When a dentist’s bag from the 1890s appeared in a Nanaimo hospice shop, no one expected it would lead back to Saint John, revealing a fascinating slice of New Brunswick’s medical history and one family’s cross-country journey.
Within the New Brunswick Museum’s collections is a dentist bag found in Nanaimo, British Columbia. The dentist’s bag came into the Nanaimo Community Hospice Shoppe in British Columbia. Inside was a copy of a wedding announcement from parents Dr. and Mrs. John T. Hazelwood of their daughter Effie Lucretia Hazelwood’s marriage to John Allen Clowes in October, 1913 in Saint John West, New Brunswick. The New Brunswick Museum was subsequently notified of this by shop manager Daphne Catteson.
Image 1 shows this historical artifact: a leather dentist’s bag with metal fittings, dating from approximately 1890, measuring 36 x 44 x 21 cm. This weathered case crossed the country, carrying with it both medical tools and family memories.
How did this dentist’s bag from New Brunswick end up in a shop in British Columbia?
Research by the New Brunswick Museum revealed that John T. Hazelwood was first listed as a dentist in the 1891-92 Saint John City Directory and that previous to this he had been a druggist in the city from 1881 to 1890. According to the New Brunswick Dental Association, John T. Hazelwood was licensed by an Order by the Governor in Council in 1893 but his practice was restricted to certain procedures. His pharmaceutical work may have assisted his entry into the profession.
While there was an Ontario Dental Association from 1867 and The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario the next year, the Canadian Dental Association was only founded in 1902. Hazelwood obviously practiced without a degree and learned on the job within his restricted duties. He did not advertise himself as a doctor in the Saint John City Directory. This is an important reminder of a developing profession.
Image 2 shows a tag that was attached to the handle of the bag regarding its lock, offering a small glimpse into the security measures used by medical professionals of that era to protect their equipment.
It was further discovered that Effie Hazelwood and John Clowes subsequently moved to British Columbia and the bag must have travelled with them. Dr. John Hazelwood is listed as a dentist in 1915 but not 1919; he passed away in 1926. The move of the bag to British Columbia would likely postdate his death and perhaps that of his wife Annie Garrison Rouse (d. 1943).
John Clowes died in Comox, B.C. in 1945 and Effie Hazelwood in New Westminster in 1969. It’s likely the bag descended to Effie and thereafter to one of their children or a relative and eventually made its way to the Hospice Shoppe.
Image 3 shows a typed note that was found in the bag, probably from the last descendant. This fragile piece of paper provides one of the final links in the chain of custody that brought this artifact back to New Brunswick.
Image 4 displays a copy of the wedding announcement found inside the dentist’s bag – the crucial clue that connected this artifact to Saint John and the Hazelwood family history.
Beyond the bag itself, the Museum’s research uncovered photographs that help us understand Dr. Hazelwood’s life and personality. Image 5 shows Dr. John T. Hazelwood with a top hat and his dog, taken around 1900, offering a glimpse into the personal life of this early New Brunswick dentist.
Perhaps most intriguing is Image 6, which shows Dr. John T. Hazelwood performing hypnotism on a volunteer in a parlour setting around 1900.
