Farmer, municipal official, historian.
Born at Penrith, Cumberland, England on 9 January 1870, son of William Metcalfe, he came to Manitoba in the late 1880s and successively farmed near Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, and Langruth. He moved to Portage la Prairie in the early 20th century, where he served as the Mayor of Portage la Prairie (1918-1920) and was influential in making the city one of the first in the province to install hydroelectric power provided by the Manitoba Power Commission (forerunner of Manitoba Hydro).
On 7 May 1894, he married Annie Mary Henderson (1874-1929) at Portage la Prairie and they subsequently had three children: Doris Mary Metcalfe (1895-1920), Gweneth Douglas “Gwen” Metcalfe (1902-1972, wife of J. P. “Pat” Coutts), and William Henry “Bill” Metcalfe. He chaired the Children’s Aid Society of central Manitoba and, for five years, was President of the Manitoba Hospital Association. He published Tread of the Pioneers, a history of the Portage la Prairie area, in 1932.
He died at Portage la Prairie on 3 January 1938 and was buried in the Portage Hillside Cemetery.
Marriage registration [Joseph Henry Metcalfe, Annie Mary Henderson], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Birth registration [Doris Metcalfe], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1901 and 1911 Canada censuses, Automated Genealogy.
Death registrations [Doris Mary Metcalfe, Annie Mary Metcalfe, Joseph Henry Metcalfe], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Birthday congratulations to,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 January 1934, page 9.
“J. Metcalfe succumbs at Portage,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 January 1938, page 1.
Obituary [Gweneth Douglas Coutts], Winnipeg Free Press, 9 February 1972, page 35.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 July 2025
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