Profile: Herbert Hewett Burnet

Frank Burnet and Louisa Emily Hewett’s fourth son, Hebert Hewett was born in Orillia 31 May 1896 [D06731].

Herbert Burnet was the last of the Burnet family to join the Canadian Expeditionary Forces, enlisting in Calgary on 20 May 1918 and being assigned to the 21st Canadian Reserve Battalion, Alberta [D06732]. After training in Canada, he sailed to England in August of 1918, but was never deployed to France during his time in the service [D06732]. Herbert was discharged from military service on 25 June 1919 [D06712] and returned home to Battle River, Alberta where he had lived and farmed prior to the war [D04061, D06732, D06843]. In 1923 he moved to McKenzie, Washington along with his older brother Harold and found work in the lumber mills [D04714, D06733]. He married Sarah Mae Long in Wenatchee, Washington on 28 Jun 1927 [D04714].

Herbert and Sarah moved to Herbert’s birthplace of Orillia in June of 1931 [D06735]. Sarah died less than a year later on 1 February 1932 [D06735].

Herbert went on to open an indenpendant service station in 1940 and later open Orillia’s first motel [D07290]. He married his second wife, Lillian Mae Archer McKay, a registered nurse, on 18 September 1940 [D07278].

In 1960, he was appointed as an alderman on Orillia Town Council, after the death of the previous alderman [D07283, D07284, D07290]. He was appointed deputy reeve in 1962 and then reeve in 1963 on the deaths of those office-holders as well [D07290]. Herbert Burnet himself died in October 1964 at the age of sixty-eight [D07290]. Lillian Mae Archer Burnet lived on until 31 January 1980 when she died at the age of seventy-six [D07297].  

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Sources:
[D04061] 1916 census of the Northwest Provinces, district 32, sub-district 4a, Battle River, p. 10, dwelling 135, 134; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry.ca

[D04714] Washington, Washington Marriage Records 1854-2013, 5144, Burnet-Long, June 28, 1927; digital images, Ancestry.ca,Ancestry.ca

[D06731] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS930 Reel 21: 501249, 362; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births,"

[D06732] Canada, "Military Service Record - Herbert H. Burnet," 3211402; digital images, ancestry.ca, ancestry.ca.

[D06733] 1930 U.S. census, population schedule, McKenzie, enumeration district (ED) 0024, p. 4A, dwelling 59, family 59; digital images,ancestry.com (accessed 15 Feb 2020); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T626, roll 2342218.

[D06735] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935 Reel 449: 105, 30172; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca

[D06843] 1921 census of Canada, district 1, sub-district 6, Battle River, p. 4, dwelling 44, family 45; RG 31; digital images,ancestry.com