Wellesley, Ontario that much of the land had been "Queen's Rush, crown land, where fifty acre lots were given away to actual settlers". The Population of the entire township in 1841, was only 254. The area now the village of Wellesley on the Nith River was first settled in 1847, by John Smith and was originally called "Schmidtsville". The post office opened in 1851 and the village was renamed "Wellesley" after Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, the eldest brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The community quickly grew to be the largest economic centre in rural Waterloo County, with a
Arthur Wellesley Vowell the duties of Indian Reserve Commissioner after the retirement of Peter O'Reilly. During Vowell's tenure, in 1907, British Columbia rejected the allocation of any additional land to native reserves. Vowell resigned his federal positions in March 1910. He died in Victoria at the age of 79. Arthur Wellesley Vowell Arthur Wellesley Vowell (September 17, 1841 – September 26, 1918) was an Irish-born civil servant and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Kootenay in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1875 to 1876. He was born in Tipperary, the son of Richard Prendergast Vowell, was educated there and served