Oswald Hinds was born in Owen Sound in 1855. He was the son of Oswald and Annie Hinds and was raised by George Amer and his wife Annie Amer in Owen Sound from at least the age of six through to age 16.

In 1875, Oswald married his first wife, Catharine Tilton, in Toronto and the couple welcomed a son, George, the following year. In 1877, Catharine died. If that wasn't bad enough, that same year George Amer and his son Laban stood accused of murdering their neighbours, William and Charlie Bryan.

In 1878, George and Laban were jailed for life, and Oswald relocated to the island to take over the operation of the Amer homestead in Tehkummah.

A news report in the Manitoulin Expositor in 1879 boasted about Oswald's skills as a farmer, manually cutting and hauling over 25 tons of hay with the assistance of four men and a boy. That same year, Oswald became a trustee of Log Schoolhouse SS No. 1 in Tehkummah where his son young was enrolled as a student.

In 1882, Lot 28, Concession B in Tehkummah, which had been owned by George Amer prior to his incarceration, was transferred to Oswald Hinds. That same year, Oswald was also appointed pound keeper and postmaster. Despite the setbacks just a few years earlier, he had rebounded and settled in to become a productive member of the small farming community.

However, when George Amer was unexpectedly released from prison the following year, the property that had been gifted to Oswald was transferred back to the man who raised him and Oswald left Tehkummah for good.

Settling in Manitowaning, Oswald took up a new trade as a tinsmith and, in 1888, married his second wife, the former Ada B. Wright. The couple would go on to have several children, including Arthur, Charles, Ethel, Erol, Helena, Ida and Reid.

In 1890 Oswald was granted a patent on Lot 4 Queen Street South in Manitowaning, which was the site of both the family home and Oswald Hinds & Sons general store (pictured above).

Oswald died in 1930 is buried in Hilly Grove Cemetery.