Profile: Reginald K Burnet

Reginald K Burnet [1893-1963]

Louisa and Frank Burnet had six children together. Francis Ernest Burnett was the first, born on 5 November 1889 [D03783, D04043, D04044, D06723]. Harold Edwin was next, born 21 March 1891 [D04043, D04044, D04061, D06760, D06843]. The family moved out to Victoria, British Columbia in the early 1890s, where Reginald Kenneth Burnet was born on 21 December 1893 [D03783, D04139, D04044, D06741]. The Burnet family returned to Orillia about three years later. Their fourth son, Hebert Hewett was born in Orillia 31 May 1896 [D06731]. On 12 September 1898, a set of twins was born, including their first daughter, Helen Louise Burnet and Horace Arthur Burnet [D06709].

With a long history of military involvement, many members of the the Burnet family joined up with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces when the first World War began. Francis Ernest Burnet, the eldest son at twenty-five, was the first of the family to enlist on 12 May 1915 in Saskatoon [D06723]. He was assigned to the 53rd Battalion initially [D06723].

Reginald K. Burnet and his father, Frank Burnet both enlisted on the same day, 26, January 1916: Reginald in Orillia and Frank in Calgary [D04060, D06746]. Frank was so keen to join the fight, he claimed to be ten years younger than he actually was in order to enlist [D04060]. Reginald joined his family’s old regiment, the Simcoe Foresters, which had now become the 157th Battalion [D06746]. Frank was assigned to the 137th [D04060].

Reginald Burnet Sailed to England in October of 1916 [D06746]. In November, he was transferred from the Simcoe Foresters to the 10th Canadian Machine Gun Company and was in France the following March [D06746].

In August of 1917, the 10th Canadian Machine Gun Company was one of sixteen machine gun companies fighting in the battle of Hill 70 . On 24 August, Reginald received a gun shot wound to the left side of his head and lost consciousness [D06746]. He woke up a few days later in a hospital in St. Omer, France with a fractured skull [D06746]. Suffering with memory loss and impairment in his speech, he was sent for rehabilitation and later sent back home to Canada in April of 1918 [D06746].

Reg Burnet began his working career in 1911 with R.H. Montgomery, merchant tailor and men’s furnisher [D07315, D07317]. After the war, he returned to Orillia and found work at the store, which had been taken over from R.H. Montgomery by Jack Sinclair [D04139, D06742, D07313, D07315].

He married Wynona Beatrice Williams in Orillia on 8 April 1919 [D04139]. Wynona only lived for a short time after the marriage, dying in a hospital maternity ward on 1 August 1920 at the age of twenty-six [D04209].

A few years later, Jack Sinclair sold the clothing store to a group of four partners, Reg Burnet among them [D07315, D07317]. They renamed it the Arrow Store [D04317].

Reg remained at the Arrow store for a few years, eventually selling his interest in 1924, when he started his own business, Burnet Men’s Wear [D07312, D07313, D07317].

Reginald married his second wife, Olive Hilda Leatherdale 14 September 1925 [D06741]. They had one child together, Dale, who later joined his father’s business [D07317].

Like his siblings, Reg was highly involved in community associations, and remained involved with the Simcoe Foresters and Canadian Legion. He co-organized an “Across the Lake Swim” event that carried his name [D07314, D07317].

Reginald retired from his clothing store in 1961 [D07212]. He died at his cottage on Bass Lake 27 August 1963 at the age of sixty-nine [D07231, D07212].

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

Profile: Helen Louise Burnet and Horace Arthur Burnet

Louisa Emily Hewett and Frank Burnet had six children together. Their last two children were twins born on 12 September 1898, a set of twins including their first daughter: Helen Louise Burnet and Horace Arthur Burnet [D06709].

Helen Louise Burnet
Helen Louise Burnet worked as a school teacher in Coldwater, Ontario [D05461] later retiring to Simcoe East [D04719]. She died 14 December 1982 [D04046, D07298].

Horace Arthur Burnet
Helen’s Twin brother, Horace was known as “Lad” to his friends [D07299]. He started work as a bookkeeper in Orillia [D04058] and married Mary Alice Dalton on 26 September 1925 [D04058]. He later became co-owner of the Roweburn Farm to the west of Orillia and of the Orillia Creamery Company [D06719, D07299]. Founded in 1921 by John Lewis Beaton, the Orillia Creamery ran a successful operation until it was bought out in 1958 by Acme Farmer’s Dairy and eventually becoming part of Dominion Dairies Limited [D07299, D07314].

Lad Burnet was also heavily involved in the Orillia community, serving three years on town council from 1933 to 1935, serving on the boards for several community organizations and assisting in volunteer relief work during the depression years of the 1930s [D07299]. Horace Arthur Burnet died in October of 1972 [D07299].

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Sources:
[D04046] St Andrews & St James (Orillia, Simcoe, Ontario)

[D04058] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, 18353, Burnet-Dalton; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages,"

[D04719] Canada, Canada, Voters Lists, vol. 1965: 2; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Canada Voters Lists 1935-1980,"

[D05461] 1921 census of Canada, district 126, sub-district 41, Coldwater Village, p. 12, dwelling 120, family 121; RG 31; digital images, ancestry.com

[D06709] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS929, Reel 144: 453, 038434; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births,"

[D06719] Canada, Canada, Voters Lists, vol. 1968: 19371, M-6104; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Canada Voters Lists,"

[D07298] "Deaths," Orillia Daily Packet and Times, 15 December 1982, p. 17

[D07299] "Lad Burnet Dies, Well-Known in Club and Church Activities," Orillia Daily Packet and Times, 27 October 1972; digital images.

[D07314] "Orillia Creamery Sells 'Country Club' Business," (Orillia) The Orillia Packet, 24 Oct 1958.