Gourlay, Robert

Robert Gourlay was born in Scotland on October 9, 1871. He came to Canada with his wife, Catherine (Forsyth) Gourlay, in 1908. He died in Surrey, but his death registration lists his permanent address as Princeton. He died on November 17, 1957. His nephew, John Casarin, signed the death registration.

The Gourlay’s came to Princeton in 1910. They were both founding members (1910) of Vermilion Rebekah Lodge #24 in Princeton. In May 1910, they were having a cabin built on Tapton Avenue and in 1912, they built an addition to that home.

Robert Gourlay was installed as an officer in the Independent Order of Good Fellows (IOOF) Lodge #52 in July 1910.

He applied for a fire boss certificate in 1911 and he was on the Board of Examiners for the Princeton Collieries (representing the owners) in 1912.

The family briefly moved to Merritt (1913) with the Cunningham’s (Eliza Cunningham was Catherine’s sister) and had returned by January 1916.

He obtained a St. John’s Ambulance first aid certificate (1917) and a second class fire boss certificate (1919). In 1921, he accepted a position with the coal company in Coalmont and he was fireboss when the Tulameen Coal Mines Ltd. was organized 1929-1930.

He fractured his pelvis in January 1930 and spent some time in Vancouver.

Gourlay donated to several community organizations: the Hospital Fund (1941), Spitfire Fund (1941), Canadian Aid to Russia (1943).

Catherine Gourlay died on January 5, 1941 in Princeton. Gourlay married (Mrs) Joan Hunter on July 22, 1944, in Penticton. Both were residents of Princeton.

At the time of his second marriage, he was working as fireboss in the lumber(?) industry. They made their home in Princeton.

Before he retired (1948), he was the superintendent of a coal mine.