Born at Hamilton, Ontario on 9 May 1845, he came to western Canada in 1883. He operated a planing mill at Brandon in partnership with George Stirrett. He later worked as a building contractor, responsible for several of its large blocks and other buildings. He and wife Elizabeth ? (1849-1916) lived at 322 Eleventh Street with their two sons, James Forbes (1871-?) and W. R. V. Forbes (1872-1908). He died at Brandon on 5 July 1912, after an illness of several months, and was buried in the Brandon Cemetery.
Some of his construction work in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
Manitoba Fair Horse Stable, Dairy Building & Cattle Stable
Brandon
1898
Demolished (?)
Rat Portage Lumber Building
6th Street and Pacific Avenue, Brandon
1899
Demolished (?)
St. Augustine Redemptorist Monastery
Brandon
1899
Robinson Block (renovation)
Brandon
1900
321 Eighth Street, Brandon
1900-1901
Destroyed by fire (1986)
Immigration Sheds (renovations)
Brandon
1901
St. Matthew’s Anglican Hall
Brandon
1901-1902
825-829 Rosser Avenue, Brandon
1902
Immigration Hall
Corner of Twelfth Street and Pacific Avenue, Brandon
1904
156 Ninth Street, Brandon
1904-1905
Demolished (May 2013)
1403 Assiniboine Avenue, Brandon
1907-1908
South Ward Fire Hall
Brandon
1908-1909
“For sale,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 18 February 1886, page 3.
1891 Canada census, Ancestry.
“The western fair,” Brandon Sun, 2 June 1898, page 6.
“Local and district,” Brandon Sun, 20 July 1899, page 20.
“Local and district,” Brandon Sun, 5 April 1900, page 4.
1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
“Local and district,” Brandon Sun, 25 July 1901, page 6.
“Opening of St. Matthew's Hall,” Brandon Sun, 16 January 1902, page 2.
“Contract let for new block [Zink Block],” Brandon Sun, 10 April 1902, page 6.
“Local news,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 1 September 1904, page 8.
“Local news,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 15 September 1904, page 6.
“Contract let for factory,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 17 October 1907, page 10.
“Fire hall tenders awarded,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 29 October 1908, page 10.
Death registrations [John Forbes, Elizabeth Forbes], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Late John Forbes,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 11 July 1912, page 3.
“Well known contractor dead,” Brandon Weekly Sun, 11 July 1912, page 9.
Obituary [Elizabeth Forbes], Brandon Weekly Sun, 19 October 1916, page 7.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 31 May 2026
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