ARCHITECTURE:
Like 1521 and 1529 Amelia St, this Italianate house is built of brick. 1523, now demolished, was of wood, as was every second house. Unlike the other two brick houses, this one has a gabled roof and a pedimented, gabled two-storey rectangular bay with parged trim. The front door has no sidelights and the transom is painted over. All evidence of a porch extension has disappeared, although it may have matched its neighboours.
ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS:
1887-90: Thomas Deasy (b. Portsmouth, ENG 1857-1936) married Annie Elizabeth (née Smith, Guernsey, UK b. 1861-1936) here in 1880. She arrived here shortly after birth, he came with his father Daniel, RE in 1859. From age 13 he was a lantern boy with Victoria Volunteer Fire Department, then became a member of the bucket bri-gade. In 1871 he completed an apprenticeship with Daily Colonist, and became a printer with Victoria Daily Times. At 18 he was a regular fireman with Union Hook & Ladder No 1. When the City began paying firefighters, he was elected asst eng, then fire chief by 1890 serving as chief for several years. From 1901-10 he worked for the Dominion Police, mostly on Songhees Reserve. From 1910-24 he was Indian Agent for the Haida on Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii). Thomas and Annie moved to 1521 Amelia St in 1890 and lived at 2715 Blackwood St in 1925.
OTHER OCCUPANTS:
1890-93: Carpenter Herbert Nicholson (b. Bedford, ENG 1853-1897) immigrated to Ontario, where he met and married Sarah Ann (née Wil-son, 1853-1940). They came here in 1889.
1899-1900: Newly arrived Cer-tified Nurse Julia Dorcas Sinclair (née Warren, b. ENG 1846-1932), widow of Daniel Sinclair.
1901-03: Nurse Emily Gale (b. ENG 1845-1942) with her daughter Emily Mabel (b. London ENG 1876-1940), Trimming Dept, Spencer’s Arcade, and husband, Daily Colonist journalist Joseph “Gordon” Smith (b. Edinburgh, SCT 1874-1951). They were living in 1521 and 1527 Amelia St when they married in 1899. Gordon graduated from McGill U, then worked at Montréal Herald and New York Herald. He came here in 1895 but found little work in newspapers. He’d studied sculpture under Henry Beaumont, and was hired to carve loops on the Legislative Bldg cornice (501 Belleville). He got his break in May 1896 during the Point Ellice Bridge collapse, when he wired the story to New York Herald, bringing him great praise that led to a job at Victoria Daily Times. He later moved to the Colonist. Gordon took advantage of Victoria’s rich shipping news by freelancing for a string of outside newspapers. In 1904-05 he was in Japan as correspondent during the Russo-Japanese War. He earned the Order of the Rising Sun from Prince Nashimoto, when he saved Gen. Oshima. He returned to the Colonist, and later became marine editor. During WWI he served with 143rd Overseas Btn. He was a statistician with BCG Forest Branch, then with BCG Travel Bureau, retiring in 1941.
1905-11: Capt. Henry “Harry” Reginald Bilton (b. Hobart, TAS 1874-1959) married Margaret (née McKenzie, b. MI, USA 1870-1946) in 1904. He came to BC in 1890, she in 1896. He completed his officer apprenticeship on the clipper ship Thermopylae, and was a charter member of the Thermopylae Club. His first command was CGS Newington, a lighthouse tender. He then spent 20 years as captain of CGS Estevan, also a lighthouse tender, retiring in 1944.
1912-13: Teamster Robert Arthur Bell (b. Wa-terville, QC 1873-?) married Ivey Gertrude (née Straith, Victoria c.1888-?) here in 1909. They divorced and in 1916 he married widow Mary Ellen “Nellie” Gilmour (nee Knibb, b, Auckland, NZ 1874-1956). Ivey married Stephen Alden Spencer sometime after 1917. She was a well-known local amateur swimmer.
1914-15: King Edward Hotel chief clerk Alfred William Keddy (b. Nanaimo, BC 1881-1920) married Maude Evelyn (née Lusse, b. Victo-ria 1891-1979) here in 1912. Widowed, she worked as a housekeeper, then in 1927 married BCER motorman Ivan Jeffrey Stephen, MM. Priv. Stephen went overseas with the 15th Overseas Brigade Ammunition Column in 1916. His award was for gallant action on the field during the last days of WWI. He died at 37 in 1928. Lastly Maude married MacDonalds Consolidated warehouseman James Ernest Speed (b. Victoria 1889-1967).
1917: Luney Brothers employee Cirillo/Charles “C” Braga (b. Italy 1886-1965) married Elizabeth Micona (b. Silver Plume, CO, USA 1894-1975) in Kamloops in 1912; they later divorced. C tended bar for 27 years. 1918-31: William and Ruth Souden (see 1521 Amelia St).
1932-34: Well-known milliner and dressmaker Miss Annie Jenkinson (b. ON 1862-1934) died in the Aged Ladies’ Home.
1935-48: Labourer John Quin (Lee Yee).
1949: Mrs. Con-stance Foisy. 1953: Charcuterie Française helper Adrien Delouche. 1954-58: James Mackenzie, retired.