John Bethune (reverend)
Encyclopedia
The Reverend John Bethune, (1751 ~ Sept. 23, 1815), founded the first Presbyterian Church in Montreal.
Born into a well-respected family on the Isle of Skye, he was a son of Angus Bethune and Christian Campbell. Though descended from the Lairds of Balfour, he needed scholarships to keep him at King's College (University of Aberdeen).
He immigrated to North Carolina
from Scotland
in 1773. He was a loyalist
sympathizer and was recruited as Chaplain
to the 1st battalion of the Royal Highland Emigrants. He saw action at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in February 1776 and was captured by the victorious rebels. He was subsequently released and eventually made his way to Montreal
, where he re-joined the 1st battalion, once again as chaplain. Upon demobilization in 1784 he ministered to a small band of Presbyterian Scots
and in 1786 established the first Presbyterian Church in Montreal. In 1787 he moved to what later became Upper Canada
where he devoted the remainder of his life to his ministry among the Highland loyalist settlers in Glengarry County.
He and his wife, Véronique Waddens, daughter of Jean-Étienne Waddens, were the parents of a well known group of brothers who included:
Angus Bethune
(1783-1858), a well known fur trader and chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company
; John Bethune
(1791-1872), acting principal of McGill University
for over ten years and the Dean of Montreal; Strachan Bethune Q.C., an influential lawyer and the 1st Chancellor of Christ Church, Montreal; James Gray Bethune
(1793-1841), a banker and businessman in Upper Canada; Alexander Neil Bethune
(1800-1879), Bishop of Toronto; Donald Bethune
(1802-1869), founded a shipping firm in Upper Canada
He was the great great grandfather of Norman Bethune
, the Canadian physician and medical innovator.
Born into a well-respected family on the Isle of Skye, he was a son of Angus Bethune and Christian Campbell. Though descended from the Lairds of Balfour, he needed scholarships to keep him at King's College (University of Aberdeen).
He immigrated to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1773. He was a loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
sympathizer and was recruited as Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to the 1st battalion of the Royal Highland Emigrants. He saw action at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in February 1776 and was captured by the victorious rebels. He was subsequently released and eventually made his way to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, where he re-joined the 1st battalion, once again as chaplain. Upon demobilization in 1784 he ministered to a small band of Presbyterian Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and in 1786 established the first Presbyterian Church in Montreal. In 1787 he moved to what later became Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
where he devoted the remainder of his life to his ministry among the Highland loyalist settlers in Glengarry County.
He and his wife, Véronique Waddens, daughter of Jean-Étienne Waddens, were the parents of a well known group of brothers who included:
Angus Bethune
Angus Bethune (fur trader)
Angus Bethune was the oldest son of the Reverend John Bethune. He had several distinguished brothers, Alexander Neil, who became Anglican bishop of Toronto; John, Anglican clergyman, dean of the diocese of Montreal and principal of McGill University; James Gray prominent Upper Canada businessman;...
(1783-1858), a well known fur trader and chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
; John Bethune
John Bethune
John Bethune was a Canadian Anglican clergyman and acting principal of McGill University from 1835 to 1846.-Biography:...
(1791-1872), acting principal of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
for over ten years and the Dean of Montreal; Strachan Bethune Q.C., an influential lawyer and the 1st Chancellor of Christ Church, Montreal; James Gray Bethune
James Gray Bethune
James Gray Bethune was born in Upper Canada. He was the son of an Anglican priest, the Reverend John Bethune....
(1793-1841), a banker and businessman in Upper Canada; Alexander Neil Bethune
Alexander Neil Bethune
Alexander Neil Bethune was a Church of England clergyman and bishop and the son of the Reverend John Bethune. He and his wife had ten children. They included Robert Henry Bethune, a noted banker with the Dominion Bank. He was a brother to John, also a clergyman, who was acting principal of McGill...
(1800-1879), Bishop of Toronto; Donald Bethune
Donald Bethune
Donald Bethune was a lawyer, judge, entrepreneur and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Williamstown in Upper Canada in 1802, the son of Reverend John Bethune. Donald was part of a prominent family which included four bothers of note...
(1802-1869), founded a shipping firm in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
He was the great great grandfather of Norman Bethune
Norman Bethune
Henry Norman Bethune was a Canadian physician and medical innovator. Bethune is best known for his service in war time medical units during the Spanish Civil War and with the Communist Eighth Route Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
, the Canadian physician and medical innovator.