William Havelock Wallace

  General Notes:

Younger brother of Maud Wallace [Healy]. Older brother of Ernest H., Lewis H., Charles H. Wallace, and older half-brother of Gertrude, Ella and Maxwell R. Wallace.

Excerpts from short autobiography by Edward H. Wallace dated 4 May 1920:

"Born in a log house on a rented farm, near Ponsonby, P.O., Pilkington Tp., Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada, April 16, 1872. Children preceding, Maud, now wife of Dr. H. H. Healy, Grand Forks, North Dakota; William Havelock, executive secretary Y.M.C.A., Los Angeles. Following, Ernest Hazlewood, Attorney, New Orleans, Lewis Herbert, President First National Bank, Newport Beach, California; Charles Horace, Cashier same bank at time of death, February, 1914. In 1879 family removed to Elora [Wellington Tp, Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada], five miles distant. November 1880 to Lincoln, Nebraska residing on a farm ten miles distant until February , 1881 when removed to Drayton, North Dakota, the family exchequer consisting of $2.40. Father filed on pre-emption one mile from town to which family removed in April and mother died the next month. Three years later father returned to Canada and married Mary Larter, mother's particular friend. To this union came Gertrude, who died at the age of two years Ella Irene, in 1887 and Maxwell Raymond, 1890.

"The railroad came to Drayton in 1887. In September, 1887 went with older brother [William H. Wallace] to Hamline University, St. Paul [Minnesota], where brother had been a short time the previous year. In December father sold his land and other property at Drayton to go to Pasadena, California and go into business with his brothers Albert and Frank who had preceded him. Will and Ed joined the party in Minneapolis. Father, after arriving, decided otherwise, bought other farms at Drayton and returned in March, 1888. Will and Ed helped with the farm work and returned to Hamline in the fall. Thus they continued until they finished the preparatory course, Ed working for the Nebraska Telephone Company in Lincoln, Nebraska, for fifteen months. Both returned to Hamline and were graduated together in 1895. Both worked hard throughout the course supplementing the assistance their father could give them. The summer of [18]93 Will was conductor on street-car line in St. Paul and Ed sold papers and collected and distributed laundry at the race-track of the State Fair Grounds. In December 1895 Ed took an office position with the Amenia and Sharon Land Co. at Amenia, North Dakota, setting about diligently to learn the grain business. In 1898 he enlisted in the North Dakota regiment for Philippine service but was disqualified because of physical defect and returned to his work at Amenia. That summer he went to Prescott, Wisconsin to ask Eleanor Dill to marry him. When they were in college together he thought he loved her but went out to get started in business and learn for sure. When they found that love was mutual, things took the usual course. They became engaged July 28th and were married the following July 27th. Eleanor's Uncle, M. T. Dill, had grown old in the grain business at Prescott and, to be relieved of some of the burden, invited Wallace to join with him and two of his old-time Employees in the M. T. Dill Grain Company. This partnership was effected August 1, 1900 and continued for eight years. Here four children were born to the couple-Jean, July 10, 1900;' John Donald, July 8, 1903; Marjorie, March 23, 1905 and William Dill January 5, 1907...

"To Long Beach, California the family removed in July, 1908 where he took a position in the Exchange National Bank which had been organized by his brother Will. He was soon made Assistant Cashier and Director. From this position he went to the Marine Commercial and Savings Bank as Vice President in January, 1916. This bank was then about two years old, had deposits of $300,000, and was paying no dividends. Now it has deposits of two and a half millions, is paying ten percent and earning much more.

"Another child, Eleanor Thompson, was born into this family January 16, 1914."

  Research Notes:

Birthplace & date from daughter Lorna Doone Wallace family tree.

From Who's Who on the Pacific Coast edited by Franklin Harper (Los Angeles, 1913), p. 587:
WALLACE, William H., Banker; born, near Guelph, Ont., Sept. 14, 1870; son, John D. and Hannah (Patmore) W. A.B., Hamline Univ., St. Paul, Minn., 1895. Married, Mabel Gold, July 21, 1897, at Renville, Minn. Vice-pres., Exchange Natl. Bank, Long Beach; Dir., General Appliance Mfg. Co., Citizens Savings Bank. Member: Y.M.C.A., Chamber of Commerce, Masons, Odd Fellows, M.W.A., A.O.U.W. Club: Virginia Country. Res.: 1431 Linden ave.; Office: Exchange Natl. Bank, Long Beach, Cal.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Moved: From Pilkington Tp to Wellington Tp, 1879, Elora, Wellington Tp, Wellington Co., Ontario, Canada.

• Moved: From Elora to Lincoln, Nebraska, Nov 1880, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States.

• Moved: From Lincoln to Drayton, North Dakota, Feb 1881.

• Attended: Hamline University, Sep 1887, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States.

• Graduation: Hamline University, 1895, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States.

• Moved: From St. Paul to Pasadena, Dec 1887, Pasadena, Los Angeles Co., California, United States.

• Moved: From Pasadena to Drayton, Mar 1888, Drayton, North Dakota, United States.

• Attended: Hamline University, Sep 1888, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States.

William married Edith Pearl Poapst, daughter of Curtis Poapst and Helen Lind Studley, on 18 Mar 1911 in Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, United States. (Edith Pearl Poapst was born on 3 Sep 1880 in [Lunenburg] Cornwall Twp, Stormont., Ontario, Canada, christened on 31 Oct 1884 in Church of Scotland, <Lunenburg, Eastern District [Stormont], Canada> and died on 20 Oct 1943 in Los Angeles Co., California, United States.)

William next married Mabel Gold on 21 Jul 1897.