John Adams has been the Regional Manager of B.C. Heritage and the President of the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria. He has been a regular contributor on British Columbia history for The Islander. Adams wrote the Historic Guide to Ross Bay Cemetery that takes the reader on 13 tours throughout grounds, visiting the resting places for the remains of the painter Emily Carr and the Honourable John H. Gray, the only father of Confederation buried west of Ontario. Adams is also the author of Old Square-Toes and His Lady, an in-depth look at Sir James Douglas, the fur trader who became colonial governor, and his wife of Scottish and Cree ancestry, Amelia Douglas. It looks behind Douglas' dour public image and sheds light on a lively household. [See James Douglas]

PHOTO: Amelia Douglas

Review of the author's work by BC Studies:
The Ker Family of Victoria, 1859- 1976: Pioneer Industrialists in Western Canada

BOOKS:

Ghosts and Legends of Bastion Square (Victoria: 2002)

Historic Guide to Ross Bay Cemetery (Sono Nis Press, 1999 $9.95) 1-55039-091-0

Old Square-Toes and His Lady: The Life of James and Amelia Douglas. (Horsdal & Schubart, 2001). $18.95 0-920663-77-X

The Ker Family of Victoria, 1958-1976. Pioneer Industrialists in Western Canada (Vancouver: Holte Publishing, 2007).

[BCBW 2008] "James Douglas" "Early B.C." "Forts and Fur"