Descendant of Alexander Cameron and Janet (Ross)
This Ship Hector Passenger descendant was called “one of the foremothers of Canadian biblical studies” and “an important figure in that she played a significant role in the terms of history at the University of Toronto." This lady helped break barriers when only men were allowed to obtain degrees at universities.
Beth (Elizabeth) Mary MacDonald was born in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in 1897 to parents Christina Margaret Logan and Rev. Peter MacLaren MacDonald. Both parents were born in Pictou County. The family moved to Ontario in 1904, where Peter ministered to several Presbyterian and United churches in the Toronto area.
Elizabeth would attend the local district schools and graduate from Westminster Ladies College. She enrolled at the University of Toronto (UOT) in the Faculty of Arts, and completed her B.A. in 1921, her M.A. in 1923, and her Ph.D. in 1928. During this time, she met her future husband, Matthew Truran Newby, who eventually became an Anglican priest. They were married on June 27, 1934.
Being brought up in a Christian household and marrying a minister, would very much influence Beth’s beliefs and future. Both her and Matthew studied oriental languages. She became the first women to complete a doctorate in the department of oriental languages at UOT.
And Elizabeth was a pioneer in that her Ph.D. study was published in 1931, as the first volume in the oriental series at the University Press.
“Upon graduating with her doctorate, she was offered a job at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto,” states one account of her life. “Unfortunately, she had to decline the position because her mother was ill at the time and needed care. As a result Beth was never able to pursue a career where she could apply her studies and research skills.”
Elizabeth passed away in 1984, her husband Matthew, in 1978 and their only daughter Frances in 2021 at Bible Hill, Nova Scotia.
For further reading please refer to;
Idestrom, Rebecca G. S. “Elizabeth Mary MacDonald: An Early Canadian Contribution to the Study of Women in the Ancient Near East.” Pages 169–189 in Breaking Boundaries: Female Biblical Interpreters who Challenged the Status Quo. Edited by Nancy Calvert-Koyzis and Heather Weir. LHB/OTS 524. New York: T & T Clark, 2010.
Historical research by Brenda Hutchinson and John Ashton