Samuel John Becher
(1816-1865)
Lt Col SAMUEL JOHN BECHER was born 6th August 1816 at Calcutta, the sixth child of Charles Grant Becher and his second wife. He had a classical and mathematical education at King's School, Sherborne, Dorset which he left in 1833 and became a HEIC Cadet. He arrived in India on 3rd October 1834 aboard the Eliza D. Sutton which sailed from Falmouth on 2nd July 1834, with his parents and sisters, and began as an Ensign with the 55th Native Infantry on 31st October and was later posted to the 19th N.I. He was posted to the 11th N.I. on 2nd March 1835 and became Acting Adjutant 3rd Local Horse between 7th February 1839 and 18th December 1840. He was promoted Lt 30th July 1839 and on 1st September 1841 became Adjutant of the Bundelkhand Legion. He was part of the Malwa Contingent from 1st May 1842 till 10th June 1848 and was promoted Captain 13th May 1848 and Major 21st July 1861. He was on Furlough from 9th August 1852 till 1855 and there is no record of active service having served in the Madras Army for 28 years chiefly as regimental officer. He was obliged to retire as Hon Lt. Col. on 31st December 1861 because of ill health.
He married Frances Catherine 'Fanny' Sandys on 25th January 1844 at Mehidpore. She was born 1825 in India the daughter of Maj-Gen Frederick Hervey Sandys and Maria Jane Culloden and died 9th May 1868 at Suir View, Waterford, Ireland. He died 31st August 1865 at Mountain View, Waterford.
There were eight children:
1. MARY LOUISA JANE BECHER was born 20th October 1845 at Indore. She was the Executrix of her mother's Will in 1868. She died 1901 at Bareilly.
2. FANNY SIDONIE BECHER was born 25th June 1847 at Mehidpore and died two months later in 25th August 1847 at Indore.
3. HARRIET HORATIA BECHER was born 1st June 1845 at Bareilly and married Col. Hervey Morris Stanley Clarke 11th July 1872 at Cheltenham who was born 11th September 1835 the son of Mary Anne, née Becher, and John Stanley-Clarke who died 27th October 1912. Harriet died 10th January 1893 at Tonbridge, Kent.
4. CHARLOTTE ELISE BECHER was born 8th March 1852 and she died unmarried 3rd March 1874 at Waterford, Ireland.
5. LYDIA BEATRICE BECHER was born in 1855 in Tranmore, Waterford. She married Thomas Henry Stillingfleet Biddulph C.I.E., who became the Officiating Accountant General of Bengal, on 21st November 1878 at Allahabad. He was born 25th August 1846 the son of Rev Francis John Biddulph and Julia Mackworth Stillingfleet and died 24th April 1920 in London. She died 25th October 1927 at Marylebone, London.
6. WILLIAM SAMUEL BECHER was born 3rd October 1855 at Ferrybank, Kilkenny, Waterford.
On 27th August, at their agent's office in Dublin, he signed an Agreement, pictured left, to work for the Hudson's Bay Company and soon afterwards he sailed for Canada. He settled at Fort Garry which until 1869 was a trading post of the Hudson Bay Company on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. After the Company relinquished the post there was a rebellion in 1870 when the Fort was seized. Afterwards, the area around it grew and in 1873 the city of Winnipeg was established. From 1873-1878 William was an Apprentice at the Hudson Bay Company, Fort Garry Office, Red River and was a Clerk there from 1878-1880. He continued as a Clerk from 1880-1882 at Winnipeg, Red River and from 1882-1890 was a Clerk, Accountant at the Winnipeg North Depot and General Store. From 1890-1894 he was a Junior Chief Trader at the Winnipeg General Office and from 1894-1901 a Chief Trader there. On 28th February 1905 he retired to the Royal Trust Company as Manager.
On 27th August, at their agent's office in Dublin, he signed an Agreement, pictured left, to work for the Hudson's Bay Company and soon afterwards he sailed for Canada. He settled at Fort Garry which until 1869 was a trading post of the Hudson Bay Company on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. After the Company relinquished the post there was a rebellion in 1870 when the Fort was seized. Afterwards, the area around it grew and in 1873 the city of Winnipeg was established. From 1873-1878 William was an Apprentice at the Hudson Bay Company, Fort Garry Office, Red River and was a Clerk there from 1878-1880. He continued as a Clerk from 1880-1882 at Winnipeg, Red River and from 1882-1890 was a Clerk, Accountant at the Winnipeg North Depot and General Store. From 1890-1894 he was a Junior Chief Trader at the Winnipeg General Office and from 1894-1901 a Chief Trader there. On 28th February 1905 he retired to the Royal Trust Company as Manager.
He married Anne Laurie McKeagney, photo left, on 29th April 1880 at Winnipeg, Manitoba. She was born 20th September 1857 in Nova Scotia one of six daughters of James Charles McKeagney and Eliza Hearn. They lived at 204 Harvard Avenue, Winnipeg where he died 25th July 1908 and was buried there. She died 13th May 1929 and was buried at St Mary's Cemetery.
WINNIPEG, July 28 - Death claimed another veteran of the west in the person of William Becher, manager of the western branch of the Royal Trust Co. Deceased had a paralytic stroke last October, but recovered sufficiently to return to business. He had been ailing some time and death was not unexpected. Deceased was born at Tranmere, Waterford County, Ireland, October 3, 1855, the son of Lieut. Co. Becher, of the Bengal army. As a young man he emigrated to Canada and was in Montreal for a time but came west in 1873 and at once entered the employ of the Hudson Bay Co. (Ottawa Free Press 28th July 1908 p.7)
There were six children:
1. Lillian Isobel Becher was born 20th February 1881 at Winnipeg. She married, firstly, George Walter Warren who was born about 1865 in New York. They became engaged in 1906 in Winnipeg and married there on 29th November that year. At some point they sailed to England as they both appear in the 1911 England Census boarding at East Sheen, Mortlake, Surrey, and he is listed as a Company Promoter. He died 13th August 1913 in Vancouver. They had one son.
She married, secondly, Captain Campbell Sinclair Strang on 4th December 1917 at Vancouver. He was born on 11th January 1878 at the Strang residence on Bannatyne Street, Winnipeg the son of Andrew Strang and Anne Harriet Sinclair. In his youth he bred dogs and became widely known as one of the West’s finest horsemen. Later he turned his attention to raising canaries and his aviary at the family home on Edmonton Street, Winnipeg was internationally famous. Many of his birds were exhibited by fanciers in Europe and in the United States. He also owned the famous mount, Catbouche, winner of numerous prizes at Winnipeg’s early horse shows. He enlisted as a Trooper in the Canadian Mounted Rifles and saw action against the Boers in the Transvaal until the close of hostilities and on his discharge from the service was awarded both the King’s and the Queen’s medals. He enlisted again on 24th September at Valcartier, one of the first men to volunteer in Winnipeg when war was declared and joined the Fort Garry Horse. The regiment was sent to England where further training took place on Salisbury Plain. During this period he also served on the Provost Marshal's Staff before transferring to and going to France the 27th Winnipeg Battalion. While serving in France he had as his mount the mare Sheila, noted throughout the Canadian corps as one of the finest show horses in the British army. He later posted to the 16th Canadian Scottish Regiment and served under Col. Cyrus Peck V.C. The battalion returned to England in March 1919, disembarked in Canada on 4th May and was disbanded in September 1920. He was the holder of the 1915 Star, the General Service and the Victory medals for his Great War services. On his return from overseas, Capt. Strang travelled for several years representing mercantile firms in Western Canada and was lately a manufacturer’s representative in Winnipeg. Lilian died on 22nd April 1960 at Winnipeg and her husband died there on 19th February 1939. They were two daughters: 1. Avis Lilian Warren Strang who was born 1912 in Ontario and married Judge Alexander John Stringer (1903-1969) on 3rd September 1938 at Toronto. She died 16th November 1993. 2. Sheila Campbell Strang, born 17th February 1919 and died 6th August 2013.
2. An unnamed daughter, born 1882 and died 16th April 1885 at Winnipeg.
3. Rose Ethel Becher was born 1st December 1883 at Fort Rouge, Winnipeg and died 2nd January 1888 at St Boniface, Manitoba.
4. Evelyn Beatrice Becher was born 24th August 1886 at Winnipeg and died 9th January 1888.
5. William Stanley Clarke Becher was born 16th May 1889 at Winnipeg. He was at St Mary's School and Boniface College, Winnipeg. As a young man he was active in sports, especially hockey. He later played in the old Bank league and later with the Victoria hockey club. He joined the Bank of Montreal as an accountant in 1907 and in 1911 formed a partnership with D.K. Murdoff, pioneers in the real estate business. Enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces 26th February 1917 served with the 8th Battalion (90th Winnipeg Rifles) and was with the army of occupation in Germany until May 1919. He married Mary Leslie Newton on 28th June 1919 at Winnipeg. She was born 18th September 1889 in Canada the daughter of Charles Henry Newton and Frances Fraser. For the last ten years of his life he operated a gravel business under the firm name of Becher & Co. He died intestate on 24th June 1941 at Winnipeg and was buried at St Mary's Cemetery there. She died on 21st November 1967 at Los Angeles, California.
There were three children:
1. William Newton Becher who was born about 1923 in Winnipeg. He moved to Tempe, Arizona in 1967 where he was a Sales Representative for Benney & Smith Corporation on New York and was active in the Grace Community Church in the valley. In Tempe, he met and married Betty Amunda Bogseth, who was from Sweden. She was born 23rd December 1924 the daughter of John and Marta Bogseth of St. Vita, Winnipeg. He died 20th Sept 1973 at Tempe, Arizona and was buried at the East Resthaven Cemetery. After William died she built a successful career in real estate while continuing to look after her family and was active in church and community. She died 31st May 2010 at Maricopa, Arizona. There were two children.
2. Barbara Leslie Becher was born on 16th June 1925 at Winnipeg and grew up there with her older brother and younger sister. She married Claus Herbert Walin on 26th June 1948 at St George's, Winnipeg the son of Herbert S. Walin and Grace J. Clark. In 1965 she joined McMahan's Furniture Store and by the time she retired twenty-five years later she was Accounting Manager. From 1990 until 2003 she volunteered for the hot lunch programme at Faith Lutheran School in Vista where she earned her nickname 'The Old Dish Rag'. She and her family moved to Fortuna, California in 2003. He died 7th June 1999 at Vista and she died 12th May 2010 at Fortuna.
5. William Stanley Clarke Becher was born 16th May 1889 at Winnipeg. He was at St Mary's School and Boniface College, Winnipeg. As a young man he was active in sports, especially hockey. He later played in the old Bank league and later with the Victoria hockey club. He joined the Bank of Montreal as an accountant in 1907 and in 1911 formed a partnership with D.K. Murdoff, pioneers in the real estate business. Enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces 26th February 1917 served with the 8th Battalion (90th Winnipeg Rifles) and was with the army of occupation in Germany until May 1919. He married Mary Leslie Newton on 28th June 1919 at Winnipeg. She was born 18th September 1889 in Canada the daughter of Charles Henry Newton and Frances Fraser. For the last ten years of his life he operated a gravel business under the firm name of Becher & Co. He died intestate on 24th June 1941 at Winnipeg and was buried at St Mary's Cemetery there. She died on 21st November 1967 at Los Angeles, California.
There were three children:
1. William Newton Becher who was born about 1923 in Winnipeg. He moved to Tempe, Arizona in 1967 where he was a Sales Representative for Benney & Smith Corporation on New York and was active in the Grace Community Church in the valley. In Tempe, he met and married Betty Amunda Bogseth, who was from Sweden. She was born 23rd December 1924 the daughter of John and Marta Bogseth of St. Vita, Winnipeg. He died 20th Sept 1973 at Tempe, Arizona and was buried at the East Resthaven Cemetery. After William died she built a successful career in real estate while continuing to look after her family and was active in church and community. She died 31st May 2010 at Maricopa, Arizona. There were two children.
2. Barbara Leslie Becher was born on 16th June 1925 at Winnipeg and grew up there with her older brother and younger sister. She married Claus Herbert Walin on 26th June 1948 at St George's, Winnipeg the son of Herbert S. Walin and Grace J. Clark. In 1965 she joined McMahan's Furniture Store and by the time she retired twenty-five years later she was Accounting Manager. From 1990 until 2003 she volunteered for the hot lunch programme at Faith Lutheran School in Vista where she earned her nickname 'The Old Dish Rag'. She and her family moved to Fortuna, California in 2003. He died 7th June 1999 at Vista and she died 12th May 2010 at Fortuna.
There were three children:
1. William Newton Becher who was born about 1923 in Winnipeg. He moved to Tempe, Arizona in 1967 where he was a Sales Representative for Benney & Smith Corporation on New York and was active in the Grace Community Church in the valley. In Tempe, he met and married Betty Amunda Bogseth, who was from Sweden. She was born 23rd December 1924 the daughter of John and Marta Bogseth of St. Vita, Winnipeg. He died 20th Sept 1973 at Tempe, Arizona and was buried at the East Resthaven Cemetery. After William died she built a successful career in real estate while continuing to look after her family and was active in church and community. She died 31st May 2010 at Maricopa, Arizona. There were two children.
2. Barbara Leslie Becher was born on 16th June 1925 at Winnipeg and grew up there with her older brother and younger sister. She married Claus Herbert Walin on 26th June 1948 at St George's, Winnipeg the son of Herbert S. Walin and Grace J. Clark. In 1965 she joined McMahan's Furniture Store and by the time she retired twenty-five years later she was Accounting Manager. From 1990 until 2003 she volunteered for the hot lunch programme at Faith Lutheran School in Vista where she earned her nickname 'The Old Dish Rag'. She and her family moved to Fortuna, California in 2003. He died 7th June 1999 at Vista and she died 12th May 2010 at Fortuna.
3. Beverley Ann Becher, pictured left, was born 10th September 1930 at Winnipeg married Everett Thomas Bozard on 26th May 1951 there. He was born 25th October 1927 at Chatham, Massachusetts the only child of John B. Bozard and Clarice Foures and died 24th January 2008 at Virginia Beach, California. She worked for twenty-seven years in the personnel department of Sears Roebuck & Co. In 1990 she and her husband retired to the Florida Keys until 2007 when they moved to Virginia Beach to be closer to their only son and family. She died there on 15th March 2016.
6. Charles Biddulph Becher was born 31st December 1890 at Winnipeg. He was educated at Manitoba College and enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces on 25th April 1918 and joined the Manitoba Regiment, 1st Depot Battalion as a Private. He was formerly an insurance agent. He was discharged on 11th January 1919. He became associated with C.H. Enderton & Co., a real estate and property management firm in Winnipeg, in 1923 and was Rental Manager from 1931.
He married Beatrice Elizabeth Eileen Coutts (pictured left in 1953) on 3rd October 1931 at Winnipeg. She was born 16th April 1903 at Woodstock, Ontario the daughter of Donald Charles Coutts and Georgina Mackay. The Winnipeg Tribune reported that The bride wore a tailleur of n****r brown crasstine cloth opening over a blouse of eggshell satin and small brown hat with a small feather shading to brown and red tones. She wore a corsage of orchids, talisman roses and lily of the valley. Mr and Mrs Becher left on a honeymoon visit to Minneapolis and upon their return will reside in Winnipeg. He died on 18th August 1952 at Winnipeg and was buried in the Catholic Cemetery and she died the same year. There was one daughter.
7. Sybil Augusta Becher was born 23rd August 1892 at Winnipeg. She married Walter Samuel Newton on 14th May 1917 at Winnipeg. He was born 30th October 1881 the son of Charles Henry Newton and Frances F. Fraser and died 1948 in Calgary. She died 14th September 1953 at Winnipeg. There were four children.
He married Beatrice Elizabeth Eileen Coutts (pictured left in 1953) on 3rd October 1931 at Winnipeg. She was born 16th April 1903 at Woodstock, Ontario the daughter of Donald Charles Coutts and Georgina Mackay. The Winnipeg Tribune reported that The bride wore a tailleur of n****r brown crasstine cloth opening over a blouse of eggshell satin and small brown hat with a small feather shading to brown and red tones. She wore a corsage of orchids, talisman roses and lily of the valley. Mr and Mrs Becher left on a honeymoon visit to Minneapolis and upon their return will reside in Winnipeg. He died on 18th August 1952 at Winnipeg and was buried in the Catholic Cemetery and she died the same year. There was one daughter.
7. Sybil Augusta Becher was born 23rd August 1892 at Winnipeg. She married Walter Samuel Newton on 14th May 1917 at Winnipeg. He was born 30th October 1881 the son of Charles Henry Newton and Frances F. Fraser and died 1948 in Calgary. She died 14th September 1953 at Winnipeg. There were four children.
8. Constance Annette Becher was born 12th May 1895 at Winnipeg. She is bottom right in the photo, left, with her mother, centre, and sister Sybil Augusta Becher, lower left.
Also, William Stanley Clarke Becher, upper left, and his brother, Charles Biddulph Becher, upper right.
Constance was educated at St Mary's Academy, Winnipeg and for many years she was in the millinery business and operated the Mayfair Hat Shop on Hargrave Street. Constance died after a long illness on 19th November 1966 at Winnipeg and was buried at St Mary's Cemetery there.
Also, William Stanley Clarke Becher, upper left, and his brother, Charles Biddulph Becher, upper right.
Constance was educated at St Mary's Academy, Winnipeg and for many years she was in the millinery business and operated the Mayfair Hat Shop on Hargrave Street. Constance died after a long illness on 19th November 1966 at Winnipeg and was buried at St Mary's Cemetery there.
7. CHARLES DOUGLAS TIMINS BECHER was born on 29th December 1863 at Killikehean, Waterford, Ireland. He is pictured above sitting on a chair second from the left, his wife Florence is first from the left.
He entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company on 1st June 1885 and until 1886 he was an Apprentice Clerk at Winnipeg. In 1886 he was transferred to Edmonton where he continued his apprenticeship until 1894 when he became Manager of the Morden Sale Shop in Manitoba until 1st June 1898. He then became the first manager of the newly opened store at Yorkton, Saskatchewan, up to 31st December 1900 when he was transferred to become Manager of the Sale Shop at Macleod, Alberta, until 1st June 1901. He later set up a real estate business.
He married Florence May Casey on 28th November 1894 at Butte, Silver Bowl, Montana. She was born 7th August 1864 at Colborne, Ontario the daughter of Horatio Nelson Casey and Eliza Jane Gilchrist. Charles died on 21st February 1911 at Fort Macleod, Alberta and was buried there. The local press reported that: 'The citizens of Macleod and district were shocked on New Year's Day (1942) when it became known that Mrs C.D.T. Becher, in good health until 5pm Wednesday suffered a cerebral hemorrhage (sic) at 2.10 o'clock Thursday morning at her residence on 20th Street'.
There were two children:
1. Georgie May Becher who was born 20th February 1896 at Morden, Manitoba. She married John 'Jock' Baird Wilson on 31st July 1918 at Fort Mcleod, Alberta. He was born 24th March 1885 at Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland the son of Robert Wilson and Jane Baird. He was a Bank Manager. He died 2nd December 1970 at Vancouver, BC and she also died there on 27th September 1947. There were three sons.
There were two children:
1. Georgie May Becher who was born 20th February 1896 at Morden, Manitoba. She married John 'Jock' Baird Wilson on 31st July 1918 at Fort Mcleod, Alberta. He was born 24th March 1885 at Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, Scotland the son of Robert Wilson and Jane Baird. He was a Bank Manager. He died 2nd December 1970 at Vancouver, BC and she also died there on 27th September 1947. There were three sons.
2. Lilian Beatrice “Billie” Becher was born 10th January 1905 at Fort Macleod, Alberta. She married, firstly, Hugh Sweetland Dixon on 22nd September 1926. He was born 11th January 1902 in York, Ontario the son of Hilliard N. Dixon and Gertrude Lascelle Sweetland and died 21st May 1941. They had one child. She married, secondly, Cyril Percy Haines on 14th February 1946. He was born 11th January 1918 the son of Charles H. Haines and Isabella Mary Stenning and died 11th June 2016 at Calgary where Lilian died on 20th December 1977 and was buried at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary.
8. FREDERICK METHUEN JAMES BECHER was born on 3rd November 1865 at Mountain View, Waterford, Ireland. He entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company in the autumn of 1884 and became an Apprentice Clerk at Fort Dunvegan, River, Alberta and Peace the following year became Apprentice in charge at Battle River and then at Hudson's Hope, Peace River until 30th June 1888 when he retired. According to HBC records, in a note by Mr M. Mackay 'The reason assigned for his leaving the service was in order to improve his position. He was a punctual, attentive and obedient officer and would have become very useful had he remained.'
According to Alex Lord's British Columbia Recollections of a Rural School Inspector, 'after quitting the HBC he took up freighting from Soda Creek to Hanceville and afterwards started ranching near Riske Creek and by 1912 had 1,500 acres in two sections, one at Riske Creek and the other at Meldrum Creek. Sock then included 500 shorthorns and Herefords and 30-40 horses, and personal innovations included a telephone and automobile – a Cadillac – each the first in the Chilcotin. He was well known for his hotel and trading post, facilities he lost by fire in 1915 but replaced on an even grander scale with a 30-room frame hotel mainly because the provincial liquor Act of the day demanded thirty rooms as a first requirement for a licence. It was furnished to the last piece of wallpaper by Maples & Co., of Tottenham Court Road, London, and Florence, his wife, helped arrange the spacious sitting room at the trading post.'
The Witte sisters, in their remarkable 1995 book Chilcotin: Preserving Pioneer Memories, describe Fred Becher as 'a big, good looking man with brown hair and eyes. He stood, in his prime, 6'2” inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. He ran a saloon, stopping house and post office at Riske Creek for many years, and in full black beard, mustache (sic) and Stetson hat, he fitted many people's image of a western saloon keeper. If a fight broke out Becher could handle the toughest frontiersman, but he was good natured and optimistic and easy going to a fault in his business deals.'
The sisters go on to say that Fred Becher 'became postmaster of the Chilcotin Post Office on 1st August 1894 and held the post for more than thirty years. In 1912 a telephone line was strung through the Chilcotin and he had the first phone installed in his hotel. In 1913 he brought a Cadillac to the country. He hired I.J. Purkeypile as a chauffeur and ran it as a taxi between 150 Mile and Hanceville. Becher's hotel and saloon, strategically located in this big country with long miles, winding dirt roads and horse travel, did good business. It soon earned a reputation as a stopping place for rest and refreshment. Race meets were held once a year on Becher's Prairie where the entire Chilcotin converged for a week to test their horses and enjoy horse racing.'
According to Alex Lord's British Columbia Recollections of a Rural School Inspector, 'after quitting the HBC he took up freighting from Soda Creek to Hanceville and afterwards started ranching near Riske Creek and by 1912 had 1,500 acres in two sections, one at Riske Creek and the other at Meldrum Creek. Sock then included 500 shorthorns and Herefords and 30-40 horses, and personal innovations included a telephone and automobile – a Cadillac – each the first in the Chilcotin. He was well known for his hotel and trading post, facilities he lost by fire in 1915 but replaced on an even grander scale with a 30-room frame hotel mainly because the provincial liquor Act of the day demanded thirty rooms as a first requirement for a licence. It was furnished to the last piece of wallpaper by Maples & Co., of Tottenham Court Road, London, and Florence, his wife, helped arrange the spacious sitting room at the trading post.'
The Witte sisters, in their remarkable 1995 book Chilcotin: Preserving Pioneer Memories, describe Fred Becher as 'a big, good looking man with brown hair and eyes. He stood, in his prime, 6'2” inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. He ran a saloon, stopping house and post office at Riske Creek for many years, and in full black beard, mustache (sic) and Stetson hat, he fitted many people's image of a western saloon keeper. If a fight broke out Becher could handle the toughest frontiersman, but he was good natured and optimistic and easy going to a fault in his business deals.'
The sisters go on to say that Fred Becher 'became postmaster of the Chilcotin Post Office on 1st August 1894 and held the post for more than thirty years. In 1912 a telephone line was strung through the Chilcotin and he had the first phone installed in his hotel. In 1913 he brought a Cadillac to the country. He hired I.J. Purkeypile as a chauffeur and ran it as a taxi between 150 Mile and Hanceville. Becher's hotel and saloon, strategically located in this big country with long miles, winding dirt roads and horse travel, did good business. It soon earned a reputation as a stopping place for rest and refreshment. Race meets were held once a year on Becher's Prairie where the entire Chilcotin converged for a week to test their horses and enjoy horse racing.'
The Becher House, said to have been the most impressive stopping house in Riske Creek Valley, before it burned down in 1915.
He married Florence Cole on 19th January 1914 at Vancouver. She was born in 1870 in Islington, London, the daughter of George Cole and Eleanor Hebblewaite.
Fred died on 11th April 1936 at Riske Creek and he was buried above the Becher House on a small knoll overlooking the peaceful valley that had been his home for over fifty years. The Becher name lives on todays in Chilcotin with nearby Becher Prairie and Becher Dam. Florence returned to England in 1946 having left Halifax on the Georgic arriving at Liverpool on 26th July to go and stay at 11 Robin Hood Road, Brentwood, Essex. She died in 1957 at Southend, Essex, England.