Carbray, Felix, Quebec, is the senior member of the well known firm of Carbray, Routh & Co., commission merchants, of Quebec and Montreal, and not only holds a good position in Quebec commercial society, which he has won by his business ability and energy, but fills a considerable space in the eyes of the Irish Catholic population of the ancient capital, whom he represented in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, from 1881 to 1886. As may be surmised, Mr. Carbray, though a native of Canada, is of Irish extraction. Both of his parents were from the county Tyrone, Ireland, and his father, the late Niall Carbray, who was a farmer, occupied for many years the historic Holland farm, near the city of Quebec, where the subject of this sketch was born on the 23rd December, 1835. His mother’s maiden name was Catherine Connolly. He was also educated at Quebec, where he has resided throughout his life, though he has travelled extensively in America and Europe, principally on business connected with the trade in lumber, in which his house is engaged. He was one of the pioneers of the lumber trade between the St. Lawrence and South America, and is still largely interested in it. In addition to his other duties, he fills the important position of consul of Portugal at the port of Quebec. A Roman Catholic in religion, Mr. Carbray has been honored by the St. Patrick’s congregation of Quebec with election and re-election as one of the trustees of their church, and is also a trustee of that noble Irish Catholic charity, the St. Bridget’s Asylum, of Quebec. He has taken an equally active and leading part in all the local national movements of his fellow-countrymen, and has been president of the St. Patrick’s Literary Institute, the Irish National Association, and other Irish bodies in Quebec. He is a Liberal-Conservative in politics, and at the provincial general elections in 1881, yielding to the solicitations of his friends, he ran as the party candidate for the electoral division of Quebec West and, after a hard fight, was elected by a good majority to represent that constituency in the Legislative Assembly in the province. His parliamentary career was very creditable. Though he did not often address the House, he was always listened to with the utmost respect, being an equally good speaker and debater in both English and French, and never wasting his powder except on serious and interesting subjects with which he was most conversant, such especially as questions of finance and commerce. In fact, so marked a figure was he in this respect in the legislature from 1881 to 1886, that rumor frequently connected his name with a cabinet office, and there is little doubt that had he continued in public life and his party been re-elected to power at the general elections of 1886, he would have sooner or later, entered the provincial ministry. During the last session of his term, he was the mover in the Legislative Assembly of the resolutions adopted by that body in favor of granting Home Rule to Ireland, and expressing sympathy with Mr. Gladstone in his efforts to solve the Irish problem peacefully, without dismembering the Empire. At the general elections on the 14th October, he again ran as the Liberal-Conservative candidate for Quebec West, and, though political feeling in the province ran high at the time, owing to the Riel agitation, was only defeated by the slender majority of eight votes, owing largely to over confidence on the part of his friends. Since then, Mr. Carbray has devoted himself exclusively to the management of the large and growing business of his firm. In May, 1854, he married Margaret, daughter of William Carberry, who emigrated to Quebec from Carrick-on-Suir, Waterford, Ireland, in 1847.
Emmerson, Henry Robert, LL.B., Dorchester, N.B., was born at Maugerville, in the county of Sunbury, province of New Brunswick, on the 25th day of September, 1853. He is a son of the Rev. Robert Henry Emmerson, Baptist clergyman, and Augusta Read Emmerson, his wife. His grandfather, John Emmerson, came from England, and engaged in the lumber business at Miramichi, N.B. At the time of the great fire there, in 1825, he lost much property, and came near losing his life. His grandfather, on the mother’s side, was Joseph Read, of Minudie, N.S., of the firm of Joseph Read & Co., of Minudie, N.S., and Boston, Mass. Mr. Read was one of the pioneers in the grindstone business between the provinces and the United States, and owned large and valuable quarries in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick at the time of his death. Our subject received a high school education at the following places:—St. Joseph’s College, Memramcook, N.B.; Amherst Academy, Amherst, N.S.; Mount Allison Academy, Sackville, N.B.; Boston English High School, Boston, Mass.; Horton Collegiate Academy, Wolfville, N.S., and attended lectures at Acadia College, Wolfville, N.S., for two years, pursuing a partial course, devoting his time principally to English, Latin, French, mathematics, and the natural sciences. In the year 1871 he went to Boston and attended a commercial college, and obtained a position in the office of the firm founded by his grandfather, and afterwards was given the position of bookkeeper. He continued in this position until 1874;, when he came to Dorchester, N.B., to pursue the study of the law in his native province, in the office of the then Hon. Albert J. Smith (afterwards Sir Albert J. Smith). Mr. Smith having given up his professional practice on account of his public duties as minister of marine and fisheries, he entered, in Michaelmas term, 1874, as a student-at-law in the office of Albert J. Hickman, barrister, who had succeeded to Mr. Smith’s law practice. He read law with Mr. Hickman until 1876, when he attended the Boston University Law School, in Boston, Mass. He graduated in June, 1877, with the degree of LL.B., and in Michaelmas term, 1877, was admitted an attorney of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick. At the Law School he had the honor to carry off the prize from the members of the graduating class of that year for the best essay on “The Legal Condition of Married Women.” This prize, offered by the faculty of the Law School, was $50. In November, 1877, he entered into a legal copartnership with Mr. Hickman, in whose office he had studied. The firm of Hickman & Emmerson continued with success until the death of Mr. Hickman, in March, 1879, when Mr. Emmerson associated with Mr. Burton S. Read, under the firm name of Emmerson & Read. In 1882 Mr. Read retired from the practice of the law, and our subject continued alone until 1886, when the firm of Emmerson, Chandler & Chapman, consisting of William B. Chandler, LL.B., W. H. Chapman and himself, was formed. In 1883, on the death of Sir Albert J. Smith, K.C.M.G., Mr. Emmerson became the managing executor of his estate, under his will. He has been closely identified with the Westmoreland county Liberal Association for years, taking an active part in the affairs of the party in the county and province. Was one of the owners of the Daily Transcript, a Liberal newspaper, published at Moncton, N.B., until 1887, when it was purchased by Mr. Hawke. In the general election of 1887 he was selected by the Liberal party of Westmoreland to contest that county in the Liberal interest against Mr. Josiah Wood, the Conservative M.P. for that county, and who had defeated Sir Albert J. Smith in the contest of 1882. He was defeated by about the same majority that Mr. Wood had over the late Sir Albert Smith. The Liberal party in this contest pledged itself to run the election within the letter and spirit of the law relating to bribery and corruption, and the resolution was most rigidly observed. The Liberals claimed that their opponents did not observe any such rule. Mr. Emmerson has travelled over a portion of the eastern and middle States, and Canada. In religious belief Mr. Emmerson adheres to the faith of his father and mother, who were Baptists. In June, 1878, he married Emily C. Record, only daughter of C. B. Record, iron founder, of Moncton, N.B. Mr. Record was one of the first to establish an iron foundry in New Brunswick outside of St. John. Besides his practice as counsel in court, etc., our subject has a large practice in estate business. He is executor under the will of Thomas Keillor, late of Dorchester, whose estate is large. That, with Sir Albert Smith’s estate and other estates, demand much of his time. Notwithstanding his busy life, Mr. Emmerson has devoted considerable of his time to public affairs, having taken the field in every political contest since 1878. He is a speaker of marked ability, possessing a magnetism rarely found in the public speakers of the present day. He has also taken a deep interest in emigration matters, having instituted or inaugurated an emigration scheme from the kingdom of Denmark to the county of Westmoreland, N.B., the scheme being under the direct management of his firm. There is now being circulated in Denmark a pamphlet prepared by them, having for its object the encouragement of a good class of emigrants to occupy the new and unoccupied farms of that magnificent county. The expense attending upon this scheme is borne entirely by Mr. Emmerson and his firm. In his professional career Mr. Emmerson has been, during the past seven years, connected with almost every one of the important suits tried in Westmoreland and Albert counties. The case of ex parte Rand, a case arising out of the Scott Act election of 1884, involving the question as to what “scrutiny of votes” meant, was one of the important cases in which he was engaged, having been employed by the Westmoreland Prohibitory Alliance to look after their interests therein. Upon the advice of himself and Attorney-General Blair, the case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, with success. In November, 1887, Mr. W. H. Chapman, one of his partners, having been appointed clerk of the county court of Westmoreland, retired from the firm, which is now Emmerson & Chandler, with offices at Dorchester and Moncton, in Westmoreland county. Mr. Emmerson’s talent as a public speaker has led him to be frequently called upon to lecture, which he occasionally does at places within the county. He is largely connected with the public enterprises of the county, and takes an active interest in the manufacturing, shipping, and other industrial institutions therein. With Mr. W. F. George, of Sackville, he has been at the back of the woollen manufacturing establishment at Port Elgin, N.B. Mr. Emmerson is solicitor for the Merchants’ Bank of Halifax, Dorchester and Moncton, and from 1882 until 1886, when he resigned, was agent of the Bank at Dorchester, not doing routine work, but having a supervision over and responsibility for the work. He is a director of the Maritime Baptist Publishing Company, the company managing and publishing The Messenger and Visitor, the organ of the Baptists in the maritime provinces. Our subject is a Liberal in English and Canadian politics, a great admirer of Gladstone and of Edward Blake. He is a strong advocate of free and unrestricted trade with the United States, and would break down all customs barriers. His commercial experience in Boston was to earn money to pursue his law studies, and also to give himself an insight into business affairs, as a help in his profession. Mr. Emmerson has three children, the eldest seven years of age.
Nolin, Charles, Sheriff of St. John’s, Quebec, was born May 18th, 1819, in St. Athanase county, and district of Iberville. His father was Ambroise Nolin, Isle D’Orleans, Quebec, later of St. Luc, district of Iberville, a farmer by occupation, who married Margaret Morin, of St. Luc. Ambroise died at St. Athanase, in 1867, while his wife lived until 1882, in which year she succumbed at a ripe old age. Our subject received a good commercial education at the school of his native parish, commencing business on his own account as general merchant, at St. John’s, in 1846. This business he carried on successfully for fourteen years, and by strict business integrity, together with economical habits, was enabled to retire from active business pursuits. On the 16th of May, 1863, he was appointed high constable of St. John’s, which position he held until 1865, when he resigned to accept the office of deputy-sheriff, which was then tendered him; receiving his present appointment as high sheriff on the 17th of November, 1873. Sheriff Nolin married, in 1846, Clorinthe, daughter of J. Duquet, of Chateauguay, merchant, and whose son, Joseph, was one of the “patriots” of 1837, who were executed along with Cardinal, in Montreal, in 1838. Sheriff Nolin has had issue eleven children, seven of whom are now living, one of his sons being Professor Alphonse Nolin, who occupies the classical chair in the Ottawa College. C. A. G. Nolin, the eldest son, is now a merchant of some standing in Washington territory, U.S. Joseph, another son, is a dentist, practising at Ottawa. Of his daughters, Marie Louise married L. A. Trudeau, a dentist, of St. John’s; Marie Elmire Clorinthe married Joseph Hector La Rocque, druggist, of the same place, and Maria Eudolie married J. E. Z. Bouchard, advocate, St. John’s, and now holding the position as French translator to the government of Quebec; the youngest daughter, Rosalinda, not married, lives at home. In the troublous times of 1837-8, Mr. Nolin took part in the rebellion of that period, and was taken prisoner; he, however, being more fortunate than many of his comrades, was discharged. Sheriff Nolan is an adherent of the Roman Catholic faith, and an ardent supporter of the church and faith of his forefathers. Though now well advanced in years, he is yet full of vigor, and delights in recounting the more stirring events of his rather eventful life.
MacKinnon, Tristiam A., General Superintendent of the Ontario and Atlantic Division of the Canadian Pacific Railway, has his office in Montreal. Mr. Mackinnon belongs to that hardy, virtuous and thrifty stock of Scotch-Irish, who, to the best qualities of the race from which they sprang, have added something of the impetuosity, quick-wittedness and capacity for adapting themselves to new situations, which distinguish the Hibernian Celt. It is a stock that has been ably represented in North America. Both in the United States and Canada, a considerable proportion of the most prominent citizens in all walks of public and private life have been proud to belong to it: President Buchanan, Motley, the historian; the ill-fated Montgomery, the scene of whose death is one of the points of interest to the stranger visiting Quebec; the Workman family of Toronto and Montreal, the late Sir Francis Hincks, Bishop Charles Hamilton and his brother, the Hon. John Hamilton, and others that will, doubtless, at once occur to the reader, men as are by birth or descent, members of the same vigorous and progressive race. Mr. MacKinnon was born in Ireland, on the 7th of August, 1844. He did not enter the railway service at so early a stage in his career as some of his colleagues who have, like himself, risen to distinction. He had attained the years of mature manhood when, in December, 1868, he was offered and accepted the position of clerk and time-keeper in the Passumpsic Railroad shops at Lynderville, Vermont. His merit was quickly recognized. In 1871 he became superintendent’s clerk and acting superintendent on the same line, and remained in that twofold capacity in connection with the road until August, 1873, when he was made superintendent of the Brockville and Ottawa and Canada Central Railways. In October, 1880, he received the appointment of assistant general manager of the South Eastern Railway, in which position he acquitted himself with such satisfaction to the company and the public that it was deemed to the advantage of both to give him entire charge of the administration. Finally, on the transfer of the South Eastern Railway to the Canadian Pacific company, he was appointed (1st October, 1886), general superintendent of the Ontario and Atlantic division of that great line, and no person, directly or indirectly connected with the road, has had reason to regret his promotion.
Smith, William, M.P. for South Ontario, Columbus, Ontario, was born in the township of East Whitby, November 16th, 1847, is the son of William Smith and Elizabeth Laing, his wife, natives of Morayshire, Scotland. He was educated at the public school, Columbus, and Upper Canada College, Toronto. He was a lieutenant in the 6th company (Brooklin), 34th battalion V. M. I. for a number of years. He has been a trustee of Columbus public school since 1869; was president of the South Ontario Agricultural Society in 1881; deputy reeve of the township of East Whitby from 1878 to end of 1882; reeve from 1883 to end of 1886; and is now vice-president of the Clydesdale Association of Canada. He belongs to the I.O.O.F., having joined November 11th, 1887. He has always taken an active part in both municipal and political affairs, and was defeated for the House of Commons in June, 1882, by fifty, but was successful at the last general election in 1887. In politics he is a Conservative; in religion a Presbyterian. He was married May 25th, 1880, to Helen Burns, daughter of the late James Burns, farmer, of the township of East Whitby. Mr. Smith is a farmer, and has lived on the same farm since his birth. He takes a great interest in Clydesdale horses, Durham cattle, and Cotswold sheep.