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Mary Elizabeth Park Henderson
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Mary Elizabeth Park Henderson (1921-1997)
Mary Elizabeth Park Henderson, or Betty, was born on 12 April 1921 to a family belonging to the United Church in Saskatchewan. Her father was named James Archibald Henderson (1884-?), who was from Lancashire, and her mother was Elizabeth "Bessie" Park (1890-1970), who was originally from Glasgow.
In 1909, Betty's father, James, immigrated to Canada, and her mother followed in 1917. However, records indicate that Bessie was in Canada earlier than that, as, in 1915, the pair got married in Calgary. In 1917, her parents had their first child, Grace Elizabeth Henderson. Another child followed in 1920: Thomas George Henderson was born on 25 July. In 1921, Betty was born, but devastation soon hit her family.
In 1921, Thomas passed away. It is unclear what or when, but he was no more than a year old. In 1922, Grace unfortunately followed. Betty became the only child of her parents. What is clear is that Thomas passed away before the time of the census, but there is no mention of Grace. Mary is the only child listed in the census within her family.
In the 1931 census, Betty is once again mentioned. By the time of the census, Betty was ten years old, going to school, and she could read and write. Her father is listed as a farmer, as he was also in the 1921 census. There was also her mother, who kept the house, and her mother's sister, Jessie Scott Park, a widow. She immigrated in 1926 and is listed as the sister's help. Their house was also owned, and their location description is listed as: "Township 29 in range 26, and Township 30 in ranges 25 and 26, west of the third meridian, exclusive of the village of Flaxcombe."
Many of the people on this page of the 1931 census for the district were farmers, and nearly everyone was not originally from Saskatchewan. If you do not know much about Canadian history, in a quick summary: after confederation (1867) up until 1911, there was a movement of immigration from England, Scotland, and other European countries to move into the west of Canada to establish farms in the prairies; to start a new life. If I were to make an inference here, I would believe the farming immigration movement was the idea for James and his wife during the early 1900s as they immigrated in 1909.
Throughout Betty's life, she went to numerous schools to get her education. For her primary education, she went to a rural public school, most likely a rural one-room schoolhouse, concerning the historical timeline of when she went to school, graduating in 1933. Betty also attended a school in Scotland, Airdrie Academy, graduating in 1938.
After attending the academy, Betty went on to higher education. Betty attended the University of British Columbia; she was active in the school community, joined the varsity women's grass hockey team, and got her BA in 1941. She then went on to earn her master's in 1943.
In 1944, Betty graduated from the University of Toronto. She achieved a BLS (bachelor of library science). From 1944 onwards, Betty worked a variety of different jobs in different provinces in Canada and Europe.
From 1944 to 1949, Betty worked as a junior cataloguer and reference librarian at the University of British Columbia Library.
From 1950 to 1951, Betty worked as a cataloguer at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth library.
From 1952 to 1959, Betty worked as a technical services librarian for the Government of Saskatchewan at the provincial library. During this time (1954-1957), Betty also served as the editor of the Saskatchewan Library Bulletin.
From 1960 to 1966, Betty worked at the University of Saskatchewan as the chief librarian at the Regina Campus. This University is now referred to as the University of Regina.
In 1967, Betty came east to PEI. She got a job at the Prince of Wales College, now known as the University of Prince Edward Island. She worked at PWC until 1969 as an Assistant Librarian in "I. C. tech services - experiments in Library Technology." Her photo is featured in the Welshman of 1967 as she was one of two librarians at the time before the new library was built in 1975 (The Robertson Library).
In 1960, Betty published a book called "Planning the Future by the Past." Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate this book by her.
In 1970, Betty moved back west. She moved to Alberta. She got a job at the University of Alberta as an Associate Professor in the faculty of Library science. She was a professor until 1974. In 1971, however, Betty became the acting director of the program until 1972, and from 1972 to 1976, she was the director/dean of the Library science faculty. She was also an active member of the University Senate at the University of Alberta from 1975 to 1977. She resumed teaching in 1976 at the University of Alberta.
From 1974 until 1975, Betty also served as the President of the Canadian Library Association.
On 27 September 1975, Betty was awarded an honorary degree, a Doctor of Laws, from the University of Prince Edward Island, formerly known as the Prince of Wales College. This award was awarded during the official opening of the Robertson Library and the fall convocation.
From 1977 to 1978, Betty was involved with the National Library Advisory Board.
From 1978 to 1980, Betty served as a judge for the Leacock Medal of Humour. This is an award that recognizes Canadian literary humour.
In the 1980 Canada's Whos Who, Betty is listed among others. At the bottom of her description it includes her phone number: "906-11111." It also lists her address: 87 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta TG6 0X9, with her office also in the province. It also lists all of the achievements that she had throughout her life.
In 1982, Betty retired. She was falling ill in health. She had served twelve and a half years at the University of Alberta as both a teacher, director and dean. She made a lasting impression on the school. Upon her retirement, she was named the first Professor Emitra of the library science faculty at the University of Alberta.
In 1994, Betty made a generous donation to the University of Alberta. The computer lab and library were renamed Henderson Hall in her honour. A new scholarship was also made in her name. The scholarship was named the M.E.P. Henderson Scholarship in Library and Information Studies.
In the same year, Betty was also awarded an honourary membership award LISAA. LISAA is the Library and Information Studies Alumni Association. It is an award awarded to someone who did not attend the school and has made outstanding achievements to the library science community.
In 1997, Betty was awarded the "PEI ACSW Equality Recognition Awards, celebrating the achievements and dedication of Islanders toward improving the status of women." She was considered to be a "Lifetime Achiever" who: "worked in service, paid or voluntary, toward the advancement of Prince Edward Island women; demonstrated a strong commitment to women's equality within her community or organization (e.g. advocacy/lobby work for groups and services); and/or, assumed a leadership role to improve the status of women by challenging the status quo of patriarchy."
On 7 October 1997, Betty passed away. She was 76 years old. After Betty passed away, many people got in contact with the University of Alberta to make contributions in her name. They put out a statement indicating that it was welcomed and would be put towards the scholarship already established. The article from 1994 explaining the Honourary membership mentions that Betty was residing on PEI when she was nominated. It can be assumed then that at the time of her death, she was residing in PEI.
In 2006, a list was compiled of 100 legends in Alberta's Public Library Service; Betty was named one of the legends within this list, showing that she left her mark on the public for service and dedication to her community.
Unfortunately, no records indicate if Betty ever married or had children, but she made a lasting impact and impression in the world of library science in Canada. She also contributed to numerous articles, books, newspapers, professional journals, art, books, and record collecting.
What Betty was most passionate about was "the history of books and libraries, academic libraries, bibliography and literature of the humanities, comparative librarianship, and communications."
The book that we found Betty in is called: Souvenirs d'enfance et de Jeunesse by Ernest Renan. On the page before the title page, she wrote this: 'Betty Henderson "Cairngorm Airdrie.' Based on the research done, the connection to Airdrie throughout her life is connected to when she went to school in Airdrie, Scotland, at Airdrie Academy when she graduated in 1938, giving the published date of the edition of the book being around 1930.
Upon further inspection of the book, it says on page 287 that it was printed in Great Britain. It was purchased from the A. B. C. Company, Educational Booksellers Both New and second-hand. They were located at 80 West Regent Street (Nr. Renfield St.) in Glasgow. Upon looking into this bookshop it closed after 100 years in business. The stamp on the inside page of the book says: Prince of Wales Feb 2 1967 College Library, which suggests as she started working at PWC in 1967, she donated the books to the library on her own behalf.
Throughout the Robertson Library you can find her name in a variety of different books besides the one mentioned above.
References
"100 Legends in Alberta’s Public Library Service." Accessed 10 December 2023.
1921 Census of Canada. Item Number: 68237806; Image Number e003117500; Line Number 36; Kindersley, Saskatchewan.
1931 Census of Canada. Item Number: 83755549; Image Number e011724011; Line Number 45; Kindersley, Saskachewan.
"Alumni Awards - Distinguished Alumni Award - Honorary Alumni Award." University of Alberta- Faculty of Education - School of Library and Information Studies. Accessed 9 December 2023.
<"Fall Convocation/Robertson Library Opening: A Significant Milestone." Topics Newsletter 1975. Accessed through Island Archives at the University of Prince Edward Island. Accessed 5 December 2023.
Gagnon, Erica. "Settling the West: Immigration to the Prairies from 1867 to 1914." Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Accessed 1 December 2023. (If you want to know more about Canadian history and settlement in the west).
"History of the School - A Summary of Events." Faculty of Education - School of Library and Information Studies. Accessed 2 December 2023.
"Individual Lifetime Achiever."PEI ACSW EQUALITY Recognition Awards. Accessed 5 December 2023.
"MARY ELIZABETH PARK HERDERSON in Genealogy Index Searches." eHealth Saskatchewan. Accessed 1 December 2023.
"News - Honourary Membership in LISAA 1994." Library and Information Studies Alumni Association - University of Alberta - Edmonton Newsletter 1994. Accessed 25 November 2023.
"News - In Memorium." Library and Information Studies Alumni Association - University of Alberta - Edmonton Newsletter 1998. Accessed 25 November 2023.
"News - New Scholarship Fund at U of A - M.E.P. Henderson Scholarship." Library and Information Studies Alumni Association - University of Alberta - Edmonton Newsletter 1995. Accessed 5 December 2023.
"Past Honorary Degree Recipients - University of Prince Edward Island - 1975 - Fall Convocation." University of Prince Edward Island - About UPEI - Governance - Senate - Past Honorary Degree Recipients. Accessed 25 November 2023.
"Responses to the Commemorative Issue - Ralph Nwamefor, Nigeria." Spring 2009 Newsletter LISAA - University of Alberta. Accessed 4 December 2023.
Simpson K, editor. Canadian Who's Who 1980: Volume XV. Orillia: University of Toronto Press; 2000. (See page 437).
"The Founding of the School." Accessed through the University of Alberta Library and Information Studies. Accessed 8 December 2023.
"Special Convocation Set for Robertson Library Opening." Topics Newsletter. Accessed through Island Archives at the University of Prince Edward Island. Accessed 5 December 2023.
"Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour." Wikipedia. Accessed 5 December 2023.
The Totem 1939. Accessed through the UBC Library Open Collections: UBC Publications. Accessed on 2 December 2023.
The Totem 1942 Accessed through the UBC Library Open Collections: UBC Publications. Accessed on 2 December 2023.
The Tower 1964 Accessed through the Regina Campus Special Archives - University of Regina, Dr. John Archer Library & Archives. Accessed on 14 December 2023.
The UBC Alumni Chronicle. Accessed through the UBC Library Open Collections: UBC Publications. Accessed on 2 December 2023.
Welshman 1967. Accessed through Island Archives at the University of Prince Edward Island. Accessed 5 December 2023.
Other Credits
Ancestry.ca, 12 April 1921, Saskatchewan, 7 October 1997, Elizabeth "Bessie" Park (1890-1970), James Archibald Henderson (1884-?),, Grace Elizabeth Henderson (1917-1922); Thomas George Henderson (1920-1921).
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Mary Jane Hagerman Robinson
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Mary Jane Hagerman Robinson (1823-1892)
Mary Jane Hagerman, born on 7 June 1823, was the daughter of Judge Christopher Alexander Hagerman and Elizabeth Macaulay of Toronto. She was known, within elite circles of Toronto, for her exquisite voice. She had an extraordinary stage presence and her singing was known to move an audience to tears. Mary Jane desired to be a professional singer, but her status as a Victorian era wife limited her scope of employment. Her marriage in 1847 to John Beverley Robinson Jr. (Mayor of Toronto in 1856) meant a more traditional matriarchal role.
Her one attempt at a professional career, as a married woman, was deemed a social scandal. In March 1852 Mary Jane travelled to Buffalo, NY and sang under the stage name of “Madame Beverley”. This caused quite a scandal in Toronto social circles and Mrs. John Beverley Robinson was considered, at best, a flighty, eccentric wife. After this social faux pas Mary Jane stepped out of the limelight.
After an almost two year hiatus, Mary Jane settled for the next best thing and became a public performer at charitable concerts starting in 1854. Singing for charity was a socially acceptable form of performance at the time, and for another seventeen years Mary Jane fulfilled her joy of singing as a “Lady Amateur”.
John and Mary Jane had five children: John Beverley Robinson III, Strachan Napier Robinson, Christopher Conway Robinson, Minnie Caroline Robinson, and Augusta Louise Robinson. Their youngest daughter Augusta was also blessed with a beautiful voice and Mary Jane championed her towards a singing career. It took much convincing, from Mary Jane, for Mr. Robinson to agree to Augusta’s chosen career but eventually he was compliant, and Augusta sang throughout Europe and Canada.
From 1880-1887 John Beverley Robinson was the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Mary Jane and Augusta frequently hosted concerts, with Augusta singing, at Government House on Simcoe Street. This was the third Government House built and John and Mary Jane were the first residents of the beautiful three story red brick home. It was demolished in 1915.
Mary Jane died on 19 January 1892 after a three week bout with pneumonia. She was 68 years old.
Mary Jane received UPEI's Provenance copy of Domesticus. A Tale of the Imperial City by William Allen Butler, in April 1886. The inscription reads:
Mrs John Beverley Robinson, with the respected regards of Erastus Wiman. N.Y. April 1886.
Mary Jane’s husband, John, was still the Lieutenant Governor at the time. Erastus Wiman was a Canadian businessman, developer, and living in New York.
Bibliography:
Guiguet, Kristina Marie. “Singing Tight Her Chains,” in The Ideal World of Mrs. Widder’s Soiree Musicale. Social Identity and Musical Life in Nineteenth-Century Ontario, 83-99. Gatineau: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 2004.
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Mary Whiton Calkins
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Mary Whiton Calkins (1863-1930)
Mary Whiton Calkins was born on 30 March 1863 in Hartford, Connecticut to Rev. Wolcott Calkins and Charlotte Whiton. She was the oldest of five children: Mary (1863), Maud (1864), Leighton (1868), Raymond (1869), and Grosvenor (1875).
The majority of Mary’s childhood was spent in Buffalo, New York. Until, in 1881, at the age of seventeen, Mary’s family uprooted once again and moved to Newton, Massachusetts.
Mary’s family greatly valued education, therefore, she attended a local elementary school in Buffalo, New York and learned German in private lessons. After her family moved, Mary attended Newtown High School in Newton at the age of 17.
In 1882, Mary attended Smith College in the hopes to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Classics and Philosophy. However, tragedy struck Mary’s life when her sister, Maud, passed away. Mary took the following year off to tutor her other siblings and take care of her mother whose mental and physical health was deteriorating. While she was home, she received private lessons in Greek. She returned to Smith College, in 1884, to complete her degree.
In 1886, while on a family trip to Leipzig, Mary had the opportunity to travel and study in Italy and Greece. She returned to the United States in 1887, and shortly thereafter, became an instructor in Greek at Wellesley College.
In 1890, Wellesley College was interested in developing a psychology department with Mary being the lead instructor. However, she needed to get more training in order to take on this position.
Mary chose to attend seminars at Harvard, but was met with resistance from the University. After lengthy petitions from both her father and Wellesley College, Mary was finally admitted into the seminars, but she was only accepted under the pretense that no precedent for co-education was set. Mary was only able to attend as a faculty member of another college seeking post-graduate instruction. Mary’s co-students were no help either. The other four students who were in the class, previous to Mary acceptance, quickly dropped the seminars in protest of a woman attending Harvard. This would mark the beginning of the controversy surrounding Mary and her struggle to gain more education.
In 1891, Mary became the instructor of Wellesley’s psychology department. During this year, Mary would also be responsible for having one of the first psychology labs in the United States.
Mary returned to Harvard as a visiting faculty member to study under Hugo Münsterburg, in 1892.
In 1894, Mary had impressed Hugo so greatly that he had petitioned the president of Harvard at the time, Charles Eliot, to formally enroll Mary into the Ph.D. program as, according to her biography on the American Psychology Association’s website, “she was the strongest student in his laboratory since he had arrived at Harvard.” His petition was denied on the grounds that Harvard did not accept women into any program. However, this did not stop Hugo from continuing to pursue a means for Mary to receive academic recognition.
Six prominent psychology professors at Harvard, in 1895, held an unsanctioned doctoral examination in which they unanimously suggested that Mary should be awarded a doctoral degree. This too was denied.
In 1902, Mary and three other women who had done postgraduate work at Harvard were offered Ph.D.’s from Radcliffe, Harvard’s women’s college. She denied this offer because she felt as though the degree did not pertain to the work that she was doing. Efforts to grant Mary her rightfully deserved Ph.D. continue to this day as Harvard still fails to recognize her academic successes.
Despite all of this controversy, Mary continued excelling within her field.
In 1895, she became an Associate Professor of psychology and philosophy at Wellesley.
In 1896, Mary published an article on the theory of association which is speculated to have been her doctoral dissertation. The article focused on paired-association technique, which examined individuals who learned pairs of items to the point that one item would trigger the recall of the other.
In 1898, Mary became a full-time Professor at Wellesley, where she developed the field of self-psychology. Along with her work on paired-association and self-psychology, she also developed groundbreaking research on dreams.
Mary was ranked 12th out of 50 of the most eminent psychologists in the United States,in 1903, and two years later, in 1905, Mary was elected the 14th president of the American Psychology Association. She would be the first woman to hold this position. She was also elected the president of the American Philosophical Society in 1918.
Mary received an Honorary Doctors of Letters from Columbia and an Honorary Doctors of Laws from Smith College, in 1909 and 1910 respectively. She was offered positions at both of these institutions but turned them down. It is speculated she wished to stay with her parents of whom she was living with, while they were getting older.
In 1927, according to New York passenger lists, Mary visited France for Christmas. She travelled aboard the ship President Harding. The following year she was elected as an honorary membership in the British Psychological Association.
Throughout her career, Mary published four books and hundreds of articles. She was considered a world-renowned scientist.
Mary Whiton Calkins died of cancer on 26 February 1929. She shares a headstone with her siblings at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass.
The UPEI Provenance collection, includes one book that belonged to Mary Whiton Calkins titled Lectures and Essays by W. K. Clifford. It was published in 1879 and has Mary’s bookplate and signature inside.
Sources:
1870 United States Census. Census Place: Buffalo Ward 9, Erie, New York; Roll: M593_935; Page: 480A; Image: 206069; Family History Library Film: 552434
1880 United States Census. Census Place: Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts; Roll: 546; Family History Film: 1254546; Page: 19B; Enumeration District: 473; Image: 0040.
1920 United States Census. Census Place: Newton Ward 1, Middlesex, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_716; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 358; Image: 688
American Psychological Association. “Mary Whiton Calkins, APA’s First woman president." Women’s Psych-E Newsletter. March 2011. Accessed on 29 March 2017.
--. “Mary Whiton Calkins.” American Psychological Association. Accessed on 29 March 2017.
Murchison, Carl, History of Psychology in Autobiography. Vol. I New York: Russell & Russell, 1961.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, 1795-1905; Roll #: 446; Volume #: Roll 446 - 01 Jun 1895-06 Jun 1895
New York Passenger Lists. Year: 1927; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 4189; Line: 11; Page Number: 19
“Transpersonal Pioneers: Mary Calkins.” Sofia University. Accessed on 29 March 2017
Young, J. L. (2010). Profile of Mary Whiton Calkins, Psychology's Feminist Voices Multimedia Internet Archive.
Photo:
From Young, J. L. (2010). Profile of Mary Whiton Calkins, Psychology's Feminist Voices Multimedia Internet Archive., Charlotte Whiton, Rev. Wolcott Calkins
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Maurice Vincent Blake
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Maurice Vincent Blake (1880-1960)
Maurice Vincent Blake was born on 17 July 1880, along with his twin brother, William Ernest Blake. Maurice Vincent and William Ernest, were baptized in St. Dunstan's Basilica, in Charlottetown, on 22 July 1880. In the 1881 Census of Canada, William is not recorded which leads to the assumption, he did not live through his first year.
Maurice Vincent had eight other siblings. Three older: John Joseph, Ella May, Frederick Dean; and five younger: Edward Ireaneus, James, Mary Josephine, Leo Louis, and Claude Raymond.
Maurice Blake and Joanna Grimes were the parents of Maurice Vincent and his siblings. Maurice (Sr.), was a successful farmer and farmer's dealer; they lived in Charlottetown Royalty. In the 1891 Census, Maurice Sr., Johanna, 10 year old Maurice Vincent and his siblings, had seven domestic servants to assist in their daily living: three male general servants, one dressmaker, one housemaid, a nurse and a cook. They would have lived in relative comfort.
Maurice Vincent was a student at St. Dunstan's College around 1893-1895. In UPEI's Robertson Library collection there is a two volume set that was signed and dated by him; A History of the Life of Richard Coeur de Lion, King of England by G.P.R. James. In the first volume he has added his name three times. On the inside cover, scribbled over, is:
Maurice Vincent Blake
St.D College
ChTown
PEIsland
Along the top of page 452 is the inscription: Vincent Blake 1893, and along the top of the next page is VBlake.
In the second volume of the set, Maurice Vincent Blake has signed his name twice on the same page:
Maurice V. Blake
StD College [there is a stroke through the name].
Below this is:
Maurice V. Blake
St DCollege
Chtown
PEI
Jan 27th 1895
This set of books were also signed by many other students including, Maurice Vincent's brother, James Blake.
After his time at St. Dunstan's, Maurice Vincent went to business school at the P.E.I. Commercial College. He graduated in 1900 and was listed in the Charlottetown Guardian newspaper on 21 April 1900. The article states:
A lot more intelligent and active young men it would not be easy to find; and as they go forth in the business world thoroughly equipped for the work that lies before them they will, beyond a doubt, reach a high position, wherever they locate.
He took up work as a book-keeper within a year of his graduation. Later, Maurice Vincent would also work as a traveling commercial agent, representing companies such as the Davis and Fraser Meat Curing Firm, Whyte Park Company and the Canada Packaging Company.
In the years from 1900 to 1910, Maurice Vincent had been involved in sports on the Island, acting as referee for local football games.
On 21 April 1921, Maurice Vincent married Edythe Isobel Haszard Hyndman. He was a 40 year old Catholic bachelor, and she was a 39 year old Anglican widow, maiden name Haszard. They were married in a Catholic ceremony in Toronto, and returned to Prince Edward Island at an unknown point of time. Despite being married in the Catholic Church, Edythe was a faithful member of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Charlottetown.
Shortly after their marriage, they set up house in Summerside, PEI; in the 1921 Census, they were living on Summer Street. They had one son named Maurice.
On 19 April 1958, Edythe died in Charlottetown and Maurice Vincent followed two years later, on 29 April 1960. At this time, both were living at 15 Villa Avenue, Charlottetown, PE.
Sources:
1881 Census of Canada. Census Place: Charlottetown Royalty, Queens, Prince Edward Island; Roll: C_13163; Page: 20; Family No: 80
1891 Census of Canada. Census Place: Charlottetown Royalty, Queens, Prince Edward Island; Roll: T-6383; Family No: 182
1901 Census of Canada. Census Place: Charlottetown (City/Cité), Queen's (west/ouest), Prince Edward Island; Page: 10; Family No: 93
1921 Census of Canada. Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 104; Census Place: Drill Shed S.Side, Prince, Prince Edward Island; Page Number: 13
Baptismal Record for Maurice Vincent Blake. Public Archives and Records Office, Prince Edward Island Archives. Record Book Number 4, page 116. Accessed 18 January 2017.
Baptismal Record for William Ernest Blake. Public Archives and Records Office, Prince Edward Island Archives. Record Book Number 4, page 116. Accessed 18 January 2017.
Death Record for Maurice Vincent Blake. Public Archives and Records Office, Prince Edward Island Archives. RG19/s2/ss6: Death registration book, 1960; entry number 1289; date of death 29 April 1860.
“Mrs. Blake Died Suddenly at Home Here", Charlottetown Guardian, 21 April 1958, p.2.
Ontario Marriage Registration of Maurice Vincent Blake and Edith Isabel Haszard. Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Series: MS932; Reel: 561
“P.E. Island Commercial College Graduation". Charlottetown Guardian, 21 April 1900, p.7., Maurice Blake, Johanna Grimes, Edith Isabel Hyndman Haszard, John Joseph, Ella May, Frederick Dean, William Ernest (Vincent's twin, died in infancy), Edward Ireaneus, James, Mary Josephine, Leo Louis, Claude Raymond.
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May Smith
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May Smith (1879-1968)
May Smith was born on 29 August 1879, in Chorlton, Lancashire to parents Thomas Smith, an iron turner, and Augusta (née Matthews). May was the oldest out of two children, she had a younger sister.
May attended the Manchester Science School where she also taught as a pupil teacher. She would then attend Owen’s College with an education scholarship. In 1903, May graduated with a BA in philosophy, with a small side study in psychology, along with an external diploma in education from the University of London.
By 1905, May was teaching educational psychology at Cherwell Hall in Oxford, a training college for secondary school teachers. While at Oxford, May studied for her Masters in Philosophy, at the University of Manchester. During her studies, she attended psychology lectures by William McDougall and requested to join a group of students studying experimental psychology led by him.
From this point on, May would become a founding leader of industrial psychology. One of her famous studies was on sleep deprivation and the effects on mental function. May was her own subject and her research was published in the British Journal of Psychology in 1916. She would then work with McDougall on the study of Effects of Alcohol and some other Drugs during normal and fatigued conditions, during the First World War at the request of the Central Control Board for Liquor Traffic. May and McDougall studied the links between alcohol and prostitution.
May also became a member of the British Psychology Society in 1914. She would hold many different positions such as Honorary Librarian (1932-1959) and Deputy President (1948-1954) during her time with the Society.
In 1920, May became a part of the newly established Industrial Health Research Board (IHRB), where she studied fatigue and working hours in the laundry trade. She held this post until retirement in 1944.
In the late 1920’s, May’s office was moved to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, she was given the chance to collaborate with Major Greenwood and Millais Culpin on the telegraphist’s cramp; which brought significant development to industrial psychology. It was thought the cramp was from fatigue until Cuplin and his expertise of neuroses showed the emergence of psychoneurotic elements. This find led to studies of other occupations and a report titled, “The Nervous Temperament” in 1930. The study also brought legitimacy to clinical psychology which was a new discipline.
In 1945, after retirement, May became a part-time lecturer at Birkbeck College in London. She taught applied psychology and she would also be awarded the O.B.E. (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1945 for her work during World War II. May retired from Birkbeck College in 1955.
In 1949, May published her autobiography titled, “An Autobiography”, in the journal Occupational Psychology.
May was elected an Honorary Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1958, along with 6 others, Melanie Klein (1882-1960), Agostino Edoardo Gemelli (1878-1960), Alexander Rom Luria (1902-1977), Tom Hatherley Pear (1886-1972), Charles Wilfred Valentine (1879-1964), and Henry Tasman Lovell (1875-1959).
Sadly, on 21 February 1968, May Smith passed away at Otto House in Lewisham, London, aged 88.
In UPEI's Provenance Collection, the book Introduction to Philosophy by Friedrich Paulsen has May's signature along with “Oxford 1908". May also signed her initials on the front cover of the book.
Sources:
Lovie, A. D.; Lovie, P. (2004). "Smith, May (1879–1968)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/58401
Founders, Fellows, Presidents, and Members. (2000-2021). History of Psychology Centre | BPS. https://www.bps.org.uk/about-us/history-psychology/founders-fellows-presidents-members
"Women in early 20th-century experimental psychology | The Psychologist". thepsychologist.bps.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-02-20, Augusta (née Matthews) Smith, Thomas Smith, 29 August 1879, 21 February 1968
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Meta H. Barnwell
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Meta H. Barnwell (1822-1900)
Margaret Harriet Barnwell, affectionately known as Meta, was born on 15 May 1822 in Kean’s Neck, South Carolina. Her parents were Edward Barnwell (1785-1860), a cotton plantation owner, and Elizabeth Osborn (?-1824). They were married on 1 January 1808.
Edward and Elizabeth had nine children: Catherine Osborn (1809-1886), Mary Bower (1811-1871), Edward M. (1813-), Thomas Osborn (1815-1879), Robert (1817-1817), Martha Ann (1818-1895), Elizabeth Osborn (1820-1916), Margaret Harriet (1822-1900), and Esther Heyward (1824-1864).
Elizabeth died 28 days after baby Esther was born, leaving Meta motherless at the age of two.
Undoubtably heartbroken, Edward suddenly found himself a bachelor with 8 children, ranging in age from 15 to newborn. Edward’s four youngest daughters, Martha (6), Bet (4), Meta (2) and Hety (newborn) were of particular concern to him. The newborn, Hety, was adopted by her aunt, Mrs. Mathews, in Charleston. Edward's oldest daughter Catherine (15), was put in charge of looking after the rest, Meta being the youngest, while Edward travelled on many of his business trips. In one letter to Catherine, he writes: Kiss the little ones and tell little Meta I won’t love her if she cries so. 9 March 1825. Meta would have been, not quite, three at the time.
Eventually, Edward’s mother and sisters helped look after the youngest children. On 2 March 1827, Edward writes to Catherine again, about five year old Meta:
I have been very much disappointed however in not receiving one [letter] by last Tuesday’s mail particularly as my dear little Meta had been again sick. Your aunt Nancy wrote to your aunt Betsy she had the fever and that large black and blue spots had been all over her, but that she was better again… Dr. Stuart says it was poverty of the Blood that occasioned the spots on my dear little Meta. I beg your good aunt not to let her eat anything sweet so as to clog or weaken her appetite, but endeavor to make her eat wholesome food and such as will nourish her. To give her bark or tincture of bark and brandy and water. I hope in your seeing and visiting your young friends you will not forget the necessity of attending regularly to the ?dut? and tonic medicine for Meta. I do not wish her to take much weakening Physic- your Aunt Nancy is an excellent judge of what is good for children. Do beg your Aunt Martha to consult her.
Meta's father, Edward Barnwell
When Catherine was married in 1829, at the age of 20, Edward’s “little ones” went and stayed with her and her new husband, William H.W. Barnwell. They raised them. However, it seems that little Meta stayed with her father longer than the others. In fact, Edward seems to have a particular fondness for Meta. He writes numerous letters to his eldest daughter, Catherine, thanking her for looking after his “little ones” and often only mentions Meta by name. In a letter written from Kean’s Neck (Edward’s plantation) and dated January 26th 1831, Edward writes about 9 year old Meta:
My dear Daughter,
I re’d your letter by your uncle William on my return from Beaufort yesterday with Meta. I am very thankful to William for his affectionate kinship in being willing to take the great trouble of another of my little ones; but I cannot yet part with her, if ever I do consent. She is full ? and smart enough, to idle away another year. As to the attention you would pay her, as well as my others, I hope you feel satisfied, when I say, I would part with them to no one in preference to you. Indeed to both of you. I am interrupted, I must close with fervent prayers to a kind and gracious God to continue his watchful care over all of us. I am yours most affectionately.
Edward Barnwell
I will come and see you soon
By the 1840 Census, Catherine and her husband William are living with their own children but they remained close to Catherine’s siblings. William traveled with Meta (age 24), and her younger sister, Hety (age 22) and wrote about the journey to his wife on 12 October 1846:
Meta and Hety give me no trouble at all. They are always in good spirits and ready for any circumstances that may occur. Everyone has been extremely kind to them.
Catherine’s own children also seem to have a fondness for their Aunt Meta. A letter by Robert Burnwell to his mother Catherine, dated August 1846, reads: Aunt Meta is still trying to sling some music out of the piano- but the fault seems to be in her fingers- otherwise she is well.
In an undated letter, from an unnamed sister to Catherine reads: Father carried Meta down to Bay Point this morning for change of air; he is to return this evening. And on 15 August 1853 Catherine’s son, Edward, writes, Aunt Meta is still at Bay Point.
By his time, Meta’s father had married again. Edward and Eliza Zubly Smith were married on 14 June 1832. This union resulted in seven half-siblings for Meta: Archibald Smith Barnwell, John Smith Barnwell, Woodward Barnwell, Helen Barnwell, Charlotte Cuthbert Barnwell, Stephen Bull Barnwell, and Eliza Anne (“Leila”) Barnwell.
Meta’s step-mother, Eliza, died in 1846, and in 1849 Edward married for a third, and final, time to Sarah Caroline Richardson. They had one child together, Sarah Caroline Barnwell. Edward’s grandson, Robert Woodward Barnwell, writes to his aunt Martha Matthews about the occasion of his Grandfather’s upcoming nuptials, dated October 29th, 1849:
I was taken somewhat aback with the news of a wedding in the family but could scarcely have guessed that it was the Patriarch of this Flock that was about to bend his neck to the marriage yoke… Aunt Martha’s account, I am sorry- she has been so devoted to His children and so jealous of Grandfather’s affection and care that she cannot but feel distressed. Aunt Meta is so accommodating to G’fs bliss and has such implicit faith in him that she can scarcely withhold rejoicing with his joy, and the lady stands very high in her estimation. The wedding is to come off on Christmas Eve.
Meta’s love for her father is clearly evident. She also seems to have a focused love of books and education:
In a letter from Ann Barnwell to Catherine O. Barnwell, dated August 27th, 1836, Beaufort:
...Bower came up from Bay Point the day before yesterday. I have not yet seen her but understand she has grown very fat, and looks quite well, I am told. Bet is improving at school, her grandmother and Aunt Mary appear very much interested in her and [?play] piano with her. Meta was here this morning looking well. She was asking about [?St] Mark’s school, says she wishes to go there. I told her I was pleased with all that. I saw and heard of the school, but she must go to stay and to learn; your father, she tells me, is well.
Meta’s books come up in conversation more than once in the letters. Meta’s nephew Joseph Walker Barnwell writes to his mother, Catherine, on 14 June 1869, saying, I don’t really understand about the dictionary. The last time I was in Beaufort it was on the shelf in the parlour- it may, however, be among Aunt Meta’s books. Do ask Moll to hunt it up for me, or perhaps Hettie may know about it.
No matter how intelligent or well-read Meta seems to be, there is a fair amount of discussion regarding her sensibilities.
In a letter from her father, Edward, dated April 22, 1837, from Kean’s Neck, we read:
My dear Catherine,
…..I am truly thankful to my dear William and yourself for your kinship to Meta. Particularly as you have been so sick yourself. I trust Meta will feel more and more how much, and how often, you must have performed the affectionate attentions of the kindest parents to her. She seems fully sensible in her letters to me, of the kinship she has had from you both… Kiss the little ones for me and give my love to all the rest. And believe me my dear Catherine, yours with warmest affections,
EBarnwell
On 11 June 1865, Stephen Elliott Barnwell writes to his mother, Catherine, saying:
Aunt B. will no doubt have informed you also of my having taken advantage of an opportunity of hob-nobbing a little with Aunt Meta who actually mystified me with an amount of common sense for which she had not been previously credited. Enough [that] she expressed herself as comparatively hap[py] and had not as yet taken up any [more] aversions. Both of your little sisters asked affection [torn] after you and professed much interest [in] the family.
On 19 January 1860, Meta’s father passed away.
By 1860, Meta is no longer living with Catherine and her family. Instead, she shares a home with her only other unmarried sister, Martha, in St. Helena’s Parish, Beaufort, South Carolina.
An incident recorded in the contemporary journal of Miss Jane Caroline North, known as “Carey”, may shed light on the continual reference to Meta’s “sensibility”. Carey writes about an insistent woman who she met in a hotel and then again on the train. Of the woman Carey writes, just before she left the cars she came to me and said ‘don’t you want to know who I am? You must think it funny a stranger should be so sociable.’ Carey answered, I would be happy to know who you are. The woman replies, I am Miss Barnwell sister of Mrs. Pinckney, I knew you were a Miss North, I knew your Grandfather and Uncle.’
Carey reflects on this meeting in her diary and writes: I was really glad to find out who she was, for her talk was so peculiar that I was certain she was distracted and think so a little still.
Mrs. Pinckney was Meta’s younger sister Esther, affectionately known as Hety, and only Meta and Martha would have been qualified as “Miss Barnwell”, sister to Mrs. Pinckney, at the time. Martha’s reserved nature, as reflected in her letters and letters written about her, indicate the likelihood that Carey was referring to Meta.
Meta appears very strong-willed and confident in her opinions. During the Civil War, when President of the Confederate States, Jefferson Davis, came to South Carolina, Meta is mentioned in a letter from Caroline Pinckney Seabrook to her cousin Mary Maxcy Leverett. The letter talks about President Davis, followed by a mention of “Mrs. D.", stating Mrs. D. had spent some time in Abbeville previously and Meta B. taught her children with Mr. Parkers'. Meta “wished she was a man to fight for him”.(Taylor, 400). Alongside being tenacious and ready to fight for the cause, it appears that Meta also was a teacher of some regard.
From the book A Story of an American Family we read that, according to Meta’s nephew Joseph, “She [Meta] had bright twinkling eyes, like my grandfather’s and was very pretty in her youth, but she was not his equal in some other respects. She was always very fond of the religion to which she belonged and was anxious at one time to accompany the Misses Gregg of Columbia as a Missionary to Africa.” However, Meta's father refused her hope of being a Missionary in Africa and announced that “she could find enough work to do for Africans at home without crossing the sea." (Barnwell, 87).
In a letter written by Meta’s nephew, Robert Woodward Barnwell, dated 16 August 1847, we read that Meta was a supporter of the temperance movement. “Aunt Martha, and Meta, and Smith are among the converts though Uncle George breathes out fire against the cause and vows that neither Aunt B. or Bet shall join. However, they are in a dead minority and shall have no one either to drink their ?ale? or drink their health”.
In November 1861, almost two years after Meta’s father passed away, the Union army attacked, won, and occupied Beaufort. Almost all of the plantation owners, and their families evacuated the area on the evening of November 6 and the morning of November 7th. Kean’s Neck Plantation, and all the surrounding plantations were quickly abandoned. Many of the slaves were “freed” by default as a result of the fleeing plantation owners and their families.
On the website The Battle for the Coastal Islands of South Carolina we read that, “Teddy Barnwell [Meta’s brother] led a detachment of the Rutledge Mounted Rifles onto Port Royal Island the same day to gather military information. He reported that the town was “still as death," but from the fourth floor of the Barnwell Castle on Bay Street he could see the Union gunboats steaming up the Beaufort River. When Thomas Elliott slipped into Beaufort on November 8, he found that the homes had already been ransacked by the slaves and that the debris of furniture and household goods cluttered the streets. When he arrived at his own home, Elliott found several plantation slaves revelling in the house.”
Inside UPEI’s Provenance Collection book, Biographical and Critical Miscellanies, by William H. Prescott, is written the inscription:
Meta H. Barnwell from her affec. Sister E.O. Barnwell
Tucked between the pages, in the middle of the book, was a journal clipping from the 18 January 1862 edition of Harper’s Weekly: A Journal of Civilization. The clipping was a sketch depicting slaves having a party. Captioned under the picture is Scene in the Parlor of Mr. Barnwell’s House at Beaufort, South Carolina- [Sketched by our Special Artist]. Written on the side of the sketch are the following words:
This sketch as you will perceive coincides with the description given by Tom when his party entered it and conveys in eloquent terms the old establishment and horrors entailed upon may who once enjoyed the belongings of home with all its mere refining influences
Tom could be Meta and Bet’s brother, Thomas Osborn Barnwell, or it could be the Thomas Elliott mentioned above, as he was a friend of the family and distant relative.
Meta, whose sensibility is often in question, who needed at one time to be carried for a change of air, who was given special attention by her father and many others in the family, remains a mystery. Census records never indicate that she was “disabled” or of “feeble mind”. Perhaps just being inquisitive, forthcoming, socially bold and very intelligent didn’t line up with proper behaviour for a genteel lady of the South.
In the 1880 Census, Meta is living alone in Fairplay, Georgia. Her occupation is “keeping house”. By 1898 she is living on Biddle Street West, in Baltimore Maryland, with her half-sister Charlotte Cuthbert Barnwell.
She died in April 1900, in Maryland, and is buried in Loudon Park Cemetery, Baltimore, USA.
Sources:
1840 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina; Roll: 509; Page: 33; Image: 670; Family History Library Film: 0022508
1860 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Saint Helena, Beaufort, South Carolina; Roll: M653_1214; Page: 13; Image: 29; Family History Library Film: 805214
1880 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Fair Play, Habersham, Georgia; Roll: 150; Family History Film: 1254150; Page:597C; Enumeration District: 127; Image: 0138
“Barnwell Family Papers”, Lowcountry Digital Library, accessed 2 August 2016.
Barnwell, Stephen B. The Story of an American Family (Michigan: Marquette, 1969), p.87.
“The Battle for the Coastal Islands of South Carolina”, accessed 2 August 2016.
"Find-A-Grave for Margaret Harriet 'Meta' Barnwell", accessed August 2016.
O’Brien, Michael (editor), An Evening When Alone: Four Journals of Single Women in the South, 1827-67, (Virginia: University of Virginia Press, 1993), 27.
R.L. Polk & Co.'s Baltimore City Directory for 1898. Twelfth Annual Edition. Compiled and Arranged by B.R. Sheriff. Printed by Evening News Publishing Company.
Taylor, Frances Wallace, et al. The Leverett Letters. Correspondence of a South Carolina Family 1851-1868. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2000.
Photo:
Captain Edward Barnwell. From book The Story of an American Family by Stephen B. Barnwell, 82.
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Mildred L. Blumenthal
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Mildred L. Blumenthal (1891-1970)
Mildred L. Blumenthal was born 26 March 1891 to Beruh Blumenthal (b. in Austria) and Rose (b. in Hungary). She had an older brother, Louis J., two older sisters, Frances & Bella, and a younger brother, Abraham H.
In 1910 Mildred's occupation is listed as “Secretary at a Doctor's Office” and five years later (1915) her occupation is listed as “Medical Research”.
A passport application dated 17 Dec 1917 states, as Secretary for the Dept. of Medical Affairs under Major Joseph Collins, she was to go to Italy to do Red Cross work under Major Grayson M.P. Murphy (US Commissioner General for Europe). On the application her address is listed as “127 W. 112th St. NY, NY”. The application includes a picture (used here as her profile picture) and her signature (which matches the signature in UPEI's Provenance copy of Retrospects and Prospects).
A picture of Mildred, dated 18 Oct 1955, confirms she was still working for the Red Cross at this time. In the photo she is registering families who have lost their home in a devastating flood in Connecticut. Mildred died in July 1970. Her last residence was 10705 Yonkers, Westchester, NY., She had an older brother, Louis J., two older sisters, Frances & Bella, and a younger brother, Abraham H., Beruh Blumenthal, Rose Blumenthal, Austria
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Mrs. Hart Hayden
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Hart Hayden (1870-1948)
Joseph Hart Hayden was born on 18 February 1870 in Nova Scotia to James W. Hayden (farmer and boat builder), and Sophronia Adams.
He grew up in Digby Nova Scotia set out to find work in Massachusetts. On 12 June 1898 he sailed out of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and arrived in Boston. Eventually he found work as a meat salesman in Salem, MA (as seen in the 1900 US Census). At some point between his arrival and the 1900 Census, Hart returned to the maritimes and married Sarah Jane Pine from Richibucto New Brunswick. They were married on 11 October 1899 in New Brunswick. Sarah was the daughter of Ephraim Pine and Mary A. MacLean. By the Spring of 1900 Hart and Sarah were living in Salem MA.
Their son, Carl, was born in the U.S. in July 1902, but by the time their second child arrived, (Pearl Eleanor, born 10 June 1903), they were living back in Digby, Nova Scotia. Their third child, Roy Ashton, was born 10 June 1909, exactly six years after his older sister, Pearl.
In Bayview, Nova Scotia, where the family settled, Hart was employed as a Mail Driver/Post Master. He was also known as the Bayview Cabbie, driving locals around in his station wagon.
He died on 30 March 1948 in Bayview, Digby, Nova Scotia.
Bibliography:
Walker, Nancy. "Point Prim Memories", The Lighthouse, Sep/Oct 2003., James W. Hayden, Sophronia Adams, Sarah Jane Pine, 1. Carl
2. Pearl Eleanor
3. Roy Ashton
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Oscar B. Cintas
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Oscar Benjamin Cintas (1887-1957)
Oscar Benjamin Cintas was born on 31 March 1887, in Sagua La Grande Cuba, to Lorenzo Cintas and Amelia Rodriguez. He had two siblings: Lorenzo and Maria. It is believed that Lorenzo died in World War I, but we have not found any primary documents supporting that claim. We know that Oscar signed up for WWI in Washington D.C, in 1918, but did not likely see any action.
Oscar began his education at the Sagua la Grande Jesuit School, followed by a sponsored education in London, England, most likely between 1904-1908. After studying in Great Britain he travelled back to Cuba and worked at the British Railroad, Empresa de Ferrocarriles. He worked his way up and eventually was put in charge of buying and selling railroad cars and equipment.
Oscar was an excellent businessman. He become the president of the Cuban Railroad Company Sugar Mill, president of Railroad Equipment of Brazil and Argentina, director of the American Car and Foundry Company, and a top businessman for the American Locomotive Sales Corporation.
Oscar was also an active traveler. His trip to Paris in 1925 was particularly eventful. It was then that he met his future wife, art enthusiast, Dona Graziella Tarafa (1903-1941), however she was engaged to be married to someone else, waiting in Cuba. Regardless, Oscar and Graziella were married on the boat trip back to Cuba, despite the scandal that awaited them at home.
Dona Graziella’s family was well established and honoured. Oscar’s father-in law, Colonel José Miguel Tarafa, was acknowledged as a hero of Cuba’s War of Independence from Spain. Among being on the Cuban Sugar Producers Committee Colonel Tarafa’s family was one of wealth and high social status within Cuba.
Oscar and Grazielle had no children and Oscar never remarried after Grazielle died in 1941. He built a mausoleum in one of Havana’s nicest Cemeteries where she, and later he, was laid to rest.
Between the years 1932 and 1934 Oscar worked as the Cuban Ambassador to the United States. He advocated fairness in trade with the U.S. regarding Cuban sugarcane production and tariffs, and had a talent in economical and political bargaining. He also had an appreciation of American politician, Abraham Lincoln.
Oscar was particularly keen on collecting Lincoln artifacts. He admired Abraham Lincoln's hopes for Cuba to be a peaceful, fair and unified nation. In April 1949 Oscar won a bidding war at an auction and purchased Colonel Alexander Bliss' copy of Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” for $54,000, the only copy that was in private possession. Oscar donated the document to the United States Government. Today this document is hanging in the Lincoln Room of the White House.
Oscar also bought the portrait of Abraham Lincoln by Thomas Hicks in 1952 for $12,000. He donated this painting to the Chicago Historical Society, and it is now in the collection of the Chicago Historical Museum.
Oscar was a passionate art enthusiast beyond his fascination with Lincoln. He gathered a large collection of modern paintings, rare porcelain, old manuscripts and books. He planned to build a public art museum for the Cuban people in Havana, but it never got off the ground.
Perhaps in reaction to the failed Museum attempt, Oscar, just shortly before his death, created a foundation to support Cuban-American artists. The Foundation was established to encourage Cuban artistic expressions by giving struggling artists, architects, and creative writers, grants to make their art available to the public. A large portion of Oscar's art collection was sold to fund the foundation. The Foundation was first called the Cuban Art Foundation but changed to The Cintas Foundation in 1963.
Despite his success and privileges fairness and equality was of the utmost importance to Oscar. In his will he donated money to the poor of Sagua la Grande in remembrance of his roots. It was this community, and its large red light district, that triggered him to be an indomitable advocate for social justice issues.
Apart from his large art collection, Oscar had such a huge collection of books that he constructed a separate building to house his library (Weiner 194). After his death the majority of his book collection was donated to the Biblioteca Nacional in Havana Cuba. However, one of his books, A False Utopia: A Collectivism by Theory and Practise, by William Henry Chamberlin, managed to make its way to Prince Edward Island and now is part of the UPEI Provenance Collection. Oscar's bookplate is found on the inside cover of the book. How the book traveled from Cuba to PEI remains a mystery.
Sources:
Index to Alien Arrivals by Airplane at Miami, Florida, 1930-1942; National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Microfilm Serial: A3382; Microfilm Roll: 14
Oscar B. Cintas wikipedia page
The Cintas Foundation
Weiner, Jack. "Biography of a Bibliophile and Owner of a 1605 Quijote: Oscar Benjamin Cintas Rodriguez" Bulletin of the Cervantes Society of America 30.2 (Fall 2010): 171-206. Book
U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Registration State: District of Columbia; Registration County: Washington; Roll: 1570933; Draft Board: 01
Photo:
From the The Cintas Foundation, Lorenzo Cintas, Dona Amelia Rodriguez, Dona Graziella Tarafa
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Oswald Hunter Blair
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Oswald Hunter Blair (1853-1939)
In his obituary, printed in The Tablet (16 September 1939, p.18), Oswald Hunter Blair is described as “a truly Christian soul, filled with the love of God and of his fellow-man for God’s sake”. But this Abbot did not come from humble beginnings, rather he would become one of Scotland’s wealthiest landowners. He was the son of the Sir Edward Hunter Blair, 4th Baronet of Dunskey and Blairquhan, and Elizabeth Wauchope. He had eleven siblings: Alicia, Dorothea, James, George, Edward, Forbes, Walter, Reginald, Helen, Ada, and Gilbert.
David had an elite education, first at Eton College in Windsor and then at Magdalen College, Oxford University, where he received a Master of Arts and built a friendship with Oscar Wilde.
He also spent some time in the military, working up to the rank of Captain but afterwards turned his attention towards the Catholic Church.
In 1875 he visited Rome and was received into the Church. After renouncing his Masonic honours he was appointed Chamberlain of Sword and Cape to Pope Leo XIII on 14 April 1878.
Back in Scotland, Baron Simon Fraser, 13th Lord Lovat purchased an old military fort, Fort Augustus, and presented the land to the Church for a Benedictine Abbey to be built and organized. David Hunter Blair took a great interest in this new Abbey and he received the Benedictine habit in December 1878. He became Librarian of the Abbey Library and Headmaster of the Abbey School. He took the name Oswald as his religious name. The relationship between Oswald, the Abbey, and the Lord and Lady Lovat explains the signature in the UPEI book, “Henry the Third and the Church”:
Rev’d Oswald Hunter Blair with the aff’ate regards of Alice M. Lovat. Xmas-day 1905.
On 7 October 1896 he succeeded his father as 5th Baronet David Hunter Blair, of Dunskey, but his interests still focused on the Church rather than aristocracy.
In 1909 he headed to Brazil to help start up a new University in San Paolo. He became a recurring visitor South America, primarily Brazil and Argentina.
In 1913 Oswald was elected Abbot of the Fort Augustus monastery and he held that post until 1917 when he resigned due to illness.
After his retirement he turned to writing. He wrote numerous articles for the Catholic Encyclopedia and wrote a series of “Memories”.
Abbot Oswald was fascinated by the Loch Ness Monster and claims to have seen it “gambolling in the deep water and lashing it into a foam with its powerful tail", for a forty minute stretch.
In 1935 Abbot Oswald returned to Rome and discussed the viewing with Pope Pius XI, who was as equally excited to discuss “the monster”.
David Oswald Hunter Blair died on 12 September 1939, at the age of 85.
Bibliography:
“Requiescat: Abbot Oswald Hunter Blair" The Tablet. The International Catholic News Weekly, (16 September 1939),
Hunter-Blair, Oswald, “A last audience with Pius XI", PAX 210 (Spring 1939): pp.5-11
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Owen C. Sharkey
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Owen Sharkey (1922-2014)
Owen Charles Sharkey was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 28 October 1922. He was the eldest son of Owen Francis Sharkey and Caroline (Carrie) Marie Sinnott. Owen had two younger siblings, Ida May (born 10 March 1924 in Kamsack SK) and William A. (born 9 June 1926 in Kamsack SK).
His mother Caroline Marie Sinnott was born in Morell, Prince Edward Island, and his father, Owen Francis Sharkey, was born in Cardigan, Prince Edward Island. The two were married on August 9, 1921 in PEI.
The Sharkey family lived in Western Canada for the first six years of Owen's life, primarily in Kamsack SK, very close to the Manitoba border. When Owen’s father, Owen Francis Sharkey, died on 17 August 1929 in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Carrie and the children moved back East, but not directly to PEI.
In the 1930 U.S. Census, Carrie, young Owen, Ida, and William were living in Boston MA with Carrie’s older sister Mary, a public school teacher.
In 1931, they (although it may just be Owen and his brother William) moved back to PEI and Owen went to school in Morrell. For High School Owen went to Prince of Wales College and after graduating went to Levis PQ to learn French. In 1940 Owen came back to PEI to study at St. Dunstan’s University. During his time at SDU he maintained the highest aggregate academic score for all four years of his time as a student.
By October 1940 Owen’s mother and sister were living in Dorchester MA, a neighbourhood of Boston. Both Carrie and Ida were living there in 1941, when Carrie petitioned for U.S. citizenship. Owen remained in Charlottetown, and his younger brother lived in Rollo Bay PEI at the time of her application.
According to an edition of the Red & White published in 1943, Owen Sharkey was elected president of the student council. He graduated from St. Dunstan’s University in 1944 with a Bachelor of Arts.
In 1948, Owen was ordained at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto. Immediately after his ordination he returned to St. Dunstan’s University where he worked for six years. Owen was a dedicated scholar. During the summer months, between 1952-1956, he studied Educational Administration and Psychology at the Catholic University of America.
Owen left St Dunstan’s to take his Masters in Psychology at Dalhousie University. While at Dalhousie, he worked as a notary for the Halifax Regional Tribunal (a court for the Catholic Church). He graduated with his Master’s degree in 1958, the same year his mother, Caroline Sharkey, died in Massachusetts.
After completing his masters, Owen Sharkey began his PhD at Columbia University in New York. He returned to St. Dunstan’s in the fall of 1961, as he finished up his doctoral thesis. His PhD thesis paper focused on the theory of Achievement. He proposed that positive people, with high self-acceptance, fared better than negative people with a drive to be successful. Since Owen had already returned to St. Dunstan’s University in the midst of his thesis, he employed freshman students, in Fall of 1961, to test this theory. He created a test to see if student success was determined by how content or discontent they were. In January 1962 he officially rejoined the faculty as a psychology professor.
After receiving his doctorate Dr. Owen Sharkey continued to work for St. Dunstan’s University for many years, and was still there when it became the University of Prince Edward Island in 1969.
Owen was a well loved Psychology professor, and later became the head of the Psychology Department. He was also the SDU Registrar for a number of years.
Owen Charles Sharkey died on 7 November 2014 in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charlottetown, at the age of 92.
Sources:
1891 Census of Canada. Census Place: Lot 53, Kings, Prince Edward Island, Canada; Roll: T-6382; Family No: 42
1901 Census of Canada. Census Place: Lot (Township/Canton) 53, Kings, Prince Edward Island; Page: 15; Family No: 125
1911 Census of Canada. Census Place: 16 - Part - Lot 52 and 53, Kings, Prince Edward Island; Page: 12; Family No: 114
1921 Census of Canada. Census Place: Lorne Valley, Kings, Prince Edward Island; Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 103; Page Number: 11
1930 United States Federal Census. Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0392; FHL microfilm: 2340686
The Boston Globe. 4 July 1958, p.22.
Boston Massachusetts City Directory, 1930, for year ending August 1931, page 1891.
Father Sharkey Re-joins Faculty 29 January 1962, page 4.
Obituary for Ida May (Sharkey) Jay
Obituary for Owen C. Sharkey
Owen Sharkey and Carrie Sinnott Marriage Record, PEI. PARO. RG19/s3/ss6: Marriage registrations, 1921.
Owen T. Sharkey Death Record, PEI. PARO. Patriot newspaper, 31 December 1929.
Petitions and Records of Naturalization , 8/1845 - 12/1911 ; NAI Number: 3000057; Record Group Title: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Record Group Number: RG 21. National Archives at Boston; Waltham, Massachusetts.
Red & White 1943, page 28.
SDU Expands Facilities, Courses, As Student Body Mushrooms. Charlottetown Guardian-The Evening Patriot. 27 February 1963, p.25A.
UPEI Communications: Former Faculty Member Owen Sharkey Passes Away.
Photo:
SDU Digital Archive. Class of 1944., Owen Francis Sharkey, Caroline (Carrie) Marie Sinnott., Ida May (Sharkey) Jay and William A. Sharkey
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Owen Kiggins
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Reverend Owen Kiggins (1879-1961)
Reverend Owen Kiggins was born on 1 March 1879, in Brookvale, Prince Edward Island, Canada to parents Michael and Margaret (née McMahon) Kiggins. The Kiggins were a family of 9 children, with Owen being the fourth child, his siblings included older brothers and sister William (1874), Rosella (1875), and Bernard (1877) then younger siblings, Teresa (1881), Aenas ‘Ruddy’ (1884), Mark Vincent (1886), Cora (1888), and Catherine (1889).
Owen was first educated at the Brookvale school, he was then accepted into Prince of Wales College and graduated with a teaching license. After graduation, he would teach in Wellington for a few years before attending St. Dunstan’s University and graduating with a degree in 1910.
After St. Dunstan’s, Owen decided to enter into the Priesthood and went to study Theology at the Grand Seminary in Quebec. After four years, he was ordained on 14 July 1914, in Kelly’s Cross.
Owen then became an instructor at St. Dunstan’s and taught from 1914-1923. In 1923, he was appointed to Georgetown and Montague parishes where he stayed until retirement in 1960.
Sadly on 6 March 1961, Reverend Owen Kiggins passed away at the Sacred Heart Home in Charlottetown. His funeral was held at St. James Church in Georgetown on 9 March 1961.
In UPEI’s Provenance Collection, the book, A history of English literature for secondary schools by J. Logie Robertson has the signature “Owen Kiggins SDC 1915”.
Sources:
Prince Edward Island Baptismal Index. Prince Edward Island, Canada: Public Archives and Records Office. http://www.gov.pe.ca/archives/baptismal/search_index.php: accessed 16 March 2012.
Library and Archives Canada. Census of Canada, 1891. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada, 2009. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1891/Pages/about-census.aspx. Series RG31-C-1. Statistics Canada Fonds. Microfilm reels: T-6290 to T-6427.
“In Memoriam Rev. Owen Kiggins.” Saint Dunstan’s University: Red & White, 1961. Pg. 4. Identifier: vre:rw-batch5-429.
Voters Lists, Federal Elections, 1935–1980. R1003-6-3-E (RG113-B). Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Library and Archives Canada. Sixth Census of Canada, 1921. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada, 2013. Series RG31. Statistics Canada Fonds.
Nantes, Desi. (1974). A history of Kelly’s Cross Parish. Catholic Church in Prince Edward Island. Full text via IslandLives
Photo:
Photo from St. Dunstan's University Digital Archive. Class of 1915. Identifier, sdu:187, Margaret (McMahon) Kiggins, Michael Kiggins
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