Memorable Manitobans: John William Henry Wilson (1832-1892)

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John William Henry Wilson
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Lawyer, civil servant.

Born at Waterford, Ireland in 1832, he came to Canada with his widowed mother at the age of 2. Most of his early life was spent at Bradford, Ontario where he practiced law. While there he ran unsuccessfully for election to the Ontario Legislature and House of Commons. In 1882 he moved his family to Winnipeg where he continued his legal practice. He served as a Bencher for the Law Society of Manitoba from 1884 to 1886. In 1889 he was appointed Registrar in the Land Titles Office at Portage la Prairie.

He and wife Amelia M. Wilson (1832-?) had eight children: Isabella M. Wilson (1855-?), R. J. Wilson (1858-?), Charles Patrick Wilson, Minnie Wilson (1860-?), Herbert George Wilson, Constance H. Wilson (1869-?), Edith M. Wilson (1872-?), and Georgina Wilson (1876-?). He was active in local politics, the temperance movement, and the Masons, rising in the latter to the position of Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba. He was also an Orangeman.

He died at Portage la Prairie, after a long illness, on 19 July 1892.

Sources:

1891 Canada census, Ancestry.

“J. W. H. Wilson dead,” Manitoba Free Press, 20 July 1892.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

We thank Stan Barclay for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 15 October 2024

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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