MARY'S GENEALOGY TREASURES
George Loxton was born March 19, 1885, in Priddy,
In March 1902, George and John, who was married to
George and John worked at various types of jobs,
On September 1, 1916, George married Leona
"Father enjoyed telling the story of his train ride to
George and Leona lived in one of the company houses
George and Leona's first child, a son, George Le Roy
Father told of the time when the second son was born.
They experienced many happy times in Coalhurst and
One of my memories of Coalhurst is of the time mother
loads at the end of the track. It was not until I was older
For many years we children were entertained with
After one bad explosion, George was completely
George studied first aid and in 1918 he was awarded
Leona didn't like his work due to the dangers involved,
In 1924, George moved to Magrath with his family,
George farmed in Magrath and only returned to
Leona passed away after a long illness, July 24, 1971,
Five days after his funeral, his son, George LeRoy
Somerset, England. He and his brother John (Jack)
Loxton born August 21, 1872 in Priddy, learned the
coal mining trade in the Rhoudde Valley, Wales,
George went into the mines at the age of twelve years.
Annie Rosena Mumford Dudden, born April 1, 1875 at
Rodney Stoke, Somerset, alone, with their children,
Ernest John, June 21, 1894 and Lorenzo (Mick)
October 18, 1900, left Ton Pentre, Glamorgan, Wales
and came to Southern Alberta.
but mostly in the coal mines in the Crowsnest Pass.
They survived many disasters, such as the Fernie Fire
1908, and the Hillcrest Mine Explosion. George returned
to Stirling, but stayed only two months. He returned to
the mines because he felt that it was the only place a
man could earn good money. He worked as Fireboss
in Commerce through part of W.W.I. George left
Commerce because he felt it was dangerous as
safety lamps were not being used. He went to Coalhurst
where he was fireboss for nine years. He took particular
pride in the dry, well lighted bottom of the Coalhurst
mine six hundred feet below the surface.
Christensen, born December 12, 1894, Elsinore,
Utah, but lived in Stirling. After the wedding they
rode from Stirling to Coalhurst on the engine of a
train. Then they had a large "surprise" reception,
waiting for them. The people of Coalhurst had
gathered with horns, bells and all manner of noise
makers, to meet the newly wed couple. The only
bells that failed to ring were the ones that had been
tied too tightly to the couples bed springs.
Stirling to get married. The engineer took him to
one side and gave him some "fatherly" advice about
staying away from the "Mormon" girls in Stirling.
On their return trip to Coalhurst, the engineer found
mother to be a sweet, gentle and clean girl whom he
took an instant liking too. When he found out that she
was a Mormon, his opinion changed and he
congratulated father on his choice of bride".
that was close to the mine. Mother told of having a
water barrel outside the door and water was delivered
every few days to them. All the houses looked alike.
Often visitors to Coalhurst walked into the wrong one.
A little girl came to our house, and sat in a rocker and
sang for almost an hour before she realized that she was
in the wrong house and mother was a stranger. The
child went into hysterics and mother had to knock
on several doors until she found the girl's aunt.
was born October 8, 1917, before the hospital was
built. Two more children a daughter and son were born
to this union.
Mother became a bit depressed and the Doctor prescribed
an alcoholic medicine for her. She was inebriated when
he went to see her. He never let her forget this incident.
gained many life-long friends, such as the Irwins, and
the Fergusons, George enjoyed taking VIP'S, and also
school classes down the mine where he showed them
around and explained the mine workings to them. His
wife often accompanied him on these excursions,
although she never shared his interest in mining.
and I went to visit Mrs. Irwin who still lived there. I
would sit on the door step and watch the coal carts
running across the top of the slag heap- It appeared
that a man would hit the carts making them tip their
that I understood how this operation worked. To this
day, when I see the "Coal Heaps" I imagine I can see
the tiny carts running along the top, waiting to be "tripped".
stories about the life of our parents in Coalhurst. How
well I remember father telling of his experiences in
the mines, and especially about the mine explosions.
Mother told of listening for the mine whistle that blew
in the time of disaster. She used to set the table with
plates upside down to keep the coal dust off them until
the food was served. Her washing was always gray,
because of the black dust, and her mother kept
reminding her of the importance of keeping the baby's
diapers white. Father would laugh each time he told the
story of the young fellow miner who hid in the outside
toilet when his girl-friend's husband came home.
Some men of the community tipped the toilet over,
door-side down.
covered with coal, except for one arm. He blacked
out and never knew how he got out, but remembered
sitting in the washroom covered with blood. He
had coal particles imbedded all over his body,
except his arm, until his death.
a gold medal for first aid proficiency from the Mining
Institute of Canada. He used his training many
times when he was called upon to tend the men
who received injuries while working in the mine.
His family still have the medal.
so in 1922, when most of the mines closed down
because the demand for coal was low and they were
going through a short depression, George moved his
family to Calgary. His brother John moved to
Vancouver.
which now included two more children, a son and a
daughter.
mining during the Second World War for three winters,
when he worked in a small mine on the bank of a
river, north of Magrath.
and is buried in Magrath. George retired to Lethbridge
and lived there until 1979, then he moved to Magrath.
He passed away, December 19, 1980, in his
ninety-sixth year. He is buried beside his wife.
passed away in London, Ontario. He, too, is
buried in the family plot, Magrath.
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