Stepping onto the Avenue
Nestled in a small subdivision off of Pleasant Street in Dartmouth is Esdaile Avenue. Lined with charming, modest homes to the north and brick apartment buildings to the south, Esdaile is in close proximity to Newcastle Street Park, the Woodside Area Regional Park (which includes part of the Trans Canada Trail), and just moments away from the shores of Dartmouth Cove. Without question Esdaile Avenue is the definition of an endearing residential neighbourhood.
But who or what is Esdaile?
Gather round, everyone. It's time to meet John B. Esdaile.
You could say he had Perthonality
John Blair Esdaile was born on July 9, 1813 in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. He was one of six children born to James and Margaret (nee Blair) Esdaile.
John's father James was from a small town near Lockerbie, Scotland. He was a minister of the Church of Scotland with a Doctorate of Divinity from Edinburgh University. James spent thirty-four years of his life preaching at the East Kirk Parish of Perth. James also wrote and philosophized on religious subjects, and had several articles printed in the Scottish Christian Herald.
Records from John's early life are scarce, but we do know that by the early 1840's both John and his brother Robert had left Scotland and made their way to Montreal, Quebec. As early as 1842, the brother's opened J & R Esdaile, a general brokerage company at 223 Saint Paul Street, not far from the Notre Dame Basilica. As brokers, their company bought and sold goods on behalf of others, and it seems that they focused heavily on the sales of wheat and grain. The business took off and by 1846 J & R Esdaile was an "established" company.
With their success, the brothers moved their business a short distance away from their original location to the Merchants Exchange on St. Sacrament Street. In 1867, the Merchants Exchange moved into a beautiful new facility on the same street. J & R Esdaile remained in the Merchants Exchange for many years.
The two Esdaile brothers settled near each other with homes at the head (north end) of Durocher Avenue. John's home was called Fairbank Cottage, Robert's Believue Cottage. In current day Montreal, this area is now home to McGill University Athletics and Recreation.
In addition to financial success, John also found love in Montreal. Although it is unclear how they met, John was introduced to Mary Ann Fairbanks. Mary was likely born in Halifax, but spent much of her life in Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Her father, Samuel Prescott Fairbanks, was a barrister who served as a member of the House of Assembly for Liverpool, as well as provincial Treasurer and the Commissioner of Crown Lands. On June 1, 1853, John and Mary were wed by Reverend Matheson at the home of James Mitchell in Montreal. The couple had three children: John Prescott (also known as Prescott) born 1857, James Newton (known as Newton) born 1859, and William Frederick born 1862.
Riots! Scandal!
In the mid-1800's, the controversial Italian orator Alessandro Gavazzi was touring North America. Gavazzi was a former Catholic priest who had split from the Church due to his liberal views. He lectured in England against the Church, and printed his views in his newspaper the Gavazzi Free World. In June 1853 he booked two speaking engagements in Quebec: one in Quebec City, and one in Montreal.
Although the province of Quebec was historically French and Catholic, the population of the province and the major city of Montreal in particular was in a state of flux during the mid-19th Century. Following the Rebellions of 1837-1838, more English-speaking Protestants had moved to Montreal. This development carved deep divisions amongst the citizenry that followed cultural, religious, and linguistic lines, and made Gavazzi's visit even more tense. Soon, John and Robert were caught up in this provocative and violent moment in Montreal history.
On June 6, 1853 only a few days after John's marriage protestors gathered outside the Free Presbyterian Church in Quebec City where Gavazzi was speaking. They threw stones through the church windows and there was a large physical altercation. Troops were sent in to dissolve the situation.
Knowing that Gavazzi's presence had caused such a stir in Quebec City, Montreal city Mayor Charles Wilson aimed to not have the incident repeated for a second stop of his tour. When he denied Gavazzi the use of City Hall, the Zion Church on Maurice Street instead offered their space for his talk. Fearing the worst, Wilson requested assistance from the British 26th Regiment to help keep the peace along with the local police department.
Similarly to Quebec City, protestors gathered outside the church where Gavazzi was speaking. As he preached, the crowd outside to became more incensed as the audience cheered. Midway through the event, Gavazzi stopped his address. A group of attendees rushed behind the church altar where they had hidden weapons. They opened the doors to the church and began to fire into the crowd. At near the same time, there was a reading of the Riot Act and the soldiers were given the cue to fire in an attempt to control the crowd. When the dust had settled, between eight and twelve people were shot and killed, with an estimated total thirty lives lost in the street violence that followed.
It was concluded that all of the people who had been shot and killed in the riot had died as a result of the troops firing, except for one. James Walsh, one of the assailants, was said to have been shot from someone inside the Church.
A Coroner's Inquest began on June 10, 1853 to uncover who was responsible for James' death. Eyewitness reports indicated that a man with a light coat and a white hat had fired the shots from the Church. Chief Constable Francois Contant of the Montreal City Police confirmed that he too saw a man matching this description (Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette, July 7, 1853, pg. 2), and concurred a policeman that they saw the same man and knew him by name.
The person accused of being the man in the light coat and white hat? Robert Esdaile, John's brother.
John, of course, jumped to his brother's defense. During the Inquest, he provided his version of events from that night. He stated that he had been with his brother:
On the evening of the 9th of June my brother Robert... with myself and Mr. Hallowell left St. James Street shortly after six o'clock, passed Zion Church by the Haymarket, met Dr. Crawford and had some conversation with him, and proceeded home up Beaver Hall. ... I left him at Debeichi's cottage, he proceeding towards his own house, which is three or four hundred yards above mine. About eight o'clock, Mrs. Robert Esdaile came down to my house and stated that Mr. William Muir and her husband had gone to town in consequence of the firing they had heard from his house. I saw him again at nearly nine o'clock and he said he'd been down at Mr. Allan's, No. 3 Beaver Hall. When he left me, he was dressed in a black coat, as he was also when he returned. He had not a white coat in his possession then, so far as I know.... It was impossible for my brother to have been at the lecture. The lecture had not commenced when we passed Zion Church to go up. Dr. Crawford was waiting to get admittance.
Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette, July 5, 1853, pg. 2
Mr. Robert Hallowell also spoke to Robert's defense, stating that - as John had reported - the three men had walked home together: "I parted with Mr. Esdaile in City Councillors' street about half-past six or twenty-five minutes to seven, he with the intention of proceeding home, and I going to my dinner. From where I left him, it would take Mr. Esdaile about sixteen minutes to walk home, at a pretty smart rate... I was perfectly satisfied he was going home for the night..." (Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette, July 7, 1853, pg. 2)
Robert Esdaile's servant, Denis Canuelle, also spoke on his employer's behalf, as did his neighbours. They noted that Robert was wearing a black coat and a light hat.
On July 12, 1853 the Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette published the Coroner's recommendations to the jury: "Walsh's death... whether he fell under the general fire of either of the parties, or of the person who discharged the revolver, or of him who discharged the double barrelled gun or rifle, it will be for you to declare: the evidence on this point affords no means of identifying the slayer, but clearly relieves Mr. Esdaile... from all imputation in that respect." (pg. 2). Thanks to the many witnesses that came to his defense and the Coroner's council, the jury agreed. Robert's name was cleared.
Heading to Dartmouth
John and his brother put the events of the Gavazzi Riot behind them. The brokerage business continued to do well, and John and Mary raised their three sons. The years passed, and John found himself looking to retire from J & R Esdaile. By at least October of 1864, advertisements were placed in the Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette offering the rent or sale of the Esdaile house. The Esdailes moved back to Mary's home of Nova Scotia.
Halifax/Dartmouth City Directories of the time show that the Esdaile family was in Nova Scotia as early as 1869. At that time, Mary's parents Samuel and Charlotte were living in Halifax at 25 Salter Street (just east of Hollis Street intersection). John, Mary, and their sons settled nearby in Dartmouth on Quirrell, or Quarl, Street (now Queen Street). However, the Esdailes didn't stay in downtown Dartmouth for long. John saw his retirement as an opportunity to not only enjoy his leisure, but to spend his money improving his new city. During 1870, the Esdailes constructed a new home in what was to be an up-and-coming neighbourhood called Prince Arthur's Park.
In 1840, Judge James William Johnston (Johnstone) had purchased a large tract of land, likely from James Creighton - one of Dartmouth's largest landholders at the time. Johnston began to develop an estate he called Mount Amelia, so named after his wife Amelia Elizabeth (nee Almon) who had passed away just three years before. The land was located on the upper side of Eastern Passage Road (now Pleasant Street) with the estate home adjacent to Old Ferry Road. The property was described as: "...very beautiful, and from it may be obtained an extensive view of the country, stretching for miles over the township... Judge Johnstone was very much attached to his pleasant country house, and under his care the shubbery and garden were perfect in their way" (Lawson, pg. 99). However, as much as Judge Johnston may have been attached to the property, he did ultimately sell a sizable portion.
In 1869, a group of gentlemen purchased one hundred and six acres of the Mount Amelia property from Judge Johnston. With lots of hardwood on site, and several carriage roads already in place, it was deemed an ideal spot for a subdivision which would include "...houses of various sizes and styles... for purchasers or tenants" (Lawson, pg. 100). The area was named Prince Arthur's Park, and the group made it an official company which was incorporated in 1870. This meant that those who had invested in this business venture were responsible for "...the maintenance, control, and management, of all the roads, reserves, drives, avenues and sidewalks in such Park, and the lodges and gates therein erected, and shall make regulations relative thereto" (Embree, pg. 4). These men involved in this business included the previous owner Judge Johnston, as well as Bennett H. Hornsby, Daniel McNeil Parker, J. Norman Ritchie, Alfred C. Cogswell, Frederick Fishwick, and John Esdaile.
As much as Prince Arthur's Park was a financial investment for John, he also strongly believed in its potential as a housing project, and the proof was in the pudding. John was the first person to build a home in the new neighbourhood. This house was often referred to as Fairbanks, named after John's wife and her family; it was also known as Mapledene. It stands to this day at 72 Johnstone Avenue.
Within three years, the family built a second home in the neighbourhood. This house would go by the names Mount Pleasant and Blink Bonnie. It is interesting to note that this section of Eastern Passage Road was later renamed Pleasant Street, and Blink Bonnie Terrace was subsequently built as a connector between Johnston Avenue and Old Ferry Road.
Tragically, this house did not stand the test of time. Mount Pleasant was demolished in 1938 to make way for the Blink Bonnie subdivision. All that remains of the estate is the gatekeeper's house at 141 Pleasant Street.
There is some debate about who actually designed both of these houses. Some sources claim that John's son Prescott designed the homes. Prescott did go on to have a career in engineering so he certainly would have had the necessary skills. However, as both homes were built in the early 1870s, it would mean that Prescott would have been designing these elaborate homes before he was twenty years old! Although it is possible that Prescott drafted the plans for each house, it is also possible that through the passage of time Prescott (whose first name is actually John) may have been confused for his father.
Unfortunately for John and the other investors, the Prince Arthur's Park development never really took off. In 1893, Mrs. William (Mary Jane) Lawson, author of The Townships of Dartmouth, Preston and Lawrencetown wrote of the Park: "After its incorporation, the other members of the company did not build as they had at first agreed to do. The roads have not been kept in order, and several of the lots purchased are now used as pasture land... Had the original intention of the company been carried out, Prince Arthur's Park would have been a great ornament to the town of Dartmouth" (pg. 101) Although years down the road Tenwick Road would be renamed after the development, the Prince Arthur's Park development was a failure. It's hard to say exactly why the project did not succeed, but as the first and perhaps only motivated builder, it is possible that John's passing was a contributing factor.
All things come to an end
On April 22, 1877 John Esdaile passed away. He was sixty-three years old and his cause of death is unknown. He was buried in the Old Public Cemetery in Dartmouth.
His headstone is a simple one. It is made of marble it lacks the ornamentation and embellishments often found on grave markers of the Victorian Era. Ddue to decades of weathering, the inscription on the stone has all but worn away. It is only thanks to the Dartmouth Heritage Museum who house a grave marker inventory conducted in 1993 that we know what was written on his stone:
In memory / of / John Blair Esdaile / son of the late / Rev. James Esdaile D. D. / Perth Scotland / died at Dartmouth / April 22nd 1877 / Aged 63 years
Epitaph: Unto the upright there / illeg illieg in the illeg
The illeg above stands for illegible. However, it is believed that the complete phrase would be Unto the upright there / ariseth light in the darkness, a reference to Biblical Psalm 112:4.
Following John's death, Mary did not remain in Dartmouth. She spent her remaining years living with one of her sons, Prescott or William. Prescott worked as a machinist/engineer, as well as a government steamboat inspector. William initially worked as the head clerk at the Queen Hotel on Hollis Street (which was owned by a member of the Fairbanks family), but soon after he and his wife Joanna (nee Fitzgerald) owned and operated the Grosvenor Hotel, also on Hollis Street.
The turn of the century was a sad time for the Esdaile family. In June 1903, Prescott lost his first wife Emily to a condition called marasmus. Marasmus is a deficiency in all essential vitamins, nutrients and proteins and is considered a very severe form of malnutrition. Three months later, William passed away from Bright's Disease, a kidney condition that can lead to renal failure.
In May 1906, Mary passed away from lung cancer at seventy-nine years old. The following year, Newton, who had been living in Boston and working as a painter, passed away from heart failure at age forty-seven. His wife, Minnie (nee Devlin) was left alone to raise their three year old son. In March 1909, Prescott who had remarried since Emily's death passed away from liver cancer at age fifty-two. Prescott's second wife, Annie (nee Fraser) and William's wife Joanna passed away in 1923 and 1933 respectively.
The Finishing Lines
John Blair Esdaile did not live in Dartmouth for long, but it wasn't for lack of want. He came to the city to live out his golden years with his wife, his sons, and his extended family at his side. John invested in the Prince Arthur's Park subdivision because he wanted to improve and develop his new-found home. It was tragic for him and perhaps all of us that those years were cut short. We'll never know what could have been accomplished had he lived longer, but there's reason to believe that he would be proud of the street that now bears his name.
Library Sources
History of the Townships of Dartmouth, Preston, and Lawrencetown, Halifax County, Nova Scotia
Community Sources
- Mount Pleasant, date unknown, 1975.031.057
- Burial Record, John B. Esdaile, Dartmouth Public Cemetery,1993
Additional Sources
211 Ru du St. Sacrement #103, Realtor
211 Saint-Sacrement Street, Merchants' Exchange Building
Atlas of the City of Montreal, 1890, Digital BAnQ
British Regulars in Montreal: An Imperial Garrison, 1832-1854, Dokumen PUB
City of Montreal key plans showing arrangement of plates, 1912, The Dark Room, McGill University
The Counties of Perth and Clackmannan, 1805, James Stobie, National Library of Scotland
Dartmouth Inventoried Heritage Properties to 2010
Esdaile, James (minister), Wikipedia
"Esdaile", Nova Scotia Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Nova Scotia Archives
"Esdaile", Montreal Herald and Daily Commercial Gazette", various dates, Digital BAnQ
"Esdaile", Scottish Christian Herald, Volume 1, Part 1, Google Books
Gavazzi, Alessandro, National Portrait Gallery
Gavazzi Riots, The Canadian Encyclopedia
Halifax Municipal Cemeteries Commission
Halifax Heritage Property List
Halifax Regional Municipality - Registered Heritage Properties
J & R Esdaile Wholesale Dry Goods, Montreal City Directory, 1842, Collections Canada
Johnston, James William, Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Map of the Town of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 1878, Nova Scotia Archives
Montreal: Her Past, Present and Future, Her History from 1535-1889, Internet Archive
Plan of Mount Amelia Homestead of the Hon. J. W. Johnston, Nova Scotia Archives
The Riot and Outrage of 9th June in Montreal, 1853, Internet Archive
Topographical and pictorial map of the city of Montreal, 1846, Digital BAnQ
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