William Hespeler
ID # 6760, (1830-1921)
| Father | Johann Georg Hespeler (1784-1840) |
| Mother | Anna Barbara Wick (1791-1881) |
| Birth | William Hespeler was born on 28 December 1830 at Baden, Wurttemburg. |
| Christening | He was christened on 30 December 1830 at Gernsbach, Baden (Baden-Wurttemburg), Germany. |
| Marriage | He married Mary Keachie, daughter of Hugh Keachie and Mary Ann Hope McLaren, on 21 December 1854 at Galt, Waterloo Co., Canada West. GS2987 First Church (Galt) Marriages By license in Galt, December 21st, 1854 William Hespeler, merchant, Baden, Waterloo Mary Keachie, spinster, Galt Witnesses Adam Warnock and Alexander Young Microfilm GS2987 is to be found at the Archives of Ontario. It is possible that it was created from the original First Church record books, though it seems more likely that it was copied from the United Church Archives microfilm LCM-30, which shows the records. GS2987 is not always readable, though is quite clear enough for the Hespeler-Keachie marriage. Beyond that, the witnesses: - Alexander Young was Mary Keachie's brother-in-law; he was married to Ann Eliza Keachie. - Adam Warnock was William Hespeler's brother-in-law; he was married to Stephanie Hespeler. |
| Marriage | He married Mary Meyer, daughter of Ludwig G. Meyer and Adolphine Thornton, on 15 December 1874 at Seaforth, Huron County, Ontario. Mrge reg. 002961-75 Seaforth, Huro Co. Wm. Hespeler, 43, widower, Emigrant agent. Lutheran. Born Carlsbad, Baden, residing Fort Garrie. Parents George John Hespeler and Anna Barbara Hespeler. Mary Meyer, 28, spinster, Church of England. Born Harpurhey, residing Seaforth. Parents Ludwig G. Meyer and Adolphine Meyer. Witnesses H. W. C. Meyer, Miss M. Gouinlock, Dr. Gouinlock, and Miss Meyer, all (apparently) of Seaforth. On December 15th, 1874, at Seaforth, by Rev. W. Lafferty Mills. The clerk's handwriting for the above registration would indicate that the clergyman's name was Rev. W. Bafferty Mills. We have a bit more information, however, that is to be found in The Early Ontario Newspaper Transcription Series, The Huron Papers, Vol. 12, The Clinton New Era, April 1874 - September 1875, compiled by W. Craig Burtch, Global Heritage Press, 2012, page 6. The Thursday, December 17, 1874, edition of the Clinton New Era quotes the following marriage notice. This shows the marriage of William Hespeler of Fort Garry to Mary, the eldest daughter of Ludwig Meyer, at Thornton Hall, the residence of the bride's father. This is interesting, for Ludwig's wife (Mary's mother), Adolphine, was a Thornton. |
| Marriage | He married Catherine Keachie, daughter of Hugh Keachie and Mary Ann Hope McLaren, on 6 April 1887 at Port Arthur, Ontario. See notes for Catherine Keachie Hespeler. This sets out such problems as we have with Kate's records. |
| Death | He died on 18 November 1921 at Burnaby Lake, British Columbia, at age 90. |
| Burial | He was buried at St Johns Anglican Cathedral Cemetery, Winnipeg. |
| Note | Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has a biography of William Hespeler. This will be largely correct and is confirmable on several points. It tells that he was born on 29 December, 1830, in Baden, the second son of Johann Georg Hespeler and Anna Barbara Wick. The date of his birth as shown is almost correct. Ancestry has a database, transcription-only, entitled Baden, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1502-1985 This shows the birth of Wilhelm Hespeler on 28 December, 1830, and his baptism as being on 30 December, 1830. The place of baptism was Gernsbach in Baden (Baden-Wurttemberg). His parents are shown as Johann Georg Hespeler and Anna Barbara Hespeler. The parish name is Gernsbach and the page number is 250;251 (We will note here that William's brother, Jacob Hespeler, was born to the same parents on 28 January, 1811, in Eningen, Wurttemburg.) The biography tells that it was brother Jacob who came to Canada first, but that 'most of the family came to settle' in the Berlin area of Canada. A record shows that William's father died in 1840, but his mother, Anna Barbara Wick Hespeler, came with the family, died in 1881 and is buried in Trinity Anglican Cemetery in Galt (now Cambridge, Ontario). |
Children of William Hespeler and Mary Keachie |
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| Last Edited | 11 May 2020 |