John Goodman Maxwell Lowndes (1870 - 1945)

Born 18 Apr 1870 in Buckfastleigh, Devon, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Jemima Hunter (Melvin) Lowndes — married 18 Dec 1895 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Died 11 Jun 1945 at age 75 in Penticton, Okanagan-Similkameen, British Columbia, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Devon Blean [send private message]

Biography

This profile is part of the Bridgeland-Riverside, Alberta One Place Study.

John was born in Buckfastleigh, Devon, England, on June 22, 1871. He was the son of the Reverend Matthew Lowndes ("BA Oxford" as noted in the 1881 England census) and his wife Harriette Eliza Maxwell. He was baptised by his father on June 22, 1871.

John had three other brothers. William died in 1884 but the other two were adventurers like himself. Matthew (1865-1939) went to live in Argentina. John's other brother Edward Bovey Lowndes (1871-1964) emigrated to Canada at the same time as John. The two brothers travelled on the Sarnia and arrived in Quebec on 5 September 1892. They had cousins who had preceded them and lived in British Columbia. They were Andrew Fernie who later died of fever in the Boer War and William Lewis Fernie who became the police chief at Kamloops and was known for capturing the notorious outlaw Billy Miner.

According to a descendant, the brothers first worked as cowboys when they reached Alberta. Edward had taken a surveyor's course in Montreal after his arrival. John also was a photographer and evidently some of his scenic photos were used by CP Rail as promotional material. The following article was published in the Calgary Weekly Herald, 9 September 1897, page 3:

J.M. Lowndes returned last night from a trip through the Sheep Creek and adjacent districts, where he took a large number of photos of ranches, crops, etc., for the C.P.R. immigration department. He reports crops magnificent.

But after a few years John gave up being a photographer as noted by the following article in the Calgary Weekly Herald, 16 November 1899:

J. M. Lowndes has disposed of all his views and portrait negatives to Boyle? & company, photographers, of our city, who have also secured the negatives taken by W. E. Wing, formerly of Calgary. (N.B. There is a large blotch over the name of the company which received the photographs.)

John married Jemima (Mima) Hunter Melvin in Calgary, Alberta, on 18 December 1895. He worked in the real estate industry, promoting the community of Riverside, which was one of Calgary's first suburbs. The area is located just across the Bow River from downtown and was settled mainly by Germans from Russia and Italians along with other ethnic groups.

From the Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) 23 Oct 1911, Mon, page 36; as found on Newspapers.com:

RIVERSIDE

The progress of Calgary the last few years has been so consistently phenomenal that it has ceased to create wonder in the mind of any person familiar with Western Canada.

Like other large cities, Calgary consists of a number of sections. It takes all kinds of people to make a world, and takes a large number of small settlements to make a large city. Event at the date of writing the atmosphere of romance which has enveloped the the West has hardly evaporated, and of all the outlying portions to the East, West, North and South possibly there is no part of the city of Calgary today that has a more interesting history than the portion lying Northeast of the Bow River, generally known as "Riverside."

In 1889 there were but two or three log cabins on the site of what is known as Riverside. Long before the C.P.R. Transcontinental Railway reached Calgary in 1883, the Hudson's Bay Company, the saviours of Western Canada, established their Trading Post immediately East of the Riverside Lumber Company's property. (N.B. For further discussion, see Research Notes below.) For the next ten or twelve years the suburb, as it was then, enjoyed or suffered the same fate as the rest of what is known as the city of Calgary today. In 1902, Riverside was incorporated as a village, and M. J. M. Lowndes, who for upwards of fifteen years had been a resident of Riverside, accepted the appointment as the first Overseer of the village of Riverside. From this date the progress of Riverside may be said to begin. The exceptional advantages and the desirable location of Riverside attracted the notice of many of the inhabitants of Central Europe. For a short time, and a short time only, Riverside became almost exclusively a German settlement.

Eight or nine years ago a large portion of the rich men of Western Canada were not blessed with any considerable amount of this world's goods, but today in Riverside hundreds of German settlers to whom one hundred dollars then would have seemed a small fortune own their own homes and are numbered among the prosperous citizens of the city of Calgary. In the course of time the population became cosmopolitan. Today many of Calgary's leading citizens, including the Bishop of Calgary, have their residence on the north side of the Bow River.

Riverside within itself has every requisite and every essential that ay small town should require. At the present day Riverside, which has a population of 4,000, possesses: Four churches (two German Lutheran, One Methodist and one Church of England), one large Public School, one private German School, General Hospital, the Headquarters of the No. 4 Fire Hall, the Riverside Lumber Company have their Planing Mill and Sash and Door Factory, employing over one hundred men; three Meat Markets, and the Alberta Meat Company have recently established a Wholesale and Retail business; fiver grocery stores, three dry goods stores, one large hardware store, one large first class hotel.

A very considerable amount of the prosperity of Riverside is due to the enterprise, energy and business acumen of Mr. J. M. Lowndes, who for over fifteen years, has not only made Riverside his home, but has devoted his energy to the building up of what is today one of the most prosperous, flourishing and thriving portions of the city of Calgary.

In conclusion, a few figures in regard to the relative value of Real Estate in Riverside, 5 years ago and today, will in all probability convey to the of the average reader a clearer and more concise idea of how this portion of the city has progressed than any turgid mass of tangled verbiage. Lots on Fourth street north , Riverside which is the main business street, five years ago were selling at $100.00 per lot and are today valued at over $6,000.00. In the residential section subdivision the lots were sold at $100.00 per lot, and today the lots are worth from $700.00 to $2,000.00 each.

From almost every point of view Riverside can safely claim to be one of the most ideal locations in the West. As a business centre, as a place of residence, and as one of the portions of the city of Calgary in which countless opportunities arise for the profitable investment of money, Riverside stands second to none.

John and his family lived in Riverside until about 1914 when they moved to the other side of downtown Calgary. Around this time John removed a few years from his age and enlisted with the Canadian Army Service Corp. In 1906 John had attended the 15th Light Horse Regt. military school of instruction with Capt. E. F. Mackie of the Royal Canadian Mounted Rifles. The members of this group were a kind of who's who of Calgary. This involvement indicates an early interest in the military. John must have had some mechanical abilities. Looking at his Henderson directory entries one sees that in 1919 he was in charge of the Military garage and in 1920 he was "senior mech SCR Transport Bd.

Around 1920 John and his family moved to the Penticton area. The 1921 census shows the family living in a tent which presumably was a temporary situation. The family ranched at Skaha Lake for a few years, then moved to the town of Penticton. John tried to restart his real estate career but this was cut short by ill health and thus, he retired from an active working life.

John died in 1945 and is buried at Lakeview Cemetery, Penticton.

Obituaries

From The Penticton Herald (Penticton, B.C., Canada) 14 Jun 1945, Thurs; courtesy of the Penticton Museum and Archives:

Final Tribute Paid Today To John M. Lowndes

Final tribute to the late John Maxwell Lowndes, a well known resident of Penticton, was paid today, Thursday, in St. Saviour's Anglican Church, the Rev. W. S. Beames officiating. Interment was in Lakeview cemetery and was in charge of the Canadian Legion.

Mr. Lowndes, who passed away suddenly at his home, Edmonton avenue, on June 11, was born at Buckfastley, Devonshire, England, April 18, 1870. He was the third son, of the late Rev. and Mrs. Matthew Lowndes. Mr. Lowndes came to Canada at the age of 17 years and settled in Calgary, where he later married the former Miss Mima Melvin in 1895. While in Calgary, he was in the photographic and real estate businesses until the outbreak of the first Great War, when he enlisted with the Canadian Army Service Corps as a captain.

In 1920, Mr. Lowndes came to Skaha lake, where he ranched for many years before coming into Penticton to enter into the real estate business with Jack Young, but owing to ill health Mr. Lowndes retired a year later. He was a member of the Canadian Legion.

Surviving are his wife; two sons, Matthew Maxwell, of the 41st Provost Corps, Kamloops; Jack Arthur, of the Royal Canadian Electrical Engineers, overseas; two daughters, Mrs. W. Humphrey Fripp, of Vancouver and Mrs. Fred Calven, of Calgary; also six grandchildren.

From the Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) 23 Jun 1945, Sat, page 22; as found on Newspapers.com:

Former Early

Calgarian Dies

John Maxwell Lowndes, 75, widely known former resident of Calgary, died June 11 in his home in Penticton. He was the father of Mrs. Fred Colvin of Calgary.

Born in Buckfastley, Devonshire, England, Mr. Lowndes came to Canada at the age of 17. He settled in Calgary, where he later married the former Mima Melvin in 1895.

He was in the photographic and real estate businesses in Calgary until the outbreak of the First Great War, when he enlisted with the Canadian Army Service Corps as a captain.

Mr. Lowndes moved to Skaha Lake, B.C., in 1920 and ranched there for several years before moving to Penticton where he again entered the real estate business. Ill health caused him to retire a year later.

He was a member of the Canadian Legion.

Surviving are his wife, two sons, Matthew Maxwell of the 41st Provost Corps, Kamloops, and Jack Arthur of the Royal Canadian Electrical Engineers, overseas; two daughters, Mrs. W. Humphrey Fripp of Vancouver, and Mrs. Colvin; and six grandchildren.

Henderson Directories

Henderson's Calgary Directory, 1906: Lowndes, John, res Riverside

Henderson's Calgary Directory, 1907: Lowndes, John M (JP) agt h Riverside

Henderson's Calgary Directory, 1907: Lowndes and Co (EB Lowndes and JG Vine) REal Estate 107a 8 Ave E

Henderson's Calgary City Directory, 1910, page 420: Lowndes John M real est 122a 8th Ave E h 550 6th Ave N (Riverside)

Henderson's Calgary City Directory, 1911, page 473: Lowndes John M Lowndes Land Co h 550 6th Ave N (Riverside)

Henderson's Calgary City Directory, 1911, page 473: Lowndes Land Co (J M Lowndes) 124a 8th Ave E

Henderson's Calgary Directory, 1912, page 573: Lowndes John M mgr Lowndes Land Co h 502 5th St (Riverside)

Henderson's Calgary Directory, 1912, page 573: Lowndes Land Co. (The), J. M. Lowndes, Manager, Real Estate Investments, 124a Eighth Ave. East Phone M2442

Henderson's Calgary City Directory for 1913, page 633: Lowndes John M mgr Lowndes Land Co h 302 5th St NE (Sereni Estate) P. 273 says 502 - 5th St. N.E.

Henderson's Calgary City Directory for 1913, page 633: Lowndes Land Company, J. M. Lowndes, Manager, Real Estate Investments, 7 Armstrong Blk, 815a 1st St E. Phone M2442

Henderson's Calgary City Directory for 1914: Lowndes John M mgr Lowndes Land Co h 502 5th St NE (at same address: Lowndes N M clk Slingsby Dept Str)

Henderson's Calgary City Directory for 1914: Lowndes Land Co J M Lowndes mgr 7 Armstrong Blk

Henderson's Calgary City Directory, 1915: Lowndes Edw B prop Vineyard Cigar Store 4 210 Bruner Blk

Henderson's Calgary City Directory, 1915: Lownes Mrs M h 207 17th Ave E (at same address: Lownes Harriet; Lownes Matthews clk Pryce-Jones)

Henderson's Calgary City Directory, 1917, page 437: Lowndes John h 1401 1st St E (active service) at same address Lowndes Harriet M clk Dr J S Murray)

Henderson's Calgary City Directory, 1918, page 492: Lowndes John M r 11, 1005 1st St E (active service) (at same address: Lowndes Harriet clk Dr F E Sandercock; Lowndes Mrs Mima)

Henderson's Calgary City Directory, 1919, page 508: Lowndes Lieut John M officer in charge Military Garage h 1401 1st St E (at same address: Lowndes Harriet asst Dr. Freeland; Lowndes Matthew)

Henderson's Calgary Directory, 1920, page 508: Lowndes John M senior mech SCR Transport Bd h 1401 1st St SE (at same address: Lowndes Harriet asst Drs Learmonth & Freeland; Lowndes Matthew)

Henderson's Calgary Directory, 1921, page 496: Lowndes John M H 1401 1st St E (at same address: Lowndes Harriet asst Dr G E Learmonth; Lowndes M M mech)

The Greater Directory of Calgary for 1913

Lowndes, Edward B., prop The Vineyard, res 202 Bruner Blk

Lowndes, Harriet, res 502 5 St NE

Lowndes John M (Lowndes Land Co) res 550 5 St NE (Riverside)

Lowndes Matthew clk res 520 5 St NE

Lowndes Mima H Mrs res 550 5 St NE

Lowndes Land Co The J.M. Lowndes mgr, Real Estate and Investment, 7 Armstrong Block, 815 First St E Phone M2442

Research Notes

John Lowndes made the following assertion in his puff piece about the community of Riverside:

In 1889 there were but two or three log cabins on the site of what is known as Riverside. Long before the C.P.R. Transcontinental Railway reached Calgary in 1883, the Hudson's Bay Company, the saviours of Western Canada, established their Trading Post immediately East of the Riverside Lumber Company's property.

Since the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) post was originally south of the Bow and East of the Elbow, what cabins could John have been referring to? They may have been cabins from the original settlers of the area although we do not know for sure. In an email to Devon Blean on July 24, 2002, the Calgary historian Alan Zakrison said the following:

Just to the east of Riverside Lumber was a small chunk of land- 33.34 acres- that's shown on old maps as Bow Park. The name came from David and Annie McDougall, who subdivided it. But even before that, the manager of the Calgary HBC outlet- Angus Fraser- had homesteaded the land in 1883-1886. He built a cabin there, and cropped a small piece, as was required under the Homestead Act. But I recall reading some of the homestead documents and getting the impression that the Dept of the Interior/ William Pearce awarded him the land as a compromise, since it was felt he wasn't a true homesteader. Fraser later sold the land to the McDougalls.

Attached is a map showing the area in question.

However a Calgary Herald article on 3 May 1937, page 2, also asserted that the trading post was north of the river.

From "Lucky Boy Makes Debut in World as "Bay" Marks 267th Birthday," Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) 3 May 1937, Mon, page 10; as found on Newspapers.com:

When the Mounted Police came to the Western plains in 1875 and established Fort Calgary, the Hudson's Bay Company moved in too, establishing its first trading post here that year. Angus Fraser was the first of the Calgary factors, conducting the company's business in a small log shack on the north side of the Bow, opposite the Police fort. Later the post was moved to the south side of the river and established in the shadow of the fort. The present handsome structure was not built until 1913.

Sources

• Henderson Directories. Henderson's Calgary Directory:http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/2961.html

• Name: John Goodman Maxwell Lowndes; Baptism Date: 22 Jun 1871; Baptism Place: Buckfastleigh, Devon, England; Religion: Anglican; Father: Matthew Lowndes; Mother: Harriette Eliza Lowndes. Source Citation: Indexes created from Anglican Parish Registers held at South West Heritage Trust; Taunton, Somerset, England. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Devon, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1920 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2021.

• Name: John G.M. Lowndes; Age: 9; Estimated Birth Year: abt 1872; Relationship to Head: Son; Father: Matthew Lowndes ; Mother: Harriett E. Lowndes; Gender: Male; Where Born: Buckfastleigh, Devon, England; Civil Parish: Buckfastleigh; County/Island: Devon; Country: England; Street Address: Silver St; Occupation: Scholar; Registration District: Totnes; ED, institution, or vessel: 4; Piece: 2177; Folio: 66; Page Number: 30; Household Members: Matthew Lowndes (46) Clergyman B.A. Oxford; Harriett E (47); William M (13); Edward B. (12); John G. M. (9); Charles T. Rodway (13); Arthur Rodway (11); Sarah J. Heath (22) Cook ; Ellen A. Luscomb (15) Housemaid. Source Citation: Class: RG11; Piece: 2177; Folio: 66; Page: 30; GSU roll: 1341524. Source Information: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

• Name: Mr Lowndes; Gender: Male; Departure Port: Liverpool, England; Arrival Date: 5 Sep 1892; Arrival Port: Quebec, Quebec, Canada; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Vessel: Sarnia. Source Citation: Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: C-4538. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Canada, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1865-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. "(Mr. Lowndes, Gent." was a few lines below his brother's entry on the same page.)

• "Military School," the Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) 3 Feb 1906 (Some of the members: Captain Mackie, R.C.M.R., Major Ross, Captain Wolley-Dod, Captain McMillan, Lieutenant Robertson, Lieutenant Meiklejon, Lieutenant Moore, Lieutenant Freeman, Sergeant McNaughton, Captain Turner, Sergeant Sibbald, Sergeant Miller, Sergeant Mockett, Sergeant Lindsay, Sergeant Jackson, R. Q. M. S. Lowndes, Corporal Spurrell, Sergeant Martin, Corporal Young, Corporal Gardner, Corporal Carling, Sergeant Gardner, Lieutenant Fraser, Lieutenant May, Captain Armstrong, Major Gordon, Sergeant Fisk, Corporal Fisk, S. M. Barker, Major Barwis, Major Fisher, Lieut.-Colonel Walker, R. S. M. Page, Lieutenant Fraser, C. H. Hooley.)

• Name: John M SnowderLowndes; Gender:Male; Marital status: Married; Race or Tribe: English; Nationality: Canadian; Age: 37; Birth Date: Apr 1874; Birth Place: England; Census Year: 1911; Relation to Head of House: Head; Immigration Year: 1891; Dwelling No.: 131; Province: Alberta; District: Calgary; District Number: 1; Sub-District: 56 - Calgary; Sub-District Number: 56; Place of Habitation: 550 Thompson Ave; Religion: Anglican; Occupation: Real Estate Dealer; Employer: yes; Employee: yes; Own Account: no; Earnings: 300; Can Read: Yes; Can Write: yes; Language: E; Family Number: 232; Household Members: John M Snowder (37); Mima (36); Harriet (14); Mathew (14); John Arthur (2); Hana Durance (60). Source Citation: Year: 1911; Census Place: 56 - Calgary, Calgary, Alberta; Page: 19; Family No: 232. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1911 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

• Name: John Maxwell Lowndes; Gender: Male; Age: 39; Birth Date: 18 Apr 1875; Birth Location: Plymouth, England; Residence: Calgary, Alta, Canada; Military Date: 1914-1918; Spouse: Mima Lowndes; Next of Kin: Mima Lowndes; Next of Kin Relationship: Wife. Source Citation: Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Canada; Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918). Source Information: Ancestry.com. Canada, World War I CEF Attestation Papers, 1914-1918' [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006. Images are used with the permission of Library and Archives Canada.

• Name: John Lownd; Gender: Male; Racial or Tribal Origin: English; Nationality: Canadian; Age: 45; Marital Status: Married; Birth Year: 1871; Birth Place: England; Year of Immigration: 1895; Home in 1916: Calgary West, Alberta, Canada; Address: 207, 17, Ave, Calgary; Relation to Head of Household: Head; Spouse: Mima Lownd;; Sub-District: 01B; Sub District Description: (A - M) inclusive, City of Calgary, such portion as is situated in this district according to the Representation Act, 1914; Enumeration District: 2; Enumerator's Name: William J Smith; Dwelling House: 321; Military service: Canada; Religion: Anglican; Can Speak English: Yes; Can Speak French: No; Mother Tongue: English; Can Read: Yes; Can Write: Yes; Occupation: Military Service; Employment Status: Worker; Household Members: John Lownd (45); Mima (44); Mathew (19); Harriet (19); John (7); Margaret (4); Jenny Dueringe (66) Lodger; Norman J Petch (25) Lodger. Source Citation: Year: 1916; Census Place: Alberta, Calgary West, 01B; Roll: T-21949; Page: 39; Family No: 458. Source Information: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.

• Name: Maurice M Lowndes (actually the original says Maxwell); Gender: Male; Racial or Tribal Origin: English; Nationality: Canada; Marital Status: Married; Age: 49; Birth Year: abt 1872; Birth Place: England; Year of Immigration: 1890; Residence Date: 1 Jun 1921; House Number: 409; Residence Street or Township: Main St; Residence City, Town or Village: Penticton; Residence District: Yale; Residence Province or Territory: British Columbia; Residence Country: Canada; Relation to Head of House: Head; Spouse's Name: Maria Lowndes (original says "Mima") ; Father Birth Place: England; Mother Birth Place: Scotland; Can Speak English?: Yes; Can Speak French?: No; Religion: Church Of England; Can Read?: Yes; Can Write?: Yes; Occupation: Barker; Employment Type: 3 Own Account; Municipality: Penticton; Enumeration District: 25; Sub-District: Greenwood; Sub-District Number: 28B; Home Owned or Rented: Owned; Monthly Rental: BB; Class of House: Single House; Materials of Construction: Tent; Number of Rooms: 1; Enumerator: Charles Bernard; District Description: Penticton, Alengrove; Line Number: 5; Family Number: 407; Household Members: Maurice M Lowndes (49); Maria (48); Manuel (24); John (12); Margaret (10). Source Citation: Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 21; Census Place: 21, Yale, British Columbia; Page Number: 32. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1921 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2013.

• Name: John Mathew M Lowndes; Gender: Male; Birth Year: abt 1870; Death Age: 75; Death Date: 12 Jun 1945; Death Location: Penticton; Registration Number: 1945-09-663119; BCA Number: B13187; GSU Number: 2032324. Source Information: Ancestry.com. British Columbia, Canada, Death Index, 1872-1990 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001.

• Name: John Goodman Maxwell Lowndes; Gender: Male; Birth Date: 18 Apr 1870; Birth Place: England; Death Date: 11 Jun 1945; Death Place: Penticton, Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Cemetery: Lakeview Cemetery; Burial or Cremation Place: Penticton, Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Has Bio?: Y; Spouse: Mima Lowndes; Children: Margaret Mary Fripp; John Arthur Lowndes; Harriette Melvin Colvin. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Canada, Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66368828/john-goodman_maxwell-lowndes