More on the Dr. Edward William Kidd Family Dr. Edward

By Jane (Kidd Reid) Minden Revised November 2017
More on the Dr. Edward William Kidd Family


Dr. Edward William Kidd (b. Oct 12, 1849, d. Aug. 25, 1924) m. Oct 15, 1878 in Prescott, Mathilde Louise Beaudry (b. June 8, 1851 d. Feb. 7, 1940)
Edward William was the youngest child of John Kidd (1798-1851) & Margaret Garland (1807-1884).
Edward Kidd, (b. October 12, 1849 war records; even though his gravestone reads 1850) the youngest son of John Kidd and Margaret Garland, was born on the original Kidd farm in Beckwith County near Franktown, Ontario. Baptismal records confirm the 1849 date and list his baptism as February 22, 1851 in Beckwith Township by Reverend W. Andrews. His father, John Kidd, died in 1851 when Edward was only two years old. Obviously, Edward did not really know or remember his father. On April 15, 1858, his mother, Margaret Garland Kidd, remarried a Thomas Kidd, who was a cousin of her first husband – with some connection to the Kilfoyles, Edward’s grandparents on his mother’s side. He was referred to as Thomas, The Stepfather. Thomas Kidd died when Edward was 18 in 1867. Thomas was really the only father that Edward would have remembered while growing up. According to “The Derry”, Thomas provided for Edward in his will.

John Kidd also provided for Edward in his will and left his youngest son, Edward, ¼ of the Kidd farm, but Edward decided to leave the farm and go to Queens University to become a Doctor. Medical archives show that in 1871, Edward is a medical Doctor. Death records from 1876 and 1877, list him as a Doctor in Manotick, North Gower. Perhaps he met his wife there as she was living in the Osgood, Ontario area, not far from Manotick. On October 15, 1878, in Prescott, Edward married a French lady, Mathilda Louise Beaudry. My family believes that there is a connection to Papineauville, Quebec west of Montreal on the Ottawa River. Perhaps her parents, Denis and Margaret Beaudry were from Papineauville. My mother, Mary Alice Kidd Reid, remembers that her grandmother, Mathilde Beaudry (1851-1940) spoke French. Mathilde has been referred to as Mathilde Beandry in some articles (The Derry), but the name Beandry does not seem to exist & the French name Beaudry has been associated with the Papineauville area. I believe that Mathilde is the French version of Matilda. My grandfather’s {Dr. George Claude Kidd (1884-1952)} obituary, referred to his mother as Louise, not Mathilde. A copy of their marriage certificate was obtained by my cousin Cathy Morritt, confirming the name as Beaudry, the marriage date in 1878, & Mathilde’s parents as Denis & Margaret Beaudry. The family information is that Mathilde came from a French Catholic family. The Kidds were English speaking non-Catholics. Evidently this caused quite a few problems within the Beaudry Family. Even though the wedding announcement lists Alexander Beaudry, likely her brother, our family could not remember any visits from the Beaudry family. Edward seemed to have solved the problem for his family by listing his religion as Universalist on the 1881 Census and as Unitarian on his WW1 Records.

The 1881 Census showed that he and Mathilde and their first child, John Norman age one year, were living in Uxbridge, Ontario where Edward was a local Doctor. Madge Kidd Flindall confirmed that Norman Kidd was born in Uxbridge. Edward and Mathilde moved to Uxbridge sometime after 1877 when Edward was listed as the Doctor in Manotick and before the 1881 Uxbridge Census. Perhaps it was after they were married in 1878.
Sometime after 1881 and before 1884, they moved to Wellington, Ontario where their second son, George Claude (my grandfather) was born. In 1892, their daughter, Marguerite was born. In July of 1893, Edward is listed as the Doctor in Death Notices in Prince Edward County. The 1901 Census shows that he and his family – wife Mathilde, son Norman 21, son George Claude 16, and daughter Marguerite, 8 are living in Kingston, Ontario.
According to Trenton Newspaper article, Edward and his family returned to Prince Edward County in 1903. However, the 1911 Census shows that Edward and his oldest son, Norman, are living in Trenton and Mathilde and Marguerite are living in Ameliasburg, near Trenton. If the 1911 Census was taken in the summer, perhaps Mathilde and Marguerite were counted as living in the Ameliasburg while at the cottage, while Edward was counted as living at their home in Trenton. Like many families, including Edward’s son, George Claude’s family, the wife and children lived at the cottage during the summer while the husband worked and lived in town during the week and came to the cottage on weekends and holidays.

The Trenton Newspaper referred to Edward as a “Builder of Trenton”. He was Mayor from 1911 to 1914. In 1914, he was presented the Gold Headed Cane Award. The Gold Headed Cane Award in the 18^th century was first awarded to a pre-eminent physician in English Society. It evolved to represent the symbol of professionalism and humanism in the field of Medicine. It is not awarded to many. One other cousin of Edward, Dr. John Franklin Kidd, a brain surgeon, of the Ottawa area also received this award.

Although, it appears as if the City of Trenton awarded the Gold Headed Cane Award to Edward only for his time served as Mayor, the award is not presented to many, and always is to a doctor. His granddaughter, Madge Kidd Flindall, donated it to the Trenton Historical Society. John Waugh, Edward’s great-grand son, has the oil painting that was also presented to Edward at the same time.
Edward & Mathilde lived in the Trenton - Picton area where Edward practiced medicine. (I have his pine medical chest; supposedly the one he used Boer War in South Africa between 1899 & 1902, but war records seem to indicate that it was from World War 1 when he served in Egypt –Africa- as a doctor). Despite his age, Edward signed up to go overseas during WW1. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Canadian Militia. He served as a medical Doctor in the Number 7 Canadian Hospital (Queens) during the war in Egypt. Later the unit moved to France.
Dr. James Kidd Simpson, (1861-1915 single from Juneau Alaska) son of Edward’s sister, Eliza Kidd (1844-1914) left his surgical instruments to Edward. Cathy Hayden Morritt has the one pine chest with the actual instruments. Hugh S. Wyman, M.D. is the name on the inside of the pine box that I (Jane Minden) have from my great grandfather, Dr. Edward William Kidd. Edward supposedly received the pine box used as a medicine chest at the time, from his nephew, Dr. James Kidd Simpson who had spent some time in Alaska working with Dr. Hugh S. Wyman. Perhaps the medical chest belonging to Dr. Hugh S. Wyman, was left to Dr. Kidd Simpson, when he died in 1913 or maybe it was when Dr. Wyman left Alaska in the 1890s. It was then passed on to my great grandfather. I (Jane) have found quite a lot regarding James Kidd Simpson and Dr. Hugh S. Wyman. In 1884 (Wyman) and 1886 (Kidd Simpson) were the first doctors in Juneau, Alaska. In the 1890’s Dr. Wyman returned to Washington. In 1905 the first hospital was named after Dr. Simpson - later changed to Sisters of St. Ann. There was also a gold mine explosion, in which Dr. Kidd Simpson saved many people. One man was so grateful that he had saved his life, that in 1897, he named his first son, James Simpson MacKinnon after him. James Simpson donated many photos to the Alaska State Library. His collection includes photos of Dr. James Kidd Simpson and Dr. Hugh S. Wyman.

Edward built a large red brick house on Dundas Street in Trenton. While building the second house on Dufferin Street, he & his family rented the house next door (Smithrim’s). When he built his second house on Dufferin Street he gave the first house to his oldest son Norman. Eventually the second house on Dufferin Street was passed on the George Claude Kidd & then sold to George Claude’s son, George. After the death of George Junior in 1970, the Kidd house was sold to someone outside of the Kidd family. There have been a few renovations done to the house, but I was still able to recognize it as my grandparent’s house when I was a child. (2017)

Edward built two cottages on the Bay of Quinte at Carrying Place; one cottage for each of his sons, Norman (1880-1941) & George (1884-1952). These cottages were enjoyed for the next three generations. We, (my sister & brother & cousins & aunts and uncles) spent a part of each summer at these cottages while growing up. In 2005 Madge Flindall & David & Jane Minden went to Carrying Place to find where the cottages had been, but were not able to determine the exact location, as the area has been built up with permanent homes.
Mathilde was a milliner (perhaps). Mathilde was remembered by her grandchildren Madge, Eleanor & Mary Alice, as a lovely women. She was French Roman Catholic & Edward was English, Protestant. In those days it was not acceptable to many family & community members.
Edward died on August 25, 1924 in Trenton, Ontario & Mathilde died February 7, 1940 also in Trenton.

Both are buried at the Carrying Place Cemetery.

Dr. Edward Kidd & Mathilde Beaudry had three children: (Norman, George & Marguerite)