Police officer, civil servant.
Born at Dublin, Ireland on 26 September 1855, son of Arthur M. Dobbs and Mary A. Toler, he attended Bective College at Dublin until the age of 16 when he emigrated to Canada and came to the Red River Settlement as a member of a survey party, being in Winnipeg at the time of its incorporation in 1873. Two years later, he joined the North West Mounted Police under Colonel George French, staying with the force until 1881 when he returned to Ireland for two years.
Returning to Canada, he rejoined the police, serving from 1883 to 1886, including a period during the 1885 North West Rebellion under the command of Colonel Irvin. In 1886 he took up 160 acres of land near Shoal Lake, farming it until 1897 when, finding agricultural pursuits unprofitable, spent a year as a bookkeeper with the cattle shipping and railroad contracting firm of D. McDonald & Company. The next year, he was appointed cleark of the Shoal Lake court and secretary-treasurer of the Rural Municipality of Shoal Lake. He also represented several fire and life insurance companies and handled real estate transactions.
On 19 December 1888, he married Mary Ann McMillan (?-?) at Shoal Lake. They had four children: Francis Malcolm Dodds (1890-1890), Mary Kathleen Dobbs (1891-1909), Ann Emma Dobbs (1893-1906), and Francis A. Dobbs (1909-?). He was a member of the Masons (Shoal Lake Blue Lodge), Shoal Lake Agricultural Society, and Anglican Church.
He died at Winnipeg on 30 December 1940 and was buried in the Shoal Lake Cemetery.
Birth registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.
Death registration [Francis Moore Dobbs], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 30 December 1940, page 6.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
We thank Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 28 February 2024
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