Memorable Manitobans: Joseph Henry Bossons (1859-1938)

Architect.

Born at Cheshire, England on 16 May 1859, son of James Bossons and Elizabeth Ford, he emigrated to Canada in 1879. He lived successively at Portage la Prairie (1883-1898), Swan River (?-?), and Dauphin (1908-?), working as an architect until at least 1918.

He and first wife Julia Asbury (1859-1922) had nine children: Arthur James Bossons (1879-1958), Frederick W. “Fred” Bossons (1883-1973), Frank Edward Bossons (1885-1955), Gertrude Elizabeth “Gertie” Bossons (1887-?, wife of William Herward Morison), Alice Bossons (1889-?), Cecil William Bossons (1891-1985), Ellen “Nellie” Bossons (1895-?), Clarence Bossons (1898-1988), and Albert Victor Bossons (1901-1967). His second marriage on 12 March 1925 was to widow Carrie Rachel Jones (1859-1947) at Vancouver, British Columbia.

He died at Burnaby, British Columbia on 17 November 1938.

Some of his architectural works in Manitoba:

Building	Location	Year	Status
Swan River School No. 1047	Swan River	1900	Demolished (?)
Minitonas School No. 1102	Minitonas	1909	Demolished (?)
Dauphin School No. 1	Dauphin	1909	Destroyed by fire (December 1926)
Canadian Bank of Commerce Building	122 Main Street, Dauphin	1909-1910
Brickburn Consolidated School No. 998	Gilbert Plains, Municipality of Gilbert Plain	1910	Demolished (?)
Dauphin Plains School No. 873	RM of Dauphin	1912	Demolished (?)
St. Paul’s Anglican Church	404 First Street SW, Dauphin	1913-1914
Dauphin Law Courts Building	River Avenue West, Dauphin	1916
Makinak School No. 979	Makinak, RM of Lakeshore	1918	Demolished (?)

Sources:

Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Tenders wanted,” Swan River Star, 29 March 1900, page 8.

1901 and 1911 Canada censuses, Automated Genealogy.

“Tenders for public buildings, Dauphin,” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 June 1916, page 2.

Marriage registration [Joseph Henry Bossons, Carrie Jones Freeman], British Columbia Vital Statistics.

Death registrations [Joseph Henry Bossons, Carrie Bossons], British Columbia Vital Statistics.

Carrie Rachel Jones Bossons, FindAGrave.

Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.

We thank Rob McInnes, Robert Hill, and Ed Krahn for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 6 September 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: 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 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 | 2025 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!