Part 47

ANTHUNE SERGIUS ARCHAMBAULT.

Anthune Sergius Archambault, member of the bar, practicing at Montreal as an advocate, specializes in the administration of estates, and is one of the few in Montreal’s legal profession giving special attention to work in a fiduciary capacity. He was born at St. Antoine, Vercheres county, on the 9th of November, 1874, a son of Alphonse Archambault and Hermenie Gladu, the former a farmer by occupation. While spending his youthful days under the parental roof A. S. Archambault pursued his education at St. Hyacinthe College, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1894. He then entered upon the study of law, which he pursued in Laval University, in 1898 winning the LL. L. degree. He is an advocate of considerable power and ability and has made continuous progress in his profession since taking up the active duties thereof fifteen years ago. He has gained a good clientage and his practice is of an important character. He was for some time the legal adviser of the parish of Sault au Récollet.

Mr. Archambault has been married twice. He first wedded Rose Helene Patenaude at Montreal on the 7th of May, 1901, and her death occurred on the fifth anniversary of their marriage. On the 17th of November, 1909, Mr. Archambault was again married, his second union being with Annie Michaud, of Ahuntsic. There are two children, Annette and Paul, of the first marriage and also two of the second, Jean and Marie.

REMI GOHIER, SR.

Remi Gohier, Sr., of Montreal, actively engaged in the real-estate business which has proved to him a profitable field of labor, was born on the 7th of September, 1841, at St. Laurent, Jacques Cartier county, P. Q., a son of Augustin Gohier dit Belisle and Marguerite Martin dit Ladouceur. The early ancestors of the Gohier family in the province of Quebec spelled the name in various ways, including Goyer, etc., but in France it was spelled Gohier and one of the name was of great prominence during the reign of Napoleon I.

Remi Gohier was a student in the St. Laurent College and with his entrance into commercial circles at the age of twenty-two he became a dry-goods merchant, and for twenty-seven years was engaged in that business at what is now the corner of St. Lawrence and DeMontigny Streets. In January, 1891, he became connected with the real-estate and insurance brokerage business with his two sons, Arthur E. and Alexandre. Having won substantial success he has since continued in that business. He has negotiated many important realty transfers, bought and sold property on his own account and has won a creditable and gratifying measure of success. For eight years he was a director of the Montreal Turnpike Trust Company, and he has done active public service as justice of the peace for about ten years. About 1906 Mr. Gohier became connected with La Compagnie Des Terrains Maisonneuve, Limited, and has since been a director of the same, in which he is extensively interested.

On the 25th of November, 1863, in Montreal, in Notre Dame Cathedral, Mr. Gohier was united in marriage to Miss Anne Jeanne Wright, a daughter of Alexander Hamilton and Marguerite (Scally) Wright. Their children are: Remi, who married Alice Faille; Emma Isabella, the wife of J. A. Lesieur Desaulniers; Arthur Edouard, who married Adelina Tetrault; Corrine, the wife of Eugene Tetrault; Alexandre, who married Charlotte Mongenais; and Bernice. The family are communicants of the Catholic church, and Mr. Gohier is a Knight of Columbus. He has membership with the Liberal Club, which indicates his political belief, and he is also a member of the Montreal Canadian Club. The family is highly respected, warm regard being extended father and sons. The business record of Mr. Gohier has gained for him confidence and good-will as well as substantial success, and his prosperity has been the merited reward of his capability and indefatigable enterprise.

WALTER HAMILTON EWING.

Walter Hamilton Ewing, who is well known throughout Canada and the United States as a champion shot, is the eldest son of the late Alexander Miller Ewing and Ida F. (Appleton) Ewing, of Montreal, and was born in this city on the 11th of February, 1878. He is descended from Irish ancestry. He pursued his education in the schools of his native city and made his initial step in the business world with Hodgson Sumner & Company. Subsequently he became connected with the Hart & Adair Coal Company and in 1904 organized the Lackawanna Coal Company, Ltd., of which he is president.

On the 30th of April, 1902, Mr. Ewing was united in marriage to Miss Ethel Raeburn McIntyre, a daughter of the late Archibald McIntyre, of Montreal, and their children are Morris A., Marguerite R., Walter James and David Russell.

While in Montreal Mr. Ewing is known as a successful, enterprising and progressive business man, he has a wide reputation throughout the continent in connection with his record as a marksman. He made the highest amateur score at the first annual shooting tournament of Canadian Indians at Montreal in May, 1906, winning the Clarendon cup. He won the championship of the world in trap shooting in July, 1908, at the Olympic games in London, England. He has won the championship of Canada, the Grand Canadian Handicap, the Brewers’ & Malsters’ cup and the Provincial Individual. He also shot on all team trophies, namely: 8-Man Dominion, 10-Man Provincial, 5-Man International, 5-Man Provincial and 5-Man Lansdowne cup. He is the only man who ever held the above cups at the same time. Surely he has every reason to be proud of his record in this connection. Mr. Ewing in religious faith is a Presbyterian.

REV. JAMES BENNETT.

Rev. James Bennett was born in Scotland and when a young man came to Montreal, where he continued his education, begun in the schools of his native land. He entered McGill University, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree, and later, having determined to devote his life to the work of the ministry, he took up the study of theology in Queen’s College at Kingston, Ontario. He immediately entered upon ministerial duties as pastor of the Presbyterian church on Cote des Neiges road, but soon afterward was called to L’Orignal, Ontario, where he filled a charge until his demise on August 17, 1901. His earnest effort, his charity and his consecration to the cause was productive of much good, his labors resulting in the accession of many to the church.

Rev. Bennett was married in Montreal to Miss Agnes Phillips, a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Hodge) Phillips, and to them was born a son, William Phillips Bennett, now of Toronto.

THOMAS PHILLIPS, JR.

Thomas Phillips, well known for many years as a valued resident of Montreal, his native city, was at one time proprietor of that section known as Woodbury. He was a son of Thomas Phillips, Sr., who owned nearly all of what is now Beaver Hall Hill, where the family home was maintained for many years. The father was likewise the owner of what is now Phillips square, which was named in his honor. His landed possessions in fact were very extensive and their value increased with the growth and development of the city, making his a valuable estate.

His son, Thomas Phillips, pursued his education in the schools of Montreal, in Upper Canada College and in Dr. Workman’s private school. He purchased a farm on the island of Montreal and later became owner of what is now called Woodbury and constitutes an attractive portion of the city, having all been laid out in city lots. There he lived in comparative retirement. He named his place Woodbury after the old home of Thomas Phillips, Sr., who came from Woodbury, Devonshire, England, and settled in Montreal.

Thomas Phillips, Jr., married Miss Elizabeth Hodge, also a native of this city, and a daughter of James Hodge, likewise a farmer on the island of Montreal. They became the parents of four daughters and a son: Martha Emily, now deceased; Charlotte E.; Agnes, who became the wife of Rev. James Bennett and is now a widow living in Montreal; Mrs. Eleanor A. Perham, the widow of L. D. Perham; and Thomas Phillips, who at his death left two daughters, now residents of Scotland.

Mr. Phillips, whose name introduces this review, was a public-spirited man, and ever interested in the general welfare. From early manhood he was a member of St. George’s church and was its oldest member at the time of his demise. He died January 4, 1900, a day therefore that marked the passing of a prominent representative of one of the oldest families of Montreal and one whose name has ever been a synonym for honorable manhood and loyal citizenship.

JOSEPH VERSAILLES.

Progressive development finds a worthy exponent in Joseph Versailles, whose connection with real-estate operations has been an element in the material development of his section of the province. He was born in Montreal on the 28th of March, 1881, a son of Joseph Versailles and Julie Monarque. Mention is made in L’Histoire de l’Eglise by Rhorbacher of a companion of Jeanne d’Arc of the name of Pierre de Versailles. In early Canadian records the family name frequently appears with many variations, including that of Martin and Louis Martin of this family who was born in 1639 and was massacred by the Iroquois Indians at Long Sault on the 21st of May, 1660. The first record found under the present family name is that of Guillaume Versailles, who was born in 1731 and died on the 27th of November, 1751, at Trois Rivières.

Joseph Versailles of this review was a student in St. Mary’s College (Jesuit) on Bleury Street, Montreal, from which he was graduated in 1903 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, having completed the classical course. Turning from the educational field of business he was for six years proprietor of a hardware store and thus laid the foundation for the success which has since come to him through his activities in the real-estate field. Three years ago he founded the town of Montreal East and his real-estate operations there have been a foremost element in its development and substantial growth. He has recently erected one of the finest office buildings of Montreal on St. James Street, its height making it known as one of the skyscrapers. Mr. Versailles displays marked energy and determination and in his business career brooks no obstacles that can be overcome by persistent, energetic and honorable effort. He has thoroughly qualified himself to discuss every phase of the real-estate business and with remarkable prescience he has recognized the possibilities for the city’s growth and the extension of its suburban interests. The town of Montreal East which he founded was incorporated June 4, 1910, and since that time he has continuously served as its mayor, in which connection he has largely promoted its interests and development.

On the 20th of September, 1904, Mr. Versailles was united in marriage to Miss Marie Prendergast, a daughter of the late M. J. A. Prendergast, managing director of La Banque d’Hochelaga for twenty-five years. He was with the pontifical zouaves in Italy from 1867 until 1870, engaged in the practice of law following his return to Canada and then entered upon active connection with banking interests. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Versailles are Marguerite, Pauline, Joseph and Yvan. The religious faith of the family is that of the Roman Catholic church and Mr. Versailles was founder and the first president, in 1903 and 1904, of L’Association Catholique de la Jeunesse Canadienne-Française. In politics he does not maintain a position of aggressive partisanship. He believes in Canada first, rather than party, and in Canada for the Canadians and acting upon this belief his public service has been of benefit to the municipality and the general interests of society.

LEWIS D. PERHAM.

Lewis D. Perham, who for many years was connected with the customhouse of Montreal, was born in Russelltown, Quebec, in 1854, a son of Freeman Perham, a farmer of Russelltown. In the public schools of his native place Lewis D. Perham pursued his education and also attended a business college in Montreal. His life in one way was quietly and uneventfully passed, most of it being devoted to service in the customs department of his adopted city. For many years he was thus active in the government service and was occupying that position at the time of his demise. His long connection with the customs office plainly indicates his fidelity, capability and promptness in the discharge of his duties.

In 1885, in Montreal, Mr. Perham was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor Phillips, a daughter of Thomas Phillips, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. Four children were born to them, of whom two are living, Lewis P. and Ruth E.

Mr. Perham was a conservative in politics. For a few years he held membership with the Orangemen and he belonged to the American Presbyterian church. Death called him December 10, 1907, and those who were his associates in life mourned his death, for substantial qualities and commendable characteristics had endeared him to all who knew him. His life was upright and honorable, for he closely followed ethical and moral standards.

PATRICK MCKENNA.