George Edward Cokayne was born on April 29, 1825, in London, England. He was originally named George Edward Adams, the son of William Adams and Hon. Mary Anne Cokayne, who was the daughter of Viscount Cullen. On August 15, 1873, he changed his surname to Cokayne through a Royal Licence.

Cokayne was an English genealogist and served as a herald at the College of Arms in London, eventually becoming the Clarenceux King of Arms. He graduated from Exeter College, Oxford, earning a B.A. in 1848 and an M.A. in 1852. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn on January 16, 1850, and was called to the bar on April 30, 1853. He began his heraldic career at the College of Arms in London, starting as the Rouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1859 and was later promoted to the office of Lancaster Herald of Arms in Ordinary in 1870. In 1882, he was promoted to Norroy King of Arms and then became the Clarenceux King of Arms in 1894, a position he held until his death in 1911. Cokayne is known for writing the reference works "The Complete Peerage" (1887) and "The Complete Baronetage" (1900).

In 1856, he married Mary Dorothea Gibbs. He died on August 6, 1911, in London, England.

John Colborne was born on January 16, 1778, in Lymington, England and died on April 17, 1863, in Torquay, England. He was the only son of Samuel Colborne Cordelia Anne Garstin. In 1813, Colborne married Elizabeth Yonge, they had three daughters and five sons. He was educated at Christ’s Hospital in London and at Winchester College. Colborne was commissioned as an ensign in the 20th Regiment of Foot in 1794, was promoted to lieutenant in 1795, and then to captain lieutenant in 1799, where he was wounded during the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. In 1806, he was deployed with his regiment to Italy, where he fought at the Battle of Maida in July during the War of the Third Coalition. Colborne became military secretary to General Henry Fox that same year and then became military secretary to Sir John Moore with the rank of major in 1808. He served Moore at the Battle of Benavente, the Battle of Corunna, the Battle of Ocaña, and the Battle of Bussaco in Portugal. Colborne then went on to become commander-in-chief of all the armed forces in British North America, leading the offensive at the Battle of Saint-Eustache in Lower Canada and defeating the rebel force in 1837. In 1828, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. One year later, Colborne founded Upper Canada College. In 1839, he left Canada and was elevated to the peerage as Baron Seaton, of Seaton in the County of Devon. Colborne became High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands in 1843 and then Commander-in-Chief, Ireland, in 1855. In 1866, a bronze statue sculpted by George Adams was erected at Mount Wise in Devonport, then moved to Seaton Barracks in Crownhill in the early 1960s, and then to Peninsula Barracks in Winchester in the 1990s. A second statue of Colborne was erected at Upper Canada College in Toronto. Colborne Street in London, Ontario is named after him, along with the city of Port Colborne in Ontario.

Charles William Colby, a historian and financier, was born on March 28, 1867 in Stanstead, Quebec. He was the son of a prominent businessman and politician. After obtaining his B.A. at McGill in 1887, he continued his studies at Harvard, at which university he earned his M.A. and PhD. At the age of 26 he received an appointment as lecturer of history at McGill, and soon thereafter was promoted to the level of professor. From 1899 until 1921 he occupied t he Kingsford Chair of History. Colby then retired from teaching to look after the extensive interests which he inherited from his father. His association with McGill continued, however, as Colby served as governor of the university for several years. McGill granted him an honorary Doctorate of Laws in 1921. He died December 10, 1955 in Montreal, Quebec.