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Orange Obituaries: A Recovered Index of Canadian Orangemen in Newspaper Death Notices


An Orangemen's parade procession on a Canadian street, 1907, with marchers in formal dress carrying Orange Order banners and regalia
An Orange Order parade, 1907. The lodges that marched together also buried their members together, which is why a nineteenth or twentieth century Canadian obituary so often names a lodge and its number. Library and Archives Canada / Public domain.
The original Canadian Orange Historical Site carried a seven-part run of transcribed newspaper obituaries for members of the Loyal Orange Association. Those pages went offline with the rest of the old site. This page recovers them from the Internet Archive as a single searchable index of 144 named men and women, giving for each one the date printed in the notice, the place, and the lodge number or Orange office recorded.

An Orange obituary is worth more to a genealogist than an ordinary one, because it usually names a lodge and a number. That single detail places an ancestor in a specific village in a specific decade, and it points at a surviving minute book. This page recovers the seven-part obituary series that ran on the original Canadian Orange Historical Site before the site went offline, and rebuilds it as one index of 144 named people. For each entry the table gives the name as the notice printed it, the date the notice gives, the place, the lodge number or Orange office recorded, and which archived page it came from.

The old pages are gone from the live web. They survive in the Internet Archive, and every line below was read there on 2 August 2026.

What the series was

The original site published its obituaries as eight linked pages: an index at OrangeObituaries.php, then OrangeObits.php, OrangeObits2.php, OrangeObituaries-3.php, OrangeObituaries4.php, OrangeObituaries5.php, obits6.php and OrangeObits7.php. The index page also pointed at two separate death rolls taken from Grand Lodge annual proceedings, one for the Grand Orange Lodge of Ontario West in 1911 and one for the Grand Orange Lodge of Saskatchewan in 1932. The Ontario West roll is recovered in full at Deaths reported to the Grand Orange Lodge of Ontario West, 1911. The Saskatchewan 1932 roll was linked from the index but no copy of it survives in the archive.

The numbering is not a sequence anyone should read meaning into. Page 3 uses a hyphen in its filename and page 6 drops the word “Orange” entirely, which is the ordinary residue of a site built one page at a time over many years. Content repeats across pages: the McElroy family of Richmond appears on both page 3 and page 7, the Stewart family of Corbetton appears on pages 4, 5 and 6, and page 7 duplicates several of its own entries within the single file.

How to use a lodge number

The number is the most valuable thing in most of these notices, and it is also the most easily misread.

Lodge numbers were reused. When a lodge folded its number fell vacant, and a surviving lodge could take it, because lodges marched in number order and a low number put you near the front of the parade. So a number on its own is not an identifier. Always record the number together with the place, and treat the lodge name, where one is given, as the more reliable half. The 1871 directory of lodges in Ontario West sets out how far that reuse went in one jurisdiction.

Watch for the abbreviations. L.O.L. is a primary Loyal Orange Lodge. L.O.B.A. is the Ladies Orange Benevolent Association. R.B.P. is a Royal Black Preceptory, the senior body described at the Royal Black Preceptory in Canada. L.T.B.A. is the Loyal True Blue Association. County Master, District Master and Past Master are offices, and a man who held one will usually appear in the surviving Grand Lodge proceedings for that year as well as in his own lodge’s book.

The index

Names are given as the notice printed them, including the abbreviations the papers used. Where a notice gives no death date, the column records the date printed on the notice instead. Where the archive itself is inconsistent, the entry says so.

Name Date given in the notice Place Lodge or Orange office recorded Archived page
Allen, Michael died 19 January 1918, aged 70 Mono Township, Dufferin County Mono Britons L.O.L. No. 259 Obits 1
Armstrong, John B. died January 1921, in his 62nd year Caledon and Amaranth, Ontario Mono Britons L.O.L. No. 259 Obits 1
Armstrong, William John born 10 September 1898, died 20 December 1977 Innisville, Lanark County Past Master L.O.L. No. 92, Innisville; R.B.P. Carleton Place Obituaries 3
Babcock, Clarence Lewis born 22 May 1886, died 18 August 1954, aged 68 Paipoonge Township, Thunder Bay District former member, Orange Order Fort William Lodge 1093 Obits 7
Baker, Godfrey Hugh Massey born 4 May 1863, died 18 August 1926, aged 64 Carleton Place, then Lindsay, Ontario L.O.L. No. 32 Obits 6
Barrett, William died 16 January 1926, aged 68 Melancthon Township, Dufferin County Director of Ceremonies, Melancthon lodge; the notice prints both No. 906 and No. 909 Obits 1
Bradley, Edward died 22 December 1926, in his 90th year Stanton, Mulmur Township, then Dundalk L.O.L. No. 797, honorary member Obits 1
Braiden, Christopher born 1855, died 25 November 1928, aged 75 Farmington and Amaranth, Dufferin County L.O.L. No. 330, Laurel Obits 1
Brothers, Thomas notice 22 November 1906, aged 79 born Banghall, County Armagh; died Orangeville L.O.L. No. 427 furnished the pallbearers Obits 1
Brown, Samuel S. died 30 December 1927, aged 49 Ebenezer, Ontario Master, Ebenezer Lodge 974; Chaplain of the Black Order Obituaries 3 and Obits 6
Bryan, John died 31 May 1931, in his 64th year born King Township; died Amaranth Master L.O.L. 330 Laurel; Master, Farmington District; Master, Dufferin County; Laurel Black Preceptory No. 365 Obits 1
Bryan, William died 5 February 1922, in his 76th year born Cork, Ireland; died Amaranth initiated Enniskillen Lodge, Albion, 1866; the notice then prints L.O.L. No. 3330 Laurel Obits 1
Buchanan, Robert Livingston (Bert) died 24 April 1973, aged 77 Elma Township, Perth County Donegal L.O.L. Obituaries 5
Burrows, Rankin died 16 December 1954, aged 73 born Carleton Place; died Kakabeka Falls funeral under the auspices of the O’Connor Orange Lodge Obits 7
Burt, Adam notice 30 May 1962, aged 80 born Elliston, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland; died Westville, Nova Scotia life member, Loyal Orange Lodge Acadia No. 45 Obituaries 3
Cairns, Ernest Spencer born 24 January 1888, died 3 February 1937, aged 50 born Montague, Prince Edward Island; died Truro, Nova Scotia N. Clarke Wallace L.O.L., 31 years; Past County Master; Sydney Lodge No. 202 L.T.B.A. Obits 6
Calverley, Robert Notcliff born 25 May 1869, died May 1927, aged 57 Orillia, Simcoe County Masons, Oddfellows, Orangemen, Sons of England and Elks Obituaries 4
Campbell, Hugh died February 1939, aged 48 born Scotland; died Florence, Cape Breton King Edward L.O.L. Obits 6
Carscadden, John died 18 October 1887, in his 80th year born Ireland; died Kendal, Clarke Township member of the Orange Order Obituaries 3
Carscallen, A. B. aged 62 born Newburgh; died Tamworth, Ontario Sheffield L.O.L. No. 9; John W. Bell Royal Black Preceptory No. 725, Centreville Obituaries 3
Carson, James born 2 March 1865, died 5 May 1943 Dundalk, Ontario no lodge named in the notice Obits 1
Carter, David Martin born 1888, notice 5 June 1962 born Greenspond, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland; died Halifax Loyal Orange Lodge Melbourne 2510 Obituaries 3
Clarke, John died December 1918, aged 69 Purple Hill and Orangeville one of the oldest members of L.O.L. No. 635 Obits 1
Coleman, David died February 1907, aged 63 Caledon Township, Peel County Alton Orange Lodge; Harris Masonic Lodge, Orangeville Obits 1
Colquhoun, Joseph Alexander died 23 August 1945, aged 53 born Weir, Quebec; died Sturgeon Falls Odd Fellows and Loyal Orange Lodge Obituaries 3
Conlin, George died 12 January 1930, aged 82 born Montreal; died Orono, Clarke Township Cowan’s Lodge, Orono Obituaries 4
Cook, John Robert born 1836, died 18 March 1931, aged 95 born Michigan; died Orangeville identified with the Orange Order in earlier life Obits 1
Cook, William, J.P. born 19 December 1855, died November 1929, in his 74th year born near London, Ontario; died Meaford L.O.L. 885 Bradford 1877; L.O.L. 984 Meaford from 1883; District Master, St. Vincent; County Master, North Grey 1898 to 1900; Grand Treasurer, R.B.P. of Ontario West Obits 7
Cook, William A. notice 27 December 1906, in his 21st year Amaranth Township, Dufferin County Laurel L.O.L. 330 Obits 1
Corbett, John Alexander born 1844, died 13 November 1925 born King Township; died Riverview, Melancthon Township L.O.L. 258; Sunday School Superintendent of the Orange Hall at Riverview 1905 to 1910 Obits 6
Craig, Luke F. died 23 October 1911, aged 90 Greermount, Pontiac County, Quebec buried by the Orange Order, four lodges in attendance Obituaries 5
Crampton, George Charles born 18 August 1886, died 4 February 1977 Innisville, Lanark County L.O.L. 92 Obituaries 3
Curry, Robert Island died 27 January 1933 Orangeville, Dufferin County L.O.L. No. 2931; the floral list also names L.O.L. No. 1331 Obits 1
Detlor, William born 1860, died 11 May born Richmond Township; buried Tamworth lifelong member, Orange Order of Deseronto and district Obituaries 3
Dunwoody, T. A. aged 78 years 4 months Newburgh, Ontario Orangemen held a service at the grave Obituaries 3
Fallis, George died 17 December 1929, in his 83rd year Cadmus, Cartwright Township no lodge named in the notice Obituaries 4
Felstead, Rev. James Alfred died 13 March 1938, in his 78th year Warminster and Orillia staunch member of the Orange and Black Order Obits 1
Ferguson, David died 11 February 1907, in his 68th year born Armagh, Ireland; died Toronto Victoria L.O.L. 588, Toronto Obits 1
Fielding, Peter McCullough died 30 April 1934, aged 72 born Noel, Hants County; died Windsor, Nova Scotia member of the Orange Lodge, I.O.O.F. and Foresters Obits 1
Frank, Rev. William Charles died 12 May 1950, aged 78 born Maple Grove, Darlington Township; died White Rock, British Columbia Past Grand Master of the L.O.L. for British Columbia; Loyal Black Chapter Obituaries 4
Gardiner, Robert Oliver born 7 August 1873, died May 1960 Scotch Corners, Lanark County life member, L.O.L. No. 92, Innisville Obituaries 3
Gibson, John died 24 September 1919 Mills Township, Manitoulin Island the Burpee lodge attended in a body Obituaries 5
Gibson, Robert Thomas died 21 April 1995, aged 83 born Mills Township; died R.R. 1 Evansville, Manitoulin member of the Orange Lodge Obituaries 5
Glassford, George notice 19 January 1933 Caledon Township, Peel County Warnock L.O.L. Obits 1
Glassford, Thomas died 26 June 1923, aged 82 years 8 months Caledon Township, Peel County Warnock L.O.L. 250, Caledon, one of its oldest members Obits 1
Goss, Herbert J. died October 1940, in his 59th year born Medonte Township; died Orillia L.O.L. No. 837, Warminster Obituaries 4
Gray, Andrew born 1837, died 19 March born near Tin Cap, Elizabethtown; died South Crosby, Leeds County no lodge named in the notice Obituaries 3
Grier, James aged 93 in February 1914 Griersville, Grey County, then MacLeod, Alberta named the senior Orangeman in Canada on William Scott’s death Obits 7
Groom, George died 9 October 1927, aged 64 born Norfolk, England; died Sudbury Sudbury Orange Lodge; True Briton’s Lodge A.F. and A.M., Perth Obits 2
Gullage, George Thomas, Sr. died 23 March 1942, aged 87 born Catalina, Newfoundland; died Corner Brook Morning Star L.O.L. No. 2, honorary member Obits 1
Guthrie, Ida May (Kerr) (Elliott) 1889 to 1972 Carberry, Manitoba Lily of the West Lodge No. 1115, L.O.B.A. Obits 2
Guthrie, William Robert 1891 to 1962 born Omemee, Ontario; died Stillwater, British Columbia Lodge No. 41, Emily, Ontario, from 1909, 53 years a member; Royal Black Chapter of British America No. 732, Brandon Obits 2
Hagerman, Abraham A. died 31 October 1936 born Bath, Ontario; died Belleville member of the Orange Order Obits 7
Hanna, Thomas H. died April 1928, aged 72 Albion Township, Peel County Sand Hill Lodge No. 184, and District and County offices Obits 1
Hannah, Robert died February 1924, aged 78 Addington County, then Melita, Manitoba Melita County L.O.L. Obits 7
Hastings, Dr. A. Orr died 21 November, in his 64th year Toronto listed in the Orange obituary series; no lodge named Obituaries 4
Henderson, Edward died April 1909 Primrose, then Shelburne, Dufferin County L.O.L. No. 1321, under whose auspices the funeral was held Obits 1
Henderson, George H. died 21 February, in his 82nd year Lime Lake, Ontario Lime Lake Orange Lodge, more than 45 years. The archive heads this notice “The Late W. H. Henderson” while the text names George H. Henderson Obits 7
Henderson, Thomas died 8 October, aged 77 Lime Lake and Hillier, Ontario funeral under the auspices of Lime Lake L.O.L. No. 1113 Obits 7
Hewitt, Thomas Henry died June 1928, in his 60th year born East Garafraxa; died Waldemar Gore L.O.L. No. 22, The Maples Obits 1
Hill, Nicholas notice 12 October 1960, aged 77 born Tyendinaga Mohawk Reserve; died Kingston Loyal Orange Lodge No. 99 Obituaries 3
Hill, Russell S. died 13 February, aged 80 born Balaclava, Sydenham Township; died Owen Sound Sarawak Orange Lodge No. 1302 Obits 6
Horne, Wilfred died 10 November 1942, in his middle forties Westville, Nova Scotia Acadia Lodge L.O.L.; Royal Black Preceptory; former officer, Grand Orange Lodge of Nova Scotia Obits 7
Huff, Dr. Samuel died Friday, 1928, in his 76th year born near Lefroy, Simcoe County; died Meaford member of the Masonic Lodge and of the Orangemen Obits 1 and Obits 7
Hughes, Marion died 3 March, aged 16 years 9 months Croydon, Ontario floral tributes from the L.O.L. and the L.O.B.A. Obituaries 3
Hulse, Joseph Henry died January 1927, aged 67 born Pottageville, York County; died Orangeville Loyal Orange Lodge No. 2931, previously Aaron L.O.L. No. 427 Obits 1
Island, George died December 1913, in his 79th year Mono Township, then Orangeville Past Master, Purple Valley L.O.L. No. 84; later L.O.L. 635 Obits 1
Jackson, Augustus Kingston, no date given born Harrowsmith; died Kingston an Orangeman; no lodge number given Obits 2
Jackson, Carrie (Oderkirk) died 26 January 1984 Kingston, Ontario Unity 980 Orange Lodge; Crystal Chapter; Past Mistress, L.O.B.A. Club Obits 2
Jackson, Herbert aged 85 born Harrowsmith; died Kingston L.O.L. 6 and Royal Black Chapter 773 Obits 2
James, William Gordon born 20 April 1907, died 18 August 1979 Carleton Place, Lanark County Past County Master, Lanark County Loyal Orange Lodge Obituaries 3
Jeffrey, Samuel born 21 September 1858, died 7 March 1950 born Cornwall, England; died Blackstock, Ontario Blackstock L.O.L. 133, about 70 years, honorary life member Obituaries 4
Kingston, Paul notice 13 March 1928, in his 74th year born Toronto; died Watford, Lambton County lifelong member of the Orange order Obituaries 5
Knowlton, William Henry born 7 April 1842, died 20 May 1930 born Montreal; died Toronto Orange Lodge, Temperance Lodge 301; St. John’s Masonic Lodge Obituaries 3
Laverty, John died 12 May 1920, aged 90 Mono Township, Dufferin County a member of the Orange Order in his younger days Obits 1
Lawrence, Dr. Robert died 19 March 1913, in his 71st year born near Springfield, Ontario; died Vancouver a Mason, an Orangeman, an Anglican and a Conservative Obituaries 4
Lemon, Gavin J., Sr. died 28 February 1931, aged 88 Caledon Township, Peel County L.O.L. No. 260, afterwards absorbed by Mono Mills L.O.L. No. 192 Obits 1
Lench, Rev. Charles died 13 February 1931, aged 72 born Dudley, Staffordshire; died Brigus, Newfoundland Grand Chaplain, Loyal Orange Association of Newfoundland Obits 7
Letcher, Col. William born 1884, died 1 April 1959 born Chignecto; died Springhill, Nova Scotia Masonic Lodge, Orange Lodge and Canadian Legion Obits 6
Ling, Albert Edward died 6 August 2006, in his 90th year London, Ontario Nassau Loyal Orange Lodge No. 2170, 70 years; County Master, Middlesex; Past Preceptor, Inniskilling R.B.K. Obits 7
Little, Charles Milton born 4 September 1893, died 28 September 1937 Tehkummah Township, Manitoulin Island L.O.L. No. 2655, from its organisation in 1916. The archive gives both 1893 and 1892 as the birth year Obituaries 5
Little, George born July 1803, died 17th of the month born near Colooney, County Sligo; died Mono Township L.O.L. No. 22, Garafraxa, almost since its inception Obits 1
Lovering, George Francis born 1874, died 14 October 1909, aged 35 Coldwater, then Barrie, Ontario A.F. and A.M., I.O.F. and L.O.A. Obituaries 4
Marshall, Dr. G. E. born 1864, died 5 August 1912 born Cavan; died Peterborough Peterborough Orange Association Obituaries 4
Maynard, Edward Francis died 24 June 2006, in his 98th year Norris Point, Newfoundland a member of the Orangeman’s Lodge for some 80 years Obits 1
McElroy, David born 31 July 1845, died 1 July 1919, aged 74 born Richmond, Ontario; died Ottawa a prominent member of the Orange Order for upwards of 54 years Obits 7
McElroy, Herbert Hood died 5 October 1956, aged 69 Ottawa, Ontario son of David McElroy; manager of the Central Canada Exhibition Association Obits 7 and Obituaries 3
McElroy, James died 2 March 1921, aged 69 born Richmond, Ontario; died Ottawa held high positions in the Orange Lodge; Goodwood Masonic Lodge Obits 7
McElroy, Robert Herbert died January 1920 Richmond, Carleton County County Registrar and former M.L.A. for Carleton Obituaries 3
McElroy, William died 28 October 1924, in his 76th year Richmond, Carleton County prominent in the Orange Lodge; also held offices in the Black Knights Obits 7
McGill, Wesley born 1 June 1852, died 19 May Camden Township, Lennox and Addington honorary member and past County Master, L.O.L. No. 756 Obituaries 3
McGill, William J. born 12 February 1848, died 5 October near Centreville, Camden Township treasurer of L.O.L. No. 756 for nearly forty years; John W. Bell Black Preceptory No. 725 Obituaries 3
McGill, William Thomas no date given Centreville, Ontario, then Regina L.O.L. 756; R.B.P. Centreville; King Hiram Lodge No. 104 A.F. and A.M. Obituaries 3
McGuire, Blayney born 28 January 1860, died 5 May 1931, aged 71 born Orangeville; died Guelph Orangeville L.O.L. No. 2931 and Orangeville R.B.P. No. 621 Obits 1
Meakin, Rev. Canon J. W. R. anniversary notice, 16 June 1958 Almonte, Lanark County Grand Chaplain of the Orange Order for Ontario East. This is an anniversary notice, not a death notice Obits 6
Mercer, Isaac died 4 May 1986, aged 85 born Newfoundland; died New Waterford, Nova Scotia Orange Lodge, L.O.L. 2183 Obits 6
Mitchell, William James died April 1925, in his 90th year born County Tyrone; died Tossorontio Township more than seventy years in the Order; prize for the oldest Orangeman in the Everett parade Obituaries 4
Moody, William notice 3 January 1907 Terra Cotta, Halton County a respected member of the Orange Order Obits 1
Morrison, John Charles born 16 March 1943, died 18 June 2012, aged 69 born Sydney, Cape Breton; died Wasaga Beach Past County Master, Simcoe West; Past Master, L.O.L. No. 943 Collingwood; Past Preceptor, R.B.P. No. 384 Collingwood Obits 7
Mortimer, Robert Lee born 28 March 1851, died 2 August 1919, in his 69th year born Honeywood; died Shelburne, Dufferin County L.O.L. No. 1321, under whose auspices the funeral was held Obits 1
Newell, Arthur W. 1945 Watford, Lambton County L.O.L. 505, the Watford lodge, had charge of the service Obits 2
Newell, Colour-Sergeant Gunn died of wounds, 1915, aged 29 Warwick village, Lambton County; buried Vlamertinghe, Belgium the Orangemen of the district followed the memorial procession Obits 1
Newell, Isaac born 26 June 1837, died October 1920, in his 84th year born Malahide Township; died Warwick Township made an Orangeman in 1855; honorary member at his death Obits 2
Newell, John notice 13 April 1894, aged 87 Warwick Township, Lambton County a member of the order for over 69 years Obits 2
Noble, William died 23 May 1922, aged 57 Whitfield, Mulmur Township L.O.L. No. 366, Whitfield Obits 1
Parks, John E. died 5 July 1936, over 73 Sheffield Township, then Tamworth Orange Lodge No. 159 Obits 7
Patterson, Frederick Henry born 1920, died 8 June 1995 born Lake Utopia; died Saint John, New Brunswick past master and long-time member, L.O.L. No. 92 of Pennfield; Black Chapter Obits 2
Patterson, Samuel Alexander born 15 June 1841, died 28 March 1924, in his 83rd year born Sillsville; died Toronto honorary member of the Centreville Orange Lodge Obits 7 and Obituaries 3
Payne, Robert George died 12 March 1950, over 83 Manvers Township, Durham County Honorary Life member, L.O.L. 82, over 65 years; Past District Master; Royal Scarlet Chapter Obituaries 4
Pierson, James died 7 February 1914, in his 66th year Mono Township, Dufferin County an active member of the Orange Order; Purple Valley L.O.L. No. 34 passed the resolution of condolence Obits 1 and Obits 6
Platt, Samuel born 1859, living when the sketch was written East Garafraxa and East Luther townships Warden of Dufferin County 1906; a Conservative, an Orangeman and a Methodist Obituaries 4
Proctor, Corporal John died in a French hospital shortly after the Armistice Hockley, Ontario L. O. L. 465, Hockley Obituaries 5
Reid, James B. died May 1920, aged 83 years 5 months born Etobicoke 1836; died Orangeville Past Master, Jordan Hall L.O.L. No. 22, 63 years a member Obits 1
Reid, Richard died March 1926, in his 61st year born County Tyrone; died Orillia wreath from L.O.L. No. 837, Warminster Obituaries 4
Reid, Robert James died 12 July 1928 Lot 2, Con. 9, Medonte Township L.O.L. 837, Warminster, in attendance as escort and pallbearers Obituaries 4
Richardson, Henry born 1 March 1826, died Saturday, aged 78 born Wexford, Ireland; died Flesherton, Grey County for a number of years a member of the Orange Order Obits 7
Rosamond, James, Sr. born 14 February 1805, died Wednesday born near Ballinamore, County Leitrim; died Almonte an enthusiastic Orangeman; attended the Twelfth of July gathering at Almonte shortly before his death Obituaries 3
Ryan, Major William H. died 13 December 1915, in his 85th year Ayton, Grey County walked to Toronto for the warrant for the Orange Lodge in Mount Forest Obituaries 5
Scott, William died before 7 February 1914 Milverton, Ontario called the oldest Orangeman in the Dominion of Canada Obits 7
Seymour, William R. born 1865, notice March 1926 born New York State; died Shelburne, Ontario joined the Loyal Orange Lodge at Corbetton in 1894; Black Knight; lodge chaplain Obits 1
Sharp, Luther drowned in Hay Bay, buried 30 November 1902 Sillsville, Lennox and Addington Independent Order of Foresters and Orangemen Obituaries 3
Shaw, Thomas died July 1896, aged 77 came from Lancaster, England, 1831; died Oro Township joined the first lodge in Oro; funeral headed by L.O.L. No. 904, Hawkestone Obituaries 4
Shields, Robert died October 1906, in his 67th year born Chinguacousy; died Brampton Orange, Masonic and A.O.U.W. orders; Chief of Police, Orangeville Obits 1
Smith, Foster W. died September 1949, aged 64 Brooke Township, Lambton County past county master of the Orange Lodge Obits 2
Snell, Robert born 18 November 1864, died 20 December 1941 born Mono Township; died Alliston at one time he belonged to the Orange Order Obits 1
Speers, Elgin Lewis died 24 February 1931, aged 34 Caledon Township, Peel County Caledon L.O.L. No. 250; Mono Mills R.B.P. No. 297 Obits 1
Sproule, Hon. Thomas Simpson, M.D. born 25 October 1843, died 10 November 1917 born King Township; died Markdale, Grey County Grand Master of the Loyal Orange Association of British America; Speaker of the House of Commons; Senator Obituaries 4
Stewart, Frank Herbert died September 1955, aged 82 Pleasant Ridge and Pennfield Ridge, New Brunswick one of the oldest members of L.O.L. No. 92, Pennfield, joined at 18 Obits 2
Stewart, John Frederick (Fred) born 17 August 1869, died 4 March 1929 Melancthon Township, Dufferin County Past Master, L.O.L. No. 353, Corbetton Obituaries 4, Obituaries 5 and Obits 6
Stewart, John F., Jr. (Jack) born 12 September 1898, died 8 February 1966, in his 68th year born Melancthon Township; died Toronto Corbetton L.O.L. 353; past district master; Tuxis R.B.P. 1091, Dundalk Obituaries 5 and Obits 6
Stuart, Capt. Allan (Bibber) born 18 December 1871, died 8 November 1943 born Stuarttown, Deer Island; died Black’s Harbour, New Brunswick a member of the Orange Lodge at Deer Island Obits 2
Stump, John died 23 May 1942, in his 84th year born Vaughan Township; died Mono Township had been a member of the Orange Order in earlier life Obits 1
Sweezey, Samuel Biggs died 16 December 1921, aged 61 born Pembroke; died Sudbury Vermillion L.O.L. No. 2156; Bonnechere Masonic Lodge, Eganville Obituaries 4
Virgin, Charles Lawrence born 30 November 1895, died 1 July 1958 Darling Township, then Clayton, Lanark County Clayton L.O.L.; Carleton Place R.B.P. Obits 6
Walker, Edward born 1841, died 31 January 1933, in his 92nd year sixth line, Mulmur Township; died Shelburne L.O.L. No. 60, Stanton; buried by L.O.L. No. 1321, Shelburne Obits 1
Webb, Richard (Corporal) born 1820, died Thursday, in his 96th year born Ospringe, Kent, England; died Erin, Wellington County a member of the Orange Order for over 60 years; Fenian Raid medal Obituaries 4
Weir, Robert funeral 19 December 1905 Peterborough, Ontario wore the jewel of Past Grand Master; L.O.L. No. 80, Peterborough Obituaries 5
White, Mary Anne born 12 April 1845, died 27 January 1922 born Hemmingford, Quebec; died Warsaw, Ontario recorded in the White family record on the same page Obits 6
White, Richard born 17 December 1852, died 13 March 1938, in his 85th year born Sherrington, Quebec; died Lakefield, Ontario L.O.L. No. 909, Lakefield; Order of Royal Black Knights. The obituary gives December 1853 while the baptism record gives 1852 Obits 6
Wilkins, Matthew died May 1915, aged 86 born County Sligo, Ireland; died Orangeville identified with the Orange and A.O.U.W. Orders; Fenian Raid veteran Obituaries 5
Willis, Benjamin born 23 November 1874, died 29 April 1959, in his 85th year Drummond Township, then Lanark Village member of the Loyal Orange Lodge; Perth, Harper, Innisville and Drummond lodges held a service Obituaries 3
Witter, John died January 1907, about 72 born the north of Ireland; died Markdale an enthusiastic member of the Orange Order, a Mason and a Workman Obits 1
Wood, Captain Thomas W. died April 1939, in his 75th year Orillia Township, Simcoe County a Black Knight of the Orange Order; Past Noble Grand, Odd Fellows Obits 1
Yorke, Michael Percy died 10 July 1914, aged 57 years 10 months Sheffield Township, Lennox and Addington funeral conducted under the auspices of the Orange Lodge Obituaries 3

Biographical compilation entries, which are a different genre from these death notices and cover mostly different men, are recovered separately at Canadian Orange biographies recovered from the archive. Thomas Simpson Sproule appears in both.

The Loyal Orange Lodge at Bonavista, Newfoundland, a two-storey white clapboard hall with a domed corner tower, built in 1907
The Loyal Orange Lodge at Bonavista, Newfoundland, built in 1907. Newfoundland entries run right through this index, from George Thomas Gullage of Catalina and Adam Burt of Elliston to Edward Maynard of Norris Point, who was a member for some eighty years Photograph by John C. King, 2012. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Which newspapers these came from

The transcriptions name their papers, and those names are themselves search terms worth having. The Ontario papers are the Orangeville Banner, the Orangeville Sun, the Shelburne Free Press, the Shelburne Economist, the Dundalk Herald, the Bolton Enterprise, the Erin Advocate, the Star and Vidette, the Orillia Packet, the Orillia Packet and Times, the Orillia Weekly Times, the Orillia News Letter, the Barrie Advance, the Meaford Express, the Watford Guide-Advocate, the Bowmanville Statesman, the Napanee Beaver, the Perth Courier, the Peterborough Evening Examiner, the Ottawa Evening Citizen, the Ottawa Journal, the Lakefield Examiner and the Victoria Warder of Lindsay. Outside Ontario they are the Saint Croix Courier of St. Stephen, the Eastern Chronicle of New Glasgow, the Sydney Post Record, the Oxford Journal of Nova Scotia, The Equity of Shawville in Quebec, The New Era of Melita in Manitoba, the Fort William Daily Times Journal, the Lethbridge Daily Herald, the Regina Leader Post, the Bay Roberts Guardian of Newfoundland and the Globe and Mail.

Where a notice appears above with no paper attached, the archived page gave none.

What the archive does not preserve

Two things are missing and it is better to say so than to leave a researcher hunting.

The first is the photographs. Several pages carried scanned images, and the file names survive in the archived HTML, but the image files themselves were not captured. The obits6 page in particular referenced two scans that are now unrecoverable.

The second is the Saskatchewan roll. The series index links a page of deaths reported in the 1932 proceedings of the Grand Orange Lodge of Saskatchewan. No capture of that page exists in the Internet Archive, so unlike the Ontario West roll it cannot be recovered here.

Where an entry above records a date the archive itself gives inconsistently, the table says so rather than choosing between the two readings. Notices printed in the 1890s and 1900s often say only “on Saturday” or “on Tuesday morning” and rely on the reader knowing the issue date, which is why so many of the date fields above quote the notice rather than a calendar date.

Where to look next

If a name above carries a lodge number, the next step is the surviving records for that lodge rather than another obituary. The institutional history of the Orange Order in Canada sets out the structure that decides which grand lodge minute book a primary lodge reported into, and the annual Grand Lodge proceedings for the relevant jurisdiction are the volumes that carry the membership and mortality returns. The 1911 Ontario West death roll is one such return recovered in full, and it is the fastest way to see what that class of record looks like.

If the notice records a Twelfth of July connection, the parade context is at Orangemen’s Day in Canada. If a man served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, the personnel file is at Library and Archives Canada and it will often name a next of kin the obituary omits. The recovered biography of Percy Albert Guthrie, an Orangeman who commanded a battalion, shows how much a military record adds to a lodge record.

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Sources

  1. Orange Obituaries, index page, canadianorangehistoricalsite.com — The original series index. Lists Orange Obituaries 1 through 7 plus the two Grand Lodge Report of Proceedings death rolls. Recovered from the Internet Archive and read 2 August 2026.
  2. Orange Obits, page 1, canadianorangehistoricalsite.com — Forty-five notices, heavily weighted to Dufferin, Peel and Simcoe counties, drawn from the Orangeville Banner, the Orangeville Sun, the Orillia Packet and Times and the Watford Guide-Advocate. Read 2 August 2026.
  3. Orange Obits 2, canadianorangehistoricalsite.com — Thirteen notices from eastern Ontario, Charlotte County New Brunswick and Lambton County, including the Saint Croix Courier and the Perth Courier. Read 2 August 2026.
  4. Orange Obituaries 3, canadianorangehistoricalsite.com — Twenty-four notices concentrated in Lanark, Carleton, Lennox and Addington counties, plus Nova Scotia notices for Newfoundland-born Orangemen. Read 2 August 2026.
  5. Orange Obituaries 4, canadianorangehistoricalsite.com — Twenty notices from Simcoe, Durham and Grey counties, largely from the Orillia Packet, the Orillia News Letter and the Meaford Express. Read 2 August 2026.
  6. Orange Obituaries 5, canadianorangehistoricalsite.com — Eleven notices including Pontiac County Quebec, Manitoulin Island and the 1905 Peterborough funeral of Past Grand Master Robert Weir. Read 2 August 2026.
  7. Orange Obits 6, canadianorangehistoricalsite.com — Eleven notices weighted to Cape Breton and Cumberland County Nova Scotia, plus Lanark and Victoria counties in Ontario. Read 2 August 2026.
  8. Orange Obits 7, canadianorangehistoricalsite.com — Twenty notices including the McElroy family of Richmond, Ontario, Newfoundland and Thunder Bay District entries. Read 2 August 2026.
  9. Internet Archive CDX index for canadianorangehistoricalsite.com — Used to establish which of the old site's pages survive in the archive and which were never captured. Queried 2 August 2026.

Further reading

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