Arthur Mennell

       Arthur  Mennell was born on the 7^th of July 1868 in England; he was christened in 1870 at Rillington cum Scampston, Yorkshire, England so there is a high probability that he was born in Yorkshire, since his friends were also from there. 
      His parents were Charles Mennell, and Jane ( Haxby ? )

Arthur immigrated to Canada in 1888, the 1891 Census captures him living in Chilliwack,  22 years old, and his occupation: farmer; 1891 was also the first time that Arthur is mentioned in the directories.  

           He settled in the Chilliwack area and worked for J.C. Henderson for many years, then later moved to Vancouver for a short period of time, where he received his Teachers Certificate, and then he moved back to Chilliwack and began his teaching career.

J.C. Henderson, is John “Jack” Calvin Henderson, a successful commercial merchant in Chilliwack.

      John Calvin Henderson
   ( photo from  1 Nov., 1911 Chilliwack Progress )

           John Henderson was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 27, 1847. He moved to British Columbia in 1876 and operated a general store at Chilliwack. Latter opening the first hardware store in Chilliwack, and found the time to also do undertaking. He sold his businesses in 1900 and began raising cattle and thoroughbred horses and carried on with it until 1910, when he retired.  Jack died on the 7th of July  1925.
  His parents: Arthur Colter Henderson, and Rebecca Hunter.  Jack was married to  Elizabeth Jane Stevens.
His story is fairly well documented in the Chilliwack newspapers:  A 1986 Article ---  And also Page One --- Three of a more complete biography.  A Photograph of Jack and his father with a group of people

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                  First reference to Arthur living in Chilliwack is in the Chilliwack Progress 1896 November 4^th edition:  
....Mr. A. Mennell has also some fine fruit, and he is quite a practical man in the line of fruit growing, doing all his own orchard work. He is preparing more land, intending to make fruit growing his chief business hereafter, believing that there is barrels of money in it. He has a very fine root crop. Mr. Mennell appears to be of a very progressive turn. But what a pity he is living all alone, with no life companion to cheer his long and lonely winter evenings.
      The newspapers continue to report about Arthur;  he passed his entrance exam for his teaching certificate in June 1900.   And the 1901 Census, finds the now teacher, Arthur lodging in Vancouver with the Thomas and Margaret Carrall, family
       The paper in January 1901 reports that Arthur is at the Normal School in Vancouver, studying; and by July he had his Normal Teaching Certificate, and by the end of July he now had passed his Second-Class Certificate, by the end of August 1901 he was teaching in East Chilliwack. In July 1902 at the East Chilliwack School, Arthur presented the top three students with an honour roll, and a Chamber's dictionary. 
On the 25^th of February 1903 Mr. Robert Harrison of Vancouver paid Mr. Newby a visit last week. Mr. Harrison knew Mr. Newby and Mr. Mennell in England. 
In September 1904 it was reported that Arthur was the principal of the South Chilliwack public school.
In June of 1906, reported that the Royal Templars of Temperance,  past councillor(AKA Past president) was Arthur Mennell; he was a founding member( Honourable Brother ) in 1896 of the local branch of the Royal Templars of Temperance, RTT Chilliwack council No. 14 which started with 23 members.  ( Three records of the society ) 


One of the numerous emblems that the R.T.T. used in its existence.  The Royal Templars operated a mutual benefit fund from which heirs of deceased members received a kind of insurance of about $2,000. They were strong supporters of the Temperance movement
Sadly on the 28^th of January 1908 he was admitted to P.M.H. in New Westminster, and later transferred to Essondale when it was completed. The 1911 census  captures, Arthur Mennell age 42, Methodist. living at the Asylum. 




On the left is the two lots identified in the Tender call advertisement, of Sept.,9, 1908 ( see below)  Arthur Mennell farm 56 99/100 ac of Lots 279 and 280 Group II, NWD tender for sale. This would probably be what was previously mentioned in the  1907 January 9^th edition of the Chilliwack Progress:   A portion 57 acres of the Stevenson property at Sardis, to Arthur Mennell.  Also to Mr. L. McDonald, 20 acres of the same estate.  Of course the land in question is a small portion of the outlined area.
 
On the far right is the lots ( Stump farm ) that Arthur received through the Crown Grant process it is today located along  Ryder Lake Road. South of  E½ of SW Section 10  Townplan 26 ECM  80 acres +-
LS 14 and 15  Section 3  Townplan 26 ECM  north of Lot 499   all told 109.5 acres. Granted on January 10, 1903.  No idea what happened to these properties, best guess would be that he sold them to acquire the better land on the floodplain.  

And the Lot outlined in blue is the farm of his friend William Newby.  William came to Chilliwack in 1884, he owned 115 acres of the NE¼ of Section 16 Twp 26 Group II. In 1885 he married Mary Lucinda Bicknell, they had 12 children .
William Newby  ( 20 July 1862 Yorkshire, England - 6 May 1945 Sardis, B.C. ) The farm was off of McGuire Road, and was sold in 1950.   ( Photo of William and Mary Newby )
 

Tenders for Chilliwack Property
  9 September 1908

Carman United Church Chilliwack cemetery  

Note that Newby is across the top of the headstone. Newby would have ordered the headstone to be made, and apparently no Newby family members are in this cemetery.
Arthur Mennell    ( Death Certificate ) The document states that Arthur’s death was:  suicide from drowning
He had been missing since May 15^th, 1914  and was found June 18^th, 1914.  And was buried on the 20^th of June 1908.   He had been in Canada for 26 years.

NOTE:  No mention of his underlying mental health diagnosis.  It was interesting to note that Arthur had only been in the hospital a few months, before the Government in their ruthless ways, sold his land, and probably his other assets to pay for his incarceration. And I would venture that Arthur probably was also the teacher for some of the Newby family children, since the school was very close to their farm.