Contractor, manufacturer.
Born in Wingham, Ontario on 23 February 1877, son of George Blackwell (1834-1916) and Lois Clarinda Twitchell (1841-1925), he worked as a plasterer with his father at Rapid City before completing his education at the Winnipeg Collegiate Institute. In 1902 he moved to Moosomin, Saskatchewan and worked as a manufacturer of concrete blocks. Three years later he moved to Brandon where he continued his work at 437 Russell Street. He built sixteen concrete block homes in Brandon, including his own at 24 Princess Avenue East, and the Fraternal Hall on Sixth Street.
He was married twice, first on 21 February 1906 to Sarah Eleanor Howes (1882-1957) at Tisdale, Saskatchewan. They had six children: Ivan Howes Blackwell (1908-1980), George Allen Blackwell (1911-2007), Ernest Henry Blackwell (1913-1985), Lois Eleanor Blackwell (1916-1916), Phyllis May Blackwell (1922-?), and Gordon William Blackwell (1923-?). In 1962, he married Elizabeth Alberta Homuth Kelly (1880-1963). He was a member of the Odd Fellows and Methodist Episcopal Church. He died at Summerland, British Columbia on 28 April 1974 and was buried in the Lakeview Cemetery at Penticton.
See also:
MHS Archives: Manitoba Bricks and Blocks
“Blackwell - Howes,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 15 March 1906, page 26.
Birth registrations [Ivan Howes Blackwell, George Allan Blackwell, Ernest Henry Blackwell, Lois Elinor Blackwell], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Henderson Directories Limited, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
Death registrations [Lois Elinor Blackwell, Lois Clarinda Blackwell], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Death registrations [Sarah Eleanor Blackwell, John Ernest Blackwell], British Columbia Vital Statistics.
John Ernest Blackwell, FindAGrave.
John Ernest Blackwell, FamilySearch.
We thank Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 2 July 2024
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