The Tweedie family had a long-standing connection with the university. William Morley Tweedie's father, Rev. William Tweedie, was part of the first class of students to enter the Mount Allison Academy when it opened in 1843. All three of his children subsequently attended the Mount Allison institutions. His daughter Leora received a degree in piano from the Conservatory in 1879 and a Mistress of Liberal Arts (MLA) in 1880. His son William Morley became one of Mount Allison University’s most influential professors following his 1882 graduation and subsequent graduate education abroad. He taught for 50 years as head of English language and literature (1887-1937). Nettie, the youngest child, also attended the Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy and taught as part of the Shorthand Department from 1890-1894.
Reverend William Tweedie (1820-1903)Rev. William Tweedie was born in 1820 in Ireland. He was the son of Robert Tweedie (?-1863) and Sarah Dowler (?-1870), who were married on 9 April 1812 in Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland, and emigrated from Leitrim County, Connacht, Ireland, to Williamstown, New Brunswick, in the summer of 1822. William attended the Mount Allison Academy in 1843-1844. He and two of his brothers, James and Robert, all became Methodist ministers in the Maritime Provinces. He married Dorcas Dykeman Calkin on 4 June 1856. The couple had three children: Leora Rebecca, William Morley, and Nettie Eliza Hayward, all of whom were born in different parts of the Maritimes. The family moved around New Brunswick and Nova Scotia about every three years as required by the Methodist Church at that time. He died on 4 April 1903 in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Dorcas Dykeman (Calkin) Tweedie (1832-1909)Dorcas Dykeman Calkin was born on 13 April 1832 in Nova Scotia, the daughter of Joshua Calkins (1785-1881?) and Rebecca Dykeman (1796-1881?). She married Rev. William Tweedie on 4 June 1856. The couple had three children: Leora Rebecca, William Morley, and Nettie Eliza Hayward. Dorcas died on 14 February 1909.
Leora Rebecca Tweedie (1858-1951)Leora Rebecca Tweedie was born on 5 June 1858 in Maitland, Nova Scotia. She was the eldest of three children born to Rev. William Tweedie (1820-1903) and Dorcas Dykeman (Calkin) (1832-1909). She entered the Mount Allison Ladies’ College in 1877 and completed studies in piano at the Music Conservatory in 1879 and earned a Mistress of Liberal Arts (MLA) in 1880.
She served as one of the presidents of the Alumnae Society and lived for many years with her brother William Morley as part of the Sackville and Mount Allison community. She died on 19 December 1951. The funeral was held in Allison Hall, the original site of the Mount Allison Ladies’ College, on the afternoon of 20 December 1951. She is buried with her brother in the Sackville Rural Cemetery.
Eliza Hayward (Tweedie) Beer (1867-1948)Nettie Eliza Hayward (Tweedie) Beer was born on 5 February 1867 in Burlington, Nova Scotia. She was the youngest of three children born to Rev. William Tweedie (1820-1903) and Dorcas Dykeman (Calkin) (1832-1909). She entered the Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy (female branch) in 1889, and the following year she was put in charge of the Shorthand Department where she taught from 1890-1894. During her time at Mount Allison, Nettie served as vice president of the Eclectic Society (1890-1891) and as president of its mission band (1891-1892).
She married William Walter Beer (1848-1913) on 27 January 1894 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The couple moved first to Nelson, British Columbia, and later to Toronto, Ontario. They had one daughter, Eleanor Annie Beer, born on 15 December 1896. The child died on 15 August 1897. Nettie travelled widely as evidenced by the letters and postcards that she sent to her siblings throughout her life. She died on 31 March 1948 and is buried in the Forest Lawn Mausoleum in Toronto.
Mount Allison University Archives. Raymond Clare Archibald fonds, 5501/5/2/3/1
May only be reproduced with permission from the Mount Allison University Archives.
Rev. James Tweedie was born in Northesk Parish, New Brunswick, in April 1826. He was the son of Robert Tweedie (?-1863) and Sarah Dowler (?-1870), who were married on 9 April 1812 in Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland, and emigrated from Leitrim County, Connacht, Ireland, to Williamstown, New Brunswick, in the summer of 1822. He married Rachel Susannah Smith (?-1912), daughter of R. K. Smith, Esq., in Amherst, Nova Scotia, on 22 August 1861. They were married by Rev. Humphrey Pickard. The couple had four children: Sarah Jane May (1864-?), Clara Gardiner (1865-?), Reynolds Knowlton (1867-1915), and Thomas Mitchell (1872-1944). He died at Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, on 15 September 1898.
Thomas Mitchell Tweedie was born on 4 March 1871 in River John, Nova Scotia. He was the son of Rev. James Tweedie (1826-1898) and Rachel Susannah Smith (?-1912). He entered Mount Allison University in the fall of 1895, and while in attendance was a member of the inter-collegiate debating team, a member of the football team, and an editor for The Argosy. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1902 and subsequently entered Harvard Law School where he received his LL.B. in 1905, then spent an extra year doing postgraduate work. He was admitted to the Alberta bar in 1907 and practiced law in Calgary for nearly fourteen years. He was elected to the Alberta Legislature as a Conservative MLA in 1911 and re-elected in 1913. In 1917 Tweedie was elected as a Member of Parliament to the House of Commons. He vacated the position in 1921 when he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Alberta. In 1933 Mount Allison University conferred on him an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law (DCL). After twenty-three years as a puisne justice, Tweedie was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alberta in August of 1944. He died on 4 October 1944 in Lethbridge, Alberta. A bequest from Thomas Mitchell Tweedie allowed for the construction in 1946 of Tweedie Hall as part of Trueman House, presently the Wallace McCain Student Centre at Mount Allison. The hall was named in honour of both Thomas Mitchell and William Morley Tweedie.