Alice King was disjoined from The Deaconess Order when she married Jason McKelvey, an ordained Presbyterian minister, in 1925. In 1940 Alice moved to Cardston, Alberta, where her husband is welcomed as the new United Church minister, as the article below describes. They left Cardston in 1944. The United Church has records on the deployment of ordained personnel and it would be possible to learn more about Alice’s life beginning with that source. She is one of literally 100s of trained minister’s wives. It is assured that Alice continued ministry in the church, like her sisters, but it was unpaid and often undervalued.
Cardston News (July 9, 1940): New Minister United Church Begins Work Here
Rev. James McKelvey, new minister of the United Church here, Mrs McKelvey and their daughter Jean Elizabeth, 10, arrived in town Wednesday evening, and have taken up residence at the manse. Sunday Mr McKelvey held his first services here, at Owendale in the morning and, at Cardston in the evening.
Like his predecessor, Rev. F. T. Habgood, Mr McKelvey is a veteran of the Great War. Born in Ireland, north of Belfast, Mr McKelvey came to Canada just before the war. He enlisted in the 11th Field Ambulance corps and served 14 months in France, during which time he was gassed by the Germans.
Returning to Alberta after the war, he entered Robertson College in Edmonton, since joined with Alberta college, and in 1934 was called to the ministry.
Do you know more about Alice? Please let us know.