Cleric.
Born at West Cape, Prince Edward Island on 10 October 1840, seventh in a family of nine children, he was educated at the Charlottetown Academy. In 1861, he entered the ministry of the Bible Christian Church and moved to Ontario, serving several congregations, including one at London. He came to Manitoba in 1881 and continued his ministry for two years until poor health forced him to give up preaching for two years.
In 1884, following the amalgamation of the Bible Christian and Methodist faiths, he resumed his ministry as pastor at Methodist churches at Gladstone, Crystal City, and Greenfield. Again afflicted by poor health, he was forced to retire in 1890.
He was married twice, first in 1871 to Elizabeth Adams Thorne (1847-1893) with whom he had nine children: Frances M. Kinley (c1872-1958), William J. Kinley (c1874-?), Louise Kinley (?-?, wife of Rev. Frederick James Johnston), Mary Kinley (c1877-?), Emma E. Kinley (1878-?), John Herbert Kinley (1880-1897), Walter Thorne Kinley (1884-1948, father of Francis Ross Kinley), Ethel Adams Kinley, and Edith Florence Kinley (1891-1891). On 2 January 1895, he married Sara Elizabeth Buchanan and they had a daughter, Edna Kathleen Salome Kinley.
He died at his home near Belmont on 19 January 1910 and was buried in the Belmont Hillside Cemetery.
Birth registration [Edith Florence Kinley], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Marriage registration [William Kinley, Sarah E Buchanan], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
“Wedding bells,” Belmont Eye, 10 January 1903, page 4.
Death registration [John Herbert Kinley, Wm Kinley], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Belmont News, 27 January 1910, page 5.
Elizabeth A Kinley, FindAGrave.
We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 May 2026
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