Andrew Wanless, bookseller in Detroit, has
published several volumes of his poetry and won a wide circle of
readers. He was born at Longformacus, Berwickshire, in 1825. In 1851 he
settled in Toronto, where he engaged in business as a bookbinder, but
was burned out and lost his all. In 1861 he removed to Detroit, and
slowly but surely recovered his losses. He is not only a poet, but an
authority on poets, particularly Scotch, and he discusses their merits
with rare critical acumen and with a fund of story and illustration
which makes him a delightful conversationalist. All his own poems are
Scotch, and he handles "our mither tongue" with the ease of a master.
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Andrew Wanless b. 20 May 1825 d. 22 Dec 1898
m. (1) Mary Ellison b. Abt 1838 d. 1863-1866
Children:
Minnie Wanless b. Abt 1858 d. Yes, date unknown
Mary or Jane Wanless b. Mar 1860 d. Yes, date unknown
Jessie Wanless b. Abt 1863 d. Yes, date unknown
Marion Margaret Wanless b. Est 1860-1875 d. Yes, date unknown
m.(2) Lucy Hill b. Abt 1844 d. Yes, date unknown
Children:
Alice Wanless b. Abt 1867 d. Yes, date unknown
Ellen Wanless b. Abt 1869 d. Yes, date unknown
Andrew Wanless b. Abt Aug 1879 d. 27 Aug 1881
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Andrew Wanless (1825-1898):-
Birth 20 May 1825 Longformacus, Berwick, Scotland
Gender Male
Census 1841 Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland
Duns ad sac parish of Boston (parish 735 ED 5 pg 23)
Andrew Wanlass, 15, bookbinder's apprentice,
-- in the house of James Brown, 68, bookseller
Emigration in 1851 to Canada
Residence 1851 Edinburgh, Scotland
Supposedly lived in Edinburgh before coming to Canada, but if so, it was
brief, as he was in Longformacus in April 1851 and supposedly emigrated
later that year.
Census 4 Apr 1851 Longformacus, Berwick, Scotland
With father: Andrew Wanless son, 26, grocer
Residence Abt 1852-Jan 1855 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Census 1860 Detroit, Wayne Co, Michigan, USA 2nd Ward, page 125
Andrew Wandlass, age 30, book binder, born Scotland
Mary, wife,age 22, born Canada
Minnie, daughter, age 3, born Canada
Mary, daughter. age 3/12, born Canada
Emigation in 1860 to Michigan, USA
Census 1870 Detroit, Wayne Co, Michigan, USA pg 277R, #1041-1023
Wonless, Andrew 45 b. Scotland, male, white, book binder, pers. prop.
$1200, parents of foreign birth
Lucy 26, wife, keeping house, b. Canada, parents of foreign birth
Minnie 12, at school, b. Michigan,
Mary or Jane 9, b. Michigan
Jessie 7, b. Mich.
Alice 3, b. Mich.
Ellen 1, b. MIch.
Census 1880 Detroit, Wayne Co, Michigan, USA Orchard St, Vol. 31, E.D.
277, Sheet 31, Line 1.
Andrew Wanless, age 53, bookbinder, born Scotland, parents b. Scotland
Wife - Lucy, age 35, born Canada, keeping house, father b. Canada,
mother b. NY
Dau - Mary or Jane, age 20, born Canada, clerk in bookstore
Dau - Jessie, age 18, born Michigan, clerk in bookstore
Dau - Allice, age 13, born Michigan, school
Dau - Ellen, age 11, born Michigan, school
Son - Andrew, age 10/12, born Aug. in Michigan
Residence 1880 Orchard Street, Detroit, Wayne Co, Michigan, USA
Residence 1890-1891 Bagg Ave, Detroit, Michigan
Detroit MI city directory 1890, 1891:
Andrew Wanless, Dealer in Old and New Books, Book Binding, 15 Grand
River avenue, 392 Bagg
Residence 1860-1898 Detroit, Wayne Co, Michigan, USA [2]
Died 22 Dec 1898 Detroit, Wayne Co, Michigan, USA [1, 2]
Obituary 23 Dec 1898 Trenton, New Jersey, USA
Trenton Evening Times
Well Known Literary Man Dead
Detroit, Dec. 23. Andrew Wanless, a well known literary character of
Detroit and poet and prose writer of no mean ability, died at his
residence here from pneumonia. For many years Mr. Wanless conducted a
second hand book store that was a resort for local literary men. He
possessed a magnificent library of about 22,000 volumes, comprising some
very old books and manuscripts. Mr. Wanless was born in Scotland in
1825, removed to this country in 1851, eventually settling here in 1860.
Occupation: Poet, book binder & dealer in rare books.
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