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George Craig
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Merchant.
Born near Ottawa, Ontario on 27 March 1842, he was educated at high schools of Southampton and Toronto. He worked at a general store in Southampton, later teaching school before working for merchant James Dobbie at Toronto. He moved to Port Elgin where he opened a store of his own, in 1864, before moving a few years later to Chicago, Illinois to work in the grain industry.
He came to Manitoba just before the boom of 1881-1882 and opened a general store at Portage la Prairie in 1881, later a second store at Brandon, before selling both stores and moving to Winnipeg in 1883 where he took over the Golden Lion dry goods store and renamed it the George Craig Company.
He and wife Elizabeth Ross (1856-1936) had three daughters: Elspeth Milne “Elsie” Craig (1880-1972), Elizabeth M. “Bessie” Craig (1882-1966), and Susanna “Dot” Craig (1888-1949, wife of William George Young). He served on the Winnipeg City Council (1895-1896).
He died at his Winnipeg home, 225 Dromore Avenue, on 28 September 1915 and was buried in the Kildonan Cemetery.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Craig House (225 Dromore Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Craig Block (793-795 Main Street, Winnipeg)
1901 and 1911 Canada censuses, Automated Genealogy.
Birth, marriage, and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“One of Winnipeg’s merchant princes,” Winnipeg Tribune, 3 December 1904, page 11.
“Pioneer merchant dies in Winnipeg,” Winnipeg Telegram, 29 September 1915. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B6]
“Old-timer dead,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 September 1915, page 4.
“George Craig, 74, dies at home,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 September 1915, page 1.
Obituary [Mrs. W. G. Young], Winnipeg Tribune, 13 May 1949, page 33.
Obituary [Elspeth Milne Craig], Winnipeg Free Press, 15 February 1972, page 25.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
We thank Timothy Young for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 15 April 2024
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