McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Greenshields, John, 1814-1867
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1814-1867
History
In 1833 John Greenshileds and his father Samuel Greenshields (1780-1851) founded the wholesale dry goods firm S. Greenshields and Son Company. By the turn of the century this firm had become the largest and oldest Canadian dry goods wholesaler and was a pioneer in domestic woolen and cotton goods manufacturing. His son Edward Black Greenshields (1850-1917) became a member of the family firm in 1869 and was its sole owner by 1893.
John was active in Montreal's business and Scottish communities. He was President of the St. Andrew's Society (1860-61) and one of the directors of the Victoria Skating Club.
In 1847 he married Elizabeth McCouloch Craw Black (1828-1890), the daughter of Reverend Edward Black (1793-1845) of Montreal. They had one son and three daughters.