Kenora Great War Project

 

Personal Details
Date of BirthJanuary 1, 1970
Place of BirthManitoulin Island, Ontario
CountryCanada
Marital StatusSingle
Trade / CallingBarrister at law
ReligionChurch of England
Service Details
ForceMilitia
Branch98th Regiment, Military District No 10
Enlisted / ConscriptedEnlisted
Address at EnlistmentKenora, Ontario
Date of EnlistmentJune 13, 1911
Theatre of ServiceCanada
Prisoner of WarNo
Survived WarYes
Death Details
Date of DeathFebruary 18, 1947

Kinney, James Arthur

Although a birth record was not found, by most accounts James Arthur Kinney was born in 1877 on Manitoulin Island, Algoma, Ontario. Both of his parents James Kinney and Malina Johnson were from Prince Edward County in Ontario, the couple marrying on 11 February 1863 in Athol. At the time of the 1871 census the family was living in the nearby town of Picton where James Sr was working as a grocer. Children listed with the family were Eliza (age 7) and William (age 6). By the time of the 1881 census the family had moved to the Ontario District of Algoma, subdistrict of Gordon and Mills, an area near present day Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island. The family farmed there for a number of years, with children listed in the 1881 census being Eliza and William along with Sanford (age 11), James Arthur (age 5), Mary Emily (age 3), and Florence (age 1). James Sr was the census taker for the 1891 census, no changes in the status of the family. By the 1901 census James Jr was living with his siblings John, William, Mary Elizabeth, and Florence in Gore Bay where he was working as a teacher in the local school. Their parents had taken over the care of a lighthouse in the area. Furthering his education, in 1906 James graduated from Osgoode Law School in Toronto.

According to his obituary, James moved to Kenora, Ontario in 1907, practicing law until he later assumed the duties of Police Magistrate. During the 1930’s he also worked as the town coroner, a role he took very seriously.

On 19 July 1911, in the Township of Hallowell in Prince Edward County, James married Anne Perle Clinton. Born on 25 August 1885 in Prince Edward County, Anne was the daughter of John Clinton and Miriam Johnson. James and Anne were to make Kenora their home, the couple giving birth to four daughters, Margaret, Doris, Billie, and Miriam.

Shortly before his marriage James attended a Military School of Instruction in Kenora, qualifying for the rank of Lieutenant on 15 May 1911. From reports on the military forces available to Great Britain during WW1 (Forces of the Oversea Dominions and Colonies), James was listed as a Lieutenant for the 98th Regiment, Military District No 10 (Kenora), dating back to 13 June 1911. The 1914-1919 lists showed he was active as a Lieutenant in the Kenora training complement throughout the war.

While in Kenora James was a member of the Kenora Bar Association, the Kenora Branch of the Canadian Legion, the Kenora Board of Trade, the Kenora Rotary Club, and St Alban’s Pro Cathedral. He was at one time church warden, later legal advisor to the Diocese and subsequently appointed Chancellor of the Diocese. He was an enthusiastic fisherman and hunter. On 5 February 1944 James was appointed King’s Counsellor and later that year appointed by the Ontario Government as Crown Attorney and Clerk of Peace at Manitoulin Island.

Following a brief illness, James died on 18 February 1947 at his home on Gore Bay, Manitoulin Island. At the time of his death he was survived by his wife Anne, daughters Margaret, Doris, and Miriam at home and daughter Billie (Frank) Turcotte in Forestville, Quebec as well as some of his siblings. He was predeceased by his mother Malina in 1905, father James in 1930, and brother John in 1946, all interred in the Gordon Cemetery in Gore Bay. James’ wife Anne later died on 29 September 1964 in Burlington, Ontario. She is interred in the Glenwood Cemetery in Picton, Ontario.

By Judy Stockham

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