William Edward Wilkins, was bom in 1868 at Nethercote
Farm, Bourton-on-the Water, in the En-glish Cotswolds. He was the
second son of his parents, and was under six years of age when his
father died. The four little boys and their mother stayed on in their
big stone house until the boys were able to
take care of themselves. In his teens, Will became a school teacher,
and was assistant principal of a boys' school in Bourton when he met
his wife, the former Beatrice Rose Powell, who was principal of a
school in nearby Clapton.
Will preferred the outdoor life, and eventually realized his dream of
immigrating to Canada to farm. He came to the area in 1890, where he
worked for Mr. William Lothian for the first year before taking his
homestead, one and one half miles northwest of Reston.
In 1894 his fiancée Beatrice, arrived in Canada, and they were married
in Virden on June 13. They began their married life in
a tiny wood frame house on the homestead.
Will was one of the founders of the Reston Baptist Church, and served
as a deacon for years. He was also a soloist and member of the choir.
The sons and daughters often recalled the interest their parents took
in the religious side of their upbringing. Will
played the organ, and. the young children, had frequent sessions of
hymn-singing and Scripture reading. His devoutness went back to boyhood
days when his chums had called him "The Rector".
In 1918, while harnessing a horse, it reared and fell on him and broke
one of his legs. The fracture wasn't discovered at first and the
result was a crooked leg. This accident precluded his full
participation in farming activities, and he and Beatrice moved into
Reston in the fall of 1922. Will was already working as assistant to
the secretary-treasurer of the Municipality of Pipestone, the office
being located in Reston. He remained in the capacity until 1933, when
he was appointed secretary-treasurer. He retained this position until
1945, when he resigned because of ill health at age seventy-six. The
municipal auditor called him an able and painstaking
secretary-treasurer, and, at the time of his funeral in April 1949, a
former councillor paid tribute to a man "who was recognized as one of
the most efficient secretaries in province".
He had also served on the Reston School Board from 1903 until 1933.
Adapted from Trails Along the Pipestone, page 608
|
