In Memory of Reg.#87, S.W. Thurber

C A N A D A

In Memory of Reg.#87, Samuel Winslow Thurber

North West Mounted Police (NWMP)

'Friends Not Forgotten'

This note, muchly appreciated, was received from Trent Rolfe, Inspector at Surrey Detachment, Surrey, BC.

Samuel Winslow Thurber joined the Force on October 2, 1873. Later, he was discharged in 1876. 

Inspector Rolfe found Constable Thurber's 'Certificate of Registration of Death, # 578” on Nova Scotia's Vital Statistics page.

Thurber's Certificate of Registration of Death, says the following; Constable Thurber died in the County of Digby, Nova Scotia on Aug 28, 1935. Thurber's occupation is listed as 'Fisherman'.

It lists Thurber's date of birth as Nov 30, 1845 (not 1844).  However, the death registration has him also at age  90 years, 9 months and 24 days at his time of death.  If this fact is truly accurate, Thurber would have been born in 1844 versus 1845. A wee date of death mystery mix-up.

Thurber's place of birth is simply identified as Nova Scotia. His father's name was Morgan Thurber and his mother's name was Elizabeth Thurber (nee Warner). Constable Thurber and his wife (Eugenia) are buried side by side. 

Inspector Rolfe says that on Constable Thurber's tombstone is written: "Constable Samuel Winslow Thurber, Regimental Number 87, of Freeport Nova Scotia, joined the North West Mounted Police on 2 Oct. 1873 and was one of the original 150 men to be recruited.

Thurber left on the March West from Lower Fort Garry for Fort Edmonton in the summer of 1874 to bring law and order to the West. He was honourably discharged at Fort Macleod in 1876 and returned to Nova Scotia where he spent the rest of his life as a sea captain"

Our friend, NWMP Constable and Sea Captain Samuel Winslow Thurber is buried in the Valley Cemetery, Free Port, NS.

Sincere appreciation is extended to Inspector Trent Rolfe.

Photo credit and thanks also to: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dsucha/freeport.html

'Maintain Our Memories'

J. J. Healy,

#23685