Irwine Whitty Binney

Father and mother: Stephen Binney and Emily Pryor

Dates: 1841-1912

Married: Lucy Milner, sometime after 1888.

Children: Hibbert William Binney (1893-) and Irwine Ketchum Binney (1896-).

Irwine's name seems to be spelt various ways. Irwine seems to be the form that he used. However, Irwin is on the back on the photo on the right. It seems that Irwine's father called him Irvine. Irwine's names may have come from his aunt Mary (daughter of Hon. Hibbert Newton Binney) married Irwine Smith Whitty.

Looking at Irwine Binney's career, it seems that at first he tried to follow in his father's footsteps as a business man. I don't think that temperentally he was suited to this, and he switched to working in Customs, a family trade (see Hon. Hibbert Newton Binney and Edward Binney among others).

Family photo

Irwine Binney's obituary says "Educated at the Sackville Academy, New Brunswick, receiving a commercial education. In his younger days he found employment as a clerk in several commerical houses; and from 1861 to 1864, he was a book-keeper in the old establishment and well known lumber firm of Gilmour, Rankin & Co., Miramichi. He also carried on a wholesale business at Chatham N.B. for a few years and afterwards engaged in mining operations in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton in comany with the late Sir Albert J. Smith and others."

In 1871, Irwine was living with his parents and earning $600 a year (see Stephen Binney's letter). The first letter of Emily Binney of 1874 describe Irwine's "many worries this last Winter" and says "I trust his mining business is going to be a success at last." Irwine's first letter of 1874 sounds as if he is selling the mine, or at least turning it over to other people. This letter also gives a description of Monction ('The Bend').

His obituary says "He was appointed a clerk in Her Majesty's Customs at Moncton, N.B. on Dec. 1874 under the late James Robertson who was then collector. On the death of Mr Robertson. Mr. Binney was promoted on Nov. 1, 1883 to the position of Collector of Customs, and this position he held until April 1909, when he retired on a superannuation allowance in that year."

Irwine's remaining letters were written immediately after his mother's death. He is executor of his Emily's will and sorting out the money matters competantly but with quite a bit of worrying. He is obviously greatly upset by his mother's death. He was single at this time (1888) even though he was 46. Later, he married Lucy Milner (see below). They had at least one son, probably two (see below). To judge from his wife's dress and his obituary, Irwine ended up a prosperous and, I hope, happy man. He appears conscientious but anxious, and worried by by other people's inefficiencies. Still, he seems to have looked after people around him. His sister Lucy lived with him until his death. He paid an allowance to an uncle James "for his monthly board" (see Irwin's letters). The second letter of Emily Binney of 1884 even mentions that due to servant problems, Irwine is making up four fires a day before going to the office.

From Genealogy of the Binney Family in the United States collected by Charles J. F. Binney (published in 1886):
Irwine Whitty [Binney], b. July 10, 1841, merchant of Hillsboro, N.B., and in 1873, of Moncton, N.B. In 1886, collector of Customs.

Lucy Milner is described on the back of the photo below as the sister of sister of Mrs Ketchum. The first letter of Emily Binney mentions Mrs Ketchum. This is Sarah E. Ketchum, the wife of Henry George Clopper Ketchum. She wrote a letter to George Binney Dibblee, Emily Dibblee's son after Irwine Binney died, which suggests the family disliked Irwine's marriage and his wife (although the only close family left by this point was Lucy Jacobs). The letter also states that it was a very happy marriage.

Family photo - Lucy Milner, his wife
Irwin's wife

The photo on the right was taken at Easter in 1898, and on the back, it describes Hibbert as five years old and Irwine (Jnr.) as two. The obituary of Irwine (Sen.) in 1912 says that he has one son, Hibbert. If the photo shows brothers, then young Irwine must have died young.

The birth date of the oldest son also suggests that Irwine Binney and Lucy Milner were married some time between 1888 (when Irwine's mother died and he was living alone with his sister Lucy) and about 1892. I think he would have mourned his mother for a while, so probably the marriage date is nearer 1892.

Sarah Ketchum's letter describes Hibbert as "a fine manly good looking fellow, has heaps of friends" and "working with the tramway company". He was about 19 at this time.

Family photo - Irwine's sons (assumed)
Irwine's boys