Samuel Jacob Jackson  1848 - 1942       My great-grandfather was born in Stradbally, Co. Laois, Ireland, son of Samuel Jackson and Elizabeth Sutcliffe. His parents emigrated in 1850 and settled in Brampton, and later in Brantford, in both of which towns
his father opened dry goods stores.
   In 1871 S.J.Jackson joined the first organised party to leave Ontario for the Red River country. (The other members were John H Bell and his wife, James, William, and Jack Harrower, John Bryce, Andy Palmer, Harry
Jickling, William McDougal, R. Dent and son, Roger Bell and his wife, John Hedley, James Penrose, and John Scott and his wife.) The group travelled by train from Port Huron to Benson, Minnesota, and from there
walked the 400 long miles to Winnipeg.
   Sam Jackson found a job in Higgins' dry goods store and soon became a partner of what then became Higgins, Young, and Jackson. He served as alderman of Winnipeg between 1877 and 1880 and was at various times Chairman of the Board of Works, Director of the Dufferin Park Association, and President of the Rockwood Agricultural Society. He is the founder of the town of Stonewall, having bought the townsite in
1873, divided it into 1,000 lots - many of which he gave away to encourage the town's growth - donated four lots for the churches, and planted over 800 elm and maple trees.
   In 1878 he married Ida Isabel Clark, daughter of Albert Clark and Isabella Sifton. As Winnipeg's  population had soared from about 250 to about 25,000 in ten years, the dry goods business was very profitable.
Mr Jackson retired from business at the age of 33 and in 1881 he and his wife moved into the house he had built in Stonewall.
   S.J.Jackson represented Rockwood in the Manitoba Legislature from 1883 to 1899, and was twice Speaker of the House. In 1904 he was elected to the Laurier government as Member of Parliament for the Selkirk
Riding.  He also served as Inspector of Indian Agencies for many years.   Home