I am a direct descendant of three pioneer families to Victoria: Robert and Hannah (Taylor) Elford, Thomas and Lavinia (Parmiter) Shotbolt and William and Mary (Warnes) Heathorn.
All three families have been featured in many early newspaper articles and several local books, such as This Old House, On The Street Where You Live, Wild Roses at Their Feet and Green Branches and Fallen Leaves. All served on councils, boards and social clubs in those early years.
Robert Elford (1819-1896) came to Victoria in 1858 and owned land near Pandora Avenue and Fort Street. Along with his sons, John Pitcairn and Theophilus (Pop) Elford (my great-grandfather), he built Queen Anne houses near Elford Street. Pop also established the Shawnigan Lake Lumber Co. and his sons, Frank and Ray, moved to Shawnigan to manage the mill.
Thomas Shotbolt (1842-1922), also a great-grandfather, came to Victoria in 1862 and established a chemist/druggist shop on Johnson Street. The Shotbolt鈥檚 home, Hollywood, was on what is now Shotbolt Street. Thomas also served on the first street car and telephone boards.
His wife, Lavinia, drove one of first electric cars in Victoria. His daughter, Florence, married Frank Elford (son of Pop). The Elfords and Shotbolts were longtime friends in Victoria and at Shawnigan Lake.
William Heathorn (1828-1890), also arrived in Victoria in 1862 and established the Victoria Boot and Shoe Factory. The store was at the south end of Government Street and his tannery was near Rock Bay. William鈥檚 daughter, Anna Augusta, married my grandfather, Thomas Travers Musgrave Custance.
We have many pictures, newspaper articles and stories if they may be useful. For example, I have my grandfather Frank鈥檚 diary which contains a poignant description of his reaction to the Point Ellice Bridge disaster of 1896 when his mother, Lillie, and sister Grace died.
Frank鈥檚 other sister, Olive, survived the disaster and, according to my mother, Doreen (Elford) Custance, was found unconscious, swimming against a log. Auntie Ollie, as we called her, lived to be 96! 鈥� Cheryl (Custance) Orr