Chart
DAVID
WILFRED MacWILLIE
of Canada
& United States.
1876 -- 1941
David
Wilfred MacWillie, the youngest son of Alexander and Margaret McGlashan,
was born March 15, 1876 at Millbank, Ontario, Canada. Six months after
his birth his father, Alexander, fell ill, was hospitalized with a
lengthy illness and passed away on 30 July 1878 at the young age of
forty-five presumably from general paresis. Two years later in 1880
the family relocated to a new residence at 378 Victoria, in Toronto,
Ontario. There they opened a family grocery store where, in time,
each would work to support themselves, their schooling, and their
mother.
In September 1894 at the age of 19 David married Annie Marie
McNamara, 24, a native of Toronto, and the daughter of John McNamara,
a prominent Irishman and a leader in many public affairs. After having
their first child, Anne Camilla MacWillie, in July of 1896 they immigrated
to the United States where David attended a Business trade school.
In 1897 David attempted to establish a wholesale
grocery business in the Amsterdam, New York area just northwest of
Schenectady. Unfortunately, his new business enterprise burned to
the ground one day before it was to open and because his insurance
coverage did not go into effect until the grand opening, all was lost.
Not long afterwards, in April 1898, President McKinley called for
125,000 volunteers to register and join the fight against Spain. David
was one of those who answered the President’s call and he became a
member of the New York National Guard where he participated in the
Spanish-American War with the 146th Separate Company, New York Infantry.
Upon demobilization of the Guard in October 1898 and after the birth
of their second child, Loretta Marie MacWillie that same month he
became associated with the pearl button industry in Amsterdam, New
York and in 1906 he purchased the floundering Wisconsin Pearl Button
Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin and moved there with his family. The Wisconsin Pearl Button Company manufactured pearl buttons from
both the fresh water mussels (clams) of the Mississippi River and
salt water mussels (clams) imported from the coast. As president of
the Wisconsin Pearl Button Company David gave it much needed direction,
a steady business hand and expanded its territorial coverage until
he serviced the entire American population from the Dakotas to the
Gulf of Mexico. His efforts paid off handsomely and in its hey-day
(the early 1920s) the Wisconsin Pearl Button Company became the second
largest producer of buttons in the world by annually manufacturing
and distributing in excess of one-half billion pearl buttons in over
nineteen hundred different sizes and styles.
From the first day of residence in LaCrosse, David became
an active worker in the community. Deeply interested in promotion
of the best interests of the city, he became the first elected president
of the Chamber of Commerce, served the country during World War I
on the Council of National Defense and the American Red Cross having
been chairmen of the Civilian League section of the latter. He attended
the first peace conference as a delegate of the Red Cross and one
of his prize possessions was a certificate of service award bearing
the signature of President Wilson. In La Crosse he was fuel administrator;
a Mason, belonging to the Frontier Lodge No.45, A.F. and A.M., where
he held all chairs in the Lodge and the originator and charter member
of the La Crosse Curling club. He was also a member of the Veddersburg
Lodge, Independent Order of Old Fellows; and the Modern Woodman of
America, of which he was a past Noble Grand and also held all chairs
of the organization.
wife of David MacWillie.
