Memorable Manitobans: William J. Currie (1834-1931)

Farmer, businessman.

Born in Lanark County, Ontario on 28 February 1834, son of Robert Currie and Anne Wilson, he stayed on the home farm until the age of 23 years when he took employment as a clerk in a general store at Almonte, Ontario. In 1860 he moved to St. Mary’s and worked in the mercantile and grain businesses until 1879 when he emigrated to Manitoba. The next year, he took up a homestead along the Assiniboine River, at a site known as Currie’s Landing. He received and forwarded freight from steamboats travelling up and down the river at that time. From 1893 to 1902, he served as bailiff for the Brandon district, resigning in the later year and moved to Brandon where he engaged in the real estate and fire insurance business.

In 1861, he married Eleanor Creighton (1836-1908) of Blanchard, Ontario and they had six children: Robert Wilson Currie (?-?), Margaret Anne Currie (?-?), Harriet Ellen Currie (1867-1966), William James Currie (1869-1870), James Weldon Currie (1874-1949), and Lottie Louise Currie (1876-1972).

He died at Brandon on 30 March 1931 and was buried in the Brandon Cemetery.

Sources:

A History of Manitoba: Its Resources and People by Prof. George Bryce, Toronto: The Canadian History Company, 1906.

Death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Grave transcriptions, Brandon Cemetery.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 1 August 2021

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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