Henry N Short died early yesterday morning after brief illness
Death yesterday claimed one of the city’s most efficient servants in the person of Henry N Short, cashier and assistant city collector, who passed away at St Joseph’s Hospital about 12.45 am. The deceased had been in failing health for two months, but it was not until six days ago that it was thought advisable to remove him to the hospital, where he was operated upon last Thursday. Since then little hope of recovery has been held out.
Forty-six years of age, the late Mr Short was born and educated in Victoria at the public and high schools from which he graduated in due course. His father, the late Henry Short, was the leading gunmaker and sporting goods merchant in the city, and the deceased was associated with him in business. After the father died, the brothers HN and Richard, carried on the business successfully for a time, but competition changed the conditions of earlier years and the store was closed. During those days the deceased was a well-known shot, and constantly hunted and fished in the district round Victoria.
Afterwards Mr Short turned to clerical work, and after various association he entered the city treasury about ten years ago, first in a temporary capacity. He was assistant collector at the last. Being of a high-strung nature, the duties and difficulties of his work in handling large sums of money undoubtedly worried him, and this phase became particularly noticeable at the last. Few officials were more conscientious than he was in discharge of his duties.
Mr Short was a very active lodge man, being a member of the Camosun Court of Foresters, also a member of the Woodmen of the World, and a charter member of Post no 1 of the Native Sons. He was a member at one time of the 5th Regiment.
Some years ago, Mr Short married a sister of FA Pauline, MPP, of Oak Bay. The family home for some time had been at Landsdowne Road. Besides the widow, there survive four boys, the eldest 13 and the youngest 5 years of age. There also survive a brother, Richard, and a sister, Mrs McIntyre. His parents predeceased him some eight or nine years.
The Foresters are taking charge of the funeral, which is to be to-morrow afternoon at 2:30 from the BC Funeral Company’s rooms. Fifteen minutes later services will be held at Christ Church Cathedral, of the congregation of which he had been a member for many years.
Transcription Letter from Sarah Paulin to Frederick Paulin , 1888
[Sarah was 14 years old when she wrote this letter]
[1]
Henley Lodge
Acock’s Green
January 22nd 1888
My Dear Freddie
I am writing to you to tell you that I think its time I wrote but I have been so busy at school as we are getting up another cantata also called the Sherwoods Queen. And it is a bother my word Dear Freddie I was quite disappointed because I did not have a letter. To see limping Jack and Marion have a letter and not me but never mind I think mine will come later on…. I must have patience. My word they were pleased with their letters I can tell you A did cheer us up how are all the rest getting on please give my love to Mr and Mrs Paulin [Ernest and Emma] and George and Herbert and tell them we enjoyed our spotted pudding very much and the fun was to see who got the ring and money but Violet had the ring and Mother nearly swallowed
[2]
A threepenny piece will we all enjoyed our Christmas very much and hope you did and please to tell Herbert to write tell him it would cheer me up and please Freddie you might write me a letter in spare hours but not unless Please Freddie you will have to expect us when the pigs begin to fly us (my word) the pork would be high and some come in a balloon and that would be the nearest way to come. But we must have patience.
Dear Freddie I think I must close now as I am getting tired of my s scribble – Good Bye
I Remain Your Affectionate Sister
Sarah Pauline
Auntie sends her love
[3]
For Yourself
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Private
Please give me love to all and give them all a honey
Per Str RP Rithet from Westminster – Mr. and Mrs. Pauline, Misses Bessie, Flora, Sarah, Marion, Nellie and Violet Pauline, Mrs. Ferloyd, Mrs. Burns, Miss Murchison, Miss Sharp, WL Thompson, EG Fletcher, George Doing, JW Todd, WW Wilson, WH Bone, S Clay, Gelley, Dr Cardwell, J Harvey, J Pauline, G Brooks, Bondier, Greenwood, Wilson.
I know that Frederick Paulin and his large family lived in Peckham, Camberwell, in 1874-5. I can pinpoint the addresses of his home and his business from several sources. For his home, we know he lived at 13 Camden-Grove, Camberwell because his daughter Sarah (aka Sadie/Sally) who was born there, his mother-in-law, Louisa Cutler, died there in April 1874. For his brewery, the Anchor, we know he owned it thanks to a great history of the Oxfordshire brewery industry by Mike Brown [Oxon Brews: The Story of Commercial Brewing in Oxfordshire, Mike Brown, Brewery History Society, 2004], who identified Frederick as owner of the brewery in his work. Also because Frederick went bankrupt, we know he owned the brewery, and have its address.
The London Gazette, 4 Sep 1874 p 4304
In the London Bankruptcy Court.
In the matter of proceedings for liquidation by arrangement or composition with creditors, instituted by Frederick Paulin of the Anchor Brewery, Saint George’s Road, Peckham, and of no 13 Camden-Grove, Camberwell in the County of Surrey, Brewer.
So the question arises where are these places? My great wish in looking these places up was of course to see if the buildings in question were still standing, and if so, what they could say about how the family lived when they were resident in Peckham.
My first search was for the house on Camden-Grove. I went first to Google Maps and tried to find Camden Grove, and that was a bust, the street name no longer exists. So then I went and googled the name Camden Grove and Peckham/Camberwell to see if there were other ways to find the street. I stumbled upon this great website which lists the changes to street names in the London area [www.maps.thehunthouse.com/streets/old_to_new_abolished_London_street_names.htm ] and found that the street had changed its name to Cronin Road in 1912. And phew, there you go.
I went onto Google street view and found Cronin Road, and was greatly disappointed to see some rather ordinary 1970-80s style low-rise apartments populating the street. The area has clearly changed a great deal for when the Paulins lived there in the 1870s.
Cronin Street from Google Maps – streetview
And now for the Brewery. I first looked up St George’s Road, Peckham on google maps to see if there was any indication that the brewery was still there. There were some older buildings on the road, but nothing clear, and to be honest the road is not small enough to say for sure, so I googled the brewery online, thinking, hoping that the place had kept its name. Nothing in the present, but I did find a website that talked about pubs in London, and there it stated that the Anchor Brewery and Tap, 165 St George’s Way was open 1878-1919, but was closed and demolished. [www.pubology.co.uk/pubs/12087.html] Now here of course, the dates don’t quite match, but it is likely not a coincidence that the Anchor Brewery and Tap on St George’s Way, Peckham was named that way, and was connected in some way the Anchor Brewery that Frederick owned, on St George’s Road. When Frederick bought it it had that name, so I would imagine they are one in the same, with just a few years gap in ownership and running. Counting Frederick’s financial downturn, the Anchor had been the subject of two bankruptcies in less than three years, so it was not a great investment.
Knowing it was demolished was a bit sad, but I checked out the neighbourhood to see if there were any indications of what it was like in the 1870s when the Paulins owned the brewery, but sadly, it too, like the neighbourhood they lived in, was much changed.
St George’s Way, Peckham from Google Maps – streetview
I did note that the St George’s Way is straddled by a very large park called Burgess Park. I decided to google it, to see if it was there when the brewery was, and it was not. In fact, the park was “carved out of a highly built up area of the city. Virtually all of the land now occupied by the park was previously housing, industry and transport infrastructure.” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgess_Park ] The park included a ginger beer factory and the Grand Surrey Canal. According to Wikipedia, the area suffered heavily from bombing in the Second World War, and a lot of buildings were demolished to make way for the park. Work for the park began in about 1943, and it has grown since then. [http://www.gardenvisit.com/landscape_architecture/london_landscape_architecture/visitors_guide/burgess_park_landscape ]
Finding that the neighbourhoods I was looking into are no longer extant is a big disappointment, but there is still a lot that can be learned from trying to map the history of the Paulins in Peckham. And that is from finding out how close they lived to their business. And they did not live that far away. I looked at the map of the area carefully and plotted the approximate locations of the brewery and the home, and really, he could have walked to work.
Pointing to where the Anchor Brewery was likely located, and where the Paulins lived in Peckam, Camberwell – from Google Maps
Not much found, but interesting nonetheless.
This was originally published on my gilliandr blog, and I received this great email in 2020 regarding the location of Cronin Street:
I’ve just read your article about the brewery in St Georges Way, Peckham with interest. My grandmother was born at no. 39 Camden Grove North in 1897 and live there until the houses were pulled down in 1963/64. My father was born there in 1923 (it was then 39 Cronin Road) and I was born there in 1947. I just want to comment on the map you have marked because Cronin Street is not in the same position as Cronin Road was to St Georges Way. No 39 was very near to St Georges Way so your ancestors would very likely have walked there.
[Note there were a few errors in the obituary regarding her age – corrections are in square brackets]
Daily Colonist, 13 March 1959
Mrs Sarah Short Rites
Death Severs Link with Pioneer Days
Victoria lost another link with its past with the burial yesterday of Mrs Sarah Short, last surviving member of the well-known pioneer Pauline family.
For many years the family lived in the old Tod House, one of Victoria’s earliest homes. The Heron Street residence now modernized, is still standing.
It was the object of considerable publicity a few years ago, with reports that it was haunted after residents of the day reported latched doors mysteriously opening and other inexplicable incidents.
One of Mrs Short’s brothers, FA Pauline was Speaker in the BC Legislature at one time and also served as BC Agent General in London. Another brother was organist at the old Christ Church cathedral for many years.
Mrs Short was the youngest of 13 children [incorrect] of Mr and Mrs Frederick Pauline who came to Victoria in the 1880s. She could recall the days when she was a child in the old Tod House and the Indians camped on the beach below the house.
Her husband, the late Henry N Short, was a pioneer gunsmith in Victoria. Born in Birmingham [incorrect – Peckham London] she was only three when her family came to this city. [incorrect – 14]
She is survived by four sons, Henry F and John C in Vancouver, Joseph R and Edward N in Victoria.
Funeral service was held at Hayward’s funeral home. Burial was in family plot, Ross Bay Cemetery.
The Amazing Paulin(e) Family 