STOTHART, GEORGE (1850-1912)

STOTHART, GEORGE, hardware merchant; b. Ferry Road, 20 Jun 1850, s/o William Stothart and Susan Creighton; m. 1882, Matilda Haviland, d/o Thomas Haviland and Margaret Jane Lee; d. Chatham, 22 Dec 1912.

George Stothart studied at the County Grammar School under James Millar and was later a prize-winning student at the Presbyterian Academy. After he left school he was a clerk with Francis J. Letson until Letson's death in 1882. He then opened his own hardware store in the building formerly occupied by Carmichael Bros. He built a new brick store in 1886 but had to assign in 1893 after endorsing notes for a man who became insolvent. He was in business again in 1901. In 1910 his store was taken over by Herbert B. McDonald.

Although Stothart earned his living in the hardware business, "the work of the schools was always nearer his heart than merchandising." As secretary of the Chatham trustees he made himself a frequent visitor to the schools and to teachers' classrooms. He was also the "dominant member" of the Board of Assessors of Chatham and, according to the Chatham World, "generally had things pretty much his own way." He sat on the town council for one year, played a part in the Chatham Board of Trade, and was a trustee of St Andrew's Church. He was a member of the Independent Order of Foresters for twenty-six years and of the Sons of Temperance for forty years. "He was a strong man in many ways," stated The World, having strong opinions, a strong will, and an uncompromising attitude in the face of opposition, and had frequent clashes with colleagues on church boards and other bodies in which he held membership."

Stothart and his wife, Matilda Haviland, had three daughters. Their eldest, Jessie G. Stothart, who was a graduate of the Halifax Ladies' College and the nurses' training school of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, held an important position in Winnipeg with the public health service of Manitoba. The two other daughters, Olive and Hazel Stothart, graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1909 and 1910 respectively and also occupied professional positions in Winnipeg.