R. G. MacBeth

Roderick George MacBeth (21 December 1858 – 28 February 1934), was a Canadian author, Presbyterian Minister, lecturer, and historian.

Life

Roderick George MacBeth (conversely spelt McBeth) was born on 21 December 1858 in Kildonan, Red River Settlement to Mary McLean and Robert McBeth, a Justice of the peace and member of the Council of Assiniboia. MacBeth's father and grandfather, Alexander McBeth - one of the 23 survivors of the Black Hole of Calcutta -, moved to Kildonan from Sutherlandshire, Scotland, in 1815 with a party of Selkirk Settlers.

Early life and education

MacBeth was educated at local parish schools and later public schools in the Red River Settlement. In 1878, he began his studies at Manitoba College, then part of the University of Manitoba. In 1882, MacBeth obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws, followed by a Master of Arts in 1885. In 1885, while studying at Manitoba College, he enlisted in the Canadian Militia and served with the Winnipeg Light Infantry under General Thomas Bland Strange during the North-West Rebellion. He marched across the prairies, going as far west as Calgary and Fort Edmonton. For his service, he was awarded a medal.

Upon graduation, MacBeth opted to pursue a career in law and he was called to the Manitoba bar in 1886. However, this career was short lived and he quickly abandoned the field of law to pursue a ministerial education, first at Manitoba College and then Princeton Theological Seminary. He was ordained as a minister by the Presbyterian Church in 1891.In 1886, MacBeth married Christina Ellen Sutherland. The marriage was short, as Sutherland died the following year. MacBeth remarried in 1896 to Elizabeth Patterson. The couple had four children together and remained married until MacBeth's death in 1934.