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George Maxwell
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Born in Northern Ireland on 11 July 1823, he migrated to Canada in 1844, settling first at Toronto for a brief time and later in Huron County, near the town of Wingham. The Maxwell family moved to Manitoba in 1868, travelling to Moorhead, Minnesota by rail and proceeding onward by wagon.
They farmed near High Bluff for two years then moved to Winnipeg in 1870 where he became a building contractor, responsible for construction of buildings around the city. He had the honour of turning the first sod in connection with the building of the first railroads in Manitoba and the North-West Territories.
He was married twice, first in 1841 to Kathleen Montgomery (1823-1857) in Ireland and they had three children: George Wellington Maxwell (1851-1901), Thomas Humphrey Maxwell (1852-1934), and Catherine Maxwell (1856-?). In 1860, he married Mary Dileworth (1844-1874) and they had three children: William J. Maxwell (?-?), Son2 Maxwell (?-?), and Caroline Maxwell (1864-1947, wife of Charles Augustus Baskerville). He became a member of the Grand Orange Lodge on the day of its incorporation and, for the next 35 years, held office as Grand Secretary. He was a member of Grace Methodist Church and served as a Justice of the Peace for many years.
He died at his Winnipeg home, 127 Cauchon Street, on 29 June 1911 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
Some of his construction work in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
Hespeler Block
Main Street
?
Old Customs House
?
?
Dominion Lands’ Office
?
?
Bannatyne Block
?
?
CPR Telegraph Office
?
?
Death registrations [George Maxwell, Thomas Humphrz Maxwell, Caroline Maxwell Baskerville], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Dies at mature age of 88 years,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 June 1911, page 1.
“Orange funeral for Geo. Maxwell,” Manitoba Free Press, 30 June 1911, page 8.
“Thos. Maxwell dies; came to west in 1868,” Winnipeg Tribune, 26 March 1934, page 3.
George Maxwell, FamilySearch.
Pioneers and Early Citizens of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Manitoba Library Association, 1971.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 27 March 2025
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