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Note: 80 (Fig 1: Thomas Hamilton Oliver) Thomas Hamilton Oliver was eleven years old when he and his family arrived at Quebec in 1821 from Londonderry, Ireland. His father, a land surveyor, died the following August, leaving his wife Mary with eight young children. Thomas was the eldest, and he was apprenticed to the master shipbuilder, George Black, * when he turned fifteen in 1825. *George Black (1778-1854) was a leading shipbuilder in Quebec during the early 19th century. He was also one of the founders of St. John?s Chapel in 1817. Thomas grew up quickly. By the time he had finished his apprenticeship in 1829, his mother had died and he found himself responsible for the welfare of his seven siblings. Oliver began shipbuilding on his own in 1834, building two small ships, Europe and Maria. It was the beginning of a long and productive career which would see him outbuild every other 19th century Quebec shipbuilder, both in the number of vessels he laid down and in their total tonnage. The highlight of the summer of 1860 in Quebec was the visit of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. The city prepared months in advance for the visit, fitting up the old Parliament House for the Prince?s residence and forming a guard of honour of one hundred men to act as his escort while in Canada. In anticipation of the visit, Oliver began building a 1220-ton barque, naming her Royal Visitor and, between August 21 and 26, the Prince of Wales and his party visited Oliver?s shipyard to view the ship under construction. Included in the party were Sir George Etienne Cartier and Sir John A. Macdonald, both of whom had recently been knighted by the Prince of Wales. (Fig 2: Picture of ship Royal Visitor, from Wallace) Oliver was the largest financial contributor to the construction of the Palace Street Church in 1840 and remained a liberal supporter of the church throughout his lifetime. He became a Deacon and a Trustee in 1843, positions he held until the time of his death. He died in July 1880 and the church closed five months later.(Quoted from notes by George Crawford)
Note: <tpphoto><id>610926</id><id>610925</id></tpphoto>Thomas Hamilton Oliver, 1811-18
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