Histories

Charles Henry represents the start of the Canadian line of the Delahoy family. He was born in 1852 in England, the son of Henry and Elizabeth. He married Katherine Westerby (born about 1857, parents John and Jane Gilroy Westerby) at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Newcastle on Tyne, England on 8 Dec 1878. Charles died in 1930, Katherine died in 1937. History from Henry Delahoy's letter dated March 2001 reads:

"My grandparents Charles Henry and Katherine (Nee Westerby) who had a dairy in Woodgreen, a suburb in London, came to Canada in 1905 with their entire family. Charles, the oldest son (unmarried) died of a ruptured appendix in 1914. Charles and Katherine with Charles, Ernest & Maude, Gladys, Vera, Florence & Fred Smith and his wife's brother James Westerby (who had been in the 11th Hussars for 21 years) went to Saskatoon. The ones old enough to homestead (over 18 years of age) went to Battleford with horses and a wagon. The rest stayed in tents in Saskatoon.

They hired a guide to take them to some land about 45 miles SW of Battlefield and picked their land. They went back to Battleford, filed on their homestead, returned to Saskatoon, 90 miles away to buy horses, oxen, wagons, plows and supplies. They returned to Battleford, then to their homestead arriving on 8 June 1905.

There wasn't a house or tree visible anywhere as the prairie fires went through every few years and burned everything off. The fires would be started by lightning. They built a sod shack with 4-5 bedrooms and all lived together the first winter. Henry had some money from the sale of his dairy but how the rest managed to exist I can only imagine. The railroad didn't come through until 1909, 2 miles south of Ernest's farm."
(Contributed by David Westerby)