Showing 126 results

People and organizations
Couper, William
Person · d. [ca. 1890]

William Couper (d. ca. 1890) was an entomologist with an interest in other aspects of natural history, especially ornithology. While living in Toronto from 1842-1859, Couper published a number of papers on various topics in natural history, including nature calendars with bird migration and nesting dates. During this time, he also prepared study skins and mounts for University College. In 1859, Couper moved to Quebec City, where he continued to study birds as well as other fields of natural history. In 1868, he was hired to overhaul the specimens in the museum of the Ottawa Natural History Society, where he spent the next three years. In 1881, Couper founded the Canadian Sportsman and Naturalist in Montreal, but ceased publishing when he moved to New York in 1884. He died in New York in 1890.

Hope, Clifford E., 1910-1953
Person · 1910-1953

Clifford Ernest Hope (1910-1953) was a Toronto naturalist and chief preparator in the Division of Ornithology at the Royal Ontario Museum. Born on March 31, 1910, Hope’s interest in natural history began at a young age, and he was considered an outstanding field naturalist by the age of 16. He joined the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology and Palaeontology in 1932, eventually becoming chief preparator. While working at the ROM, Hope participated in or led 10 expeditions into various parts of Ontario including Favourable Lake, Lake Attawapiskat, Fort Severn, Fort Albany, and Cape Henrietta Maria, all in the Hudson Bay drainage area of northern Ontario. He contributed many specimens of birds, nests and eggs, insects, and mammals to the museum’s collections. In 1944 and 1945, he was loaned to the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests to investigate the effects of DDT spraying on birds in Algonquin Park; this was one of the earliest such investigations. While with the Department, Hope also studied the relation of breeding birds to the spruce budworm, and initiated bird population studies. Hope was an Associate of the American Ornithologists' Union, first elected in 1933, as well as a member of the Brodie Club and the Toronto Ornithological Club. Hope died on August 9, 1953, in Toronto.

Person · 1878-1903

Robert Thomas Anderson (1878-1903) was an Ontario naturalist with an interest in botany, mineralogy, entomology, ornithology, and taxidermy. Born in Elora, Ontario, on February 10, 1878, Anderson's bird specimens, originally held by the Biological Museum of the University of Toronto, were an important part of the collection that was used to form the Royal Ontario Museum - Library and Archives. Anderson drowned on June 16, 1903 at Go Home Bay, Ontario, while still a student at Victoria University, Toronto.

Person · 1873-1935

George Frederick Dippie (1873-1935) was a taxidermist and collector of birds and eggs. Dippie was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, on September 3, 1873. His studies in taxidermy and natural history began under the Yorkshire naturalist W.J. Clarke. He moved to Canada with his parents in 1892, and quickly found employment with Toronto taxidermist Oliver Spanner. In addition to collecting birds and eggs in Toronto, Dippie travelled to Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia, relocating permanently to Calgary. There he entered into a partnership with W. Grant Mackay, forming Mackay and Dippie Ltd., Fur Dealers and Taxidermists. Dippie died on September 14, 1935, in Calgary, Alberta.

Jackson, John L.
Person

There is no biographical information available on John L. Jackson.

Kerr, Frederick William
Person · [1852?]-1902

Frederick William Kerr was appointed Fisheries Overseer in Upper Canada in around 1888 following the death of his father John William Kerr. He died in 1902.

Devitt, O. E.
Person · 1904-1992

Otto Edmund Devitt (1904-1992), best known as “Ott” grew up in the Stayner/Wasaga sector of Simcoe County. He married Mary MacKay (d. 1991) and were residents of Richmond Hill.

A Pharmacist by profession, Devitt worked for many years at the T. Eaton Co., Ltd. Store in downtown Toronto as a dispensing chemist. In the early 1950s, Devitt changed careers and worked at the then Ministry of Natural Resources putting him in charge of the Fish and Wildlife library at the Ministry’s District office in Maple, Ontario; a job he held until his retirement in 1970s.

Devitt’s interests and activities were widespread. They included those of diarist, collector, photographer, speaker, ornithologist, and botanist. He produced more than 70 articles embracing a wide range of topics. One of these was The Birds of Simcoe County, originally published in 1943, with a revised edition sponsored by the Brereton Field Naturalists in 1967. He had a special interest in Michigan's Kirtland's Warbler, and presented a paper on this species to the Toronto Ornithological- Club. He was the first local naturalist to find and photograph the nest of the Yellow Rail. He had found the nest himself in the Holland Marsh, just east of Bradford. He photographed almost every species of fern and orchid in Ontario.

Devitt was a founding member of the Toronto Ornithological Club; other memberships he held were of the Toronto Field Naturalists, the Brodie Club and the Richmond Hill Naturalists. Additional interests of his were in Biology, Archaeology and as a local historian.

http://viaf.org/viaf/79258341 · Person · 1876-1957

Charles Trick Currelly (Jan. 11,1876 – Apr. 10, 1957) was the first Director of the Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology and Professor of the History of Industrial Art (later changed to Archaeology) at the University of Toronto from 1914-1946.

Currelly was born in Exeter, Ontario, attended Harbord Collegiate Institute in Toronto and then Victoria College, graduating with his degree in 1898. He then went to Manitoba to work as a missionary for two years, before returning to Toronto to do an M.A. at Victoria College. In 1902 he travelled to Europe and joined the staff of the Egypt Exploration Fund as an assistant to the famous archaeologist, Flinders Petrie.

Currelly established a reputation as a well-respected archaeologist and collector. In 1906 the University of Toronto appointed him official collector of antiquities, and later, Curator of Oriental Archaeology. Around this time Currelly and Sir Edmund Walker, president of CIBC, joined forces to petition the Ontario Government to provide the money to establish a museum in Toronto. They were guaranteed this support in 1908 and in 1914 the Royal Ontario Museum was opened to the public.

Charles Currelly retired from the ROM as of July 1, 1946 . In 1956, he published his memoirs, I Brought the Ages Home, in which he tells the stories of his travels and his work at the ROM.

White, William Charles
http://viaf.org/viaf/98301928 · Person · 1873-1960

William Charles White, born in 1873, was an Anglican Bishop, author and archaeologist. He was the first Anglican Bishop from Canada to be stationed in Honan province, China, between 1901 and 1934. He was also the first Canadian Bishop to be consecrated for service in the mission field. He died in 1960.

Bishop William Charles White (1873-1960) was a missionary in Fukien, China, 1897-1909 and Bishop of the Canadian missionary Diocese of Honan, China, 1909-1934. He returned to Toronto as Professor of Chinese Studies and as Keeper of the East Asiatic Collection at the Royal Ontario Museum, a collection enhanced by his connections. He was also a biographer of the Rev. Canon H.J. Cody.

Fleming, James H.
Person · 1872-1940

James Henry Fleming was born on July 5th, 1872 in the Toronto home of his parents on Yonge street. His father, James Fleming (1812-1887) emigrated to Canada from Aberdeen, Scotland in 1834. James Fleming, senior moved to Toronto from Montreal in 1836 and established a profitable nursery and seed growing business at the corner of what is now Yonge and Elm Streets. In addition to being a successful businessman, James Fleming was active in public affairs. He was a justice of the peace for the city of Toronto and county of York, alderman for St. John's Ward 1877-80, and a director of several agricultural societies. Following the death of his first wife (Margaret Geddes), James Fleming married Mary Elizabeth Wade (1833-1923) of Port Hope, Ontario in 1869. The only surviving child of this union was James Henry Fleming. There was, however, a half-sister, Isabella (1839-1883), from his father's first marriage.

J.H. Fleming attended the Model School in St. James Square and subsequently graduated from Upper Canada College in 1889. He obtained no formal secondary education, although he did attend a mining school in London, England for a brief period. He married Christine Mackay Keefer (1867-1903) of Rockliffe Park on December 8, 1897 and together they had his only two children, Annie Elizabeth (1899-1946) and Thomas Keefer (1901-1988). Following the death of his first wife, he married Caroline Toovey (1876- 1958) of Towersey, Oxfordshire, England on 1908. J.H. Fleming was independently employed in the management of his father's Elm and Yonge Street properties, which he inherited in 1897. This arrangement allowed him the time and financial freedom to pursue his love of ornithology as a true amateur.

J.H. Fleming began cultivating his natural history interests at a very young age. His first interest was in the plants and butterflies of the Elm street garden, but, by the age of twelve his passion had settled on birds. The earliest specimens in his collection date from 1884 and he was known to have purchased hummingbird skins with his lunch money while still in primary school. An 1886 visit to London and the Natural History Museum with his father convinced him to begin an ornithological collection. In 1905 J.H. Fleming had the first of two additions built onto his home at 267 Rusholme Road to house the growing collection. The collection and library eventually occupied a three-storey addition and was comprised
of 32,267 specimens representing all of the 27 known orders of recent birds, 163 out of 166 families, 2074 of 2600 genera, and over 6300 species (based on the taxonomy at the time of his death), plus approximately 10,000 library items. At the time of his death, the collection was believed to be the largest and most representative private collection of birds in the world.

Many awards and honours were bestowed upon J.H. Fleming during his life time including the following: Honourary Curator of Ornithology, National Museum of Canada, 1913; Honourary Curator of Division of Birds, Royal Ontario Museum, 1927; Honourary Member Societe Ornithologique & Mammalogique de France, 1931; first Canadian president of the American ornithologists' Union, 1932; corresponding Member of the Zoological society of London; Colonial Member of the British Ornithologists Union. In addition, J.H. Fleming published more than 80 scientific notes and papers and presented many others at the meetings of the Brodie Club, Toronto Ornithological Club and Toronto Field Naturalists Club.

James Henry Fleming died in his home on 27 June 1940 of natural causes. On March 20th, 1928 he had written a codicil to his will leaving all of his ornithological collection and scientific library to the Royal Ontario Museum. The bequest placed the Royal Ontario Museum among the leading ornithological collections in North America.

Person · 1861-1943

William Edwin Saunders (1861-1943) was field naturalist and a pharmacist in London, Ontario and held the position of Professor of Practical Chemistry in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario.

Saunders was born in London, Ontario June 28, 1861, to William Saunders, a prominent pharmacist, and Sarah Agnes Robinson, daughter of a Methodist minister. The elder Mr. Saunders was a founder of both the Ontario College of Pharmacy and the Entomological Society of Ontario, a professor at the University of Western Ontario, and first director and driving force behind the Federal Experimental Farm in Ottawa, the first of its kind in North America.

He was very interested in nature and wrote many scientific articles on plants, birds, mammals, and other animals, mostly from Southern Ontario. He was one of the founding members of the Ornithological Section of the Entomological Society of Ontario (now the McIlwraith Field Naturalists) and the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. He was respectively the first Chairman and President of those organizations. He was also the first Canadian President of the Wilson Ornithological Club (now Society), and one of seven Canadians who were elected to ‘active’ membership in the American Ornithologist’s Union.

Saunders was considered a very important field naturalist of the London area. He has been named the “dean of Ontario field naturalists” and “dean of Ontario Ornithologists” for his influence over the careers of many who became naturalists.

He died June 28, 1943 in London, Ontario.

Wilmot, Samuel
http://viaf.org/viaf/104453889 · Person · 1822-1899

Samuel Wilmot (1822-1899) was appointed a Fishery Officer under the Department of Marine and Fisheries on July 1, 1868, and later became the Superintendant of Fish Culture for the Dominion of Canada. Wilmot lived in Newcastle, Ontario.

Atkinson, George E.
Person · [ca.1868-1870]-1913

George E. Atkinson (1869 or 1870-1913) was a taxidermist specializing in birds.

Atkinson was born and raised in Toronto, ON, where he began collecting birds, insects, and reptiles around 1884. When the University of Toronto’s natural history museum was gutted by fire in February 1890, Atkinson offered his assistance to Prof. Ramsay Wright, professor of Biology, in rebuilding the collections. Prof. Wright soon employed him to collect and prepare specimens, and assist in his research of the development of feathers. These specimens were a part of the collection that was used to form the Royal Ontario Museum.
In 1895, Atkinson moved to Manitoba, settling in Winnipeg, where he was appointed official Naturalist for the government of Manitoba. He later settled in Portage la Prairie, where he opened a taxidermy shop.

Atkinson managed a number of natural history exhibits at various exhibitions, including the World’s Fair in Paris, in 1900, where his mounted specimens were awarded the gold medal. He also managed an exhibit of live and mounted specimens for the Pan-American Exposition on Buffalo, NY, in 1901.

He was the first to publish observations from Simcoe County, Ontario, and among the earliest to publish observations from Hamilton, Thunder Bay, and Toronto, Ontario. He went on produce a number of publications on the birds of Manitoba.

Atkinson served as the Recording Secretary of the Ornithological Subsection of the Biological Section of the Canadian Institute, and was actively involved in the Biological Society of Ontario.

Atkinson drowned near Glenboro, Manitoba, in June 1913, while conducting a sailing outing for the Society of Elks junior members.

Vaughan, Nora
Person · 1900-1993

Nora Vaughan (née Gray) (Mrs. O.D. Vaughn) was born in Coldwater, Ontario in 1900. She was the wife of Orval Douglas (O.D.) Vaughan, senior vice-president with Eaton's. She was one of the first women graduates in commerce and finance at the University of Toronto, and the first woman to earn a Master's degree in Chinese archaeology. She was a patron of the arts and an active fundraiser for arts-related projects. Her large collection of rare Chinese art books was donated to the Royal Ontario Museum, as was her collection of Jensen silver. She was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the ROM in 1951 and served until 1968 when she was made an Honourary Member. Nora Vaughan endowed the Vaughan lecture which began in 1978 (possibly 1988).

Vaughan died in Toronto December 12, 1993.

Dymond, J.R.
http://viaf.org/viaf/316887887 · Person · 1887-1965

John Richardson Dymond was born in Middlesex, Ontario, 1887, his father being a farmer from England. He completed high school in Strathroy, 1906 and taught school until he entered Victoria College, U of T 1908. On graduation he was employed by seed branch, Dominion Department of Agriculture. He returned to U of T in 1920 for his MA, on animal feeds of grains plus weed seeds. In 1950, University of British Columbia conferred the degree of Doctor of Science on J.R. Dymond in recognition of his distinguished work.

Dymond was appointed lecturer of Systematic Biology. In 1922 he began a long association with the Royal Ontario Museum of Zoology, as secretary to director. His specialty being taxonomy of fishes, he expanded the collections, which became the basis of much subsequent work. Professor Dymond was appointed Head of Biology in 1948. His many years of administration at the ROM contributed to Diamond being a popular and able Head. He was concerned especially with the conservation of renewable resources and saw the role of the department as conducting the graduate level research, which would underpin conservation.

Professor Dymond had a great interest in students and was quick to help when needed. The bibliography of Dymond publications (1962) listed 19 on fish and wildlife topics, including monographs on lakes Erie, Nipigon, Abitibi, Ontario and Canada east of Rocky Mountains. Taxonomic groups of greatest interest were salmonids, coregonids, and centrarchids. In 1964 he published “History of Ichthyology in Canada”.

The two central themes of Professor Dymond’s professional life were the taxonomy plus biology of fishes and the conservation of fish and wildlife via public education. He was a founder of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists and in demand as an organizer of nature studies. He served on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission as chair of the Advisory Committee of Fisheries and Wildlife Research, Ontario and was named Officer of the British Empire for his many services to the Government of Canada.

As Head of Biology JR Dymond was able to expand the faculty with new hires, but the department was constrained greatly by lack of laboratory, teaching and office space. He began the process of defining these requirements plus preliminary plans for a new building and was effective at communicating to the university administration this need of the Biology Department. Professor Dymond retired in 1956 and died in 1964.

Baillie, James L.
http://viaf.org/viaf/7108309 · Person · 1904-1970

James L. Baillie was born in Toronto, July 4, 1904 and was educated at King Edward School and Harbord Collegiate. He joined the staff at the Royal Ontario Museum in 1922 and served in the Department of Ornithology as Technical Assistant, Research Assistant and Assistant Curator until his death in 1970.

Baillie was involved in many organizations, including The American Ornithologists Union, the Toronto Field Naturalists, the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, the Canadian Audubon Society, the Toronto Ornithology Club, the Field Biologists' Club and the Brodie Club.

Russell, Loris S.
http://viaf.org/viaf/111864719 · Person · 1904-1998

Loris Shano Russell was born April 21, 1904 in Brooklyn New York; his mother, Matilda Shano, was from Newfoundland and his father, Milan Winslow Russell was from New York. At the age of four, Russell and his family moved to Calgary, Alberta where he grew up. Russell received a BSc in Geology from the University of Alberta in 1927, and two graduate degrees from Princeton University: an MA (1929) and a PhD (1930).

Russell worked as an assistant palaeontologist with the Geological Survey of Canada from 1930-1936, an assistant geologist in 1937. Russell was then an assistant director of the Royal Ontario Museum of Paleontology. During the Second World War, Russell served with the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals, and was transferred to the Canadian Militia after the war, retiring with the rank of major.

Russell served as the director of the Royal Ontario Museum of Paleontology from 1946 to 1950, before working at the National Museums of Canada in multiple roles: Chief, Zoology Section (1950-1956); director, Natural History (1956-1963); and acting director, Human History (1958-1963). Russell once again returned to a newly amalgamated ROM to lead the Life Sciences division in 1963, and a year later was appointed the museum’s chief biologist along with a professorship in geology at the University of Toronto. Russell officially retired in 1971 but continued to work out of his office in the ROM daily. He would also return to Alberta for fieldwork each summer well into his eighties.

Russell's discoveries concerning dinosaurs and early mammals were particularly important. His 1965 paper, “Body Temperature of Dinosaurs and Its Relationship to Their Extinction,” marked the first time someone suggested that dinosaurs might have been warm blooded. An interest in material history also led him to research oil lamps, making original and fundamental contributions to the history of lighting and material culture in 19th-century North America. The books resulting from this research include A Heritage of Light (1968), Handy Things to Have Around the House (1979) and Every Day Life in Colonial Canada (1980).

Russell died in Toronto on July 6, 1998 at the age of 95.

Soper, Dewey J. (Joseph)
Person · 1893-1982

Joseph Dewey Soper was born in 1893 at Preston Farm near Guelph, Ontario. He was an explorer-naturalist who mapped portions of the Canadian Arctic islands. He is renowned for his research on the nesting grounds of the Blue Goose on Baffin Island which he discovered in 1929. He was the Chief Federal Migratory Birds Officer for Alberta, the Yukon and Northwest Territories from 1948 to 1952. He published numerous papers and books on birds and mammals of western Canada, as well as earlier works on birds and mammals of Ontario. He also wrote significant papers on the birds of Nipissing and Timiskaming Districts, and Waterloo and Wellington Counties. He died in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1982.