William George Townsley ^{2236,2282,2422,2423,2426,2967,2968,2969}

   Another name for William was William.

  General Notes:

The Pioneer Years, 1895-1914, compiled by Barry Broadfoot, Doubleday Canada Ltd., 1976
ISBN 0-385-09983-5, page 336

The Winters Were Ideal For Curling

Curling was big in the West in those days. It was a natural, Everybody could play - why, the women could play right up there alongside the men and they did too. We had a lot of enthusiastic curlers and good ones too.

We sent two rinks to the Regina Bonspiel in 1903 and the next year too and they went after the Davin Cup, which was the top award in those days. In both years they brought home the mug. In 1903 Horace Pain's rink won it and the next year it was J.J. Griffith who was skip of the winner. The whole town was proud of them and it was quite a feat, you know, having two winners in two years. We also had our town bonspiel, naturally, and a good one.

The winters, of course, were ideal for curling because you could have ice in late fall and there was curling right through to April. In fact, in some years it was such a tough winter that there was too much ice, if you know what I mean. I heard that one year they were curling on good ice in Weyburn on May 1. They didnt get the crop in that year until about May 20, as it seems to me.

The way we had our curling set up might be unique, but it showed there was plenty of ingenuity among those early pioneers. You had to have a good rink and the set-up was the council gave permission to William Townsley and William Cripps to build and operated the curling rink. On a rental deal. They went to the town's two lumber yards and rented the lumber for the rink at two dollars a 1,000 board feet. The agreement was that in the spring when they tore the rink down they would pay for any damaged lumber at the regular retail rate. This suited the lumber yards okay, for there wasn't all that much business in winter for them and they were picking up a nice bit of change for renting lumber and getting their own lumber back in the spring. Then they'd sell it to the homesteaders and town people who were raring to start building. It was all good wood.

The second thing was where to put this building, which was two sheets of ice. Around the outside was an 18-foot rink where everybody could skate. Somebody came up with the bright idea that if it was going to be torn down every spring, why just not put it in the center of town. Fine, said everybody. So the boys built their rink in the middle of Main Street about 250 feet north of the intersection of Prairie Avenue and it worked well. Our streets were wide. There was still room for a team and wagon to pass on either side.

For four years this arrangement worked. Everbody had fine curling. The only trouble was that one year we had a terrible six-day blizzard and the weight of the snow caved in the building. Filled it with snow. Mr. Townsley just fixed it up and carried on.


(Both William Cripps and William Townsley had Western Land Grants near Milestone, Sask.
Jan 5, 2003, phoned a couple of residents of Milestone, Sask and they confirmed that there is a corner of Main Street and Prairie Ave in Milestone..
jca)
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Birth Registration #024693, 1881, Boston Mills, Chinguacosy twp, Ontario., Ontario Vital Records

George Nelson Townsley
born the 23 March 1881 in Boston Mills, Chinguacousy twp, Peel County, (close to Brampton, Ontario.)

Parents: George Nelson Townsley and Annie Maria Noble
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The obvious question is how does a child registered as George Nelson Townsley upon his birth in March of 1881 and showing up one month later on the 1881 census also as George N. Townsley, turn up on the 1891 census and thereafter as William Townsley and William George Townsley in Edmonton as an adult ? ...The obit for William George Townsley at age 78 in 1959 matches with a birth date of 1881, so no problem there... note by jca

The 1901 census in Regina has him age 20 living with his parents in Regina, Saskatchewan with his birth date shown as 13 March, 1881, (Ontario), exactly 10 days different from the birth record in Chinguacosy twp, Ontario. The other children on the 1901 census show slight differences as well in their birth dates.
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1881 census, film C-13252, Chinguacousy twp, Peel County, Ontario, Division 5, page 29

Townsley, George, male, age 32, born England, Baptist, English Origin,
Townsley, Anna M, female, age 22, born Ontario, Baptist, English Origin

Townsley, George N, male, age 1/12, (born March), Ontario
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1891 Census, National Archives of Canada, Muskoka , Ontario, subdistrict of Parry Sound, McDougal and Parry Island, film C6355, page 13

Townsley, George, age 47, b. England, parents born England, Methodist, general laborer
Townsley, Maria, age 36, b. Ontario, parents both born Scotland

William, age 10, born Ontario
Maria,age 9, b. Ontario
Jeannie, age 5, b. Ontario
Milla, age 2, b. Ontario
(note by editor.. it would appear that the age of 47 given here is likely incorrect as the age given in the 1881 census was only 32 as was his wife Maria, age 22. son George W. was age 1.)
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1901 census, Regina, Saskatchewan, District of Assiniboia (204), subdistrict C-2, polling division 3, Regina Town Centre, page 12
film T-6553

line 1, family 94,
Townsley, Geo. male, white, Head, married, birth date 25 Aug 1845, age 55, born England, immigration date 1878, English origin, Nationality: English, religion: Methodist, occupation: Labourer Townsley, A.M, female, white, Wife, married, birth date 20 July 1856, age 44, born Ontario, Scotch origin, nationality: Canadian, Methodist

Townsley, Wm. male, white, son, single, birth date 13 March, 1881, age 20, born Ontario, English origin, Canadian, Methodist, occupation: Farmer
Townsley, A.M, female, white, daughter, single, birth date 7 Dec 1882, age 18, born Ontario
Townsley, J, female, white, daughter, single, birth date 11 Sept 1885, born Ontario
Townsley, M, female, white, daughter, single, birth date 1 Nov 1887, age 13, born Ontario
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According to son Herbert Cripps of Kamloops, William C. Cripps had a homestead in Milestone, Saskatchewan, the same location as William George Townsley.

Western Land Grant,
William George Townsley
NW section 32, township 11, Range 18, Meridian W2, National Archives microfilm C-6109

Western Land Grant,
George Townsley
SE section 32, township 11, Range 18, Meridian W2, National Archives microfilm C-6109


Herbert Cripps from Kamloops says that the only male child of the family was called William Townsley and lived in Edmonton.... the daughters were Annie Marie, Jennie and Lizzie. Oct 31, 2001
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I checked The Henderson's Directories for Edmonton and found Wm. G. Townsley living in Edmonton from 1922 - 1959 at different occupations and different addresses as follows:
1) 1922 - Employee of Government - living at 9322 - 105 Ave
2) 1923 - No occupation listed - living at 11255 - 96 St.
3) 1924 - Emp. of Mun.Hail Ins. - same address as 1923
4) 1925-1959 - carpenter - living in same house at 11236 - 96 St.
5) 1955 - retired
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  Noted events in his life were:

• Residence, 1901, Regina, Sask. ²²⁸¹

• Occupation, 1922, Edmonton, AB. ²⁹⁷³ 1922 - Employee of Government - living at 9322 - 105 Ave

• Residence, 1959, 11236, 96 St. Edmonton, Alta. ²²⁸²

• Residence, 1923, Edmonton, AB. ²⁹⁷⁴ 1923 - No occupation listed - living at 11255 - 96 St.

• Occupation, 1925-1959, Edmonton, AB. ²⁹⁷⁴ 1925-1959 - carpenter - living in same house at 11236 - 96 St.

• Occupation, 1952, Edmonton, AB. ²⁹⁷⁴ Wm.G.( Alice ) - h. 11236 - 96 St. - Auto Body Works

• Occupation, 1955, Edmonton, AB. ²⁹⁷⁴ Wm. G. ( Maude ) - . h. 11236 - 96 St. - Auto Body Works
and retired

William married Charity Maude Meters, daughter of Richard Meters and Ann. (Charity Maude Meters was born on 10 Jun 1882 in Hibbart twp, Perth South, Ontario and died about 1968 in Edmonton, AB ²²⁸².)