McNeil, Hon. Daniel, Barrister, Port Hood, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, M.P.P. for Inverness county, N.S., was born at Mabou, C.B., on the 31st January, 1853. He is the second son of Malcolm and Ellen McNeil, and brother of the Rev. Neil McNeil, D.D., Ph.D., rector of St. François Xavier College, Antigonish. The subject of our sketch is descended, on the paternal side, from Roderick McNeil, of Bara, Scotland, who settled in Cape Breton during the early part of this century. Hon. Mr. McNeil was educated at the St. François Xavier College. He studied law at Halifax; was called to the bar of Nova Scotia in December, 1879, and then removed to Port Hood, the shiretown of his native county. Here he entered into partnership with S. Macdonnell, Q.C., ex-M.P., and continued as a partner with this gentleman for about three years and a half, when the partnership was dissolved. Afterwards he became the senior member of the law firm of McNeil & Hensley, solicitors, notaries public, etc., in the same town. In June, 1883, Mr. McNeil was appointed a school commissioner for South Inverness; in July, of the same year, a notary and tabellion public; and in March, 1884, a commissioner of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. He has for a number of years taken an interest in all the political movements,—municipal, provincial and federal—and always on the Liberal side. He was first returned to the Nova Scotia legislature at the last general election; and on the 28th June, 1886, was sworn in a member of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia, and took office in the Fielding administration, without a portfolio. In religion he is an adherent of the Roman Catholic church. He married, on the 4th August, 1881, Ellen Maria Margaret, youngest daughter of the late James McDonnell. For a period of upwards of a quarter of a century, this gentleman held the important offices of prothonotary of the Supreme Court and clerk of the Crown at Port Hood; also the office of registrar of deeds for the county of Inverness for many years. He was the first inspector of schools for Inverness county under the present educational system of the province.
Chabot, Julien, Harbor Commissioner, Quebec, was born at Levis, in October, 1834, and is a descendant of one of the oldest French families who emigrated from Poitiers, France, and settled in Canada in the vicinity of Quebec in 1632. His father, Julien Chabot, was born at the Island of Orleans in 1800, and died on 10th August, 1864. He came to Levis at the age of thirteen, and here he married Dame Susanne Carrier in 1830. Being engaged in navigation, he gained wealth and reputation by promoting the local industries of Levis. He built the first horse boat which crossed the ferry between Quebec and Levis in 1828, and afterwards the first regular ferry-boat which ran between the two cities in 1844. He was also extensively engaged in the towing business, and between the years 1845 and 1860 he built several tug steamers to tow sailing vessels from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Montreal. His son Julien, the subject of our sketch, was educated in the Seminary of Quebec from 1846 to 1853; and in 1856 he became a partner with his father, and took the management of the business. In 1863 he succeeded, with all the tug owners of the port of Quebec, in forming a joint stock company, called the St. Lawrence Tow Boat Company, and had it incorporated on the 12th of May of that year, for the purpose of towing large sailing vessels from the Gulf to Montreal, and he had the management of this company for twenty-three years. During this period he supported the views of the president of the company, Hon. Thomas McGreevy and of the bishop, D. Racine, in inaugurating in 1866 the Saguenay line, which has proved so beneficial to the colonization of the Chicoutimi district and the St. John valley. Since 1874 a daily line has been established to Ha! Ha! Bay and Chicoutimi, the management of which is highly praised by the local and principally by the American tourists. The Saguenay line is now connected with the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company, and is under the special management of its inaugurator, Mr. Chabot. He had the control of the Quebec and Levis ferries for several years, during which period the old system of summer and winter ferries were remodelled and rebuilt in the best modern style, and were classified the best ferry steamers in Canada. Mr. Chabot having been impressed from his boyhood with the difficulties of the winter navigation of the St. Lawrence, several successful tests were made by the St. Lawrence Steam Navigation Company, under his supervision, during the winter months on the Lower St. Lawrence. Mr. Chabot is now the oldest member of the Quebec Harbor Commissioners trust, having been on active duty since 1870, and has helped as trustee with his co-members in building the extensive harbor improvements in the port of Quebec, and in securing for Levis, his native place, the location of the largest graving dock on this continent. He was twice elected president of the Board of Trade of Levis. In religion, he is a member of the Roman Catholic church, and held the office of church warden in Notre Dame church in 1879. A Conservative in politics, Mr. Chabot has taken a prominent part in support of his principles. He contested the county of Levis in 1874 against Louis Honoré Frechette, the poet laureate, when the Liberal party came into power, but was defeated by the influence of the Federal government by only a small majority. He married, on the 26th October,1857, Marguerite Aimée Brunelle, daughter of the celebrated ship builder, Pierre Brunelle, of Quebec.
Lugrin, Charles H., A.M., Barrister, Fredericton, New Brunswick, was born at Fredericton in 1846. His parents were Charles S. Lugrin and Martha Stevens. (See sketch of Charles S. Lugrin.) Mr. Lugrin received his education at the Collegiate School of Fredericton, and at the New Brunswick University, graduating from the latter institution in 1865. For some time he taught the St. Stephen’s High School, and afterwards studied law. In 1868 he was admitted attorney, and called to the bar of New Brunswick in due course. He was appointed clerk of the peace, clerk of the county court, and clerk of circuits for Victoria, N.B., in 1869. He removed to Grand Falls, Victoria, in that year, and remained there until 1874, when he took up his abode in Fredericton, and joined in a law partnership with George Botsford. Since that time he has been engaged, with much success, as counsel in many important criminal cases. He acted as counsel for the temperance party in New Brunswick, in the cases involving the constitutionality of the Canada Temperance Act. He has also engaged largely in journalism, and took an active part in politics, unsuccessfully contesting Victoria for a seat in the local legislature in 1878. He was appointed secretary of the Board of Agriculture in 1885. He is the author of the works—“New Brunswick: Its Resources, Advantages and Progress;” “Open Season;” “The Fertile Belt,” and numerous pamphlets and letters upon New Brunswick, commercial union, temperance legislation, and other subjects. He volunteered and was enrolled at St. Stephen at the time of the threatened Fenian raid in 1866; and afterwards was appointed a captain in the reserve militia. He is a past worthy patriarch of the Sons of Temperance; and secretary and treasurer of the New Brunswick branch of the Prohibitory Alliance. He has been secretary of the Fredericton Board of Trade. In religion he is an adherent of the Methodist church, and in politics a Liberal. He is married to Maria, daughter of G. L. Raymond, now of Olympia, Washington territory. Mr. Raymond was grandson of Rice Raymond, a loyalist from Long Island.
Spencer, Elijah Edmund, Frelighsburg, province of Quebec, M.P.P. for Missisquoi county, is of English and Welsh descent, but his immediate ancestors were United Empire loyalists. He is a son of the late Ambrose S. Spencer, who was for many years one of the most prominent men and magistrates of the county, and whose father before him was among the first who settled in that section, and took an active part in the stirring scenes connected with its early history. His mother, Mary Thomas, is a daughter of the late Major P. Thomas, who was also one of that hardy band of pioneers who battled so successfully with the rougher elements of an early settler’s life. Elijah Edmund Spencer, the subject of our sketch, was born in St. Armand East, on the 19th April, 1846, and has always resided in the immediate vicinity of his ancestral home. He received his education mainly at the Frelighsburg Grammar School, but subsequently passed through a course of study at Poughkeepsie, in the state of New York. In June, 1883, he was married to Frances S., daughter of the late R. L. Galer, of Dunham, province of Quebec, with whom he now resides at his home overlooking the pleasant village of Frelighsburg. In religion, he is a Protestant, and in politics, a Liberal-Conservative. He has always followed farming as an occupation, and has at the present time a large landed estate demanding his personal supervision. From his boyhood he has taken an active part in municipal affairs, and held in succession many prominent offices in the town and county. He was for some time president of the Missisquoi County Agricultural Society, and is now president of the Missisquoi and Rouville Mutual Fire Insurance Company. At the general election in 1881, for member of the Legislative Assembly of the province of Quebec, the county being essentially an agricultural one, and its farming interest largely predominating, he was brought forward as a candidate, representing a class which were thought to be as equally deserving recognition as the commercial and manufacturing interests of the country. The result was his return by a large majority, and he took his seat, being one of the youngest members of the house. At the last general election, in 1886, he again came forward as a candidate, and his course in the house during the five years he held the seat being eminently satisfactory, his constituents again honored him with their confidence, and re-elected him for another term.
Valin, Pierre Vincent, Shipbuilder, Château Richer, county of Montmorency, province of Quebec, was born at Château Richer, on the 1st of June, 1827. His parents, though not possessed of a large share of this world’s goods, were industrious and highly esteemed. From an old record we find that the family belongs to the nobility of old France, although in this democratic country they do not see fit to wear the title they are entitled to. We quote the extract: “Extrait de ‘L’Art Héraldique,’ par A. Playne, avocat et professeur chez Charles Osmond, libraire, enregistré à Paris le 23 décembre, 1716, avec approbation du roi du 2 décembre, 1716, par Fouquet. Valin . . . de gueules à la bande composée d’argent et d’azur.” Toussaint Valin, the father of the subject of our sketch, married Marie Tremblay, of Eboulements, county of Charlevoix, and they settled in Château Richer, where their elder children were born. The space at our disposal is too limited to admit of a narrative of the various phases through which Pierre Vincent Valin has passed in the course of a long and eventful career; we will simply refer in a general manner to the difficulties surmounted by the indefatigable energy he displayed from his youth until, having started from the lowest rung of the social ladder, he finally attained the pinnacle of rank and wealth. Through his own efforts, with only his energy and the good principles inculcated in his mind by zealous parents, he obtained sufficient education to enable him to hold, in after years, the following prominent positions: chairman of the Quebec Harbor Commission; member of the Legislative Assembly, and member of the House of Commons. In these divers posts his social and individual qualities made him a friend to all those who came in contact with him. His remarkable business tact and sterling integrity soon brought him to the front rank among the princes of finance and commerce, and he has fairly earned the title ascribed to so many in this country, “self-made man.” In his youth he worked at different trades, and devoted the whole of his scanty earnings to help his parents, and commenced shipbuilding when yet quite a young man. He soon rose to the position of employer, and as his business increased, so did his facilities for doing the work he was engaged in, until he gave employment to hundreds of men, paying $5,000 in wages alone every week. In the beginning of his career he fully developed the capacities he possessed, being at the same time architect, builder, clerk, bookkeeper, and his own consignee, seller and buyer on the European markets. He still owns several large ships which are engaged in the East India trade. He is also interested in steamers running to Newfoundland. He crossed the Atlantic sixty times in the transaction of business, and made warm and devoted friends in both France and England, in the best society of these countries. In 1872, the warm-hearted population of Quebec East, to whom he had been a benefactor, begged him to represent them in the city council. After serving a short time as councillor, his constituents sent him to the Legislative Assembly in 1874, and he made his first appearance in public life. In 1878 he presented himself before the electors of Montmorency, who elected him in preference to Jean Langlois, the former representative of the county, by a majority of 226. On the 14th January, 1880, he was unseated on petition, but re-elected again. At the general election of 1882 he was again chosen as the Conservative standard-bearer of the county of Montmorency over Charles Langelier, one of the strong men of the Liberal party. At the last general election (1887) he was unsuccessful, the majority against him being only one vote. Since he has acquired wealth Mr. Valin has made a noble use of his means. The whole county, and more particularly his native parish, are greatly indebted to him for the improvements he has made. He bought from the Lemoine family the splendid mansion called “Château Beau Pré,” and the numerous and artistic improvements with which he has adorned the château and itsalentours, have made it a lovely spot, which excites the admiration of all the American tourists who visit this part of the country every summer. The beautiful parish church building, with its costly decoration and numerous oil paintings, has been mainly built by him, and as a crowning gift he presented the curé with its largest bell. The employment he gives to the laboring class of Château Richer gives sustenance to a large proportion of its population. Apart from his individual means, he has been able to secure an expenditure of over $80,000 by the government in public works in the county of Montmorency, and by untiring efforts has succeeded in establishing telegraphic communication between the mainland and the Island of Orleans. On the inhospitable beach of St. François and Ste. Famille, where so many lives have been lost by wrecks, two wharves were built at considerable expense. The channel of the St. Lawrence was deepened and widened between the island and Beaupré, thus enabling ships to pass through at low tide without danger. The placing of twelve lights and six buoys on the river, reducing danger from wrecking to the least proportion, is also due to his influence. In 1880 he presented the Cercle Catholique of Quebec with a handsome banner woven in golden cloth, which he had brought from Paris. He is chairman of the Harbor Commission of Quebec, and since he has held that office several important works have been undertaken and carried to a successful issue, among others may be mentioned the following: the graving dock, the Basin Louise, the work done opposite Quebec by the lifting-barge, etc. Mr. Valin married in 1854, Marie Angélique, daughter of Joseph Talbot, Beaumont, Bellechasse county. She died on the 8th of October, 1883. He married a second time, on the 10th June, 1885, in the chapel of the Sacred Heart, Quebec, Marie Virginie Célina, a daughter of the late and regretted Dr. P. M. Bardy, in his lifetime one of the most remarkable men of the city of Quebec, and a descendant of a French family of rank, in fact the Count de Bardi and the Duke de Parma being the sons of Madame Louise, the only sister of the late Henry V., Count de Chambord, the legitimate successor to Louis XVIII., and consequently the heir to the throne of France, if that country had retained its monarchical institutions. In the remarkable work of Benjamin Sulte, “L’Histoire des Canadiens-Français,” will be found a complete biography of Dr. Bardy, who was the first president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society of Quebec. On the occasion of the marriage of Mr. Valin, we clip the following fromLa Patrieof the 12th of June, 1885:—“A telegraphic despatch from Quebec announces the marriage of P. V. Valin, M.P. for Montmorency, and chairman of the Harbor Commission for Quebec, to Célina Bardy, only daughter of Dr. Bardy, the founder and first president of the St. Jean Baptiste Society of Quebec, in his lifetime one of the foremost citizens of the ancient capital. Miss Bardy, who is a lady endowed with wonderful beauty and good qualities, has conquered a most enviable rank among thelittérateursof the province. She is a member of L’Académie des Muses Santonnes, France. We extend our hearty congratulations to the happy couple.” The following extract is taken from the OttawaCitizenof the 18th June, 1885:—“Last evening, while the Hon. J. A. Chapleau, secretary of state, was speaking on the Pacific Railway resolutions, applause commenced on the ministerial side and soon became general. Many persons were unable to discern for a time the cause of it, as the remarks of the honorable gentleman did not call for any expression of approval, more especially on the part of ‘honorable gentlemen opposite.’ It turned out that the greeting was addressed to Mr. Valin, M.P. for Montmorency, who had just entered the chamber on his return from his honeymoon trip. He acknowledged the compliment by bowing his head, and after the applause subsided, Hon. Mr. Chapleau complimented him in a few elegantly constructed sentences, wishing the honorable gentleman the supreme degree of connubial bliss.” These flattering newspaper comments show clearly the high esteem Mr. and Mrs. Valin enjoy among their friends, as well as among the members of the whole house.
Morin, Louis Edmond, President of the Corporation of Pilots, Quebec, was born on the 25th August, 1837, in St. Rochs, Quebec, Canada. He was the fourth son of a family of six children. His father, Michel Morin, was a sea pilot for a period of fifty years on the river St. Lawrence, and died at the advanced age of seventy-seven in 1880. His mother, Christine Nolet, is still living, and in full possession of her health, at eighty years of age. Mr. Morin, the subject of our sketch, was educated at the Christian Brothers’ School, and afterwards at Thom’s Commercial Academy, Quebec. He was for two years in one of the largest dry goods stores in the upper town of Quebec, but finding that his health was declining, he left the trade. In 1855 he resolved to follow the calling his father had so very successfully followed, and apprenticed himself as a pilot. He served in this capacity for seven years, during which period he crossed the Atlantic ocean no less than ten times. On the 6th March, 1862, his apprenticeship being completed, he was permitted to act as a sea pilot, and he has been one of the most successful of the profession on the St. Lawrence. In 1868 he was selected to pilot the steamers of the Allan line, and continued to act as such until the fall of 1872, when he retired, on being elected one of the directors of the Corporation of Pilots of Quebec, incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1860. He remained on the board for a period of eleven consecutive years, of which time he was six years president. In 1884 he was again selected to pilot the steamers of the Allan line. In 1885 he was re-elected president of the Corporation of Pilots, and still occupies the same position. In 1873 Mr. Morin was delegated to go to Ottawa in the interest of the sea pilots, in order to watch the passing of the Pilotage Act, and succeeded in getting a clause inserted in this act, whereby a guarantee was given that at the end of each period of three years the salary of the pilots would be increased if their earnings were in the average during the season less than six hundred dollars net. In 1880, with the help of some of hisconfrèresand of several members of the government, he succeeded in getting a by-law passed by the Board of Harbor Commissioners, by which the tariff of pilotage was raised fifteen per cent; but after having several interviews with the members of the Dominion government at Ottawa, with the object of gaining this boon, he failed to secure what he wanted in consequence of a strong outside pressure against the measure. He, however, accepted a compromise, namely that of an advance of seven and a half per cent, on the old tariff, and the promise of the government that the revised tariff would be based on tonnage throughout the whole Dominion. In religion Mr. Morin is a Roman Catholic; and in politics an independent. He was married, in 1863, to Marie Flore Trahan, daughter of the late Edward Trahan, in his lifetime shipbuilder in Quebec, and of Marie Bédard. The fruit of this marriage has been thirteen children, of whom eight are still living, four sons and four daughters.
Jones, Hon. Alfred Gilpin, P.C., Bloomingdale, North-West Arm, Halifax, M.P. for Halifax, Nova Scotia, was born at Weymouth, Nova Scotia, September, 1824. He is a son of the late Guy Jones, who was registrar of deeds for Digby county. His paternal ancestor, Josiah Jones, emigrated from England, and settled in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1665. His grandfather, Stephen Jones, a graduate of Harvard College, was an officer in the King’s American Dragoons, and at the close of the revolutionary war settled in Nova Scotia, where he died in 1830. Hon. Mr. Jones was educated at Yarmouth Academy, and chose commerce as a profession. He has been a successful merchant, and is now the head of the firm of A. G. Jones & Co., West India importers. He occupies the position of governor of the Protestant Orphans’ Home, and also that of Dalhousie College; is president of the Nova Scotia Marine Insurance Company, and a director of the Acadia Fire Insurance Company. For a number of years Mr. Jones was lieutenant commanding the 1st Halifax Brigade Garrison Artillery. He sat in the House of Commons at Ottawa from 1867 to 1872, but at the general election, held during the latter year, he suffered defeat. However, in 1874 he was again elected, but resigned in January, 1878, in consequence of an alleged breach of the Independence of Parliament Act, but was re-elected. He was sworn in a member of the Privy Council, and held the office of Minister of Militia in the Mackenzie administration from January, 1878, to September of the same year. At the general elections held in 1878 and 1882, he was an unsuccessful candidate, but at the general election held in 1887 he again presented himself as a candidate, and was returned at the head of the poll. Hon. Mr. Jones has been twice married, first, in 1850, to Margaret Wiseman, daughter of W. Stairs. This lady died in February, 1865. Second, to Emma, daughter of Edward Albrough, of Halifax.
McConnell, John Bradford, M.D., C.M., Montreal, was born on 28th August, 1851, in Chatham, on the Ottawa river, county of Argenteuil. His father, Andrew McConnell, was a son of John McConnell, who came to Canada from Glasgow in 1819, his family consisting of John, Mary, Andrew, William and Agnes. Andrew McConnell was one of the most successful farmers in the county of Argenteuil, having, through his rare industry and indomitable energy, accumulated considerable wealth. He was thus enabled to carry out the intention of his early married life, namely, that of giving the members of his family the advantages of a good education. He has been for a quarter of a century a justice of the peace, a position which he has filled with great ability. The impartiality of his judgments drew to him applicants for justice from the most distant parts of the county. He was appointed captain in the militia during Lord Monck’s administration. He now resides in the town of Lachute. His family consisted of eight children, namely, John Bradford, Gilbert Smith, Richard George, Andrew William, Jessie Ann, James Quinton, Jennie and Hugh. Gilbert, Andrew and James settled a few years ago in the North-West, first at Qu’Appelle, but are now residing in Vancouver. Andrew acted as courier for General Middleton during the recent rebellion, and was one of the nine prisoners rescued at the battle of Batoche. Richard G. is a B.A. of McGill College, Montreal, and now holds a prominent position in the geological survey of Canada. His mother, Martha Jane Bradford, was the youngest daughter of George Bradford, son of the Rev. Richard Bradford, who was the first English church minister in Chatham. This gentleman came to New York in 1782, where he was engaged in a business partnership with a Mr. Smith. A few years later he came to Canada, and became chaplain to the 49th Regiment in 1812. He built a comfortable homestead on the Ottawa at a place called the “Point,” just at the head of the Carillon canal. He then owned the greater part of the township of Chatham, about twelve square miles. He accompanied Captain Cook on a voyage around the world; studied afterwards with an English minister, the Rev. Mr. Jeffreys, whose daughter he married, and their family consisted of Richard, John, Henry, George, Charles, Nancy, Sarah, Eliza, Harriet. The latter was married to the Rev. Joseph Abbott, and one of their sons is the Hon. J. J. C. Abbott, senator, now mayor (1887) of Montreal. George married Martha Smith, of Chatham, was a school teacher, and owned a farm on the North River. He died at the age of sixty-five. His family consisted of George, Eliza, Henry, Charles, John, and Martha Jane. John Bradford McConnell, the subject of our sketch, was educated at the district school in Chatham, and at the Carillon Academy, conducted by the late George Wanless, and entered on his medical studies in 1869, at McGill College, Montreal, graduating in 1873. In 1871, he went through the Military School in Montreal, taking a Second class certificate, and the same year was appointed lieutenant in the 11th battalion Argenteuil Rangers. Subsequently, for a period of about eight years he was assistant surgeon in the 1st Prince of Wales Rifles. He has been a member of the Duke of Edinburgh lodge, I.O.O.F., B.U., since 1875; and was grand master of the order in the province of Quebec during the term 1884 and 1885; has been a member of St. James Street Methodist Church, Montreal, since 1878, and is a teacher in the afternoon Sunday-school. He was, with the late W. J. B. Patterson, a delegate from the Young Men’s Christian Association, of Montreal, to the convention in Poughkeepsie in 1874. He has taught in the medical faculty of the University of Bishop’s College during the last eleven years, first as professor of botany, a subject to which he paid considerable attention during his first year at college. He has one of the largest personal collections of Canadian plants in the Dominion. During the last three years he has filled the chair of materia medica and therapeutics, is lecturer on physical diagnosis, and conducts a practical class on histology and bacteriology. During the summer of 1886 he made an extensive European tour, visiting the hospitals of Dublin, London, Paris and Berlin, taking the course on bacteriology under Professor Koch, in the latter city. He has been in active practice in Montreal since 1873, and is now counted among Montreal’s most successful and reliable physicians. He is a member of the Natural History Society of Montreal; Montreal Microscopical Society; Executive Committee of the Dominion Alliance, Quebec Branch; Medico-Chirurgical Society of Montreal; and British Medical Association. He is one of the attending staff of the Western Hospital, consulting physician to the Montreal Dispensary, of which he was also secretary for about ten years, resigning in 1887. He is senior attending physician to the Protestant House of Industry and Refuge. In 1885, the doctor issued a pamphlet entitled, “Cholera: its Nature, Symptoms, History, Cause and Prevention, with an outline review of the Germ Theory of Disease,” being one of the Sommerville course of lectures (extended) provided for by the Natural History Society of Montreal. The Montreal medical journals show that he has frequently contributed to their pages papers which have been read at the Medico-Chirurgical Society. He was married in 1875 to Theodora Lovell, eldest daughter of Robert Miller, the well-known wholesale stationer, of Montreal, and has six children living, two others having died in infancy.
Jones, Simeon, Brewer, St. John, New Brunswick, was born at Prince William, York county, N.B., on the 22nd August, 1828. His father, Thomas Jones, was a native of Weymouth, Nova Scotia, where Simeon Jones, the grandfather of the subject of our sketch, settled at the close of the American revolutionary war. His mother, Elizabeth Caverhill, was a daughter of Dr. Caverhill, of Dumfries, Scotland. Mr. Jones was educated in his native parish and at Dumfries, and after leaving school spent two years farming, under his father. He was then employed by Robert Keltie, brewer at St. John, to look after his business; and in the position of manager he remained with Mr. Keltie for eight years. At the end of this period he bought out the business, his late employer retiring, and has successfully conducted it ever since. In 1874, in company with Oliver T. Stone and Joseph R. Stone, Mr. Jones started a private banking house in St. John, under the firm name of S. Jones and Co., and since then the firm has done a good banking business. Almost everything to which Mr. Jones has put his hand has prospered, and this doubtless is owing in a large degree to his close attention to details, and his shrewdness as a manager. In 1879 he was elected a member of the city council, where he served for two years as chairman of the finance committee. So well did he attend to the duties of this office that in April, 1881, he was elected to fill the more responsible position of mayor without opposition, a mark of distinction never before this time conferred in St. John. During his term of office, which lasted for three years, his business capacities and fine executive talents showed themselves to good advantage, and he was one of the most popular chief magistrates St. John ever had. Mr. Jones has been for many years a vestryman of Trinity (Episcopal) Church, and is a generous supporter of various religious and benevolent societies. Indeed, he is never backward in contributing to any enterprise designed for the good of the community among whom he resides. In 1861 he was married to Annie M., daughter of Daniel McLaughlin, St. John, and the fruit of the union has been a family of eight children.
McLeod, Howard Douglas, St. John, Superintendent Southern Division of the New Brunswick Railway, was born at Studholm, Kings county, New Brunswick, on the 29th July, 1838. His father, Matthew McLeod, was of Scotch descent; and his mother, Deborah Heine, of German descent. Howard received a common school education at the schools in his native parish, and afterwards attended, for about six months, Sackville Academy, Sackville, N.B. For about eleven months he taught school in Studholm parish; and in the month of October, 1859, entered the railway service as station agent at Sussex, upon the opening of what was then named the European and North American Railway (now the Intercolonial). Here he remained as agent for two years, when he was removed to the audit department, in the general offices in St. John. From freight auditor he was promoted to accountant of the road, which was then worked as a government road. In 1865 he left the railway service, and took a situation in a leading dry-goods house as book-keeper; but not liking the change he soon abandoned this position. He then connected himself with the building of the railway west of St. John, and upon the completion of the line occupied the offices on it of accountant and general freight agent; and was afterwards promoted to the office of superintendent of the southern division, which position he now fills. Mr. McLeod is a justice of the peace for the city and county of St. John. He has travelled over the greater part of the United States east of the Mississippi, and is also familiar with the principal points in Canada. In religion he belongs to the Baptist church. He was married on the 26th May, 1869, to Isabel Barker, a daughter of T. B. Barker, druggist, and a niece of Sir Leonard Tilley, lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick. Mrs. McLeod died on the 6th July, 1881.
McIsaac, Angus, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Judge of the County Court, was born in the parish of St. Andrew’s, Antigonish county, province of Nova Scotia. His ancestors came from Inverness-shire, Scotland, and were among the earliest Scotch settlers in Antigonish county. He was educated in St. François Xavier College. Admitted to the bar in 1872. Represented Antigonish county in the Canadian House of Commons from 1874 till September, 1885, when he was appointed judge of the County Court for Judicial District No. 6, of the said province. Was married in November, 1882, to Mary, daughter of the late Patrick Power, of Halifax, N.S.
Grant, Rev. George Monro, D.D., Principal of Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.—In an age too prone to rank mere material good above the higher well-being of man, it is well for Canada that she can claim in Principal Grant a representative Canadian—representative at least of her higher, purer, and more generous life. The principal of Queen’s University is emphatically what the late editor of the “Century” magazine once styled him, “a strong man,” having that union of diverse qualities that constitutes strength. He comes of the fine old Celtic stock which, when its intensity and enthusiasm are blended with an infusion of Anglo-Saxon breadth, energy, and common sense, has produced not a few of the leaders of men. He is a native of the county of Pictou, Nova Scotia, somewhat remarkable for the number of eminent men it has already produced. His patriotic and passionate love for his country in all her magnificent proportions is one of his leading traits, and has much the same influence on his mind which the love of Scotland had on that of Burns, when, in his generous youth, he desired, for her dear sake, to “sing a sang at least,” if he could do no more. Principal Grant was born on the 22nd December, 1835, at Stellarton (Albion Mines), a village on the East River, Pictou county, and his early days were passed in a quiet country home, amid the influences of nature, to which he is strongly susceptible. His father, who was a Scotchman by birth, taught the village school. He was led by circumstances, and doubtless by that “divinity that shapes our ends,” to study for the ministry, and won honorable distinction in his preliminary course in the Academy at Pictou, where the family had removed. His studies were pursued chiefly at Glasgow University, where he came under the strong personal influence and inspiration of the high-souled and large-hearted Norman McLeod, whom in some of his characteristics he strongly resembles. While a student in Glasgow he became a laborer in the mission work carried on amid the degraded inhabitants of its closes and wynds, gaining there an insight into life and character which has been most valuable to him in fitting him for his later work among men. He did not remain long in Scotland, however, for though the beauty and culture of the land of his fathers had many attractions for him, he felt that to Canada his heart and his duty called him. He ministered for a time to the quiet country charge of Georgetown, in Prince Edward Island, from which he was soon called to the pastorate of St. Matthew’s Church, Halifax, one of the oldest congregations in the Dominion. His gifts as a pulpit orator were soon recognised. The force, directness, and reality of his preaching strongly attracted to him thoughtful young men, who found in him one who could understand their own difficulties, and who never gave them a “stone” for the “bread” they craved. His charge grew and prospered, and a new church was built during his pastorate. His ministerial relations were so happy that it was a real pain when a voice that he could not resist called him to another sphere. When his friend and parishioner, Sandford Fleming, civil engineer, was about to start on a surveying expedition for the proposed Canadian Pacific Railway, Dr. Grant accompanied the party for a much-needed holiday. The novel experiences of the long canoe journey, through what was then a “great lone land” with unknown capabilities, strongly impressed his own imagination, and were communicated to thousands of readers through the hastily-written but graphic pages of “From Ocean to Ocean.” This glimpse of the extent and grandeur of the national heritage of Canadians—the fit home of a great people—made him still more emphatically a Canadian, and gave him a still stronger impulse and more earnest aim to use all the powers he possessed to aid in moulding the still plastic life of a young nation born to such privileges and responsibilities. The popularity attained by the publication of this volume (published by Hunter, Rose & Co., Toronto) called attention to Principal Grant as a writer, and though his time and strength have been too much taxed in other fields to leave him leisure for much literary labor, his vivid and forceful style has made him a welcome contributor to Canadian and American periodical literature, as well as to “Good Words” and the “Contemporary Review.” Several articles of his in the “Century” magazine have given American readers some idea of the extent and grandeur of the Canadian Pacific. His happy associations with the inception of this enterprise, and repeated visits during its progress, have given him an almost romantic interest in an achievement worthy of the “brave days of old.” If in the judgment of some he seems to exaggerate its utility, and to lose sight of serious drawbacks and evils which have become connected with an enterprise too heavy for the present resources of the country, the explanation is to be found in the fascination which, to his patriotic heart, invests a work that connects the extremities of our vast Canadian territory, and helps to unite its far-scattered people. It need hardly be said that Principal Grant heartily rejoiced over the confederation of the Canadian provinces, or that he has always been a warm supporter of its integrity, and a staunch opponent of every suggestion of dismemberment. He thinks it not all a dream that this young sturdy “Canada of ours” should indeed become the youngest Anglo-Saxon nation, working out for herself an individual character and destiny of her own on the last of the continents where such an experiment is practicable. It is his hope that such a nation might grow up side by side with the neighboring Republic, and in the closest fraternal relations with it, free to mould its life into the form most useful and natural, and therefore most enduring, but yet remaining a member of the great British commonwealth, bound to it by firm though elastic bonds of political unity, as well as by unity of tradition, thought, and literature. This hope and belief makes him a warm supporter of Imperial federation—a scheme which he thinks full of promise, both for Great Britain herself and for her scattered colonies, as well as for the world at large, in which such a federation might be a potent influence, leading possibly to a still greater Anglo-Saxon federation. To such a consummation his wide and catholic sympathies would give a hearty God-speed. But he believes intensely that, in order to secure a noble destiny, there must be a noble and healthy political life, and that for this there must be a high and healthy tone of public opinion, a pure and lofty patriotism. And this he earnestly seeks to promote so far as in him lies. The following stirring words recently published in theMailare a good illustration of the spirit in which he seeks to arouse Canadians to their responsibilities: “Duty demands that we shall be true to our history. Duty also demands that we shall be true to our home. All of us must be Canada-first men. O, for something of the spirit that has animated the sons of Scotland for centuries, and that breathes in the fervent prayer ‘God save Ireland,’ uttered by the poorest peasant and the servant girl far away from green Erin! Think what a home we have. Every province is fair to see. Its sons and daughters are proud of the dear natal soil. Why, then, should not all taken together inspire loyalty in souls least capable of patriotic emotion? I have sat on blocks of coal in the Pictou mines, wandered through glens of Cape Breton and around Cape North, and driven for a hundred miles under apple blossoms in the Cornwallis and Annapolis valleys. I have seen the glory of our Western mountains, and toiled through passes where the great cedars and Douglas pines of the Pacific slope hid sun and sky at noonday, and I say that, in the four thousand miles that extend between, there is everything that man can desire, and the promise of a mighty future. If we cannot make a country out of such materials it is because we are not true to ourselves; and if we are not, be sure our sins will find us out.” All narrow partisanship he hates, and every kind of wire-pulling and corruption he most emphatically denounces, whether the purchase be that of a vote, a constituency, or a province. The evils inflicted on the country by the virulence of blind party spirit he has again and again exposed, with a frankness that finds no favor from the thorough-going partisans of either side. During the elections of 1886-7 his voice and pen urged on all whom he could reach the honest discharge of the most sacred trust of citizenship, the paramount duty of maintaining political purity—of opposing, as an insult to manhood itself, every approach to bribery, direct or indirect. Nor were his eloquent appeals to conscience quite in vain. Some elections at least were in some degree the purer because, leaving the beaten track to which some preachers too often confine themselves, he followed the example of the old Hebrew prophets in denouncing the moral evils that threaten to sap the public conscience, and seeking at a public crisis to uphold the “righteousness that exalteth a nation.” In 1877 Principal Grant was called from his pastorate at Halifax, to take the responsible office of principal of Queen’s University, Kingston. It was no sinecure that was offered him, and considerations of personal happiness and comfort would have led him to decline the call. But the university had urgent need of just such a man to preside over its interests, and he could not refuse what he felt a call of duty. The institution was passing through a financial crisis, and it was imperatively necessary that it should be at once placed on a secure basis, with a more satisfactory equipment. He threw himself into his new work with characteristic energy, and his great talent for organization and comprehensive plans soon made itself felt. It is mainly due to his counsels and efforts that the university has been able to lengthen her cords and strengthen her stakes, as in the last ten years she has done. His eloquence stirred up the city of Kingston to provide a beautiful and commodious building to replace her former cramped and inconvenient habitation. But the gifts that he secured for her treasury were of less account than the stimulus imparted to the college life by his overflowing vitality and enthusiasm—a stimulus felt alike by professors and students. The attendance of the latter largely increased, and the high aims and ideals of the principal could not fail to have their influence on all its grades, down to the youngest freshman. He has always treated the students not as boys, but as gentlemen, seeking to lead rather than to coerce, and under his sway there has been no need of formal discipline. The application of female students for admission to the university led him to grant their request without reluctance or hesitation, from a conviction that public educational institutions should be open to the needs of the community as a whole, and, in supplying these, know no demarcations of sex. Without taking any special part in the movement for the “Higher Education of Women,” he believes that every individual who desires a thorough mental training should have the opportunity of procuring it. He has a firm faith in the power of the ineradicable laws of human nature to prevent any real confusion of “spheres,” and believes that it is as beneficial to the race as to the individual, that each should receive the fullest training and development of which he or she is susceptible. On the subject of University federation, Principal Grant has maintained a strongly conservative attitude. He believes firmly in the wisdom of respecting historic growth and continuity of organisation, and in the salutary influence of honorable traditions on institutions as well as countries. He deprecates extreme centralisation, as narrowing the scope of education for the many, even though raising its standard for the few. He thinks that for Canada, as for Scotland and the United States, several distinct universities, each with its own individuality andesprit de corps, will prove most useful in the end; and that the Queen’s University, for the good work she has done and the high position she has maintained, deserves to preserve her continuous historic life. Heartily endorsed in this position by the trustees and graduates of the university, he has set himself vigorously to the task of raising by voluntary subscription such an endowment as shall give it an assured position for the future, in the face of the growing needs of higher education in Canada. Probably no other man would have dared such a task, but that he will carry it to a successful completion few can doubt who know the man and the magnetic power over men of his cheery and resolute spirit. Principal Grant has since his appointment acted as professor of divinity also. His prelections in the class-room, like his preaching, are characterised by breadth of thought, catholicity of sympathy and vividness of presentation. He has instituted a series of Sunday afternoon services for the university, conducted sometimes by himself or other professors, sometimes by eminent preachers from other places and of different denominations. These are much appreciated, not only by the professors and students, but also by a large class of the thoughtful citizens of Kingston, to whom—though many admirable sermons are preached there—none are more welcome than those of the principal himself. As a preacher he is marked by simplicity, directness, earnestness and force. For “fine writing” and rhetorical and finished periods he has no admiration, and aims instead at the direct conversational style for which he has the highest of all examples. He is not afraid of plain speaking, and prefers direct appeals to heart and conscience to theological disquisitions. Valuing only that vital religion which is the root of right feeling and right action in daily life, he has no respect for a “profession” of faith without its fruits. As in the case of political sins, so he denounces social and individual sins with the same fearless freedom, believing that this is one of the preacher’s most solemn duties. He strives not foreffectbut foreffects, and though he not infrequently rises to impassioned appeals, he aims rather at producing permanent conviction than temporary excitement. His moral influence on the community is somewhat analogous to that of the late Rev. Henry Ward Beecher in the neighboring republic. He is always on the side of the generous and unselfish policy as against that of mere expediency, and he seeks to uphold the pursuit of a noble idea as infinitely better than that of mere material success. Many, especially of young Canadians, owe to him their perception of this truth, and some measure of inspiration for his enforcement of it, and from the example of a noble and unselfish life. But while ever ready to promote with heart and hand any movement for the real good of humanity, he believes in no artificial panacea for evil. He holds that as this is radical, having its root in human selfishness, that power alone, which can change the natures of individuals, can in the long run change the condition of masses, and he believes that the only true light of a darkened World streams from the Cross. “In this sign” all his efforts, all his teachings find their inspiration. To him it is the most real of all realities; and to make it such to others is the central aim and impulse of his life. His faith in this, and in the duty of the Christian church to fulfil her “marching orders,” have made him a warm advocate for Christian missions, giving a catholic sympathy to all, of whatever name, who are seeking to plant among the heathen abroad what he holds to be the root of a true Christian civilization, or who are laboring by any method to humanise and christianise the heathen at home. The narrowness of conventionality in religion is as repulsive to him as that of creed or ritual. He delights to own true brotherhood with all who “profess and call themselves Christians,” and he looks and labors for the true spirit of unity in the Christian church, which shall give it its true power in the world. It is the inspiration of this faith and hope which has made his life so fruitful in power and inspiration, and will make him live in many hearts and lives when other men, as prominent now, shall be forgotten.
Gendreau, Jean Baptiste, Notary Public, Coaticook, county of Stanstead, province of Quebec, was born on 25th February, 1850, in that part of the old parish of St. Hyacinthe now called Ste. Madeleine, in the province of Quebec. His father, Jean Baptiste Gendreau, was first a farmer and afterwards an hotel keeper in the parish of St. Pie, in Bagot county. Jean Baptiste Gendreau, the subject of our sketch, first studied at the College of St. Hyacinthe, and after completing his college course, passed a few months in the Jesuits’ Novitiate, at Sault-au-Récollet, near Montreal. He left the latter place for Coaticook in the fall of 1873, where he served for a few months as a clerk in a store, and then, in May, 1874, he decided to study the notarial profession. This he did for four years, and was then admitted to the profession of notary in May, 1878. He then settled in Coaticook, where he still resides and does a good business. Though comparatively a young man, he has taken a prominent part in all the public questions, and is now one of the leading citizens of his district, especially amongst the people of his own nationality. When Mr. Gendreau first settled in Coaticook it was a village municipality, erected in January, 1864; now it has grown to be an enterprising place, and there are several manufactories and industries established in it. Mr. Gendreau has successfully filled the following offices, namely: secretary-treasurer of the Catholic School Board since 1875; municipal councillor since 1881; president of the old Coaticook Building Society at the time of its liquidation in 1882; director of the Eastern Townships Colonization and Credit Company of Lake Megantic since 1882; mayor of Coaticook, after its erection into a town, in 1884 and 1885, and warden of the county of Stanstead during the same years; and is now the revising officer of the same county under the new Dominion Franchise Act. He was married to Marie Rose Durocher, daughter of Gédéon Durocher, a notary public of the parish of St. Aimé, in Richelieu county.
McKnight, Robert, Owen Sound, Registrar of the county of Grey, was born at Kilkeel, in the county of Down, Ireland, on the 4th September, 1836. His parents were Robert McKnight and Eliza Gray. He received a scanty education in the schools of his native village, and when only nineteen years of age left his native land for Canada. He arrived in New York in the latter end of June, 1858, and while there he engaged with the captain of a whaling ship to go to the Arctic regions on a whaling expedition, but in consequence of the ship not being ready to put to sea at the time agreed upon, he broke off the engagement and started for Canada. Arriving in Tossoronto, Simcoe county, he found employment in a saw mill. Six months after the mill was placed in his charge, and the entire business was conducted by him for the next three years. In 1860 he left the mill, and took charge of a school in the adjoining township of Essa, where he remained for another three years. Leaving Essa, he took up his abode in Tecumseth, where he taught for another three years, and during this time secured the highest grade of a first-class teacher from the County Board of Education. In 1864 he entered the Military School at Toronto, and received a cadet’s commission. He raised a company of volunteers at Markdale during the Fenian raid, and was chosen captain, but the minister of militia having declined to increase the strength of the 31st battalion, the company disbanded. Subsequently, however, on his removal to Meaford, he accepted a lieutenant’s commission in No. 2 company Grey battalion, and remained in the service until he was appointed registrar of Grey, when he resigned. Bidding good-bye to school teaching, he opened a general store in the village of Markdale, Grey county, where he remained for two years and then sold out. He next took up his abode in Cookstown, Simcoe county, and here began business anew, adding drugs to his general business. Next year a fire broke out in the village, and, among other buildings, swept away Mr. McKnight’s store and dwelling. Nothing disheartened by this calamity, although a great loser by the destruction of the contents of both store and dwelling, he went to work and paid up every dollar of his indebtedness. He then removed to the then rising village of Meaford, and went into the drug and grocery business, and through close attention to business he soon overcame his losses at Cookstown, and it was not long before he became one of the leading citizens, taking an active part in everything pertaining to the advancement of the village. As a politician he was ever active, having first taken a part in the contest between the late Hon. William McMaster and John W. Gamble, in the old home district, for a seat in the Legislative Council of Canada. At this time Mr. McKnight sided with Mr. McMaster and the Reformers, and has ever since worked in the same ranks. In 1872 he was chosen by the Reformers to contest East Grey against W. R. Fletcher, the Conservative candidate, for a seat in the House of Commons, but he failed to secure his election. Again, in 1874, he took the field against his old opponent, but at the close of the poll it was found that Mr. Fletcher still held the seat, although only by a majority of three hundred, on the previous occasion he having carried his election by six hundred majority. In 1875 Mr. McKnight was once more chosen to carry the Liberal standard, and this time in North Grey. His opponent was David Creighton, the sitting member, and editor and proprietor of the Owen SoundTimes, a gentleman well known throughout the riding, while Mr. McKnight was practically an outsider. The battle was a fierce one, but at the end of it Mr. Creighton held his old seat in the Ontario legislature, only, however, by a majority of fifty-nine. In 1874 Mr. McKnight was made a justice of the peace, and the same year a commissionerper dedimus potestatem. He was appointed registrar for the county of Grey in 1875, and to this office he now devotes the principal part of his time. His removal from the arena of politics has given the subject of our sketch some leisure to practise his favorite pursuits—notably, floriculture and horticulture—and his home in Owen Sound testifies to his skill and taste in both. But fortunately for his neighbors he does not confine himself to his own private pursuits. He is at present president of the Mechanics’ Institute; a member of the Board of Education, and of the Board of Health; and an active member of the Masonic fraternity. He is well known as an enthusiastic apiarist. He is one of the leading spirits of the Ontario Bee-keepers’ Association, having been present at the convention held in Toronto, when it was first organized, and presided over the deliberations of that meeting in the city hall for three evenings. He was elected the secretary-treasurer of the newly-organized association, and on him devolved the perfecting of the organization, which he did thoroughly and well. For two years he held this position, and during that time edited the bee department of theCanadian Farmer. The following year he was elected president, and he has been on the executive committee ever since. He was appointed one of the delegates to represent Ontario’s display in the Colonial exhibition, held in London, England, in 1886. The magnificent display of honey was due in a very great measure to his efforts, as after a fair trial it was found that he possessed the art of staging the goods to the best possible advantage, and we think we may say, without fear of contradiction, that he has no superior, if an equal, in this line. To him alone was left the entire arrangement of the display, and the bee-keepers of Ontario feel very grateful for his untiring efforts in watching and carefully keeping the display up, changing it from day to day and from week to week, and making it always look fresh, as if just placed in position. He not only worked in the honey-building, but frequently spent hours after midnight with the pen to maintain the honor and reputation of the bee-keepers of his adopted country. He is an adherent of the Presbyterian church. In 1865 he was married to Miss McLean, daughter of Duncan McLean, of Elm Grove, and has a family of three children.
Torrance, Hon. Frederick William, B.C.L., Judge of the Superior Court of the Province of Quebec.—The late Judge Torrance was born in Montreal on the 16th July, 1823, and died in the same city on the 2nd January, 1887. He was a son of John Torrance, in his lifetime one of the leading merchants of Montreal. Judge Torrance received his primary education at private schools at Montreal, at the Nicolet College, and at Edinburgh under private tutors; and finally entered the University of Edinburgh, where he took the degree of M.A. in 1844, ranking second in the order of proficiency in classics and mathematics. He had previously, in 1839-40, followed courses of lectures at Paris, France, at the Ecole de Médecine and at the Collège de France. He studied law with the late Duncan Fisher, Q.C., and the Hon. James Smith, subsequently attorney-general for Lower Canada, and a judge of the Queen’s Bench. In 1848 he was called to the bar of Lower Canada. In 1852 he formed a partnership with Alexander Morris, who afterwards for a time filled the position of chief justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench for Manitoba—the firm being known as Torrance and Morris. In 1861, Hon. Mr. Morris having entered the political arena, was elected to represent South Lanark in the Legislative Assembly, and shortly afterwards removed to the province of Ontario. He was succeeded in the firm by his brother, J. L. Morris. On 27th August, 1868, Mr. Torrance was appointed a puisne judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, and from that time until his death earned for himself the reputation of an eminent jurist, and an upright, careful and painstaking judge. His decisions in business matters were always considered of great value, on account of his extensive experience in commercial law while practising at the bar. Judge Torrance was lecturer and professor of Roman law in McGill University (of which he was governor, and from which he obtained the degree of B.C.L. in 1856) from 1854 to 1870. In 1865, he was one of the commissioners appointed to enquire into the St. Albans raid affair, and did good service. In conjunction with Strachan Bethune, Q.C., J. L. Morris, and the late Mr. La Franaie, he brought out theLower Canada Jurist, to which he contributed for many years. He was intimately connected with the Fraser Institute, and with the Hon. J. J. C. Abbott devoted much of his time towards establishing a free library in connection therewith. In religion Judge Torrance was a staunch Presbyterian, and he took a deep interest in all things relating to that church. He was president of the Presbyterian Sabbath-school Association, and after being connected with the Coté Street Church, Montreal, for many years, he became an elder of Crescent Street Church, which position he held at the time of his death. He contributed materially to the foundation of the Montreal Presbyterian College, and always took a lively interest in its welfare. He was also a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital. He subscribed largely to the general fund of the Home and Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian church. He took special interest in the missions to the Jews. He always identified himself enthusiastically with Sabbath-school work. He was known as a generous, kind-hearted and public-spirited citizen, and his death was deeply regretted by a large number of personal friends and the whole community, by whom he was held in great esteem. Some ten years ago he married Mrs. Pugh, of Louisville, Ky. He left a widow, but had no children. Judge Torrance was not reputed to be very wealthy, but during his lifetime his donations to the institutions with which he was connected were large and numerous.
Thomson, Donald Cameron, Lieutenant-Colonel, Lumber Merchant, Quebec, one of the most esteemed and successful men of business in the ancient capital, was born in 1823, at Kenlochiel House, near St. Andrew’s, county of Argenteuil, province of Quebec. His father served as a commissariat officer during the war of 1812; and his mother belonged to the family of Lochiel. In 1860, when theTrentoutrage aroused the loyalty of Canada’s sons, Mr. Thomson raised a company of volunteers, and was attached to the battalion commanded by Lieut.-Col. De Salaberry, and on the latter retiring from the service, Captain Thomson was promoted to the lieutenant-colonelcy, and given command of the battalion. He was out during the Fenian troubles, and subsequently retired retaining his rank. For a number of years Colonel Thomson has been actively engaged, and still continues, in the export trade of timber to Britain, etc. He took a prominent part in the creation of the Union Bank of Canada, at Quebec, as well as in the formation of several commercial companies connected with river navigation. At present he is a director of the Union Bank of Canada; vice-president of the Quebec Steamship Company; president of the Saguenay & Lake St. John Railway Company; director of the St. Lawrence Steamboat Company; and director of the Quebec Ferry Company. A lover of sport Col. Thomson divides his summer vacation between the secluded salmon pools of the Murray river, leased to him, and his rustic cottage at Pointe-à-Pic, Murray Bay. Later on one may meet him scouring for cariboo, with an Indian guide, the snow-clad heights in rear of Baie St. Paul, known as Les Jardins. In politics the colonel may be counted among the Liberal-Conservatives, and in religion an adherent of the Presbyterian church. He is married to Annie Atkinson, niece of the late Henry Atkinson, of Spencerwood.
Oulton, Alfred E., Dorchester, Judge of Probate for the county of Westmoreland, New Brunswick, was born in Westmoreland, on the 2nd March, 1845. His parents were Thomas E. Oulton and Elizabeth Carter, both natives of Westmoreland county, whose ancestors came from Yorkshire, England, and settled in Westmoreland in 1763. Mr. Oulton received his education at the schools of his native place, and after attending in his father’s store for a while, went to Sackville, New Brunswick, and spent three years in Mount Allison Academy, taking a course of studies which embraced the higher mathematics and the Latin language. He adopted law as a profession, and pursued his studies in the office of A. L. Palmer, now judge in equity of New Brunswick. He was admitted to practice as an attorney in June, 1867, and as a barrister in June the following year. He then went into a law partnership with Mr. Palmer for three years, when Mr. Palmer removed to St. John and the partnership was dissolved. Since then he has carried on business on his own account, and we may say here that he has been a very successful lawyer. His practice extends into all the courts in the province, and also into the Supreme courts of the Dominion, and he does a great deal of office work, such as the collecting of claims, conveyancing, and general notarial work. Mr. Oulton was elected secretary of the municipal council of Dorchester, N.B., on its organization on the 7th June, 1887, and still holds the office. On the death of Governor Chandler, he was appointed judge of probate, August 1, 1878, and is considered practical and painstaking in the discharge of his official duties, and gives great satisfaction to the public. He is a commissioner for the Admiralty Court of New Brunswick. He joined the Masonic order in 1866, and was for three years in succession master of the Blue lodge at Dorchester. He is also a Royal Arch Mason, being a member of the chapter held at Moncton. In religion he is a member of the Church of England; and in politics a Conservative. He was married in June, 1883, to Kate Estabrook, daughter of the late G. B. Estabrook, of Sackville, N.B., and they have a family of three children, two boys and one girl.
McIsaac, Colin F., Barrister, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, M.P.P. for Antigonish, was born at South River, Antigonish county, in 1856. He is of Scotch descent, his ancestors having come from Inverness-shire, Scotland, many years ago, and settled in Antigonish county. His brother, Angus McIsaac, now judge of the county court of Antigonish, sat in the House of Commons at Ottawa from 1873 to 1885. Colin F. McIsaac was educated at St. François Xavier College, in his native county. Having adopted law as a profession, he devoted some years to study, and on 12th January, 1880, was admitted to the bar of Nova Scotia, since which time he has successfully practised his profession. In 1882 he was elected a governor of St. François Xavier College, and has occupied this position ever since. He entered political life in 1886, and at the general election held that year was elected by a handsome majority to represent Antigonish in the Nova Scotia legislature. In politics Mr. McIsaac is a Liberal; and in religion is a member of the Roman Catholic church.
Philp, Rev. John, M.A., Pastor St. James Street Methodist Church, Montreal, is a Canadian by birth, having been born in the town of Cobourg, in the province of Ontario. His father, the Rev. William Philp, a native of Cornwall, England, was for nearly forty years a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist church in Canada. His mother was a person of rare excellence of heart and life. Rev. Mr. Philp, the subject of our sketch, was educated at Victoria University, Cobourg, and graduated in the arts course in 1861, receiving the B.A. degree, and taking the Hodgins prize. Three years later the same university conferred upon him the M.A. degree. He entered the ministry of the Wesleyan Methodist church in 1860, when in the twentieth year of his age, and while yet at college. In June, 1861, he received his first appointment. In June, 1865, he was married to Miss Maggie Grafton, of Dundas, Ontario, and has a family of four children, living, the eldest of whom will soon graduate in medicine in McGill University, Montreal. His stations in order have been Oakville, Dundas, St. Mary’s, Woodstock, Fairfield, Windsor, Paris, St. Mary’s, Queen’s Avenue Church, London; Wesley Church, Hamilton; Carlton Street Church, Toronto; St. James Street Church, Montreal, and few ministers in the denomination can show more work done in the Master’s vineyard during nearly twenty-eight years. Fairfield circuit, near Brantford, was his first superintendency, and here extensive revivals of religion took place. One of the finest country churches was erected on what is known as Fairfield Plain. At Windsor during his term, the small frame building in which the congregation had long worshipped was superseded by a new and attractive brick church. At Paris, the present beautiful sanctuary was built, and thus the interests of Methodism there greatly furthered. At St. Mary’s, a remarkable temperance movement took place, in which over two thousand signed the pledge. In this he took an active part. During his term in London, the Queen’s Avenue Methodist Church was modernised and beautified, at a cost of $14,000. And since he took charge of the St. James Street Church, Montreal, the congregation, by their spirit and liberality, have begun a signally important and greatly needed work—the erection of a representative church in a more central part of the city; which, when it is completed will be the most imposing and commodious religious edifice of Methodism in Canada. Mr. Philp has received many marks of esteem and confidence on the part of his brethren in the church. He has been the secretary of the London Conference; secretary of the Examining Board; delegate to the General Conference; Conference examiner for the Theological College, Montreal; preacher of one of the baccalaureate sermons for Victoria University, &c. Though greatly devoted to his ministerial duties, he has found time to go abroad a little, making a trip to Britain, and a tour through the Continent, sailing up the Rhine, lingering amid the glories of Alpine scenery, and viewing some of the principal cities of Europe. While in England, nothing affected the reverend gentleman more than a visit to the little Cornish town where his (now sainted) parents were born and spent their early days. From that unpretentious centre (Lostwithiel and its immediate vicinity) came eight young men who knew each other in their boyhood, and who entered the ministry of the Methodist church in Canada, doing blessed and effective service for Christ. Most of them have since passed to their reward. Rev. Mr. Philp is a firm believer in the great doctrines of truth as held by the Methodist church, not because they are the creed of the church, but because they are the vitalities of Christian life; preeminently, the divinity of the Son of God, the vicarious character and sufficiency of the atonement, free and full salvation alone through faith in Christ, regeneration, the witness of the Spirit, the divine authority of the Holy Scriptures. But, while strongly attached to the Methodist church, he would scorn all narrowness of thought and view, all servile devotion to mere dogma, all sectarian prejudice and caste, and would most fervently pray with the Apostle, “Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” He believes that the pulpit should be progressive in its spirit and aim; abreast of the times in sanctified scholarship and power to teach, wisely conservative in its doctrinal tendency (by which he means not too eager to hail and foster new things), gospel in its character, never descending to the level of the mere lecture platform, or wasting its energy in mere speculative enquiry. Its one mission should be to preach Christ with all tenderness, simplicity, earnestness and directness as the sinner’s hope, the world’s saviour. The MontrealDaily Star, of the 24th October, 1887, thus kindly speaks of the Rev. Mr. Philp:—“He is a comparatively young man, although his ministerial work has been much greater and more varied than falls to the lot of men of his years. In the pulpit he presents the appearance of a man of great intellectual power, and his delivery bears out the impression, as his discourses are logical and keenly analytic. His elocution is easy, and increases in animation as he approaches the conclusion and application of his arguments. Mr. Philp is noted as a successful revivalist, and he has held in many places large meetings, and by his earnest, self-denying labors in every station in which he has labored caused large increases in the membership of his church. While especially active in forwarding the advance of the spiritual interests of his flock, Mr. Philp is not forgetful of the fact that the handmaids of religion, architecture, music, etc., have also their influence on the people. He has endeavored to promote their cultivation in available forms, and his efforts in the direction of improving the ecclesiastical structures over which he has had control, and the erection of others, have been peculiarly successful.”
Paton, Hugh, General Manager and Secretary of the Shedden Company, Montreal, was born at Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland, on the 5th October, 1852. His parents were William Paton and Mary Shedden, of Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, Scotland. Mr. Paton received his education in the Grammar School of Paisley, Scotland. In 1871 he came out to Canada, to reside with his uncle, the late John Shedden, railway contractor, Toronto. He entered Mr. Shedden’s office in Toronto, and remained there until that gentleman’s untimely death in 1873, he having been killed by a train on the Toronto and Nipissing Railway, when celebrating the opening of that line, which he had built. Mr. Paton then removed to Montreal, where he has since resided, and became secretary-treasurer of the Shedden Company, general forwarders and carriers, and cartage agents for the Grand Trunk Railway, which succeeded to the business of the deceased Mr. Shedden. This position he occupied until 1879, when he became manager and secretary, and this office he still holds; and we say here that Mr. Paton is now the principal proprietor of this company. He was honorary secretary-treasurer of the Province of Quebec Turf Club for four years; and honorary secretary-treasurer of the Montreal Tandem Club for two years. From 1879 to 1886 he was honorary secretary-treasuror of the Montreal Hunt; and this year (1887) he was elected master of the fox hounds, and that position he now holds. He has always taken an interest in racing and in agricultural pursuits, and is the owner of a farm near the city of Montreal where he resides during the summer months, and where he indulges in his favorite pursuits. He has owned several “Queen’s platers” and “steeple-chasers.” Since Mr. Paton took charge of the Shedden Company he has considerably extended its ramifications over the Dominion of Canada and the Western States of America, carrying on the business of contractors, forwarders, and carriers, owning about eight hundred horses, and grain and general storage warehouses at several points. In 1879 he made an extended tour over the continent of America, visiting nearly all the western states, and among other places of note Salt Lake City, the Yosemite valley, and San Francisco. Since then he has twice travelled over the continent of Europe. Mr. Paton is a Liberal-Conservative in politics; and in religion is an adherent of the Presbyterian church. He was married in 1884 to Bella Robertson, daughter of Andrew Robertson, formerly merchant, Montreal, and now chairman of the Montreal Harbor Commission.
De Wolfe, Charles Edgar, Windsor, Barrister, Judge of Probate, and Revising Barrister for the county of Hants, Nova Scotia, was born in the town of Windsor, the shire town of the county of Hants, Nova Scotia, on the 22nd of July, 1845. His parents were James Lovitt De Wolfe, and Margaret A., daughter of the late Thomas Lovett, of Cornwallis, Kings county, Nova Scotia. Their children were Charles Edgar, Sarah Frances, widow of the Rev. H. P. Almon; Amelia Isabella; Benjamin Arthur, who died 17th February, 1845; James Lovitt, a doctor, residing in England; Benjamin Alfred, who died 17th August, 1851; Perez Morton, head of the well-known book firm of De Wolfe, Fiske & Co., Archway Book Store, 365 Washington street, Boston; Annie, wife of W. I. Fenwick, broker, Montreal, and Mary Agnes. J. L. De Wolfe was a lawyer, studied law in the office of the late Judge L. M. Wilkins; and subsequently, and for many years, Mr. De Wolfe was engaged in mercantile business in the town of Windsor, in the widely-known firm of B. De Wolfe & Son, in which he was junior partner. He died on 16th April, 1863, and his wife died on 23rd November, 1886. Benjamin De Wolfe, grandfather of C. E. De Wolfe, was the senior partner in the before-mentioned firm. He was member for Hants county in 1827-31. He married a Miss Lovitt, of the city of St. John, New Brunswick. They had four children, James Lovitt, Benjamin, lost at sea when acting as supercargo of a vessel; George, a medical student, also dead; and Sarah L., who now resides in Windsor. Benjamin De Wolfe, senior, died 9th December, 1863. Loran De Wolfe, the father of Benjamin, was born at Say Brook, Connecticut, 7th April, 1754. He resided in Windsor, or about three miles from it, the greater portion of his life. He married Mary Fox, of Cornwallis, Kings county. They had five children, viz., Benjamin, Phœbe M., George, Hannah, and Isaac. In 1791 Loran De Wolfe was assessor for the town of Windsor. The “Baptist Missionary Magazine” for April, 1835, in an obituary notice of him remarks: “As an instance of the public confidence in this worthy man, we may remark that he was elected in 1812 by acclamation, to represent the township of Windsor in the General Assembly. He retained his seat until ill health obliged him to retire from public life.” Nathan De Wolfe, father of Loran, and great-great-grandfather of C. E. De Wolfe, was born in Say Brook, Connecticut, in 1720, graduated A.M. in 1743, at Yale College, New Haven, and was engaged in the practice of law. He had previously “owned the covenant,” or joined the Congregational church, 7th June, 1741. He married, first, about 1748, Lydia Kirtland, daughter of John Kirtland. His second wife was Lydia Beldon, born at Say Brook, October 28th, 1721. Their children were Lucilla; Edward, born 1752; Loran, born 7th April, 1754; Elisha, born 5th May, 1756, and Nathan. Nathan, senr., came to Horton, Kings county, Nova Scotia, in 1760. He was a successful farmer. The Nova Scotian census returns of 1770 give a detailed account of his farm produce and stock. His residence was on the east side of the main post road, opposite to the present Baptist church, in Wolfville (1887). His legal practice did not interfere with his agricultural pursuits. He was for many years senior justice of the peace for Kings county. He was also registrar of probate, and took an active part in public affairs. He died at Horton on the 21st of March, 1789, aged sixty-nine years. Charles Edgar De Wolfe, the subject of our sketch, after receiving the usual course of education, entered upon the study of law in the office of the solicitor of the city of Portland, Maine, U.S., and continued his studies in the office of S. L. Morse, Q.C., Bridgetown, Annapolis county, Nova Scotia, and completed them in the office of the Hon. James Macdonald, Halifax, the present chief justice of Nova Scotia. He was admitted to the bar on the 19th of July, 1870. In 1880 he was appointed judge of probate for Hants county; and in 1886 was made revising barrister for the same county, under the Electoral Franchise Act, and both offices he still continues to hold. Previous to his becoming a law student, Mr. De Wolfe owned and edited a weekly newspaper in Bridgetown, and for five years he was proprietor and editor of the WindsorMail, published at Windsor, N.S. He has taken a deep interest in the temperance movement, and on various occasions, and in different places in his native province, delivered strong addresses on its behalf. In politics he is a Liberal-Conservative, and has been an active party man in his county. On the 12th of October, 1887, he was married to Cassie H., daughter of Samuel Grey, of New Annan, Colchester county, N.S. Mrs. De Wolfe was, before her marriage, a captain in the Salvation Army, and a very zealous worker for God and humanity in the provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, but through ill health, had to retire from active service in the army. Mrs. De Wolfe has a sister in India, working there as a missionary, under the direction of the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions, of Nova Scotia.