Personal Details | |
Date of Birth | September 21, 1878 |
Place of Birth | Bucharest |
Country | Romania |
Marital Status | Single |
Next of Kin | Mary Jorge, sister, 783 A Street, Bucharest, Romania |
Trade / Calling | Labourer |
Religion | Greek Catholic |
Service Details | |
Regimental Number | 288738 |
Service Record | Link to Service Record |
Battalion | 221st Battalion |
Force | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
Branch | Canadian Infantry |
Enlisted / Conscripted | Enlisted |
Address at Enlistment | 7th St North, Kenora, Ontario |
Date of Enlistment | June 16, 1916 |
Age at Enlistment | 29 |
Theatre of Service | Canada |
Prisoner of War | No |
Survived War | Yes |
Death Details | |
Date of Death | December 28, 1969 |
Age at Death | 82 |
Buried At | Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Ontario |
Plot | 19E-11-3 |
Although the birth date of 18 June 1887 was given on James’ attestation papers, it was likely that he was born on 21 September 1878 in Bucharest, Romania as given in his obituary. Little is known about James’ early life other than that he came to the United States in 1901 and then on to Keewatin in northwestern Ontario in Canada in 1906 or 1907. Around 1915 he began work with the Lake of the Woods Milling Company in Keewatin as a packer.
With occupation given as labourer and his sister Mary back in Bucharest as next of kin, James enlisted with the 221st Battalion in Winnipeg on 16 June 1916. Although the circumstances are unknown, he was discharged from service as medically unfit on 1 June 1917 in Winnipeg.
James returned to the Kenora/Keewatin area and was found on the 1921 Canada census for Keewatin living with another fellow from Romania. According to the census he was naturalized as a Canadian citizen in 1917. At some point James married and with his wife Sophie, the couple gave birth to four sons, John, William, Alex, and Thomas. After working as a packer for the Lake of the Woods Milling Company for 34 years, James retired in 1949. He was a member of the Keewatin Branch of the Canadian Legion, the Retired Mens Association, and St James Anglican Church in Keewatin.
James died on 28 December 1969 in the Kenora General Hospital. At the time he was survived by his wife Sophie and four sons, John in Manitoba, and William, Alex, and Thomas of Keewatin. James is interred in the Lake of the Woods Cemetery, Kenora. It appears that only William stayed in Kenora, working at the Keewatin Flour Mill and the Kenora Paper Mill before passing away in January of 2013. At the time of his death, William was survived by his brothers John and Alex of British Columbia. At some point James’ wife Sophie had moved to New Westminster, British Columbia, living with her son Alex. Sophie died on 20 August 1986 in the Queen’s Park Hospital in New Westminster.
by Judy Stockham