Rev. Arthur Boultbee

Other Events:

• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-32237
• Occupation: 1890, Waterdown, Wentworth County, Ontario, Canada; clerk in holy orders

Notes:

Boultbee: Arthur, Rev. Arthur was the youngest son of Felix Boultbee and Mary Nesbitt Boultbee. He was born August 15, 1833 at Forsam, a village near Exeter in Devon, England. The following year his parents elected to emigrate to Canada with their family of one daughter and four sons.

Arthur's early education is not recorded, but his brother Boultbee:William (b1832) William, who was 17 months older, went to Dr. Tassie's School in nearby Hamilton, and it is possible that Arthur went with him. Arthur's later education, as a lad of 15, was with a Mr. Fassi, and this may be a misspelling of Dr. Tassie's name, or he may have been a private tutor for the family, as he is not listed as a teacher in Ancaster, Ontario Ancaster or nearby Dundas, Ontario Dundas. The family's educational expenses were being donated by an Uncle, Horatio Boultbee: Horatio (b1801) Boultbee, a successful sheep rancher in Mexico Mexico.

Arthur's higher education was taken at Bishop's College, Lennoxville Bishop's College in Lennoxville, in the Province of Quebec. It was and is a degree granting college run by the Church of England. Unfortunately some of its records have been lost, so we do not know whether he went there, or worked with a small group of students under a qualified scholar. Arthur is listed in the Clerical Guide of 1879 as a graduate of the College.

In 1854, at the age of 21, Arthur received an inheritance from the estate of his father, and left home to learn an occupation. He became a surveyor of forest lands in "The Queen's Bush, Luther Township, Ontario Queen's Bush" in Luther Township, 75 miles northwest of Ancaster. The Township was being resurveyed at that time by Public Land Surveyor George McPhillips, and Arthur probably reported to him.

According to the 1906 Historical Atlas of Wellington County, Luther Township was almost an unbroken wilderness, thickly covered with timber and a great swamp. The first few settlers came at the time of the survey, but the area did not fully develop until the 1870s. In the winter of 1856, Arthur became lost in the woods and feared for his survival. Many years later, he gave silver Communion vessels communion vessels to St. Clement's Church, Colbeck, Ontario St. Clement's Church, Colbeck, in Luther Township, as a thank-offering for a merciful deliverance from death experienced by the donor.

In 1864, Arthur married Maria Turner:

Maria Turner, the daughter of Robert John Turner and in the following years three daughters and six sons were born to them. In 1870, he became a deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada, and was appointed to Minto Parish, Luther Township Minto Parish in Luther Township. The Parish was later known as St. George's Church, Harriston, Ontario St. George's Church, Harriston. Family tradition tells how when Arthur went to Minto, services were held in a log school house with a low ceiling. Since he was six foot four, he had the floor removed behind the teacher's desk, and a hole dug deep enough to stand up in. The present church was completed just before Christmas 1870. On October 7, 1871, he was priested by the Bishop of Toronto, and was the first resident clergyman in Harriston. He served at two other parishes at the nearby villages of Clifford, Ontario Clifford and Cotswald, Ontario Cotswald.

In 1875, the congregation of the church at Georgetown, Ontario Georgetown, about 35 miles south of Harriston, and another St. George's Church, Georgetown, Ontario St. George's, requested their Bishop to appoint a clergyman. The man chosen was Arthur. There is another delightful family story of the Reverend Arthur when leaving the village of Harriston. A parishioner told him how fond they had become of him, and how they didn't know how they would get along without him, and then said Will you come back and bury me? To his horror, Arthur heard himself say Yes, I'll be glad to.

https://www.boultbee.freeserve.co.uk/bfh/frontpg.htm

Arthur — Maria Turner. Maria was born 3 Aug 1825, , Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet]

1. Harold F. Boultbee was born 10 Oct 1868, , Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown.
2. Francis Oswald Boultbee was born 23 Jan 1878, Georgetown, Halton Co., Ontario, Canada; died Yes, date unknown.