Lady Aberdeen, born Ishbel Maria Majoribanks, married her husband in 1877. Lord Aberdeen became Governor General of Canada on May 22, 1893. They had made an extensive trip to Canada as part of a world tour in 1890, buying a ranch near Coldstream in the Okanagan Valley in 1891. Managed by her brother, it was named Guisachan after Lady Aberdeen's father's estate at Guisachan near Inverness-shire in Scotland. Their ranch house was still standing at the outset of the 21st century. Lady Aberdeen was featured as an author at the 1892-18993 Chicago Exposition having written articles about her travels in Canada, particularly in the west, describing her Okanagan farm in the pages of Onward and Upward magazine. These articles were republished in book form as Through Canada With A Kodak (Edinburgh: W.H. White & Company, 1893). In her later memoir entitled We Twa: Reminiscenses of Lord and Lady Aberdeen, Lady Aberdeen also briefly describes visiting the Okanagan.
The couple travelled extensively during his term at Rideau Hall, visiting Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and First Nations people, supporting sports and presiding over celebrations for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. They also provided a letter of introduction to Pauline Johnson when she went to read her poetry in London, England. Lady Aberdeen became first president of the International Council of Women and helped create the Victorian Order of Nurses in 1897. He served in the House of Lords, favouring Prime Minister Gladstone, and was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1886 prior to his role as the Queen's representative in Canada. He returned to his role as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland after the couple left office in Canada. Lord Aberdeen died in 1934; she died in 1939.
BOOKS:
Through Canada With A Kodak (Edinburgh: W.H. White & Company, 1893)
We Twa: Reminiscenses of Lord and Lady Aberdeen, Volumes I and II (Glasgow: William Collins, 1925)
The Canadian Journal of Lady Aberdeen 1893-1898 (Toronto: The Champlain Society, 1960). Edited by John T. Saywell
The Journal of Lady Aberdeen: The Okanagan Valley in the Nineties (Victoria: Morriss Publishing, 1986). Edited by R.M. Middleton.
[BCBW 2004] "1850-1900" "1900-1950" "Agriculture" "Women"
