William Ross (abt. 1825 - 1856)

Born about 1825 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Jemima (Mackenzie) Coldwell — married 12 Dec 1844 in Red River Settlement

Died 5 May 1856 at about age 31 in Red River Settlement

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Biography

William Ross born c1825 was the second son born to Scottish fur trader Alexander Ross and his Syilx/Okanagan wife Sarah (Sally) Timentwa, in an area that would later become Washington state. In 1825 Sally and four of her five children left Fort Spokane for the Red River Settlement (later Winnipeg, Manitoba), taking up residence there with her husband Alexander Ross and their oldest son at Colony Gardens in 1828. In 1844, William married eighteen year old Jemima MacKenzie, believed to be the great niece of explorer Alexander MacKenzie. William and Jemima had five known children: Sarah Ann, William Roderick, Alexander, Margaret, and Jemima Isabella. Following her husband's death at Red River at the age of 31, Jemima married for a second time, to her husband's brother-in-law, William Coldwell.

NOTE: William and the oldest Ross siblings were baptized at St John's in Red River c1828, when their parents marriage was formalized.

NOTE: see extensive biographies for both parents and several siblings, on their Wikitree profiles.

William Ross (1825-1856) Postmaster He was the second son of Alexander Ross and Sarah Ross, a brother to James Ross. He was born in the Columbia River area of the Rockies in 1825. He journeyed eastward with his family when Alexander decided to retire to a more settled life in the Red River Settlement. William was appointed Sheriff of Assiniboia in 1851 and in 1855 became the first Postmaster for the Red River Settlement. After living in Ross House for a mere two years, William died in May 1856. He is commemorated by William Avenue in Winnipeg, and Ross House Museum.^[1]

Ross House Museum (140 Meade Street North, Winnipeg) William Ross and Jemima Ross originally built this Red River frame structure on the shores of the Red River at the foot of Market Avenue in Winnipeg. William’s father Alexander had provided the land. In 1855, William was appointed Postmaster by the Council of Assiniboia and he operated the Post Office from his home. It was the first Post Office in Western Canada, other than those run by the Hudson's Bay Company. Stamps and canceling devices were unavailable so early mail bore only the postmaster’s penned notation “Red River, B.N.A.” The monthly mail was carried by various means of transportation to Pembina, North Dakota, on the US-Canada border. Here it was stamped “Paid 10” and continued to its destination. Now situated in Joe Zuken Heritage Park, Ross House is owned by the City of Winnipeg and was operated until 2018 by the Manitoba Historical Society. A plaque commemorating fur trader and historian Alexander Ross was unveiled near the entrance to the museum in 1951 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The building is a municipally-owned historic site. ^[2]

NOTE: House was known in the family as Brook Bank

Sources

1. ↑ Memorable Manitobans; Gordon Goldsborough; revised 17 August 2016
2. ↑ Historical Sites of Manitoba; Ross House Museum; Gordon Goldsborough; revised: 20 February 2021