Ruby Janet Pettit Powell
Name/Title
Ruby Janet Pettit PowellEntry/Object ID
P2001-01-14-202Description
Ruby Janet (Pettit) Powell (1886-1966) A record of Grimsby’s early history might not have been preserved if it had not been for the dedicated efforts of Ruby Janet Powell. This remarkable historian devoted a good part of her life to researching and writing up the stories and genealogies of the early Loyalist families who had settled at The Forty, now Grimsby. Ruby herself was a direct descendant of one of these Loyalist families. She was the great-great granddaughter of Andrew Pettit who contributed to the new settlement and became closely involved with the building of the first church, St. Andrew’s. Ruby lived with her parents, Ambrose and Janet Pettit and her two sisters, Amber and Eleanor in a lovely stone house on Roberts Road called The Evergreens, now designated as a heritage home. Her father owned a large fruit farm there and in the summers hired many indigenous people to harvest the fruit. In 1910, Ruby married James (Jim) Powell, a quiet, well-educated Englishman. The couple lived briefly in a house at the corner of Roberts Road and Main Street West but later moved to 129 Main Street West (Canterbury Cottage) where Jim carried on a brass and pottery business. They had been happily married and had a son, Ambrose. In 1938, Ruby’s life took a drastic turn. Jim suddenly died of a stroke and she was left a widow. Ruby rented out Canterbury Cottage and came to live with her sister Amber Wolfenden. This was when she began pursuing her historical interests in earnest. In 1949 she invited a number of people, including Ada Bromley, to her home for an organizational meeting, aiming to bring the Grimsby Historical Society back to life after a long hiatus of some 35 years. At this meeting Ruby was named archivist, and it was suggested that any historical papers that the society published should be called, The Annals of the Forty. Ruby immediately began researching. Her sources of information were wide-ranging: boxes of Loyalist family papers loaned to her by friends; interviews with people in person and by correspondence; cemetery and church records, provincial archives; historical societies. In the pre-computer age, finding information involved much sleuthing. Her brother-in-law, Willard Wright, a fellow historian who was actively involved in the Historical Society, drove her to many out-of-the-way places to do her research as did other Society members. It took an enormous amount of energy, dedication, and determination on her part to acquire all the information and put it together. It took her a decade to complete the project. The Annals was published in ten volumes, one volume at the time, from 1950-1959. Volumes 3 to 9 contain the genealogies and backgrounds of some 233 families. Other volumes deal with wider topics: Vol. 1 - Background History of the Forty 1790-1840; Vol. 2 - Fifty Years of Municipal Government; Vol. 10 - Growth from Settlement to Village 1816 to 1876. This was a major piece of work and an impressive accomplishment. Yet Ruby deserves to be recognized for many other things. Her various writings include a book on Silas Smith and his descendants, a co-authored booklet on the history of St. Andrew’s Church, a co-edited a publication on the centennial of Lincoln County, two plays that were broadcast by the CBC, two one act plays, and an unpublished novel, The Wheat for Planting. At various times she presented papers and gave talks to the Ontario Historical Society, the Women’s Institute, I.O.D.E., and Trinity Service Club. She had also been responsible for having the site of the Engagement of the Forty designated as a national historic site, and had brought awareness to the Ontario government to the first known municipal meeting held in John Green’s house in 1790. A plaque was subsequently erected. Ruby had accumulated a number of artifacts over the years, and when the Grimsby Historical Socirty Museum was established in 1963 she was happy to hand them over to a new home. In 1955, Ruby was given the Grimsby Citizen of the Year award, and a year later she was presented with a life membership award by the Grimsby Historical Society. The Grimsby Lion’s Club Award was given to her in 1964 for her historical contributions to the town. Ruby Powell died in 1966 at the age of 80 and is buried at Queen’s Lawn Cemetery. A life well lived.Context
Ruby Janet Pettit PowellCategory
Photos - Peo/Fam - Pettit, Powell, Sutherland