Person Record
Metadata
Name |
Thomson, Fraser |
Born |
July 15, 1886 |
Birthplace |
Sydenham Township, Grey County |
Places of residence |
-Lot 36, Concession A, Sydenham Township, at Rosehill Farm (1901 census) -Outrement area -Prince Albert, Saskatchewan (1916 census) -Appleton, Wisconsin (c. 1925) -Queen's Hotel building at Owen Sound, 1926 telephone directory |
Father |
John Thomson |
Mother |
Margaret Mathieson ("Matthewson" on his |
Nationality |
Canadian |
Education |
Leith School |
Notes |
In the 1901 census of Sydenham Township.: Lot 36, Concession A Thomson, John, b. Feb. 3, 1840 Ont. age 61 Presbyterian Farmer His wife, Margaret, was born Nov. 3, 1842, age 58, born in P.E. Louisa Thomson was born July 4, 1873 and was 27 years old in 1901. Minnie Thomson was born April 16, 1875, age 25 Thomas Thomson b. Aug. 5, 1877, age 23 (the famous Canadian artist who the Tom Thomson Art Gallery is named after) Ralph Thomson, b. March 19, 1880, age 21 Margaret Thomson, Jan. 22, 1884, age 17 Fraser Thomson, b. July 15, 1886, age 14 Henrietta Matheson (sister-in-law of John's), b. Feb. 14, 1853 in P.E.I. William Bone, a Farm Labourer, 25 years of age (b. Dec. 30, 1873) was also living with the family. In addition to the famous Tom Thomson, the eldest Thomson brother, George Thomson, also was an artist of note, and brother Henry and their sister Margaret painted too. They were a very talented family. The Thomson farm in Sydenham Township was called "Rosehill". John and Margaret Thomson eventually moved into Owen Sound. Fraser was born in Sydenham Township on July 15, 1886. His birth record (011465) records that Dr. Allan Carey Sloane of Annan delivered him. He was the youngest member of the Thomson family. In 1910, Fraser visited his brother Tom Thomson in Toronto and they shared a visit to an art exhibition there. As a young man, Fraser had inherited some money from his grandfather. He went east to Outrement (now part of Montreal). He became a "Haberdasher" (men's clothing/accessories). On October 6, 1915, Fraser Thomson was then a resident of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, was home at Owen Sound to marry Ina Elspeth Legate (daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Legate). His occupation was recorded on the marriage record as "Men's Wear Dealer". In the 1916 census, when he was 29, he and Ina lived in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and working as a "Men's Outfitter". His sisters Minnie and Louise lived in Saskatchewan. In 1917, his brother, Tom Thomson, died. In the 1921 census, Fraser was working as a Clerk in Saskatchewan (age 34). In 1925, when his mother Margaret died, her obituary mentioned that Fraser Thomson was a resident of Appleton, Wisconsin. He and Ina returned to the Grey County area in 19__. The 1926 telephone directory has a narrow bottom advertisement from Fraser Thomson, "Cleaning, Pressing and Dyeing / Peppy Tailored Clothes / Queen's Hotel Bldg. / Phone 1321J" "In 1945 Fraser Thomson's wife Ina and son Jack gave him a set of oil paints and throughout the 1950s and 1960s he joined George and Margaret on sketching expeditions within the Georgian Bay countryside, Muskoka and beyond. For many years he painted numerous Owen Sound scenes and in 1965 his work was recognized in his hometown when he displayed 17 works in the lobby of The Sun Times. Fraser's artistic skill and deep appreciation of the colours of nature are truly characteristic of the Thomson legacy." (Libbey Gallery booklet) He was mentioned in the August 10, 1967 edition of the Owen Sound Sun-Times newspaper. His brother George (b. 1868) passed away in 1965. The day before he died, he was out sketching at Lion's Head and Barrow Bay, along with his brother Fraser. George was 97 years old, and was likely Canada's oldest practising artist at the time. Fraser passed away in 1968, and is buried at the Leith United Church cemetery, by the historic Leith Church. His name is also recorded in the Legate family plot at Greenwood Cemetery Owen Sound. Ina Thomson (nee Legate (b. 1891-d. 1986). |
Occupation |
Haberdasher / Men's Clothing Outfitter / Clerk Cleaning, Pressing and Dyeing (Clothing) Landscape Artist |
Publications |
Ontario Birth Record (011465), July 15, 1886, Fraser Thomson Booklet from the Libbey Gallery (Toronto), re George and Margaret Thomson works, also includes a back page pertaining to Fraser Thomson, and shows some of his work. Meehan, Brian, "George Thomson: Retrospective", Oct. 25 to Dec. 22, 1996, a newsprint article produced for the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery, mentions Fraser out sketching with his brother Bell Telephone Directory (Owen Sound), 1926, see p. 36 for a Fraser Thomson advertisement |
Relationships |
Father-in-law: John Legate (b. 1859-d. 1930), lived Owen Sound |
Role |
Artist |
Spouse |
Ina Elspeth Legate, m. Oct. 6, 1915 |
Children |
Jack |
