The Journey to Canada

Today I will tell  you a little about Thomas and Maria. They were both born in England and came over to Canada in 1892 and settled in the Plankey Plains district which is now known as the Roseau River area. Some of the land that my Great Grandparents settled on along the Roseau River was donated to the district for a park. The park is where the descendants of Thomas & Maria have been meeting every 5 years since 1992 when we marked the 100th anniversary of their journey to Canada.
The following excerpt was taken from the book I wrote called "Pott Family Journey Before & After 1892".

"The Dominion Ocean liner log books show the family of Thomas and Maria Pott with their ten children listed as “steerage additional” passengers, departing Liverpool England on a ship by the name of S.S. Oregon. The duration of the voyage was to be 34 days for the ship to travel to Canada and back to Liverpool. They departed Liverpool Thursday Feb. 4, 1892 with a destination to arrive in Portland Maine, USA. The ship arrived in Halifax on Sunday Feb. 14 1892 which began the journey for the family to Manitoba. On page 3 of the manifest they are listed with their destination as Dominion City, Manitoba and beside that it is marked CPR indicating that they would have traveled to Winnipeg and then on to Dominion City via CPR rail lines. CPR kept no records of passenger travel. Upon their arrival in Winnipeg on March 10 1892, Maria had to stay in Winnipeg because the children had measles. Thomas went by train onto Dominion City where he was met by his brother Frank who had come to homestead a few years earlier. When the children were better, Maria and the family joined her husband at Plankey Plains (now known as Roseau River) on the homestead on SW 35-2-5E in the Municipality of Franklin.  Part of that homestead is now known as Roseau River Community Park. Three more children were born to Thomas and Maria here in Canada."

From Left to Right, Alice, John, Elizabeth, Jane, Maria holding Sara,

Francis, Thomas holding George, Thomas, Mary. The gentleman holding
the horse is likely Thomas Mewis according to 1891 Census.
(Circa: 1888-1889)

The picture to the left was taken about 1889 while the family was still in England. 
The youngest child Sara who is sitting on Maria's  lap was christened on Jan. 27th 1889. Most of the family are wearing a corsage on their lapels indicating that it was a special occasion. The little boy sitting on Thomas's lap is George Pott, my moms father and my Grandfather.