Wilbert A. Gofton

1911 - 1951  (39 years)

• Name	Wilbert A. Gofton
  Born	11 Nov 1911	Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	Haysville, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	crime, murder, suicide
  Misfortune	crime, murder
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-202089
  Died	28 Jul 1951	Haysville, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Buried	Chesterfield United Cemetery, Chesterfield, Oxford Co., Ontario   [1]
  Person ID	I202089	Generations
  Last Modified	6 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Andrew Gofton,   b. 11 Nov 1879, Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1932  (Age 52 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth "Lizzie" Witzel,   b. 2 Aug 1884, Walkerton, Brant Twp., Bruce Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 16 Oct 1959  (Age 75 years)
  Married	2 Feb 1910	New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2, 3]
  Family ID	F46251	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Clara Kavelman,   b. 1915,   d. 28 Jul 1951, Haysville, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 36 years)
  Children	1. Cecil Gofton,   b. 1943,   d. 28 Jul 1951, Haysville, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 8 years)   2. Delores Gofton,   b. 1945,   d. 28 Jul 1951, Haysville, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 6 years)   3. Karl Gofton   4. Elina Gofton
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024
  Family ID	F56580	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Kills Wife, Two Children; Then Self A triple murder and suicide shocked the peaceful farming community two miles south of Haysville on Saturday, July 28th. Wilburt Gofton, 40-year-old farmer, of the Wilmot-Blenheim township line, shot his wife and two children to death with a sawed-off .22 calibre rifle and then killed himself with the same weapon. Left unharmed in a crib beside the lifeless body of Mrs. Gofton was an 11-months-old baby girl, Elina. A two-year-old son, Karl, was at the farm home of Hans Kondert near Haysville at the time. After shooting his wife, Gofton went to the bedroom where his children, Cecil, 7, and Dolores, 5, were sleeping, and sent two more bullets into the heads of the youngsters as they lay sleeping. He returned to the kitchen and turned the gun on himself, his body being found near that of his wife. According to police, the shooting evidently took place between 6.30 and 7.30 o'clock Saturday morning, but the bodies were not discovered until 4.20 in the afternoon when Lloyd Hart, Kitchener delivery man, made a regular call to deliver bread. He rushed to a farm home a short distance down the road to contact Police Chief George Thomas of New Hamburg. Cpl. Jack Munro of the Kitchener provincial police detachment investigated the triple murder and suicide, assisted by Constable Thomas and Constable W. A. Coxworth of the provincial police in Kitchener. Mr. and Mrs. Gofton and family occupied part of the farm home of the latter's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. D. Kavelman, who at the time of the shooting were on a trip to Niagara Falls, N.Y. in company with their daughter, Edna. The four bodies were taken to the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital morgue, Saturday and the next day were released to the Glendenning Funeral Home, Plattsville, where funeral services were held Tuesday, July 31. Interment was in Chesterfield cemetery. New Hamburg Independent, August 10, 1951

  
  

• Sources

  [S3231] Find A Grave, (2018). Findagrave.com. Retrieved 23 December 2018, from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184573156. Wilbert A. Gofton BIRTH1911 DEATH1951 (aged 39\endash 40) BURIAL Chesterfield United Cemetery Chesterfield, Oxford County Municipality, Ontario, Canada [S655] z Vit - ON - Birth Registration. Wilber A. Gofton b. 11? Nov 1911 Blenheim, s/o Andrew Gofton, farmer & Elizabetrh Witzel, married 2 Feb 1910 Wilmot Tp. [S721] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration, marriage certificate 21615 (1910), Gofton-Witzel. Moses Gingerich, 22, Laborer, of Wilmot Twp, Son of Joseph Gingerich & Lena Lebold Married Mattie Gerber, 24, of Wilmot Twp, daughter of Christian Gerber & Annie Reshley, Witn: Joe Erb of Wellesley Twp & Dan Brenneman of South Easthope, 27 February 1910 At The Wellesley Meeting House

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 11 Nov 1911 - Blenheim Twp., Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada Interesting - crime, murder, suicide - - Haysville, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 28 Jul 1951 - Haysville, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Chesterfield United Cemetery, Chesterfield, Oxford Co., Ontario  = Link to Google Earth