William Pitman (b 1778, in England) married Ann Scott in 1803 in Milborne Port, Someset, England. They had nine children. The second born was William (b 1806) and the third Joseph (b 1807). Joseph married Louisa March in 1828, and their fourth child, Frederick John Pitman (b 1832) came to Australia in 1857. The older brother of Joseph, William, took a different path. He married Mary Ann Webber and they had seven children. The oldest, William (b 1834), married Mary Ann Brooks in 1859 before moving to Canada, arriving in Quebec in 1870. They had two children both born in England - William in 1861 and Elizabeth in 1863.

By 1894 he and his son William (b 1861) had set up a grocery store and butcher shop on Stephen Ave. They eventually had Four stores including a Provision flour store. William (b 1834) died in 1905 in Calgary, Alberta.

William (b 1861) married Florence White, in 1882 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and they had 8 children- 4 survived, 1 was adopted ,and another was born in the 2nd marriage to Emma Carter in Spokane, Washington State, USA. William served as an Alderman 1896- 97, and 1905 – 06 and he also purchased much land around Calgary.

William left his first family in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and moved to Spokane, Washington, USA with Emma Carter, whom he married in 1912. He continued to purchase many properties and built a large house there. He died in 1916 at the age of 57 leaving a very large legacy. William had travelled the world looking for a cure for a condition known as Pernicious Anemia, from which he suffered.

George Henry Pitman (b. 1885) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, eldest son of William (b 1861), was the butcher for the Pitman stores. He married Catherine Frances Hodgson, in 1909 and moved to Rock Creek, British Columbia, Canada when his father left the family. George became a rancher and butcher in the Interior and raised six children, one of whom, Ruby Pitman was the mother in law of Janet Gillis.