Johnny Ussher: Difference between revisions
→References: + Rotheburger book, sorry don't have one to give publ. date or ISBN; this is teh source of the Chilliheetza story alreayd in the araticle |
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'''John Tannatt Ussher''' |
'''John Tannatt Ussher''' (1830-1879) was a settler, [[provincial magistrate]] and [[Gold Commissioner]] in the [[Thompson Country]] <!--or Nicola Country, have to find out where his farm was; he was GC for Kamloops--> of the [[British Columbia Interior|Southern Interior of British Columbia]], Canada in the 1870s. John Tannatt Ussher was the son of Samuel Ussher ''Esq.'', a lawyer in Montreal, and Harriet Rebecca Colclough. He was born October 17, 1830. |
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On June 2, 1876 Ussher was named as a tax collector under the School Tax Act.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/dailycolonist18760628uvic/18760628#page/n0/mode/1up |title=Appointments |work=Daily British Colonist | location=Victoria, BC |date=June 28, 1876}}</ref> On June 22, 1876, the Lieutenant-Governor in Council announced the appointment of John Ussher, Esq. to be Returning Officer for the District of Yale.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://archive.org/stream/dailycolonist18760811uvic/18760811#page/n0/mode/1up/search/yale |title=Appointments |date=August 11, 1876 |work=Daily British Colonist}}</ref> The Provincial Secretary's office announced on January 27, 1877 that Johnny was appointed as Government Agent at Kamloops, and registrar for births, deaths and marriages, and land agents. |
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| ⚫ | In 1879 the renegade sons of former [[Kamloops, British Columbia|Fort Kamloops]] [[Chief Trader]] [[Donald McLean (fur trader)|Donald McLean]], led by his eldest son [[Allan McLean|Allan]] and accompanied by their friend [[Alex Hare]], went on a drunken rampage across the [[Nicola Country|Nicola]] and [[Thompson Country|Thompson Countries]]. The "Wild McLeans" went on a binge of horse-thievery and stealing flour, liquor, ammunition and clothing. Ussher, whose duties as Gold Commissioner included the roles of constable and jailer as well as magistrate and who had previously demurred on arresting the McLeans, as attempts to hold them in the flimsy jail in Kamloops would prove futile, rode out with John McLeod, with Amni Shumway as guide, and rancher William Palmer, whose prize stallion the McLeans had stolen. |
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Johnny Ussher married Annie Clara McIntosh, the youngest sister of his business partner James McIntosh, on October 21, 1878. |
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| ⚫ | Ussher and his party surprised the McLeans at |
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| ⚫ | In 1879 the renegade sons of former [[Kamloops, British Columbia|Fort Kamloops]] [[Chief Trader]] [[Donald McLean (fur trader)|Donald McLean]], led by his eldest son [[Allan McLean (outlaw)|Allan]] and accompanied by their friend [[Alex Hare]], went on a drunken rampage across the [[Nicola Country|Nicola]] and [[Thompson Country|Thompson Countries]]. The "Wild McLeans" went on a binge of horse-thievery and stealing flour, liquor, ammunition and clothing. Ussher, whose duties as Gold Commissioner included the roles of constable and jailer as well as magistrate and who had previously demurred on arresting the McLeans, as attempts to hold them in the flimsy jail in Kamloops would prove futile, rode out with John McLeod, with Amni Shumway as guide, and rancher William Palmer, whose prize stallion the McLeans had stolen.<ref name=dcb>{{Cite DCB|last=Balf |first=Mary |title=McLean, Allan |volume=XI |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio.php?id_nbr=5695}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Ussher and his party surprised the McLeans at a camp north of Brigade Hill<ref>''Who was Johnny Ussher?'', Andrea Lister, [http://www.bchistory.ca/shop/product/48-4-winter-2015-british-columbia-history-2/ British Columbia History | Vol 48.4 (Winter 2015)]</ref> on the benchlands west of the Nicola Valley on 8 December 1879, and Ussher was killed during a scuffle with Alex Hare, who slashed him with a knife before Archie McLean shot him in the head.<ref>''The Wild McLeans'', Mel Rothenburger, Orca Book Publishers</ref> McLeod and Allan McLean were also wounded. Fleeing the consequences of Ussher's killing, the McLeans sought refuge with the [[Nicola people]] and made a speech to their chief [[Chilliheetza]], son of the famous [[Nicola (chief)|Chief Nicola]], trying to enlist their support in a revived version of the abortive uprising planned by the Interior First Nations peoples in 1874. Chilliheetza refused, knowing that the boys' motivation was not political but caused by drink, and chastised them for their shameful behaviour. On December 13 the McLeans and Hare surrendered and were brought to the [[British Columbia Penitentiary|BC Penitentiary]] in [[New Westminster, British Columbia|New Westminster]] to await trial. They were, after a second trial had to be held because of technicalities, hanged for the murder of Johnny Ussher and sheepherder James Kelly on January 31, 1881.<ref name=dcb/> |
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Ussher Lake, immediately north of the location of the battle, is named for him.<ref name = Akrigg>{{Citation | last =Akrigg | first =G.P.V. | last2 =Akrigg | first2 =Helen B. | title =British Columbia Place Names | place =Vancouver | publisher =UBC Press | year =1986 | edition =3rd, 1997 | isbn =0-7748-0636-2 | url-access =registration | url =https://archive.org/details/britishcolumbiap0000akri_w1q9 }}</ref>{{rp|277}} |
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[[File:Johny Ussher.jpg|thumb|Johnny Ussher memorial cairn near Brigade Hill]][[File:Plaque on the Johnny Ussher cairn near Brigade Hill.jpg|thumb|plaque on the Johnny Ussher cairn near Brigade Hill]] |
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A memorial cairn was placed at the site of the battle in 1967, sponsored by the BC Police Veterans Association. |
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[[File:John Tannatt Ussher gravemarker.jpg|thumb|John Ussher gravestone]] |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{reflist}} |
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*[http://www.kamloops.ca/museum/archives/pdfs/26%20-%20The%20Murder%20of%20John%20T%20Ussher.pdf=Kamloops Archives - History Articles]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} |
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*''The Wild McLeans'', Mel Rothenburger, Orca Book Publishers</ |
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*''Who was Johnny Ussher?'', Andrea Lister, [http://www.bchistory.ca/shop/product/48-4-winter-2015-british-columbia-history-2/ British Columbia History | Vol 48.4 (Winter 2015)] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ussher, Johnny}} |
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*[http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=39817&query=McLean Canadian Biography OnLine article on Allan McLean] |
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[[Category:1830 births|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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*[http://www.kamloops.ca/museum/archives/articleindex.shtml=Kamloops Archives - History Articles] |
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*''Who Killed Johnny Ussher'', Mel Rothenburger, Sunfire Books |
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[[Category:1879 deaths|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
[[Category:1879 deaths|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Settlers of British Columbia|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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[[Category:People from Kamloops|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
[[Category:People from Kamloops|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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[[Category:Canadian civil servants|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
[[Category:19th-century Canadian civil servants|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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[[Category:Gold |
[[Category:Gold commissioners in British Columbia|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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[[Category:Nicola Country|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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[[Category:Canadian ranchers|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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[[Category:Anglophone Quebec people|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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[[Category:People from Montreal|Ussher, John Tannatt]] |
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Latest revision as of 11:43, 14 December 2024
John Tannatt Ussher (1830-1879) was a settler, provincial magistrate and Gold Commissioner in the Thompson Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada in the 1870s. John Tannatt Ussher was the son of Samuel Ussher Esq., a lawyer in Montreal, and Harriet Rebecca Colclough. He was born October 17, 1830.
On June 2, 1876 Ussher was named as a tax collector under the School Tax Act.[1] On June 22, 1876, the Lieutenant-Governor in Council announced the appointment of John Ussher, Esq. to be Returning Officer for the District of Yale.[2] The Provincial Secretary's office announced on January 27, 1877 that Johnny was appointed as Government Agent at Kamloops, and registrar for births, deaths and marriages, and land agents.
Johnny Ussher married Annie Clara McIntosh, the youngest sister of his business partner James McIntosh, on October 21, 1878.
In 1879 the renegade sons of former Fort Kamloops Chief Trader Donald McLean, led by his eldest son Allan and accompanied by their friend Alex Hare, went on a drunken rampage across the Nicola and Thompson Countries. The "Wild McLeans" went on a binge of horse-thievery and stealing flour, liquor, ammunition and clothing. Ussher, whose duties as Gold Commissioner included the roles of constable and jailer as well as magistrate and who had previously demurred on arresting the McLeans, as attempts to hold them in the flimsy jail in Kamloops would prove futile, rode out with John McLeod, with Amni Shumway as guide, and rancher William Palmer, whose prize stallion the McLeans had stolen.[3]
Ussher and his party surprised the McLeans at a camp north of Brigade Hill[4] on the benchlands west of the Nicola Valley on 8 December 1879, and Ussher was killed during a scuffle with Alex Hare, who slashed him with a knife before Archie McLean shot him in the head.[5] McLeod and Allan McLean were also wounded. Fleeing the consequences of Ussher's killing, the McLeans sought refuge with the Nicola people and made a speech to their chief Chilliheetza, son of the famous Chief Nicola, trying to enlist their support in a revived version of the abortive uprising planned by the Interior First Nations peoples in 1874. Chilliheetza refused, knowing that the boys' motivation was not political but caused by drink, and chastised them for their shameful behaviour. On December 13 the McLeans and Hare surrendered and were brought to the BC Penitentiary in New Westminster to await trial. They were, after a second trial had to be held because of technicalities, hanged for the murder of Johnny Ussher and sheepherder James Kelly on January 31, 1881.[3]
Ussher Lake, immediately north of the location of the battle, is named for him.[6]: 277
A memorial cairn was placed at the site of the battle in 1967, sponsored by the BC Police Veterans Association.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Appointments". Daily British Colonist. Victoria, BC. June 28, 1876.
- ^ "Appointments". Daily British Colonist. August 11, 1876.
- ^ a b Balf, Mary (1982). "McLean, Allan". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XI (1881–1890) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- ^ Who was Johnny Ussher?, Andrea Lister, British Columbia History | Vol 48.4 (Winter 2015)
- ^ The Wild McLeans, Mel Rothenburger, Orca Book Publishers
- ^ Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
- Archives - History Articles[permanent dead link]
- record for John Tannatt Ussher - Drouin Collection[permanent dead link]
- The Wild McLeans, Mel Rothenburger, Orca Book Publishers</
- Who was Johnny Ussher?, Andrea Lister, British Columbia History | Vol 48.4 (Winter 2015)