Benjamin and Drew Marr (Langley Centennial Museum)
Wedding Day Mishap
As told by Ann Marr, granddaughter of Benjamin & Drew Marr
“My grandparents were married on September 10th, 1913, on a Wednesday afternoon in the Presbyterian Church (now St. Andrews). This is the story of the events that I grew up with: The best-man was Dr. M.C. Bagnall, who arrived at Jardine Station from Vancouver on the B.C. Electric Railway. Grandfather was there to meet him with a spirited team of for the two mile trip back to Fort Langley. All went well and at a fast clip, until not too far from their new home, a trace broke causing the wheels to jam. The buggy flipped over throwing Dr Bagnall clear, but dragging Grandfather for quite some distance. Now what about the vase? This was the best-man’s gift to the bride. It too was in the buggy and thrown out on the road. The parcel was retrieved with great anxiety by Dr Bagnall; it had been in the back of the buggy, fragile and not packaged for such rough treatment. However, when they arrived home and the damage analyzed they agreed it could be much worse. The horses and Bagnall were OK, but Grandad had lost a considerable amount of skin , along with a broken collar bone and three cracked ribs. And the cut glass vase? It did very well. When examined it had a couple of small chips on the base to remind us of the days when horses were a necessity, and automobiles and traffic unheard of. This old vase is a family treasure and probably cut in Europe about 1890 or even earlier.”
Benjamin did arrive at the church eventually; dirty from head to toe, with a broken collarbone and three broken ribs. The wedding went on as planned, and the guests left by chartered boat to New Westminster for the reception — but not before Benjamin made a detour to Royal Columbian Hospital for treatment.
“The other neat story takes place in Branshot, England during the First World War while Grandfather was stationed there. My grandmother had gone over there to be with her husband and gave birth to my father (William Marr) while she was there. As a gift to her on this occasion he purchased a beautiful opal and diamond ring. Over the years this became her favourite piece of jewelry. Drew died very young and during the ceremony, when everyone was out of the house, her jewelry went missing, all but the opal ring that Dad had put up on the mantel. This ring passed on to Katherine, Dad’s sister. Katherine spent her life over in Hawaii and adopted two children, a boy and a girl. When she died this ring went to Nebraska with her daughter and there it stayed in a little ring box for many years. Not too long ago I was contacted by Malia, asking if I would like to have this ring. She had no children of her own and thought this ring should be returned. The poor little ring had lost its lustre and sparkle, but with a trip to the jeweller, all is well. As I now have a granddaughter named after Drew; I think this little ring will have another couple of generations of people to love it.”
Field Officer Benjamin Marr (Langley Centennial Museum)
Benjamin Marr came to Fort Langley in 1910 when the Canadian Northern Railway was being built; he was a doctor who travelled with railway crews. Marr boarded at the McIntosh house, where he met and fell in love with Isabel Drew McIntosh. Dr Marr decided to stay and established Langley’s first medical practice, often driving his horse and buggy to appointments. Marr served in WW I as a field officer, training men and horses. On his return, Dr Marr and Archie Payne led a campaign to re-name streets in Langley and plant memorial trees to honour local men who perished. The chestnut trees that form a beautiful archway directly beside the cemetery were also planted by Dr Marr.
Benjamin and Drew’s home is today the Little White House, directly across the street from the Fort Langley Cemetery where Benjamin (1882 – 1939) and Drew (1895 – 1936) are buried.