Acadiensis/Volume 3/Number 2/Leonard A. Allison
The Late Leonard A. Allison, M. A., K. C. of Sussex, N. B.
Leonard A. Allison.
EONARD A. Allison, M. A., K. C., of Sussex, who died at Torquay, England, January 8, was a man of remarkable industry in many directions. For twenty years and more, while engaged in active professional practice, he found time to pursue several lines of independent study and intellectual activity. Probably no other working lawyer in this province has retained and increased his knowledge of the ancient classics as Mr. Allison did. A few years ago a visitor to his library found him reading Thucydides, and on looking over the volume discovered that Mr. Allison had nearly covered the margin with historical, critical and grammatical notes. When he was a member of the Sussex School Board it was his custom to spend several hours a week in the school, and to follow closely the work of the higher classes in, all the subjects of the course. It may be mentioned as indicating Mr. Allison’s disposition and varied accomplishments that when he was choir leader of the Methodist church at Sussex, he prepared for the service a collection of hymns and chants, selecting the music from all available sources, arranging some of the pieces himself, copying the whole into neat books for each member of the choir.
Mr. Allison was a first rate amateur photographer, which art he made subservient to his historical work. His views of historic spots and buildings will in time to come be of great value to antiquarians.
It is most to the purpose of this publication to speak of Mr. Allison’s work as a local historian and genealogist. Soon after he settled in Sussex he became interested in the history of Kings County, and began to collect data concerning old families and early settlements. Had he been less conscientious about his work he could have published more than he did, but he always refused to give any historical matter to the press until he was satisfied that he had established all the facts beyond question. This unwillingness to publish incomplete records was rather unfortunate, as absolute correctness and finality is impossible in historical inquiry. No one else can now make as good use of Mr. Allison's memoranda as he could himself, but it is understood that he made such disposition of these papers that they will be available for others working in the same field of inquiry.
A good example of the thoroughness and care with which Mr. Allison conducted his historical research is shown in his published biography of Rev. Oliver Arnold, the first Rector of Sussex, and in the history of the Indian school, established in that town a century ago. Several papers read before the New Brunswick Historical Society were contributed by him. But the greater part of Mr. Allison's historical work was never published.
He began some ten years ago to collect documents relating to Sir William Fenwick Williams, the hero of Kars, and in later life governor of his native province of Nova Scotia. General Williams was connected with the Arnold family of Sussex, and many letters of his were at the time that Mr. Allison began his researches in possession of relatives in this province and in the west. This material was evidently not in the hands of the writers of the standard biographies of General Williams, and Mr. Allison, by making a careful study of the published memoirs, as he did in the early stages of his enquiry, hoped to be able to prepare a much fuller and more accurate record of the career of this distinguished Nova Scotian than is now in existence. Death cut short this work and the others in which Mr. Allison was engaged, and brought too early to a close the life of a good man, a model citizen, and a strenuous laborer in the field of historical research.
L. A. Allison was born fifty years ago in Newport, Hants County. His father, John Allison, was a descendant of one of the New England families who came to the provinces about 1760. One of his father's brothers represented Hants, first in the provincial legislature and then for two terms at Ottawa. An other is now president of Mt. Allison University and was formerly Superintendent of Education in Nova Scotia. Leonard Allison took his Arts degree at Mt. Allison and was for several years thereafter teacher of classics in the Academy there. He studied law, first with his former fellow student, H. A. Powell, K.C., of Sackville, and afterward with Silas Alward, K.C., of St. John. Then he removed to Sussex and became the law partner of another college companion, Hon. A. S. White.
