Forsyth, Branch (Tree) (Willarson)

Branch Tree was born on July 21, 1887 in Casselton, North Dakota. She was the daughter of Horace Tree and Lovina (Caister) Tree. She died at Ridgewood Lodge in Princeton on December 9, 1988.

Branch Tree moved to Hedley in 1908. In June 1911, she married Charles Willarson who ran a men’s wear/shoe store in Princeton (Willarson & Co.) in partnership with Peter Johnson. Charles Willarson died on March 26, 1922.

On June 1, 1922, the business operated by Charles Willarson and Peter Johnson was dissolved and re-organized. Branch then operated the business with Alexander Cameron McKenzie (brother-in-law?) under the name of Willarson & Co. The last year to see the store in the BC Directory is 1926.

She was 36 when she remarried in Vancouver on December 18, 1923. At the time of their marriage, both William Forsyth and Branch Willarson were living in Princeton. William was employed as a miner and Branch as a merchant. They had two sons, William and Bruce.

She was charter member Rebekah Lodge (transferred from North Dakota) and a Charter member of Eastern Star. She was also a member of the Hospital Ladies Auxiliary to 1911.

In January 1983, she had been 75 years with Rebekah Lodge.

Branch’s sister, Lovina (Jr.) Huston had a millinery and dry goods store in Princeton as early as 1918. Her husband John Leonard Huston (possibly of Huston Brothers Livery) died in Princeton 1914. In 1920, Lovina remarried to Alexander MacKenzie, a Copper Mountain employee. Lovina MacKenzie died young, age 48 in 1927.