Shadrach Gale

Mr Shadrach Gale was born in Calstock, Tavistock, Cornwall, England on 17 July 1878.

He was the son of Elijah Gale (b. 1853), a tin miner, and Maria Sandercock (b. 1850), both Calstock natives.

He had seven known siblings: Alice (b. 1872), Harry (b. 1874), Rachel (b. 1876), Enoch Edward (1882-1939), Rebecca Spry (1883-1943, later Mrs William Mitchell), George (1886-1886) and Emily Knott (1888-1973, later Mrs Thomas Edwards).

Harry first appears on the 1881 census living at Rising Sun in Calstock at the home of his maternal grandparents, Thomas and Rebecca Sandercock. He was still living with his grandparents by the time of the 1891 census, then at Harrow Barrow, Calstock. The family later moved to 1 School Cottages in Harrow Barrow, appearing on both the 1901 and 1911 census records. On the earlier record Shadrach, like his father, was now working as a tin miner. His two brothers Harry and Enoch had emigrated to Colorado in 1900 and he decided to join them.

Shadrach first left British shores on 25 April 1903, departing from Southampton aboard New York. He settled in Marshall in San Miguel, Colorado where he worked as a machinist in a gold mine. He was recorded on the 1910 census living as a boarder at the Sheridan boarding house in that township.  He later settled in Idaho Springs, Colorado where he became a member of Woodmen of the World.

Shadrach and Harry, both bachelors, decided to return to Cornwall to visit their family and arrived back in Britain aboard Majestic on 15 June 1911. For their return to Colorado they boarded Titanic at Southampton as second class passengers on 10 April 1912 (ticket number 28664 which cost £21) and it is possible that they were travelling with Frederick Pengelly and William Ware, also both from the Calstock area.

Following his death the membership of Woodmen of the World erected a memorial to him in Idaho Springs Cemetery. His mother died on 9 May 1922 and his father on 1 November 1936 and are both buried in St Andrew's Churchyard in Calstock; Shadrach and Harry are commemorated on their headstone.

The Idaho Springs Memorial (Courtesy: Steve Coombes, UK)	Calstock Churchyard, Cornwall (Courtesy: Steve Coombes, UK