James Hargrave (1846-1935), an eminent western pioneer and founder of a prominent local ranching family, was born in Chateauguay, Quebec. His grandparents, Joseph Hargrave and Jane (nee Melrose) Hargrave, of Kelso, Roxburgshire county, and Selkirkshire county respectively, in southern Scotland, came to Canada in 1817, and settled on a farm in Beech Ridge with James' father, John, and his 7 siblings. James' mother, Jemima (nee Moffat) (1818-1869), was also of Scottish descent, having come from Dumfreeshire. James worked as a factor for the Hudson Bay Company for 15 years. While at Portage La Prairie, he met Alexandra Sissons. Alexandra (1853-1932), born in St. Thomas, Ontario, had travelled west with her family by stage coach. They married February 17, 1875, and had a family of 9 children. After leaving the Hudson Bay Co. and farming in Portage LaPrairie for 2 years, James decided to move west. In 1883, he and his brother-in-law, Daniel Sissons, arrived in Medicine Hat and opened a general store at the corner of 2nd and South Railway Streets. He also purchased land on the north side of the river where he built a home. Mrs. Hargrave, with their 6 children, joined him in 1884. In 1906, a large cement block house was built on this property. It remained the family home until 1949, when it was sold to the Presbyterian Church. The Hargrave and Sissons store carried on business as general merchants and fur traders until 1896, when it was sold to J.K. Drinnan. Besides his interest in the general store, James took up ranching. His first ranch, on Little Plume Creek, was destroyed by fire, so he relocated to the Walsh area to a site suggested by Cree Indians, Little Corn and Peeper. It was considered to be very suitable because the buffalo wintered there. This area was called by them "Lake of Many Islands With Grass up to Horses Bellies". It came to be known as Many Islands Lake, and finally dried up in 1982. A very successful ranch was established at this site which the Hargrave family still owns and operates. James Hargrave was a member of the first Board of School Trustees and acted as Secretary for some time. He was interested in the industrial development of the west and at the time of his death was President of the Redcliff Pressed Brick Co. and Medicine Hat Brick and Tile Co. He was one of the first members of St. John's Church and attended regularly all his life. He also served as church elder for many years. John Campbell Sissons (1876-1941), James and Alexandra's first child, was born in Portage La Prairie and came to the Hat in 1884, with his mother. He attended McGill University and graduated with a D.V.S. in 1895. In 1900, he joined the Federal Government Animal Quarantine Inspection Service. He became the Chief Inspector of the Health and Animals Branch for Alberta, and remained in that position until he retired. Like his father before him, he was an active member of St. John's Church, serving as an elder and on the Board of Management. John married Mary Jane McKee Dundas Porter (1874-1962), who arrived in Medicine Hat from Ontario, at the age of 8, in 1883. Her father, Samuel Porter, was the first farmer in the area of the city now known as Porter's Hill. Mary was the first female employee in Medicine Hat, working as a bookkeeper for "The Trading Company". She received a set of Royal Crown Derby dishes as a wedding gift from her employers. John and Mary Jane had five children: James Howard (1903-1982), Thomas Campbell McKee (1905-1989), Elaine Alexandra (1906), Mary Edith (1908) and Margaret Lissa (1910). Thomas Albert (1877-1954), second son of James and Alexandra, was born in Fort Francis, Ontario. He travelled west with his family arriving in Medicine Hat as a boy of 7. The family resided on Riverside and Tom and his sisters walked to Toronto Street school across the train bridge. He completed high school in Toronto and attended the University of Toronto majoring in Political Economy. On leaving university, he took over management of the Hargrave ranch. He was a fine horseman and under his management, the family ranch produced large numbers of well-bred cattle and work horses. He was an active community leader serving on the Cypress School Board and was involved with St. John's Church. He also took an active interst in history and was instrumental in the establishment of the city's first museum in Riverside Park. Thomas married Mary Hope Whimster (1884-1977), on December 31, 1906. They had six children: Wenonah Hope (1908-1994), James Henry "Harry" (1909), Muriel Alexandra (1911), Anna Mary "Nancy" (1915), Herbert Thomas "Bert" (1917-1996) and John Huxley (1918). Mary Whimster Hargrave was an artist of note. She was the first member of the Medicine Hat Art Club, started in 1945. William Howard (1878-1965), third son of James and Alexandra, married Margaret Grassick (1879-1944). They had 3 children; Percival Duncan (1909-1992), who served as superintendant of the Brooks Horticultural Research Station from 1936 to 1969, William Grassick (1910), and Douglas Blais (1915). The fourth child and first daughter born to James and Alexandra, was Helenora Jemima (1880-1970), known to the family as "Queenie". She and her husband, James Mitchell, married in 1907, and had 3 children; Helen Elizabeth (1908), Robert Hargrave (1910-1981) and Nora Alexandra (1914). Mary Lillian Melrose (1882-1972), their fifth child, married Dr. W.L. Hawke, a local veterinarian in 1914. They did not have a family. The sixth child born to James and Alexandra was Cecil Shepard (1884-1886). Cecil died in infancy and his gravesite was the first grave in Hillside cemetery. His father had helped to acquire the property there from the government. Lissa Bella Ruth (1886-1964), the Hargrave's seventh child, married Herbert J. Sissons (1881-1949). They had 5 children: James and Joseph (1917-1918), Herbert Gordon Hargrave (1920), Thomas Eaton Alexander (1923) and William John Carse (1923). The eighth child born to James and Alexandra, was Willena Heather Izene (1888-1957). She married Thomas Murray (1883-1971), in 1913. They had 6 children: Heather Alexandra "Zanie" (1913), Melrose Isabel (1916), Aimee Alberta (1918-1921), James Hargrave (1919), Lorna Luetta (1923), and Thomas Minor (1925-1977). The last child in the Hargrave family was Andrew Ralph Carlton (1891-1979). He married Aimee June Woodcock (1892-?). They had three children: Ralph Carlton (1920), Donald Reese Freemont (1925), and Richard Stanley (1927). Three children of Thomas Hargrave, (second child of James and Alexandra), Hope Michael, Bert and Harry Hargrave have made significant contributions as citizens of Medicine Hat and area. Hope, Thomas and Mary Hope Hargrave's first child, was born in 1908. She married David Michael in 1933. They had 2 daughters: Mary Helen Alexandra (1934), and Lorna Ruth (1939). Hope and David were divorced in 1942. Hope Michael received her elementary and secondary education in Medicine Hat. She attended Calgary Normal School in 1926, and later earned a degree from the University of Alberta with a major in Home Economics. She regularly took courses and attended workshops to keep her knowledge current. She taught in a number of rural schools and later with the Medicine Hat School District #76 (1947-1970). When she retired in 1970, she received an Honorary Life Membership from the Alberta Teaching Association in recognition of her outstanding contribution to her students and profession. Keenly interested in history, Hope was a founding member of the Historical Society of Medicine Hat and served as their first Secretary. She has been an active member, helping to organize and research various personalities and events of historical interest. She has also completed extensive geneological reasearch on the Hargrave, Sissons, Whimster and Marlatt families. In 1948, she wrote a series of articles in the Medicine Hat News, relating to the history of the Elkwater area. These articles were compiled and published in 1972, under the title "90 years at Elkwater Lake, Cypress Hills, Alberta". In 1981, she and Hope Johnson, a well known local artist and amateur paleontologist, collaborated to update and expand the material into the newly titled "Down the Years at Elkwater". She and others also assisted Senator F.W. Gershaw with the preparation of "Saamis-A History of Medicine Hat", for the local celebration of Canada's centenary year. In March 1984, Hope received the Heritage Merit Award from the Alberta Historic Resources Foundation for "deep and ongoing commitment to preservation and promotion of Medicine Hat's heritage." In 1983, she had received a Heritage Merit Award from the Medicine Hat Museum and Art Gallery. Hope passed away in Medicine Hat on December 1, 1994. James Henry "Harry" (1909-1984), the second son of Thomas and Mary Hope Hargrave, was married to Ruth McElroy in 1935. They had two daughters, Barbara and Norma. Harry graduated from the University of Alberta in 1932, specializing in animal husbandry. His first job was managing a large ranch near Fort MacLeod. In 1934, he joined the Federal Government and was posted to the Manyberries reaserch substation. Later, he became Station Superintendent. In 1947, he transferred to Swift Current, and in 1949, to Lethbridge, where he spent 10 years in animal research at the Lethbridge Research Station. From 1959 until his retirement in 1970, he was Deputy Director of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration at Regina. In this capacity, he showed great sympathy for the plight of native people and did his best to help many of them set up grazing industries on the reserves. During his years of dedicated service to agriculture, Harry received many awards. Some of these include the Silver Bull Award from the U.S. C
James Anderson of Stenness, Orkney, who was baptised in 1775, served with the Hudson's Bay Co. at Brandon House. He married a Salteaux woman, Mary (Maria), and they had 14 children. James Anderson and his family later settled on land along the Red River. James was buried in Portage LaPrairie in 1856; his wife Mary, in 1854. John, the eldest son of James and Mary Anderson, was born September 4, 1804. He also worked for the Hudson's Bay Co. John married Mary Desmarais and the couple had 13 children, two of whom died in infancy. John settled close to his parents on the Red River. He died in 1883 and his wife, in 1884. Charles Thomas, the 9th child of John and Mary Anderson, was baptised in 1840. In 1853, he and his entire family moved to Portage LaPrairie where he met and later married Maria Cook in 1859. One of their 13 children, James, settled in Medicine Hat. Charles passed away in 1909. James Thomas Anderson, the 9th child of Charles and Maria was born in Manitoba on March 13, 1874. James and his brother Cohn both suffered from tuberculosis and were advised to move to a drier climate, so both joined the Dominion of Canada Surveying Crew and travelled extensively in Western Canada. James later settled in Medicine Hat. He was involved in the cattle drive at the site which later became known as Drowning Ford, where numerous cattle were lost, and later was employed with one of Medicine Hat's earliest residents, James Sanderson. James Francis Sanderson (1848-1902), who was born in Eastern Canada, accompanied his family on buffalo hunting expeditions to Western Canada. He participated in the opposition to the Riel Rebellion and was taken prisoner by Riel's men. In 1872, he married Maria McKay, the daughter of Edward McKay, a leading Indian trader, who had settled in the Cypress Hills but continued to travel the western prairies and hunt buffalo. They had 4 children, Caroline, Owen, Duncan and Mary. In 1882, the Sandersons' and McKays' moved to Medicine Hat. Here James Francis worked on construction of the CPR, ran a bull herd and collected buffalo bones to be sent east to be made into fertilizer. He also was agent for the coal mine in 1899, held the ice contract for the CPR and was wolf inspector for the district. In addition, he also ran a profitable livery stable. He was considered an expert on Indian culture and wrote a series of articles in 1894, entitled "Indian Tales of the Canadian Prairies". He was among one of the most highly regarded and influential pioneers of the area. As part of his duties while working for James Sanderson, James Anderson was to protect and escort Mary Sanderson, their well-educated daughter. James and Mary married in St. Barnabas church in 1900, and homesteaded in the Golden Valley Farm area and at Finn's Lake. Their 7 children, Charles, Isabelle, Mary, Bertha, Howard, Owen and Dora, were all raised in that area. Both James and Mary were musical and music was very important to their family. They were one of the few families to own a piano, and their love of music was passed to their descendants. Mary passed away in 1952 and James, in 1961. Bertha Laura Sanderson, born October 8, 1907, married Daniel Harry Hogg (born 1903) in June, 1937. Their son, Nelson (April 1, 1939), compiled information about the family and donated it to the archives. Space does not permit further information to be included about these large families. There is much more biographical and general data about various family members in the manuscripts.
John Bryden "J.B." Richardson (b.1856, Glasgow, Scotland. d.1937, Medicine Hat) a baker who owned his own buisness, married Margaret Corbett in Toronto, ON in 1884. J.B. and Margaret had ten children: Bertram Bryden "B.B" Richardson (b. July 31, 1885 d. February 1, 1956.), Vera, Essie, Reta, John "Jack", Howard, Helen, Annie, David Stuart, and Wallace Richardson.
Moving from Toronto to Winnipeg, J.B Richardson and his young family opened another bakery. While this business prospered--needing a fleet of nine delivery wagons in its prime--J.B decided in 1912 to sell the Bakery to Canada Bread for a significant profit and moved his family to Medicine Hat. When J.B. Richardson arrived in Medicine Hat in 1912 he purchased the Michael Leonard Bakery (City Bakery) at 663 2nd St. SE, which was the first bakery ever opened in Medicine Hat (founded 1884). J.B. Richardson enlarged the plant, and added up to date machinery, and with no large companies for competition, Richardson Bakery thrived.
Meanwhile, J.B.'s oldest son, Bert and his wife had purchased a bakery and confectionary in Redcliff, AB; but unfortunately the business was damaged in the cyclone in 1913-1914, and Bert and his family moved into Medicine Hat to be with the rest of the Richardsons.
J.B. moved the Richardson's Bakery again in 1917 to a larger location at 720 4th St SE, but quite soon after (sometime between 1917-1920?) the building was damaged by fire. This prompted J.B. to move the business yet again, and in 1923 his business--renamed as J.B. Richardson's Bakery--settled at 262 4th St SW, with B.B. Richardson living next door at 238 4th St SW, and J.B. Richardson living across the street at 249 4th St SW.
In 1929, J.B. was now in a partnership with his son B.B. in the Bakery, (now stylized as J.B. Richardson & Son Bakery) and together they decided to sell the business to Five Roses Flour Mill, which in turn renamed the building as Medicine Hat Bakery. From there, the building was enlarged again, and it became part of a chain that operated from Winnipeg to Vancouver. In 1938, Five Roses would sell this company to Weston's Bakery.
While J.B. Richardson was beginning to contemplate retirement, his son B.B. Richardson was interested in revitilzing the Bakery buisiness once again. In 1932, he purchased the Ideal Bakery at 720 4th St SW, which was the previous home of Richardson's Bakery in 1917. B.B. Richardson worked closely with his father until J.B.'s official retirement in 1934, and the Richardson's Bakery building still stands today, after being passed from B.B. Richardson to his son, Harold Richardson, and finally, to Harold's son, Ralph Richardson.
Of J.B. Richardson's children, his oldest son, Bertram Bryden Richardson married Isabella Elizabeth Fraser (b. September 26, 1886 d. November 7, 1938) and had three children: Mary Margaret, Melville Fraser and Harold Bertram.
Howard Richardson died at age 19, gassed in a boarding house in Winnipeg.
Vera Richardson married John Cooper and had three children: Grace, Margaret and Bud.
Annie Richardson married George Murray and had a son, Jack Murray--but Annie passed away unexpectedly young, at 19 years old, due to influenza.
Essie Richardson, who never married, took care of Jack Murray and raised him.
Helen Richardson married Dave Murray and had three children: Helen, Margaret and Jim.
Jack Richardson enlisted in the war in 1916, and died from influenza in Germany at the age of 23.
David Stuart Richardson, an artist and actor, married and had a son, Earl Richardson, in Los Angeles, California. He was believed to have been killed in a typhoon in Japan.
And J.B. Richardson's youngest child, Wallace Richardson, died young at three years old.
Charles Taylor was born around 1884 in Ireland to Samuel and Jane Taylor. The family immigrated to Canada, probably Ontario, in 1856. On September 1, 1881, Charles married Martha Jane Copeland, of Bruce County, Ontario. Martha Jane was the daughter of Robert (born ca.1823) and Martha Copeland (born ca.1832), both from England, and was born around 1858. She had seven siblings: Sarah Ann (born ca. 1852), William (born ca.1853), Richard (born ca. 1855), Permelia (born ca. 1861), Thomas (born ca. 1893), Lydia (born ca.1866), and Robert (born ca.1868).Charles and Martha Taylor had seven children: Ada Amelia (1881), Samuel (1883), Abram (1885), William, Mary (1887), Lillian (1893), and Clarence Richard (Ted) (1897). They came to Medicine Hat in 1901. Ada Taylor grew up in Medicine Hat, attending Elizabeth School, Toronto Street School, Alexandra High School, and graduated with a nursing degree from the University of Matriculation in 1910. When World War One broke out, she enlisted in the Medical Corps and and spent the winter of 1916-1917 with the No.5 Canadian General Hospital in Solonike, Greece, on the Balkan front. She was transferred to the No.3 General Hospital in Boulonge, France in August 1917, where she served for the rest of the war. For her services she was awarded various medals: Victory Medal (1919), British War Medal (1919), the Star (1914-1915), Royal Red Cross Medal Class II (1918), and the Cape and Veil. After the war she married into the Anderson family had two children, Charlotte Joan (born 1921), and Frank Taylor (born 1923). Ada loved to figure skate, golf, and swim in the South Saskatchewan River, as well as help her church in their various activities. Ada passed away August 13, 1974. Samuel Copeland Taylor was born in Winnipeg in 1883 and came with his family to Medicine Hat. Samuel worked with his brother Abram for general merchants and later purchased the Stewart and Tweed store on 2nd St. SE sometime in the 1910's. They operated the store as "Taylor Brothers Grocery" until it closed in 1953. Samuel was a dedicated member of St. Barnabas Church and served on the church's vestry. He became a charter member of the Rotary Club in 1918, was a member of #2 Masonic Lodge, and was an active canvasser for war bonds, and the Red Cross. He was also a charter member of the Canadian Club in 1929, was a volunteer member of the Fire Department, and loved to play lacrosse, golf, volleyball, skate, swim, and badminton. Samuel married a lady named Ruth (nee ?) and had three daughters: Betty (F.W Butler), Margaret (R.du Cloux), and Adele (John A. Bell). Samuel left Medicine Hat for Sidney, BC in 1954 and passed away April 30, 1968. Abram (Abe) Taylor was born in Moosomin, Saskatchewan in 1885 and moved with his family to Medicine Hat. He became a partner with the firm Spence and Todd Ltd., general merchants, and then sold out in 1914 to become a partner with his brother Samuel in the "Taylor Brothers Grocery." They operated the store together until January 1953 when Abe's son Chick, and Sam's son-in-law, Frank Butler, took over. In December 1953 Abe moved to Vancouver, BC for health reasons. Abe was a volunteer fire fighter, strong supporter of St. Barnabas Church, was an honorable member of the Medicine Hat Rotary Club, and held a life membership in both Medicine Hat lodge No. 2 AF and AM and Assiniboia chapter No.3 R.A.M. Abe was also a sports enthusiast, playing baseball, and a big fan of basketball. Abram was married to a lady named Dorothy (nee ?) and had one daughter, Gay (Ray Ostlund), and one son Chick. Abe passed away December 4, 1954. Clarence Richard (Ted) Taylor was born in 1897 in Wosely, Saskatchewan but obtained his education in Medicine Hat. He attended the University of Alberta and enlisted in a university regiment when World War One broke out. He was oversees in 1916 and served in France until the end of the war, being wounded twice. When he came back to Canada he worked in Calgary, then with his brothers, Abe and Samuel, at their grocery store. In 1925 he joined the Ogilvie company as a salesman and in 1948 became manager of the Medicine Hat branch. He was a former member of the Kiwanis Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Manufacturer's Association, and served on the vestry for St. Barnabas Church. Clarence married Delia Brunsdale and had one son, Richard. Clarence passed away May 26, 1954. Richard Edward Taylor, CC, FRS, FRSC was born November 2, 1929 in Medicine Hat, the only son of Clarence (Ted) and Delia (Dooly) Taylor. He attended Earl Kitchener Elementary School, spending a portion of his time at his uncle's business, Taylor Brothers Grocery Store. Dick is a Canadian-American professor (Emeritus) at Stanford University.[1] On December 10 1990, at the age of 61, Richard (Dick) Taylor became one of only 13 Canadians to have received a Noble Prize. Along with his colleagues Henry W. Kendall and Jerome I. Friedman, Dick received the 1990 Noble prize for Physics for his contributions to particle physics. After growing up in Medicine Hat, Taylor studied for his BSc (1950) and MSc (1952) degrees at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Dick left home in 1946 to study at the University of Alberta where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree and then a master's degree in 1952. During his university years, he spent two summers at the Defense Research Establishment Suffield. When Dick left for Stanford, he was accompanied by his wife, the former Rita Bonneau of Blairmore, Alberta. During a 3-year stint in Paris, the Taylor's only son, Ted was born. Newly married, he applied to work for a PhD degree at Stanford University, where he joined the High Energy Physics Laboratory. His PhD thesis was on an experiment using polarized -rays to study p-meson production. After 3 years at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and a year at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in California, Taylor returned to Stanford. Construction of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (now the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) was beginning. In collaboration with researchers from the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Taylor worked on the design and construction of the equipment, and was involved in many of the experiments. In 1962, Dick accepted a permanent position at the two-mile linear accelerator project at Stanford University. In the late 1960's, leading a large team scientists, he began the research that eventually led him to the Noble Prize. Dick and his colleagues received the prize for their study of high-energy electron-proton collisions conducted at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre between 1968 and 1973. Their experiments demonstrated that quarks, then thought to make up protons and neutrons, were not just mathematical constructs, but real particles in their own right. In effect the building blocks of 99% of all matter on earth. The research provided a major empirical support for the quark model and laid the ground work for what has come to been known as the "standard model" of elementary particle physics. In 1997, Dick was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. This honour is recognized worldwide as a sign of the highest regard in science. In 2005, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.
