Salt Spring Island Archives
John Maxwell was born in Belfast, Ireland in 1835 (Died Sept. 4, 1887). John left Ireland when he was 19 years old and traveled first to the United States, he then traveled from Pittsburgh to California following the gold rush. After California he went to the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, where he was one of the more successful prospectors. John and his partner James Lunney bought a schooner. They traveled out to the Gulf Islands and wintered in and around them. They two of them settled in the Burgoyne Bay area around 1860 and established a cattle ranch, importing Texas Longhorns from Oregon. It was on Salt Spring that John met his wife Mary. Mary was a native woman from Cowichan, her traditional name is not known. It is believed that she is a daughter of Tzouhalem. John and Mary had seven children, John Jr., James, Samuel, Richard, David, Mary and Eliza. John's wife Mary left Salt Spring and went to live on the Cowichan Reserve. She died on January 13, 1914 and is buried at the Duncan Native Cemetery. John Maxwell died on September 4th, 1897.
Richard Maxwell was the only Maxwell to remain on the family farm for his entire life. He married Emily Douglas, widow to Alfred Douglas. David marries Clara Trage and they have 7 kids. The other five children all either move to San Francisco and have their own families, or they pass on quite early. David Maxwell was in active service overseas during World War 1, then in auxiliary service in World War 2. He also worked with whaling boats off the coast of Alaska and BC.
Theodore Frederick Trage left Germany when he was 19 years old. He first went to New York where he worked as a cook. Then he followed the gold rush to California and then on to British Columbia in the Fraser Valley. Trage and his partner Henry Spikerman settled on Salt Spring Island, first at Fulford and then at Beaver Point. Theodore married Susannah George, a native woman from Cowichan (Born 4th Sept, 1844). Her traditional name was Musiqwiaht (or Musikwiaht). The couple owned the first orchard on Salt Spring out in Beaver Point, now known as the Manhennick area. They had four children, Henrietta Susanna Emma, Clara Paulina Minnie, Adolphus William and Bertha Emma Susan. It is said that they also adopted a young Indigenous girl but is unknown what happened to her.
Theordore began buying land all over the island. As his children grew older they began to live on the larger pieces. Theodore was one of the founding members of the Salt Spring Island Fruit Growers’ Association created in 1896. In 1902, Theodore passed due to heart failure. His son Adophus inherited the first preemption of land in the south end of Salt Spring. He sold it to a Victoria business man.
Susannah was living with her daughter and son-in-law, Clara and David Maxwell on Morningside Road until her death on March 1, 1932. She passed away at age 90, survived by her 4 children, 17 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and two great great grandchildren.
Clara Trage was a very active member of the South Salt Spring Island Women’s Institute and the Burgoyne United Church.
One of Susanah and Theodores' daughters Bertha Trage went on to become a school teacher at Beaver Point School. She went to Beaver Point school as a young girl and used her inheritance to further education and become a teacher. She married Robert Daykin and had five children but still worked as a substitute at Burgoyne Valley School.
John Maxwell
Born in Belfast, Ireland in 1835, he died 4th Sept, 1887. He left Ireland when he was 19 years old and went first to the United States, he traveled from Pittsburgh to California with the gold rush and then to the gold rush in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, where he was one of the more successful prospectors. John and his partner James Lunney bought a schooner and wintered in and around the Gulf Islands. They settled in the Burgoyne Bay area around 1860 and established a cattle ranch, importing Texas Longhorns from Oregon. John Maxwell had a native wife, Mary and James Lunney remained a bachelor. John and Mary had seven children, John Jr., James, Samuel, Richard, David, Mary and Eliza. John’s wife Mary left the family home and went to live on the Cowichan Reserve. She died Jan 13, 1914 and is buried at the Duncan Native Cemetery. There are no known pictures of her.
Accession number: 1JohnMaxwell
John Maxwell Jr.
Accession number: 2SamuelMaxwell
Samuel Maxwell
Born 6 Nov, 1865, died 24 April, 1928. He lived at Burgoyne for awhile and was postmaster. He moved to San Francisco where he married and had five children.
Accession number: 2SamuelMaxwell
Richard Maxwell
Born 10 Oct, 1867 and died 1947. The only Maxwell to remain at Burgoyne for his entire life. He married Emily (Sparrow) Douglas.
Accession number: 3RichardMaxwell
David Maxwell
Born 11 May, 1873 and died 11th Oct, 1967. He married Clara Trage and they lived first at Beaver Point and then on Morningside Road, Fulford Harbour. They had seven children.
Accession number: 4DavidMaxwell
James Maxwell
Born 7 Aug, 1875. He went missing whilst visiting relatives in Ireland during his army time in World War I.
Accession number: 5JamesMaxwell
Mary Maxwell
Born 1877 and died ?. She moved to San Francisco and married Anton Lindberg. They had two daughters, Marie and Anna.
Accession number: 6MaryMaxwell
Eliza Maxwell
Born 1882 and died ?. She moved to San Francisco and married Mr. Vernon. They had one daughter, Victoria.
Accession number: 7Eliza Maxwell
Eliza Maxwell
Born 1882 and died ?. She moved to San Francisco and married Mr. Vernon. They had one daughter, Victoria.
Accession number: 8ElizaMaxwell
Theodore Frederick Trage
Born 11 Oct, 1835, died 7th Nov, 1902
Theodore left Germany when he was 19 years old, first going to New York where he worked as a cook. He traveled to California looking for gold and then on to British Columbia in the Fraser Valley. He established himself first at Fulford and then at Beaver Point with his partner, Henry Spikerman.
Theodore married Susannah George, a native Cowichan, They had the first orchard on Salt Spring island at Beaver Point, which is now the Manhennick, Bridgeman area. They had four children. Henrietta Susanna Emma, Clara Paulina Minnie, Adolphus William and Bertha Emma Susan.
Accession number: 9TheodoreTrage
Susannah (George) Trage
Born 4th Sept, 1844, died 1 March, 1932. She was a native lady from the Cowichan Reserve and married Theodore Trage. Susannah was living with her daughter and son-in-law, Clara and David Maxwell on Morningside Road until her death in 1932.
Accession number: SwanacTrage
Trage Family Photograph
L-R: Adolph, Bertha, Theodore (father), Clara
(missing: Susannah (George) Trage, and eldest daughter Henrietta) date c.1890
Henrietta Susanna Emma, born 24 May, 1866, died approximately 1934, married John Sheperd and then George Williams. They had 8 children, Susannah, Minnie, Lottie, Clara, Laura, Alice, Rudolph and Arthur.
Clara Paulina Minnie, born 3 April, 1879, died 3 April, 1967, married David Maxwell. They had 7 children, Lorna Clara, Elizabeth Geneva, Angus Clarence, Inez Lina, Frederick Cliford, Stephen Eugene (Tye) and Lewis Carl (Buzz).
Adolphus William, born 4th Jan, 1882, died 12th May, 1954, married Florence Conery. The had two children, Theodore (Scat) and Sylvia (Sally).
Bertha Emma Susan, born 4 April, 1884, died 17th April, 1960. She married Robey Strelly Daykin. They had 5 children, Alan, Helen, Cora, Cecil Herbert and Rexford Clyde.
Accession number: Trage
John Maxwell
John Maxwell Jr.
Samuel Maxwell
Richard Maxwell
David Maxwell
James Maxwell
Mary Maxwell
Eliza Maxwell
Eliza Maxwell
Theodore Trage
Susannah Trage
Trage