Object: Biographical notes for Dobson family

Date

1869-01-01

Biographical notes for Dobson family

Reverend William D. Dobson (born 1844 Searletown, Prince Edward Island, died 1907 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.  His parents also lived in Prince Edward Island, and came there from the county of Yorkshire, in England, in the early 1800s.  He was a Methodist minister from age 25 until he died at 64.  He served in churches all over Eastern Canada, including Halifax, NS, Dalhousie, NB; he also was the minister of the Medhodist church on the island of Bermuda.  There, his daughter Ethel Dobson was born.  Ethel was one of our favorite aunts, Ethel Dobson.and died in 1998 at the age of 106 years.  Rev. William Dobson became a Doctor of Divinity in 1907.  He was much loved by all who knew him, and was famous for his wonderful sermons.  We have made a book of his sermons.  He was the father of Frederick, Eldon and Ethel Dobson.

Ella Austin Morehouse (born 1856 Centerville, NS, died 1915 Charlottetown, PEI, Canada) was William Dobson’s wife.  They were married in about 1874 in Digby Co., NS, Canada.  She was known to her granddaughters (our aunts) as “G’am Dobson”.  She had red hair, like many of her relatives.  She was the mother of Frederick, Eldon and Ethel Dobson

Dr. Frederick William Dobson (born 1878 Hopewell, NB, 1926 Halifax, NS, Canada) was a dentist in Halifax.  He was Wm. and Ella Dobson’s eldest son.  He loved to play sports, and loved to drive a car (he owned one of the first Stanley Steamers in Halifax).  He only lived 48 years: he died of a heart attack, leaving his wife Flora and her four children (John, Helen, Margaret and Dorothy) with a home but little else to support them.

Flora Sperry (born 1879 Petite Riviere, NS, died 1959 Halifax, NS, Canada) was Frederick Dobson’s wife and John William Dobson’s mother.  She had a lovely singing voice and played the organ and led the choir for many years at the United church in Petite Riviere.  She did a lot of volunteer work at Pier 21 in Halifax, which was the main port of entry for immigrants to Canada.  After her husband Fred died she managed to put all four of her children (John, Helen, Margaret and Dorothy) through university.  She herself was a graduate of the music program at Mount Allison University.  She was very strict with her children and grandchildren, but under the strictness there was Love.

Dr. John William Dobson (born 1902 Petite Riviere, NS, died 1949 Halifax, NS, Canada) was a dentist in Halifax.  He was Fred and Flora Dobson’s eldest (and only) son.  He went into dentistry because when his father died, he saw the need to help put his sisters through university, and was able to step into his father’s practice with all his equipment. He, like his father, loved to play sports and to drive cars.  He only lived 47 years; he died of a heart attack.  He was both the son and father of Fred William Dobson (see above and below), and also the father of Julia and John.

Phyllis Raymond Hilton (born 1904 Yarmouth, NS, died 1997 Yarmouth, NS, Canada) was John William Dobson’s wife.  She was a science graduate of Dalhousie University.

When John died she was left with three children (Julia, Fred and John) to support, and with their help she put them all through university.  She then began studying on her own, and received first a Master of Science and then, at age 60, a PhD in microbiology.  She loved music.  She sang beautifully and played the piano; she made sure that her love of music was passed on to her children.  She also loved nature, and acted as the Editor of the NS Bird Society Newsletter for more than a decade.