NEWS RELEASE
OMAH HISTORY COMMITTEE
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Recently, Amanda Marino, experience development officer at the Leacock Museum National Historic Site, was the OMAH History Speaker Series’ guest speaker with her talk, A Leacock Love Story.
She explored the relationship between Stephen Leacock and the women in his life, specifically his wife, Beatrix Hamilton Leacock, with whom a beautiful love story bloomed.
Author Stephen Butler Leacock, known as the grandfather of Canadian humour and respected as a political scientist and economist, immortalized Orillia in his book, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. At one point he was the most famous humorist in the English-speaking world. He didn’t reach his success all on his own.
As the saying goes, “behind every successful man there is a woman,” and for Leacock, there were three such women: his mother, Agnes Butler Leacock, his favourite niece, Barbara Nimmo, and most importantly, a young actress, who would later become his wife, Beatrix Hamilton.
Agnes, who came from an upper-class family in England, immigrated to Canada with her husband, Peter, to become farmers. Determined that her children learned proper English customs, Agnes homeschooled Stephen and his siblings. After Stephen’s father abandoned his family, Stephen became qualified to teach high school to help his mother with expenses.
In 1899, Stephen met Beatrix “Trix” Hamilton, niece of Sir Henry Pellatt, at Southwood, her grandfather’s property, during a tennis match. It was love at first sight. Trix was strikingly beautiful and had a successful acting career. At 30 years of age with no family wealth or social standing, Stephen proposed to Beatrix and she accepted. As Beatrix was continuing to study and perform acting in New York City, that is where they wed. Ultimately, though, they settled in Montreal for Stephen’s teaching career at McGill.
In 1908, after renting in Montreal and keen to have their own home, Leacock purchased property that included remnants of the Jackson Brewery on Lake Couchiching. It became known as Old Brewery Bay. Initially, Beatrix and Stephen lived in a one-room shack near the water, but over the years the house that currently sits on this property was built.
In 1915, after a difficult delivery, they welcomed their only child, Stephen Jr., who had unique health issues. Despite these difficulties, his parents ensured their son had an enjoyable childhood.
Beatrix supported her husband whether it be accompanying him on his lecture tours, selecting work for publication that sparked his literary career, utilizing her skills as a homemaker or entertaining his guests. Beatrix was a calming presence in Leacock’s life as he became more famous. He was heartbroken when she passed away in December 1925, after succumbing to breast cancer, and never seeing the completion of their beloved home in 1928. Distraught and with a 10-year-old son, Leacock didn’t visit Brewery Bay for two years. He put his energy towards the fight against cancer and supported dollar for dollar the funds raised for cancer research by McGill.
Nothing was dull or routine, according to Leacock’s favourite niece, Barbara, his sister’s daughter. She was the daughter he never had. In exchange for accommodation while in Montreal earning her master of arts at McGill, Barbara was indispensable as his personal secretary and in the summers, she joined him and Beatrix at Old Brewery Bay. Even after Leacock passed away in 1944, Barbara continued to support his legacy, for years writing forwards to his books and advising the museum’s first curator.
Stephen Leacock respected and appreciated the strong women in his life. He appreciated the tenacity of his mother to raise her children as a single parent. He appreciated the endless love and support of his beloved wife and he was grateful for his niece’s secretarial and other assistance during his career.
If you missed Amanda’s excellent talk, click on the link to view OMAH’s YouTube recording of the talk.
Amanda’s talk, A Leacock Love Story, caught the attention of CBC Radio. Amanda’s interview on the program Ontario Morning aired on June 19. Click on the link to hear the interview, Love Letters of Humorist Stephen Leacock.
The OMAH History Committee is grateful for your support. We will be taking a break for July and August. We continue to work hard to bring you great speakers for 2025. Our committee is a group of volunteers who are passionate about preserving our local history. If you are interested in joining the History Committee, please contact chair Trish Crowe-Grande via email at [email protected].
Next speaker
Speaker: Dr. Chris Decker
Date: Sept. 18, 2024
A History of the Orillia Opera House
The Orillia Opera House has been a focal point for our cultural life since 1895. It has been described as a “magical piece of heritage rich with culture.” It has quite the history.
To receive a link to the talk visit www.orilliamuseum.org/7-24 or call Vanessa at 705-326-2159.
Admission is free. Donations to OMAH are appreciated.
Don’t miss it.
— Submitted by Trish Crowe-Grande, OMAH History Committee chair
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