Person:Frederick Shinn (1)

Name	Frederick August Shinn
Alt Name	August Frederick Shinn
Gender	Male
Birth`^?`	30 Jan 1885	Saint Louis, Saint Louis, St. Louis County, Missouri
Marriage	9 Mar 1912	Waterloo, Waterloo Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canadato Irma Hedwig Koenig
Death^[1]	5 Oct 1970	Kitchener, Canada
Burial`^?`		Kitchener, Canada

Featured Page: Week of December 2006

1 Early life
2 Working life
3 Later years
4 Note on the name

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Early life

When he was a year old, Fred Shinn's parents moved from St. Louis, Missouri, to Canada. They first moved to New Hamburg, Ontario, where his mother had spent her teenage years living with her uncle's family, then to Toronto, and later to Amherst, Nova Scotia. In 1895 they settled in Waterloo, Ontario.

When he was five, Fred became so seriously ill with scarlet fever that the doctor said he wouldn't survive the night. Later another doctor, treating him for an ear infection, told him he wouldn't survive his teens, and warned against all sporting activities. Despite this, Fred opted to enjoy whatever time was left to him playing baseball, hockey and cricket.

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Working life

His first job was in his father's furniture and undertaking business. When it was sold in the late 1900's he returned to St. Louis, where he spent three years in an art store.

After two years in Toronto, where he worked for the Robert Simpson Co, he became a clerk in the Waterloo Post Office. Five years later he returned to Toronto to work for Dominion Express, which later became the Canadian Pacific Railways.

In 1921 he joined the Prudential Insurance Co. and continued with the firm until his retirement in 1950.

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Later years

After retirement, he spent some time in the city assessment department, bowled 10 pins daily, and wrote a weekly column on local history in the Waterloo Chronicle for several years.

He had five children.

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Note on the name

On the 1891 census, he is 6 year old Freddie, but on the 1901 census, his name is given as August F. The name given on his marriage certificate is Fred August, and on his tombstone his name is Fred A. Shinn.

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References

↑ Waterloo Chronicle, Oct 8, 1970.

obituary
Tombstone inscription, Woodland Cemetary.

Fred A. Shinn 1885-1970/ Irma Koenig/ beloved wife of Fred A. Shinn/ 1891-1936
Ontario. Registrar General. Marriage registers, 1801-1944. (Toronto, Ontario: Archives of Ontario, 1977).

Clerk, age 27, living in Waterloo
Canada. 1901 Census of Canada. (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Library and Archives Canada)
Waterloo D-7 Page 1 Line 6.

1901 census image at Archives Canada
Census of Canada, 1911
Toronto Center, Ward 3, page 11, line 35.

name given as Frank Shinn, but appears to be the same person. Lodger 189 University Ave, Toronto, born in the US Jan 1885, a salesman in an art store, religion Lutheran, mother German. Says he immigrated in 1901, was naturalized in 1907.

1911 census image at Archives Canada