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Nicoll, William (1853-1938)
Nicoll (née McLeod), Mary
(1860-1950)
William Nicoll first bought property on Sea Island in 1875. He built a home for his soon-to-be bride, Mary McLeod before returning to Owen Sound in Ontario to marry Mary. He brought Mary to Sea Island in 1880. On their arrival on Sea Island, they found that the dykes had given away and their home was sitting in the middle of a lake. They sold their land to the City of Vancouver in 1929. William Nicoll died at the age of 85 in Vancouver on May 4, 1938.
From 1887 to 1892, William Nicoll was a Richmond City Councillor and in 1890, he was one of three school trustees instrumental in overseeing the project for the Sea Island School.
William and Mary Nicoll had four children: Ann Emily Christina Nicoll (1882-1945), married to George C. McGowan in 1910, Ann Marie Nicoll (1884-1958), married to Christian Frederick Williams, Ewen Alexander Nicoll (1887-1953), married to France Alice Robertson (1891-1965), and Margaret Mabel Jane Nicoll (1898), married to Herman “Grant” Raney.
In 1927, Ewen Alexander Nicoll started a car dealership named Dueck-Nicoll Motors. It is now known as Dueck Motors. He retired to Breakwater Island, the family’s private island near the entrance of Silva Bay off Gabriola Island in British Columbia.
To view the Nicoll family tree on Ancestry or obtain further information, contact Barb Nielsen at barbaralynnnielsen@gmail.com.