Person Record

Metadata

Name

Menzies, Jean

Othernames

Rosina Jean Eidt
Rosina Jean Eydt

Born

August 4, 1903

Birthplace

Chesley, Bruce County

Places of residence

Bruce County, Ont. (until she was about 8)
Owen Sound, Grey County
Detroit, Michigan
Toronto
Chatsworth, Grey County
Owen Sound (194_ to 1979)

Father

Louis E. Eidt (also seen as Eydt)

Mother

Ida Matilda Miller

Nationality

Canadian

Education

Victoria Public School, Owen Sound
Northern Business College, Owen Sound
Northern Evening College, Detroit

Notes

Jean Menzies (nee Eidt) became a museum supporter, who helped to found the museum collection that is now at the Grey Roots Museum & Archives.

Her full name was Rosina Jean Eidt (Eydt) on her birth registration, and she was born in Chesley, Bruce County on Aug. 11, 1903 to Louis E. Eidt (sic) and his wife Ida Matilda Miller. The family moved to Owen Sound when she was about eight years old. In the 1911 census, the Eidts (Eydts) resided at 492 20th St. West, Owen Sound, Grey County. Jean attended Victoria Public School, and she also attended the Northern Business College to take a business course. She moved to Detroit, and worked as a Secretary / Book-Keeper, taking classes at night to further her education at the Northern Evening College.

In the early 1930s, she married another Owen Sounder, Robert W. Menzies, and they resided at Toronto and Chatsworth (Grey County), until her father-in-law, George Menzies, passed away, and then they returned to Owen Sound. After her mother-in-law passed away in 195_, Jean and Bert inherited quite a few family heirlooms. These objects helped inspire Jean to work towards the founding of a local museum to show and interpret them.

She had relatives who resided in Holland Township, Grey County. Jean's paternal relatives (grandparents), the Louis and Rosina (nee Privat) Eydt (Eidt) family, had lived in Holland Twp. in the Moggie district, and later had retired to Hanover, Grey County. Jean's signature was R. Jean Menzies, and her tombstone used the Eidt spelling for her maiden name, as did her birth certificate, but sometimes the spelling of Eydt was seen.

There is an image (negative, 1958.00.003) of the Grey County Museum Committee, in June, 1958. It was published in the Owen Sound Sun-Times with the following caption: "Officials taking part in the opening of the Grey County Museum Thursday afternoon are shown here. Left is Mrs. R. W. Menzies, President of the Historical Art and Museum Association of Grey County, centre Mrs. J. R. Christie, curator for the season; and right, chairman of the Museum Committee, Mrs. Gordon Bothwell". At that time, there was a small museum located in the coach house building behind Buchan Manor. The image was taken at a lawn tea (for the official opening an annual museum tea). The museum had began collecting items in 1955, and showed them in the summer season. This little museum was a precursor to the County of Grey-Owen Sound Museum (1967-2003), and some of the items shown there are now at the Grey Roots Museum & Archives.

Jean and Bert resided at 513 21st St. West, Owen Sound in the 1970s.

Jean Menzies died in 1979, and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery, in Owen Sound, Ontario. Her husband Bert (b. 1891-d. 1982) is also buried there, in Memorial Gardens B.