Photos above: Left: Photo from about 1913 - Shown is Charles' grandmother, Sarah E Botham, in the white shawl - Charles is the boy on the right of the picture; The others are family but unknown; 

  Right: William Henry and Marion Collison and their first five children: L-R Willie, Alice, Henry, Max & Emily - probably about 1888

Our Heritage   
       My family's forebears originated in the British Isles. My father, Charles Botham, and my mother's grandfather and grandmother, William Henry and Marion Collison were the initial immigrants, respectively, who arrived in B.C.  Each had a definite purpose in mind and worked hard to establish themselves.
           The stories on this website of the individuals about whom I have written - and intend to write about - are primarily for Charles' own descendants. If, however, others, family members or not, take an interest, or somehow can derive some pleasure from them, for me that will be added value. If these accounts contribute even slightly, not only to the memory of those mentioned, but also to what is needed to bring some of our extended families together, my efforts will have been more than worthwhile.
          The present account has been created as a memorial to my father, Charles Lucas Botham, and to present a biographical sketch of his interesting life.
  
     I have had great pleasure in the recall of incidents and some pain in reliving our loss, while creating this account of Charles' life. It has been undertaken, primarily for his descendants, but more particularly for my own family, to give them an idea of the life and accomplishments of one of the many persons in their own background.  Any errors are mine, although I will plead that there was quite a scarcity of materials about many of the topics upon which to base a full biography. 
  
     If anyone, family members or otherwise, has any further material which would illuminate some aspect of Charles' life, I would appreciate hearing from them. Further revisions and expansions are always possible if interesting or significant information "turns up".

        I would like to add, that material and information about any of our other ancestors is invited, as other life stories should be told, either by myself or by any other member of the family who is interested in doing so. I intend, on completion of this biographical sketch, to continue on the biography of WHCollison.
             Created with love for my family, and gratitude to my friends
                         Peter E M Botham,    
                            Kamloops