Amos Samuel Bristol, son of Major Coleman and Catharine (Way) Bristol, is a descendant of one of the families that settled in Rhode Island about two hundred and thirty-five years ago. The Town of Bristol, in that State, was named after the progenitor of the family in that place. Descendants are now scattered all over the United States and Canada. One branch settled in Troy, New York, nearly a century and a half ago, the great-grandfather of our subject being a clergyman in that city, prior to the Revolution. A son of his, John Bristol, grandfather of Amos, was in Burgoyne’s army when it was captured. At the close of the war this released prisoner came to Canada, and settled on a farm in the County of Lennox, on the Bay of Quint. The maternal grandfather of Amos was a United Empire Loyalist. Several members of the last two generations of the family have been farmers, that being the calling of Major Coleman Bristol, of the first Lennox Battalion of Ernesttown, who was living in the Township of Ernesttown, on the original homestead of the family, when Amos was born, September 17, 1825. The son received his academic education in the Village of Bath, in his native town, and his professional, at McGill College, Montreal, receiving his diploma in 1850. After practicing a few months in Bath, Dr. Bristol removed to the County of Hastings; was in practice there seven years, and, in 1857, settled in Napanee. He soon built up a good general practice, which he continues with success, having the fullest confidence of the community.
He is Surgeon of the 4th Regiment of Provincial Cavalry; was a member of the School Board, in this corporation, for seventeen years, being much interested in educational matters. He has a fine assortment of medical and literary periodicals, a well selected library of solid reading of a miscellaneous character, and devotes all his leisure time to posting himself on the fresh developments in medical science, and in general literature. He has written some, though not extensively, for medical periodicals. His habits are very studious, his mental powers active and strong, and his acquisitions varied and extensive, making him an admirable converser.
Dr. Bristol is a member of the Church of England; was a warden for several years, and has been a delegate to the Synod since its organization. The purity of his life is unquestionable. In every respect his standing is high.
The Doctor has a second wife. His first, who was Sarah Minerva, “daughter of Colonel Daniel Everitt, of Kingston, was married June 21, 1853, and died November 28, 1863, leaving five children, four of whom are still living. His present wife is Amelia Marie, daughter of Thomas J. Robertson, formerly principal of the Normal School, Toronto, married December 8, 1870. She has three children. Catharine Marion, the eldest daughter of the first wife, is married to H. J. Saunders, M.D., of Kingston. The oldest son, George Everitt, is in a wholesale house at Hamilton. The second son, Edmund James, is at the University of Toronto. The rest of the children are at home.