Farmer, municipal official.
Born at the Red River Settlement on 5 February 1858, son of Louis Riel Sr. and Julie Lagimodière (1822-1906), in the home of his paternal grandfather Jean Baptiste Riel, he built a log home on River Lot 51 in the Parish of St. Vital in 1880-1881 where, in 1885, the body of his executed older brother Louis Riel was displayed for two days. The building has since been restored as a National Historic Site. He farmed and served as Reeve of the Municipality of St. Vital (1891, 1893-1894).
He was married twice, first on 30 April 1884 to Eleonore Poitras (c1866-1892) and second on 4 April 1894 to Amanda Perrault (1874-1927), collectively having six children: Josephine Riel (1885-?, wife of Maxime Carriere), David Riel (1888-?), Sara Riel (1890-1933, wife of Pierre Camille Teillet), Louise Rose Riel (1892-?), Albert Honore Riel (1898-?), and Agnes Amanda Celina Riel (1901-?, wife of Jules Vermette).
He died at St. Vital on 27 May 1921 and was buried in the St. Boniface Cemetery.
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Riel House (330 River Road, Winnipeg)
Site Review: The Woman’s Sphere: Domestic Life at Riel House and Dalnavert by Sarah Carter
Manitoba History, Number 11, Spring 1986
1891 Canada census, Ancestry.
1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
“Joseph Riel, brother of Louis, is critically ill,” Manitoba Free Press, 27 May 1921, page 7.
“Deaths and funerals,” Manitoba Free Press, 31 May 1921, page 6.
Birth, marriage, and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 May 2023
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