Fonds F0579 - Copithorne family fonds

The Copithorne families of the Jumping Pound area of Alberta began with three brothers, John, Richard and Samuel from County Cork, Ireland. John Copithorne, 1862-1933, came to Canada in 1883 and in 1888 homesteaded on the banks of Jumpingpound Creek. John's brother, Richard, 1861-1936, came to Calgary in 1887. He also homesteaded at Jumping Pound and went into a dairy partnership with John which lasted until 1900. Their brother, Samuel, 1880-1961, arrived in 1904. He later moved to Springbank where he and his wife, Beatrice Ethel Blache, had four children and ranched until his death.

John married Susan Toole, ca. 1861-1958, from County Lough, Ireland, who had come to Canada to work as a maid. John and Susan first ran a mixed farm but soon went exclusively into ranching. They had nine children, James, John William "Jack", R. Claude, R. Ernest, Margaret (Nicoll), Albert, Charles, Duncan Hugh "Harry", 1902-1996, and G. May (Lovrod). John and Susan retired to Victoria in 1912 and left the bulk of their estate including the Lazy J Ranch to Jack.

In 1913 Jack, 1890-1969, married Margaret Anne "Nan" Young, ?-1975, who came from Ballydehob, Ireland in 1912, and they had two daughters, Margaret Winnifred "Winnie", 1914-2006, and Jean. Jack and Nan managed the family's Lone Star Ranch on Jumpingpound Creek, and after 1920 the Lazy J Ranch. Winnifred and her husband, Len Kumlin, took over the Lazy J in 1946 and Jack and Nan retired to Calgary. The operation of the ranch fell to Winnie and Len's son, Alvin, after they also retired to Calgary.

In 1895 Richard married Georgina Sophia Willis (called Sophia), 1880-1923, who was born in Kingston, Ontario and lived in Springbank. They had seven children, R. Percy, Margaret (Buckley), George, Frank, Annie (Jones), Arthur and Clarence. The ranch was taken over by Percy, 1899-1978. He married Edna Brown in 1931 and they had three children. In 1947 Annie, 1907-1995, married Idwal Jones, ?-1982, who had emigrated with his family from Wales in 1930.

For further information see Copithorne History / edited by Judy and Roy Copithorne. - J. and R. Copithorne, 1982; and Arlene Watson's article, "The Copithorne Family of Jumping Pound Creek", in Fort Calgary Quarterly, vol. 3, no. 3. (Summer 1983), p. 1-4.