Memorable Manitobans: Franklin Arthur “Frank” Thomson (1869-1951)

Franklin Arthur Thomson Click to enlarge

Farmer, builder.

Born in Ontario on 12 September 1869, he came to Austin about 1890 to join his brother, Herbert, the town’s first pharmacist. In 1893, he married Lillian Harding (1874-1941) at Austin. They later had four children. The family lived at Altamont for a few years but returned to farm in the Ravenshoe district. He acquired more land and established a gravel and concrete block-making business. He built the Argyle Hotel at Austin using his concrete blocks. He died at Austin in 1951 and was buried in the Austin Cemetery.

Some of the buildings that he constructed:

Building	Location	Year
Booth Concrete Granary	Municipality of North Norfolk	?
Nelson Concrete House	Municipality of North Norfolk	?
Price Concrete Barn	Municipality of North Norfolk	?
Ritzer House	Municipality of North Norfolk	1906
Thomson Concrete Barn	Municipality of North Norfolk	1908
A. E. Gardiner Building	116 Main Street, Carberry	?

See also:

MHS Resources: Manitoba Bricks and Blocks

Sources:

Marriage registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

Through Fields and Dreams: A History of the R.M. of North Norfolk and MacGregor by The History Book Committee, North Norfolk-MacGregor Archives, 1998, page 558.

We thank Chad Bodnarchuck and Neil Christoffersen for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 13 October 2019

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. 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 Browse deaths occurring in: 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!