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Waterloo Region Generations
A record of the people of Waterloo Region, Ontario. |
James Paris Lee
1831 - 1904 (73 years)
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Name James Paris Lee Born 1831 Hawick, , Roxburgh, Scotland 
Christened 4 Oct 1831 Hawick, , Roxburgh, Scotland [1] Gender Male Business Lee Arms Manufacturing Company FindAGrave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14787898 Residence 1836 Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died 1904 New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, USA Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region Bef 2012 , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada [2] gunmaker and inventor of typewriter Interesting invention, life story, business Residence 60 Grand Avenue North, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Eby ID Number Waterloo-66189 Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Person ID I66189 Generations Last Modified 7 Nov 2024
Father Esquire George Lee, b. 1803, , Scotland , d. 8 Apr 1866, Owen Sound, Grey Co., Ontario, Canada (Age 63 years) Mother Margaret Paris, b. 9 Sep 1803, Stow, Midlothian, Scotland , d. Bef 1852 (Age < 48 years) Married 31 Oct 1826 Stow, Midlothian, Scotland [3] Family ID F19588 Group Sheet | Family Chart
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Photos 
James Paris Lee
from Waterloo Hall of FameJames Paris Lee in 1889 
James Paris Lee
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Notes - James Paris Lee was born in Hawick, Scotland on August 9, 1831, the son of nine children of George Lee and Margaret Paris. The family emigrated to Galt in 1836 where George, a skilled watchmaker and jeweller, set up a business at the north west corner of Water and Main. The family home was a rough cast frame building on Melville St. which was later demolished to make room for the Central Presbyterian Church Sunday School building. James Lee learned the trade of watchmaking and was interested in mechanisms but his great passion was firearms. It was a passion that nearly cost him his life when he was still quite young and that left him with a permanent limp when he accidentally shot himself in the heel. Mr. Lee left Galt when he was nineteen and in about 1852 married Caroline Chrysler with whom he had two children. She died in London, England in 1888. Mr. Lee moved to the United States just prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1860 and it was there that he developed the idea of the quick firing rifle. While experimenting with a forty shot repeating rifle, Mr. Lee invented a method of turning the old and popular Springfield rifle into a breechloader, an adaptation soon adopted by the U.S. Cavalry. It was not until 1878 that the Lee magazine rifle, capable of firing 30 shots per minute was perfected. The weapon was adopted first by the American Navy and then by China. In 1888, the British Army approved the Lee-Metford rifle for extensive field tests. The rifle combined Mr. Lee's quick firing design with a barrel rifling method developed by Col. Metford. When the rifling in the gun proved inadequate, the British Army went back to the old Enfield rifling method and approved the Lee-Enfield for general use for its forces throughout the world. Although Mr. Lee never benefited financially to any great degree from his inventions, he was remarkably prolific and is said to have produced more guns and gun parts than any other inventor up to that time. He is also credited by one source with the development of the first keyboard used on a rudimentary Remington typewriter. Mr. Lee returned to Galt in 1899 where he lived until returning to the United States to live out his final days with his son. He died on February 24, 1904 in New Haven, Connecticut.
Cambridge Mosaic, Jim Quantrell, 1998, City of Cambridge
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Mr. James Paris Lee, tho inventor of the Lee-Metford rifle and of many other im provements in small arms, has just died at New Haven, Conn, in his 74th year. Ho was born at Hawick, whence his parents emigrated to Galt, in the province of Ontario. After completing his education there he removed in 1851 to the neighbouring town of Chatham, whore he started business as a watchmaker. In 1860 he took charge of a gun factory at Milwaukee, and it was there than his career as an inventor began. Mr. Motford, tho distinguished amateur marks man, who helped him to develop his ideas, died in 1899. Herr Mannlicher, the inventor of another great rifle, died only a few weeks ago.
The Maitland Daily Mercury, NSW Sat 23 Apr 1904 Page 3
- James Paris Lee was born in Hawick, Scotland on August 9, 1831, the son of nine children of George Lee and Margaret Paris. The family emigrated to Galt in 1836 where George, a skilled watchmaker and jeweller, set up a business at the north west corner of Water and Main. The family home was a rough cast frame building on Melville St. which was later demolished to make room for the Central Presbyterian Church Sunday School building. James Lee learned the trade of watchmaking and was interested in mechanisms but his great passion was firearms. It was a passion that nearly cost him his life when he was still quite young and that left him with a permanent limp when he accidentally shot himself in the heel. Mr. Lee left Galt when he was nineteen and in about 1852 married Caroline Chrysler with whom he had two children. She died in London, England in 1888. Mr. Lee moved to the United States just prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1860 and it was there that he developed the idea of the quick firing rifle. While experimenting with a forty shot repeating rifle, Mr. Lee invented a method of turning the old and popular Springfield rifle into a breechloader, an adaptation soon adopted by the U.S. Cavalry. It was not until 1878 that the Lee magazine rifle, capable of firing 30 shots per minute was perfected. The weapon was adopted first by the American Navy and then by China. In 1888, the British Army approved the Lee-Metford rifle for extensive field tests. The rifle combined Mr. Lee's quick firing design with a barrel rifling method developed by Col. Metford. When the rifling in the gun proved inadequate, the British Army went back to the old Enfield rifling method and approved the Lee-Enfield for general use for its forces throughout the world. Although Mr. Lee never benefited financially to any great degree from his inventions, he was remarkably prolific and is said to have produced more guns and gun parts than any other inventor up to that time. He is also credited by one source with the development of the first keyboard used on a rudimentary Remington typewriter. Mr. Lee returned to Galt in 1899 where he lived until returning to the United States to live out his final days with his son. He died on February 24, 1904 in New Haven, Connecticut.
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Sources - [S27] International Genealogical Index - Extracted Church Records, Parish registers for Hawick, 1634-1854 Church of Scotland. Parish Church of Hawick (Roxburghshire) Film 1067935.
James Lee Christening: 04 OCT 1831 Hawick, Roxburgh, Scotland s/o George Lee & Margaret Paris - [S220] Waterloo Region Hall of Fame Waterloo Region Hall of Fame.
- [S2181] Scotland, Select Marriages, 1561-1910.
NameMargaret Paris
GenderFemale
Marriage Date31 Oct 1826
Marriage PlaceStow, Midlothian, Scotland
FatherJames Paris
SpouseGeorge Lee
- [S27] International Genealogical Index - Extracted Church Records, Parish registers for Hawick, 1634-1854 Church of Scotland. Parish Church of Hawick (Roxburghshire) Film 1067935.
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Event Map 
Born - 1831 - Hawick, , Roxburgh, Scotland 
Christened - 4 Oct 1831 - Hawick, , Roxburgh, Scotland 
Residence - 1836 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada 
Died - 1904 - New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, USA 
Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region - gunmaker and inventor of typewriter - Bef 2012 - , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada 
Buried - - Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States = Link to Google Earth
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