Allan Gilmour

1847 - 1903  (55 years)

• Name	Allan Gilmour
  Birth	1 Dec 1847	Qu?ebec City, Quebec, Canada
  Christening	8 Dec 1847	St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada   [1]
  	John Gilmour Esquire of Quebec merchant and Caroline his wife had a son born o the first day of December and baptized on the eighth day of December one thousand eight hundred and forty seven. Named Allan
  		Allan Gilmour 1847 birth Quebec
  Gender	Male
  _UID	66C1DF0E86BB4DE6AE94ED6E05E84B83E015
  Death	19 May 1903	Carleton County, Ottawa Municipality, Ontario, Canada
  	died of gunshot wound to back of head while preparing for a fishing trip. Allan Gilmour was the son of John Gilmour (1812 - 1877) and his wife Caroline White. Their father John ran the family lumbering firm The Allan Gilmour Company, which was first established in Scotland, when his father Allan retired. Following the death of John Gilmour in 1877, the management of the company passed into the hands of his three sons; John, Allan, and David and their cousin John David. They changed the name to Gilmour and Company. The company had problems however and by 1890 the company had a debt of nearly $700,000. This was the result of a number of factors. On August 16, 1883, a company sawmill at Hull was totally destroyed by fire, a loss of over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It was not rebuilt As a result, the company had a reduced production capacity. There were also lower profits as a result of the lower prices which lumber was bringing. The company also suffered from mismanagement. A company memo singled out Allan as a major cause of this mismanagement. In fact, it was suggested that it was perhaps "better to let Allan go altogether.'' The partnership of Gilmour and Company was dissolved in September 1890. Allan and David set up Gilmour and Company of Trenton while John and cousin John David formed a new Ottawa partnership called John Gilmour and Company. Allan split his time between Trenton and Ottawa. Though he helped run the operations along with David, he never became as involved as his brother. Quite possibly this was due to his previous mismanagement of the firm in the Gatineaus. In December 1893, he met with the Minister of Public Works in Ottawa to discuss dues on lumber passing through the Trent Canal. In 1896 Allan and David decided to construct a sawmill at Mowat Village on Canoe Lake, and the mill was up and running by the Spring of 1897. They also constructed two impressive summer homes on an island in Canoe Lake just about a mile from the shores of Mowat Village. The island is now called Gilmour Island. The operation in Canoe Lake lasted only 5 seasons. The country was recovering from a national depression and the Gilmour had tremendous debt. By September 1901 the mill ceased operations. Some believed, that like his father and under tremendous stress, Allan committed suicide. However, the corner's report concluded " Accidental death: Shot himself in the back of the head while preparing for a fishing trip." The Trenton Courier reported that; "Mr. Allan Gilmour of Ottawa shot himself in the head while handling his rifle in his own house on Tuesday evening. Mr. Gilmour having resided in Trenton three years ago in partnership with his brother David, was a very fine man, of quiet demeanour and highly respected, aged 57."
  Burial	Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ottawa Municipality, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I38108	Lanark County Origins | This is my paternal Lineage
  Last Modified	30 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	John Gilmour, partner in Quebec,   b. 31 Oct 1812, Craigton, Mearns Parish, East Renfrew, Renfrew, Scotland d. 25 Feb 1877, Montreal (Lachine), ?Ile-de-Montr?eal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Age 64 years)
  Mother	Caroline White,   b. 28 May 1820, Qu?ebec City, Quebec, Canada d. 1879 (Age 58 years)
  Marriage	19 Aug 1844	Qu?ebec City, Quebec, Canada
  Family ID	F7101	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 1 Dec 1847 - Qu?ebec City, Quebec, Canada Christening - 8 Dec 1847 - St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Death - 19 May 1903 - Carleton County, Ottawa Municipality, Ontario, Canada Burial - - Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ottawa Municipality, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S77] (Montreal, Quebec, Canada), Canada, Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968, ( Ancestry . ancestry.ca.), "Presbterian Saint Andrew's Church, 1847," Allan Gilmour birth; accessed 1 Mar 2020 (Reliability: 3).