Farmer, architect.
Born at Edinburgh, Scotland on 18 June 1845, at the age of six weeks he emigrated to Canada with his family. He lived at Chicago, Illinois for some time then moved to Montreal, Quebec where, in 1865, he received a degree in civil engineering and architecture from McGill University. He came to Manitoba in the spring of 1871 and worked on a survey crew for the Canadian Pacific Railway that reached the Rockies and Jasper House. In 1874, his was one of seven signatures on a treaty negotiated by Lieutenant Governor Alexander Morris with Aboriginal peoples of Manitoba.
In 1875, he married Flora Garrioch (1857-1941) and returned to her home at Portage la Prairie where he worked as an architect (1876-1881). In the latter year, they moved to Holland where he farmed and did architectural work. He served as one of the first councillors for the newly-formed Norfolk County, precursor to the Rural Municipality of Victoria in which Holland was situated, and later a councillor for Victoria (1905-1916), and Justice of the Peace. The Maxwells had eight children, of whom a daughter and four sons lived to adulthood, including Colin John Edward Maxwell. He was a member of Emmanuel Anglican Church.
He died at Holland on 9 February 1922 and was buried in the Brookdale Cemetery.
Some of his architectural works in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
St. Mary’s la Prairie Anglican Church (expansion)
Portage la Prairie
1876
Demolished (c1898)
Treherne Methodist Church
Treherne
1891
Norfolk Treherne
1891
Swan Lake Presbyterian [United] Church
Swan Lake, RM of Lorne
1893
Holland, RM of Victoria
1893-1894
RM of Victoria
1900
Moved to Treherne (1960)
Holland, RM of Victoria
1913
Demolished (?)
“Opening of Presbyterian church at Swan Lake,” Winnipeg Tribune, 17 August 1893, page 2.
Death registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Holland, Manitoba: 1877-1967 by Holland History Book Committee, 1967, pages 217-219. [Manitoba Legislative Library, F5649.H64 Hol]
Tiger Hills to the Assiniboine: A History of Treherne and Surrounding District by Treherne Area History Committee, 1976, page 69.
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950 by Robert G. Hill, Toronto.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 2 September 2019
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 SearchBrowse 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 | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
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
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
