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OTTAWA, ONTARIO

ASHBURY COLLEGE
GROUP PHOTOGRAPH, 1911

I found a photograph, 10 inches wide by 7-1/2 inches high, in a flea market in Smith's Falls, Ont. On the back was written the names of the students, and the notation: "Taken June 1911". There was however, no identification of the school.

I put out a query on the three Ontario lists, and of the several replies, the one from George MacLean, of Ottawa, was the most helpful. He thought it might be Ashbury College, which until recently was an all-boys' school, so he offered to drive out there and check to see if the buildings were the same as in the photo. Here is his resulting email:

Good Morning Charlie,

"Well, I drove by Ashbury College last night on the way home and the picture you posted is Ashbury College. Ashbury is in Rockcliffe Park and it is an old private school for boys, both elementary and secondary school. It occured to me that if you need any help identifying the date of the picture and the people in it, the school staff probably would be very helpful. I have been in the school and the hallways are lined with framed pictures such as the one that you posted."

Which leads me to another train of thought -- wouldn't it be great if "somebody" convinced this school to make its student lists available to researchers?

So here are the links:

Ultra-wide photo showing the students only with their names below.

Names as written on the back of the photo.

Photograph of Students Ashbury College

June 30, 2008 : Chris Miedema, a teacher at Ashbury College, has kindly researched this photograph. He was able to expand most of the initials into first names, and he also indicated which of the boys were killed in World War I.
Those killed in the war are in red italic type.

Photo taken June 1911.
Top Row, L. - R.: F.E. or E.P Taylor; George R. or Philip Graves; Cyril O. Morse [note 1]; David F.W. Verner; Randolph W. White; Howard E. or Herbert L. Reid; Henry W. Davis; Wilfred R.S. Butterworth; A.B. Beddoe; D. Lindsay [note 2]; Louis P. Smith; Adrian A. St. Laurent; William G. Gibbs; Frank D. Graham; John Bower Lewis Heney; Wilfred L.G. Snetsinger [note 3]; Jack V. Thomas; Andrew M. Naismith; Reginald I. Russell; Errol S.H. Boyd; Howard E. Reid [note 4]; E. Keith Davidson; A.H. Jones.

2nd Row: James B.D. Jones; Eardley A.C. Young; Cyril J. Watson; Rex. H. Howe; Edward M. Echlin; James O'Halloran; Douglas Bogue Smart; Lawrence W. Jackson; L.F.C. Hart; Macara [note 5]; Hamilton R. Morgan; Philip H.P. Woollcombe [note 6]; Edgar N. Reid; Melbourne O'Halloran (Captain); C.W.A. Barwis; J.A. Aylen; Arthur L. Shaw; Stewart C. Bate; J. Hennesey [note 7]; Edward Jackson Lowe; J. Harvey [note 8]; B. West; Edwin W. Birkett; G.D.G. Barwis; Frank S. Wright; Arthur C. Price.

3rd Row: Victor W. Thompson; Robert S. Morris; Reginald Lawrence Sladen; Gerald A. Bate; V.S. Godfrey; Edson C. Sherwood; John H. Price; Gordon L. Ross; Wilfred M.M. Cory; Rev. H. Cary-Elwes; Austin Craig Pratt, Esq. B.Sc.; Rev. George Penrose Woollcombe, M.A.; C.H. Hooper Esq.; Capt. C.H.R. Weston; Roger H. Taschereau; Geoffrey B. Robson; Russel B. Patterson; MacLaren [note 9]; Thomas G. Birkett; Maunsell [note 10]; J. Blakeney [note 11]; John Burleigh Carling; A. Fleming [note 12].

Bottom Row: William H. Cargill Southam; Alexander Hewitt Bostock; John F. Birch; Edward M. Woollcombe; Montgomery [note 13]; George A. Woollcombe; Claude A. Mulligan; William F. Heward; Thieburn or Thoburn [note 14]; H.A. Aylen; Doug J. Hanna; L.C.D. Palmer; McConnell [note 15]; M. Taschereau [note 16]; Montgomery [note 17]; John M. Macoun; James N. Maclaren; L. Wright [note 18]; Elwyn C. Shannon; Arthur Moore; Parker II [note 19]; Bernard T. Lowe; C. Price [note 20]; John Rodger Arnoldi.

NOTES:
  1. Cyril O. Morse -- Aparently graduated in 1910.
  2. D. Lindsay -- None with that initial, (but) a Donald St. G. 1910-12.
  3. Wilfred L.G. Snetsinger -- Originally transcribed as Snitsinger.
  4. Howard E. Reid -- Seems to be identified on the back of the photo as two surnames, Howard and Reid.
  5. Macara -- No name resembling this has been found so far (originally transcribed as Mocara).
    March 6, 2012: I received an email from Karen Prytula which says in part: " . . . . the name Mocara . . . is most likely John Lawrence Mudie Macara (1892-aft. 1944), whose parents were John Macara, the Chief Computer at the Dominion Observatory (Carling Ave., Ottawa) in 1911, and Emma Catherine Snow, daughter of surveyor John A. Snow. . . . Of course, I cannot be 100% certain . . . but through all my research there were no other Macara's living in Ottawa in 1911. John L.M. Macara is my cousin 3x removed. "
  6. Philip H.P. Woollcombe -- Graduated in 1910.
  7. J. Hennesey -- Nobody from 1911. James W. from 1910.
  8. J. Harvey -- We have a J.W.D. and a John D.M. from that time period.
  9. McLaren -- We have an A. Roy and a James N. from that time period.
  10. Maunsell -- Terrence St. G. Mansell 1910-13
  11. J. Blakeney -- We have a Thomas L. and a Henry N. from that time period.
  12. A. Fleming -- We have a John A.M. and a Paul A. from that time period.
  13. Montgomery -- We have a Melbourne W.F. and a Ronald S. from that time period.
  14. Thieburn or Thoburn -- We have nobody by this name -- could it be Alfred J. Therien or Charles A. Thoburn?
  15. McConnell -- We have a Richard B. and a Rinaldo W.
  16. M. Taschereau -- This is puzzling -- Charles E. deM. (1907-17).
  17. Montgomery -- We have a Melbourne W.F. and a Ronald S. from that time.
  18. L. Wright -- No L., but a Frank S. 1909-1914.
  19. Parker II -- We have Harry S. and Vivian S. who would be younger, also the second one hence perhaps the II.
  20. C. Price -- We have Arthur C. and Charles E both 1910-1911.

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