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Frederick Louis Cass
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Frederick Louis Cass (1907-1964)
Reverend Frederick Louis Cass was born on 23 May 1907, in North River, Prince Edward Island to parents Thomas P. Cass, and Mary Ann Trainor. Thomas and Mary Ann had ten children, with Frederick being the youngest son. Frederick’s older siblings include: Mary, William, Parvin, Austin, Francis, John, George, and Evelyn, and his younger sister Theresa.
Frederick entered Prince of Wales College and obtained a teaching license. He then taught for two years before attending St. Dunstan’s College where he graduated in May 1931. After graduation, in the Fall of 1931, Frederick entered the Grand Seminary of Quebec. He was ordained in St. Dunstan’s Basilica on 3 March 1935.
Frederick would then spend the next two years, 1936-1937, at St. Francis Xavier and McGill University studying chemistry. He would return to St. Dunstan’s College, where he became the first priest to teach chemistry. Frederick also became involved in coaching, he coached athletics as well as debate teams and in the 1950’s, he coached two national debating championship teams.
Frederick taught at St. Dunstan’s College for 27 years but he unfortunately passed away suddenly on 8 July 1964, at the Charlottetown Hospital. His Funeral Mass was held in St. Dunstan’s Basilica by Bishop MacEachern and he was buried in the People’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, in Parkdale.
In 1967, The Science Hall at St. Dunstan’s College was renamed to Cass Science Hall in honor of Reverend Frederick Louis Cass.
UPEI’s Provenance Collection has a copy of the book, Colloids: a textbook, by Hugo Rudolph Kruyt, with Frederick’s signature ”Frederick Louis Cass” “McGill University” “Montreal”.
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.
O’Shea, Art. (1996). “Fred Cass”. In Priests and bishops who served in the Diocese of Charlottetown, 1829-1996. The Author, Charlottetown, PE.
“Rev. F.L. Cass Dies Suddenly” The Guardian. 9 July, 1964, p. 1. Accessed through IslandNewspapers.ca on 5 June 2019.
Library and Archives Canada. Census of Canada, 1911. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada, 2007. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1911/Pages/about-census.aspx. Series RG31-C-1. Statistics Canada Fonds. Microfilm reels T-20326 to T-20460.
Rev Frederick Louis Cass. Find a Grave.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195020601/frederick-louis-cass
University of Prince Edward Island. Cass Science Hall. Retrieved from
http://www.upei.ca/about-upei/visit-the-campus/cass-science-hall
Photo:
Photo from St. Dunstan's University Digital Archive. Rev. F. L. Cass. Identifier sdu:7978., Mary Ann Trainor, Thomas P. Cass
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Fredrick R. Forster (Foster)
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Fredrick R. Forster (1857-1936)
Fredrick Ryder Foster was born on 17 June 1857, son of George Forster and Juliana Ryder. His parents were married on 23 December 1841 and they had 8 children, of whom Frederick was the youngest.
Fredrick’s older siblings were: Juliana Elizabeth (b.31 Oct 1842), Caroline Mary (b.6 Mar 1844), George Henry (b.21 Mar 1846), Elizabeth R. (b.8 Mar 1848), Emily Sarah (b.25 Dec 1849), Arthur (b.30 Nov 1851), and Clara (b.27 Mar 1855).
Fredrick was baptised at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Charlottetown PEI on 1 January 1859.
When Fred was two, his sixteen year old sister Elizabeth died on 6 January 1859. He never met his sister Clara who was born two years before him and died before her second month of life, on 12 Mary 1855.
Sometime around the 1880’s the family made a name change from Forster to Foster. They are listed as Foster in the 1881 Census, but the baptism of Fred’s nephew Alfred, in 1885 lists him as Alfred Forster. All written documents that we found after this date seem to use the name Foster.
Fredrick’s father, George, was a blacksmith. By 1881 Fredrick and his older brother Arthur also worked as blacksmiths. At that time Fred was still living at home with his parents, his sister Caroline, his brother Arthur, Arthur’s wife, Lucy, and Arthur’s 2 year old son, Alfred E. [Ernest] Foster.
Two years later Fredrick’s father died on 4 April 1883. In the 1891 Census Frederick was living with his widowed mother, Juliana, and his older sister Caroline. In February 1894 Fredrick’s mother, Juliana, passed away.
Fred built his blacksmith business in Charlottetown which included making buggies and carriages. In 1901 he put an announcement in the paper:
Buggies and Carriages- I will sell the balance of my stock at the lowest possible prices to clear, for cash or approved notes. The above includes new and second-hand buggies, jump seats, expresses, truck-waggons, cart wheels, etc- our own to make. Fred R. Foster, Upper Queen Street. (Charlottetown Guardian, 26 June 1901, page 4).
Fredrick’s occupation also put him in some interesting situations. In 1903 he was hired by the local jail to adjust a cell that housed a man awaiting trial for murder:
Yesterday Fred Foster, blacksmith, was engaged at the jail making the cell occupied by Joseph Carver safer in order that all possibility of suicide should be removed. The opening at the top of the doorway through which McLeod placed the slat of the bedstead has been closed up and an opening made in the middle of the door through which the prisoner can be watched as he sleeps. (Charlottetown Guardian, 15 April 1903, page 5).
Joseph Carver had been found guilty of murdering Alexander Stewart, of Lot 48, PEI, and was scheduled to be executed on 1 October 1903. Eleven days before the execution date, the Governor General sent word that Carver’s sentence was to be lessened to life imprisonment.
After the death of his parents, Fred shared a home with his older sister Caroline. In the 1921 census they were living at 89 Euston Street in Charlottetown, PEI. He would have been almost 64 years old at the time and, according to the census, still working as a carriage builder.
Fredrick died on 17 October 1936 at the PEI hospital. His body went to his niece’s home (Bessie Foster, daughter of Fred’s brother Arthur) before going to St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Charlottetown for the funeral. At the time of his death Fred’s home was located at 59 Cumberland Street, Charlottetown. In his will he left money to St. Peter’s Cathedral. It was noted in the 4 December 1936 issue of the Charlottetown Guardian.
RECEIVE LEGACY- The St. Peter’s Cathedral Monthly says: “We are to receive a legacy of $500.00 from the estate of the late Mr. Frederick Foster. For this we are very grateful and hope that members of St. Peter’s when they make their wills will always make provision for bequests to the church.”
Within the BookLives collection is a copy of the book, “Carpenter’s Scholars’ Spelling Assistant”. Inside are numerous inscriptions of the name Fredrick R. Forster and the date Dec. 10th 1868. Fred would have been eleven years old when the inscription was dated. The name “Arthur”, Fred’s older brother, is also written on the last page.
Sources:
1881 Census of Canada. Census Place: Charlottetown Royalty, Queens, Prince Edward Island; Roll: C_13163; Page: 66; Family No: 311
1891 Census of Canada. Census Place: Charlottetown Royalty, Queens, Prince Edward Island; Roll: T-6383; Family No: 471
1921 Census of Canada. Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 105; Census Place: Charlottetown (City), Queens, Prince Edward Island; Page Number: 34
Charlottetown Guardian. “All News of Local Interest.” 15 April 1903, p.5.
Charlottetown Guardian. “Buggies and Carriages.” 26 June 1901, p.4.
Charlottetown Guardian. “Carver Hears the Message that Sentence has been Commuted.” 21 September 1903, p.1
Charlottetown Guardian. “Funeral Services.” 22 October 1936, p.3.
Charlottetown Guardian. “Receive Legacy.” 4 December 1936, p.3.
Charlottetown Guardian. “Terrible Murder Committed Near Southport.” 13 Apri 1903, p.1.
Death Record for Frederick Ryder Foster. Government of Prince Edward Island. RG19/s2/ss6: Death registration books, 1936, entry #927.
Death Record for George Foster, pre-1906 Death Index. St. Peters Cathedral, Charlottetown, Book 2.
Death Record for Juliana Foster, pre-1906 Death Index. St. Peters Cathedral, Charlottetown, Book 2.
Microtech Supply and Services; Cemetery, Rent, Account, Pledge, Minute, Contract; Charlottetown; 1828-1906, 1910-7; Author: Prince Edward Island Public Archives; St. Paul Anglican Church of Canada (Charlottetown); FHL Roll: 1630133
Patriot Newspaper. 31 December 1936. Death announcement for Frederick R. Foster
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G. D. Steel
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G. D. Steel (1882-1978)
George Douglas Steel was born in York, PEI, on 14 January 1882, to Methodist Minister George Steel and his wife, (Jemima/Jane) Anne Snaith. He is better known, locally, by Dr. G. Douglas Steel the past Principal of Prince of Wales College, from 1936-1949.
The news of G. Douglas' birth made the paper. The 8 April 1882 edition of the Moncton newspaper, The Times, rather unceremoniously noted:
Born - 14th Jan., at the Parsonage, Little York, P.E.I., wife of Rev. George STEEL, a son.
G. Douglas had three younger brothers: Percy Johnson, James Vernon and William Arthur.
Sometime between younger brother William's birth in 1889 and the 1891 Census, G. Douglas' mother died. His father, Reverend George Steel then remarried on 8 September 1892 in Boston to PEI native, Isabelle Wright.
Rev. George and Isabelle had two daughters, Francis Maud, born on 1 November 1893, and Annie Kathleen, born on 19 May 1896. Unfortunately, Kathleen died on 19 November 1897 of diphtheritic croup. She was 18 months old, G. Douglas would have been 15 at the time of the tragedy.
G. Douglas left his family to attend Mount Allison University. He graduated with a B.A. in 1903. The following year, he received his license to teach in New Brunswick, followed by his first teaching post at Pollett River. He was promoted to Principal of Richibucto Grammar School for the years 1905-07.
After a few years of teaching, G. Douglas opted to further his education. He attended Harvard University between the years 1907-09 and graduated with an M.A.
UPEI's Provenance copy of the Volsunga Saga, edited by H. Halliday Sparling, includes the signature of G.D. Steel. Below his name is written 308 Harvard St., Cambridge. This home was just down the street from Harvard University, and G. Douglas would have lived there during his years at the Ivy League school. It is not dated, as most of his signed books are, but the narrowed years are 1907-09, the years he attended Harvard.
Upon graduation, in 1909, G. Douglas joined the staff at Prince of Wales College, in Charlottetown, PEI. In 1914, he became the Vice-President of the School and continued to teach English.
On 28 June 1916, G. Douglas married Mary Bethia Hayes in Saint John, NB. They were married by G. Douglas' father, Rev. George Steel.
G. Douglas and Mary settled in Charlottetown on Euston Street. On 2 September 1917, they had a son, Robert George Douglas Steel.
In 1933, G. Douglas received an honourary LL.D. from Mount Allison University. St. Dunstan's University also conferred an honorary degree in 1967.
He was a well-respected professor. In the December 1936 edition of the College Times he was unofficially voted “Most Interesting" professor by canvassed students.
G. Douglas continued as Vice Principal of PWC for 23 years, from 1914-1937. He rose to the position of Principal upon the death of Samuel Napier Robertson, who held the position for 36 years. S.N. Robertson was also the namesake of the UPEI Robertson Library.
G. Douglas retired in 1949, however, he kept busy in his retirement. He was President of the Prince Edward Island Music Festival Association from 1951-55. He was a member of the Board of Governors of the CBC from 1946-1957. He was also an involved member of the Trinity United Church in Charlottetown.
His legacy, however, will always focus on his talent in academia and teaching. His retirement announcement in the College Times, dated 24 November 1949, says:
His contribution to the interests of higher education in this Province has been outstanding. The alumni and students of Prince of Wales will always remember him with affection and esteem.
Dr. G. Douglas Steel died in Sackville, New Brunswick, on December 1978. His funeral was held in the Mount Allison University Chapel, where he had been one of the oldest alumni up until his death.
He was survived by his wife, Mary (Mae), his son Dr. Robert G.D. Steel, a mathematics professor in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a granddaughter, Marcia Steel, a violinist living in New York City. His only grandson, Jonathan Chester Steel, had died an accidental death while he was studying at the University of Toronto, only a few years earlier.
It is fitting that this highly educated, interesting professor, who supported the musical arts in Prince Edward Island, would be honoured with a building in his name, during his lifetime. The Steel Building at the University of Prince Edward Island, so named in 1975, is the home of the music department.
Other G.D. Steel books in the UPEI Provenance Collection:
Day, Frank Parker. A Good Citizen. Sackville: Mount Allison University, 1947. [G.D. Steel signature with date November, 1948].
Franklin, Benjamin. Poor Richard's Almanac. New York & Boston: H.M. Caldwell Co., 1900. [G.D. Steel signature].
Kebbel, T.E. Life of George Crabbe. London: Walter Scott, 1888. [G.D. Steel signature and date, Sept. 27, 1910].
Lewin, Walter. Prose Writings of Swift. London: The Walter Scott Publishing Co., Ltd, no date. [G.D. Steel signature and date, May 9, 1908].
Symonds, John Addington. English Men of Letters: Shelley. London: MacMillan and Co., 1929. [G.D. Steel signature and date, July 1930].
Sources:
1891 Census of Canada. Census Place: Sydney Ward, Saint John City, New Brunswick; Roll: T-6303; Family No: 385.
1901 Census of Canada. Census Place: Saint John (City/Cité) Lansdowne (Ward/Quartier), Saint John (city/cité), New Brunswick; Page: 31; Family No: 308.
College Times, Prince of Wales College, December 1936, p. 20.
College Times, Prince of Wales College, 24 November 1949, p. 1-2.
“Island Educator Dies in Sackville," Charlottetown Guardian, 27 December 1978 (clipping).
Marriage. Registration Division of Saint John City and County. Date, 28 June 1916. Reference B4/1916; Microfilm F15968.
New Brunswick Provincial Returns of Death. Name, Kathleen Steele. Date, 19 November 1897. Reference C4/1897; Microfilm F17621.
“Retirement", College Times, 24 November 1949, p.1, column 4, p.2, column 4.
The Times, Moncton, 8 April 1882. Accessed from Daniel F. Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics: Volume 58, Number 2887.
“University Chapel Scene of Funeral", Charlottetown Guardian, 3 January 1979 (clipping).
“University to Confer Three Honorary Degrees", The Red & White, March 1967, vol.7, no.9.
Photo:
Photo courtesy of UPEI Archives: Prince of Wales College - Yearbook -The Welshman (1946-1947), Mary Bethia Hayes, Robert George Douglas Steel
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George D. Beckwith
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George Derr Beckwith was born on 26 October 1884, in Albion NY (near Waterport). He was the son of Edwin Beckwith and Julia Derr (Beckwith) and he had a brother, Harold.
George attended Syracuse University in 1905 and graduated in 1909. He was a Charter member of fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. Immediately after graduation he became the social director of Chicago Central’s YMCA from 1909-1911. He was also the editor of the YMCA monthly paper during his term in Chicago.
On February 1st, 1911, at 3 pm, George married Elizabeth Cotting Mauterstock of Kingston NY. They were married at the bride’s family home by Rev. C.H. Taylor and Rev. G.W. Downs, former and present pastor or Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church in Kingston NY.
That same year (1911) George became the General Secretary of Kingston NY’s YMCA. During his tenure the YMCA building on Broadway was constructed in 1912. The building was hit by two fires in 1991 and was demolished on 26 November 1991, before it was replaced in 1993.
George was also very involved in the Boy Scouts of America. According to his obituary in the Elizabethtown Chronicle, “He was the first Boy Scout executive to receive the highest award of the Scout Executives Fellowship.”
George was a member of the First Church of God, in Elizabethtown Pennsylvania. He wrote numerous books on the Bible and Biblical prophecy. One book, written by George, is “The American Home and Character Trends” which we have a copy of in the Robertson Library. On the inside cover is written:
With Best wishes
Geo.D.Beckwith”
In 1944 George received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Rockford College (Lighthouse Bible College) in Rockford Illinois.
George’s wife died in 1950. They had a daughter, Virginia (married name Passon and living in Ann Arbour, Michigan, at time of father’s death) and a son Albert Beckwith (living in Gloversville NY at time of his father’s death). George also had four grandchildren.
In 1951 George married again, this time to Mabel Espenshade.
George died in Lancaster General Hospital, at 9am on 14 June 1958, after a long illness leading to cerebral thrombosis. At the time of death George was living at 23 ½ South Market Street, Elizabethtown (or Lancaster) PA. He was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery, in Gloversville New York.
Sources:
“Beckwith, George D.” “Alumni of Syracuse University," page 1311. Accessed May 12, 2021.
“Beckwith-Mauterstock”. “Democrat and Chronicle." Saturday, 4 Feb 1911, pg. 10.
“Dr. Beckwith, Local Biblical Scholar, Dies”. “Elizabethtown Chronicle," 19 June 1958, pg.1
“G.D. Beckwith, Former Officer of Local Y, Dies.” “Kingston Daily Freeman," 20 June 1958, pg.2
“Y.M.C.A Kingston New York”. “New York Heritage Digital Collections." Accessed May 12, 2021.
“The YMCA Kingston NY Nov 1991”. “Flickr: Richie W." Accessed May 12, 2021.
Photo:
Photo from George’s book, “The American Home and Character Trends,” Kingsport Tennessee: Kingsport Press, 1937., Julia Derr, Edwin Beckwith, 1. Elizabeth Cotting Mauterstock
2. Mabel Espenshade, Virginia (Beckwith) Passon and Albert Beckwith
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George Egerton
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George Egerton (1859-1945)
Mary Chavelita Dunne was born on the 14th of December 1859, in Australia. Her father was John J. Dunne, an Irish Catholic army officer, and her mother was Isabel George, a Welsh Protestant. Mary’s childhood was an international experience. She lived in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Germany and Ireland. At age 14, Mary’s mother passed away, and Mary turned her interests towards nursing. She eventually worked in hospitals in London, England, and New York.
In 1886, Mary returned to Ireland as Charlotte Whyte Melville’s travelling companion and Charlotte’s husband, Henry Peter Higginson, was with them. Mary and Henry fell in love and eloped to Norway the following year. They were married in 1888, but the marriage lasted only one year.
Mary’s time in Norway was a turning point in her literary career. She learned the Norwegian language and devoured the works of Ola Hansson, Knut Hamsun, Henrik Isben, Friedrich Nietzsche, Knut Pedersen and August Strindberg. She became involved in local literary circles and surrounded herself with Norwegian authors and artists. Mary became a translator for many Norwegian authors, including Knut Hamsun and Ola Hansson. The UPEI Provenance Collection book Young Ofeg’s Ditties, by Hansson was translated by George Egerton.
Mary returned to Ireland and her second marriage, on 30 November 1891 to Egerton Tertius Clairmonte, explains her pseudonym. “George” was in honour of her mother, whose maiden name was George, and Egerton was her husband’s first name.
George’s first literary work, Keynotes, was published in 1893. This work was a radical departure from Victorian feminine literature. The book promoted female sexual liberty and fulfilment and broke down barriers of female class and the conventional moral definitions associated with each class. As one would guess, in 1893, this would cause sensational ripples around the literary world. George was pegged as the leader of the “new woman” movement. According to Lisa Hager's paper, “A Community of Women: Women's Agency and Sexuality in George Egerton's Keynotes and Discords”:
Egerton’s New Women constantly push at the edges of the roles Victorian society provides for them as they move toward a space that allows for the expression of their own desires, not the desires that men would grant them. They move towards freely expressing their sexual desires in reciprocal romantic relationships and becoming agents in directing their own lives.
In April 1894, Punch magazine parodied George’s work. She was caricatured as Donna Quixote. In the drawing she sits on a chair with a key raised in her right hand and reading an open book in her left. She sits with legs wide apart and her feet resting on books, one with the name Tolstoi on it. Around her are numerous books and traditionally masculine roles, represented by women (a female soldier, a female knight and a mythical feminine warrior). The only clear male figure is a bearded head with the words “Tyrant Man” on his forehead. Below the picture is a Don Quixote quote, mildly altered: “A world of disorderly notions picked out of books, crowded into his (her) imagination”.
This satirical picture is based on artist Gustave Doré's first plate in the 1863 illustrated edition of Don Quixote.
The parody was obvious to it’s viewers. The key, a traditional phallic symbol, was held in possession by a woman, and the self assertive open-legged stance showed George as sexually available, but still in control of her own sexuality. George Egerton challenged the Victorian moral code. The meek, compliant, sexual subservient Victorian lady, regardless of financial status, was now encouraged to claim their own key and take ownership of their own body and mind.
The marriage between George and Clairmonte did not last. The petition for divorce stated that the Respondent [Clairmonte] had been “guilty of Adultery coupled with desertion of the said Petitioner [G. Egerton] for two years and upwards without reasonable excuse”. The divorce was made final on 18 February 1901.
On 11 July 1901, George married drama critic Reginald Golding Bright. They lived, for many years, at 59 Ridgemount Gardens in London. This relationship might have been the impetus for George trying her hand as a playwright. Only one (His Wife’s Family) of her three plays made it to the stage.
All in all, George Egerton wrote four short story anthologies, two novels, three plays and was the translator of numerous books and theatre scripts.
George did have one son as a result of her second marriage, to Egerton Clairmonte. George Egerton Clairmonte was born on 24 November 1895 at the Rectory Cottage, Chesham, Buckinghamshire. He graduated from Clare College, Cambridge University in 1914 and immediately went to the Royal Military College in Sandhurst. He became a 2nd lieutenant and 1st class machine gun instructor. George went to France on 13 June 1915 and joined the machine gun section of his regiment. He was killed in action by a bullet to the head on 26 September 1915. He was 19 years old. George's Commanding Officer wrote his mother with the following words:
Your son was a very good officer, much liked by his men and absolutely fearless; he seemed to enjoy every moment he was out here. He died fighting gallantly... He will be difficult to replace, and is a real loss to the regiment. He was killed in Bois Hugo...
George Egerton died on 12 August 1945 in Sussex, England. The obituary of “Mrs. Golding Bright” brings to light the essence of her radical literature:
George Egerton's death brings back to mind the so-called 'new woman' school of fiction of the nineties in which the 'problems' of the relations of the sexes for the first time in English literature were put before a somewhat bewildered Victorian public.
The letter that is within UPEI’s Provenance Collection, is in a copy of Young Ofeg’s Ditties, translated by George Egerton, it reads:
Chesham
Bucks.
Dec 15th ‘900
Dear Sir,
It is kind of you to remember my birthday always. Last year your good wishes followed me to Norway, too late to thank you for them-
You once wrote and asked me, I think, to write my name in a book of yours. Of course if it could be any gratification to you I shall be pleased to do so. With many thanks for your courtesy.
I am
Yours faithfully
“George Egerton”
The first signature in the book is “Thomas Hutchinson, No.3976”. We can way say, with much certainty, that Thomas Hutchinson is the “Dear Sir” that George Egerton refers to. Thomas regularly wrote authors and cherished their replies, often gluing them directly into the book, such as in Young Ofeg’s Ditties.
Sources:
Dutta, Shanta. “George Egerton: Redefining Woman in ‘Victorian’ Patriarchy.” In Moneta's Veil. Essays on nineteenth century literature. edited by Malabika Sarkar, 23-33. India: Dorling Kindersley, 2010.
Hager, Lisa. “A Community of Women: Women's Agency and Sexuality in George Egerton's Keynotes and Discords”, Nineteenth Century Gender Studies, 2:2 (Summer 2006).
Stetz, Margaret Diane. “George Egerton: Woman and Writer of the Eighteen Nineties.” Ph.D. Thesis, Harvard University, 1982., 1. Henry Peter Higginson, 2. Egerton Tertius Clairmonte, 3. Reginald Golding Bright, George Egerton Clairmonte 1895-1915, John J. Dunne, Isabel George
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George F. G. Stanley
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George F.G. Stanley (1907-2002)
George Francis Gillman Stanley was born in July of 1907, to Della Lilly White and John Henry Stanley in Calgary, Alberta; he was an only child.
When George was a child, he dreamed of being a soldier, which led him to join the cadets from grades five to eleven. After he graduated grade school in 1925, he attended the University of Alberta.
Although George’s parents wanted him to pursue a career in law, he decided to pursue a career in history. The article he wrote in Swords and Ploughshares: War and Agriculture in Western Canada he described why he became a historian:
“I did not become a historian because it was in my blood, or more correctly, in my genes. I became a historian because I was brought up in surroundings that stimulated an interest in history during my formative years.” (pg. 3)
George graduated from the University of Alberta in 1929, with an honours degree in history. Shortly after receiving his Bachelor’s degree, George attended Keble College, Oxford on the Cecil Rhodes Scholarship. He received a BA from there in 1931 and received his Bachelor of Letters (B.Litt), and Master of Letters (M.Litt); he then finished his education by obtaining his doctorate in 1935. Stanley’s post-graduate work focused on Louis Riel.
UPEI's Provenance copy of the book Canute the Great 995 (circ)-1035: And the Rise of Danish Imperialism During the Viking Age, by Laurence Marcellus Larson includes George's signature with the date Oct 22/29 and the hand-written location of Keble Oxon. This was the autumn that he first attended Keble College. The book also includes George Francis Gillman Stanley's Ex Libris bookplate with shield and Latin motto Sans Changer.
George returned to Canada in 1936 and became a professor at Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick. He remained there until 1940, then he went to serve in World War II fulfilling his childhood dreams of becoming a soldier. He retired from the war in 1946, as a deputy director of the historical section.
In 1946, George married Ruth L. Hill, a lawyer from Montreal. They had three children: Della M.M., Marietta R.E., and Laurie C.C. Both Laurie and Della followed in their father’s footsteps and became professors of history.
In 1947, George was appointed as the chair of Canadian History at the University of British Columbia from 1947-1949.
In 1949, he was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in Ottawa. While he was here, he was responsible for researching how the government interacts and forms policy with and about Native Canadians. While George was conducting his research, he became the head of the history department at the Royal Military College. He would stay there for twenty years; George would also become the Dean of Arts during his time at RMC.
In 1950, George became a member of the Royal Society of Canada and was awarded the Tyrrell Medal in 1957 for history.
In 1964, George petitioned the government for the creation of a new Canadian flag. He explained that it needed to exclude symbols that were divisive and that the flag needed to be something that all Canadians could be proud of, not just a singular group. His flag design was officially adopted on 15 February 1965.
Canada Flag designed by George F. G. Stanley
The idea of removing the Union Jack from the flag was met with mixed reactions, “Stanley once told reporters he was called a traitor for suggesting the designs of the Canadian emblem to replace the British Red Ensign and the Union Jack” (The Daily Gleaner, 2002). Not all were in disagreement though, when he accepted his honorary degree from Laval “he was loudly applauded by the student body when the Canadian flag was referred to in his citation. The applause interrupted the citation” (Matheson, 1980).
In 1969, George returned to teaching at Mount Allison, where he became the Director of Canadian Studies. He retired from teaching in 1975, but his career and accomplishments were far from over.
In 1976, he was awarded with the Order of Canada and in 1994, he was promoted to Companion of the Order.
From 1982 until 1987, George was appointed as the lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, and from 1982 until 1992, he was also the Honorary Colonel of the Royal New Brunswick Regiment.
During his lifetime, George wrote and published several books on Canadian History. Including, The Birth of Western Canada, Canada’s Soldiers, and Louis Riel (a definitive biography). His publications and research tended to go against the norm of what historians were researching at the time, typically taking controversial stances. George’s belief was “if we don’t preserve and understand Canadian history, we really can’t discover our own identity” (The Daily Gleaner, 2002).
He also received twelve honorary degrees, including one from Saint Dunstan’s University.
In 1992, George received the Canadian Forces Decoration, making him the oldest Canadian to receive this distinguished honor.
George and Ruth retired in Sackville, NB at their home, Frosty Hollow.
On 13 September 2002, George Francis Gillman Stanley passed away at the age of 95. The majority of his book collection and the works are housed in the University of Calgary’s library, alongside a bronze bust of Dr. George Stanley.
Other books in the UPEI Provenance Collection:
Dalberg-Acton, John Emerich Edward. Lectures on the French Revolution. London: Macmillan and Co., 1920. [Bookplate with This Book Belongs To and then, handwritten, Keble College Oxford; also the signature of George F. G. Stanley U of A in purple ink].
Gardiner, Samuel R. History of the Great Civil War (1642-1649). London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1898-1901. Volumes 1-4. [George Francis Gillman Stanley bookplate in all four volumes.]
Greville, Charles C.F. The Greville Memoirs. A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1837-1852. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1885. Volumes 1-3. [George Francis Gillman Stanley bookplate in all four volumes. Also Volumes 2,3 include the bookplate of Bagnell, Bicester on the back cover.]
Sources:
1916 Census of Canada. Census Place: Alberta, Calgary West, 01E; Roll: T-21949; Page: 19; Family No: 211.
1921 Census of Canada. Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 4; Census Place: City of Calgary (Part), Calgary West, Alberta; Page Number: 8.
Hillmer, Norman. “George Francis Gillman Stanley.” The Canadian Encyclopedia: 16 January 2008. Accessed on 17 August 2016.
Macleod, R. C. Swords and Ploughshares: War and Agriculture in Western Canada. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1993. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), accessed on August 17, 2016, through UPEI's Robertson Library's ebook collection. [Access on campus only for non-UPEI users.]
McLaughlin, Heather. “Stanley ‘challenged each of us'.” The Daily Gleaner 14 September, 2002, pg. A3. Accessed through UPEI's Robertson Library's database subscription Eureka on 17 August 2016. [Access on campus only for non-UPEI users.]
Stanley-Blackwell, Laurie C.C. “Biography.” Col. the Hon. George F.G. Stanley (1907-2002). Accessed on 17 August 2016.
Steele, Apollonia. “The Dr. George F.G. Stanley Book Collection.” University of Calgary Archives and Special Collections. Accessed through The Dr. George F.G. Stanley Book Collection on 17 August 2016.
Photo:
Photo from St. Francis Xavier University website., John Henry Stanley, Della Lilly White, Ruth L. Hill, Della M.M. Stanley, Marietta R.E. Stanley, and Laurie C.C. Stanley
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George F. Hagarty
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George Frederick Hagarty was the son of Annie Elizabeth Grasett and Sir John Hawkins Hagarty of Ireland. George was born in Toronto, Ontario, on 28 June 1847, and was the second of three sons.
George’s father, who came to Canada in 1837, was a barrister, who eventually became the Chief Justice of Ontario from 1884-1897, and so George enjoyed a rather privileged upbringing.
On 29 May 1866 George became an ensign in the 47th Regiment of Foot, also known as The Lancashire regiment. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 5 April 1871, and served in the West Indies and England before retiring.
Bulletins and other State intelligence for the Year 1875 reported that Lieutenant George Frederick Hagarty, at the age of 28, retired from service as of 11th September, 1875. He returned to Canada and lived at home with his parents.
A few years after his military retirement George married Florence Alicia Grasett Gates on the 10th of April, 1877, in Hamilton Ontario. She was the daughter of Frederick W. Gates, Sr. and Mary Hannah Grasett.
George and Florence had four children: Dudley George (9 February 1878-16 June 1934), Beatrice Mary (1879-1962), Mary Kathleen (1882-1863) and Anne Grasett (1888-1961).
According to the 1881 census, George and Florence and their 2 young children, Dudley and Beatrice, lived with George’s parents, John and Annie. The home also hosted a Cook, a Gardener, two Nurses and one “Ladies Nurse”.
George’s older brother, John Henry Grasett Hagarty (b.1845), was a shipping Merchant in Toronto, and his younger brother, Arthur Edmund Hagarty (b.1849), was a lieutenant of the 16th Regiment. Arthur died in his early twenties, on 26 September 1875, only two weeks after George, himself, retired from military service.
After his military years, George worked as a clerk. He was also a corporate member of his older brother’s company, The St. Lawrence and Chicago Steam Navigation Company, Ltd..
By 1891, George’s mother had passed away but his father, now Chief Justice of Ontario, remained in the home with them. By this time, George and Florence had four children between the ages of twelve and two.
On the morning of May 11th, 1909, George died at home (21 Walmer Road, York, ON) after suffering for ten weeks with pulmonary tuberculosis. He was sixty-one years old.
George’s only son, Captain Dudley George Hagarty fought in WWI with the Canadian Army Pay Corps. He survived the war and returned to Canada to live with his widowed mother at 41 Foxbar Road in Toronto. He lived there for the rest of his life, never marrying, and dying in 1934.
We have been unable to find a picture of George, although we do know that his oldest daughter, Beatrice, painted his portrait. Beatrice Hagarty Robertson became a fairly successful artist and in 1907 her work was exhibited in the Annual Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts. She submitted two pieces for the exhibition: “The Curtsey” and “Portrait of George F. Hagarty, Esq.”.
George’s middle daughter, Mary Kathleen married Benjamin Morton Jones and moved to Lethbridge, Alberta, and his youngest daughter, Annie, never married.
The UPEI copy of “The Lost Tales of Miletus” by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, published in 1866, includes the following inscription:
Geo. F. Hagarty
47th Regt.
The year this book was published (1866) was the same year George became an ensign in His Majesty’s Old 47th Regiment. Tucked inside the book is a blue cloth bookmark, with a resin cross draped between pages 90-91 and 118-119. Some pieces of the resinaere broken. Although we can’t be certain that the bookmark dates back to 1866, it is undeniably quite old.
Sources:
1881 Census of Canada. Census Place: St Patricks Ward, Toronto City, Ontario; Roll: C_13247; Page: 125; Family No: 657
1891 Census of Canada. Census Place: St Patricks Ward, Toronto City, Ontario, Canada; Roll: T-6371; Family No: 95
Annual Exhibition Catalogue of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Page 13. Montreal: Art Association of Montreal, 1907.
The Canada Gazette. No.1 Vol.24, p.1012. 5 July 1890. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
Canadian Great War Project Accessed on 26 May 2020.
Colburn’s United Service Magazine and Naval Military Journal." v.111, pg.463. London: Hurst and Blackett, successors to Henry Colburn, 1866. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
Lethbridge Daily Herald. 17 May 1909, p.4. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
Lethbridge Daily Herald. Dec.19, 1910, p.10. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
The London Gazette. Pt.2, 4 April 1871. p.1764. Publisher: T.Newman, 1871. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
The New Annual Army List, Militia List, and Yeomanry Cavalry List. p. 291. Published by J. Murray, 1873. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
Ontarian Families: Genealogies of United Empire Loyalist and Other Pioneer Families of Upper Canada. Author: Edward Marion Chadwick. Toronto: Rolph, Smith & Co., 1898. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
Ontario, Canada, Death Registrations. Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 141
Ontario, Canada, Marriage Registration. Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 26
Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada. Volume 13. First Session of the Seventh Parliament of the Dominion of Canada. Session 1891. P.26. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
Walker, T. Bulletins and other State intelligence for the Year 1875. Pt II (July-Dec) with index. Compiled and arranged from the official documents. London Gazette Office, St. Martin’s Lane: Harrison & Sons, 1876. Accessed on 26 May 2020.
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George M. Geldert
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Dr. George McKinley Geldert (1885-1967)
Dr. George “Mac” McKinley Geldert was born in 1885 in Nova Scotia, Canada. He moved to Ottawa, Ontario, where he worked as an alderman and city controller. In 1922, he founded and owned CKCO, a radio station he established in the attic of his home on 272 Somerset Street. CKCO was the first radio station to broadcast a live church service, it came from Chalmers United Church in Kingston, Ontario. CKCO operated from George’s home until 1947.
In 1945, CKCO became an affiliate of the CBC Dominion network and in 1949, George sold the license to the station, where its letters were changed to CKOY. George kept a shareholding of the station until 1951.
Geroge was also known as one of the longest running presidents of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada (RPSC); he was president for nine years from 1959-1967. After George’s passing, his wife Phyllis created the award, Geldert Award, to be given annually for the best article published in The Canadian Philatelist, a journal created and maintained by RPSC.
George was part of the Oxford Group movement that became widely known in Canada around 1932. The Oxford Group was started by Frank Buchman and known for its beliefs; it did not define itself as a religion as there were no board members or institutional ties. The Oxford Group followed a set of beliefs called the Four Absolutes: Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, and Love.
Sadly, on 27 July 1967, Dr. George “Mac" McKinley Geldert passed away in Ottawa, Ontario at the age of 82.
In UPEI’s Provenance Collection the book, “For Sinners Only” by A.J. Russell has George’s signature “Mr. George M. Geldert from the Oxford Group in Ottawa” along with twenty-three others: “Malcolm Heir Ross; Roy N. Richardson; Jimmie Watt; Ella Lee; George MarJoribanks; George S. Wood; A. Lawson Wood; Marie Clarkson; Sidney N. Drury-Lowe; J. Winifred Carr; Julia Op ten Noort; Jessie Sheffield; Basil Yates; John Langton; Gerard Senior; Roger Hicks; A. ?; E. MacMillan; Delacey MacMillan; Francis Ellisiton; Reggie Holme; Donald MacKay; William Cleveland Hubs”.
Sources:
Dr George McKinley “Mac” Geldert. Find a Grave.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199754376/george-mckinley-geldert
Robitaille, J. (2017, June 29). RPSC executive undergoes ‘major makeover’ at Royal Convention. Canadian Stamp News. https://canadianstampnews.com/rpsc-executive-undergoes-major-makeover-royal-convention/
Wikipedia contributors. (2021, March 21). Oxford Group. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Group
The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation, (2017) . Historical Portraits. Beechwood, Funeral, Cemetery & Cremation Services. Retrieved from: https://beechwoodottawa.ca/sites/default/files/2019-04/Historical-Portraits-Booklet-EN-2017.pdf
University of Lethbridge Digitized Collections, (1933, April 15). Lethbridge Harold. https://digitallibrary.uleth.ca/digital/collection/herald/id/12815, Phyllis Geldert
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George Parker Bidder III
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George Parker Bidder (1863-1953)
George Parker Bidder III was born on 21 May 1863 to barrister George Parker Bidder II (1836–1896) and Anna McClean (1839–1910). George’s (III) grandfather, George (I), was known as the “calculating boy”. His father found financial gain by displaying his son’s brilliance across England at fairs and exhibitions. Thanks to benefactors that took an interest in his special talents, George (I) was able to get a formal education and he became an engineer.
The importance of a good education was carried throughout the generations, for after prep school, George III studied zoology at University College London for one year and then moved to Trinity College, Cambridge.
Upon completion of his education, George took a job in Naples, Italy, at the Stazione Zoologica. He was there from 1887-1893. George’s research interests included marine biology (in particular the hydraulics of sponges), coastal erosion and behaviour of sea currents. During his time in Naples, George bought a hotel and gave it the name “Parkers”. After the bombings of WWII, the hotel was sold and rebuilt. Today, the hotel still holds the name “Parkers” and it includes a restaurant called “George’s” and a bar called “Bidder’s Bar”.
In 1893, George returned to England and began work as a visiting researcher at the Marine Biological Association Plymouth Laboratory.
On 8 June 1899, George married Marion Greenwood, a lecturer in physiology at the Balfour Laboratory, University of Cambridge from 1888-1899. Marion was one of the first female independent researchers in Cambridge and the first woman to present a paper at a Royal Society meeting.
George and Marion had two children; Caroline, born in 1900 and Anna, born in 1903. Anna followed in her father’s footsteps and became a zoologist.
George also dabbled in poetry; in the same year he was married, 1899, his book of poetry, By Southern Shore, was published. UPEI's Provenance copy of this book includes an inscription:
Arthur Willey, from his friend the author
Arthur Willey was a biologist with an interest in zoology, this certainly helped form a friendship between the two scientists.
In 1904, George oversaw an experiment to prove the East to West flow of currents in the North Sea. One thousand and twenty messages in a bottle were released. The note inside, written in English, Dutch, and German, asked finders to return the postcard within the bottle to the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, England. They were promised a shilling as a reward for the return of the postcard.
In April 2015, one of these bottles were discovered on the German Island of Amrum by vacationer, Marianne Winkler. It is considered the oldest known message in a bottle.
In 1905, George became the Governor of the Marine Biological Association and between 1939-1945, he was the President of the Association during the tumultuous WWII years. He remained an active and devoted member of the MBA until his death on 31 December 1953.
Sources:
Huggler, Justin. “World's oldest message in a bottle washes up in Germany after 108 years at sea". The Daily Telegraph, 20 August 2015.
Photo:
Russell, F. S. 1955. "George Parker Bidder 1863–1953." Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 34 (01): 1., Marion Greenwood, Caroline Bidder and Anna Bidder., Anna McClean, George Parker Bidder II
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