Abel Seneca Weekes database individual notes

Abel Seneca Weekes Notes
At his wedding Abel gave his Residence as Lloydminster AB Addresses for Abel and family 9528 - 106th St Edmonton and circa 1922. 61 Maryland St Winnipeg 1881 Census Place Mosa, Middlesex, East Ontario, Canada Source FHL Film 1375905 Nac C-13269 Dist 168 Subdist A Div 1 Page 13 Family 57 The Townsite Of Meota was laid out by a Land Surveyor by the name of Abel S. WEEKES, who later became Chief Land Surveyor for the Western region of the Canadain National Railways. At one time Abel WEEKES served as President of the Saskatchewan Land Surveyors' Association and it was after him that the town of Weekes was named. Abel WEEKES first came to the west from Ontario in the year 1893 and was one of the few men who made it through to the Klondike by the difficult Edmonton route in 1897 In the spring of 1903 he recieved an appointment with the Department of the Interior to work with Thomas TURNBULL on the location of the Barr Coilony and later to inspect and take charge of all the surveys in that part of Western Canada "not lying between the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers". This explains his connection with Meota and the surrounding areas. As a matter of interest, sometime later he was commissioned to survey fourteen townships south of Tramping Lake. The connection of the WEEKES family with Meota continued long after the survey was done. In 1915 Abel rented a cottage on Tobey's Point and brought his wife and young family there to spend a summer at the lake. Then in 1934, his daughter Miriam came to Meota where she worked, for a time, in Darts' Store. In August of 1936 she was married to Harold SUTTON, son of Harry and Melinda SUTTON, well known Meota pioneers. Harold and Miriam moved to Flin Flon and later to the West Coast but they still come back to Meota to visit whenever they can manage to do so. History of Meota (I Think RLS) Abel Seneca Weekes #022 ABEL S. WEEKES, VETERAN C.N.R. OFFICIAL DIES Was For Many Years Chief Land Surveyor of Western Lines Land surveyors of Western Canada, former associates in the Canadian National railway, and many other friends and also relatives gathered in Thomson's funeral chapel today to pay final tribute to Abel Seneca Weekes, retired chief land surveyor for the Western lines of the Canadian National Railway who died Saturday at his home, 61 Maryland St. in his 70th year. Rev. W.E. Donnelly conducted the simple and impressive funeral rites. Burial was in Brookside cemetery. Pallbearers were: E. C. Brown, W. F. Bannister, J. Walker, and J. H. Burd, of the C.N.R. survey debt., and J. V. Dillabough and H. H. Sparling also of the railway. Mr. Weekes was born on a farm in Mosa township near Glencoe Ont., Feb. 17, 1866. He served his apprenticeship in land surveying in Glencoe, then worked for a period as surveyor in Northern Ontario. From 1887 to 1890, be was employed by Code and Robertson, surveying firm of Clinton, Ont. Worked as Prospector For three years after he came to Western Canada in 1894, Mr. Weekes worked as land surveyor and prospector in various parts of the prairie provinces. In 1897, he and Albert Schaefer built a boat in the upper Mackenzie river and tortuously worked their way up the river. The young man spent the next five years mining, trading, and seafaring in the north country, then Weekes returned home leaving his companion in the Yukon. On Nov. 21, 1904 Abel Weekes began work for the Canadian Northern Railway as a surveyor along with his friend the late Thomas Turnbull who later became head of the maintenance of ways dept. for the Western lines. On the formation of the C.N.R., in 1919, he was made chief land surveyor for Western Canada. Lived at Edmonton Previously he had lived at Edmonton, and in that year took up residence in Winnipeg. He retired from the railway on his birthday, Feb, 17, 1931. Mr. Weekes was a member of the Dominion Land Surveyors' Association, and the Ontario L.S.A., a member of the executive of the Alberta L.S.A., and president of the Saskatchewan L.S.A. He was also a member of the Engineering Institute of Canada. He attended Young United church. Surviving are his widow who was Anna Whiteford, of Ireland, and whom he married in Winnipeg ten years ago, a son, William James, of Outpost Island, Great Slave Lake; five daughters Miriam, Betty, Frances, Mary and Ruth, at home; two sisters, Mrs. (Rev.) G. J. Kerr, Lambeth, Ont., and Mrs. Wm. N. Leonard, Delhi, Ont., and five brothers, Dr. W. J. Weekes and Nelson Weekes, London, Ont.; Thomas Albert, Edmonton; Alfred W., Strome, Alta.; and Herbert. M., near Glencoe, Ont. Mr. Weekes' first Wife, who was Miriam Millicent Smith, of Bothwell, Ont., whom he married in 1906, died in April, 1925. Winnipeg Tribune, April 29, 1936 Abel Seneca Weekes Abel Seneca Weekes was born in Glencoe, Ontario on February 17, 1866, one of thirteen children. He attended Wardsville High School during each winter from 1879 until 1886, working on the farm during each summer and in 1885 passed his 2nd Class Non-Professional Teachers' exam. In the winter of 1886-87, he entered the offices of Coad and Robertson, Surveyors and Engineers of Glencoe and, on passing the preliminary examination in April 1887, served three years apprenticeship to the land surveying profession. He received his commission as an Ontario Land Surveyor in April 1890. During this time he went north on government surveys with Mr. Richard Coad in 1887 and again in 1889. On these surveys, he made his first acquaintance with the big woods and took to the frontier life like a duck to water. In the summer of 1890, he went as an assistant to the late James Tiernan of Tilbury Centre on a township survey in the Spanish River District. In the fall of the same year, he opened an office in Clinton, Ontario. There he was engineer for several townships. Business was very slack in those days so, in 1891, he again went to Algoma for Mr. Tiernan, going into Webbwood and across the big bend of the Spanish River. In February 1892, he wrote his DLS exam at Ottawa and received his commission. In the summer of that year, he was assistant, along with Mr James Hutchin, to Mr. Elihu Stewart of Collingwood on the survey of Falconbridge and McLellan on Lake Wahnapitae. (In those days, assistants were paid from $40 to $60 per month.) At the end of that year, giving up the hope of building up a business in Clinton, he gave up his office there and returned to Glencoe. In the spring of 1893 he moved to Alberta where he acted as assistant to the late J.L. Foster of Toronto on subdivision surveys of several townships southeast of Wetaskiwin. When that work was finished he joined the party of Joseph Doupe at Buffalo Lake near where Stettler now stands remaining in Alberta after this party finished, he found things very quiet in the surveying line as did most of the surveyors of that time. So, for the next four or five years he lived on the frontier, trapping and placer mining on the North Saskatchewan River. http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Weekes_Abel_906236818.aspx Abel is listed on the 1900 Census of Alaska, living in Fort Yukon, arriving in Alaska in Aug 1898. page 18 Northern District

Abel Seneca Weekes Notes

At his wedding Abel gave his Residence as Lloydminster AB
Addresses for Abel and family
9528 - 106th St Edmonton and circa 1922. 61 Maryland St Winnipeg
1881 Census Place Mosa, Middlesex, East Ontario, Canada Source FHL Film 1375905 Nac C-13269 Dist 168 Subdist A Div 1 Page 13 Family 57

The Townsite Of Meota was laid out by a Land Surveyor by the name of Abel S. WEEKES, who later became Chief Land Surveyor for the Western region of the Canadain National Railways. At one time Abel WEEKES served as President of the Saskatchewan Land Surveyors' Association and it was after him that the town of Weekes was named.

Abel WEEKES first came to the west from Ontario in the year 1893 and was one of the few men who made it through to the Klondike by the difficult Edmonton route in 1897

In the spring of 1903 he recieved an appointment with the Department of the Interior to work with Thomas TURNBULL on the location of the Barr Coilony and later to inspect and take charge of all the surveys in that part of Western Canada "not lying between the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers". This explains his connection with Meota and the surrounding areas. As a matter of interest, sometime later he was commissioned to survey fourteen townships south of Tramping Lake.

The connection of the WEEKES family with Meota continued long after the survey was done. In 1915 Abel rented a cottage on Tobey's Point and brought his wife and young family there to spend a summer at the lake.

Then in 1934, his daughter Miriam came to Meota where she worked, for a time, in Darts' Store. In August of 1936 she was married to Harold SUTTON, son of Harry and Melinda SUTTON, well known Meota pioneers. Harold and Miriam moved to Flin Flon and later to the West Coast but they still come back to Meota to visit whenever they can manage to do so. History of Meota (I Think RLS)

Abel Seneca Weekes #022
ABEL S. WEEKES, VETERAN C.N.R. OFFICIAL DIES
Was For Many Years Chief Land Surveyor of Western Lines
Land surveyors of Western Canada, former associates in the Canadian National railway, and many other friends and also relatives gathered in Thomson's funeral chapel today to pay final tribute to Abel Seneca Weekes, retired chief land surveyor for the Western lines of the Canadian National Railway who died Saturday at his home, 61 Maryland St. in his 70th year. Rev. W.E. Donnelly conducted the simple and impressive funeral rites.

Burial was in Brookside cemetery. Pallbearers were: E. C. Brown, W. F. Bannister, J. Walker, and J. H. Burd, of the C.N.R. survey debt., and J. V. Dillabough and H. H. Sparling also of the railway. Mr. Weekes was born on a farm in Mosa township near Glencoe Ont., Feb. 17, 1866. He served his apprenticeship in land surveying in Glencoe, then worked for a period as surveyor in Northern Ontario. From 1887 to 1890, be was employed by Code and Robertson, surveying firm of Clinton, Ont.

Worked as Prospector
For three years after he came to Western Canada in 1894, Mr. Weekes worked as land surveyor and prospector in various parts of the prairie provinces. In 1897, he and Albert Schaefer built a boat in the upper Mackenzie river and tortuously worked their way up the river. The young man spent the next five years mining, trading, and seafaring in the north country, then Weekes returned home leaving his companion in the Yukon.

On Nov. 21, 1904 Abel Weekes began work for the Canadian Northern Railway as a surveyor along with his friend the late Thomas Turnbull who later became head of the maintenance of ways dept. for the Western lines. On the formation of the C.N.R., in 1919, he was made chief land surveyor for Western Canada.

Lived at Edmonton
Previously he had lived at Edmonton, and in that year took up residence in Winnipeg. He retired from the railway on his birthday, Feb, 17, 1931.

Mr. Weekes was a member of the Dominion Land Surveyors' Association, and the Ontario L.S.A., a member of the executive of the Alberta L.S.A., and president of the Saskatchewan L.S.A. He was also a member of the Engineering Institute of Canada. He attended Young United church.

Surviving are his widow who was Anna Whiteford, of Ireland, and whom he married in Winnipeg ten years ago, a son, William James, of Outpost Island, Great Slave Lake; five daughters Miriam, Betty, Frances, Mary and Ruth, at home; two sisters, Mrs. (Rev.) G. J. Kerr, Lambeth, Ont., and Mrs. Wm. N. Leonard, Delhi, Ont., and five brothers, Dr. W. J. Weekes and Nelson Weekes, London, Ont.; Thomas Albert, Edmonton; Alfred W., Strome, Alta.; and Herbert. M., near Glencoe, Ont. Mr. Weekes' first Wife, who was Miriam Millicent Smith, of Bothwell, Ont., whom he married in 1906, died in April, 1925. Winnipeg Tribune, April 29, 1936

Abel Seneca Weekes
Abel Seneca Weekes was born in Glencoe, Ontario on February 17, 1866, one of thirteen children.

He attended Wardsville High School during each winter from 1879 until 1886, working on the farm during each summer and in 1885 passed his 2nd Class Non-Professional Teachers' exam. In the winter of 1886-87, he entered the offices of Coad and Robertson, Surveyors and Engineers of Glencoe and, on passing the preliminary examination in April 1887, served three years apprenticeship to the land surveying profession. He received his commission as an Ontario Land Surveyor in April 1890.

During this time he went north on government surveys with Mr. Richard Coad in 1887 and again in 1889. On these surveys, he made his first acquaintance with the big woods and took to the frontier life like a duck to water. In the summer of 1890, he went as an assistant to the late James Tiernan of Tilbury Centre on a township survey in the Spanish River District. In the fall of the same year, he opened an office in Clinton, Ontario.

There he was engineer for several townships. Business was very slack in those days so, in 1891, he again went to Algoma for Mr. Tiernan, going into Webbwood and across the big bend of the Spanish River.

In February 1892, he wrote his DLS exam at Ottawa and received his commission. In the summer of that year, he was assistant, along with Mr James Hutchin, to Mr. Elihu Stewart of Collingwood on the survey of Falconbridge and McLellan on Lake Wahnapitae. (In those days, assistants were paid from $40 to $60 per month.) At the end of that year, giving up the hope of building up a business in Clinton, he gave up his office there and returned to Glencoe.

In the spring of 1893 he moved to Alberta where he acted as assistant to the late J.L. Foster of Toronto on subdivision surveys of several townships southeast of Wetaskiwin. When that work was finished he joined the party of Joseph Doupe at Buffalo Lake near where Stettler now stands remaining in Alberta after this party finished, he found things very quiet in the surveying line as did most of the surveyors of that time. So, for the next four or five years he lived on the frontier, trapping and placer mining on the North Saskatchewan River.

http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Weekes_Abel_906236818.aspx

Abel is listed on the 1900 Census of Alaska, living in Fort Yukon, arriving in Alaska in Aug 1898.
page 18 Northern District

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