Dear Editor,
The Christmas before last I decided to treat myself to a DNA test through an international family history site. Of all the matches notified to me, I had a delightful reply from a young woman in Canada – a second or third cousin.
Having quite a bit of experience in researching family history (my hobby for about 20 years), I couldn’t wait to see how we were connected.
From tracking a DNA match that she and I had in common and studying that lady’s family tree, I found the link: it was through my late mother’s cousin.
Thomas Appleby Ushaw was born in Whitby, Yorkshire, England, in 1892 and married in British Columbia on 19th April 1924.
His bride was Mildred Margaret English, who was 27 at the time (born in 1896 in Ontario).
They had two daughters, Marjorie May, born 3rd November 1926, and Shirley Velma, born in 1930 in Fort Langley.
Since Thomas Appleby Ushaw, his daughter, Marjorie May (and probably his wife, Mildred Margaret) all died (he was buried in 1959) in Fort Langley, I am hoping that – among your readership – some descendants may be contactable.
I am especially hopeful, since Marjorie May married Harry Waska, who I gather was a well-known figure in Fort Langley. Harry died in 2000, and Marjorie May on 28th May 2003 and their son, Drew, in 2016.
I do hope some links can be found.
Jill Etheridge, Malvern Wells, England
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• READ MORE: Drew Waska obituary
• READ MORE: Langley history documented over the decades
• READ MORE: LETTER about Fort Langley building demolition and history
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