The Beechwood Way #37.pub

THE BEECHWOOD WAY
BEECHWOOD, THE NATIONAL CEMETERY OF CANADA
Alfred Edmonds: Beechwood’s forgotten artist
Nicole Bedard
Development Coordinator
The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation;
Wes Darou, local historian and writer
A
lfred M. Edmonds was born in
1821 at Bishopstone, Berkshire, England. Very little is know about his early
life, but by the 1860s he was living in
the Ottawa area - in 1863, he had won
an award for drawings of Ottawa Valley
lumbering while he worked as a teacher
and draughtsman in Burnstown, Ontario. His drawings of the Haycock Iron
Mine, which can be found online at Library and Archives Canada, are some of
the earliest representations of the rural
Outaouais region. Oddly, Edmonds
never appeared in any Canadian census.
By 1880, Edmonds was living in Ottawa, where he worked as a cartographer
for the Canadian Pacific Railway and
the Department of Railroads and Canals. During this time, Edmonds also
worked as an assistant to Sir Sandford
Fleming, then-head of the Canadian
Intercontinental Railway. Several of his
maps and book illustrations survive at
Library and Archives Canada, and he
was commissioned by the Governor
General, Lord Dufferin. He continued
this work in Ottawa until 1890, living
in various rooming houses.
Sadly, Edmonds’ life did not end well.
According to the Ottawa Journal, he was
The Beechwood Way
Credit: Alfred Edmonds, "The British Farmer’s Guide to Ontario," Library and Archives Canada, FC3058.2 O54 1880
Above: An etching by Edmonds, titled ‘Ottawa
Farm with partial improvements.’ This, along with
many other examples of Edmonds’ work, can be
found in the substantially titled “Emigration: The
British Farmer’s and Farm Labourer’s Guide to
Ontario, the premier province of the Dominion
of Canada,“ published in 1880.
Right: Titled ‘Hematite Iron Mine,’ this drawing
comes from one of Edmonds’ sketchbooks depicting the activities of the Hematite Iron Mine of
Templeton, Quebec.
arrested on February 27, 1893 – the
paper describes him as "a pale, delicatelooking man, who it is thought was insane." The magistrate instructed that he
be sent to hospital, but for reasons unknown, Edmonds was sent to jail on
April 6th of that same year. He died at
the Ottawa Protestant Hospital on November 23, 1893 of natural causes, but
his passing sparked an inquest. Apparently, there were some efforts to
secure him a place in an asylum
in Toronto, but he was refused
admittance. The inquest concluded that while Edmonds
died of natural causes, he
should never have been detained in a jail.
Credit: Alfred Edmonds, Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1940-35-19R
Local historian Wes Darou of Cantley, QC
has spearheaded fundraising efforts to purchase and install a grave marker for Edmonds, who is currently in an unmarked
grave. In spite of his tragic and untimely
death, Edmonds was a prolific artist who left
behind a large amount of work, much of it
available online at Library and Archives Canada.
The Foundation is accepting donations for
this project; we still need a little over $300 to
reach our goal. If you would like to support
this project, or have any questions, please
contact Nicole Bedard at 613-741-9530, or
by email at nbedard@beechwoodottawa.ca.
Produced by The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation
Volume 10, Issue 37
Beechwood Report
Andrew Roy
Director of Operations
I
t looks like spring is finally here.
The snow is melting, or may be gone by
the time you read this. Very soon Beechwood’s magnificent tulip display will be
starting to show its colourful spring
beauty.
It’s been a long winter with lots and
lots of snow. The thaw that we had over
our green Christmas caused much more
frost in the ground; more than we’ve
had in the past few years. This, of
course, causes more difficulties in preparing for interments and is harder on
the equipment. But Beechwood’s crew
was able to manage the winter difficulties and, as usual, provide services in the
Beechwood way.
Our usual tree maintenance was carried out over the winter months, with
lots of pruning away of dead branches
and cabling of trees to prolong their longevity. Of course with that, there were
some mature trees lost from Beechwood’s magnificent inventory. We will
be planting more trees this spring and/or
fall, in our efforts to keep the cemetery
properly forested.
Between Friends
Ian Guthrie
Friends of Beechwood
T
his summer will see a significant
change at Beechwood: in June, Grete
Hale will retire as President of the Foundation after ten years. To say that she
has steered Beechwood through an extraordinary decade verges on cliché, but
better words do not come to mind. During this time, Beechwood survived the
attempt to sever part of the property and
have it developed as a real estate scheme.
Emerging from this threat with renewed
vigour, Mrs. Hale guided Beechwood
Volume 10, Issue 37
We’re all eagerly awaiting Beechwood’s gorgeous annual tulip display!
A couple of major projects that will be
continuing or starting this year will be
the completion of the features and pathways of the Ottawa Police Services Memorial Cemetery Section, which is located beside the RCMP Section. The
second project is something that many
will be happy to see started: we will begin the preparation work required for
paving on the road behind section 110.
The budget is set to have the road
graded for drainage and a proper base
laid to receive the paving, which we plan
to have completed in the next year or
two.
There is always an abundance of clean
up to do in the spring, when the snow
finally recedes. We very much appreciate
the patience Beechwood’s interment
rights holders and visitors show us as we
spend the next couple of months performing this large task. However, sometimes we do miss something; should you
see something, please feel free to visit
our receptionist and let them know, so
we can go back and fix it up.
through a period of remarkable growth.
The provision of funeral home facilities
and staff meant that Beechwood could
provide a full range of services to our
city and country. New buildings have
been required to accommodate these
new activities. Particularly notable is the
Sacred Space, destined to provide an
inspiring gathering place for the diverse
groups which compose contemporary
Canada, and, more slightly concealed, is
the new building in the work yard
which provides enhanced working conditions for outdoor staff and secure protection and storage for the array of
equipment required to operate a modern
cemetery. The grounds have seen the
development of the National Military
Cemetery and the RCMP Veterans’ Section. There is much more which could
be said, suffice to say that Mrs Hale is
thoroughly entitled to look back with
feelings of immense satisfaction.
Mrs. Hale will be succeeded as President by General (ret'd) Maurice Baril
who brings a vast experience of our
country and leadership of people and
significant organisations.
As you read this Beechwood's tulips
will be emerging into their glory, the
grass will be green and our trees will be
developing their canopies, everything is
renewed after the dormancy of a severe
winter!
2
Spring 2015
Isa May Ballantyne left us a visual record of family life in Ottawa
Compiled by Jacques Faille
Friends of Beechwood
I
sa May Ballantyne was born in
Ottawa on May 7, 1864 to James Ballantyne, an immigrant from Newcastletown, Scotland. He was a successful coal
and lumber merchant and one of the
early members of the Camera Club of
Ottawa. Isa May (often just ‘May’) was a
cultured woman with a life-long interest
in the arts, including literature, music,
painting and especially photography that
she learned from her father. She was a
dedicated member of the Ottawa Camera Club, like her father, and she served
as its vice-president in 1898-99. Despite
being over 120 years old, the club is still
very much active today.
Versatile in her interests, she had a
busy and fruitful life. Isa May loved
good literature and possessed a highly
cultured mind. As a young woman, she
dedicated a great deal of her time and
efforts to creating both music and artwork. She was a talented painter, with a
special interest in flowers and birds; she
made quite a close study of both subjects. Perhaps as a result, she was also an
enthusiastic attendee at the various excursions and lectures organized and
hosted by of the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club.
Isa May was clearly very fond of the
natural world - she made every effort to
visit her cottage on Big Island at Blue
Sea Lake in Quebec, south of modernday Maniwaki. She found much inspiration there, and the area provided ample
opportunities to observe her beloved
birds. In Ottawa, Isa May was very
proud of her large, old fashioned garden.
As with her cottage, throughout most of
the summer season she could find abundant inspiration. She regularly entertained friends and visitors there,
amongst her much-loved flowers.
Isa May, like her father, was a prolific
Spring 2015
Credit: Library and Archives Canada / PA-126331
Credit: Photograph attributed to James Ballantyne or May Ballantyne/Library and Archives Canada/PA-134211
Top: The Camera Club of Ottawa at Chelsea, QC
circa the late 1890s. James Ballantyne is at the far
left, carrying the camera. The young woman in
black beside him is Isa May.
Middle: A shot of the kitchen at "Two Maples,"
the Ballantyne family home on Main Street. The
photo was probably taken by Isa May and the
man, seen in the background, is likely her father,
James Ballantyne.
Right: Isa, photographed by her father ca. 1890.
photographer. Her and her father’s collected works were carefully preserved
and passed down by descendants. Today
these photos provide a fascinating and
invaluable record of mundane, daily
family life between the late 1880s and
the First World War in Ottawa. While
most of the remaining photos of the
(See “Ballantyne” on page 6)
3
Credit: Photograph attributed to James Ballantyne/Library and
Archives Canada/PA-126332
Volume 10, Issue 37
Set in stone: Thomas C. Keefer left his mark as a civil engineer
The late Thomas Ritchie
Friends of Beechwood
T
homas Coltrin’s father, George
Kiefer (later changed to Keefer), left
the United States following the War of
Independence, moving to the Niagara
Peninsula of Upper Canada where he
and others founded the community of
Thorold.
He became a mill owner, merchant
and the president of the company that
constructed the Welland Canal to provide ship passage between Lakes Erie and
Ontario, around the falls and rapids of
the Niagara River. While building the
canal (1824-29) the engineers stayed at
the Keefer house, influencing Samuel
Keefer, Thomas Coltrin’s oldest brother,
to become an engineer. After graduation
from Upper Canada College, Samuel
started his career as assistant engineer of
the Cornwall Canal. When Thomas
graduated from the same college, he left
Canada in 1838 at age 17 to begin his
career in engineering by taking part in
the construction of the Erie Canal, joining Lake Erie to the Hudson River.
Canals, waterworks and harbours were
major construction projects in the
1840s, followed by railway construction
in the next decade when Canada’s 60
miles of rail increased to over 2,000 in
1860, with continuing increases. On the
completion of the Erie Canal, Keefer returned to Canada to work on an enlargement of the Welland Canal. At the
young age of 24, he was appointed chief
engineer for improvements to the Ottawa River’s canals and timber slides.
One of his many papers and reports,
“Philosophy of Railways,” published in
1849, drew attention to the important
part that railways would play in Canada’s development. In 1851 he became
the chief engineer of a company building a railway from Montreal to Kingston. His design of a bridge to cross the
Volume 10, Issue 37
Credit: Topley Studio / Library and Archives Canada / PA-033464
Keefer was the chief engineer for improvements to the Ottawa River's canals and timber slides at age 24.
St. Lawrence River at Montreal was rejected by the company in favour of an
iron tubular structure designed in England. It had to be replaced due to corrosion of the iron but the bridge’s piers,
designed by Keefer, are still in use.
Thomas Coltrin Keefer’s many projects
included municipal waterworks, initially
considered necessary because of the devastating fires that swept through cities
and towns, and much of the systems he
designed for Ottawa, Montreal and
Hamilton are still in use. In the course of
his career, Keefer strove to have engineering recognized as a profession and was influential in establishing the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers in 1887. He was
the society’s first president and he also
served as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Other achievements included the organization of Canada’s presentations at world’s fairs, his
contributions to the Paris universal exposition of 1878 earning for him from
Queen Victoria the title Companion of
the Order of St Michael and St George,
Credit: https://openlibrary.org/books/OL23352527M/
Philosophy_of_railroads
An early edition of Keefer’s book.
and from the French government, mem(See “Keefer” on page 6)
4
Spring 2015
By the ‘Way’…Facts from the Company Minutes
Mark Sunderland
Friends of Beechwood
W
hen last we met with the
Beechwood Board in the summer of
‘25, they were gathered alfresco in a
Beechwood glade. The superintendant
had told his wife Ethel and his little
daughter Meg to attend with sandwiches
and fruitcake and to thereby add a social
element to the occasion. The board
members were delivered in the back of
the company truck by young Mr. Dewar
because none of them could find their
way on foot.
Shortly after the merriment began, the
full time and lone security guard who
has hitherto been known to us only as
“the man with the big boots and stamina” (for reasons previously explained)
arrived with the expectation of dispersing a group of hooligans.
Ethel was immediately impressed and
so too was little Meg. In fact, Ethel was
so impressed that she asked her husband
if the man could be presented to her so
she could give him a slice of her fruitcake. With a flick of the fingers, “the
man” was summoned. He bowed politely and introduced himself only as
Joshua.
Joshua was a soldier and he had fought
at The Somme. Although badly injured,
he had fought to the end (he pulled up a
sleeve to show Ethel a shrapnel wound).
He had returned to Canada only to find
that his young wife was dying and although wounded and battle weary he
devoted all of his attention to her for the
last remaining weeks of her life. In this
regard Beechwood was particularly special to him and he defended it now with
the passion with which he had fought for
Canada nine years earlier.
As Ethel listened to his story, her
mind was neither on shrapnel nor
Beechwood nor the Beechwood board she didn't even notice that she was holding a drooping slice of fruitcake. Her
eyes were fixed only on the amazing
young hero that stood before her with
his commanding presence and muscular
body. To Ethel, this was no mere man
but the divine embodiment of male perfection. Surely, she thought, this heavenly specimen has to be in desperate
need of something more than a slice of
my fruitcake.
With regained composure, she asked
her husband if they could invite Joshua
to supper - a request that was quickly
seconded by little Miss Meg. But the
heart of the superintendant wasn't beating with quite the same fervor as that of
his wife and daughter and the suggestion
that he, as a community man of stature,
should entertain the security guard was a
cause for discomfort - although it had
not been Ethel's intention to include
him in the entertainment.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the
Beechwood glade, young Mr. Dewar was
continuing to hold forth on the subject
of internal combustion engines. Members of the board were taking turns to
kick the tires and look under the hood of
the company truck (in the early part of
the 20th century, tires were made of
thinner rubber than they are today and if
a prospective buyer couldn't think of a
question to ask, he would kick the tires
to check the quality) - a rapid deflation,
or perhaps an explosion, would give an
answer.
When BTW returns, the midsummer
madness of ‘25 will have ended. The
board will be back in the boardroom,
little Miss Meg will be back in her school
and as for Ethel, well, she was last seen
in a Beechwood glade and nobody could
find Joshua to conduct a search.
P.S. The fruitcake went in the bin because Joshua was diabetic.
An Afternoon with
www.PerleyRideau.ca
John McDermott
in support of the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre
Foundation and McDermott House Canada.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Cocktail reception & concert 2:00 - 5:00pm at
Beechwood, the National Cemetery of Canada
Tickets: $150
We are proud to partner with Beechwood for this intimate musical
afternoon with celebrated Celtic Tenor John McDermott. In addition to his musical performance the program will involve an opportunity to mingle with John and other guests at a meet and greet
cocktail reception. Ticket : $150, including $80 income tax receipt.
For info, call 613 526-7173 or email foundation@prvhc.com.
($80 income tax receipt)
Available at 613-526-7173
or foundation@prvhc.com
Spring 2015
5
Volume 10, Issue 37
Your letters
I can't thank you enough for writing the
article, (re: A life well-lived). I have received several e-mails from family on
how much they enjoyed it. Sadly dad's
friend “Spike” passed away recently.
Colin Ritchie, Ottawa ON
I write to express my appreciation to
you for your memorial tribute to Thomas Ritchie published in the current
issue (#36) of THE BEECHWOOD
WAY. The issue itself is an exceptionally
attractive one, a very fitting setting for
the tribute,
In 2002 Thomas became my father-in
-law when I married his daughter, Jackie
(Dickenson). Jackie's ashes now rest beside those of her father, mother, and
brother, David, in the Ritchie plot at
Beechwood. Over the years I have been
privileged many times to visit Beechwood with Thomas and other family
members and, more recently, a number
of times with just Dad (Thomas).
Out of such visits with Dad to Beech-
wood and elsewhere, a very rich friendship evolved between us. I learned a lot
about his heroic service in World War
II, his career at NRC, the diversity of his
interests and his gift for writing about
them, and especially his recent deep engagement with Beechwood and the
wealth of history annotated in its inscriptions, as Dad called it, set in stone.
As his years advanced, the persistence of
Dad's curiosity, his intellectual vigour,
and ability to complete tasks he set for
himself became a real inspiration for me.
In one quiet conversation with Dad in
warm sunshine at Beechwood, Dad acknowledged to me that Beechwood held
deep meaning for him, that it was a
place to which he liked to come. In its
fullest sense Dad was a friend of Beechwood. I think that the text and photos
of your memorial capture that reality
very well. I like especially your title: A
Life Well Lived.
Thank you for honouring this friend
of Beechwood in the way you have.
Dr. R. Wesley Boston, Kingston, ON
Keefer (cont’d)
Ballantyne (cont’d)
bership in the Legion of Honour. He was
made a fellow of the Royal Society of
Canada in 1890.
Thomas Coltrin Keefer was the son-inlaw of Thomas MacKay, the contractor
for the construction of the Rideau Canal
at Bytown (Ottawa), who amassed a
large tract of land where the Rideau
River joins the Ottawa (Junction Gore).
On MacKay’s death his estate came under Thomas Coltrin’s management, with
a part of the land sold to Beechwood
Cemetery.
After a life of considerable achievement
Keefer died on January 7,1915 at the
age of 94 and was buried in Beechwood’s
Section 62.
time are formal studio portraits and recordings of serious public works and
constructs, the Ballantynes simply recorded what they loved. Isa May’s work,
which includes some scenes of regional
landscapes, can be found in the “James
Ballantyne Fonds” with several hundred
Ballantyne family photographs at Library and Archives Canada.
Isa May never married and died May
6, 1929, on the eve of her 65th birthday
at the family home at 54 Main Street.
She had lived there for the last fifty-five
years of her life. She is buried in Section
50, Lot 35 NW at Beechwood.
Sources: http://history.ottawaeast.ca/ (Bruce Ballantyne’s contributions about his family, specifically) and Beechwood’s Historical
Portraits book
Upcoming special events
Bereaved Families of Ottawa’s Annual
Butterfly Walk to Remember
Beechwood National Memorial Centre
Sunday, May 31, 1:15pm
Order butterflies: 613-567-4278
National Memorial Ride
National Military Cemetery
Sunday, June 7, 2:30pm
Annual Historical Tour:
Explorers & Adventurers
Beechwood National Memorial Centre
Sunday, June 28, 2:00pm
Annual Memorial Service
Beechwood National Memorial Centre
Sunday, September 20, 3:00pm
Published quarterly by the
Executive Director: Roger Boult
Editor: Jacques Faille
Design editor: Nicole Bedard
French translation: Jean-Luc Malherbe
Contributing writers: Nicole Bedard, Wes Darou,
Andrew Roy, Ian Guthrie, Thomas Ritchie,
Jacques Faille and Mark Sunderland
ISSN 2368-545X, 2368-5468
THE BEECHWOOD WAY newsletter is a free,
independent publication and, unless otherwise
clearly stated, its articles imply no endorsement of
any product or service.
The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation is a
registered Canadian charity, and will issue an income tax receipt for donations of $20 or more.
Registration number 88811 2018 RR0001.
How to contact us:
E-mail: foundation@beechwoodottawa.ca
Phone: (613) 741-9530
Mail: THE BEECHWOOD WAY
280 Beechwood Ave, PO Box 7025
Ottawa ON K1L 8E2
Please let us know if you would like to
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by email in an electronic format.
Visit us online to learn more about Beechwood, the
National Cemetery of Canada and read back issues
of THE BEECHWOOD WAY at:
www.beechwoodottawa.ca
We want your feedback on how we are doing!
Contact Jacques Faille at jfaille@rogers.com
Publications Agreement number 42640528
Please return undeliverable Canadian addresses to
The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation.
PO Box 7025 Ottawa ON K1L 8E2.
The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation Board of Directors
We welcome readers to submit letters to
foundation@beechwoodottawa.ca or to THE
BEECHWOOD WAY c/o The Beechwood Cemetery Foundation, PO Box 7025, 280 Beechwood
Ave, Ottawa ON K1L 8E2.
Grete Hale, Chair; General (ret’d) Maurice Baril; Carol Beal; RCMP A/Commr. (ret’d) Ghyslaine Clément;
Stephen Gallagher; Cathy Gray; Ian Guthrie; RCMP D/Commr. (ret’d) Tim Killam; Brigadier General (ret’d) Gerald
E. Peddle; Dr. J. David Roger; David Wallace; Richard Wagner; Robert White
Please supply your name, address and phone
number. Letters should be less than 300 words,
and may be edited for space, style and clarity.
Volume 10, Issue 37
6
Spring 2015