Memorable Manitobans: George Arthur Pope (1876-1950)

Building contractor.

Born at London, Ontario on 4 April 1876, son of Septimus Pope (1847-1894) and Annie Pope (?-1936), he came to Manitoba with his family and settled at Melita where he worked as a building contractor in partnership with Robert B. Johnston (1869-1926). On 3 January 1905, he married Emma Louise Chard (1873-1953) in the RM of Brenda and they had three children: Marjorie Chard Pope (1906-1986, wife of Everett Graham Neilly), Emma Louise Pope (1907-?, wife of Robert Wallace Spear), and Albert George Pope (1912-1913). Ill health led him to quit contracting after which he was an inspector for Ogilvie Flour Mills at Brandon and a member of the Masons and St. Matthews Anglican Church. He died at Brandon on 2 April 1950 and was buried in the Brandon Cemetery.

Some of his construction work in Manitoba included:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Peninsula School No. 907	Municipality of Two Borders	1901
Odd Fellows Hall	111 Main Street, Melita	1907
Melita Winter Vault	Municipality of Two Borders	1908
Melita Rink	Melita	1909	Demolished (?)
Melita Opera House	Melita	1913	Destroyed by fire (1917)

See also:

MHS Resources: Manitoba Bricks and Blocks: Melita Lumber and Manufacturing Company / Melita Brick and Tile Company

Sources:

Death registration [Septimus Pope], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Marriage registration [George A. Pope, Emma Louise Chard], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Birth registrations [Marjorie Chard Pope, Emma Louise Pope, Albert George Pope], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

Death registration [Albert George Pope], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Marriage registration [Emma Louise Stanton Pope, Robert Wallace Spear], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Death registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary, Brandon Sun, 3 April 1950, page 9.

Our First Century: Town of Melita and Municipality of Arthur by Melita-Arthur History Committee, 1983, page 693.

Obituary [Marjorie Chard Neilly], Brandon Sun, 22 October 1986, page 44.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 3 March 2023

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. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!