This memorial is under construction.

ISSUE - Alexander and his wife were to be buried at the cemetery in Elora per their death records. Their names are not on the Cemetery Transcript on file at the Wellington County Museum and Archives. I will make inquiries. Check back for an update.

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Alexander Kerr was the son of William Kerr and Christina (Cruickshank) Kerr.

Born Sept 24, 1840 at Forres (spelling ?) in Scotland per the Ontario death record. Born Sept 23, 1840 in Scotland per the 1901 Canada Census.

Alexander married Isabella McKenzie on May 24, 1871 at Pilkington Township, Wellington County, Ontario per the marriage record.

They had 3, possibly 4, children:

• ALEXANDER JOHN KERR (d. 1961), FAG 80755632 link pending approval.
• GEORGE WILLIAM KERR; born April 11, 1873; married Elsie Louise Thomas Oct 19, 1904 at Rossland, British Columbia (B.C. Reg # 1904-09-165879); lived at Vancouver, British Columbia in 1935 per sister Laura's obituary; died Sept 5, 1950 at Vanvouver, British Columbia (B.C. Reg # 1950-09-008272); occupation 'Butcher' per marriage and death record; obituary and burial information not found.
• LAURA DAGMAR (MCKENZIE) (KERR) LAWRENCE; 'Laura McKenzie' was on the 1871 Census (taken April 2, 1871) with her maternal grandparents, her mother Isabella McKenzie, and her uncle John McKenzie; in the 1881 Census 'Laura Kerr' was with her mother Isabella and Alexander Kerr (married May 1871); maiden name 'Kerr' on her gravestone and obituary.
• CHRISTINA KERR; so far I only found her name with the family in the 1891 Canada Census (age 10) and her relationship to the head of the household reads as 'AD' (= adopted daughter ?).

The date/location of Alexander Kerr's death was recorded on this memorial per the Ontario death record. Burial was to be at the cemetery in Elora, Ontario. The informant of death was daughter Mrs. Lawrence of Palmerston, Ontario.

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FAMILY BUSINESS

According to local history:

• The Kerr family operated a butcher shop in Elora, Ontario for more than 120 years.
• Alexander Kerr (1840-1920) established the business in 1870.
• The business was taken over by his son Alexander John Kerr (1874-1961) in 1920, then later by that Alexander's son James Wallace Kerr (known as 'Jim'), then by James's son Lorne Kerr.
• From 1945 to 1969 Thomson Farquhar (known as 'Tab'), a brother-in-law of Alexander John Kerr, was a business partner with James Wallace Kerr. Tab worked for Alexander John Kerr prior to that.

The name of the business varied over the years, for example:

• 'A. KERR' circa 1885. [See photo in 1982 'The Elora Sentinal'].
• 'A.J. KERR & SONS' in 1914. [See 'Tweedsmuir Histories' page 223].
• 'WEST END MEAT MARKET, Established 50 years, Aug 1870 Aug 1920, A.J. Kerr'. [See 'Tweedsmuir Histories' page 223. Business name also appears on page 89 and 136].
• 'KERR & FARQUHAR' e.g., 1953 through 1968. [See 'Tweedsmuir Histories' page 223-224 and business advertisements in 'The Elora Express'].
• 'KERR'S MEAT MARKET'. [See the 1970 'The Elora Express' and the 1982 'Elora Sentinal'].

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SOURCES:

For further details about the family business see the following sources on the website for the Wellington County Museum and Archives:

• 'The Elora Express' Thursday Nov. 26, 1970, page 1 and 5.
• 'The Elora Sentinal' Special Edition 1982, Vol. 1 No. 1, page 7.
• 'Tweedsmuir Histories' by the Elora Women's Institute, Vol. 1, pages 89, 136, 223-226.
• Advertisements for 'Kerr & Farquhar' in 'The Elora Express' Thursday Feb 23, 1967 page 3 as well as others issues 1958 through 1968.

Sources on Ancestry included:

• 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911 Canada Census.
• Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938, 1943-1944, and Deaths Overseas, 1939-1947.
• Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928, 1933-1934.

For son George, see the Royal B.C. Museum Genealogy website:

https://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Genealogy

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Last updated: March 28, 2024