James William Douglas (1851 - 1883)

Born 1851 in Fort Victoria, Columbia Department

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Rachael (Elliot) Douglas — married 15 May 1878 in Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Died 7 Nov 1883 at about age 32 in San Francisco County, California, United States of America

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Biography

James William Douglas was born in 1851 in Victoria, Vancouver Island (then Fort Victoria) to his parents Sir James Douglas and Amelia Connolly. At the time of his birth, his father was the Chief Factor of Fort Victoria and would eventually become the first governor of the colony of Vancouver Island, and his mother was a Métis woman. He was baptized on the 17 August 1851 in the Christ Church Cathedral at Fort Victoria.^[1]

He married an English immigrant, Mary Rachel Elliott, on the 15 May 1878 in Victoria, British Columbia. At the time of their marriage he was 26 years old and she was 24.^[2] They had two children together:

1. James Andrew Douglas (1879-1966)
2. John Douglas (1880-1963)

He represented Victoria in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1875 to 1878

While returning from a trip to Germany in early fall 1883, James fell ill and while stopping over in San Francisco was advised to rest before continuing on to Victoria.^[3] Tragically, he would never recover, and it was in San Francisco that he would pass away on the 7 November 1883 at the age of 32. According to his death record his cause of death was "Bright's Disease" (nephritis), and he died in his hotel of the Baldwin Hotel. ^[4] His body was returned to Victoria on the 13 November ^[5], and the funeral was held the following day. He was buried in Ross Bay Cemetery. ^[6].

http://www.bcheritage.ca/helmcken/people/jwill.html

JAMES WILLIAM DOUGLAS

1851-1883

The future career of his only son, James William, was a constant source of anxiety, James health was never robust.

He was sent to school in England. It had been Douglas' aspirations that he graduate from a respected university and pursue law, but his health was never good enough to fulfil his fathers aspirations for him. His father felt that he lacked application, and moved him from one school to the next. In 1870, James came home for a holiday and never came back, though his health somewhat improved. James studied law for a time with the first premier of BC, J.F. McCreight. He was eventually elected to the Provincial Legislature, serving as a junior member for Victoria from 1876 to 1878. The year of his fathers death, James wed Mary Elliott, the daughter of BC's Attorney General A.C. Elliot.

James died in San Francisco County, California on November 7, 1883 at the age of thirty two, and was buried in Ross Bay Cemetery, Victoria

Sources

1. ↑ "British Columbia Baptisms," online database. Entry for NAME; BC Archives Mfilm Number: B16241 - not available at BC Archives, CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL, FORT VICTORIA, 1851-08-17, Father: JAMES UNKNOWN, Mother: AMELIA UNKNOWN. Not digitized. Royal British Columbia Museum: BC Archives (https://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Genealogy : accessed 19 Jan 2023).
2. ↑ "Canada, British Columbia Marriage Registrations, 1859-1932; 1937-1938," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDZH-VYR : 22 February 2021), James William Douglas and Mary Rachel Elliott, 15 May 1878; citing , British Columbia, Canada, British Columbia Archives film number B11367, Vital Statistics Agency, Victoria; FHL microfilm 1,983,524.
3. ↑ “Death of Mr. James W. Douglas,” Daily British Colonist, Victoria, British Columbia, 10 November 1883, p. 3, col B, https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist18831110uvic/page/n2/mode/1up?view=theater&q=douglas : accessed 20 January 2023.
4. ↑ : "British Columbia Death Registrations," online database with images. Entry for JAMES WILLIAM DOUGLAS; Registration Number: 1883-09-003874, SAN FRANCISCO, 1883-11-07, Age at Death: 32. Death certificate Royal British Columbia Museum: BC Archives (https://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Genealogy : accessed 19 JAN 2023).
5. ↑ "Notices," Daily British Colonist, Victoria, British Columbia, 13 November 1883, p.3, col A, https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist18831113uvic/page/n2/mode/1up?view=theater&q=douglas : accessed 20 January 2023
6. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 101319411: James William Douglas

See also:

• The Douglas Archives: James William Douglas
• Wikipedia:James W. Douglas