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Potentially Significant People  / PIONEERS


PIONEERS


Baldwin, Thomas
Biography:  
Claims:  Approached about using part of his land for the Village of Reston and refused. When the CPR suggested a site farther west locals signed a petition in favour of the current site close to Baldwin’s farm. Baldwin was suggested as a name for the village but Mr. Baldwin objected and suggested Reston as it was already in use for the Post Office on nearby William Bulloch’s farm.
Probable Significance:  High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone   415   /  Pioneers of the Pipestone 13, 53
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information (Pioneers of the Pipestone 13)

Bardel, Kristjan Jonsson

Biography: Born Iceland. Died Aug.  1911
Claims:  Belmont 1886. 1890 – moved to Sinclair area with three sons. Added Bardel to the “Jonsson” family name to avoid confusion. Brothers each went by different names but the locals called them the Bardel Brothers.  Instrumental in getting the Bardel School built. Served as Justice of the Peace.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone  664    
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information



Bulloch, Thomas A.
Biography: Born March 8, 1872 Lanark County ON. Married Ellen Guthrie
Claims:  Came to Morris in 1879. Homesteaded on 27-7-27. Settled permanently in 1884. Reston (Lanark) School built on his land and became the centre of community life. Married Ellen Guthrie (Daughter of Pioneer W.R. Guthrie) 1919 Guthrie and Bulloch – Insurance and Real Estate Business.
Probable Significance: Major
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone  296    /        Pioneers of the Pipestone 18
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information


Bulloch, William
Biography: Born May 20, 1848 : Died July 26, 1951
Claims:  Brandon 1881. Reston area 1882. First “Reston” Post office on his land 1890. Also the first Library.
Probable Significance: Major
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone  297   
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information

Campion, George
Biography: Born Marmora ON Aug. 10, 1857 : Died April 16, 1929
Claims:  Came west in 1880. Worked on land survey in Reston – Pipestone area. 1882 settled on  N 30-8-25. Among first to file in the Belleview District. First Belleview Post Office in Campion home for 8 years. Sec. Treas. for school for 18 yrs. Elder in Presbyterian Church. Farmed for 47 years.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Source: Trails Along the Pipestone 356 / Pioneers of the Pipestone 16
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information


Croft, Thomas I
Biography: Born
Claims:   1882  NE 36-8-27. School held in their home. First trustee. First meeting of the council held at his home, Jan 8, 1884 and thereafter until 1900. Helped form the Agricultural Society in Virden.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone  317
Images: As Above
Content: Good additional information



Dodds, Samuel
Biography: Born
Claims:  Homesteaded near Lenore. Farmer, builder and businessman.  1909 purchased the livery barn in Ebor. Added a custom grain crushing business and a harness shop. Bought Clover Bar Farm in 1911 and lived there for 27 years. School Trustee. Reporter for the Virden Advance. Musical family.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone   157   
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information

Forke, Senator Robert
Biography: Born  1860 : Died Feb. 2, 1934
Claims:  Came in 1882 from Scotland. N 30-7-26 ; Reeve  1905 – 1914. President of the Union of Manitoba Municipalities 1911-12. 1921 MP for Brandon Consituency (Progressive) Minister of Immigration and Colonization for Liberal Gov’t 1926-29. Senator 1929
Probable Significance: Very High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone   x, 364   /     Pioneers of the Pipestone 12
Images: As Above
Content: Good additional information



Guthrie, James
Biography: Died 1946
Claims:  Came west in 1882. Settled NE 30-7-27. Massey-Harris Implement Dealership in Reston prior to 1905. Insurance and Real Estate after that.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone   564
Images: NA
Content: Good additional information



Guthrie, Mrs. Peter (Nee Diana Campbell)
Biography: Born 1868, Ontario. Married Peter Guthrie 1889.
Claims:  Arrived 1890. “exactly the type of woman to cope with the difficulties and problems of the time” p 47 Bulloch. Improvised a swinging partition in the house to make it easier to accommodate the dinner crowd during harvest. Killed a wolf with a shovel which had been harassing their dog. Adept at farm tasks such as hitching the oxen for a trip to “The Settlement” and fording the creek.
Probable Significance: Medium
Source: Pioneers of the Pipestone 47
Images: N/A
Content: Some additional information

Guthrie, W.R.
Biography: Born Middleville ON 1836 : Died March 10, 1909
Claims:  Came west in 1882. Worked on CPR for the summers.  Settled S 26-9-27. Chairman of first meeting of Lanark School, 1886. 1896 Reeve 1896-1898.  His land included a point of land in the curve of Pipestone Creek known as a buffalo killing ground. It became “Guthrie’s Grove” the site of numerous picnics and social gatherings.  Brother to Jim Guthrie.
Probable Significance: Major
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone   295, 298, 368  /      Pioneers of the Pipestone  35,  / Reston Recorder July 23, 2005.
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information


Johannesson, Einer
Biography: Born Iceland
Claims:  Settled first in Gimli, then Argyle, before coming to Sinclair area in about 1892. A leader in the Pipestone Icelandic Settlement and a secretary treasurer of the Diana School.
Probable Significance: Medium
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone  138
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information

Lothian, James
Biography: Born Barney Hill, East Barns, near Dunbar, Scotland, Oct 27. 1853
Claims:  Son of a Scottish tenant farmer. Arrived May 30, 1881, the second group of settlers – among the first four to settle in the Pipestone Valley. First Postmaster in the Valley. (First letter with the Pipestone stamp sent Jan. 7, 1884.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone   376   /       Pioneers of the Pipestone  8
Images:  N/A
Content: Good additional information

Lothian, William
Biography: Born Scotland
Claims:  Arrived May 30, 1881, the second group of settlers. Planted the first grain on June 1st., 1881, while working for Dan McKinnon. First President of the Pipestone Mutual Improvement Association.  Reeve 1899 – 1901. His letters home are in the Mb. Archives.
Probable Significance: Very High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone    P376  /     Pioneers of the Pipestone  8
Images:  P x
Content: Good additional information



Matthews, Mrs. Anne
Biography: Born 1837 : Died 1918
Claims:  Midwife. Unofficial nurse and coroner – she would line the coffins in her home where her son Albert constructed them. Came to region in 1884 (15-8-27) as a widow with seven boys and three girls. Church services held in her home.
Mrs. Bulloch writes of Mrs. Failie and Mrs. Ann Matthews:  “with skill born of their many experiences, and their unfailing attitude of helpfulness they came into homes and provided a real blessing; many times they were sent for in cases of illness and they never failed to respond to the call.” P 31 Bulloch
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone  249    /        Pioneers of the Pipestone 30
Images:   N/A
Content: Good additional information

McDonald, William
Biography: Born Nov. 30, 1831 Inverness, Scotland
Claims:  1882 –SE 36-9-27. “Laggan Farm”. 1892 – wheat from Laggan Farm took top honours at an International Miller’s Convention in Glasgow, Scotland. Reeve for a time. Donated land for Daybreak Church SW 31-9-26
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone    739
Images: Page x
Content: Good additional information



McKinnon, Dan
Biography:
Claims:  Arrived in Sat. May 28, 1881 with A. Mclean, likely the first settlers. McKinnon’s Crossing near homestead. First sod turned on his farm on June 1st., 1881, by William Lothian
McKinnons had the first threshing machine.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone      /        Pioneers of the Pipestone 8
Images: Trails Along the Pipestone  Page x
Content: Good additional information



McKinnon, Mr. & Mrs. John
Biography:
Claims:  Build a large barn soon after they arrived. Large loft used for dances. Source of stories and anecdotes that illustrate the times. Reeve 1884 - 1889
Probable Significance: High
Source: Pioneers of the Pipestone 36
Images: Trails Along the Pipestone  Page x
Content: Some additional information



Milliken, Peter Andrew Scott
Biography: Born 1849, Coddingham, Scotland  (Near the Village of Reston): Died
Claims: Filed on W. 28-7-28 - Spring 1882. Worked as a carpenter on the Brandon CPR station – winter 1883. Suggested name “Reston” for the new school built on Thomas Bulloch’s property. It was the name of a little town in Berwickshire, Scotland, near the Milliken home.
The school name was changed to Lanark – but Post Office, and later the nearby town, took the name. Mr. Milliken was a popular singer. Offered “Singing School”. Led singing at church, and community events. Milliken’s Crossing was on the trail northwards.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone  586    /       Pioneers of the Pipestone  10 , 43
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information

Powers, A.P.
Biography: Born Bangor, Wales ; Died Match 26, 1919
Claims:   1882.  20-9-26. Sec. Treas. R.M. of Pipestone when it was organized in 1884. Position later included management of the Municipal Telephone System. Moved to Reston.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone 596     
Images: N/A
Content: Some additional information



Sinclair, Peter
Biography: Born Lanark ON
Claims:  1892 Crescent District. First settlers in region. 1893 Post Office named in their honour.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone  642
Images: N/A
Content: Some additional information


Sproule, Robert
Biography: Born Ireland
Claims:  Ebor’s first homesteader. First school – called Sproule School was on his land. Returned to Ontario in the early 1900’s.
Probable Significance: Medium
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone  183    
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information


Wilkins, William
Biography: Born Nethercote Farm, Bourton-on-the-Water, English Cotswolds. 1868
Claims:  Was an Assistant Principal of a Boys School in Bourton Eng. Came with two brothers to 18-7-27  in 1890. One of the founders of the Reston Baptist Church. Deacon.  Soloist and member of the choir. Assistant Sec. Tres. Then Sec. Tres. Pipestone  R.M. 1922 – 45. Reston School Board 1903 - 1933
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone    608    
Images: N/A
Content: Good additional information

Wilson, Alex
Biography:  Meaford ON 1862: Died 1937
Claims:  Homestead 1883 – SE 18-8-27. Near Hillview Church. One of the first councilors. By early 1900’s was one of the largest farms in region. Boarded teachers. President of Curling Club.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone    254   
Images:  N/A
Content: Good additional information

Zarn, Henry William
Biography: Born Walkerton ON, April 7, 1880
Claims: Homestead. 6-8-28. 1902-1945. Henry and Ethel Goring were the first couple married in the new Anglican Church at Alexander, March 11, 1902. Had 12 children. School trustee.
Probable Significance: High
Source: Trails Along the Pipestone     225   
Images: AS above
Content: Good additional information



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