John Skaret

  Research Notes:

1. The name John Skaret appears in the community history book for Westlock, AB


- indexed, John, Martin, Robert, B. Skaret ; also Lou Bagnall (? Karoline)
- see PDF combined file - under Peter Johnsen Skaret folder [10 Sep 2023


b. John Skaret has a brief mention in the community history book, "Country Crossroads: A history of Gardview-Lawton, Stewartfield & Mosside". Country Crossroads Seniors Society, Barrhead, Alberta. 1989

page 762 under the family Frank Tauscher. Frank and his wife had emigrated and had docked at Montreal on 2 June 1953. They then had a 7 day train trip across Canada and had arrived in Edmonton, and "...placed in an immigration hall. After several days, John Skaret, a farmer from the Linaria district hired Frank as a farm laborer. With only two large trunks of possessions, the family settled into a one room run-down garage."
- this note suggests that John Skaret was farming in the Linaria, Alberta area as early as 1953 but likely previous to 1953.
- from the article it is not clear that the garage was on John's farm, but likely



2. Note: I have vague recall that Dad had mentioned the name John Skaret from Westlock (almost seems that John Skaret had been at a Skaret reuion), but Dad didn't know anything else or I don't remember anything else that was said.

3. 1916 Canada - AB, SK, MB census; Alberta, ; see his father's file

4. general google search : Harriet Beatrice Skaret (nee Baxter)
- nothing, BUT search for Bea Skaret - link to, Northern BC archives through University of Northern BC in Prince George: name Bea (nee, Baxter) Skaret and photo with her sister Margaret
link, https://search.nbca.unbc.ca/index.php/bea-and-margaret-sisters-of-bob-baxter [this is still available, 17 Sept 2023; this has a number of photos of 'Baxter' family - brother and sisters of Bea

- caption notes that the two are sisters of Bob Baxter; a short bio of Bob indicates he was born in SK and his parents were Robert and Harriet Baxter (John Skaret's marriage record of 1940 notes his wife was Harriet Beatrice Baxter and that her parents were Robert James Baxter and Harriet Young); this bio also notes that for a time he had a share in the Culcultz Lake Resort).
- the photo notes record created date of about 1935; BUT since there is the use of the name Bea Skaret, the date is likely after 1940
- searching the collection for 'Skaret', 3 photos of Bea Skaret with her older in two of the photos.


5. Prince George Citizen newspaper 23 Oct 1941

On Friday, October 17 1941, Margaret Joy Skaret, infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Skaret, Pinchi Lake, was baptized by Rev. F. E. Runnalls. Mr. and Mrs. Skaret with their young daughter returned to Pinchi Lake on Saturday afternoon.

Prince George Citizen, 17 May 1945, page 8
Mrs C G Lund and Mrs John Skaret and daughter Joy, all of Vancouver, are visiting relatives and friends in Prince George. They are former residents of the city.

Prince George Citizen, 9 Jun 1955, page 8
"Card of thanks" .... death of Bob Baxter .... sisters, Mrs John Skaret and family and Mrs Gus Lund and family



6. ***** from the Prince George Citizen, 6 Jun 1955, page 1, col 2&3

"Funeral Service Today for Robert "Bob" Baxter", [ brother to Bea Skaret, wife of John Skaret ]

"... surviving are his wife .... his mother ... a sister Margaret Lund of Prince George, and a sister, Mrs. Bea Skaret of Linaria, Alta."

** Linaria, AB is about 40 kms north of Westlock, about 40 kms north east of Barrhead, [ west of Dapp, Jarvie, south of Fawcett


7. BC Directories - Vancouver, Vancouver Public Library; http://www.vpl.ca/bccd/index.php
- see my summary sheet for "Skarets in BC)



8. Obits: See brothers, Arthur

From the Edmonton Journal, 9 Sep 2005:
CLARK, Lena Lilly On Tuesday, September 6th, 2005 Mrs. Lena Clark of Westlock, AB passed away at the age of 77 years ...... survived by her children, "Debora (Bob) Skaret of Linaria"


9. 1926 Prairie Provinces Census, (1 Jun 1926); Alberta District, Camrose Sub-district #45,60, page 15 [from FamilySearch.org]
Residence 126, family 133; Sec E 16; Twp 48 Range 21 W 4th; Lloyd George Municipality; age at last birthday

household of
Asy Broen, age 29, born in US; father b Norway, mother b Sweden; emmigrated 1897, naturalized 1903
wife Emma, age 27 b US, father b in US, mother b Nor; em 1906
son Wallace, age 1, b Alberta

then, John Skaret, (laborer) age 13 <abt 1913>,
born in Nor, father and mother b in Nor; emigrated 1916
[ This is the son of Peter Jonsen Skaret born abt 1883 in Norway and he homesteaded in the Rycroft area and and then around 1924-1925, Peter left to prospect in the Prince George area; John Skaret's mother, Caroline b about 1881 in Norway is recorded in the 1926 Census living in Edmonton. She had been enumerated 5 and 6 of Jun; emigration is recorded as 1917; also note that John's brother, Gilbert was 8 yrs old and was born in AB ]


10. Findagrave id, 229762284

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Birth - 1912, 10 Jun 1912, Ljørdalen, Skåret, Trysil, Hedmark, Norway. ⁶⁵⁷¹ The Norway Parish Register records his given name as 'Jon'. In Canada he used the given name of 'John'.

2. Residence, 1926, 1 Jun 1926, Armena, Alberta, Canada. ⁶⁵⁷² Recorded as a farm worker (at age 13) on the farm of Asy Broen (Thomas Asy) - see notes

3. Residence, 1935-1942, 1935-1942, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. ⁶⁵⁷³ John Skaret is first recorded in the Prince George directory for 1935. His occupation/job is recorded as Laborer in the 1935-1939 directories. In the 1940 and the 1941 directories he is recorded as a Prospector.

4. Residence, 1940-1942, 1940-1942, Fort St James, British Columbia, Canada. ⁶⁵⁷⁴ The 1940-1942 directories record John as a Miner. As recorded in the his marriage certificate and newspaper article, John is living at Pinchi Lake. The Pinchi Lake area is covered under the Fort St James directory (Fort St James is about 50 kms south of Pinchi Lake). It is not known why John was also recorded in the Prince George directory for 1940 and 1941

5. Residence 1940, 2 Jul 1940, Pinchi Lake, British Columbia, Canada. ⁶⁵⁶⁸ John Skaret's marriage records notes that his residence is at the Pinchi Lake Mine (likely a mining camp residence). This was a mercury mine about 30 kms north of Fort St James, BC. His wedding took place in Prince George (about 200 kms south west of Pinchi Lake). His brother Gilbert was a witness to the marriage and the record notes that Gilbert's residence was from Prince George. John's wife was also a resident of Prince George.

This marriage record also records the name of John's father as Peter Johnsen Skaret born in Norway and his mother, Caroline Gjermundsdater born in Norway.

6. Residence, 1943-1945, 1943-1945, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ⁶⁵⁷⁵ The 1943-1945 directories record John and his wife, Beatrice, living in Vancouver (with his street address as 3474 Vanness and then in 1945 at 3381 E 23). His occupation/job is recorded as "engineer" (in the 1945 directory it is recorded that he worked for Burns & Co). It is unlikely that John was trained as an "engineer", so it is not clear exactly what his job was.

7. Residence, 1955, Jun 1955, Linaria, Alberta, Canada. ⁶⁵⁷⁶ The source for this location is the article from the Prince George Citizen regarding the the funeral for Robert Baxter who was a brother to Beatrice (nee Baxter) Skaret, John's wife. Although this article does not specificially mention John Skaret, it can be assumed that the John Skaret family moved to Alberta before Jun, 1955. It is not known when the family moved to the Linaria area (Linaria is a rural community about 40 kms north of Westlock, AB). The last record for John Skaret in British Columbia is 1945 in Vancouver. The Linaria area community history book as an entry for John Skaret; it is possible that this entry notes when the family came to this area.

John married Harriet Beatrice Baxter on 2 Jul 1940 in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada ⁶⁵⁶⁸.^,6569 (Harriet Beatrice Baxter was born in 1908 in Forget, Saskatchewan, Canada ⁶⁵⁶⁸.)