William Dale Young was the second child born to John Young and Rosemary Dale. In a traditional naming, his first name is his father’s father and his middle name is his mother’s maiden name1-12. He was born on the homestead at Hullett township in what was then called the Province of Canada (now Ontario) 15 September 18579,10. According to family information he was also known as Wild Bill, Wull and Willy9.
When he was 4 he was living in Hullett with his father and mother, his grandmother, as well as two uncles and his younger sister May. There were two other women also living in the house (Susan Campbell and Margaret Wilson)1.
At 14, in 1871, his uncles had moved to nearby properties and he was living with his father and mother and, by then, four more brothers (a younger sister had been born, but died at less than two years3.
James, William and John Young (brothers) and William Dale headed for Manitoba. To get there, they had to travel by train through the states, landing in Winnipeg and then overland to Portage la Prairie. They were joined in the trip by George Holmes, and William McLeod and his three sons. After they found land they liked in the Cypress valley, they returned to Ontario to bring back family and supplies. It is said Wull got annoyed with the others when they got too far ahead of him as he was bringing two calves and a team of colts and was therefore slower than the others13.
In the winter of 1879 Wull went to work on the railroad near Fort William. They worked on each of the homesteads in turn, building James and John’s homestead first, then the others. By the time he was 24, William had built his homestead13. His closest neighbour was a John Young, and there were other Youngs in the area as well3.
William married Eliza Lee (19) in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba on 24 May 1886 at the age of 29. At that time he was still living in Manitoba in the South Cypress district of Marquette, very near where Glenboro is today11.
William and Eliza started their family quite quickly and in 1891, while still living in Manitoba had both Annie Dale and Rose Mary4. While in Manitoba, by 1901, they expanded their family to include Edward, Wilbert, Gordon and Elizabeth5, as well as William who lived less than a year and John who lived less than two months9. Sadly, Rose Mary had also passed away at the age of 69.
Adding another four children, Henry, Amos, Margaret, and Thomas, they packed up 8 children and moved to Saskatchewan in early 19066. Annie stayed behind in Manitoba as she had married in 19059.
They homesteaded in Saskatchewan starting over again. A son Frank was born in 1908 but only lived a couple of weeks9. By 1909 Wull had fenced 30 acres, 15 acres with crops and had added another cow. As well as their log house (just under 450 square feet) they had built a stable, a well and a granary14. Two more daughters Fairy Mable and Mammie Inea were also born here in Saskatchewan7,8.
Unfortunately, William did not live to see all of his children grow. He died of heart failure in Saskatchewan on 27 October 1920 at the age of 6312. At that time prairie farmers in Canada were suffering from a collapse in the wheat market, perhaps contributing to his stress. He is buried in Duck Creek Cemetery in Saskatchewan15.
Link to William Dale Young in Genealogy
1Census. 1861. Canada. Hullett, Huron, Upper Canada. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
2Census. 1871. Canada. Hullett, North Huron, Ontario. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
3Census. 1881. Canada. Mountain, Marquette, Manitoba. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 4 Jun 2018.
4Census. 1891. Canada. Marquette, South Cypress, Manitoba. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 4 Jun 2018.
5Census. 1901. Canada. MacDonald, South Cypress, Manitoba. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
6Census. 1906. Canada. MacKenzie, Saskatchewan. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2018.
7Census. 1911. Canada. Humbolt, Saskatchewan. http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 2017.
8Census. 1916. Canada. Humbolt, Saskatchewan. http://ancestry.ca : accessed 2017.
9Young, Mrs. Ernie. Handwritten record provided to Kathleen Ross (nee Degerness) in December 1982. Original author Mrs. Ernie Young of North Saskatoon.
10Pedigree Resource File. YOUNG, William Dale. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:S5XP-66F : accessed 2018-02-02.
11Marriages (CR) Canada. Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. 24 May 1886. YOUNG, William and LEE, Eliza.
12Deaths (CR) Canada. Sec 34, Twp 35, Rge 12, W 2nd, Saskatchewan. 27 October 1920. YOUNG, William.
13Cypress River Community Club Inc. (1986) Pioneers Perseverance & Progress: Cypress River 1885-1985. Cypress River, Manitoba: Inter-Collegiate Press. Pp. 496-498.
14Dominion Lands Office, Department of the Interior. Homestead Files. 28 April 1910. YOUNG, William. File No. 1287279.
15Monumental inscriptions. Canada. Duck Creek Cemetery, Nut Mountain, Saskatchewan. 1920. YOUNG, William. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/191486225/william-young: accessed August 2018.
