J. K. Chapman
1919-1999

James Keith Chapman was born 24 April 1919 in Gagetown, New Brunswick, and passed away 13 October 1999 in Fredericton. His early education began at the Gagetown Grammar School, then he moved to the Provincial Normal School in 1937. From 1940-1946, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Upon returning to New Brunswick, he attended UNB from 1946–1950 and graduated with his BA in history and political science with honors. He continued at UNB and received his MA in 1952 while holding a Beaverbrook Scholarship for studies in the relations of Maine and New Brunswick. He then attended the University of London and obtained a PhD in British imperial history in 1954 after having been awarded a Beaverbrook Overseas Scholarship. Chapman was a professor in the History Department at UNB for thirty years (1954–1984). In 1984, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Mount Allison University and the next year, 1985, he was named Professor Emeritus at UNB. Chapman’s research focused on Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon. His two books in the field were The Career of Arthur Hamilton Gordon: First Lord Stanmore 1829–1912 (1964) and A Political Correspondence of the Gladstone Era: The Letters of Lady Sophia Palmer and Sir Arthur Gordon, 1884–1889 (1971). Later in life he turned to writing about growing up in rural New Brunswick.  The three books in his the River Boy Trilogy, are:  River Boy: Life Along the St. John (1980), River Boy Returns (1983), and River Boy at War (1985).

Source

Mertens, Kimberly. "James Keith Chapman." New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia, Spring 2010. Accessed 18 May 2023. 

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Gagetown, Fredericton

Archival Material

  • Location
    University of New Brunswick Archives & Special Collections
    Retrieval Number
    UA RG 363
    Date Range of Material
    1908-1999
    Extent

    1 m textual records and other material

    Scope and Content Note

    Fonds consists chiefly of correspondence to J.K. Chapman from various military and local history associates, personal correspondence, and Chapman’s “letters to the editor”; also some research and historical writing by J.K. Chapman. Other material in the fonds includes photographs, photo albums, and family memorabilia of James K. Chapman and his wife, Rhoda Wilson.

  • Location
    Provincial Archives of New Brunswick
    Retrieval Number
    MC2554
    Date Range of Material
    1922-1999
    Extent

    7 cm of textual records and 5 photographs

    Scope and Content Note

    This collection consists of a scrapbook of clippings of New Brunswick Tourist scenes - [1930s] and automobiles of 1933 and photographs of Marianne Grey Otty's father, Norval, with a gun; of ceremonies at the opening of the Fredericton train bridge, 1938; of Beaverbrook Overseas Scholars and wives, [1952]; of Old Government House, Fredericton; and of Henry Harvey Stuart and Mrs. Stuart. There is also a typed copy of reminiscences by W. Frank Hatheway entitled, "Warren Franklin Hatheway," dictated in 1921-1922 to Ella Bertha Hatheway, his wife, which was used as a source for one of J.K. Chapman's articles. Also included are drafts of "The Wonder of the Swinging Galaxy" by Linden Peebles; "The Chapman Family of Gagetown" by J. K. Chapman; and "Over the Waves and Far Way" by Linden Peebles. The photographs were transferred to the Photograph Section.

Headshot of James K. Chapman
Picture Caption

James K. Chapman

Credit

"Dr. James K. Chapman of UNB's History Department". Courtesy of University of New Brunswick, UA PC 1, item 12, [ca .194-?]. Accessed 18 May 2023.

See the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia entry.

Bibliography Items

Displaying 1 - 2 of 2
Squires, W. Austin, and Chapman, J. K. A History of Fredericton: The Last Two Hundred Years. Fredericton: City of Fredericton, 1980, 174 pp. [ book ]
Collection(s): Architecture

Chapman, J. K. Gagetown as We Were: A Short History with Illustrations. Gagetown, NB: Queens County Historical Society and Museum, 1987, 94 pp. [ book ]
Collection(s): Architecture