James Joseph Doyle

      James Joseph Doyle was born on 7 March 1858 at South Crosby Twp, Leeds & Grenville County, Ontario.^1,2,3,4 He was the son of Michael Doyle and Elizabeth Mary Dunn.^1,2,3,4,5 He was baptized on 23 April 1858 at St Philip Neri Church, Toledo, Leeds & Grenville County, Ontario.¹ His death certificate erroneously states that he was born on 8 March 1859.⁵ His employment record at the BC Pen erroneously states that he was born on 8 March 1862.^6,7

James was hired as a guard at BC Penitentiary, New Westminster, British Columbia, on 1 October 1886. He may have chosen this career because his uncle James Doyle was a guard at the Kingston Penitentiary. His initial salary was $600/year.^6,8

The first CPR train to run between Montreal & Port Moody, BC left on June 28, 1886. It arrived on July 4, 1886. The arrival is portrayed in this photo. The tracks were extended to New Westminster in December 1886. If James went to BC by train, which seems likely, he would have been among the early passengers as he was working there in October 1886. An image of a train similar to that which James would have taken to BC can be seen here. On 27 Sept 1886, the Daily Columbian reported that the train trip from Montreal to Vancouver took 136 hours.

After working in British Columbia for three years, James returned to Ontario where he married Mary Ann Hamilton, daughter of Charles Hamilton and Mary Jordan, on 4 November 1889 at St Philip Neri Church, Toledo, Leeds & Grenville County, Ontario.^9,10 After their marriage, the couple returned to BC. James and Mary Ann lived at 37 Columbia St E, New Westminster, British Columbia, from 1891 until before 1917 in the married quarters near the prison on what was known as "Pen Row", these consisted of six duplex houses 2 1/2 storeys high; they paid $5.00 a month rent. These houses were sold and moved away about 1970.^11,12,6

On 1 Feb 1902, James was promoted to the position of Industrial Guard, Brickmaker at a salary of $1000/year.⁶ Brickmaking for the expansion of the penitentiary began on 1 Jun 1902. In this role, James had overall responsibility for supervision of the brickyard. He trained the convicts to temper the clay, mould the bricks, air dry them, and then burn them in the kiln to harden them. James was on duty when Bill Miner (The Grey Fox) escaped in 1907 by tunneling under the fence in the brick yard. James spent over a week searching the lower Mainland for the escapees. This is detailed in his report to the Acting Warden; in Four Walls in the West by Jack David Scott; in Interred With Their Bones: Bill Miner in Canada by Peter Grauer; in The Grey Fox: The True Story of Bill Miner, Last of the Old-Time Bandits by Mark Dugan; and in several articles published in The Daily Columbian newspaper between 9 Aug and 12 Aug 1907. In 1982, Bill Miner's story was made into a movie titled The Grey Fox starring Richard Farnsworth: the movie does not mention James Doyle.

He lived at 512 Kelly Street, Sapperton, (New Westminster), British Columbia, on 5 December 1917.¹³ He left a will on 17 January 1918.¹⁴ He died on 22 February 1918 of heart disease at St Mary's Hospital, New Westminster, British Columbia, at age 59.⁵ He was buried on 25 February 1918 at Columbia Cemetery, New Westminster, British Columbia.⁵

Here is a photo of James and Mary Ann's children. Move the cursor over each face to identify the person.