Saddler, harness merchant.
Born at Brockville, Ontario on 30 November 1845, son of David Fairbairn (1798-1871) and Catherine Fulford (1822-1908), he was apprenticed in the harness trade at Walkerton then carried on business in this trade for 14 years. In 1883 he came to Manitoba and, the next year, arrived at Portage la Prairie where he established a business as a saddler and harness merchant.
On 1 January 1872, he married Margaret Frame (1849-1923) of Bruce County, Ontario. They had eight children: Margaret Fairbairn (wife of George Palmer of Boissevain), Kate Fairbairn, Mabel Fairbairn, Edna Fairbairn, David Fairbairn, Robert Fairbairn, Chester Fairbairn, and George Fairbairn. He died on 3 April 1912 and was buried in the Portage Hillside Cemetery.
A History of Manitoba: Its Resources and People by Prof. George Bryce, Toronto: The Canadian History Company, 1906.
“James Gardiner Fairbairn dead,” Saskatoon Daily Star, 3 April 1912, page 1.
Margaret Frame Fairbairn, FindAGrave.
We thank Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 June 2024
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