James Angus McNeish
James Angus McNeish was the first
born of James McNeish and Margaret Cooper. He was born April 7, 1881 and died
February 7, 1956.
His uncle, Andrew McNeish, bought
a Lakeshore property at Bruce Mines in 1905 which he shared with his brothers
family. James died in 1909 and Andrew in 1921. The property was left to
Margaret (Cooper) McNeish, the wife of James and the mother of James Angus. According
to the book, “Bruce Mines Heritage,” James Angus lived at this location until
the 1960’s with his sister Elizabeth. The burial records indicate he died in
1956.
The glimpses we get into the life
of James Angus McNeish show that he led a simple but perhaps troubled life. On
May 15, 1915 he became a “Keeper of the Light” at McKay Island near Bruce
Mines. The
main job for the keepers of the light was to keep the light well cleaned and
fueled, and to light and extinguish it at the proper times. The lighthouse
records have him as Angus James McNeish and descended from a Cornish family. This
appears to be untrue as his grandfather is known to have come from the Isle of Arran Scotland, about 880 km and the opposite
end of the UK from where the Cornish people originated. Of course, knowing the
McNeish family, perhaps they intended to say he was descended from corny
people.
James
Angus, (Uncle Angus to my father) was a faithful keeper of the light for almost
thirty-one years, until April 7, 1946, his 65th birthday. During his
time there he would be married and divorced. He was 46 years of age when he
married 32 year old Ethel May Martinson. They married July 27, 1927 and
divorced June 14, 1932.
When
I asked my dad about uncle Angus he said he never met him. When I told him
where he was buried he said he never knew. I was surprised to find him among 1,511
forgotten people at the Lakeshore Asylum Cemetery. We do not know when he
entered the facility, but he never left. He Died February 7, 1956 and was
interred two days later in grave 22 of plot 13 of the Lakeshore Asylum Cemetery.
Much
of the Lakeshore Asylum was built by inmates. The philosophy was that work
aided in healing and the asylum even grew much of its own food. Although the
inmates worked they did not get paid.
In
the 1930’s the facilities had deteriorated so much that it was regarded as a
fire trap. It wasn’t until 1959 that a new superintendent had the buildings
revitalized. We can only imagine what hardships Uncle Angus suffered. He never
lived to see the revitalized facility.
After
working steady until retirement age, James Angus McNeish was thrown into an inadequate
facility to live out his final years with a mental illness. If he didn’t have
one before, surely such treatment would have brought on a mental breakdown. How
I wish I would have known and had the chance to visit him. Perhaps we could
have brought him home to live out his final years among friends and family.
McNeish
|
James Angus
|
Cooper
|
M
|
13-22
|
2/7/1956
|
2/9/1956
|
·
James Angus McNeish died Feb 7, 1956. He was interred on Feb 9 of that year in plot 13 Grave 22 of the Lakeshore Asylum Cemetery
The Lakeshore Asylum Cemetery Project
·
In a cemetery at the
corner of Evans and Horner in Etobicoke 1,511 forgotten people are buried.
These people were patients of Mimico Insane Asylum, later called Lakeshore
Psychiatric Hospital, between 1890 -1974. When the hospital was closed 1979,
the cemetery was closed to further interments. The people buried in the
cemetery have been forgotten due to the prejudice against people with a
psychiatric history. They are forgotten no more.
·
The Lakeshore Asylum
Cemetery Project involves the restoration and maintenance of this cemetery. The
work is done by a group of volunteers from the community who have been meeting
since January of 2006. Many of the people working on the project have had
experiences with the mental health system. The group is dedicated to restoring
and maintaining the dignity of those who are buried there.
It was originally a branch of the Toronto Hospital for the Insane. The hospital underwent several name changes, opening as the Mimico Lunatic Asylum, in 1911 it became the Mimico Hospital for the Insane, in 1919 it became the Ontario Hospital, New Toronto, and later renamed as the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital.
The first occupants in 1889 were 10 male patients and 2 attendants from the Queen Street Asylum who were sent there to ready the institution for the influx of inmates. Dr. Nelson Henry Beemer became the first superintendent of the Mimico Asylum. Dr. Beemer was a strong believer in meaningful work as a form of rehabilitative therapy. But, like all other male and female asylum inmate labourers in Ontario during this period, none of these workers received any pay for their work.
The Assembly Hall, located on the southeast corner of Kipling and Lakeshore was originally constructed using patient labour in 1897 to provide the residents of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital with a recreational facility and a place to come together as a community; it served as a place of healing, celebration and worship. In the earliest days, the second floor of the Assembly Hall was used for performances and dances by the residents of the Psychiatric Hospital - and on Sundays the chairs were turned to face the chapel at the south end so the residents could worship.
The asylum had its own farms and was self-sufficient for vegetables. The Government contracted for everything else, such as potatoes and milk. Bread was baked on the asylum grounds. Tea and sugar were bought on the open market. What was once the farm at the Mimico Asylum is now the R.G. Filtration Plant.
By the late 1930’s, the hospital was in such a state of disrepair, it was described as a “firetrap” during an inspection. In 1959, Dr. H.C. Moorhouse became the new superintendent and revitalized the entire facility. The Assembly Hall was used for square dances, religious services and local celebrations until the hospital closed its doors in September 1979.
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