Alexander Neil Bethune Alexander Bethune was born on August 28, 1800, at Will- iamstown, Charlottenburg Township, Upper Canada. He was the son of the Reverend John Bethune, a loyalist and Veronique Wadden. Bethune's father,' John, a c.lergyman of the Church of Scot- land (Presbyterian), emigrated to the Carolinas to be 'chaplain of a regiment of Royal Militea. Soon after the outbreak of the American Revolution he was captured yet escaped and made his way to Montreal. In 1787 he moved to Charlottenburg. Here Alexander was born the eighth of nine children. He had his early education in Cornwall under the guidence of Rev. John Strachen. In 1819 he went to York to "place himself under the care and direction of Dr. Strachen, as student of divinity." He en- tered the ministry of the Church of England mainly through the influence of Dr. Strachen and his mother who had a reformed church background. He remained a student until 1823 when he was made a deacon. The following year he was ordained a priest by Bis- hop Jacob Mountain in Quebec City. For the next three years he was in charge of the parish at Grimsby. Then in 1827 he was made incumbent of the Parish of Cobourg. He was later made rector and served there until 1867. Rev. A. N. Bethune married Eliza Jane Crooks, daughter of the Honourable James Crooks of Hamilton. They had 10 children. While in Cobourg, Bethune became first editor of the Church, a weekly paper of church news. He kept this post until 1841 when he resigned. While there it became capparent that he and Rev. Strachen (later first Bishop of the Diocese of Toronto) had very similar views~ Both agreed on the church's right to sole control of the clergy reserves and dominance over the educational system. In 1839 when Strachen was appointed Bishop he made Bethune one of his chaplins. Bethune also'formed the first Diocesan Theo- logical Institution in 1842 in Cobourg. It ran until 1852 when it merged with University of Trinity College. Bethune was the first principal. As Strachen aged, Bethune took on more of the responsibilities of the Bishop. In 1866 Bethune was made archdeacon of York. He worked diligently, and hard at this post. In 1867, after a close / election, Bethune became second Bishop of York. This office he held until 1879 when he died.