Lewis Garfield Walters. — 1919 – 1959. — 5 cm of textual records. — 1 photographs.
Biographical Sketch
L. Garfield Walters was born in Terherbert, Wales on March 14, 1891. His parents, Lewis J. and Lillian Elinor [nee Hockday], came to Canada and settled in the Three Hills area in 1914, along with their ten children. They moved to the Peace Country in 1917 and purchased a farm 5 miles west of Sexsmith. The ten children, all born before immigration, were Fred, Garfield, Bill, Glyn, Gwen, Anne, Gwillam, Peggie, and Dave.
Lewis enlisted in the Canadian Army in August of 1915 as part of the 7th Canadian Field Ambulance (Calvary), Canadian Army Medical Corps. He survived the war and was discharged in 1919 as part of the military’s disembarkation of active military personnel.
Lewis returned to the MacHenry district and taught for a number of years at the MacHenry School. He also purchased the former homestead of Albert Edward Deena at SW 15-73-6. In 1924, he married Clarice J. Thomas, a friend from Wales. They had two children, twins Margaret and Thomas. Clarice died shortly after their birth. Lewis’s mother looked after the children for two years. At that time, Clarice’s mother came for a visit and took young Thomas back for a visit to Wales. Thomas was supposed to return with Daisy Roberts, a former nurse who was going to help Lewis look after his family but the little boy never returned. He married in 1949 and raised a son and daughter. He died around 1974.
Sometime in the 1930s, Lewis and Daisy married. They remained in the MacHenry district until their deaths, Lewis in 1966 and Daisy in 1977. They had no children together.
In 1948, Lewis’s daughter Margaret married Charlie Henderson and they had two children, Douglas and Patricia. Patricia never married but Douglas married Linda Truax of Beaverlodge district and they have two daughters.
Sources: Wagon Tails Grown Over; Buffalo Trails; interview with niece.
Custodial History
These records were in the care of the family. They were donated to the South Peace Regional Archives in 2019 by Linda Henderson.
Scope and Content
This fonds contains records related to Walters’ war service, his farm, and teaching experience.
These records consist of one black and white photograph, nd, 1 notebook, 4 Weekly Farm Record and Journal of Receipt and Expenses, 1 cloth bound journal, a Dispersal Certificate, a Discharge Certificate, and 1 journal page for April 1925.