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ROCHE, William C. (136)

Birth

  • Born on January 11, 1800 in Shelburne, Shelburne Co., NS

Death

  • Died on December 24, 1887 in Halifax, Halifax Regional Municipality, NS
  • Buried in Camp Hill Cemetery in Halifax, Halifax Regional Municipality, NS

Marriages

Children

Notes

  • Occupation: Ship Captain/ Merchant
  • Obituary: Acadian Recorder, Dec. 26, 1887 "On Saturday afternoon, about 4.30, there passed away William Roche, sr., who may be said to have been through a long series of years a notable man in the business community of Halifax. The deceased was born in Shelburne in 1800. His father was a ship-captain, and the subject of our sketch was descended from the loyalists of the American Revolution, who made Nova Scotia their home. Mr. William Roche came to Halifax in 1824, as captain of a vessel belonging to the family, and thence sailed out of here several years, having in the meantime associated himself in business here with his brother, the late Charles Roche, carrying on West India and Brazil trade. In 1834, Mr. Charles Roche (who was M.P.P. for Shelburne) went to reside in London, and Mr. Wm. Roche took into partnership the late T.C. Kinnear, which firm continued until the latter went to the West Indies, where he was for some time. These businesses were carried on at the present Roche wharf premises. The now deceased continued the business, until many years ago he became president of the Union Marine Insurance Company, which position he retained until the company terminated. Since then, Mr. Roche has retired from active business, and peacefully passed away on Christmas Eve 1887. Among the other public positions held by Mr. Roche was that of alderman for Ward 5, for two terms; and City Assessor for several years. His strong individuality made him well-known. He was a man of great determination and remarkable vigor of intellect, and to the last retained all the mental powers in an unobscured state. His recollections of what happened seventy or eighty years ago were as vivid as though of most recent occurrence; his mind recognized no impairment in the pictures it had retained of men and things long since disappeared; and he talked of them as though they were still his contemporaries, as when the race of life was began together. Mr. Roche was in a generation past an authority on matters of business and finance. He was sternly just, but at the same time benevolent and considerate, wherever such was seen clearly, through the clear light of his reason, to be meritorious or deserving. All his life he took a deep interest in bank and commercial affairs, and watched intelligently the developments of later years in these respects. He was strongly opposed to Confederation with Canada, which he was emphatic would result injuriously to Nova Scotia; and almost his last expressions of interest in such matters was a hope that the widest possible range of Reciprocal Trade would be brought about between this country and our neighbours."

Sources

  • Newspaper Obituary: The Acadian Recorder Halifax,NS Obituary Dec. 26, 1887

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