Amea Fenerly BLAIR [1086]

  General Notes:

Julius Jottings. No 2 April 1900.
Amea contributes a long article on the opening of the Canadian Parliament, in Ottawa, and the Drawing Room held by the Governor General after it. The session is the event of the year in Ottawa, and great preparations and made to receive the members, with their wives and daughters, and other strangers from all parts of the Dominion. The aspect of the whole city changes - the hotels are brushed up, the shop windows are more trimmed and look better than usual, and the people themselves the best foot formost for the benefit of the strangers.
The House always opens on a Thursday at 2.30 o'clock. The Governor General and his staff accompanied by the Foot Guards, make their way through a crowd to the front of the Houses of Parliament. I do not know what happens there for I have always been inside, and we can only hear "God save the Queen" great cheering and the firing off of canon. The opening ceremony takes place in the Senate Chamber, a handsome room with red and gold hangings and galleries on all sides. There is always a great gathering: rows and rows of ladies, vying to look their best in evening dress, and finding it the hardest thing imaginable, for daylight and electricity make a ghastly combination, fill the sides of the room, and in the middle are the Bishop of the English church, the Archbishop of the Roman church in his purple robe, judges in scarlet and ermine, and officers and officials in their different uniforms. It really is a brilliant scene. At the last moment His Excellency enters and takes a seat to the left of the throne. We all stand to receive the Governor General the representative of the Queen. He is in full dress and looks very grand. His staff and the Privy Counsellors, the General and several military men, come in with him, and after His Excellency has taken his seat upon the throne, they arrange themselves on either side. The Senators and the members of the House of Commons file in and take their places behind a railing at the end of the room. There is a bewildering amount of bowing by the Usher of the Black Rod and the Military secretary. I fancy the fall is the same as in other parliaments, only in Canada the speech from the throne must be repeated in French. It is a very short ceremony, and after it is over there Excellencies hold a reception in the rooms of the Speaker of the Senate, and we are ready to go home by 4 o'clock.
The Drawing Room is always held on the Saturday night after the opening it is a much more brilliant affair The Senate chamber is again the scene of action. At 930 their Excellencies take their places on the dias; they are alone in the room except for the aide, and a double row of offices who are lined up the length of the room. It would be impossible to tell the why and wherefore, but according to the laws of precedents, the door to the right and back of the throne is opened first, and the Cabinet Ministers with their wives and unmarried daughters are allowed to make their bows.The Premier leads the way, and after him comes the one exception, the Bishop of the English church, then the ministers according to the order of their swearing-in. It really is an awful moment, for although one may have practised and got the curtsy down to perfection, to hear one's name shouted out to a three times, and to know there is no turning back drives away all self composure. It is great to have the curtsy over, but the first time I made mine, I had hardly backed "out of the presence" before I vowed I should try again, just to show that I could make a really good bow. As soon as it is made the enjoyment begin: the other doors are open and the Senators, the commoners, and those not otherwise mentioned, have to walk the length of the room between the lines of officers to their presentation. Every gown is new and is beautiful as the officers can afford; veils and feathers must be worn, and there are a few court trains. It is great fun watching the fear on the faces of all the women, young and old, suddenly give way to relief when the awful moment is passed; the men generally assert their fearlessness and make most awkward bows. Some persons with a terrified glance make one bend of the knee and rush off: some make so low and lingering a curtsy that you fear they will fall over.
The bouquets that are carried nearly always tremble, and several times veils and feathers have dropped off at the critical moment. Last year an American lady who was living in Ottawa, considered it her duty to show how trumpery she thought such a ceremony, so she put on a high neck gown, walked boldly up the room, and made insolent and curt nods to the Excellencies; that was very unusual however. Each year there are about 1000 presentations and the room and the galleries soon become filled, the many handsome women and pretty girls, all wearing white feathers and veils make a dazzling sight.
Their Excellencies leave early, for they get very tired, and then we go either to a supper party all straight home, to talk it all over, and decide which really was the handsomest gown, who looked best, and who made the most graceful curtsy.
Dear Mr Editor, I hope this is not too long a letter, I could not make it any shorter.
Believe me,
Very sincerely,
Amea T. Blair.
Ottawa.

Julius Jottings, No 6 Jan, 1902.
We hear that a marriage between the Rev F. H. Brewin, and Miss Amea Blair, the daughter of the Hon. A. G. and Mrs Blair, of Ottawa, Canada, is to take place early in the present month (January).

Julius Jottings. No 7 April 1902.
We regret that by inadvertentance on our part we stated in our last issue that the marriage between the Rev F H. Brewin and Miss Blair would take place in January; we understand it will now take place in June.

Francis H Brewin
Age:28
Birth Date:abt 1874
Birth Place:England
Marriage Date:4 Jun 1902
Marriage County or District:Carleton
Father:Arthur Brewin
Mother:Maria L A Brewin
Spouse:Amea Fenerly Blair
Spouse's Age:27
Spouse Birth Date:abt 1875
Spouse Birth Place:Canada
Spouse Father:Andrew Geo Blair
Spouse Mother:Annie Eliz Thompson Blair

Deaths
Brewin on July 10, 1944, at 117, King Street E., Cobourg, Ontario Amea Fenerty, wife of the Rev F H Brewin, formerly incumbent of Christ Church, Brighton and daughter of the late Honorable A G Blair, Minister of Railways and Canals, Canada. Aged 69 19/07/1944

  Other Records

1. Census: England, 1911, Hove Sussex.
Amea is recorded as married aged 36, 8 living children 4 boys 4 girls born Fredericton New Brunswick CAN of Scotch descent.

Amea married Rev Francis Henry BREWIN [1085] [MRIN: 343], son of Arthur BREWIN [1070] and Maria Louisa JULIUS [1034], on 4 Jun 1902 in Carleton Ontario CAN. (Rev Francis Henry BREWIN [1085] was born on 26 Nov 1873 in Brentford MDX, baptised on 4 Jan 1874 in Wrecclesham Church Farnham SRY and died on 9 Nov 1961.)