Ross, John

John Ross was born on 29 April 1825 in Beauly, Inverness-shire, Scotland. At the age of seven the family emigrated to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia where Ross took singing lessons along with his regular schooling. In 1847 he married Jean Ann McKenzie and in 1852, at the invitation of Rev. Murray of Cavendish Presbyterian Church to open singing lessons for his congregation, moved to Prince Edward Island where he taught public and private singing classes for several years. During this period he produced for his students a simple elementary work on music called the "Odicum". To accomplish this he had learned typesetting and in 1859 started publishing "Ross's Weekly" in the plant previously used to publish "The People's Journal". The premises of "Ross's Weekly" was destroyed by fire on 15 July 1866 and Ross was later involved with several newspaper ventures including the "North Star", "The Eastern Advocate", and "The Prince Edward Island Times". He used his editorial skills to espouse the cause of the Tenant League and later the Prince Edward Island Railway. He was also the leader of the Harmonic Society of the Island and a director of the Caledonia Club. In his later years he turned his hand to the manufacture and marketing of Magic Healer Salve. He died on 18 May 1907.