Bernard Slattery and Sons, Butchers

Bernard born in 1852, was the second child of William and his first wife Honorah. When he was 16, he first started to work in his father's By-Ward butcher shop. In 1878, at age 26, he was a fully accredited butcher in charge of the shop in the Wellington Ward market. By 1885, when his father died, Bernard was in charge of both the Wellington Ward shop and the original Byward Market shop. He was then 33 years of age. Somewhere along the way he received the nickname "Barney". Under Bernard's regime the Slattery butcher business grew and prospered until there were at least five locations in the city.

By-Ward buther shop

Table 5 traces the growth, flourishing, and eventual decline of the Slattery butcher business under the management of Bernard. After Bernard's death in 1922, his sons continued the business until changes in retailing, changes in consumer tastes and the great depression eventually won out. I have learned that Loeb, the food wholesaler and a pioneer in the supermarket business, started his career in 1928 in Ottawa. This must have had a drastic effect on the specialty stores and the Slattery butcher "empire" was hard hit.

Bernard, then 27, married 17 year old Annie Kennedy in 1879, at St. Patrick's Church, where Bridget had been married six years before. Annie's family were well known in Ottawa.

Like his father, Bernard attracted considerable newspaper coverage. For example, in December 1893, it was reported that a vicious steer had escaped from Slattery & Terrence's slaughter house in Ottawa East, and in the course of its being captured nearly killed several men. Finally it was run down on horseback and lassoed by Mr. Slattery, who at once had it killed. (Just like in a cowboy movie!) On another occasion, Bernard, the consummate showman, purchased the prize steer from the Toronto Winter Fair and organized a parade from the railway station led by the Governor-general!

As recounted previously, 1879 was important also because his father made Bernard manager of the Wellington shop, and the Vice Regal recognition was granted ho his father's meat business.

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Bernard's properties
Joan Denault (daughter of G. Wall & Margery Slattery; granddaughter of Bernard Slattery) says that Bernard and Annie moved on their wedding day into a new house on what was then called "the new Gloucester Road" or the Macadamized Road". (Evidently the old road stayed unpaved). Bernard bought the house from a man who built it for his intended bride who died before the wedding. Bernard made many improvements to it over the years.

The house became a landmark in Ottawa, and is featured in many accounts of Ottawa houses. It was originally numbered 42 Riverdale, but was changed some years later to 40 Riverdale. The included photo of the house, called Mount Pleasant, was probably taken about 1915-1920 to judge by the vintage cars and the number of family members lounging on the lawn. The man and woman on the entrance steps are most probably Bernard and Annie. The house remained in the Slattery family into the 1940's. It was bought first by the Chinese Embassy until sold in 1949 to Florence, the daughter of Bun, and her husband Lloyd Dornan. They sold the house in 1955 to Dr. Butler. After his death, Mrs. Butler sold it to St. Paul's University. In 1996 it was partially destroyed by fire.

About 1903 or 1904, Bernard had three houses moved from Lower Town to the land along riverdale that had been bought by his father. The 1908 directory listed them as numbers 64,66 and 68 Riverdale. The houses had been located on Sussex St. opposite the Cathedral, and were moved by sleigh in the winter.

Through the years he purchased a number of properties in the city which he rented out. In 1910, he bought several properties at McGregor Lake, some of which are still owned by his descendants, and in 1912 had a large summer home built there.

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Bernard and Annie
As shown in Table 6, Bernard and Annie had 13 children born between 1880 and 1903. It seems strange that the first seven were boys, followed by six girls! Two boys and two girls died as infants in 1888, 1890, 1896, and 1897, no doubt victims of the epidemics that caused the death of his mother and half-brothers and sisters. In spite of these deaths, there is no doubt that their spacious home was none too large for their family.

In addition to the extensive butcher shop business that he built up before his death, Bernard was well known for community activities. He was keen supporter of the Ottawa College football team, including a period as manager. The photo of the 1898 championship football team included a profile view of Bernard. He was then 46. He supported lacrosse also. He was one of the Federal District Commissioners who were responsible for laying out the driveways in Ottawa. For ten years he was on the Ottawa Improvement Committee, and active in many other fraternal and charitable associations. He was a founder of Holy Family parish in 1901.

The photo of Bernard and Annie taken in 1921 shows Bernard much changed from the 1898 picture. Whereas he appears rather gaunt, Annie looks very robust and rather formidable! One year later, on Saturday, October 7, 1922 Bernard died at home of a heart attack. He had lived the traditional "threescore years and ten". In his obituary it was reported that on the previous Wednesday he had told his bookkeeper, M. J. O'Farrell, that he had experienced "oppression" in the heart region when he arose, but evidently mentioned it to no one else.

Bernard died a wealthy man. His estate in personal property and real estate was valued (in 1922) AT at over $260,000, which would be well over a million dollars today. In real estate he owned 14 consecutive lots on Riverdale from Lot 19-32, which included 6 houses. There were 4 lots on Main Street, and 8 lots on Clegg. Further away, there was also a large lot on Bronson (the Concession Rd.) with four houses. In the Byward area he owned a very valuable property with four houses on Church St. (now Guiges), and also one of the lots originally purchased by his father near Cyrville. Lastly, he had land, a house, and mining rights at McGregor Lake. His estate was to be divided equally among his widow Annie and his living children, except for a deduction from the share of his son Jack for advances paid to him.

At the time of Bernard's death, Bill, Eddie, Marjory and Dorothy were still at home with their mother Annie in the big house on Riverdale. Within four years all married, bill in 1924, Marjory in 1925, Dorothy in 1926, and Eddie in 1927.. Annie died in 1932, at age 70, like Bernard.

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