Major William Kingdom Rains

Major Rains lived with, and had children by, two sisters: Frances and Eliza Doubleday.

Hilton Beach/ Marksville/ Hilton Source St Joseph Island Pioneer volume 1 issue 2 , Dec. 1987 Around 1847, after copper was discovered in Bruce Mines it was reported that there could be copper and other minerals on St Joseph Island. Hoping to get in on this bonanza Major Rains with his eldest sons Tudor and Owen decided to try their luck. One foggy night while they were in the bush on one of their many quests for the elusive minerals they became lost. After spending a miserable night in the open they set out in the morning to find their way out . After a futile hunt for minerals the three weary prospectors emerged on the eastern slope of the Island overlooking the North Channel. It was so hilly that the Major told his sons that the folks who lived down in the village by the shore should call it Hill Town. Thus the settlement was so named. The name was later shortened to Hilton.