Janet Carnochan (November 14, 1839March 31, 1926) was a Canadian historian and teacher.
Early life and education
Janet Carnochan was born on November 14, 1839, in
Stamford Township
Stamford Township is a former incorporated and now geographic township in Upper Canada, later Ontario, on the Niagara Peninsula. It was originally designated Township #2 in the Home District of the Quebec Colony in Canada. Following the creat ...
, Upper Canada.
Obtaining a first-class county teacher's certificate at age 16, she began teaching immediately. At 18, after attending the
Toronto Normal School for five months,
she obtained a first-class B certificate.
Teaching
Carnochan worked as a teacher for 39 years. She taught for a short time in
Brantford
Brantford (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by County of Brant, Brant County, but is politically separate with ...
, Ontario, and then for five years in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...
.
From Kingston she went to a school in
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...
, for a year, returning to
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of On ...
, Ontario, in 1871. In 1872, she provoked local opposition by becoming "headmaster" of the
Niagara Public School
Niagara Public School, today known as ''School House Bed and Breakfast'', was a public school in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario (then called ''Newark'' in the ''Province of Canada''). The school house is located at 40 Platoff Street in the Nation ...
. She then became assistant teacher in the Niagara High School, holding that position for 23 years.
Scholarship
In 1895, she founded the Niagara Historical Society. Through appeals to the public and discussions with provincial and federal cabinet ministers, she raised $5,000 for a historical museum at Niagara, of which she became the president and curator. The museum opened in 1907.
Carnochan wrote, entirely or in part, at least 14 of the Niagara Historical Society's publications. Her writings include ''The History of St. Mark's Church, Niagara'', published on the occasion of its centennial in 1892, and a companion, ''History of St. Andrew's Church, Niagara'', also published as a centenary volume in 1894.
Carnochan died on March 31, 1926, in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Publications
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Notes
Sources
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnochan, Janet
1839 births
1926 deaths
19th-century Canadian historians
20th-century Canadian historians
19th-century Canadian women writers
20th-century Canadian women writers
People from Niagara-on-the-Lake