Cleric, educator, community activist.
Born at Suffolk, United Kingdom on 2 July 1875, the son of Walter Buttrum (1852-1928) and Ann Emma Franklyn Meadows (1852-1948), he immigrated to Canada with his parents in 1891. The family settled at Winnipeg and he attended the Winnipeg Collegiate Institute (?-1895) and Central Normal School (1895-1896) before enrollment at St. John’s College. While a student, he was the Curator-in-charge of the St. Mark’s Anglican Mission Chapel on Rachel Street in Point Douglas (c1899-1901). He graduated around 1901 with a Bachelor of Arts and was named Rector of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church (1901-1905). On 1 January 1902, he married Bertha Crippin (1873-1951) at Winnipeg and they had three children: Bertha Estelle Meadowes Buttrum (1903-1983), Edgar John Buttrum (1905-1998), and Harold Robert St. George Buttrum (1910-1980). He preached his final sermon in Manitoba on 26 November 1905, after which the family departed in early December for his next pastoral appointment at Trail, British Columbia.
Thereafter the family moved to Vancouver before 1915, at which time they resettled to the San Francisco area of California. He lived at Sausalito and Sonoma Valley, at both of which he was a member of local school and library boards. He was Rector of Chris Episcopal Church at Sausalito and St. Stephen’s Church at Belvedere, after which he took a short-lived retirement before answering the call to return as the Rector Emeritus of Trinity Episcopal Church (1945-1956). He also attained a Doctorage of Divinity, taught at Church Divinity School at Berkeley, and was Dean of Convocation (Ministerial Association) in San Francisco for 20 years.
He died of pneumonia at a rest home in Sonoma, California on 14 July 1971 and was buried at Chapel of the Chimes in Santa Rosa.
Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Death registrations, British Columbia Vital Statistics.
1901 Canada census, Library and Archives Canada.
“The Examinations,” Manitoba Morning Free Press, 15 May 1895, page 6.
“Normal exams,” Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 31 January 1896, page 5.
“University examinations,” Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 10 May 1897, page 5.
“Church directory,” Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 29 July 1899, page 6.
“St. John’s Commemoration,” Manitoba Morning Free Press, 2 November 1900, page 2.
“St. John’s College exams,” Manitoba Morning Free Press, 23 June 1900, page 7.
“Sunday services [St. Matthew’s Church],” Winnipeg Daily Tribune, 9 February 1901, page 4.
“The Anglican Synod [Resignations],” Manitoba Morning Free Press, 14 June 1901, page 2.
“St. Matthew’s social,” Manitoba Morning Free Press, 31 August 1901, page 13.
“Farewell sermon,” Manitoba Free Press, 27 November 1905, page 20.
“Present for Mr. Buttrum,” Manitoba Free Press, 4 August 1906, page 16.
Obituary [Bertha Buttrum], The Press Democrat [Santa Rosa, California], 20 January 1951, page 7.
“Rev. Buttrum takes vacation,” The Press Democrat [Santa Rosa, California], 1 June 1951, page 12.
Obituary, The Press Democrat [Santa Rosa, California], 15 July 1971, page 2.
“Harold S. G. Buttrum dies at 96”, Daily Independent Journal [San Rafael, California], 15 July 1971, page 4.
Obituary [Harold Buttrum], The Press Democrat [Santa Rosa, California], 3 March 1980, page 7.
Henderson’s Winnipeg and Brandon Directories, Peel’s Prairie Provinces, University of Alberta Libraries.
U.S., Border crossings from Canada to U.S., 1825-1960, Ancestry.
California Voter Registrations, 1900-1958, Ancestry.
Buttrum Album, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 8 November 2017
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