Clarissa Archibald Dennis (1881 - 1958)

Born 24 Nov 1881 in Truro, Colchester, Nova Scotia, Canada

Ancestors

Died 16 Feb 1958 at age 76 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

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Biography

Clarissa was born in Truro Nova Scotia1881. She was the daughter of William Dennis and Agnes Miller. She moved to Halifax with her family at a young age. She was educated at Mount Allison Ladies College (graduated in 1904), Dalhousie University and Halifax Business College. She worked for her father's newspaper, the Halifax Herald, until his death in 1920.^[1] She was the first female driver for hire in Halifax.^[2]

Like two of her aunts, Clara chose to remain unmarried. She traveled around Nova Scotia taking photographs, collecting aboriginal artifacts and writing books;

Down in Nova Scotia: My Own, My Native Land (1934)

More about Nova Scotia: My Own, My Native Land (1937)

Cape Breton Over (1942)

Clara also wrote travel articles for newspapers and magazines. She provided the chapter on Nova Scotia for "The Spirit of Canada," a souvenir booklet produced for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on their 1939 Canadian tour.^[3]

During World War I, Clara offered her home to thousands of soldiers and was a strong supporter of initiatives to support prisoners of war and foreign troops who were stationed or visiting Halifax.^[4]

Clara was a life member of the Nova Scotia Historical Society and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature by Mount Allison University in 1938.^[5]

She passed away in 1958 at the age of 76.

Clara's collection of 250 Mi’kmaq artifacts was gifted by her brother Alex to Acadia University. The university gave them to the Membertou First Nation in 2022.^[6] They did not all originate from the Membertou nation but Clara did not keep detailed records as to the provenance of her acquisitions.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia "Clara Dennis"
2. ↑ Dennis, W. Alexander, “Genealogies and Sagas: Dennis, Miller, Archibald”
3. ↑ Wikipedia "Clara Dennis"
4. ↑ Wikipedia "Clara Dennis"
5. ↑ Wikipedia "Clara Dennis"
6. ↑ Clow, Tara "Artifacts Returned Home To Membertou First Nation"

• Clow, Tara "Artifacts Returned Home To Membertou First Nation" (https://www.919thebend.ca/2022/06/27/artifacts-returned-home-to-membertou-first-nation/ Accessed 28 June 2022.) Moncton, NB, Canada/ 91.9 The Bend Jun 27, 2022 4:42pm.
• Dennis, W. Alexander, “Genealogies and Sagas: Dennis, Miller, Archibald”, published privately, 1960.
• Wikipedia "Clara Dennis" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Dennis viewed 17 Dec 2023). Wikipedia cites the following:

**"Clara Dennis fonds". MemoryNS. Archived from the original on 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2017-03-27.

• • "Biographical Sketch". Clara Dennis Tours Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Archives. 20 April 2020.
  • "Dennis, Clara". Canadian Women Artists History Initiative.
  • Dagg, Anne Innis (2006-01-01). The Feminine Gaze: A Canadian Compendium of Non-Fiction Women Authors and Their Books, 1836-1945. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. ISBN 9780889208452.
• Robb, A.S., "Family History", unpublished, last updated before 1996.