William Killins and Mary McMurray came to the Kingston Ontario area from Ireland around 1830.
They had 5 children with the last two being born in Upper Canada. Their eldest son Robert married
Margaret Campsell and had 6 children before 1880 when she died. He then married Sarah Hunt and
had 7 children. [listed in the Sault Ste. Marie 1901 Census as Killens, Robert had died the previous
year]. Robert and Margaret's son, James Frederick Killins and Emma Louisa Bedford (my great
grandparents) were married in 1884 and moved to Fort William about 1904. They had seven children.
In 1906 they built a log home on the 3rd Concession in Marks Township. In 1907, a sawmill was put in
and the lumber business provided the family income for many years. They were among the founding
members of the O'Connor Free Methodist Church and trees from their property provided the lumber
used to build the church in 1908. Mr. Waldron built the church pews. Their son Lloyd (age 36) was
killed in a truck/train crash in 1935 leaving his wife Lena Robison with their 6 children. Their son Earl
Frederick Killins (my grandfather) married Roxie Ida Mitchell. They had 6 children and briefly
homesteaded in Saskatchewan where Reuben Killins was born in 1913. They returned to Marks
Township where they lived until Roxie died in 1946. Their daughter Margaret married George Easton
and lived in Simcoe, Ontario. Their children Mary Elizabeth and Harry Edgar died in infancy (Harry
buried in O'Connor Free Methodist Cemetery). Son Alfred died in WWII and is buried in France
[Killins Township near Wawa Ontario is named in his honour]. In 1946 their son Milford died in a
gravel truck accident on the Nipigon Highway. My parents Reuben Killins and Orpha Anderson lived
on the N 5th Concession, highway 590 where I was born and raised with my 4 siblings.

Nancie Howell Wiley emailed me the following in part
"---the woman on the far right is Ethie Earl Waldron
and the children in front of her are her son, Wilbur and daughter Iva.
Based on other Waldron photos, I'd date it to the spring of 1915 or 1916.
Thanks again Nancie

Mary Pratt Dies At 100
Mrs. Mary A. Pratt, 100 of Ashton died in Big Rapids Community Hospital at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday Jan 17. Mrs. Pratt was born May 20, 1860 to Henry and Elizabeth Hunt of Leeds County, Ontario, Canada. On Dec. 14, 1881 she married Alonzo Pratt in Port Huron. He preceded her in death in November 1942. Mrs. Pratt had lived 71 years in the Ashton area where she was a member of the Methodist Church. She leaves two daughters, Mrs Squiar (Vicki) Pratt of Reed City and Mrs. George (Zelma) Washburn of Lansing, five sons, Braton of Reed City, Elkins of Paw Paw, Charles of Dexter, Robert and Earnest of Detroit. There are 17 grandchildren, 37 great grandchildren and 17 great great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Friday at 1:30 p.m. from the Ashton Methodist Church with Rev. John Barnes officiating. Burial will take place in the Ashton Cemetery. The body is at McDowell's Funeral Home.

Special Request - Mary Hunt Pratt was the sister of the above Sarah Hunt Killins.
If you have any knowledge of this family, or of any of the family members
please send me an email

********** Abraham Heino, pioneer farmer of Marks Township was born died in Finland on April 21, 1874 & died Sept 10, 1950. He had came to Marks Township in 1902 and took up a homestead there. He married in 1904 the former Wilhemina Kulmala. He was also a former member of Marks No. 1 School Board & former caretaker of the same school.

John P. Myers, came to the district in March 1914 from Scranton, Pennsylvania and farmed there most of his life up until his retirement a few years ago. Mr. Myers died July 1, 1956 and his wife predeceased him in February of 1952.

Home Townships

E-mail  your questions or comments to Jude at
Jude's Family & Local History