Memorable Manitobans: William John Hampton (1875-1963)

Cleric, educator.

Born at Putney, Surrey, England on 5 June 1875, he immigrated to Canada in 1901 and, by 1906, was located on 34-54-21 W4 in Alberta. He later moved to Winnipeg where he attended from Wesley College and was the Treasurer for its Theological Society (1911). On 16 June 1911, he was ordained a Reverend of the Methodist Church. Ten days later, he married Bertha May Lennox (1880-1961, eldest daughter of H. J. Lennox) at her parents’ residence, 576 Langside Street, in Winnipeg. The couple honeymooned at Kenora, Ontario before moving to Edmonton, Alberta to begin missionary service.

In March 1916, he enlisted with the 194th Overseas Battalion and spent some time that year at Sarcee Camp, a First World War military training base at Calgary. By the year’s end, he was sent to England with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He worked at Canadian military and hospital facilities for the duration of the war, including the Canadian Casualty Assemble Centre at Bramshott Military Camp, as well as Sunningdale, Shorncliffe, and Beech Hill Hospital. He attained the rank of Acting Sergeant prior to demobilization and arrived back in Canada in April 1919.

By 1921, he and his family had moved to River Lot 160 (St. Norbert Parish) in St. Vital and took up farming. They had four children: Henry Byron Hampton (1912-1933), Dorothy Hampton (c1914-?, wife of C. Hayes), Marion Helena Hampton (c1917-1984, wife of Edward Gill), and Nelson Hampton (c1922-?). During this time, he was Principal of the nearby Vermette School (1922). By the 1930s, they had moved further north in the municipality, to Rose Avenue, and in 1938, he semi-retired to St. James and was a member of the St. James United Church. He later worked for the Winnipeg Parks Board as a night watchman at Assiniboine Park, until full retirement in 1951.

He died at Deer Lodge Hospital on 30 January 1963 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery.

Sources:

Marriage and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1901 & 1911 Canada Census, Automated Genealogy.

1916, 1921, & 1926 Canada census, Library and Archives Canada.

Attestation papers, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.

“Methodist conference concludes delegations [Vermillion River District],” Edmonton Bulletin, 20 June 1906, page 2.

“Methodist conference appoints Mr. Lythe to Westminster,” Lethbridge Herald, 11 June 1908, page 1.

“News of the colleges [Wesley],” Manitoba Free Press, 7 January 1911, page 9.

“Methodists have men for ministry,” Manitoba Free Press, 16 June 1911, page 12.

“Hampton - Lennox,” Winnipeg Tribune, 30 June 1911, page 8.

“Final draft of stations make many changes in placing of Methodist Ministers," Medicine Hat News, 5 June 1913, page 1.

Death notice [Henry Byron Hampton], Winnipeg Evening Tribune, 20 February 1933, page 7.

“Wurch to get trial by jury,” Winnipeg Tribune, 31 July 1947, page 15.

Obituary [Keitha May Hampton], Winnipeg Tribune, 20 March 1961, page 22.

Winnipeg estate file 319/63, William John Hampton, Archives of Manitoba.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 1 February 1963, page 26.

Obituary [Marion Helena Gill], Winnipeg Free Press, 3 January 1985, page 18.

Elmwood Cemetery burial transcriptions, FindAGrave.

This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.

Page revised: 9 October 2020

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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