Memorable Manitobans: John James Morrow (1874-1962)

Building contractor.

Born on a farm at Tara, Ontario on 16 October 1874, he apprenticed as a stonemason at Allenford starting in 1894. He came to Manitoba and began taking small building contracts in the area around Brandon. He later undertook larger projects at Sault Ste. Marie (1901-1906). He came to Melita in 1906 and added a second floor to a stone block at the corner of Main and Front streets. He returned to the East and came back in 1907 with his family. He continued to work in construction into his 80s.

On 6 March 1901, he married Sarah Askin (1876-1965) in Bruce County, Ontario and they subsequently had five children: Harry Leonard Morrow (1901-1973), Thomas Merton Morrow (1905-1971), Edith Agnes Morrow (1910-1964, wife of Harry Barker), Frederick John Morrow (1916-1943), and Sarah Mildred Morrow (1918-?, wife of William Oliphant). He was a member of Victoria United Church, Loyal Orange Lodge, and IOOF. He was President of the Melita Curling Club.

He died on 15 January 1962 and was buried in the Melita Cemetery.

Some of his construction works in Manitoba included:

Building

Location

Year

Status

Melita School No. 440 (brick veneer)

41 Ash Street, Melita

?

 

Concrete Beam Bridge

Souris River, Municipality of Two Borders

1931

 

Dominion Post Office Building

400 South Railway Street, Boissevain, Municipality of Boissevain-Morton

1934-1935

 

Boissevain Telephone Exchange Building

460 South Railway Street, Boissevain, Municipality of Boissevain-Morton

1938

 

Sources:

Ontario marriage registration, Ancestry.

Birth registration [Sarah Mildred Morrow], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Our First Century: Town of Melita and Municipality of Arthur by Melita-Arthur History Committee, 1983, pages 634-635.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

We thank Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 December 2024

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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