CORMACK, ALEXANDER (1803-1890)

CORMACK, ALEXANDER, architect and building contractor; b. Wick, Caithness-shire, Scotland, c1803; m. Ruth Pattison Hewson, a native of England; d. c1890.

Alexander Cormack, whose tombstone states that he was a native of Wick, was among the leading contract builders on the Miramichi in the middle years of the 19th century. Among the best known of his structures are "Woodburn Cottage," at Morrison's Cove, which he built around 1841 for Henry Cunard, and "Blink Bonnie," which he built later on King Street in Chatham for George H. Russell. He also constructed the George Kerr home on Water Street, which was subsequently occupied by Lemuel J. Tweedie. In 1863 he was the architect and builder of the Masonic Hall in Chatham, and in 1878 he was the architect of the Wellington Street school, which was built by Patrick Troy.

Cormack and his wife, Ruth P. Hewson, were members of the Presbyterian church. They had at least six children, including Elizabeth Cormack, the wife of Thomas F. Gillespie, and Jane H. Cormack, the wife of Alexander Robinson.