Spouse: Esther Eliza Chapman, b. 6 February 1881 in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, England, d. 1953 in Victoria, British Columbia (Married 28 May 1905 in West Kildonan, Winnipeg by Rev. J.H. Cameron.)
Father: Richard Foster, b. 6 October 1841 in Epworth, Lincolnshire
Mother: Diana Emma Snowden, b. 1848 in Wiston, Nottingham, England
Richard at age 3, was listed in the 1881 census in "John Foster's house" at 100 Carlisle Rd. Carlisle Road is a short block down from Spital Hill where his parents lived. "John" is listed as a "Fishmonger" but there are no family records to confirm or deny this. Margaret Foster, at age 87, was adamant that "no member of the family had been a fishmonger." It's possible that "John Foster" was a cousin or brother to Richard (1841) since no records of this family have been found.
Richard Foster (1878) had aspirations of coming to Canada to be a farmer although he had no skills in either gardening or farming. His father and eldest brother, Colton, were master tailors. Judging from Richard's own skills, he had also been trained as a tailor. Shortly after arriving in Canada he reverted to this trade, perhaps because other opportunities didn't arise. When he joined the Canadian army in the middle of WW1, it was as a tailor. Later when he rejoined in Victoria it was also as a tailor. As his final discharge paper states, (see below) in 1938 he had been 20 years a military tailor.
Click to view the descendents of Richard and Eliza.
