- ?b?Obituary - Honourable George Bryson 1813-1900
?/b?
Ottawa Citizen - January 15, 1900 - Hon. Geo. Bryson Dead - One of the Most Prominent of Ottawa Valley Pioneers Passes Away
One of the most successful and widely known pioneers of the Ottawa valley has passed away at Fort Coulonge on Saturday in the person of Hon. George Bryson. Deceased was a familiar figure in political life, while his extensive interests in the lumbering industry has made the family name a familiar one.
Hon. George Bryson was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1813 and came to Canada in 1821. His early years were spent in Ramsay, Lanark County, from which place he removed to Pontiac County, Quebec, where he resided up to the time of his death.
Deceased possessed to a marked degree many of those commendable characteristics that distinguish the Scotchman the world over. He was frugal, industrious, shrewd and cautious, and, while engaged in farming operations on first settling in the Pontiac, he early recognized that the wealth of forest land furnished a better field for his energy, and accordingly he turned his attention to the lumber industry. His foresight and faith were amply repaid, and so successful were his operations, that he soon became recognized as one of the leading operators in the Ottawa district. The late Mr. Bryson worked his limits for square timber principally, and old lumbermen still refer to the time, twenty years ago, when twelve and fifteen immense rafts were cut off the Bryson limits and floated down to Quebec in the one season for export to Great Britain.
In all his lumbering and other business ventures, the late Mr. Bryson's word was recognized as being equally as good as his bond, and in no instance was he known to take unfair advantage of another to further his own ends.
His lumbering operations were carried on along the Coulonge and Black Rivers and later along the Kippewa also. Mr. Bryson did much to develop these districts, to which end he also promoted the Pontiac and Pacific junction railway. The Town of Bryson, formerly known as Havelock, was renamed in honor of the Bryson family.
Deceased was also associated with other leading lumbermen in the formation of the Upper Ottawa Improvement Company, which did much to facilitate lumbering operations in the district watered by the Ottawa, Coulonge and other streams.
Mr. Bryson was also one of the founders of the Capital's successful monetary institutions, the Bank of Ottawa. He was a director of the bank, and regularly attended the meetings til recently. Deceased also took an active interest in municipal matters and for several years he held the office of mayor of Mansfield. He was also warden of Pontiac county for four consecutive terms.
In political life he was as successful and prominent as he was in business life. He was a moderate Conservative, and from the year 1867 to the year 1887, represented Pontiac in the Quebec legislature. In the latter year he retired in favor of his son, George, who at present represents the constituency.
Deceased had a family of four, three sons and a daughter. His sons were the late John W. Bryson, who represented Pontiac in the Dominion house from 1887 to the year of his death, 1896, George Bryson, representative of Pontiac in the Quebec legislature and James Bryson, a well-known and successful farmer of Bryson. Mrs. Albert Boulter of New York is the only daughter of the deceased. The family is also widely connected about Ottawa, where the sons have taken up extensive business interests, the inception of which was the work of the shrewd, conscientious and industrious Scotchman just deceased.
The funeral will be held tomorrow morning, and to give the many Ottawa and other friends of the family an opportunity of attending the obsequies of the deceased, a special train will be run leaving Aylmer at 8 am.
|
1813 - 1900 (86 years)
[1] 
