Prest Family
The Prest family is a historic Chilliwack family with both settler and Stó:lō First Nation roots, remembered locally through its early farming, cemetery donation, descendants, and Prest Road.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Prest family is a historically prominent family associated with the early settlement and agricultural development of Chilliwack, British Columbia. The family’s documented history reflects both settler and First Nation connections. William Prest, described as one of the founding members of the Prest family of Chilliwack, had previously worked in freighting on the Cariboo Road before settling in the Chilliwack area. He married Mary “Tata” Benn, a First Nation woman from what is now the Sqwah First Nation, one of the Stó:lō First Nation communities in the Chilliwack region. Their marriage and descendants form an important part of the family’s historical identity, linking early colonial settlement with local Indigenous history. The family farmed land around Little Mountain. In the nineteenth-century Colony of British Columbia, settlers could claim land through a process known as pre-emption: land was occupied, cleared, improved, and then granted to the person who had established the farm. The first land in Chilliwack was pre-empted in 1862. In 1885, members of the Prest family pre-empted approximately 71.6 hectares, or 177 acres, on Little Mountain. The land was donated to the Anglican Church for use as a cemetery in memory of the family’s daughter Susan, who was buried there. The donation included an agreement that Prest family members could be buried at the cemetery without charge. The cemetery later changed ownership several times, and documentation of the original arrangement was lost. After decades of discussions, the family and Chilliwack Cemeteries reached an agreement on September 5, 2018, recognizing the historic burial provision for Prest descendants. This resolution preserved a specific legacy associated with the family’s land donation and its continuing relationship with Little Mountain Cemetery. William Prest and Mary Benn had 11 children. Their descendants remain present in Chilliwack and surrounding communities. The family is also connected to local cultural history through descendants such as artist Bon Graham-Krulicki, identified as a great-granddaughter of Mary “Tata” Benn Prest. The family’s name continues to appear in the public geography of Chilliwack: Prest Road, a roughly 7.3-kilometre route running south from Yale Road East to Bailey Road, was named after the family and has become an important local traffic artery. The Prest family is not documented as a commercial brand, corporation, product line, or operating business. Its significance is genealogical, local-historical, geographic, and community-based. Accordingly, conventional brand attributes such as products, campaigns, corporate ownership, executive leadership, financial performance, and international markets do not apply or are not documented in the available material.
History
The Prest family’s recorded history is rooted in the development of Chilliwack, British Columbia, during the early period of colonial settlement. William Prest was one of the founding members of the Prest family in the area. Before establishing himself in Chilliwack, he worked in freighting on the Cariboo Road, an important transportation route associated with the movement of people and supplies through British Columbia. William Prest married Mary “Tata” Benn, a First Nation woman from what is now the Sqwah First Nation, part of the Stó:lō First Nation communities in the Chilliwack region. Their family history therefore combines settler and Indigenous roots. William and Mary had 11 children, and their descendants became numerous in Chilliwack and nearby communities. This relationship is a central part of the family’s historical importance because it places the Prest lineage within both the colonial settlement story and the pre-existing Indigenous history of the area. The family farmed lots around Little Mountain. Their agricultural activity took place within the nineteenth-century land-pre-emption system of the Colony of British Columbia. Under that system, a settler could claim land, clear and improve it, and eventually receive the land as a grant. The first land in Chilliwack was pre-empted in 1862. In 1885, the Prest family pre-empted approximately 71.6 hectares, or 177 acres, on Little Mountain. The family subsequently donated the Little Mountain property to the Anglican Church for use as a cemetery. The donation was made in memory of their daughter Susan, who was buried there. The arrangement included a provision allowing Prest family members to be buried at the cemetery without charge. The cemetery changed hands multiple times over the following decades, and the paperwork recording the original commitment was eventually lost. This created uncertainty about the descendants’ burial rights. Decades of negotiation eventually produced a renewed agreement between the Prest family and Chilliwack Cemeteries on September 5, 2018. The agreement recognized the historic terms associated with the original donation and restored clarity regarding burial access for Prest descendants. The episode illustrates how the family’s history remains connected to local institutions and land-use records rather than only to genealogical memory. The Prest name is also preserved in Chilliwack’s built geography. Prest Road extends approximately 7.3 kilometres south from Yale Road East to Bailey Road and is now an important traffic route. Its name commemorates the family’s historical presence in the district. Other documented descendants include artist Bon Graham-Krulicki, identified as Mary “Tata” Benn Prest’s great-granddaughter. The family is therefore remembered through place names, cemetery history, local reporting, and continuing descendants. The available sources do not establish the Prest family as a commercial enterprise or formal brand. There is no documented product portfolio, corporate structure, public listing, executive team, financial record, or international operating market. Its appropriate encyclopedia treatment is as a Chilliwack family and local historical subject.
- 2018
Cemetery agreement renewed
[2]On September 5, 2018, Prest descendants and Chilliwack Cemeteries agreed to honor the historic provision permitting Prest family members to be buried at Little Mountain Cemetery without charge.
- 1931
William Prest Jr. and Robert Allard killed in an accident
[4]William Prest Jr. and Robert Allard died in a Vancouver car accident on October 22, 1931.
- 1885
Little Mountain land donated for a cemetery
[1]The Prest family pre-empted approximately 71.6 hectares on Little Mountain and donated the property to the Anglican Church for a cemetery in memory of Susan Prest.
- 1862
First Chilliwack land pre-empted
[1]The first land in Chilliwack was pre-empted under the colonial settlement system, providing the broader land-tenure context for the Prest family’s later farming activities.
Products and positioning
A local-historical and genealogical family identity associated with early Chilliwack farming, Indigenous-settler kinship, Little Mountain Cemetery, and Prest Road.
Recent events
- 2018
Historic burial agreement for Prest descendants recognized[2]
Other
After the original cemetery paperwork was lost through successive ownership changes, Prest descendants and Chilliwack Cemeteries reached an agreement on September 5, 2018, reaffirming the family’s historic right to burial at Little Mountain Cemetery without charge.
- 1931
Two Prest family members killed in Vancouver car accident[4]
Other
William Prest Jr. and Robert Allard were killed in a car accident in Vancouver on October 22, 1931, according to contemporary local newspaper reporting.
Sources4 sources
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