Family Histories
Henry William Copson
Henry William Copson
Title: A Man of Vision: Henry William Copson
Author: Dr. H. Bernice Bell (c.1929 - 2024)
Publisher: Self-published. Charlottetown: c.2011
Description: Quarto. 142pp. Illustrated. Softcover. Signed in ink by the author on the title page. The author examines the life of her great-grandfather, Henry William Copson, who emigrated to Canada in the mid-19th-century. By way of an enormous quantity of old correspondence that survived at the family homestead in Ontario, the author pieces together the decisions that led to her ancestor to leave England for a new life in North America. The story continues with the trials and tribulations Copson faced upon arrival in Aurora, north of Toronto, followed by his eventual success at farming.
Dr. Bernice Bell studied at the University of Toronto, and later as a professor of social work and gerontology. Upon retirement in 1991, Bernice and her husband, Claude, retired to Prince Edward Island. Dr. Bell died at Charlottetown on July 17, 2024.