Mary Anne Warpotksva

MARY ANNE WARPOTKSVA

(aka MARY ANN SCHETGUN, MARY ANN Oakpectwa, MARY ANN SCHELAIN, or INDIAN MARY)

Mary Anne Warpotksva is the daughter of Souvouekett. An obituary published in the Kamloops Standard-Sentinel shortly after her death says that she was the daughter of an Indian Chief who lived at Dead Man's Creek. Possibly, therefore, she and her father belonged to the Skeetchestn Indian Band

Language

Mary Anne Warpotksva spoke interior Salish and French fluently, and English haltingly. It seems too that she may have learned some of the Gaelic language from her husband Donald, who was a native of Lewis in Scotland.

Date and Place of Birth

An obituary published in the Kamloops Standard-Sentiel suggests that Mary Anne Warpotksva was born at Savona in British Columbia in 1812 British Columbia but even if the place of birth given is correct the date is probably nothing more than an extrapolation based upon the belief that she was 110 yeas of age when she died in 1922.

Evidence of Age

For Mary Anne Warpotksva's age see British Columbia, Death Registrations The only other hard evidence for the date and place of her birth comes from her marriage registration, and the census returns for 1891and 1891. Her marriage certificate suggests that she was born at Kamloops in British Columbia in 1829 or 1830 British Columbia, Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932, index and images, FamilySearch Kamloops may not be the correct place of birth but the age recorded on her marriage certificate is supported by the age recorded in the 1881 census return, which says that she was 52 years of age at this time Canada Census, 1881, index, FamilySearch and the 1891 census return which says that she was 60 years of age at this time Canada Census, 1891, index, FamilySearch

Death

Mary Anne Warpotksva died at her grandaughter's home in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, on 5 January 1922 British Columbia, Death Registrations She is buried in the Pleasant Street Cemetery (Section A, Lot 12, Row 11, Sub Lot S) in Kamloops Find A Grave Memorial

Marriage

Mary Anne Warpotksva married Donald McAulay. They were probably first married in about 1852, according to the custom of the country, for their eldest son Donald may have been born in about 1853, but they were afterwards married according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, at Kamloops in British Columbia on 28 December 1868 British Columbia, Marriage Registrations

Children

1. John McAulay
2. Margaret Gordon
3. Donald McAulay
4. Catherine McAulay
5. Malcolm McAulay
6. Ann McAulay

Obituary Published in the Kamloops Standard-Sentinel on 6 January 1922

MRS. MACAULAY DEAD IN CITY AGE 110

Daughter of Indian Chief. She was born four years before Waterloo. Her descendants number fifty-one. Widow of Donald Macaulay, long in Hudson Bay Service in District. There passed away yesterday, at the home of her granddaughter, the oldest person in British Columbia, if not in Canada. Mrs. Mary Macaulay, aged 110, daughter of an Indian Chief of Dead Man's Creek. Mrs. Macaulay was born in Savana in 1812 . At an early age she married Donald Macaulay, who entered the service of the Hudson Bay Company. He died in 1912, aged 92 . Four of their six children survived. Mrs. Macaulay was a woman of strong force of character and retained all her faculties up to the end she did very fine sewing which was the pride of her manifold descendants. She came of a long lived race but long out-distanced her family as to age, her last remaining relative, a brother, dying 29 years ago at age 100. During her extraordinary long life Mrs. Macaulay enjoyed remarkably good health. She died with her teeth as white and as firm as when she was 25 years old. Her eyes were of unusual brightness, and never seemed to grow old; she never had spectacles. She instilled in her descendants at all times the highest moral principals and was always the essence of complete fairness. With her, one of the first and most vital axioms was that honesty was the best policy. She played a Christian-like part throughout her life said one of her grandchildren, today, and if there is a heaven she has certainly gone there.