Joseph E. Seagram
ID # 4581, (1841-1919)
| Father | Octavius Augustus Seagram (1816-1848) |
| Mother | Amelia Stiles (1813-1852) |
| Birth | Joseph E. Seagram was born on 15 April 1841 at Upper Canada. |
| Marriage | He married Stephanie Erbs, daughter of Augustus Erbs and Maria Magdalena Hespeler, on 23 February 1869 at Galt, Waterloo Co., Ontario. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography places the marriage of Joseph E. Seagram and 'Stephania Urbs' in Upper Fort Garry in Winnipeg in December of 1869. There is another record to be found, however, that states a different date. For this see publication nbr. 358 of the Brant County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, Trinity Anglican Church records, Galt. Page 7 of this publication records the following: Joseph Seagram, of Stratford, to Stephanie Erbs, of Galt, on 23 February, 1869. Witnesses Marie A. Erbs and James Warnock. The entry of a marriage in a book of church records does not always show the location of the marriage. Sometimes is was in a town or township of a few miles away. The Dumfries Reformer of Galt, however, tells a fuller story. From the edition of February 24, 1869: On 23 February 1869, at Trinity Church Galt by Rev. Dr. Boomer, groom Joseph Seagram of Stratford, bride Stephanie Erbe, niece of Wm. Hespeler, late of Waterloo, Ont. The above extraction is provided by Rosemary Ambrose via the Waterloo Wellington branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society in her work Dumfries Reformer Marriages, 1866-1870. |
| Death | He died on 18 August 1919 at Town Of Waterloo, Waterloo Co., at age 78. |
| Burial | He was buried at Section B, Mount Hope Cemetery, Waterloo, Ontario. |
| Note | The Dictionary of Canadian Biography carries an extensive history of Joseph Seagram. We first find Joseph and his brother Edward with their mother Amelia and her second husband and her sons step-father John Barbour in the 1851 census at Galt. After the death of their mother in 1852, they were placed under the guardianship of Michael Boomer, Anglican minister at Galt. The biography tells us that Joseph married Stephanie Urbs in Upper Fort Garry (Winnipeg) in December of 1869 (see marriage notes for a different story) and that they had four sons and two daughters. Joseph's business background was extensive, but his lasting fame comes from his success as a distiller. While he achieved fame for his Seagram's whiskies, he also was greatly interested in horse breeding and, according to his biography, his horses won the Queen's Plate 10 times and the King's Plate 5 times. He was for a time involved in Canadian federal politics and he had philanthropic interests in Waterloo that included support for a hospital. Death reg. 033195-19 Town of Waterloo, Waterloo Co. Joseph E. Seagram, age 78 yrs., 4 mos., 3 dys., died 18 August 1919. Born near Galt. Place of death at residence, Willow Street. Burial Mount Hope Cemetery, Waterloo, Ontario. Gentleman (retired), widowed. Parents Octavious Seagram and Amelia Styles. Physician Dr. H. M. Lackner. Informant E. F. Seagram, Waterloo. |
| Last Edited | 28 Mar 2019 |