William George Thomson is born on May 31, 1866, in Canada West (the future province of Ontario) [9]. His parents are Thomas Thomson (1827-1909) and Mary Ann Hipkins (1832-1867) [1]. A year after William is born his mother dies. Presumably his widowed father could not keep William and his four siblings. Two children go to live with the grandparents and William is adopted by the older brother of Thomas Thomson – Andrew James Thomson (1825-1895) and his wife, Eliza Bell (1825-1913) [2]. A consequence of this adoption for William George is that he moves west with his new family probably in 1880 or 1881. The family settles in Winnipeg, Manitoba and William George will spend the rest of his life in there.
The 1871 census records show William, at age five, living with his adopted family in McGillivray Township, Middlesex County, Ontario [3]. This is just to the northwest of the city of London, Ontario. His adopted father is in the lumber business.
By the time of the 1881 census, the Andrew Thomson family has moved west to Winnipeg [4]. Andrew Thomson is still in the lumber business and William is 15 years old living with the family.
On October 8, 1890, William marries Jane (Jennie) Guthrie (1867-1944) [5]. While positive identification has not been made, it is thought that Jennie was born in Ontario in about 1867 and then moved to Manitoba with her family at the age of about 12 or 13. Her father, Thomas, was born in Scotland and her mother, Sarah, was born in Ontario. She had at least seven siblings.
William and Jennie have seven children:
• Mabel Thomson 1892-1969 + (1910) Wilfred Robson 1890-1933
• Alice Margurette [?Margarette] Thomson 1894-1976 + (1913) Joseph Edmund Adelard Malenfant 1888-1968
• Gertrude Thomson 1896 1973 + (1920) Frederick George Pink 1896-1981
• William George Thomson 1898-1978 + (1927) Margaret Ann Gall
• Stewart Bertram Thomson 1901-1961 + Doris Violet Nordal 1901-1961
• Kathleen Thomson 1903-? + (1931) Edward Ogden
• Agnes Josephine Thomson 1906-1999 + (1928) Edward Graham (Ted) MacDonald
William and Jennie can be found in the 1891 census records, living in Winnipeg [6]. William is a machinist. From about 1887 until his retirement in 1930, William worked for the Vulcan Iron Works company [13]. He rose to become the foreman of the machine shop. In the 1901 census records [7], William and Jennie now have five children: Mabel (9), Alice (6), Gertie (4), William (2) and Stewart (4 months). In the 1906 census, they now have seven children, and their address is (or appears to be) 370 Pacific Avenue [8]. If correct, this places the family about one kilometre northwest of the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street. In the 1911 census records there are now only six children left at home and the address has changed to 451 Ross – this is a couple of blocks from where they were living in 1906 [9]. In the 1916 census records, there now are only five children at home and, again, the address has changed [10]. They now live at 397 Victor Street. This is a couple of long blocks north of Portage Avenue and a dozen or so short blocks west of the University of Winnipeg. They are still at 397 Victor Street in the 1921 census records, with only four children left at home [11]. A married daughter lives very close by (she is the next census record). And in the 1926 census records, they are in the same house with only three children [12].
Jennie dies in November 1944. And William dies three years later, in August 1947 [14]. His obituary shows that all seven children still living in Winnipeg. William and Jennie are buried together in the Elmwood Cemetery in Winnipeg [14].
[1] The 1968 Paterson family tree by Marjorie Paterson shows William as the 5th child of Thomas Thomson & Mary Ann Hipkins. It shows the spouse of William as Jane Guthrie and it shows 7 children: (1) Mabel, (2) Alice, (3) Gertrude, (4) William, (5) Stewart, (6) Kathleen & (7) Agnes. The Paterson family tree does not show a William as a child of Andrew Thomson & Eliza Bell (these were people who adopted William George Thomson and raised him in Manitoba). Presumably the authors of the Paterson family tree thought it made more sense to show William on the branch of his birth parents.
[2] The discovery that William George was adopted was made by Ian Glendinning. From the will of Andrew James Thomson: : “I give and bequeath to my adopted son William George Thomson the sum of one hundred dollars to be paid to him within one year after the death of my said wife . . .”
[3] 1871 census, Ontario, North Middlesex, McGillivray, family #156, pg 43-44: Andrew Thompson (sic) (46), lumber merchant; Eliza (45); Sophia (19); Agnes (16); Leslie (13); William (5). The family’s religion is shown as Presbyterian. All family members were born in Ontario. All family members are labelled “Scotch,” except Eliz who is English.
[4] 1881 census, Manitoba, Selkirk, 183, Winnipeg (C) Division 3, pg 62-63 household 262. A. Thompson (sic) (55) (?) lumberman, Eliza (55), Josephine (26), Angus (24), William (15), born Ont; H??er (23) Household members (including Eliza) are labeled “Scotch.”
[5] Manitoba Vital Statistics at https://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/ListView.php William George Thomson married Jennie Guthrie in Winnipeg on Oct 8, 1890.
[6] 1891 census, Manitoba, 10 Winnipeg, ward 5, pg 81, family #361: W.G. Thompson (24), machinest; Jennie (23). They were both born in Ontario. The record shows that the parents of both W.G & Jennie were born in Scotland. Their religion is Presbyterian.
[7] 1901 census, Manitoba, 12 Winnipeg, ward 5, pg 1, family #4: William Thomson (35) born May 31, 1865, machinest, he makes $500/yr; Jennie (34) born Oct 31, 1866; Mabel (9), born Nov 8, 1892; Alice (6) born Dec 7, 1895; Gertie (4) born Nov 19, 1897; William (2) born Sept 20, 1899; Stewart (4 months) born Jan 24 1900. The parents were born in Ontario; the children in Manitoba. The family’s religion is [?Cong – possibly Congregational]
[8] 1906 census, Manitoba, Winnipeg, sub-district 4, pg 33, family #143: William G. Thomson (39); Jennie (38); Mabel (14); Alice (11); Gertie (9); William (7); Stewart (5); Kathleen (3); Agnes (1). In addition, there are 2 roomers living with the family. The parents, William & Jennie, were both born in Ontario; all the children were born in Manitoba. The address of the family is difficult to read but could be 370 Pacific.
[9] 1911 census, Manitoba, Winnipeg 87 [?37] Winnipeg, pg 1, family #3: Wm G. Thompson (45) born Ontario 31 May 1866, occupation not legible but might include the word “machinest”, looks like he earns $1,500/yr [?$500 or $1,500?] ; Jennie (44) born Ontario 8 Nov 1867; William (12) born Manitoba 20 Sept 1899; [?Stewart](10) born Manitoba 24 Jan 1901; Alice (16), born Manitoba 7 Dec 1895; Bertie [? Or Gertie?] (14), born Manitoba 19 Nov 1897; Kathleen (8), born Manitoba 8 May 1903; Agnes (5), born Manitoba 17 July 1906 The family’s religion is Methodist and they are all labelled “Scotch.”. The address appears to be 451 Ross.
[10] 1916 census, Manitoba, 13 Winnipeg, pg 37, family #418: William G. Thomson (50), occupation difficult to read but could be “foreman machinist;” Jennie (49); Gertrude (19); William G. (17), occupation is machinist; Stewart (15); Katheleen (13); Agnes J. (11). The family lives at 397 Victor St. Both parents were born in Ontario; the children were born in Manitoba. The religion of all family members except the father is Methodist. William G. (the father) is ?Congration ? [could be Congregational?]. The “racial or tribal” origin of all family members is “Scotch.”
[11] 1921 census, Manitoba, 38 Winnipeg ward 2, pg 40: family # [?394]: William George Thompson (55); Jenny (52); William George (22); Stuart (20); Kathleen (18); Agnes (16). The family lives on [? looks like 397 Victor St.] They own their own 6-room house. The parents were born in Ontario; the children in Manitoba. William George’s parents were born in Ontario; Jenny’s parents were born somewhere, but it is not Ontario. The racial or tribal origin of everyone is “Scotch.” The family’s religion is Methodist. Several family members have occupations but these are not legible [William George could be “machinist”] The next census record is the married daughter – Alice Thomson who married Joseph Malenfant.
[12] 1926 census, Manitoba, South Centre Winnipeg, Winnipeg City, pg 9, family #94: Wm G. Thomson (60); Jennie (59); Wm G (27); Kathleen (23); Agnes (20). The parents were born in Ontario; the children in Manitoba. The parents of the parents were born in Scotland [this is not correct]. The racial or tribal origin of everyone is “Scotch.” The family lives at 397 Victor St.
[13] Winnipeg Tribune, Aug 21, 1947 (this is from an OCR scanned document so the transcription is not perfect): “William George Thomson, 81 of ?????. Born in Uxbridge, Ont., came to Winnipeg in 1881 and was employed by the Vulcan Iron Works for 43 years, retiring in 1930, at which time he was foreman of the machine shop. His wife Jane died in 1944. He is survived by five daughters. Mrs. W. Robson, Mrs. J. E. Malen Kant [Malenfant], Mrs. F. G. Pink, Mrs K. Ogden, and Mrs E. G. MacDonald, all in Winnipeg, two sons [not legible except some of the letters of William and Stewart can be seen] in Winnipeg. Funeral services will be held at 2:45 p.m. Saturday in Clark Lea ?? Funeral Chapel. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery. Rev. Canon F. Hughes will officiate,”
[14] www.findagrave.com, Elmwood Cemetery, Winnipeg, Memorial #123089085 thanks to Christina. The gravestone is difficult to read but appears to show “Jane Thomson 1866-1944” and William G. Thomson 1866-1947”
Thank you to Katharine E for creating WikiTree profile Thomson-2148 through the import of andrew thomson.ged on Jun 7, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Katharine and others.
The current (May 2017) biography was prepared by Fred Paterson Nix, Fred and William are second cousins, three times removed. Revisions to bio made in Jan 2022.
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