Are you able to solve the century-and-a-half old mystery of who was the real David Tournay?

There are many mysteries that emerged from the Great Saint John Fire of 1877, including the true identity of David Tournay, the person at the centre of the most dramatic and heartbreaking story of the disaster.

In 1877, R.H. Conwell wrote a book entitled the History of the Great Fire in Saint John, June 20 and 21, 1877). The first five chapters of the book follow the trials of David Tournay as he navigates his way through the burning streets of Saint John in search of his wife and seriously ill daughter. However, his name was not David Tournay. This was a pseudonym. Conwell states that "we call him by that name (Tournay) because he shuns the notoriety such a book as this would give him."

Here is a summary of Tournay’s story:

David Tournay lived with his wife, Mary, and twelve-year old daughter, Ethel, in a house on Queen Square. Ethel was quite ill, but appeared to be recovering. When he heard the fire bells toll on the afternoon of June 20, 1877, Tournay left his home to check on the situation. He never dreamed that the fire would reach the Square. Tournay arrived to find the warehouse district awash in flames. After helping a few people rescue property, he went to his own place of business, which he had thought was a safe distance from the fire. He was wrong. Tournay and his clerks tried to save some of the contents of the store, but they were unable to find a wagon for hire. In the end, Tournay barely escaped the burning building with his life, and then solely focused on returning to his wife and child. With a blanket wrapped over his head to protect him from the searing heat, he pushed through the burning streets. He stayed as low as he could to escape the smoke, sometimes crawling. This is where he found something that likely saved his life. Everyone was running hoses in a vain attempt to save their property, causing water to pool in the gutters. Tournay took the blanket from his head, soaking it several times along the way to provide additional protection. This allowed him to continue against what seemed like certain death. He arrived at Queen Square to find his worst fear realized. His house was blanketed by flames. There was no way anyone could have survived. He fell to his knees in despair, but then noticed the front door unlatched. He was sure he had bolted the door shut when he left. He concluded that it had been opened from the inside when his family escaped. He darted off once again through the firestorm in search of his beloved wife and child. David Tournay finally found his wife and little Ethel under a tree in the old burial grounds. Ethel barely clung to life as she laid on the grass under her mother’s care. David carried his daughter lovingly to a nearby home where they called for a doctor. The physician arrived late that night, examined the girl, and thought she might pull through. Only time would tell. The Tournays and other close friends stayed by Ethel’s side, praying that God would grant her mercy. The exertion through the fire, however, proved too much for the young girl. While David and Mary held her little hands, she passed away the next morning.

No one ever came forward claiming to be David Tournay and no documented evidence has uncovered his identity. However, Conwell's book may hold the clues to solving the mystery.

Here is what we know:

• Tournay lived in a large home on Queen Square, which was destroyed in the Great Fire. That limits the list of possibilities to the following people who lost homes at Queen Square (according to George Stewart, Jr. in The story of the Great Fire in St. John, N.B., June 20th, 1877):

  • John Boyd

  • Thos Furlong

  • Isaac Woodward

  • Geo B. Cushing

  • R. Cruikshanks

  • A. L. Palmer

  • Jas Manson

  • W.B. Smith

  • John Horn

  • J. W. Barnes

  • D. Robertson

  • John Stewart

  • F. Tufts

  • John Tucker

  • H. Jack

• Tournay had an impressive collection of books held in his private library. Both Conwell and Stewart remarked on John Boyd's extensive private library.

• Tournay owned a warehouse located within 3 to 4 blocks of Union Street. John Boyd owned a warehouse at Market Square: Daniel & Boyd, which was within that distance.

• Tournay’s warehouse was destroyed in the Great Fire. Daniel & Boyd's warehouse was destroyed.

• Tournay had a twelve-year-old daughter who died on June 21, 1877.

John Boyd is listed first in Conwell's acknowledgements, and a significant amount of Chapter 20 is devoted to the life of John Boyd (and is quite complimentary).

I'm sure my guess is clear to you...

John Boyd (1826-1893) became the 8th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick and was appointed to the Senate of Canada. His wife's name was Annie E. Jones and they were married in 1852.

We know a lot about John Boyd except one crucial fact that would answer the question as to whether he was David Tournay. I can’t find any records of whether or not he had any children and if one died at the age of twelve in 1877. Can you? Find these records and you could solve this mystery.