Alfred C. Garrioch

Alfred Campbell Garrioch was born in 1848 in the Red River Settlement of Middlechurch. He was of mixed Scottish and Cree ancestry. His father was John Garrioch, and his mother was Eliza Campbell. It is his sister Eliza Ann Garrioch who brings him into our family tree.

Historical records indicate that Alfred Campbell Garrioch studied theology at St. John’s College during the Red River Rebellion of 1869-70 and he was ordained as a priest of the Anglican Church in 1875. He served as a missionary in Peace River country. One of his first assignments was to establish a mission at Fort Vermilion, where he spent close to 10 years. In 1885, he visited England and returned with his wife, Agnes Bertha Crabbe. In 1886, he went Fort Dunegan, to serve at the St. Saviour's mission. He later returned to Manitoba, where he served at various churches until his retirement in 1905.

He became known for his linguistic skills, and as a writer. He translated religious texts into the Cree and Beaver languages. He also developed a reference guide for English, Cree and Beaver vocabulary. In addition to the translation work, he wrote a number of historical and autobiographical works, including First Furrows" (1923), The Far and Furry North (1925), Hatchet Mark in Duplicate (1929), and The Correction Line (1933).

Alfred Campbell Garrioch passed away in Winnipeg, on the 3rd of December, 1934 and he and his wife Agnes Bertha Crabbe rest in Winnipeg, Manitoba.


Resources
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography
Fur Trade and Mission History - http://www.abheritage.ca/alberta/en/fur_trade/bio_alfred_garrioch.html
Manitoba Cemetery Project - http://cemetery.canadagenweb.org/MB/index.html
Photos credit - First Furrows and The Correction Line.