(1855-6 Sept. 1942), businessman. Born in Russian Poland or Russian Lithuania. At the age of sixteen, he came to Canada. “After spending a few years in Glengarry, he settled in Montreal,” which was his home for the remainder of his life. An unidentified printed history of Montreal states that Vineberg was at Lancaster, GC, from 1876 till 1880, when he went to Montreal. While at Lancaster, this source continues, he established a good-sized country-style store, and he ever after remembered “the little village of Lancaster” with affection, and valued the youthful training he got there. As the material following in the present article will show, at least the date of his leaving Lancaster, 1880, needs correction. In Montreal, Vineberg was highly successful, and was head of the eminent Montreal wholesale clothing firm of H. Vineberg & Co. Ltd. Also, he was president of the Baron de Hirsch Institute, and a life governor of the Montreal General Hospital, and “was for many years treasurer of the Jewish Colonization Association.” (For more on his interest in colonization, see the following) Harris Vineberg died at the Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, in his 87th year. (three children) His wife, Lily Goldberg, predeceased him.

     When J. C. McNEIL began the first Glengarry newspaper, The Glengarry Times, at Lancaster in 1880, various local businessmen and firms contributed money to the project (some of these contributions being usable as advance payment on advertising), one sum being $100 from the Vineberg firm at Lancaster. Advertisements from the newspaper show that the Vineberg firm was operating as a general merchant business, selling clothing and other dry goods, footwear, groceries, medicines, and the wide variety of goods common in GC general stores of the time. The store was at the railway village of Lancaster, i.e. the present-day Lancaster as opposed to South Lancaster.

     The Glengarry Times of 11 Feb. 1882 reported that H. Vineberg & Bro. [sp. sic], of Lancaster, were winding up their business at Lancaster, as “one of the firm” was leaving for Manitoba.

     Then a few weeks later, The Glengarry Times of 4 March 1882 contained the following article (printed here in full), “JEWISH COLONIZATION. Mr H. Vineberg, of the firm of Vineberg Bros., left for Manitoba on Wednesday. At an interview he had last week with the Minister of the Interior, he was furnished with the necessary instructions to enable him to select, en bloc if possible, sufficient land for homesteads and pre-emptions, for about twenty families, the greater number, including Mr. Vineberg’s father, and other relatives, being practical farmers and lumberers from Russian Poland. The Messrs. Vineberg will also secure sections of land for individual members of the firm, and we understand these are but the pioneers of what may become an extensive immigration of Hebrew agriculturists, including many of their expatriated and persecuted fellow-countrymen. If this should prove to be the case the country will acquire a class of colonists which cannot fail to be a source of wealth and strength to the great North-west.”

     The next month, the Glengarry Times of 8 April 1882, mentioned that Harris Vineberg was soon to leave for the West. The article also mentioned his brother Hyman, and although Harris was presumably the H. Vineberg of the firm title, this is not positively known. Nothing more has been discovered about H. Vineberg’s western settlers. From the sources for Harris Vineberg’s life it may be gathered that the western project did not amount to much in the outcome, and that it was only a brief and perhaps unsuccessful interlude in a life otherwise remarkably successful.

     The Cornwall Reporter, 23 April 1881, stated, “The ancient rite of circumcision was performed on Sunday last, for probably the first time in Cornwall; the infant being the son of Mr. Israel Vineberg, of the firm of H. Vineberg & Bro.” It may be noted that there was also a Cornwall businessman called Max Vineberg, whose son called Dr Norman N. Vines (spelled thus) was described in 1941 as a “prominent surgeon and physician,” while another son was termed a “Montreal sportsman.” See also D. S. Friedman and (for another appearance of the Vineberg name) Jacob Kellert.

Montreal Daily Star 7 Sept. 1942 (two notices) (QF) * Morgan (1912) 1129 * Arthur Daniel Hart, The Jew in Canada (1926) 342: biog. and portrait * information from the National Archives of the Canadian Jewish Congress * Ross, Lancaster, 188-189 * Max Vineberg leases store in Cornwall, Cornwall Freeholder 30 Aug. 1889, cited DTL Standard Freeholder 30 Aug. 1947 * obituary of Mrs Max Vineberg, SFH 17 Jan. 1941