The Six Children of Thomas Culbert and Letitia Dempster

 You’ve already met Thomas Culbert (son of John Culbert & Mary Ward) but if you missed his biography, click here.

 We turn now to the six children of Thomas Culbert (1846-1930) and his wife, Letitia Dempster (1846-1933).

 

Of those six children, I have photos of only two of them: Milton and Victor. If anyone has photos of Elviretta, Ernest, Myron or Orval, please email me.

Thomas Culbert & Letitia Culbert, parents of six children. Photo courtesy of Jane (Gras) Heigis.

Thomas and Letitia raised their children in Granton, Ontario, Canada. Granton is a small community in Biddulph Township; about 10 km or about 7 miles east of Lucan, Ontario. Thomas owned and operated the Central Hotel in Granton. In October, 1889, the family moved to London, Ontario where Thomas had a cigar shop, and later became a travelling sales representative for Carling Brewery. For awhile, they lived at 116 Colborne Street where their youngest child was born, and later, they lived on Horton Steet. In 1904, Thomas built this beautiful house at 784 Wellington Street...

The Thomas Culbert - Letitia Dempster family house at 784 Wellington Street in London, Ontario. Photo by Mary Jane Culbert.

Here are some details about each of Thomas and Letitia's six children:

1. ELVIRETTA CULBERT (first child of Thomas & Letitia) also known as “Elva,” was born 16 October 1871 in Biddulph Township, Middlesex County, Ontario. She attended S.S. No. 7 Granton School in Granton.

On her 36^th birthday in 1907, Elva married George Thomas Hunter (1877-1943), a conductor with the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Over the years, Elva and George lived in three different houses on St. James Street in London. They started out at 495 St. James Street; then 506 St. James Street; and lastly, 502 St. James Street.

506 St. James Street, home of Elva Culbert and her husband, George Hunter. Photo by Mary Jane Culbert, 2017.

When Elva’s ageing parents, Thomas and Letitia moved out of their big house at 784 Wellington Street, they moved in with Elva and George at 502 St. James Street. Thomas and Letitia died in that house, as did Elva’s husband, George.

Robert Milton “Bob” Culbert remembers his great-aunt Elva as “a tiny, cheerful creature who resembled a field mouse and who enjoyed music – she sang and played the violin, both very badly! But she was a fine cook who could turn out a whole week’s worth of apple pies in a trice.”

Her nephew, Milton Richard Culbert said, “Although Elva was a scrawny little squirt, she had a strong voice and sang with great confidence, always off-key. The result was shattering. Her voice seemed to emulate the cries of lonely hoot owls and beagle bitches in heat.”

Elviretta (Culbert) Hunter died 25 January 1954, age 82, and is buried in London’s Woodland Cemetery. Elva and George had no children.

 

2. ERNEST ADOLPHUS CULBERT (second child of Thomas & Letitia) was born 20 May 1873 in Biddulph Township. In 1906, "Ernie" married Mary Rose Wilson (1878-1936). They lived at 180 Bruce Street in London, Ontario.

180 Bruce Street, home of Ernie Culbert and family.

Ernie went from one job to another as a bookkeeper, prospector, supplier of building materials, and railroad worker. According to Ernie’s nephew, Milton Richard Culbert, Ernie swanned about London as “a fashionable dandy and flashy baseball player. Ernie could usually be found sitting all dressed up in his good clothes in the back yard, reading the sporting pages with a fat cigar in his face, waiting no doubt for some lucrative position to come up worthy of his status.” Bob Culbert said, “It was thought that Ernie was a bit of a layabout.”

Ernie and Mary had two daughters: Marjorie Isabelle Culbert (1908-1996) and Barbara Olive Culbert (1913-2011).

Marjorie Culbert was born 7 July 1908 in London, Ontario. She married Andrew Jeffrey Royal in Brazil in 1940. I’m not aware of any children from this union. Marjorie, an international traveller, led an interesting life as you can see by clicking here. She died in 1996.

Ernie and Mary's daughter, Marjorie (Culbert) Royal in 1940.

Less is known about Ernie and Mary’s youngest daughter, Barbara Olive Culbert (born 14 October 1913 in London, Ontario). Click here to read a piece that I wrote about her. Barbara Culbert attended nursing school and married James Walter Youngman. Following his death, she married Allan Moore. Barbara and her first husband, Jim Youngman had three children. One of their daughters, Dr. Susan (Youngman) Mitchell (1946-2003) was a physician in Muskoka, Ontario. I've just found Barbara's obituary which shows that she died in Cobourg, Ontario on 10 November 2011. Please contact me if you know more about Barbara Culbert or if you are one of Barbara's descendants. 

Ernie & Mary's daughter, Barbara (Culbert) Youngman Moore.

 

Ernest Adolphus Culbert died 10 September 1950, age 77 and is buried in Woodland Cemetery.

 

3. MYRON BURTON CULBERT (third child of Thomas & Letitia) was born 8 August 1877 and died 1 October 1880, age three. He is buried in Woodland Cemetery in London, Ontario. 

Myron Burton Culbert, age 3 is buried in Woodland Cemetery with his parents, Thomas and Letitia. Photo by Mary Jane Culbert. 

4. MILTON THOMAS CULBERT (fourth child of Thomas & Letitia) was born 29 May 1880 in Granton, Ontario.

Milton Thomas Culbert (1880-1911). Photo courtesy of Robert Milton Culbert.

Milton Thomas Culbert attended the University of Toronto, and became a geologist and mining engineer. He was described in an obituary (Applied Science published by University of Toronto) as "one of the cleverest men that the Canadian mining industry has ever known."

In 1907, Milton married Laura May Yeo (1884-1973). Milton and Laura had one son, Milton Richard Culbert (1908-1996). Sadly, Milton Thomas Culbert died at age 30 in 1911, leaving behind his widow and his two-year-old son.

Milton Thomas Culbert is buried in Woodland Cemetery, London on the opposite side of his parents' headstone.

I plan to devote a separate blog post to Milton Thomas Culbert at a future date. 

 

5. JOHN VICTOR CULBERT (fifth child of Thomas & Letitia) was born 4 December 1885 in Granton, Ontario. He graduated from the University of Toronto as a mining engineer. Victor never married or had children.

John Victor Culbert (1885-1963).  Photo courtesy of Jane (Gras) Heigis.

Victor Culbert’s head was a subject of fascination for his nephew, Milton Richard Culbert who drew caricatures of his Uncle Vic.

 Source: The Culbert Chronicles by Milton Richard Culbert.

Victor Culbert volunteered for overseas service in 1917, and held the rank of Lieutenant. 

John Victor Culbert in military uniform. Photo courtesy of Jane (Gras) Heigis.

Bob Culbert says, “Great-uncle Vic was a bit of an absent-minded professor type, but he was a qualified geologist who occasionally went on assignment to far-away places such as South America.”

Milton Richard Culbert said of him, “Uncle Vic should have become a research botanist instead, and spent his oddball life dissecting daisies and dogbane, and solving the sex life of the kumquat.”

Milton continues, “Vic’s writstwatch was always exactly on time to the second, but he never was.”

John Victor Culbert died 8 February 1963, age 77, and is buried in Woodland Cemetery.

 

6. MERLIN ORVAL CULBERT (sixth child of Thomas & Letitia) was born 3 January 1890 at home in London, Ontario at 116 Colborne Street. (His birth document contains an error, reporting the address as 110 Colborne instead of 116 Colborne. A London city directory confirms that the Culberts were living at 116 Colborne Street in 1890.)

Merlin Orval Culbert was a salesman, press operator, and in the 1950s, he worked as an inspector for General Steel Wares in London.

In 1922, Orval married Isobel Malloch (1895-1964). The 1935 Voters’ List shows them living at 575 Grosvenor Street in London. In 1945, their address is 784 Colborne Street, London.

575 Grosvenor Street, London, Ontario. Photo taken many years after they lived here.

Orval’s nephew, Milton Richard Culbert said, “Orval had forsaken higher education for the lure of the lucre, much to his regret in later years. He had a very inquiring mind and could have become a fine scientist, likely in astronomy, his chosen hobby.”

Orval’s nephew, Robert Milton “Bob” Culbert, remembers his uncle Orval with affection, describing him as “delightful company.”

Bob says, “He (Orval) and Dad (Milton Richard Culbert) had a wonderful surrogate father and son relationship, Dad having lost his father (Milton Thomas Culbert) in 1911 and barely remembering him, and Uncle Orval never having a son.”

Bob goes on to say, “We would stop in London to collect Great-Uncle Orval so he could attend our family picnics near Delaware, Ontario. Orval was designated honourary “Chaplain” of these picnics. Dad (Milton Richard Culbert) built Orval a large badge to wear around his neck; it said “Chaplain”. Michael Gordon Dunsmore Culbert says of his great-uncle Orval, “I have a feeling that these picnics were the highlight of Vic’s social life. He was jovial and enthusiastic--wanted to meet everyone at the gathering and find out what they did.”

Orval and Isobel had one daughter: Catherine Isabel Culbert (1924-2001). Catherine Culbert, a stenographer, remained single and had no children. She lived in London. When she retired from Bell Canada, she moved to Tiny Township near Coutnac Beach, north of Penetanguishene, Ontario. She became an elder and active member of the Penetanguishene Presbyterian Church. She also volunteered at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre and in the Books on Wheels Program. She died 10 June 2001, age 77, and is buried in Penetanguishene Presbyterian Cemetery.

Merlin Orval Culbert died in 1981, age 91. Unlike most of his family, he is not buried in Woodland Cemetery. Instead, he and his wife are buried in London’s Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

If you have additional details or photos you’d like to share regarding any of the people in this blog post, please contact me, Mary Jane Culbert at this email address: