James Nisbet
Encyclopedia
James Nisbet was a Scottish born missionary
to Canada.
in Scotland
, the youngest of 10 children. In 1840, he had travelled with his older brother, Henry, to London
both seeking to serve as missionaries with the London Mission Society. Henry was accepted, and served in Samoa
for 36 years. James returned to Glasgow, but still sensed a "call" to minister elsewhere, and emigrated to the New World
in 1844, with his widower father and two sisters.
in the growing city of Toronto
, Nisbet studied at the newly-established Knox College
. He graduated in 1848, and after serving with the Canadian Sabbath School Mission, was Ordained as a Presbyterian Church of Canada (Free Church)
minister in January 1850, and Inducted into the Oakville Presbyterian Church
and Knox Church "Sixteen" pastoral charge, the latter where the Sixteen Mile Creek crossed Dundas Street. His father and siblings also joined him in Oakville
, where his four children (all born in Western Canada) resided, after their parents death in 1874, although two daughters were living with an aunt there from 1870.
He ministered to the Oakville and Knox 16 congregations (and on special assignments throughout the region, and beyond) for over twelve years, until he was appointed by the new Canada Presbyterian Church Synod
, as a "foreign missionary" to assist his Knox College classmate John Black
in the Red River Colony
in 1862. Working with Black, he helped develop congregations in the area at Little Britain, Headingley
and at Fort Garry
, (later called Winnipeg
). A school was built beside the original Kildonan Presbyterian Church, later named Nisbet Hall. The present University of Winnipeg
traces its roots back to that school, where Manitoba College
held its first classes in 1871.
After stressing the need for further ministry and mission to the Cree
and Metis
in Western Canada, the Synod then appointed him to move from Kildonan, further into the North-West.
, to the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
area.
George Flett
acted as interpreter to the party.
They arrived on July 26, 1866 and formed a mission to bring Christianity
to the prairie Indian nations. It was Nisbet who named the mission Prince Albert after British royalty; namely as a memorial to Queen Victoria
's deceased husband. Gradually the community surrounding the mission adopted the name as well.
James Nisbet was a skilled carpenter as well as a reverend. With this skill he built the First Presbyterian Church, which was a log structure that can today be found in nearby Kinsmen Park, Prince Albert. This building served as the Prince Albert Historical Museum, until a larger building (the former firehall) was acquired in 1975.
During the times of smallpox
epidemics, he created a crude vaccination which saved hundreds of lives. The missionary was also known for planting crops and gardens to help feed the population during several lean years. He was assisted in his work by two other Red River pioneers John McKay and George Flett
(related or connected by marriage to Mary MacBeth Nisbet), both of whom were later ordained and continued to be missionaries in the region for the rest of their lives. Nisbet also continued missionary travels in the North West, and reached as far away as Edmonton, Alberta, as well as making trips back to Oakville, and to important Presbyterian Church meetings.
After living in Prince Albert for almost eight years, Nisbet was forced back east to Kildonan due to ill health, initially with his wife. Both died there in September 1874, she in the arms of her husband and father, and he a few days later. They were buried in simple graves in the Kildonan Churchyard (off Kildonan Highway at John Black Avenue in present day North Winnipeg), that were upgraded years later. It was noted in an early biographical account for those searching the Kildonan Cemetery to find an early memorial to the Nisbets, to travel far from Kildonan to Prince Albert, the Memorial being the active city and St. Paul's Presbyterian Church.
. The Prince Albert mission became a congregation on July 1, 1883. The present St. Paul's Presbyterian Church was built on that site in 1906 and was a continuation of the pioneer congregation sprouting from Nisbet's missionary service. St Paul's can still be found beside the Gabriel Dumont Institute
, in downtown Prince Albert, a block away from City Hall. On May 1, 2005, the Moderator
of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada
, Rev. Dr. Richard Fee, led the congregation, then without a settled pastor, in celebration of the centennial of the Province of Saskatchewan
.
Mary Nisbet is also remembered in The Mary Nisbet Campground (Municipal), located north of the North Saskatchewan River
near Saskatchewan Highway 2
, and a James Nisbet Memorial Cairn is located on River Street, near the present Prince Albert Historical Museum.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to Canada.
Early life
He was born near GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the youngest of 10 children. In 1840, he had travelled with his older brother, Henry, to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
both seeking to serve as missionaries with the London Mission Society. Henry was accepted, and served in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
for 36 years. James returned to Glasgow, but still sensed a "call" to minister elsewhere, and emigrated to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
in 1844, with his widower father and two sisters.
Canada
Settling in Canada WestCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the growing city of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Nisbet studied at the newly-established Knox College
Knox College, University of Toronto
Knox College is a postgraduate theological college of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1844 as part of a schism movement in the Church of Scotland following the Disruption...
. He graduated in 1848, and after serving with the Canadian Sabbath School Mission, was Ordained as a Presbyterian Church of Canada (Free Church)
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
minister in January 1850, and Inducted into the Oakville Presbyterian Church
Knox Presbyterian Church (Oakville)
Knox Presbyterian Church, Oakville is a Presbyterian Church in Canada congregation, and located at 89 Dunn Street at Lakeshore Road in downtown Oakville, Ontario Canada.-Overview:Started in 1833 by Americans and Scottish Presbyterians....
and Knox Church "Sixteen" pastoral charge, the latter where the Sixteen Mile Creek crossed Dundas Street. His father and siblings also joined him in Oakville
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
, where his four children (all born in Western Canada) resided, after their parents death in 1874, although two daughters were living with an aunt there from 1870.
He ministered to the Oakville and Knox 16 congregations (and on special assignments throughout the region, and beyond) for over twelve years, until he was appointed by the new Canada Presbyterian Church Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
, as a "foreign missionary" to assist his Knox College classmate John Black
John Black (judge)
John Black was the recorder for Rupert's Land in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company. In this capacity he acted as a judge for the Council of Assiniboia, and is noted for his various roles in Red River Rebellion of 1869 – 1870.Black presided over the council on 23 October 1869 when Louis...
in the Red River Colony
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. The colony along the Red River of the North was never very successful...
in 1862. Working with Black, he helped develop congregations in the area at Little Britain, Headingley
Headingley, Manitoba
Headingley is a rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada. It is located directly west of Winnipeg and has a population of 2,726 people as of the 2006 census. The Trans-Canada Highway and the Assiniboine River run through the municipality. The portion located on the south bank of the Assiniboine is...
and at Fort Garry
Fort Garry
Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in what is now downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1822 on or near the site of the North West Company's Fort Gibraltar. Fort Garry was named after Nicholas...
, (later called Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
). A school was built beside the original Kildonan Presbyterian Church, later named Nisbet Hall. The present University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
traces its roots back to that school, where Manitoba College
Manitoba College
Manitoba College was a college that existed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from 1871 to 1967, when it became one of the University of Winnipeg's founding colleges. It was one of the first institutions of higher learning in the city of Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba...
held its first classes in 1871.
After stressing the need for further ministry and mission to the Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
and Metis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
in Western Canada, the Synod then appointed him to move from Kildonan, further into the North-West.
Prince Albert community
In 1866, he led a party of pioneers that included his wife, (1864) Mary MacBeth, the daughter of one of the Kildonan Church Elders and member of the Council of AssiniboiaCouncil of Assiniboia
The Council of Assiniboia was, from 1821 until 1870, the appointed administrative body of Rupert's Land.-History:This Council was created by the Hudson's Bay Company to govern the territory following its merger with the North West Company, and the death of Lord Selkirk...
, to the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
area.
George Flett
George Flett
George Flett was a Presbyterian missionary in what is now Manitoba, Canada. Flett was of Orkney and Cree descent. As a young man he farmed on the White Horse Plains, led a gold exploration party to Edmonton and then became the first post master for the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria, Alberta...
acted as interpreter to the party.
They arrived on July 26, 1866 and formed a mission to bring Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to the prairie Indian nations. It was Nisbet who named the mission Prince Albert after British royalty; namely as a memorial to Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
's deceased husband. Gradually the community surrounding the mission adopted the name as well.
James Nisbet was a skilled carpenter as well as a reverend. With this skill he built the First Presbyterian Church, which was a log structure that can today be found in nearby Kinsmen Park, Prince Albert. This building served as the Prince Albert Historical Museum, until a larger building (the former firehall) was acquired in 1975.
During the times of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemics, he created a crude vaccination which saved hundreds of lives. The missionary was also known for planting crops and gardens to help feed the population during several lean years. He was assisted in his work by two other Red River pioneers John McKay and George Flett
George Flett
George Flett was a Presbyterian missionary in what is now Manitoba, Canada. Flett was of Orkney and Cree descent. As a young man he farmed on the White Horse Plains, led a gold exploration party to Edmonton and then became the first post master for the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria, Alberta...
(related or connected by marriage to Mary MacBeth Nisbet), both of whom were later ordained and continued to be missionaries in the region for the rest of their lives. Nisbet also continued missionary travels in the North West, and reached as far away as Edmonton, Alberta, as well as making trips back to Oakville, and to important Presbyterian Church meetings.
After living in Prince Albert for almost eight years, Nisbet was forced back east to Kildonan due to ill health, initially with his wife. Both died there in September 1874, she in the arms of her husband and father, and he a few days later. They were buried in simple graves in the Kildonan Churchyard (off Kildonan Highway at John Black Avenue in present day North Winnipeg), that were upgraded years later. It was noted in an early biographical account for those searching the Kildonan Cemetery to find an early memorial to the Nisbets, to travel far from Kildonan to Prince Albert, the Memorial being the active city and St. Paul's Presbyterian Church.
Memorials
The Prince Albert, a high school, had been established named after Rev. Nisbet with one of the staff members being Lucy Margaret BakerLucy Margaret Baker
Lucy Baker was a teacher who became involved in teaching and missionary work the region of present day Prince Albert, Saskatchewan....
. The Prince Albert mission became a congregation on July 1, 1883. The present St. Paul's Presbyterian Church was built on that site in 1906 and was a continuation of the pioneer congregation sprouting from Nisbet's missionary service. St Paul's can still be found beside the Gabriel Dumont Institute
Gabriel Dumont Institute
The Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research is a post-secondary educational institution in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is administered by and services the Métis population of Saskatchewan...
, in downtown Prince Albert, a block away from City Hall. On May 1, 2005, the Moderator
Moderator of the General Assembly
The Moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a presbyterian or reformed church. Kirk Sessions and Presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator....
of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
, Rev. Dr. Richard Fee, led the congregation, then without a settled pastor, in celebration of the centennial of the Province of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
.
Mary Nisbet is also remembered in The Mary Nisbet Campground (Municipal), located north of the North Saskatchewan River
North Saskatchewan River
The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River....
near Saskatchewan Highway 2
Saskatchewan Highway 2
Highway 2 is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is the longest Saskatchewan Highway, at 809 km . The highway is partially divided and undivided. However, only about near Moose Jaw, near Chamberlain, and near Prince Albert are divided highway...
, and a James Nisbet Memorial Cairn is located on River Street, near the present Prince Albert Historical Museum.
See also
- James IsbisterJames IsbisterJames Isbister was a Canadian Métis leader of the 19th-century. Prominent among the Anglo-Métis of the area, he is considered by some to be the founder of the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.-Life:...
- Nisbet Provincial ForestNisbet Provincial ForestThe Nisbet Provincial Forest is a provincially protected mixed-wood forest surrounded by Aspen parkland in Central Saskatchewan Canada. It consists of a north block north of the city of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and a south block between Duck Lake, Saskatchewan and MacDowall, Saskatchewan...
- Prince Albert, SaskatchewanPrince Albert, SaskatchewanPrince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
- Red River Settlement