The story of Maude Abbott: her legacy

Descriptive transcript:

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Montage of sepia photographs of the Abbott family: Maude Abbott and John Joseph Caldwell Abbott, Maude Abbott’s university diploma in Latin and a plaque in her memory as a physician, author, historian, founder and vice president of the Argenteuil County Historical Society. An interpretive sign of Maude Abbott’s family in Christ Church Cemetery and Maude Abbott’s gravestone in the cemetery. Historian Robert Simard points to artifacts in a display case at the Argenteuil Regional Museum and speaks into a microphone to a group of children dressed in snowsuits and seated on the ground outside in winter in front of Elmbank, Maude Abbott’s home. It is a two-storey red brick house with a black cedar shingle roof, a large white front porch on the ground floor and a small balcony in the centre of the second floor, also white. The house is decorated for Christmas. It is snowing.

 Video title: The Story of Maude Abbott, Chapter 2, Her Legacy.

 A young girl plays the role of Maude Abbott, sitting and writing at a desk in the Abbott family exhibit at the Argenteuil Regional Museum. She has blond hair and is dressed in beige; she appears focused and thoughtful. She sits on a wooden chair and writes in a fat notebook placed on a small red desk on which there is a framed photo of Frances Mary Smith Abbott, Maude’s grandmother, and a blue vase in a plastic display case. Photos of various Abbott family members hang on the wall behind her.

A bronze commemorative plaque hangs in the Abbott family exhibit in the Argenteuil Regional Museum. The plaque reads, “In Grateful Memory of Maude E. Abbott B.A. MDLLD, 1869-1940, Physician. Author. Historian. A Founder and Vice-President of The Historical Society of Argenteuil County”.

The camera turns to show part of the Victorian Parlour of the Argenteuil Regional Museum. The upper walls are covered in green striped wallpaper and the lower walls are pale green with pink flowers. The moldings and floor are white, and the curtains are green and white. A large black and white print of people attending a Victorian ball hangs in a wooden frame on the left wall. Against the same wall is a wooden Victorian-era chaise longue with pink lined fabric and two yellow cushions. A red-burgundy rug lies under the chaise longue. Next to the chaise longue, near the window, there is a wooden side table topped with white marble, on which is arranged a tea set (teapot, creamer, teacup). Above this table, a shelf hanging on the wall displays other Victorian dishes. In the corner of the left and back walls, there is a Victorian wooden chair with a beige cushion on which a book is placed. A mannequin placed in front of the window wears a burgundy dress of the period. The room’s barriers and interpretive signs can be seen.

[Narrator]: After announcing her retirement, Maude continued her work as a scientist, writing the history of her community, which she published from 1934 to 1936 in the form of a series of chronicles entitled “Social History of the Parish of Christ Church, St. Andrews” in the Montreal Churchman.

A black and white newspaper article entitled “Social History of the Parish of Christ Church, St. Andrews, Que. From 1818 to 1875. By Maude Elizabeth Seymour Abbott, B.A. M.D., McGill University, Montreal. Introduction”. Two columns of text are accompanied by a black and white drawing of an elderly Reverend Joseph Abbott, M.A., wearing an Anglican minister’s robe, a black and white photograph of Christ Church in St. Andrews, and a photograph of an elderly Mrs. Joseph Abbott (Harriet Anne Bedford), wearing a black dress and white cap.

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Part of the list of members of the Historical Society of Argenteuil County, in alphabetical order. Close-up of names beginning with the letter “A”, including “Abbott, Alice Frances Macdonald” and “Abbott, Dr. Maude E.”.

[Narrator]: Driven by her duty to remember, Maude co-founded the Historical Society of Argenteuil County in 1934. In 1938, the Society opened a museum on the history of the pioneer families of Argenteuil.

Photographs of Abbott family members in the Abbott family exhibit at the Argenteuil Regional Museum. Black and white photo of an elderly Mrs. Joseph Abbott, wearing a black dress with a white lace collar and cap. She is looking to the left with a serious expression. The oval photo has an embroidered flower background and a thin wooden frame. Black and sepia photo of an elderly John Joseph Caldwell Abbott. He is sitting on a chair, his hand resting on white papers on a desk, wearing a suit with a jacket and bowtie. His white hair reaches his shoulders and he is looking to the left with a serious expression. Black and white drawing of an elderly John Joseph Caldwell Abbott, in profile. His white hair is shorter and he is wearing a black jacket with a white collar. He is looking to the left with a serious expression.

[Narrator]: Maude was the museum’s curator and applied the classification system she had developed at the McGill Pathology Museum.

A colour portrait of Maude Abbott. She is elderly and wears a red and white gown over a black top. Her hair is grey and is tied back, and she is looking straight ahead with a serious expression. The background is dark blue.

Another portrait of an elderly Maude Abbott. She is wearing black clothing and a necklace. Her grey hair is tied behind her head and she is looking straight ahead with a serious expression. The background is blue-green and the painting is in a gilded frame.

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[Narrator]: Probably inspired by her maternal grandmother’s devotion to her,

Sepia photograph of Frances Mary Smith, Maude Abbott’s maternal grandmother. She is sitting at a desk, her hands resting on an open book. She is wearing a dark dress and a white lace cap. She is looking straight ahead with a benevolent gaze.

Black and white photo in a red velvet frame with beaded accents in the four corners, of Maude Abbott and her sister Alice as little girls. They are in front of a fence outside and are both looking at the camera with a serious expression.

[Narrator]: Maude made it a point of honour to take care of her older sister Alice for many years.

Four young girls looking at Elmbank, Maude Abbott’s home. It is a two-storey red brick house with a black cedar shingle roof, a large white front porch on the ground floor and a small balcony in the centre of the second floor, also white. The house is decorated for Christmas. It is snowing. The girls are arm in arm as they look at the house.

[Narrator]: Alice developed serious mental health problems in early adulthood. Maude looked after her well-being until Alice’s death in 1934.

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The display cases in the Abbott exhibit at the Argenteuil Regional Museum. Photos and drawings of Elmbank, Maude Abbott’s home, can be seen.

Robert Simard and a group of children look at the gravestones in Christ Church Cemetery in Saint-André-d’Argenteuil. The children are wearing colourful snowsuits. It is snowing. Robert Simard is wearing a black coat and a dark toque. He speaks to the children through a microphone.

[Robert Simard]: So, Robert, you explained that Maude Abbott was humble. You know, she was a doctor, she was there for the families, for the children. But when she was buried, she decided to have the smallest cross in the family plot.

An interpretive sign on the history of Maude Abbott’s family in Christ Church Cemetery. The title reads “La petite histoire de la famille de Maude Abbott (Saint-André-d’Argenteuil)”, and is followed by paragraphs of text, pictures of gravestones and a key for the pictures. A student leans against the sign while looking at it. Robert Simard points out the gravestones of the Abbott family members to the listening students.

 The Abbott family gravestones in Christ Church Cemetery. It is snowing.

 [Robert Simard]: Because you have to understand that her grandmother had passed away, her grandfather had passed away, so they have that big cross. The medium cross, it’s Maude Abbott’s sister who is buried there, and the small cross is Maude’s.

Maude Abbott’s gravestone. It is a stone cross on a rectangular base and reads “Maude E.S. Abbott. B.A., M.D., C.M. L.L. D. Granddaughter of…” The rest of the inscription is hidden by the snow. It is snowing.

[Robert Simard]: And she had specifically asked not to have the largest cross in the cemetery.

A young blond girl wearing a warm blue sweater, a colourful skirt, white tights and winter boots kneels down in front of Maude Abbott’s grave. She appears moved, her eyes closed, her hands together. It is snowing.

Shot of a sign in the Maude Abbott exhibit in Christ Church Cemetery. The green sign features a black and white photograph of Maude Abbott as a student and the inscription “Docteure Maude Abbott (1896-1940)”. It is snowing.

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Black and white photograph of an elderly Maude Abbott, sitting at a desk reading a book, looking focused. Her grey hair is tied back; she is wearing dark clothes.

[Narrator]: Maude died suddenly in 1940 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. She was 70 years old.

A young girl holding an umbrella looks at the sign in the Maude Abbott exhibit in Christ Church Cemetery, smiling. The green sign features the previous photo of Maude Abbott as a student and the inscription “Docteure Maude Abbott (1896-1940) Christ Church Cemetery”.  Christ Church is on the left. It is snowing.

Shot of the group of children in Christ Church Cemetery. They are wearing colourful snowsuits. Some are looking at the interpretive sign and talking to Robert Simard; others are looking at the gravestones. It is snowing.

[Narrator]: She received many tributes from the scientific world, her colleagues, her alma mater and the community of St. Andrews in honour of her memory and her scientific work.

The inscription on Maude Abbott’s gravestone.

The gravestones of Maude Abbott’s family in the Christ Church Cemetery in Saint-André-d’Argenteuil. It is snowing.

[Narrator]: In 1993, she was named a Person of National Historic Significance by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. In 1994, she was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, and in 2000, Canada Post issued a postage stamp in her honour.

Close-up view of the Maude Abbott stamp, issued by Canada Post. It shows the portrait of Maude Abbott wearing a red and white gown, framed and placed against a grey brick wall. The medical symbol can be seen at the top right of this wall. At the bottom of the stamp is a bouquet of twelve red roses and the words “Canada” and “46”.

[Narrator]: In 2015, the Municipality of Saint-André-d’Argenteuil recognized Maude Abbott as a historical figure and the community created a commemorative space in Christ Church Cemetery, near Maude’s grave.

Shot of the cemetery and Christ Church. Several gravestones can be seen, along with the back of the red brick church with several lancet windows and the back of a two-storey red brick house. It is snowing.

The children and Robert Simard walk among the gravestones in Christ Church Cemetery. It is snowing.

Shot of the young blond girl kneeling in front of Maude Abbott’s grave. She appears moved, her eyes closed, her hands together. It is snowing.

A student with blond hair holds a microphone and asks Cynthia Lisa Dubé a question. They are in a classroom. The walls are blue. There is a couch in the room, and flags from different countries hang on the walls.

 [Student]: What impresses you the most about Maude Abbott?

[Cynthia Lisa Dubé]: Her tireless work, her strength of character. She was dedicated and passionate. She was a bit ingenuous about it; for her, all that mattered was research, and sometimes she could be quite distracted.

Black and white photo of an elderly Maude Abbott. She is wearing dark clothing and a pearl necklace. Her grey hair is tied back. Her head is resting on her hand and she is looking to the left with a serious and thoughtful expression.

Black and white photo of an elderly Maude Abbott, looking at Lord Tweedsmuir during an event. She is wearing a black coat, a stylish hat and glasses, her hair is tied back. Lord Tweedsmuir is wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt. He holds a black top hat in his hand. They are looking at each other and smiling. Behind them, a woman in a dark dress with white polka dots and a stylish hat is looking at Lord Tweedsmuir with a smile. Other people can be seen in the background.

[Cynthia Lisa Dubé]: She had a few accidents because she was so preoccupied by her thoughts that she would just step out into the street and get hit; it happened three times.

Shot of a display case in the Abbott exhibit at the Argenteuil Regional Museum. Period costumes and photos of John Joseph Caldwell Abbott can be seen.

Back to the student who is asking Cynthia Lisa Dubé a question in the classroom.

[Cynthia Lisa Dubé]: So what impresses me is her great intellectual capacity, her tireless work and also, very much, her great generosity. She had a lot of friends; so many people had good things to say about her when she died because she made a big impression on people. They called her the beneficient tornado, because of her energy and generosity.

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End credits

Guests: Cynthia Lisa Dubé, Françoise Savard, Robert Simard.

Director and camera operator: Marc-Antoine Bergeron.

Voice-over: Hans-Thomas Leclerc.

Editing: Elodie St-Jean.

With the collaboration of: the students of Scolaire le monde school, the Argenteuil Regional Museum, Table de concertation Paroles aux aînés d’Argenteuil, TVC d’Argenteuil.

TVC d’Argenteuil logo.