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Arthur William Ormsby
b.15 Feb 1869 Oro, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
d.29 Oct 1961 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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m. 16 Apr 1895
Facts and Events
1891 Canadian Census Place: Medonte Dist C3 Pg 14 Line 9, 1892 On September 5 there was rejoicing when Art Ormsby and the light boys announced that the lights would stay on all night. (Edmonton Story, p. 18) 1895 93.203/5/42/651, Marriage Certificate: His name: Arthur William Ormsby Age: 25 Res when married: Edmonton Place of Birth: Orillia, ON Bachelor or Widower:, B Profession: Carpenter Parents: George B Ormsby E J Ried Her name: Margaret Emma Paterson Lauder Age: 19 Place of birth: Winnipeg Spinster 18 Apr 1895 Article in Edmonton Bulletin There was a very pleasant wedding party at the residence of Mr. and Mrs James Lauder, sen, Fraser avenue on Tuesday evening, the occasion being the marriage of their daughter Margaret to Mr. Arthur Ormsby. Mr Ed Jackson was best man and Miss Maud Lauder , sister of the bride was bridesmaid. The ceremony was performed by Rev. D.G. McQueen, after which about forty guests sat down to an excellent dinner. Dancing followed. The wedding presents were numerous and beautiful. Ormsby-Lauder. At the residence of the bride’s parents, Fraser avenue, by the Rev. D.G. McQueen on Tuesday evening the 16th inst., Arthur W. Ormsby to Margaret E. Paterson, third daughter of Mr and Mrs James Lauder, Sr. 1901 Canadian Census Arthur Ormsby, born 15 Feb 1869 in Ontario, is married to Margaret and living in Edmonton (West, District 202) in Alberta. He is of Irish origin and his religion is Presbyterian. His occupation is listed as electrician. He made $100 a year. They are living with their daughter Jennie, aged 2 and Lina Halt, aged 14, a servant.
Mr. A.B. Ormsby, with his wife and daughter left yesterday afternoon on return to their home in Toronto. They have been on a trip around the world, and came up to Edmonton to spend a day with MR. Ormsby's brother, A.W. Ormsby, the city electrician. Mr. Ormsby is greatly impressed with the growth and prosperity of the capital city of Alberta, and carried back to Eastern Canada new ideas of the great future that lies before this city and province. While at the coast, Mr. Ormsby opened up branches of his business, at Vancouver (?) and Seattle, in addition to the branch at Winnipeg. The head quarters are at Toronto, where one of the largest Canadian manufacturers of galvanized iron specialties, fire proof windows and doors, etc. is owned by Mr. Ormsby. (http://www.rootsweb.com/~abwcobit/NewsExtract/1907Edmonton/1907/3/ORMSBY19070325.txt) 1913 Arthur WIlliam Ormsby Superintendent-Municipal Electric Department - Born January 1868 at Orillia, Ontario and secured his educatio at the Orillia Township Public School. Mr. Ormsby came to Alberta in 1892 making Edmonton his home and place of business. Is a member of the Edmonton Club and resides at 636 Fifteenth St. 1980 - Naming of school in Edmonton
The naming of a new school is an important event. Those responsible for selecting the name give serious consideration to the matter: It must be a name that has a proud history or one that suggests an exciting future. It must, by example, suggest goals towards which the children attending the school can strive. It must reflect the community in which the school is built. The "Ormsby" name fittingly meets these requirements and it is with great pride that this new school is named in honour of a long-time Edmonton resident, Arthur William Ormsby. As husband, father, city employee, city commissioner, businessman, volunteer and avid community supporter, Mr. Ormsby was indeed a citizen of the community. Arthur Ormsby was born in Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario in 1869. As a young man of twenty-three he arrived in Edmonton on April 16th, 1892, almost ninety years ago. To follow the life of Mr. Ormsby is to trace the history which played so much a part in shaping Edmonton area. At that time there was no bridge crossing the North Saskatchewan River and John Walter's ferry brought Mr. Ormsby from Strathcona on the south side to a landing near the present Low Level Bridge. On the broader scene, Queen Victoria was on the throne. Sir John A. MacDonald had died the year before and it would be several years before Sir Wilfred Laurier would begin his term as Prime Minister. Like many pioneer residents of Edmonton, Mr. Ormsby saw outstanding changes take place in the city, particularly in population growth. When he arrived, before Edmonton was a city and while Alberta was still part of the North West Territories, the population was 1,200 plus a further four hundred residents in Strathcona. Now, more people live in the Ormsby area alone and Edmonton has a population of over one half million. Mr. Ormsby's first job in Edmonton was with K. A. McLeod who later built what was for many years Edmonton's tallest building, the McLeod Building. He was then employed by Alex Taylor, owner of the Edmonton Telephone System and manager of the Electric Light and Power Company. Mr. Ormsby worked as an installer and repairman. He serviced some twenty-five subscribers including Father Lacombe whose telephone he installed in 1893. Today there are more than 437,000 subscribers. One of Mr. Ormsby's first jobs was to repair the telephone for the Edmonton Bulletin, Edmonton's first newspaper. For this service he received fifty cents. Arthur Ormsby was one of the sixteen sportsmen who founded the Edmonton Curling Club in 1892. Their first games were played on the ice of McKernan Lake, near 76 Avenue and 110 Street. The town blacksmith made the "rocks" from rounded blocks of iron on which were welded iron handles. In April of 1895, Arthur Ormsby married Margaret Lauder, an Edmonton girl and daughter of James Lauder, whose brother was Tommy Lauder, Edmonton's Fire Chief. The couple had two children, Janet and Edward. Edward died in 1955, and with his death the Ormsby line ended. Mrs. Ormsby died in 1952. Janet became Mrs. Chester Hale and with her husband has remained a resident of Edmonton. In 1897, when Edmonton town council bought the telephone system and privately owned power plant, Mr. Ormsby became a civic employee. He transferred to the electric light and power department and in 1911 became its first superintendent, a job he held until 1917. While superintendent, he adamantly suggested that Edmonton's street lighting should be extended and that wiring should be underground and that power poles should be of an ornamental design, a suggestion that was not adopted until many years later. During his first eight years in Edmonton, Arthur Ormsby was a member of the voluntary fire department operating out of Fire Hall #1, an old building in downtown Edmonton. In 1892 he was a Captain with the first chemical fire department. In 1961 he was made Edmonton's first honorary fire chief at the official opening ceremonies of the new #1 Fire Hall. In 1917, Mr. Ormsby' became a city commissioner, a post he held until 1921 when he resigned to go into private business as a partner and shareholder in the McKay Coal Company. During his term as commissioner he developed the grid system of street numbering for Edmonton. Later he was a realty agent with the Royal Trust Company. He retired in 1953. In 1955 he figured prominently in Edmonton's 50th anniversary celebrations. Active in community events, Mr. Ormsby was a member of the Masonic Lodge and the Northern Alberta Pioneers and Old Timers' Association. On October 26, 1961 Mr. Ormsby died at the age of 92 after a month's illness resulting from a fall at his home. It is fitting that the Edmonton Names Advisory Board honour Mr. Arthur William Ormsby's contribution to the growth of Edmonton by naming this school "Ormsby Elementary School". The Ormsby name brings a proud history. It sets, by the example of Mr. Ormsby's life, honourable goals for the children of this school and the members of this community to strive for: concern for your fellowman and active involvement in working toward a better life. circa 1980 [From Edmonton Public School Board Archives] References
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