Born at Sussex, England in 1869, he immigrated to Canada in 1905 with his wife Sadie Mason (1875-1921) and daughter Violet Manser (1901-?). They settled at Virden and subsequently had a son, William Thomas Manser (1911-1975, son-in-law of Herbert Hanks Goulter). He was responsible for construction of many of the region’s prominent buildings, including schools, churches, public auditorium, offices, homes, and bridges. He retired in 1944. He died on 16 May 1958 while driving from Virden to Carberry, and was buried in the Virden Cemetery. He is commemorated by the Manser Bridge in Virden.
Some of his construction works in Manitoba included:
Structure
Location
Year
Status
228 Wellington Street West, Virden
1911-1912
Nelson Street West, Virden
1914
Gopher Creek, RM of Wallace-Woodworth
1915
Bosshill Creek, RM of Wallace-Woodworth
1915
Gopher Creek, RM of Wallace-Woodworth
1920
Demolished (?)
512 Seventh Avenue South, Virden
1929
1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
“250 completed stores in west firm’s program,” Winnipeg Tribune, 21 September 1929, page 32.
“Virden builder dies in car,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 May 1958, page 15.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
We thank Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 16 December 2022
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