Cleric, municipal official.
Born at sea en route from Scotland to Nova Scotia, Roddick grew up in West River, Nova Scotia. He attended Durham Hall theological school and entered a 20-year pastorate at West River Presbyterian Church. In 1879 he led a party of emigrants west to Manitoba, where he met much suspicion from the Presbyterian Church, which was more accustomed to Ontario newcomers. Nevertheless, he was put in charge (without pay) of the Presbyterian Church’s Grand Valley and Big Plains district, which included the present-day city of Brandon. James Robertson described him in 1881 as “a disgruntled missionary, unequal to the task of shepherding the flock,” but recommended paying him a stipend. Roddick retired in 1883 and joined the Methodists. In the early 1890s he spearheaded a movement to build a church at Brandon Hills. He served as Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Cornwallis from 1888 to 1893.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon Hills War Memorial and Pioneer Cairn (RM of Cornwallis)
A History of Manitoba: Its Resources and People by Prof. George Bryce, Toronto: The Canadian History Company, 1906.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 15 April 2012
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