John Alfred Blair (abt. 1871 - abt. 1948)

Born about 29 Oct 1871 in West Garafraxa Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Isabella (Dalgleish) Blair — married about 11 Mar 1902 in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

Died about 9 Jun 1948 at about age 76 in Ketscoty, Alberta, Canada

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Biography

On Oct. 29, 1871, Alf was born in West Garafraxa Township, Wellington County, Ontario to Samuel Blair & Phoebe Robinson.

Alf was baptized in Christ Church (Anglican), in Fergus, Wellington Co.

In 1879, is parents moved to Michigan.

In 1894, Alf met his parents in Sprucedale, McMurrich Twp., Parry Sound District, Ontario. They had just returned to Canada from the USA.

In 1898, Alf took a herd of horses to the Klondike for Sir Donald Mann & Wm. McKenzie to build a railway bed north of the Stekine River in Northern, BC. The horses were driven from Blairmore to Nelson and then on to Smithers, BC and down to Squamish. Horses were more difficult to obtain than workers. If there was a problem in a mine the horses were taken out before the miners. When the Canadian government cancelled the railway project he took the horses to Vancouver by boat. He then went to Phoenix, BC to work with his brother Tom in the Granby Copper Mine.

The 1901 Census, Rossland Riding of Kootenay West, Yale & Cariboo Dist. of BC recorded John A., born Oct. 29, 1871, lodger, Scotch, C/E, quartz miner. John’s brothers Thomas & William lived nearby.

On Mar. 11, 1902, Alf married Isabella Dalgleish in Nelson, BC.^[1] Bella was of Sprucedale. Bella was born Sept. 22, 1872, Inverness Twp., Megantic Co., Quebec to Robert Dalgleish & Christina Wiseman. See source notes for more Dalgleish family history.

On Jan. 3, 1903, George Alfred was born in Phoenix, BC.

In 1905, Alf moved to a farm in Pleasant Prairie Twp., Meade, Washington (just north of Spokane).

In 1906, he returned to Canada (1921 Census).

In the 1910 Census, Pleasant Valley Twp., Spokane Co., Wash., recorded Alf.

In Aug., 1917, Alf moved to a farm at NE 1/4 Sec 14, Twp 51, Rg 3, W 4th Meridian near Kitscoty, Alberta. This village was about halfway between Edmonton and Saskatoon. The first settlers arrived in the area in 1905.

The 1921 Census for Battle River District, Sub-District 46, page 1, Section 14, Twp. 51, Range 3, Meridian 4, recorded John A. Blair, age 49, born in US, immigrated in 1906, a farmer on his own land, Isabella, 48, born in Ontario, and George A., 18, born in BC, all living in a wood house and Presbyterian.

John was recorded as born in the USA, but his parents did not move there until about eight years after his birth in 1879.

On June 9, 1948, Alf died & was buried in Kitscoty Cemetery.

In Apr. 8, 1955, Bella died in Vermilion, Alberta and was buried with Alf.

Sources

1. ↑ "British Columbia Marriage Registrations," online database with images. Entry for John Alfred Blair and Isabel Dalgleish; Registration Number: 1902-09-144560, Nelson, 1902-03-11. Marriage certificate Royal British Columbia Museum: BC Archives (royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/genealogy : accessed 8 Jan 2022).

See also:

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW3X-Y2R : 14 August 2017), John A Blair in household of Samuel H Blair, Worth, Sanilac, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district ED 345, sheet 272C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0606; FHL microfilm 1,254,606.