James Simon (1894 - 1977)
James Simon was born in the Fort MacPherson area. He and Sarah Stewart were married in 1920. The arranged marriage was a happy one; James wanted to propose, and he rushed an RCMP trip he was guiding so the Fort McPherson to Dawson expedition took eleven days instead of two weeks. James and Sarah moved to Aklavik and James taught Sarah to live in the bush and drive a dog team. Sarah taught James about the Anglican faith and how to fish. James had to travel in his jobs with the RCMP and Hudson’s Bay Co. and they moved to Old Crow in 1926. The Anglican Archdeacon suggested James take formal training and they moved to Hay River where James studied the bible at the Hay River Residential School and Sarah learned how to play the organ. They returned to the Mackenzie Delta in 1928 to find a widespread flu epidemic.1)
Catechist James Simon was ordained in 1959 and, with his wife Sarah, began work with the First Nation congregation in Whitehorse. Reverend Simon was ordained a priest in 1960, assigned to Old Crow in 1961, and assigned to Dawson in 1965-66. James and Sarah Simon retired to MacPherson.2)