It's the running joke to find someone who was actually born in Victoria. Although it certainly is not true, it seems a lot of people where born somewhere else. When it comes to family roots, mine run deep in this town. The above photo was taken in the early 1900's, the man seated third from the right is my great-great-great grandfather John Braden. He came to Victoria in the 1870's and ran a successful plumbing business. In fact, he did a lot of the original plumbing in the Legislature and the Empress Hotel. John Braden was elected to the Legislature and served as an MLA in the late 1890's. You can see his photo hanging in those hallowed halls today. They named a mountain after him in the Sooke Hills, "Mount Braden" and a beach after him along the Gorge. He had a mansion where the Cedar Shores apartments on Gorge Rd are now until it burned to the ground. He was larger than life and was a true pioneer. He was buried at Ross Bay Cemetery along with most of the people in this picture. By the why, the man seated to the far left is my great-great grandfather William Braden , who made many contributions to the town of Sidney. But that's another story.

Our kids are seventh generation Victorians. Pretty Cool! .....Michael