The Knowles Story

William and Isabella Knowles Chapters

Marriage and Life in Montreal

by Dave Jordan

In late 1876, William returned to Montreal from the Fort Walsh in Saskatchewan and was discharged from the North West Mounted Police. Early the following year, on January 25, 1877, he married Isabella Catherine Black at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Montreal. The young couple moved to 445 Wellington Place, in the southwest quadrant of the city and just a short block from her parents and siblings at 383 Wellington. The relative short time between William's arrival back in Montreal after a 3-year absence and the marriage suggest that they had met just after William arrived from Ireland 1872-73. They had probably written during his years away and decided to marry. How great it would be to find those letters. It is possible that the Scotch Irish Knowles and Black families might have known each other in Ireland and the Black family were a point of contact for William when he arrived in 1872-73.

Given William's training in the North West Mounted Police, he became a policeman in Montreal upon his return from the North West Territories. By 1881 he was promoted to Police Sergeant. His wife was a skilled seamstress and appears to have started her own business about 1879. William must have liked the business aspects of her endeavors and about 1883 in his mid-30s, he changed professions to be a tailor. In fact it appears they opened a shop at 369 Wellington and called it "Merchant Tailor and Gents Furnishings". They lived next door at 369 1/2 Wellington. Of some mystery is a listing for J.C. Knowles, a tailor and Gents Outfittings lives at 369 Wellington for 1881. The proximity of the address suggests that this had to be a brother or a cousin, but mysteriously the J. C. Knowles entry is never seen again. Perhaps it was William using some sort of a pseudonym.

During those early years, William and Isabella had six children. There children were:

  1. Margaret Jane Knowles born April 18, 1878 in Montreal. She was named after both of her grandmothers.
  2. Isabella Maud Knowles born April 25, 1879 in Montreal, but she died three days later. She was named after her mother. It is not known who Maud is.
  3. William Thomas Knowles born December 5, 1880 in Montreal, but he died 22 days later. He was named after his father and paternal grandfather and maternal grandfather.
  4. William Rolfh Knowles born September 1883 in Montreal, but he died at the age of 1 year and 9 months. He was named after his father and paternal grandfather. Perhaps Rolfh is Ralph.
  5. Muriel Eulalie Knowles born 20 March 1886 in Montreal. It is not known who are the two persons she was named after. Possibly g-grandmothers.
  6. Wilfred Washington Knowles born 14 March 1887. While he was not named William, that is what he preferred in later years. It is unknown if he was born in Montreal or Chicago. The name Washington suggests that he was born in Chicago but he could have picked up that name later.

The three young children Isabella, William Thomas, and William Rolfh are buried in the Black family plot in the Mount Royal Cemetery Section C Graves 853 G and H in Montreal.

Around 1887, William and Isabella decided to move to Chicago. Why is not known, but Chicago was a growing dynamic city at the time with plenty of opportunities.

Notes
  1. Initial Web Publication Date: 4/1/2003
  2. Modified:
  3. Desktop Master file: Stories_Knowles