Memorable Manitobans: William Beamish (1846-?)

Farmer.

Born in Lindsay, Ontario on 26 July 1846, son of Richard Beamish and Mary Ann Reynolds, brother of Robert W. Beamish, he left Ontario with his wife and children in late 1880, arriving in Winnipeg. He got a job hewing lumber for the first bridge over the Red River. The following spring, he bought a small plot at Rapid City on which he built a shanty in which he lived for the next 18 months. He sold them and, with the proceeds, bought a wagon and plow to farm a plot of land near Shoal Lake. He eventually came to own 1280 acres, and raised livestock.

On 28 July 1875 in Walkerton, Ontario, he married Sophia English. They had eight children: Georgiana Beamish (wife of John Wilkie), Imer E. Beamish, Samuel R. Beamish, Margaret M. Beamish, William H. Beamish, Harold E. Beamish, Robert W. Beamish, and Mary Ann Beamish. He attended the Methodist church and was a member of the Masons and the Loyal Orange Order.

Sources:

The Story of Manitoba by F. H. Schofield, Winnipeg: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913.

This profile was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Profile revised: 30 December 2008

A collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Send corrections and additions to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Suggest a Memorable Manitoban  |  Sources  |  Acknowledgements Support the MHS and