MacFarlane, Foster, M.D., Fairville, St. John, New Brunswick, was born in the parish of Studholm, Kings county, N.B., on the 12th December, 1834. His father, Matthew MacFarlane, was born in the parish of Dramore, county of Tyrone, Ireland, and was a descendant of a family of that name, who, with others, sought refuge from the persecution then prevailing in the Highlands of Scotland. The record of the family dates back to the beginning of the thirteenth century. The family name of “MacFarlane” took its origin from a grandson of the Earl of Lennox, named Bartholomew, the Gaelic of which is “Pharlan,” whose son was named MacFarlane (or son of Bartholomew). The seat of the Earl of Lennox was Dumbarton castle, which was held by his descendants the MacFarlanes, at intervals, and for six centuries they held possession of their original lands, the principal seat of which was Arrochar, at the head of Lochlong. The MacFarlane clan fought, and distinguished themselves, in the battle of Langside, May 13th, 1565, their valour mainly contributing to decide the fortunes of the day, and the defeat of Mary, Queen of Scots. For their bravery they received from the Regent their crest and motto which has ever since been inscribed on their family escutcheon, “This I’ll defend.” Chief among the descendants of this ancient family may be mentioned Walter MacFarlane, of MacFarlane, who is justly celebrated as the indefatigable collector of the ancient records of his country, and whose historical writings, according to Mr. Skeen, “form the best monuments to his memory; and as long as the existence of the ancient records of the country, or a knowledge of its ancient history remains an object of interest to any Scotchman, the name of MacFarlane will be handed down as one of its benefactors, which monument will be found more enduring than the barbaric splendour of his warlike countrymen, which has long since faded away, thus showing that it is not the destroyer but the benefactor of his fellow-creatures who is secure of immortality.” In 1815, when but a lad of twelve years of age, Matthew MacFarlane, accompanied his father, James MacFarlane, and other members of the family, to America, and on their arrival settled at Rockland, in Kingston, Kings county, N.B. Some years afterwards, and when the family had grown up, Mr. MacFarlane, sr., left his eldest son, Charles, on the homestead, and removed, with Matthew and his other sons and daughters, to Studholm, in the same county. About the year 1827, being amongst the pioneer settlers of that part of the country, Matthew MacFarlane married Sarah Foster, whose father, Ezekiel Foster, came from New England during the American war. One of his brothers fought at the battle of Lexington, and died in defending what he considered his rights, having espoused the cause of the colonists. Foster MacFarlane, the subject of our sketch, was the fifth child of this marriage, and first saw the light in a log cabin, the common abode of the pioneer farmers of those days. His earliest education was received in the parish school, and was limited to the rudiments of an ordinary English education. At the age of twenty, having passed the required examination before the local board then existing, he received a license to teach in the public school. After teaching for a time, he entered upon a course of study at the Baptist Seminary, Fredericton, and afterwards took a special course for a time at the University of New Brunswick. After leaving the university, he pursued a course in medicine at Harvard University, Cambridge, United States, and was privileged to sit at the feet of such men as Professor Agassiz, Jeffries Wyman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and E. Brown-Sequard, of Paris, graduating in 1868. He first practised medicine in his native parish for two years and a half. During this time he was appointed by the government a coroner for Kings county. He then removed to Fairville, St. John, N.B., where he has ever since practised his profession. He has been a member of the Senate of the University of New Brunswick since the spring of 1883, and a director of the Union Baptist Education Society since its incorporation. He was one of the promoters of the Dominion Safety Fund Life Association, filling for a number of years the position of director, and is now its medical superintendent. He united about thirty years ago with the Sons of Temperance, and has since belonged to other temperance organizations, being now a member of the Independent Order of Good Templars. He was brought up in connection with the Methodists, but in the year 1858 his views underwent a change, and he united with the Baptists, and is at present a member of the Fairville Baptist church. On July 20, 1868, he was married to Elizabeth A. Babbitt, daughter of Samuel Perry and Phœbe Babbitt, of St. John, N.B. He has five children—one son and four daughters.
Burns, Rev. Robert Ferrier, D.D., Pastor of the Fort Massey Presbyterian church, Halifax, Nova Scotia. This popular minister was born in Paisley, Scotland, on the 23rd of December, 1826. His father was Robert Burns, D.D., and his mother, Janet Orr, daughter of the first provost of Paisley. His mother’s sister, Susan, was mother of Sir Archibald Orr Ewing, baronet, M.P. for Dumbarton. His father had three brothers in the ministry of the Church of Scotland,—namely, Rev. James Burns, who for forty years was minister of the parish of Brechin; Rev. William H. Burns, D.D., Kilsyth; and Rev. George Burns, D.D., first Presbyterian minister of St. John, New Brunswick, afterwards of Tweedsmuir and Corstorphine, Scotland,—and two uncles in the service of their Sovereign—Major-General Islay Ferrier, the last governor of Dumbarton castle, and Sir William Hamilton, baronet, who commanded the marines that pulled the guns up to the Plains of Abraham, in 1759, at the taking of Quebec. Miss Ferrier, author, and friend of Sir Walter Scott, was a second cousin. Rev. Dr. Burns, sr., was pastor for thirty-three years of Dr. Witherspoon’s church (Laigh Kirk and St. George’s), Paisley, and moved to Toronto in 1845, and became the first pastor of Knox’s Church in that city, and professor in Knox’s College. He died at Toronto on the 19th of August, 1869; and his widow on the 22nd of August, 1882. Rev. Dr. Robert Ferrier Burns received his early education at the High school of Paisley, and then entered the University of Glasgow, where he remained four years, taking honours in Latin, Greek, logic, and moral philosophy. He studied theology in the New College (Free Church), Edinburgh, and Knox’s College, Toronto. In April, 1847, he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Toronto, and on the 1st of July following he was ordained pastor of Chalmer’s Presbyterian church, Kingston, Ontario. He was Presbyterian chaplain in the 71st Highland Light Infantry for a year. He remained in this charge for eight years, and, during his ministry there, succeeded in having built for his congregation a handsome church edifice. In July, 1855, he moved to St. Catharines, and was settled over Knox Presbyterian church of that place. A fine building was erected by his people for him. Here he ministered until March, 1867, when he accepted a call from the Scotch Presbyterian church in Chicago, United States, to become its first pastor, and, during his residence there of three years, a church was built. In 1866, the degree of D.D. was conferred upon him by Hamilton College, New York. In April, 1870, he was translated to Côté Street Presbyterian church (now Crescent street), Montreal, as successor to Principal MacVicar, where he did good work. On the 18th of March, 1875, he became pastor of Fort Massey Presbyterian church in Halifax, as successor to the Rev. J. K. Smith, M.A., now of Galt, who for two years had been first pastor of this influential congregation. In 1873, Dr. Burns occupied the position of moderator of the Synod of Montreal, and in 1883 he was moderator of the Synod of the Maritime provinces. During his residence in Montreal he was chairman of the Presbyterian College Board; and, for the past twelve years, has acted as chairman of the Halifax College Board. In 1880 he was sent as a delegate to the Raikes’ centenary celebration in London, and during the same year he represented the Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Canada in the Presbyterian Council at Philadelphia. In 1884 he was a delegate from the same church to the council held in Belfast, Ireland, where he read one of the papers presented to that body, and was appointed one of its executive committee. This year (1887) the doctor has been nominated for the moderatorship of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, which meets in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in June next. Rev. Dr. Burns takes a great interest in Sunday-school work, and was one of the first to advocate the establishment of Sunday-school conventions in Canada, which have done so much of late years to advance this branch of Christian work. As a platform speaker he stands high, and has often spoken on subjects, professional and otherwise, before large audiences. At present he is lecturer on theological themes in the Presbyterian College at Halifax. As a book-writer, too, he has done his share. His life of his father, a volume of nearly five hundred pages, published in Toronto in 1873, soon went through three editions. His other writings, “Sketch of Abraham Lincoln,” “The Presbyterian Church,” “Modern Babylon,” “The Maine Law,” “Christian Liberality,” “Confession and Absolution,” and a variety of sermons and tracts—have all been favourably received, and commanded a good sale. He has also contributed largely to the columns of the newspaper press and our periodicals. Dr. Burns has travelled a good deal, and has visited Great Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, and various other places in Europe, and is very familiar with Canada and the United States. He was married on the 1st of July, 1852, at Belleville, Ontario, to Elizabeth, second daughter of Rufus Holden, M.D., a much esteemed physician, and elder of the Presbyterian church, in Belleville. Dr. Burns has eight children—four sons and four daughters.
Bullock, Joseph, Oil Merchant, St. John, New Brunswick, is a native of Springfield, Ohio, and was born on September 6th, 1833. His father was William Bullock, a native of Staffordshire, England, who came to the United States a few years prior to the birth of Joseph. His mother’s maiden name was Ann Clark Peacock, she being of the Yorkshire family of that ilk. His mother’s parents came out to Ohio about the same time as Mr. Bullock, sr. Mr. Peacock went there to accept the position of engineer for the state of Ohio. Joseph Bullock’s parents removed to Hamilton, Ontario, in the spring of 1834, he then being only a few months old. Two years later they removed to what is now known as Bullock’s Corners, near Dundas, the place taking its name from his father. It was here Mr. Bullock spent his boyhood, and got what education could in those days be procured in the public school of the vicinity. On leaving school he helped his father in his business, which, by the way, was that of lumberman. During the time he was so engaged, he married when in his 25th year, Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac Duffield, a farmer of the township of Glanford, South Wentworth. Two years after his marriage, the lumber business declining, he commenced business as general store-keeper at Bullock’s Corners, which he continued for about three years. After this he settled upon a farm he owned in West Flamboro’, and worked it for two years. His father having died in the meantime, he left West Flamboro’ and took up his residence at the old homestead. Here he remained about three years, travelling occasionally for his brothers-in-law, Duffield Bros., of London, oil refiners. In the year 1869, Confederation being an accomplished fact, Mr. Bullock removed to St. John, New Brunswick, to engage in the oil business, which has now assumed such large proportions. His original intention was to handle Canadian oil exclusively, but as the years rolled on, American products had also to be handled, and he is now the largest dealer in oils in the maritime provinces. In politics, Mr. Bullock is thoroughly independent, voting more on the character of the man than from purely party motives. It is, however, in the religious world that Mr. Bullock is most conspicuous. As a boy he was identified more particularly with the Church of England, but at the age of about twenty years he became a member of the Methodist church, of which he is a consistent and earnest member. Prior to the great fire of 1877, Mr. Bullock was a trustee of the old German Street Methodist Church, the oldest church in the city, and after its destruction by that fire, was chairman of the building committee of the present Queen Square Methodist Church, and of which he still continues a trustee. It was largely to his energy and liberality that the erection of this church was due. He is also a member of the quarterly board of his church, and is one of the board of directors of the British and Foreign Bible Society for the city of St. John. He is a total abstainer, and has been for the most of his life, and is pronounced in favour of the prohibition of the liquor traffic. When Gen. Booth visited St. John, he was the guest of Mr. Bullock. Mr. Bullock has had a family of three children, one of whom is deceased, and the remaining ones, two sons, are associated with him in business.
Binney, Irwine Whitty, Collector of Customs, Port of Moncton, New Brunswick, was born on the 10th of July, 1841, at Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is a son of the late Stephen Binney, who for many years was a leading merchant in Halifax, and who, when the city was incorporated, was elected its first mayor. Mr. Binney, sr., acting as mayor, on the occasion of the birth of the Prince of Wales, visited England, and presented an address to Her Majesty the Queen, signed by a large number of the citizens. This gentleman was grandson of the late Hon. Hibbert N. Binney, who for a period of nearly forty years, filled the office of collector of customs and excise at Halifax, and was also a member of the Legislative Council; and great-grandson of the late Hon. Jonathan Binney, one of the first residents of Halifax, who was a member of the first Legislative Assembly (1758) of the province. He and Frederick des Barras met the Indian chiefs at Arichat, New Brunswick, in 1761, and concluded a lasting peace, and was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1768; second judge at St. John’s Island (near Prince Edward Island); and also collector of customs for the island. I. W. Binney, the subject of this sketch, is brother to William Pryor Binney, Her Britannic Majesty’s consul at Syra, Greece, and was educated at various schools, including the Sackville Academy, New Brunswick, receiving a commercial education. In his younger days he found employment as a clerk in several commercial houses; and from 1861 to 1864, he was in the old established and well known lumber firm of Gilmour, Rankin & Co., Miramichi, New Brunswick. He also carried on a wholesale business at Chatham, New Brunswick, for a few years, and afterwards engaged in mining operations in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, in company with the late Sir A. J. Smith and others. He was appointed a clerk in Her Majesty’s customs in 1874, and promoted to the collectorship at the port of Moncton, New Brunswick, in 1883. He joined the Freemasons in 1862; was made a Royal-Arch-Mason in 1866, and Knight Templar in 1870. At present he is a past master of Keith lodge of Moncton, New Brunswick. He is an Episcopalian in his religious views. Mr. Binney’s father moved to Moncton, New Brunswick, from Halifax, in 1845, and died there in 1872. Mr. Binney is unmarried, and his mother and widowed sister reside with him.
Berthelot, Hon. Joseph Amable, Judge of the Superior Court of Montreal. This learned judge was born on the 8th of May, 1815, at St. Eustache, county of Two Mountains, by the marriage of Joseph Amable Berthelot, notary, and Dame Marie M. Hervieux. Mr. Berthelot’s father was from Quebec, where he finished his classical studies in 1796, having been the classmate of the late Hon. Judge Thomas Taschereau, the father of his eminence the Cardinal, and also that of the late Hon. Judge Vanfelson, who died in Montreal. Judge Berthelot began his Latin course in 1824, and finished it on the 9th of June, 1832, when at the age of seventeen. The course that year was suddenly terminated, on account of the cholera, the professors having deemed it prudent to send back the scholars to their families in the month of June. In the month of October of the same year he began his legal studies, being indentured with the late Hon. Sir. L. H. Lafontaine, who had married his cousin in 1830. Sir George E. Cartier, who was his classmate at college, also commenced studying law in 1832, in the office of the late Etienne E. Rodier, advocate, M.P.P. for the county of l’Assomption. After being admitted to the bar in November, 1836, he became the partner of Mr. Lafontaine, and continued to practise his profession in such partnership until July, 1853, when Mr. Lafontaine was appointed chief justice of the province of Lower Canada on the demise of the late Sir James Stuart. A few days after, Mr. Berthelot entered into partnership with his friend, the late Sir George E. Cartier, and continued this partnership until he was appointed assistant judge of the Superior Court, succeeding the late Hon. C. D. Day, who was appointed codifier in February, 1859. On Justice Day’s resignation having been accepted by the government, in 1860, Judge Berthelot was immediately appointed permanent judge of the Superior Court. On this occasion, in December, 1860, the bar of Montreal held a meeting in order to express publicly their satisfaction of the appointment of Judge Berthelot to the bench, and adopted resolutions, copies of which were transmitted to the judge, and also published in the newspapers of the day, amongst others in La Minerve. These resolutions read as follow: