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Charles Barnett was born in Pennsylvania in 1873, the son of Albert and Elizabeth Deans (nee McColm). The family moved back to Ontario when he was quite young, and after the death of his mother, Charles moved with his father, sister, and maternal grandfather to B.C. Charles became a clerk at Robert Shortreed's General Store in 1895 (according to the directory). He married local school teacher Christina Shortreed on November 30, 1898. Charles became a general merchant, and by 1906 he had stores in Ashcroft, Clinton, and New Westminster. The couple had six children: Albert (1900), Margaret (1901), Robert (1905), Stanley (1906), Stuart (1908) and Nell (1911). In New Westminster on April 9, 1913, Charles, age 39, died of tuberculosis.
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Deans, Christina (nee Shortreed)
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Christina Deans (nee Shortreed) was the daughter of Robert and Margaret Shortreed, sister of James F. and John Shortreed. She married Charles Barnett Deans on November 30, 1898 (he had worked as a clerk at her father's store). Before their marriage, Christina had been a school teacher at Aldergrove South School, and had been the first teacher at Beaver School and at Patricia School. Charles became a general merchant, and by 1906 he had stores in Ashcroft, Clinton, and New Westminster, so the family travelled a bit. The couple had six children: Albert (1900), Margaret (1901), Robert (1905), Stanley (1906), Stuart (1908) and Nell (1911). In New Westminster on April 9, 1913, Charles died of tuberculosis. In 1916 Christina and her kids moved in with her family, just south of Aldergrove. She was given 15 acres from her father's homesteaded land, and she lived in the old house on the property until 1921. In that year she moved in and kept house for her father-in-law, Albert Deans, for two years until he moved to the U.S.A.. When Christina's brother Jim decided to build a new home on their homestead site, Christina had the old house moved 500 feet north for her and her family. The move took three days, as there was only one horse moving the house. After the move, Christina kept a garden and some livestock, and was offered a widow's pension by the Knights of Pythias, which she refused. Her brother Duncan lived in the house with her for a time. Also, thanks to changes in medicine, Christina was able to control her diabetes with newly-invented insulin. Christina died March 31, 1947, at the age of 74, and is buried in the Aberdeen Cemetery. Shortreed Elementary School was named for her.
Term Source: HPC Records (HPC-282/1079, HPC-283/1080); "The Place Between"
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