Obituary of Joseph William Short, High River Times (Alberta), 10 Jan 1924, p. 1

As transcribed on Find a Grave and copied 10 Oct 2026:

Joseph William Short, among the first pioneers to settle at High River, died on January 8, 1924, after a lingering illness of one year from cancer at the age of 81 years. He came here in the spring of 1883, forty years ago and located on the present Ramage property, west of town, which was then unsurveyed. He witnessed many changes in the country and always took and active interest in the life of the community. He was a very active man, straight and erect in carriage as in character and had the courage of his convictions, in religion and politics. He was born in Newcastle, Ontario in May 1842 and when quite a young man, went to Brooklyn, N.Y., where he was engaged in the dry goods business and while there was married to Miss Julia A. Conklin of Huntington, L.I. in 1866. In 1870 Mr. and Mrs. Short returned from the States to Woodstock, Ont., where Mr. Short engaged in the hardware business. Here five children were born, namely Charles C., and Mrs. W.W. McIntosh, now at High River, Mrs. Asher and Mrs. Rick [sic] of Vernon, B.C., and W.H. Short of Chinook, Alta., Ellwood, the youngest son, was born at High River and he is now residing at Acme. Mrs. Short predeceased him in the year 1889. In 1900 Mr. Short was married to Mrs. Morley of Winnipeg, and their daughter, Alice, was with the father at the time of his death, Mrs. Short having died in 1908. Besides three sons and four daughters, the late Mr. Short had forty two grand-children and eight great-grand-children. Two of his sisters survive, Mrs. James Hay and Mrs. Mary B. Short of Woodstock, and three step-children, Mrs. W.H. Short of Chinook, Mrs. Geo. McIntosh of Cereal, and Walter Morley of Fraser Lake, B.C. The late Mr. Short was a member of the Presbyterian Church and a member of the Masonic Lodge since July 10, 1872, and was a charter member of the High River Lodge. He was a Mason for over fifty years. Services were held in the Chalmers church on Thursday, January 10, being conducted by officers of Cornerstone Lodge, A.F. & A.E. Interment was made in High River Cemetery.

Joseph William Short was a son of John Short and Mary Jeffrey, and an uncle of Ruth (Short) Ellingwood. What it adds:

• Born at Newcastle in May 1842, another of the family born there.
• The hardware business at Woodstock, 1870-1883. His brother John G. was a hardware merchant at Woodstock in 1880-1886 (the birth registrations of his children); the brothers very probably worked together, and John G. carried on after Joseph went west in 1883 [I].
• His surviving sisters in 1924: “Mrs. James Hay” (Isabella) and “Mrs. Mary B. Short” (Mary Blair Short, unmarried as far as known; the “Mrs.” may be the paper’s slip). Their brothers John G. and Richard and their sister Jane had died.
• The family names: among his children (Find a Grave) were Mary Jeffrey Short (Mrs. Rice) and William Hall Short.