It was reported in the Vancouver Province on March 1, 1924, that Karl left a net estate of $7,711 to his wife, Marjorie Creelman — approximately $138,242.64 in today’s value. Marjorie was also 46 at the time of Karl’s passing. She had been a housewife throughout her marriage and continued in that role, as noted on the marital records when, on April 20, 1932, at age 55, she remarried. She married James Bishop, whose occupation was listed as “Rancher,” in Ashcroft, British Columbia. James, a widower, was 65 at the time. Marjorie lived until her 69th year and passed away in Vancouver on August 1, 1943, survived by her husband and daughter. Her interment, like Karl’s, was also at Ocean View Burial Park in Burnaby, B.C.
Daughter Margaret married Robert James (Jim) McCloy on November 14, 1930, in Vancouver. Robert was a 21-year-old painter born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Margaret’s occupation was listed as “domestic.” On the marriage documents, the groom could be identified as a bachelor, widower, or divorced; Robert was noted as a bachelor. For the bride, the options were spinster, widow, or divorced, and 17-year-old Margaret was listed as a spinster.
In 1931, Margaret and Jim had a son, Robert Karl McCloy (Karl’s grandson). But by 1934, the marriage had broken down, and Robert (Sr.) left Vancouver to look for work. Margaret, at 20 and unable to support them both, left Robert (Jr.) with his paternal grandparents. Then in 1939, Robert’s father died at only 28. Their son moved to Winnipeg to live with his father’s sister and her husband, Evelyn and Sam Purdy, who formally adopted him in 1940 and changed his name to Robert (Bob) Carl Purdy*.
Margaret later remarried. In 1940, she wed Frank Herbert (Bert) Nixon. She was 27, and Frank was 39. They went on to have two daughters, Diane and June (Karl’s granddaughters).
Diane married Ronald J. Bird, and they had two children, Trevor and Lori.
June married Dave Beaudoin and had one son, Cary.
* Bob Purdy never knew his mother, Margaret, and did not ask about her out of respect for his adoptive parents (his deceased father’s sister and her husband). But in 1989, Bob — then married to Judy with three children (Lauren, Deb, and David) — placed a newspaper ad looking for “Margaret Creelman.” They received a response from a childhood friend of Margaret’s, who sent a 1930 photograph of Jim and Margaret McCloy. Not knowing Margaret’s new married name, they reached a dead end. A second ad was placed with the photo. Then, while seeking Margaret’s birth certificate, the Manitoba Ministry of Statistics mistakenly sent Margaret’s application for her own certificate, signed with her new married name “Nixon.” A third ad followed, and someone replied to say that Margaret had died on April 6, 1978, in her 65th year, and provided contact information for Bob’s sister, Diane Bird (née Nixon). Bob finally met his sister, 60 years after not knowing she existed. Diane brought a scrapbook inherited from their mother Margaret, containing clippings about their grandfather Karl Creelman’s remarkable journey around the world. The reunion made the local Kamloops newspaper on July 3, 1991, along with a wonderful summary of Karl’s story.
Karl’s grandson, Bob, died on March 31, 2004, after a battle with cancer. His wife and two daughters are still alive, though I have not been in contact with them.
Karl’s granddaughter Diane Bird is still alive, although despite placing ads in local papers and combing through countless records, I have yet to find Diane, her husband, or her children.
Karl’s other granddaughter, June, died in 1966 at age 21, long before her mother Margaret passed. Her husband later remarried and passed away in 2006, but their son Cary, Karl’s great-grandson, is still alive, and I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with him.
With that, dear reader, the story of Karl’s life, and the family who followed, comes to its quiet close. What remains now is the story of the person who followed him. And that, at long last, is where we’ll go next.
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The Karl Journey is registered as an official expedition with the Royal Geographical Society