Arthur Nash

BIOGRAPHY

Arthur Nash was born in King Norton (near Birmingham), Worcestershire, United Kingdom on 7 January 1885. He was the youngest of seven children born to parents Alfred (1840–1926) and Laura Nash (1844–1890). His mother died in 1890, when he was just five years old. He received his education at an English Catholic school.

In 1901, at the age of 16, Nash immigrated to Canada with his father and some of his brothers. The ship they sailed on would end up docking in Portland, Maine, USA, as the ice in the river prevented them from entering the harbor in Montreal, so they made the rest of the journey by train. The family would eventually settle in Cowan, Manitoba, which is where Nash would reside for the majority of his life. Being among the first people to live in Cowan, Nash and his family were forced to be become largely self-sufficient, getting their food by hunting and trapping in the woods. Because the nearest store was 20 miles away, he learned to spin wool, and made soap and maple syrup. In addition to working with his hands, he also enjoyed spending his time reading, and owned many books on several topics, ranging from Shakespeare’s plays to electronics. He would later use his experience with electronics to build a radio and telephone in the 1920s, which he would use to talk to his brother half a mile away at his farm.

Throughout his life, he held various jobs including working as a cook for a telegraph company, managing his own sawmill business with one of his brothers, and later on as a farmer on the homestead the Nash family had purchased upon their arrival to Canada. On 9 September 1918, he married Theresa Kennedy, and the couple would go on to have five sons and two daughters. His wife died on 5 July 1984, after over 65 years of marriage.

At the age of 104, he moved in with his son and daughter-in-law, where he would remain physically active and independent. However, an illness in 1993 would force him to move into a nursing home, which is where he lived for the rest of his life.

Arthur Nash died in Swan River, Manitoba, Canada on 4 November 1996 at the age of 111 years, 302 days.