The Burke Family of River Bourgeois

This page last modified 4/15/2011...

Follow these links to see the ancestry of the Burke family, and the Burke family's Acadian roots...

For information on Abraham Alfred Damien Burke and descendants, please see below...

Abraham Alfred Damien Burke

Fred Burke, c1900

"Fred" Burke was born in River Bourgeois, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, on February 14, 1884. Fred was the first-born child of Eugenie Landry and Damien Burke. Fred's only sibling was Celeste Anne Burke. Fred and his family are descended fom Antoine Bourg and Antoinette Landry, and are historically Acadian.

From the transcribed River Bourgeois church records...

Born : Bourke, Abraham Alfred, Feb 14, 1884, to Damien Bourke & Eugenie Landry

Born : Burke, Celeste Anne, Feb 3, 1900, to Damien Burke & Eugenie Landry

Fred married Ellen Jane Thibeau (born November 23, 1886) from nearby Thibeauville, which is north off the highway between River Bourgeois and St. Peters. In the River Bourgeois church records, you can find their marriage record - Alfred Bourque, son of Damien Bourque and Eugenie Landry, marrying Helene Jeanne Thibaut, daughter of John Thibaut and Anne Robertson, January 8th, 1908, witnessed by John P. Bourque and John Thibaut. The priest's name was J. Chouinard.

Fred and Ellen Jane - wedding photo, c1900 Fred and Ellen Jane c1928 Fred and Ellen Jane c1935 Ellen Jane

Ellen Jane, Theresa holding doll, maid Belin Ellen Jane holding son Lou Ellen Jane Ellen Jane, with daughter Theresa

Above is the house Fred and Ellen Jane lived in while in River Bourgeois. Later, Fred and Ellen Jane settled in Louisdale. Below are pictures of the house in Louisdale.

Fred had taken a job with Stewart's store (which probably preceded moving to Louisdale), and must have become something like general manager as he was making very good money for that time. The family was quite well off, never wanting.

Between 1909 and 1927, Fred and Ellen Jane had thirteen children (see details below). Ellen Jane took care of the household with the assistance of her daughters, a maid named Belin (who lived across the street) and a gardener. The Burke household was a mix of English and French. Their religion was Catholic.

Stewart's store

Fred worked at Stewart's store (above) until something "political" happened. Stewart was a conservative. Bets were on during an election at the time as to who would win. When the liberals won, Fred was fired. There is something about an impromptu parade through the town, cheering and a team of oxen wagered, when the election was decided. Fred then went on to open his own store on the Burke property in Louisdale, apart from the existing house, at the roadside.

In recorded history, liberal Mackenzie King was elected in 1921 (to 1926), again in 1926 (to 1930), and again in 1935 (to 1948). In 1935, Theresa Burke was 10. When asked how old she was when her father started the store, she thought 10 (without prompting), so the store seems to have been opened in 1935. Theresa said that the store did not last too long, perhaps 3 or 4 years. Her father had gone on to a job as car-ferrier in Port Hawksbury, and her brother Herman began running the store. It reportedly went under due to customer debts. Herman turned it into a pool room and it stayed open as this for a short time.

Theresa remembers... a kitchen pantry with bins full of sugar, flour, and other staples. They had a wood/coal stove for heating, and a pump in the sink area for "running" water. She remembers her grandmother coming over to spin yarn every year, which Belin and the Burke sisters would knit into quantities of sweaters, leggings, mitts, scarves, and other clothes. The Burkes had a car with a radio in it - which is how, on a drive to Arichat, she and her father first heard that Canada was going to war. She remembers her brothers and sisters sharing rooms as they grew up, until each in turn moved on and out - the older boys went off to war, and the girls went on to work locally and in Halifax - all but Frances and Donald to eventually marry and start families of their own.

Theresa remembers... her father and mother being quite charitable, giving of what they had - in goods and store credit - to families in the area. This contributed to Fred's ultimately having to close his store when, during and following the depression, many bad customer debts accumulated.

Ellen Jane took ill from Bright's disease, a disease of the kidneys, and what probably became chronic depression. She later suffered a stroke and finally died May 10, 1942. She is buried in Louisdale.

Fred re-married - a woman named Annabelle Perrin from Port Hawkesbury. He and Annabelle moved to Port Hawkesbury where Fred took a job on the car ferry that ran from the mainland to Cape Breton Island. The house was left to different members of the Burke family to live in, notably Herman and his family. Herman passed the house on to Bernard, who sold it to the local government as part of a land acquisition deal for a proposed new highway. A story goes that everything valuable in the house was removed, including some windows. The house was burned down shortly after.

Lillian with Annabelle and priest Fred Burke and second wife Annabelle

Fred and Annabelle had three children : Patsy, Herman, and Gerry.

Annabelle died c2002.

Fred died in 1957, in River Bourgeois, at the age of 74. He is buried in Louisdale.

Other photos...

Bruno as a pup Family dog Lassie View from Lillian's, local girls passing

Belin's house, across the street Louisdale Catholic Church

The children of Fred Burke and Ellen Jane Thibeau...

Fred and Ellen Jane had thirteen children - in order of birth : Lillian, Angela, Frances, Arthur, Garvey, Cecilia, Donald, Jean, Herman, Helen Jeanne, Bernard, Theresa, and Lou.

Lillian Marie Burke...

Lillian, Annabelle, priest Photo page, Lillian

Lillian Marie Burke

Theresa remembers... that Lillian took care of her a great deal when she was little. Theresa also remembers taking care of Lillian's children when they were little.

Suzanne Angeline ("Angela") Burke

Cropped from five isters Five sisters Photo page, Angela

Suzanne Angeline ("Angela") Burke

Frances Emmeline Burke

Frances Emmeline Burke was born October 7th, 1911, in Louisdale, Nova Scotia. Fran attended Louisdale School and later took evening business classes in Halifax while she worked as a nursemaid for a family named Courtney (photos below). She subsequently used her office skills to earn a job with (Naval) Defense Research Establishment in Dartmouth, a job which she kept throughout her working life. She was a manager in their purchasing department when she retired in 1980.

Fran Burke - portrait Photo page, Fran

Fran lived at 14 Victoria Road in Dartmouth before moving to a small apartment building at 10 Wentworth Street which she considered home. An avid bowler, Fran bowled in a league with friends from Naval Research. Fran also enjoys playing cards, knitting, listening to the radio and watching TV. The Lawrence Welk Show was one of her favourites. While not one to drive, Fran did travel several times to visit friends and family in Ontario, New York and Massechusetts.

Fran's younger brother Herman, who lived on Dublin Street in Halifax, was her closest relative. Herman and his family have kept company with, and have assisted, Fran in many ways over many years.

Poster of Fran's life to speak for her at Northwood Home

Cam created this poster of Fran's life to speak for her when she could not speak for herself - while she was living her last years at Northwood Home in Halifax.

Cam remembers... being informed that Fran died during the night of December 2, 1999 at the age of 88. She had been incapacitated by a number of strokes several years earlier, and had suffered a few more about ten days prior to her death. She had lost general consciousness and had been unable to control the part of her throat that directs food away from the lungs. She had been given morphine in case she was in any pain, but there was no evidence of pain or discomfort while she was sleeping.

Fran was cremated and a church memorial held the following week by the priest at her church - St. Peter's Catholic Church, Dartmouth.

Attending : Colleen, Mary Lou and Gerald Courtney; Mick and June McGuire; Eleanor Burke, and a son of Rosey who lived somewhere behind the house in Louisdale. Total 20-25 people attended.

Fran was interred in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Halifax.

Photo page...

Arthur Oswald Burke

Arthur and Eleanor Photo page, Arthur

Arthur Oswald Burke

Garvey Vincent Burke

Garvey and Anne Photo page, Garvey

Garvey Vincent Burke

Marie Marguerite Cecilia Burke

Cecilia Stanley Dormer Photo page, Cecilia

Marie Marguerite Cecilia Burke

Theresa remembers... Cecilia worked for a time as the nursemaid for the children of a commodore. One of the commodore's children was named Jillian. Jillian spent one summer with the Burkes in Louisdale.

Donald Alfred Burke

Donald was born January 19, 1917. Donald lived his life in Louisdale.

Theresa remembers... Their mother held Donald back from having to go to school, though Theresa thought he was quite smart and this shouldn't have been so.

Donald was born with a crippled hand that kept him from joining the army during World War II, and limited him perhaps in what he could do in life.

Donald Burke Bernard, Donald, Leo, other, Estelle, Vincent, Ted, Lou.

Donald died on March 6, 1946, of health problems. Theresa thought that he greatly missed their mother when she passed on.

Anna (Eugenie) Jean Burke

Francis Bennie Marchand and Jean Joseph Francis (à Bennie) Marchand Photo page, Jean

Anna (Eugenie) Jean Burke

Richard Marchand remembers... when Momma was born, Grandma sent her to be baptised with Eugenie, telling her that she wanted the child called Anna Jean. But Greatgrandma took things into her own hands and told the priest that the name was to be Anna Eugenie, which unfortunately was spelled Egunie on the birth certificate, which name she bore until she had it legally changed in the seventies. Grandma was not half pleased.

Notes on the Marchand family...

Louis Marchand, an Officer at the Fort of Port-Royal, Nova Scotia, married Marie Godin on November 24, 1705. They were the first Acadian Marchand family.

Clarence and Francis's parents were Benjamin Marchand and Elizabeth Sampson. Hence Francis à Bennie, or Francis Bennie.

Joseph Herman Burke

Herman Burke Ethel Landry Photo page, Herman

Joseph "Herman" Burke

Helen Jeanne Burke

Helen was born in May, 1920. Helen died August 3, 1920 of a childhood illness involving high fever.

John Bernard Burke

Bernard with Violet, Sylvia and Gerald Photo page, Bernard

John Bernard (pronounced "Bernerd") Burke

Theresa remembers... when she was young, Bernard conned her into trading a watercolour paint set in a gold box for something of substantially lesser value (she thinks it might have been some string). When she realized that she had been conned, she cried and cried until their mother made Bernard give the paintbox back to her.

Theresa Mary Burke

Photo page, Theresa

Theresa Mary Burke

  • born May 27, 1925, in Louisdale, Nova Scotia
  • married on August 11, 1950, in Halifax, N.S., to Alfred Thomas Burton Longhurst (born January 21, 1925, in Belleville, Ontario)
  • married in the Stadacona Naval Base Chapel, Gottingen Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • children :
    • Christopher Alfred Longhurst
      • born April 12, 1951, in Halifax, Nova Scotia
      • married May 1, 1980, in Kingston, Ontario, to Nancy Elizabeth Deré (born January 9, 1962)
      • children :
        • Andrea Suzanne Longhurst
          • born April 7, 1981, in Brampton, Ontario
        • Christie Elizabeth Longhurst
          • born June 4, 1982, in Brampton, Ontario
        • Eric Christopher Longhurst
          • born February 1, 1986, in Brampton, Ontario
      • (since divorced)
    • Colleen Anne Longhurst
      • born December 18, 1952, in Halifax, Nova Scotia
      • married November 14, 1985, in Brampton, Ontario, to Bruce McCracken (born December 19, 1951)
      • (since divorced)
    • Cameron Archibald Longhurst
      • born December 25, 1955, in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    • Craig Alan Longhurst
      • November 11, 1959, in London, Ontario
      • married June 1, 1985, in Brampton, Ontario, to Deborah Rae Wilkins (born December 17, 1960)
    • Carl Anthony Longhurst
      • born June 11, 1961, in Halifax, Nova Scotia
      • married May 1, 1984, in Brampton, Ontario, to Linda Edith Kincaid (born January 18, 1959, daughter of John Kincaid)
      • children :
        • Tyler John Alfred Longhurst
          • born June 17, 1988, in Orangeville, Ontario
        • Lucas Carl Longhurst
          • born February 22, 1992, in Orangeville, Ontario
      • (since divorced)
    • Cathy Alison Longhurst
      • born April 13, 1963, in Halifax, Nova Scotia
      • commonlaw marriage to Clark Gordon Mason Lyons (born August 24, 1955)
      • children :
        • Kody Mason Lyons
          • born February 28, 1991, in Brampton, Ontario
        • Casey Alison Lyons
          • July 6, 1993, in Brampton, Ontario
  • Theresa Burke died May 13, 2010, of congestive heart failure. She was cremated and her remains are presently with her family.

Gerald Louis (Lou) Burke

Lou and Vera Photo page, Lou

Gerald Louis ("Lou") Burke

Theresa remembers... going swimming with Lou down at the Pont à Dan when they were young. Another time, she and Lou dropped an inverted cat from a second floor window of the Louisdale house "to see if it would land on its feet".

Names, Births, Deaths, Details...

Name
Born
Died, When
Died, Where
Age
Cause of Death
Remains Located...
Fred 1884, February 14 1957 River Bourgeois, NS
74
 Buried, Louisdale, NS
Ellen Jane 1886, November 23 May 10, 1942 Louisdale, NS Bright's disease (kidneys) Buried, Louisdale, NS
Lillian 1909, October 12 1965, September 10
55
 Cancer
Angela 1910, June 8 1983 February 25 Louisdale, NS
72
Frances 1911, October 7th 1999, December 2 Halifax, NS
88
 Stroke

Cremated, interred in the Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Halifax.
Arthur 1912, October 31 1950's Heart attack
Garvey 1914, September 21 1982
68
 Lung cancer
Cecilia 1915, December 15 late 70's
55+
 Colon cancer
Donald 1917, January 19 1946, March 6
29
 Health problems
Jean 1918, February 28 1994, January 20
86
 Multiple myeoma
Herman 1919, May 27 or 28 1995
76
 Stroke
Helene 1920, May 1920, August 3 Louisdale, NS
4 mths.
 Childhood illness, high fever
Bernard 1921, December 3 1983, July 29 Kingston, ON
61
 Arterial sclerosis
Theresa 1925, May 27 2010, May 13 Brampton, ON
84
 Congestive heart failure Cremated, remains with her family
Lou 1927, August 2nd 2000 May 14th Toronto, ON
72
 Lung cancer Buried, Nobleton, ON

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