Hannah Aaronson

Biography:
Sister and Daughter

Hannah Aaronson was the daughter of Rachel and Barnett Aaronson. Her older brothers, Hyman and Jacob, were born in Chelsea, London, England. According to the 1891 Vancouver Island Census, Hannah was four years old and her family was living in one floor wooden home with five rooms in Nanaimo. Barnett’s name first appears in the Victoria City Directory in 1898. By that time, Barnett’s slightly older brother had already established his pawn shop in Victoria. Barnett became a junk dealer.

Some of Hannah’s early activities were recorded in the papers. According to the August 23, 1897 edition of The Victoria Daily Times, a “lengthy and well contested programme” was held at the Caledonia Games in honor of Scotsmen’s Day. The event was well attended. Hanna took 3rd prize in a race for girls under 12.

On June 28, 1898, The Victoria Daily Times reported that a large crowd attended a concert staged by the students at the Conservatory of Music. Hannah performed “Petite Barcarolle” in the first part of the program and also received a prize.

Hannah died on October 6, 1916 at the age of thirty in New Westminster, British Columbia. According to her newspaper obituary, her remains were buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Victoria, however no marker is visible. There is a family sized plot with the name Aaronson etched into the curbing. For a time, it was the custom for only the curbing to be engraved as an indication of whose remains had been buried. Marker stones were not necessarily used during this time, and non exists for Hannah. It is very likely that Hannah, her mother, and her father were all buried in this plot.