By 1883 Samuel had moved his family to Winnipeg, Manitoba where he was employed by the CPR as foreman of their carpentry shops. A job he held, according to the local directories, until 1888. In 1885 Sarah married John Lewis Powell and in 1889 they relocated to Vancouver. Young (George) Lester, a favourite of Sarah’s (a year old when his mother died, Sarah as the oldest, helped raise him.) would have been 10 when the Powell’s left for Vancouver.
While working on my Oakley line I located some online directories to try and narrow down the time frame the family was living in Winnipeg. As I tend to do when looking up one family, I look up all my family names that were in the same area. I discovered that my mother's great grandfather Samuel was the foreman at the CPR Carpentry shop and her Oakley great uncles were working for him, alongside my fathers Caswell great uncles. It's a small world!
1883 Carswell Joseph CPR
Carswell Robert carpenter
Carwell John carpenter
Oakley Samuel foreman CPR shops
1884 Caswell John J CPR carpentry shop
Donnan Hugh fireman CPR
Oakley Isaac CPR carpentry shop
Oakley Robert CPR carpentry shop
Oakley Samuel foreman CPR shops
What follows is a series of newspaper clippings I have found online - articles regarding Sam's employment with the CPR.
Considering the tune of your work at the CPR is humming. There is plenty of repairing and rebuilding on hand in demand the time of our half a thousand employees busily engaged there. Obliging Mr. Stronach, who is acting as master mechanic until Mr. Reid’s return from England, told the writer that the shop hands, including mechanics and others, were very busily engaged at present, and though this was the season for limitations of working hours to eight hours per day some of the men in certain departments were furnished with ten and eleven hours of employment daily. Mr. Oakley recently received instructions from headquarters to box fifty flat cars, and of course this means big work for the carpenters and painters. During 1886 there were one hundred and fifty flat cars boxed and made ready for the carriage of perishable goods. While the road was under construction a very large number of flats were a necessity, but, as will be seen above, two hundred have been converted into box cars in the Winnipeg shops since the completion of the line west. As there are one hundred and four engines in constant use on the division between here and Donald, the blacksmiths boiler hands and mechanics are from time to time dong their parts of the repairing, and very often rebuilding. Of this number of engines, seventy seven burn coal, and twenty seven use wood. It was observed that the repairing and entire rebuilding of rolling stock, from the elegantly appointed sleepers to plain unpretentious flats was being carried on in all departments. “Baker heaters” are now being placed in all coaches sent in for repairs or reconstruction; steam pipes along the sides of cars, furnishing heat, and in case of accident the danger of fire is greatly reduced.
21 Feb 1887 “Samuel Oakley, General Car Foreman for the CPR at Winnipeg for the last four and a half years, has resigned his position, to take effect at once, and will leave on Tuesday for St. Paul, having accepted the position of general car foreman of the St. Paul Minnesota and Manitoba Railway under his old chief, Mr. Reed, master mechanic. Mr. Oakley is an experienced car builder having been for nearly 30 years with the Grand Trunk Railway, and previous to accepting the position he is now resigning was general foreman for Mr. James Croasan, of Cobourg. He is one of the most popular officers of the CPR, and his departure will occasion much regret.”
25 Feb 1887 Mr. OakleyReceives an Address and Presentation Last Evening at the our led in the library reading room last evening and presented Mr. Samuel Oakley, the late general foreman at that department, who will leave Saturday to join Mr. Reed in St. Paul, with an address and presentation – a ponderous gold watch and chain. Mr. Slightome occupied the chair, and Mr. Alex Gable read the following address:-
The employees of the car departments connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway desire to inform you that they have learned with sincere regret of your resignation of the position of General Car Foreman, which you have occupied during the past four and a half years. We take this opportunity of placing on record our high sense of appreciation of the many variable qualities which have endeared you to us. In the performance of your varied duties, your conduct has been marked by the spirit of generous fairness and uniform courtesy and unswerving integrity, and the loss of these estimable qualifications will be keenly felt by all. We trust that good health and prosperity may accompany you in your future career, and that your opportunities for usefulness may be long continued.
In conclusion we beg your acceptance of the accompanying token of our esteem, which we hope may assist in reminding you of the old associates at this station.
The address was signed by Messers W. J. Brown, Russel Rielly, Alexander Gamble, W. Slightome and J. Nobes on behalf of the employees.
Mr. Oakley was taken by surprise, but made and appropriate reply, after which several gentlemen employed in the shops testified to the good qualities of Mr. Oakley. Several songs were sung by Messers. Rielly, Gamble and others, and a pleasant evening closed with “Auld Lang Syne.”
Reading this last newspaper clipping the name "Nobes" jumped out at me - this being Sam's first wife Mary Ann's maiden name. I suspect this is Mary Ann's brother Isaac Henry Nobes. Although I am not sure when their mother died, I believe it was about 1865 which would make Isaac about 15. I think Sam & Mary Ann took him in as he lived in Cobourg; and if the above should be I Nobes, then he was in Winnipeg with the widowed Sam and his young family. In the 1920 census of Minnesota, Isaac stated that he emigrated to the USA in 1887. This of course being the year Sam moved his family to Minnesota to marry his deceased wife's sister-in-law.
