Person Record

Metadata

Name

Andrew, Kate

Othernames

Catherine Anne Andrew / K. Andrew

Born

02/15/1872

Birthplace

Owen Sound, Grey County

Places of residence

Owen Sound
Toronto
Union St. (8th St. East), Owen Sound, Ontario (circa 1901)
474 6th St. East, Owen Sound (1921 Census)
Wyoming, Manitoba, Saskatchewan
Labrador

Titles & honors

One of her floral paintings is in the collection at the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.

Father

Captain James Andrew

Mother

Sarah Andrew (nee McKechnie)

Nationality

Canadian

Education

Owen Sound Collegiate Institute (O.S.C.I.)
Toronto Normal School (for teacher's training, 1895)
Ontario College of Art

Notes

Kate Andrew was the only daughter of Captain James Andrew and his wife Sarah (nee McKechnie). She had five brothers: David, Arthur, Donald, Fred and John. Her brother Fred, died overseas during the First World War. There is a c. 1890 family group photograph (see 1965.046.006). A group photograph from the 1890s also includes Miss Andrew (1975.077.012).

Kate Andrew was a teacher and artist. Her biography is present in the book EMINENT WOMEN OF GREY COUNTY (1980), by Sharon Cake. This source provides an erroneous maiden name for her mother, it should be McKechnie rather than McEachern.

There is an image of Kate in 1967, at the occasion of her 95th birthday, in Melba Croft's book, FOURTH ENTRANCE TO HURONIA, p. 185. At that time, Miss Andrew resided at the Hillview Retirement home, and was still making paintings.

1975.077.052 Kate Andrew's Ontario College of Art certificate for Modelling
1975.077.053 Kate Andrew's Ontario College of Art certificate for Design
1975.077.054 Kate Andrew's Ontario College of Art certificate for Still Life Painting

In addition to living in Owen Sound, Ontario, she lived at different times at Wyoming, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Labrador. Miss Andrew died on December 17, 1971, at the age of 99. (Cake's book says 100). She is buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound, with Catherine Anne Andrew on the stone, although she was usually known as "Kate".

Andrew had taught English to Mr. Soon Lee, who was Chinese, at Owen Sound in a church class, where there was one teacher assigned to each Chinese student. The classes were held at Division St. Church, circa 1915. Soon Lee gave her some Chinese artifacts that are now at the Grey Roots Museum (e.g. coin sword and a pair of Chinese shoes). He returned to China at some point. Miss Andrew mentioned in a 1960 letter that she recalled that there had been a class of sixteen Chinese students at the church.

Her stays in Labrador were teaching-related, as she helped the Inuit re crafting.

There is an early 1890s photograph (1963.007.002) of Miss Andrew shown with one of her Owen Sound school classes (Strathcona school's predecessor) when she was a young teacher. When she was 18 years old, she graduated from the Owen Sound Collegiate Institute and accepted a teaching position at Chatsworth. She went back to school and then she taught for approximately 50 years.

The book HISTORY OF DERBY TOWNSHIP 1839 TO 1972, pp. 63-65 has the history of S.S. No. 1 Derby school and mentions that she was one of the early teachers, but didn't provide the years she taught there. They mis-spelt her name as Andrews. This tended to happen a lot when the Andrew surname was recorded.

She once walked eleven miles, to hear the Honourable A. G. MacKay of this area speak in a debate.

She attended the Ontario College of Art, and after her retirement from schooteaching, she taught painting.

There are two images of Miss Andrew in the 1890s in the 125th AUDITORIUM yearbook re the O.S.C.V.I.'s history (pp. 22 & 24).

She had a cousin, Isabella Andrew, who was another artist, who did china painting. She also had a relative named Alexander Currie. She also had an aunt named Barbara Hunter.

The Andrew family was an early one in the history of Owen Sound. In 1849, Kate's father, James Andrew (later Captain) had attended the old market school that existed in the Government House to help the incoming settlers.
Kate's uncle, John Andrew, was at Picton, Upper Canada before he came to Grey County c. 1844. He did some storekeeping at Melville's store at Chatsworth for a while. He later was manager for a lumbering company in the Spanish River area. John Andrew's wife was the former Catherine Brown.

James Andrew had been born in Thurso, Scotland, circa 1843. His parents were David Andrew and Catherine Andrew (nee Mucklejohn). James (formerly at Owen Sound) married Sarah McKechnie on March 11, 1869 in Bruce County. Sarah had been born in Bentinck Township, Grey County. They moved to Owen Sound circa 18__. James was a Mariner, and Owen Sound was a busy port in the late 19th-century.

In the 1891 census of Owen Sound, James was 50, Sarah was 44, and their children were David H. age 21, Catherine A. (Kate) age 19, Arthur C. (age 15), Donald (age 13) and Frederick R. Andrew (age 6).

In the 1921 census of Owen Sound, Miss Andrew was listed as a Teacher, age 48, residng at 474 6th St. East (it may have been a boarding house).

Occupation

Teacher / Schoolteacher / Educator / Teaching
Artist
Lyceum Club
King's Daughters

Publications

Cake, Sharon, EMINENT WOMEN OF GREY COUNTY, 1980, pp. 1-3 re Miss Andrew
125 AUDITORIUM, pp. 22 & 24
Croft, Melba, FOURTH ENTRANCE TO HURONIA (has refs. re the Andrew family, and an image of Kate posed with other young women from highschool), p. 216 mentions Kate Andrew walking eleven miles to hear a lecture

Relationships

Member of the King's Daughters, the Lyceum Club and other Owen Sound organizations.
Cousin: Isabella Andrew (Isabelle Andrew)
Uncle: John Andrew
Grandparents: David Andrew and Catherine Andrew (nee Mucklejohn)
Aunt: Barbara Hunter
Cousin: Christina Kincaid