Apparently his real name was Mercer but because he deserted the British Navy he added Eastwood to his name.   He came to the USA to go railroading then went to Canada. He was born in 1864 in Yorkshire and died 2 Mar 1943 age 81 – They had 14 kids and lived at Race Rocks from 1891 until they retired in 1919. From Ancestry.ca: “ According to Annie Barbara Peterson, Granddaughter to Frederick, in her letters to me, she stated that: “My grandfather was Frederick Mercer. He deserted the British Navy and went railroading in the USA. He was forced to change his name so he added “Eastwood” becoming F.M.Eastwood. Hard times, no job brought him to Vancouver Island, British Columbia Canada. “ UPDATE: In an e-mail of Dec. 31, 2011 from Kev…. Several other ancestry sites have Frederick Mercer Eastwood Born in London, England on 1861 to Joseph Eastwood and Annie Mercer. They have the same children and death date as Annie Peterson, She might be mistaken in thinking her grandfather was a deserter. (Mercer was her Great Grandmother’s maiden name.) ps Annie Biggs, Frederick Mercer Eastwood’s wife, was a distant cousin of mine, I have her tree and therefore Annie Peterson’s tree, back to Richard Biggs (from whom I’m also descended) b: Abt 1685 in Mells Somerset, England. Death: 1710 in Mells Somerset, Burial: 13 Oct 1710 Mells Somerset . Regards Kev

Several references to the Eastwood family are available in the records of the Daily Colonist from the period of their stay at Race Rocks. The following records among many others on Race Rocks can be accessed here.
Lightkeeper Eastwood charged with leaving the station and employing Japanese(!!) Sept. 19 1900
Letter from Col.Prior re: Eastwood inquiry… Note racist overtones common then .
Lightkeeper F. Eastwood saw drowning by the overturning of a Columbia River boat loaded — Hesquiot Indian tells another story—-No one drowned!-

Sept 18 1909Cliff Eastwood (son of Frederick Eastwood born on Race Rocks) and Peggy Cleave family:eastwoodIn about 1998, when students from one of the schools from Sooke were visiting as part of the Coastwatch Program, a grade 7 student and his mother identified themselves as being descendants of the Eastwoods from Race Rocks. In 2012, Geri Stevenson wrote to us identifying those in the picture –Geri writes:
“I am writing in regards to the picture you asked about who was a member of the Eastwood Family , she is my Aunt Debbie and her son Kyle – there are many of us around.
 My Great Grandfather was  Frederick Eastwood, his son Cliff Eastwood was one of the children born on the rock. He and many others :)
Cliff Eastwood and his wife Peggy McCleave had 5 children:

  •   Viola (Jim) (our Mother – Corinne, Bill, Brenda, Debbie, Geri & David Stevenson)
  • Geri (Jim) (our Aunt her children Jaime, Geordie, Torrie & Marty Robertson)
  • Cliff (Joan) daughter Karen –
  • Vickie (Douglas) no children
  • Debbie (Mike their children Lindsey and * Kyle the boy in the photo …
  • There are many generations as most of these siblings have children and grandchildren.eastwoodchildrenmGeri continues: “I wanted to send you a picture of Great Grampa Eastwood and Grandma Eastwood so I”ve attached it for you, (see picture above,).. also attached is this one of Auntie Geri, Cliff & Viola (mom) when they were young .”Many thanks for this e-mail and pictures from Geri Stevenson.

Eastwodschooling-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: In the Census of 1891 when they were at Race Rocks Frederick’s birthday is listed as Mar 2 1863, (age 39) emigrated from England 1881.  His wife Annie was born in BC, Mar.10 1872… ( 29 years old)  children Joseph (10 ) John ( 9)  Edward ( 7) Elizabeth ( 5) Roy ( 4) Rachel ( 2) Ellen(1/4 ).

Also listed for the same record (26) are two “Japanese fishermen” Shot ( sp?) age 20 emigrated 1899 and Likhu (sp?) age 15. emigrated 1900.. their employment is listed as servant….. (see the two Daily Colonist archives above relating to the Japanese employees.)
From:Lighthouse Friends:

Frederick Eastwood was appointed keeper at Race Rocks in 1891 and would serve longer than any other, a total of nearly twenty-eight years. Keeper Eastwood had trouble finding reliable assistants given the meager income they were provided. One night his wife found an assistant sleeping under a boiler, and just a few days later Keeper Eastwood visited the engine room at night only to find the post deserted. The missing assistant was later found fast asleep in a loft above the boathouse. After this, Eastwood started to hire Japanese assistants, as they proved more reliable and diligent than white men. This did not set well with some locals, and Keeper Eastwood was soon accused of absenting himself from his post and employing Japanese.

Several neighbours and even former keeper Thomas Argyle, himself familiar with trumped up charges, testified that Eastwood was a careful keeper and was only absent when retrieving mail or picking up supplies. The commission looking into the matter quickly concluded that “the evidence did not substantiate the charges” and adjourned.

Return to the Index  of Race Rocks Lightkeepers

Thomas Argyle and Ellen- Race Rocks Lightkeepers 1867-1888

 

If anyone has any further information / photographs on Thomas Argyle or Ellen we would be interested in adding them here.
Feb 1867 – 1888 (Thomas (1839 – 1919) Argyle & Ellen Argyle (d. 1925) May 23, 1867 – 1888; 32 years old in 1872; Chief Keeper; pay $625 per year

From the Metchosin Museum : https://metchosinmuseum.ca/pioneer-museum/pioneers/thomas-argyle/

From a Geneaology website:  https://www.geni.com/people/Thomas-Argyle/6000000013044015241

From the Royal Engineers : http://www.royalengineers.ca/Argyle.html see The Sappers File on Thomas and Ellen Argyle it starts out    “Thomas Argyle was born in Birmingham, England.  As a lad with a strong, adventurous spirit, he joined the Royal Engineers of the British Army and volunteered for service in developing the unorganized territory of New Caledonia, later to become the province of British Columbia.”

The picture below was taken around 1890.

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Courtesy of the BC Archives

Ellen Argyle: assistant keeper May 23, 1867 – 1871; 32 years old in 1872; 3rd Assistant; pay $150 per year; (British Columbia Report of the Hon. H. L. Langevin, C.B., Minister of Public Works, 1872)

 

In December, 2008, the Times Colonist with the cooperation of The University of Victoria made the archives for the first 50 years of the newspaper available on line at The British Colonist 1858-1910

For references to the Argyles, see the articles published in the Daily Colonist between May11 1873 and  August  2 1888

From METCHOSIN PIONEERS

On April 12, 1859 the vessel Thames City dropped anchor in Esquimalt
Harbour. On board that ship, together with 150 other members of the Royal
Engineers, was Thomas Argyle. The journey from England had been long and
tedious and Thomas helped passed the time entertaining the rest of the men
by singing humorous songs. He was a fine singer.
Immediately upon arrival the main body of engineers were sent to
Queensborough, now New Westminster. The next five years were spent
surveying land and building wagon roads through the Fraser Canyon to
Clinton and the Cariboo. When the time came to re-embark for England,
November 11, 1863, only 15 of the original 150 men went on the ship.
Thomas elected, as did most of the men, to stay in British Columbia and
availed himself of 150 acres free land grant for prime waterfront land at
Rocky Point. At that time, Rocky Point was practically without white
settlement.
In 1862, a young lady by the name of Mary Ellen Tufts, set sail for
British Columbia from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Miss Tufts was the daughter of
Samuel Tufts, a United Empire Loyalist whose forebears came over from
England on the Mayflower. Chased out of Massachusetts at the time of the
revolution, the Tufts family had settled in Halifax in 1776, at a spot
still known as Tufts Cove. Soon after her arrival on the West Coast, Miss
Tufts met Thomas Argyle and they were married in 1863 and took up
residence on the land at Rocky Point.
In 1867 the Thomas Argyle was appointed chief keeper of the Race Rocks
Lighthouse, 10 miles below Victoria, and he maintained that position until
1888, when he retired and returned to his Rocky Point home.
The above information is taken from the book “FOOTPRINTS, Pioneer Families
of the Metchosin District, Southern Vancouver Island 1851 – 1900”. This
book was compiled and edited by Marion I Helgesen and Published by the
Metchosin School Museum Society

See The Lightkeepers Index