Naming the West : Stories Turner Valley

Turner Valley Student Story 3:
Harry Denning

 

My Great-Great Grandparents, Harry and Jane Denning, had decided to immigrate to Australia to join family already there but they wanted to travel across Canada to get there.  They arrived in Canada in June 1887.
There was a lot of tragedy for Harry and Jane.  They lost a baby girl in Winnipeg and stayed there for the winter. After that they traveled on to Calgary where they were expecting another baby.  They stayed in Okotoks before the baby was born, but again there was tragedy.  My Great-Great-Grandmother , Jane Beck Denning, gave birth in Okotoks but the baby died shortly after being born and Jane became ill and died three days later.  Jane died on June 16, 1889.  They were the first to be buried in the Okotoks cemetery.  The exact location has been lost but a new stone has been put in place for her.
 Harry Denning decided to stay in Canada with his two remaining sons, Harry Jr. and Philip.  They built a sod roofed cabin at the Lineham Coal Mine.  My Great-Great-Grandfather died on April 3, 1924 and was buried in Okotoks too.