Count L. N. Tolstoy: His Life and Work - Warren James Duchemin

Biography

Warren James Duchemin (1902-1979)

Warren James Duchemin was born to a Francophone Methodist family on the 25 July 1902 to Alfred Compton Duchemin, originally from PEI (1865-1955) and Alice Maud Duchemin (Turner), who is originally from New Brunswick and an Anglophone (1865-1922). His parents married on 22 March 1898 in Brooklyn, New York. Warren had one sister, Alice Dorothy Duchemin (1899-1994). Warren was baptized on 5 October 1902 at Trinity First Methodist Church. According to the 1911 Census and a bit of research through the papers, his father was a manager at a sash factory called "A. Duchemin & Co." His mother was unemployed.

Warren grew up in a religious household. His parents, according to a Guardian Article from 1908, Alfred and Alice, hosted the Methodist "Bible Class and the Young Ladies of Mission Circle Methodist Church" at their home. Later in his life, most likely due to the background in which he grew up, he had the idea to become a priest, but that ultimately did not happen.

Besides religion, Warren took his studies very seriously. He went to West Kent School, made the honour roll for grade 10 in 1918 and proceeded to go to Normal College at Prince of Wales College, which was typically the pathway young adults took to become teachers, where he had honours, graduating in 1922. Warren also received the Governor General's Silver Medal in 1922.

In March of 1922, Warren's mother passed away. She was buried at the Sherwood Cemetery on 9 March. Two years later, Alfred, Warren's father, remarried sometime around 1924 to a lady named Martha Wright (1853-1936). It is unclear how this affected Warren, but it is notable in his family history.

After his studies at Normal School, Warren attended Dalhousie University and graduated in 1927. He excelled at his academics, especially in science and arts. The Charlottetown Guardian posted the pass list of the students at Dalhousie on 19 May 1927, where Warren is noted taking Biology, French, Greek, Philosophy, and Physics. It is also described in the Dalhousie Yearbook from 1927 that Warren had the ambition to become a doctor after deciding that missionary work was not for him. But, Warren did not become a doctor in the sense of helping people who were sick, nor did he become a clergyman.

Warren's life brought him to all sorts of different places. On 5 July 1929, it was mentioned that Warren would go to the North Shore to begin "work in Marine Zoology under the Biological Board of Canada." In December of the same year, he is listed in a book called "The Proceedings and Transactions of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science" as a member in December; later on in the book, on page xl-xli it states that he had been elected an ordinary member. Then later, in 1931, it is mentioned in an article from The Guardian that Warren had done work for the Biological Board of Canada due to the disease infesting the oysters in Malpeque Bay. He volunteered to survey the area and population of oysters.

In 1931, according to the Prince of Wales College Times of December 1931, Warren had just joined the staff at PWC that year, written in the style of a poem by a student. He joined the staff as a biology professor.

Despite joining the Prince of Wales College staff, Warren continued his study of Biology. During the summer of 1932, Warren went to Cornell University to work in Biology. According to the paper: "He was a member of the sixth International Congress of Genetics." Over five hundred attended.

On 31 December 1932, Warren married Dorothy Blanche Hutcheson (1901-1984), a Methodist from P.E.I. Dorothy was baptized in 1905. She attended Prince of Wales College in her youth and then studied at McGill University, Royal Victoria College, graduating in 1925. She was very active in school and involved in the Maritime Club as an executive and a junior prom representative. Dorothy also played tennis and riding, not to forget the most Canadian sport: Hockey. She also excelled at her academics in Social Sciences and English, participating in a poetry club after University. She also spoke French. The wedding itself took place at their home at 127 Upper Prince Street. The two met at Prince of Wales College as they both attended and graduated from Normal school in the same year: 1923-1924.

Warren was also active in the community. He attended as a guest at the Crescent Club in 1935. The guest speaker was Rev. F. C. Grant, who spoke about his mission work in India and the difference in culture it was to PEI, earning the respect of the higher-ups through sport.

An article from the Guardian from 1935 mentions Warren and his wife going to the United States and returning as he had been studying for his post-graduate degree in biology at Cornell University. He did do this, according to the graduation catalogue from 1938-1939. Warren completed his graduate studies at Cornell University in 1939. He did his thesis on: "The Morphology of the Aortic Arches of Ambystoma Maculatum." The full text describing his graduation studies appears: "Warren James Duchemin, A.B.; Vertebrate Morphology, Invertebrate Zoology. Thesis: The Morphology of the Aortic Arches of Ambystoma Maculatum."It was completed in 1936. His thesis is still accessible at Cornell University and can be accessed by this link: Here

It is still being determined what Warren did between 1939-1945, besides the fact that he taught biology at Prince of Wales College. In 1945 an article was published stating that he was in attendance at the Rotary Club of Charlottetown to hear the address of Sir. Frederick Puckle (adviser to the British embassy at Washington). This meeting was held regarding India and the idea of giving it the status of a self-governing dominion. This was a significant historical matter at the time and indicated the politics that got brought back to PEI across the world.

In an article from 1946, Warren is again mentioned in an issue of The Guardian. He was part of the Y's men's club. He is also listed as one of the few men who initiated three new members into the "Hi-Y" club at the YMCA on/around 1 February. Britannica Kids said Hi-Y clubs were for middle and high school boys and girls associated with the YMCA. To Quote: "The purpose of the clubs is 'to create, maintain and extend, throughout the home, school, and community, high standards of Christian character.'" Warren was officially inducted into the Y's men's club on/around 15 February.

In 1948 Warren had some health problems. They are not discussed in length in the article supplied via The Guardian, which only states that he will need to take a rest from his work at Prince of Wales College. It is unknown how long it took him to recover, but he continued to teach afterwards.

In 1949, while still a professor at Prince of Wales, Warren James Duchemin completed a series of Harvard courses on comparative anatomy. By this time, Warren has completed his postgraduate education in Biology, as the paper refers to him as an "M.Sc."

Then, in 1950 Warren's wife, Dorothy, became a professor at the Prince of Wales College. It is mentioned in the paper that she would become an English professor at the institution, the same in which her husband was employed. The same article also mentions numerous other women who would be taking positions in health and education within the provincial departments.

Besides the YMCA, Duchemin was also actively involved in community matters. In an article from 1953, it is stated that Duchemin would participate in a panel discussion that would be broadcasted on CFCY. It needs to be clarified precisely what was discussed during the panel. Still, with the track record that Duchemin had set, it would have something to do with biology, as a doctor was attending the discussion as well.

On page 3 of the 1955 Prince of Wales College yearbook, the dedication from the students is to Mr. and Mrs. Warren J. Duchemin. This dedication includes a photo of the couple. They are also featured on the 4th page of the yearbook, where they are sitting with the rest of the staff of 1955. In this, Dorothy is sitting in the front row, third from the right, and is described as an English teacher. Warren is in the back row of the photo, first from the left, and is said to be teaching biology.

In September of 1955, Warren's father, Alfred, passed away at 279 Richmond Street. He was 90 years old. According to "Canada's Historic Places," this property was built in 1870 and had numerous owners, but it was built for William Kennedy and James Turner. William Kennedy stayed until his death, and James Turner lived there until 1900. Eventually, Alice Turner, Warren's mother, inherited the building. Alice and her descendants used the building until 1969. This then suggests that 279 Richmond Street was potentially Warren's childhood home and also the fact that the house was still used by Alice’s family when she passed away.

1956 was the last year Warren Duchemin taught at the Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown. He taught at Prince of Wales for a total of 27 years. His wife, Dorothy, seemed to have followed suit two years later in 1958 but is mentioned again in an article from the College Times in 1959. Depending on the year she retired from teaching, she taught for around 9-10 years at Prince of Wales.

Warren Duchemin is brought to the light in a 1958 summer edition of the Guardian once again. He put his cottage up for rent in Stanhope, which had two acres of land and running water. This edition of the Guardian also leads us to where Warren lived at the time on PEI: 127 Upper Prince Street. In the present day, the house that exists on 127 Upper Prince Street is quite lovely. Or you could also dial 9651 to reach Warren in 1958. In 1959 Warren's name made an appearance in The Guardian again. In the article, he is offering up his garage for rent. The paper still suggests that he lives at 127 Upper Queen Street and that the same code can reach him as above.

In the 1960s, Warren and Dorothy took residence in Ithica, USA. According to the record provided by Ancestry, they were living on 27 College Avenue. The only thing offered in the record is that they are retired, suggesting that the 1959 date for Dorothy works for the ending of her career at PWC.

In 1966, the last year that we hear of Warren, various Guardian articles mentioned that he had lost his snake while staying at his cottage in Stanhope. Warren apparently had a snake named Charley/Charlie who escaped from his cottage on 20 July 1966. This was a theatrical affair as the RCMP had to get involved as the snake was a "five-foot constrictor," which Warren labelled as not a threat. Duchemin instructed anyone who found him to "pick him up by the tail" and put him in a potato sack. By the 25th of the month, the snake was still AWOL. A wildlife expert from Flordia (the previous owner of Charley/Charlie) reported that the snake would probably have died by then and wasn't even a Boa Constrictor but a "four-lined rat snake" that was about 4.5 feet long and harmless at that.

It is clear that Mr. Duchemin never got his snake back after it escaped in Stanhope. What needs to be clarified in his story is if he had any children. Aside from his sister's child, there is never any mention of children in any newspaper that existed in his family after himself and his sister. His sister Alice married 1928 to Joseph Alvah Green (1900-1995). Alice and her husband seemed to travel to numerous places, including Ontario, Trinidad (where they resided for many years), Florida in 1943, and New York in 1947. They had one child named Dorothy Ann Green, born 7 January 1932 (but there is a discrepancy with this as her yearbook says she was born 29 December 1931, suggesting that the January date is her baptismal date). Dorothy Ann attended Netherwood School for Girls in Rothesay, New Brunswick and graduated in June 1949. She then returned to Trinidad and Tobago, where she devoted her time to commercial study. She attended Prince of Wales College in 1951 in the "Normal Training Department.". Dorothy Ann's picture can be seen on page 51 of the 1951 yearbook for the Prince of Wales College with the other normal school graduates for that year. After this, there are no other records of Dorothy Ann. After her studies at PWC, she returned to Trinidad and Tobago and in 1959, she married Gary Piet in Port Credit, Ontario. It is unclear when she passed away and if she had any kids, as many of the records would be from Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1972 Warren still lived on Upper Prince Street, it is unclear when he moved into The Garden Home, but on 8 February 1979, Warren passed away at The Garden Home in Charlottetown at 76 years of age. He was buried in the Peoples Cemetery. His beloved wife passed away on 22 April 1984 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital at 82 years of age. They had no children.

The book that we found Warren in was: "Count L. N. Tolstoy: his life and work." At the front and back of the book, there are two newspaper clippings glued onto the pages. These clippings are in excellent condition for their age. The first newspaper clipping talks about Countess Sophie Tolstoy and how she had recently died (when this newspaper clipping was published). This would have been published sometime around November of 1919, around the ninth day of the month. This clipping briefly explains the life that Sophie had lived and how near her end, revolutionaries watched her as they allowed her to remain on her estate. In 1919, November, Warren would be around 17 years of age.

The clipping at the back of the book is a few years older than the one at the front. This clipping is from 24 February 1912. Warren, during this time, would have been nine when the newspaper came out. This article is titled “What Tolstoy Really Preached and Wrote of.” This article talks a bit about feminine freedom and the extent of which it is practised. With some further research, the author Tolstoy and his wife had a happy and free relationship until later in their life, thus making sense that Tolstoy had pleaded for feminine freedom.

Bibliography
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