Rolla Remembers - William Vincent & Nancy Forbes

Water Painting of Rolla Pub by Michael Kluckner

Rolla, British Columbia is a little hamlet about 10 km outside of Dawson Creek that is deemed a historic farming community founded about 1912.  The soil was rich enough for farming and became the home of a pioneering Vincent family.

William Warren Vincent was born in Nova Scotia to George S Vincent & Sarah Morrison.  According to a piece written by his grandson Warren in an article entitled ‘Rolla Remembers, 1912-1952’, William was a bit of wanderer before settling down in British Columbia.

In 1881, William was a 20 year old man living with his parents on their farm in New Annan.  It’s unclear when he left home but by 1884 he had met and married a Spokane girl by the name of Nancy ‘Elizabeth’ Forbes.  By 1900, the family was in Idaho long enough to have a baby and then travelled to Vancouver Island where William worked as a logger before relocating to Rolla, BC.

Their son, William David Vincent, or perhaps he was better known as Billy the Barber, had one leg and died in a hotel fire in 1921

 

William, Nancy, Bill, and Vivian are buried at the Rolla Cemetery

Margaret left Rolla and went Oregon - tombstone  Neil Warren Vincent remained in the area but settled in Dawson Creek - tombstone  Bessie lived to be 100 years of age living in Ellensburg, WA - obit  Robert left BC and headed to Edmonton - tombstone  And their youngest, Donald, went to California, he died at 65 - tombstone but his wife lived to be 102!