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Lorsquit !e document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul c!ich6, il est filmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en p^enant Ie nombre d'images ndcessalrn. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mtihode. 1 2 3 12 3 4 5 6 He -1 i lu iMwitu§np»(,w »i -' "Tii'fiapBi THE HISTORY OK THK I COUNTY OF ONT A RIO, ITS PAST AND PRESENT, C'ONTA I N 1 N(! A Condensed History of Canada ; A Complete History of Welland County : its Townships, Towns, Villages, Schools, Churches, Societies, Industries, Statistics, etc.; Portraits of some OF ITS Prominent Men ; Description of its various Historic and Interesting Localities; Miscel- laneous Matter ; Biographies and His- tories OF Pioneer Families, Etc. / L L U Sr R A T J D \ WELLAND TRIBUNK PRINTING HOUSE, I887. ■Nunpni imt^ -1 1.1 WfT PREFACE. «i>*&« 'I'"'I'1CR surmounting many unlooketl for obstiicles and ovcrtoming uiic";- pfjctcd dilificultics, the publishers are enabled to present to the I'ublic the History of the Ccjunty of Welland, which has l)een in preparation "'^) for several months. To procure the material for its compilation many hundred pages of manuscript and written records have been explored, and every other avenue of reliable information has been diligently searched. He who expects to find the work entirely free from errors or de- fects, has little knowledge of the difficulties attending the i (reparation of .. work of this kind. So numerous are the sources from which ihe facts have been drawn, that no attempt has been made to indicate them in the foot-notes. The data has been culled item by item, from sources widely scattered — in books, jjamphlets, l)eriodicals and newspaper files ; in manuscripts, church records, court records and justice's dockets ; in local laws; charters, manuals and' minutes of societies; in private letters, journals and diaries, especially of intelligent observers ; in funeral sermons, obituary notices and inscriptions on toinbiitones ; in the memory of living persons of what they have themselves witnessed ; and last and least valuable of all, traditions where they could not be supported by some record or contemjjoraneous document : these have been received with the utmost caution. In matters of doubt- ful authenticity the writers have assumed, as a guiding jirinciple, that the record of a false statement as the truth would be a greater evil than the loss of a true statement. It is perhajjs due to both parties to say tiiat this work was arranged, and the copy largely prepared by the Historical Publishing Company, composed of Messrs. E. R. Langs, of Hrantford, and A. B. Rice, of Welland, and that the publication was completed by their successor, Mr. J. J. Sidey, with Mr. Rice as editor of the departments. The change in inedias res may account for possible omission of matter, or in style of arrangement. On the other hand, any credit which may be due for the production of the book is fairly divisible as indicated. .Acknowledg- ments for valuable services rendered are due the many citizens of the county who 'n mk iffmmm^mmgBm IV VREKACE, i ■ fk}S' have so kindly assisted us, by furnishing data Trom which the book has been com- piled The friencs from whon. we have obtained information are so numerous, and all have been so acconnnodating, that it would be invidious to particularize. We therefore take this o|.|u,rtunily of thanking, collectively, the various public ofhcials, clergymen and others, who have rendered us such valuable assistance. The biographical sketches were prepared from notes collected by the solicitois, and a copy of nearly every biography has been sen- :)y mail to the several subjects, giving patrons an opportunity to correct any errors that may have crept mto their sketches. Where the copies were not returned, the publishers were obliged to print the originals. In submitting their work to the public, the publishers trust that it will t.e re- ceived in that generous spirit which is gratified at honest and conscientious efforts, and not in that captious spirit which refuses to be satisfied short of unattainable perfection. 13 '& vw i w"^.)j" i' '" " 1 com- js. and :. Wc lfici;ilp, icitois, ibjfcts, o their print 1 l.c re- efforts, ainable CONTENTS. PART I. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. I'MIK. Our l<(;){iMiiiiiu' l'rrlii..%tori(: 1 Tlio Krenijli ( 'olony 4 Thu Iiidiiiii Whi'.s 8 The CoiKiiio.-il uf CaiiaUii lit Cimnriii (lui'iiiKtliu Aiiiuriuon Ituvoliition. . . 27 The Aiiiorlcaii Kuvoliitioii 30 The HotUuniiiiit of KiiKli^h-Hpuiiking Canada 33 Upper Cnnudiaii I'ruKi'esH fiuni 17t)2to thu war of 1812 37 J'AOK. Tlio Will- cil 1812 38 'I'lio KaTiiily ('otii|)iict 12 Mai-konzio's Krvt.ll 47 I.iOi'd .S.ideiihain'd Ministry ol Kpitciiii! }•' Tho NiaKimi Uivor ;{''* Tho Catarnci 3>1' The HorsoHlioc Full 320 Tnblu Kock ^'i\ A Syiicnpc! of I lio Wntont ;'2V! A Narrow Karupo •'123 IturniiiK of th(! (,'aroline 324 VcssiiN HC'iil over tho Fftlls 32;) The \Vhirl))00l •'12(1 T)io Maid of the Mist .')2i) (■■iPlaii Wobb :«(• Haircl '"riiis •';''■■■ Kendall f. Trip •'■'- NiaKMH, KallM in Winlor XH IntLriiatiOiial Park 33''» The Uri '/cs XUi Itetror"" ;lon of the Kails .'«!> KroBic power of the HorMC-Hhoc Kail — 310 Thu Kih'.ire 341 Sel I lenient of tho Lund 3U VillaKO of KlKin 341 Town of Cliflon 342 Town of NiaKara Kails 313 Woslev I'nrk 314 t'hurchos and Ueligious Inslitntionv 34n Soclolies 317 TlloROM) TowNsiiii' 350 The I'ionccra 350 HuildinK of the Canal 3.53 Hobellion of 1837-8 ai3 St. Johns .3.13 Port Honiiison 351 1 'orl Robinson Churches 35(1 l/OdKCs 357 Allanhurgh 357 Churehos 358 Schools 358 Paok. TllDKOI.II ToWNHIIir-t'0»hville ;180 TOWNSIIII' OK Wll.'.OUOIlHV 381 Karly Hcl tloinent ;t82 SI II I ist ics 3H,'t Ne .V Uormany 381 Hhutk (Jreok ;18I ViM.AOK OK (;|II1'I'AWA 387 Town ok *\'ki i,ani) 31)0 •■ Tho Aquoducl," 31(0 Morritisville 300 Iiicorpuratio. 31)1 Municipal History 391 Tho Woiland of today 391 'I'ho Schools 31);-) Mel hoilist Church 31)7 I'l I'sliy t ji'ian 31)8 Kpiscopal Church 400 (.'hurch of Chr'st 100 HaplisI 401 Itoiiian CathoPc 401 liUthoran loi Salvation Army 101 Mo'hanics' Instiluie 102 I'Odges |{« l.idustrics 105 Corner Slono of County Building 108 Konian llaid jio Governor's Visit 411 Corner Stone of Orient Hall 413 Nolablo Kail way Accidents 414 Historical Notes 415 PART IV. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. -1 Hortii! and Kort Kric 41!) Crowland Township 434 llmiiborHloiio and Port Colborno 117 Pclhain Tov. nship l(i(5 Stamford Township and Niagara Kails VillaKo 11)0 Niagara Kails Town 505 Thorold Township 513 Thorold Town 525 VVaiiilleot Township 537 WillouKhby Township 541 Town of vVeltand ^7 Al'l'KNlUX. EURATA ... fi87 SB2 PORTRAITS. Dr. Krazer, ex-M. P 1)7 A. (J. Hill. Kbo 105 Pr. KerRUSon, M. P 201 Kd win Hershey 327 James K. Morin, M. P. Henry Cronmiller Dr. Oliver Dr. Glasgow »/7 443 493 543 "■ippl^"*' ■:'->)f,7»-v-»'" ■"■■■■■UiiiiiiMii Pahk. . . . :j.w . .. :i">ii . . -.m . . -MYl ... '.m . . :«w ... :«u ... ;«k'> ... :m ... :«i7 ... :«i7 ... -.m .. -m .... .1.2 .... 372 . ... 374 ... 374 . . . . 37(1 . ... 37!l .... mi ... 381 . . . . 382 .... 383 .... 384 . . . . 384 .... .387 .... 3U0 .... 390 .... 30O .... 3U1 .... 391 .... 394 .... 3U5 307 308 400 400 401 401 401 401 402 403 405 408 410 411 413 414 415 613 525 .537 341 547 687 592 3/7 443 493 543 PART I. Dominion of \j. -1' Part l.-THE DOMINION OF CANADA. Our Beoinninc;. — Prehistoric. Ths history of Canada begins with its discovery by civilized man. For untold ages previous to this event our forests and rivers bad held a sparse population of savages, who in the fifteenth century had not advanced beyond the manners of the age of stone. Of these there were three principal tribes : the Iroquois, which at that time, however, were settled on the region south of I^ke Ontario, although they frequently invaded central Canada ; the Algonquin;-, who held the Atlantic seaboard and the St. I^awrence and Ottawa valleys ; and the Hurons, from Montreal west- ward, previous to their utter extirpation by the Iroquois two centuries ago. The Iroquois were the fieroest, and had the virtues as well as the vices of savage life most fully marked; they have been called "the Romans of the West," the most Indian of Indians, and they seem to hr.ve reached the nearest approach to civilized life among the red men. But tb 7 had not advanced beyond the prehistoric age of stone, beyond the men who wrought the implements and drew the rude sketches of animals that we find in caverns among the bones of the mammoth and cave-bear. They formed a strong political organization, the Iroquois League, which drove every other tribe before it ; in the \vars between the white men the Iroquois were the most dreaded foes and the most valued allies. Their force never amounted to more than 2,000 warriors, but they had tactics terribly effective in the dark and tortuous forests through which they followed the war-path. Unlike the wandering hunters of the Algonquin race, the Iroquois lived in settled towns, surrounded with palisades, and containing a number of rude, rough, bark-covered dwellings. Along the sides of these were a number of bunks four feet in height, where the members of some twenty families slept promiscuously together ; provision for decency there was none. The building was perpetually reeking with a pungent smoke, a fertile cause of eye disease ; other annoyances were the filth, the fleas, the cries of children. Outside these " towns " patches of ground were laboriously, and after the toil of months, cleared by cutting down a few trees ; a laborious work, hard to be effected with stone hatchets. Then the squaws toiled with their rude hoes, pointed with stone or clam-shell, stirring up a little light earth to receive their crop of corn, tobacco, pumpkins or Indian hemp. This the women 3 HISTORY OF WKLLANI1 COUNTY. spun by the immitive plan of ..incling it around their thighs. There is no pleasant aspect in the life of an Iroquois woman ; her youth was wantonness, her after life drudgery, 'n the summer, at dances and religious festivals, girhi who had never learned to blush went naked save for a skirt reaching from the waist to the knees. When permanently married, she was her husband's slave ; "the Irocpiois women," said Champlain, "are their mules." The chiefs, or sachems, flared no better than the humblest brave or hunter ; Tecumseh and Pontiac hunted and fished for their sustenance, and were as filthy, greasy and repulsive as any of their tribe. Of metals they had hardly any use. Except for a few ornaments of gold or copper, the knives that carved the venison for Cartier, the arrowhead that whizzed past the ears of Chiimi)lain, were of chipp-d (lintstone. One work of |)erfect art the Indian prcjduced. Civilized man lias devised nothing more e.xcprisitely graceful than the Indian birch canoe. A genuine offsjjring of the forest and the lake, it floats, an exquisite combination of symmetry and lightness, through scenes whence, like its builders, it is soon destined to di.sappear. So the Indian lived for ages amidst the works of nature without an eiTort to understand her laws : their religion not as some have explained it, a monotheistic cult of the (ireat Si)irit, but n childish animism at- tributing personality to all phenomena of the outwai ) world. I-ife was supposed to pervade all nature, the silence of forest or lake, the thunder of the cataract. When to the squaw, worn out with blows and drudgery, to the hunter marble-frozen in the snowdrift. Death, the deliverer, came, he brought neither terror nor ho[je. (lood and bad, the dead passed unjudged into the shadowy hunting ground, each accom- panied by the ghost of his pijie, his moccasins, his bow and arrows, his kettles and ornaments. The discovery of Canada by Europeans was one of the many great results which spruig from the new birth of modern thought out of the darkness of the Middle Ag<^ > ; it came when Greek literature arose from the dead after the capture of Con- stantinople. In June, 1497, seventeen months before Columbus set foot on 'he American mainland, John (!abot, sonl l)y Henry VII. of England, discovered New- foundland and the (uilf of the St. Lawrence ; although there is every reason to be- liev- that the fisheries off Newfoundland had long been known to Ba.sque and Nor- man fishermen. In 1524, Francis I. of I-'rance sent Verazzani to America, He merely coasted along the country from I'lorida to Newfoundland, and named it "La Nouvelle France," a name which was afterwards ajjplied to Canada by the French. Hence both the French and English claimed the country, though for two centuries England paid no atien^ion to a claim which was after ail a mere feudal (juibble. In 1534. Jacques Cartier, the true discoverer of Canada, sailing from St. Malo, circumnavigated Newfoundland, and scanned the dreary coasts of Labrador. He THE DOMINION OK CANADA. • 3 entered a spacious l)ay, which, from the heat of the Canadian summer day, he called Bate des Chaleurs, and ascendin^f tlie St. I .awrence till land could be seen on either side, erected on a commanding prDuiontory a huge cross engraved with the fletirs- de-lis of the Frenc^h king, as a token of his sovereignty, in sjjite of the ojiposition of an aged Indian chief -an opposition which was a symbol of the ultimate failure of the red man before the white. Once more King Francis, in May, 1535, sent out ('artier, better equipped for the voyage, with three ships, the largest named La Grande Hcrtnione, Oi.nd no men. On the I oth of August he entered the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, which he named after the Roman martyr, whose festival it was, for French colonization was from the first religious. Along the river's course, with its banks of forest, he sailed past the sombre entrance to the Saguenay ; and in the hope, conunon to all discoverers oi that age, to and a pas.sage to the Indies, sailed on. He was told by Indian fishers that lie would soon reach a country called Canada or Canata, an Indian word sig- nifying " town ; " [jassing an island gay willi summer birds and flowers, and covered w'lh grape-vines, he named it "The Isle of Bacchus." Near this, on the site of Quebec, was an Indian fort or town, Stadacona, where lived a chief, Don- nacona by name, whom the I'Vench, applying their own feudal ideas to the merely personal and very precarious dignity of an Indian chief, styled "The Lord of Canada. " A'though the Indians tried hard to bar their further progress, this dauntless explorer sailed on through the unknown waters, till at length he anchored under a hill which he named Mount Royal. 'I'here, where is now a stately city, no unfit occupant even of that splendid scenery, was a rudely-built Indian town called " Hochelaga," where he and his men were welcomed by the Indians as superior beings, o crwhelmed with feasting and presents, and intreated to heal a crippled invalid chief, over whom Cartier read the " Passion " from the ^os])el ; but the age of miracles being past, the old chiefs rheumatism remained as it was ! After three days' stay, Cartier returned to his fort at Stadacona, where he had the courage to brave the rigors of the winter. This was a severe one, and the garrison suffered terribly from cold, hunger, and the increasing ravages of scurvy. A friendly Indian told them the remedy, a decoction of spruce bark. With the summer the explorers returned tc France, having kidnapped the friendly chief Donnacona and nine of his people, who were exhibited at Court, and baptized with great pomp at Rouen Cathedral, but who died in their exile. This action was not only a crime but a mistake ; it alienated the Indians, and was the first step in a long series of mutual wrong-doings between the white man and the red. Cartier made two other voyages, whi. ii, however, led to no important results ; his search for the coveted precious metals and gems led only to finding some worth- jMMKw^-'-^ . ■ HISTORV OF WRLLAND COUNTY. 4 less crystals in that part of the Quebec promontory which has thence been named " Cape Diamond." These voyages, however, served the purpose of familiarizin.i; the French with the St. Lawrence region, and with the Indians A considerable traffic in furs and peltry was now carried on. Besides the voyage of Carti^r to Canada, several French expeditions visited Sable Island, a barren strip af land off the Coast of Nova Scotia. The first of these was by a nobleman named De '.^:y, who landed some cattle ; as the island, other- wise sterile, was covered with a coarse grass, and had a small lake of fresh water, the cattle survived, and were the means of preserving the lives of a few out of forty con- victs landed there eighty years afterwards by the Marq-.is de la Roche. Out of forty, twelve remained alive when a ship was sent t "elve years afterwards to ascer- tain their fate. At the beginning of the seventeenth century Chauvois, a sea captain of Roiien, brought out sixteen settlers and established them for the winter in a small fort at Tadousac, where till lately the remains might be seen of a small house, built by him, the first stone building in Canada. The French Colony. -1 i It was the custom of the French monarchs at that period to give some great nobleman nominal charge of Canada, with the title of Lieut-Governor or Lieut.- General. One of these, De Chaste, conceived the idea of organizing a company of merchants who should undertake further exploration, and be given a monopoly of the fur trade. As his lieutenant in this enterprise he selected, in a good hour for ('anada, Samuel de Champlain, a naval officer, who, though young, had already done good service in the West Indies and elsewhere. Champlain belongs to that type of essentially Christian heroes under which we class Columbus, and very many of Champlain's successors, from Montmagny to Montcalm. For the gains of trade he cared nothing ; for the glory of France, or rather of its King, he cared much ; but his highest aim was the glory of God, by which he undeiatood the extension of the Catholic faith. For these two supreme objects there was no toil, no labor or danger, that he did not endure during more than thirty years devoted to founding the colony of New France, the germ of the Canada of to-day. During this period he made many voyages between Canada and France to procure reinforcements, and to rei)resent the result of his explorations and the prospects of colonization. In the first of them, in 1603, he ascended the St. Law- rence, being favorably received by the Algonquin Indians ; all was changed since Cartier's visit. Where Stadacona and Hochelaga then stood, both town and people had vanished. He was arrested in his course by the Sault St. Louis rapids, to which, from the notion of the river being a water-highway to China, he gave the THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 5 name of La Chine, but fiom the summit of Mount Royal he looked forth over forest and river of this new land of promise. In a second voyage from France soon after, being better equipped wiih men and supplies, he sailed with a nobleman named the Sieur de Monts, first exploring the coast of Nova Scotia, which De Monts preferred to Canada. A fort was built at Port Royal, now Annapolis, and leaving a small body of settlers, who, after enduring great hardships, were about to abandon the colony when a ship arrived with supplies from France. Acadia, as the colony was called, flourished for some years, but was under the disadvantage of repeatedly changing masters, according to the fortune of war between the French and English. It was finally ceded to the latter in 17 13. Champlain's sagacious judgment perceived the superior advantages of Canada. He was allowed to commission two ships, and on July 3rd, i6o8, he foL'nded the future capital of French Canada on the north shore of that part of the river which the Indians called " Quebec," or " Strait." There, beneath the now historic hill, he raised a few huts, a magazine for stores, a wooden fort, and on the rocks above a barrack for the soldiers. There he remained with his settlers for two years and a half During the winter all suffered severely from cold and scurvy. His men were mutinous ; wretched Indians hovered about his settlement, ready to beg or steal ; but Champlain's firmness crushed rebellion ; his faculty for government held the discordant elements of the little colony together ; the lofty piety of his nature seemed like that of one of the old heroes of Christian romance, Godfrey or bt. Louis, come back to life again. Languor ivas not in his work^ Weakness not in his word. Weariness not on his brotv I But, saint as he was as well as soldier, the saintliness had some alloy of Loyola, teaching that the end justifies the means. The end, so persistently worked out by the politicians and Jesuits who succeeded him, was by taking sides with one of the hostile Indian races to subdue their opponents, and win both at last as subjects oi France and vassals of the Church. He chose the weaker and less organized tribe of Algonquins, and in 1609 joined a party of their warriors in exploring the beautiful lake that bears his, name, and in attacking their foes, the Iroquois. The white man's firearms won an easy victory ; but a false step had been taken, the wrath of the implacable Six Nations was once and forever aroused, to break out again and again in massacre and the torture of settler and priest, missionary and delicrae maiden ; till at last the Iroquois, joining the foes of France, helped to conquer Canada for England ! In 15 II he marked out the present site of Montreal as a post to be occupied, and surrounded it with an earthen rampart, naming it Place Royale. As every me- 1 1^ -1 6 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. morial of our earliest Canadian hero interests Canadians, it is well to note that St. Helen's Island is named after Cham])lain's wife. Soon after this, <;;uided [)y some Algonquin hraves in their birch canoes, Cham- plain — first of white men — ascended the Ottawa. Alone with savages, whose friendship he could not trust, he |)assed day after day ascending that silent highway, with its unvarying fringe of primeval forest, inhabited only by wild beasts, now scarcely to be found but in museums. He followed the d\fficuh/:Jr/e7ge where is the terrific cataract of the Chaudiere, the aiiode of a malignant spirit, to w^1om his guides were fain to throw their offerings of tobacco, a cataract which now mingles its voice with the tumult of a great city. Thence through the clear stream of the Upper Ottawa to yet another portage, he saw stretching across the river the ridge of lime- stone precipice, over which the whole force of the Ottawa thunders. Thence over the broad Lake of the Wild Cats on to the Indian settlements, where the most diffi- cult of all the Ottawa portages stops the way at the Allumette rapids. Here Cham- plain was entertained by a friendly chief. Thence he returned to Quebec, and pro- ceeded to France, where the greatest interest was now felt in the new colony. Champlairi was freely supplied with stores, arms, settlers and artisans for Quebec. On his return he found the colonists prosperous ; the Indians had been friendly, and the crops planted in the virgin soil had yielded an encouraging return. An.xious for the conversion of the heathen around him, Champlain without dif- ficulty induced four priests of the Reformed-Franciscan Order of Recollet Friars to come .as missionaries to the Indians ; they were received with enthusiam by the pious settler-s and the astonished Aigonquins watched with wonder the vested priest, the altar with its mystic lights and crucifix, as the first mass was intoned and the strange- smelling incense mingled with the odors of pine and cedar in the summer woods. But a mightier Order than the RecoUets was to be the seed of the French Church in Canada by the blood of its martyrs. Champlain was led in 1615, by the importunities of his Algonquin allies, to re- peat his mistake of joining in the horrors of Indiim war. Once more he ascended the Ottawa, again laboiing to drag canoe and baggage over the numerous portages, struggling for life amid rapids which are .;tiil dreaded by our lumbermen. At the difficult and tedious Allumette portage a storm had blown trees across the only track, the woods were blocked up, Champlain had to carry his baggage, much ot which he lost. A few years ago an ancient ra])ier, and an astrolabe or astronomical instrument then used by travellers, were found in this very place ; they are believed to be relics of the founder of Quebec. Thence they passed in their birch canoes, gliding through forests kindled by the touch of autumn into gold and crimson, or camping at night by watch-fires that might haply scare away the wolt and bear. At length they reached the region, still wild as in Champlain's day, where now the locomotive of the new built Pacific Railway out-screams the eagle amid the lonely hills of Mattawa. By this THE DOMINION OK CANADA. they took their way to Lake Nipissing, where they were welcomed by seven or eight hundred Nipissing warriors, who escorted them by canoe and portage to the great inland sea of the Hurons ; coasting this for some forty-five leagues, they struck into the interior, and Champlain at last beheld a Huron town, so different from the soli- tary huts of the Algonquin hunter. Here there was more comfort, better crops, plenty of vegetables, corn, ana venison and bear flesh ; savage life in a better aspect, but still savage life. For three days Champlain witnessed with wonder and disgust the interminable feast, the warriors as they gorged like vultures, the naked and painted braves, their black hair sleek with the oil made from sunflower seed, their faces hideous with war paint ; the leapings and gesticulations of the war dance, and the dances, not less disgusting to the pious Frenchman, of shameless and robeless wantons. At last it was over ; they marched against the foe, by whom at first they were repulsed, but through Champlain's aid and advice they won a victory disgrace- ful and disastrous to the Christian colony. Champlain urged them to follow up the success by an immediate storm of the hostile camp, but he soon found that these savage warriors would only fight as it pleased themselves, yelling t'.ieir curses against the enemy, and firing their flint-pointed arrows at the strong wooden ramparts. Cham|)lain received two wounds in the leg ; his allies were driven to retreat. In vain Champlain urged them to fulfil their promise of sending him home. He learned the value of an Indian's friendship and promise, except as may suit the caprice of these grown up children, changeable as the wind. A friendly chief, however, sheltered him during the winter ; he is believed to have crossed the isthmus now called " Carrying Place " to the shores of the Bay of Quinte, where he could spend the winter in safety from the Iroquois. His host's house fortunately was a more com- fortable one than those of most Indians. On the 20th of May he proceeded to Lachine, and got to Quebec by the end of June. Again he proceeded to France, where he found divided counsels as to the man- agement of the colony from the internecine quarrel between the Huguenots of Rochelle, then on the eve of rebellion against their country, and the Catholic French. Efforts were made to deprive Champlain of his position. The Fur Trade Company, which had promished to send out a large number of settlers, had neglected this part of the contract, and thought only of furs ; this had been all along a great hindrance to the growth of Quebec. Worst news of all, Champlain learned that certain Huguenot traders from Rochelle had set the fatal example of selling firearms to the heathen foe. At this time two wealthy Huguenots named I)e Caen gained a position of authority in the colony, which they used to thwart Champlain's plans and stir up religious dissension ; they cared little for the good of the colony, and only troubled themselves with the fur trade. Cardinal Richelieu, then all powerful in F>ance, for this reason revoked their api)ointment, and organized a company, that of the " Hun- dred Associates, " who undertook to furnish supplies, and in particular to send and ■ 8 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. -1 su|)|Mjrt a sufficient number of priests, who were to have lands and the necessary supplies of food and seed. Champlain was to be Governor of Canada, which was now named " New I<'rance." But next year, 1628, war broke out between France and England, when the profligate Duke of Buckingham's influence at Court caused aid to be sent to the rebels at Roc^elle. A fleet was sent out under Kirk, who, in spite of a determined lesistance by Champlain, gained possession of Quebec, which was forced to surrender by want of provisions. But neither England nor France cared much about the possession of Canada, and it was only Champlain's representation that caused its restoration to be insisted on at the peace of 1632. Champlain was now, at the end of his long and checquered life, rewarded by being appointed (iovernor, and still more by taking back with him a number of settlers of means and repute. With these were four Jesuits, setting out to join their Superior, Le Jeune, who had already sailed from Rouen with two companions. These men, clad in long black cassocks, with rosary hanging from the girdle, and with broad looped-up black hats, were destined to illustrate the better side of Jesuitism — the Jesuitism of the martyrs ; their missionary work was to call all that was noblest and most chivalrous in France to a new crusade against heathenism, nnd to emulate the sufferings, the riiartyrdom, the love of souls, the patience of the first Christians. To Champlain remained two years more of life, during which his rule, under the Jesuit keepers of his conscience, made Quebec seem like a monastery. Thus piously and peaceably his last days ebbed away. He died — a fitting day and hour for such a life to close — while the bells were tolling for mass on Christmas Day, 1635. The Indian Wars. To Champlain succeeded a governor of similar temperament, Charles de Montmagny, who as a member of the Order of Knights of Malta, was half a monk, half a soldier. The Jesuit regime in La Nouvelle France was well sustained. The Order was all-powerful. Meanwhile the mission work they had been at such pains to build up among the Hurons was swept away with the extermination of their con- verts by the 'roquois. The latter had purchased firearms from the Dutch and Eng- lish settlers of New York, and now fought with white men on equal terms. The Hurons were all but destroyed from the face of the earth ; their fate had broken the courage of the Algonquins so much that they were useless as allies. But in France, the sufferings of the Jesuit missionaries, as the story was spread throughout the land in the famous " Relations des Jesuites," published year by year, aroused a new enthusiasm. The age of faith seemed to revive the age of miracles. Men of wealth and good repute for worldly wisdom saw visions commanding them to establish a colony, and found religious houses " on an island called Montreal, in THE DOMINION OF CANADA. spread by year, miracles. inR them >ntreal, in Canada." Stranger miracle still, these wealthy gentlemen gave up their bank accounts as readily as the early Christians who laid their all at the Apostles' feet. A society of nobles and gentlemen was formed " to plant the banner of Christ in an abode of demons ; " that is, to found at Montreal three religious bodies : one of priests to teach, direct and convert ; one of nuns, to nurse the wounded and sick ; n third, also of nuns, to tend and teach the children, French and Indian. Religion became for the day the fashion ; money poured in ; the sum of ^75,000, according to some double that amount, was soon contributed. A free grant of the island was made to the founders of the new settlement, which, from its conmianding position at the confluence of Canada's two greatest arteries of naviga- tion, must in the ftjture be the centre of commerce, and would at present serve as a second centre of defence against the Iroquois, and as a point of vantage for mis- sionary effort in the heart of heathendom. Their anticipations were based alto- gether on religious zeal, on visions, on apparitions and voices from heaven. They have proved as true as if they had been the cool calculations of statesmen and capi- talists. A rich young lady. Mademoiselle Jeanne Marie, was supernaturally called to join the settlers at Montreal, and devote her wealth to God. All Paris praised her, prelates and Jesuits made much of her. Forty soldiers were to accompany the band of enthusiast.s. Paul de Chomechy, Sieur de Maisonneuve, a nobleman re- sembling Champlam both in devoutness and valor, was to be governor of Montreal. They were to be joined and aided by one who makes one of the most winning fig- ures in that marvellous group. Marguerite Bourgeoys, destined to labor for years among the little ones of the new colony. She was given a miraculous image of the Virgin. It still stands overlooking the river, in a gable niche of the quaint old seventeenth century church of Notre Dame des Bonnes Succours, in Montreal^ and many a pious mariner and anxious mother find comfort as they invoke " Our Lady of Gracious Help. " In February, 1642, the associates, numbering forty-two, stood in the Church of Notre Dame at Paris, before the altar of the Virgin, after whom the town was to be named Ville Marie de Montreal. When Maisonneuve, with the soldiers and the religious women, reached Que- bec, the approach of winter made it necessary for them to stay at Quebec till spring. Jealousy arose between Quebec and the new colony. Montmagny thought Maison- neuve's appointment an infringement of his own authority. During the winter, however, Maisonneuve and his men built boats to carry them to their destination, and in May they embarked, their boats heavily freighted, and passed safely through their dangerous course of sombre forests and wooded isles ; when, on May 1 7th, they came in view of Mount Royal, dark with woods against the sky, all voices joined in a hymn of praise. With them arrived a new accession to their ranks, the cele- brated Madame de la Peltrie, a French lady of fashion and wealth, whom a miraq- HISTORY OF WELKAND COUNTY. ulous vision had sent across the ocean to Qu..bec, and who now desired to join the new and more perilous adventure in behalf of religion. An altar was raised, she and Jeanne Marie decorated it with faultless taste ; before it stood l-'ather Vincent in his costly vestments, Maisonneuve in glittering steel amid his soldiers ; mass was sung, and the priest addressed them in words of promise that events have made seem prophetic. • Montmagny erected a small fort, and secured it by a garrison so as further to hold the Iroquois in check. To this the great Cardinal Richelieu, then the real ruler of France, sent out supplies and forty men, a hap])y reinforcement, as 200 Iroquois soon afterwards attacked it. There was a gap in the palisades, and the savages were pouring in, when a corporal with a few soldiers held them in check till Montmagny came to their relief from his brigantine on the river. The " Hundred Associates " had neglected their duties as much as the former trading companies, and in 1647 sold their rights to the colonists of Three Rivers, Quebec, and Ville Marie. A peace which lasted but a year was obtained by Mont- magny's clemency to some Iroquois whom their Huron captors were about t > put to death. There were endless feastings and speeches ; belt after belt of wam^)um was jjresented by the Iroquois chiefs, each belt symbolizing a separate clause of the treaty of peace. At this time the Iroquois seem to have intended to maintpin peace, but the credulous and capricious savages were excited against the Christian missionaries by their sorcerers ; a pestilence fell on their towns, a plague of cater- pillars devoured their corn ; all was brought about by the " medicine " of "the men of the bln^k robe. " The tribes were divided ; some clung to peace, but a band of Mohawks seized the Jesuits, Jogues and La Lande, whom they put to death with tortures as horrible as those mentioned in a nr' ceding section. VVar was now raging again ; the lust for blood spread all through the tribes ; they plundered and destroy- ed Fort Richelieu ; on Ash Wednesday, while the garrison were at mass, they car- ried off all the jjroperty of the neighboring settlers, which had been brought there for safety. They then pursued and captured two large parties of Christian Indians, whom they ]5Ut to the usual horrible tortures. One tried to escape ; they burnr the soles of his feet to prevent a second attempt. A little child they crucified by nailing it with wooden wedges to a cross of bark. Amid the tortures a Christian Indian exhorted them to be steadfast, and prayed aloud, all joining in the prayer. One woman, an Indian named Marie, escaped after incredible hardships, to tell the tale at Three Rivers. In 1648, Montmagny, who had done his duty well but had perhaps been para- lyzed by the breakdown of the Hurons and the insufficient means at his disposal to resist the Iroquois, was recalled to France ; his successor was Louis D'Ailleboust, one of the Associates of Montreal, a brave soldier, and an enthusiast in religion. A change was now made by which the Governor-General, with the Superior of the THE DOMINION OF CANADA. II para- Isal to 30USt, A \,i the Jesuits and three of the principal colonists, formed a council in which was vested all the powers of government. A provision was made for the soldiers' pay. The Indian war went on with unexampled fury ; not an inhabitant of a single French settlement dared venture beyond the limits of the fort. Attack after attack was made on the Algonquins and the miserable remains of the Hurons, a few of whom found refuge at Lorette, a village near Quebec. Ue Lauson (1651) and D'Argenson were the next governors. The horrors of Indian war continued. So hard pressed was the garrison of Montreal that Maisonneuve, the Governor, went to France for reinforcements. He could only obtain a hundred men, whose arrival, however, was sufficient to make the Iroquois sue for peace. This was effected through Father Lemoine's persuasive eloquence. In 1655 the Iroquois of Onondaga expressed a wish that a French settlement might be made in their country. Accord- ingly Captain Dupuis was sent with missionaries and an escort of fifty men. But this action aroused the jealous hate of the savages, and Dupuis was warned that their death was resolved on. Dupuis, by a pardonable stratagem, supplied the Iroquois with licjuor, ai I thus he and his party managed to escape in canoes. De Lauson had neither energy nor firmness for the crisis. The day that D'Argenson landed at Quebec, the Iroquois massacred a party of Christian Indians close to Quebec. These wolves of the wilderness had now overrun New France, when Dulac des Ormeaux, a young Frenchman of Montreal, resolved at the sacrifice of life to check the advance that it was known the united force of the Iroquois was meditating on Montreal. No more remarkable story exists in the chivalrous annals of French Canada. Dulac with the seventeen companions who volunteered to share his adventure, sol- emnly attended church for the last time. Well armed and with some fifty Hurons to support them, they took up position in an old palisade fort near the Long Sault Rapids. Some six hundred Iroquois warriors surrounded their oostj and again and again swarmed up to the palisade, to be as often repulsed by the brave defenders. The base Hurons deserted to the enemy who had all but destroyed their race, an ^ act of cowardice such as has never stained the record of the Iroquois! New rein- forcements at length enabled the savage hordes, after having been held at hay for ten days, to force their way within. Only four of the Frenchmen were left alive ; these shot the few faithful Hurons to save them from Iroquois tortures. The four died at the stake. But the Iioquois had lost enormously, and the moral effeit of so great a check from eighteen Frenchmen prevented for the present any attack on Montreal. Surely Dulac deserves to rank with any hero of antiquity ; and the place where he died, within the roar of the Long Sault Rapids, is the Thermopylae of Can- adian history. Baron D'Avaugour came to succeed D'.\rgenson. We do not dwell on these mere names of governors, to whom no national, and therefore no historical interest I'll 1;! 1 13 HISTORY OK WEI.LAND COUNTY. attaches. However, it deserves record that D'Avaugour's representations saved Canada from abandonment by France as a worthless burden. At this Governor's urgent recjuest the colony was now taken under the direct care of the French King, and a force of 6oo men sent to Quebec. 'I'heir arrival found the (iovernor engaged in a quarrel with M. Laval, whose name, surviving honorably in Laval University, survives with yet greater honor in his efforts to suppress by penal law the ruinous piactice of supplying li(iuor to the Indians. Laval proceeded to France and urged his case ; as a result D'Avaugour was recalled, and on Laval's representation, De Mesy sent in his place (1663). This year there occurred a succession of slight earth- ([uake shocks all over Canada, which caused no loss of life or property, but greatly alarmed the Indians, who thought that the bodies of their braves, buried unavenged, were reproiching their inaction ! The great Finance Minister, Colbert, had at this time turned his attention to the social and political condiuon of Canada. The modern view of history is that it ought not, in order to be really instructive, to consist of mere lists of kings or governors, or the intrigues of statesmen, or the dates and details of battles. It should, above all, give a clear idea of the life of the people, and of all those causes, as far as we can trace them, which are factors in social and industrial progress. At this point, then, we shall place before the readers a few particulars as to the life and social condition of the Canadian people as they were when Colbert turned his attention to the subject. The entire population of New France at this time did not exceed, by more than three or four hundred, some two thousand. These were scattered here and there, from the Quebec settlements to Montreal. The population grew slowly ; it continued massed to a great extent in Quebec, Three Rivers, and Montreal, from fear of the Iroquois. The fur trade was still the chief industry, but its value had diminished, the market being lessened by two causes — the invention of a new fabric which took the place of the beaver skin, and the fact that the Iroquois of New York not only ])re- ferred to sell to the English of New York and Connecticut, who gave better prices than the P'rench, but even diverted the traffic of other Indians. Still a considerable quantity of peltry passed into the hands of the French traders. In spite of all difficulties, agriculture had so greatly developed that De Mesy was able to tell Colbert that supplies of food need no longer be sent, as Canada could now raise all the grain needed. Trade must have been beginning to move in other directions than the fur export, for Colbci t is told that what is required is specie, as there is no coin for purposes of exchange. All land tenures were of the feudal kind, then in use in France. These practi- cally subjected the occupiers of land to the seigneurs, or lords paramount. All this has only been abolished long after the English conquest The form of government THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 13 which Louis XIV. ronscntcd that Colbert should institute was, in truth, an absolute despotism, hirst in rank was the (lovcrnor. With him acted a Council, including the Intendant, or Minister of Justice, tiie Itishop, and leading colonists. Owing to the constant strife between the (lovernor and the Bishop, or Intendant, there might seem to be the elements of an opposition. Such, however, was' not the case in any true sense. The exertions of the Jesuit missions, although seemingly .so often quenched in blood, had by this time taken root even among many of the Iroquois. It must be said to their credit that the French knew how to manage the Indians better than the two other great nations who came into contact with them, the Spanisli and English. The Si)aniard neglected the Indian and oppressed him ; the Englishman neglected and despised him ; but the French took the Indian by the hand, made much of him, intermarried with the Christianized and educated Indian girls. The good nuns of the Quebec Ursuline convent, and those of iMontreal, had not labored in vain. The Indian girl learned to be neat, thrifty, modest. The story is told that a little Indian girl at one of these schools, when it chanced one day that a man had shaken hands with her, ran to wash her hands, as if touched by an unclean thing. Then, the French loved hunting, as the English colonist agriculture and trade, and the courier des his, and voyageur with his Indian wife, became in habits almost one of her people. An example of this type of men was one whose tomb we have visited within the roar of the Alumette cataract, on the Upper Ottawa. Cadieux was a mighty hunter, a wise man too, the legend goes, and a composer and singer of the " chansons " which New France has with such grace inherited from her Norman and Breton ancestors. One day as he and his companions were packing the large canoe which was to go on the yearly trip with furs to Montreal, the word was given that the Iroquois were at hand. Cadieux and a few others remained to keep the wolves at bay, while all the others launched their canoe down the terrible rapids, which ru.sh from the height in a single shaft of water to break into a sea of foam below. It was a desperate chance ; but the wife of Cadieux was a Christian, and from her p'ace in the canoe she invoked the aid of St. Anne. And the legend tells how a foam-whi 2 figure moved before the canoe, and wherever she glided the waves grew calm, and the canoe passed safely to the stream below. It was good St. Anne who came to save her votaries. Poor Cadieux died in the woods of exhaustion. A " lament " of some poetical power was found written by him as he lay dying ; we heard it sung by our Indian guide beside his grave. Such were many of the hardy French woodsmen ; we may see their descendants in the gay and stalwart lumbermen of the Ottawa region at this day. De Mesy's constant quarrels with the Council, and his having exceeded his powers by sending back to France two of its principal members, led to his being re- ■f- I wmmm 14 HISTORY OF WKI.LAND COUNTY. 1 called. He died at Quebec, however, before the news of his deposition reached him. Under Colbert's influence a step was now taken of the utmost l)entfit to tiic French colony. The Manjuis dc Tracy, a nol)lLiiian of great wisdom and knowledge, was empowered to regulate the alTairs of the colony as Viceroy, with Talon, celebrated as a financier, as Intendant, and De Courcelles as Governor, to succeed the Viceroy on his return to France. De 'i'racy's extraordinary mission to ascertain the true state of the country resembled that afterwards undertaken by Lord Durham; both were of the greatest benefit to ('anada. De Tracy was received at (Quebec (July, 1665) with the warmest welcome from all classes. With him arrived a veteran regiment of the French army, which had fought under Turenne, with their colonel, De Saliercs. A number of settlers of the most valuable kind accompanied them — cariienters, blacksmiths, and other artisans. Live stock were also sent. The Indians gazed with s.rirder on horses, never seen before in Canada. In jjlace of the old fort which the Iroiiuois had destroyed, three stone forts were erected and garrisoned on the River Richelieu. The Iroquois were' intimidat- ed by these formidable measures, and the farmers of Canada that year enjoyed an unaccustomed security. Talon meanwhile was proceeding with his measures of reform at Quebec. He found the country rife with complaints against the Jesuits, with whom, however, he judged it prudent not openly to interfere, except to lower the rate of tithes. His method of settling the new colonists was to arrange the farm lands granted as closely together as possible, so that the people might help each other in case of attack. But the most important benefit which the colony received from this great administrator was being taken once for all out of the hands of the trading company, free trade being allowed to all, both with the Indians and France. Now for the first time in Canadian history was attention directed to our country's mineral and lumber resources, spars and masts trom our forests being sent to France for the King's dockyards. An engineer sent by Talon discovered iron in abundance, also copper and silver, at the Bay of St. Paul. Near Three Rivers iron mines were con- structed, still yielding in large quantities iron superior to the best found in Sweden. Talon set on foot new manufactures and new improvements in agriculture. He started the seal and porpoise fisheries ; the latter — now scared away by the frequent passing of steamers— then abounded at the mouth of the St. Lawrence. This trade proved most lucrative. By the year 1688, 1,100 merchant ships anchored in the port of Quebec, and when the Viceroy left the colony its population had doubled. Three out of five of the Iroquois nations now offered peace. Against the two -'irT"'" " THK DOMINION OK CANADA. >5 :e. great )any, or the 1 and or the also e con- wedcn. He cquent This red in n had he two that held aloof Courccllcs and Do Trar.y took the field in 8e|)arate directions, although it was n)id-wintcr, Courcelles in conunand of some Canadian militia. Our national soldiery, since then so often victorious, showed valuable (lualities of patience and endurance in that trying march, iiut the lro(iuois everywhere lied be- fore them, the villages being abandoned. De 'I'racy experienced the same thing, but found large stores of maize and other supplies, all which, except what was needed for the army, they destroyed, burning also the villages wherever they marched. Terror-stricken at such a blow dealt in mid-winter, the Iroquois now made peace for eighteen years. As a further security, most of the Carignan regiment settled in Canada, the officers and men receiving grants of land, the former as seigneurs. De Tracy returned to France in 1667, De Courcelles succeeding him. It was now that serious ditViculties arose between (Canada and the colony which England wrested from the Dutch, and named New York. The English were per- petually intriguing to get the entire fur trade into their own hands, even that with the French Indians, whom they were able to influence through the Iro(|uois, now as always the firm allies of the New York I'.nglish. The latter even resorted to the expedient of underselling the French so as to divert the fur trade to New York. It had become known through the Jesuit missionaries, who during this century had made their way everywhere, that a large portion of the tribes east of the Missis- sippi, and north of Lake Superior, had, through the influence of their priests, become favorable to the French. M. Talon, therefore sent a travelling merchant named Ferrot, well skilled in Indian usages, to gather a great meeting of chiefs, which accordingly met at Sault Ste. Marie, at the foot of Lake Superior, where they were addressed by M. de St. Lussen as plenipotentiary for the King of France. The chiefs were flattered into acknowledging themselves the vassals of Louis the Great. Before leaving Canada, on account of failing health, De Courcelles held another convention at Cataratjui (Kingston) with the Iroquois chiefs, whom he induced to consent to his erecting a fort at Cataraqui. This he represented as a meie trading depot. The next (lovernor was Louis de Buade, Count de Frontenac, a hauglity but firm as well as prudent leader of men, to whom Canada owes much. He was struck with the grandeur of (^)uebec. " I have never seen anything which for beauty or magnificence could compare with Quebec," he said. He found ihe colony pros|)erous. the Irocjuois at i)eace. The po|)ulation of New France was now 45,000. Frontenac had much trouble with the Jesuits and their partizans, the Bishop of Quebec and Perrot. The latter he sent to France, where for a time he was imprisoned in the Bastile. A report had reached the French Mission from their Indian converts of a "great water" far to the south. Frontenac, induced by Talon, sent the famous explorers Joliet and Manjuette on an expedition, which resulted in the discovery of .■ Vi '^•P" / i6 HISTOPV OF WELIJVND COUNTY. I p. the Mississippi. This great event in the annals of mankind belongs, however, to ADieriran or French rather than to Canadian hi.story. The briUiant and unfortunate 1-a .Salle was afterwards sent in the .same direction, and ranks among the earliest explorers of the Falher of Waters. La Salle's expedition so far belotig.s to the scope of our history that, having been apj)ointed Seigneur of Cataraciui, he rebuilt the Fort o{ Frontenac with stone walls. All trace of La .Salle's fortalice has long vanished, but in rhc barrack yard of the artillery barracks at Kingston some portion of an old bastion may still be traced which murks its site. He also built a fort at Niagara, and may be regarded as the founder of the town of that name. A few miles above the Falls, then for the first time gazed u|)on by civilized man, he built a vessel, the first constructed in Canada, called the Griffin. She soon afterwards foundered in a storm. 'I"he rest of this ill-fated exhibition, which resulted in the mutiny of the men and their leader's death, belongs to American history. Through the machinations of the Bishop and the Intendant, Frontenac was recalled in an evil hour f ( r New France. He could not have held his position .so long but for the influence of the King's mistress, Madame de Maintenon, to whom he had the doubtful honor of being related. The ii.?w (Jovernor-CJeneral, De la Barre, arrived in Quebec in 1682. He found that the Iroquois were about to make war on the Illinois allies of the French, and that the F)nglish (iovernor of New York was usin.'^ every means to incite the Irocjuois against New France. He wrote home urgently for succor. He temporized with the Iroquois ; flattered them ; and let them see that he feared their power. A force of 200, and subsequently a much larger one, arrived from France ; but he had proved himself so thoroughly incompetent for his post at such a critical time, that he was recalled, and the Marquis of Denonville sent in his place (1686). He brought a reinforcement of 600 soldiers. He endeavored to conciliate the Iroquois chiefs ; they heard him with silent disdain, although fresh troops were sent from I'Vance, and De Denonville had thus an army with which he could h.ive struck a crushing blow at the Irocjuois confederacy. De Denonville had recourse to an act disgraceful to his nation, and certain to excite irreconcilable hatred in the Iroquois. Through the agency of Father Lamherville, missionary in the Iroquois country, he enticed a number of Iroquois chiefs to a conference, had them seized, put in chains, and sent them to France to serve as the king's galley slaves. A savat,e hatred was thus aroused in the minds of the Iroquois. Far and wide they p,repared to revenge this breach of faith. With a capricious generosity seldom receded in their annals, they sent Father Lambervillc, who they knew had been no accomplice in the kidnapping, with the other " men of the black robe " who had missions among them, .safe to Montreal. King Louis was ashamed of the breach of international laws, and sent back some other Iroquois prisoners whom De Denon- THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 17 IKMS and of of wide dom ti no I had Bich of cnon- villc forwarded. DenonvilK took the field but accomi)lished nothing. The colonists, knoving that determined action alone could check the Iroquois, \,atched with angry discontent Denonvillc's inaction. Meanwhile, as the enen.) seemed on their part to be inactive, it was hoped lliai f!ie restoration of their chiefs had pacified them ; but the black ckud was gathering, soon to burst with the deadliest blow that had yet fallen on New F'rance. The summer evening had fallen peaceably on the meadows and gardens of Lachine ; the cattle had been driven home ; all was still in the litde village, in whose quaint wooden cottages the har(hv\)rking farmers slept soundly, wife and children secure beside them, liut late in the night a storm of rain and hail blew from the lake, and during the storm, fourteen hundred Iroquois, their faces smeared with war paint, disembarked from their canoes. Silendy they surrounded every house in the village ; with morning dawn the war-whoop was raised, and the inhabitants awoke to their doom ; each house was set on fire ; the inmates, if they tried to escape, were captured for further torture. ^Vomen and children as they leaped froin the flames were si)eared amid loud hiugiiter. Then began the pillage of the stores, then a feast and orgies held arountl the opened brandy casks of the Montreal merchants. Had but a small force of Frenchmen come to the rescue, the drunken wolves might have been slaughtered like swine. At nightfall they withdrew to the opposite shore, first uttering yells repeated ninety times to signify the number of prisoners they were carrying away for torture. All through that fearful night the terrified inhabitants could see on the opposite shore the kindled fires and moving figures, for what purposes of nameless horrors they knew too well. The colony seemed paralyzed l:y this massacre. French power seemed limited to Montreal, Quebec, Three Rivers, and a few fortified posts. The fort built at Cataracpii in I'Vontenac's time was blown up as untenable. I)e Denonville gave orders that no attack should be made in reprisal, though several opportunities presented themselves. Denonville was at once recalled, and, happily for New France, the Count de l"'ronienac waa seat to replace him. On October 18, 1689, Frontenac landed at Quebec, and was received with the greatest joy, especially, strange to say, Ijy his old opponents the Jesuits, who had long been anxious for his recall. In the meantime, under William and Mary, England had declared war against France, so that to strike a double blow at the English, as well as the Indian enemies of France, Frontenac invaded their colonial territories with three bodies of troops. The first of these surprised and burnetl Scheneitady on the border of New York, and put the inhabitants to the sword, 'i'he second marched from 'I'hree Rivers upon New Hampshire, and on their return joined forces with the Acadian militia, who formed the third division. They then possessed themselves of Kaskebe,- a fortified town on tuc seacoast of Maine. 2 i il ««hMBb ■ fctin itmmmitMiatta r i8 HISTORY OK WKr.LANn COUNTY. In reprisal the English sent out two .squadrons : one took possession of I'ort Royal and Acadia ; the other sailed from Boston with a considerable force of marines to attack Quebec. \ land force marched from New York against Montreal. The land expedition, under Sir William Phi[)})s, was a failure through want of supplies and from the vacillation of the Indian allies. But Count Frontenac showed such energy in defending Quebec, which was now the most strongly fortified place in the north, that the British had to retire baffled, leaving their cannon. The Iroquois were now tired of fighting, and permitted Frontenac to rebuild the fort at Cataraqui without hindrance ; but to teach them a further lesson, another force was .sent into their country to burn villages and destroy grain. The war with England, "King William's War," ended with the treaty of Ry.swick in 1697, l)y whicli ^'rance retained Canada, Cape Breton and the I^urentian Islands : Newfoundland, Acadia, and the Hudson Bay territory were ceded to Britain. The loss of these latter was in no way attributable to the people of New France, but to the reverses which the ambition of King Louis had brought upon him in his contest with England and her allies. In the fullness of fame I)e Frontenac died, 78 years old, at Quebec, where he lies buried. Under his successor, De Callieres, a general meeting of the Iroquois and other chiefs was held at >fontreal. After the usual speeches and feasting, a treaty of peace and alliance was signed by the chiefs, who, as they could not write, made a pic-tuie of the animal which his tribe took for its sign or Me»i, a wolf, a bear, or porcupine. This took place in 1701. In 1 703 the Marquis de Vaudreuil came to Canada as Covernor, when although " Queen Anne's War " broke out between England and France, Canada enjoyed all the blessings of peace. The Iroquois also ceased their incursions. It was found necessary, however, to add considerably to the .strength of the fortifications of Quebec and Montreal. An attempt was made by the English under (leneral Nicholson to march from Albany to the Canadian frontier, but they returned home on hearing that the fleet sent from England to co-operate with their movement had been wrecked, (ireat was the joy of the Quebec people, who volunteered a large sum towards adding to the defences. This war ended with the peace of Utrecht, by which Canada was, as before, retained by France. In 1717 another tribe, the Tuscaroras, joined the Iroquois, who since then have been known as the Six Nation Indians. Many reforms were carried out by De Vaudreuil, and the colony under his rule grew in prosperity and population ; he divided the entire country into 82 parishes, and did much to reform and facilitate the administration of justice. The population of Canada now amounted to 25,000. Commerce with France had very much increased. Canada sent furs, lumber, tobacco, grain, peas, and pork ; receiving in exchange wine, brandy, and dry goods. There nam thf: dominion of Canada. '9 was no system of education, but the numerous convents to some degree supplied that deficiency. In 1726 Haron de Beauharnois succeeded as Governor to Vaudreuil, who had died after a rule of twenty-one years. The Indians were now no longer formidable; they lived on friendly terms with the French settlers, and the labors and martyrdom of the missionaries were bearing rich fruit in the great change brought about in the conduct and manners of their converts. In 1731 some traders from Montreal explored the region now known as Manitoba, and built a trading fort near where Winnipeg now stands. They also went as far as the Rocky Mountains. The Conquest of Canada, The Marquis de la Jonquiere, Admiral of France, having been defeated and captured in an engagement at sea by the English, me Count de la Calissonniere was appointed until his release could be effected. Just before the peace of Aix-la- Chapelle, in 1 748, ended the war which had broken out again between England and France in 1745, this Governor had the boundaries of the French colonial possessions defined by sending an officer, with three hundred men, who marked the limit from Detroit, running south-east as far as the Ohio River, leaded tablets, bearing inscriptions, being buried at intervals along the line. In 1745 this Governor succeeded in inducing many of the French inhabitants of Acadia to remove to Isle St. Jean, now Prince Edward Island. Their place was supplied by three thousand eight hundred colonists sent from P^ngland by the Earl of Halifax, in honor of whom the city then founded was called Halifax. In 1749 De la Jonquiere, being released, came out to Quebec as (iove nor. He was, unlike the noble-minded men who had preceded him since Count Frontenac, of a grasping and mean disposition. His last days were embittered by (|uarrels with the Jesuits, who transmitted such accounts of his unfair dealing to France that he would have been recalled but that he died at Quebec, where he was buried beside Frontenac and Vaudreuil, 1752. In this Governor's time, and as a military counterpois to Fort Oswego, acquired by the English, a fortified post was constructed on La\e Ontario, called RaiouUe, after the French Minister of Marine, or by its Indian name, Toronto^ " the harbor." Scarce any remains of it can now be traced, except a mound, where there was once a rampart. " Its site was west of the present city, tuar the Toronto Exhibition grounds. The Marquis Ducjuesne de Menneville next held office. It was plain that war between France and England was imminent, and that the battle-ground would be either Canada or the New F>ng!and colonies. Munitions of war, artillery, and soldiers were sent from France in . abundance. It was the wish of Duquesne, as it had been of the ablest French politicians, since the rapid and vigorous advance to power of the English colonies, to connect Canada with Louisiana and the French If fl ^wa 30 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. possessions in tlic soiilh, and thus prevent the Enghsh colonies from advancing westward. With this view Duque.sne sent a detachment of soldiers to fortify posts on the Oliio and the .Mleghanius. The CJovernor of Virginia considered this an encroachment by the Frencii on Jinglish territory, and with the aid of the Virginian House of 15urgesses, raised a body of militia, which was sent to hold the forks of the Ohio and Monongahela. They were under the command of a young Virginian surveyor and soldier, who had acveral years before traversed all that region on a surveying expedition. They had begun to work at constructing a fort, when the French troops arrived in superior force and drove them away. The French finished the wc-k. and named the place Fort Duquesne. Washington then erected a post, which he named I'ort Necessity, tnit from the small force at his command he was compelled to surrender it. Thus began what is called the "French War," but as the formal declaration of hostilities broke out in 1756, it is known in English history as the Seven Years' War. The Iroquois Indians wavered much as to which side they would take, wishing, as usual, to tskt the part of the winners. Washington, on his surveying expedition shortly before this, had come into contact with these Indians, and had a narrow escape of his life. At lengtii, however, the savages made up their minds that the sword of King George would weigh heaviest in the scale, and sided with the British. Meanwhile preparations for war went on. The l-'rench were at a disadvantage because of the bankrupt rondition of the treasury of Louis XV. The Iroquois would be a formidable addition to the English arms ; still, there weie sufficient troops in Canada, and a large number of the friendly Indians were reliable. On word being sent to the colonies to ])repare for hostilities, a congress of the colonials was held, at which Benjamin Franklin proposed a confederation of the colonies. His project was not, however, entertained ; but the colonial militia were armed and trained, and the Mother Country sent out subsidies, and two regiments under General Braddock, who had seen service in the late wars under the Duke of Cumberland. Mortified at the annoyance caused by Bigot and others, Duquesne requested to be recalled, in order to re-enter the naval service. His successor, the last French (jovernor of Canada, was Pierre Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil. His father, the Vaudreuil whose rule had been so beneficial, was very unlike the son. He allowed wheat to he shipped off to the West Indies for the benefit of Bigot and other officials ; the fur trade was getting poorer, all the men in the colony were under arms, and in consequence agricultural work of the most necessary kind was left undone. There was not sufficient food ; what there was rose to starvation prices. The peoi)le not unjustly laid the blame of all upon the Government, and it was probably the English conquest alone which saved New France from a miniature French Revolution. THE DOMINION OF CANADA. ai But news came that Braddock's expedition, his two English regiments and the Colonial Militia, had been surjjrised amid the woods by a party of French and Indians. Braddock was killed, and the few who escaped were enabled to retreat only by the coolness and courage of Colons' Washington. This gave heart to the I'>ench, and secured the support of their Indian allies. An Engli.sh expedition failed to take Fort Niagara. The French, on the other hand, when from their entrench- ments at Ticonderoga they attacked the English position on Lake George, were routed with the loss of their general. In 1756, Louis XV. sent out the Marquis de Montcalm as commander-in-chief for Canada. This gallant defender of a hopeless cause was the representative of one of the oldest families in the French noblesse: He had served with honor in many of the European wars. He br',>'j"ht to Canada a large body of reinforcements, with provisions and abundant supplies of arms and ammunition. With him came the Chevalitr, afterwards Duke de Levis, also M. De Bougainville, who was destined to win fame in future years as n navigator. At the same time the British Government sent out, as commander-in-chief, the Earl of Loudon, with a force of regular troops. The first success was with Montcalm, who reduced and demolished the forts at Ontario and Oswego. It is to be regretted that the murder of many of the English captured on this occasion should stain an illus- trious name. All along the English colonial frontier now raged the horrors of an Indian war. No farm house, no village, on the border of New England or Maine, was safe from the scalping-knives of Indians, or of Canadians as savage as Indians. Fort Henry, too, was captured by Montcalm, and the Iroquois, false as ever to unfortunate allies, were on the point of deserting to the French. From this, however, they were restrained by the influence of Va :lliam Johnson, afterwards so distinguished by the success achieved by the force under his command in the military operations on Lake George. This extraordinary man held a position with regard to the Indians without parallel among English-speaking men of any position in society. Among the French colonists it was common enough that a gentleman of good lineage should marry an Indian wife. Such marriages were, as a rule, happy, and from them are descended some of the best known families in French Canada. But most Englishmen would have thought it a degradation to admit a daughter of the red race to a higher posi- tion than concubinage. William Johnson, however, lived among the Iroquois, and had so perfectly assimilated their language and customs, that they regarded him as one of themselves, a great chief, a bold rider, a sure marksman, powerful on the war- path and in the council. He was to them a combination of Achilles and Ulysses. in order to protect the position he hnd won, Johnson built a fort, which he named Fort William Henry. But notwithstanding this success, it was felt that dur- ing the years 1 755-1 756 the advantage had been mainly on the side of France. Meanwhile, distress increased throughout Canada. Bigot and his accomjjlices made the ruin of their countrvmen the extortioner's opportunity, "Bigot," Mont- ■if 1 '11 11 aa HISTORY OK WELLANI) COUNTY. calm wrote, "has got the whole trade of the colony in his hands. He orders from France whatever Canada is likely to need, and in the name of the 'great society,' which consists of himself and his creatures, he retails the public stores ?t whatever price he chooses to i)Ut upon them." Meantime, famine was pressing hard the women and children whose bread-winners were fighting with Montcalm's army. Even in the cities articles of food had risen in price a hundred and fifty per cent. In Quebec the whole population were put on starvation allowance, and it was a common thing to see people fainting in the city streets from the want of food. Meanwhile, the extreme scarcity of specie gave Bigot an excuse for issuing paper money, by which device he robbed the colony wholesale. It was repudiated by I^uis XV. several years afterwards. In fact, everyone among the oflficials saw that the coming of the British armies was the beginning of the end, and made haste to get rich while there was yet tinip. It is satisfactory to know that Bigot, on his return to France, was thrown into the Bastile, and afterwards exiled. A change of Government meantime was taking place in England. The unpop- ular Court favorite, Lord Bute, was displaced, and the great and liberal-minded statesman, William Pitt, became Prime Minister. The public spirit of England, de- pressed by the late reverses in Canada, responded to his call, and the nation stood united as one man in the resolve that, cost what it would, the French should be driven from North America. Supplies were cheerfully voted, fleets and armies sent forth to conquer. In France a very different spirit prevailed. The infamous Madame de Pompa- dour, the chief mistress in the French King's harem, hated Canada. It cost more than it was worth, she said. Money was sent out there which could have been more pleasantly spent in Paris. And here was the Governor of Canada again piteously asking for money and soldiers. He was refused, for Madame so willed it. That was the Reign of Prostitution, and it was succeeded by the Reign of Terror, At this time a fleet was sent against Nova Scotia and Cape Breton under Admiral Boscawen, with General Amherst, and a young officer, whose genius Mr. Pitt's sagacity had discerned under a modest, studious demeanor and a fragile con- stitution. They sailed for Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. Louisburg was taken after a determined resistance by M. De la Tour, the Governor. The fortifications were in a state all but ruinous ; the walls between the bastions had crumbled away ; there was but a single bombproof casemate and one magazine. The chief defence of the place was the harbor, which could be easily barred against an enemy's en- trance, while, even should an entrance be effected, the difficulty of disembarking troops was great. The Governor took measures to avail himself of these natural advantages, but the British by a feint effected a landing. Wolfe, by a remarkable anticipation of his tactics at Quebec, with a hundred men scaled a height hitherto thought inaccessible, and undismayed by the waves that threatened to dash their it! "1! i THE DOMINION OF CANADA. aj boats on the rocks, and facing the storm of flame and lead, they effected an orderly debarkation, and took up a position commanding the town. For days the defenders of 1-ouisburg returned the fire of the batteries erected by the English, and fought wilh determined courage in sortie after sortie. Madame De la Tour, a high-born lady, the Governor's wife, passed and repassed among the batteries amid the storm of shot and shell to cheer her country's soldiers. But in vain ; the Governor, at the prayer of the town's people, who feared a general assault by the English general, and that their homes would be given up to the horrors of a sack, consented to capitulate. Honorable terms were given to these brave men ; and thus did Louisburg, with the whole of Cape Breton and Prince Edward, pass into the hands of Great Britain. Meanwhile General Abercromby, who had succeeded the less capable Loudon, advanced on the chain of forts which were the key to the St. Lawrence. He had with him the largest army that had ever gathered in America, over six thousand regular troops and nine thousand militia. Montcalm, to meet the British advance, moved from Carillon towards Lake George. A skirmish took place in which the gallant Lord Howe lost his life. Montcalm, perceiving the intention of Abercromby to move on Canada by Carillon, defiled his troops in that direction — it was there he had determined to give battle. His force was much inferior in numbers, his men were ill led and disjjirited, yet, like the Spartan hero of old, he resolved not to give up the pass that protected his country without a struggle. The outlet of Lake George, called La Chute River, and Lake Champlain, into which it flows, forma triangle, called Carillon, on the river side of which the banks form a steep precnpice, while the land slopes gently towards the lake. At the apex of the triangle was a small fort commanding the water approach. On this position Montcalm entrenched his army ; his men worked with a will ; the front of their lines was defended by a line of felled trees whose truncated branches, stripped. of their leaves and pointing outwards, constituted a sort of natural chevaux-de-frise. On Abercromby's observing Montcalm's movement, he was misled by information received from prisoners into supposing that Montcalm's object in thus entrenching his force was to gain time, as he ex|)ected large reinforcements. Under this mistaken impression Abercromby resolved to storm the entrenched position at once. He led the attack with four colunms, supported by armed barges on the river. The British advanced, supported by a heavy fire, to which the French, by Montcalm's order, did not reply till the enemy had come within three hundred yards. He was well obeyed. As the British line reached the appointed distance the deadly volley flashed upon the assailants, so that, brave as they were, their line reeled before it in disorder. Meaniime the cannon from the fort had sunk the barges advancing to support Aber- cromby from the river. Again the brave English re-formed their ranks, and sprang to the attack, again to be repulsed. With the dogged courage that " does not know 1. fill 24 HISTORY OK WKLLAND COUNTY. when it is beaten," the British twirc returned to climb the slope ; later in the day, Abcrtroniby advanrcd to the assault with his whole army, each time to be swept back by the deadly rain of l)ullcts. At length the defeat was complete, great as had been the gallantry shown by the liritish. especially by the Highlanders under Lord John Murray. . I'or Montcalm it was a glorious victory. With a force of 3,600 men he had beaten back in utter rout a well appointed army of 15,000. All through the battle he had thrown himself where the fight was hottest, sui)i)orting every weak point as it was hard pressed. Abercromby's defeat was in part redeemed to the British by the surprise of Fort Frontenac, successfully accomplished b; Colonel Bradstreet about the same time. The fort was only held by 70 while the British force was 3,000, but the French Commandant, M. de Noyau, refused to surrender till shelled out by the British mortars, Bradstreet released his prisoners and demolished the fort, which was a most important acquisition, the key to Lake Ontario. During the year 1758, though the material advantages were on the side of the British, the military glory of Mont- calm was incomparably greater. Meantime the shadow of famine and financial ruin grew darker over New France. Food became even more scarce than the year before. It is painful to read the description of the prevailing destitution, of the want of su])plies for the men, of the patient courage with which the soldiers of Canada fought, though unpaid and pioorly fed. Montcalm passionately begged for more trooi)S. In vain. The France to which he ap|)ealed was ruled by a harlot. The British well knew the dissensions and destitution that prevailed in Canada, and wisely resolved to strike a blow at the centres of the French power. Already Fort Duquesne had fallen into the hands of General Forbes. It was well known to the French ministry that the British forces far outnumbered what France could possibly bring into the field. Again and again did Montcalm plead with the .selfish voluptuary who wore the crown of St. Louis the urgent need of help. The Canadian colonists, to the number of ten thousand, stood to their arms in the face of famine. Neither men, money, nor food were sent from France. Mr. Pitt had deviseda plan for a simultaneous attack on the three most vital points of New France — Niagara, Montreal and Quebec. Ceneral Amherst drove the French first from Ticonderoga, then from Crown Point, but was prevented by the approach of winter from attempting further operations. At the same time, Sir William Johnson, who had been knighted by the English king for his victory over the French in 1755, attacked Niagara. Here also the French were defeated, and the ancient fort, whose ruins are still among the sights of one of our pleasantest summer resorts, passed into the hands of the British, In February, a fleet under the command of Admiral Saunders sailed from Eng- land for Quebec, the chief command being assigned, by Mr. Pitt's special choice, to Willi i*] * J ■ SWM THE DOMINION OF CANADA. as Major-Cieneral Wolfe. I'Ik- latter was a young officer, the son of a distinguished soldier of the armies which had fought under Marlborough. Of thin, slight figure, with more of the siudLiit than the warrior both in his disposition and appearance, with a refinement and delicacy of taste only too alien to the manners of the " army from Flanders " which he wns called on to command, Wolfe had yet the instinct of genius, already tested at I.ouisljurg, and api^reciated by the great minister who re- deemed the future of English liberty. The fleet touched at Nova Scotia for rein- forcements, and on July 25th 8,000 men were landed on the Island of Orleans. Within the city founded by Champlain, were Montcalm and 12,000 men. Everything was against them ; insufficient food, clothing and ammunition, and the enemy's force so overwhelming that it was acknowledged by both Bigot and Mont- calm that Canada could not be held for another year. Already the English artillery had occupied Point Levis, and were cannonading the lower part of the city with their heavy ordnance. There is something touching in the loyalty of these French colonists to a country and a king who desired nothing better than to get rid of them. The River St. Lawrence seems to dwarf everything else except Montreal and Quebec. But Qjiebec can assort its own individuality even against Canada's mightiest river. On the evening of July i, Wolfe sailed past Cape Diamond almost within musket shot of the city, enjoying the tranquil beauty of the scene,and from time to time reading a newly published poem by one Mr. Gray, of Cambridge, entitled "An Elegy in a Country Churchyard." There were probably few officers under his command who could have shared his tastes. For five weeks, Wolfe's army lay inactive before Quebec. At last a most ill- advised attempt was made to force the French intrenchments above the Montmor- ency at Beauport ; it was a movement which had nothing but its audacity to recom- mend it. And lastly, a Colonel Townshend devised a plan of scaling the heights above Quebec by a narrow winding pass which had been discovered, and when Wolfe had risen from his sick-bed this plan was generally considered to be worth trying. It suited well with the Ceneral's adventurous disposition. Had the geese that saved the Roman Capitol been on the scene when company after company climbed the narrow stairs that skirts the precipice, the English conquest might have been delayed though not averted. But this time Wolfe's rash move succeeded. Regiment after regiment stood formed in battle array. The only question was, what were they to do ? They had no artillery wherew'th to attack a fortified city, and were in fact at the mercy of Montcalm's troops, and out of the reach of support from their own fleet, which was now at Cape Rouge. But by some inexplicable im- pulse, Montcalm played into the hands of the enemy by meeting them in open field. A desperate struggle ensued, fought mosdy at the bayonet point ; at four in the afternoon it was found that the ammunition of the French was exhausted, and that the brave Montcalm was mortally wounded. Wolfe, too, was shot and died on the \ ) 11 j -g HISTORY OF WEI.I.ANI) COUNTY. battlefield Montcaltn was carried to the convent of the UrsiilincF ; there, in the garden where Mane de I'lncarnation and Madame do la I'eltrie gathered the white roses, the concjucror of (,'arillon rests. The command of the French army now devolved on the Chevalier de Levis, an officer of great ability, who had been Montcalm's most trusted lieutenant. His wish was to advance, under (over of the woods, on the P^nglish position, but this was frustrated by the sudden and unexpected capitulation of Quebec, now almost reduced to a heap of ruins by the long-continued bombardment. Thus clo.sed the eventful cami)aign of 1759. Four days after the battle on the plains of Abraham, Quebec was surrendered to the English. The garrison were allowed to march out with the honors of war, and were conveyed to the nearest jjort in France. Meantime the French force at Montreal, numbering upwards of ten thousand, moved upon Quebec, and (leneral Murray, who had been left in command of the British army at Quebec, repeated Montcalm's mistake of meeting a superior force in theopen field. 'I "he re.su It was that the English were defeated with great loss, but were able to secure their retreat within the city. The French were preparing to besiege Quebec when the Hritish fleet came to its relief During tne night of May 16, 1760, the French army raised the siege of Quebec, having thrown its artillery into the St. Lawrence. vVith the abandondment of the last siege of Quebec ended the resistance of French Canada to the F^nglish conquest. The men of the Canadian Militia returned to their homes to share with the French soldiers billeted upon them the scanty food that was left. Not only had the French King refused to send soldiers, but his bankrupt treasury was even reduced to the meanness of refusing to rcjjay the ad- vances which the Canadian colonists had made to the (lovernment. The paper money put into circulation by Bigot was worthless, and there was no other currency in circulation. The French General, M. de Levis, wrote to King Louis XV. : " The paper money is entirely discredited, and the people are in despair about it. They have sacrificed their all for the conservation of Canada^ now they fimf them.selves ruined, resourceless." Even gunpowder had failed when three large armies were about to moye on Quebec, Montreal, and Three Rivers. The French Canadian colonists had loyally upheld the white flag of Bourbon France till food and the materials for fighting failed. While King Louis threw diamonds to the danseuses of the Pare au Cerfs, the descendants of the Breton and Norman settlers in Canada, amid starvation, the oppression of unjust taxes, and the presence of a rich and well-equipped enemy, upheld to the last the supremacy of the ungrateful Mother Cjuntry. At last even Bigot and Vaudreuil said that the lime for capitulation had come. THE DOMINION OK CANADA. »7 On Sc|)leml)cr, 8, 1 760, Canada passed under the rule of Britain. Madame de l'()mi)ad()iir laughed at the cession of a few thousand acres of ice. Hut never did a subjugated people receive better terms. 'I'hey were not only guaranteed im- munity from all inj.iry or retaliation, but free exercise of their religion, and what amounted to a virtual establishment of the Catholic Church, with all its religious organizations. The officers of the French army who had been in charge of Detroit and other posts withdrew to Europe. The small number of these — 185 officers, 2,400 soldiers - shows how slight were the efforts made by France to retain a colony, of which, when leaving Canada, M. de Vaudreuil wrote : " With these beautiful and vast countries France loses 70,000 inhabitants of a rare quality, a race of people unequalled for their docility, bravery and loyalty. The vexations they have suffered for many years, more especially during the five years preceding the reduction of Quebec, all without a murmur, or importuning their King for relief, sufficiently manifest their |)erfect submissiveness." So Canada changed masters after a century and a half of French rule. The French clergy had conquered heathenism. The P'rench, or rather the native Cana- dian army, had for years held its own against the English troops, which outnumbered it tenfold, from Louisburg to I,ake Erie. The Chevalier de Levis returned with the remnant of Montcalm's army to France, when he was created a Duke, and lived in great honor and prosperity. His letters to the French Minister pay a marked tribute to the soldier-like qualities of the native Canadian Militia. Thus was virtually decided the question as to whether England or France should possess a country as large as half the European continent. Either nation was worthily represented by the opposing chiefs. It is to be hoped that war will be ban- ished from the future of our country. Should it be otherwise, there can be no nobler traditions of heroism than those associated with the names of Wolfe and Montcalm. Great was the rejoicing in England over this important conquest, for although the contest was continued for some time in Canada, the decisive blow had been struck, and Canadian history has no further concern with the details of a lost cause. Canada During the American Revolution. The next twenty years were passed under a military government, which, how- ever, gave the Canadians a security and freedom from the evils of warfare and con- scription long unknown to them. The British rule became identified with peace and prosperity. Never before had the Canadian jieople enjoyed such advantages. Their numbers, on the capitulation of Quebec, were estimated at 69,275, and the Christian- ized Indians at 7,400. Now, at last, the fraudulent transactions of the late Govern- ment were brought to light ; frauds, it must be remembered, by which not the French King, who simply repudiated his debts, but every farmer who had used the paper ' i. 28 HISTORV or WKIXAND COUNTY money rirciilatcd in Hit- French King's name, had to suffer. 'I'hc ruin, worse than thai of war, infli<:te(i on Canada l)y this royal fraud is estimated at ^3,000,000. Shortly offer the capitulation, and under the military rule of (leneral Murray, some of the French oflficers left in Canada succeeded in persuarling an Ottawa chief named I'ontiac to attack the British posts at Detroit and the other frontier posts. I'ontiac, like Tecumseh and 'I'hayendanegea, was one of those remarkable men who seem to have overstepped the gulf between savagery and civilization. In his plan for a simultaneous attack on every British outpost, from Lake Michigan to Niagara, he showed a power of combination and a faculty for planning extensive operations rarely exhibited by his people. His measures for supplying his army with provisions, his wi.sdom in jjrotecting the farmers from his marauding followers, his issue of birch-bark currency, faithfully redeemed with its e(|uivalent in furs, mark this wonderful savage as one of those figures which rebuke our civilized contempt for their race. But with all his gifts I'ontiac was an Indian ; his tactics were those of his race. A combined movement was to be made on every English post, I'ontiac to lead by surprising Detroit. Fortunately the English commandant had an intrigue with art Indian girl, who gave him warning of the intended surprise. I{ut many of the other forts were taken, with the usual atrocities. One ICnglish lady, the wife of an officer, was struck in the face with the reeking scalp of her husband. She escaped by some miracle, and returned to the ruins of her home to bury her husband's body and then seek refuge in Detroit. Never in the hi.story of Indian warfare was an attack on the power of the white men so ably conceived and so steadily carried out as that which the brilliant American historian, Mr. Parkinson, has well Ov^signated "The Conspiracy of i'ontiac." But it failed. The Indian scalping-knife was no match for the British bayonet. Wherever the outposts were weak, where a few men ;md a few women could be sur|)rised, the Indians succeeded. But Detroit, Niagara and I'ittsburg repulsed every assault of the savages. In i 764, (Jeneral Bradstreet relieved liie siege of I'ittsbuig. I'ontiac lost credit with his followers and had to flee from Canada. He sought shelter among the Indians of Illinois, and this last chief of independent Indian warfare died at the hands of one of his tribe in a drunken (juarrei. The growing prosperity of Canada did much to reconcile the people to F^nglish rule, although there was some discontent at the continuance of military government, and the substitution of English for French law. It is difF.cult to ascertain the true condition of public opinion in Canada during the latter part of the decade which succeeded the con(]uest. It is true that the first issue of the Quebec Gazette appeared on June 21, 1764, containing printed matter in English as well as French, but its publisher was enjoined to confine its columns to a mere summary of events, no editorial comment being allowed. The French Canadians were very much depressed by the heavy loss caused by the repudiation of Bigot's paper currency. THE noMrNioN or canapa. »9 They also filt severely the ahroj^ition of their language and of the native legal forms and courts, and the virtual exclusion of those professing the Catholic religion from office. In 1761; there were in Canada 70,000 ('atholics to 500 Protestant iCnglish. The latter from the liist formed a party hostile to French interests, and indis|)osed to |)ermit any measures of religious toleration, viencral Murray, who may be regarded as the first (lovernor-Ccneral, uniformly sided with the cause of the French Canadians, and endeavored to secure them in the possession of what liberty the laws ntlowed. He represented to the English ministry the absurdity of choosing all thv , called the Airommodation, and was built by the founder of the well known Montreal firm of Molson. The troubles between the Legislative Assembly and Governor Craig came to a head in 1810. A majority of the Assembly had resolved that judges should not be eligible to hold seats in the House, as tx^ing liable to be influenced by the Execu- tive Council ; and being thwarted by the conjoint action of the Covernor and the Council, expelled Judge De Honne from his place in the Assembly. In retaliation the Governor took high-handed measures : he abruptly dissolved the Assembly and forcibly suppressed the Canadien, a proceeding .so arbitrary that the period in which it occurred was known as the " Reign of Terror. " It is pleasant to turn from these scenes of mutual outrage to the very different picture presented by Upper Canada. The War of 181 2. As war was now imminent between England and the United States, governors were chosen with a view to the military requirements of the crisis. Sir George Pre- vost, a veteran Swiss officer, who had been CJovernor of Novd Scotia, was appointed to govern Lower Canada, where he won golden oi)inions from the op|)ressed people, and reversed the arbitrary policy of his contentious predecessor. The good effect of this was seen in the action of the Lowei Canadian legislature, which passed a bill to raise 2,000 militia ; it voted ^12,000 to defray the expenses of these troop.s, ^^20,- 000 to provide for the security of the Province, and ^'30,000 more to meet emer- gencies. It also passed a motion for inquiry into the cause of the late troubles, the motion being seconded by a youthful member already known for his eloquence, F named Louis J. Papineau. In Upper Canada General Sir Isaac Brock succeeded Lieutenant-Governor Gore. Here, too, a Militia Hill was introduced and passed on a liberal scale. With the cause of the War of 18 12 Canadian history has no concern ; our interests were directly in favor of peace, and we were as guiltless of the demand of the Hriti.sh for the right to search American vessels, as of the embargo by which a virtual w;ir was waged against American commerce. But, as usual, our country was made the battle-field for the contending powers, and the war was mainly carried on by Canadi- an blood and treasure. Yet in the end the benefits derived from the war were great ; it drew the two races of Canadian settlers more closely together, and made each conscious of the good qualities of the other ; it brought a good deal of money into our country, and was the direct cause of the jjrosperity of much of Upper Canada, besides giving us some valuable acquisitions of military settlers when the war was T THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 39 over. This war led to the construction of that expensive hut useless public work, the Rideau C^anal, and hence to the foundati(jn uf Ottawa. General Hull, with 2,500 Americans, invaded Canada from Detroit, taking i)os- session of Sandwich. He issued a proclamation which displayed some ability. (Jeneral Brock marched in pursuit with a somewhat inferior force, half of thum Indians from the wilds of Ohio. Hull retired to Detroit. The Indians were led by a remarkable warrior, who, with Thayendanegea and I'ontiac, are the great historic figures of Indian warfare. Tecumseh had some talent for military engineering ; be- fore the troops left the Canadian shore, he had traced, with sufficient accuracy, on a piece of birch bark, a plan of the fortifications of Detroit. After a brief resistance that town surrendered to Brock, and Hull and his entire force were sent captives to Montreal. Meanwhile Captain Roberts, operating in the west, had taken possession of Fort Mackinaw, or Michilimakinac. The Americans resolved to strike a heavier blow on the Niagara frontier. On October 13th, Colonel Van Rensselaer commanded 6,000 men on the Niagara River. Of these he sent over a detachment of 1,000, who attacked the British posi- tion on Queenston heights and succeeded in forcing their way to the heights despite a heavy fire from the English cannon. Brock hastened to the scene of action, and rallying his soldiers, led them to charge the Americans, and the success of his jittack was assured had he not been shot down in the moment of victory. Dispirited at his loss the troops received a check, but a force of 800 regular troops, inilitiii and Indians canje up under (Jeneral Sheaffe. In the battle that ensued the Ameri«:ans were defeated with a loss of 400 men ; the rest surrendered. The British loss was 70. Near Black Rock, Oeneral Smythe, wiih 4,500 Americans, crossed the river, but was repulsed and withdrew from the enterprise. In Lower Canada a force of 1,400 Americans, who had invaded the frontier, were defeated with much promptitude by Major De Salaberry. Disconcerted at this, Dearborn, the American Commandant, withdrew his troops from the Canadian frontier. As Britain was now engaged in the heat of her gigantic duel with Napoleon, it was impossible for her to send an adequate number of troojjs till just before the con- clusion of this war, when the overthrow of the French despot set her armies at liberty. But her part was well sustained by the colonists, French as well as Upper Canadians, and the glory gained by such officers as De Salaberry did much to bring about a better state of feeling between the people of the two Provinces. The Indian braves too were faithful to Britain, although it was a sinister alliance, the chivalrous soldier's sword with the savage scalping-knife. One Captain Macdowell having crossed the frozen St. I^wrence, made a raid on Ogdensburg, whence he carried to the Canadian side some artillery and supplies. The Americans had more success in naval warfare, but the gallant exploits achieved ■ 40 HISTORY OK WEM.AND COUNTY. by their shi|>s against those of tin- first naval power in the world do not como within the scope of our history. In 1813 Colonel I'rortor, destined to meet such a disastrous defeat at Thames ville, defeated the American Ceneral, Wilkinson, near Detroit. The .American plan.s were now limited to the conquest of Up|>er Canada, for which purpose they hiiill a naval armament at Sackett's Harbor, in order to commence the labor. Ceneral Dearborn had also a consideraole land force, which in April embarked in Commodore Chauncey's fleet, and sailing' to ^'ork, easily took a place that had no defences. 'l"he garrison of 600 men retreated, an act for which Cei.eral SliealTe was sufK-rseded. .Some 200 militia surrendered, the cannon and stores were carried off, and most of the town was burneil down. The American force next attacked Kort Ceorge at Ni- agara, which thty captured after a gallant defence, continued till the defences were destroyed, when the liritish (leiieral, \'iM.:ent, fell back upon the works at Queenston. Vincent then destroyed the defences of Chijipawa and l-'ort lOrie, and withdrew to Burlington Heights. Thus the .Americans were now masters of the whole Niagara frontier. Ceneral I'revost, attended by .Admiral Sir James Yeo, with a naval force and officers, planned an attack on Sackett's Harbor, while the main force of the .Ameri- can troojis were away at Niagara. Hut the result was. from some bungle of the at- tacking party, a disgraceful failure. At Detroit Ceneral Proctor attacked the American Ceneral, Harrison, who, how- ever, was able to intrench his troops, and I'roctvjr could not dislodge him. Hut a force of 1,200 men, advancing under Ceneral Clay, was attacked by Proctor, who took some 500 prisoners. Cenerals Chandler and Winder were sent by Dearborn to dislodge the British from their position on Hurlington Hei^jhts. Hut a night attack by Colonel Harvey at Stony Creek caused a speedy retreat of this force, with the capture of both Cen- erals and 1 16 men ; and 500 men, with Colonel Hoerstler, at Heaver Dams, surrend- ered to Lieutenant l''itzgiijbon, to whom a lady of the well-known Niagara family of Secord, by a great effort, gave warning of the approach of the Americans. Yet it was impossible tt) deny that the American army had in some degree gained the ad- vantage, since they had effected a lodgment on our soil, and had still possession of Fort (ieorge. On Lake Champlain a slight .success was gained by the British, who took two armed vessels, but a heavy defeat was sustained by the fleet commanded by (laptain Barclay, on Lake Erie, every shi[) of which was cai)tured by Commodore Ferry. Meantime Harrison moved on Detroit in such force that Proctor recrossed the river and retreated along the valley of the Thames. The pursuing army of Harrison greatly outnumbered Proctor's force. They were overtaken near a village of Mor- avian Indians on the banks of the Thames, between Thamesville and the village of ^ THK DOMINION OF CANADA. 41 Rnthwell. Here 'I'criimseh's Indians refused to follow the army any further from their village. A (onfused fit^lu took place all alonj^ the valley ; as Tecuniseh was about to attack an American oITk er with scal|)ing knife and tomahawk, the officer drew a pistol and shot the redoubtable sava;4e. i'he rout was soon complete, and I'roctor made the best haste he could to Burlington Heights. After this success, the Ameri- cans resolved to make a movement on a large scale upon Montreal. Hut their (leneral, Hanipton, with f),ooo men, was defeated at Clhateauguay by Colonel De Salaberry's skilful handling of Ills sm.ill fore- of 400 ; a feat worthy of the com- patriots of Frontenac anil Montcalm. This gallant action saved .Montreal. A drawn batUe took |)lace at C'lirysler's Kami, in which the .\mericans lost 200, includ- ing their (leneral, Boyd, and were obliged to abandon their position. The year 1H13 closed witli other succe.sses for the British army. Niagara was once more retaken by ('olonel Murray, and an Knglish force under Riall gave to the flames Lewiston, Manchester, Mhu k Rock and Buff.ilo, in retaliation for the burning of Niagara by the Americans. 'I'he burning down of (arm houses, villages and towns, of which both sides in this most unhap[)y war were guilty, caused the most bitter feelings, and gave the contest a sinister aspect of brigandage. In 1 814, the war operations consisted of an unsuccessful attack by General Wilkinson, with 5,000 men, against 500 British at Lacolle Mill ; a second attack by the British fleet on Oswego, which was once more jjlundered of its stores, and the fiercest combat of the war, when 5,000 .\mericans under (leneral Brown, while ojier- ating in the Niagara region, were defeated with great loss by the British under Drummond, with 3,000 men, at l.undy's Lane. In this battle the British loss was 900, that of the Americans, 1,200. In coiisecpience of this defeat the latter with- drew across the river, having blown up Fort Erie. England was now able to send large reinforcements to Canada. Sir (leoige I'revost, with 1 1,000 men, marched to attack Flattsburg. But, as the English flo- tilla had been destroyed, he thought it best to withdraw from his design. I'or this he was severely censured in England, l^revost was inferior as a general, but as a governor had obtained great popularity in Lower (Canada. In Upper ("anada the .\merican (leneral, Brown, had once more occupied Fort lirie, and for some time held (leneral Drummond's force in check at Burling- ton Heights. But Drummond receiving reinforcements of the newly arrived troops, had compelled Brown to retire across tiie Niagara River. The sack of Washington, and the subsequent defeat of the British at New Orleans, are of course events out- side the scope of Canadian history. Peace came at last by the Treaty of (Ihent, 1814. So ends the weary record of this unhappy war, a wSr distinguished by no great military o|)erations on either side. The native Canadian troops fought bravely in both the Provinces. But the o[)erations consisted of a number of marches and i ^g HISTORY or WKILAND COUNTY. coiintcriuar( hes, mostly to gain petty forts and |)Osts of no pi-rmaticnt im|)ortanrc. It may, we i.hink, justly be said that f(|iial couraKc, and on the whole c(iual surcc.ss, may he aHsi|,'ricd to Anurit ans and Canadians ; anil to those who look to this great and selt .siit(i( inj; continent l)e< oming more and more removed from European poli- ties and (|n; rrels, it is a comfort to know that never more will hostile sword cross the line between the Canadian nation and the great Repiiolic. IHE Family Compact, ''MM The original settlers of 1 78 j, forming a separate body, with distinct alliances and ' '-tions of their own, kept aloof from the later immigrants from various parts of ( 'Britain. Such as the rudimentary governmental system was in Upjier Can- ada, u ....lUially came to pass that the representatives of some < ' the more distin- guished and successful of the U. K. Loyalist families held pub, offices in their hands ; they formed a sort of aristocracy in the Province. And tli vonstituti m of 1791 directed that the Oovernor should be advised by an Executive l.ouncil, whose menjbers wire chosen from those of the Legislative Council, members of a cliijue which, being non-elective, looked to the Government rather than to the people. Such men were the salaried officials; the sinecurists of whom there were not a few in either Province- judges, and the military officers whom the war had left in Canada, and other waiters upon the i)rovidence which distributes the (lovernment loaves and (ishes. These men were neither res|K)nsible to the Assembly the only elective body of the Legislature — nor to the people ; they ruled in both Provinces, forming an oligarchy known as the Family Compact. My their social position, and by the natural tendency of absolute rulers to favor those who support absolutism, they got control of governor after governor, till a tyranny as odious as that of Charles the I'irst and James the Second drove our countrymen also to rebellion. At the beginning of the war of 181 2, Sir Ceorge Prevost was directed to use conciliatory measures. He assured the French Canadians of being secured in their religious and political rights, which the so-called British party — that of a small but influential minority in Lower Canada — incessantly endeavored to trench on and destroy. Kut when peace was restored, a reaction took place, and through the oli- garchic Kx'.cutive and Legislative Councils a steady encroachment on French Cana- dian rights was pursued. Again and again the A.ssembly, led by the eloquent and popular i'apineau, pleaded for popular rights. A determined stand was made on the question of the right of voting supplies after — by Lord JJathurst's acceptance, in 18 1 8, of Lower Canada's offer to defray the whole expenses of (lovernment the control of the grant of the ie and Ontario, was begun, a work d'Je to Wm. H. Merritt, who designed it in 1818. 'A detailed account of this work is given in our local history chapters. The trade in shijj-building was greatly fostered by the growth of the Unnher trade; at Kingston, on the P.ay of Quinte, and u Montreal and Quebec, it was car- ried on with vigor. In 1825 the rank of a University was given to Queen's College, Kingston. In Upper Canada, as far back as 1816, an Act of our Parliament was passed to establish common schools, a grant of ^6,ogo being made for the purpose. Every effort was made to encourage immigration, grants of land and (lovernment assistance being given to settlers. A large number of Irish came out at this time, l^.. P^2S THE DOMtNION OF CANADA. 45 many of them sent by a Government only too glad to sweep its surplus into an emi- grant ship. In 1 82 1, five new members of Council were added, among them the Rev. John Strachan, who afterwards became Bishop of the English Church in Toronto. He was our Canadian Laud, the only mitred statesman we have had or are likely to have. Of a somewhat arbitrary temper, he had also much shrewdnes~s and a kindly nature. He was a leader of the Family Compact obstructives, and for sonie time was the chief l)ower in Upper Canada. At this time the i)oi)ulation of Upper Canada had risen to 120,000, and the number of Miembers of the Assembly being for that reason doubled, its popular character and influe.ice increased. Attempts were at this time made by the Church of Scotland to secure a share of the Clergy Reserves, in which, after strong opposition from Dr. Strachan, they were at length successful in 1832. In 1823. the Canada Trade Act of the Imperial Parliament became law. By it was established the clram of Upper Canada to ^30,000, arrears of her share of the importation dues ; for the original share of one-eighth of the duties h' d, by the growth of Upper Canadian commerce, risen to one-fifth. The two Provinces; were also ad- vised to unite, but to this the Lower Canadians were vehemently opposed, as they dreaded that their race and customs might be superseded by the superior energy of English-speaking Canada. In 1827, King's College, York, now our Provincial Uni- versity, was founded. It was then an luiglish (Church seminary on the Oxford lines, and was promoted mainly by Dr. Strachan. In the same year, Sir John Colborne came as Governor of Upper Canada. He was a stern absolutist, of few words and haughty demeanor. iUj this time the disputes between the Executive and the .\ssembly be- came more and more embittered, in 1823, a new official Gazdte was established under the direct patronage of the Governor, Lord Dalhousie, as a slight to the old Quebec Gazette, now edited by Mr. Ncilson, an eloquent leader of the poi)ular party. This unconstitutional use of i)ublic money gave just offence. Next session the Assembly reduced the money granted for the Civil List one-fourth. An eloquent denouncer of these and other abuses was M, I'apineau. The Governor tried to gain over this i)atriot by appointing him a meml)er of the Council, but Papineau, knowing well that his influence would be powerless in that clique, never took his seat. Sir John Colborne treated the Upper Canada Assembly with equal disdain. He would reply to their addresses in a few curt contemptuous words, and turn away to the more obsecjuious members. Hitherto the solitary advocites of popular rights had been crushed as Thorpe, Gourlay and S. Bidwell had i)een by the power of the Executive. But now the caustic eloquence of a new leader swayed the Assembly more than ever to resistance. William Lyon Mackenzie was one who, whatever lus faults, knew no fear of wrong-doers in power. In the columns of his paper, the if I Hi' i iSifi i f ';!' 46 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. M ablest that had yet api^carcd in Canada, he handled the vices of the Family Coinijact without -{loves. So keenly did the oligarchy feel his caustic criticisms, that a mob of their adherents attacked and wrecked the office of the Colonial Advocate, and threw the printing materials into the lake. But this outrage only increased Mackenzie's influence with the .\ssembly, and above all with the earnest-minded haters of the prevailing tyranny who began to abound in all parts of the country. Meanwhile in Lower Canada, in 1827, M. Papineau had been elected Speaker of the Assembly. Lord Dalhousie refused to sanction the appointment, and the As- sembly refused to elecl any other Speaker ; the Governor at once jirorogued the As- sembly. The trouble went on to such a degree that in 1828, 87,000 of the people petitioned the Crown, urging their grievances, and citing the tyrannical conduct of Lord Dalhousie and his predecessors. A committee of the English House of Com- mons emphatically asserted the constitutional right of the Assembly to control the pub- lic revenue of the Province, but decided that, to avoid collision with the Executive, the salaries of the Governor, Judges and Council should be secured to these officials. They also recommended that the Legislative and Executive Councils should be made elective. This was in 1828. Lord Dalhousie being recalled, Sir James Kemjit was sent to arrange the Lower Provinces in accordance with the recommendation of the committee. He accepted Papineau as Speaker, and assented to a provrsional Supply Bill. Meanwhile Lord Goderich, the English Colonial Secretary, sent a statement as to his proposed bill. It seemed that in jjlace of the Assembly getting the right to control the entire revenue, certain sources of income were excepted When this was laid before the .Assembly, the old discontents revived in full force, and they resolved never to accept less tlian the control of the entire revenue. For the next five years there were end- less disputes as to details of the revenue, now of no interest, all grievances having been long ago redressed. But they aggravated the distrust of the British Govern- ment, and fanned the fire of Papineau's eloquence. At last an Act, seconded by Papineau and opposed by the more moderate Constitutionalists, was passed by the Assembly, known as the 92 Resolutions. It embodied, in somewhat inflammatory language, the popular grievances, and was widely circulated as the basis of an agita- tion which it was now fully contemplated might become an armed revolt. It is but just to Papineau and his colleagues to say that they did not resort to extreme meas- ures till, after the forbearance of years, it seemed plain tlrt there was no hope of redress. In Upper Canada, the town hitherto known as York, more familiarly as "Muddy Little York," became a city, of which William Lyon NLickenzie was elected the first Mayor. His popularity was increasing, especially throughout that part of the country north of Toronto. Instigated by Dr. Strachan, the Council resolved to secure a large proportion of the Clergy Reserves by creating fifty-seven rectories of the Church of BBOSm wm THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 47 England, to be supported by the lands of the Reserves. This act, stealing a march beforehand on what the popular party hojjed to effect, excited the greatest indigna- tion. Sir John Colborne being recalled. Sir Francis Bond Head took his place. There was at this time a commercial crisis which, however, the Upper Canada banks got over without any stoppage of payment. The population of Upper Canada then numbered 390,000. About 1835, finding it vain to hope for justice by constitutional means, as far as th2 Upper Canada Government was concerned, and lacking patience to wait the action of Canada's truest friends in the English ministry, Mackenzie resolved on armed insurrection. For this purpose he communicated with Papineau and the Lower Canadians, who promised co-operation. Mackenzie's Revolt. Meanwhile Sir Francis Head, who had been sent from England to conciliate, rather exasperated the jjopular party than otherwise. He appointed members of the Family Compact to high salaried positions of trust. He sought to gain popularity at the time by appointing three members of the popular ranks in the Assembly, Dr. Rolph, and Messrs. Baldwin and Dunn, to seats in the Council ; but as he never consulted them, they resigned. He was an impulsive man, but a fairly smart writer of magazine articles. At last, what had never occurred before in Upper Canada, the Assembly stopped the supplies ; this was in 1836. On this Head obtained a ma- jority of Tories in the Assembly. Meanwhile, Mackenzie was holding meetings throughout those parts of Upper Canada where his following was strongest. He had many sympathisers among the more educated class in the towns, but his chief adherents were the sturdy Scotch and Dutch farmers in the "back townships." Old flint-lock muskets and rifles were got ready, pike-heads were forged and mounted on stout ash poles, and it was resolved to march on Toronto and proclaim Canadian independence. Meantime, L F. Head had sent all the regular troops to Lower Canada, an outbreak having occurred on NovembkT 6, 1837. A rising took place under Dr. Nelson at St. Denis, in Lower Canada. A proclamation had been issued declaring Papineau, Nelson and others, guilty of high treason. Papineau, however, was persuaded to escape to the States. Nelson was personally popular, and when the alarm-bell sounded 800 men answered it, only 1 20 armed with muskets, the rest with pikes and pitchforks. They were at- tacked by five companies of regulars under Colonel Gore, a Waterloo veteran. But Nelson being soon afterwards reinforced with some better armed insurgents, and posted in a strong position, after a fight of two hours the British retired. But the insurgents were afterwards routed with great loss by Colonel Weatherall, near St. Charles. The last stand of the Lower Canadian insurrection was at St. Eustache, when the Canadian fire was sustained with spirit while they had any ammunition. i i I :■ .1*? 48 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. but the houses where they had been posted were set on fire, and the parish church, into which they were driven for refuge, caught the flames. Not one of Chenier's men escaped the slaughter that followed. The village was burned, as was that of St. Eustache and of IJenoit, where no resistance was offered. (Garneau, Vol. II.) 'I'he Lower Canadian insurrection, although suppressed, was a more serious matter than that which took place in the L'ijper Province. It opened the eyes of the Liberal Governmenr in England to the fact that the people of Canada had grievances which they were willin.i,' to risk their lives to get rid of If prompt and full redress has been the result, some gratitude is due to men like Mackenzie and Nelson, who, to gain no personal object, took their lives in their hands to obtain the privileges we enjoy to-day. Toronto being thu;, left without troops, it seemed quite feasible that Mackenzie's force might surprise the Capital. In the first week of December, 1837, his adher- ents mustered on what is now Yonge Street, but which was then a road through the woods. There were some eight hundred of them, armed with muskets and pikes ; but Dr. Rolph had sent contradictory orders to three of the other leaders about the day of outbreak, and the enter|'rise was thus checked at the outset. Their outpost on Yonge Street arrested Colon. ^1 Moodie, who was riding to give information of their advance, and he, attempting to escape, was most unhappily shot. An advance was made on thtir position, whose central point was in a house on Yonge Street, called Montgomery's Farm, where a fight, or rather a skirmish, con- sisting merely of an exchange of a few musket shots, took place. Although so-called histories of Canada state that thirty of Mackenzie's men were killed, careful inquiry among old men who were present convinces us that at most one man, a Dutch farmer, was seen to drop as he stood firing on the Royalists.' The latter were volun- teers, not in uniform, armed with flint-lock muskets, like their opponents. Mackenzie and his colleagues fled, a price being set on dieir heads, to the United States, whence they returned in after years, after receiving free pardon. Mackenzie resided in Toronto, and lived to see most of the reforms for which he fought freely conceded. In the counties of Middlesex, Oxford and Brant there had been a section of the people prepa'-ed for revolt ; but Colonel MacNab fortunately ])reverited this, and exercised g'> at clemencytowardstho.se implicated. Their leader. Dr. Duncombe, escaped to the States. A second attempt was made by Mackenzie, in conjunction with the American, Van Rensselaer, who occupied Navy Island, above Niagara falls, and fortified it with about 1,000 men from Canada and the States. But Colonel MacNab, with a force of more than double the number, prevented their landing, and a small steamer, the Caroline, employed in carrying sup])lies to the island, was surprised at Schlosser's Landing, N. ¥., at night, and being set on fire, was sent down the Falls. There were other bands of insurgents gathered at erase tHfe DOMINION O^ CANADA. 40 Detroit, Sandusky, and Watertown. These were not the movements of Canadian insurgents, but of some restless spirits on the United States frontier. In a raid made on Windsor from the American shore opposite. Colonel John Prince captured four of the raiders, and, constituting himself " judge, jury and exe- cutioner," ordered them to be shot in cold blood, without even the form of a court- martial. 'To use his own characteristic words, " they were shot accordingly." A final attempt was also made about the same time to invade Upper Canada at Frescott ; the raiders seized a stone mill, such as in the old Indian wars were often used as fortresses. Here they were assailed by a force of militia far outnumbering their own and better armed, and, though they defended themselves while resistance was possible, they were overpowered, and at last surrendered. .\ reign of terror prevailed in Toronto ; five hundred insurgents were crowding the prisons. Two leaders, Lount and Mathews, died on the scaffold at Toronto, meeting their fate calmly. Meantime Lord Durham was sent to Canada, to make a searching inquiry into the causes of discontent. Tor in England the 'Tory power, which had been unques- tioned since Waterioo, was virtually overthrown by the passage of the Reform Bill of 1834. The Liberal (Government of Lords (Irey and Melbourne was destined to ac- complish many reforms ; amongst others the first great steps to popular government in Canada. The Imperial Ciovernment for a time suspended the Canadian Consti- tution in order that Lord Durham, aided by a special council of his own appoint- ment, might be empowered to adjust difficulties. 'The new (iovernor acted in the wisest and most conciliatory spirit. He composed a report which ranks as a classic in Canadian political literature. It is mainly owing to this report, and to his impar- tial and luminous statement of the circumstances of the case, that the union of the two Provinces is owing, and above all, that the I .egislature in every branch should be so constituted that a really responsible (iovernment should result. Lord Durham pardoned the greater part of the insurgents ; their leaders, now in prison, he induced to put themselves unreservedly in his hands, so as to avoid the popular excitement attendant on a State trial, and exiled them to Bermuda. 'The English (Jovernment, and the Parliament especially, urged on by Lord Durham's bitter personal enemy, Brougham, considered this action unconstitutional, and set aside the sentence of banishment, thus giving the prisoners their liberty. On learning this Lord Durham resigned, and left for England in November, 1838. A second insurrection now took place in Lower Canadi, led by Dr. Nelson's brother. It was, however, supjiresscd, Sir John Colborne routing Nelson's force with great lo.;s at Napierville. 'The insurgents were again defeated at Beauharnois by the (ilengarry Militia. Colborne made an unsparing use of his success over men in every respect at a disadvantage in numbers, arms and discipline. 'Twelve execu- tions took place, and three J udges, who had the courage to condeuui these butcheries 4 :il ill ' t :*" ' i i n 'I s« HISTORY OK WKLLANI) COUNTY. as un( institutional, were suspciidi'd from office. It is conscjlatory to know that ten years afterwards they were reinstated in tiieir offices l)y Lord Sydenham. It being now the wish of l-ord Melbourne's Ministry to Ijring ai)out the amal- gamation of the two races in Canada i)y tlie imion of the two Provinces, it was thought necessary to obtain the full concurrence of each Province through its Legis- lature. l"'or the task of arranging this the ministry cho.se as (lovernor-Ciencral Mr. Charles I'nulet Thomson, an ICnglish merchant traiued in the strictest Toryism, yet one who had inclined in the Liberal direction, and was the fr:<.nd and associate of lientham and .Mill. A Radical as Railicals were at that time, he was yet regarded as an eminently uife man, an adroit [Kjlitician, and one emincraiy fitted to carry out the scheme outlined i)v Lord Durham. The Lower Canadian Special Council had been appointed by Sir John Colborne, and did not in any way repre.sent the French Canadians. It therefore at once consented to a union of the Provinces, and to rend- ering the members of the Executive for the future dependent for their tenure of office on the support their policy might obtain in the .Xssembly. 'J'he French Canadians regarded the union as a measure intended to efface their national it \', but they had no legislative voice to express their sense of wrong. In Upper Canada no trouble was likely to come from the As.sembly, as it had already con.sented to a union of the Provinces, and had been for years endeavoring to win responsible government. JUit the Council, the last stronghold of the Family Compact, was also a part of the Constitution. How could they be asked to efface themselves ? Mr. Thomson, however, managed this with great address, publishing in the Upper Canada Gazette a despatch from the English minister, in which the de- termination of the iMiglish (Jovernnient that the Canadian Executive should be re- sponsible to the people was in unmistakable terms declared to be final. The Family Compact bowed to their fate, but they had not yet said the last word when the Union Act pa.s.sed in 1840. The next elections were the first battle-ground ; at least ten members were re- turned by illegal means, yet the new (iovernor found that a majcjrity of the new members were i)ledged to support the changes he was sent from I'aigland to carry out. " Only seven members of the Compact had seats." (Dent.) The A.s.sembly was to meet in Kingston in June. .'\t the time of the Union in 1846, the entire population of Canada was reckon- ed at 1,600,000, of which ^70,000 belonged to Ui)per Canada. Although the people of Lower Canada had advanced in many respects, although in Montreal and Quebec new industries such as shipbuilding had arisen, still the Lower Canadian people, as compared with those of the Upjjer Province, were in a state of retrogression. Their agriculture was carried on with implements that belonged to the 1<' ranee of the 17th century. The habitants had scarcely advanced beyond the modes of thought of the Middle Ages. They Wvk, as they are still, the devoted subjects of a mediaeval „ a THE DOMINION OK CANADA. 5« Church. Of the 87,000 signers of the iJctition sent to England from the Lower Canadians in 1828, Mr. Dent finds that 78,000 were unable to write. (" l.a.st Forty Years," Vol. I., p. 54.) 'i"hc (inancial condition of the Lower Provincx' as regards revenue was, however, better than tiiat of the Upper. 'I'here was little public debt, and in 1840 a suri)lus of revenue over e.xi)enditure. Hut in Upper Canada tiie energies of its active and ambitious population were not confined to farming. StatrRtics show tliat while in a period of twenty years Lower Canada increased her amount of acres under cultivation by 1.9, the increase of those of Ujjper Canada was 4.5. 'I'he Upper Canadian agriculture was progres- sive, energetic, never satisfied with old, worn-out methods, ever eager to have in use the last improved ap|)liances of England or the .States. Wheat for many years was the main crop, for the reason that it was the readiest sold. The entire wheat crop of the Upper Province in the Union year is estimated at three million bushels. 'I'he towns of Up[)er Canada were at that time small, and with scant pretensions to beauty, compared with the two historic cities of the other Province. Toronto was the best in 1840. 'i'hen, as now, it was the intellectual centre of Canada. It had a jjopulation of 15,000. Kingston and Hamilton came next. London, since its foundation by (lovernor Simcoe, was the military station and most progressive town of the west, having et:li))setl St. Thomas. Hytown, the nucleus of Ottawa, was a lumber shanty by the Chaudiere. In 1840, the Victoria College, Cobourg, took rank as a university, and (Queen's College, Kingston, was founded. In care for edu- cation, as in all else, the Upper Province led Canada's advance. Lord Sydenham's Ministry. Mr. 'i'homson had l)een raised to the Hrilish peerage as Lord .Sydenham for his services in Canada, ami sunuuoned the first Parliament since the Union to meet at Kingston in June, 1841. It was the first Canadian Parliament which was represent- ative of the people. " The ministry included men of opposite politics, who agreed to act together for a time in order to enable the (lovernor to inaugurate the new system. Draper as Attorney-Ceneral, though a Tory, was yet for a time the colleague of the leading constitutional Refijrmer, Robert Haldwin. Hut the latter from the first de- clined to consent to any sort of coalition with the Conservative members of the ministry, and on Lord Sydenham declining to reconstruct it in accordance with the wishes of the people, he resigned. The first important debate drew from the Family Compact Attorney-Ceneral, Mr. Draper, the admission tiiat his ministry ought to resign office if want of con- fidence in it;; |)olicy were voted by a majority of the Assembly. The Parliament met in a large stone building now used as the (leneral Hospital, directly o[)posite the University of (^)ueen's College, the Covernor-Ceneral residing ■ at the handsome mansion of Alwington, overlooking the lake shore. m i I m I'^s I *^ klSTOKV OK WKLtJVND COUNTV. Ihc (IcIwUf on constitutional questions was followed by some practirallegisla- tion as to i)ul)lic works, municipal corporations, and i)ul)lic education. The latter subject was introduced by Mr. Day, and provided $200,000 for maintaining primary schools throughout Canada. .Although the provisions of this Act were insutificient, it was a good beginning of a work destined to be an inestimable ble.ssing. .\ disposition to evade the true si)irit of the new Constitution being suspected on the part of the (lovernment, this great question was unremittingly pressed by Mr. IJaldwin, a Reform statesman to whose integrity Canada owes much. He entered on political life in 1829, as member for York, and was son of Dr. W. Baldwin, a gentleman of liberal and enlightened views. As a Reformer, Mr. Robert Baldwin's career was marked by high princijjle.s, moderation, and the absence of mere party prejudice. He kept aloo." from the Mackenzie revolt, and, with Mr. Francis Hincks, was among the first to raise the depressed spirit of the popular party. On September 4, while Lord Sydenham was riding up the hill leading to Ports- mouth, his horse fell, causing a fracture which brought on lockjaw, from which he died, much lamented in Canada. He was one of the last and best of our personally- governing ( lovernors, a class of officials soon to become extinct with the growth of that resiKjnsible government which Lord Sydenham, like Durham, did so much to foster. His grave and monument are in the Church of St. (leorge, Kingston. It was his own wish to rest in Canadian earth. At the close of 1840 some trouble had been apprehended from the imprison- ment of one Alexander MacLeod, a zealous Loyalist, who had fought against Mac- kenzie at Montgomery's Farm, and had ha.stened to join MacNab's force at Navy Lsland. In the seizure and destruction of the Caroline, an act of a somewhat ques- tionable character, there seems evidence that he took no part whatever. But in the skirmish that took place with the Caroline's crew, one of the latter, Amos Uurfee, had been shot through the head. MkcLeod seems to have been a talkative brag- gart ; he was known to be fond of boasting that he " had shed the Yankee's blood." Not unnaturally, he was arrested at Lewiston, N. Y., on a charge of murder and arson. But hajjjjily, as the matter led to great excitement, and might have caused war, the United States authorities allowed him to escape. The next (Governor was Sir Charles Hagot, a descendant of Viscount St. John, the brilliant freethinker of Queen Anne's reign. In English politics, Bagot had been known as a pronounced Tory, and the Family Compact clique calculated to gain his aid in wrecking the newly-granted and as yet scarcely established Constitution. But they had to do with a high-princii)led gentleman and an experienced diplomatist. He had been instructed to maintain the new Constitution of Canada, and he with- stood every effort to induce him to swerve from his duty. In 1842 the .\shburton Treaty decided the various cjuestions, which had been for some time under disjjute, with regard to the boundary line between Canada and wmm urn THK DOMINION OK CANADA. 53 the United States. It also determined, wiiat was perhaps of still greater inijiortanre to both countries, the extradition of criminals proved j^uilty of murder, piracy, ar.son, robbery, or forgery. In this year Mr. P'rancis Hincks entered the ministry in char.ne of the I-'inanrc I)ei)artment, for which this statesman has always shown such excejjtional talent. The Conservatives were indignant against Hagot for permitting this. He was accused of a leaning towards radicalism. Their papers, with the absurd vituperation which both parties then indulged in, called Hincks "a rebel." Mr. l,afontaine, for many years leader of the French Canadians, and Mr. Baldwin, soon afterwards took office, the Draper Ministry resigning. The two political parties were now definitely form- ing on the lines of the new system of government, and the French Canadian mem- bers seemed likely on most questions to hold the balance of power between them. A most important Act was passed by the new Covernment, prohibiting bribery, treating, brawling, and the display of party badges at elections. The Tory news- papers railed at this as a treasonable measure intended to forbid the hoisting of " the Union Jack of Old England." Sir Charles Bagot had left England with a weakened constitution and the germs of a malignant disease. These were still moe impaired by the rigors of our winter climate, and the incessant calumnies of the Family Compact press. He bade farewell to the Canadian Ministers, who left his sick chamberin tears. He died in June, 1843. i'he Family Compact organ in Toronto called him "an imbecile and a slave" There can be but one opinion among Canadians of all parties to-day as to his services to this country. Sir Charles Metcalfe su'xeeded him in 1843. .\lthough a Liberal in England, no sooner had he arrived in Canada than he formed a hard and fast alliance with the Family Compact Opposition, and did his utmost to wrest from the Baldwin-Lafontaine Ministry their constitutional right to the otificial patronage of Canada. They resign- ed accordingly ; all but Mr. Daly, who has been called " The Canadian Vicar of Bray," and was for some time the sole Minister in office. He was afterwards joined by Mr. Draper and Mr. Viger, a French Canadian, who, it was vainly hoped, would draw his compatriots with him. Hut such a Covernment could not last. In 1844 there was a new election, at which, in defiance of law, the Metcalfe party resorted un- scrupulously to all kinds of violence to secure victory at the hustings. They did succeed in obtaining a small majority, but by means that attach a sinister memory to the Governor-General and the elections of 1844. Never since have the Canadian people tolerated such interference with their rights as electors. A Tory, or rather FamJIy Compact, Ministry was formed under Mr. Draper and Colnnel Allen MacNab. Mr. Hincks, who had given up his editorship of the Examiner^ and had assumed that of the Pilot at Montreal, was not now in Parliament, having been defeated at Oxford. An event in Canadian journalism occurred on March 4, 1844, when the first A u h 54 HISTORY Ol Wl;l,I,ANI) nirNTY. ? t , ' issue f)f till- (■/'AVv ;i|)|n'ari(l ill I'oroiilo. It was coiuliiitcd by Mr. ( Jcorgc IJrown, then twenty five years old, the son ol Mr. I'eter lirown, a l)iiikler and contractor in Kdinhnrgh. Having been introduced at Kingston to several members of the Maid- win Ministry, he advocated the cause of responsible government with such vigor in the new journal, that it sjieedily became what it still remains a politiial |)o\ver of no mean order. Among the members of the new Parliament were John .\. Macdonald, a young but rising lawyer of socalled 'i'ory views, and Wolfred Nelson, so late the leader of the Lower ('anadian insurgents. He had served as a military surgeon in the War of 1812, and so learned somewhat of soldiershij), sidmg with I'apineau in the long struggle for popular rights which preceded the insurrection of 1837-.S. Nelson endea- vored to restrain the violence which he forsaw would end in revolt. He won by his personal integrity and magnetism the warmest affection frf)m the l-'rench Canadians, and when the villa;/e of St. Denis, where he lived, was attacked by Colonel (lore with hi.s troops. Dr. Nelson defended the place with a skill and resolution which compelled the soldiers to retreat. Dr. Nelson nursed with the utmost kindness the wounded whom the Royalist troops left behind them. He was now returned for Richelieu, defeating even so powerful an opponent as Metcalfe, I'resident of Council. The rest of his life was i)as.sed in honor, and in the service of his country. In 1S44 the seat of (lovernment was moved from Kingston to Montreal. Metcalfe was now as much attacked by the Liberal or Reform press, and with the same silly rodomontade of invective, as the 'I'oty press had employed again.st his predecessor, Magot. He was called "a false hearted despol," "Charles the Simple," " Old S(|uaretoes," as if such mud-throwing did not degrade those from whom it came more than the statesman attacked by it. But Metcalfe did not lack defenders. Dr. ICgerton Ryerson ilefendetl the Covernor in a series of articles in 7Vif British Colonist, the servile tone of which would hardly at the present day suit the taste of any |)olitical party. In 1844, howev ., the pamphlet had its effect 011 ])ul)li(: opinion, and Dr. Ryerson was rewarded for his zeal with the valuable ai)i)i)intmciu of Chief Superin- tendent of Schools for Ui)per Canada. I'or many years he was the aiuocrat of our Public School system, in building uj) which, if he made some mistakes, mischie\ous enough in their way, he was still of great and lasting benefit to our country's system of education. The management of the Common School sy.stem of the Province by Dr. Ryerson commenced in 1846. The Draper Ministry continued during the governorship of Sir C. Metcalfe and his successors, Karl Cathcart and Lord Elgin. William Henry Draper, who with Sir A. McNab led the Tory party in Upper Canada, was the son of an luiglish clergy- man, born in [801. He had run away to sea, and at last settled at ''Little York " as a lawyer. He had great personal magnetism and suavity of address, and his THK DOMINION OK CANADA. 55 nnisiral .iiid experienced voice added to the elTcct of liis otlierwise not luilliaiil oratory in the Assembly, llr lived till 1X77. In 1845 one of those terrible fires, which seem pecuHarly the curse of Canadian cities, visited (^)iiubec ; twice in succession it swept over the city until twenty loin tliousand people were made homeless. The JMii^lish i)eople generously subscribed ;^;ioo,ooo for their relief, to vhich the I'arliament of Canada added ^"35,000. Lord Metcalfe for the Ciovornor had bei n raised to tlu' peerage- • was a sufTerer from that most terrible of all disiascs, cancer, lie was obliged to return to ICng- land, where, iindiT sufferings 'oorne with affecting fortitude, he died. The most imijortant political event of this Parliament was a bill introduced by the Draper Ministry, to pay all losses occasioned to the private property of Loyalists in Upi)er Canada. This ws : , doubt intended as a bonus t-) the Draper party in the Province, and was to be defrayed from the revenues arising from tavern and hotel licenses. The I'rendi Canadian members a,i;reed to this proposal provided that similar indemnification was given to the i,oyalists in their own I'rovincc. Six conmiissioners were accordingly deputed to make an estimate of the bonus so in- ctuTed in both Provinces. Hut they found their task a difficult one. It was in many instances impossible to determine whether the losses caused by military opera- tions had befallen loyalists or insurgents, and the amount of compensation claimed mounted much higher than the ministry had anticipated. When (1846) the commis- sioners sent in their report, it ajipeared that at least ^*ico,ooo would be recjuired. Mr. Draper endeavored to comjiromise matters by a bill proposing to issue, in Pro- vincial Debentures, X9,9;land had imposed «>" (!anadian imports woulil hence- forth he removed. He advised, lor military reasons, the construction of a railway hetween Halifax and (^uehec. This is the line now called the " Intercolonial." It has never yet paid its expenses and is likely to pay less now that a shorter route can he had. \ dissolution of Parliament now took place, and as the election was this tinii: held in accordaii' > wiili law, the popular feelinfi found expression ; the laheral or Reform memhers had the majority, and such men as Hincks, Robert Maldwin, Hume Mlake and Malcolm Cameron, were returned. Louis Fapineau, who, like the other leaders of the movement of iiS47, had come back to Canada, was elected, with Dr. Wolfred Nelson, from Lower Canada. Accordingly, when Parliament met, Mr. i)ra- |)er's Ministry resigned, and the Haldwin and Lafontaine (Jabinet ;issumed their place. Although Papinc.iu reajjpeared in |)()litical life, he never regained the prestige which he possessed in the early part of his career. His undeniable elo(juence did not com- pensate for a petuL, I vanity and a certain lack of jjolitic.d conunon sense. Hence- forth he all hilt disappears from Canadian history. His memory is still revered amon ■ ompatriots, md he rests, not without honor, in the shadow of the elm ttv '0. _ ear mea.sures were passed in connection with this Imperial rcnun- iitial duties which ensured to Canada entire freedom in controllinj; her . trauc. Thus early had respo: il^le government brought with it a second imiroved of iiis action in thus sustaining constitutional government, and entreated him lo remain in office. Addresses from all |)aits of C'anada, especially from the Reform party, were presented to Lord IClgin, expressing their regret for the treatment he had re- ceived from a minority of (Canadians. In view of this outrage, it was resolved 10 re- 1 i ^ 5« HISTORY CK WELLANn COUNTY. move the seat of Government from Montreal to Toronto for the next ten years, and afterwards that I'arliament shimld meet alternately in (,)iiel>ec and 'loronto. About this lime Canadian farmers began to feel the dei)ressing effects of the abrogation of the system of protection in I'liigland, for tl-.e Canadian producer had also been |)rolected against American ;ind other grain. Now that this had ceased to be the case, the .St. Lawrence trade was .seriously damaged, and a depressing effect produced on business all through the country. lUit this was to a great extent remedied l)y a measure, first propo.sed in i"j)enetrating her vast plains with the great lines of railway above mentioned, which, in the course of thirty years, have branch- ed out in every direction, covering the face of the land with a network which con- nects with every industrial centre. In October, [851, Mr. Hincks became Premier. I lis keen practical sense and financial tact leil him to take great interest in the founda- tion of the Craiid Trunk Railway, to which, in 1852, aid was giver, by I'arliament ; the s';ssion of that year being known as the railro.id session. The year 1852 is marked by a great fire in Montreal, 10,000 i)eople being made homeless. The year 1854 witnessed three remarkable events in Canadian politics. The Recii)rocity Tie-ity with the United States procured f©r our peoi)le the right to send most of the jiroducts of Canada free of duty to the United States ; it was to be in force (or ten ye;',rs. \'et more important is the step made by this Treaty to Canada's SSE "TSSSSSSBBnOBBf^ THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 59 commercial independence : for the first time we were allowed a voice in framing a treaty that concerned Canadian interests. The long-vexed (inestion of the Clergy Reserves was now set finally at rest. These wild and ai the time uni)rontal)le lands were to he sold, and the fimd thus obtained to be at the disposal of the d'.ff';?rent municipalities, and to be used for the benefit of the local schools, or for any other purpose of municipal improvement. But in order not to act h.irshly, sucii portions as were already occupied for church use were to form a small fund for church endowment. .\nd in Lower Canada the Seigniorial Tenures Act abolished the incumbrance, long felt as an obstacle to progress, of the feudal tenures of property. It was now arranged that each seigneur should receive a certain sum from his tenant, the balance being made up from a sum granted by the Canadian Parliament. England being this year at -^ar with Russia, Canada sent a r-ft of p^'20,000 as a contribution towards the relief of the wives and children of soldiers and sailors killed in battle. It is to be hoped that such offer- ings of Christian charity may soon be all the share Canada will take in European wars. In 1855 Sir l\dmund Head cnne as Covernor-Ciencral. The first regular volun- teer corps was formed in (Xjusequcnce of an amendment to thu Militia Act passed this year. In 1 856 a further advancement in the freedom of our mstitutions was made by applyingthe elective principle to our Legislative (Council. ']"he change was to be made gradually ; the nominees of the Crown at the time living were to retain their position for life; as they drop])ed off their successors were to be elected. At this time our Parliament sui)sidized a line of steamers between Montreal and Quebec and Liver- pool, to comi)ete with the American line subsidized by the English (iovernment. The seat of (lovtrnment was now proposed to be changed finally to Ottawa, a change made bv suggestion of the Crown, and, for (.ntireiy military rea.ions, the suggestion of the Duke of Wellington at the conclusion of the War of 181 2. This change was, for obvious reasons, unpo|)ular witii the people of the older and more central cities, and caused much opposition to the Cartier-Macdonald Ministry, now in power. In 1857 a commercial crisis came over tlie country, and, together with a suc- cession of bad liarvcsts, nuuh (le[)resse(l our connnerce. To remedy this a new Customs Act was passcil, inii)(),,ing heaviei- duties on certain imported goods. In i8s8 attention was turnei' lo the pro[)cr jirotection of our fisheries. 'i'he beautiful edifice of our Toronto University was now completed : it is in the Norman vlothic style, but treated with an elaborate luxurianv^e of rich decoration. The coinage was this year changed from the old cumbimis system of pounds, shillings and ])ence to the more facile dei imal system. In 1858 the renKJval of the seat of (l;)vernmenl lo Ottawa brought about the downfaT of the Cartier-.NLu dona'.d Ministry. Ceo. Iv Cartier, who had succeeded to Lafontaine's inlluence in Lower Canada, was the ablest Ivader his compatriots V' 6o HISTORV OF WELLAND COUNTY. have yet known. Sir John A. Macdonald, the most notable of the Conservative leaders whom this extraor(h'nary ministerial niuvement brought into power, was born in Sutherlandshire, Scotland, in 1S15, and came to Canada in 1820 with his father, who settled at K in.uston. He was educated at the Kingston C.rammar-School, where his chief tastes seem to have been for mathematics. At twenty-one he was called to the bar. .As has been mentioned, he defended, with benefit to his own skill, in a cause where aciiuittal was hopeless. Von Schultz, the leader of the raid on Prescott in 1838. At the age of thirty-one he became member for Kingston in the Conser- vative interest. For some years we can find, in the old fyles of newspapers preserv- ed in die Parliamentary Library, Toronto, but scant mention of J. A. Macdonald's speeches in Parliament. He was biding his time, and maturing both the skill in constitutional law and the extraordinary knowledge of men, especially political men, by which he has l)een distinguished ever since. Political tact and adroitness in discerning the right moment and the right man are the chief characteristics of this statesman. He has passed through every office in the Administration. He was Receiver-General under Mr. Draper in 1847. Again he held a portfolio under the MacNab-Moiin Coalition in 1854, which granted the abolition of feudal tenures and secularization of the Clergy Reserves. Having sui)er.seded Sir Allan MacNab, whom age and gout had unfitted for active leadership, as the chief of the Conserva- tives, he was supported by the inlluence, all-powetful as long as he lived, of Ceorge E. Cartier, with the people of Lower Canada. Mr. Ceorge Brown, editor of the G/o/h; was then called on to form a ministry, as being leader of the party op[)osed to that of the late .Vdministration. Tliis was at length accomplished, Mr. Brown being Premier, with Mr. Dorion to represent the Lower Canadians. But, according to our constitution, f'l' ministers lost their seats in Parliament on acce|)ting office until re elected l)y the jjeople ; their numbers in padiamentary strength were thus so much weakened, that on the Conservatives moving a vote of want of confidence, the Reformers were defeated. Of course the Reform .Ministry would at once have appealed to the constituencies, but by a very arhitrary use of the jjower left wit;, a (iovernor-(ieneral, Sir !•". Head refused to sanction this. In conseijuence of this action of the Covernor, the Macdonald- Cartier Ministry were reinstated in ])ower, the Brown-Dorion Covernment having held office only three days. Much bitterness was caused by this adroit but not very high-principled mameuvre. In August the .Vtlantic cable was first laid, an event attended with great rejoic- ing in Canada. But in this, the first effort, the success was not permanent as yet. On the 9th of September of this year that patriot, Robert Baldwin, died at the homestead his father had built at Spadina, in west Toronto. In 1859, Parliament held its session in Toronto. It was now found that there was a continual deficiency in the revenues of the Province, and as it was considered BSS*^ THE DOMINION OF CANADA. inexpedient to reduce the expenditure on railways and other public works, the duties on exports were considerably increased. On October 1 3th, the monument of ( leneral Brock on Queenston Heights was unveiled in the presence of a vast assemblage, in- cluding the <'olunteer corps, with whom were many veterans who had fought under Brock in his last battle. As the Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence was now ap- proaching completion, our Parliament sent an invitation to the (,)ueen of England to visit Canada and preside at its opening. Next year she replied, declining the visit to Canada for herself, but intimating that the Prince of Wales would take her place at the ojjening ceremonies. It had long been felt that while in progress, education, and all intellectual and industrial results, Upper Canada was far ahead of the French Province, yet according to the constitutional arrangement, whereby the two Provinces had an equal representation in Parliament, the interests of the English-speaking Pro- vince were on all occasions made subservient to those of the French by the fact that, while in Upper Canada then! were two political parties whose numbers were, as a rule, equally balanced, the French members voted as a unit, and were thus enabled to hold the balance of power. To remedy this a Reform Convention was held in Toronto this year (1859), in order to devise me>ms for establishing the principle, on which all the late parliamentary reforms in England have been based, of representa- tion by population. Hut the I'rench Canadians had always been successful in their opposition to this measure, which they knew would weaken theii .)olitical im[.'Ortance. It was therefore proposed to establish a Federal Union between the Provinces, in place of the existing sy.stem of Legislative Union. 'I'his suggestion, first proposed at the Toronto Convention of 1859, was the germ of the great constitutional change since carried out so successfully in the Confederation of Canada. In November of this year, Sir J. B. Macauley, who hiid so long held with honor the position of Chief Justice of Common Pleas, died, aged sixty-six. The year i86o opened with what was felt as a national calanii'y — as it tended to impair confidence already shaken by jjrevious losses of our Canadian line steamers — the foundering of the mail steamer Hiini:;arian cff Cape Sable. .Ml on l)oard were lost. Since that time increased vigilance has happily prevented the recurrence of such disasters, and the Allan line steamers have never forfeited public confidence. In August of tnis year the magnificent Victoiia Bridge was opened by the Prince of Wales, who, on visiting this country and the United States, was received by both nations with the most generous hospitality. The Victoria Bridge is one of the wonders of the New World. As a work of human art it is not unworthy of com- parison with the great ^vorks of nature amid which it stands, spanning our mightiest river, with its multiplied arches of massive granite. Such a work is a token of our national progress. " Ever rcaf^iui:; soinethiii:^ iicic. That which it has doiu hut earnest a/the things that it shail do." 62 HISTORY OK WKLLAND COUNTY. In the snmc summer the Prince of Wales also l:iid tho foundation stone of llic new I'arliamcnt Buiidini^s at Ottawa, whiiii, from ijeing, as a great writer resident in Canada has called it, "An Arctic luiiiher village," was even then assuming the pro- portions of one of our leading cities. In (jrder to illustrate the vast growth of all (Canada, and the greater relative growth of Upper than of the Lower Province, it needs hut a glance at the census returns of the population : Census of 1X4 1. — Upper Canada, 465,000: Lower Canada, 6yi,ooo " " 1861. " " 1,396,000; " " 1,111,000 In October, 1861, Sir I'-dmund Head was rei)laced as Covernor-CJeneral liy Lord Monck. On August 28 the stormy and chequered career of William Lyon Mackenzie closed in peace in the city of which he had been the first mayor. Now that the Family Compact and the generation that u|)held it are gone, it is increasing- ly felt that a debt of gratitude is due to this single-hearted jiatriot. I'ew other states- men can show a record so stainless as regards political morality. In this year also began the calamitous war in the American Republic. At first and for some time the people of the North seemed scarcely alive to the importance of the situation. When awakened from inaction, army after army swept through the Southern States, and after many a hard-contested field — for there were no better soldiers than those of the South — peace followed the capture of Richmond. During the war there was in England a strong sympathy with the rebels. But in Canada, with exce[)tions, the good-will of the nation went with the armies of the North, and we rejoiced when a difficulty, caused by the seizure by an .\merican commodore of two Confederate envoys on board the Trent, was hai)pily settled by their release. A considerable number of Canadians enlisted in the Northern army. The demand for horses, grain, and food sui)plies of all kinds among our Northern neighbors led to the circulation of a considerable amount of money in Upper Canada, and thus proved a stimulus to trade, the withdrawal of which, when war prices were no longer offered, i)roduced a corresponding depression. While on the subject of the war, we may mention, although the occurrences took place some three years later, that Canada was well nigh involved in trouble with the United States by the lawless and ungenerous action of certain refugees from the South. These men, while coming to our land as guests .seeking a peaceful shelter, abused our hospitality by acts of brigandage, for which they attempted to make Canada their base. One piratical ex- pedition effected the seizure of two small craft in Lake Erie, which, however, were abandoned ; another, led by Mason, son of the Envoy, seized on the Trait steamer, made a raid on St. Albans, a small town in Vermont. I'heClanadian authorities apprehended the raiders, who, however, succeeded in obtaining their release on some THE DOMINION OF CANADA. 63 legal technicality. In this year died Lafontainc, who had been the representative of Lower Canada in the Ministry of Robert Baldwin. In 1864, a Convention of thirty-three representatives from both Provinces met at (^uel)ec to discuss the (juestion of (Confederation. It was unanimously voted that a proposal for effecting this great measure should be submitted to the Legislature. In this year, the Sandfield Macdonald Ministry having resigned office, and that of Sir E. V. 'I'ache, which succeeded, not surviving more than two months, overtures were made by the ministry to (leorge Brown, leader of the Reform Opposition, that in order to get rid of difficulties which threatened a politi';al dead-lock, a Coalition Covernment should be formed, of which three Reformers, including Mr. Brown, should represent the Opposition element. This was agreed to, and the Coalition Administration was formed. 'I'he principal members of the Coalition were John A. Macdonald, O. E. Cartier, and (ieorge Brown, with Messrs. McDougall and Gait. Mr. Brown then m jved for the appointment of a Committee on Constitutional Dififi- culties, and very soon a scheme was brought before Parliament, which was based on that of the Reform Convention of 1859. In 1S65 this propo.sal, emlK)died in seventy- two resolutions, was adopted by the Parliament of Canada, and by those of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, fearing to lose political importance by such a union, declined it for the time being. In 'the same year John A. Macdonald, (i. K. Cartier, Alexander (lalt and George Brown, were sent as delegates to represent the wishes of the colonies to Lord Palmerston, then at the head of the Government. In England the scheme was received with full ajiproval. .\s the Reciprocity Treaty with the United States svas now about to expire, Mr. (kilt and Mr. Howland were sent to Washington to negotiate as to its renewal, in connection with which transaction a ditiRculty arose in the Cabinet, and Mr. George Brown resigned. Tlie negotiations for renewing the Treaty failed. In 1866 occurred the raid called the l''enian invasion. The Fenians, an Irish organiza- tion for the purpose of achieving the independence of Ireland, very absurdly resolved to invade Canada, a country which was the home of thousands of their countrymen. 'I'hey did not consider that if C'anada c(juld be blotted from the face of the earth, it would not lead a step nearer to the independence of Ireland. But there is every reason to believe that this invasion was projected not from any patriotic motive, but to get u\) a sensation among the .\merican Irish, and thus fill the pockets of the Fenian leaders. On June the first twelve hundred Fenians, well armed, and led by an ex-oflicer of the American army named O'Neil, crossed the Niagara River near Buffalo, to Fort Erie, and marched to a place called Ridgeway. A body of regular troops was sent to meet them with nine hundred volunteers, from Hamilton and Toronto, commanded l)y (>)lonei Booker. Too impatient to await the co-operation of the regulars, Clolonel Booker advanced towards Ridijeway. Here the Fenians were found in a strong natural position ; a smart skirmish took i)lace ; and upon a 64 HISTOHY OK WELLAND COUNTY. ^ I 11 I false, and, under tliu cirniinstancfs, ahsurd alarm of cavalry, the order was 1,'iven to form scjuare. 'I'liis mnvenieiu wis of course suicidal, as itj^ave the enemy a consoli- dated ody U|)on wlii( h to -oncentrate their fire, and rendered it doubly effective. The volunteers had lo retire, No. i Company, Queen's Own Rifles, 'I'oronto, cover- ing,' the retreat with coolness and skill. Our force lost an officer, Ensign Mcl'^ai hren, of No. I Company, (Queen's Own, and si.\ men killed, and four officers and nineteen men wounded. Fuller details of this Raid are given in our County History. Several atlenijits at a raid were also made on the Lower (!anadian frontier, hut the Volun- teer Militia were there in such force that the Fenians effected nothing, until the United States authorities took cognizance of the matter, and seized the arms of these brigands. The Fenian prisoners were tried and sentenced to death, but this was commuted to imprisoi'ment for life in the Penitentiary, whence, however, they were released after several years confinement. .\ jniblic funeral was given to our brave volunteers, and a monument to their memory has been set up in the ()ueen's Park, Toronto. On the \\ 1 HISTOKV (iK Wi;l,LANI> roi'NTV. StaI'IsI l( s. Ill .irdiT 1(1 ostimalc tlif vasl t^iowili dl llu' Ciinada of niir day, wr need hut glance at tlie following statistics, taken tnnii ilie last census iiliirns: ('KNsirs (II iKXi, I)(i\ii.Ni(iN ()!■ Canada. Province. I'liiKe l'',d\vai(l I: .Nova .S( (Ilia . . . . New liniiiswick . (,)uel)e( Ontario Manitoiia hritish ( 'oluiniiia Territories. Jand . Aroa. 2,133 'i'j'"!'''-' ""''-■^ 20,()07 27.'74 1 ,SS.f)88 " 101,733 123,200 " .14 1. .505 2,665,252 { Jrand totals | 3,470,392 I'dpnltitlon. loS,S(;i 440.572 '.,55*^027 l,(J23,22S 49.459 56,446 4,324,810 I'dl'i'LAiKiN ot 1S71 and iSSi, (omiiand liy ICIectoral l)istri(ts, within their liiiul ol' iSiSi. Kl.K.C'IOK.M, lllMlliK 'IN. ( N(mi Scotia.) Inverness . . . Victoria Cajie Mreton . Kichnuind . . . (;uysl)or()ui,'h , Halifax ... .. l.uiienburj; . . (^)ueen's Shclburne . . . Vannoulh . . . l)iKl)y -Annapolis . . . King's Hants Colchester . . Pictou Antigonish . . Cumberland . Tcriitorial Sii|uM'll5.v5oo 837,000 5' 9.000 753.000 8 ^f 7, 000 720,496 35,1.520 ',031,875 Totals )f Nova .Scotia ' 13,382, 00- l'll|llllutiull. 1871. 18H1. 23.415 1 ',34^' 26,454 14,268 '^'.555 5^9'''3 2.?,«34 "0,554 12,417 'X,55o "7.037 l8,12! 2 1,5 10 21,301 32,114 16,512 2.3.5 1 « 387,800 25.^>5' 12,470 31.258 '5. '21 1 7,808 ^'7.9 '7 28,5«3 ' 0.5 7 7 "4-9 '3 21.284 i9,8r;pii lli'lim III l'ci|ill IH71. III Inn. Itiipru- HUlllltllull. ( Priiiic Ethi'ard liUiiid.) I'lincL' Quc'i'ii's 467.000 480,400 41 2,000 '.3^15.400 28,302 42.f'5 ' 23,068 34.347 48.111 2''>,433 2 2 Kinu's 2 Tolals I'riiici' Ivlwiml Island... 94,021 108,891 6 (New /iriinswitk.) Albert St. John, City. . . St. John, County Charlotte K info's <^)uccn's Sunl)iirv York . ' C'arlcton Victoria Westmoreland . . Kent Northiiniherlaiul. (iloiicestcr Rcstinourhe . . . . 'TotaLs of New Brunswick. ( rrovincc of Qiii'Ihc.) nonaventiire ( laspe ..... Rimouski . . 'remiscouata Kaniomaska 1,'I.slet Montmagny Hellechasse . I,evis I )orchester . Heaiice .... I.othiniere . Megantic . . . Nicolet .... 42(),000 10,672 Sio 28,805 374,000 23.3 > 5 847.000 25.««2 901,000 24.593 947,000 '3.«47 770,000 6,824 2,222,000 27,140 772,000 I 9.93''> 2,234,000 1 1,641 822,000 29.335 1.101,000 1 9, 1 1 3.046,640 20,1 16 1,077,960 18,810 1,849,000 5.575 17.393.410 2HS.594 '2,329 26,127 26,839 26,087 25.^" 7 14.017 6,651 30,397 2 3.3'>5 15,686 37.7 '9 22,618 25.' 09 21,614 7,oS« 321,233 16 2,106,681 '5.923 18,908 1 2,909,940 ■ H,729 25,001 1 3,156,280 27.41^ 33.79' ' 1,178,290 22,491 25,484 1 f>5'.2 35 21,254 22,181 1 507.^25 '3,5 '7 14,917 1 .>9''^.953 '3.555 15,268 1 430,370 '7,C'37 18,068 1 164,140 24,831 27,980 1 5''^3.33o '7,779 18,710 1 ','75.595 27.253 32,020 1 460,640 20,606 20,857 1 475.740 18,879 19,056 1 379.320 23,262 26,61 1 I Is 72 HISTORY OF WKI.LANO COUNTY. Population, &(j. Continued. Ei.EOTOBAi. Districts. Drummond and Arthabaska Richmond and W olfe f!ompton Shcrbrookc Stanstead ^'amaska liagol .Shefford Mrome Richelieu St. Hyacinthc Rouvilie Iberville Missisquoi Vercheres Chambly St. Jean Laprairie . . Napierville Chateauj^iiay . Huntingdon Heauharnoi:; Soulange.s Vaudrcuil Chicoul ni and Saguenay. .. Charlevoix Montmorenc y Quebec, East Quebec, Centre Quebec, We.st Quebec, County J'ortneuf Charnplain Trois-Rivier ■ St. Maurict; Maskinonge Herthier Joliette L'Assomption Montcalm Montreal, Centre Montreal, East Montreal, West Hochclaga Territorial SuporHcius in Hcros. Population. 838,019 761,621 883,400 '43.300 260,600 167,200 214,840 357>7^'2 300,455 124,215 1 72,823 157/135 120,960 229,173 124,812 «7,3i9 1 12,106 1 10,606 97,120 159,840 255.350 89,280 87,820 "7.034 59.745,^^' 1,233,000 1,376,000 5,270 897 1,219 1,696,000 1,068,800 5,856,000 1 1,300 1,614,080 2,073,600 '.555.200 1.713,9^0 158,761 3,084,800 749 '.'53 i,o97 52,312 1871. 31.892 20,036 '3/65 8,516 •3..>3« 16,317 19,491 ■9.077 13.757 20,048 18,310 '7.634 15.4 '3 16,922 12,717 10,498 12, 1 22 11,861 11,688 16,166 '6,304 '4.75 7 10,808 11,003 23,980 15,611 I 2,085 2''>,305 18,188 13,206 19,607 23,216 21,643 8,414 10,658 ' 5-079 '9.993 23.^75 '5,473 12,742 23.903 46,^91 37.03' 25,640 1881. 37,360 26,339 19.5S' I 2,22 I '5.556 17,091 21,199 2,3.233 '5.827 20,218 20,631 18,547 '4,459 '7,784 12,449 .0,858 12,265 ",436 10,511 '4,393 '5.495 16,005 10,220 11,485 32.409 "7,90' 12,322 31,900 17.898 12,648 20,278 25,'75 26,818 9,296 12,986 '7.493 21,838 21,988 15,282 12,966 25,078 67,506 48,163 40,079 Uoprc- sontulion. \ THE DOMINION OF CANADA. Population, &c. — Cotitinin'd. 73 l»3 ^ ELKC'I OUAI. DlHTUlCTH. Jacques-Cartier . I ,aval 'I'errebonne . . Deux-Montagnes Aruentciiil Ottawa, (Jounty . Pontiac Tel" ■toriiil Supii licies in acros. Totals of (.Uiebec . 67,912 54,202 34^,302 S99,7'^o 4,277,120 i3>43',S2o Population. 1S71. 1881. I 20,762,65 I 11,179 9.47? 19.591 15,615 12,806 37.892 ■6,547 1,191,516 12,345 9,462 21,892 '5.856 16,062 49,432 19.939 Hopro- 8i!iili)l!on. 1.359.027 ( Proviiuc of Ontario ) Glengarry Cornwall Slorinont I )undas I'rescott . .'. Russoll Ottawa, City Crenville, South Leeds and Orenville, North . , Carleton Brockville Leeds, South Lanark, South Lanark, North Renfrew, South Renfrew, North . I'rontenac Kingston, City Lennox , . Addinuton Piin(e Lilw ird Hastings, ICast Hastings, West Hastings, North N'orthuniberiand, ivast Noiihumberland. West Peterborough, Ivist Peterborough, West Durham, I'^ast i )uiham. West Victoria, South Victoria, North 295,894 65,600 196, 160 244,744 3 1 3.9 ' 6 439.335 '.755 146,460 233,408 414,066 78,200 415,481 375.348 390,680 2,606,154 7,892,242 205,096 1,644 201,008 1,316,623 248,130 250,910 73,760 ',340,721 304,992 170,384 1.830,693 '17,255 207,835 203,370 264,136 57', 412 20,524 7,i'4 '873 8,777 7.647 8,344 1,545 3. '97 3.530 1,739 0.475 0,716 9,190 3,830 4.935 •,833 6,310 2,407 6,396 1,3 '2 0,336 7,392 4,365 6,607 '.758 7,328 8,706 1,767 9,064 8,316 9.244 0,956 22,221 9,904 13,294 20,598 22,857 25,082 27,412 13.526 12,929 24,689 12,514 22,206 20,032 13.943 19,160 20,965 14,993 14,091 16,314 23,470 2i,r44 '7,313 1 7,400 20,479 22,299 16,984 23.956 13,310 18,7 10 '7,555 20,813 13,799 65 i l.ii p* 15 74 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. 1'01'U LATioN, iVc— Contimted. Kl.KCTOUAI. DlSTKICTH, Muskoka OiUiiri ), South . . . • Ontario, North . . . . Toronto, East Toronto, Centre. . . 'I'oronto, West York, East \'ork. West Vork, North Sinicoe, South Simcoe, Nonh ... Feel Cardwell A\'el)and Niagara • Monck Lincoln Haldimand Wcntworth, South . Wentworth, North . Hamilton, ("ity . . . . Halton Wcllin^'lon, Soutii . . Wcihngton, Centre Welhngton, NorLh . ( Mcy, South (irey, l^ast Crey, North Norfolk, South Norfolk, North IJrant, South Ikant, North Waterloo, South Waterloo, North . . I'.lgin, East Elij;in, West. . . . Oxford, South. . . Oxford, Noitii. . . . Middlese.x, ICast. . Middlesex, West. . .Middlesex. North. London, '^"ity .... IVrth, South Perth, North TfiTilDriiil Suijoi'lli'ios in lie res. 3 226,320 147,660 402,206 2,002 791 3. '65 144,886 '37JI7 295,627 367,048 698,155 172,177 243.421 164,290 24.522 238,786 107,501 228,840 142,776 '45.367 2,380 237.953 227,827 23o.3y'3 359.644 286,652 497.923 367,163 224,526 182,160 165,706 105,540 169,184 172,092 234,896 231.539 229,163 256,446 272,520 249,627 275,59^ 1,907 212,458 326,735 Population. 1871. 6,919 19,923 25.967 15.090 20,647 20,355 19.360 16,260 24,262 23,670 33.719 16,369 16,500 20,572 3.693 16,179 20,672 19,042 14,638 16,245 26,716 22,606 23.431 21,118 18,740 18,622 22,193 18,580 15,370 15,390 20,766 11.493 20,995 19,256 20,870 12,786 2.3,678 24.559 25.055 20.195 21,519 15,826 21,159 25.377 1881. 27,204 20,378 28,434 24,867 22,983 38,565 23.312 18,884 24,502 26,891 49.238 16,387 16,770 26,152 3.445 17.145 22,963 18,619 14,993 15.998 35.961 21,919 25,400 22,265 25,870 21,127 29,668 23,334 '6,374 17,219 2 1,975 11,894 21,754 20,986 28,147 14,214 24,732 25,361 30,600 21,496 21,239 19,746 20,778 34,207 Itcpie- suntiiUon. i ~^0't^^ m \l ^ THK DOMINION OF CANADA. I'oi'i'i.ATiON, 6cc. — Continued. 75 Ei.ECTOKM. DiSTHK TS. Huron, South Huron, Centre Huron, North . lirucc, South . . lirucc. North . . IJothwcll I.anilnon Kent Kssex A'goma Totals of Ontario Territorial Suiiorficics in acros. 256,297 253,087 315,330 427,018 621,141 379,006 510,671 412,019 450,394 27,605,802 Population. 1871. 1881. 21,512 22,791 21,862 31,332 '7,183 20,701 3 ',994 26,836 32,697 7,018 23,393 26,474 27,103 39,803 24,971 27, 102 42,616 36,626 46,962 20,320 65,111,463 1,620,851 11,923,228 Uepre- Huntalion. ("■rami I'olals (jf Canada 12,221,059,407 13,635,024 14,324,810 Incliidiic.; (!.7(I7 Indians. t Includnitr iJ.OOl IndituiH, 88 ( Proviine of Manitoba.) Selkirk 688,040 2,159,760 783,689 4, 5 '9, 368 70,697,143 3,093 2,147 3,254 3,734 • 12,771 I r,496 5,786 19,449 16,452 65,954 \ I'rovencher J 1 jsi^ar MaKjuette 1 I'/Xtension *' 8,995 I'otals of Manitoba 78.848,000 4 (Province of Jhitisli Columbia.) New Westminster 1 14,502,400 62,982,400 30,710.400 1 10,240,000 1,356 1,955 i,3'6 4,540 1,419 t36,247 '5,4' 7 7,550 9,200 7,.^oi 9-99' 49,459 1 Cariboo f Yale Victoria . ... I ■7 \ ancouver I Totals of iiritish (Columbia. . . . 218,435,200 6 The Territories 1,705,7.11,280 56,446 206 !i yC, HISTORY OK WELIAND COUNTY. Population SiC— Continued. Population of Cities and Towns having over 5,000 inhabitants compared. Namks. Montreal Toronto (Quebec liahfax Hamilton Ottawa St. John London Portland Kingston (Miariottetown Ciuelph St. C^atharmqp Hrantford Belleville Trois-Rivieres St. 'i'homas Stratford Winnipeg Chatham Rrockville Levis Sherbrooke Hull Peterborough A\'intlsor St. ILnri I'Vedericton Victoria St. Jean BaptisteVill'gc Sorel Port Hop:. W'oodstoik St. Hyacinthe Gait Lindsay Mor.ctjn Provinces. I'opulation. 187L 1881. Quebec Ontario Quebec Nova Scotia Ontario Ontario N. Brunswick Ontario N. Brunswick. . . . . , Ontario Prince Edward Island, Ontario Ontario Ontario Ontario Quel)ec Ontario Ontario Manitoba Ontario Ontario Quebec Quebec Quebec Ontario Ontr.io ... Quebec New Brunswick British Columbia Quebec Quebec. Ontirio. Ontario Quebec Ontario Ontario New Brunswick . 107,225 56,092 59M)9 29,582 26,7 16 21.545 28,805 15,826 12,520 12,407 8,807 6,878 7,864 8,107 7,3"5 7,570 2,197 4,3 '3 241 5,873 5,102 6,691 4,432 6,006 3,27" 4,408 S,^>36 5,114 3,982 3,746 3,827 4,049 140,747 86,415 62,446 36,100 35,961 27,412 26,127 19,746 15,226 14,091 11,485 9,890 9,631 9,616 9,516 8,670 8,3^^7 8, ^'39 7,985 7,873 7,609 7,597 7,227 6,890 6,812 6,561 6,415 6,218 5,925 5,874 5,/9> 5,585 5,373 5,321 5,'87 5,080 5,032 Iiicrcase. I)e- crc;iHC. 33,522 30,323 2,747 6,518 9,245 5,867 3,920 2,706 1,684 2,678 3,012 1,767 1,509 2,21 1 1,100 6,170 3,926 7,744 2,000 2,507 906 2,795 2,678 2,201 i 2,308 212 2,655 1,466 155 471 1,391 1,575 ',360 1,031 f I |,«BR»MBW»PBiWW«» '« \ *1 t I' i I " ! THE nOMINION OF CANADA. 77 Rki.ioion.s of THE V KOPI.E, Ad- vent- istP. litiptiats. Broth- re 11. C ilholics, Uuiiian. Church of KiiKloJid. Pbovincks. Baptists. Free Will. Tunkcrs Mcnoii- itos. (JonKi'o- Kal.iunal. F. Edward Island.. Nova Scotia New Brunswick. . . Quebec ■. 13 1,536 738 4,210 696 8 10 5,588 73,149 49,489 5,988 88,948 1,638 424 12 648 10,612 31,603 .,86s 4,274 35 10 S 13,458 7,776 17 2j8 164 682 7,714 29 7 47, n 5 117,487 109,091 1,170,718 320,839 12,246 10,043 4,443 7,192 60,255 46,768 68,797 366.539 14,297 7,804 3,166 20 3,506 1,372 5.244 16,340 343 75 Ontario Manitoba Ikitish Columbia.. The Territories. . . ("■rand Totals.. . 7,21T 225,236 50,055 21,234 8,831 1,791,982 574,818 26,900 Disci- ples. Kpis- coprl Uc- forin- cd. Jews. Luther- aus. Methodists. I'UOVINCKS. Church of Canada. Episco- pal. Bible Chris- tian. Primi- tive. Other. PaKun P. Edward Is..., Nova .Scotia. . N. lirunswick.. Quebec (Jntario Manitoba .... B. Columbia. . Territories. . . . 594 1,826 1,476 121 16,051 102 23 13 99 478 423 989 I 593 19 55 989 1-193 33 104 4 5,639 324 1,003 37,901 984 491 4 11,052 50,214 34,302 38,026 436,987 8,508 3,416 458 21 148 152 729 1^1,505 641 73 3 2,403 379 ' 39.^3 ' 3.457 3.294 9« Crand totals. ... I 169,50.4 1 30,094 1,836 1,285 62 •«5.52^) I'liiico 1 I Now .ScDiliiMil. Kilwiiid I Nuvii Hnin.s- Nlniid. Scoliii. wiok. 3.425: 10,851 4, 168 '0,237^ 82,173 2,868 1,204 136 95.234 1.^39 2,719 586 686 '54 23 6 2,507 405,687; 6, 1 60 813 3,70^' 820 379i i6i (/iK.'llfC. 1 15,062 101,0471 420,088 2J>8,j65 1,346 17; 4.482 44' 77.<'43 3.'27 1,272 '.269,075 2,801 50.407 34' 4.085 374 396 6 101 1,327,809 I'linVINCK.S. IJiiimda. Oiiliii'id. i'rincu I'.dward Is Nova Scotia Nfw lirunswick. . (^iichi'c Ontario .\Ianitoi)a British (lohinihia 'I'lio 'I'crritories . (irand totals. . '05 333 310 10,379 ■.435.647 '9.'25 ',572 5'7 Miinil.obii.l Ki'Kisli ICuliiiiiliia. 'I'lioTor- riloritis. OlluM' Hi'ili.sli I'osHusHioiis. Now- foiiiiil- luiid. Cliiinnol iHlaiidH. 01 hor I'os- .scs.iioiis. 1,467,988 19,590 I 62 18,020 24 1,450 6 3 '9 42 25 32,175 5 32,275 t 2 48 ■58 6,422 '4 5', 785 58,430 671 2,058 262 809 771 16 8 I 4,596 12 63 57 460 43 '3' 342 339 345 1,490 4 52 10 f93 I 5 8 1 41 2,733 I'U(IV1N-(!KS. l'rin(c luiward Is. Nova Scotia ... . New lirunswick . . (^)uelK'c ( )ntari<) .Manitui)a British Columbia. The Territories . . < Irar.d totals. . . Franco (inr- iiiaii.v. Italy j I Hwed- Unssiaj Spain en, N. Kiid and I and Poland I'orlii- i ])cn- i gal. I mark. I'nilfd Slates. Otlier (loan- trios. I 15 222 63 2,239 '.549 81 '93 ■> •? - 1 4.389 14 9 2 I 254 36 10 23 203 22 6 '4 1,023 231 231 50 23,270; 378 444 '03 220 23 5,651 1 344i 78 32 23 25.328 777 6,376 1 1 609 114 3,004 444 5,'o8 358 19,415 852 45,454 121 1,752 170 2,295 6 116 2,076 1 77.753 I I 166 52 545 1,298 77' 4,61 I 1; At .Soil. 8 45 23 30 256 7 1 1 7,455 380 Not Kivon. 28 270 200 665 2,21 I 102 75' 2,107 6,334 t tmmmtltM THK DOMINION OK CANADA. 79 •■ The total population of iIk- Dominion of Canada in 1881 will he found to hr 4,,^24,8 10, nearly five millions, the amount of population with which the United Slates Republic hej^an its marvellous career. The nunijicr of immij^rants into Can- ada, we find, by the report of the Minister of Agriculture for 1881, to be 30,238 for tliat year. .\ valuable colony of the (Quaker like Ku.ssian sectaries, the .Mennonites, have settled in the North-West, and the attention of ICnglish statesmen and philan- thropists is being in<;reasingly turned to Manitoban emigration as a preventive - it cannot be a remedy - for pauperism and discontent. In 1886, the main line of the Canada Pacific Railway w^is completec'. W'liiic all (!anadians are proud to have our territory spanned by this f,'reat road forming a connecting link between the broad Atlantic on the east and tiie broader Pacific on the west, there are differences of opinion as to the wisdom of the ( lov- ernment's policy in pushing the work through to completion at so early a day and at so great an expense to the ct)untry. The Ijonus received from the (lovcrnuient by the Canada ['acific Railway Company consisted of twenty-five million dollars, twenty- live million acres of land, and the portions cf the road which had been previously built, together with several other exemptions and monopolie.-i. The churches of Canada have risen in numbers and efficiency with the general growth of the country. The historic (Tuirch of JCnglanJ, which had but one Cana- dian bishop fifty years ago, has now twenty or more colleges like the Universities of Trinity, in Toronto, and of l,ennoxville, in the i'rovince of Quebec. Her congre- gations have multii)licd in every county ; her clergy have no need of " Reserves ; " she has not even felt the withdrawal of the liberal yearly subsidy given in former years by the Society for the Propagation of the (lospel. In Toronto the evangelical section of her < ommunion have lately built and endowed a second college, that of Wycliffe Hall. 'The Roman Catholic Church retains hci ancient hold on the pious habitants of the I'rovince of Quebec ; within the last twenty years the Jesuits have raised in Montreal tlie " Jesu, " one of the most beautiful churc'hes on Uie continent, a building worthy of the order and its glorious missionary traditions. In 'Toronto, the Metropolitan Church is a monument of the imjiulse for good roinmuiiicated to Canadian Methodism by the ministry there of Mr. Morley Punshon. Our Ujjper ("anada Methodism, the pioneer church of the yet unsettled wilderness, began by preaching in barns and back>voods log-huts; it now .builds cathedrals for services lemarkable for ( lassical music and cultured preaching. 'The other Protestant churches are pretty well balanced in numbers and popular ty. 'I'he census shows that the Roman ("atholics number 1,791,98?; the Church of Canada Methodists, j82,96 5 ; the l'',piscopal, 103,272 ; the Bible Christian, 27,236 ; tht' Primitive, 25,680, and others unclassed, 25,680: the Chutcli (,f iMigland has 574,818. Of Pagans it appears there are still amongst us 3,8:^0. 'The Canada Methodist and ICpiscopal Methodist bodies have since united under tlie title of the , 11 8o HISTOkV OK »VKLI,ANI) COUNTY. h I il: MctliiKlist CluiK li of Canaila. I'Ih- i liiinh spire uf uiu; i)r other uf the I'rctcstaiU denominations rises from every village and now that the old leaven of nncharitablc- ness, caused by the ('lergy Reserves controversy, has died away, the various divisions of I'rotesiant Christianity are learning to dwell together in unity. In estimating the intellectual progress of the Dominion, we must take into ao ( (iunt these n)ain as|)ects of its evolution, the educaiional advan>.e, journalism, liter- ature in its various forms, and t..j fine arts. .\s to education, some account of its progress has heen already given. .\hh()ngli tlie Jesuits, who were esteemed the best educators of their day, did sonulliiii'-,', 'lie Duke de Rochefoucald .ould wrUe, in 17S7, that the Canadian who was ,d)le to write was .1 itiienome- noil. Ill 1S07 the first l')du::atioii .\ct, passed in Upper Canada, estab- lished grammar .schools in each of the eight districts of the Province. The history of the public school has been already given, 'i'he University of 'j'oronto was opened in 1S47; Upper Canada ('ollege, which once did work that has now jiassed to all the Collegiate Institute.s, opened at the same time. In i.Sy the Wesleyans founded Victoria College ; now one of the most nourishing of our denominational colleges, under the able direction of Dr. Nelles. 'I'he Kirk (jf Scotland opened Queen's CJollege, Kingston, in 1X41 ; the Presbyterian C-hurch of Canada, Knox College, Toronto, in 1844. 'Trinity (College, Church of I',ngland, was the outcome of tlie secularization of our I'lovincial University in 1849. The baptists established the Woodstock Literary Institute in 1857 ; the Methodists, .Mberl College, lielleville, in 1878; and the evangelical party in the (Jluirch of England, the Western University at London, in 1878. In the (ensus of 1881 the following very gratifying summary of our educational statistics is found: — Total number of educalion.il institutions in the Dominion, 13,000 ; number of pupils in attendance during the year, 925,000 ; amount annual- ly contributed for [lurposes of education by the .Stale and the people, $6,700,000. As to journalism, some account h.is already been given of its early struggles in Upper Canada, and of the inlluence exercised by Lf Canadien in the Lower Province. In looking over the files of the journals on both political sides, preserv- ed in the Parliament Library, Toronto, one is struck with the coarse personality, the frequent solecism, and the badness of the writing both in form and matter. Regu- larly arranged, methodical news editing there was none, it was witty in a Reform journal to call Lord Metcalfe "Old Siiuaretoes ;" in a Tory paper io s|)eak of M. Lafontaine as "a rebel fattening for the gallows" There is still far loo much bitterness, and too little "sweetness and ligni," in our best journalism. i'he ablest editorial writing we find in the Culunist ( r(jry), in Mackenzie's Colonial Advocate, and Sir Lrancis ilincks' i2."av/w///tr and /'/Av/. .Vl last, in 1844, aiipeared a really first-class newspaper, a till- which no political parlizanshii) can withhold from the Globe. Ill 1S5.' Mr. lieatty established the /tWtr, an able Conservative journd. r a THK DOMINION OK CANADA. 8i In 1857 the liimu'iUed Mc^Cicc rainc lo Can;ul.i, and ol hCpiscopal and other worthies. The laic .Mr. Watson, of Toronto, has left in his "(Constitutional History of ( Canada," a work re- (i I III 8a HISTOKY OK WKI.LANI) COUNTY. I i , markal)k' lor its lucid style, and dear insiglil into oiir ( onstiuitional history. Mrs. M(KKlic's " Rotighinn it in lln' liii^li " is .1 pii tiirr, valiial)lc to tlu' t'lilmv historian, of the hardships of pioneer Hfe 111 thi backwoods, lier style is graceful, and often dis- plays much humor. Mr. Alphens Todd, who holds the position of i.ihrarian to the Dominion I'arlianuiil at Ottawa, has written a "History uf Tarlianientary I're- cedentand Constitutional Usage," which has already l)een regarded as a classical authority in ICngland. "'I'he Canadian Portrait Callery," by Mr. Dent, is a valua- ble :u\(\ pleasantly-written series of short biographies of our leading public men. " ri(lures(|ue Canada," published by the .Art Publishing Co. of 'I'oronto, is a work to the artistic merits of which it is impossible to give too high |)raise. The artist to whom this work is most indebted is .Mr. ()'J5rien, President of the Canadian .Aca- demy, several of whijse pictures, illustrating Canadian scenery, have been i)un;hased by (,)ueen Victoria, and hung up in Windsor Castle and others of the royal palaces. We iMiist not close this brief sketch of Canadian lileialure without giving a Mi(i W'itlioul ;itliin|)linjj; :iny liidim history of nn i/irlicr date than that oC ihi- sct- llL'iiuni of i.ower ('aiiada and what is now the State of New York, it may be staled at oi.cc that this territory was in possession of two of the i^reat principal Indian nations of the coniinent. 'I'he Hurons, wlio were a i)art of the great Algonquin c-ombinatiun, were, in a general way, tlie occupants of the northern borders of Lakes Ontario, luie, and on the eastern margin of Lake Huron. To the eastward of this people were several other siniill tribes, who occui)ied die (onntry along the Si. Law- rem e River towaid its mouth, 'i'he Iro(iuois were located on the south of Lakes Ontario and Erie, and on the southern side of the St. Lawrence as far east as the River Richelieu. The great i j^j" //. f ^.v. />y ^^^' ^ (? / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 W cST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 •^5^ /M CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for IHistorical Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 i 84 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. Jtritish and Americans to take up the hatchet as co-workers in the bloody work of death. The Six Nations, as a hody, became a part of the British forces which en- gaged the colonies along the northern frontier, and having resolved to "sink or swim " with the English cause, they very naturally did their best against the com- mon enemy. Having cast their lot with the English, these Indians felt reluctant to return to their own lands in the State-; after the declaration of peace, so the British (jovernment ceded a large tract of country to thoir use and benefit, as wards of the nation. This tract of land is along the course of the Grand River, and comprises a large part of what is now Brant County. In due time the Indians established themselves upon this new tract of country, and began the slow but profitable jour- ney toward civilization. It may not be out of place here to remark that the Oneidas, and, to a certain extent, the Tuscaroras also, remained neutral during the war ; and in course of the final settlement of things between the two great powers, these Indians were provided for by 'he United State.s. The Indian reservation in the State of New York, known as the " Cattaraugus " country, is based upon that final adjustment of the results of war. About the year 1867 the Six Nation Indians of Brant County formed an .agu- cultural society, giving to it the name of the " Six Nations' Agricultural Society. " The society has existed and prosp' ed from that time, holding each year a fair which is largely attended by the i)eople. In 1883, one hundred and eighty of the Six Nations enrolled themselves as members of the above society, the largest by far since ihe society started sixteen years ago. An increasing interest is being taken in the soci- ety by the Six Nation community, and consequently it must succeed. St t j I i • - 4 ( .. ,,- ■ WF rmmmim^m^ • I ■■ in M^MHCShtnil 't PART II. ^ NTY OF WELLAND. -' ' yrn^ ^R iH|||||l|i|| 1 ■ ■ 1; C^' COUNTY OF WELLAND. CHAPTER I Intr'oductoty. — Pioneer Life. — Clear ino^ the Land. — Dwellings. — Horseback Travel. — Character of the Pioneers. - Settlement. — The Lot of the Pioneers. Early In'I'RODUC'IORV. In the latter years of the great struggle between the Fren^ h and the English for supremacy in the New World, the rival armies were brought to the shores of the River Niagara. In 1766, when Canada passed under the rule of Hritain, and Madame de Pompadour enjoyed her silly laugh " at the cession of a few iiwtrwntt' arres of ice," ICnglish i^Trrisons took the place of I'Yench in the fortresses that had pre-, viously been built along the banks of the river. (Clusters of houses sprang U|) around the stockades, yet for upwards of twenty years no attempt was made ;it permanent set- tlement. The woods were fairly alive with game, the waters abounded in fish, ihe fur-traders came and drove their bargains with the s^iccessful hu, iters and trappers, and sailed away, but the hardy settler, who was to reclaim the land from its forest state, was yet to come. Those Ivoyalists from the Wyoming and Mohawk valleys, called l>utl. <-'s Rangers l)ecause they were led by Col. Johr. J^i^tler, wintered at these forts, and from them made their raids into New York ana I'ennsylvania during the American Revolution. In 1783, when the In*lependence of tb.e United States was recognized, and the hopes the Loyalists had e.itertained ot regaining their lost estates were entirely (rushed, the Government rewarded their fidelity by a grant of lands in the vicinity of the i)osts occupied in Canada. The territory now known as the Niagara Distric-t was surveyed and divided into townshijjs. The land was almost entirely covered with dense forest ; near the shores jf the lakes there were a few small areas on which the trees were somewhat scattered, and a " bridle path " extended along the bank of the river. The grants of land made to the Loyalists were very liberal, field officers being allowed to select 5,000 acres, captains 3,000, n 88 HISTOKY OF WEI.LANI) COUNTY. snhalterns 2,000. and privates 200 acres each. Later, another provision was made by which every child of a I.oyaHst who iiad borne arms was entitled to a grant of 200 acres upon attaining his majority. By the summer of 1784 about forty fluuilies had settlec' on the territory now c(jmprising the County of Weiland. Each of these settlers was prcided with seed grain and farming imi)lements by tlie (lovernmeiit. PiONKK.R Liu:. A truthful account of the mode of life among the early settlers of the Canadian forests cannot fail to interest and instruct. As the backwuods period recedes its interest increases. It is to be regretted that more of tiie tradiiioii.-, nf ihe jiioneers, giving homely but faithful pictures of the every day life of the early settlers, have not been preserved. Their recollections of their journeys from the older States, the overland voyages to their future home, the clearing in the w.lderness, the first winter in the rude cabin and the scanty .stores of provisions, the cultivation of com 'among the roots and stumjis, the caliinraisings and log-rollings, the home manufacture of clothing and furniture, the hunting parties and corn iiusk- ings, their social customs, and the thousand scenes and novel incidents of life in the woods, would form a more instructive Jiapter than their wars with the Indians or their Ciovernment annals. Far different was the life of the settler in the primeval forests that once occupied the now beautiful territory of Weiland County frou) that of th frontiersman nf to-day. The railroad, the tele.:raph and the daily newspaper did not then bring die comforts antl luxuries of civilizatii>n to the cabin door of the settler ; nor was the farm marked out with the fuirow, ;;r.d made ready for cultiva- tion by turning over the sod. Clearin(; the Land. The labor of clearing a tarm in a forest of large pines, oaks, maples and hickories, was very great, and the difficulty was increased by the ihi'k ;;i-owing underbrush. Not only were the trees to be cut down, but the l)ranches weiv to be cut off from the trunk, and, with the undergrowtli of bushes, gathered together for burning, 'i'he trunks of the large trees were to be divided and rolled into heaps, and reduced to ashes. \Vith hartl labor the upaided settler couid clear and burn an acre of land in three weeks. It usually reipiired six or seven years for the pioneer to open a small farm and build a better house than his first cabin of ror.nd logs. The boys had work to do in getting the brush into hea[)s. .\ common mode of clearing was to cut down all the trees of the diameter of eighteen inches or less, clear off the under- growth, deaden the large trees by girdling them with an axe, and allowing them to stand until they decayed and fell. This method delayed the final clearing of the land eight or ten years, l)ut when the trunks fell they were usually dry enough to be burned into such lengths as to be rolled together with ease. 1_„.. LOCAL HISTORY. DWKLLlNr.S. 89 'i'lie first dwellings of ilic scHtlcis were cabins made of round logs notched at the ends, the spaces between being filled with clay. The roof was of clapboards held to their places by poles reacning across the roof, called weight poles. The floor was of puncheons or planks split from logs, two or three inches in thickness, hewed on the upper side. The fireplace was made of logs lined with clay or undressed stone, and was at least six feet wide. The chimney was often made of split sticks plastered with clay. The door was of claijboards, hung on wooden hinges and fastened with a wooden latch. The opening for the window was not unfrequently covered with paper, made more translucent with oil or lard. Such a house was built by a neigh- borhood gathering with no tools but the axe and the frow, and often was finished in a single day. The raising and the log-rolling were labors of the settlers in which the assistance of neighbors was considered essential, and was v:lieerfully given. When a large cabin was to be raised, preparations would be made before the appointed day, and early in the morning of the day fixed the neighbors gathered from miles around ; the captain and corner man were selected, and the work went on with boisterous hilarity until the walls were up and the roof weighted down. The cabin of round logs was generally succeeded by a hewed log house more elegant in ajjpearance, and more comfortable. Indec ., .lOUses could be made of logs as comfortable as any other kind of building, and were erected in such manner as to conform to the tastes and means of all description of persons. For large families a double cal)in was common ; that is, two houses, t';n or twelve feet apart with one roof covering the whole, the space between serving as a hall for various purposes. An eminent speaker in referring to the different kinds of dwellings some- times to be seen standing on the same farm, as an indication of the progress of the people, said, " 1 have often witnessed this gratifying progress. On the same farm you may sometimes behold standing together the first rude caliin of round and un- hewn logs, and wooden chimneys ; the hewed log house, chinked and shingled, wuh st(}ne or brick chimneys ; apfl lastly, the comfortable frame, stone or brick dwelling, each denoting the different occupants of the farm, or the several stages of the con- dition of the same occupiant." The furniture of the first rude dwelling was made (;f iii'.ncheons or split logs, by the settler hims.lf. Over the door was i>laced the trusty flint-lock rifle, next to the axe in usefiilness to the pioneer, and near it the powder horn and bullet pouch. .Vlmosl every family had its little spinning wheel for flax, and l)ig spinning wheel for wool. 'I'he cooking utensils were few and simple, and the cooking was all done at the fireplace. 'I'he long winter evenings were spent in contentment, but not in idleness. There was corn to shell and tow to spin at home, and '..he corn huskings to attend at the neighbors'. There were a few books ^1 I v/ W 1 i 90 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. to read, bi.t newspajjcrs were rare, and the Ilible generally consliliitcd the whole of the family library. # HOKSKIIACK TrAVKI.. With the early settlers almost the only modes of locomotion were on foot and on horselmrk. 'I"he farmer took his cor'- ind wheat to mill on horseback. The wife went to Niagara or visited her distant fr-'ends on horseback. Salt, hardware antl merchandise were brought to the new settlements on pack-horses. 'l"he immigrant came to his new home not unfrequently with provisions, cooking utensils and beds packed on horses, his wife and small childrer\ on another horse. Lawyers made the circuit of their courts, doctors visited their patients, and preachers visited their preaching stations on horseback, 'i'he want of ferries and bridges made the art of swimming a necessary ([uality in buying a horse for the saddle. " Is he a good swimmer ?" was a common tiucstion in buying a saddle horse. Character ok the Pioneers. The early immigrants to Welland County may l)e described as a boll ind reso- lute rather than a cultivated people. It has been laid down as a general truth that a population maile uj) of immigrants will contain the hardy and vigorous elements of character in a far greater proportion than the same number of [jcrsons born upon the soil and accustomed to tread in the footsteps of their fathers. It reciuired enterprise and resolution to sever the ties which bound them to the places of their birth, and upon their arrival in the new country the stern face of nature and the nece.ssities of their condition made them bold and energetic. Individuality was fostered by tlie absence of old familiar custoins, family alliances, and the restraints of social organi- zations. The early settlers of Welland ('ounty were |)lain men and women of good sei-ise, without the refinement which luxury brings, and with great contemj)t for all shams and mere ])retence. A majority of the pioneers belonged to the middle class. j'ew were b)- affluence placed above the necessity of laboring with their hands, and few were so poor that they could not become owners of small farms. 'l"he backwoods age was not a golden age. However pleasing it may be to contemplate the industry and frugality, the hospitality and general sociability of the pioneer times, it would be improper to overlook the less pleasing features, of the picture. Mard toil made men old before their time. The means of culture and intellectual improvement were inferior. In the absence of the refinement of literature, music, and the drama, men engaged in rude, coarse, and sometimes brutal amusements. Public gatherings were often marred by scenes of disorder and fighting. Post roads and post otitices were few, and the scattered inhabitants rarely saw a ne-vspaper or read a letter from their former homes. 'I'he travelling «*» LOCAL HISTORY. 9» preacher wos their most ciiltiircd icnchcr. While some of them hud b(H)ks and read them, the mass of the people had little time for reading. Early Skitlkmknt. He who attempts to present with unvarying accuracy the i)rogress of settlement in a country the history of which extends back through a period of a century, im- poses upon iiimscif a task beset witli diffii iilties on every hand. In the absence of records, these difilicuities are often augmented by statements widely at variance, furnished by descendants of early settlers as data frori which to compile a true recorfl of the past. i'o claim for a work of this character perfect freedom from the slightest, or, in some cases even grave inacci""''^-';;, would be implying to one's self th;it degree of wisdom which alone exists in the councils of the Omniscient. If then the time and [)lacc ot recorded events in the following pages do not in every inst'\n<:e agree with the individual opinion of the reader, please bear in mind we have always inclined to those statements that seemed the best supported. In our historical sketches of the various townships we deal with the settlement of the different divisions of the county, and mention the names of some of the pionce.s In preparing those lists we feel that an injustice is involuntarily done to others as deserving of mention as those whose names .ipijear. While using every right jndeavor to ha\e the lists complete tliere nust necessarily l^e some who were only teui|)oriny settlers, and who, after improving a tract of land, 'or some reason known only to themselves, passed on to other lands, and others who, after settling in the county, died, leaving behind them no record, and no descendants from whom a knowledge ol them could be obtained. Of these, if such there were, the most dilligent search fails to discover even their names. By the year 1791, the slender, steady stream of inmiigrution into Canada had increased the population to such an extent that the whole district west of the Ottawa River was erected itito a Province called Upper Canada, with Colonel John Simcoe as Lieul.-dovernor. I'he Province was divided into counties as far as surveyed, and ',he name of Lincoln given to the large territory now comprising the counties of Lincoln and Welland and a part of Wenlworth. The townships, which had been previously surveyed and numbered, were at this time named. The namt^s given them are those of well-known jjlaces in Lincolnshire, England. The principal stream which had Inrmerly been known by its Indian title, the Chippawa, was called the Welland, and the adjacent townships were named Bertie, ("rowland, Humberstone, Pelham, Stamford, Thorold, \\ illoughby and Wainfleet. During the ret^iiiw of Clovernor Snncoe, thous^inds of immigrants settled in Ui)iJer Canada. Those who found homes in the district now comprising Welland County were chiefly U. E. Loyalists from New Jersey, New V'ork and Pennsylvania. Many of them were by religion Quakers, Mennonites or Timker.s. By 1797 the population had so far iq. r;s 'A i ' \ I, 93 HISTORY OK WELLAND COLNiy. creased, in certain districts, that the I-egislaturc passed a redistribution of seats bill, giving to Lincoln four representatives. One of the ridings thus formed comprised the townships of Stamford, Thorold and I'elham, and another, VVainfleet, Humber- stone, Mertie, Willoughhy and Oowland. There was no municipal organization, what little municipal business there was to be done coming within the province of the Legislature. The Lot of the Pionter. 'I'he pioneer history of U'el'and County is an iutert^ting theme, but to go into a detailed descrij)tion of the vicissitudes of the early settlers would alone (ill a bulky volume, leaving no room for a record of the deeds of their children and grand- children. If, however, the history of Welland County leads the young people of the present and future generations to more fully realize tl;e hardships their ancestors en- dured, and to appreciate in a higher degree the advantages they themselves enjoy, the eTcr'" of ihe publishers will not have been in vain. Will Carlton quaintly de- scribes a pioneer's lot in the following lines : " It ain't the funniuat thing a man can do - Kxiating in a country wlien it's new ; Nature who tnovetl in tirat — :\ good long while— Haa thingH already somewhat hev own style, And alio don't want her woodland spleniiors battered, Her rustic furniture hroke up and scattered, Her paintingM, wliicli long yeara ago were done By t)i!tt old splendid artiat-king, the sun, Torn down and dragged in fjivilization's gutter, Or sold to puH'^iase settlers' bread-and-butter. She don i want things exposed from porch to closet — And so she kind o' nags the man who does it. She carries in her pockets bags of seeds, As general agent of the thriftiest weeds ; She sends her blackbirds, in the early morn. To superintend his fields of planted corn ; She gives him rain past any duck's desire — Then maybe several weeks of quiet fire ; She sails mosquitoes - leeches perched on wings — To poison him with blood-devouring sting.s ; She loves her ague-muscle to display, And shake him up — aay eveiy other day ; With careful, conscientious care, she makes Those travellin' poison-l)ottles, rattlesnakes ; She finds time, 'mongst her otlicr family cares, 'J'o keep in stock good wild-cats, wolves and bears ; She spurns his offered hand with silent gibes, And compromises with the Indian tribes, (for they who've wrestled with his bloody art, Say Nature always takes an Indian's part. ) In short, her toil is every day increased, To scare him out, and luistle him itack East ; Till finally, it appears to her some day, That he has made arrangements for to stay ; Then she turns 'round, as sweet as anything, And takes her new-made friend into the ring. And changes from a snarl into a purr, From mother-in-law to mother, as it were." i .:■» mm \ CHAPTER II, T/ie War of 1812. '< i This war properly belongs to the history of Canada, and has been already briefly referred to, in the preceding part of this work ; but inasmuch as some of the hardesjt fought battles occurred withir he boundaries of the present County of Welland, we deem it proper to more minutely describe the contest in this part of our local history. It would be impossible fo properly treat of the battles fought in this locality without referrin;^ to some of those which occurred in other parts of the Province. We therefore reproduce in full the excellent account of the war contain- ed in that admirable historical sketch of the County of Welland lately published by authority of the County Council for distributlun at the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, London, Eng. : — On the 1 8th of June, 181 2, the Congress of the United States declared war against Great Britain and her dei)endencies. American armies had been mustering for months, and were already on their march to invade Canada. The only prepara- tion that had been made by the Province, or indeed which was in its power to make, was to pass a Militia Act, and au'^borize the fornifition of flank companies, which were armed and drilled at intervals, as their peaceful occupation would permit. American travellers, traders and spies who had traversed Upper Canaua, concurred in representing the mass of the inhabitants in the western part of thit Province as feeling lukewarm and disaffected, if not positively hostile towards tht ".ritish Gov- ernment. The regulai Torce west of the Ottawa River was less than one thousand men, scattered in small detachments from Prescott to St. Joseph's Isle, 'ivest of Mackinac. 'Ihis, then, was a glorious opjwrtunity. Dr. Eustis, the American Secretary of War, declared that they could take Canada without soldiers, as it would only be necessary to supply officers and arms : disaffected Canadians wor.'d do the rest. Geneial Widgery stated that he would undertake to conquer Upper Canada in six weeks after the declaration of war, while Mr. Calhoun reduced the necessary period to one month. Henry Clay declared that he would never agree to any treaty of peace which did not stip'.ilate for the cession of Canada to the United States. It soon api^eared that the had underrHted the loyalty of the Canadians, The *■ I] I 94 HISTORY OF \VKt.I,ANI) COUNTY. ! i ! ir first attL'ni|)t at invasion resulted in the surrendci at Detroit of the Aineiican den eral, Hull, with his entire army, to an inferior force, under Cenernl Isa;ic Mrotk, tiie acting I, ieiit. Governor of Upper I'anada, principally composed of Canadian militia and Indians. A second inroad at (^)uoenston, on the Niagara, was scarcely less unsuccessful', nearly the whole of the detachnK'iit that effected a crossing being killed or taken. .\ formidable army, however, still remained encamped on the American shore. Nearly five thousand regulars and militia, with several hundred sailors and Indians, were assembled in the vicinity of ihitia o, under (leneral Smyth, the Inspe( tor-(!eneral of the United States army. .\ strong detachment in boats attacked two small Mritish armed vessels lyin;^ near l-'ort ICrie, under cover of the darkness on the yh of October, 1812, and overpowered the crews. One of the vessels grounded while drifting down the river, under the tire of the llritish field artillery, and was destroyed. Emboldened by this success, and conscious of his enorinous su|)eri()rity in numbers, Smyth deternnned to enter Canada with his whole force. To op])ose him, l.ieut.-C'ol. Cecil IJisshop had less than six hundred men to guard a frontier of twenty miles, sc.ncely half of whom were regular troops of the4iNl and 49th Mritish regiments. The threatened attack was delayed for various reasons till the 2yth of Noveinber, i8f2. A picked iletachnient of five hundred soldiers and sailors, forming the advance-guard, succeeded in landing under covt.'r of the night, two miles below I'brt ICrie. They attacked two small batteries held by seventy of the 49th and Norfolk militia. The batteries werr carried, after a desperate hand-to-hand conflict, with cutlass and bayonet, in which half the delend- ers were killed or wounded. The remainder took refuge in a house which they held against all attacks until it was siit on fire, when they broke through their assailants and escaped. 'I'heir determined defence gave Bisshop time to assemble all his forces and march to the point of attack. On his api)roach, the Americans aban- doned the batteries and retired to their own shore, leaving their leader, Captain King, and sixty 1 len as prisoners, and thirty dead on the field. Another detach- ment of about equal numbers, under Col. Winder, was subsequently repulsed by a few rounds of grajje from a fieldpiece. .Vnother attempt made on a subsecjuent day failed through the insubordination of the troops, many of whom refused to embark. Smyth's army was ra])idly reduced in numbers by disease and de.sertion, six hundred of the militia leaving their corps in a single day, and active ojierations were soon after discontinued for the winter. The .\mericans opened the campaign in the spring of 1813 by a descent upon the town of York (Toronto), the cajjital of the Province. They found it almost defenceless, and made an easy ccMiquest. Their forces were then concentrated near Kort Niagara, and on the 27th of May they attacked Fort George, near the town of Niagara, with very sui)erior numbers., and carried it after aii obstinate struggle of several hours' duration. General Vincent, who commanded the British force on LOCAL HISTORY. 95 •4 the frontier, rcfircd with the remainder of his corps to Qiieenston, called in the iletachnient:. posted at (niipi)awa and I'ort I'.rie, and retreaied rajiidly upon lUir- lin<^ton Ileinhts, at the head of Lake Ontario, 1^ vini; the Americans in undis,)iited possession of the entire line of the Niagara. A few days later, however, two bri- gndes of American troops, under (Icnerals Chandler and Winder, which had heen sent in [)ursuit, were surprised in their camp near Stoney Creek by Colonel Harvev, with seven hundred British, and both Cienerals and many officers and men captured, with several pieces of cannon. In consecjuence cf this well-executed attack, the remainder of the pursuing corps retired hastily to Niagara, where they fortified themselves, and the British (leneral advanced his outposts to the line of the Twelve Mile Creek. .\ small scouting party under command of Lieut. Kitzgibhon, an active and intelligent subaltern of the 49th, was sent forward to occupy an isolated stone house near the present town of 'I'horold. His exposed situation having become kn(nvn to the .\merican commandant at Niagara, he despatched I.ieut.-Col. B t.ie sounds of conflict, and joined the Indians to the number of twenty or thirty. Their fire proved effective, whiK" that of the wor- ried Americans was vainly expended on the wayside stones and trunks of trees. The column came to a halt and a horseman rode rapidly down the road toward Queenston, gallantly running the gauntlet of fire, and escaping unhurt. The rays of tlie midsummer sun beat fiercely upon them, and the men began to droop with the fatigue of marching and fighting. Their corniander had determined to remain where he was, until reinforcements could arrive. But a fresh body of enemies soon appeared in front, while the efforts of those iie i-ad hitherto contended with appear- ed to double. A second line of skirmishers advanced through the open fielos, and took post within gunshot, while the noise of firearms, mingled with shouts and war- whoops in flanks and rear became dea*"ening, The American skirmishers were thrown back on the main body, which was crowded together in a hollow within the limits of the present busy town of Thorold. Fitzgibbon perceived their confusion and proi.iptly advanced with a flag of truce to summon the bewildered column to surrender. Escape, he declared, was impossible, the Indians were becoming maddened by t'le sight of blood, and the force which now assailed them was but the vanguard of a much larger. He found Colonel Buerstler suffering from a |)ainful wound and very nervous, and agitated, and after a very brief consultation with his subordinates, he agreed to capitulate with his whole force. Twenty-five Americans had been killed in the engagement, and five officers and seventy men wounded. Twenty-three officers and five hundred and nineteen men laid down their arms and became i)ri.son- ers of war. Two fieldpiecs with their timbrels and the colors of the 14th United States Infantry were also surrendered. The prisoners taken were three times as nun^erous as the entire \orce under Fitzgibbon's command, but Major DeHaren with two hundred men came up immediately after the articles of surrender were signed, and rescued him from his captives. Hut oi.e i 1 an of the entire expedition, I ^■»^ m A< M W»»r ""«'." if' i li !/ 1 • MJP ^ v^^- M / ,i#^ LOCAL HISTORY, 1 ) the dragoon sent back to Fort Oeorge to demand reinforcement!;, escaped. For several days the Americans were in doubt as to its fate. A detachment, which had advanced to their assistance as far as Queenston, fell back precipitately on the main body and the British occupied that place and blockaded the Americans in their lines. General Dearborn was removed from the command of the American army in conse(}uence of ill success, and his successor was strictly enjoined to act only in the defensive. The British light troops immediately re-occupied the frontier as far as Lake Erie. On the night of July 4th, Colonel Thomas Clark of the Lincoln militia crossed the Niagara, surjjrised and destroyed the American post at Schlosser, and brought away a fieldpiece and a gunboat. Eight days after, Lieut. -Col. Cecil Bisshop crossed the same river to Black Rock, a village nearly opposite Fort Erie, surprised and routed a body of three hundred Americans, cnntured iheir blockhouse and batteries with seven pieces of cannon, and carried away i great quantity of military stores. Being attacked, however, in the act of re-embarkitig, by a body of regulars and Indians, this active young officer was mortally wounded and died a few days later. The American army remained blockaded in their lines at Niagara till October, when the right division of the Canadian army, being defeated on the river Thames, and (leneral Vincent being thus threatened by an attack in the rear, he retired to Burlington Heights, In December Ceneral McClure, who then commanded the American forces at Niagara, determined to evacuate that fort, and retire across the river to the State of New York, and as a i)reparatory measure set fire to the town of Niagara, after driving out the inhabitants into the snow. The flames were perceived by Lieut.-Col. John Murray, who was at the head of a British corps of observation of four hundred men in the vicinity, and he advanced rajjidly and occupied the works near the town before the Americans had time to destroy them. Besides the town, many of the farmhouses in the vicinity had been burned, and the next day the American batteries af Lewiston opened fire on the village of Queenston with hot shot, with the view of destroying that village. The spirit of retaliation and revenge was thoroughly aroused. On the 19th December, Murray crossed the river with five hundred men, surprised and escaladed Fort Niagara, killed eighty of the garrison, and made three hundred and fifty prisoners. Next day, (ien. Rial), with a detach- ment of the Royal Scots, drove the Americans from their batteries at Lewiston and burned the villages of Youngstown, l^ewiston and Manchester. Smaller parties desolated the country for twenty miles around, applying the torch to every habitable house. Not satisfied with this. General Sir (iordon Drummond, who now com- manded the British forces on this frontier, advanced to Fort Erie with the intention of destroying the American settlements at tbo foot of Lake Erie. To oppose his landing, three thousand men, chiefly militia, had been hastily assembled at Buffalo. On the night of the 29th December four himdred of the 8th and 41st Regiments were tlirown across the river unobserved below Black Rock, and were followed by 7 [y I iiiiti— ifHiiii h«'r, immediately advanced to his support with his whole army. The sun was abour half an .hour high when the Americans began the attack, by pushing forward a detachment to turn the British left, while the light troops threat- ened the front of the British position. Finding himself very greatly outnumbered, Riall ordered a retreat, and the (llengarries were already slowly giving ground when the advance of Druminond's force was seen approaching along the (^)ueenston road. Drummond immediately assumed command, countermanded the retreat, and sent an officer to find the remainder of ( Icncral Riall's brigade, and order them to advance in all haste from their i)osition at Fifteen Mile Ocek. He planted a battery of five fieldpieces on the brow of a slight eminence in front of the Presbyterian church, a. l.undy's Lane, in the centre of his position, while the wings were slighdy thrown for- ward. The road known as Lundy's Lane ran along the rear of his position, border- ed on either side by thickset rows of peach and apple trees. His left wing was in the air, fc lis force was too feeble to prolong it to the Niagara River, less than a mile away. In the twilight, the Royals advancing to gain their position, mistook the retiring (llengarries for the enemy, and fired a volley which inflicted more loss than they had yet sustained, and threw them into disorder. Taking advantage of his superiority in numbers, Brown outflanked the British on the left, and forced them from the Queenston road, and a detachment of his men penetrated into their rear and captured (leneral Riall, who had been seriously wounded, with nearly one hundred other prisoners. 'I 'he troops which had been driven back, formed, how- ever, almost immediately in rear of the centre, facing the (Queenston road, and thus securing the rear of the British line. Scott's brigade had, in the meantime, made repeated attacks upon the battery which formed the key to the British position, and had been as often repulsed. 'I'he sun had gone down and the moon had risen, but shed as yet a faint and uncertain light upon the field. Brown had ascertained from his prisoners the great inferiority of the British force, which had iieen reduced to le. s than 1,300 men, and determined to renew the attack upon the battery with his whole force. 'I'he ist regiment of U. S. Infiintry, was ordered to menace it in front, under cover of the concentrated fire of the whole of the .American field artillery, while Col. John Miller, with a column of seven hundred men, attacked it in flank. The direct attack was easily repelled, but while the attention of the artillerists was thus diverted, Miller's column had stealthily advanced, unobserved in the smoke and darkness, within twenty yards of the guns.. A single volley prostrated most of the gunners, and the battery was carried by a rush. I'he British infantry had been withdrawn some distance in rear to be out of range of the artillery fire, but now advan('ed to regain t04 HISTORY OF WEIXAND COUNTY. ■V' [' P tin- lost position, and a (k's|HTatc conflict i-nsiicd in and around tliu cluncli. 'I'lu' contending ranks were often intermingled, and the i)ay()net was freely used. Tlie British guns were turned upon them, and the American artillery swiftly advanced and crowned the ridge. At dose ijiiarters the American musketry did great execu- tion, tach of tlieir cartridges being composed of one bullet and three buckshot. Re- inforcements were (|uii kly brought uj) by IJrown, and the British attack was finally re|)ulsed. 'I'hey had been driven from their position with the loss of all their cannon, and one-third of the force that had gone into action had been already disabled or captured. (Jeneral Riall had been taken with several other oii(ic:ers, Cols. Pearson, Robinson and Morrison were desj)erately wounded. A bullet had passed through 1 )runimond's neck, and his horse fell dead beneath him. A less resolute man would have abandoned the contest in despair. Concealing or disregarding his injuries, Drummond immediately mounted another horse and began to rally his men for a second assault. I'he remainder of RiaM's brigade began to arrive upon the field, and the engagement was renewed by the British with fresh vigor. They ascended the riilge, however, only to be repelled by the murderous fire of the artilLi-'. The regiments on both sides fell into disorder in the darkness and the contending armies struggled together in a confused mass. The drivers were shot from the horses at- tached to an American howitzer and they galloped with the gun into the midst of the British, who took possession of it. A momentary lull in the fight then occurred, chiefly from physical exhaustion on the part of the combatants. 'I'he British were wearied by their long and sultry march of the day before, and many of them were scarcely able to walk from sheer fatigue, but their undaunted commander had de- termined not to abandon the cort°st until he had recovered his lost position and his artillery, and gave directions for a fresh attack. On the part of the Americans, (lenerals Brown and Scott had both been wounded and carried from the field, and the former had instructed General Ripley, upon whom the command devolved, to retire to their camp near Chippawa. While this movement was being executed and the artillery was being withdrawn, a British column headed by three companies of the 41st, under Capt. CJlew, charged up the slope and regained the British guns with the exception of one six-pounder, which had been removed, and captured one Amer- can piece. A desultory combat continued in various parts of the field for some time longer and several feeble attacks were made on the British position by bodies of American trocjps, which, however, were easily repulsed, and at midnight the com- bat entirely ceased, leaving the British in possession of the ground they had origin- ally occupied at the beginning of the action, having recovered all their artillery but one piece and taken two American guns and nearly three hundred i^risoners. Both armies had suffered severely and were in the greatest confusion. Only two jjlatoons of Scott's brigade could he collected, and Ripley returned to his camp with only five hundred men, the remainder of the Americans having been killed, taken, or dis- % li I I I f LOCAL HISTORY. 105 pcrscd. Tlu' llritish were (|uitc unal i busily engaged in strcnuthciiing their defences and provisioning and rcinfMrring thrir army. Three armed schooners wliich hat! I)cen employed in transporting troops were moored in favorable positions to command the approaches to the \vf)rks with an enfilading fire. It was almost useless to hazard an assault while they remained here, iuuts were accordingly brouj ht overland from the Niagara, a distance of eight miles, and on the night of the i .th August, Capt. Dobbs with a detachment of seventy-five seamen embarked to attack them. The American vessels carried four heavy guns, mounted on pivots, and their united crews numbered one hundred J^ and five persons. Drifting silently down with the current, the Mritish boats aj)- proached within twenty yards before they were hailed, when they immediately re- plied, "provision boats, " and dashed alongside the two nearest vessels. In a few i minutes they were both captured, their sails set, the cables cut, and on the way down the river, with a loss on the part of the British of only six men killed and wounded. Hy the morning of the 1 3th, August the British siege batteries were com- pleted, their heavy ordnance all mounted, and a violent bombardment commenced which was maintained the whole of that day and the next. Beyond killing and wounding forty-five of the garri.son, very little injury ^was inflicted upon the besieged. Shortly before sundown on the 14th a magazine in Kort Erie blew uj) with a tremen- dous explosion, but as was subsequently ascertained without disabling a single gun or injuring a single man. This, however, was unknown to the men in the trenches, and they leaped upon their works and cheered loudly, anc' Drummond determined to venture an assault that very night. The entire force at his disposal was now about 3,500 men, and 2,000 of these were detailed for the ass.iult. The right col- umn, under Lieut.-('ol. Fischer, was to advance by way of the lake .shore and attack the Snake Hill battery, and consisted of detachments of the 8th, 89th, looth, and l)e VVatteville's regiment, numbering about eight hundred men. The left column, composed of the 103rd regiment, seven hundred strong, under Col. Scott, was di- rected to attack the intrenchments between the water-battery and I'brt Erie, while Lieut. -Col. Drummond, nephew of the C.eneral, led the flank companies of the 41st and looth, ninety marines and fifty seamen, four hundred men in all, against I*'ort Erie itself Gaines had anticipated an attack that night, and made elaborate prepar- ations for repelling it. He had nearly three thousand men under his command. One-third of the garrison were kept constantly on guard, and the remainder slept on their arms, the guns were loaded to the muzzle with grape and canister, and dark lanterns and linstocks kept continually burning. Numbers of s|)are loarled muskets and boarding pikes were arranged along the ramparts, and [)iles of shot, hand-gre- nades, and bags of musket ba;,. and langrage placed beside ea':h gun. At nightfall Gaines went the rounds and warned his men that an assault would be made that night. The night was dark and threatened rain. Midnight passed cpiietly, but ;it 2 o'clock a body of men was heard stealthily approaching Snake Hill. In an instant LOCAL HISTORY. 107 the battery there was ilUiminatcd with the blaze of artillery and miiskcti y, and the leading files of I'isrhcr's cohunn were seen endeavoring to fon e their waj tliroiigh the tangled abal'is fifty yards in front. It proved impenetrable, and they were shot down almost to a man. I'inding it impossible to advance further in this direction, s/ Captain Powell, who led the forlorn hope, dashed boldly into the water, followed by about fifty men of the 8th, and succeeded in gaining the rear of the battery. De Watteville's Regiment, however, paused on the water's edge and failed to sup- port them, and being rapidly cut down by the murderous fire from the battery, to which they were unal)le to return a shot, for the flints had been removed from their muskets with the object of compelling them tt) rely entirely on the bayonet, finally broke and retired in disorder, (leneral Ripley, who commanded the Ameri- cans on this flank, rapidly brought up reinforcements, and the gallant party that had gained the interior of the intrenchments, were overpowered, and all killed or taken. 'I'hen came the steady tramp of the column on the left, and the suppressed voices of the Ihitish officers could be distinctly heard in the American lines, as they en- couraged their men to keep together and trust to their bayonets. Every gun that would bear was crammed to the muzzle with grape, and turned on the approaching mass. Hand-grenades were hurled, and live shells flung upon their heads, and seven hundred muskets discharged their contents into the <;olumn. With unsurpassed bravery they pressed on and flung themselves into the ditch, and scrambled up the ramparts to die on the summit. 'The attack was renewed again and again with the same result, and after Col. Scott and nearly every officer had l)een killed or wound- ed, and ni 3re than half the column was disabled, the attempt was finally abandoned. 1 X. I )rummond in the centre was, in the first instance, more successful. Leading his men at a run to the verge of the ditch, the scaling ladders were planted success- fully, and the head of the column surged into the fort. Drummond killed the I commander of the battery wiih his own hand, and bayonet and cutlass made short work of his men. The capiured guns were rapidly turned on the interior. In the desperate hand-to-hand strugg'e that followed, Drummond was shot through the ^ heart.'^ajor ( Hew, the next in command, was desperately wounded, and the com- mand devolved upon C'aptain bullock, who carried the mess-house, a strong stone building, with a rush, and killed every man in it. The American guns in other portions of the works swept the ajjproaches to the fort with a deadly enfilading fire, and rendered the advance of reinforcements impossible, and every American corps on that Hank attacked the determined handful of men who had gained a foot-hold in their works, in turn, and were repelled. Finally, when the firing had nearly ceased, and they were mustering their forces for a l.ist, desperate effort, a large quantity of cartridges stored in the mess-house was ignited by a random shot, and the explosion hurled that building and a portion of the adjoining bastion into the air, and nearly every man that had entered the fort perished. Every officer in the io8 HISTORY OF WKI.LANU COUNTY. .kQ' i! h ' f/ ■ t I i'i II- cUinin luit three was killed or wounded, and of one hundred and sixty men of the 4rst, but fifty answered to tluir names the next day. 'Ihe Mritish loss in this gallant, hut unsuccessful assault, exceeded nine hundred, while that of the besieged was less than one hundred, nearly all by bayonet or sabre wounds. Drummond's force was so murh diminished that the British were obliged to awaii the arrival of reinforcements before resuming olTensive operations. 'I'he bombardment of the American lines was, however, continued, and the losses of thf: besieged were severe. The working i)arties were daily diminished by nearly one-tonth in this manner, but fresh drafts of men were constantly arriving from lUiffalo, und' the strength of the gar- rison was not materially weakened, (laines was indefatigable in his efTort-s to increase the strength of his defences, and an additional number of heavy guns were brought across the river and mounted on the works. \ week after the assault, Drummond's army was joined by the first battalions of the fith and 82nd regiments, which scarcely more than restored it to its former strength, and new batteries were begun and the approat-hes driven within five hundred yards of Fort Erie. The Itritish general was, however, almost immediately obliged to detach six comjjanies of the 41st to I'ort (leorge, and the whole of the 103rd regiment to Hurlington, as those places were threatened with an attack by the American fleet on Lake Ontario, lie still i)ersisted in maintaining the investment, although his efieciive force scarcely exceeded the garrison in numbers, and he was unable to do more than blockade their lines, On the 28th of ;\ugusl, (leneral (iaines was severely wounded by the explosion of a shell, and the command of the garrison was resumed by Oeneral Ikown, who had nearly recovered from his wounds, and was engaged in assembling a relieving army at Ikiffalo. Large bodies of militia were collected and disci|)!ined near the frontier, and the American .sc[uadron arrived from Lake Huron with five hundred regular troops, and anchored off Fort F>ie. Other detachments soon after arrived from Sackett's harbor and IJatavia. Heavy rains filled the trenches and ravines, and converted the low lands surrounding the American lines into almost an imijassable morass. Fever prevailed in the British camp, and its ravages increased daily. Drummcnd began to contemplate the abandonment of the seige, but main- tained his position in the hope of being joined by reinforcements which were known to be on their way, but were detained by the threatening movements of the American squadron, which had obtained command of Lake Ontario. The besieged were encouraged by his enforced inactivity, and began to reconnoitre his works, and pushed forward their outposts into the woods near the lake. On the evening of the 6th of September, their advance picket, consisting of an otiticer and twenty- one men, were suri)rised, and entirely killed or taken by a detachment of the 6th and (llengarries, under Captain Powell, and the remainder driven in with consider- able loss, and their operations were afterwards marked with greater caution. Brown had by this time, however, succeeded in assembling five thousand men near I.0CA1. HISTORY. 109 lliifralo, wIk) wcrr carofiillv oxcrriscd ; the garrison of llu> iiilri-iK lud camp at I'ort I'.ric niiinl)tic(l two ihoiisaiui live hiiiulrcd more, anil he cktermiiicil to assume tlie offensivt' His spies kept him well informed of the numbers, 'oniposiiion, and movements of the British army. Their camp was pitched in a field surrounded by woods (|uiie iwo miles in rear of the siege-batteries, and their force was divided into three l)rigades, which relieved ea( h other in the performance of duty in the trenches. It was ascertained that on the evening of the 16th September and the following day, the British batteries would be oc{;upied by the Regiment l)e Wattcville, sup- ported by a part of the 8th. It was well known that the former corps was chiefly composed of prisoners of war of various nationalities who had volunteered for service in America, and vagrants from the hulks, and their misconduc:t had been conspicuous already on several occasions, notably in the assault of the 14th of August. This, then, was Brown's o[)portunity, and be made his preparations for a sortie on the 17th September. wiHi a degree of sagacity and skill which did him infinite credit. A large working party was detailed to cut a jiath through the underbrush leading by a circuitous route from Snake Hill around the right flank of the British works, and they performed their task with such secrecy that they advanced within a few yards of the batteries without iieing discovered. The militia from Buffalo were brought ovei ([uietly, and on the morning of the 17th .September, Brown disclosed his plan of attack to his officers, ('.en. Borter, with two thousand men in two col- umns, was to advance through the woods and turn the right flank of the British in- trenchments, while (leneral Miller, with one thousand regulars, was to advance secretly and occupy a ravine about three hundred yards in front of their batteries, where he was to remain concealed until Porter began the attack, when he was to sally out and attack them in t'lont. .\nother body of nearly one thou.sand men was held in reserve near the fort under Cieneral Ripley. The weather proved extremely propitious. I'he sky was overcast and a dense fog hung over the surface of the ground, effectually concealing their movements. About noon Porter's column left their camp and arrived at the poin^ of attack two hours later. Their approach was not discovered until they had gained the rear of the British battery on the extreme right of their line and were within a few yards of the works. 'I'he covering party was surprised, and after a feeble resistance of a few minutes duration, nearly three hundred men of%the Regiment De Watteville laid down their arms and bcame prisoners of war. When the firing in front announced that Porter had begun the attack, Miller's column sprang from their concealment in the ravine and advanced swiftly to the assault of battery Number Two. The detachment of the 8th which held this point were on the alert, and being comjiosed of better material than the I )j Wattevi lies, offered a stubborn resistance, but being attacked at once in front. Hank and rear by the whole force of the .\mericans, were finally overpc verjd and no HIS'i -RY OF WEI.LAND COUNTY. I iii nearly all killed or taken. Hui they had not fought in vain. The alarm had already reached the camp and 'le supports were already in sight when prolonged cheers from the assailants announced their success. Seven companies of the 82nd and three companies of the '>th, led by Majors '';o' justice to the occasion. We are assembled here this day for the purpose of remov- ing tlie fir.st earth from a canal which will, with the least cost, and by the shortest dis- tance, connect the greatest extent of inland waters, in the whole world ; and it gives me peculiar pleasure to fmd the line of this canal has been located in this neighbor- hood, the inhabitants of which have turned out on all occasions with a zeal and alac- rity worthy of the i;rdcrtaking. Their homes have been open at all timts, and to their personal exertions we are greatly indebted for its speedy commencement. You are now, gentlemen, about receiving :he just and well merited rewards for your time and hospitality. The first attempt that was made to level this route was in 1818. A meeting was held at the Beaver Dams, a plan drawn out, and a petition sent to the Legislature, requesting they would send an engineer to explore the route. Its advantages were not at that time fully comprehended, and our recjuest was not at- tended to. In 18 1 8 the Legislature aj)propnated a sum of money to explore the country between Lakes Erie and Ontario. Commissioners were appointed, to whom we ap- plied, stating the natural advantages of the route, and requested it should be ex- l)lored. They considered it too near the frontier, and we were again disappointed — 1819. Having failed in our ap])iications, we were sensible if we did not mal-^; u.se of great personal exertion we could never bring the subject properly before the pub- lic. We were fully aware of the supposed magnitude of the undertaking ; we were sensible that the personal interest of the capital and talent of the district were against us, and that we had no co-operation to expect from them, which the result fully proved. Every attempt has been made to get this project taken up by able hands, but not one individual in the province, of extensive capital, or in any high official station, has given it the least assistance, excepting the Hon. John H. Dunn. He came forward at an early day, a.,d has given us his steady and warmest support. At the same time we were conscious if disinterested capitalists were aware of the natural facilities of the route, the simple fact of uniting so great an extent of waters at so trifling an expense would be a sufficient inducement for them to embark in it. We therefore determined to depend on others no longer, but api)ly our own shoul- ders to the wheel, and set about it in good earnest. A subscription paper was made out at the April .session, 1823, a small sum of money raided, an engineer emi)loyed, and a report of the same laid before the public on t'le loth of May. An Act of incorporation was obtained at the next sitting of the Legislature in February, 1824.- Subscriptions were made at Quebec and this place in May following to the amount of near $50,000. It was our intention at that time to follow it up immediately, and commence the work at this point in June last. However, as .some gentlemen in this district, who were wholly misinformed respecting the situation of the route, thought proper to write below, stating the whole scheme to be entirely visionary, and would most probably result in a total loss to the subscribers, we were under the -IXJ LOCAL HISTORY. "5 necessity of suspending operations until surveys and reports were obtained by different engineers ; which have already been published, and have given perfect satisfaction. We then sent to New York nnd obtained the aid retjuired to cover the first estimates, and have now put this part of the line under contract, as was the original design. \\^ have had difficulties and prejudices to contend with, but not as many as were apprehended ; and, taking everything into consideration, we have commenced as soon as could reasonably be ex|)ectad. A report hr.ving been recently circulated that the stockholders in Quebec refuse to pay the amount ot their subscriptions, we beg leave to read an extract of a paper received from the Committee in Quebec, through our agents, Messrs. Irvine, McNought ^' Co., addressed to the President, Ceorge Keefer, Esq. :— "Sir, at a general meeting of the Stockholders resident in the Disirict of Quebec, held on Monday last, the reports, letter and documeits received from you and Mr. Merritt were submitted, and the whole gave great satisfaction. 'I'he general meeting having every confidence in the judgment, discretion, and prudent management of the Directors in conducting the general concerns of the Welland Canal Company, as well as in the economical expenditure of tlie funds confided to their direction, have withdrawn the restrictions heretofore thought necessary. The Directors need not entertain any doubt of the due payment by the Stockholders. They mention this not only with a view of sat- isfying the public, but more especially the contractors, as we wish them to retain every confidence in the Directors, and to rest assured of the punctual fulfilment of our engagements in (Quebec of the instalments when called for, their doubts in the expediency and advantage of the undertaking being tjuite removed ; and, as already stated, in the integrity of your management they rest with implicit reliance." There still remains about $30,000 to be subscribed to..fill up the amount of our capital. It was the wish of the Directors to have $100,000 taken up in the Provinces, and $50,000 elsewhere, thai we might have a greater interest in a work which so materi- ally concerns us. We hope and trust every farmer and inhabitant within the influ- ence of this canal will make themselves Interested in the undertaking, by subscrib- ing for more or less shares. It will be a peculiar satisfaction to you, one and all, to go to your own mills and machinery - everything you take to them, besides your convenience, will l)e putting money in your own pockets. We wish this stock to become general, and you may rely if you let this o|)portunity pass, you will have reason to regret it. There is not the least doubt but il will be the most profitable description of stock. This is the opinion of almost every intelligent man who has given himself the trouble thoroughly to examine the subject. J. H. Yates, Esq., has taken stock to the-value of $30,000, Mr. Alfred Hovey, $10,000. These gentlemen have no interest in the country whatever ; but have taken it for no other object than the returns they are hereafter to receive. Cientlemen, this canal, from its peculiar and most favorable situation, will i)e the means of creating within itself, or by its 8 S f 1; Ui 1 j i i M S'. ' i t ■■ ' If ■ ^n I 1 m ■ ti6 History ok wellanp county. own erection, a greater amount of transportation than will pay the interest of the capital expended, over and above the transit it will draw from Lake Erie, and the |)r()fit of its hydraulic situation. It is well known to you that the banks of the River Welland and the (Irand River abound with an almost inexhaustiijle supply of pine timber, now useless, which will be floated down to our establishments, con- verted into lumber, and transported to the entrance of the American canal at 'I'ona- wanda, where it must ever find a constant and ready demand, as their borders are destitute of the article. There are likewise important quarries of the purest white gypsum, or plaster, on the borders of the Orand River, which will soon become a profitable article of commerce. Staves can be conveyed from thence to Lake Ontario for $2 or $3 i)cr thousand. All the produce from the most remote town- ships of that river, and west of it, which now goes to Murlington, will come through this canal. The transit of those articles, and many more too numerous to mention, will be created by its erection, besides thousands of barrels of flour, which will be drawn from the surrounding country to its mills. By entering the mouth of the (Irand River one month earlier every spring, we will draw all the early transit from the American shore, even should they join their own canal again at Tonawanda. This advantage is of greatest importance, and which this route will ever retain, as nature has placed an icy barrier to the entrance at Buffalo, that with all their enterprise and ingenuity they will never be able to overcome. In case it shoula 'ler .after be found expedient, by the erection of one lock with a four foot lift at Fort Erie or Waterloo, and making a tow patli on the Niagara or Chi])pawa rivers, which can be accomplished at a small expense, vessels can be towed of any burthen from Lake P>ie to Lake Ontario. This peninsula is wholly destitute of a situation for rivers, that can even be considered mercantile, the falls of Niagara excepted. This canal having the Niagara for its feeder at the commencement, will afford the best and most numerous situations for machinery, within the same distance in America ; wet or dry, warm or cold, we always have the same abundant and steady s ipply of water, which will b^- a''ernately made use of without any detriment to tran>[)ortr^.aon until its termination in Lake Ontario. The very idea of tho.se contemplated im- provements has a tendency to exhilarate our spirits. Instead of remaining in this dull, sujjine state, in which we have been for years past, we will mingle in the bustle and active scenes of business ; our commodities will be enhanced in value, and a general tide of prosperity will be witnessed on the whole line and surrounding country. In short, gentlemen, we are situated in a country favored with every advantage, both in soil, climate and situation ; its resources only remain to be known to draw men of cajiital amongst ns ; and we trust, now improvements have commenced, it will in- crease, and that we may witness the same spirit of enterprise Ifere, which our neigh- bors, the Americans, [lossess in so eminent a degree. We have now stated the local advantages of this canal, and the reasonable e.xpectation we have now to think fii th( da T idt cau in fro I froi; '"'''■'^''''•'•'T^nr rsm LOCAL HISTORY, 1x7 it will i)e(()mc a profitable s|)c(ulalion to the shareholders. Vou may think we are ha/arding a bold assertion ; but I verily l)elieve it to be as great a national object to the Province as the Erie Canal to the State of New York. They have appropriated $8,000,000 for the purpose of connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River or the Ocean: we will effect the same object for one-fiftieth part of the money, and will reap equal if not superior advantages by the Welland. This canal is the commencement of a similar undertaking ; it is the most inii)ortant link in that chain of communi- cation — we hoi)e to see effected within three years. We remove the only natural barrier of importance -the Falls of Niagara. 'I'he rapids between Prescott and Lachine commands the next consideration. If the subject is properly before the' Legislature of the two Provinces this winter it can be commenced the year following. There is nothing novel, new or intricate in the undertaking, or the method to be ' pursued. I-et us only follow the plan adopted by thvt celebrated and enlightened statesman, De Witt Clinton, and it will succeed without taxing the country one farth- ing. If they can make a canal 300 miles without taxation, I trust ive can do the same for 50 miles by following similar means. When we contemplate the natural advantages wc possess over the Americans in our water communication, it is as- tonishing to think of the apathy and indifference that has hitherto prevailed amongst us on this subject. If we inijuire the cause, nine-tenths of us would blame the (lov- ernment. There never was a more erroneous idea. We are ever inclined to move the burden from otir shoulders, and we can only blame ourselves. Nor ought we to suppose our (Jovernors are as immediately interested in any part or portion of the country, as the inabitants vho are living on the spot. If you were asked in what branch of the Legislature should those measures emanate, you would readily answer the branch composed of the Commons ; they are sent from amongst us ; their interest is ours ; and if we do not find exertion among them, where are we to look for it ? Show me a mea- sure that has passeu that body for the im[)rovement of the country, and you will find it has received the concurrence and sanction of the other branches. It is a rare occurrence that measures of great national improvement originate from the administration of the (lovernnient. It was not the (Governor of New York who first recommended the Erie Canal ; it was brought forward by the people, who were the most interested. The system or plan was matured l)y Mr. Clinton m an early day, and the act finally passed in 1817, during the administration of Covernor Tompkins. I mention this circumstance more particularly as a most unfounded idea is entertained not only among ourselves but in the United States, that the cause of our negligence and inattention to the improvement of the country originates in the (Jovernment of the colony, and has a tendency to prevent people of capital from making it their residence. We shall soon begin to realize the benefit arising from the American Canal ; this will create a com[K'tition between the rival markets ■J , _f(>17o tliLrc(iiiiroments of navigation included tlic (lovcrnmcnt to again un- dertake the enlargement of the (anal. The work has t)een in progress since that date, and is now approaching completion. A new channel has been made from l^ike Ontario which connects with the old canal at .Mlanljurgh ; and from that jmint to Lake I">ie the old canal !ias heen enlarged. ihe length of the old canal was 271-5 miles. J'he new canal, from the outer end of the entrance piers leading into the harbor at I'ort Dalhousio, to tiie outer end of the entrance piers at l'f)rt Col- borne, is 2(^}/:^ miles. The difference of level btitween I.afte Ontario and Lake JMie in moderate weather is about ,^2().• Col. Allan McNal). llic S|)Lakcr of tlif Legislative Assembly, with a body of five hundred men. McNuh assumed conu.iand, and his fon e was soon in- creased to 2,500 men i)y the arrival of other detachments of militia, who hurried to the frontier. There was n'>t a sin^li regular soldier of any description in the entire I'rovince of Ui)i)er Canada, with tlu exception of a few artillery and engineer ofticeis iitgai^i'd in strengthening the ffjrtificalions at Toronto an«l Kingston. M( Nah was con)|)elle(l to combine in his single person the functions of adjutant, (piartermaster, and engineer, as well as geneial of the forces colle« ted under his command, which were almost totally undisciplined. The filibusters cut a road entirely around Na\y Island, erected formidable enlrenrhments, obstructed the water ajjproaches on the western side of the island, and commented the construction of a c itadel. .\n artillery file was opened on the Canadian Anne, many houses were damaged by bullets, and three men killed while passing along the river road, i'arties (Micamped on (Jrand Island, which fori.is part of the State of New Vork, fired upv)n unoffending inhabi- tants in Canada, and marauders landed at imi)rote;ted points and plundered houses .Mid murdered Capt. Usher, a Loyalist residing in the Township of Willoughby, who iuul been active against them. \ an Rens.selaer's force had by this time increased Lo u|)wards of one thousand, and preparations were made for a descent in force upon the Canadian mainland. A small steamer named tlie CrfnV/V/t' was chartered for the |)Urpose of carrying troops and artillery, several hutidred men were employed in cutting her out of the ice in tlie harbor of iUiffalo, and a number of wealthy Ameri- cans entered into a bond to indemnify her owner in case of her destruction, and al- though all tliL ic circumstances and the purjiose for which she was intended were publicly known, the collector of the port granted the vessel a clearance without hesi- tation. Thi'. took [)lace on the 28th December, and the next day the Caroline was seen |)lying between S( hlosser and Navy Island and landing bodies of armed men. .Sir I'raiu is 1 lead had arrived on the fr')ntier a few days before, and McNab applied lo him tor permission to attempt her destruction. Lieuts. J'.lmsley, McNab, hii",self, and others had on c'iflerent occasions passed (}uite around Navy Island under fire of the artilU-ry planted lh«*re. and rec:onnoitered the defences. A flotilla of small vessels antl lowboatK had already been partially organized by Commander Andrew Drew, a liritish naval officer on the retired list, and he declared himself ready to head an ex- pedition to cut out the Caroline, which it was anticipated, would remain over niglit at the island. Head readily gave his assent, and Drew called for volunteers, saying he wanted " a few fellows with cutlasses who were ready to follow him to the devil." Sixty men wore selected from the huge ninnbir who volunteered for this service, and embarked in seven Ijoats under (oininand of Ca])t. Drew, Lieuts. McCxjrmick, ICIm- sly. ITier, Cnpt. John (Jordon, of the steamer Brilamiia, and Messrs. Hector and r>attersi)y. The current |)rove(l tof) stronij, for the two latter boats and they returned, gggg^gi 124 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. I but the remainder, manned by forty-five persons, proceeded, and when they arrived near Navy Island discovered that the Caro/itie lay at the wharf at Schlosser. Drew ordered his men to rest for a moment, and then said to the commanders of the other bouts : "The steamer is our object ; follow me." When they arrived within twenty yards of the vessel, a sentinel on deck hailed the boats and demanded the counter- sign. Drew rei)Iied, " I will give it to you when I get on board," and ordered his men to pull alongside. The sentry mimediately fired and gave the alarm. Drew scrambled up the side of the vessel on the starboard bow with his cutlass in his tqeth, but such was the eagerness of his men to follow, that they impeded each others' movements, and he remained alone on the deck for several minutes and was immediately assaulted by five of the crew of the Caroline. One of these men fired a musket close to his face, but was immediately killed by a blow of Drew's cutlass. Another man was at once cut down by the same intrepid officer, and the remaining three driven headlong from the vessel to the wharf. Lieut. McCormick boarded on the starboard quarter while this conflict was going on, and failing to recognize a party of men who were coming towards him from the bow of the boat, inquired whether they were friends, when one of them immediately fired a shot and wounded him in the left arm. McCormick at once cut him down, and several others fired and wounded him in four different places, but he disabled another of his antagonists before He sank to the deck, exhausted by loss of blood. By this time the remainder of the bo."rders reached the deck, and in a few instants gained entire possession of the vessel and drove the survivors of the crew on shore. A party was sent on shore to cut the moorings, but it was found that the vessel was attached to the wharf by chains, and considerable delay ensued. A large body of men who occupied a tavern in the vicinity of the wharf, assembled apparently with tb .; intention of recovering the vessel, and began firing. Lieut. Elmsley then advanced with sixteen men, armed with cutlasses only, took up a position across the road, and held their assailants in check until the moorings of the vessel were unfastened. The Caroline was got under way, but finding that the current would prevent her being carried to the Canadian shore, she was set on fire and cut adrift. Aft^r passing through the rapids, wrapped in flames, she grounded on a small islet near tha b'rink of the cataract, where she subsequently went to piece-. Besides Lieut. McCormick, several others were slightly wounded on the part of the British, while twelve persons out of thirty- three on board the Caroline were reported killed, or missing, and a numljer wounded. This event caused extreme excitement and indignation on the part of the people of the United States, and bt ought that country to the verge of war with (ireat IJritain. W'm. L. Marcy, Governor of the State of New York, called the attention of the Legislature to it in a si)ecial message, and recommended a force of militia being called out for the defence of the from.er, in the <;()ursc of which he alluded to the "assassination of citizens of the United States on the .soil of New York.'' lie i: LOCAL HISTORY. ^25 American Secretary of War, in a communication to the British Minister, at Washing- ton, spoke of the affair as an " extraordinary outrage," and an "insult to the flag." It was, however, generally felt by both parties, that the British were quite justified by the circumstances in making an attack on the Caroline, and after a good deal of angry correspondence between the diplomatists on behalf of their respeciive govern- ments, the matter was allowed to drop. After the destruction of the Caroline, the force under McNab's command was swelled by the arrival of frtsh bodies of militia to upwards of 5,000 men. A con- siderable body of Mohawk warriors came in from (Irand River, and he was joined by a number of negroes, chiefly fugitive slaves from the South, who desired permis- sion to head the attack on Navy Island. Artillery and engineer officers arrived, but the necessary delay caused by the difficulty sustained in trauoporting avlillery and stores, delayed the jjroposed expedition against the island. The Hiibu.sters had also been considerably reinforced, and a body cf their men was encamped on Grand Island. Scarcely one man in ten of this force was a Britis'i subject, and the ma- jority were rascals and vagabonds allured by the hope of plunder, and as a Buffalo newspaper declared, " men who would cut any man's throat for a dollar." However, they were well armed and equipped, and had no less than twenty-four cannon mount- ed in batteries. A force of 1,500 or 2,000 New York militia assembled along the Ni- agara, could with difficulty be restrained from joining the insurgents. Dissensions, however, soon arose among the latter. Van Rensselaer proved incompetent, and in- temperate in his habits, and on the t3th January, 1838, Navy Island was finally evacuated by them after having been in their possession exactly one month For some months afterwards, a certain number of Canadian militia were maintained under arms on the frontier in anticipation of another attack, but these were finally disband- ed in the early part of the year 1838, and allowed to go to their homes. In June, 1838, another attempt at invasion was made by the American sympa- thisers with the Canadian insurgents, by way of the Niagara. The Township of Felham was chiefly inhabited by pronounced opponents of the '• Family Compact," and known as the stronghold of radicalism in the county, and it was supposed that the invaders would receive their sympathy, if not their active assistance. A portion of the townsiiip was still well wooded, and hilly, and sparsely populated, and here it was determined to rai.->e the standard of rebellion. Benjamin Wait, a native of the United States, but a naturalized British subject, was the principal organizer of the expedition, and he was join-jd i)y a number of other refugees of .similar origin. He succeeded in gathering a consider.'. bit ijody of filibusters in the vicinity of Buffalo, and prepared a list of five hundred and twenty-six perscms by whom they expected to be joined. Several detachments of men were sent secretly across the Niagara, with instructions to assemble at Winchester's Farm, in the region known as the "Sho.i Hills," in the Township of I'elham. They succeeded in eluding the vigi- mm ^^^■^■1^— ^p( "P 8 k i 126 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. lanrc of the volunteers, who were patrolling the bank of the river, and reached their rendezvous in safety. They occupied a conimandini^ eminence here, which they rudely fortilkd, and spent eight days in efforts to heat up recruits and in collecting provisions before their presence became actually known to the officers commandini^ on the frontier. Their movements were all accomi)lished by night, with the utmo.st caution and secrecy. Winchester and several of his immediate neighbors were active sympathi'.ers, and the exact location of tlieir camp could be ascertained with difficulty. Reports magnified their numbers to one thousand or twelve hundred, when it is scarcely probable that they exceeded three hundred at any time. Their attempts to subvert the loyalty of the mass of the inhabitants proved cpiite unsuc- cessful, and they were joined only by a few .'\merican settlers, and a number of dis- solute characters who were animated by hopes of plunder. A few days later, "Colonel" James Morrow, an American who was said to have some military ex- perience, arrived and assumed command, with Wait acting as next in rank. A de- tachment of lancers advanced about the same time from Niagara, to observe their movements, and an outjwst was pushed forward, and occupied St. John's village, about three miles from their position among the " Short Hills. " Having ascer- tained the strength f this isolated party and that they were cpiite unsupported. Mor- row advanced with his "hole force and surrounded the village on the night of June 1 8th. Fourteen of the b icers were quartered in " Overholt's Tavern, " a small wooden building, which ,y olistinately defended until it was riddled with Ijuliets, and preparations were made to set it on fire, when they surrendered. .\ number of insurgents had been severely wounded in the assault, and the remainder were so in- furiated by the obstinate defence of this small |)arty that they determined to hang them on the spot, and were only prevented by the resolute opposition of their leader. Morrow, who risked his own life to save those of the prisoners, 'i'he rapid advance of the remainder of the lancer.s, and a volunteer trooj) of cavalry from St. Catharines, the next day, compelled them to release their prisoners, and abaiidon their camp and disjjcrse in every direction. Many of them succeeded in escaping to the United States. A number were killed in the pursuit, and Morrow, Wait ar.d fifty others were captured, and the former was executed at Niagara, although a strong effort was made by his former ^)n'■•Jners to save his life. .\p})rehensions of a renewal of this attempt continued to exist for several month.s, and the frontier was kept in a state of constant alarm by the movements of small parties of filibusters in the State of New York for nearly a year afterwards, but no actual attempt at invasion or insurrection occurred. The progress of the district was seriously retarded. Many innocerit and loyal inhabitants were thrown into |)rison on suspicion at the instance of their private enemies. Many sold their property for whatever they could obtain and emigrated to the United States. The Toronto Exatiiimr stated.Upper (!anada lost one-fifth of its population by emigration. ' ■ CHAPTER V, Tlic Fenian Raid. Al llic close of the American Rebellion in 1865 the Government of the United Slates disbanded its large army, throwing out of employment a great many men wiio, having for years led a life of warfare, were willing to embark in any military expedition offering adventure or plunder. At this particular time Ireland was claim- ing that she was suffering great wrongs at the hands of the (lovernment of (Ireat iJritain, and was willing to avenge those wrongs, whether imaginary or real, at the point of the liayonet. Many of the inhabitants of the Uniied States were either Irish by birth or descendants of Irish parents, and were willing to assist their kin in the (jld country, both by money and their blood if necessary. A society known as the " Fenian Brotherhood " was organized to war against Britain ; their main object was to make a raid on Canada as a colony of (Ireat Britain. Accordingly, ill the autumn of 1^165, the Fenians, who had been thoroughly organized and well supplied with money, were ready to invade Canada. The Welland Canal was looked ui)on by the Fenians as an important work to !)e seized by tiiem and destroyed, thereby doing great damage to the commerce of the country and preventing the passage of war and other vessels from lake to lake. At that time there were three military organizations in the County of Wel- land, viz., the 44th Battalion of Infantry, the Welland Canal Field Battery of Artillery, and a Company of Cavalry. Brigade Major Villiers, then in command of the Military District, having his head(}uarters at the City of Hamilton, considering the exposed position of the field pieces of artillery, without guard to protect them, deemed it advisable to have tht^n removed to Hamilton, where they would be in a safer position than at either Port Robinson or Port Colborne, which was accord-. ingly done. 'I'he ( lovernment of Canada had detectives in the United States to watch the movements of-, the Brotherhood, and to report to headquarters from lime to time. The winter of 1865-6 drew to a close without attempted invasion of the « I 128 HISTORY OK WULLAND COUNTY. ( oiintry, and a large majority of the people had settled down to the belief that the I'enians would not attempt to disturb the peace of Canada, and were moving along in the usual business way, when, on the 8th March, 1866, the different military organizations of the County of \V'elland were notified to hold themselves in readi- ness for active military service. The members of the Welland Battery reported for duty immediately, and were Ijlaced under arms, and on the loth of the same month they received their orders to proceed to I'ort Colborne for duty. When the battery reached that place the Collingwood and Whitby Rifles, under command of Lieut. -Col. Steven, of (JoUing- wood, had already arrived. Reports came in on the evening of the i6th that the Fenians were to reach Port CJolborne from Erie, Dunkirk and Buffalo on the ice. After keeping the men on duty for forty-eight hours the excitement died away and the general routine of military life in garrison was resumed, after six weeks of which (lovernment relieved the volunteers, and on the 31st of April the different military organizations stationed in the county were ordered home. Still the air was full of rumors that the Fenians would make a raid on the country at no distant date. In May, Fenians came pouring into Buffalo from all quarters, and drill was kept up. One of the leading purposes of the Fenians, when assembling at Buffalo, was to advance by water on Port Cojborne, at thehead of the Welland Canal and junction of the Buffalo and Lake Huron railroad, and the Welland railway running north to Port Dalhousie. io destroy the canal at certain places, also the railways and the telegrai)h wires, and if possible to make a dash upon St. Catharines and Hamilton ; or take up positions on the Cirand River, was a second series of purposes. The presence of the steamer " Michigan," prevented the project of reaching Port Colborne by water. Even had it been carried out, there was still to be an invasion of the Niagara frontier, precisely as it has occurred, that is, to make a feint in that direction, in order to draw the repelling forces of Can.ida to that quarter, while the main project was being executed on the Welland Canal and (irand River; other points of attack having been Port Dover, and places farther west. Whilst the in- habitants of Welland County were sleeping peacefully in their beds on the night of the3rstMay, Fenians to the number of about 1,200 cro.ssed over the Niagara River from Black Rock to Fort Erie. To mislead agents of Canada stationed on the American side, and reporters of American newspaper.-;, and to deceive the military authorities of the United States and the Province, a report was well circulated that the Fenians would make a stand •at Black Creek or would advance on Chippawa or to Suspension Bridge. Their scouts and foragers did show them.selves in the direction of Chippawa, but their only object in marching down the .west bank of the Niagara" River was to draw thither either a part or the whole of the main body of the repelling forces which Canada might send into the Niagara peninsula. Accordingly, as long as daylight served thi:i untc coui nine com; LOCAL HISTOUV. 129 purpose on Friday, June ist, the Fenians made a display of marching north close to the Niagara River on the Canada side. When night concealed them they struck off westward a very short way, doubled upon their former line of march, proceeding south to on- of the concession roads in the Township of Hertie, then advanced west until they struck a crooked diagonal thoroughfare which existed before regular sur- vey roads were made, followed that to the south-west to the limestone ridges, pass- ing through the properties of Georiie Shrigley, lot 6, con. 8 ; R. Kirkpatrick, lot 5, con. 9 ; A. Anger, part of lot 5, Isaac Huffman, part of lot 4, John C. Kirkpatrick, lot 3, and J. N. Anger, half of lot 2, all in the 9th c ^ncession ; John Anger, part of lot 2, con. 10 ; and John Teal, lot 1, con. 10. On the night of the 31st M.w telegraph communications were sent from mili- tary headquarters for the volunteers to hold themselves in readiness for active ser- vice. At 2 o'<-lock 01 the morning of the 1st June, the bugles sounded the call to arms, which was cheerfully responded to by the volunteers. 'I'he first body dis- patched to the frontier was the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto, under command of Major J. o. Dennis, 400 strong, which gallant corps left Toronto by steamer early Friday morning. On landing at Port Dalhousie a special train was in waiting to convey them to Port Colborne, which place they reached m less than two hours. During the day they were joined by the 13th Battalion of Hamilton, under command of Lieut.-Col. Booker, and sev ra! independent companies via the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway, having been first conveyed to Paris Junction on the Great West- ern Railway. The Welland Canal Field Battery, armed with rifles, also joined the command during the day at Port Colborne. The force then was placed under com- mand of Lieut. -Col. Booker. Colonel Peacock, with two hundred men o( the i6th Foot and two hundred of the 47th, and a battery of Royal Artillery under Lieut.-Col. Hoste, was instructed to proceed to St. Catharines and take command of the entire force on the Niagara frontier. Besides the forces already mentioned, there were available for active service in that quarter the 19th Lincoln Battalion, four hundred volunteers, under Lieut.-Col. Currie at St. Catharines. Upon arriving at St. Catharines, Peacock was informed that the Fenians were marching u[)on Chipi)awa, and that their scouts were already reported within a few miles of that place, and being anxious to preserve the bridges over the ^V'elland river, he pushed on immediately to that place, where he arrived at nightfall with the regulars and the battery. He at once ordered the vol- unteers at St. Catharines to join him there, and sent Capt. Akers, R. E., across the country to Port Colborne to instruct Lieut.-Col. Dennis to meet him at Stevensville, nine miles from l"'ort Erie, at 10 o'clock the next morning with the force under his command. At about half-past four o'clock on the morning of the 2nd of June the volun- teers at Port Colborne, consisting of the ijlh Battalion, the York and Caledonia 1A| 130 HISTf)RY OF WEl.LANh COUNTY. Rifles, and the Queen's Own Rifles, left Port Colborne, under connnnnd of I.ieut.- Col. Hooker, by the liuffalo nnd Lake Huron Railway train and protx-edeil to the Ridgeway station, where they disembarked to form a junction with Col. l^'acotk and the regulars at Stevensville, a distance of about five miles ; Col. Peacock in the meantime marching from Chippawu to New Cermany. The Fenians were supposed t" be concentrated at P'ort Erie. Col Peacock had given his orders for Col. Booker to form a junction with his forces at .Stevens- ville, so when the trooj)s disembarked at Ridgeway station the men formed in line on the Limestone road, the (Queen's own taking the lead, supported by the 1.3th Battalion, the Caledonia Rifles forming the rear guard, and marched steadily along imtil they reached the Garrison road, where the first shot was fired by the Feni.ms, who were concealed in the woods on the north side of the Ciarrison road. The (^)ueen's Own and the 13th J5attalion pressed gallantly forward on the concealed foe, taking advantage of every available position, while the Inillets flew around like hailstones. .Minost at the first fire Ensign McEachern, of No. 5 Company, (Queen's Own, fell, shot through the body. The sharp cracking of the rifles now became general and the bullets whistled in all directions. The P'enians were then observed throwing back their right and reinforcing their left, as if attempting to outflank the volunteers, when Col. Booker ordered two more companies of tlie 13th forward, and despatciied Detective .Vrmstrong with a message to Col. Peacock to advance to his support, as he was in a bad position. On the Queen's Own observing the red-coats of the 13th coming to support them they thought they were the regulars, and cheered lustily. Everything so far was going on smoothly and our gallant vol- unteers were pressing the enemy back ; and at that time, when the cheer rent the air, the Fenian commander shouted to his men to retire and take care of themselves, but a little mis-movement on the part of the red-coats was observed by O'Neil, the Fenian commander, who knew at once that the red-coats were not Regulars. Imme- diately afterwards several I-'enians on horsel)a(:k emerged from the woods on the right flank, evidently to reconnoitre, when an alarm of a " cavalry charge " was raised, and Col. Booker ordered the skirmish line to rally on their supports and form square. This movement precipitated matters. It was a fatal error. The e.xecutionof such a movement in front of an opposing line of infantry can no doubt be better estimated by military tacticians than by others. Again, if this order was really given, could Col. Bie, and that the commander had better get his men on board and steam out into the river. The men of the e.xtrcme right wing of the battery were detailed off to go for the prisoners. The order was given for a double quick march, and in a short space of time the prisoners were soon below the deck of the tug. The soldiers were then ordered on board, but immediately after that order was countermanded and the men were formed in line on the wharf. At this time the Fenians were noticed approaching the village from the west in skirmish- ing order. Capt. Akers had procured a horse and buggy to examine the country along the lake shore, but did not return in time to take part in the action that fol- lowed. The men were then ordered to form in line, and the order given to march on the quick stejj. 'I'he march was up the street, and after that countermarched until the wharf was again in the rear of the soldiers. There had been left four men on the Robb to stand guard over the prisoners. This left the two companies about 64 strong to combat with an enemy more than ten times their number, and all ex- perientjed in active military life. The Fenians opened fire, and at the first shot Capt. King fell with his left leg shattered at the ankle. Capt. McCallum, seeing that Major Dennis was nowhere to be seen, gave word of command for the men to fire, and after a moment or so the men broke and ran. The Fenians opened a galling fire but they shot low. The sand on the street could be noticed rising where the bullets struck. Gunners Bradley and Scholfield were badly wounded at the beginning of ' I I i iwhiji ii K I »34 HISTOUV Ol' WEIJ.ANI) COUNTY. I I tlic liglit ; llic former liad his thigh Iximc shattered, the lalle: liad llie bones I'ractiired l)ulow ihe knee. On the retreat, (iunners R. J. Thomas and J. Harbiston received flesh wounds. Thomas succeeded in escaping down the river road, and Harbiston lay on the street. A majority of the volunteers escaped down the river road ; the remaining portion went into the Lewis House, where they opened fire on the enemy and kept it uj), doing good execution, until their ammunition failed, when they were forced to surrender. Immediately after the surrender the Kenians marched their prisoners to the ruins of the old fort, where a strong guard was stationed over them. The prisoners not having been supplied with jmn-isions since early morning, were very hungry. The Fenians supph'etl them with raw pork and soda biscuit, which were eagerly devoured by the famished soldiers. Hefore the break of day the |)risoners, who did not know what Avas to be their fate, were formed in line and orders given for the march. On arriving at the well known wharf a tug and scow were moored, and after a little time the I'enians set the |)risoners at liberty, got on the scow and steamed into the river. Shortly afterwards the steamer Michigan sailed along, fired a shot, and took the tug, .scow and Fenians prisoners, to await the action of the United States (Jovernment. C!apt. King was removed to Huffalo by his friend. Doctor Minor, by permission of Col. O'Neil. Ounners ISradley and Scholfield had each a leg amini- tated, the former above, and the latter below, the knee. List of prisoners taken by the Fenians : Welland Canal Field Battery — Lieut. Scholfield, Lieut. Nimmo, Sergt. -Major Hoyle, Farrier Lsaac Pew, Gunners Robert Offspring, William Clark, Cideon Crisdale, Jr., Robert Armstrong, William Brown, Jacob (Jarner, John Waters, I'klward Armstrong, Patrick Roach, James H. Boyle, .Samuel (Jook, James Coleman, Thomas Hoyle, Charles Campbell, Stephen Beatty, Isaac Dickerson, Villroy McKee, Sorel Radcliffe, Joseph Reavley, Jonathan VV. Hagar and Maurice Roach. Dunnville Naval Jirigade- Lieut. McDonald, Samuel McCormick, J. Robertson, .Abram Thewlis, George B. McGee, 'I'homas Arderlay, T. Burgess, Harry Niff, William Nugent and Joseph Gamble. The prisoners taken by the Battery and lirigade were as follows : — Patrick O'Mally, John O'Connell, Harney Dunn, K. Cunningham, A. T. Mosely, John O'Neil, John (Jrace, Daniel I )rummond, Thns. Mcndy, (leo. Miller, Jas. (^uinlan, Thos, Thilks, James Thatterhouse, A. Flonshery, Michael Cochrane, Michael Kilfather, James Dillion, James Lynch, Thomas Ellic, John Kearney, Robert Baily, John Dillion, John O'Mahony, Robert R. Morrison, John J ohaston, Francis Mills, William Madigan, Patrick Kilbourne, John Hughes, William Slevin, J. K. Mitchan, Thomas Reynolds, J. H. Maxwell, Michael Flanin, J. McEidham, Martin McCorniic, James Roll, George Welsh, hrancis King,. James Hogan, Dan Quinn, W'm. Killigan, James Kelley, Jas. A, Hichman, Fred Fry, Wm. Baker, Thomas McDonald, Thos. School, John Mur[)hy, Patrick Daivling, J no. Mayfield, John Orr, Owen Kennedy, Dennis \ LOCAL HISTORY. «35 Lynch, John (looncy, Michael Hart, Henj. Merry and Thos. Kinkliind. Theso were nil sent to 'loronto to stand their trial for the crime of felony. Ahout six o'clock on .Smuhy morning, the ,^rd Juiie. Lieut C"ol. |)enni^on with iiis troop of cavalry, followed by ("ol. I'eaccx k and his command, arrived at I'ort Erie. It may be stated that on the afternoon of the 2nd had Col. Peacock with his strong force of infantry, rifles and artillery, marched on lort ICrie, the I'enians would have been captured. Major Dennis made a blunder in landing his handful of men to fight again.st overwhelming odds, whereas, had he kejit his men on the lug. he could have success- fully [)atrolled the river and prevented the escape of the enemy, l)Ut over zeal or in- capacity on his |)art proved disastrous to his command Colonel Hooker has been censured for attacking the i'enians at the early hour he did, and previous to the time appointed for the jun( tion of his troops with Col. Peacock, but it should be considered that an hour or two later might have found his progress on the railway effectually barred, with telegraph conimunii alion cut off Put there was no excu.se lor the course pursued by Major Demiis. On the arrival of the troops at Kort Erie on the morning of Sunday, tliC 3rd, a gunrd by the Welland Mattery was set over Ottley's feed store, but after several hours of duly they were relieved. Troops came jjouring into I'ort Erie from the north and west, and by ihe middle of the day some five thousand troojjs were (iiiartered in the village, i'lie lug A'<'M>, which the day before had done such good service and picked up a number of the fleeing volunteers down the liver road, and hr.d run u|) the river with her soldiers and the prisoners in the teeth of a galling fire tVoni the enemy, and had landed her cargo of living freight safely in Port Colborne, now was niuored at the wharf for the purpose of conveying the members of the Battery and Brigade and thei." wounded back to Port Colborne, their headcjuarters. , When the tug steamed from the wharf thousands of .spectators were present to witness the departure. On the tug arriving at Port Colborne, thousands of si)«et Major-General IV. F. Barry : Clencral orders will be sent you from Hcad(|uartors, De|)artment of the East, assigning you to the conmiand of llic District of Ontario, extending from h'rie, Penn- sylvania, to Oswego, New York, both places includetl, with head(juartcrs at Buffalo, V 136 HISTORY OK WKM-ANIt COl'NTY. II III i: i I In a; law. I'or this |iuri)osc you will move the forces under your command to such pi ints as are threatened, and you will employ such tuj^s or vessels as can he procured for wal( hi ng the river and lake shores, and taking all such measiues as in your judg- ment the emergenc) niay re<|uire. I have the honor to be, iVc., Signed, (IKO. (1. MKADK, Major-( leneral ( "ommanding. Upon taking command, (Jen. Marry ajiplied to Washington for direct orders concerning the disposition of the I-'einans ca|)luied untler (Jen. O'Neil, who sur- rendered to Captain hryson of the stci' uer Afir/ii\'iifi on the river. In re|)Iy, lie was ordered from heas. That mist.i/\es were made in the handling of the (Canadian forces was but nat- ural with a people with whom knowledge of warfare had almost become mere tra- dition. We began our battles with a Limestcme Ridge ; the Americans began their great struggle for human liberty with a Hull's Run. That ('anadians on tliis occa- sion, as of yore, would have succeeded in repelling the invaders from their soil is undoubted, but as a matter of fiict, the cause of the Kenian collapse at the start was not so much the opposition the raiders met with in (!anada, as the fact that the United States authoruies put a stop to the forwarding of supplies and reinforcements from that country to the army of invasion. As soon as the absent members of the different military organizations of the County of Welland heard of the trouble, they left their different i mployinents and hastened home to assist in the defence of their homes and comitry. Some of them came all the way from (Chicago to join the Mattery at Port (!olborne. In aboiU a week after the skirmish at I'ort h.rie, the field pieces of artillery and also the ac- coutrements of the battery were forwarded from Hamilton to l\)rt Colborne, horses were i)rocured, and the battery became one in i\ccd as well as in name. Troops were kept on the canal some months later, but although alarms were frccjuent no further attempt at invasion was made, and subsetjuently all the troops were recalled from the frontier, and resumed their peaceful avocations. When Capt. King had sufficiently recovered to come home, he made a speech on board a steamer which brought him froni Buffalo, at the lock in I'ort Robin.son, in which he charged Dennis, the commander at I-'ort Kric. with being a poltroon and i. I t.OCAI. HISTORY. '37 coward. This speech ^avc rise to a military investigation or court of cn(|iiiry at I'ort I'jic, which exonerated Major Dennis lioni all hianie. In the auimnn uf that 'far tile nuniicipal .oiuk il of the \illa,i;e of l-'ort I'^rie presented ("apt. King with a handsome sword for his valnalile services, and later in the .season the muMici[>al council ol the ('ounty of Wellmd — Kdward I-ee, \'',m\,, Reeve of Wainlleet, Wa'den held a demonstraticm at tlu- \illage of I'ort Robin- son.when (!a|>lains Kir-.g and McCalliini were e.w h presented with a handsoMK' sword appropriat'.>'y inscribe. I, and the subalterns an Provisional Council of the County, as well as member of Parliament for the term following the general election of 1S54, the peo- ple were largely indebted .for the Final Skparation Of the counties, which was effected by an Act of i'arliament assented to on the %- BH LOCAL HISTORY. 141 I 2 1 St of April, 1856, and also for the location of the county seat at Welland. This Act authorized the (iovernor to issue a proclamation dissoving the union as soon as he was satisfied that the county buildings were completed, and directed the County Judge to call a Si)erial Session of the Peace to determine the number, limits and extent of the divisions of the county for holding the Division Courts. An extra of the Canada Gazette, published May 12th, 1856, contained the proclamation of Sir Edmund \Valker Head declaring the union of the counties dis- solved. The same paper contained the following : " His Excellency the Governor General has been pleased to make the following appointments in and for the County of Welland, viz. : Hervey W. Price, Esquire, Judge of the County and Surrogate Courts ; Robert Hobson, Es(]uire, Sheriff; Lorenzo I). Raymond, Clerk of the Peace; Nathan T. Fitch, Clerk of the County Court ; Dexter D'Everardo, Registrar of the Surrogate Court ; William A. Uald, (iavin Robertson, William Mellanby, Peter Gibbons, John Crony n, M. D., Alexander B. Chapman, and John Grant, Esquires, Coroners. Spkciai. Skssion.s. A special Session of the Peace was held the 2nd June, 1856, at which the following Justices were |)resent ; H. W. Price, chairman ; John Frazer, M. P., Jno. Ker, Jno. Radcliffe, Lewis Wilson, Daniel P. Hrown, Wm. Dunn, Nelson Forsyth, Michael D. Gonder, Isaac S. Haun, Jacob Brookfield, John Turney, Thos. Burgar, Geo. Reefer, Duncan McFarland, Jno. HelK'ms, Leonard Matthews, Daniel Near, Jacob Reefer, Robert Garner, Jacob Garner, Jno. Corwin, Jno. (iraybiel, William A. Thomson, Jacob Misener, Jno. Street, W. B. Hendershot, William James, Gilbert McMicking, Parmer Buckbee, Dexter D'Everardo, \\'m. Wright, James McCoppen, Wm. A. Rooth, Dennis Rice, Samuel Hill, Artbnr Johnston, Jno. Thomson, Wm. Steele, Jonas Steele, Jno. Grant, Daniel I>amberton, Archibald Thompson, Chas. Park, Daniel Wilson, (ieo. Rysdale, Alex. McAlpine, Jno. Scholfield, Whitson C. Moore. At this meeting it was decided to divide the county into five districts for Division (,!ourt purposes: No. i to consist of the Township of Crowland, that p;irt of Thorold lying south of the line dividing lots 178 and 195, the portion of Pelhair. lying south of the loth concession and the portion of Humberstone lying west of lots number 10 in the several concessions, and the whole of the 5th con- cession ; No. 2 — the Townshij) of Wainfleet ; No. 3 — the Township of Bertie and all of Humberstone not included in No. 1 ; No. 4 — Willoughby, Chii'nawa, and the portion of Stamlbrd lyini; south of the line dividing lots 136 and 137 and easter- ly from the western limit of the townshij) to the S. E. nn'/ie of lot 133, thence north on line between lots 132 and 133 to the northern boundary of the township ; No. 5 — those jjarts of the Townships of Stamford, Thorold and Pelham not included in 1^ iU I I It 14a HISTORY OF WELLAND COl'NTY. any other division, and the Town of Thorold. Changes have since been effected in these divisions, and a court estaljlished at Port Colborne. At this initial meeting of the magistrates some complimentary resolutions were passed, among which was the following : " Moved hy Gilbert McMicken, seconded by Duncan McFarland, that whereas Dr. John Frazer, the member elect for "^his county, has devoted much time and talent to the accomplishment of the object that has brought us together at this time, and whereas the inauguration of our magnifi- cent county buildings and of our county as a judicial district affords a fitting opportunity for expressing the general appreciation of that gentleman's services in that behalf; be it therefore resolved that the cordial thanks of this Bench be tender- ed to Ur. Frazer, aivd that this resolution, as an expression thereof, be transmitted to him by his honor the chairman. Carried unanimously. Registry Office. Although a])artments were provided in the Court House for the reception of the public records, the Registry Office was not located in the county town f(jr several years after the separation of the counties. Fonthill was the place of residence of Mr. D'Everardo, the Registrar, and there the office was kept. At first a building that had formerly been used as the education office for the Niagara District was oc- cupied as a Registry Office, and subsequently another fire-proof building was erect- ed in that vicinity tc meet the requirements of the business of the office. It was a great inconvenience to the majority of the citizens of the county to have the Regis- try Office five miles distant from the county town, particularly as there was no rail- way communication to Fonthill. Although the removal was continually advocated by a number of influential men, it was not until 1871 that the agitation took any definite form. In that year the Hon. J. (1. Currie was the candidate of the Reform party for the Ontario Legislature. One of the planks in his platform was the re- moval of the office to Welland. The chief argument advanced against its removal by the comi -.ratively few people who wished it retained at Fonthill, was that the Court House was insecure and that the valuable records would be in jeopardy in case of fire. Mr. Currie was elected, and he immediately set to work in fulfillment of his promise to remove the office. Ably seconded by Mr. A. (i. Hill, at that time Reeve of Welland, and other men of influence in the county, he caused the (Jovern- ment to have the office removed to the Court House. The removal took place in the autumn of 1872. The office remained in the Court House until 1880, in which year the present substantial and commodious fire-proof Registry Office building was erected. Mar-sh Lands. One of the acts of the Provisional County Council was the purchase from the Government in 1854 of about thirteen thousand acres of waste lands which l.iy in ] LOCAL HISTORY. M3 h the Townships of Wainfleet and Humberstonc. This tract, which was known as "the great cranberry marsh," was paid for at the rate of $i per acre. The county annu- ally silent large sums in draining the marsh lands, which they sold in tracts conveni- ent for settlers as fast as they became arable. In 1882 what remained of the tract was sold en bloc to Messrs. Reaveley and Wilson. These gentlemen are constructing drains and gradually reducing the hitherto valueless tract of waste land to a state of cultivation, though better and larger outlets are required to thoroughly drain this immense tract. Nearly $67,000 had been expended in surveys and drainage, about $7,000 in litigation, while the original cost of the tract was upwards of $13,000, makmg an aggregate expenditure by the county on that account of about $87,000. The total receipts from sales of the lands and interest amounted to $112,547, leaving an apparent profit to the county of upwards of $24,000. The expenses of administration during the period that they were in the possession of the county were large, and would considerably diminish this apparent profit. I i f i IS \ 1 t 1 1 m |: CHAPTER VII. County Ojjlcers and Representatives to County Council. Sheriff. — In 1856, the date of the se])nrati()n of the united counties of Lincohi and Welland, Robert Hobson was ai)|)ointed SherifTof Welland County, and held office until his death, which occurred August i6th, 1881. The late Sheriff Hobson was born in England, in 1805, and came to this country at the age of thir- teen. He began h'fe as a farmer and for a number of years followed that occupation in Thorold township. He was one of the first number of magistrates ajjpointed in the Old Niagara district after the union of the Provinces. For a number of years he represented Thorold Township in the Old Niagara District Council. l""rom 1850 until 1856 he was an officer in H. M. Customs at Clifton, resigning that position in 1856, to take the office of Sheriff. For about forty years he was one of the most popular and widely-known citizens of Welland County. Upon the death of Sheriff Hobson, in 1881, George J. Duncan was appointed to fill the vacancy, and still holds office. Sheriff Duncan was born in the Village of Chippawa, on the 28th of June, 1837. When quite a young man he entered upon a mercantile busine.ss, and for twenty-two years conducted a general store in the Village of Drummondville. He was Reeve of Stamford Township for seven consecutive years, resigning his seat in the latter part of the seventh year to accept the shrievalty of the county. In 1880 he occui)ied the Warden's chair. He had been a Justice of the Peace for a number of years previously. Coi'NTV JUDGE. — The position of County Judge was filled by H. W. Price from 1856 until 1873; by Roland Macdonald from 1873 until 1882; since 1882 by George Baxter, who is still the incumbent of the office. Our chapter on the Bench and Bar treats more fully of the County Judgeship. Ci.KRK OF THE Pk.\ck.— Lorenzo D. Raymond, a barrister of many years' standing, was appointed first Clerk of the Peace for the County of A\'elland, on the 1 2th of May, 1856, and still holds office. County Attorney. — Mr. Raymond has also filled this position ever since its cre.iiioii, which occurred, by Act of Parliament, in the year 1857. •MMai hi LOCAL HISTORY. US f Dki'UTV Clerk of thk Crown. — This office was first held by Nathan T. Fitch, who received the apjjointment at the time of organizing the County, 1856. In Oct., 1862, Mr. iMtch was superseded by I. P. Wilson, Esq., who still holds the office. Clh;rk of the County Court. — [The notes to the " Deputy Clerk of the Crown " are applicable throughout to this office.] RiCGiSTRAR. — Dexter D'Everardo, the present Registrar, obtained his ap- pointment at the date of the separation of the counties. County Inspector of Schools. — James H. Ball, M. A., the present Inspector, w'lS appointed in 1871. Further reference is made to this office in our Biographical I )epartment. License Inspector. — Upon the Crooks' Act coming into force in 1876, Robert Coulter, of Port Robinson, was appointed Inspector. He was suc- ceeded in 1878 by Dilly Coleman, Sr., who held office until 1880, the date of the appointment of A. Thomjjson, Jr., who still holds office. License Commissioners. — The first Board of Commissioners consisted of Jno. A. Orchard, Joseph .Stoner, and Jno. Battle. In 1877 Messrs. Stoner and Battle retired and the Board was composed of Jas. Henderson, J. E. Morin and Jno. A. O.'chard for the years 1877-8-9. In 1880 Jno. Drew succeeded Mr. Orchard, and for 1 880-1 -2 Messrs. Drew, Henderson and Morin comprised the Board. For the years 1883-4 John Drew, Wm. Mellanby and Jas. Smith held office. In 1885 E. Furry succeeded Mr. Mellanby, and the Board for 1885-6 consisted of Messrs. Smith, Drew and Furry. .'VuDiTORS. — 1857, A. Reid, R.Henly ; 1858, A.Reid, G.Nicholson ; 1859, A. L. Cummings, Gavin Nicholson ; i860, E. R. Hellems, G. Nicholson ; 1861, R. B. McPherson, G. Nicholson ; 1862, John B. Crow, Jacob Taylor ; 1863, James A. Wilkerson, James Munro ; 1864, Richard Henly, James Munro ; 1865, Henry T. Ross, Jas. Hodgson ; 1866, Henry '1'. Ross, I. P. VVillson ; 1867, H. T. Ross, Alfred Willett ; 1 868, William \VotheraId, James Munro; 1869, E. R. Hellems, James Munro; 1870, K. R. Hellems, H. T. Ross ; 1871, E. R. Hellems, Daniel Near ; 1872, E. R. Hellems, L. S. Lundy : 1873, E. W. Brookfield, E. R. Hellems ; 1874, R.A.Camp- bell, H. T. Ross; 1875, H. T. Ross, E W. Brooktield ; 1876, F. Swayze, E. R. Hellems; 1877, E. R. Hellems, R. A. Campbell; 1878, R. A. Campbell, E. W. Brookfield ; 1879, E. R. Hellems, Jas. E. Morin ; 1880, E. R. Hellems, Jno. Robin- •son ; 1881, Joseph Priestnian,Jr., E.R. Hellems ; 1882, J.E. Morin, Benjamin Rooth ; i883,Joseph Priestman,Jr., John Dale ; 1884, W.M.German, G.L.Hobson ; 1885, J. A. Lowell, J. H. Beam; 1886, A. K. Scholfield, W. M. (ierman ; 1887, M. B. Morris, Geo. Lewis. The following is a list of municipal county officers and representatives to the County Council from the date of the final separation of the counties. As far as ' t| Y ffl ! . if.- \\y lain iilAi: 146 HISTORY OF WELI.AND COUNTY. practicable wo give tlir names of Reeves and Deputies as far back as 1850, which covers the term of the I'rovisional Council. YEAR. 1856 i8i;7 1858 1859 i860 1861 I. '62 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 WAKUENS. 1 )r. John Krazer . James Cummings. COUNTY CI.EKKS. TREASURERS. Robert Coulter Edward Lee. II II ]). D'Everardo A. Thompson, Sr. II II David Killens J. C. Kirkpatrick. . . M. F. Haney, M. D. Joseph Garner Wm. Mellanby Charles Treble Edward Lee . . Wm. Mellanby James McGlashan. Joseph C. Page Wm. Buchner . . . . I£dwin Hershey. . . George J. Duncan James Smith E. Furry Alex. Eraser Wm. McCleary . . . Cranmer Riselay , E. Ouikshank .... John A. Orchard . . II II (( II ki i< II It li II II II II II II II II II II Mr. D. D'Everardo was succeeded by Mr. Joseph C. Page in the County Clerkship June 5th, 1873. Mr. McGlashan was appointed Treasurer at the June, 1865, session of County Council. Bkrtie. - 7?mw— 1858, Chas. M. Gorham ; 1859-60-61, Thomas Newbig- Oing; r862, W. M. Sloan ; 1863, J. A. Edsall ; 1864, Peter Learn; 1865, M. Cli- menhage; 1866, J. Miller; 1867, Wm. Hobson ; 1868-9-70-71-72, Peter Learn; 1873-4, Kdwin Hershey; 1875, D. Schooley ; 1876, J. Hershey; 1877-8-9-80-8' S2, Edwin Hershey; 1883-4-5-6, C. Riselay; 1887, E. Miller. LOCAL HISTORY. M7 f t \ Deputy-Reeves — \?>G^, J. Hcrshc7 ; 1865-6, Geo. Graham; 1867-8-9, T. E. Miller; 1870, P. Learn, Jr. ; 1871-2, E. Herslicy ; 1873- J. 1*- '^- Dickoiit; 1875, F. W. Kraft; 1876-7-8-9-80-81-82, Levi liaker ; 18C.3, K. Miller; 1884-5-6, E. Mil- ler and W. E. Ellsworth ; 1887, Jno. Hendershot, B. M. Disher. Chippawa. — Reeves — 1856-7-8-9-60-61, James Cummings ; 1862-3-4-5-6-7-8-9- 70-!, J. C. Kirkpatrick; 1872-3, J. F. Macklem ; 1874-5-6-7-8, J. Bartle ; 1879, ^• S. Yarwood ; 1880-1, C. Keller, Jr. ; 1882, R. Walsh, Sr. ; 1883-4, A. Herbold ; 1885, Jno. Carter; 1886-7, J. V. Macklem. Clifton, now Niagara Falls. — Reeves — none until 1856 — 1856-7-8 9, G. W. McMicking; i860, E. B. Shears; 1861-2-3, H. Crysler ; 1864, W. Woodruff; 1867, Jno. Burns ; 1868-9, Sydney Barnett ; 1870,(1. W. Taylor; 1871-2, H. Bender; 1873, S. Barnttt ; 1874-5, H. Bender; 1876-7-8-9-80-1, Jno. Coulson. Deputy- Reeves — None until 1881, in which year Thos. Wilson vas elected. During the year 1881 the town severed its connection with the county so far as municipal affairs are concerned and has since been unrepresented in the County Council. Crowland. — Reeves — i85o,Solomon Doan; 1851-2-3-4-5-6-7, Leonard Matthews 1858-9, Wm.N.Current ; 1860-1, Samuel Clark ; 1862-3-4-5, James Henderson ; 1866- 7, Samuel Clark; 1868-9, James Henderson; 1870-1-2, Wm. Buchner ; 1873, Wallace Tuft, 1874-5, John Henderson; 1876-7, David Misener ; 1878-9, Wm. Buchner; 1880-1, Edwin Morris ; 1882-3, J- J- Vokom ; 1884-5, John Mclniyre ; 1886, Mahlon Springer; 1887, Jas. Henderson. Fort l^Km — Reeves — 1859, John Cronyn, M. D. ; 1860-1-2, P. T. Kempson ; 1863-4-5, N.Forsyth; 1866, P. T. Kempson; 1867-8-9-70-7 1, Charles Treble ; 1872, William Eden; 1873-4, Charles Treble; 1875-6-7, N.Forsyth; 1878-9-80-8 1-82, E. Cruikshank; 1883-4, N. Forsyth; 1885-6-7, E. Cruikshank. HuMiJERSTONK. — Ree7'es — 1850-1, Wm. Steele; 1852, Daniel Near; 1853, Owen Fares; 1854, Edwin Smith; 1855-6-7, Daniel Near ; 1858-9, Jesse Zavitz ; 1860-1-2, Wm. Mellanby; 1863, Jno. VVeaver; 1864, Jacob L. Benner ; 1865, George Whiteman ; 1866-7, Thomas Scholfield ; 1868-9-70-1, Matthew F. Haney ; 1872-3-4, Wm. Mellanby; 1875, J^^sse Zavitz ; 1876-7, Wm. Mellanby ; 1878, E.W. Fares; 1879-80-81-82, Elisha Furry ; 1883-4-5-6-7, Jno. A. Ramsden. Deputy-Reeves — 1866, Reuben Green; 1867, Geo. Whiteman; 1S68, Jno. Matthews; 1870-1-2, none; 1873-4, Jesse Zavitz; 1875, Jo'^" A.. Ramsden ; 1876-7, F3. Furry ; 1878-9-80-1-2, Jno. A. Ramsden ; 1883-4-5-6-7, Elihu Neff. Nia(;ara Falls South. — Reeves — 1882-3, Wm. Russell ; 1884-5-6-7, George Shrimpton. Pklham. —i^mw— 1850-56, Dr. Frazer; 1857, Jno. Scholfield; 1858, Peter 10 II i 148 H(STOKV Ol- Wl:l.I^\Nn COUNTV. Hcckcit ; i85yr)o-i, M. Mcllcr ; r86i, R. D. Cassclnian ; 1S63-4-5 6-7-8-9-70-1-2- 3-4, Josq.h earner; 1875-6-7, Jas. E. Hutt ; 1 878-9-80-1-2-3-4, Joseph C}articr ; 1885, David Metier : .886, Josei)h (Jarner ; 1SS7, Dr. Kmmctt. />////|'-AVm'y - Nunc until i860. 1860-1, K. D. Casselman ; 1862, Peter Hcekeit : 1863, A. Kennedy ; 1864, .\. Kennedy ; 1865, A. Kennedy ; 1866-7-8-9-70, Peter Het kett ; 1871, 1). W. Hurton ; 1872-3, Wm. Riiiiardson ; 1874, Henry Hansler : 1875 6 7 8, D. W. Horton ; 1879-80-1, David Metier; 1882- 3-4-5, l':d\vard Sisier ; 1886. Andrew Hansler ; 1887, Wm. Dititin. i'OKT Coi.iiokNK. - A'///)-AVt7VX 1 869-70- 1 -2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9, .\lex. I.atlimore; 1880-1-2, Joiin Mi cner ; 1883-4-5, J. Mawhinney ; 1886-7, H. N. Wilson. VVkm-and. AV^rw — 1858, D. McCaw ; 1859, John Hellems ; i860, John Hellems; 1861, T. W. Hooker ; 1862, Wm. A. Hald : 1863, R. Morwood ; 1864, Will. A. Maid ; 1865, Moses Hetts ; 1866, 'i'. W. Hooker ; 1867, Moses Iktts ; 1868, r. W. Hooker; 1869, A. C. Hill; 1870, Moses Ketts ; 1871, A. (".. Hill; 1872, A. (I. Hill ; 1873, A. (;. Hill ; 1S74, Jas. H. Price : 1875, J. H. Price ; 1876, A. Hen- dershot ; 1877, .\. Hendershot ; 1878, .\. Williams; 1879, T. W. Hooker; 188c, T. W. Hooker; 1881, J. H. Burgar ; 1882, J. H. lUirgar ; 1883,'!". W. Hooker; 1884, D. A. Johnson: 1885, H. (Jrithths ; 1886, (l. L. Hobson ; 1887, John Richardson. Deputy-Reeves — None until 1879; 1879, J. H. Burgar; 1880, J. H. Burgar; 1881, 1). A. Johnson : 1.S82, (I. I,. Hobson ; 1883, H. (Iriffiths ; 1884, H. (hilfiths ; 1885, (;. I. Hol)son ; 1886, J. H. Burgar ; 1887, J. H. Burgar. Wii.LOUUHHV. - - TiVtvri- - 1850, John Ussher ; 1851, John Dobbie ; 1852, J. S. Atwood ; 1853, Michael J. (louder ; 1854-5, Jas. Dell; 1856-7, Daniel Lamber- ton ; 1858, Jno. Ussher; 1859-60, Daniel Lamberton ; 1861-2-3-4, Jas. McCMashan, 1865, Nicholas Willick ; 1866-7-8-9, William Marshall ; 1870, Jonathan Slater ; 1871-2; Wm. Marshall; 1873-4-5, Jas. Smith; 1876, Phillip Morningstar ; 1877-8, Wm. Marshall; 1879-80-1-2, James Smith; 1883-4-5-6-7, Michael Barnhard. I a CHAPTER VUI. Juiucalwnal — Agricultural. The ijrogress df jjublic education in Ontario has Ijccn very great. Nowhere else on this continent is the; system of i){)i)ular instruction more satisfactory and symmetrical. In 1851, the corner stone of the present Normal and Model School buildings was laid in 'ioronto Ijy the J'-arl of I'^lgin, then (lovernor-General of (Canada, and one of the most a(x:()m|)lished Viceroys we have had. In 1852, they were opened with ini|)osing ceremonies. Another Normal School - a fine stone structure — was erected in the city of Ottawa, a few years ago, to sujjply the wants of tlie eastern section of the Province, and subseciuently a Model School was added. From these Normal Schools thousands of teachers have been graduated, to supply the schools of Ontario, and to introduce therein the latest and most approved methods of instruction, 'i'he number of Public Schools in the Province is about 5.000 ; these are all free. The number of High Schools and Collegiate Institutes is about 100, in some of which a small term fee is charged liie pupils ; in others the tuition is free In the Public .Schools pupils arc prepared for entrance to the High Schools and Collegiate Institutes, and in the latter for matriculation into the Univer- sities and learned professions. The chartered Univers'ties are eight in number ; the )tta\va University (R. C.) ; (Queen's University (Kingston, Presbyterian); Regiopolis ■.ingston, K. C.) ; Albert (IJelleville, Methodist); Victoria (Cobourg, Methodist); .)ronto University (Toronto, non-denominational) ; Trinity (Toronto, Church of England) ; Western University (London). In addition to thc^e a School of Practical science has been established in Toronto, the structure for its accommodation being adjacent to University College, and costing something over $30,000. This is for the better instruction of engineers, surveyors and mechanics in technical knowledge. Upper Canada College, in the same city, is our oldest, best known, and most richly endowed institution of the High School class. These, together with St. Michael's College, Knox College, \Vycliffe College, and the McMaster Hall, recently erected in the University grounds, mostly through the munificence of Senator McMaster, are now in affiliation with the University of Toronto. ,' ' f LOCAL HISTORY. '5' In 187 1 the total number of students connected with the University was 244, of whom only 172 were matriculated ; in 1881 the number had risen to ^\e, 1, of whom 2(;5 were pursuing the full course fur tiie degree of Machelorol Arts. 'I'liis increased attendance at our highest Provincial seat of learning (and the attendance at the de- nominational universities has been /'rt/7'/<7.o7/) serves to show how much the eflici- ency of the High Schools of Ontario has imi)r()ved in the interval. lUit this is not all. To the same period are we indebted for the foundations of the Agricultural College at duelph, the Institute for the Instruction of the Mlind at Urantford, the Institute for In:;truction of Deaf and Dumb at IJelliville, the Koyal Military ("ollcge at Kingston — all, except the last, Provincial institutions; Pickering College, and colleges for the higher education of young ladies, at Ottawa, Whitby, Prantford and St. Thomas, denominational institutions. These evidences of Provincial progress in education are apparent in every county. In the matter of Public and High School accommodation there has been a remarkable change for the better. Take the County of Welland as an exam])le. In the ten years interval mentioned above, the 'I'owns of Weiland and Thorold have both erected High School buildings which are not only models of convenience and ada[)tability as High School premises, but their beautiful architecture greatly improves the appearances of the towns which they re- spectively adorn. The Public School buildings erected within the last twenty years in \V"lland County — and nearly all now in use have been built within that time — are models of neatness and convenience. The majority of them are built of brick and furnished with the most im[)roved seats and desks, and supplied with the various ap[)liances which modern science has produced to render easy the task of instructing the young. Political economi.sts in all countries and in all ages have advanced the theory that the education of the masses is one of the greatest promoters of national prosperity and of national greatness. Canada has, since her early days, made rapid strides in educational matters and thus has laid a broad foundation on which to build her national greatness. Nowhere else has the progress in educational matters been more marked than in the County of Welland. By 1 81 8, twenty-three schools had been established in the territory now com- prising the county. The buildings were rude log huts. The teachers, who were paid by voluntary subscriptions, " boarded 'round " among the families of their l)upils. The " three R.'s, Readin' 'Ritin', and 'Rithmetic," were about the only sub- jects taught in those pioneer schools, and since it has been estimated that no longer ago than 1838 only about one person in thirty of the entire population of Upper Canada could read or write and that a very large proportion of the members of the early Canadian parliaments were unable to sign their names, it necessarily follows that even the few subjects that were taught at all in the schools were taught very im- perfectly. h it / I BJlMLt— m/MMm V ' 1^:1 ill II 1^ W[ w^\ '-' "» ' J«l - t-- ■ 1 1 ; ■ I «52 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. After the ori^anization of the Niagara District municipally, a system of teachers' examinations was instituted, and I). D'Kverardo was appointed superintendent for the District, with headoses. The Townships of Pelham and Wainfloet have, since the Confederation of t'io Provinces, (which tf^ok place in 1867,) formed a part of the electoral district of Monck. P'or some years previous to that time the county, for representation in what is now known as the Old Parliament of Canada, com[)rised the same territr>ry that now forms the Municipal County of Welland. Among those who represented the county in Parliament previous to Confederation, the names of the late Dr. Frazer and the late T. C. Street are the best remembered by people still liv !\g. Mr. Duncan McFarland, who now resides at Niagara, also at one time represented the county. Hou.sk of Commons. At the election held soon after Confederation, in 1867, Mr. T. C Street (Conservative) was elected as representative of Welland in the House of Commons, by acclamation. At the next general election, which took place August 8th, 1872, the Reformers of the County numinatt^'i Mr. A. G. Hill as Mr. Street's opponent. Mr. Street was returned by a majority of 530. That gentleman's demise, which occurred about one month after his election, necessitated a new election, when the candidates were the late Dr. King, of Port Robinson, who was the Conservative candidate, and the late William A. Thomson, who was the nominee of the Reform party. This contest was perhaps the warmest the county has ever known. Both parties strained every nerve to carry the election, and the leading statesmen of Can- ada were " on the stunij) " in Welland County during its progress. Among those who addressed the vast multitude of electors at the nomination were the Hon. Peter Mitchell, the Hon. Dr. (now Sir Charles) Tupper, Hon. Edward Blake, Hon, E. B. Wood, Hon. John O'Connor, and Hon. Wm. McDougall. The polling took place on the 19th of November, 1872, and resulted in the election of William A. Thom- son by a majority of 59. The political crisis brought about in 1873 by what is known as the Pacific Railroad Scandal caused another general election, in which tt i ■■ 156 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. I I i I W. A. 'I'homson uns opijosed by E. W. Brook field, wlio was the standard-bearer of the Conservative party. The voting,' took jjlace January 29th, 1874, and resulted in the return of .Mr. Thomson by a majority of 236. Mr. Thomson represented the comity durin^^ the term of that Farhament and retired from pubHc life, in conse- (pience of ill-nealth, in i.SjS. Tiie Reformers selected the late l^dwin Hershey, at that time Reeve of Bertie, as their candidate at the approaching general election. He was oi)posed bv (;iiristo[)her \V. Hunting, the present Managing Editor of the yl/resent Registrar of the County, under whom the paper was published by E. C. Hanlon, afterward of the Riverside Printing Office, Milwaukee, iind since deceased. Mr. Hanlon was succeeded by A. Dinsmore, who moved the Welland Herald^ or rather the People's Press — he having changed the name — to Welland, about the year 1863. The job office was left at Fonthill. Mr. Dinsmore, not being a good business man, although an efficient journalist, the enterprise was not pecuniarily successful. He therefore, soon after his removal to \Velland, sold out to an American named Titus, whose wife did most of the editing, a liberal portion of which consisted of poetry. Mr. Titus, after a brief proprietorship, sold out to A. G. Hill, at that time a barrister in Welland, now / i6o HISTORY OF WKLLANP COUNTY. ¥' I Iw- stipendL'rv magistrate at Niagara I'alls. Mr. Dinsniorc, after leaving Weiland, worked as a journeyman printer in Chicago. Titus passed from the scope of local hi.story, it is not known whi.her. Mr. Hill changed tlie name of the paper to tliat of the Wclland Tnbiim\ which title it still bears. In 1.S65, .Mr. Hill sold the l)ai)er to H. 1,. Stone, who removed the job i)rinting office from Fonthill, and incorporated it with the oflice in Weiland. Mr. Stone reserved the job department for himself, and immediately sold the newspai)er alone to the firm of Sidey iV Patterson, consisting of J. J. Sidey, and Albert H. Patterson, who were virtually * Mr. Hill's succes.sors as publishers of the paper. A few months later Mr. Patter.son withdrew from the firm, and after remaining in Mr. Sidey's employ for some time, removed to Almont, Mich,, where he still publishes a prosperous weekly paper — the Almont Herald, hi March, 1866, Mr. Stone ceased his connection with the office, and Mr. Sidey became the proprietor of the entire business. Mr. Stone after- ward settled in Buffalo, N. Y., and is now in the drug busines.s, at Orchard Park, N. \. In l)ecem!)er, 1872, Mr./Sidey formed a partnership with John MctJovern, of the Thorold Afercury.' i'he firm removed the |)lant of the Mercury office to Weiland, and incorporated it witii that of the Tribune. The joint subscription li.sts of the two papers at the time of amalgamation contained about 1,800 names. The firm of Sidey iv: McCJovern continued to exist until 1875, when Mr. McCIovern retired to take a position in H. M. C'ustoms at Niagara Falls, (which he still occupies) he finding a change in occupation advisable in consequence of ill health. Mr. Sidey is still the proprietor of the Tribune, and has the honor of being the senior journalist in the County. He has for the last few years been ably assisted in the editorial work by his brother, S. J. Sidey. A cursory glance through the files of the paper since 1865, shows that its progress has been onward and upward. It is now an eight-page sheet, whose spicy editorials and large amount of local and general news make its apiiearance anxiously looked for every l''riday morning by the families of its three thousand subscriliers. The Tribune has always been recognized as the County organ of the Refi)rm party. In 1S63 the A\'elland Telegraph was started in the Conservative interest. Its first editor was E. R. Dewhiu-st. Fur the first few years of its existence the Tele- graph was the leading journal of the County, but in 1869 it began to lose its popu- larity. 15y the month of May, 1872, its once large business had largely disappeared, and scarcely anything but the plant — and that very dilapidated — was left. It was in this un|)romising condition when it was purchased by the firm of James Hrov.n iK: Co., consisting of James Brown, now an officer in H. M. Customs at Niagara Falls, and N. B. Colcock, the j>rcsent editor and proprietor of the Brockville Times. Mr. Ikown being a good writer, and his partner a practical printer, while both possessed a large amount of energy and perseverance, the paper rapidly re- gained its lost prestige and soon became, once more, a first-class local paper. Mr, ll ill) I' LOCAl, HISTORY. i6i llrown's interest in the Tele^raf^h wns eventually purchased l)y N. H. Colc(xk who — with tlie exception of a brief interval in which the firm was Colcock iV human — was the sole proprietor until ()ctt)l)er, 1881. At that date the W'elland Printing and I'ublishinj,' Company was organized with N. B. Colcock as President and W. T. I l(juse as Secretary-Treasurer. The object of the company was to own and manage the Te/ei^rap/i, the Canadian Farmer, a i)aper which Mr. Colcock had started in 1878, and the large job i)rinting business which had been established in connection with the office. Under the ri'i:;iiiic of the \V. I'. iV 1'. Company, James Mrown did the greater part of the editorial work on the Telegraph, while W. !'. Page of Toronto was editor of the Canadian Farmer. 'l"he company increased the jjlant and otherwise improved the office. In SejUcmber, 1883, a new comjjany, "The Welland Printing and Publishing Hou.se Company," was formed, with Dr. lohn Ferguson, M. P., as President, 'i'hat company purcha.sed the entire busincHs of the old company, and carried it on under the management of 1). Mc(]onachie for a few months. That gentleman was succeeded by W. H. Blackaby. VV. T. House still continued to hold a responsible position in the office. The W. P. .S: P. H. ('o. disposed of the Canadian Farmer to C. Blackett Robinson of 'I'oronto, who amalgamated it witii the Rural Canadian. 'I'he operations of the company were not financially successful, and the Telegrapli and job office were purchased in October, 1885, by Messrs. Sawle iV .Snartt of Brantford. Mr. Sawle was a journalist of long experience, having for ten years been the editor of the Grand River Saclum and for three years manager of the Brantford Telegram. Major Snartt, the other member of the firm, although new to the work of journalism, possessed superior business ability, and under their management the Telegraph again flourished. In May, 1886, Major .Snartt retired from the firm to accept the position of manager of the Brantford branch of the Bank of London. Captain Sawle still owns and edits the Telegraph., which is a good eight-page weekly paper, typograjjhically and editori- ally the e(|ual of any local paper in Ontario Its circulation is about 2,500 weekly. It has, through all its changes, been recognized as the local organ of the Conserva- tive party, whose principles it has continued to advocate without deviation. In 1852 a pajier known as the IVelland Herald wav, started at Port Robinson by Messrs. Davidson & McMullin. .\fter a brief career of three months this journal came to an untimely 2nd. The i'bove named journal was probably the first in the county. 'i"he second was published at Drummondville and was known as the Welland Reporter. 'I'his paper was started in t'^ .• interest of the late T. C. Street when that gentleman was taking an active part in political life. It had been in existence about one year when the Welland Herald was started in Fonthill. The immediate cause of both these l)apers being called into existence wa.s, no doubt, the ap])roaching election, which took place during d.e sunmier of 1854. During the contest, which was a warm one, / u HI ll IH 'nir' ! ll I It XI 162 HISTORY OK WEI.LAND COUNTY. resulting in the election of Dr. l-'ra/er by a majority of ninety-nine over his opponent, Mr. Street, the rival i)a|)cr!s attacked one another in language that surpasses any- thing that ran be found in the bitterest parti/an journals of to day. The folhnving extract from the Keporkr is a sample : " K.xtract the venom f.om the vilest .snake that ever on its belly crawled along the dust ; take the (piintcssence from the juice of all the poi.sonou.s herbs that ever from the earth sought the genial rays of Heaven's great luminary ; then mix and with a quill plucked from the raven's wing, write — against truth and honesty, i)rin- cii)le and j-..-ticc, morality and religion, and if you eipial in viiiHence and intention the article alluded to, then must the subtle poison have entered your heart al.so, and venom dictate the vords with venom written. " The v^f/(7r/'^/- continued to exist for a number of years. In the summer of 1855 a small paper known as The Acorn was started at {""ont- hill. The proi)rietors of it at/irst were Hosmer I-. Stone and I). 1). Hobson. This firm conducted it for the first half of its six months' career, when Mr. Hobson with- drew and Mr. Stone continued the puljlication as sole proprietor. It was a spicy little sheet of twelve columns without advertisements, and had for its motto, "Tall oaks from little acorns grow. " 'Jhe Acorn was a contemporary of the VVcUand Herald and was printed upon the same press as the latter i)aper. The Thorold Post and Niagara District Intelligencer is the lengthy title of a bright, newsy little paper, neutral in politics, pui)lishcd weekly in the Town of Thorold. The mitial number was issued on the 24th of May, 1875, by the firm of McCay brothers. In ;\ugust of the same year, Mr. W. H. Bone purchased the interest of one of the brothers, and the business was conducted under the name of McCay & Bone until May, 1876, when Mr. Bone became sole proprietor and con- ducted ihe business until January, 1885, when Mr. J. H. Thompson purchased the business. In December, 1885, it became the property of a joint stock company, known as the Thorold Post Printing and Publishing Company, of which Mr. Thompson is manager. A paper was publ'shed in Thorold for several years previous to 1862, by Mr. John D. Murray, under die name of the Thorold Gazette. In 1862, the i)aper was moved to St. Catharines, and merged into the St. Catharines Post, which ajjpeared as a daily. Mr. Murray was a good political writer of the old school. At this writing he holds a position in the Grand Trunk Railway employ, at Windsor. Niagara Falls has the Rduac, of which Mr. J. K. Anger is editor and publisher. The Revicjo is now in its eighth year of publication. It is neutral in politics, and a large job business is done in connection. Several other papers have existed temporarily at various times in the county. The IVclland Herald, i)ublishcd at Port Robinson, the Wclland Reporter, i)ublishcd at Drummondville, and the Chippatm Advocate, were three short-lived papers started ' I \XtCM. HISIORV. "6.1 i sliortly aflir 1S50, when there was a douhl as to which of the small villaj^es evistini; ill the county at that time, would develop into a town. I'wo or three iinsiu « esslul attempts have heen made to establish a paper at Port Colhorne, and Mr. Recco pnhlished a paper at Niagara I'alls, Ont., called the //'o/A/, for some months, luit which publication has recently been discontinued. Mencii an 1 1 Mak. In a nation of freemen, where the (lovernment is supposed to be an expression of the |)eople's will, the inlUienc e of such a vast body of men as the legal jirofession now contains, whose study leads to a correct understanding of the nature, principles and machinery of the civil comjiact, cannot be overrated. The Canadian lawyer, not content with the routine of court and professio'ial duties, directs his efforts to a wider field ; following the |)ath to which his j:osition, re(iuirenients and tastes strongly tend, he eagerly enters the politi( al arena, seeking assiduously the honors of a ParliamiMitary career, with what success, the hl.story of their country plainly shows. From the organization of the Provincial (iovernment, four-fifths of the highest offices have been filled by lawyers. The Bar stands high in public estimation, and the time has never been when political office or influence was more liberally accorded to its members than at the present day. In the most important trusts they are to be found. The Dominion legislative halls and the executive de|)artiiients are filled with men whose claims to distinction, to a great extent, originated in legal excellence and accjuirements. 'l"he several Provincial Governments are in the same hands, while all the acknowledged party leaders, and many who are thought of as candidates for high political |)ositions, have been educated in the same great school. The lawyer, who prides himself on his profession, has good reason to feel proud, as he surveys its present status in the Dominion of Canada, always i)rominent and always honored ; and, as we believe, more at the present time than ever before it occupies a position and wields an influence such as no other profession or callng can for a moment aspire to. It is the nature of the profession of the law, when pursued by congenial minds and in accordance with its inherent spirit, to elevate and liberalize the social princi- ple. Those who attain eminence in that profession necessarily take deep and wide views of human conduct, obtained by living, practical observation of the motives of men, the objects they pursue, and the uses of those objects. Hence it is that men of that profession are ever found in the front rank of those who devote themselves to the interests of the age, evidenced by noble exertions and personal sacrifices in sup- port of the great principles upon which the rights of liberty and property depend. Clreat as is the fame of many who in ages past have won themselves renown by their attainments, the i)ower of their reason, and their elocjuence as advocates, we believe their equals are now living. We are not of those who are ever deifying the 11 / W; i m ri I i: ^'■ m; 164 IIISTOUV OI- WhI.I.ANI) COUNTV. past, and unable to rccogni/c any merit or ability in the present age. 'I'hough none arc more willing to pay lril)iilc to the well-earned fame of those who have been the glory of the Har in days gone by, yet while we give the fathers all just praise, we would not depreciate their sons ; and because we honor and resi)ect the great law- yers of the past, we see no reason to forget those who are present with us. 'I'he history of the IJench in Welland C;ounty mu.st necessarily be brief, .since tliLir have been only three County Court Judges since its organization. Upon the separation of the united counties, the late Hervey W. I'rice was appointed Judge of Welland County. His commission was dated May i2lh, 1856. ludgj Trice's successor w..s Rcjiand McDonald, (Ji. C, who was elevated to the l!en< h in 1X7.3. J"i'ti^' McDonald, who was the son of a Director of the Hudson May Company, s|)cnt his boyhood and early manhood in the eastern i)art of this Province, where his father had settled in the heart of a Scottish .settlement, near Cornwall. The subject (jf this sketch represented Cornwall in the old I'arliament of Canada, giving way to the late John Hillyard Cameron. He came to St. Catharines to practice his i)rofession |)rior to 1837, and rai.sed a lroo[) of cavalry for service in those troui)lous times. For some years he was a [)artner of Mr. J. C. Rykeit. In 1X58 he was appointed (Queen's Counsel, and became Clerk of the Peace lor Lincoln (!ouiiiy. Me held that office imtil his .ip|)oiniment as County Judge of Wellanci in 1873. ! Ic was a judge of marked honesty and ability, and won the encomiums of all tlas.ses by his manifest fairness and strict impartiality. He held office until the time of his death, which occurred December 9th, 18S1, at the advanced age of seventy-one. (ieorge Baxter, lOscp, the succe.ssor of the late Judge McDonald, received the appointment of County Judge of Welland January 13th, 1882. For some years previous to that dale he practiced his profession as a barrister at the Town of Thorold. He still holds office, and in addition to performing his duties as (,!ounty Judge, lie fills the office of Master in Chancery, and also that of Revising Officer under the Dominion I'Yanchise Act. A more extensive sketch of his life may be found in the biographical part of this work. The Bar of the County of Welland now consists of the following named gentlemen, some of whom have devoted long years of their lives to the study and practice of their (irofession in the Courts of this County, while others are com|)ara- tively young in the calling they have chosen : Richard Harcourt, M. A., M. P. P., and Thomas I). Cowper, of the firm of Harcourt cS: Cowper, Welland; F. 1). Raymond and I ,. C. Raymond, of the firm of Raymond & Raymond, Welland ; .•Vdol|)hus Williams, M. A., Welland; W. M. Cerman, Welland; J. E. Fennon, Welland; J. F. Saxon, Fort Frie ; A. ('.. Hill, Niag.ira I'alls ; T. Jarvis, Niagara I'alls. The firm of Pattison, Collier t\: Shaw of St. Catharines have a branch office in tile Town of Thorold. I . LOCAL HISTOKY. •65 The Hon. J. {;. Curric, for a few yt-ars, had a branch otlicc in Wclland. Warren Rock, Q. C, the eminent l)arrister, who died in London, Ont., a few- years ago, was a native of Crowland township, and began tlie practice ot his pro fession in the town, then village, of Welland. Among those who have, at dilTerent times, pra( ticed law in the County, we find the names of I-' red. Vannorman, Charles Iv Hamilton, (now a member of the Mar of Winnipeg, Man.,) A. (loforth, and Thomas Craig. 'I'he late Frederick Lampman, of Thorold, died in that town recently, after practicing his profession there for a number of years. Medical I'roucs.sion. Owing to the sujierior standard of education re(|uired, the medical profession in ('anada has always held a high position as compared with its standing in many other and older countries, and the County of Welland has been exceptionally favored in having a staff of physicians of a high order of ediicntion and ability. The following are the name.s, alphabetically arranged, of liie medical men now residing in tho (!ounty of Welland. The year named is the one in which they respectively received the Provincial I ,icense : — W:,(,LANi) Wm. K. lUirgar, M. I)., Queen's University, 1868. J. T. Carroll, M. I)., Toronto University, 1882; College of Physicians, lulinburgh, 1883. S. II. Cilasgow, M. It., Toronto University; M. I)., \'ictoria University, 1878. J. W. Schooley, M. I)., Burlington University, Vt.; M. I)., Victoria University, 18^)3. Port CoLiiORNK — Frank King, M. I)., Victoria CoUtge, 1868. J. iJ. Neff, M. D., College of Medicine, Philadelphia ; M. C. P. and .S., Ont. HuMiiKRSTONE. — O. W. Fares, Victoria University, 1864. M. F. Haney, M. 1)., HvifTido University; Provincial License, 1851. A. B. Knisley, M. B., Toronto University ; M. D. C. M., Victoria University, 1885. Thorold. W. H. Mlackstock, M. I)., Victoria University, 1867. R. |. Johnston, M. 15., Trinity (College, Toronto; M. 1)., Buffalo University; Provincial License, 1856. J. K. Johnstone, M. 1)., Victoria University, 1870. William McClure, M. B., 'Toronto University ; M. C. P. and S., 1875. FoNTiiiLL. - J. O. Emmett, M. I)., Hom. Med. Coll., N. V.; Certificate Homcjeopathic Medical Board, i86y. J no. E. Hansler, M. B., Toronto University; M. C. P. and S., 1883. Fenwick. - - S. K. Birdsall, M. 1)., 'Toronto University ; M. C. P. and S., 1876. W. M. Comfort, M. D., Cleveland Medical College; Provincial License, 1878. Mar.shvillk. - W. B. Hopkins, M. I). C. M., Victoria University; \\ 'T. S. M.; M. C. P. and S., Ont. RiDGEWAV. — Nathaniel Brewster, M. I)., Victoria University; M. B., Toronto / r66 HISTOUV (IK WM.I.ANI) COUNTY. Univtrsily; M. C. P. .uul S., 1.S73. Jacob Walrath, M. I), Victoria University, .S56. ■ SiKVKNsviM.E. M. K. ("ollvcr, M. I)., Victoria University : M. C. 1'. and S., Ontario. i'OKT Krik. Win. Douglas, M. B., Toronto University, 1867. Chipi'awa. J. K. Shaw, M. D. Nia(;aka I'ai.i.s j. W. Oliver, M. 1)., C. M., University Mc(;ill College, 1868. •{•. W. Rcade, I!. A., M. D. Alex. Sayers, M. D. NiAiiAKA I'ai.i.s .South. K. R. Hook, M. 1)., .\nn .Vrbor University ; M. C. V. and S., Ontario. James McOarry, M. I)., University McOill College, 1858. Stamiorij J. M. Dee, M. C P. and S., 1872. \'(mr Robinson. Hugh Park, iVI. C. P. and S., Ontario, 1875. It is not in the province of the treatment of this subject to establish a directory of all the |)hysi(ians who have practiced in the county. Even were we disposed to prvpaiv sue h a register, llie absence of data would thwart our purpose. In the next paragrapii we mention the names of some of the best remenit)ered of those who j)ra(ti(ed the healing art among the fathers and grandfathers of the present gener- ation. l)(jctors I, afferty and Hlackwell. both of whom resided at l.undy's Lane, were among the early pia( titioners of the county. Their services were in requisition for miles around. The sjjarsene.ss of the population and the healthfulness of the avo cations of the people did not give employment to the large number of medical men that the present poi)ulous county, with the disea.se-broeding lu.xuries of its peo[)le, re(iuires to minister to the wants of suffering humanity. Conse(|uently doctors' ot'lires were far a[)art, and the practice of the profession entailed severe physical hardships in the shape of long horseback rides over the frequently bad, and at all times indifieient, roads. Doctors Cross and Harris were early residents of Pelham Township. St. Johns, in its palmy days — a half century or so ago — was the head- (juarters of a physician, Doctor Benedict. /Vt the time of the cholera epidemic — 1832 -the piiysicians of tin district were many of them summoned to the Welland Canal to attend the plague-stricken laborers. Dr. Ellis, the Fonthill physician of that time, went to Port Colborne -- or Oravelly Bay, as it was then called — and was there him.self attacked i)y the dread di.sease, from the effects of which he died. The late Doctors Frazer of Fonthill, and King of Pori Robinson, both began prac- ticing in the county at early dates, and both enjoyed long careers of professional usefulness. I'"urther reference to those wc gentlemen, as well as to the majority of the [)hysicians at present jtracticing in the county, may be found in our biograpl.ica! chapter. Dodtjr M. F. Haney, of Humberstone, enjoys the distinction of being liie senior member of the profession at present residing within the county. * ! f CHAPTER XI Location and Ext^'nl — The Soil — Crops — Markets — Rail- way and Water Communication — Statistics — As- sessment Rolls — Census — S^cott /Id — The y ail— Post Offices. In thu I'Tccedini^ chapters we have endeavored to describe tlie important events that make up the history of Welland County. I.efore proceeding to chronicle the more detailed events of the County's history in the Historical Sketches of the various municiiulities, we deem it fitting here to give a brief description ot du; County as it is to-day. While natives of this old County have just cause to feel proud of the many historic events that have taken place within its borders in years '^onc by, they have equal cause to rejoice at the present prosperous condition of its people. While this prosperity is largely the result of the industry, perseverance, and enterjirise of the early setders, their descendants, r.'id those who have made the County the home of their adopiioJi recently, this locality has mnny natural advantages in the way of location, soil, etc., tiiat have aided in crowning tlie efforts of its citizens wuh s\i cess. l,Ol.\ri()N AND KX'I'F.NT. Welland County is bounded on the North by the County of IJncoln ; on the East i)y the Niagara River- on the South by Lake Krie : and on the West by the Counties of Lincoln and Haldiinand. As constituted for municipal and judicial pur[K)ses, it cont.iins tlie townships of Stamford, i'horold, Pelham, (Towland, Willoughby, Berti , Humberstone, and Wainfleet. I'or ivjjresentaticn in the House of Common^ and the Ontario Legislature, the townships of I'elha in and Wainfleet have, since 1867, been a part of the County of Monck. Th':^ township acreage ^'ncluding l\'lhnm and Waintloet) amounts to fully 2,^0,000, or an avei...;e of nearly i5^^J-,y^. 9J»l]a«.nB!!!f4 ti 1 :l I :( )'-i I 1 68 HISTORY OK WEIJ.AND COUNTY. 29,000 acres per township. Accordini{ to the census of 187 1, the total population of the County, as above, was 25,760 ; the returns for 1S81 j^ive the population at that date at 31,771, an infTcase of over 6000 in ten years. In most of the townships live stock of improved breeds has been imported, but in the majority of cases farm animals are native and ordinary. Thoii^^h facilities for improving stock may be said to be at the very door of the farmer, yet too little advantage has been taken of them Lately, however, it is pleasing to note, increased interest has been taken 1"' stock improvement, and fine herds of well-i)red cattle are yearly becoming of more common occurrence. In addition to the eight townships enumerated above, the County contains the incorporated towns of W'elland, Thorold and Niagara Falls, and four incorporated villages, viz: Port ("olboriie, I^'ort Erie, C'hippawa, and Niagara Falls South. The Sou. may be generally descriljed as being a rich clay, and a mixed clay and sand loam. In some localities a rich sandy soil prevails. The land is well watered by springs, creeks and wells. Tiic farms are well cleared of stumps, and there is an almost total absence of stony or rocky land, and a very small |)roportion of such as may be re- garded as too hilly (or ])rofitable cultivation. Indeed, with the exception of the Cran- berry Marsh, the whole County may be described as exceptionally good cultivable land. The greater portion of " the marsh lands " in the County was recently sold by the Council to the firm of Wilson tS: Reaveley, who are gradually converting it into an arable territory, their efforts being greatly assisted by the provisions of the Ontario Drainage Act. The ("rops Raised by the farmers are of great variety, the varied nature of the soil rendering it |):ofitahle to cultivate nearly all kinds of cereals and roots. Almost every descrij)- ti(jn of non-tropical fruit known to ciilturists is successfully raised in different parts of the County. Apples, |)ears, cherries, grapes, plums, stiawbenie.s, raspberries and peaches are grown in profusion, and large quantities of winter apples and pears are anu'ially shipped to foreign markets. Markets. The facilities for marketing the products of the farm are excellent both within and without the County's limits. Thorold, Welland, Port Colborne, and Niagara Falls, are hardly more in favor with the farming population in their immediate local- ities th:in arc St. (."athan.nes and Dunnville in the adjoining counties with the farm- ers on the borders of Welland. 'I'he more extensive cultivators of small fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, etc., find a market for their proilucts in Toronto, M(;n- LOCAL HISTORY. 169 treal, and other Canadian cities. 'The sales arc made by commission mcrciiants. Tliis method of mnrketing produce is greatly facilitated by the excellent Railway and Watkr Communicaiion Enjoyed by the people of the county. The WeUand Canal, whicli has been des- cribed in a preceding chapter, traverses the county from north to south. The Wel- land Division of the Crand Trunk Railway runs |)arallel with the canal and has eight stations within the borders of Welland County ; during the summer seasons it con- nects with steamers at Port Dalhousie for Toronto, Montreal and other eastern points. What is known as the Great Western Division of the Grand Trunk Rail- way, extending from Suspension Bridge to Windsor, traverses the northern portion of the county, connecting at Merritton with the Welland Division, making cheap and quick communication with Hamilton, London, Toronto and otl er points, and connecting at Suspension iiridge with all points in the United. States. The Buffalo and Lake Huron branch of the G. T. R. runs through the southern [xjrtion of the county, connecting with the Welland Division at Fort Colborne, and making communication with all principal pomts in Canada and United States. The Michi- gan Central Railway runs through the county from west to east ; when first con- structed, and for a number of years afterwards, it was known as the Canada .Southern. It formerly crossed the Niagara River on the (nternational Bridge situated ne.ir I'ort Erie. A few yenrs ago, however, a double track was laid direct from Wellanu to Niagara tails, since which time most of the M. C. R. trains have been sent by that route, crossing the river on the Cantilever Bridge, one of the greatest engineering achievements of the age. There is also the Air Line branch of the (Irand Trunk, traversing the county parallel with the Michigan Central, and with a link between Allanburgh and Niagara Falls, giving this line two eastern outlets, viz., via Inter- national Bridge, and (by using the Welland Road between Air Line Junction and Allanburgh) Suspension Bridge. The Air Line is principally used for freight at present. COUNTV SlA'l'ISTICS. On the next [)age we give a statement showing the eciualization of the Assess- ment Rolls for the different munici|)alities of the county for the years 18^^ 7, i860, 1865, 1870, 1875, vSSo, and 1885, by which the basis was found on which to levy the rate necessary to meet the expenditures of the coi"-:'y for those years. Welland and Fort Erie were not yet incorporated in 1857, the fir.st year given, and Niagara Falls South has only been a sep.irate municipality long enough f )r us to give the equalized value for the one term. The blank opposite Clifton in the 1885 column is accounted for by the fact that in 1881 that town, now known as Niagara l'"alls, severed its connection .vith tlie rest of W Hand County as far as municipal affairs are concerned ; > ! i I 'I — ^ 1,'lfllll _>^M^..^M± ' 1 170 HIS'JOK\ or WKM.ANIi COUNTY. is-. i r « f.H li 5857. i860. .865. 223,929 751,080 5<'''f'7o .1.1, ".5''<5 7.S5,'75 St.iiiirord 221,490 802,570 'I'liorold I 75,896 ,' I 7,862 Ticrtie ( 'liippawa . . . Clilton Crowland . . . I !iiml)(.'istoiu" I VI ha 111 lioiold 'I'own 7o,.?.33 ?fi\),no 1870. 786,364 831,140 I S'^i.zso 136,921 272,100 447.217 761,916 7^'o,775 747.^94 628,250 368,339 459.090 7'o,35o 755.400 701,200 6.37.075 «87S- Waiiifltrt 222,4yo 532,584 \\'i!loii,i.'hl)v 82,315 366,316 Wei 'and .' ". . . "93,780 I'ort Erie 139,982 I'ort (lollif/iiio ' I Nia.',-. l''a!lsS()iitli ' I 344,010 275, 3.-> 770,979 4.35,604 108,200 99,655' 780,000 427,150 166,712 89,896 1,077,696 85,600 446,250 475,610 808,420 785,810 697,526 664,909 336,000 792,940 432,238 304,500 90,7001 "5. 5001 r88o. '.238,527 104.500 5'3.oi8 581.983 876,329 984,014 882,524 846,677 492,528 919,103 5'9,o77 387,842 93.500 174.323! 1885. 1,596,326 73.150 627,000 1,026, 190 1,113.970 877,800 877,800 4^5,925 1,254,000 527,725 391,875 75.03' 209,000 130,625 Cf.nsu.s. I'lie followini; i.s a comparison of the census of 1881, with that of 1871, as ivspects population for Wcliand County, inchiding the townships of I'elhnm and Waiiifleet ,— Mr.\ic:ii'Ai.n'iKS, ISeitie 1 lumberstone , , . . i'ort Cul()ornc . . . . i'ort I'.rie ( 'rowLuid Welland Willoii.Jiby I hoiold Towrship. I iidiold 'Town . . . . Stamford Chippawa ("lifton IVIhrm W aii;t!eet PO"UI,.\TION. 1871. 2933 2472 998 835 '317 I I 10 1250 2501 '63s 2999 922 1610 2515 2673 25 ./ /> 1881. 3986 4182 1716 722 1318 1870 •273 2456 2456 3162 664 2347 2623 2906 INCRK.ASK '05,^ 1710 718 I 760 821 163 DIXKKASK 1 I ■*r5 :c8 31,77' Net Increase. 737 108 323 6417 416 6001 416 We also ajipcnd the " Uirthplaces ' and ■' Reli,.(ions '' of the pc -p'e of ihe County, as recorded in the decennial ceni-us of 18S1, viz ; ^ I m mmmmmmmmm LOCAL HISTORY. O P •n X „ VO M to U> M M 1-4 to M 1-4 »o \D K> OCOj ^1 ^1 OJ M M t.n '•J 10 ■M 4^ tti VO Cv CCUl O M CC 00 00 o 0C\O -" K> ^1 OJ u> c^ o ^ M m IM 4- +. ^t 00 i. 00 Cii OS OC U\ .+- -• CO OJ +. o c^ oj --J _, ^ •4 N M Oj M o K> ~J M 4^ M 1.^ (yj 4^ 4^ 4^ •M ■^ -" Ul 4-. <-n 4>- ' U> )-l o K) -" 00 u> Ca> • , M VO . •^ ^ •U o ON ■-' " N (M ^j ^ Oj •-• w C/J M M ^ 4^ N 1 o On o 10 a 00 4>. "* ^J o •^ M o M I C/jioto>- lo — — i-i-i«- t.«to 00 I OS fo J- +- - OnO O 4- - 4- - - vC O Oj OS lo UJ CO — OCOj 4- Oj 10 Oj O 00 00 I OvsO t-fi OCO -Oj OS — vO O OsOi vC • • saiu^vv P^^ put'iSug • • puBpai pUL'[103S S3 J8 1/1 X r m IT. ptlUlSJ pjBA\p,[ )UUJ - I Ol CO ;^ M to to to ^ w ►- 00 11 un "" x OS 10 \0 I — 10 C/J CO I ~tut OsOOto CCCslosO^iUJ OCVC 00 vO 00 OS at 10 10 - — — to — <-" so O 'J' +• 0> -J -^1 O to O-i -J to 4- sCOjC/j O-^ O CC4- OO O — >0 to U> j CO I CO*, oo - o ■fuoas «AO>i >(31MSUIU{| AO^ D3q3n(|) O . JHQ Biqiunjo^ qsi4;..a > I 5 ■pUL'lpunOJAwW a 83 r ■/? w M spuBjsi l3UUBq3 • • • suoissasso^ -13440 X c: ■■; W H I C/7 h- k-i X v. 2 ss" a: =* en 171 jdut;.i,| Auuiu-inj); Xiuii pui-'lOcI puc T3issn>i • -Jiaciuuad >j /{cAVjo^ 'uapsAxg S3JC1S p^iii'ni s3U)uno3 -i^mO: '■^i u ■ ■ ■ TOS 5V llOAl'J lOX X > n M O ••s H X n M o r i if ^ 1 L: 172 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. a ►J a, o 7; o o Not given . . . No Rcliuion . N On CT» Other Denominations. Universalists. . Quakers Protestants (/I — a w Otlier I'resbyterians Cliurtii in Canada. tn r< (/} 5 o a H w Other Methodists. 00 - ri 00 10 1^ (^^ Q^ ►- i-i N ►« CO 10 ~ 00 r^ N On 00 \0 N i o a\ ON M NO "I- ■<1- in o NO 0\ N ro 1- ^ •+mX rot^" O N i-~-tt^NO Ovin Episcopal Church of Canada, Aitherans Jews Disciples. Conjjregational Church of luigland , Roman Catholics . Brethren H Tunkers and Mennonites. . Free-will Bapti.sts .Vdventists ■X. H 0 On PI NO -1--ttoONPOPINO PO ««-C0 p^'1-~COioOn -'■•tvo CNioPi 'fpi T^lOPl i-.r'jONONmr^ PI 10 -« "I" 't "I >o >o PI — PJ 10 o NO PO N • »" 00-0 ►- — PI Tj- - W to PI o 10 NO PI ■^- O PI i/"i PI 00 ^ ■+ I-- ^ O ic. 10 in •i-ioi^pi PI "T— "TnOCO pi t-~"NO POrO'i Onmoo r^t-^r^tnpioc loro ■<+ t^OO ""NOOOOO N pi pCPO "I-nO On Onionw wi-ipjt-^rOi-'NO in o o NO m O O CO o >0 O* PO »t PO On in^ ■.r^00 'i-inONON 00 -< PO PO rO m PCOO M O PO pOnO O o i; o - u NO i-i PO N PO c F 50 e « - w -s :=- * j:- 5 =3 -c -3 ^ o "1- in - o Tl -^ 5 9. 'U o u. P2 fciH U; — ,- x: .5 r- xi 'w) U a, s: O P" wmm ) LOCAL HISTORY. 173 The total expenditure by the county for all purposes during the six years, 1879- 1884, was $193,187, of which $60,808 was for the administration of criminal justice, • $41,174 for education, $19,335 on piii)lic buildings, $14,735 on bridges, $12,858 in support of the insimc and destitute, and $15,200 in salaries. In addition to this, the various municiijahties comjiosing the county annually expend for all purjioses about $130,000, of which about $46,000 is for schools, and about $20,000 for roads and bridges. 'I'hc rate of taxation varies in townships from a mill and a quarter to four mills on the dollar, exclusive of school rates ; in incorporated yilKigcs, from ten to fifteen mills on the dollar, and in towns, from twelve to twenty mills on the dol- lar. The rate named includes school taxes in both towns and villages. Scott Act Vote. , In 1 88 1 the leading temperance people sought to have the C!ounty brought under the influence of the C'anada Temperance Act of 1878, commonly known as the "Scott .Xct," so called on account of the bill having been promoted by the Hon. R. \V. Scott, at that lime a member of the Mackenzie Administration. It is a local option measure, prohibiting the sa'.: only of intoxicating liquors. Although the majority against the Act was large, the contest up to the time of polling was consid- ered very close. The voting took place on the loth day of Novembe.-, (•. L. Hobson acting as Returning Officer. The total number of vote, polled wa.^ 4017. A [leculiar feature of the contest was, that while 1800 people signed a petition to have the Act submitted, but 1610 supjiorted it at the polls. We append a table of the vote given : Majorities by Municip.vlities. MUNICII'.M.ITV. I'-OR THE ACT. against THE ACT. Hertic 95 22 ( Irowland Humberstone 259 pclham .... 86 .Stamford. 38 10 Ihoruld Township ... Wainfleet 41 52 45 71 .48 78 Willoughby C'hippawa I'ort Krie Niatrara Falls Port Colborne Thorold Town ... .... 40 Welland 35 • T26 894 126 Net .\nti-Scott majority 768 ' ^ if m l (juavtci'8. •Hiicludiiig arrears. t I ii \i f 1 |; f - ii -a CHAPTER XII. The Townscnd Trial — Trial of the Dick Turpi n of the Niaj^ara Peninsula — Greatest Identity Case on Record — Toivnsend or McHenry ? The annals ^yi llic administration of justice in Canada contain few cases that liave excited more wide-spread interest than did the " 'i'ownsend trial," which began in tile Welland County Court House on the 26th day of March, 1858, and did not (lose until Ajjril 6th. The prisoner was charged with murder. Flis defence was that he was not the person charged - that he was not 'I'ownsend at all, hut another man, named McHenry, and the (juestion at issue in this hearing was the general one : is the prisoner Townsend, or is he not Townscnd ? The facts leading up to the trial are set forth better in the opening address of Mr. Harrison, than we can otherwise describe them. Mr. Justice McLean presided at the Court. Mr. Harrison, afterward Chief Justice of Ontario, and Roland McHonald, who has since been a County Judge, acted as Crown prose- cutors, while the dcfculing counsel were Messrs. I'Veeman, Currie and .Start. After the jury had been empanelled, and the witnesses excluded from the court room, Mr. Harrison commenced the prosecution by saying: — It was a fundmental [)rinciple of British law that every man accused of crime should be tried by his c(iuais, The law, just and righteous, allowed the prisoner to challenge twenty jurors, while the Crown, without showing good cause couid not challange any. The prisoner's defence had challenged sixteen — the Crown only one. The prisoner was charged before the jury, which was, therefore, at least impartial aS it regarded him — with killing one Ritchie, a constable at I'ort Robinson, in November, 1854. He need do no more than mention the name of William Townsend, to excite a shudder in th breast of everyone who had known anything of his career of dreadful crime. Now the prisoner was charged with being he, and this was done, not so much to favor the Crown, bui m behalf of the defence, who were thus enablt'd to set jp several pleas, which they could not have done, had the t \ ■ LOCAL HISTORY. 177 t I prosci:iilors adopted a more indefinite jMilicy. lie would now briefly narrate what was known of the history of 'I'ownsend. He was not niuih heard of before the year 1854, in whieh he associated with himself a gang of similar si)irits, and after committing various depredations, he killed Mr. Nelles, a farmer of North Cayuga, and after jjassing over his prostrate i;()ri)se, robbed his house. He then escaped to Buffalo ; returned, and passing by Niagara I-'alls and St. Catharines, came to Port Robinson, whither he was tracked. On coming out of a tavern there, Constable Ritchie arrested him and placed his hand on his shoulder. . 'I'ownsend told him to take off his hand or he was a dead man. 'I'he constable did not relax his hold, and in a moment he was a dead man indeed. Me thence escaped by the western train, and, as the news was tekgrajihed in every direction, the jailer at Woodstock arrested him upon the cars, but suffered him adroitly to escape. Previously to this he had effected a very cunning e.scape from Port Dalhousie, where he slipped off a vessel, on which he was known to have embarked, so that when it arrived at Oswego, those who had expected to ftnd him were disappointed. After being seen at Woodstock, he was seen no more of until last year. 'I'hen the prisoner was found in a railway car going to Cleveland, and when the conductor asked him for fare, he tendered a loaded [)istol in payment. The conductor look him to a hotel in ("leveland, kei)t by one lies (who had known Townsend) tellir.'t; the landlord, to whom he gave the pi.stol, that he might let the man go and give him the pistol, when he had paid the amount of his railway fare, lies looked at hun, and recognizing him, was .so frightened that he let a glf'ss he held fall from his hand, lies, recovering from his fright, had the i)risoner arrested. He (prisoner) being informed that he was arrested for being Townsend of (Janada, professed never to have l)een in (Canada, and yet exclaimed, " Oh heavens ! " when told that two of his former confederates had undergone the last penalty of the law. Again, when in Toronto jail, he made a remark that when one Higgins said a certam boat had been sold in Cayuga, " No," he s.iid, "not Cayuga, i)Ut Dunnvillc." Yet this man .said he knew nothing of Canada ! The defence, he (Counsel) believed, were about to plead that the prisoner was not Townsend. But it would be shewn on behalf of the Crown, that there was strong reason to believe that he was. Persons were to be known, first by their general appearance, and secondly by their i)eculiarities. Now, in this case it would be established that the general appearance of this man was not unlike that of Townsend, while as to his peculiarities, respectable men would swear that Towijsend had a mark on the eye, whicli this man had, a mark on the foot, as this man had, a scar en the left cheek , also this man had, and a .scar on the under lip, which the prisoner also exhibi. It had been said that no two men created were alike. Would there then be a probability that /rco men should be alike, not only in general api>earance, l)ut in trilling peculiarities too? Doubtless if the scars could have been changed or obliterated, they would have been, but this was impossible, since to do so the flesh ' m IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 «- IIIIIM .,6 1^ 2.5 ;^ 1 40 2.2 12.0 1.8 U III 1.6 m ^^ 'cW' ^C^^ c>1 .^ 'V > ^ - '/ # m PhotDgrapliic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 \ iV ^ ^^ ^ \\ u. ^.\ 6^ ';«^ ^-^^ ■<^ "% PI? CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadiaii institute for hfistorical IVIicroreproductions tnstitut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 ■IK 178 HISTORY OF WKLLANI) COUNTY. I ; ■ i;! would have to be burned to the bone, and the scars on the jjrisoner's face remained silent, though speaking evidence of his identity and his guilt. He would ask, if the prisoner said he was not Townsend, who was he ? Any one accused of crime would naturally say. if he were not guilty, " I am so and so, I have lived so and so." But this man said merely, " I am McHenry of (Glasgow," and refused to give information concerning his former career. It was indeed only some time after he had been in Cayuga jail that he began to think of establishing an ahbi, and went to California to do so. Concerning the writing he (counsel) had seen several letters jmrporting to come from the prisoner. In all of them strange features could be seen by observing the signature. Now he called himself R. McHenry, at another time the letters were formed as if they were not easily written. It would have been far more easy to sign his name " William Townsend." And now it was said that witnesses were in attendance from Califr-nia, by whom an alibi would be proven, l.et their movements be well and carefully watched, lest it be found that these witnesses, or an) of them, had not come from California, or, if so, had known a person there named McHenry, who was not the prisoner in the dock. It was an easy thing to attempt to prove an alibi. He recollected that in one ca.se, a man designing to murder another, hired a room above those in which a family lived. He introduced a friend into his apartment, who walked about while the first was com- mitting the murdiv. i'hus the family swore that the man charged with murder could not have done it, because he was in their house at the time ! The alibi was proved, but it was a false one. Mr. Harrison closed his address with a few general remarks on the subject of circumstantial evidence. For eleven days the court was occupied in hearing evidence. During all that time the public interest in the trial was vnabated, and ihc court room was thronged with men and women. We reproduce the substance of the evidence, omitting as far as possible all superfluous words. Prosecution. Augustus Nei.les. — I am the brother of Nelles murdered at North Cayuga. Was fourteen years of age at the time ; saw the tragedy, and think prisoner is one of the three me*i I .saw in the house. Wm. Bryson. I come from the penitentiary. Was present at the murder of Nelles. There were five of us there, but three only came into the room ; they were William Townsend, John Blowes and myself. I would recognize Townsend, (point- ing to prisoner), "That is he." Townsend fired the shot. I was not armed. I have bteii tried for the murder, and sentenced to be hanged, but my sentence was commuted to the penitentiary. I believe it was the confession 1 made that saved me from being hanged. Town-send wore earrings. I cannot find holes in the prisoner's ears. \ < . LOCAL HLSTORY. 179 Jacoh Gainkr, Jr. — I was robbed on the hii^hway, Nov. 2nd, 185.1. It was at a spot about four miles south-west of Port Robinson, on a new road leadinj^ from the Quaker Road. I was alone and was attacked by three i)eoi)le. They came into the road ahead of me, and seized the horses by their heads. One presented a pistol to my breast, asking if I had any money. He said, " My name is Townsend, I am out of money and want some ; you know a man can't travel without money." I objected to letting them have any money, but they said they must have it. 1 gave them my pocket book, which they emptied of its contents, about $25, and returned to me. Townsend had no whiskers then. He wore a white hat. I then went to Rice's farm, but Mr. Rice, a magistrate, was not at home. 1 went to Richard Wilson's and gave the alarm. The word was rapidly circulated among the neighbors and some of the Hagar luiiiily took th? news to Port Robinson. I recollect tliat some time after, a m .n named Lettice was shot on Scjuaw Island. I saw the body at Fort Erie, and said that to the best of my recollection it was one of the persons who robbed me — the man who held the horses. But going back to the time of the robbcf ', — I remember that we went in pursuit of 'he robbers. We found that they had been to "ort Robinson and murdered Ritdie. The hat, which was dropped by Townsend w;. n escaping from Port Robinson, I recognize as the one worn by him who robbed me. Wh'".>i I ,*irst saw the prisoner, I thought he was no., the man, but after conversing with him, ' became inclined to think he might be, for his voice was the same as that of the man who robbed me. I am not now prepared to say whether he is. m is not the man. Franklin Hagar. -I heard of the robbery a little before dark on the day it was committed. Went to Port Robinson and told Constable Ritchie and others. Finally we went to Mr. Jordan's hotel. It was in the dusk of the evening. Town- send stood on the verandah. The constable went up to him and arrested him, after which Townsend shot Ritchie and effected his escape through the churchyard, although pursued by many. I don't think I could recognize him again if I saw him. His height was the same as taat of the prisoner. Jane Fle.minc;. — I was boarding at Jordan's when Ritchie was shot, and took my tea at the same table as the murderer and his companion. Had a good opi)or- tunity of learning their appearance, as I was frightend at their actions, and noticed ihem particularly. My husband and a young man, a ship car[)enter, were also in the room and saw them. The prisoner resembles a good deal the man who sat at the head of the table, and I believe he is the same man. I gave the sarn., description of him before I saw the prisoner. Mrs. Elizabeth Jordan. — I keep the hotel, near which Ritchie was shot. I recollect the two men, but did not notice them particularly, and saw nothing remarkable in their appearance. Wm. R. Potts. — I was acquainted with Townsend. Came to know him at 12 ■'" "^mm 1 80 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. Hen Ditfin's in I'dlrini l)cforc the murder of N.Mles. Have seen him since, travelhng with and taking part in a nij,'ger show. I was at I'ort Robinson when Ritchie was shot. Heard 'I'ownsend was there, and went and saw and recognized him through the window at the hotel, while he was at his siii)iier. To the best of my knowledge, the prisoner is William 'I'ownsend. Mk. M- '^oi'i'KN.- 1 am a Magistrate at I'ort Roi)insr>n. Information was laid before me. that Jacob Cainerhad been robbed. I went to Jordan's before the constable arrived there. Talked to Townsend. 1 saw the prisoner in Cayuga jail. When I first looked at him, he seemed to be larger than the man who shot Ritchie. .After seeing him with the same h;it on (which I took with me) I thought he was the man ; it struck me from his motions and voice that he might be the mr^n. (Trisoner, standing up, said, "Take a good look") I cannot swear that he is the man ; his voice and motions are the same as those of the man who committed the murder. Dr. Mc I'iikkson. 1 attended Ritchie after he was shot; he lived about an hour after I arrived. The cause of death was a ball entering the brain about -yl of an inch above the left ear. RoiiKKi- Fi.k.minm;. -I boarded at Mrs. Jordan's hotel at the time of the murder. I noticed 'I'ownsend particularly at the supper table that night. I believe I could identify tin. man who sat at the head oi' the table. I believe the pri- soner is he. J.\Mi;s Wilson. — I was in the bar-room at the time Ritchie was shot. Saw the two men at sup[)er. The man in the bo.x resembles one of them very much. (JiiORcJK FokitEs. — I am jailer of O.xford County. .\t the time of Tall .Assizes, 1854, a telegram came to the sheriff, describing a man who had committed a murder, and saying he was on the train, and asking us to arrest him. Accompanied by three constables. I went to meet the train. 1 went into one of the cars, and saw a man who an.swered the descrii)tion. 1 stood and looked at him a moment and then took the dispatch out of my pock?t ,iiid looked at it. He looked up and said : " Oh, I know what you are at, you take me for Townsend." I said, " Yes, P'belicve you are the man." He said that he had been taken for Townsend before that day, but that he was from east of Rochester. He sjioke so coolly and looked so respectable that 1 went (Hit of the car, tc .ice the other constables befor : arresting him. When we came back, he was gone. I confidently recognize the prisoner as the man. \Ve saw him jump -m the platform of tl-jc Ipst car, as it was moving off. Hi was more fleshy than he is now, but he smiled as he eluded us, much as he does now. Hi'i;r McKav. — 1 was a bailiff for the Division Court in Woodstock in the fall of 1854. I went with Mr. Forbes to the train in answer to the telegram asking for tlie arrest of Tov^nsend. Four of vis went to the train. We concerted a plan ol operauon. One was lo go to each side of the train, and one to enter at each • LOCAL HISTORV. l8l L-nd. PreS' ntly Forbes came to me and wanted me to look at a man, but when we entered the car Forbes found him in, he could not be found. We afterward found him on the ])latform, and I said, we wanted to speak with him ; " Oh," he said, " it's about that Cayuga affair. I ansv, ' .he description given very well." 1 said " Yes, you do." We told him we v 'ild detain him. He remarked, that it was a hard thing to detain a traveller. This he said quite cooly, and not as one might be imagined to do who had committed a great crime. The others said he was surely not the man. At length we agreed to detain him till the next train, and we imagined he had made up his mind to stop with us. Tiie cars then commenced to move off, and as the las'; car .swei)t l)y, he, wilii a jump sprang u\Km it unexpectedly. I fe had to exert considerable activity to get on. It was a very dangerous undertaking. The jtrisoner in the dock i' that man. I iiave not the least doubt. 1 pointed hii'i out to Mr. Forbt . the moment I saw him in the dock at Cayuga. I swear this is the man we saw, against all creation. The scar on his left cheek is the same, but it was larger and fresher then. Mr. Iles. — I keep hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. In the spring of 1857 1 was washiity- sowie tumblers one day when the railway conductor came in with Townsend. 1 knew ! ,n the instant I saw him. I had known him for from seven to nine years. 1 drank with him in bar-rooms and was well acquainted with him. I heard there was ;!{^i,ooo "^-ffered for his body, dead or alive. In Cleveland I first saw conductor and Townsend through the window of nty hotel. I was so surprised that I let one of the glasses fr.. to the floor, '''he > 'jnductor asked me to take the man as a boarder. He said he knew nothing of him, but had tnken a revolve; of him as a pledge for the amount of his fare — $3.50. He handed me the pistol and told me 1 might give it back to tbp man when I had received the amount of the pledge. 1 loid him to go in and get supper, and "^^hen ran for the police, who came and arrest- ed him. He expressed considerable surprise at ^eing u'ade prisoner, and asked what he had done. 'I"wo large bowie-knives, a pen-knife, and fourteen cents in change were found on his person. When arrested he asked if there were any ma- sons there, and said 'f there were he wanted to see them. No masons came for- ward. When taken to the jail he .said, holding up his hands, " Only a few hours in Cleveland, and the darbies on." The marshal asked him where he had heard hand cuffs called "darbies." He said in Canada. I asked him what part of Canada he was accpiainted with, and he said he had been on the (Irand River, and knew a little of London. I asked hiin if he knew a man named King in Canada. He asked me if that was '. man who kept a saloon in London, and when 1 said "Yes," he said th it he was slightly acquainted with him. 'i|hen I mentioned Bryson, whom he said he had seen but did not know much of. 1 told him he would never see them again, as two of them were hanged and the third was in the penitentiary. Up to this time we and he were in good humor, lively and chatting ; but when informed ui' the fate t )l I 82 HISTORY OK WM.l.ANI) COUNTV. *!i I f of Hluwcs, Hryson and King, he said, " Oh, dod I is that so?" and became afiect- cd. I entered the jail with him, and when we got in he called me by name, saying, "lies, Iks, can you do anything for me?" He asked who informed on him, and then added, " D n you, I know you won't do anything for me. " The prisoner is the man that was taken in Cleveland, and is William Townsend. I am ware o the reward that is offered, but no reward, however large, would induce me to swear away the i)risoner's life. Cross-examined This is the secoiid person I have taken up for whom a reward was offered, 'i'he fust was a man accused of murder in 'ioledo. He was let go for want of evidence to prove his identity. 1 expect the reward for the ai)prehension of Townsend will be given to me if this m;m is convict- !. 1 Wcis told soon after 'he arrest that Robert Flanders knew Townsend better et! than any other man did, therefore I came to Canada to see him. I de.scribed the man arrested, but he said he thought it was the wrong one. I paid his expenses to Cleveland to see him, and he said it was not Town.send. He then weni to a lawyer who was defending the prisoner and made an affidavit that he was not Townsend. I never spread the report that flanders was connected with a gang of murderers. I knew Townsend when I lived near Caledonia and York, and at London. He used to bt thi; principal in a band of minstrels who played nigger .shows. The prisoner's hair is the color of Townsend's. Townsend had a large blue eye. His complexion v.'as a meiliim. between a dark and a fair one. He had u power over his voice, and I noticed that he walked on the ouisiue of his boots. Constable McArthur and others heard his conversation with me. Arthur Knowi.ton.- I am a conductor on the Columbus and Cleveland Railway. I first saw the prisoner in April, 1857, on the train which left Columbus about one o'clock ii. the morning. He had no money and handed me a pistol as a l)ledge for the amoun": of his fare. I took the pistol home with me and he after- wards came to my house, and asked for the pistol without the money. 1 would not let him have it. He said it was all he had to raise the wind with. He wanted me to go with him to River street, where he said he had a 'friend, wtio \\ould make it all right, i-'iver street is a disrei)utable place, and I would not go with him. I then told him I would find him a boarding house, and took him to lies' house and left the jMstol with lies, telling him to give it to the man when he paid the $3.50, for which it was pi£c.j;i..J. A. McAri '. , the constable who arrested the prisoner, corroborated the evidence of lies iti every particular as to the language used by the prisoner when he was arrested. GI':or(;k May. — I drove a hack in Chicago in the fall of 1851. Previous to my going to ('hicago I lived about St. Catharines. At Port Dalhousie 1 was at .school with the nocorious Bill Townsend. The last time 1 saw him was m 1856, when I met him between St. Catharines and Port Dalhousie. 1 thought I saw him r !l ' LOCAL HISTORY. 183 in Chicago once afterward, but it was dark, and I should not hke to swear positively. It was after the murder, hut previous to n>y knowing of it. He came off the cars with what we call a Canada suit on. He reached out his hand and .said : " How d'ye do, Ccorge." I was about to speak, when he put his finger 10 his lips, as if he 'id not wish me to mention his namt; in the hearing of those around us. He got Vl.c to drive him to the St. Louis cars. On the way he asked me if I knew hnn, and 1 said I thought his name was Bill Townsend. He remarked, " I wish you would not call me by that name." He gnve me a name of which I don't recollect the whole. I think there was a A/ac in it. He said he was going to take the first boat for New Orleans, whence he would go to .\ustralia or California. Cross-exaiiiiiu'd. ~l don't recognize the |)risoner as the man - he must have changed very much. 'The prisoner has a higher forehead than 'I'ownsend. He has a larger eye than Townsend. Townsend had heavy dark eyebrows when a boy. 'I'ownsend never looked a man fairly into the face. Jacob CJaner, recalled. — Townsend held the pistol to my breast for some minutes. I noticed it had only one barrel. I had not seen any revolvers before that time, and imagined they had as ;iiany barrels as they carried bullets. The muzzle of the pistol was as muc! like this one (the one jjroduced) as could possibly be. Samuel Higcjins. — I live in Toronto. In 1852 Ilived in DunnviUe, and knew Wm. Townsend there. He boarded at the same tavern for nearly -three months. The prisoner is he. The only thing different is his voice. He was brought to Toronto last May, and Mr. Sherwood got me to go and see him. There were a number of prisoners together, and I imme Jiately pointed out this man as Townsend. He a.sked me if I knew him. I said that I had known him at Dunnville. Prisoner said he had never been there. He isked my name. I said, Sam Higgins. He said he neverk new a man by that name, and walked away. Presently he came up again and asked me if Wm. Townsend ever told him about stealing a boat off the Mohawk. I said, " Yes, he did, and told me he sold it in Cayuga for $5.00." Prisoner corrected me, and said th.U it was not in Cayuga, but Dunnville. i'he last time that I saw Townsend before this, was in Buffilo on the 4th of July, 1853. He had a scar under the jaw. I had fcjrgotten, until I saw him in Cayuga, which side of the face it was on. Cro>!s-exainineJ. — I did not see the scar in Toronto, for the man had whiskers that nearly covered it. I did not look for it, because the man's face was so familiar to me that I did not think about it. Wm. Kk.nnedy. — I r^-collect two men coming to me about the week before the murder of Nelles, asking about buying some oxen. F told them ..here they could get them, but they did not go in that direction. I recognize the prisoner as one of the men. I had some conversation with F. J. Cheshire the morning I saw prisoner. V. J. Cheshire.- I know William Kennedy, of Oneida, I was living on his iS., HISTORY OF WKI.LANIl COUNTY. m farm : met him in a field, and had some conversation witli him. lie turned down the concession In • towards the |)lanl< road. I went homeward in the opjjosite direction. I saw a I orse and l)Ugi;y with two men and a female in it, driving toward the plank road. One of the men got out of the Iniggy and walked up the road. The other remained with tiie woman. 'They went on down another road, which 'ed only to a po.id. I supposed they were strangers, and went forward to tell them they were wrong. 'I'hey drove a short distance into ihe woods, when I saw the "lan attempt to take some liberties with the woman, which she resente''. She jumpf^d out of the buggy and walked toward the |)lank road. 'I'he man drove afte; her. I noticed who the man was. I had a clear sight of his face. I have not the I^ast hesitation in .saying that the prisoner was he. Rk.v. .\Ii<. Haw. I reside in Melleville, but formerly resided in North Cayuga, near Canfi-ld. 1 was in the lumber business there. Mr. J. B. Smith ai..l niyself built a mill there in January, 1854. 'iownsend was a brother-in-law to Mr. Smith, and worked occasionally for us about the mill. I first bt-came acquainted 'v.ih him in 1852 at Clanboro, v/here Mr. Smith and I owned a mill. 'I'he character of 'Towns- end, and the parties by whom he was surrounded, was so bad that 1 i)laced my house in a state of defence, for i wa. informed by a young man employed about the place that Townsend and his gang ere en(|uiring in whose hands some money was that had been agreed to be given lo me for the mill. I saw the prisoner in Toronto last year. Then I perceived, and I am now quite sure, that the prisoner is the man. I knew his step-f;\ther : he was a Scotchman, or at least spoke with a decided Scotch accent. I have the same accjuaintance with the man in the dock as I have with others, and I might as well call anyone's identity in question as his. My recognition does not rest upon anything like the color of his eyes, or features, but upon his gen- eral appearance and action. Cross-examined — I kept the mill at North Cayuga until about the ist of October. I then went to Hamilton, where I was a minister. 1 afterwards went to W'oodburn and was unfortunate in business there. I was not deprived by the congregation of my ministerial ch.iracter. Carret Patterson was one of the Townsend gang ; odiers are in California. Some of them have been execut- ed. I have seen Mlowes at Cayuga station ; also Patterson. The only differenc'c I see in prisoner is that he is thinner than formerly. I would have given him any as- sistance it' he could have given me any consecutive history of himself as McHenry. '!"hom.\s Ckaham. — I keep tavern in Walpole. \Vm. Town.send was in the habit of stop|)ing af my house. The last time I saw him was the day previous tc the murder of Mi''Ies, There were (\\i:t persons with him — David Weaver, William Uryson, King. Hlowes and I-ettice. 'i'hey came about twelve o'clock and stayed till evening. 1 heard Townsend's voice that night — it was impressed upon me. He demanded " .My nvjuey or my life. " I asked him what he meant. He ret)eated the words and presented a pistol at me. I said, " If you want the money you can mi,-,, -iiiiiitoaii^a^niMiilMiirii iiiii<^ t iimrii LOCAI HISTORY. '«5 take it. " King cnim; forward with a d;igi;L'r at llic same time. 'I'ownscnd cocked iIk' pistol and swore lie would have my life. \\ hen they got the nioney they made off. A man named Dixon and Kred Carrick were at the house during the day, and saw the gang, hut were not present wiien I was robbed. Tiie next morning 1 luard of the Ni'Ues murder. The prisoner is llie man Townsend who robbed me. Daviii Younc. 1 have seen William, i'ownsend at I'aledonia. The first time I saw him was at .\bel Young's negro performance. He had his face blackened then. I have also seen him without his face blackened. I never saw him after the the murder of Nelles until 1 saw him in Clayuga jail. 1 recognized him then. I swear prisoner is the William Townsend I knew in Caledonia. James McIndok — I live in Dunnville aiu am a merchant. Have seen William I'ownsend. He was on the "Mohawk ' or "Mines" war steamer, in 1847 or 1848. I should take him to be sixteen or seventeen years of age at the time. I do not know whether lie was discharged from tiie vessel or not. I have seen him occasionally in 1852, '53 and '54. He was working about Mr. Cameron's i)lace in Dunnville. I suppose I have seen him forty or fifty times. ; could not swear to his eyes, but think tliey were a dark grey, i liave no doubt in my own mind that the i)risoner is William Townsend. Townsend had a scar under the jaw. [Witness went u[) to the p.'-isoner and swore to the scar being the .same]. I have no doul)t about that scar. There was a scar above the jirisoner's eye. 1 ol)serve it now. Townsend wore his hair long, it is a little lighter now. Crossiwcvn/zifJ 'l'h'\s man's eyebrows and Townsend's are about the same as in 1854, e.xcept that they are a little lighter. 1 could not say whether they united across the nose. I might be mistaken about the scar. I do not think he would have a heavy beard. i'liere was UD appearance of beard when I saw him in 1854. .AiiNKk .Strinckk — I remember the day when Ritchie was murdered. 1 saw Townsend l)etween ten md two o'clock that day in I'elham, about seven miles from Port Rol)inson. I knew him previous to that lime and recognized him then. There was a man with him 1 did not know. They were going west. 1 believe they changed their course. I met Mr. Crow a few minutes later. He said he was after Townsend and wanted all his men to go after him. I joined them l)ut we did not find him. T see very little resemblance between prisoner and Townsend. Pri- soner's eyes are different from Townsend's. He had a small blue eye and a middling heavy eyebrow. Could not say whether he is or is not Townsend. Jacob Wkavkr — 1 knew Towns( nd the murderer. I saw him last in 1854. I had often seen him before that. He worked below St. Cathaiines and lived with Mr. Patterson. I knew 'I'ownsend's mother; I have taken dinner in her house ; 'i'ownsend was i)resent ; the same man is in the dock. I remember faces well. I would know 'I'ownsend anywhere. I never noticed any marks particulaily about him. I saw the one on his cheek when I .saw him in 1854 ; he had the one over 1 I :: Jl i86 HISTORY OF WELLANn COUNTY. It! hi.seycin 1850. I have no doubt prisoner is the very man. His age is about twenty-five or twenty-six now. [Witness did not recognize the scar on the jaw, but swore to a .supposed wiark on the ri^Jtht side of prisoner's face wheie no marl< cxist.s.] (iKORc.K lUiCK. I Hve in Dunnville, and know prisoner. He used to l)e called Wilhani lownsend. i have seen him working in a cooper's shop. He was not a good workman as a cooper. I went to Cleveland with Mr. Hall to see the prisoner. 1 had previously told Hall that I should know Townsend. I formed the o|)inion when I saw the prisoner that he was Townsend. I told Mr. Hall that if he was tlie man there was a particular mark on his arm that was there when I last saw him. This was the mark of a mermaid on the left arm, which I had seen when he was working in the cooper's shop. I looked at the arm but saw no mark. I wa.s not surprised at this because I knew these marks could be easily taken out. The mermaid was pricked in with Indian ink. I had a similar mark removed from my arm after it had been there for five years. A doctor put breast milk over the mark and then f)ricked the arm in the same place again. I know of other cases where Indian ink marks have been removed. There is a considerable change in the ])risoner's appearance since 1854. He then wore his hair parted in the middle, long, curled undei ihe end, and well oiled. His hair is now of the same color and only difierent in the way of wearing. His eye is of the same color exactly. I should call it a light hazel. I noticed him walk in Cleveland. When he was first asked to svalk, he kicked his feet up as high as he could and swung his arms about and said, " D'ye see that?" I was not deceived by that mancjeuvre. His smile is just the same as Townsend's. His shoulders are just the same. I have no manner of doubt the prisoner is Townsend. Samuel Sherwood. — I saw the prisoner in Toronto jail, whither I went with Samuel Higgins. [Witness corroborated the testimony of Higgins, taken the second day of the trial.] Hkzkkiah Davis — 1 lived in Dunnville for twenty years and knew William Townsend then. He worked in a cooper's shop. I hai^pened to be in (Cleveland on my own busmess and was called ujjon to identify the prisoner. The man that came to see me pulled a pa|)er out of his pocket which described Townsend as a man with a small black eye, blark hair and well defined eyebrows. I told them that if they had such a man in jail for Towns'.-nd they had better let him go, for it was not he. I then g.ive a description of Townsend, mentioning the scar over his left eye and the one on the jaw bone I then went to the jail and saw the prisoner. I shook hands with him and a^; 1 did so I noticed the scar ov^r the eye. He saw I did and turned around, upon which I saw the one under tl-e jaw. The scars were not so distinct as they formerly were. They are now less distinct than they were at Cayuga. (The jury here examined the scars). His personal appearance was changed from what it was when I knew him and I should not have said positively he I % LOCAL HISTORY. 187 was th«> man unless I had seen the scars. His personal appearance lias chanj^ed even within the last few months. His hair was lighter and his eyebrows darker at Cayuga than now. AiiKi, YouNO. — I hav'? seen the prisoner at the bar. His name is Hill 'Town- send. 1 came to know him at the latter end of 1853. He and" others stayed at my place on one occasi so often that I could swear to his identity. I swear that man is he. He has got thinner and paler : his height is the same. He ditl not wear ear-rings when I first saw hini, but afterwards he did. Ear-rings arc often worn without making holes in the ears. If holes art nade, they often heal and leave no mark. Crosse.xainined.- \ knew Hry.son, Mlo, cs and King. I saw ."ownsend about a week before Nelles was murdered, when he left town with Ihyson, I'.lowes, King, I.etlice and another. I lieard of the murder shortly after it took place, when I heard iowsend, lilowes and Lettice all talking about it, saying that there was a reward for them in the paper. Hlowes was arrested at my mother's house. They all used to frecjuent it. Petkr Hrown. 1 come from the penitentiary. I knew Townsend at ('ayuga for aliout two years. I u.sed to live with my brother-in-law, Mr. Flanders. I can't say that I scj any difTereuie in his hair. His eyebrows don't look so dark or l)ushy. His features are the .same as they were. Townsend would now be twenty-three or twenty-four years of age. I knew the prisoner to be 'Townsend before I .saw him, at Cayuga, by hearing him laugh and talk. I went into the jail with iiryson and we heard him talk. I said to Iiryson, " Do you hear that voice? 'I'hat's 'Townsend." He had a heavy beard then and I shaved him. After that, and even before it, I had no doubt at all as to who he was. 'Town.send was very active, and could imitate dialects. He spoke sometimes with a little .Scotch accent. Civss-twaiiiincd I have been unfortunate, having been myself several times convicted. I was detained at Cayuga ou suspicion of being Townsend. Rkhaki) I.kk. I am serving a term in tiie penitentiary for larceny. T knew 'Town.send in Caistor and i.outh townships, also in (liimsby, St. Catharines and Smithville. We worked tc<.;ether in Mr. I'atterson's cooper shop for nearly a month. I am satisfied prisoner is the same man. 'Townsend had a scar over tne left eye, one under the left jaw, and one on the right side of the under lip. I have found all of these on prisoner. Thos. McCoy. I am also from the penitentiary, where I have been confined for having stolen goods in my possession. I knew Wm. 'I'ownsend well. We travelled together with a show and exhibited at Dunnville, Canboro, Marshville and Merrittsville. We had nigger performances, dancing and singing. I slept with him. I also used to clean the black off his tace after he had been jjerforming, ar.d noticed tiie scars particularly. 1 think this is the same man. Cross-exaniiiied 'I'ownsend Ill mil. w m ■ »! w LOCAL HISTOBV. 189 had a rut on his ri^hl fool, and the joints of liis hig toe were large. The s( ar on his foot ran across the biu, toe. [Prisoner svas then recjuestcd to bare his foot and did so, showing a scar on the instep, with toe joints of moderate sizi.] Svi.VKSTKR DoAN. 1 live at Sltinner's (Jorners, I beheve this is 'I'ownsend. 'I'he scar on his forehead is smaller than it was formerly, and lu> wears his hair differ- ently. His size and hiiild correspond with those of 'I'ownsenil. His eyes are about the same. I have no doubt that he is the man. Chas. Brooks. 1 live at York, on the (irand River. When 1 look at the prisoner I think he is W in. 'I'ownsend, and yet my recollections of i'ownsend are different. His features are not the same, and yjt I think that it is he. The prisoner seems longer from the back of the head to the chin than I'ownsend. Jamks (loK.NWAi,!.. -I live near Merrittsville. The prisoner seems to me like Townsend, with whoni I became accjuainted at I'elham, I saw liim for the last time before he was imprisoned at Dittin's, the night after the murder of Nelles. He came there in a l)Uggy with another man. He said to Samuel Burrows in my hearing: — " Did you hear of a murder up west?" Burrows said '* No ;" " »Vell," said he, " there was a man shot by the name of Nelles." 'i'own.send remained at Diffin's until after sundown, when he and his companion went towards .St. Catharines. I was examined at (,'leveland, whither Mr. Hobson asked me to go as a witness. When I was going, Barton Wait told me to look for a mark on the right foot, which, he said, commenced with the big toe joint. I told them at ("leveland that to the best of my knowledge he was t'lic man. I swore to him again at Cayuga, anci i do .so now for the third time. Mrs. .\vkrs. I live in Merrittsville. I knew William I'ownsend well. T first met him at I )ilitin's in I'elham, where he was bo.u (ling. The prisoner is the man. I knew him as soon as I .saw him in the jail here. He is thinner and paler than he . used to be, but 1 remark no other change in his appearance. His height is just the same, and his eyes are the same. RoiiKRT Potts. I live at Wingfield, and became acquainted with Townsend six or seven years aj^o. The man in the box is he. I recognize him by the general appearance of his features. His hair is darker now than then. .\aron Jennin(;,s - I live in I'elham. Was not intimately acciuainted with Townsend but have seen him often enough to know him. I believe the prisoner is he. I went to tiie jail last month with two ladies. They went out first and 1 stopped because the prisoner seemed to have an inclination to talk to me. We iiad a con- versation by ourselves and when I ju remark you were doing?" " I was in a piling machine," 1 replied. I am confident I had not previously told him what I had been doing. He made several remarks in regard to the 'J'ownsend family, saying that their organization was difiTcrent imd his iwn relatives had nuch different heads from « wmmmmmmm LOCAI, HISTORY. 191 the Townsund family, that he could tell the difference in the dark. " You know," said he, " the 'lownsend tril)e is an Indian looking one." I said I did not think they were, and that his forehead, chin and other features were like theirs. He said people could easily be mistaken. I said they could, but it was not so easy to deceive one's Maker. He then proceeded to use harsh language about Mr. >'TcCoppen, various others, and the Government. 1 cautioned him not to indulge in such language, and said, 1 presumed his mother did not teach him to-uso it. He thereupon became much affected, and the tears rolled down his cheeks. In r-. short time he recovered and asked me, when I told him that Townsend had been in my shop shortly after the Nelles murder, if 1 knew then liiat he was the murderer. I said, I did not. I told him, I thought l.e was doing wrong in not giving an account of his past life, for that I and others would then give him every assistance to bring evidence to clear him. He replied, " Mr. Hellems, you do not know my family history. There are many things connected with their history, that sooner than expose, I would die on the gallows." John Roiunson. - - 1 am a railway contractor. A few dc\ys after the murder I was working at ICkfrid, a few miles east of London, on the G. W. R. In the after- noon, about four or five o'clock, I saw this man walking on the track. He passed near me and I saw the scar over his eye. I'Vom the description in the papers I thought it was Townsend, and told othc-s so. \Ve talked of having him arrested, but did not do so. I am positive the prisoner is the same man. JosKi'H .Maink, — I live in Gainsboro. I knew William Townsend. I became acquainted with him in the fall of 1853. I worked for the same man that he did, and boarded in the same house, eating at the same table for about a month. I saw the prisoner at the ('ayuga trial, and again here. I should call him William Town- send. I observe the scars on his face to be exactly the same. He combs his hair up higher now, and his eyebrows are a little higher. I am positive the [)risoner is 'I'ownsend. John Martin. -I live in Dunnville. I have frec|uently seen there a counten- ance like the prisoner's. 1 never knew the person who had it, or heard the name. All 1 know is that 1 .saw the countenance frequently in 1852 and 1853. 1 think, too, that I have observed that person to have a walk similar to the prisoner's. Mary Ann Stringek. — I remember the robbery of Mr. Gainer. I saw the prisoner the same day it was committed. It was between 'I'horold and Stamford townships. There was another man with him. They were sittini-; on a log eating buns. When I came up to the men, one of them said, " Stop. " I said I would not. They said I must ; but a wagon came up the cross-roads, and the driver took me up. The jirisoner was quite close to me. He had on a drab rowdy hat with a band like the one produced. I have a distinct recollection of his features. James Phillips, (colored). — 1 am a barber. I have known cases in which the 193 HISTORY OK \VELLANn COUNTY. clim.ite has made a difference in men's heads Eyebrows can be made lighter by |jliicking out the hairs with a pair of tweezers. A. J. Burns, M. I). -- Some people are unable to discern color or one color from another. I have heard of persons' eyes growing lighter or darker, so that it is possible for a man to have a dark blue eye ohe year and a light blue one four or five years later. A man's head, too, may be increased in size by the active exercise of the brain. I have known bumps on a man's toe joints, caused by disease such as gout, or by the friction of the boots, causing thickness of the skin. Some may bo removed. I think scars inflicted it\ early youth may diminish in size, or in some ca.ses disappear altogethei. Scars are visible on the complexion of some people more than others. The sun would not tan a scar as it would the rest of the face. Hail oil gives ;;andy hair a darker shade. It is possible to pluck out hair and pre- vent its growing again by a ]3re[)aration made to destroy the bulb or root. Dr. Brook.s. — I know of an instance of a change of color of the eyes. A lady, now twenty-two years of age, has dark hazel eyes. When she was a child they were a light blue. A man appears to have a larger eye when great emaciation of the fac:e has occurred through sickness. Scars may grow less in time, especially at the ends, where they become indistinct. The continued use of tight boots might enlarge the toe joints, and in some cases, the cause being removed, the enlargement would disappear. I think that I have noticed that educated men have laiger heads than the ignorant, and increased activity of the brain sometimes enlarges the head. Mr. Macdon.m.d here proposed to produce evidence to show that witnesses had been brought from Cleveland to testify that the prisoner was an Englishman or an American. His Lordship said he could not allow such evidence to be received. He would take evidence as to statements the prisoner had made but not as to what had been said by witnesses in his behalf. This closed the case for the prosecution at five o'clock on March 30th. Defence. Mr. Freeman stated that, owing to the absence of some of the witnesses, he could not adopt a connected line of defence'. C.\PTAiN Lewis. — I live in Cleveland, and am captain of the propeller " I'ow- hattan." 1 know the prisoner. Knew him first in 1852, when he shipped vith us as steward. I was first mate then. Prisoner was then known as Robert McHenry. I have not the slightest doubt that this is the saniu man. He was a quiet, sober man. He used to swear a little, but otherwise he was a steady, moral man. His hair is now just the same color as it used to be. He always wore it brushed up off his forehead. Cornelius McNeal.— 1 have lived in Dunnville for six years. 1 knew W'm. MM I.OCAT, HISTORY. 193 Townsend, having become ac(iuainte(i with him at<]ayuga Station in 1853. I drove the stage thence to Dpnnville. My father was the proprietor of it. 'I'he prisoner is not the Townsend I knew. Ht; had a low forehead and dark eyebrows, with sunken eyes. He never looked a person in the eyes, but had a downcast look. I saw the prisoner at the Cayuga Assizes, and was of the same opinion then as now. Bkrnard Carroll. — I knew William Townsend well. He worked in a cooper shop in Dunnville. He was a smart, active, dancing young man. He had dark hair, whicl) he wore long, cut around even. I think his eyes were dark. He had black heavy eyebrows. 1 have seen the ])risoner,at Cleveland after his arrest. I was U]) there )n a vessel, and, hearing Townsend was taken, as I knew him, 1 went up to the jail. They sent me in to tind Townsend. 1 could not pick him out. Ezra Smith. — Townsend had a low forehead and dark eyes. I hardly think he could have had a scar, without 1 knew it He used to come into my house like one of my family. My son married one of the Townsend girls, and has five children, but 1 think that if i'ownsend were caught, he ought to be punished, and I have no desire to screen him. I saw prisoner at Cayuga a fortnight before the trial, and could see no resemblance between him and Townsend. Townsend's feet were large with high joints. This man's feet are small and smooth. I am sure this man is not Townsend. The joints in Townsend's feet were naturally large, so much so, that people used to laugh at them. Alkukd Caniteld. — I have a recollection of William Townsend. I have no doubt, I should know him if I saw him. I saw the prisoner at Cayuga. I did not know him. I have not the slightest belief that he is the man. I see nothing in him that looks like Townsend. Townsend combed his hair down, and his forehead was lower than this man's. I am sure Townsend's eyes were black. I have heard him called " Blackeyes." W. E. Badcieley. — I live near Canboro station. Knew Townsend. Have probably seen him a hundred times. I should know him if 1 saw liim again. The prisoner is not he. L. C. Wetherhv. — I live in Dunnville. 1 have been reeve of that place. I know Wm. Townsend. His countenance was quite familiar to me before 1854, when I learned his name. The morning after the murder of Nelles I was returning by the cars from Paris when I noticed parties coming on board at Canfield. One of them I have no doubt was Townsend. I know of no scars on his face. I first saw the prisoner in Cayuga jail. I then said he was not Town.scnd, and 1 am of the same opinion still. I see no reseml)lance between prisoner and Townsend. Edward Gujg. — I live in Cayuga. First saw Townsend at Bcamsville in 185 1, and next at Cayuga Station in 1854. I knew him well, and when the prisoner was arrested 1 expected to see him again ; I at least thought they would have some- body who looked more like him. The prisoner is not he. 'I'ownsend always held f^ 194 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. his head down. He talked through his nose and ran his words together, muttering so that at times you could hardly understand him. , HuBKRT Sutton, Brantfurd. - I knew William Townsend. having become ac- quainted with him at Cayuga Station. I boarded with him there at Robert Flandeia place. I have a recollection of his features. I am positive the prisoner is not Townsend. John Robin.son, Port Maitland — I knew Townsend when he was on board the " Montreal," in Her Majesty's service, in the spring of 1846. He remained on board until the summer of 1848. During that time, with the exception of one week, we ate at the same table. We always called him Crockett. I thought for some time th.'it that was his name, but found I was mistaken. In 1848 he deserted, and I was sent in pursuit. When a boy is taken into the service he is described in the books. He is stripped naked and all the marks on his body noted. This boy was entered on the books as " William Towsend." He always spoke through his nose. He had very little education. His hair was black. His eyes were dark, what is called in the service hazel. I saw it so taken down in the description. His eyebrows were dark, meeting over the nose. He came back to the service in the summer of 1849, to the "Mohawk." He remained- three months and ran away the second time, in Cleveland. He had no marks upon him of any kind that I know of. I did not see him again till the fall of 1850. I saw him frequently in 1854. I should know his looks and actions as well as my own. The prisoner has no resemblance >., Towns- end. William Cameron. — I live near Dunnville. Until about two years ago I lived in the village and kept a tavern and a ball alley. Townsend boarded at my place from ist of June to August, 1852. I last saw him about eight or ten days before the murder of Nelles. I have a perfect recollection of the man. I went to the trial at Cayuga, believing that they had caught Townsend, and expecting to see him. I first saw the jirisoner in the dock at Cayuga, and was at once convinced that he was not the man. Townsend had dark hair, Indian-like, loose and straight. This man's hair is not like Townsend's. Townsend had rather a small black eye, his eyebrows almost meeting over the nose. His forehead was low, but this man has a high fore- head. I never observed any scars on Townsend; it would have been strange if he had a scar like that on prisoner's cheek, and I not see it. Mr.s. Martha Stewart. — I live in Cayuga. My husband was on board the " Mohawk" in 1848 and 1849 as purser's steward. I was on board, too. We were about two and one-half years on board. Townsend was on nearly all that time, but deserted in 1849. I saw Townsend afterwards, about two weeks before the murder of Ncllcs. Knew him well. Prisoner does not resemble him at all. John Simes. — I live at Dunnville. I boarded at Mr. Cameron's while Town- send was there in 1852. Townsend sometimes slept with me. He had no scars ilwtBiinr ■nm ■ IPP ' i 1 1 1 ! ■ i LOCAL HLSTORY. 197 about him that I noticed, but he had romark'ibly ugly feet, with very big joints, in fact lumps, which shewed through a fine boot. I have not seen the prisoner's foot. Mr. Frkkman. — Clo and look at it. Witness. — Those are not the feet Townsend used to have, at all events. If that's Bill Townsend, he has got new feet on him. When I saw this man at Cayuga, I laughed at the idea of it being Townsend. To'', nsend had black hair and dark eyes. They were small, sharp, restless and twinkling. Pktkk Schram. — I reside in Cayuga Township. I became acquainted with Bill Townsend fifteen years ^go. I have seen him a thousand times and know him as well as I do my own brother. Prisoner's voice is not like Townsend's. I think I could pick Townsend out in a crowd by his voice alone. Townsend had a low fore- head, black hair, heavy eyebrows running (juite across, high cheek bones, a .short nose, thin lips, a small black eye, a short chin, dark complexion and a flat face. He had a hard looking foot with ([ueer knuckle joints quite prominent, which you might see through his boots. I could know the i)risoner was not Townsend by the feet alone. Sam. Carnks. — I live in Dunnville. Knew William Townsend well. I have a recollection of him that satisfies myself that I should know him. His look was always downcast. The [)risoner is not Townsend. Mrs. Lucinda Kkilman. — I live in Thorold. I formerly lived at Cayuga. I have known Wm. Townsend ever since he was a small boy. I saw the prisoner last fall at this place. 1 am certain he is not Townsend. Mr. Turner. — I lived in Canfield in 1852, 1853 and 1854. I knew Towns- end well. I an. confident this is not the man. William Harvey. — I live in North Cayuga. Have known the Townsend family for eight years, and have been in William Townsend's company a great many times. I saw him last about a fortnight before the'murder of Nelles. He was about five feet seven inches tall. He had dark brown hair and dark hazel eyes. His forehead was tolerably wide, his eyes sunken, and his cheeks hollow. His chin hooked out. He had hardly any beard or whiskers, and looked as if he never would have any. He had extraordinary lumps on his big toe joints. The prisoner is not at all like him. Cross-examined — • I never told Nancy Lemon that there was no longer any Bill Townsend, that he had changed his name and was called McHenry. Thomas Smith. — I live at Canboro. I have known Townsend since I was big enough to know anybody. I used to skate and bathe with him. He had dark eyes and hair, a low forehead, large toe joints and a sailor-like walk. I never saw any scars on him. Hiram Holiday, — I live at Dunnville. I saw Townsend almost daily during the year 1852. Have a distinct recollection of his countenance. Don't think I can be mistaken in saying he is not the Townsend I used to know. 18 (98 HISTORY OK WKI-LAND COUNTY. 'I'HOMAS Rkynoi. MS, of Cayuga. I knew Townsend for about fourteen years. 1 am cort.iiii prisoner is not he. Wai.tkr Maiti.ani). -1 am .1 farmer i'l Canboro 'I'ownship. I know the 'lownsend family well. I should know Hill 'iownsend attain were 1 to see him. 1 saw the pri.soner at Cayuga before he was tried. I went expecting to see 'lownsend but found I was mistaken. 1 have no desire to screen 'lownsend. I am a .Scotch- man, coming from near (iiasgow. It is sixteen years since I left, but I have been back since. Prisoner told me where he was from. Mr. Frkkman said he proposed to asked witness whether the prisoner had not described the city of (JIasgow and the neighborhood thoroughly. Mr. Macdonam) objected, but the court disallowed the objection. Witness then continued I saw a letter in the Hamilton Spectator saying that he was from near (Masgow. When I saw him he described the village he was from and tlie farms around it. He gave such a description that I was satisfied he must have been there. He described the village of Sjjringburn. He told me the names of the fiirmers who occupied the farms there eighteen or twenty years ago. I was ac(juainted with the parties and knew they had occupied these farms. When de- scribing the locality he sijoke of a place where people used to water horses along the road. He described the place j^articularly and correctly. He said there was, as tlicre really was, a stone trough cut out to receive the water. 1 asked him if he kuew anything occurring on the railroat' which passed through his native village. He asked me if I referred to the murder of (Ireen. I did and he told me about it. He also told me about the execution of Mrs. Jaffrey m Clasgow some twenty years ago. 1 was present at the execution and knew the correctness of the details. Cross-examined. — When I asked what part of Scotland he came from he said Spring- burn. The murder of (Jreen and the other events he mentioned were well known in the neighborhood, but I don't think he could have made up his story from any information gathered from a person talking, or from a book. Richard Carnes. — I live in Dunnville, and knew Townsend well. He board- ed just opposite the place where I worked, and my attention was frequently attract- ed to him because he was fond of singing negro songs and "cutting up trick.s." I am certain I would know him if I saw him. The prisoner is not Townsend, nor anything like him. Wm. Rkkd. — I reside in Canfield. I became acquainted with Townsend in 1853, and have spoken to him frequently. The last time I saw him was about a fortnight before the murder of Nelles. The prisoner is not he. 'J'here is a vast difference between the two. He is the last man that would remind me of William Townsend ; there is not one expression aljout the face similar to his. Townsend's complexion was sallow. Geor(;k Flanders. — I live at Cayuga station. I knew William Townsend \ \ I ■■■■li LOCAL HISTORY. I 99 when he was a child, and came to know him better in 185,^, wlicn he came to Hve in my house. When my son took the pl.u e in December, 1853, I went to Brantford. I have not seen 'I'ownsend since. I should know him if I saw him, but the prisoner does not resemble him at all. Samukl Macuonai.d, of North Cayuga. — 1 know Townsend, and saw him in the spring of 1853 at my house. He came with James Dill, and stayed at my house all night, I saw him, too, at Mr. Dewar'.s, his step-father's. 1 remember his countenance well. The prisoner i.s not he. Cross-examined. 1 knew Mr. James Brown, of this place. I knew him when he was a small i-oy, and had not seen him for fourteen yeans until a day or two ago. I was taken into his store, and did not know him from his clerk. Mrs. CiRant. — I live in Gainsboro. I came to this country from Scotland in 1852, and saw Wm. Townsend al Fenwick the same year. I also saw him there the day after Nelles was shot. The prisoner does not look like him. James McLaughlin. — 1 live at St. Catharines, and formerly lived at Canboro, where I knew the Townsend family. I knew Townsend as well as I did my neighbor's boy. I went to the St ites in 1849, and returned in 1854, when I saw him again. I knew him at once, oven after five year's absence. I would know him if I saw him now. The prisoner is not he. Jamks Patterson. —I live in St. Catharines now. In 185 1 1 lived in Crimsby township, and Wm. Townsend came to learn the coopering trade with me. He was there three or four months. Richard I.ee never worked for me, (Richard Lee, now in the Penitentiary, swore that he had worked with Townsend at Mr. Pat- terson's.) Townsend was at my i)lace in St. Catharines freciuendy aftev 1 moved there. He was there the next day after the murder of Nelles, The prisoner is not the man, Wm. Muik. — I worked with Townsend a month or two at Mr. Patterson's. I should know him again. Prisoner is not the man. (Ieoroe Crumb. — I knew Townsend. Saw him last shortly before the murder. Prisoner is not he. Captain Turnhull, — I live in Cleveland. Saw the prisoner more or less dur- ing the whole season of 1852. The sea:;on commences in April and ends in De- cember, In the early part of October, and from that until the middle of December, he was on board the " Powhattan " under me, I have no doubt I saw him on var- ious vessels during the season before that. I think 1 saw him on the " St. Law- rence, " commanded by Captain Land. I next saw him in Cleveland a year ago, after his arrest, 1 recognized his voice before I saw him. He was then in one rif the cells. There was a scar on his left cheek, but no other that I atn aware of, I understood he was from Scotland, He left me to go to Calitornia, It was in the latter part of 1853 or the beginning of 1854 that I received a letter from the prisoner 300 HISTORY OK WKI.KANI) COUNTY. from California. I had writlcn a business lottcr to Captain Coyne in California. When I raxivcd McHtnry's letter I thought it was Coyne's answer. 'J'hat is how I reineniher it so distinc tly. My impression is that the letter was dated in September or October. I showed the letter to a good many, among others to Captain Lewis. Ill the letter he stated that he was working for the California Lumber Company in a saw-mill and was getting $ioo per month, and that he had been (/ffered a situation as cook on .1 vessel, which he would have been glad to have accepted had 1 been there to go as master of lier. The prisoner's habits were good while he was with me. He was writing most of his leisure time. I never saw him fiddle and dance or attempt to sing like a negro. I think when 1 heard him sing he was trying to hum from a sort of Methodist hymn-book he had. I first saw an account of his being arrested in a Cleveland paper, and my name being mentioned I went to see him. I afterwards gave evidence before the U. S. Commissioner. Cross-examined - 1 never knew the prisoner l)y any other name than McHenry, and have no rea- son to believe that lie is William Townsend. I did not state to Mr. Sherwood with- in the last twenty-four hours that if 1 were not paid my e.xpenses here 1 woulu '' let out upon him." Mr. Macdonai.d— I'll prove you said so, to your very teeth. You .said "If they don't give me the amount they promised me, I'll let out upon him. " Wn NESS -- I don't think I said or used such an expression. .Mr. Freeman — Bring Mr. Sherwood up at once. Witness — I never told any one that this man had told me matters which rather than disclose I would tear my heart strings out. Mr. Macdonau) — The man is in court who told me so but 1 have promised not to bring him forward. Witness — I wish you would. I only received one letter from the prisoner while in California and that I did not answer. I read it last in January, 1857. I read it several times and to several people soon after I received it. I could not find it when prisoner was arrested in Cleveland a short time after that. I burned most of my letters when I got anew writing desk in January, 1857, and read most of them before doing so. I thought I saved the one from McHenry, but my wife said that I burned it. I am just so confident that 1 place the date of the letter right as 1 am that I am standing here. Mr. Macdonald. — Or that you did not tell Mr. Sherwood that you'd let out on him. Mr. Sherwood. -— (Who was sitting in court.) He did not say anything of that kind to me or in my presence. Mr. Macdonam). — Did he not, and in your presence? Mr. Sherwoou. — No sir, certainly not, and I never said .so. Mr. Freeman. - - There 1 -J .^xsmmttk LOCAL HISTORY. aoi Several persons in court here began to whistle and catcall. Mis lordship tail- ed "silence " and Mr. .Vlacdonaiil said "Those are the (■()nii)ani()iis of 'iownstiul who are whistling — the thieves of (lanada and the United States. ' WiTNKss. — I see no difference in the prisoner now and when I knew him. He wore his hair just the same then as now. VVm. Winkings. — 1 live near Cayuga. I'irst lrcviou.s to which I had not seen him for five years. I knew him at once. Francis Wkavkr. I live near St. Catharines, I knew William I'ownseiid when he was iiiiite small hut not after ho grew up. I worked for his father in ('ayiiga township, .\fter Nelies was miirdired I met liiin on the street in .St. Cath- arines and knew him at once. I think I should know him now were I to see him. The prisoner is not the man. GEOR(iK ScHRA.M. I am a farmer of Wainflcet. Knew the Townsend family at Port Dalhoiisie. Knew the son, William. 'I'he iu.t; time I saw him was in 1851, when he was coo|)ering for Mr. i'atterson at Smithville. Think I would know him again if I saw him. Think the man in the hox is not he. I have not the least doubt. First saw the prisoner here in the cells. I'-xpected to see Townsend from the description given. I told Mr Hobson niy opinion when I came out it is the same opinion I now entertain. I deny, that in the cell, and in the preseni:e of Dr. Hums, I said : " There, now I see Townsend." I said when I wint into the cell, and .saw several prisoners, " There's the man that fits Hill Townsend best," or " fills the measure best.'' I meant as to size, and think I used the word size. I said he had a slight resemblance from the tip of the ear to the point of the jaw — nothing more. I did not say that he resembled Townsend, but that he was more like him than any other man in the room. Jacoh Fi.andkr.s. - I have lived in Canboro since 1851. F'rom that time to 1854 I used to see Townsend almost every day, when he was at home, and knew him as well as I did my own brothers. .Saw him last about ten days before the murder of Nelies. The prisoner is not he. Jon STROHKin<;E, of Canboro. - I knew William Town-send and all his family. Am (|uite positive the ])risoncr is not William Townsend. Cornkijus Cri'kp. I live in l.outii. Knew 'Townsend well. 'The i)risoner is not the man. I'A.ixs Pattkrson, of I.outh, described Townsend. with whom he said he wa'^ well acquainted, and .said that jjrisoner was not he. Mrs. Dki.i,, of I.outh I became .'ics, which resembled 'I'ownsend. 1 lind that the |)rofile does not resemble the prisoner. « Wksi.kv Smith. I live at (!anhoro. Km-w Bill 'i'ownsend. I'lisoner is not he. H.\RMON Haynks. — I live about a mile and a halt from Cayuga station. 1 knew Townsend as well as I did any of my neighbors. The i)risoner is not he, nor can I .see in him any resemblance to 'I'ownsend. His hair is not so dark, his fore- head is higher, his eye is fuller and larger, and his eyebrows lighter. Thomas Hu.mi-hkkv. - I keep tavern on the (.'anboro road. Became ac(iuainted with William I'ownsend ton or fifteen years ago. .Saw him last the fall before the murder. Should know him now if I saw him. Saw the prisoner at Cayuga, but was not a witness. I thought I was going to see William Townsend, and was disappointed when I did ncA. ''risoner is not Townsend. Wii.i.iA.M Haynks. — Live near Cayuga station. I knew Townsi ad for four- teen years, as well as one neighbor knows another. I'ri.soner is not Wni. Townsend. Hkknaki) Dkij.. - The prisoner is not 'Townsend. I was well acciuaintcd with 'Townsend. I think he is not the man, beciuse he is lighter complexioned ami larger than Townsend. Chaki.ks (iKKKN. - I live in Dunnville. Knew I'ownsend on the Wellaiul Canal about nine years ago. 1 saw him last in Dunnville about four years agf). 'The prisoner, 1 am perfectly satisfied, is not the same man. {iKOR(;K l.'isHKK. — 1 became accjuainted with 'Townsend about five years ago. Saw him last on the Friday after he shot Mr. Nelles. I saw him frecjuently, and would know him if I saw him now. Prisoner is not he. I am satisfied of this. jAMiis CovKRDALE. — I Hve near the 'Townsend family and knew William 'Townsend. Won't say the man in the dock is he. Won't say he is not, but my opinion is that it is not. 'Thomas Kkkhv. - I live in North Cayuga, and b.-came acquainted with Wm. 'Townsend in 1852, when I moved into that locality. 'Think I would know him now. Prisoner is not the man. Ri( hard Covkrdai.k. — I live about a mile and a half from the residence of the Townsend family. Knew William Townsend well, and would know him now. Prisoner is not he. Miclinda Lambjkr. - 1 reside near Cayuga. Came to know William 'Town- send about twelve years ago. Often saw him, and am certain I would know him. Prisoner is no more 'Townsend tlian I ain. Nancy Borokau. — Knew Townsend well. Prisoner is not he. Seth K. S.mith. — I live on the Canboro road. I knew the 'Townsen4 204 HISTORY OK WEI.LAND COUNTY. family from the time they moved into the neij^'hborhooc^ r til the murder nf Nellcs. I taught school in the locality in 1845, and William came to it. He was an in- difTcrent scholar. He learned reading and wHiing, and tried to learn figures. He was not a very a|)t scholar. I can't recognize prisoner as Townscnd. 1''rancis I.amiukk. I live on the Talbot K'oad, near Canhoro. Saw VViiJiam Townsend fre(iuently, and for .ie last time about a fortnight before the murder of Nelles. 'The prisoner is not Townsend. Harmon Wkavkr — I live near ("anfield Station. Went to school with liill Townscnd. I should know him if ■ s; -v him. Prisoner is not he. Cross-exa/nined — Townsend's ears were large atid leanvd forwa..! There was nothing in his walk jjeculiar until he came olT the '" Mohawk," when he walked .■ :iing. People said he got into the habit of walking that way on shijiboard. I never saw any .scars about him. His Lordship asked Mr. Freeman if he had all the other boys of the township. Mr. I''rkkman said, " I'relty much all." His Lordshii' said he could stand it if the jury could. JoKi. R. Smiiii. I live near Cayuga. Know Townsend. The prisoner is not he. OkorcI', (Iihson. 1 keep hotel at Cayuga, 'i'ownsend and others came to my place the evening after the murder of Nelles. Knew Townsend before that night. I am positive the i)risoner is not the man. Cross-examined — I never told Mr. Jno. Walters that I was not so jjositive about the prisoner now as I was at Cayuga. I brought the parties down to the station at Cayuga that night but did not know at the time that they had connnitted crime. I was one of those who helped to make out the description of '1 ownsend. Don't recollect anything about a .scar being in it. Perhaps there was, for some peojjle say that Townsend had a scar near the hair. Never heard a scar on the cheek spoken of until the prisoner was arrested in Cleve- land. RoHKR r Fi.andkrs. I knew Townsend well. I first heard of his murdering Nelles (m the day after the murder. I was then at Canfield station, where I lived. I had seen him the night before after the murder was committed- -at my h >use. (leorge Cibson brought him and four others there at about ten o'clock The we.-:- ern train went up about twelve or one o'<-lock. They waited for the eastern train, which went about four o'clock in the morning. I was sworn in as special constable the ne.xt day, when the news of the murder came, and, along with several others, went to Buffalo. I, in company with two policemen, arrested Hlowes, wliom I had never seen but or; the one night when Townsend came to my house with him after the murder. I'his was about six weeks after the deed was done. I aNo re( ognized King, who was in Hamilto:i jail for robbery ; I had only seen him that one night, too. I also helpe<' .VIr. Veoard to arrest Mry.son : he had tracked him to Toronto I J LOCAL HISTORY. 205 I but co'.ild follow Iiim no fiirtlicr, when he ('amc for me nnd I went with him. We found and arrested r.vson near liarrie. We got the first tra^ '■ of 'I'ownsend i'l lUiffalw, wliere he had ijcen at the United States Motel. We went to Oswego, Rock Island, Missouri, and down the Mississippi in ■■.•arch of him. Lost track of him at Alexandria, below (!airo. He;:rd of the prisoaer being arrested from a conductor on the Huffalo and I-ake Huron cars. Afterwards had a x'legram from Mr. lies to meet him at Port Colborne. 1 went there. He asked me to describe Townsend. I did give a short description, but not much because I wanted to hear his. When I asked the color of the eyes of the man arrested, he said blue, whereupon I re- marked, " 'I'hat's not the man, for Townsend has dark eyes." He said he had not noticed them very closely ; they might be dark blue or dark grey. Then he asked me if I recollected Townsend having any scars on his face. I told him I did not He said there was a large scar on the man's face, but that he thought it had been freshly done, as there was a patch on it. It had always been in my mind that he had a scar on his forehead under his hair. His mother said no, it was a "cowlick." lies further said that he had a scar over the eye. I said, "Then Wm. Town.send must have been scarred a good deal since he left." He wanted me to go to Cleve- land, and said he would pay my expenses there and back, and promised me a share of the reward. I think he said I should have two-thirds of it. I went to C!leveland with him. Mr. (iailagher, the city marshal, lies and I, went to the jail. The marshal and 1 went u\) to the prisoner, while lies remained l)elow, the jailer telling him that the prisoner felt vicious towards him. \\ hen I saw the prisoner I said to the jailer, " Is this the man they have arrested for Townsend ?" He said, "Yes," and I answered, "I've seen enough o; him." I conversed very little with the prisoner. I think he asked me if I was from('anada. I said I was, and further said, in answer to his questions, that I had come to recognize him as Townsend. I told lies of this, and he asked me to keep still about it. He said he was afraid if the man got out he might shoot him. ■ I wrote a des>-ription of Townsend when in (Cleveland, signed it, and gave it to the marshal in his office, I returned to lies before I gav^ ihc document to the mar- shal. I told lies that the jjrisoner was not Townsend. My opinion became known and the examination of the man was 'put off because it was said that I was a brother-in-law of Townsend. I thought perhaps this might be a man who com- mitted a rolibery in St. Catharines, and I telegrai)hed ihe police there, to know. It turned out not to be so. I was retpiested to be at the examination in Cleveland, but as it was impossit)le for me to remain for it, I made affidavit as to the descrip- tion of Townsend, and the difference between him and this man. It got into the papers that I was Townsend's relative, and people said that I might as well acknow- ledge him, for I was the only man that swore he was not Townsend. I then put a card in the Huffalo Express stating i'.at I would wager $1,000 with any man that 206 HISTORY OF WKLLANn COUNTY. the prisoner was not William Townsend. No one took it. I have, however, made .some small bets on the subject. I a^a no relation lo Townsend. A half-uncle of his married a cousin of mine ; do not consider that a relation. I have all along entertained the same opinion, that th.- prisoner is not William 'Jownsend. D.wii. 1jiav.\k. — I am \Villiam Townsend's step-father. I last heard Town- send speaking; on the niyht after the murder of Nelles. I was in bed and heard the voice of a stranger. I left Scotland in 1841. I am from Clupar, Fifeshire, fifty or sixty miles from Cllasgow, and never gave 'i ownsend any information about the place. Townsend was poorly educated. I never knew him to read anything except " Yankee notions " and such low sorts of works and the spelling book. He was working for Smith in 1854 and hoarding with me. He had no scars on his face. I never heard of his being kicked by a horse. He had a brother-in-law who came from Uunfermline, a long way from Glasgow. O. C. Mi:LouTH. - I am an attorney from Sandusky, Ohio, and was brought here on behalf of the crown. I first saw the prisoner on the 29th July, 1851, at Sandusky. I vvas the keeper of the jail there and he was brought there on a charge of stabbing the niate of a vessel on which he was cook. He remained in jail until about March, 1852, when he was discharged because the prosecuting witness did not appear against him. We received him by the name of Robt. J. McHenry. Cross-examined — He was registered as Robt. J. McHenry, American age 29, residence on the water. He never stated anyt' ing aljout his previous history ; he appeared to me to be very young for 29, and yet I took his word for it. James 15. Smiih. — I live in the village of Canboro. I became accjuainted with William 'Jownsend in 1845. 'l"he last time that I saw him was October ist, 1854. He vvas working for me off and on from 185 1 to October, 1854. Never observed any scars on his face. There were lumps on his big toe joints. 1 first saw the prisoner about a week ago; He is not Townsend. Cross-examined. I recollect Town,send telling me that he could dress himself so that I would not know him. John N O'Brii.n. - 1 live in !'ort Robinson and knew William Townsend ■ well. We usid to play together. 1 am (}uite satisfied in my own mind that the prisoner is not the man. Adam ^\". I'kai.ick, o" Canboro. I knew Townsend well for about two years. I should know hnn now. Prisoner is not he. Bknjami.m i)iki'in I live in Mefrittsville. Knew William Townsend twelve years ago, and from that i)eriod up to the time of the Nelles murder. iVbout two weeks after the murder I saw him pass Steele's store in Pelham, near which I lived at that time. This was tlie day Ritchie was murdered. There was another jjerson with him, whom [ had seen, 1 think, once before, at my place on the Friday after Nelles' murder in Townsend's company. They came in the evening. I saw them just for a minute, as they were getting into the buggy to go away. On the : mMtm LOCAL HISTORY. 207 ■ occasion, when I saw him |)assing Steele's store, it was in the afternoon. I was leaning over the fence talking to Mr. Steele, who was in the garden. Townsend asked, " Is this the way to Wellandport?" and I said, " Steele, that's Townsend." I. don't recollect whether Steele or I answered the men. Steele said to ine, " That's not possible." I said it was. I knew him as well as my own brother. I then went and alarmed the neighborhood. Townsend worked for me at coopering in 1852. I have seen the i)risoner. He is not Townsend. Townsend had very bad shajjed feet, large and with large toe joints. If he wore ever so nice a boot for a few days, it would be all out of shape. I once got a pair of boots for him, and wore them out of town for a couple of hours. Townsend could scarcely get them on, and could not wear them, they were so tight. [Prisoner and witness here exchanged boots. That of the prisoner's fitted very tight indeed on witness, and that of witness easily slipped off and on prisoner's foot.] Cross-examined. — I never saw Townsend come into the shop whilst Andrew Oliphant was there, and Town- send having a cut on his forehead, bleeding, bound up with a handkerchief, nor do I recollect remarking to Oliphant that he got it by a stave thrown at him by one of the boys. When I went along arousing the neighbors, I passed Townsend on the road. He kept close to the fence with his head down and spoke nothing to me, nor did I to him. I was in a covered buggy. Did not tell him the constables would be after him, and he must look out. Hamilton Pattekson. — I became accjuainted with Townsend in 1851, at Smithville. The prisoner is not he. No such man as Richard Lee ever worked for my father while I was with him. Andrew Brady. — I knew Townsend. Saw him in 1852, when he worked for Diffin. I also saw him after the murder of Nelles. Ditifin asked me to join in pursuit of Townsend. The prisoner does not resemble the man I knew as Town- send. MosKs Brady. - I used to know Townsend. I was at the dance with him tlie day after the murder. I heard of his being in the neighborhood again. Means were taken for his arrest. About twenty persons assembled at Diffin's for the purpose of taking him the day he was seen on the Canboro road. I'hey sur- rounded the wood.T in which he was. I would not say for certain whether I would know Townsend now or not. The prisoner does not look like him at all. Richard 1'attkrson, (Irantham. I have known \Vm Townsend ever since he was a lad. The prisoner is not he. Saw the prisoners in ihe cells here and could not pick Townsend out from amongst them. Joseph M. Saiunk. I knew William 'I ownsend for fourteen years excepting the term that he was on the " Mohawk. " I should know him if 1 saw him now. I never saw any scars on his face but think I should have .seen such a scar as that on the prisoner if it had been there. Cross-examined His forehead was low and ' 208 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. flat. His mouth was wider than common. He used to dance a good deal in spite of his feet which were parti) cri|)pled, owing to the large lum|)s on the toe joints. 'I'ownsend is my half-sister's son. Francis W '•,.., kr. - I am a little older than 'i'ownsend. I was with him very often and i'he size of an egg.) 'I'he lumps were on his feet ever since I first knew him, sixteen years ago. Thomas Cakro.,i,, of Dunnville. —I knew William Townsend, David and I'Yank Weaver. I recollect remarking that Frank Weaver's feet were just like Townscnd's and 1 said that wore it not for his (Weaver's) face I would take him for Townsend. 'I'he first time I noticed Townsend he was hanging by his feet from the limb of a tree. Nelson F'i.anders. — I am twenty-four years old, and knew William Townsend for fifteen years. The prisoner, whom I f.rst saw last Saturday, is not the 'I'ownsend I knew. Aaron F^arr. — I knew ^\'illiam Townsend ; he was with me at a show that I had. Would know him if I saw him. The prisoner is not he. Knew of no scars on Townsend's face. James W.\lter.s. — I was brought up in Canada. Left for California in 1849 with my brother, who is still in Chipp's Flats. We arrived in California in the steam- ship "City of Nevada" in 1850. I remained there until 1853. Up to that time I had no acquaintance in California whom I had known in Canada. I sailed from San F'rancisco to return to this country in August, 1853, and arrived here in Septehi- ber. I went back to Nevada m January, 1854, and resided there until July, 1854, when I went to Chipp's Flats, which is a mining town located immediately on the diggings. The population was small then, there being from one hundred to two hundred and fifty transient peo|)le there. My brother and myself were engaged in carrying water from a stream to the town. In January, 1855, I left the place and went to Yuba County, where I remained until September, 1857, but in the inter- vening time I was frequently at Chipp's Flats. I arrived here from California the very day that this trial commenced. I heard in California that a person named R. J. NicHenry, formerly a resident of Chip])'s F'lats, was indicted for murder commit- ted in October, 1854, and was said to be one William Townsend. Some papers were accordingly prepared in California and shewn to me before I left. I first heard of the case when die papers were given to me. I was coming home, and the oppor- tunity was taken of sending them. I know almost all the parties whose names are attached to the papers. \ letter from McHenry from Cayuga jail was addressed to James Anderson, recording scribe, Sons of Temperance. 1 don't think I should know the handwriting of R. J. McHenry. ■MMHI mjh LOCAL HISTORY. 209 [The letter from C'ayuga jail, dated June 2yth, 1857, was here read. It is addressed to James Anderson, and details the history of McHenry in Cleveland and Canada, and tells of a number of books, in which his name is recorded in Cali- fornia.] The witness continued — The signers of the documents sent in reply to the letter are real, known residents of the place. I saw the prisoner when I came here. I recognized him as soon as I saw him in the cell, into whicli I was introduced. I saw the prisoner first in Chipp's Flatts, .Sierra County, California. 'I'he tirst time I particularly recollect him was, when I saw him in a store. I also saw him at the mines when I was carrying water. He was, like other miners, fixing up his cabin, and writing while waiting for the water to be brought in. I am fully convinced that I saw him as early as October. Mr. Aikens, who was a member of the company formed to carry water, came to Canada with me. He went into the cell with me to see the prisoner. The prisoner was quite familiar with the localities. He related to me some circumstances which 1 had forgotten, but which his relation brought to my mind, and which happened at the time of which I speak. He recognized my friend t^ikens, but called him Hugh Walters, instead of Hugh Aikens. I think I can account for this, because Aikens lived with myself and two brothers, and people often tiiought him one of ourselves and called him \Valters. I don't know when the prisoner left Chipp's, or where he went to. I have no recollection of seeing him since 1856. I now live in Canboro. 1 was raised in the County of Halton. Cross-exawhted. — I saw prisoner in October, November and December, but cannot recall any particular time or any particular day. I did not know him by any name but Bob. I am guided in dates by knowing that the rains commenced in that year in November. I first noticed the prisoner's hut after a three day's rain in No- vember. It appeared quite new then. I do not know whether he built it or bought it, but before he had it I knew him to have been boarding with another man. I know another man, named Henry, who supplied Chipp's Flats with meat. He does not resemble the prisoner and he is not a Son of Temperance, for he keeps a saloon, I also base my knowledge of the prisoner having been in Chipp's Hats early, because he has told me little circumstances, which he could not have learned unless he had been there. In particular he told me of a fight two men had, and all the particulars of it. He related it so that I know he must have been present at the time. Frank J. Huhek. — I live in Waterloo, Seneca county, N. Y. I was in Cali- fornia for several years previous to May, 1857, when I left for home. I was a miner, carrying on active mining operations with a pick and shovel. 1 first saw the prisoner in August, 1854, at Chi[)p's Flats. Became acquainted with him in a law suit between the Wisconsin (x)mi)any and the Wilkinson Company. I was a member of the Wisconsin Company. The suit wa: held before the County Judge ti ato HISTORY OF WKLLANI) COUNTY. of Sierra tlounty. I i:an therefore fix the lime, and am i)Ositive thai I saw him. He took a great interest in the opposite side and expressed his opinion as to the mining claim. I have the records of the suit with me ; these are they (iiroducing.) I was not aware when 1 came to this part of the continent that 1 was to be a witness. I first heard of the matter in December last through the Rochester Union, h stated that the prisoner claimed to have been in Chipps at the time the murder was committed. I went to the editor and told him that I knew a m.m named Robert J. McHenry who had been in California. I further told him that I would offer my services for McHenry or the prosecution. I meant by this that I should know him if he were R. J. McHenry and should not know him if he were Bill Townsend. In consequence, a piece was put in the pajjer by the editor. I afterwards received a letter uom Mr. Barker. I answered him and my correspondeiu'e led to me coming here. I arrived last Monday or 'I'uesday and went with Mr. Barker to the prison- er's cell. I stood outside and looked in through the door. I heard him speak and knew his voice. A\'e were both members of the same lodge of Sons of Temperance. I was a charter member, one of those who started it in 1854. Prisoner joined in ]")ecember, 1854. I was outside sentinel at the time he joined. His cabin was within two hundred feet of mine. I knew Richard Walters of California, a mem- ber of the lodge. I also knew Thomas Walters, and Hugh Aikins. We got cuf water to wash the earth from Mr. Walters. After prisoner was admitted to lodge I was financial scribe. He had to pay his monthly dues to me. He used to pass my house every day. I have heard him talk about the law suit I have mentioned, with a man named Andrew Smith, generally called " Scotty. " When I saw him 1 knew him without asking any questions about California. When I first saw him he wore whiskers and I saw no scar on his cheek. I was one of those who advised him to join the Sons of I'emjjerance. He worked part of the time on Balsam Flat and part of the time on Chipp's Flat. In the tail of 1855 I lost sight of him. Cross-examined — I was not in Buffalo in 1856. 1 never heard of such a person as Garrett Patterson. Agnew p. Farrell. — I am a magistrate, living near Cayuga. I know one Thomas Craham. I also remember Carrett Patterson, who was charged before me, in October, 1854, with murdering Nelles. Patterson did not bear the remotest resemblance to the prisoner. You could not choose two men more dissimilar. Patterson was committed on the evidence of Thomas Craham, who swore conclu- sively that Patterson was one of the gang. The evidence to prove an alibi was so strong that I should have dismissed him, had it not been for Graham's testimony. To the best of my memory, Patterson was said by Mr. (Iraham to have been the one who wore mustaches that is, I believe, Townsend. T first saw the prisoner when he was sent to Cayuga jail, in 1857. I went to see him, and mailed two letters for him. One of them was addressed " Mr. J. Anderson, recording scribe, Sons * -# -i ■w I.OCAI. HISTORY. 2tl * of 'reiiiperance, California." It was the same letter that was read vestcrday. The other one was addressed " Mr. T. Cray, Foster's Bar, Yuba Co., Crl." I Icnew what was in the letters, and made extracts from them before I sent th.Mii. Prisoner sent for me and told me that lie wished to have a special commission to try him. 1 told him tiiat this was simply impossible. 'I'hen 1 advised him to write to Cali- fornia. He said it was no use, for the [)opulation there was floating, and it was not probable that letters would get to the peojjle to whom they were addressed. He afterwards wrote the letters through my urging, and I posted and registered the letters, endorsing on the envelopes a re(|uest for the postmaster to open them, if the parties to whom they were addressed had removed. ■ .et^ollect the public descri})- tion given of Townsend after the murder. It was h Id to be so inaccurate as to be of no vaUie. John 1"oi,in(;si!v. I reside in the State of Wi'^'consin. I was once in Cali- fornia. I went to Chipivs Flats about the ist of Augi' ;., 1853, and remained there until the end of March, 1857. Before I went to Califoniia I lived in Wisconsin, and returned to the same place. I saw prisoner for the first time in July, 1854, in Davidson's restaurant at Chipp's Flats. When I first came here 1 did not recognize the prisoner, nor did I until I had conversed with hini a little. I asked him, if he remembered what time the law suit commenced abont the Cas Tunnel Company. He then detailed to me the circumstances. He asked me whether I remembered a young man being killed by a span of horses running away on the Flats. I did, and 1 remember at that time recognizing the j)risoner. I recollect that he and another man told me of the accident at the time in a store. This was in October or No- vember, 1854. I remember seeing him previously in the restaurant in argument with the man they called Scotty. I don't remember any other person there called Henry or McHenry. I did not know the prisoner's full name in California. I knew him as " Bob." The first intimation I had of this matter was on my receiving a letter from Mr. Barker. I came upon its receipt, and on no other ground than that of common humanity, and without expectation of reward, or of having my ex- penses paid. The man, whose image I had in my mind, was Bob Winscoll, as I found in conversing with Huber. I am now quite sure that the prisoner is he who told me of the accident referred to. Hugh Aikins. — I reside in Halton County. I went to California, arriving at Chipp's Flats in June, 1854, and left that place in September, 1857. I came to this jail with Mr. Walters, ^\'e brought papers with us. I saw the i)risoner then. I first remember seeing him about the middle of October, 1854, in Davidson's house at Chipji's Flats. I remember the time from the work we were doing on the Kanacket ditch. I know that I was at that work in October, and that 1 saw the prisoner then. I recognized the prisoner's features directly I saw him here, but could not place him for a time. He recognized me at once and called me Hugh 312 HISTORY OK WKLLAND COUNTY. Walters. 1 ran account for this because at Chipp's I was known generally as Wal- ters. 1 don't remember having seen any scars on the man in California. He might have had them without my seeing them, for he wore a beard there. It was of a sandy color and so heavy as to ( (jver the skin. I have seen a person here who says liis nann is Springer. He said lie had never been to Chipp's Flats, but had been driving cattle to I'orest City, a place near Chipps. He said he had sold cattle to a man named Mc Henry there. I never knew this man to buy cattle. Si)ringer des- cribed a man that I know by the name of Bill Henry who kejjt a saloon and sold beef at Forest City. I was a member of the Sons. Cross-examined — I recollect the prisoner speaking to me sometime in November concerning a tunnel called the Oregon, in which he was interested. He was then sunburnt and had a fiiir com- plexion. The Henry I knew at I'orest City had dark hair and whiskers, and I don't think he was so heavy as this man. Mr. McDonald here pressed the witness for a length of time, as to whether Henry was straight, or very straight, ruddy, or very ruddy, etc. His L0RD.SHIP said he could not .see that this was pertinent. Mr. McDonald remarked, that if his Lord.ship wished to conduct the ca.se himself His Lordship replied, and Mr. McDonald asked pardon. O. B. Crossman. — I am a blacksmith, and live in Pelham. I know Town- send was in this County in 1852, because I made an instrument, called a crisset, for Diffin. It is a thing used in making barrels. It was not properly made, and it was sent back by Townsend, who gave me instructions as to how to alter it. I charged it on my book, and I find it is entered January 22nd, 1852. Jamks M. Jonks. — I reside in Cleveland. I acted for the prisoner at the time his case was under consideration there. I knew one Robert Fleming. He made a deposition at the time of the arrest. I was with him when he went to the jail to see the prisoner. The prisoner was in the hall. I had that morning objected to the manner in which witnesses were shown the prisoner, by persons asking them if they saw anything like Townsend in him, instead of asking if they could pick him out from among others as Townsend. Fleming came in and McHenry, among ot'^er prisoners, stood before him. He .said he was not sure whether he knew Townsend, but he did know the man who had shot the officer at Port Robinson. He looked at the prisoner, and so did a Mr. Warring, and both were unable to point out any one of them as Townsend, or as the man who had shot Ritchie. Warring pointed ovit another man, who had a scar on his cheek. Fleming told Mr. Philpotts, on being asked if he recognized the man who shot the officer, " I don't know that I do." I repeated the ([uestion, and Fleming made the same reply to me. Phil- potts then stepped up to McHenry, slapped him on the back and said, "Is this the man ?" Warring replied, but Fleming said nothing. I heard no more conversation t LOCAL HISTORY. ax3 inside the jail. Presently Fieming and Caleb Hunt, who had come with him, went out. I remained a short time, and when I went out I heard them talking together in a low tone of voice. I stepped up .^nd remarked, "Well, Fleming, what do you .say now?" He was about to reply when Hunt, taking him by the arm, said, "Here, come here," and led him away. The prisoner gave me his history, and if I had the means of making it public and bringing the witnesses I would have disclosed it. I advised him, however, that he had better let the State make out a case if it could, and even if he were convicted there he would be acquitted when he got to Canada where there are lots of peo[)le who knew Townsend. Mr. Frekman then informed the Court that the counsel for the defence could bring forward very numerous witnesses, but that they were willing to rest their case on the testimony already adduced. t f Rebutting Evidence. James Nellks. — I remember Robert Flanders being at my father's house after the hanging of Blowes and King, when my brother and father were also present. I recollect something being said about the means of recognizing Townsend. It is my impression that something was said by Flanders about several scars, but I am sure he described a scar over the left eye. 1 am not positive that he put his hand up, but I think that he did. He said nothing about^i scar or cowlick near the root of the hair. He said, "Townsend had a scar over the left eye; it is not very percepti- ble, and if you met him on the street and did not know he had i^ scar you might not notice it." This was all said before tiie apprehension of the prisoner. I saw him in Dunnville after the trial at Cayuga, and he expressed surprise that so many people should come forward and identify this man as Townsend, as he could see no re- semblance whatever between the two. I said, "Well, Townsend had a scar over the left eye." "No," he said. Sampson Nelles and William W. Nelles corroborated the evidence of the last witness as to conversation with F'landers at their house. Andrew Oliphant. — I reside at l.undy's Lane and used to follow blacksmith- ing. Knew Townsend. Can easily recollect the time that he worked lor Diffin. Remember him having a handkerchief over his head. I understood it was on ac- count of a hurt which he received. James Chambers. — I know Aaron Farr. Had some conversation with him at the time of his examination in Cleveland. I asked him if he would know Townsend positively ; he (Farr) had looked over his shoulder into a glass, and Townsend said that he (Townsend) had as good a blue eye as he had. I understood him also to state that Townsend had a scar over his left eye. S. S. Hagar. — I had some conversation with Mr. Schram concerning Towns- u i.1 214 HISTORY ()!■ WKI.LANI) COUNTV. end. He (Ifscrihed him as a man with high clieck-boncs, thin checks, a long chin, iVc, and spoke particularly of a s< ar over his eye. Nancv Crumh. I live near Jordan. I know Win. Harvey, who resides near the 'I'ownsend family. I heard him say, after 'I'cjwnsend had nnirdered Mr. Nelles and had gone away, that Townsend had changed his name and called himself Mc- Henry. He was talking to my son. There were other persons present if 1 mistake not. Wii.i.i AM r.MCOTT. -I live in Cleveland. Have heen a sailor for twenty years. 1 have known the prisoner and saw him in the spring of 1X52 on the schooner 'St. Lawrence," on Lake Erie. He was a cook. On the "St. Lawrence" this man went by the name of Mol). Kknnkih McKknzik. 1 was horn and brought up in the north of .Scotland. I have had conversation with the prisoner, in which he told me that he came from near (ilasgow. I received the im[)re.ssion that he meant a few miles. I asked him if he .sailed from (Ilasgow. He said he had sailed from (Ireenock. That would be the most direct route. I never expres.sed the ()[)inion that " he had never been in Scotland because he did not know the way out." John Dkvink.--! knew William Townsend on the canal. I was present when he met with an accident. He was driving and was struck on the left side of the face by the horse's hoof. " Old Spot " was the horse's name. The vvound bled some. Solomon I )orman was there, too. We carried him into a grocery in Thor- old and left him. He was senseless. RoHKRT Harper. — I live on the canal. Know Towtr-iend. Saw him in Thor- old about half-an-hour after he had been kicked by a si)Otted horse. The kick was on the cheek bone. He said that he was badly hurt. Mr.s. Shkrwood.-I had a little conversation with Capt. I'urnbull. He said, " If the lawyers only knew what (juestions to put him, they would throw more light on the .subject than had been thrown upon it." Something was said about his ex- penses. He said Mr. Darling of Dunnville had promised to pay his expenses. F. J. Chkshirk. — Klanders told me at Cayuga that he knew Townsend's face had scars on it, but that the people were all wrong in describing them. Robert Coulter. — O'Brien told me several times that he could not swear whether this man was or was not Townsend. Josp:ph (Iarnkr. — Mrs. Ayres worked for me from October 20th, 1852, to June, 1853. I lived then near Diffin's. That, I believe, is the only season she lived in the neighborhood. Her name then was Olive Yokom. liKNjAMiN l.AWRiK.-— I lived within half-a-mile of Mr. Diflin'sin 1852 and 1853, On referring to my memorandum book, Townsend was there in the fall of 1852. He worked at Diffin's in the latter part of September. Solomon Dor.man. — I was once engaged in towing on the canal. 1 know 5 LOCAL HISTORY. 215 (• ■ 'I'ownscnd, bill w;is not present when he was k irked. I don't recollect any man beinj; brought into a house near Thorold after being kicked by a horse. I don't renienil)cr anyone i)eiiig kicked by a s|)ottod horse. I was kicked l)y a bay horse and carried into a grocery at I'iiorold insensil)le. Don't recollect who carried me in. This concluded the evidence at about ten o'clock on Monday, .April 5th. Sfkkch kok riiK Dkfknce. Mr. Frkkman said he regretted that a severe cold prevented him from dis- diarging his dut't's as he would wish. He telt it proper towards himself, in conse- (jucnce of the terrible outrages committed by 'I'ownsend, to .state how it was that he first became connected with the case. They had heard that at Cayuga the same |)risoner had been arraigned and had expresseil himself ready for his trial without having any counsel or a single witness for his defence. This novel course astonished the Court and the .Solicitor-Cieneral, who was conducting the prosecution. During the evening, after the prisoner had been for a time remanded, Mr. Marker and others had spoken to him (Mr. Freeman) about the matter, and he voluntarily undertook the duty of attending to the case. He asked the prisoner nothing about his history or circumstance's, but contented himself with hearing the evidence. On that occa- sion it was known the jury had disagreed. On this occasion he knew no more of the prisoner thivn what he had learned from the witnesses on the previous occasion, except that he had received certain documents from California, which he had not been allowed to put in as evidence. Hut he might say that these and others had turned his belief in the innocence of the man into conviction. He would allude to the extraordinary outline of the prosecution. It had been carried on in a spirit which could only be accounted for by belief that the man in the box was not to be considered as innocent until proved guilty, but as guilty until proved innocent. In support of this he would only point to the manner in which the witnesses for the de- fence had been examined and browbeaten. He would not allude to the influence that large rewards, such as the one offered, had in warping the case. It had drawn hordes of men of low character to swell the tide of evidence. The officers of the Crown had hired the very men to deceive them in reference to this inan's guilt. What respectable inhabitants of Canboro Township had been brought to testify to the identity of the man ? None. Every piece of evidence unfavorable to the view taken by the Crown had been carefully suppressed, while thieves, convicts and pros- titutes had been brought to testify against the prisoner. Mr. lies and Mr. Tapper had every possible inducement to action ; the one had the hdpe of a reward, the other had been the paid servant of the Crown for the last six months, and had in- dustriously tracked out every possible vein of evidence by bringing witnesses from far and near, and even public officials of the United States. Oiminal law should \t ! . ai6 HISTORY UK WKIXAND COUNTY. « l)c iulmiiiistcrcd with nifrcy, not vindu tivcncss ; the balance of justirc should in- cline to\v:iids nn-rcy. He would appeal on this point to well known authorities. .And then there was the further and lienevolenl view taken hy the law that, if there were any reasonahle douht of guilt, the douht should he given to the benefit of the accused. It was hetter, in ( oniinon phrase, that ten guilty men should escape than that one innocent should sufier. As further proof of the spirit of the prosecution, he would remark that in the opening speech for the Crown it had hecn said that four of the five men engaged in the murder had suffered for their (rime, while the " fifth stood hefore us. " Was this just ? Was this in accordance with the princi- ples of the law ? He had feared, he had trembled, when hearing that, lest inno- ct-ncy should have no place in that < ourt. .Antl it had been further said that a new trial could be easily moved for in case of application, and, therefore, it was implied that the jury ought to convict him without fear, because by possibility he might after- wards show his innocence. This he reprobated in the strongest language. Ho would ' iimmence by alluding to the j)r()ceedings at < ,'leveland, first adverting to the fact that although this man was charged with murdering Ritchie, the murder of another, and the robbery of about a dozen, crimes the most terrible, were all proved to secure a conviction. Me had always understood that the prosecution had n(j right to travel beyond the record. He had said so to his learned friend, but that gentle- man had taken his own course, and, although there was but one crime charged against him, evidence had been offered and received concerning a number. Again, when one witness had menlionecf a door or a window, another had been brought to show that such a door or window really existed. This was all on record, although it ought nut to have been taken down. The evidence opened with a very tragical dis- play, proved only by Mr. lies, but he would first draw attention to Mr. Knowlton's evidence. He saw the prisoner on the railway car, coming to Cleveland, and, after one or two trials elsewhere, he brought him to Mr. lies' house. No evidence had been taken to show whether Mr. lies' name was painted on the door or not. It probably was, or else Mr. lies' name was mentioned by Mr. Knowlton in the jjrison- er's presence. The pistol was taken hold of by Mr. lies, and if the prisoner made a strong remark on the occasion, it was because he was unwilling that the i)istol should be ultimately alienated from him. The language might have been profane, but the prisoner was not to be convicted for swearing. The language of Mr. Knowlton was probably this, " A/r. Iki. does not want it, " iVc, and the prisoner was led into Mr. lies' supper room. Look at the relation of the parties. The landlord had taken in a penniless man. The prisoner accepted that hospitality. Now, viewing the man as an innocent man, •what follows ? 'I'here was no proof in sui)port of the confusion and fear which lies professed to have felt on first seeing him. It was (juite unex- pectedly that the constables were (piietly introduced. As to lies' evidence, he would say that a man could not be a witness in his own cause in a civil matter — neither \ ■I (^ J y' u LOCAL HISTORY. 217 otipht his evidence to ^o for much m a criminal suit, on the result of which he had a I ivil interest. Hut even taking it into ( onsideratioii, how did it tell against tlic prisoner? He was arrested on the false char^^e of taking a trunk, and when at the stntionhouse said, "lies, lies, you know me." VVas not this what mij^ht have heen expected? He was being carried into custody, and to whom would lie apply, if not to the man at whose fireside he had been sitting, and whom he believed his frii nd? The exclamation was not, "lies, ,/" vou know me?" but a positive declaration, "lies, you know me," and .Mr. M< \^''ir said he tluis exclaimed, as if he wanted somebody to bail him 01 of jail. Mr. lies mi).'ht possibly ha\j seen this, M\d accordingly all e circumstan cf Mr. Patterson's, where Mr. Patte.oon and Mr. Miner said that he had never worked ! Mr. Brooks, who swore positively at Cayuga that this was the man, said, after seeing the sisters, " I'd give anything to take my oath back." Accordingly he was doubtful here, and his evidence ought to go for nothing on behalf of the Crown. The next witness actually said that Townsond himself had carried to Diffin's the news of the murder, although nobody else from its neighborhood said people knew anything about it for two days after. That surely weakened his evidence! The next witness was Mrs. Ayres. Now neither she nor her husband thought they were going to see Townsend. Nor did she do so until after she had first seen him, as her husband said. But she said she recognized him at once! Mr. Ayres, who ought to know his wife best, said, " Even after what she said I did not think it was Bill Townsend." Potts, the next witness, said this man's hair was darker than Town- send's. This was a new view of the case ! Aaron Jennings, the next witness, was the man who paid several visits to the prisoner, during one of which the prisoner made a rude, inexplicable remark, unless every mystery was to be made an iron link to bind this man to crime. He said, "What a fool I was to tell Hobson what I did of you." Mr. Hobson, who was put into the box, said jjrisoner had told him nothing 1 Mr. Hartley proved that Townsend was working for him during the summer that this mon was on Lake Erie. Mr. Hellems' evidence wa the next of anjT^ importance. He did not know what that person thought of himseli. He thought very little of him. He went inside of the jail with professions of f endship — talked of things not of this world — moved him to tears — went c of the jail and disclosed all that had passed. ^pntemptible, beneath contempt was such conduct, and the man so dead to honor ought not to be believed on his oath. But what did he get out of that conversation? Prisoner said, "You were driving i^iles." and this was construed into an admission that he had been in Canada ! Why, had he not been previously talking of driving piles ? He only said he thought not. And at that time Townsend was only five years old .' After this let Mr. Hellems be.silently jiassed over. The young girl who saw two men sitting on a Vy^ eating buns, was, he thought, sincere, but her evidence was probably incorrect ; sh.e must have been too much frightened. The case for the prosecution was closed by what might be called a farce after serious tragedy. How, in the annals of criminal jurisprudence in this Province, was such a proceeding enacted, as to put barbers mto the witness box to testify, in a case of murder, to impossible things, which ought to be laughed at, and medical men to testify that it was jjossible for carbuncles, caused by tight boots, to be removed, while Townsend himself never wore tight boots, but always a fine boot or a moccasin ! Wherever Townsend now was, he had his marks with him, as would be seen if, as Cod grant, he ever were found, 'i'his closed the case for the prose- cution, and he would be far more brief in adverting on that for the defence. Evidence of the best and most respectable neighbors of the Townsend family had • ft A LOCAL HISTORY. 221 \ been brought. Even His I,ordship had almost chided him and asked if he were about to bring all the boys of the township to testify. He had therefore let many of them go, although he thought even the finger of a boy was not to be despised if it could roll back in any way the tide of evidence against an innocent man, although he was thankful that oys should come without even the promise of a cent to give their evidence against those whom the Crown had not let go away dissatisfied. He made no accusation against the Government. The Government believed the prisoner guilty, and believed the cloud of i vidence for the defence forsworn. He thanked heaven, in the face of this, that men from hundreds of miles away had come spontaneously. It was done because they be- lieved the cause of this man was that of truth and innocence. To him, he would say that he had no hope of reward for the part he took, and it was far more grateful to his feelings to spend so as to see the truth triumphant than to receive a heavy reward for securing the triumph of error. It was the duty of the community to de- fend the innocent as well as to prosecute and punish the guilty, and it seemed that the Administration might well have expended a httle to establish this man's inno- cence when they spent so much to establish his guilt. But he would analyze the evidence for the defense a little. There was a man named Canfield who said, " I have often sat in the school house with Townsend and looked into his eyes. I know they were black and I have heard him called ' Black Eyes.'" Would this man ever he called " Black Eyes?" And who was this Mr. Canfield ? Was he a man brought here by that notorious gatherer of false witnesses — Robert Flanders ? No ; but he would just say of this Mr. Flanders, that he was the man who had tracked out the others of the gang, and whose recollection of features was so good that he did this in the face of an incorrect description, although he had only seen them once. The Crown insinuated that he had connived at Townsend's escape, but the sooner they dropped that, and in fact all of their proceedings, the better. He would now just refer to the scars. It iiad been attempted to be shown that Townsend had a scar on his face, made by the kick of a horse. How had this been corroboroted by Mr. Dorman, the last witness examined this morning ? Those who said so forgot, per- haps, that such scar must have been made while the new locks on the canal were being built, and /hfore Townsend was entered on the " Mohawk," at which time there was no scar on him or it would have been registered on the books of that vessel. And could :hat scar (pointing) have been innit:ted by the kick of a horse ? Could it have been inflicted by the iron shoe of a horse and have broken no jaw, no bone — have made no other injury ? Impossible. As to the conversation, eyes, general api)earance, habits, &c., as described by Mr. Robinson and others, how different were all from this man's ! Mr. Stuart gave the same description as Mr. Robinson. Mr. Cameron of Dunn- ville, at whose iiouse Townsend boarded, said this was not the man ; Hig- 222 HISTORY OF WELLANP COUNTY. if ' j^ins, who lived there, said he was. The law said the prisoner .should have the benefit of the doubt. It was true that many of llie witnesses could not give the description of Townsend's nose. Hut what of that ? It was surely not necessary that a man should speak to the form of another's chin to be believed that he knew liim. Mr. Maitland, an honest, fair dealinjf man told us that this man had an in- timate knowledge of the localities near Clasgow. Townsend never had a thought above a negro melody ; but Mr. Dewar was a .Scotchman who had told his stepson all about it in order that he might escape after murdering people ! Ridiculous ! 'i'he mind must be convinced that he who could describe the fences, the hewn stone on the road, the architecture of the houses, the history of the inhabitants of the place, must iiave been there. And what a mistake the prosecution had made when they brought Mr. McKenzie forward. He did not :'ome from even the same part of the county and could of course like many others make but a mockery of a contradiction. .A.fter noticing the fact that several witnesses placed Townsend in Canada near Dififin's in the fall of 1852, Mr. Freeman said he would leave those witnesses who had known the real Townsend, and would carry the jury along with him to other places than Canada. It would be recollected that Mr. McLouth, the jailer of Sandusky, Ohio, had been put into the box and showed that the i)ri: iner had l)een in Sandusky jail until the last of March, 1852, from the middle of July, 185 1. 'i'he prosecution said, " Put him in the box and you hang your man. " Not at all. In spite of threats, the defence had moved on triumphantly, as every case of truth will triumph over every organization for jjurposes of falsehood, however strong. Mr. Ix'wis then shows that the prisoner was on the " Powhattan " and left with the ex- press intention of going to California, and that, in February of the next year a letter was received by Captain TurnbuU from the pri.soner. Captain Turnbull cor- roborates this, and .says he saw him on the "St. Lawrence," and that he then left with the intention of getting that situation on the " Fowhattan " which he sooner or later assumed. All these witnesses said the prisoner then had eyes, and hair, and fore- head and appearance just as he now has. Could this be true and yet the same man occasionally ajjpear in Canada, in essential points different ? Surely not. He did not slip up and down on the lightning train from place to place. He did not assume the silent, quiet character of McHenry on Lake Erie and the low negro singer at the next instant in Canada. There was no other way of solving the enigma tlian that the Crown witnesses were mistaken, and that this man was not 'i'ownsend. He would now pa.ss on to the California testimony. The first heard of him here was from the letter hence. True, it was lost. True, the postmark could not be remembered. But more important documents were often lost, too ; and, to instance a case, he would mention that none of tiie Covernment advertise- ments describing Townsend had been produced, and the reason for the disappear- ance 6{ the letter of McHenry was very well accounted for by the captain, ikit LOCAL HISTORY, 223 the (late was pretty well fixed, l)y the recollection of parties, as February, 1854. Then Mr. Aikens' testimony came in. Who was this Mr. Aikins ? It had been said by the prosecution that we dare not put in the box a man from California, the land of blacklegs arid tliicves, for tliere were men from the Unu^d States who would take them up and \nmii, them to justice. He would say of this Mr. Aikens and Mr. Walters, too, that if California had many such noble spirits she had much to boast of. Earnest, respectable, self-relying, they had sought and found riches there, and had returned here to their relatives. Their very ajipearance was such that those who spoke of the officers of justice in connection with their names should stand asham- ed. Mr. Pillings ( Folingsby ? ) too, the action of whose memory might seem strange to some, gave a fair and natural account of what he bad seen and remem- bered. Rough he might seem, but he liad the fine feelings of a man within his bosom, and he came from the far w^est at the call of humanity alone, at hir, own expense, to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing more. What if, after one circumstance was brought to his mind, he tracked back as it were, the train of thought. The recollections of the mind are sometimes so brought forth, and more than sometimes -— nay, often. Pilling.s, Walters and Aikens, bid defiance to all that could be said about their integrity, and told in words that could not be gainsaid, that the prisoner had been there, in California, while Townsend was here, in Canada. The evidence in reply -'as not worth a allusion, further than that it had helped .strengthen the defence, by showing clearly that Town- send was in Canada while the prisoner was on Lake Erie. The case on ihe whole was one of the most extraordinary that had ever occurred, in the way it had been prosecuted, in the way the evidence had been brought forward and given. But the cases of identity ought to be governed by the known i)rinciples of common law In 1748, at the Kingston assi/es, Richard Coleman was tried for being one of three who had assaulted a woman and caused her death. He had been asked " Had he heard so and so had been assaulted ?" He replied, "Yes ; and what of that ?" and upon two or three expressions like this he was convicted and executed, and it was after^ wards i)roved that lie was not even near the place. He read several other cases in which men had been convicted, and wrongly, although many had testified to their identity as having committed the.se crimes. He brought forward a still more ex- traordinary case, mentioned in Beck's " Medical Jurisi)rudence," in which one Joseph Parker was indicted for bigamy under the name of Richard Hoag, who had a lisping si)eech and certain scars just like Parker. This was in 1804, before Judge Livingstone in New York. Here the jury had ac(4uitted the prisoner. To conclude on the one hand, in this case, cliaracters of various and doubtful re|)Ute had all iieea brouglit to testify, to cry vengeance against the prisoner. On the other, men of known character had asked the law to stay the sword ot justice 224 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. Pl it for this was an innocent man. If all the various testimony created a doubt, the verdict of the jury should ije in favor of the prisoner. Speech for the Prosecution. Mr. MAcnoNAi.n commenced by apologizing for indisposition. He said he had never until this day felt called upon to reply to the evidence brought forward by the defence, liut the position of a prosecuting attorney was very different from that of counsel for the defence: the latter might indulge in the declamation of the advocate, but the former, was a looker on. There was no one in the Court House who would rejoice more than himself that the innocent should escape, but he thought that, if all the circumstances of this case pointed with unerring finger to the prisoner as the murderer of Ritchie, he would rejoice in his conviction. He confessed that he had hunted up every particle of evidence possible, but this was merely his duty. He had exercised no undue influence over the minds of the witnesses, nor wished to do so over the jury. What was the Crown ? The embodied majesty of the j^eople. The people, therefore, were really the prosecuters. He knew that the Counsel for the defence thought they had a good case, for they had chosen an intelligent jury. He alluded to the fact that the witnesses for the prosecution were all removed from court, while the witnesses for the defence, who were also ordered out of court, could read the whole of the case for the prosecution in the public prints. He then alluded to the service rendered in the case by Mr. Harrison, who had both talent and application, and would undoubtedly rise to eminence. If he had expre.ssed his conviction in his opening address, that the prisoner was guilty, it was perhaps an error of his head, but with singular ificonsistency the counsel for the defence had committed the error he pointed out, and had himself expressed his conviction of the innocence of the prisoner. The case under consideration was indeed an important one, and one that would be read with interest both by the people here and in Europe. The jury would have to hear the verdict of popular opinion upon their verdict, but they should disregard that. He would say, that if there were on the minds of the jury any reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the prisoner, they ought to acquit him, and he hoj^ed that the decision they came to would be a unanimous one, that it would not be a lame and impotent conclusion by disagreeing, as a jury before had done in the same case. He defended Mr. Harrison for having stated to the jury that the law now allowed a delay of a few months between sentence and execution. .'Vnd he would state, on behalf of the (lovernment, that if prisoner were convicted, and, at the very foot of the gallows, mentioned circumstances of his former life to show that he was not Townsend, he should have a reprieve. He next jiaid the newspaper press of the country a compliment for the ability, energy and fairness with which the reports of one day's trial had been furnished to the people the next, a proceeding which formed a new e[joch in the history of this country. He was ■ 9r. LOCAL HISTORY. 225 1 obliged, he said, to show that Townsend had murdered Nelles and had committed other atrocities, for, if he had not done so, it would have been agreed that the man, whoever he was, was justified in resisting the arrest, even to the death. As to penitentiary evidence, he would mention that those who associated with such characters could not complain if they testified at law against them. Their evidence was of a certain weight, although not so weighty as honest people's. He would remark, concerning Bryson, that if he had not at first recognized the prisoner, it was because he wore whiskers. Concerning the earrings mentioned by Bryson, it was indeed strange thr.t only one other besides he had testified to Townsend wearing earrings. Then, as to the i:at which had been dropped by Townsend, it was indeed small for the prisoner, but th^s only increased the force of the evidence against him, for, had it not been too small for Townsend, it would not have dropped off hini. Concerning Mrs. Fleming's evidence, it was extraordinary, indeed, that she had had a presentiment that something would happen, when she saw the pistols in the man's pocket. Her evidence had been somewhat different from that of her husband, but this very discrepancy added to the presumption of its truth, by showing that it was not a made up story, like that of the California witnesses, who had made the man argue with Scotty from the beginning of July until the end of November. Mr. Gainer had touched a point at issue wi;en he asked v.ho this man was. How is it that nothing was heard of McHenry from the time he was said to have left Scotland until the time he came up at Sandusky jail ? The Crown said he could give no account of himself, because he had no past history other than as William Townsend. They dated his birth as McHenry when he was engaging on the " St. Lawrence," on Lake Erie. The course taken by the defence in putting Mr. McLouth in the witness box himself might have been considered dangerous in a civil case, but it was not in this instance. For, when there was a McHenry, there was no Townsend, and at every time when we could trace McHenry they lost sight of Townsend. They had gone to California for an alibi. This was needless, if they could have proved that Townsend was anywhere out of Sandusky jail between July, 1851, and March, 1852. 'I'ownsend was well known here. Why did they not point out where he was at that time ? This was the strongest point in the whole case. They all knew there never vas a cooler or more daring character than Townsend. How cooi and calcu- lating was his conduct at Woodstock ! How cool was his conduct when he sat down to supper at Port Robinson after committing a murder and a robbery in the neigh- borhood. He (speaker) said he would make witnesses of every one of the jurors to a point of resemblance. Let them look at the cool conduct of the prisoner dur- ing the trial, reading the newspapers and holding on occasions the candle to his face. There could not be two men of such inimitable coolness. As to the evidence of Mr. F'leming and that of Mr. Jones, which were in some degree contradictory, it ought to be considered that Mr. Jones' evidence was no more straightforward or true T •26 HISTORY OF WKLLAND COUNTY. If I It If! M H - S M than that of Mr. Fleming. It was'said that Mr. Fleming and one or two others had only seen Town.send once, and therefore could not recollect him. Now, they had seen him under circumstances which fi.xed him in their minds. The man's smile was a thing that anyone could recollect when his features were forgotten, and Mr. Forbes and others pointed this man's out as Townsend's. His leorned friend had choser to speak very severely of Mr. lies, whose evidence he distrusted because he was working, as it were, for a reward. He dissented from this o|)inion, and thought that Mr. lies' testimony ought to be received, especially where corroborated. Where not corroborated it was for good reasons. In the matter of breaking the glass, no other witness stood by to corroborate it. On that occasion the |)istol first appeared, and he would remark, although it did not much affect the ca.se, that thert; w;re on the pistol twcr letters, " \V. 'J"." 'I'hese were probably the maker's mark. His I.okdship. — What 's the good of taking up time so? Mr. Macdon.m.d only alluded to it as an extraordinary coincidence. .Mr. lies' and Mr. McArthur's evidence agreed in the main ind were not so dissimilar as had been .said by the counsel for the defence. About the pistol he would just further remark that it was strange that a man should carry a pistol and three knives who had but fourteen cents to protect. He had said to the constables who arrested him that he had not been in Buffalo these two years. If he had been in Huffalo two years before, he had not been in (California in 1855, as his affidavit set forth, 'i'he evidence of Mr. lies concerning the conduct of the prisoner at Cleveland was very strong. He (Mr. Macdonald) threw aside all the testimony as to the color of this man's hair and eyes. One often knew nothing about the hair and eyes of one's friends, - - althorgh even now it was difficult to .ay whether the prisoner's hair was black or brown, and the downcast eye which Townsend showed might have given it a dark shade ; although even lumps on one's feet might diminish, and scars grow less in size. With regard to voice, it was said Townsend's was peculiar. But he had a power of imitating voices. The evidence of Cieorge May, connected with that of his father, made up an important i)oint. He said he had met Townsend in Chicago, and had told his father that he (Townsend) had told him he was McHenry. That was the first heard of the name McHenry, and when it was considered that Mr. Harvey told Mrs. Crumb tliat Townsend had changed his name to McHenr)', it was indeed important. 'I'ownsend told Harvey he intended to go to California or Australia. Doubtless he went to CaUfornia and arrived there in Decem- ber. But had he been there in October ? was the question. If he had only been there in December it would have been a very likely thing to have written a letter to Capt. Turnbull. He very likely ante-dated it in October, and if he did so, and >• .it it in December, it might probably reach Capt. Turnbull in February, 1855, '■^it-ad of in 1854, as he stated whilst probably laboring under a mistake. It was extraordinary how people would differ as to the heighth of the i » f I.OCAI. HISTORY. 327 i f forclicad. One person said Townsend had a low forehead, but that it was probably two indies high. Now, two inches made a very respectable forehead. As to eyebrows ; doubtless 'Townsend had heavy eyebrows, which the |)risoner had not so heavy. I'robably he had i)lucked them out. Hut, says the counsel for the defence, they were always there. Mr. McLouth, of Sandusky, said they were more bushy then than now, and it would be very easy to let the eyebrows grow when he wanted to have them thick, and to pluck them out when he wanted them thin. This man still had the stoop shoulders, which Townsend had. His general height was the same. 'I'hese were both things which could not be altered. As to family resemblance it must be admitted that it did not always exist between members of the same family. To relate the history of this man : In May he was on the St. Lawrence. In June he was in I )unnville, coopering. In October he vwnt on board the "Powhattan." And neither in March, June nor October, 185 2, could he be shewn to be Townsend in Canada. With regard to admissions like^those made to Higgins, ho thought them very im|jortant, and more so than all that unreliable testimony about eyes, hair, eyebrows, etc. The testimony about scars was also important. 'Jhere was no other man in the world scarred as this man was. And if the jury thought the evidence as to scars was reliable, then the California evidence, and Capt. TurnbuU's evidence, and all other evidence, of whatever description, ought to go for nothing, and the prisoner ought to be convicted. Barton Wait said, " I can't go to Cleveland, but if the man is Townsend, he has a scar upon the foot." And it was found there. Allen said the same. .'\s to the scar on the left eyebrow, it was al.so sworn to by a number of persons. .\s to the scar on the cheek, it was proved by Harper and Devine, although Mr. Dorman that morning denied the fact. Dorman had told twenty people he had seen Townsend receive the kick. The accident very likely occurred after the man Townsend left the "Mohawk," and this would account for its not being on the books of that vessel. And if the scar on the prisoner was not caused by that kick, why did he not show how he got it? Doubtless Townsend had these scars. The evidence for the defence merely showed that the scars were unknown to some people to be there. He would now say a word as to the power of transmogrification, which this man and Townsend in common possessed. On the St. Lawrence this man acted the Englishman. In .Sandusky jail he acted the American. Captain TurnbuU's evidence was strange. Did a man, a cajitain of a ship, ever before invite his cook to his table, and write poetry with him ? Talking of writing, he would once more allude to the signatures of the letters written by the prisoner. In the one to California he was "McHenry. " In others the letters were poorly formed. It had been said, that it was extraordinary that, at Cayuga, the prisoner expressed himself as ready for his trial without prepar- ation. At first sight it did appear so ; but once admitting him to be Townsend well disguised, so that he knew he could not be known, his conduct could be easily un- 228 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. ,•') dcrstood. He now paid a tribute of praise to the energy and activity of 'I'upper, and he said he hud had great dilliculty in procuring his witnesses tliroiigli fear of the Townsend gang which, he knew, existed. If this were not '1 ownsend, why did all Townsend's former friends work so hard and do so much to clear him. Naturally, it would be said, if he were not Townsend, they would say go on and hang him, and Townsend would then be safe. Having thus given the jury the heads of the case, he hoped they would be guided to a correct conclusion. Judge's Chargk. Hi.s Lordship said he could not but express his admiration of the paiient con- duct of the jury, who would, doubtless, discharge the remainder of their duty faith- fully. The fact that Townsend murdered Ritchie was the first that ought to be established, and although it was well to prove that Townsend murdered Nelles and robbed Gainer, he would remark that a constable could arrest anyone without a war- rant, although, perhaps, another person might not. He proceeded to notice the career of Townsend from the time he murdered Nelles to the time of the murder of Ritchie, and narrated the events connected therewith, as Potts and others had told them in the witness box, from which he said the conclusion could be drawn that Townsend did murder Ritchie. The next (jucstion was, was the prisoner that man ? In instituting the prosecution the [)ublic were undoubtedly doing their duty to the public. Some of the gang had already suffered the consecjuences of their crimes, but Townsend had escaped. The reward was then offered by the Government for his apprehension as an incitement to action. Mr. Flanders, whose conduct had been praiseworthy, had received part of the reward for the apprehension of some of the gang. Mr. lies was now putting in a claim for some more. He detailed afresh the adventure at Woodstock, which he thought showed carelessness on the part of the )ersons concerned. Two of them swore i)ositively the prisoner was the person who sO' escaped. Shortly afterwards another person who was at work on the railway west of London, saw a person walking u|), whom he took for Town- send, and that person, Mr. Robinson, swore distinctly and unequivocally that the prisoner was that man. Further west, at Chicago, Mr. May recognized a person, whom '"he first thought to be, and afterward addressed as Townsend. Thence probably, he went to New Orleans. We heard nothing more of anyone supposed to be Townsend, until a person coming to Cleveland had no money to pay his fare, and was introduced by Mr. Knowlton, the railway conductor, to Mr. lies, who took his pistol, becoming responsible for the amount of his fare. Mr. lies said he was so struck with the appearance of the man, that he at first let a glass fall from his hand, and then went for the constab'es. Mr. lies, doubtless, acted under the honest belief that the man was Townsend, or he would not have arres'^'^d him. The matter then became a subject for investigation at Cleveland, and in consequence I I.OCAI, MISIOKY. 339 till' mm was delivered to the Canadian aiitliorilics and l)r()ii,i;lu to Tuujnto jail. What happened then concerning the boat was indeed an important matter, and ought to be well and carefully weij^hed. One would scarcely imagine him to make use ot the expression, "No, not Cayuga, but Dunnville," unless he had known Townsend to have stolen the boat and sold it at that particular place. Higgins not only swore to that fact, but he unecjuivocally proved that the prisoner at the bar is William Townsend. The trial at Cayuga was a matter with whi( h the jury here had little to do. Much testimony there was brought forward positively against the prisoner, and also f">r him. 'I'he same had been done here. The evidence against nim, it would be recollected, seemed conclusive at the close of the prosecution. But since that a number had testified that this man is not Townsend. With respect to the large number who had come forward for the defence, he thought it highly creditable, that so many should come and give evidence freely and of their own accord to help a person that they thought innocent — and on the other side it must not be said that the Government were acting in a persecuting spirit — or that their witnesses acted from unworthy motives. He read the testimony of lies, and then that of Constable Mc.\rthur, and .said the jury could see if there was any important discrepancy between them. There were a number of important circumstances to be considered. In Cleveland, numerous other persons besides Mr. lies were examined. Mr. Fleming's testimony had also been given here, and had been attempted to be contradicted. How far had this attemi)t succeeded ? Mr. Jones' narration of the circumstances of Fleming's visit to the jail was essentially different from that of Mr. Fleming himself. Mr. Fleming seemed circumspect and careful, and gave his evidence in a manner which he ( the judge ) thought was sincere. It would, however, be for the jury to say how far they believed it. He then read Mr. Fleming's evidence, and also Mr. Jones', and attached very little importance to the fact, that one of tliem stated that to have occurred inside of the jail, which another said to have occurred outside. However, the jury might think otherwise. With respect to the evidence generally, there were a number of witnesses who swore the man was Townsend, and a larger number who said he was not, and not like him. Then there were many who identified the prisoner, not as Townsend, but as having seen him before in Canada. There were a Mr. Kennedy and a Mr. Cheshire who belonged to thi^s class. Of course, if this were so, the prisoner's state- ment could not be true, that he had never been in Canada. There was also a young woman who identified him. Fortunate indeed was it for her that a wagon had opportunely driven up when she was stopped by him or another would doubtless have been added to the catalogue of crimes that cluster around Townsend's career. There was much in the defence to show that the prisoner was R. J. McHenry, another man altogether from Townsend. If it could, how^ever, not be shown that he lived at the same time as Townsend, then the same man might 15 1 n If i ! f :-l 330 I- ()!• WI'.I.I.ANI) (IHINTV. have personated two characters. He had taken ;t ikjIl- dl" the times at which Town- send's whereabouts was known. In '49 he was at I'oit Mailland. In 1850 he was at St. (.'atharines. In 1S50 and 1.S5 1 he was said to be in (!ayiifja, while the i)risoner was in jail in .Sandusky. In the siiiinner of 1X5? Townsend was in Dunnville. In .September he was at Diltin's. In ()(t()i)er, 1852, he was on the " Powhattan." In the winter of 1852-.^ he was at Diftin's. In the following winter he was around, l)iit there was no evidence to show wiiere he was except during tiie spring. He saw nothing, however, in all this to .show that tiie same man might not have been in all these places at these different times. ;\t this point prisoner became impatient, and said, "1 would suggest, your Lordship," His j.ouDsiiiP said- -" m't receive any suggestion." The pri.soner tlien w d Mr. (^lurie to (ome to speak with him, saying he would "have to niake it known somehow." Mr. Curkik c|uieted him. His I.ordsiiii' read the evidence of various witnesses, and at last came to that of Mr. Hellems, to whom the prisoner had said, " \'ou were driving piles," at a particular time, belore Mr. Hellems had mentioned the circumstance at all. These were all the special circumstances to which he desired I call attention. Of the long list of witnesses who sjjoke to identify on l)elialf of the prisoner, there was but one, Mr. McLaughlin, who spoke of a scar : all the rest saying there was none. He said there was a scar upon the left side of the face, running from the teeth under the jaw, which he said did not resemble that on the prisoner. Most of the rest urged on their description of Townsend's general features, and it was not to be won- dered at, that they could hardly describe each individual feature. The witnesses on both sides .said he was but little changed, and this made it the more extraordinary that a large number of persons could or could not identify him. He next came to the evidence of the (^alifornians. An n//7>/ ought to be established with very con- siderable particularity. It was an ordinary defence sometimes trumped up. And, in connection with that line of defem-e, he might mention the testimony of Capt. Turnbull and of Capt. Lewis, one of whom had received, and the other of whom had perused, a letter from him in (Jalifornia. It was a pity the letter was not forth- coming. We therefore had to depend upon Capt. TurnbuH's memwry. He said the letter was received in December, 185,?, or January, 1854. If so, then doubtless the l)risoner was not Townsend. I'ut there was some little discrepancy between Capt. '''vrnbull and ("apt. Lewis as to the date of its receipt, the latter saying he thought it was in February. To support the view, four witnesses were called who had been in (California. They all recognized the man as having been there, but this gave no very satisfactory dates as to the time. They did not recollect the time by sjiecific events. Mr. Walters merely said that his ditch was being built in August, Septem- ^' %. LOCAL IIISIOkY. 23' her, Octohcr, Novciiil)Lr and I )etcinl)LT, and //icux^'f In- siw liim in Novonibcr. lie slated no speciCu: ( ire iimstamcs connected witli this, lie did, indeed, get more positive towards the close of his testimony. It was very strange, too, that almost all of these witnesses hased their knowledge of the mat. on having seen liim in con- versation with one Andrew Stewart, olhcrwisc called ''Scotty." He then read Mr. Walters' evidence, and, if the jury were satisfied of its correctness, no doiiht the prisoner was entitled to an a(;(|iiittal. The evidence of Mr. lluher, also a Califor- nian, was rather more direct as to time. He read it. lie said he could not under- stand the expression of lluber's that he would offer his services either for the pro.s- eculion or for McHenry. Then Mr. I'illing was called. He thought it rather strange that the rc<:olIcction of one ciwumstance, such as the killing of a man hy a team, should bring an earlier circumstance to anyone's re<:ollection, as seems to have been the case with Mr. I'illing, who.se evidence he read. His I-ordship continued to read the evidence of all the witnesses to tiie und. He then said that if the jury believed that the prisoner had been in (California in October or November, 1854, they must accpiit him. They could take his notes with them to the room and read them. If they came to the con( lusioii opposite, then, after thinking the man was not McHenry, they would have further to weigh whether he were \\ iliiam Tov".s.;nd. Townsend, it seemed to be established, was a man of a low forehead and had big toe-joints. Those who had these excrescences naturally could not curb them, but others had them as a consequence of wearing tight boots. If this were shown, thei there might possibly be means of curing them. He must, however, say that tlie jury were able to weigh all these matters, and to them he referred the case, with every confidence that the evidence alone would b'j allowed to guide them in a deci- sion. If they had in their own minds a moral certainty that the man was Townsend the murderer, their duty was plain and obvious. If they had a reasonable doubt, they must accjuit him. The jury expressed the opinion that as they had so much to look over, the Court had better adjourn until the morning. Their suggestion was complied with, and the next day, .\\m\ 6th, they returned their verdict- - I'risoner is McHenr)', and Nor (iuii.i V. Public opinion, however, did not acquit the prisoner with the same unanimity that the jury did. He could not again be put on his trial for the murder in Welland County after twelve of his peers had pronounced him innocent, but the Crown could again proceed against him in the County of Haldimand for the murder of Mr. Nellcs, in consecjuf^nce of the jury in the former trial tliere failing to agree upon a verdict. So strong was the feeling of th people of \\'elland County that there had been a miscarriage of justice that at the session of the County (^oimcil held at Drum- mondville the next month after the ;'.((iuittal of McHenry the following memorial was adopted on motion of Mr Robert Spencer, seconded by Mr. Edward 1-ee : — •}.-..• 1 232 HISTORY OP \V].1,I,AND COUNTY. ;■ . "^^^ Mkmoriat,. To His Excellency Sir EJiiniiid U'alker Head, Baronet, Governor General of Can- ada and Captain-General and Ginm-nor-in-Chief in and over the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Jrunswick and the hi tnd of Prince Edward, and Vice-Admiral of the same, e>r., \ \ y 9 LOCAL HLSTORY. 235 H ; their deep sense of the deplorable loss of life which attended that fearful acnidonl, whereby many valuable and eminent men were suddenly called out of existence, among whom were several residing in this county, and well known to the inhabitants generally. Of them the most |)rominent was Samuel Zimmerman, Kscjuire, of C^lifton, who during a Ion " residence in this county, by munificent and well-directed liberality, and by large enterprise and strict business habits, had won the esteem of the whole community. Not this county only, but the Province at large, has suffered in the deith of that gentleman a loss which will be most seriously an he would, of course, have to get his " grist " from his home to the River and back again, in addition to his walk from the mouth of the Chippawa to the mill. Great as were the difficulties after the building of the two mills above mentioned, still greater were those of the few people who settled in the township before any mills existed in the county. Then the grain was got ready for baking purposes by hollowing out the end of a log, and pounding it in the cavity thus formed until it was reduc;^d to a ;m \ i f 343 HISTORY Ol' WKI.LANI) Cf)UN'rV. meal, out of which l)rca(l could l)c iu.-mIi'. (Ircat must have Ikcii (lie rejoicing. (jf the (lowland settlers when those pioneers industries known as Cook's Mills were erected in their nudst. Tlie building ol tlieni was the enterprise ol Noah and Calvin Cook, two brothers who came into the township at a very early date. 'i'hey built both a saw mill and a grist mill along the bank of Lyons' C'reek, thus starting a small village, which to the present day is better known as v.ook's Mills than as Crowland. The village now contains a i)ostot"(i(e, a store and an hotel, all three of which are conilucted by "mine host," Luther Uoardman, a most accomniodating landlord. There are also in the pl;i( f a town hall, a school hous-., and the shops usually found in a small hamlet, (ieographically, the village is the centre of the County of Welland, and at the time of the separation of Lin( ie to I'ort Dalhousie. He held regular services for some years in the school houses situated at Cook's Mills, Doan's Ridge, and the sixth conces- sion of Crowland. In 1850 the congregation built a church in Crowland. In it the Presbyterians have worshijjped ever since. The services have for many years been held by the v;^rious ministers who have been pastors of the church in the Town of Wetland. The Methodists were the first to conduct religious meetings in the township. They had erected a church at Lyons' Creek in the early part of the present century. The Ryersons are the best remembered by |)eople now living as early ministers of the Methodist church who preached m Crowland. Previous to 1850 the Ameri- can branch of Methodism, known as the Episcopal, was separated from the Wesley- ans. This led to the building of a church for each of the divisions at that date. The United Brethren erected a place of worship in the Mc Kinney settlement and another in the Argylv- settlement, about the year 1863. Municipal Affairs. At the time of the organization of the county in 1850, Solomon Doan was elected Reeve. Leonard Matthews was Reeve for several succeeding years. A complete list of the Reeves of the township may be found in our chapter on Rep- resentatives to the County Council. The office of Clerk was held by I). P. Brown in 1850. From 1851 to 1861 Alex. Reid was Clerk. In 1861 the office was held i 244 HISTORY OK WKM.ANI) COUNTY. i f l)V K. \V. Ilrookfifld. Mr. Rcid was a^'ain (!lcrk from iMi to the end (»f 1865. Ci. \V. Cook [KTlormcd the duties of the otifice during 1S66 and 1867. He was succeeded l)y K. W. Hruokfield, who held office until the end of 1872. (leo. Ben- edict was next Clerk for three years. E. VV. Brookfield filled the office during 1876 and 1877. Since the latter date the duties of the office have heen performed yh Alex. keid. The present Township Treasurer is I.uther Moardman. In this connection we might add that in 1865 a vote was taken upon the pro- position to bring the Dunkin A( t, a local option partially |)rohil)itory measure, in force in the township. The proposition was negatived by the electors. CROWI.ANI) AdKICUI.rURAI, SOCIKTY. Was organized in i8^<». 'I'he annual show is held at the Village of Crowland or Cook's Mills, 'i'he usual number ol entries is about four or five hundred. Schools. The public schools of Crowland are efficient. The school hou.ses are, all of them, comfortable buildings, while some of them are what school buildings should be, — of tasty architecture. The high school in the Town of VVelland is within reach of a large number of the boys and girls of the township. From the time of the separation of Lincoln and Welland until the clo.se of 1865, Alex. Keid, lOsq., was Local Su[)erintendent of SchooN tor the township. Mr. Gilbert W. Cook filled the office during 1866 and i**' ' ,\lr. Reid was again Superintendent in 1868 and 1869, and in 1870, the I'''' - t' " the of^c existed, the duties were performed by E. W. Brookfp - >?f§<^o.- • THE TOWNSHIP OF BERTIE- AND THE • VILLAGE OF FORT ERIE. In prehistoric, times then were evidently {.onsiderahle settlements of Indians in this township, who probably formed a piirt of the "Neutral Nation." Two large cemeteries, one in a gravel pit near Ridgeway, the other at Point Abino, have been discovered, and traces of Indian potteries and factories, where arrow heads and axes were manufactured in ([uantities, have been found at various points along the lake. Probably the first white man who ever set loot here, was the Jesuit Hennepin, who encamped on the shore of the lake in this tcnvnship in the winter of 1678 9. He found the snow a foot deep, and mentions that deer and turkeys were very abundant, 't was not until about the year 1750, however, that the French built a stockade and established a permanent post near the present site of Fort Erie. This was evacuated and destroyed during the war which terminated in the con<)uest of Canada. On July 14th, 1764, General Bradstreet encamped near the site of the French post there, on his way to relieve Detroit, then besieged by Pontiac. In a letter to General Amherst, dated .Vugust 4th of that year, he states that he had found a suitable plan for a wharf on the north shore just above the rapids, and that he was building a [)ost there. Two days afterwards. Sir William John.son concluded a treaty with the Senecas, by which they ceded to the Crown a strip of land, four miles in width on each side of the river from Schlosser to the rapids of Lake Erie. From this time until the beginning of the American Revolution, Fort F>ie, as it was already called, (the name had been formerly borne by a French post near Lewiston, on the other shore) was occupied by a British garrison for the [jrotection of vessels engaged in the Indian trade and the sui)ply of western posts. The revolutionary war augmented its importance, since, in conjunction with l'"ort Niagara, it became the base of operations for Butler and Brant in their fretpient raids upon the settlements of New York and Pennsylvania. In 178?, the first white child, Jane Warren, the daughter ol a coitimissariat official, was born in the fort, and in the following year, the survey of the Township of Bertie, then including the present Village of Fort Erie, was begun. IS I? fi i ^ ( ' f f .^■.■%^- r >46 IIISIDUV OK WKI.I.ANI) CnUNTV. IvVRI.V Sktti.kmknt. BUtler' 111 17X4, tlic actual sclllciiicnt by Loyalists, chiefly incm[)crs of Butler's Rangers, cominenct-'d. Tlu-se mtn, as a rule, came from the Mohawk and Susque- hanna valleys, and were of Cerman or Swiss extraction. About ten families were established in that yeai;, on free grants of 200 acres each, and among these apjiear the still well-known names of iknner, House. I'latow, Riselay, and Winiermute. Seed-grain and a few agricultural implements were su|)plied by the (Jovernment, and they were provided with food and a certain ([uantity of clothing for each i>erson during die next two vears. A ferry was soon afterwards i stablishcd between Fort i-aic and lJ!ack Rock, and most of the emigrants tiiat entered Western Canada (luiing the ensuing thirty years, came by this route, as well as a majority of travel- lers 0:1 their wav to visit Niagara Falls. During the latter years of the century, the zealous efforts of (Jovernor Simcoe were successful in attracting many emigrants from New Jersey, New Vf)rk, and Pennsylvania, and among those early settlers we observe I he names of Bowen, Haun, Hershey, I.aur, Miller, Sherk, Troup and Zavitz. In 179;, Thos. Proctor, an American Indian agent, reported to his Govern- ment that the British had begun a new fortitieation some distance above the old fori, but this statement was probably unfounded, as the foundations of the present fort were not laid until 1806. In June, 1795, the Due de la Rochefoucauld-Lian- court visited the plact, which he describf|j^as consisting of a few log-houses sur- rounded by tottering palisades, entirely unprovided with ramparts or covert-way. Outside the intrenthment there were four large buildings of rough-hev/n logs, in- tended as storehouses and dwellings for the workn-.en employed about the fort, and a large private warehouse stored with goods for the Indian nade stood within the palisades. Twei.ty voyai:;tiirs were euiijloyed in loading and unloading vessels, and the cargoes were transported between Fort Erie and Chippawa in large batteai^x^ manned by five men each. 'I'he gam. on consisted of a company of the 5tb Foot, under Capt. Pratt, and a large garden was cultivated by the scldiers. The ferry was situated about two miles below the fort, and was conducted by a British boat large enough to accommodate five horses at a time. The passage of the river from Black Rock to the Canadian side occupied four .ir five minutes, and the return about a quarter of an hour. A tavern and a few houses stood near the landing in Canada. 'l"ho British armed schooner, "Chippawa," arrived at Fort F>ie while he was there, and another vessel was undergoing repairs at the wharf Ten years later, Robert Sutcliff, an English (Quaker, observed a number of good houses along the river load, and herds of cattle grazing in the fields, then, in the end of November, still very fresh and green. He lodged one night at the house of one D. — P.^ (Daniel Pound .=■) near Black Creek, where he noticed a loom, several ^1 A] 1 Ik] t HKRTIK AND lORT KKIK. 247 sp^HH^ wheels, and a number of young girls plaiting straw bonnets. A buy had jiisnulPBd a bear that was chasing his father's hogs. Christian Shiiltz, in '807, found the British garrison 'A' 2.S men engaged in building a new fort. 'I"he village consisted of about thirty houses, inhabited principally by emigrants from Pennsylvania. Fish and small game of all kinds were remarkably abundant, and he relates that himself and a companion shot 187 black squirrels in three hours. Municipal Okcanization. The first town meeting of which any record exists, was held in Andrew Miller's house on March 7th, 1808. Joseph Senn was elected Clerk, Alexander Douglas and 'I'hos. Otway Page, Assessors, Henry Trout. Collector, Benjamin Wilson and John \V^arren, Wardens. Among the subscribers to a fund for the purchase of a town book and the relief of certain persons, appear the names of (Christian and Abraham Hershey, John and Thos. Baxter, Peter and John Wintermute, Alex. Douglas, James Smith, Henry Trout, Jacob Haun, Jos. Marth, John Warren, Sr., Jos. Hanins, Daniel Pound, Asa Oliver, John Hirrot, Fl. Nigh, J. Harper, M. Shark, J. Winger, G. Zavitz, J. Tuttle, Peter Learn, Peter Platow, C. Hibbard, M. Buck, and Ed. Karr. In a military chart of this period, besides the little cluster of houses near the fort and landing, ninti farmhouses are indicated between the ferry and Frenchman's Creek, along the riverside, seven between F'renchman's and Black Creek, six between Fort F>ie and Point Abino, on the"^^ke Shore, three near the Garrison or Concession Road, as it was then called, three along the Ridge Road, seven west of that road, near the lake, and three or four isolated dwellings in other parts of the township. The culti'ated land was confined to a narrow strip along the river, and isolated clearings surrounded by thick woods. Practically, there were but two roads passable for wagon, one fcjliowing the margin of the river, the other running along the summit of the ridge of limestone rocks in a southwesterly direction from the mouth of Millers or Wintermute's Creek to Point AI)ino, but there were several horsepaths, the chief of which ran along a ridge nearly i)arallel with the present Garrison Road. I'm; W^\K. Work had been discontinued on the new fortification and it remained un- finished, consisting in 1812 merely of a stone barracks, subsecjuently known as the mess-house, and four small bastions, one of them [lartially faced with stone, but unconnected by curtains. It was unprovided with artillery, and occupied by about twenty men of the 41st regiment. F^arly in that year the militia of the County of Lincoln, of which this township then formed a jjart, was orguniz-jd into five battal- ions, and the headciuarters of one of these established at Fort Erie. Two flank M-i ! 1 !'■ i It- 248 HlS'l'ORY OK WKLU.NO COUNTY. * companit:-; in each battalion were embodied and ordered to drill twice About tlie same time a considerable body of American regulars and milit^pirere assembled on the opposite side of tlie river, and both shores were vigilantly patrolled for several weeks before the beginning of hostilities. On more than one occasion shots were fired across the river by irresponsible persons, and apologized for by the officers in command. On June 27th a tiu^iy messenger arrived at Fort Erie, and the first tidings that the inhabitants and garrison of Buffalo received of the actual exi.stence of hostilities was the sight of the boats of the "Queen Charlotte" and " Lady Prevost," British armed vessels lying at anchor near Fort Erie, taking possession of the sloops "Com- niencement" and "Connecticut," just outside the harbor. 'I'his event created much alarm on both sides of the river, and many inhabitants abandoned their farms and removed into the interior. The little garrison at Fort Erie was iuisily engaged in strengthening its jjosition, and early in July a breastwork of earth, intended to mount two guns, was thrown up on the height opi)Osite Black Creek, on the south side of what is now BiTtie Street, and another begun about a mile below, near a building known as the " Red House. " The Canadian militia on duty were badly armed and totally unprovided with tents and uniforms, and although their zeal and loyalty were uncjuestioned, difficulty was experienced in retaining them from their homes at a 'ime when their absence threatened the total ruin of their crops. By the middle of July 4,000 men were assembled on the American side of the river, while scarcely one-fourth of that number could be mustered to oppose them. The vigilance and activity of the British officers, however, so imposed upon their an- tagonists thatOen. Brock was enabled to withdraw nearly the whole of the regular force in the beginning of August and march against another hostile army which ha^l entered Canada-from Detroit, and which surrendered to him almost without firing a shot. On the 21st .Vugust, he returned to b'ort Erie in triumph, with (len. Hull and the whole of the 4th U. S. infantry as ])risoners, and his arrival was the signal for profound rejoicing among the inhabitants, many of whom had been at first inclined to despair. In his absence an arriiistice had been concluded which put an end to hostile operations till September 4th, when (len. Van Hensselaer, who commanded the .\mericans, felt his position was secure from an attack. I )uring the remainder of that month the British vessels continued to scour the lake and made several prizes near Buffalo, which they blockaded. Early in October, Lieut. Jesse 1). Elliott, of the United States Navy, arrived at Buffalo with : part of the crew of the frigate " John .\dams," and l^egan to fit out several vessels at a navy yard which was established at the mouth of a creek, behind Squaw Lsland, just below Black Rock. An opportunity of gaining distinction was soon afforded him. On the afternoon of the 8th October, the i)rig " Detroit," for- merly the American brig of war " Adams," taken at Detroit, and the schooner sssm 1 HKRIIK AND KORT KRIK. 249 " Caledonia," belonging to the Northwest Fur Company, but hired as a transport by the commissariat department, arrived at Fort Krie. Lieut. Fredericlt Rolette, a young French-Canadian, who had distuiguished himself in command of the cutter "(leneral Hunter," in the ojjcrations preceding the surrender of Detroit, com- manded the " I )etroit," and her crew, besides two jtetly officers, who were both confined to their berths by sickness, consisted of only three seamen and seven landsmen. Before leaving Detroit, however, ICnsiVn Thos. Kerr, a boy officer, with ten men of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, were placed on board to act as mariners and guard thirty American prisoners, whom it was designed to land on parole at Buffalo. Thirty-four maimed Toyai:;eurs also received permission to come on board as passengers. The " Caledonia " was loaded with captured furs, and had a crew besides her master, Robert Irvine, of eight men, and carried four Toya^eurs and ten prisoners as passengers. Her sole armament consisted of two small swivels used for making signals. Both vessels were entirely unprovided with quarters or bulwarks, and boarding nettings, and the deck of the '• Detroit" was lumbered with the baggage of the prisoners, and the voyageurs slept there at night since there was no room for them below. Upon arriving at the anchorage, Lieut. Rolette was ordered to land the American officers at Buffalo, which was immediately d ie. These men at once made known the state of the vessels they had left to Lieut. Elliott, who determined to attempt their capture that night. 'I'wo large boats were conveyed overland to Buffalo Creek, one of which was manned by ninety-two offi- cers and men of the frigate " Adams," commanded by Elliott in person, while the other carried thirty-two soldiers under Capt. Towson. The services of Jesse Bur- bank, formerly master of the "Caledonia," were secured as pilot, and a third boat, commanded by Dr. Cyrenius Chapin and manned by volunteers, accompanied the expedition, which left the Creek at midnight and rowed or drifted towards their des- tination. The night jtroved unusually favorable to their enterprise, for it was dead calm, foggy, and intensely dark. At midnight, Rolette set a watch of six men and went below. 'I'hrce hours later, he was aroused by the report of the sentry's musket, and ran on deck to find the two large boats already too close alongside for the cannon to be trained upon them. He responded with defiance to a summons to surrender, and the soldiers immediately fired a volley into the ves.sel, and the sailors, armed with cudasses and pistols, began to climb on board. He was joined in an instant by Kerr and nine men. but the startled voyageurs crowded down the hatchways in such numbers, as to prevent the remainder of the crew from gaining the deck. After ten minutes of a hand to hand struggle, numbers prevailed. One of the Newfoundlanders was killed, Kerr and four other- wounded, and Rolette and the remainder knocked down and thrown headlong down the hatchways. The " ("aledonia " was next attacked, il I p I Ml 230 HISTORY (H WKM.ANI) COUNTY. and after a determined resistance on the part of Mr. Irvine, who killed or wounaed no less then seven of the assailants single handed, was also taken. The cables were cut, topsails set, and the vessels began to drift with the current. The sounds of conflict had already aroused the garrison of Fort Erie. Ikigles sounded, and as the captured ships began to glide down the rivei, the batteries opened fire. Heacons were at once kindled on the American side and signa's made with lanterns, to guide them in their course to the navy yard, but the "Caledonia" soon ran aground under a battel y near (len. Porter's house at Black Rock, while the "I)etroit," keeping too far out, stuck fast in the mud on the outside of .Scjuaw Island. Hoth vessels were still fairly within range from the Canadian shore, and Major Ormsby, who commanded there, hastily brought some light fieldpieces to bear, but owing to the absence of any regular artillerymen, their fire was ill-directed, and l)roduced little effect. The " Detroit," however, was soon abandoned, and at day- break. Lieutenant Danforth, with a party of the 49th, crossed the river in a rowboat, and regained i)ossession of her with four wounded Americans, who were removed to Fort Frie as prisoners. The American shore was at once lined with riflemen, who maintained an incessant fire upon the stranded vessel, and a detachment of artillery with two fieldpieces landed upon Scpiaw Island. The guns were thrown overboard and the " Detroit " again abandoned. An uninterrupted fire of artillery was then maintained across the river from both sides until nearly dark, when Lieut. Pell, Major of the l^rovincial Dragoons, accompanied by six volunteers, made a gallant attempt to recover or set fire to the " Detroit." While in the act of boarding, a volley of musketry mortally wounded the officer, and injured every man in the boat, which at once returned. The Americans then attempted to get her afloat, but were driven away by the British Artillery. As the sun was setting, Cieneral Brock rode up at full speed from Niagara, and at once called for volunteers to retake the brig, but at that instant she was seen to be in flames and soon after blew up. A few days later, the Americans succeeded in securing the " Caledonia " to the navy yard, after unloading her cargo. Their loss in taking th,' vessel did not exceed twenty men, and they naturally felt elated at the result of the enterprise. The size of the i)ri/es and value of the cargo of the " Caledonia " were much exaggerated in their accounts, and the passengers enumerated as forming part o( their regular crews. A flotilla of batteaux, loaded with stores, on their way to the navy yard, was attacked by a boat from Fort Erie a few days later, and two of them taken, but a second armistice was concluded immediately after the battle of Queenston, (Oct. 13th) which continued until the middle of November. During this interval, the British force was augmented by the arrival of the remainder of the 49th regiment, and Lieut.-Cot. Cecil Bisshop, a young and L'allant officer, was placed in command of the line froi Chippawa to Fort Erie. Cen. Smyth, who had succeeded Van liKRTlK AND I'ORl ICRIK. 25» Rensselaer, was at the same time employed in concentrating liis foncs near BufTalo and Black Rock. On the 2 1st November, hostilities were reconiiitenc cd l)y tiie British hatteries near the ferry opening fire upon Black Rock. The American guns which attempted to reply were completely silenced in a few hours, their i)rincipal magazine blown up by a shell, and the barracks set on fire and consumed with the entire cargo of the "Caledonia" and a quantity of arms. Smyth's army then encamped in the vicinity exceeded (ive thousand regulars and militia, besides several hundred Indians and a considerable body of sailors and artificers. Irritated by the disastrous results of the bomb.Trdment, he determined to expel the British from their jiosition opposite at once. Proclamations couched in the most boastful and highflown language were issued almost daily to stimulate the ardor of his own men, and intimidate the enemy. AUhough hundreds of Indians were receiving pay from the American Government, any British soldier laken "fighting by the side of savages" was threatened with extermination. Tne Americans were reminded of the immense superiority in numbers, that their weapons were longer and better, and that their opppnents were chiefly old men who had spent their best years in the enfeebling climate of the West Indies. Liberal rewards were offered to any soldiers who would capture the "arms and spoils of a savage warrior," a horse, or a piece of artillery, and they were promised in addition " whatever is booty by the laws of war,' "Come on, my heroes 1" he concluded by way of climax, "and when yor. attack the enemy's batteries, let your rallying cry be : * I'he cannon lost at Detroit, or death !' " Many boats had been built or purchased for the purpose, and by the 27th November he had collected at the navy yard ten large scows, each capable of carrying a fieldpiece with its tumbril, five boats large enough to accommodate one hundred men each, and seventy which could convey forty apiece, so that it was estimated that nearly four thousand men could be landed in Canada at once. He had at his disposal for this service, six batteries of field artillery, seven regiments of infantry, and two battalions of rifles, containing by his own admission 2,360 men fit for duty, Tannehill's brigade of Pennsylvania militia, 1,650 strong, Porter's brigade of New York volunteers exceeding i,coo men, and 300 seamen, besides Indians, Buffalo militia and artificers. To oppose this formidable and well-appointed army, Bisshop was unable to muster more than six hundred men, about half of them militia, s-catiered along a frontier of twenty miles. His militia were alert and zealous, but miserably armed, without tents blankets, and winterclothing, and in some instances even without shoes. Many old Loyalists, who had fought in the Revolution, had tendered their services and, although unaiile to endure the fatigues of a campaign, had been assigned garrison duty. Fort Erie was occupied by eighty men of the 4yth under Major Ormsby, and fifty of the Newfoundland regiment, and the flatteries which commanded 5*1 11 252 HISTORY OF WI'XLAND COUNTY. i [ the ferry by sixty of the ist and 2nd Norfolk militia, under Captain Henry Hostwick. At the " Red House," near the i)resent site of the International Bridge, two one-gun batteries, armed with artillery brought from Detroit, had been estab- lished, manned I)y l-ieut. King, R. A., and a few militia gunners, supported by Lieut. Lamont with thirty-five men of the 49th, and two light field pieces. A mile further down another detachment of thirty-seven men of the 49th was stationed, under Lieut. Hartley, and the mill and farmhouse at Frenchman's Creek were occui)ied by seventy of the same regiment, under Lieut. Mclntyre. A party of the sth Lincoln militia, under Major Samuel Hatt, protected the bridge over Black (Jreek, while Hisshop with Saunder's company of the 49th, Hamilton's comi)any of the 2nd Lincoln militia, and a party of militia artillery with a field-piece, commanded by Capt. James Kerby, remained at Chippawa. Although the movements of the main body of the enemy were concealed from view by 1 dense body of woods, the unusual activity noticeable at the navy yard and information received from de.serters led him to believe that a crossing would soon be attempted. Everything being in readiness by the evening of the 27th November, Smyth directed Lieut -Col. Bcerstlcr to cross that night with 300 men and destroy the bridge over Frenchman's Creek, thus severing the communication between Fort Erie and Chippawa, while Capt. King, his aid-de-camp, and a great favorite with the army, was to cross simul- taneously and destroy the batteries near the Red House. When this was accom- plished the detachments were to return, and the entire army, it was expected, would be enabled to cross in a body without opposition. Al)out three o'clock in the morning of the 28th, King's party in ten boats, each containing tweniy soldiers and a naval officer and six seamen, arrived within musket shot of the shore about one hundred yards above the batteries they were to attack. They were received by a destructive volley from Lamont's command on the bank above them, but forced their way on shore and drove their assailants back to the Red House. Here Lamont rallied his men, and Lieut. King turning his guns upon the invaders, they were in their turn driven back to their boats, and some of them were seized with a panic and rowed away, while others dispersed and ran to the woods. Capt. King, in his rage, swore that he believed half their army were Tories, but rallied his men by a great effort and a;^ain forced the British to retire. 'I'hen, while Lieut. Angus advanced directly upon the batteries with the sailors, he made a detour with the remainder of his force and gained the rear of the British position. The latter party were mistaken by the British for a body of militia advancing from Fort Erie to their assistance, and a single volley from the Americans killed seven of their number and wounded Lamont, King, and seven others. Lieut. King, although bleeding from five wounds, discharged his field-piece, spiked it, and then fell fainting on the ground beside it. Lamont was carried in the arms of two of his men to the battery, where they were made prisoners, and the remainder of the parly took shel- T .•-IHWilM HUrtiarir'-:^-. 1!ERTIK AND FORT F.KIK. 253 ter in the Red House, which they had occupied as a barracks. It was surrounded, and after a prolonged resistance the doors were Ijeaten open and they were driven up-stairs after a hand to hand conflict of great fury. As they still refused to surren- der, the Americans threw fire-brands into the straw that covered the floor and re- tired to a distance to await the result. The besieged then made a desperate and successful rally from the burning house, and broke through the ranks of their assail- ants with the loss of nearly half their own number. King was not a man to leave his work half finished. The guns were spiked and thrown over the bank, and he marched down the river road to attack I.ieut Hartley's post with half his party, while the remainder moved abreast in boats. Hartley made a determined and successful resistance for a (juaiter of an hour, until repeating the tactics he had already found so successful. King turned his flank, and having only sixteen effective men remaining, the British otificer retired to French- man's Creek, where he found the post deserted and the bridge partly destroyed. In the meantime Bcerstler's detachment had passed the river just above P>ench- man's Creek. One division of his boats were assailed by su^li a deadly fire from Mclntyre's party that they were driven off, but while the British were engaged with these, Btjerstler with seven other boats landed at an unguarded point. They were at once attacked, but after a sharp struggle at the bayon.t's point, forced the British across the bridge. It was now discovered that they had neglected bring with them the necessary tools to destroy it, and contented themselves with loosening the planks and throwing them into the stream. They then re-embarked in great haste, leaving twelve dead, twelve wounded, and nine unwounded men behind them. Hearing the noise of an engagement on his left, Capt. Bostwick left a few men to retain possession of the batteries at the ferry, and marched with the remainder of Lamont's sujjport. Near the Red House, which was then in flames, he encountered King's detachments, and after a brisk encounter, in which' he lost eighteen men killed and wounded, retired to his former })osition. King at once determined to re- cross the river, but finding that most of his boats had disappeared in the confusion, he put his prisoners and as many of his men as could be carried into the two that remained, and chivalrously determined to remain behind with the others, about forty in number. He then immediately marched along the river as far as Frenchman's Creek in the hope of falling in with Bcjerstler, but being disappointed in this, took possession of the farm house near the bridge, and remained there till day-break. Major Orinsby had marched from Fort Krie with eighty men and advanced by a by-path some distance from the river to the support of the batteries, until meeting with Lieut Bryson, who had escaped from the half-moon battery when it was taken, he wheeled to the right and gained the river road in the expectation of picking up the fugitives. Failing in this, he advanced along the river to Frenchman's Creek, whqre he found the bridge torn up and the enemy in possession of the house. The r\ Sii' ll ,1 * 254 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. bridge was hastily repaired under fire of the Americans, and he proceeded down the river about two miles further, when he overtook Hartley and iVIcIntyre with the rem- nants of their commands. Having now about 150 men, Ormsby halted to await the arrival of daylight. .Meantime Hcerstler and .\ngus had rejKjrted their success to (Jen. .Smyth, who was greatly elated, and e.xclaimed, " Hurrah '. Canada is ours '. 'I'his will he a glor- ious day for the United States !" He at once gave orders for The imml^diate em- barkation of the army, and instructed Col. Winder to cross without delay with the advance-guard. But before this could be accomplished, Lieut.-Col. Bisshop arrived from Chippawa, and having now about 300 men, advanced and took King's jiarty prisoners and re-occupied the deserted batteries. Caju. Kerby's field-piece opened with such precision upon the approaching boats that two of them were sunk, twenty- eight men killed and wounded, and the remainder hastily returned to their own shore. The loss sustained by either party in this series of rambling, nocturnal combats was quite severe. That of the British was officially stated at fifteen killed, forty-six wounded, and thirty-five missing, or nearly one-half of the force actually engaged. On the other hand, the 14th Infantry, forming part of B(erstler's command, lost seventy-six men by casualties or desertions ; Angus, out of a total of seventy sea- men, had nine officers and twenty-two men killed or wounded ; and King's party, it is stated, had twenty-five killed or wounded, besides thirty-nine taken prisoners, so that the total loss of the Americans could not have fallen much short of two hun- dred. The number of bayonet and sword wounds on both sides attested the des- perate character of the strugs^le. Winder's repulse and the sight of a considerable body of troops awaiting their approach on the opposite shore, chilled the ardor of Smyth's men, and the embark- ation proceeded very slowly, and that doughty conmiander himself began to evince a disposition to parley rather than fight, and contented himself with maintaining a brisk cannonade from all his batteries. At ten o'clock three sailors crossed the river in a skiff without orders, and set fire to Alexander Douglas' house and store, and Benjamin Hardison's house, and returned to Black Rock with a boat-load of plunder. Smyth used this incident as a pretext to send Col. Winder with a flag of truce to summon Fort Erie to surrender, and at the same time to apologize ("or this act. This was done chiefly for the purpose of gaining information respecting the numbers of the force opposed to him, and Bissho]) retaliated in kind by sending Capt. Fitzgerald to Black Rock, to reply that he could not think of surrendering his post unless com|>elled to do so by force of arms, and the latter officer counted fifty- six boats with thirty or forty men in each, besides six scows with artillery. Smyth made an ostentatious display of his force, and spent half an hour in endeavoring to persuade Fitzgerald that it was his commander's dutv to surrender, but imme- •vMMM-Mt^ffiM^ifMHgjj^llH IIKKIIK AND I'OKI KRIK. 255 fo dis- " diately after he had taken his departure issued an order for Iiis troops embark and dine." iiisshop was joined i)y Major (Jivins with a niimher of Indians, and before night (ien. Sheaffe arrived and assumed the command. Ihe dismounted rannon were fished out of the shallow water into which they iiad been thrown, unspiked, and remounted and every possible preparation made to repel atfresh attack. . 'I'he next day Smyth issued a general order, fixing the time for embarking at eight o'clock upon the following morning. "The (Jeneral will be on hand," it con- cluded, "neither rain, snow or frost will prevent the embarkation. . . . Yankee Doodle will be the signal to get under way • . The landing will be effected in spite of cannon .... Hearts of war ! To-morrow will be memorable in the annals of the United States !" His apparent recklessness produced a remonstrance from his subordinates, and the passage of the river was further jK)st])oned until three o'clock on the morning of December ist. Not a single man of the Pennsylvania brigade appeared at the appointed hour, and it was soon ascertained that nearly the whole of it had abso- lutely refused to cross the river. While the remainder of the troops were in the act of entering the boats, the notes of a bugle sounding in Canada reached Smyth's ear. He started, paused, and finally called a council of war. Only 1,500 men had em- barked, and a majority of officers present i)romptly decided to abandon the project, and go into winter (juartcrs. (Jen. Peter K. Porter, of the New York brigade, took advantage of this opportunity to harangue the troops, who were already inclined to be disorderly and turbulent, from the top of a stump, denouncing Smyth as a scoundrel and a coward. A scene of extraordinary uproar and confusion followed. Militia officers broke their swords, while their men fired their muskets in the air and smashed them against trees. Six hundred of the Pennsylvania militia deserted in twenty-four hours, and in a week less than tiiree hundred of that brigade remained. A reward of $200 was publicly offered to any man who would shoot "the traitor Smyth," and he was actually fired at several times, and obliged to leave the camp for fear of assassitiation. Learning in February, 1813, that Fort Erie was occupied by less than 200 men, the American Secretary of War suggested to (Jol. Moses Porter, commanding at Black Rock, the practicability of taking it by surprise. Boats were cut out of the ice and preparations made for the attempt, when, on March 6th, the Sergeant- Major of the 23rd deserted. He was pursued by a party upon the ice which covered the lake and was very nearly overtaken, when Lieut, l. Hock observing them from Fort Erie, came to his rescue with the picket in a sleigh, and captured six of the pursuers. His intentions being thus revealed, Porter abandoned the design and made no further hostile movements until the 17th March, when all the American batteries began a furious bombardment. They were answered from two , 1 ,' i ll J M^ II n 11 ; OJ 256 HISTORY OF WF.IXANn COUNTY. heavy guns in the batteries at the " Red House," under I.icut. (afterwards deneral) R. S. Armstrong, anhovvn a strong disposition to desert on the slightest opportunity. Their instructions entailed upon them a toilsome march cf nearly fifteen miles, and they already dis- m ■ taga awiy ^ i:; "■ -J -t^ If, ll *\ t 1 li i liKkllK ANli l(»kr lOKlK 263 played stronij; syini)t()ms of dissatisfaction before tliey reached liic position assiiinrd them, about inidni;^lit. Tiie left column, commanded by Col. Henry Scott of the 103rd regiment, was composed of the main l)ody of his own reguiunt. nearly 700 in number, and was instructed to assail the intrenchments l)etween the Doui^dass bat- tery and the fort ; while the remaining column, consisting of the Hank com4)anies of the 41st and 104th, or New Brunswick regiuicnt, under l,ieut.-Col. William i )rum- mond, nephew of the (leneral, su|)ported by 140 seamen and mariners under Capt. Dobbs, or about 400 men in all, was assigned to attac k l'"ort Mric itself. All the at- tacks were intended to be made simultaneously and the charges were carefully drawn from the aiUskcts of the stormers, and fhnts removed, to compel them to rely entire- ly upon their bayonets. 'I'he left and centre columns were both to advance by the river road, while light trooi)s were to make a feint by wuy of Buck's road. The evening was intensely dark w-ith occasional bursts of rain, but the vigilance of the besieged was unrelaxed, and about two o'clock the pic'ket on the lake shore observed a body of men approaching stealthily, and gave the alarm. 'I'his was the forlorn hope of Fischer's column, guided by Capt. Powell, who at once rushed tor- ward and attempted to force their way through the hedge of ahaitis. Rockets rose into the air and were answered all along the British line. In an instant the entire front of t!ie American works was ablaze with the glare of their artillery, which Hung a lurid light on the forms of the stormers struggling with the obstructions below, and was answered by defiant cheers, mingled with groans. The dhattis proved im- |)<;nelrable, and the assailants finally abandoned the attempt r.nd recoiled, leaving many dead and wounded men within ten feet of the rampart. 'I'he lue from abov(; was deadly and incessant, but calling upon the survivors to follow hiin, Powell ])lunged boldly into the lake, and wading waist-dee]) among the slippery rocks which strew the bottom, led the way successfully round the abattis and g. lined the shore within the lines. Voung, with the forlorn hope, and Major de \ lilatte, with the light company of De Wattcville's,' followed without hesitation, although many perished in the attempt, t)ut the remainder of the regiment faltered on the brink, and after enduring the terrible fire that was poured upon them for a few moments, fairly ran away in spite of the efforts of their officers. The company of the lootli was swei)t along before them as by a torrent, and they nearly tr;'iiii)led the light company of the 89th under foot in their frantic haste, but that little l-ody of veteran soldiers resolutely closed their ranks ami |)rotecte(l tlic retreat I'ischer hinv.ilf, was severely wounded with many of his officers, and it was f)imd utterly iin|)Ossi!)le to rally the panic-stricken rabble. I'he little party that j^ained tiie inside of the in- trenchments was immediately assailed by overwhelming nimil)ers and mostly killed or taken, although Powell, Voung, and a few olheis, ran the gauntlet of fire ard esca])i'd by the way they entered. I'rom some une.\[)lained cause the remaiiung cohunns did not advance to tlie 17 # 264 HISTORY OV WKI-LAND COUNTY. !i> I IL assault until Fischer's had already failed. Scott's came first, and the steady tianip of many feet and subdued voices of their officers repeatinu; the countersign, '• .Steel ! Steel ! " and the words of command, " Steady, men, steady ! Close up ! " were dis- tindly heard through the breathless silence that reigned in the America.i lines. A signal given and the guns of fort and battery tore the dense mass into fragments. Still the survivors cauglu up tiie scaling ladders from the iiands of the fallen, and clos- ing up their ranks rushed forward to encounter a withering fire of musketry that cut them down by scores. Scott fell mortally wounded, and Major Smelt led the shattered ranks forward to the foot of ihv: alxifUs, where he, too, was struck down. Others rallied the broken troops again and again, and it was not until there were only three officers remaining uninjured that they abandoned the hopeless contest, leaving half their number on the field. 'I'lie two main attac ks had thus bolh failed with great loss, and yet the smallest -olumn of all narrowly mis.icd being successful. AV'hile Scott's men were falling sull'.Mily back and a dense cloud of smoke hung like a pall u[)on the field, Druin- mord dashed forward and gained the ditch almost unobserved. The ladders they carried i)'-oved much too short to reach the summit of the wall, but, finally, raising one with his own hand.s, Drummond ascendetl it and clambered through an em- brasure, while Capt. O'Keefe, of the 41st, led the way through another. They were at once assailed by the American artillerymen under Capt. Williams and Lieut, McDonough, but their men came rapidly to their aid and both the An:erican officers were killed in the savage and unrelenting conflict that ensued. The seamen poured into the fort and the Americans were hunted into the iness-house which they barricaded. In leading an attack on this building, Drummond was shot through the heart, but the doors were immediately beaten in by his infuriated followers, and the inmates slaughtered without mercy. Every gun in other parts of th:: vorks that would bear, was instantly turned upon the captured bastion, while Gaines mustered every man that couid be spared from other parts of the line, to expel the intruders, l.ieut. Charlton, R A., who had entered the fort with the storming party, imme- diately manned the ca[)tured guns and turned them on the camp. In a fe»v minutes the cannonade ceased on the part of the Americans, and a cloud of riflemen poured through a gateway connecting the l;astion with the interior. They were at once assailed with bayonet and cutlass, and drive'i headlong through the narrow passage by which they had entered, leaving their commander, BirOsall, desperately wounded. In this encounter, however, Major Clew and (.'a[jt. Dobbs were both wounded, and the command devolved i.pon Capt. l^ullock. The guns of Towson's and the Douglass battery enfiladed the -ipprcaches to Fort Eric with an incessant discharge; of grape, and at once prevented the advance of reinforcements, and "ut off the retreat of the gallant party in the bastion. The American artillery resumed firing upon the bastion, and only ceased to permit the advance of three regiinenis of T ~*»v£3!i{SH1fft imUlIK AND four KRIE. J^\S f infantry, who endeavored to escalade the interior ramjjart. They were driven l)a( k with loss, l)Ut were reinforced and returned to tlic charge to he again repulsed. Their riflemen maintained an annoying fire from the other bastions, and each successive attack diminished the number of the Hritish, who, however, clung with the tenacity of despair to the foothold they had obtained. The entire available force of the garrison had been mustered for a final desperate assault, and pre- parations had already begun for the evacuation of the camp in event of failure, when the accidental explosion of some cartridges communicated a spark to the magazine, which at once blew uj), hurling most of the occupants of the bastion into the air. Fragments of mangled bodies were scattered everywhere, and most of the storming party who escaped instant destruction were dreadfully scorched. The artillery on both sides instantly ceased firing and in this way a feeble remnant of Drummond's column was enabled U> make its esc:a|)e. Of a detachment of eight officers and i6o men of the 41st, only three officers and fifty men returned unhurt, and the other detachments suffered in [jrojjortion. In this disastrous affair the assailants lost nearly yoo men, of whom not less than 237 were killed, and 360, of whom nearly hah" were severely wounded, made prisoners. In the course of a few hours, the besieging force had been reduced by one-third, and several of its battalions so diminished as to be unal)le to keej) the field, while the garrison, according to (laines' official statement, had lost but 84 men. In consequence, Drummond was forced to postpone a("tive siege operatic 1^" until the arrival of two battalions from York (Toronto) should once more put him on an equal footing with his enemy. Shells, however, were thrown constantly into the American camp, an^l from these theif Working parties suffered a loss of ten or fiftcni men daily. A site for a nev/ battery was selected in the woods, sheltered from the fire of the batteries at Hlack Rock, and an e.xtcnsiv: entrenchment begun for the shelter of the covering party. 'J'lu; Americans did not venture out of their entrench- ^menls until th': ;;oth, when they made a sortie in force, but were swiftly driven back with the !o.;s of .leirly forty men by tl.j (llengarry regiment and Indians, who were concealed in the woods and had only two men v.ounded. On tin; .?5th, leaving the working ;)arty in the woods, they again attacked the pickets and were once more repelled with los^ by the 82nd regiment, which, however, lost fifteen men in the skiruiish. Upwards of seventy deserters arrived in the British camp during the month of August, ivhile the be-icj;ers lost very few, but as provisions became scarce, the duty grew more harassing, and the approaches were driven nearer, desertitms, especially from the Regiment De Watteville, began to increase. The long expected reinforcements having arrived, the 82nd ui)on August 24th, and the 6tli on Septem- ber 2nd, Drummond's army was increased by 1,000 bayonets, but he was at the same lime :'ompell( > 1 ii 368 HISTORY Of WELLANI) COUNTV. covered hy less than 300 of the Sth, while Miliei's division rose from their con- cealment and assailed them in front. 'I'he three primipal leaders of I'rjrter's command, (len. Davis and ( !ols. (lil)son and Wood, were all killed or morlally woimdcd in the assault, and it was only after a strii;^'gle of nearly iialf an hotn- that weij^ht of numl»ers finally prevailed, and the batteries were carried. In liie defti cc the Xth lost nearly one-half their nmnher, hut their protracted resistance had enabled the reserves to come np, and snatch the fruits of their success from the enemy's hands. Advancing sinuillaneoiisly from their camp in three columns, in breathless haste, through mud almost knee-deep, they attacked the Americans while yet dis- ordered from their recent triumi)h. I.ieut.-C^ol. (lordon f,Mined their (lank by way of Muck's road, with the Royal Scots and 89th, and threatened to cut off their retreat, while ('ol. Pearson with the (Jlent^arry Regiment and incorporated militia went straight at the intrenchment and battery number three, which they recovered in a few minutes, driving the New Vork militia headlong into the woods, with the loss of many prisoners. Majors I'roctor and Taylor, with seven companies of the 82nd, and three of tiie 6th, dashed at battery number two and carried it at the bayonet's |)()iiU, before the cajitors had succeeded in doing much damage to guns or stores. Brown hurried forward the reserves under (Jen. Ripley to cover the retreat, but their ranks were broken by the fugitives, Ripley and I'orter were wounded, and the entire body rolled back in a disorganized mass to the intrenchmenls, leaving the i)lain strewn with dead and wounded men. In spite of the untoward result, this .iffin'r was practically a victory for ihe Americans lor they had seriously damaged the main siege-battery and inflicted a loss of nearly 600 men upon their ojiponents, nearly 300 of whom were made i)risoners. 'I'iiere can be very little doubt that (len. Hrown considerably understated his own loss in the sortie, which was estimated by him at 305 killed and 213 mi.ssing. Up- wards of 250 prisoners were taken by the British, and McBurney's regiment, of New York militia, alone, was afterwards acknowledged to have lost eleven officers and 100 men out of a total of less than 200. The heavy loss sustained in this action, increasing sickness in his ranks, and continued rainy weather, determined den. Drummond to abandon the siege and seek a healthier spot for an encampment. The guns were fmally withdrawn from Ib.e battery on the 20th of .September, the siege having continued fifty-four days, and on the following day the Jiritish retired behind the Chippawa, burning the bridge ul Frenchman's (.'.reek. It was not until the i3lh of October that (len. I/.ard, wiio had succeeded (len. Brown in command at l''ort I-jie, ventured from his entrenchments. Advancing as far as Chippawa, with 6000 men, he menaced the British camp for a week wh'-n he retired, and upon the 5th of November the camp at I'ort Erie was dismantled, the bastions blown up, and Canada finally evacuated by the invading army. ' . t - Tlili a^»>'.jai,v::L^:.;aa_ IlKKill' AND KORT KKIK. 369 Most of the forim-r inlial)itants soon retiirnod lo tlioir desolated farms, and in 1S17 had already made sik h jiro^^ress in llie work of 'restoration that Robert (iour- lay estimated that the Towiishii) of iieriic, in( liiding I'orl I'^rie, contained two hun- dred houses, a (Quaker church, and six schools, and had a population of 1600 persons. Subse(iuent events, such as the rebellion of 1S37 8 and the I'Vnian raid of 1866, are fully described in other chapters of the ])resent work. The |)r()gress of the municipalities has been gradual but continuous. In 1842 members of a district council were first elected, Kdmund Riselay and I,t.-Col. Wm. I'owell being chosen. The Township of Bertie is nearly ten miles in extreme length from cast to west, by about seven miles in extreme breadth, and contains about 36,000 acres. The shore of Lake I'-rie is bounded by a low range of sand hills, varying in height from six to fifty feet. Point .'\bino, near the southwestern angle of the township, projects nearly a mile into the lake and forms a tolerably secure anchorage for vessels of light draught. This peninsula is chiefly composed of mounds of fine sand, which is valu- able for building purposes, and much of which is annually shipi)ed to the United States. A height of land known as the Limestone Ridge extends quite across the township in a south-westerly direction, from near Miller's Creek, on the Niagara, to Point iVbiiio. There are several valuable (piarries of limestone in different parts of this mimicipality, and a considerable (piantity of lime and building stone is exported yearly. \ kind of clay which is suitable lor making brick is f(,und in many parts of the township. Much of the soil is a light loam with a considerable admixture of alluvium and a clay subsoil, and varies in dei)lh from eighteen inches to several feet. Nearly 6,000 acres arc still in woodland. Bog iron ore Ijas been discovered in several places. Nearly all the hardier varieties of fruit are grown to perfection. This township has now a population of nearly 4,000, and contains seven postoftices, thirteen churches, and fourteen public schools. In 1885, according to the assessment roll, there were 1,400 horses, 1,700 hogs, 3,100 horned cattle and 3,255 sheej) in this townshi[), and 971 acres of orchard and garden and 4,100 acres sown with winter wheat. .'Xmong the principal churches are the McAffee ("hurch, on the Niagara River, about a mile below the mouth of Frenchman's Creek, founded in 1845 ; the Me- morial Church at Ridgeway, built in 1872, and the Wesleyan Methodist Church at Victoria, comi)leted in 1878. The schools in Bertie Township are good. The township is remote from all the high schools in the county, and the young people in order to attend one of those institutions are compelled to board away from home. As a conseepience, the num- ber of pupils in the township who take a high school course is less than in those lo- calities where the high schooN exist. The public schools, however, do more advanced work in places wht:re the high schools are not within reach. Before the present re- 5h 1;^ 1. m r' i tt :i J' ill r? ] 270 HISTORY OF WKI.I.ANIi COrNTY, j(iilati(/n.s as to schudi iiis|)ci tion «amc into cfTcrt, in 1871, tlie offirc of local supcr- intciuU-nt was filled l)y the Rev. Jolin llaxter, wIki IrM llu' offm: for thirteen years. hi. Krm|ts()ii was his predecx'ssor. \'ii.i,A(;k 01 Stkvknsvii.i.k. Slcvensvillr liis ahoiii fiiiir tiiilis diK' north of Kidf^'i-way, and is a station on liolh Itic Canada Southern and ihi- Loop Line l)ran(h of thr ( Irand TriMik. Ilcon tains llftcen stores and shops of different descriptions, a i;rist mill, a saw mill, a planing; mill and twd churches, witli a pojiulation of nearly 600. Vii,i.ai;k oi' N'k tokia. 'I'he village of \'ictoria is situated at the western end of the International Iiridj;e, and is a station on the liuffalo and Lake Huron and l.of)p Line branches of the (Irand Trunk, the Canada Southern and Erie and Niagara. It is connected with North lUiffalo by a steam ferry, and contains about twenty stores and shf)ps, a num- ber of good hotels, a grist mill, an elevator, and a Methodist ('luirch, and has a population of nearly 700. 'i'iie name of the postofifice at Victoria is called Inter- national Hridge. At Victoria there are flourishing lodges of the Masons, United Workmen, and Oddfellows. The latter of thesi societies has recently completed a commodious h;dl at an expense of upwards of $3,000. N'li.i.ACK 01 I\1I)(;kwav. Ridgeway is a beautiful village of about six hundred inhabitants, delightfully -iituated in the midst of a fme agricultural district along the line of the lUiffalo and (ioderich division of the Clrand 'i'runk Railway. Its history as a village dates from the time of the completion of that road. Ridgeway is not yet inc orporated but forms a i)ari of Hertie Townshij) for municipal purpose.s. In fact it is the cajjital of the township, (dy liie township hall is situated in tlu' village. The business places consist of two hotels, three general stores, tiiree groceries, two stationery stores, one drug store, one jewelry store, one stove and tin shop, one millinery shop and one gents' furnishing store, a bakery, several backsmith, harness, and shoeshojis, a roller (louring mill, twf) saw mills, a planing mill, a foundry and machine shop, and the various other industries that usually make up a thriving country village. There is also in the place an office of the .\merican Express Company, .-^n agency of the Cnat Northwestern Telegraph (Company, and a post-office with a savings bank and money order department in connection. The railway station at this village is called Bertie, although the village itself has borne its jjresentname for a great many yeai Ridgeway has become known throughout the Dominion as an historic i)lace, in conse(iuence of its proximity to the spot where the brave Canadian volunteers nut ihe I'enian invaders in 1866, Ill.kllK ANIi I OK I IvUIK. 271 )llt of OS Diie line ler the re is tlie md l.d The villa>^e is provided with ;i very etVuienl |iiil)lie school, of which Mi. A. H. Kilm;in h;is heen the principal for several years. There are two churches in Ridgeway, a Methodist and a I'ree Methodist. In addition to thest- there is a Presbyterian connregation who hold regular servicL'S in the township hall. The Methodist Church was erected in 1872. It is known as the Memorial ( hurt h, from the f k t that it contains a tai)let erected in memory of the volunteeis slain at the battle of Ridgeway. The laudai)le undertaking of erecting this tablet owed its inception to the Rev. T. M. Oainpbell, who was at the time pastor (jf the church. The base of the tablet was laid on llie 15th .September, 1874, under the auspices of the (Jranil Lodge, Ancient, I'Vee .md Accejited .Masons of Canada. The ceremony was very imposing, and the proceedings were j)articipated in by a large number of the fraternity, embracing iiu inbers from the lodges at Port D.dhousie, Dimnville, (Jayuga, W'elland, Port ( 'olborne, I'onthiil and other places. The lirelhren from Port Dailiousie, W'elland and I )unnville evinced a special interest in the undertaking by turning out in very large numbers. The (irand Lodge was opened by R. W. Hro. I). IC. Uroderick, of Caledonia, acting (hand .Master; with R. W. Hro. I. P. Wilson, of W'elland, I). (1. .M. ; R. W. Hro. John Parry, of Dunnville, C. S. W. ; \. W. liro. Ilurrseli, of Cayuga, C. J. W'. ; W . P>ni. l)i. I'fa/cr, as (1. I'reas ; Rev. liro. 1'. M. (."ampbell, as (1. Chaplain : l>ro. j. R. .McC.utev, as (). .Sec. ; W. Pros. Fullmer and Moriii, of Ridgeway, as (1. S. and |. De.acons; \'. W'. Pro. IWaun, of Dunnville, (1. I), of Ceremonies, and V. W. i{ro. Pronson, of Dunnville, C. Supt. of Works. The procession was formed outside of the hall, from whence the brethren marched to the church, which was filleie into ida and evidently intended to make war upon the country. On the following iDorning, June isl, they were met ne ir the crossing of the Ridge and Carrison Roads by a detachment of the Second Regiment, ((^)ueen's ( )wn), under command of Major, now I.ieiit. Col., C.iJinour, a detachnuiit ol the 13th Patt., Hamilton, under Lieut. ./> ^% %. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 < ^S / f/. 1.0 I.I 1.25 III 1.4 = 20 1.8 i.6 V] / 0/ Wi % Photographic Sciences Corporation ^^^ •^y fhe citizens in the vicinity of the P>attle Oround, 1874. To pay the greater tribute of homage to deserved worth, the chapkt of A. 1''. «i UKRTIK AND FORI ERIE. 273 and A. M. is to-day, and at the foot of their tomb, and the labors ol the craft, cheerfully given to lay substantially the i)asc of their tablet. In the name and by the favor of the Glorious Architect of Heaven and Earth, on this the fifteenth day of September, 1874, and of the era of Masonry, A. I,., 5874, and in the 38th year of our most gracious sovereign, ■^>U(.ci Victoria; the right honorable Sir Frederick Temple, Earl of Dufferin, K.. I'., K. C'. 15., (Src, (iov- ernor-{ieneral of Canada; the Hon. Ale.x. Mackenzie, Premier of Canada; the Hon. \Vm. Crawford, Lieut.-Governor of Ontario ; the hon. Oliver Mowai, Premier of Ontario; Edwin Hershey, Reeve of this township, and E. A. Dickout, Deputy Reeve; and Rev. Metcolf Campbell, pastor of this Church. This tablet base was laid by R. W. Bro. D. E. Broderick, Esq.. I). D. G. M. of the Niagara District, assisted by grand ofificers and brethren from various jiarts of the Province, and especially of Dominion Lodge, No. 213, W. Bro. J.N. Fullmer, W.M. And may the G. A. O. T. U. smile on this undertaking. After i/ne conclusion of the ceremony. Miss Thompson, of Fort Erie, rendered the " Oil cer's Funeral," a piece of music appropriately chosen for the occasion, and the ])roceedings were brought to a close by brief and ajijjropriatc addresses by Messrs. J. Perry, I. P. Wilson, and R. Balfour. The present Pastor of the Church is the Rev. Mr. Masson. There is also in Ridgeway a Free Methodist Church, of which there is no regular pastor. The Chun h — a red brick structure — was built in 1872, by the Methodist Episcopal congregation, who sold it to the Free Methodists at the time of the union of the Wesleyan and Episcopal Methodist Churche;-'. Ridgeway Lodge, No. 59, Ancient Order L'nited Workmen, was instituted on the 26th February, 1880, with seventeen charter members, and the following staff of officers: P. M. W., Thomas Boles; M. W., E. H. Beaman ; Ci. F., E. A. Dickout ; O., H. N. Hibbard; Recorder, A. H. Kilman ; Financier, N. Brewster, M. D.; Receiver, B. M. Disher ; (1., L. Nagel ; L W., N. Ellsworth ; O. W., H. A. Haun. The lodge, which meets t"ery alternate P'riday evening, ha.; now a membership of twenty-six. The present M. W. is J. E. Morin, M. P. P., while A. H. Kilman holds the office of Recorder. Ridgeway Council, No. 18, Royal Templars of Temperance, was instituted on the 26th April, 1881, with thirty-two charter members, and officers as follows: S. C, P. W. Anthony; V. C, J. W. Ranney ; P. C, J. Walrath, M. D.; C:hap., Rev. R.J. Elliott; R. S., H. M. Disher ; F. S., B. M. Disher; Treas., James Cutler; Herald, J. A. Beeshy ; Deputy Herald, M. E. Disher; Guard, J. W. Kennedy; Sentinel, Lewis House ; Medical l'"xamirier, J. Walrath, M. D. The Council meets on alternate l-'riday evenings, and has for its present princi|)al officers, J. A. Beeshy, S. C, and Lewis House, R. S. A "'riilj- '-■" 274 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. Ridgeway Circle, No. 59, Canadian Home Circles, was 'nstituted Nov. loth, 18X6, with fifteen charter members and tlie following staff of officers : — Fast-lveader, Col. J. E. Morin ; Leader, N. Brewster, M. D. : Vice-Leader, Mrs. J. E. Morin ; R. S., Mrs. H. Box ; Treas- er, Charles Krafft ; V. S., H. Box ; Chajjlain, Z. Teal; Marshal, Mrs. C. Cutler: Warden, Mrs. C. Krafft ; Ciiard, Alfi-ed Wilson ; .Senlinel, Ivl (^athard ; Medical Examiner, Dr. JJrewster. The membershi]) of the Circle is about twenty, and the meetings are held on the first Monday evening of each month. Frontier Division. No. 60, Sons of 'I'emperance, was instituted January 15th, 1885, with twenty-six charter members, and officers as follows : W. 1', J. l'\ Dunn; W. .'\., l-'lo. Brewster; R. S., E. S. Learn ; A. R. S., Nellie Walrath ; Treas., Charlotte Moore ; F. S., W. M. Thorn ; Chaplain, Rev. R. Burns ; Conductor, W. ]i. Disher ; Asst. Conductor, Jane Gerrard ; I. S., Alice Brewster ; O. .S., G. B. Magee ; -^ W. P., H. N. Hibbard; Div. Deputy, J. W. McPhee. Meetings of the division, whose present membership is seventy-two, ar(» held every Tuesday night. R. A. Mcintosh is tlie i)rcsent W. i'. ; W. M. Thom, R. S. ; and J. F. Dunn, Division Deputy. Fort Erif:. In 1857 the village o*" Fort Erie was erected into a separate municipality under that name, having an area of about 900 acres and extendmg for nearly two miV-i. and a half along river and lake. This village has at present a pojMilation of aVua 900, and contains a machine shop, green house, postoffice, three meat markets, four taverns, ten stores imd shojc, of various kinds, a poultry yard, and a large .drill-shed, being the headquarters of No. 4 company, 44th Battalion. There are also Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic Churches. St. Paul's (Anglican) Church was originally founded a!..' )Ut the year 1835, but the present fine structure was built in 1877. 'I'he present rector is the Rev. Robert Arnold, B. A. The congregation numb-rs about 250, the number of communicants being 116. 'I'he Church of St. John's, on the Ridge, forms a portion of this parish and has an average attendance of fifty and fifteen communicants. The Sunday school in connection with St. J'auFs Church has 200 names ujion its roll, and that of St. John's 25. The Presbyterian Church was built in 1873, and has about 50 adherents and 20 communicants, and in connection with it there is a con- gregation at Ridgeway, where services are held in th^ town hall, with 20 coiamuni- cants. Loyal Orange Lodge, No. 750, has its headtpiarters at I'ort Erie. The original charter was granted Sept. 24th, 1S71, and the charter members were: Wilson Len- nox, W. M. ; Robert Magwood, D. M. ; John Magwood, Secretary; Wm. \. Wood, Treasurer ; John .Vnderson, Isaac White, John Palmer, Thos. Bardgett and Lyman Wooliver. It at present numbers 52 members, and its present officers are : Isaac White, W. M.; Jno. Hriggs, D. M. ; Jos. (J. Ray, Secretary ; Thos. G. .Stamp, Treas. — r HUMBERSTONE TOWNSHIP. Huml)eisi.''i'c 'rownslii]) is bounded on the north l)y tlie townsliij) ol' I'rowland on the east by th,: Townslii]) ot Hertie, on the south by I, alee I'^rie, and on the west by the Township of Wainfleet. Huniberstone's geographical position is an advan- tageous one, and its fertile soil, which is more or less alluvial, and varies in quality from black muck to clay loam, ranks the township among the best agricultural districts in Omnrio, It is about seven and a half miles long and six miles wide, and contains about thirty thousand acres. The surface of the central and northern portion is mainly flat. A ridge of high land on the southern side of the township runs nearly east and west, |)arallel to the shore of Lake lirie, and within a mile or two '){ the lake. The lands on one side of the ridge slope to the north, on the other south towards the lake, uruil tiie picturesque hills which border on the lake - shore are rea<:hefL These '.nils are well timbered, and are fringed with forest trees at their base, comprising oak, ash, hemlock, cedar, linden, butternut, walnut, beech and whole groves of sugar maple. In summer these hills ring with the melodies of the song birds, with whom they are a favorite haunt, 'i'hey are also tenanted with various kinds of game, such as woodcock, partridge, quail, wild pigeons, snipe, squirrels and rabl)its. P'oxe.s, raccoons, and other fur-bearing animals in limited quantities also find shelter here, but in decreasing number. The lake abounds in fish of nearly all the varieties found in fresh water. .Many of the inhabitants of the cities and large towns spend the. summer vacation camping out along the lake shore among these beautiful hills, enjoying the pure lake air and the fishing and hunting. The Fort l'>ie and Stonebridge road runs along the toj) of the ridge. This highway is macadamized and graveled nearly its entire length, and as it is the direct route to the city of Buffalo it always presents an animated appearance. A- drive along it in summer is always enjoyable; even in the hottest days a cool and refresh- ing breeze from the lake generally prevails. Comfortable house.s, barns and other farm buildings are everywhere to be seen. Numerous fine orchards border it on either side, and shade trees adorn both sides of the road in many places. Horses, herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, grazing in the fields in quiet securiry, give an air of prosperity, plenty, and comfort, that is unsurpassed in many older countries. A beautiful ridge of land runs in a northeasterly direction from the village of ^^ 276 HISTORY OF WIi,M,AND COUNTY. lIiiml)LTstonL'. This ridge is irivrsed by vhat is known as the (Ihiupawa road, an excellent ihoruiighfare. A drive along this road takes us past first-class farms, on which are comfortable builditr^s. Herds of fine cattle and flocks of good sheep pasturing in the adjacent fieldsi, present a jMcture of prosperity and domestic corn- fort. There is also an imdulating strip of land extending along the eastern side of the townshi]), which is very fertile and productive, being well adapted to agriculture and horticulture ; and evidences of thrift and pros|)erity exist among all the farmers of this locality. In the southwestern corner of the township there are some very fmt farms, well adapted to raising grain and fruits. There is a lofty conical hill situated in this part of the township, called "Sugar Loaf," upwards o!" one hundred feet in height, Iiaving an observatory built on the summit, from wliich a fine view of the lake and surrounding country may be obtained. It has lately become a popular summer resort. In addition to camping parties and those living in cottages, a great many boarders are accommodated at the neighboring farm houses during the summer months, and it is a favorite resort for picnic parties. / The north-we.stern portion of the township is considerably lower than the Tv-'mainder, and contains extensive marshes. These lands form the source of Lyon's Creek, described in our historical sketch of Crowland. This marsh, of which the township contains about three thousand acres, produces Irirge cjuantities of whortleberries and cranberries. About eight hundred acres of the tract are valuable for peat, which will probably someday be converted into fuel. Having described the physical features of Humberstone from information obtained from a recently published description, it will now be well to say something concerning the condition of the townshij) a centurv ago, and particularly to record the nanii's of some of Thk Pioneers. It is to their inciusrry, and the bravery with which they struggled with the many hardships incident to life in the woods, that the present generation of Ilumber- stonians is largely indebted for the many broad acres of productive land and other blessings. Some of the people now living may not realize the importance 'M a local history, bat it will be well to preserve for their children and their children's children a recoid of the past. The generations yet to come will better r.i)[)reciate the many advantages incideni to the ages in which they will live, if they fully understand the difference between the lot of those who live in the prosperouj Township of Hum- berstone during the latter part of the nineteenth century, and the hard struggle for existence of their ancestors who settled in the primeval forests of a hundred years ago. Historians have assorted that the first settlement of the township took place in 1 7S5. We have, however, the best authority for stating that at least four years prior to that date Hiuiiberstone had commenced to receive settlers. As early as ■' 1 HUMIiKKSIONK TOWNSHIP. 277 1 781, Christian Stoner removed his family from liis home along the banks of the Siis()uehanna, in Pennsylvania, to Hnmberstone, where they settled on parts of lots 29, 30, 31 and 32, in the 3rd concession. Mr. Stoner had first come to Canada alone in 1778, and when he brought his family in 1781, they were accompanied by Abraham Neff and Christian Knisley, who with their families settled in the same neighborhood. In 1783, \Vm. Steele settled in the township. Among the other U. E. Loyalists, who came in about the time of the; close of the American Revolution, were John Near, the father of Daniel Near, Esn., the present Clerk of the township, who settled on lot No. 2, in the ist conce«"icn, Daniel Knisley, Michael Sberk and George Zavitz. The numerous progeny of the above mentioned pioneers still own and occupy a large portion of the lands of the township. A de.scription of the township and history of its early days, containing a recital of all the interesting anecdotes that could be related concerning the pioneers'and their life in the woods, would alone fill a volume. The stories of the journeys of the various families from their homes in other lan-'.s through the woods to their destination, descriptions of thf; crossing' ot the Niagara River in Indian canoes, or on the backs of horses whose swiiiiming qualities governed their price in those days, as their speed does now, accounts of the various hair-breadth escapes of early settlers in their encounters with -.vild beasts that had for ages held dominion over the land, would all be of great interest to the present and future generations, btit we must content ourself with a brief general account of life in Humberstone a hundred years ago. Pro- visions had sometimes to be carried on the back from Niagara, along the Indian trails. Fjod was occasionally so scarce — particularly during 1789, the year of the famine — that beech boughs and leaves had to be cooked for food. There were cases of such terrible destitution tliat a family would be obliged to live for days on two or three ears of corn. In the spring following the famine people dug up ])umpkin seeds after they were planted in order to stay the ravages of hunger. The houses of the pioneers possessed slight claims to elegance or architectural beauty. Shanties or small log houses of the Oi-jst primitive construction, usually consisting of a single apartment, sutiticed for the majority of settlers of Humberstone at that time. Window glass was, except to those who were able to bring it from a great distance, an unattainable luxury ; yet some of them were not contented, when their doors were closed upon the-outer world, to see their home circle enveloped m semi- darkness. Therefore, those of them who could do so, procured paper, vhich they oiled and used as a substitute for glass. Failing to obtain paper, they carefully removed the thin membrane from the lard of hogs, and cutting it into squares as large as possible, secured it to the rude sashes they had made. Thus did they admit the cheerful and health-giving light of the sun to their humble habitations. For light at night a good majile fire, with an occasional pine knot when a particularly brilliant light was desired, answered admirably in the absence of candles or lamps. i : 27« IlisK/KV oi \vi;i.l.ANli roL'NiV. Many of tlic settlers wcri; without teams. 'I'liese were oblij^ed to work tor their more fortunate neii^hhors in exchange for tlie use of their teams. Sometimes a team was the common property of two or three persons, eaeli u-ing it in turn or as suited mutual convenience ; and instances have heen known of a horse and cow l)eini; trained to work together ; hut some were unable to obtain a team in any way, and were, consequently, obliged to i>nl their croi)s in altogetlu.. by h;ind. The agricul- tural implements among them were such as would be regarded as curiosities by our farmers' lads of the present d.iy. One of them, called the "shovel plough," consist- ed of a horizontal beam, '■a\o which was inserted at nearly right angles a wooden shaft, having upon its lov/er extremity an iron j)late. I'he single handle was placed at one end of the beam, and t^ 'iie other tiie team was attached. As it was drawn along, the iron-plated shaft tore up the earth. So fertile was the soil that wiih even such husbandry it yielded rich returns. I'itchforks and other implements were man- utacl'ired out of wood by the .settlers themselves, and families made their own cloth and garments of flax and wool. In iSi 7 the township contained seventy-five inhabiled houses and one gri:i aid one saw mill. Land at this time was valued at two and one-half dollars per -icre ; when the settlement of the township began, it could l)e purchased for ten cents .in acre. The construction of the Lake ]">ie extension of the Welland Cana', which runs through the entire length of the township from south to north, assisted in the ilrainage of a poition of the lands, and aided materially in the settlement of the townshij). It also was the means of establishing two villages - Port Colborne and Stonebridge. The icrnier ceased to be a part of the township in 1X70, at which date it became an incorporated village. Humberstone has kept pace with the other townships of Welland (bounty ever since the time of its settlement. It now con- tains a [xjpulation of two thousand seven hundred, exclusive of the incorporated village of Port (Jolborne.* With the exception of the undrained portion of the marsh, the land is all tillable save about six thousand acres ot woodland. This is jjietty evenly distributed over the township, and consi.sts of mai)le, oak, ash, birch, linden, whitewood, beech, wild cherry, poplar, red and white cedar, hemlock, hick- ory, butternut, walnut, pinC; tamarack, elm and sjiruce. The principal products 'iii the enlargement of tlie harbor at I'ort Colborne about the year i85o,aiulits better railway facilities, gave that village an impetii,s that made u outrival the sister village down the canal. Both have grown, however, imtil it seems like one conlinnoiis village all the way from Stonebrid/e to the lake. I'iie Village of Sionebridge now has a pojuilation of about seven hundred. It is a station on the Welland Division of the (Irand rrtink Railway, und contains three churches, one public school, one l.iuher.in school, one township hall, a temperance hall, ("ve hotels, a machine .->hop, a foimdry, ., >aw mill, a planing mill and sash and door factory, two cabinet shops, three wagon and carri.ige factories, eight shops, one organ factory, two harness manufactories, four blacksmith shops. 'I'he surrounding country being a good farming district, the various business establishments of the vijiage are in a prosperous condition. The churchis lonsisl of a Methodist (lluirch, of which the Rev. Mr. Duff is the [)reseni pastor: and two iaitheran Churches. One was built about the year IS75. ^' belongs tr> the Missouri Synod, and the Rev. F. Hente is the pastor. 'I'her.; is a school in connection with this church, in which the pu^i's are taught in both Cierman and English. Mr. K. Hoffmeyer was the teacher for s; ^eral years ; he has been recently succeeded by .Mr. Erne.st Riddel. The other Lutheran Church belongs to the Canadian Synod. The original church was erected a number of years ago, i)Ut was rebuilt in 1884. I'he Rev, i'rof. Snyder is the [)resent pastor. I'here is in Kumberstone a Division of the Sons of Temperance, with about sixty members, who meet every Saturday evening, and many citizens of the place .ire also connected with the several fraternal and bi"^eficiary societies, whose lodges are situated between the two villages and known as Union Lodges. lIinnl)erstone Circle, (). C. II. C, was instituted in the Cood Templars' Hail on the i4lh October, 1885, with twenty-one charter members, it now has a mem- bership of forty-tour and meets in the Union Hall. '!'. L. Stone is Leader, and L. R. Snider, Secretary. There are two worthy practitioners of the healing art resident in this village — Dr. Knisley and Dr. Haney, the latter one of the oldest physicians of the county. The townshi|) hall being situated m the village, the jjlace may be called the capital of the township. Here are held the meetings of the 'I'ownship Council, and here i.-i :hc place of holding the annual fair of the TowMishij) .\gricultural Society.. •<^v^^. PORT COLBORNE, Tlic |)atcnt for the land on which this huautiful village is situated was obtained from the Crown by one Robinson. Nothing was done in the nay ol settling it vmlil the construction of the Lake Krie extension of the W'elland (!anal necessitated the removal of the forest trees from the proposed route of the great artificial river. 'This point, which was chosen as the southern terminus of the canal, was then called (Iravelly Hay, in conseiiuence of the aiuj^unt of gravel fouid along the beach. Tlu canal which was built at that time was a inere ditch in comparison with the great channel that now connects the lakes, and consequently th-^ fir harbor constructed at (Iravelly Hay would scarcely be called a harbor by the pr_. eni rising generation, whose ideas of a proper connecting link between Lake Erie and the Welland Canal have been formed by views of the magnificent Port Colborne harbor of to-day. The first lock, which was built in 1832, was (juite near the lake, and there the vil- lage — if the small collection of boarding houses and canal shanties may be called a village — started. The labor of excavating and building the locks was very great in those days, when the present machinery u.sed for such ])urposes was unavailable, and a large force of men had to be employed. The Asiatic cholera which caused such wide-spread devastation along the whole line of the canal during the summer of 1832 — was especially virulent at (Iravelly Bay. Many of the laborers succumbed to the dread disea.se, and at one time work on the canal was entirely suspended. In those days physicians were scarce throughout the Niagara I )istrict, and it was difificrlt to procure medical aid for tiie sufferers. Mr. Merritt i)ut forth great efforts to check the disease, and summoned medical men from long distances to minister to the wants of his plague stricken employees. Dr. Ellis, who was practicing his profession in the Township of 1 'el- ham, was taken to the Bay to treat the sufferers there. After gra]5|)ling for a num- ber of days with the dread scourge, he himself became one of its victims. The disease gradually disappeared on the approach of cold weather, and things soon assumed their wonted appearance. The Lake Erie extension of the canal was rapidly completed, and in the month of June, i COUNTY. " Miitild.i.' tiom O.ikvillf, Ixniiid to (.'It-vclanti, Ohio. In iS^.j ilu: lldii. Mr. Mciiiil pill. Ii.i^c'd ilk' most of till' Iniul on ■hicli the prcsi'iu vill'igc stands, and had it >iirvevi;d into village lots. He also suctccdt'd, through his influence as member ot the I.egislatine, in having a post oliticc estaUlished at this point, to whicli was given the ni'ine of" Port ('oll)orne, in honor of Sir John Colljornc, at that time (iovernor (jf Upper Canada. I'or a number of years I'ort Colborne made no progress. I'he half dozen or so of houses and one small store, in which the post office was kept, < (iiisliiuied ilic \illage until after the (ioverninenl had assumed control of die (anal. an5o, .\lr, 1„ (i. Carter started a general store in the vichiity of the lew lo( k. This was the first store in i'ort Colborne, with the e.\cei)tion of the small groci'iy tli.it liad fonneil)' been kept near the old ioi k (lose to the lakt;. 'i'he place bnasted of but one liolil in 1S50 ; it was known as the " british North .Anic ican." Mr. Carter's enterprise wa; r.ipidl}' followed by (jtliers who engaged in business of various kinds, and from that time the place look an important position among the villages of llie district. In I e iioiise, wlii( li was then in session, for a Retrenchment Committee to examine into the expenses of the i ountiy, llial the people might see how the money was spent. I'he debate led to the adjcnirnnient of the House, so that the members coulil visit the < anal, which had been fully completed. On the 7th of |unc, the (Iovernor, i-ord l*Mgin, accompanied by the members of Parliament, crossed I,ake Ontario on the steamer "Chief justice Robinson" They proceeded to 'I'horold in carriages, and from there went to P(jrt ("olborne in a steamer, 'i'hey sto[)ped to iiispecl the aqueduct at Welland, or Merrittsville, as it was then called, and there partook of refreshments. The (iovernor drove from the aqueduct to the Falls, and the rest of the jjarty proceeded to Ciravelly Bay, where they arrived in the evening. 'I'here was no accommodation for such a large number of people in the village at that time, so that the party were obliged to encamp for the night. It was rumored at tl'.c time that copious draughts of something stronger than lake water caused some of the usually grave statesmen to pass the night in ii|)roarious hilarity. At any rate, it is the only case on record in whii h the Canadian Parliament passed the night with no other covering than the blue canopy of heaven. The visit was one of the most ausjiicious events in tlie early history of the place, and it is probable that none of the worthy lamilies who annually |)itcli their tents along the lieach near Port Colborne nowadays have ever [)assed as jolly a night as did the Canadian legislators nearly forty years ago. VII.LACiK <>l I'OKI' COI.IIORNK, J«.l L The dctfiition ot vessels in tlu' liiirhor wnitiim to Ik- 1mi)leted. Suice that time Port t "olborne has enjoyed excellent comnnmication both by rail mmI water. IJy the year rSyo the populatit)n of tl~e place hid increased to such .'U extent as to induce its ambitious citizens to sevi-r the connection l)etween i'ori ('olborne and die Township of I lumberstone i)y having the former place incorporated, and since 'IkU time Port (lollxjrne has ranked as one of the incorporateol groves along the beach, enjoying the boating, bathing and fisiiing, for wliich the jjiace is becoming famous. Just east of the harbor the Welland Kailway Company laid out a l)eautiful picnic ground in i8lh February ensumg. On the 5th March the first regular convocation was held, when the Chapter was constituted and the officers formally invested by R. Ex. Conip. Parry, C. D. Superintendent, assisted by Ex. Comps. Braund, Ui)per and Hunssel, P. P.'s. of McCallum Chajjter, No. 29, Dunnville. Subsequently a warrant was granted, dated October 15th, 1874, num- bering the Chapter 57 on the registry of theCrand Chapter of (!anada, under which it was duly consecrated, and the officers regularly installed by the P. C. D. Sup't. At a later date, when the new and handsome hall, now used, was completed, the im[)osing ceremony of dedication was performed by M. Ex. Comp. Seymour, (i. Z., assisted by R. Ex. Comp. Carlisle, (1. D. Sup't., and V. Ex. Com}). Struthers, P. (i. S., in the presence of a large assemblage of companions, who came from far and near to witness the interesting proceedings and participate in the festivities that crowned the evening's labors. Thus matured and constituted, King Hiram Cha])ter has carefully profited by the judicious instructions given during its progress, until it has now enrolled undgi its banner a list of companion members who fully realize Vll.l.AC.K ()!■ I'ORT COI.BORNE. 289 1 the duty of preserving its honor iinsulUed, and maintaining for it a rcpulo amongst sister Chapters of which they need not feel ashamed. McNar) Lod'^c, A. F. X: A. M., No. 169. 'I'lic charter of this lodge is d.'ted 13th July, 1865. Its charter members were Chas. B. Nimmo, Edwin Smith, M. Richardson, A. K. Scholfield, F. J. Qui-in, J. J. Hardison, C. H. Carter, Joiin Mathews, Charles Corey. 'i"he lodge meets on 'Tuesday on or before the fuU moon i'. each month, and has for its present W. M., T. Rae ; and Sec, John C. McRae. Beacon Lodge, I.O. O. F., No. 201, was instituted at Port Colborne on the 23rd March, 1877, with charter members as follows: C. W. Wright, John Camp- bell, K. K-insey, N. C. Morgan and J. O. Rose. The lodge has flourished ever since it started, and now has about thirty members in good standing. 'The present N. G. is Lemuel TurnbuU ; \'. (1., N. C. Morgan ; R. S., Jno. Cook ; P. (1., I). W. Mc- Kay ; Treas., S. Burrow. Brock Lodg-, A. O. U. W., No. 39, was organized on the sth November, 1879, with charter members as follows : J. R Haun, R. Balfour, E. O. Denison, J. Rob- inson, J. A. (Irififith, W. B. Pringle, Jas. McKay, S. R. Cleveland, E. .\ugustinc, A. Earhoff, R. Smith and Ceo. Augustine. 'The lodge at present numbers about forty members and meets on the first and third Monday in each month. P^ock Lodge has not yet lost a member by death. Erie (Council, R. T. of l'., No. 119, was instituted in the Oddfellows' Hall on the 9th October, 1884, by P. M. Pattison, at that time the princii)al organizer of the Order in Ontario. The charter members were I). H. Crow, W. T. Cook, Jas. A. Smith, Rev. P. K. Dayfoot, Rev. J. H. Hazlewood, and L. Turnbull. The i)resent Select C!ouncillor is I). H Crow, and W. T. Cook holds office as Recording Secre- tary, The council for the last two years has met in what is known as the Union Hall, which is situated midway between Port Colborne and Stonebridge, and is occupied as a lodge room by various organizations that draw their membership from l)oth villages. The hall is the property of Mr. W. T. (.'ook, who built it, and is very conveniently arranged for lodge purtjoses and suitably furnished. Peninsular Assembly, No. 3,279, Knights of Labor, was instituted in the Odd- fellows' Hall, Port Colborne, on the 17th June, 1884. The assembly now has a membership of twenty-si.x. The present master is Cyrus I). Wynn ; W. T. Cook is Secretary, and Chas. Knoll, Treasurer. The meetings are held in Union Hall. Lake Erie Lodge, No. 253, United Order of Honor, was instituted 30th January, 1887. The charter members are W. T. Cook, H. Hyatt, W. Misener, Dr. Knisley, (ieo. Thompso.i, Ellen Thompson, and Mrs. Hyatt. The meetings are held in the Union Hall. Dr. Knisley is President ; W. Misener, Secretary, and \V, T. Cook, Treasurer, « % PELHAM TOWNSHIP. In lliis townslii|i there still live, in the full enjoyment of all their frciilties, a few old Mien who have outlived their allotted four score years. They can remember the lime when nu)st of the region now covered with villages and farms was an un- broken wilderness. The 'I'ownshij) of Pelham, now one of the finest agricultural and fruit districts ^n (xnada, was then tenanted chiefly by wild beasts, or by wandering savages of some of tiie least civilized Indian tribes. Where now wheat fields, reaped with little human labor by elaborate machinery, send their harvest gold into the farmer's treasury, one unvaried forest growth, fed by the creeks and rivulets that were its veins and arteries, surged over hill and valley, a sea of verdure. 'I'he Townshij) of I'elham is at the western side of the County of Welland ; it has on the east side the '' ownship of Thorold : on the south the Township of Wainfleel, from which it i:. separated by the Welland River ; on the west the Townshi]) of (Jainsborough, in I incoln County; on the north the Townshi}) of Louth, also in Lincoln County. Tt extends about five and one-cjuarter miles east and west, by nine and one-quarter miles north and south, and contains twenty-nine thousand and eighty-seven acres. The concessions are counted from the north and the lots from the east. I'elliam is almost entirely an agricultural district ; there are but few manufactories in the township. In the extreme north-east corner a never failing stream of spring water furnishes power for two grist mills and a cou[)le of woolen factories. The surface of this township is more diversified than Liiat of any oiher portion of Welland County, the southern part consisting of nearly level land, the central territory being "gently undulating," and the nortli end, p'-ticuiarly towards the eastern boundary, containing steep hills, which give a piciun '^queness to the landscape, making many excellent subjects for the artist's pencil. There is a great variety of qualities of .soil in the townshiji. The central portion of the township, particularly near the eastern boundary, is composed of a fertile sandy loam, very productive and easily tilled. In other i)arts of the municipality clay, clay-loam, and sandy-loam predominatf. Nearly twenty-three thousand acres are cleared of timber: the remainder are still in woodland, chiefly compo.sed of chestnut, pine, oak, beech, majile, and black and white ash. The woodland is distributed over all ])arts of the township. I'elham contains no lar:.,e towns or business c:entres, but PEI.flAM TOWNSHIP. 391 llic l)()inini(;n can boast oi" no finer fiirming country. I'lic liomcstcads and villa residences which dot its expanse are of no httle ta.ste and elegance. The southern portion has several small streams, tributaries of the Wolland River, while the hilly district in the north is the source of the Ten .Mile Creek and other streams which flow into Lake Ontario. Thk Roads In this township arc generally good, affording easy communication with the market centres at Welland, Thorold uid S' Catharines. What is known as the I'elhain stone road, which runs from • ( jutral point in North I'elham to the city of St. ("atharines, is the only macadamized load in the township. .\ll the rest arc turn- pikes. They are excellent during the summer months and when thr sleighing is good in the winter, but during the wet weather of the spring and autumn months those that run through the clayey portions of the township make the traveller wish that stone or [)lank roads were universal. Thk D.vj'k of thk First Sktii.k.ment \.)f a township, now that a century or more has elapsed, is a difficult matter to accu- rately determine. It is true that historians have fixed a date 1790 — at which they say the pioneer settlers made their first appearance in Pelhani. We have the best of evidence, however, that the township contained a number of settlers and that a flour mill had been built within its borders [jrevious to that date, .'\mong those who had made their homes in the township previous to 1790, we find that John Crow, grandfather of U j recently deceased clerk of the townshii), settled in Pelham about 1784. I'eter Hendershot, a native of New Jersey, settled here the same ye-^r. Jacob Recce, a native of Pennsylvania, took possession of land in the north end of the township in 1786. (ieorge Hansler settled on the property now- occupied by his descendants in 1788. .Abraham Overholt left his home in Penn- sylvania in the early part of the .'American Revolutionary War — probably before 1780 —and with his family setded on land which lies on both sides of the town line now separating Pelham from Thorold. When Samuel Beckett came into Pel- ham township from Philadeli)hia in the fall of 1793, he purchased the premises on which the village of Effiingham is now situated, of David Secord. .\ portion of the property purchased was a grist mill which had been running for about four years. Mr. Secord had also cleared about ten acres of land and had apple trees old enough to bear fruit. One of the trees is still standing and annually yields a good ctop. Old age has apparently had no effect u];on it, save that of making of it a giant among aj)ple trees - nearly ten feet in circumference. Before the close of the eighteenth century many more pioneer families had established themselves in I'elham; those of John Taylor, 'I'homas Page, Thomas Rice, the I )ishers, the Willsons, the Millers, the Nunns, the Jennings, the Fosses, and several others. 2()2 HISTORY OK WKI.LANI) COUNTY. Suinc t)t the descendants of those "first fainihes" of I'elham have kindly furnished us with their recollections of those early days. i'he settlers of some of the easily tilled Felhain lands, where the surface is so rolling as not to recjuire much ditching for the purposes of drainage, hy mo means endured the hardships and privations that early settlers encountered in less easily reclaimed districts. With them the period of forest-clearing lasted but a comparatively short time, and the period of agricultural i)rospcrity soon set in. Still, much had to he endured. .\round them was the desolate forest whence the ox-team, then the only conveyance by which it was possible to travel, could with difficulty thread the dark and tortuous passages cleared by the woodman's axe. Bears and wolves abounded. Hy the testimony of men still living it is an undoubted fact that the packs of wolves were at one time so numerous and so daring that it was unsafe for children to attend school without an armed escort. I'eople have lain awake at night in their log houses while packs of wolves, wild with hunger, were howling round the farm-yard, sniffing at the crevices for the smell of human flesh, or striving to penetrate with tooth and claw ■^ the outbuildings where the cattle were secured. The bears were not at all so dangerous to human life, but were still worse neighbors to the farmers than the wolves. The latter did no damage to the crops, but to bruin nothing came amiss ; a stray pig, a cow, a hive of bees, a field of grain, a patch of corn. The scene in a neighborhood when the advent of a bear was announced was an interesting one. All was hurry and excitement ; everyone turned out to join in the hu'.it, and with all sorts of weapons. Nearly all the early settlers of l^elham were U. E. I^oyalists from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The most of them were Quakers, who were exempt from military duty, although a few of the township's early .sons did yeoman service in support (jf tlie English troops during the war of 1812. Pelham in 1838. The insurrectionary movement of \Vm. Lyon Mackenzie and his supporters in 1837 may well be considered the central point in the history of English-speaking Canada, the crisis between a tyrannical local oligarchy and the reforms which led to responsible government and nationality. Its importance has been little appreci- ated by the so-called historians of Canada. One alone -the only historian of our national history whose work aims at being .something higher than a mere slipshod compilation Mr. Charles Dent, in his most original and eloquently written " Last Forty Years of Canada, " has had the insight to perceive and the courage to eulogize the services rendered to Canada by " the grand old rebel." Pelham was the scene of one of the most exciting events of those troublous times. It was inhabited chiefly by pronounced opi)onents of the " Family Compact," and known as the stronghold of radicalism in the county. This fact, coupled with the knowlt?dge of a portion of it being well wooded and hilly, as well as sparsely populated, led the 1 PEI.HAM TOWNSHIP. 293 % American syMiiKilliiscrs with the insurgents to selc('t it as a spot in whicli to raise the standard of rel)el!ion. Henjaniin Wait sent detadinients of men acres the Niagara Kiver with instructions to assemble among the "Short Hills." A preceding chapter deals witli tlie details of this invasion. Ti; the credit of Pelham's cili/ens we can say that although no people in Canada were more alive to the injustice and tyranny of the " Family Com|)act," they were loyal IJritish subjects and would have no hand in insisting u >un the redress of grievances by other than constitutional means. On the first of July, 1792, thv .;entral portion of I'elham was devastated by a hurricane which felled ne-'ly all thi' trees that came within its range, and created sad havoc among the setlleij. it exlended into Thorold Township, cutting a swath among the forest trees known to this day as the Hurricane Road. The first saw-mill in the townshij) was built by Samuel Hecketl in 1794. It was run by the .same stream which su[)plied the power for the grist mill purchased by that gentleman from David Secord, and which now furnishes i)ower for the three or four mills and factories of that i)art of Pelhain. One of the first stores in I'elham Township was kept by Moses Brady, at what is kiiown as Sanderson's Corners. Wild land was originally valued at fifteen pence per acre. By the year 1817, the population had increased to seven hundred and seventy-six persons, and the value of land to forty shillings an acre. The township at that time contained one Quaker church, five schools, three grist mills and five saw-mills. In 1850 the pop- ulation numbered two thousand two hundred and fifty-three, and the value of un- cleared land had increased to three pounds per ac^e and of imjiroved farms to six pounds an acre. The number of horses contained in the township at that time was returned as being four hundred and ninety-two, and the number of horned cattle as nine hundred and eighty-eight, while the ratable i)roperty was assessed at thirty-five thousand two hundred and twenty-seven pounds, thirteen shillings and ten pence. At the present time the ])oorest land is worth upwards of twenty dollars an acre, large farms are many of them valued at one hundred dollars per acre, and choice fruit farms have changed hands at upwards of two hundred dollars ])er acre. The population now exceeds three thousand. In 1885 there were twelve hundred horses, and upwards of two thousand horned cattle in the municipality, while the value of real and i)ersonal ])roperty was upwards of two million dollars. Driving directly west from the town of Welland, after passing through a narrow- neck of land belonging to Thorold Township, we find ourself in Pelhani. We pro- ceed westward on a road running parallel with the Chii)pawa Creek, or Welland River, which is spanned by two bridge.s, connecting Pelham with Wain fleet, known , as O'Reilly's and lieckett's bridges respectively. The country [)assed through is laid out in fertile farms, the most of them evidently owned by good [practical farmers. In this part of I'elham is situated f i i I r:i^ n^ ■ j: r UJ4 HISTORY Ol- \VI',I.I,ANI> COUNTY. Mount Vkunon Church, I'.iiilt hy the Mclhodisl body about 1874. It is one of tlic aiipoiiitmcnts on the I'en- wick circuit. Farther west are situated some of the most recently cleared lands in the township. The soil is very i)roductivc and bids fair to some day render the farms as valuable as those in what are considered more highly favored localities. Entering the township from the west, the first village we enter is Fenwick. It is situated on the 9th concession, about one mile and a half distant from the western boundary of the townshi]), and between three and four miles from the Welland River. The village contains a |)ost office, two stores, three blacksmith shops, three wagon shops, two shoe shops, one hotel, one harness sho]), one chopping mill. There is one Methodist Church in the village jjropcr, and one about a mile east on the Canboro road. It was on the site of the latter that one of the first churches in I'elham township, known as Hethany, was erected. It was a ''rame structure built by the F^piscopal Methodist denomination, and did service f'^r the congregation of that ( luirch until a year ago, when it was replaced by a handsome brick edifice. The W'esleyans, afterwards known as the Canada Methodists, erected the church in the village soon after the construction of Hethany Church. The recent union of the different i)ranches of ^Methodism renders both churches the projjerty of the united Meihodist congregation of Fenwick. The pastor for the past three years has been Rev. T. J. Atkins, the Suiterintendent of the Fenwick Circuit. 'I'he village school house is a comfortable and commodious building, and the Hoard of Trustees always succeed in keeping the .school efficient by em|)loying well- (jualifit'd and i)ainstaking teachers. In addition to the businesses already enumerated in the village, there is a broom factory, and a shop in which is manufactured a|)iarian supplie.->. There are two medical practitioners resident in the village, Doctors Uirdsall and Comfort, who both find that, although Fenwick is situated in a healthy locality, there is ample room for the practice of the healing art within their limits of travel, i'he late Dr. H. R. Haney, M. P. P., for Monck, to whose practice Dr. Birdsall succeeded, was for a number of years a resident of the village. Fenwick is surrounded by an excellent agricultural district. Although some of the farms have been cleared since a comparatively recent date, the progress in agri- culture has been marvellous. The beautiful homestead of Joseph darner, lisq., the veteran Reeve of the township, was previous to 1849 covered with primeval forest trees. .Mr. Carner settled on the premises at that date and cut the first stick of timber himself. Proceeding down the "Canboro Road," which runs in an east by north-easterly direction, we pass through a section of country so thickly .settled as to present the appearance of a continuous village. The land on either side is perhaps as easily tilled as any in Canada. It is particularly well adapted to fruitgrowing and 4 \1 I'll. HAM lOWNSIIIP. »9S i market gardening, and to these uses the owners have not hecii slow in apiilying it. Nearly two miles east of Fenwick wei)ass the Pklham Town Hai.i,, a red brick building which was erected in 1848, and has since that date nul only answered the jjurpose of the niunicii)al legislative chamber of the township, but has also served as a place for holding concerts, lectures, and entertainments (jf various kinds. The building, which has done good service for the people of I'elham as a public hall, begins to show the effect of the ravages of time, and the ratepayers of the township are realizing that the old building is not an api)r()priate capitol for so progressive and wealthy a municiijality as I'elham. At a public meeting recently held it was resolved to instruct the Township Council to proceed with the erection of a new building. An EvANdKLiCAi. Church stands a short distance cast of the Town Hall. Jt is also a red brick structure and has been lately re-fitted throughout. It presents a neat appearance, cjuite in keeping with the prosperity of the Cermans and descendants of Cermans who have made Pelhani the home of their adoption. Proceeding eastward we pass what is kncwn as JiKCKK-n's Graveyard, and are reminded by the numerous white headstones and handsome monuments of the appropriateness of the phrase, " the great majority. " Farther east on this road we pass the handsome mansion erected a few years ago by Mr. Josiah Ward, and immediately afterwards we drive into the little village of Ridgeville, where are located a post-oftice, two stores, a couple of blacksmith shops and a shoe shop. A number of years ago, before the centres of trade had been estal)lished at Welland, Thorold and other places, a large mercantile business was done here by the late J. Steele, Esq. About one mile farther east is the village of FONTHILL. On reaching the crest of the hill, immediately above the village, the traveller is taken by surprise. After travelling for some miles along a road where his view of the country on either side of him has seldom extended beyond two or three miles, on reaching this elevation a most magnificent ]ianorama is, as by magic, displayed to his astonished vision. An immense i)lain, extending for many miles, lies before and below him, studded with towns, villages, groves rnd winding streams : before him, about four miles distant lies the Welland Canal, with stately ships moving either way upon its waters ; beyond it, the perpetually dashing, roaring cataract of Niagara, from whence arises a cloud of spray which add.s to the interest of the landscape ; on one side the waters of Lake Erie, and on the other those of Ontario, V-.«^$!J[ 2i)6 IIISTOkV f)h WKI.I-ANI) COUNTV. across wliii I) on a ilear day tlic < !ity of 'I'oronto may be clislinguisht-d in the dis- tame. On the sidu of the hill froni which \vc enjoy this hcaiiti'iil scenery nestles the village. Through its centre passes the town line stpir.LinK I'elhani and Thor- old Townships. Keali/ing that it will require a brief sojourn in the village to collect the data for )ur history of the place, we lind entertainment for ourself and horse at the excellent hotel with which the village is supplied. This building was erected in the early days of Konthill by Jacob Osborne, who sold it to Thomas Canby, frcjin whom it was bought by Thomas Smith. The stand was a good one and always commandeil a good business until January, 1874, when the Dunkin .\ct, a local prf)hil)itory law, came into force, and Mr. Smith ceased keeping a public house. Konthill was without a hotel until 1S85, when Mr. II. I'. Savigny, the present ac- commodating landlord, had the i)remises thoroughly refitted and is keeping one of those well-appointed hotels which the weary traveller delights to find on his route. 'The post ottice has been kei)t for more than a score of years by Mr. Danson Kins- man, who was also the most prominent merchant ol' the place previous to his retire- ment from active business in 1884. There are now two general stores in the village. I'onlhill also supports a harness sho]), a shoe shop, a blacksmith shop and carriage factory, a bakery, two tailor shops, and a meat market. 'There are no saloons or lirjuor stores ; the village enjoys an .\rcadian freedom from drunkenness, and other offences against law and order. Some peojjle are inclined to talk of what they call the palmy days of Tonlhill, theiel)y inferring that there was a time in the history of the place when the village enjoyed more prestige than it does to day. A careful examination of the facts leads us to believe this idea is to a certain extent fallacious. 'There never was a time when the jHipulalion was greater than it is at i)resent ; never before were there su( ii a numl)er of beautiful villa residences in the place. 'To these circumstances add the fact that one of the chief beauties of Konthill is the large number of ornamental trees that line the thoroughfares on either side, and whose beautiful foliage is every year becoming more copious. Kor these trees the village is indebted to the forethought and public spirit of its foster parent, 1). D'Everardo, Esq., who jjlanted them, and we venture to re-echo the sentiment of one of the citizens that " there are children unborn who will rise up and call him blessed " therefor. At the time of the separation of the Counties of Lincoln and VVelland, the regi.-itry otitice for Welland County was e.stablished in Konthill, where it remained until its removal to the county town in 1872. 'Two fire-proof buildings remain to remind us of the tact ; one of them is now used as a meat market, the other as a baker's shop. 'The largest building in the village is the con- cert liall, a wooden building three stories in height. It was built in 1854 by Mr. D'Everardo, and soon after its completion was made the receptacle of one of the earliest printing offices of the comity, in which was published the IVelhvid Herald and the Acorn. Kor a number of years a large cigar factory was conducted here by l'i;i.H,\\t roW'Nsiiil', »97 Harris &: Hcrslon. Mr. John (lore, whose vigorous hcaUh at tlic adv.iiucd a^c of eighty-six testifies to the heahhfiihicss of the locality, at one time carried on a vtrv extensive furniture business in ihe village. .Vmong the earlier merchants c. liie place, John I'ritx- is the best remembered. I'or some years he did business at what was called Upper l-'onthill or Kiceville, situated upon the crest of the hill, .\bout the year 1857 a grammar school was established in the village. .\ portion of the concert hall was used as a school house, and the school ranked among the best in the Province in efficiency. It was discontinued in 1H77, owing to the departmental regulation which reipiired better building accommodation than the township would [)rovide. In its best days the sciiool was managed by .Mr. Henry DcL.unatter, who is now connected with the high scIk^oI at Owen So. .id. I'he village is supplied with an efficient Public School, in which two teachers are employed ; the present princijjal is Mr. K. Davis, a teacher of long experienqe. 'I'hk P'onthili, Churches. Holy Trinity CMiurch is a romantic looking little gothic structure, situated on the 'I'horold side of the town line to the north of the village. In this building, which is surrounded by a beautiful grove of spreading maples, the congregation have worshipped God according to the ritual of the Church of Kngland, since October, 1862. Before the erection of the church, services were conducted in the concert hall. I'he site of the church was donated by D. D'Evcrardo, I^scp, and those who were principally instrumental in erecting the building were Alfred Willett, Ceorge Robertshaw, Robert Holditch, and Ceo. (lamble, Sr. The clergymen who have been in charge are the Reverends Messrs. Macleod, Creighton, Morton, Caswell, Jones, Pipe*", and (lardiner. The Methodist Church is situated on the hill above the village proper. It was erected abort the year 1852, by the Universalist denomination, to whom the site w.as given by John Price. Lewis Wilson, John Core, and Klisha Harris pushed the building to completion, when it was purchased by the Wesleyan .Methodists. It is the principal appointment on a circuit incuding the churches at Allanburgh and St. Johns. The Baptist Church is situated at the bas.^ of the hill on the Pelham side of the town line. It 1*^ a comfortable frame building, erected in 1847. To the late Mrs. D'Everardo is due the credit for taking the initiatory steps towards having the church built. That i"dy, who had been a :nember of the Baptist Church from her youth, and who had always taken great interest in church mat.^i'rs, was not satisfied to have the service conducted ''n the school house, a.i had formerly been done. She succeeded in getting the young men of the place interested in the enterprise. The land was donated by Mr. Thos. Canby. The deed, which is dated May, 1847, was given by Mr. Canby to Jacob Winger, Peter H. Bouck, and Roiiert Burrows, who 298 IIISTORV OK WKI.LANI) COUNTY. in I arc described as the trustees of the Close Communion Calvinistic Baptist Church of Fonthill. A jjtrcat deal of woric was rccjuired to level the hill before the building could be erected, 'i'he young men all turned out with a will and levelled the site. Elder David Way, an itinerant preacher, and Klder Cleghorn, of Niagara Falls, who had occasionally preached in the school house, assisted and encouraged the young men in their efforts. .Mr. D'liverardo became security for the building materials and the boys succeeded in completing the church. The d^'dicatory sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Tucker, an eminent IJapiist divine, of Buffalo. The subsequent career of I'onthill Baptist (Church has been characterized by prosperity. The congregation has always been large. The church is connected with the one in Welland. .\mong those who have been pastor.'- v.e fmd the names of the Rev'ds. Chas. Walker, Mr. Muir, Ira .Smith, .S. C. Keetch, J. J. Haker and S. (1. .Vnderson. In 1879 ^^he church w.is re-built and re-furnished at a considerable expense. It is now a commodious and comfortable building, warmed by hot air from the basement. Lodges, Socii;rii:s and Bands. Wellaud Lodge, ,\. I'\ and A. M., No. 36, was first established as a lodge of Masons under the name of Hiram Lodge, at the village of St. Johns, about the year 1 8 15, under a warrant from the (irand Lodge of England. It was moved from there to Cook's Mills and became dormant about the year 1826, and the warrant was lost. It was revived at the village of Chip[)awa upon the petition of W. S. Burnham, ('has. W. Hart, jno. Deakers, I). M. Harper, J. C. Davis, Richard Robinson, Samuel Zimmerman and others, under the P^nglish register of number 894, and the first meeting was held in Chip|)awa on 15th October, 1851. In consequence of the removal of a number of these members from Chii)i)awa, upon the petition of L P. Wilson, John Har[)er, John Kra/er, (leorge Camble, William Carl, (ieorge Smith, Erastus Root, W K. Swayze, and Alexander Smith, it was transferred to Fonthill, where the tn.si . gular meeting was held on 21st June, 1855, under the name and title of Welland Lodge, No. 36, Provincial register, and 894 Englisli register, Fonthill, of v/hom (leorge Gamble was first W. M., (leorge Smith, S. W., and L P. Wiliion, J. W. This warrant was surrendered to the Provincial (Irand Lodge at the time the .\ncient (Irand Lodge of (Canada was formed at Toronto on the 9th September, 1857. This lodge worked under dispensation from the said ,\ncient (Irand Lodge of C'aniJa until the union ot the (Irand Lodges of Canada on the 14th July, 1858, under the title of ihe (Irr.nd Lodge of Canada, and then received a new warrant from the said (Irand Lodge under the name and title of Welland Lodge, No 36, and bearing date the 14th July, 1858, in which (leorge (lamble is named W.M., John Frazer, .S.W., W. F. Swayze, J.W., and with L P. Wilson, Dexter D'Everardo, Thomas Rice, W. J. Berston, .\. K. .Scholfield, John Harper, and their successors, are empowered to hold a lodge, and which is the present warrant. The M.i'sSiJ.:^- PKI.HAM rOWNSMII'. 299 lodge formerly held its meetings on Wednesday, but at the time of its transfer to Fonthill in 1855, by consent of the (Irand Master, the time of holding the regular meetings was changed to Thursday, on or preceding the full of :he moon in every month, and the lodge continues to be so convened. Willett Council, No. 10, Royal Templars of Temperance, was instituted March 25th, 1880, l)y the Rev. C. C. Willett. The first Select Councillor was I). |. Stone. The Council meets the first and third Monday of each month. I'he i)resent S. (;. is Mr. Stone, while Henry E. Hunt officiates as Recording Secretary. There is a Loyal Orange I-odge in the village, with a good membership. Fonthill Circle of the Order of ('anadian Home Circles was instituted in 1885, by v. M. Fattison, Tne first Past Leader was George A. Hill; Leader, .\. H. Rice ; Recording Secretary, K. Davis, and Financial Secretary, J. J. Savigny, The Fonthill Library .\ssociation was organized in the early days of l""onthill, with the late Dr. John I'razer as President, and D. D'Kveratdo as Secretary. 'l"he last President was the late Jonas Steele, P^sci., while H. K. Hunt performs the duties of Secretary and l,ibrarian. The library contains a fine collection of books. The Fonthill Women's Christian I'emperance L'nion has been in existence for a few years, and by its open-handed charity is doing good work. 'I'he 44th Batt. Band is an indication of the musical talent of the village. About the year i86i a brass band was organized in the place and won high repute among the bands of the district. /Vfter a time its members became scattered and the band went down, leaving I'onthill without a l)and. In 1882 it was reorganized under the leadership of Mr. (leo. A. Hill, and ra|)idly regained its lost prestige. In 1884 it became the band of the 44th Batt. Many of its members are talented musicians. The Fonthill Fife and Drum Band is an institution of a coui)le of years' stand- ing. It furnishes appropriate music for Orange celebrations. Thk Medkal Prokession Has two representatives in Fonthill. Doctor iMiimett, the present Reeve of Pel- ham, located here in 1865, and has for many years luul an extensive ])ractice. His residence and grounds are among the chief ornaments of the village. Doctor Hansler began his jiractice in 1883. He occu|)ies ihe |)remises where the late Dr. Frazer, at one time representative of the county in tlie old Parliament of C'anada, for so many years practiced the healing art. Adjacent to the village, on the farn\ of Mr. John Brown, is the FoNrHii.i, Cemetery, Where " Kaoh ill lii.s narrow t'cU forever laid, 'I'lu' riHJi" forefatliiTs i)f tlii' liam'et leep." This burying ground has been used fo- a great number of years by people for many -\ 300 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. miles around. It is delightfully situated, and is a fitting resting place for the remains of the "dear departed." One of the principal causes of the i)resent prosperity of the village is the progress that has been made by that far-famed industry known as The Fcnthii.i. Nurseries. Pelhain Township has the honor of having within its borders one of the most extensive nurseries of America. Like nearly all extensive businesses established on a sure footing, the Fonthill Nurseries were started in a very modest way. It was a great number of years ago that Samuel Taylor engaged in a small nursery business. His trade was confined principally to the local market. Upon Mr. Taylor's death, Messrs. D'Everardo «S: Page purchased the business, and extended it to much greater proportions. They added a large acreage, including the farm purchased from J. H. Price, Esq., to the area formerly devoted to the business. Although Messrs. D'Everardo & Page, by their enterprise, succeeded in working up a large business, and laying a good foundation for the magnificent nursery of to-day, they were not successful financially. The property was next purchased by E. Morris & Co., who continued to o|/erate it until the present firm was organized ; Mr. Morris' partner at that time was .S. W. Hill, Esq. 1£. Morris iS: Co. were successful in their manage- ment of the enterprise, but lacked the necessary facilities for pushing the sales of their stock in distant places. To supply this deficiency, the firm of Morris, Stone & Wellington was organized. Mr. Morris has, from the first, been the manager of the nursery premises at Fonthill ; Mr. Stone, now deceased, managed a large nursery near Rochester, N. Y.; Mr. Wellington conducts the retail business through agents from the head office, Toronto. The reader may form some idea as to the extent of the industry, when he is told that it occupies about four hundred acres of land, and in the busy season gives employment to about 175 men. The average annual sales amount to about $200,000. The soil is particularly well adapted to the nursery business, it being varied from sandy loam to clay, so that areas may be found on the premises adapted to the raising of every kind of arboricultural stock. The well- ecjuijjped greenhouses of the firm are five in number, each one hundred feet long ; adjacent to them stand the neat busin.-ss offices, surrounded by a tastily trimmed lawn, that never fails to elicit expressions of delight from the beholder. The benefit derived by the business men of Fonthill from the nursery, witli its large number of employees, is almost incalculable. The surrounding farmers are also supplied by the firm with a good market for hay, oats, etc., a cpiantity of which is consumed by the large herd of cattle annually fattened on the premises for the linglish market. The object in view in feeding live stock, is the production of a natural fertilizer for the land. Whether this branch of tiie business is otherwise pecuniarily profitable or not, it must be a source of sati faction to Mr. Morris each .spring to watch the droves of huge, sleek, well-fed ■ illocks depart from the premises to the nearest I'KIHAM lOWNSHIl'. 301 shippirif,' point, and realize that after they have crossed the l)roacl Atlantic, their juicy steak will be relished by the epicures of his native land. The farmers also appreciate the efforts put forth by the firm to improve tlic live stock in the county. During a recent visit of Mr. Morris to England, he purchased and has since imported, for breeding purposes, six head of the world-renowned English Shire horses. In addition to the head office in 'I'oronto, from which about 100 agents are continually working, the firm has a branch office in Montreal, P. (^., and aLso one in Rochester, N. V, The business extends in Canada from Prince I'Mward Island in the east, to Van- couver Island in the we.st, while extensive sales are annually made in the States of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Not only is business done in these distant places, but during the packing season cases, addressed to different jjarts of Russia and other foreign countries, are shipped on their long journey across the seas. The firm have also received in exchange, and are now cultivating, upwards of 100 best Russian varieties of trees. We have devoted this much space to a brief description of the P'onthill nurseries, because the industry is one highly creditable to the county, aye the country, producing, as it does, many of the trees and shrubs that go to beautify the landscape in this and other countries, and produce luscious fruits to please the appetites of untold thousands on both sides of the Atlantic. May its prosperity ever be in the ascendant. Proceeding from Fonthill in a north-westerly direction, we pass through a beautiful section of rolling country, and find ourself in what is known as North Pelham. On every side are productive farms, and substantial, and in some cases elegant, farm buildings. On the fifth concession about two miles from the western boundary of the township is the little village known as Cook's Cornkrs. Here is situated the general store of Mr. C. J. (.^ook, from which the place takes its name. There are two blacksmith shops, a tailor shop and the other buildings usually found in a small hamlet. Two important industries are carried on here — the North Pelham Fruit Evaporator and the North Pelham Cheese Factory. The latter institution was started in 1885 by a joint stock company, in which the neigh- boring fanners owned the stock. It is now owned and conducted by R. M. Armour, a |)ractical cheese maker. A short distance east of the village is the North Pelham post-office, across the road from which stands a large brick church belonging to the Presbyterian denomination. East of the church is the graveyard. In a north-westerly direction from Cook's Corners lies the little village of Effing- ham, surrounded by steep hills. The scenery is very beautiful, reminding one of the truth of Coleridge's sentiment that " Lame is Art, and Ium' eiidoavour FolIoUH Xiiture's cdiirsi' lint slowly; (iuu.sHiiiy, toiling, Mt'ckiiig evec, Still ini)iroving, jR'rfect n(.'vt'r. " 3°2 HISTORY OI WELLAND COUNTY. At Effingham, as we stated before, was the site of the first ^{rist mill and saw mill in the township. The same stream that furnished power for those pioneer mills now runs two grist mills, those of Mr. John Vanderburgh and Ward iV Norris. A short distance below the mill o' ihe latter firm is the woolen mill of Mr. A. Collins it Son, and farther down the stream the woollen factory of Mr. J. N. Pitts. Mr. deorge Redpath held the office or village postmaster from 1866, the year in which the local |)ost-officc was established until his death, April 17, 1887. A Union Church was built at Effingham in 1S78. It is a frame structure capable of seating about 175 i)eople. It is free to all denommation:: who desire to hold meetings in it. The trustees are Whitson Heckett, A. Phillips and G. Redpath. About one mile south of Effingham is a graveyard known as Hansler's. In 1884 there occurred in the village A Tracjedy, Which for atrocity is almost without a parallel in the annals of crime in Canada. Two brothers, John and Alexander Easterbee, cruelly murdered the wife of the latter and buried the body in a garden near the house. The crime, so far as can be learn- ed, was the result of petty family quarrels - or pure devilishness. A couple of days later Alexander, probably stung by remorse, decided upon committing suicide. He got the assistance of his brother John and the two went to the woods together, where Alexander assisted in digging his own grave. This completed, the wretched man shot himself through the heid with a revolver and the brother finished the job by cutting his throat with a pocket knife, and covered up the body in the grave. For ten long months John Easterbee kept the terrible secret, and then related the facts to a younger brother, who communicated with the authorities. The bodies were ex- humed, the unhappy man was tried, found guilty of the wilful murder of his brother, and sentenced 10 be hanged. The Executive interfered, and in consequence of the l(/sv mental condition of the prisoner, commuted the sentence to imprisonment for life. John Easterbee is spending the balance of his days in Kingston Penitentiary in expiation of his terrible (rimes. Thk Sociktv 01 Friends. In speaking of the settlement of Pelhim, we stated that the majority of the pioneers were I'riends. Of the settlers of a later date and their descendants, but very few belong to that sect, and in consequence the Friends are now greatly in the minority. There arc, however, many worthy families living in the' township who belong to the society, and two meeting houses are kept up by them. The one is situated about midway between the ninth and tenth concessions, nearly a mile from the eastern boundary of the township. The church, or meeting house, — as the > i ' .iBBliWtol'H Wn' -"-"^ '••'■" I'KLHAM lOWNSHIP. 303 Friends call it - is of red brick and has beside it a graveyard. This is the place of meeting of what is called the Orthodox (^)iiakcrs. About one mile farther west, on the ninth concession, is situated the meeting house and graveyard of those I'riends who worship (lod according to the faith of the Hicksite (Quakers. MUNICIl'AI. (;o\ KKNMKNT. Dr. Frazer was the first Reeve, after the separation of the counties in 1850. He held office until 1857, since which time the office has been filled for the majority of years by Joseph (iarner, Fsq. Dr. Emmett is the present Reeve. 'I'he names of the Reeves and Deputies for each year may be found in our cha|)ter on Representatives to the County Council. 1 ). D'Everardo was appointed Clerk in 1850, and held office until 1859, when he was succeeded by John B. Crow, who held office till his demise, April, 1887. The office of Treasurer was held from 1850 to i860 by J no. S. Price, from 1861 to 1883, by Samuel Beckett, from 1883 to 1887 by John B. (!row. Schools. I'elham has gc^d school houses, and efficient teachers are employed. The excellent high school which for a number of years existed in Fonthill, was within the borders of the township, and its influence upon the community is (piite perceptible. A number of its graduates are among I'elham's most intelligent residents. For the years 1856, 1857, and 1858. the Rev. S. \V. Folger filled the office of Focal Super- intendent of S':hools for the township. Jacob Brackbill was Superintendent in 1858 and 1859. He was succeeded by Henry R. Haney, M. D., who filled the office until the end of 1869. The last year that the office existed - - 1870 - -- William Wetherald was the incumbent. JUJU tt JIC ' llLK ' " iffWffly^y-AiL- TOWNSHIP OF STAMFORD. Stumford is hounded on the north by the County of Lincoln, on the eist by the Niagara River, on the south by the Welland River, which divides it from tlio Townships of Crowland and Willoughby, and on the west by the Township and Town of Thorold. The township was originally called Mount Dorchester, or 'lownship No. 2. It took the former appellation from Sir (luy Carleton, who was the Earl of Dorchester, and the distinguishing number from being the second township surveyed in this part of the country, Niagara having been the first. It received its present name in 1792, from I.ieut.-Ciovernor Simcoe, who at that date named it and other portions of Welland County after well-known places in Lincoln- shire, England. The first actual settlement of the township has been generally ascribed to about ten families, who came into the district about 1784 with ButlerV Rangers. At that date the township no doubt received a number of settlers, but they could not claim the distinction of being the first to establish habitations in Stamford, for we have the best of proof that the ancestors of many of the present residents of various parts of the county lived in the township previous to that date. The frontier townships, from their geographical position, would naturally be the stopping place of the majority of those seeking homes in Canada in the early days of the Revolution, which drove so many citizens out of the older States. This fact prevents us from learning ihe names of many who were pioneer settlers of Stamford ; there were, no doubt. Loyalists who loc-ated in the township and died without descendants to tell the tale, and others, who, after sojourning a short time along the frontier, moved westward without leaving any record from which even their names at this late day can be discovered, .\mong the first white people who dwelt in Stamford, were the Cooks and Durhams, who came from New Jersey as early as r776. Soon after arriving in the township, James and P>e Durham became the parents of a daugiiter, who received a grant of land from the (Governor in conse- quence of being the second white child born in western Canada. Rachael Vrooman, the daughter of Solomon Vrooman, was the first white child born in the district, and she and Catharine Durham, as well as a few more of the earliest sons and daughters of Canada, were rewarded by the Governor for starting on the journey STAMFORlJ TOWNSHII'. 305 ' of life where they would have to endure the many hardships incident to life in the Canadian forests. ("ons|)icuous among the names of the early settlers of Stamford are those of Charles (Ireen, Jimcs Pew, IMiilip (leorge Bender, William Higgar, Ceorge Carner, Robert Spencer, \Vm. Lundy, (crei-iah Moore, Wni. I'orsyth, John Wilson, Thos. McMicking, Samuel Street, Frederick Lanii)man, Ohadiah Dennis, Solomon Hyatt, the Brown family, the IJowmans, the Thompsons, the Uppers, the Skinners, the Kilmans, and many others. The settlers of Stamford, while being subject to all tb*." hardships entailed by cle.iring farms in the forest and dwelling in rude log houses, with none of the luxuries and but a scanty supply of the necessaries of life, fared better than many of those who established themselves farther from the frontier. Street's mill, at the Falls, built ir 1785, was within the boundaries of the township, and consequently none c^f the Stamford people had to go more than a few miles with the bag of corn on their backs to have it made ready for food, while the pioneers of Wainfleet who came to the same mill had to take a trip of twenty or thirty miles with their " grists " through the woods, or in canoes along the shore of Lake Erie and down the Niagara River Ti'a I'ort r>ie. About the year 1791, the first church was built in Stamford by the Presby- terians, and in 1795, another one was erected by general subscription for the use of all denominations. The first paStor of the Presbyterian congregation was the Rev. Jno. Dunn, who came from Albany, N. V'., in 1794, and preached the gospel to the peoi)le of Stamford for about two years, when he left the ministry to engage in mer- cantile pursuits. The pulpit of the Union (!hurch was occupied by several itinerant Methodist ministers, and occasionally divine service was performed by an Episco- palian clergyman. The first municipal organization seems to have taken place in 1793, when the following officers were elected : Assessors, John Wilson and I'jnjamin Skinner ; Wardens, John Wilson and Thos. McMicking; Clerk, Jeremiah Moore. The first by-law passed at a town meeting leads as follows : "It is unanimously agreed that a Fence shall Hee five foot high With Rails or Logs Sufilciently made." In those days there was evidently some connection between tiie irnuicipal affairs and the church, for we find recorded the fact that, at the town meeting held in 1794, James Thompson and Archibald Thompson were elected Church Wardens. At the .same meeting Timothy Skinner and Peter Thompson were appointed Assessors, and John Ui)per, Collector. The first road used by the settlers was what has from the early days been known as I.undy's Lane. It was originally an Indian trail, and was much used and had several habitations along it before the official survey of the township was made. 'I'he survey [irovided for a road north of this Indian trail, but as it was more con- venient for the settlers to use the road already made than to construct a new one, Htjewsaaecnafw 3o6 HISTORY C)K WKLLANU COUNTY. r I Charles (Irecn, the owner of lots 132 and 133, through the southern portion of which the trail passed, gave the land it occupied in lieu of the su-veyed road at the north end of his estate, 'i'he road eventually to(4, the name of I.undy's Lane, from a settler named W'm. lAuidy, who lived along it on the south side. It is impossible to state positively why the highway was named in honor of the Lundys instead of the (Ireens, froni who-^e farm the ioad was taken, but it was prejbahiy in conseiiuence of Wm. i,undy being a leading man among the settlers, jftid it also occurs to us that the people who first named the road made use of " apt alliteration's artful aid " in selecting a title that would last for years. Whether the name Lundy's Lane would be in common use yet, had it not been rendered historic by the memorable battle, it is hard to say, but there can be no doubt that the words beginning with two L's are more euphonious than would be a name the initials of which are (i. L., as (Ireen's Lane, and, no doubt, would be used for generations after a title in which the figure of alliteration is wanting would be forgotten. The war of 1812, of which an account is given in another ch.ipter of this work, devastated the frontier townships to a greater extent than the more inland sections of Welland County, and in consequence it took considerable time for Stamford to recover from the effect of ihe bloody conflict that took place within her bordeis, and for the settlers' homes, many of which were ])illaged and burned by the Americans, to be re-built. By the year 1817, however, the population had increased to twelve hundred persons, and one grist and two saw mills existed in the township, while the lanil had increased in value from one shilling, the price at the date of the fi'st settlement, to fifty shillings per acre. In 1850 the population had increased to upwards of two thousand five hundred people, and the township produced from the crop of that year 42,000 bushels of wheat, 32,000 bushels of oats, 11,000 bushels of Indian corn, 1 1,900' bushels of potatoes, 8,000 bu.'5hels of buckwheat, 9,000 pounds of wool, and 23,000 pounds of butter. In 1885 there were upwards of eighty thousand bushels of grain threshed ; there were in the same year nine hundred acres in orchard, and two hundred acres planted with grajjes. 'I'he popu- lation, exclusive ot tiie Town of Niagara Falls and the Village of Niagara l-'alls, both of which formerly formed part of tlie township, is about two thousand. Stam- ford contains about twenty-two thousand acres, and in 1885 the value of real and personal property was upwards of one million five hundred thousand dollars. 'I'he soil in .Stamford Township consists of clay and sandy loams, and has everywhere been found well adapted to the growth of wheat and other cereal.s, and a large portion is also adapted for the production of all kinds of fruit. Apples, cherries, plums, peaches, grapes, strawberries and other small fruits ate brought to great perfection, as well as vegetables of every description. Lundy's Lane is lined on either side by comfortable houses, sui rounded by gardens filled wiili fruits of various kinds. 'Ihe soil heie is sandy and very -t«)!S«IW#wweBW».% r- ---■ sr.wii OKI) Township, .?o7 prndiu tivL', and the small fruit industry proiiiisfs tu grow to groat prijportions. Already extensive vineyards Iiave been established, and the locality has An enviable reputation in the metropolitan markets of (Canada in consequence of the excellent fruit it prcxUices. i'able fruit is sent to market in baskets, containing about twenty pounds each, covered with yauze ; wine grapes are shipped in hogsheads ; straw- berries, raspberries, etc., in crates ; i)eaches are placed in baskets. 'The fruit is taken to the railway station every morning about eight o'clock, and forwarded to Toronto, London, Hamilton and Montreal. About five tons of fruit daily are shi|)ped in this manner from one railway station in the vicinity. The Village t)f Stamford is situated on what is known as the Portage road, about three miles north of i-undy's Lane, in what was the earliest settled portion of the township. It was here that the first church in Welland County was built, in 1791. 'I'his edifice, erected at that early date by the Presbyterians, was probably the second building erected for Christian worship in western Canada. A writer, in describing this church, says : "The first church edifice, substantially and honestly built, had, in its day, few equals in this region, either for beauty of architecture, or location. It stood until 1871, as a monument ot the past, and as a memorial of (iod's protecting care over his people in a wilderness country and through the perils of war." After the battle of I.undy's Lane, the siege at Fort Erie, and the battle of Chippawa, the building was occupied as a sort of hospital. Not only was the old church rendered historic by being used as a hospital during the war, but at a later time it w,is the place of worship of the representative of the crown ; in 1824 the Rev. David (Joodwillie was the pastor of the Stamford congregation, and the (iov- ernor-( leneral of Canada, who at that time resided at "the Cottage," about a mile north of the village, attended the services. Among the ministers who have been l)astors of the Stamford Presbyterian congregation, we notice the names of the Revds. David (ioodwillie, 1). H. Goodwillie, Dr. Russell, and James Magill. The present pastor, the Rev. Robert Acheson, was installed in 1874. Since that date the church membership has increased from about fifty-five to about eighty. Th>; present church edifice was erected on the site of the old one in 1871 ; il is a model of neatness and comfort. Sir Peregrine Maitland, during his Lieut. -(Govern- orship, on :".ccount of the unhealthy condition of Muddy Little York, took up his residence about a mile north of Stamford. The original house being small, always went by thi' name of " the Cottage." As the (Governor's suite followed him, the building was enlarged for the convenience of the household, until it became a mansion ol twenty-two rooms, situated immediately on top of the mountain, com- miinding a magnificent view of the valley ot the Niagara, the lake beyond, and Toronto in the distance. The park covered four hundred acres. A sunken stone wall surrounded the house. Beautit'ul clumps of trees were scattered over the lawns. A weeping willow, which stood near the house, was brought by Sir Peregrine, .^o8 nrsTORY OK WKM.ANn COUNTY. when a slij), from Napoleon's grave at St. Helena. For the first portion of' his sojourn in Stainlord, there was no Knglish ( "hiirch. Service was sometimes performed in a sciiooi house, and occasionly in the I'reshyterian Ciuinh, when the minister of diat denomination was ai)sent. Mr. Dee, an old brother otifieer of Sir I'eregrine, moved to Stamford in 1825. The two gentlemen immediately set to work to build a chun h, a work in whi( h they received valuable assistance from the whole com- munity. Chief Justice Robinson presented the pul|)it, Lady Sarah .Maitland fur- nished the communion place, and the liishop of Quebec gave the communion plate. When the church was completed the folhnvmg year, the Rev. Mr. Anderson was sent to fill thi; puljjit, but as the Rev. Mr. i.eeming was already residing at l.undy's Lane, the Rev. Mr. Anderson was sent on to I'ort l'',rie. In 1834, a grant of some four hundred acres of land was made by Sir Jno. Colborne for the support of the minister. Trustees were .Alexander Rorback, I'eter Lami)man, Matthew Ottley, Alexander Hamilton, (Sheriff), and James (Jordon. I'he Village of Stamford stands upon these glebe lands. .Xmong its earliest inhabitants was Jno. McMicking, who came in with his father when a mere child, shortly after the close of the .\merican revolutionary war. Stamford was to have been the capital of the Niagara District, and umber was got ready for the jail and court house. Influence, however, caused the Duilding to be erected at Niagara. Stamford Village has not made much pro- gress, but it is a pretty place and is nicely situated. In addition to the two churches alreacy mentioned, the village contains a Methodist Church, a school, two .stores, a postolitice, and the various other shops usually found in a small i)lace. Near the village is Mr. Edward Lindner's canning factory, an important industrial e.stablishment. The country in the vicinity of the village is a very fine agricultural section, and is occui)ied by enterprising and progres.sive farmers. A macadamized road extends through the township from the Niagara River, a little to the southward of the village of Stamford, to the town of Thorold and city of St. Catharines. This road is extensively travelled, and is bordered by many farms in a high state of cultivation. Rev. J. Roberts was local superintendent of schools for the township from 1856 until ihe end of 1859. Rev. Mr. (loodwiilie filled the oflice in i860, and from the beginning of 1861 until the close of 1870 Rev. Ceo. Hell was superintendent. -»-^>§^ •VOo^ NIAGARA FALLS VILLAGE. The word "pretty" cannot be more appropriately used in the descri])tion of any village than it can in speakinj^ of the ambitions Uttle town whidi occujjies the battle ground of Lundy's l,ane, and wliich for so many years bore the name of the brave British commander, Sir Oordm Drummond. The village is delightfully situated, within ten minutes' walk of the l"'alls, and all of its streets are lined with thrifty shade trees, while nearly every house is surrounded by a small garden or orchard filled with fruit, flowers, and vegetables, for the cultivation of which the soil is especially adapted, and eviden<-es of prosperity and comfort are manifest everywhere. Drunmiondville is a younger place than Stamford village, for we are informed by one of its oldest residents that in 1S33 there were not more than a doxen houses where the thriving village now stands. At that date its business men were .\dam I''ralick, hotel-keeper; Samuel Faulkenbridge, merchant : Woodruff and Lowell, merchants; Wm. (lamer, blacksmith; John Misener, wagon maker; Gulp, blacksmith ; — - --Barker,butcher : Robt. Slater, hotel-keeper ; Andrew Moss, cabinet-maker, Jas. Skinner, harness-maker. I )uring the same year the building at present occupied by the high school was erected as a residence for Major Leonard. The builder was Mr. Wm. Russell, who still resides in the village. Wm. Lowell, another of those whose names appear among the list of early business men, is still living in the place, the progress of which he has watched from its early days. The growth of Drummondville was not rapid. It has never been one of those fluctuat- ing places, sometimes sfmnging ahead - mushroom like — and then suffering a re- action. Its progress has been slow but sure. A description of the place i)ublished in 1850 say.s, " Drummondville contains about five hundred inhabitants ; a brewery and tannery and four churches, — Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist." On the 13th of March, 1882, the village became incorporated and its name was changed from Drummondville to Niagara Falls Village. Wm. Russell was elected Reeve for that and the following year, and Wm. Spence performed the duties of Clerk, (ieorge Shrimpton was Reeve for 1884, 1885, 1886, and 1887, John Roberts, the present Clerk, was appointed in 1884. The corporation covers an area of about two hundred and ninety acres ; it is bounded on the east by the Town of Niagara I'alls, a narrow strip of territory composing part of that corporation ! li .?'o HISTORY OK WKI.r.ANIi COUNTY. intervening between it and the Niaj^ara River near the cataract, and on .ill hiIkt sides by the Township of Stamford. The population of Niagara l-'alls Village acc(»rding to the last revised assessment roll is nine hundred and seventy-nine, and the total value of real and personal |)roperty is upwards of one hundred and twenty six thousand dollars. The public buildings are excellent, the roads easily maintain ed, and the village is out of debt, indicating that the present low rate of taxation will (onlinuf. and that Ni.agara l-alls Village will sustain its reputation as an eligible place of residence for those who desire to live inexpensively in the vicinity of the great catar.ict. I'he Stamford Township hall is situated here. It is a massive stone l)uilding. possessing considerable architectural beauty, and is one of the chief ornaments of the village. That beautiful spot on Main street, once known as the lUichanan residence, but now owned by Mr. .\. Hunker and named " Hunker Hi',1," has cjuite an interesting and romantic history. .\t one time the residence of Lord l^lgin, (lovernor (ieneral of Canada, stood in the centre of this picturescjue plot. During the *' reign " of this functionary, Drummondville was the scene of many notable social gatherings, and at one time no less prominent a personage than Jenny l.ind, the world lamed singer, favored the (ioverner's guests with the sweet melody of her voice. 'The Presbyterian church is situated on toj) of the slight elevation which is described as the spot on which the hardest fighting was done at the battle of l-undy's Lane. The church is a roughcast structure, erected in 1836-7 at a cost of about two thousand dollars. 'The builders were Wm. Russell and \Vm. Pym. 'The Methodist (Ihurch is a red brick building, situated on the north side of Lundy's Lane, a short distance west of Main street. The original church was built ai)out the year 1X45, at a cost of two thousand dollars. A wing has more recently been added at a cost of one thousand dollars. 'The ministers in charge at the date of ( onstruction were the Revd's. Messmore and Har|)er. 'The church now has a membership of about two hundred. 'I'he J'.piscopalian Church, known as " All .Saints," is a large stone structure of gothic architecture, built at a cost of three thousand dollars in 1856. 'The congre- gation had previous to that date used a church that was built by the Baptists in the earlier days of the village. 'The late Rev. Chas. L. Ingles ministered to the Episco- ])alian congregation for the long term of thirty-seven years. 'The British Methodist K])iscopal Church has a coPt,'regation of about forty members. 'The church was built nearly half a century ago, by the Congrega- tionalists, and purchased at a later time by the colored ])eople, who have for many years worshipped in it. I'he present pastor is the Rev. W'm. Drake. In connection with the church there is a liind of Hope, whose members — about forty of the young colored people - have taken a pledge against the use of intoxicating litjuors, tobacco and profane language. I NIAdARA KAI.l.S VIl.I.Ai.l.. 3«« 1 Mount Ncbo Chapter, Royal AhH Masons, meets I'riday on or hcforc the full nioun of every month. In 1885 8ft Dr. Mcdarry filled the position of Primipal /., and (leor^e Hyatt was Scribe IC. St. Mark's l,od(,'e, No. lo,, \. !•'. \- .\. M., was instituted in 1858. It now numbers about sixty-three members. \Vm. I )epew is Worshipful Master, and Wel- lington A. Kennedy, Secretary. Dufferin Council, No. 4, Chosen Friends, w,i>^ mstituted on 31st March, 1882. The present C!. C. is C. Lacey; 1*. C. C, John I ,ind ; Secretary, Walter Ker ; Treasurer, H. (1. A. Cook. Maple Leaf Council, No. 3, Royal Tem|)lars oi Temperance, was organized July 8th, 1879, by W. H. Reece. 'he membership is large and the Council tlour- ishing. The present S. C. is W. H. Wright, and R. S., Herbert K. (lamer. Four deaths have occurred in Maple Leaf Council, and all the benefits have been paid. Table Rock Division, Sons of Temperance, has a history reaching back for nearly forty years, it having been instituted as long ago as 1850 ; from that date until 1863, it flourished, and although it then dwindled down to a low ebb, it soon resumed its former condition, and now has a membership of about sixty. Its present W. 1'. is W. W. Whistler, and R. .S. is W. D. (lamer. Park Lodge, Ancient Order United \N'orknien, was instituted November 14th, 1879, by (1. R. Pennington. Among the first officers were (leorge J. Duncan, P. M., Dr. McGarry, M. W., J. (1. Cadham, Recorder. The present Master, P. M., and Recorder are J. Gallinger, Ralph Clarne., and J. (1. Cadham, respectively. Cataract Lodge, No. 103, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted in 1872, and has had a prosperous career. The present Noble (Irand is W. A. Kennedy, and the Secretary is J. C. Hull. Drummondville Lodge, Canadian Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted in 1851. Among the charter officers were Jno. A. Orchard, William Prowse, Richard Henley, Henry Brown, Dr. Mewburn, and H. C. Mewburn. The |)rincipal officers at present are P. N. G., J. A. Orchard; N. G., F. Dalton ; Secretary, H. Skinner. The Grand Lodge of the order met in Niagara F'alls South in June, 1886. Victoria Lodge, No. 2, A. F. iv: A. M., is conducted by the colored people. It was started by the colored people of St. Catharines a number of years ago under an ancient English charter, and about 1880 was moved to Niagara Falls South. Its Masters since the removal have been Simon Overholt, Burr Plato and Edward Smith. The Village of Niagara Falls, with its delightful situation, its natural beauty, and its historic reminiscences, is destined to some time become a large town, or perhaps to amalgamate with the Town of Niagara I'alls, and rank as one of the cities of Canada. Before closing this brief sketch, we wish to express the hope 20 r 312 HIsrOKY OF WKLLAND COUNTY. that the memory of the yreut historic event — the battle of lAindy's Lane — will be ijerpetuated by the erection of a monument in honor of the brave men whose ashes are there. Now that the two nations are living side by side in peace and harmony, why should not the grandsons of those who fought under Sir Gordon Drumniond, and the ilescendanls of the men who formed General Brown's army, join together in erecting such a monument? i I NIAGARA FALLS TOWN. The cor])oration of the Town of Niagara Ivills has within its hinits one of Nature's greatest works ; one of the " seven wonders " of the world. Man, too, has here left monuments of his greatness in those great engineering triumphs of the age — the three bridges that span Niagara's mighty canyon. Before dealing with the history of Niagara Falls as a town and describing the progress of this busy rail- road centre, it will be well to speak of the locality as to its natural aspect, and to mention some of the first white men who ever gazed upon what Byron thus described: " The fall of waters ! rapid as the light Tlio flashing mass foams .shaking the al)yss ; 'l"lu! lu^ll of waters ! where they liowl anil hiss, And iioil in endless torture ; wliile the sweat Of their gi'Cat agony, wrung out from this, Tlieir I'hlegetlion curls round tlie rocks of jet That gild the gulf around, in pitiless horror set, And mounts in spray the skies, and tlience again Returns in an unceasing shower." Early Glimpses. The name Niagara is of Indian origin, and is undoubtedly a tribal name. According to Indian authorities its orthography and pronunciation were originally C>ny-a-kar-ra, changed gradually to Ni-ah-gar-rah. Its signification is generally given as " Thunder of Waters." As early as 1534, Cartier, the great explorer, sailed up the St. Lawrence as far as Quebec, and, although for several years explorations did not extend any farther west, information was gathered from the Indians as to the source of the St. Law- rence. They told the navigator of a great lake, > which also emptied a river from the south, and that upon the river and beyond liie lake he would find an immense cataract and portage. Samuel de Champlain left 1'' ranee in 1603, on a voyage of exploration on I.ake Ontario. He leaves an indication of the cal.uact on a map published about 1613. Creuxio, the author of a Canadian history, jjuhlishetl in 1600, also marks the halls on his map, but makes no mention of -he piacc in the history itself. «■ 3>4 HISTORY Ol' Wl.l.l.ANI) COUNTV. The first description of the cataract by an eye-witness is that of Father Hen- nepin, a Roman Catholic missionary who accompanied a I'rench explorer in America, named I,aSalle. Father Hennepin i)ul)hsiied a wori< in 1697, in which he gives the following description of the great cataract as it appeared to him when he visited it in 167S : "Betwixt the Lakes P>ie and OnUario there is a vast and prodigious cadence of waters, wliich fall down after a surprising and astounding manner ; insomuch that the universe does not afford its parallel. 'Tis true, Italy and Suedland boast of some such things, but we may well say that they are but sorry patterns when com- pared to this of which we now sjieak. At the foot of this horrible precipice we meet with the River Niagara, which is not above a (juarter of a league broad, but is wonderfully deep in some places. It is sorapid above this descent that it violently hurries down the wild beasts while endeavoring to pass it to feed on the other side, they not being able to withstand the force of its current, which inevitably casts them headlong, above six hundred feet high. "This wonderful downfall is compountled of two great cross streams of water and two falls, with an isle sloping along the middle of it. The waters which fall from this horrible precipice do foam and boil after the most hideous manner imag- inable, making .in outrageous noise, more terrible than that of thunder; for wi;"n tlie wind blows out of the south, their dismal roaring may be heard more than fifteen leagues off. The river Niagara, having thrown itself down this incredible precipic( continues its impetuous course for two leagues together, to the (]reat Rock with an inexpressible rapidity ; but having passed tiiat its impetuosity relents, gliding along more gently for two other leagues, til' it arrives at the Lake Ontario or Frontenac. " From the ( ireat Fall unto this rock, which is to the west of the river, the two brinks of it are so prodigious high that it would make one tremble to look steadily upon the water, rolling along with a rapidity not to be imagined. "I could not conceive how it came to pass, that four great lakes, the least of which is four hundred leagues in compass, should empty themselves into one another, and then centre and discharge themselves at this (ireat Fall, and yet not drown a good part of America. What is yet more surprising, the ground from the mouth of Lake Erie down to the (Ireat Fall, appears almost level and flat. It is scarce discernible that there is the least rise or fall for six leagues together. The more than ordinary swiftness of the stream is the only thing which makes it to be observed. And yet, wiiat makes it the stranger, is that for two leagues together below the Fall, towards Lake Ontario or Frontenac, the lands -are as level as they are above it, or towards Lake Erie. Our surprise was still greater when we observed that there was no mountain within two good leagues of this cascade; and yet the vast quantity of water which is discharged by these four fresh seas stops or centres here, and so falls above six hundred feet down into a gulf, which one NIAtiARA lAI.I.S TOWN. 3«5 cannot look upon wilhoiit horror. 'l"\vo other great ouilcls, or lalls of water, which are on the two .sides of a small sloping island, which is in the niidst, fall gently and without noise, and so glide away quietly enough ; hut when this prodigious (|uantity of water, of which I speak, comes to the fall, there is a din a"d noise more deafening than the loudest thunder. "'I'he rebounding of the.se waters is so great that a sort of cloud arises from the foam of it, which is seen han;i;ing over this abyss, even at noon-day, when the sun is at its height. In the midst of summer, when the weather is hottest, it rises above the tallest firs and other great trees which grow on the sloping island, which makes the two fails of water that I spoke of. " After the river has run violently for six leagues, it meets with a small sloping island, about half a quarter of a league long, and near three hundred feet broad, as well as one can guess by the eye ; for it is impossible to come at it in a canoe of bark, the water runs with that force. The isle is full of cedar and fir, but the land of it lies no higher than that on the banks of the river. It seems to be all level, even as far as the two great cascades that make the main Fall. "The two sides of the channels, which are made by the isle, and run on both sides of it, overflow almost the very surface of the earth of said isle, as well as the land that lies on the banks of the river to the east and the west, as it runs south and north. But we must observe, that at the end of the isle, on the side of the two (Ireat Falls, there is a sloping rock, which reachs as far as the great gulf into which the said water falls, and yet the rock is not at all wetted by tiie two cascades, which fall on both sides, because the two torrents, which are made by the isle, throw them- selves with a prodigious force, one towards the east and the other towards the west, from off the end of the isle, where the (ireat Fall of all is. " After these two torrents have thus run by the two sides of the isle, they cast their waters all of a sudden down into the gulf by two great Falls ; which waters are pushed so violently on by their own weight, and so sustained by the swiftness of the motion, that they do not wet the rock in the least. And here it is that they tumble down into an abyss si.K hundred feet in depth. " The waters that flow on the side of the east do not throw themselves with that violence as those that fall on the west ; the reason is, because the rock on the end of the island rises something more on this side than it does on the west ; and so the waters, being supported by it somewhat longer than they are on the other side, are carried the smoother off ; but on the west, the rock sloping more, the waters for want of support become sooner broken, and fall with greater precipitation. Another reason is, the lands that lie on the west are lower than those that lie on the east. We also observed that the waters of the Fall that is to the west made a sort of square figure as they fell, which made a third cascade, less than the other two, which fell betwixt the south and the north. 3i6 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. " I have ofteti heard talk of the cataracts of the Nile, which make the people deaf that live near them. I know not if the Iroquois, who formerly inhabited near this Fall, and lived upon wild beasts, which from time to time were borne down by the violence of its torrent, withdrew themselves from its neighborhood, lest they should likewise become deaf, or out of the continual fear they were in of rattle- snakes, which are very common in this place during the great heats, and lodge in the holes of the rocks, as far as the mountains, which lie two leagues lower." Baron La Hontaine visited the falls in 1687. On account of the enmity of the Iroquois against the French his stay was brief, and in many cases his examinations were very superficial. Of the cataract he says : "As for the waterfall of Niagara, 'tis seven or eight hundred feet h'gh, and half a league broad. Towards the middle of it we descry an island, leaning towards the precipice as if it were ready to fall. All the beasts that do attempt to cross the waters within half a quarter of a league above this unfortunate island are sucked in by the stream. They serve for food for the Iroquois, who take them out of the water with their canoes. Between the surface of the water, that shelves off prodi- giously, and the foot of the precipice, three men may cross it abreast, without any other damage than a sprinkling of some few drops of water." The estimate concerning the height of the Falls given by Fiath'er Hennepin and Baron La Hontaine seems greatly exaggerated. We must remember, however, that it comes from men little used to estimating distances. Even at this date, a view from the river below the Falls will produce upon most persons a much exaggerated impression. The rush of waters in front of the observer apparently comes down in a tremendous stream from the arched vaults of the heavens above. The figures given by Charlevoix in 1721 were undoubtedly obtained with a view to an accurate estimation of the height of the Palls, and present a correct statement of the case : — " For my own part, having examined it on all sides, where it could be viewed to the greatest advantage, I am inclined to think we cannot allow it less than one hundred and forty or fifty feet." (In the measure of the time, this gives the exact height to a fraction.) Peter Kalm, a noted Swedish botanist, who visited the Falls in 1750, corrob- orates the statement of Father Hennepin about a rock projecting ujjon the west side of the river, which turned a part of the water at right angles with the Main I""all, thus forming a cross Fall. He speaks of a precipitation of the rocks at a point where the water was turned originally out of its direct course, as having occurred a few years previous to his visit, and upon his plan of the Falls indicates the precise spot, which corresponds to that stated by Hennepin. A somewhat doubtful story given in his narrative, is that of two Indians, who having been cast upon the island in the middle of the Fall ((ioat Island), in order to escape made rope ladders from tiie bark of trees, with which they lowered themselves NIAGARA FAT.LS TOWN. 3'7 down to the river. l''celing unable to swim against "the waves of (lie eddy, which, again and again, threw them with violence against the rocks, they were obliged to climb up their stairs again to the island, not knowing what to do. After some time they perceived Indians on the opposite shore, to whom they cried out. 'I'hcse ]iitied them, but gave them little hopes of help ; yet they made haste down to the fort and told the French commander where two of theii brethren were. He per- suaded them to try all possible means of relieving the two poor Indians ; and it was done in this manner : The water that runs on the east side of the island is shallow, and breaks in rapids over the rocks. The commandant caused poles to be made and pointed with iron ; two Indians determined to wa'k to this island by the help of these poles, to save the others or perish. They took leave of their friends, as if they were going to die. Each had two such poles in his hand, to v^t against the bottom of the stream to keep them steady ; so they went and got to the island, and having given poles to the poor Indians there, they all returned safely to the main shore. The unfortunate creatures had been nine days on the island, and were almost starved to death." L'Abbc Piccpiet, in 1751, speaks in positive terms of the number of waterfalls. He says : " This cascade is as prodigious by reason of its height and the quantity of water which falls there, as on account of tiio variety of its falls, which are to the number of six principal ones divided by a small island, leaving three to the north and three to the south. They produce of themselves a singular symmetry and won- derful effect." Two sketches made upon the s|)ot by the English artist Weld in 1796, give a correct idea of the general appearance of the I''alls at the close of the eighteenth century, as well as the peculiar form of the Horse-Shoe. Weld speaks in decided terms of a change in the feature of the Horse-Shoe Fall, saying : " Within the memory of many of the present inhabitants of the country, the falls have receded several yards. Tradition tells us that the (Ireat Fall, instead of having been in the form of a horse shoe, once projected in the midd' .». For a century past, however, it has remained nearly in the present form." He also says that he saw the clouds of spray from the Falls, while sailing on Lake Erie at a distance of fifty-four miles. A comparison of his sketches with that of l-ather Hennepin will convey at a glance the great changes of a century. This writer is in a measure addicted to the marvellous, and his statements are somewhat inconsistent. The stubborn fact is, there is nothing known of the Falls beyond Hennepin's day which can be sustained either by historical or traditional record. Arrowsmith observes : " A person may go to the bottom of the Falls and take shelter behind the torrent, between the falling water and the [)recipice, where there II . Ill 3i8 HISTORY OK WLI.LANI) COUNTY, 1 is a s[)are suffirient to contain a number of persons in perfect safety, and where conversation may he iield witiioul interruption from the noise." ThK NiAdARA RiVKR. Having thus briefly given descriptions of the cataract in the language of those who saw it a century or two ago, we will attempt to describe the Kails and the river in which they occur, i^iving the figiues which have been established by modern sur- veys, 'i'he river is thirty-six miles in length, reaching from I/ike Erie to Lake Ontario. It rt>ceives the waters of all the ujjper lakes, viz., Erie, St. Clair, Huron, Michigan, Superior, and others smaller than these. In its course towards Lake Ontario it makes a descent of 334 feet. The lakes and streams for which it is an outlet, it is estimated, cover an area of 150,000 scjuare miles. The length of Lake Superior is 360 miles, its width 160 miles, and its maximum depth 1200 feet. The Sault Ste. Marie, 100 miles long, connects the waters of Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Lake Michigan is about 300 miles long, 50 miles wide, and 900 feet deep. Its outlet is the Straits of Mackinac, conveying its waters into Lake Huron, a distance of 40 miles. (ireen Bay, formerly called the Bay of Puans, is on the north-west side of Lake Michigan, 100 miles long and 20 miles wide. Lake Huron is 280 miles in length and 180 miles in width, and about 450 feet deep. Its waters flow into Lake Erie through the Lake and River St. Clair, and the Detroit River, a distance of 100 miles, with a descent of 31 feet. Lake P2rie is 240 miles long, with an average depth of 75 feet. Its level above the sea is 565 feet, and above Lake Ontario 334 feet, which, of course, is the descent the Niagara River makes to the latter. The descent from Lake Erie, where the Niagara River commences, to Schlo.sser, is 12 feet ; at the rapids it is 52 feet ; at the cataract 164 feet ; from this point to Lewiston, 104 feet; thence to Lake Ontario, 2 feet. At Lake Erie, where the Niagara River commences, its width is about two miles, and its depth from 20 to 40 feet. At Black Rock it is narrowed to half-a-mile,and is at that point deep ai.d rapid, moving at the rate of six or eight miles an hour. For three miles its current continues swift, and thence its course is slow and its surficc placid, until within one mile from the Falls. At the head of Orand Island, five miles from Lake Erie, it expands, and branches out into two streams, running on either side of this island, the greatest quantity of water flowing on the west side. Opposite Schlosser it is nearly three miles in width, and ajipears smooth like the surlace of a quiet lake. Its descent from this point to the Falls is very rapid. At the Falls its width is three-quarters of a mile ; at the ferry it is 56 rods wide ; at the whirlpool 150 yards wide. Its depth varies from 20 to 300 feet ; and just below the cataract it has never been fathomed. Niagara River embraces, in its course, many beautiful islands, the lesser ones of which are Bird Island, situated between Buffalo and Lake Erie; Stpiaw Island, opposite Black Rock, of 131 acres; Strawberry J' •I0lliffmffpvm«m*'m''^i:'vew->mm^isw'f^'rv^ "TV-: i nia(;aka falls town. 3iy Island, of loo acres; Beaver Island, of 30 acre. ; Rattlesnake Island, of 48 acres; Tonawanda Island, of 69 acres ; Cayuga Island, of 100 acres, nearest the American shore, four miles above the Falls ; and Buck-horn Island, which is low and marshy, containing 146 acres. The tw > islands of principal note in this river are (Irand Island, of 17,384 acres, and Navy Island, of 304 acres. 'I'he hanks of Niagara River, from l-'oit Eric on the Canadian shore at the outlet of Lake Erie, to C"hi[)pawa, a distance of eighteen miles, are from four to ten feet high. From Chippawa to the Falls, a distance of two and a-half miles, the bank is from ten to one hundred feet high, the descent of the river being ninety- two feet. From the Falls to Lewiston, a distance of seven miles, the bank varies from one hundred and fifty to three hundred feet. From Lewiston to Lake Ontario is seven miles, and in this distance the Northern Terrace, or Mountain Ridge, crosses the cour.se of the river, when the banks diminish to twenty-five or thirty feet. The Cataract. Forming the cataract of Niagara are three separate Falls, produced by inter- vention of islands, dividing the river in its descending course, and presenting on their northern side high [)recipices, the extension of which forms the area of descent. That portion of the torrent which is between Goat and Luna Islands, is called the Central Fall. Between the American shore and Luna Island is the American Fall ; and the British or Horse-Shoe Fall, between Coat Island and the Canadian shore. The two former cascades viewed together arc usually called the American Falls. They stretch to an extent of one thousand feet, and have a descent estimated at one hundred and sixty-four feet. The Horse-Shoe Fall is the, largest portion of the cataract. It is estimated that it extends two thousand and one hundred feet, and is one hundred and fifty-eight feci in height. The water is precipitated over a ledge of rocks in a coninact mass, itUo a chasm, the depth of which has never been correctly ascertained. From the violence and rapidity of the water below all efforts to fathom it have been in vain ; but it is supposed to be about two hundred ,ind forty feet deep. Various attempts have been made to ariive at a correct estimate of the amount of water ])assing over the precipice of Nia;.rara. Different figures have been arrived at in this way. Oi>e calculator has estimated that ahoiu eighty-five million tons i)ass over every hour. The followin^^ table of calculations respecting the amount of water flowing down the Niagara River is taken from the Ceological Survey of the State of New York : By Dr. Dwight it is estimated at 31,492,742 cubic feet per minute. By Mr. Darby it is estimated at 27,878,400 cubic feet per minute. By Mr. Pickens it is estimated at 18,087,533 cuh'.c feet per minute. By Mr. Barrett it is estimated at 19,500,000 cubic feet per minute. fr I,'' il 320 HISTORY OK WKLLANl) COUNTY. The last estimate is from three different observations made at Black Rock. 'I'ho extremes of all the observations did not vary more than 20,000 feet per minute. It will l)e seen from the variations in the foregoing calculations that a correct estimate can scarcely be arrived at upon this point. A general idea, therefore, only- may be gained of the immense quantity of water that flows so uninterruptedly at these Falls. This idea may be more fully impressed upon the mind by considering also the fact, that the lakes and tributary streams supplying the river Niagara cover a surface of about one hundred and fifty thousand scjuare miles. The spray arising from this immense mass of falling water is always ascending and visible in moving columns, except when scattered by the winds. It assumes a pyramidal form, and passes off into clouds that hover over the point from which it ascends, and is seen at a great distance. The grandest view of every shade of color included in the rainbow, may be seen by the morning's sun above the l'"alls. From the head of the rapids, as near the Falls as i)ossible, gigantic clouds of mists are seen arising at the edge of the cataract. In passing slowly over, with the sun several hours high at your back, every conceivable hue of the colors of the rainbow can be examined in turn, at leisure, a sight which would dazzle an artist with a specimen of nature's inimitable painting. The Horsk-Shoe Fall. "The Horse-Shoe Fall," says N. P. Willis, "as a single object is unquestionably the sublimcst ihing in nature. To know that the angle of the cataract from the British shore to the tower is near half a mile in length, that it falls so many feet with so many tons of water a minute, or even to see it admirably represented by the pencil, — conveys no idea to the reader of the impression produced on the spectator. One of the most remarkable things about Niagara is entirely lost in the drawing — its motion. The visitor to Niagara should devote one day exclusively to the observation of this astonishing feature. "The broad flood glides out of Lake Erie with a confiding trantiuility that seems to you, when you know its impending destiny, like that of a human creature advancing irresistibly but unconsciously to his death. He embraces the bright islands that part his arms for a caress ; takes into his bosom the calm tribute of Tonewanta and Unnekuqua — small streams that come drowsing through the wilderness — and flows on until he has left T,akc Erie far behind, bathing the curv- ing sides of his green shores with a surface which only the summer wind ruffles. The channel begins to descend ; the still unsuspecting waters fall back into curling eddies along the banks, but th' .irrent in the centre flows smoothly still. Suddenly the powerful stream is flung wiiti accumulated swiftness among broken rocks, and as you watch it from below, it seems tossed with the first shock into the very sky. It descends in foam, and from this moment its agony commences. For three miles it 1 \ NIACIAKA lALf.S lOWN. 321 tosses and resists, and, racked at every step by sharper rocks and increased rapidity, its unwilling; and choked waves fly i)ack to he again precijjitated onward, and at last reach the glossy curve convulsed with supernatural horror. They touch the emerald arch, and in that instant, like the calm that follows the conviction of inevitable doom, the agitation ceases, --- the waters pause, the foam and resistance subside into a transparent stillness, • and slowly and solemnly the vexed and tormented sufferer drops into the abyss. Every spectator, every child, is struck with the singular deliberation, the unnatural slowness with which the waters of Niagara take their plunge. 'I'he laws of gravitation seem suspended, and the sublimity of the tremendous gulf below seems to check the descending victim on the verge, as if it paused in awe." To gaze into the face of the cataract and obtain a most comprehensive view of Niagara, one must stand upon the public road which follows the edge of the clifT on the Canada side. Approaching the Falls from the nortli, almost every step reveals new scenes and variations in a mighty and wondrous panorama. Here is the foot bridge, and within a few rods the road to the ferry winds its way to the water's edge below. .Southward " the cataract flashes, and thunders and agonizes --an almighty miracle of grandeur forever going on ; — the sight is riveted on the yeasty writhe in the abysm, and the solemn pillars of crystal eternally falling, like the fragments of some palace-crested star descending through interminable space. The white field of the iris forms over the brow of the cataract, exhibits its radiant bow, and sails away in a vanishing cloud of vapor upon the wind ; the tortured and convulsed surface of the caldron below shoots out its frothy and seething circles in perpetual torment ; the thundeis are heaped upon each other, the earth trembles;" — the rocks and woods around are tinged with the ever-changing rays of the rain- bow ; the spectator sees the whole sweep of the great cataract spread before him at once, in a fine panoramic view of both Falls. " Their general outline," from a description in Harper's Monthly, " bears a close resemblance to the shape of the human ear; the Horse-Shoe Fall constituting the upper lobe, while (loat I.sland and the American Fall represent the remaining portion. The river, who.se general course has been north and south, makes a sharp turn to the right just at the point where the Fall now is. Its breadth is here contracted from three-fourths of a mile to less than one-fourth. The Horse-Shoe Fall only occupies the head of the chasm, while the American Cataract falls over its side ; so that this Fall and a part of the Horse-Shoe lie directly parallel with the Canada shore, and its whole extent can be taken in at a single glance. It is this oneness of aspect which renders the prospect from this side so much the more impressive for a first view of Niagara. It gives a strong, sharp outline which may afterward be filled up at leisure.'" 'I'abi.k Rock. Within a short distance stands-all that remains of the Table Rock; a narrow 322 HISTORY OK WKLLANl) COUNTY. t 1 i I ledge along the bank, at the edge of the Horse-Shoe Fall. Around Tatjle Rock cluster some of the plcasantest and niost impressive memories of Niagara i'alis. A projecting table-like ledge of rock situate at the angle formed by the Horse-Shoe Fall with the Canadian bank, and in the same jjlane with the crest of the Cataract, it has always been a favorite resort for those whose spirit delights in close and deep communion with this marvel of nature. Originally a vast table of rock, its form and dimensions have been materially changed by frequent and violent disruptions. In 1818 a mass broke off in its immediate proximity one hundred and sixty feet in length by thirty to forty feet in width. In the latter part of 1828 and beginning of 1829 the fall of several masses occurred, leaving the table-shaped ledge without support on the north and south sides. At mid-day on the 26th of June, 1850, a terrible noise, which shook the earth, startled the inhabitants for miles around the l<"alls. Table Rock remained only as a memory of the past : — a narrow bench along the bank. The huge mass which fell was over two hundred feet long, sixty feet wide and one hundred feet deep where it separated from the bank. A solitary stableman, washing an omnibus on the rock csi iped with his life, the vehicle, of which no subsequent traces could be seen or found, falling into the abyss. A Syncopic ok the Watkrs. On the 29th of March, 1848, the river pt^^ented a remarkable phenomenon. There is no record of a similar one, nor has it'slvcr occurred since. 'I'he winter had been intensely cold, and the ice formed oll^I.ake Erie was very thick. This . was loosened around the shores by the warm d.iysjk' the early spring. During the day a stiff easterly wind moved the whole field up the lake, .'\bout sundown the wind chopjjed suddenly rou. 1 and blew a i;alc from the west. This brought the vast tract of ice down again with such tremendous force that it filled in the neck of the lake and the outlet so that the outflow of the water was very greatly impeded. Of course it only took a short spare of time for the Falls todrain off the water below Black Rock. The consequence was that in the morning the American channel had dwindled to a respectable creek and the C!anadian channel looked as if it had been smitten witii a (juick coiis.inipticjii and was fast passing away. l'"ar up from the head of (ioat Island and oat into the Canadian rapids the water was gone, as it was also from the lower enil of Co.t Islanil out beyond the tower. 'The rocks were bare, bleak and forbiddin,'. 'The roar of Niagara had subsided almost to a moan. 'The scene was desolate, and but for its novelty and the ceitainty that it would change before many hours, would have been gloomy and saddening. All the people of the neighborhood were abroad, exploring recesses and cavities that had never before been exposed to mortal eyes. Up the river large fields of muddy bottom were laid bare. 'The shell-fish, the univalves and the bivalves were in de.s- II 'j g^mir fmsmm^s'miF'm'vnimivf'ii^tifi'**-^!'!'^^ NIAC.AKA 1 AI.I.s lOWN. .v.? \K\\v. 'I"hc ( hiiiis, wiili tliL'ir l)acks up nml their mouths open down in tlu' nuiil, WL'if nmkin},' tlioir siinious courses toward the shrunken stieani. 'I'liis sinj^ular cessation of the waters lasted all day, and ninht came over the strange scene. In the morning, however, the river was restored in all its strength and beauty and majesty. A Nahkow IVSCAI'K. Accidents and tragedies are of very common occurrence at Niagara Kails. A complete record of all who have accidentally lost their lives in the treacherous waters would comprise a long list of names, which could be greatly augmented by the names of those who have chosen this spot for self-destruction, l^-'sides the many accidents, there have been many narrow escapes. One of the most miraculous of these occinred in 1832, when a canal boat was going up the river from ("hippawa. When two miles uj), the towing line broke. The captain was sick below ; one of the hands drove a horse that was on board into the water and he swam ashore ; the man, also, jumped overboard and reached the land. Besides the captain, there was left on board no other person belonging to the boat hut a boy. Of i)assengers there were two men and a woman. A trip over the Falls appeared inevitable. The wind was blowini; freshly across the river, and the ready presence of min<' ot the woman suggested that some of the bed clothes should be got and a sail erected. No time was lost, and an old (luilt was soon hoisted to court the jmipitious breeze. They made way over, but much faster down. It was in the forenoon of a fine and pleas- ant day ; their situation was noticed from lioth sides, and boats |)ut out to their relief. The persons were taken off just before reaching the rapids. A dog only was left to pursue the perilous navigation. The boat passed near the American shore, north of Iris Island. The dog remained on deck until she entered the rapids ; and then, as she struck and heaved, and bounded over the rocks, he would run below, look out of the cabin door, then jump on deck and cast his eyes upon the water, doing as much as any sailor could in such a situation. To the inhabi- tants about the Falls, the boat came suddenly and unexpectedly hurrying along the rapids. It was not known to them whether there were any jjersons on board or not. It was the season when the cholera prevailed at Chippawa, Buffalo, Tonawanda, and through the whole course of the lirle Canal. It was common at many places, when infected persons were found to be on board of vessels or boats, to cause the craft to be anchored out in the stream. It was the general impression that this was an in- fected boat, and that it was probable that there were several miserable wretches below. The old quilt hanging out, and the filthy and dismal appearance of the boat, confirmed the impression. With these opinions, to the sjjectators the scene was painfully interesting as the boat groaned and drove along, every moment expect- ing that it would be broken to pieces. It, however, made a lodgnient on the rocks just above the bridge that leads to the island, and a brave African dashed into the .^24 HISTORY OK WIU .1) COUNTY. . r; ill ir water with a rope and se* iired it to the shore. The boat was not badly damaged, and was afterwards liaiiled out an«l transported half' a mile by land, repaired, and again launched upon the water. HiJKNiNci (»!• rnK C'aroi.ink. About the middle (jf December, iS.n> twenty-eight men, jjrincipally Canatlians, with Renssalaer Van Kcnssalaer and William Lyon Mackenzie at their head, went on Navy Island, now a part of Willoughby township. Here they raisedthe standarti of rebellion ;uid called to their side the i)atriots of C!anada and all other frieiuls of their cause, between three and four himdred men responded to their call. They remained on the island about a month, whc '"^ey dispersed, being discountenanced by the United States authorities. While i island tliey hatl o|)posite them on the Canadian shore, an army of about live ..lousand men, consisting of Miilish regulars, incorporated militia, and a body of Indians and Negroes. Batteries were erected, and balls and shells were at intervals cast upon the island. The islanders were ince.ssantly in a state of danger and alarm : yet they would at times provokingly return the fire. For a month, a raw, undisciplined band of men, in the severity of winter, with no slieller but such as they then constructed, and miserably dad et at defiance and laughed at the overwhelming force, which lay .so near to them that they freciuenlly conversed together. Let justice be done to them; and however by contending |)arlies ihey may be dilTerently esteemed, there nuist be awarded to them the [)raise of being as enduring and as brave a set of lellows as ever assembled together. 'I'he \,'arlike movements between the jiatriots, or rebels — as viewed from different party standpoints — and Ihitish had brought to the frontier on the American side a great many people through motives of curiosity. The large number of visitors, who were constantly desirous ■}{ pa.ssing and repassing from the jiiain land to the patriot camp, suggested to Mi. Wells, the owner of a small steam- boat lying at liuffalo, called the "Caroline," the idea of taking out the necessary papers and running his vessel as a ferry boat between the American shore and the island, for his own pecuniary emolument, .'iccordingly on the 2(;th December, the " Caroline " left Buffalo for Schlos.ser, where she made .several trips during the day and at night was moored to the wharf at Schlosser Landing. C!ol. Allan McNab, then commanding a detachment of Her Majesty's forces at Chippawa, was in forme J tliat the "Caroline" was running in the interest of the rebels, (bartered for tiieii use, and intended to act offensively against the Canadian authorities. He planned her destruction that very night. For this purpose a chosen band was detailed and jjlaced under the command of Captain Drew. At midnight the captain received his parting orders from his colonel, and the daring band de[)arted in eight boats for the scene of their e.xploit. Meanwhile the NtACAKA KAI.I.S TOWN. i'5 steamer had received o!i board a nuinlkr of persons who desired sleepinji accom- modation, the only hotel in the place not hein^ larj{e enough to Iodide iht- large iiinnher of strangers who were visiting the village. In the middle of the night, the watch, for a watch on hoard of stciinlioats is usually kept, saw -lomething advancing on the water. He hailed and immediately afterward a hody of armed men lUshed on board. "Cut them down !" "(live n(j quarter'" yelleil Captain Drew, as the bewildered slee|)ers started from their dreams and rushed for the shore. .Shots were fired, and one of the escaping men was brought to the earth by a pistol shot, .1 cor|)se. The soldiers towed the steamer out to the middle u( the stream, and set it on (Ire ; the llames l)urst forth ; it drifted slowly, and its blaze shone far and wide over the water and ailjacent shores. Down the wild current she sped, faster and faster, flinging llames in her track, till .strikiiig the cascade below the head of Goat Island, when the fire went out, and the "Caroline" went over the cataract intlarkness. It is generally supposed that the steamer went over the precipice a sheet of llames. 'Those who saw her say that such was not the case, but that the llames expired the instant she struck the ca.scade. Vksski.s Sknt Over thk I''ai,i,.s. The schooner " Michigan," an old merchant vessel of Lake Krie, was disman- tled with the exception of the masts and enough rigging to hold them up, and sent over the Kails in September, 1827 ; and the "Su])erior" was sent over in October, two years after, Tiiey were towed to the centre of the stream between Navy Island and Canada, and let 1< to.se. The "Michigan" came majestically along. I'"igures representing men were placed at [jroper stations, and a number of animals, both domestic and wild, were on board. Onward the vessrl tloated, the river was smooth and all was ([uieton board. The poor animals, having been tormented t)y the vicious and unfeeling persons having their cii.stody, tired and worn out, had laid themselves on the deck and in corners to rest. She arrived at the first descending swell, and passed down gallantly. .Ml was yet in repose on board ; she came to a more rapid descent; was tossed to and fro, and the animals were seen running about from one place to another. Hruin was more actively engaged than others. He took an observation from the rigging, which he ascended, and then rt;turncd to the deck. Still very near the centre of the river she passed along. Another and a greater pitch is made - her bow points towards the Kails — she rocks from side to side — vainly she labors to pass the rocky reef : the masts go by the board. One deep descent more : she groans harshly over the verge — her bow descends, and with an a.stouiuling crash falls upon the rocks; she breaks in two -the timbers sink to the water's edge — and the whole moves on a lloating broken mass, and pa.sses over the Kails. The bear and one or two other animals reached alive the Canada shore above the Kails ; all the others perished. Between fifteen and twenty thousand persons came together to witness the sight. ■r ^*^"', .r-;'*"''^^« ^: 326 insTORV OK WI.I.l.ANI) COUNTV. 'I'lic latx;c Vf.sscl called the " Sui)ciior," wliicli was sunt ovi.r in 1829, did not proceed on Ik-i voyai;c of destruction in such gallant style. She Icjdged on the rocks, and remained there for several days, and wi.nt over nnohserved, except liy two or tiiree persons. In this insti. ice no animals weie on board. 'I"hk Whirlpool. About three miles below the Falls is; the Whirlpool. " As the river approaches this place its rapid descent and the narrowness of its curvod and rocky bed, force the stream, which here runs at the rate of twenty-seven miles an hour, into a piled- up ridge of water, from which liquid jets and cones, often rising to the height of twenty feet, are thrown into the air. Here the river's course is again changed, and it makes an abrupt turn to the right, while the strength and violence of its current, as it sweeps round the cliff on the American side, produce so strong a reaction as to press part of the stream into a recess or basin on the Canadian shore, the strug- giii.g and counter-working currents thus forming the great vortex of the Whirlpool. But it is a hidden vortex ; and the contrast between this lovely little lakelet, calm and smooth as a mirror, except for a few swirls of foam at its outer edges, as it lies clasped in the embrace of its encircling and richly-wooded cliffs, and the furious white tossing rapids from which it .seems so miraculously to. have esca|K'd, adds the charm of surprise and mystery to its excjuisite beauty. Nor is its witching spell marred by any incongruous surroundings. It lies in a lovely and quiet spot, girdled by rocky walls and shadowing trees, and is almost eejually lovely at every season of the year. It is beautiful when its banks are dressed in the fresh transparent green of spring leaves, when they wear the rich foliage of summer, or robed in the brilliant tints of autumn ; and perhaps even more beautiful when only the sombre- hues of the dark pines and cedars are reflected on the gleaming surface in winter, or when the branches are laden with snow leaves or glittering with fringes of silvery frost. As we look at it it seems an emblem of peace after tumult, calm after strife, but as we continue to gaze, the still dark-green water takes another aspect ; strangely gyrating circles rise and spread and vanish and re-a|)pear again, signs of the mysterious currents beneath. Everything which comes within reach of the resistless currents is caught and dragged into the vortex below, held there for a while, and then thrown to the surfac 2 where it is whirled and turned ceaselessly round and round. Trees blown mto the river, logs from broken rafts carried over the cataract, a dead bird, or an ear of Indian corn, are all drawn out of thtir course down the stream and ])erforni their strange rotatory jjenance for days and even weeks before they are released from the pool. Here, if ever, emerge the bodies of those unfortu- nate ones who have gone over the Falls, and here they are found, extricated from their weud dance of death, and if not claimed by friends, given charitable burial." mumm \ ^f?W/^ S^{^r?^£n^C^^ , 'I NIACAKA I'ALLS TOWN. 329 Thk Maid ov thk Mist. One i)f tlic most darinj; feats ever accomplished successfully by man was tliat of the navigation of tlie \Vhirli)ool Rapids, thence through tiie dreadful Whirlpool to Lake Ontario, with the little steamer "Maid of the Mist." Mr. (ieorge \V. Holley, himself an old resident of Niagara Falls, in his late work on Niagara Kills, gives a very interesting account of the little boat, her pilot and her tri[), rendered more valuable through the personal acquaintance of the author with the actors in the thrilling undertaking. He says: " In the year 1X46 a small steamer was built in the eddy just above the Railway Suspension Bridge, to run uj) to the Falls. She was very appropriately named 'The Maid of the Mist.' Her engine was rather weak, but she sately accomplished the tri}). .Xs, however, she took jjassengers aboard only from the Canadian side, she could pay little more than expenses. In 1854 a larger, better boat, with a more powerful engine, the new ' Maid of the Mist,' was put on the route, and as she took passengers from both sides of the river, many thousands of persons made the exciting and impressive voyage u|) to the Falls. The admiration which the visitor felt as he passed quietly along near the American I''all was changed into awe when he began to feel the mighty pulse of the great deep just below the tower, then swung round into the white foam directly in front of the Horseshoe, and saw the sky of waters falling toward him. .\nd he seemed to be lifted on winj, as he sailed swi*"dy down on the rushing stream through a bai)tism of spray. To many persons there was a fascination about it that induced them to make the trip every time they had an opportunity to do so. Owing to some change in her appointments which confined her to the ('anadian shore for the reception of passengers, she became unprofitable. Her owner, having decided to leave the neighborhood, wished to sell her as she lay at her dock. This he could not do, bui he received an offer of something more than half of her cost if he would deliver her at Niagara, opposite the fort. 'I'his he decided to do, after consultation with Robinson, who had acted as her captain and pilot on her trips below the Falls. Mr. Robinson agreed to act as i)ilot for the fearful voyage, and the engineer, Mr. Jones, consented to go with him. .\ courageous machinist, Mr. Mclntyre, volunteered to share the ri.sk with them. They put her in complete trim, removing from deck and hold all superllous articles. Notice was given of the time for starting, and a large number of people assembled to .see the fearful plunge, no one expecting to see the crew again alive after they should leave the dock, just above the Railway Suspension Bridge. Twenty rods below, the water plunges sharply down into the head of the crooked, tumultuous rapid, reaching from the bridge to the Whirlpool. At the \Vhirli)ool, the danger of being drawn under was most to be apjirehended ; in the rapids, of being turned over or knocked to pieces. F'roin the Whirlpool to l.jwis- lon is one wild, turbulent rush and whirl of water, without a square foot of smooth surface in the whole distance. 21 T ■— mmmmmi mmm ■M .^30 ttlsrOKY (»!■ WKI.I.ANI) COfNlY. L< .•' "Alxnit tliicc ()'( lock ill tliu afkinooii of jimc 15, 1861, the (jiii^incL'r took his place in tlu' liold, ami, kiiowinu; that their llittiiig would be shoil at the best, and might l)c only the preface to swift destruction, set his steam valve at the proper gauge, and awaited not without anxiety the tinkling signal that should start them on their Hying soyage. M'Intyre joined RoJjinson at the wheel on the upper deck. S'jlf-p:jsscssed, and with the calmness which results from undouhting cour- age and confidence, yet with the humility which recognizes all possibilities, with downcast eyes and firm hands, Robinson look his place at the wheel and pulled the starting bell. With a shriek from her whistle and a white puff from her escape pipe, the boat ran up the eddy a short distanc*,-, then swung rountl to the right, cleared the smooth water, and shot like an arrow into the rapid under the bridge. Robin- son intended to take the inside curve of the rapid, but a fierce cross-current carried him to the outer curve, and when a third of the way down it a jet of water struck against her rudder, a column ilashed up under her starboard side, heeled her over, carried away her smoke-stack, started her overhang on that side, threw Robinson Hat on his back, and thrust Mclntyre against her starboard wheel-house with such force as to break it through. Every eye was fi.xed, every tongue was silent, and every looker-on breathed freer as she emerged from the fearful ba[)tism, shook her wounded sides, slid into the W hirlpool, and for a moment rode again on an even keel. Robinson rose at once, seized the helm, and set her to the right of the large jiol in the pool, then turned her directly through the neck of it. Thence, after re- ceiving another drenching from its combing waves, she dashed on without further accident to the (|uiet bosom of the river below l,ewiston. Thus was accomplished one of the most remarkable and perilous voyages ever made by men. .Vno'her " Maid of the .Mist" has since been constructed, and now ])Iies in the river below the cataract, during the jjleaSure .season of the yeai. The new " Maid " is the ])roduct of Canadian skill and enteri)rise. Her owners are R. F. Carter and 1'. I.elMond, of Niagara Falls, Ont. 'i'he keel of the new steamer was laid .\ugust 2nd, 1884, and during the seasons of 1885 and 1886 she did a large and profitable business, and has a promising future. Her dimensions are: 70 feet long ; 16 feet beam ; 7 feet hold. She is propelled by a screw driven by double engines, 12 x 14. Her builder was Mr. Alfred White, of Port Robinson. (!ai'tain Wkiji!. i On the 24th July, 1883, Captain Matthew Webb, one of the greatest swimmers of modern limes, lost his life in a rash attempt to swim the Whirlpool Rapids. Captain Webb was an Knglishman by birth, and at an early age went to .sea, subse- (]iiently becoming the captain of a merchantman. He first attracted puolic notice by jumping from a Cunard steamer during a storm to save the life of a saihar who had f.illen overboard. I'his act of liravery was rewarded by the gift to him, at the X' UMKVl NIA(.AKA lAI.I,.s liiWN. .?.?' t ice hands of the Duke of ICdinhuruh, of tlie fust ujold mctial presented l)y llie Royal Humane Society. In the luonlli of August, 1S75, he ac ..n/i)lislied the great feat of swimming across the ICngiisii Channel, Ironi Dover to Calais, a distance of Iwenty-fivc miles, in twenty-one hours and forty live minute^. Me also accomplished a great swimming feat in America in i.Sjtj, when he swan! from Sandy Hook to Manhattan Heach, Coney Island, a distance, in a straight line, of ten miles ; his contract would not allow him to land before a certain hour, so that he was in the water eight hours, and swam altogether about sixteen miles. With a reputation thus established as a swimmer, Captain Webb's announcement that he would swim the Whirlpool Rapids created much excitement, and discussions as to the possibilities of success agitated the i)ublic mind. In view of tlie assembled people, at twenty minutes past four in the afternoon, from a boat rowed to the centre wf the river about a quarter of a mile from the head of the ra|)ids, Webb dived head-first into the water. A few vigorous strokes, and lie was fairly in the ra|)ids, his form a mere speck as seen from the great bluff above. lie went like an arrow shot from a bow. The first great wave struck he went under, but in a second he appeared far beyond. The great waves seethed over him occasionally, but he always seemed ready to meet them. His great chest was boldly pushed forward, and occasionally half of the magnificent ijhysi(iue of the reckless adven- turer was lilted from the water, but he bravely kept his [)osition through it all, and seemed perfectly collected and at home. So the mad journey went on through the upper rapids. Then the waves dash higher, the water is ccjnfined in a narrower s])ace, and the trip is in every way more perilous. How far he went alive, no one will ever know. He was seen by many while passing through this awful sea. His body was borne onward, now rising above now sinking beneath the white-capped waves. He was seen to enter the Whirlpool. Here he threw up one of his arms, as if to signal some unforeseen danger. A second later he was buried in the foaming billows, which dash upwards thirty or forty feet, and whirl and seethe as if lashed by a thousand furies. This was the last seen of the intrepid swimmer his disap- pearance occurring thirteen minutes after he entered the water. An active search was instituted, but no trace of his body had been found when night closed on tiie scene. Four days later the body was recovered in the river below (Jiueenston. The arms and legs were extended, as though in the act of swimming. The .scalp had a deep gash, about four inches long, and the hip and kit shoulder had long blue marks, where the body had struck the rocks. There are various theories as to the direct cause of death. Whether life was crushed out by the weight of the water, whether the man was drowned, or whether his life was lost by diving and striking on a jagged stone or rock, are all ([uestions siirrounded by mystery. The last tianied cause appears the most likely to be correct. I ■._k^^ s.-l 'sa IB 'il 33^ HIsrOkV OK WKI.LANl) COUN'IV. Kakkki, 'Irii's. No person ever |),isse(l ihroii^h tiie \Vliirl|M)()l alive .ifur llie voyage of tlic " Maid of llie Mist," iinlil Sunday aCt'Tnoon, July i idi, iS,S6, when C!arlisle I). (Iraliani, of Miiffalo, sliot die rapids in a lar^e oak barrel, inakinL; the journey from tiie old " Maid of the Mist '■ lan(liii;4 on the American side to l-ewiston in thirty minutes. 'I'he cask, which was seven feet long, thirty-three inches in diameter at wif.'i'st point, Iweiity-tliree inches nt the top, and eighteen inclies at llie bottom, bound with iron hoops, and ballasteil to the extent of two hiuidred and forty pounds, was towed out into the centre of the river early in the afternoon. 'l"he venturesome (Iraham entered the cask through a hole in the top, which was closed after him ; and the strange vessel was started on its jjerilous journey. It moved, rather slowly at first, but was soon caught in the strong current and borne in the centre of the river throuuh the world-famed rapids. The great waves twisted and turned the cask, tossed it u|) out of the water, once completely turning it over. The cask reached the Whirlpool in good order, from which it was borne round Tl)omi)S(jivs Point and carried away down the river to Lewiston. Here the cask was stopped in its course, and its oceui)ant once more stepped into daylight, after a most perilous journey, imharmed. (liaham was a cooper by trade, and after he had made his successful trip, two young men named William I'otts and (leorge Hazlett, former shopmales of his in Hiil'falo, conceived the idea of passing through the rapids together in a barrel. They made their barrel, and on .Sunday, .\ugust 8th, following the trip of drahani, they passed through the \Vhirli)0()l Rapids in their strange craft. On Sunday, November 28th, deorge Hazlett repeated his barrel trij), having for his comrade this time Miss Sadie .Vllen, of Buffalo. James .Scott, one of the three brothers, fishermen, of Lewiston, N. Y., who was at the Whirlpool when (Jr,;ham landed after "shooting the rapids" in his barrel, was drownetl on .\ugust 19th, 1SS6, while trying to swim the rajiids with a life [neserver. KKNtlAI.I.'s Trii'. William J. Kendall, a Boston police officer, safely accomplished the feat of swimming the Whirlpool on Sunday afternoon. .Vugust 22nd, 1S86. Mr. Kendall is a tall, well-built man, of great mu.scular power, and is a good swimmer. He left his wife and child in Boston on Saturday evening and arrived at the Falls the fol- lowing morning. He confided to \Villiani Walker, a hackman, what he intended to do. Walker tried to dissuade him from the rash attempt. But he said that he had riskcti all the money he had on the trip, and must make it. A carriage was got re.iily and Kendall, accompanied i)y I'fank Sauk of th' Western Hotel, was driven by Walker to Suspension Bridge. I'he trio walked briskly down the bank to .. NIAI'.AkA lAI.t.S I OWN. ^^^ j1- jd lat as as to the old " ^^aid of the Mist " landing, and tlu- licston mkui tlmw olT liis cloilies, and Sauk and Walker adjusted a small eoik lile preserver under his arms. Kendall look a drink of whiskey, and at two (('(lock jumped into llie ri\ir. The iddy carried him back towards the Kails about 300 feet, and he swam towarils liie main feeder of the ra|)ids, which twirled him around as he reached the dividing line, and sent him ([uickly toward the breakers. .Meanwhile Sault an from the crowd, and a moment later the man disappeared, coming to the surface (|uickly. Then began the battle of the current against life. The waves tossed the swimmer about and made him turn involuntary somersaults. When opposite Buttery's elevator, people on the boat saw that Kendall was being tossed helplessly about the surf, and it was generally believed that he had been killed. The three-quarters of a mile to the Whirlpool hasted only three minutes, as near as could be learned by a comparison of watches afterwards, for the trip was made so unexpectedly tiiat no arrangement could be made to get the time accurately. In the Whirlpool Kendall disappeared from view, but in a couple of minutes bobbed up near the centre toward the ("anadian shore. I'eople at the Whirlpool Park could see signs of life, and then Kendall began swmiming slowly toward the shore. Several times the current swept him around, and it .seemed that the chances of life and death were about equal, (iradually the swimmer fought his way toward the bank, and when about exhausted he reached a rock to which he clung. From here he was pulled on shore and carried up the bank. After par- taking of some stimulants he said to intiuiring spectators : " I had inducement enough t(j make the trii), but 1 would not undertake it again for all the money in the world. The way I came to try it was this : .Several of us were in a party talking about Captain Webb's swim, and the efforts of the barrel men to gain glory. One of the party offered to bet that none of the party would swim the rajjids. I asked him how much he wanted to bet, and he replied that he would wager $500. That was too small a sum. I had $1000, and I told him if he made it $1000 I would take him up. The bet was finally made, and $8000 to $10,000 in addition was wagered on the result by my friends. I left Boston at 8 p. m. Saturday, and came right here. My' wife did not know my intention, and will first learn of it by a telegram I have just sent. I expect to make $3000 out of the trij). I don't want any fame nor newspa[) r notoriety, and shall return home to-morrow night." 'I'his is the only ca.se on record that any man has survived an attempt to swim the Whirlpool Rajjids. Several adventurous spirits, however, promise to attemi)t the trip in the near futuix. '1 ., 334 HISTORY OK WKI.I.ANr) COT'NTY. n r. ^ Nia<;ai<.\ I'.\i,i> in Wintkr. 'I'lic Rev. (',. M. (Irani, (Ifscribini; llic appearance of the Kails after a few days hard frost in winter, says : " No marvels wioiiglu l)y ,t,anii and magicians in lOastern tales could surpass the wonderful creatictns that rise along the surrounding hanks, and hang over the walls of the cataract. (Ilitlering wreaths of icicles, like jewelled diadeiiis, gleam on the brow of every projecting rock and jutting crag. .Arches, pillars, and jjorticos of shining s|)lendor are grouped hcncath the overhanging cliffs, giving fanciful suggestions of fairy palaces heyonil. ICvery fallen fr,agment of rock under its icy covering becomes a marble column, pyramid, or obelisk, and masses of frozen s|)ray stand out here and there in graceful and statuesque forms, easily shaped by imagination into the half-finished work of a sculptor. Ev 'ry rift and opening in the cliff is transformed into an alabaster grotto, with friezes and mouldings " all fretted and froze," with filigree wreaths and festoons, and filmy veils and canopies of lace like pattern and gossamer te.xture ; and on every curve and angle, round every fissure and crevice, some fantastic and lovely decoration is woven by winter's master artist, King l""rost. Over the Horseshoe, towards (loat Island and the Bridal Veil Fall, the water pours in thin silvery sheets, which dissolve into white curling mists as they slide slowly down. Pinnacles of ice, stretching high above them, break these falling streams. 'The American Kail, through its hovering veil of spray, seems transformed into wreaths of frozen foam. The face of (loat Island is resplendent with huge, many-tinted icicles, showing all the colors of the rocks on v/hich they are formed ; and on either shore the iindercliffs are hung with lovely draperies of frozen spray. Every house and fence and railing, every tree and shrub, and tiny twig and blade of grass on which this wonder-working spray falls and freezes, becomes wrapjied in a gleaming white crust, and glistens in the sun as if made of crystal and mother-of-pearl. l'"rom the tips of the evergreen branches hang clusters of ice-balls, i)opularly called ice-apples, which flash and glitter when the rays of sunlight fall on them, like the jewels growing on the trees in the magic garden in the Arabian Nights. Still more fairy-like are the evanescent charms pro- duced by a night's hoar frost, fringing the pearly covering in which everything is wrapped with a delicate fragile efflorescence, and giving a soft, shadowy, visionary aspect to the whole scene, as if it were the creation of some wonderful dream. 'Then, as the sun, before which its unearthly beauty melts away, shines out, all changes for a few brief minutes into a sparkling, dazzling glory, as if a shower of diamond dust had suddenly fallen. " In the midst of these sights of weird and wondrous beauty, the mighty vol- ume of water which pours over the great Horse-slioe sweei)s grandly down through the ma.sses of frozen spray, ice and snow, |)iled up round its channels ; and in clear, sunny weather the most magnificent color-effects are shown in the vivid green of the great unbroken wave that roils over the precipice, contrasting with the glittering NIACAkA IAI.I> rows. ,V?5 10 wliitc of the spiay-fovcird rocks ami snowy hank?, hoyoiid. Iluii (lie smooth, rounded, green roller breaks into a wild i liaos lA wliirlinjf and tossini^ loam, while torrents of spray and cloiiils ot mist rise rohunn on colinnn into the < lear, hliie frosty air, every transparent fold and frinj^e of vapor illumineil with the hright tints of the rainhows h jverinj^ roimd, forming and breaking,' and toimiiii; again in a wavering, shimmering, ever-changing beauty. " Some winters the heavy masses of ice constantly coming over the lataract become firmly jammed together outside the basin, forming a bridge from shore to shore, sometimes extending far down the river. Over tliis bridge tou.ri.sls, sight- seers and idlers of every description pass liackwards and forwards, the roughness of the road, often broken and uneven in i)laces, and thickly encrusted with fro/en spray, giving a little difficulty and excitement to the passage, though the immense thickness of the ice blocks so fumly wedged togetlier make it for the time as safe as terra firma. The view of the Palls from the ice is magnificent, but the ice-hills are a still greater attraction. 'These are formed among the rocks at the foot of the American Kail by accumulations of frozen spray, rising layer above layer till imniense cones of ice, forty, sixty, even eighty feet high, are made. All day long boys in their small hand-sleds slide down these huge slopes, and sonuiimes on moonlight nights toi)oggan parties assemble and enjoy the exciting aniusenK'iil amidst romantic and piclmesiiue surroundings nowhere else to be found." iNIKKN.VnONAK 1'ARK. In the fall of 1878, Lord Dufferin, then (lovernor-Cicncral of Canada, suggest- ed the idea of creating an International I'ark from lands adjacent to and including the Falls, to be taken from both sides of the river, (lovernor Robinson of New York was heartily in favor of the project, and the New York State Legislature ap- pointed a commission to investigate the subject and report thereon. The investiga- tion resulted in the establishment of what is known as the New York State Reser- vation, which embraces the islands within the jurisdiction of the State and the lands immediately around the Falls. The arrangements were not completed until 1885. Meanwhile the Ontario Legislature moved in the matter, and at this writing the Ontario Park is being organized, and will probably be formally opened during the present summer. The boundaries of the I'ark are as follows : Beginning at a point on Niagara River about the commencement of the line of breakers in the rapids on the Canadian side, 500 yards above the JUirning Spring and Pollux Bridge, above Horse-shoe Falls, and extending to Ferry street, near the new Suspension Bridge below the Falls, and extending back from the river to the line of the Michigan Central Railway's tracks and Portage Road — a tract of land containing about 150 acres more or less. The land has been purchased by the (lovernment from the owners, the amounts paid being fixed by arbitration. I'he greater portion of the !!«♦■' > ,/i -i^t i,j- ^»'-i i.:*v. T'llflilWr t'rJiLiMi'aiiUiiJlBjBBIMBIJMWB^Bll ' 1 336 HISTORY OF WKI.LANI) COUNTY. properly was owned by tlic Mackleiii ;in(l tlu' |).ivis faiuilies. Mr. Macklcm was awarded $100,000 for liis property, .md tlic Davis' $175,000 for theirs. The Ontario (lovernmcnt acted wisely and generously in estal)lishing a park and thus making forever free the land which commands the view ol this j^reat wonder of tiie wf)rld, so that not only the (Canadian citi/en, hut also the foreign tourist may witness with- out price the mighty cadence of waters. 'I'nK Hkii)(;k.s. The Railway Suspension IJridge, two miles helow the Kails, was completed in 1855. It is a marvel of engineering skill, some eight thousand miles of wire being employed in its t-ahles. It is both a railroad and carriage bridge. The driveway is on a level with the river banks, while the railroad passes over head. The ultimate strength of the cables is twelve thousand tons. The permanent weight sujjported by the cables is one thousand tons. There are si.x hundred and twenty-four sus- penders with an ultimate strength of eighteen thousand seven hundred and twenty tons. There are sixty-four overflow stays with an ultimate strength of one thousand nine hundred and twenty tons, and fifty-si.x river stays, with an ultimate strength of one llioiisand six hundred and eighty tons. The length of span between the towers is eight hundred feet, the towers are, in height, eighty feet above the floor. The track is two hundred and forty-five feet above the river. Kavh of the four cables is composed of three thousand six hundred and forty No. 9 wires, and is ten inches in diameter. The original cost of this bridge was about $400,000. The engineer was John A. Roebling. The towers were originally built of stone, but during the past year the stone has been successfully replaced by steel. What is known as the new Suspension Bridge was built in 1869. It is located about three hundred yards below the American Fall. The bridge is intended only for the passage of vehicles and pedestrians. It is thirteen hundred feet in length between the centres of the towers, and one hundred and ninety feet above the water. When originally constructed at a co.st of $250,000, the bridge was supported by wooden towers, which were replaced by the present iron .^nes in .May, 1884. The bridge is the most direct route between the State Reservation on the American side and the Canadian Park. It is owned by the Niagara I'alls and Clifton Suspension Bridge Co., which is made up of both American and Canadian capitalists. The view of the cataract from this bridge is very fine. The great .\merican author, Howells, thus describes it : "The last hues of sun.set lingered in the mists that sprung from the base of the Falls with a mournful, tremulous grace, and a movement weird as the jjlay of thq Northern Fights. They were touched with the most delicate purples, and crimsons, that darkened to deep red, and then faded from them at a second look, and they flew upward, swiftly upward, like troops of pale, transparent ghosts ; while a perfectly clear radiance, better than any other for local cf)lor, dwelt upon Nr.M.AKA lAI.I.S TOWN. .?.U the scene. I'ar iiiulei llie bridge the river sinoollily ran, tlie mulercurreiUs forever iinloldin),' lliemselves upon llic surfaie witli a vast roselike evolution, edf^ed all around with faint lines of white, where the air thai tilled the water freeach end is made up of a section, entirely of steel, extending from the shore nearly IkiU" way over the chasm. I'-ach section is supi)orted near its centre by a stron; sttel tower, from which extend two lever arms, one reaching the rocky bluffs, the other extending over the river 175 feet beyonil the towers. The outer arm h.ivin;' no support and being subject like the other to a weight of trains, a countcr-advanl.'ige is given by the shore arm being firmly anchored to the shore. The towers on cither side rise from the water's edge ; between them is a clear span of .^y5 feet over the river, the longest double track truss span in the world. The 338 HrSTORY OK WKLLANn COUNTY. I ends of the (•antikvcrs rcachinn on earh side 395 feet from the ahiitnu-nts, leave a };a|) of I JO fciI (ilk'd liy an ordinary truss hridgf Inin.u from tlie ends of the < anti- levers. Here provision is nude for expansion and contraction by an ingenious arrangentent hetwccn tiie end of the truss hridge and of the cantilevers, allowinj^ the ends to n)ove freely as the temperature changes, hut at the same time preserving perfect rigidity against side pressure from the wind. There are n(» guys for this purpose as in the suspension bridge, l)ul the structure is complete within itself. 'I'hc total length of the bridge is 910 feet. It has a double track and is built strong enough to <:arry upon each track at the same time a freight train of the heaviest kind extending the entire length of the bridge, headed by two engines, and under a side jiressure of thirty pounds per s(|uare foot, which pressure is produced by a wind having a velocity of seventy-five niiles per hour, and even then will be .strained to only one-fifth of its ultimate strength. The foundations rest on the solid rock ; foin- blocks of most substantial masonry are carried u|) fifty f^^et above the surface of the water, and from these tlu- steel towers supjujrting the cantilevers rise 1,^0 feet. The load of 1,600 tons that come upon each pair of steel ( olumns is so distributed liiat the pressure upon the foundation rocks is only 25 pounds per sipiare inch, h'rom the tower foundations up, the whole bridge is steel, every inch of which was subjected to the most rigid tests from the time it left the ore to the time it entered the structure. The towers on the water's edge and the shore arm i»f the cantilevers were erected with the help of temjjorary scaffoldings and •• >ung-place on terra Jiri/ia, and the superstructure was easily jjut in p' ' tVi this came the dilificult portion c «_ feet above a roaring river w' structure could survive an- .md ii bafHe nature and laugh ;u lier powers, is such that after the shore arm was < nipleted and an^:hored the river arm was built out one panel or .section at a tm •• by means of ..rent tm lling derricks, and self-sustaining as it progresses. .Mtcr one panel of twenc feet was built and had its bra<-ing adjusted, the travelling derrick was nu)\ ward and another panel erected. Thus the work progressed section by sectio nil the entls of the cantilever were readied, when a tiiiss l)e;ini was swung aero- ihe gaj) of 120 feet, resting on the ends of the cantilever arms thus forming the connecting link. In le.ss than eight months from the lime of lieginning operations this elegant structure was reared by its builders "The Central Uridge Works of buffalo, N.V." On the 20th December, iXS,^, the bridge was tested and formally ojjened in the presence of some 5000 spectators. The trains put on the bridge for the test con- sisted of first two locomotives and foiu- fiat cars loaded with gravel, then two locomotives and four flat cars loaded with gravel again, then two more loi f)uiotives ) the steel towers. Hut after the 495 teet across and 239 wer can slay. No temporary ic .-..xill of the engineer can." in to The de.iL'n of the cantilever ="1'^ I NIAti \KA 1 \l l> rOWN. .vv; and four Hat (a is with gravel as l)L'f()rL'. then li^lit loconnttivcs roii|)lr(l together, then lour Hals, two locomotives and lour inon- llats with gravel ; the same repeated and two locomotives bringing up the rear making in all twenty loeomotives and twenty loaded flat cars. The lest was satisfactory, not the least impression being noticeahle on the bridge, which appeared perfect in every detail, substantial, safe and lirni as the Rock of Ages. There is not on this bridge any of that wave motion noticed on a suspensicm bridge as a train moves on it. Remembering that it took three years to build the Railway Suspension IJridge for a single track, and that this bridge for a double track not only had to be finished within seven and a half months fnin the execution of the contract, but was actually completed with eight days to spare, it reflects great credit upon the !\dvancement of engineering skill, l-'our hundred thousand feet of timber and fifteen ions ot bolls were consumed in the false work. The piers contain I, I oo cubic yards of " beton coignet," and the abutments of the approaihes looo cubic yards of masonry. The travelling derricks were the largest yet built. They are calculated to sustain a weight of thirty-two tons on the overhanging arm and project forty feet beyond any support. The total weight of iron and steel used in the structure is about 3000 tons. 'i"he superstructure was designed by I'-nginecrs Schneider and Hayes, (ieneral I'ield gave his i)ersonal allenlion to the erection of the bridge, and the entire lielil work was under his direction. Rktuocicssion ok riiK K.m.i.s. The fact that within histori»: times, even within the memory of those who are now living, the cataract has receded, prompts the (pieslion : How far has the reces- sion gone ? .\t what point did the ledge which tluis continually creejjs backward begm its retrograde course ? Scientists with minds disciplined in such re.searches have answered : At tiie precipitous declivity which crossed the Niagara from (^)ueen- ston to I-ewiston. I'here in all probability the cataract once was situated, and there the work of erosion is said by eminent geologists to have been begun. " In viewing the position of the l-alls and the features of the country round, it is impossible not to be impressed with ihe idea that this great natural ra(-eway has been f(jrmed by the continued action of the irresistible Niagara, ;ind that the l-'alls, beginning at Lewiston, have, in the course of ages, worn back the rocky strata lo their present site." This view is advocated by Sir Charles Lyell, by I'rof. Henry, by M. Agassiz, and by I'rof Tyndall. The dam was evidently of greater height originally, which causeil the submersion of (lout Island, and accounts for the finding iii)on it and el.sewhere along the river, above i)resent higluvater mark, of Ihiviatile shells, sand and other deposits by the water. "The physiis of the problem of excavation," says Prof. 'I'yndall, "which I made cKar m my mind before ([uitting Niagara, are revealed by a close inspection ilill ^(i 1I1H 340 HISTORY OK WKI.LAND COUNTY. i \ »i of the present Horse-Shoe Fall. Here we see evidently that the greatest weit^ht of water bends over the very apex of the Hor.se-Shoe. Here we have the most copious and the most violent whirling of the shattered liquid ; here the most |)o\verful eddies reroil against the shale. I'rom this portion of the fall, indeed, the spray .sometimes rises without solution of continuity to the region of the clouds, becoming gradually more attenuated, and pa.ssing finally through the condition of true cloud into invis- ible vapor, which is sometimes reprecipitated higher up. All the phenomena |)oint distinctly to the centre of the river as the place of greatest mechanical energy, and from the centre the vigor of the Fall gradually dies away towards the sid ;.s. The horse-shoe form, with the concavity facing downwards, is an obvious and necessary consequence of this action. Right along the middle of the river the apex of the curve pushes its way backwards, cutting along the centre a deep ar\d comparatively narrow groove, and draining the sides as it passes them. Hence the remarkable discrepancy between the widths of the Niagara above and below the Horse-Shoe. All along its course, from Lewiston Heights to its present position, the form of the Fall was probably that of a horse-shoe, for this is mere'.y the expression of the greater ticinh, and consetpiently gic^ler excavating ]jower, of the centre of the river. The gorge, moreover, varies in width as the depth of the centic. of the ancient river varied, being narro.vest where that depth was greatest. 1m KlWN. .H> away. l!ut al ihc base of llic lull wu find the hii.m,' hoiildcrs already described, and by some means or oilier these are removed down the river. Tlie ice which fills the gorge ill winter, and which gra])i)les with the boulders, has been regarded as the transporting agent. Probably it is so to some extent. l>ut erosion acts without ceasing on the abutting i)oints of the boulders, thus withdrawing their support and urging them gradually down the river. Solution also does its portion of the work. That .solid matter is carried down is i)roved by the difference of dei)th between the Niagara River and l,ake Ontario, where the river enters it. The depth falls from seventy-two feet to twenty 'feet, in conseciuence of the deposition of solid matter caused by the diminished motion of the river. Thk Futukk. " fn conclusion, we may say a wor<' regarding the proximate future of Niagara. At the rate of excavation assigned to it by Sir Charles Lyell, namely, a foot a year, five thousand years or .so will carry the Horseshoe I"'all far higher than (loat Island. As the gorge recedes it will drain, as it has hitherto done, the banks right and left of it, thus leaving a '.early level terrace between (Icjat Island and the edge of the gorge. Higher up it will totally drain the .Xnicrican branch of the river ; the chan- nel of whi( h in due lime will become cultivable land. The .Nmerican I'all will then be transformed into a dry precipice, forming a simi)le continuation of the cliffy i)oun- dary of the Niagara. At the place occupied by the fall at this moment we shall have the gorge enclosing a right angle, a second whirlpool being the con.secjuence of this. To those who visit Niagara a few millenniums hence I leave the verification of this prediction. .'Vll that c-an be said is, that if the causes now in action continue to act, it will jirove itself literally true." Respecting future retrocession, 1 ,yell says : " When the Falls have travelled back tw(j miles, the massive limestone now at the top of the F'alls will then be at their lia.sc ; antt its great hardness may, perhaps, effectually stop the excavating process, if it should not have been jireviously arrested by the descent of large masses of the same rock from tlie cliff above. It will also appear that the Falls will con- tinually diminish in height, and sliould they ever reach Lake F'.rie, they will intersect entirely different strata from those over which they are now thrown." SlVrn.KMKNT OK IMK l.ANI). I'hilip (leorge Uender, who came into Canada with lUitler's Rangers, --ec eived the patent from the (irtjwn of a large portion of the land on wliicli the Town of Niagara I'alls is situated. Mere he erected the fust frame house that was built on the territory romprising the present County of Welland. \'ii I ai;k. oi' 1m,(;in. In iS4() it was di-cidetl, by a ( oiiii)aiiy formed for the |)iirpose, to bridge the Niagara, so as to connect the Creat Western Railway of Canada with the railway i:k I: i-\ 11 i- i i1 1 I , I ; 342 HISTORY OF WKI.LANI) COUNTY. system of the United States. 'The first meeting o{ tlie directors was lield on the 9*'' June, i? ., sion \vlii
  • KiWN. .US Wesley Park Seminary, in connection with Wesley Park, a i)rivatc institution for the elementary and classical education of young ladies, has heen in successful operation since Sept., 1886. Mrs. Irvine, principal. Churches and Kioi.kiiois Insiiii'iions. St. Andrew's Church, Presbyterian, was built in 1856. It is a liir^e red brick edifice. In fact it is very larj^e, considering the size of the village when it was projected. Although the congregation was very small at the lime. .\lr. /inimerman pointed out to them that the place would grow, and advocated the construction of a church of a size and style commensurate with what the town would be rather than with what the congregation at that time retpiired. He generously agreed that whatever was the expense over and above the amount raised by the congregation he would pay himself. The unha|)i)y accident which caused Mr. Zimmerman's death occurred before this arrangement was carried o;u, and the congregation foimd themselves saddled with a debt of $4,500. The first pastor was the Rev. (leorge Bell, who was inducted in 1857. He set himself industriously to work to clear the church of debt, and eventually succeeded. Mr. Hel' preached to the congregation for the long term of eighteen years. His successor was ihe Rev. Mr. Symmes, an eloquent preacher, whose fine delivery of excellent sermons attracted a large congre- gation every Sunday. He only remained a short time. The next pastor was the Rev. James Gordon, who filled the pulpit for about ten years. Since Mr. Cordon left the place, the pulpit has heen filled by probationers. There is a comfortable manse in connection with the church. The Methodist Church at Niagara Falls is a brick building 50 x 35. Before its erection services were conducted in a hall in the Ward block, a building erected by the late Mr. Zimmerman. In 1868 a church began to be talked of, aiid in 1869 it was erected, its principal promoters being Messrs. Uriah Howen and Thomas Ward. The church was completed so that the dedicatory sermon was preached on the 17th February, 1870, by the Rev. William Morley Punshon, the celebrated F^nglish divine who was on a visit to .\merica at that time. 'Phe church was uj) to 1874 connected with the Drummondville circuit, and two ministers at a time were sent by the conference to supply the various pulpits. Revds. J. (1. Laird and Peter Ker were the first who officiated at Niagara Falls ; Rev. John Mills was the next super- intendent, and he had with him successively the Revds. W. J. Ford, Jas. .\wde, and Jos. Odery ; the last year that the charge was part of a circuit the Rev. Thomas Stobbs was the pastor and the Rev. J. V. Smith was his assistant. Since 1875 the pastors have been as follows : 1875-6, Rev. J. K. l.anceley; 187(1-9, Rev. William Kettlewell ; 1879-80, Rev, J. Robinson: 1880-2, Rev. R. Millyard ; 1882-5, '^t-'v. G. W. Calvert ; 1885-6, Rev. F. A. Cassidy. The present pastor is Rev. J. H. Hazlewood. The congregation is larger than the church can conveniently accom- modate, and a new one is contemplated. 22 A 346 HlST(Jl TOWN. 347 Patricia, with an interval ut" one year by Motlier ICvangelisla. 'I'lic present incumbent of the office of superior is Mother Kucharia, who was installed in 1883. The Michigan Central Railway has a station, " Kails \'iew," inmiediately in front of the Academy, affording communication to all parts of the country, Carmklitk Monastkrv. — This institution was founded at the desire of the Most Rev. J. J. Lynch, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tororiio, l)y the Carmelite Fathers, in the f;dl of the year 1875. Rev. Ignatius Meerhorst was the first superior. In October, 1876, he was succeeded by the Rev. I'ius R. Mayer, vho, enlarging the building, which had until then only served as a priest's house, esMblished a novitiate and seminary of the Carmelite Order, to which he admitted a number of young men desirous of becoming members of this venerable and ancient religious society. The ('armelite Order is the oldest religious society of the Catholic (Church, and derives its name from Mt. Carnid, in Palestine, the first home of this monastic institute. The Catholic Church numbers among Its illustrious saints and doctors many members of this order. The present supei^'r, the Very Rev. .\. |. .Smits, who came to Niagara Falls in July. 1882, has erected the monastery into the mother-house of the Carmelite Order in Canada and the United States. Therefore the monastery is now the residence of the general superior of the .\merican branch of this order, which possesses, besides the monastery, two houses in Kansas, two houses in Pennsylvania, and one in New Jersey. There are at the monastery at present twelve students of theology and philosophy, and seven lay brothers. The Roman Catholic Churches at Clifton, Niagara Falls South, and New Germany, are attended by the priests of the monastery. There are usually six or seven priests Uiere. The brothers also cultivate a large tract of land, known as the Archbisho)Vs tract, and raise cattle and horses. The monastery is most beautifully situated on the very edge of the river bank immediately above the H(jrse-Shoe Falls, and back of C!edar Island. The view of the Falls and the U|)|)er Rapids from the verandah at the back of the monastery is almost unequalled. Societies. Niagara F'alls Lodge, I. O. O. F., No. 53, was started on the 20th .\pril, 1869, with charter members as follows : H. and P. Bender, William McFaul, John Murray, 'I'hos. McKee, and Robert Strachan. S. I). Warren is the present Noble Orand, and J. R. Campbell is Secretary. The lodge, which meets every Tuesday evening, has a membership at present of about one hundred. Niagara Falls Encampment, I. O. O. F,, No. 23, was instituted on the sth August, 1874. Its charter members were John Coulson, John Murray, John Howen, P. and H. Bender, W. Mcl'aul, C. and W. Lacey, J. R. Peckham, and Thos. Welch. There are at present about forty-five members. J. K. Campbell is C. P., and J. McNiven R. S. 4>M 'ff H J4« ItlSTOKY ()!• WKM.ANl) COUNTY. I * Dominion ("oiincil C'hoscn Friends, No. i, was instituted November ?4ll), i8U^ it/ :m i 4 Wllf' 356 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. of mail distribution for l'"onthill and the west, St. John's, Chippawa, I'ort (Jolborne, and intermediate point.s. In 1848 the village was the scene of a terrible tragedy. An estimable lady, the wife of Mr. John Bell, was cruelly murdered while her husband was away from home, by a negro who had been engaged in cutting wood for the family. The murderer secured some valuables belonging to the family and fled. As soon as the terril)Ie crime w\..r; discovered the citizens were up in arms, the military were called out, the country was searched, and finally the villain was captured and taken to gaol al Niagara, where he expiated his crime on the gallows. The completion of the canal, the construction of the Buffalo, Brantford and Goderich Railway — now a branch of the Grand Trunk — and the building of the Great Western Railway, all had the effect of diverting traffic from Fort Robinson, and the prosperity of the place began to decline. A large saw mill, that had once been one of the principal industries, was burned to the grounc' one night, and was not re- built. For a number of years ship building continued in full blast, and the dry dock did a large busine.ss under J. F. and J. S. Abi^ey, but in 1876 the lease was closed by the Government in furtherance of the work of canal enlargement. A second dry dock was constructed, and is now in operation by the Messrs. Andrews. In the autumn of 1854 a foul murder was committed on the verandah of the British Hotel. Bill Townsend, a notorious desperado, who had a short time pre- viously murdered Mr. Nelles, a resident of Haldimand County, carne this way with a comrade. A reward of one thousand dollars had been offered for his capture, dead or alive. Constable C. Ritchie, of Pon Robinson, having been notified that the murderer was at the hotel taking his supper, went thither to arrest him. Town- send came out of the hotel, and Ritchie, who was unfortunately unarmed, told him he was his prisoner. 'I'ownsend in reply threatened to shoot Ritchie if he did not take his hands off him. The constable paid no attention to his words, whereupon Townsend put his threat into execution by shooting him through the head. '!'he wound was a mortal one, and the brave constable ceased to breathe about four hours after the shot was fired. .Mthough the citizens armed themselved and instituted a thorough search, the murderer and his accomplice escaped. Fori' Rohinson Churchks. The Presbyterian Church was erected about 1824, and is still standing on the same foundation, aithough the superstructure has been altered and improved. I-'or a long time the congregation was connected with the one of the Town of Thorold. That connection has been severed, however, and now the minister of the Merritton church fills the pulpit at this place. St. i'aul's Church (Episcopal) was built in 1844 and 1845. The Rev. Thomas Brock P'uller, late Bishoj) of the I )iocese, at that time clerk in holy orders, was the THOKOLIi TOWNSMll'. 357 I he l"'or old. tton first rector of 'I'hovold and Tort Robinson. I'revious to the building of the church, service was held in the dining room of Mr. Dilly Coleman's hotel, a large room, capable of seating two hundred |)eople. I'he present rector is the Rev. !'. L. Spencer, of Thorold, The Methodist Church, a brick structure, was erected in 1S50. The present minister is the Rev. I). Ecker. The Roman Cathoiii- Church was built here in iS-jH. The Rev. '1. J. Sullivan, the parish priest of Thorold, is the pastor. LODCKS. Myrtle T.odge of .\. F. and .'V. M., No. 337, G. R. C, received its dispensation in 1875, and its charter in 1876. At the present time it numbers 35 members. Its present officers are : P. W. M., Thos. Sowersby ; W. M., C. H. Bennett ; S. W., Andrew Hamilton ; J. W., Jno. McMillan ; Chap., P. S. Mussen, a mason of sixty- six years standing, he having been made a member of the craft before leaving Ireland ; Tyler, R. Stevenson ; Sec, \V. H. .\ndrews ; Treas., Ceo. Ross ; I. (.)., W. Kemp ; Stewards, E. Shainholts, E. .\ndrews ; I), of C, W. Cook ; S. D., J. Stark ; J. I)., deo. A. Thomas. Loyal Orange Lodge, No. 519, was organized over thirty-five years ago. Like other lodges it has had its ups and downs, but at the present time is in fair working order. It numbers twenty-five members. The \\'. M. is W'm. Booth, and Edward Cook is Secretary. A division of the Sons of Temperance was instituted here about forty years ago, through the in.strLimentaiity of Robert Coulter and other active temperance workers. It has kept its charter ever sinre the time of organization, and is at present in a nourishing condition with a membership of about sixty. Among its early members who are still office bearers are David Misener and T. .Sowersby. Port Robinson was in its palmy days at tlie time of the separation of Lincoln and We'.land. It was to have been the county town, but the site of the court house was changed t(j Merrittsville, now the Town of Welland. The present postmaster and collector of customs is James McCoppcn. Rol)ert Coulter is the collector of canal tolls, 'i'he present population is about four hundred and thirty, but very few of its early residents remain to tell of its glories, its progress and the re-action. A:.L.\NBURC.H Is situated about two miles north of Port Robinson, at the lower end of the " Deep Cut." i-ike the other villages we have described, Allanburgh is not the same thriv- ing business place it once was. It sprang into existence at the time of the con- struction of the canal and flourished tor a numl-er of years A fall in the canal at this point necessitaleu the building of a lock here. In 1850 the place contained II f '*' »J ma '( ';i 358 HISTORY OF \VE;LLANr) COUNTY. , V ■;[ f r- I ^f il about three hundred inhabitants, and boasted of two grist mills, two saw mills, two woolen factories and a tannery All these industries have ceased to exist. 'I'here are now in Ailanburgh th.ee stores, a post office, an office of the Great North Western Tclegrajjh (Company, and a number of shops. There are two hotels, one in the village proper, and the other, which is known as the )51ack Horse, is situated nearly a mile r^uc, on the road '"a-Vng to the Town of Thorold. Churchks. In addiuon to the chunhes mentioned in the various villages of the township there aie three Methodist churches and one belonging to the Second Advent denom- ■na'e'on, in the rural sections. One of the first churches erected in the township was along the Beaverdams Creek. This was about the year 1824. The graveyard adjoining it 'ontains the last remains of several of the early settlers. A ( hurch was erected shc-tly after, along the Welland River, bv the P.-esbyterians. The Episcopalians erected their first church a short distance east of what is called the Town of Thorold. The Hev. '1'. B. Fuller, afterwards Bishop of Niagara, was the first rector. This church was used until 1856, when it was permanently closed in consequence of the building a new church within the town (tiien village) of Thorold. In the very early days, among the men who preached the gospel to the settlers were the Rev. Mr. .\rmstrong, (>f the Episcopal (."hurch, and the Rev. Mr. Rus.sell, a Presbyterian, while the parish [)riest of Niagara visited the Ronian Catholic families throughout the district. In the southern portion of the township is a " (Quaker " settlement, one of the concessions having had so many residents along it who were adheienls of that faith, that it took the name of " (Juaker Road." The Friends worship in the meeting hou.se in Pelham. Schools. There are seven school sections in the township, in addition to si.\ union sections with other townships of the county, and one unior, with the Township of Louth, of the County of Lincoln. The old log school house has long been a thing of the past, and most of the sections now have sui)stantial brick school buildings, in which the jiupils are taught by efficient teichers. The frllowing gentlem'.Mi were local superintendents of school:; for the years that that office existed : 1856, Capt. Radciiffe ; 1857, S. \V. Pritchard ; 1858 to 1866, Rev. Chas. W.ilker ; 1866, Rev. T. B. Robarts ; 1867, I. P. Will.son ; 1868, i86y, 1870, Henry Mussen. Rga ?).'•. The roads are nearly all ordinary turn|)ikes, and are ke|)'. in repair !)y the annual statute labor. .\ macadamized road was constructed from the Town of I'horold southward, through the Village of .MI.int)urgh to the Welland River at Port Robinson, completed in 1856. IT.e enter|>ri.se was that of a company, known as ■niOUOl.I) TOWNSHIP, 359 tlic " Toil Robinson and Thorold Macadamized Road Company," m which the municipalities of 1 horold Town and Tiiorold 'I'ownships were the principal share- holders. 'I'his company also built tlic bridge across the Welland River at the southern extremity of the road. 'The revenue the company derived was from the toll gates along the roads. 'The travelling public, however, preferred the clay roads during the summer months, and only used the macadamized one during the wet and muddy weather of spring and autumn. Only one dividend was ever i)aid to the stockholders, and that was a very small one. After twenty-six years of unprofitable operation the tolls were thrown off, and the road became free. It is now kept in re|)air by statute labor, and the bridge at its southern terminus is under the juris- diction of the County Council. 'i"he Heaverdains Macadamized Road, which leads west from 'I'horold, has also been abandoned by its owners, and the toll gates arc no longer kept up on it. SlATISIICS. In the early days of the townshii) wild land could be bought for seven pence per acre. In 1H17 the population was eight hundred and thirty, and land had ri.sen in value to fifty shillings an acre. In 1848 the townshij) contained three thousand six hundred and ninety- five inhabitants. Wild land then sold for thirty shillings per acre, and improved tarms for about five pounds, ten shillings per acre. There were then in the township seven hundred and nine horses, and one thousand one hundred and si.\ty-onc cattle, while the total value of ratable property was fifty-two thou.sand one hundred and sixty-eight pounds. Since the last date given above, the territory occupied by tlie incorporated Town of Thorold, and a portion of the territory txcupied by the Ttjwn of Welland, has beev; taken from the township, and in 1885 the remaining portion of the township contained eight hundred and sixteen hor.ses, and one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven cattlC: while the value of ratable property was not much less than one million five hundred thousand dollars. MUN",I1'.\I. COVKRNMEN 1. Tl-ic settle'-s of Thorold Township began to arrange the machinery which had been provided lor the management of their municipal affairs as early as 1799. On the first Monday in January of that year a town meeting was held, at which the following officers were elected : Clerk. John Watterhouse ; Assessors, Andrew Hansel and Jonathan Hagar : Collector, John 1 *eCcw : Poundkeepers, John Wilson, Sr., and Leonard Misener ; Tov,n Wardens. Robert Wilkerson and Ceorge Clarke ; Road Masters, Ceorgj Howman, Jacob Up))er, John Hill, Jr., Henry Damude and Alex. Brown. For a number of years the arnual meeting was held at the houses of various settlers, and officials were elected by the popular vote of the people to fill iheir respective positions It seems that in those days the legislation was in the hands of the ratepayers themselves, and- the officers elected >vere simply to do the It II i (55; I! n I I I '■ ■ ! 1 ; i 'j l > 360 HISTORY OK WELLANI) COUNTY. executive part of the municipal work. Husiness which, under the present system, is left to be transacted by the councillors elected by the people, was then largely voted on by the ratepayers direct. For instance, at the annual meeting in 1801, the " Inhabitants of Thorold Township unanimously resolved the fences to be five feet high, and that there shall not be any holes exceeding four inches below the fourth rail from the bottom and above reasonable distance, and all creatures shall run at large." The meeting for 1802 was held at the house of Israel Swayze. At that meeting the fence question was further legislated upon, and pro- vision was made for settling disputes between residents by mcnns of arbitration. The war of 1812, for two or three years, lessened the interest in municipal affairs, many of the male inhabitants having abandoned the axe and other tools useful in converting the forest into a fine agricultural country, and taken up the implements of war. When the war was over, those farmers who returned to their homes and to tile affairs of the township, lacked the assistance of some of their brave comrades who had died on the battlefield. Prominent among the settlers of Thorold who lost their lives in the war was Captain George Turney, who fell mortally wounded at the battle of Lundy's Lane. His abilities as a municipal officer had made him useful to his fellow-settlers before the war. The original survey of the township by which it was laid out in conces,sions running from east to west, was found to be very miperfect, and a new survey was made, abandoning the numbering of the conces- sions, and numbering the lots from one ujiiward instead. The recpiirements of the municipality in those days must have been very simple, for we find that no longer ago than 1836 the total sum collected for municipal purposes was only ^14, i8s., 3d. Of this amount the expenditure for all purposes was but ^6, 19s., loj-^d., or less than half what is now usually iiaid for the collecting of the taxes. In 1841 the District Council at Niagara was organized, and the following year Duncan Mc- Karland and Robert Hobson were elected as representatives of 'I'horold Township in that body. In 1843, 1844 and 1845 the same gentlemen were re-elected. In 1846 the representatives were Duncan McFarland and Cieorge Keefer. In 1847 Mr. Hobson was again elected. In 1848 Mr. McFarland's colleague was Wni. Bradley Hendershot, a resident of Thorold village, which was at that time a j)art of the townshij). In 1849 I'iHy Coleman of Fort Robinson was elected to the office of District Councillor along with Duncan McFarland. The latter gentleman, who was, as it may be seen by the above, one of Thorold's representatives in the I )istrict Council as long as that body existed, is now living, at a very advanced age, in the Township of Niagara. For a great many years he was one of the most jjrominent men in Thorold Township, and at one time represented the County of Welland in the old Parliament of C"iiada. When a young lad hj was in active service in the war with the United States, and in 1837 he was captain of a troop of cavalry. The .separation of thu counties in 1850 did away with the office of District Councillor 1 -d 3 THOKOM) 'lOWNSMlP. 361 and that of Reeve took its place. The first gcntleMiaii to lill this position was John Radchffe, who had formerly been a captain in the Royal Navy. ICver since 1850 the residents of the township have manifested a lively interest in municipal affairs, the annual elections usually heini,' (|uite spirited. A list of those who have filled the offices of Reeve and Deputy- Reeve may he found elsewhere in this work. John Rannie occupied the position of Treasurer from 1850 to 1874. Upon that {gentle- man's removal to Toronto in the latter year, Baruch Tucker, Sr., was apijointed to the vacant Treasurership. He was succeeded in the following year by Waller Upper, who has held the position ever smce. The office of clerk has been filled by various gentlemen. In 1865 we find the name of Isaac F. Willson, and in 1867 that of 1'. S. Mussen. In 1868 C. B. Bennett was appointed, but was succeeded before the close of the year by Robert Spencer, Esq., who lieltl office tmtil 1873, when Henry Mussen was appointed to the position, and retained it until 1879, when he was succeeded by his father, B. S. Mussen, who has been Clerk ever since. In 1847 \Vm. ut of ( office who istrict n the ninent nd in n the The ncillor TOWN OF THOROLD. 1 That " necessity is the mother of invention " is illustrated by the history of the Wellancl Canal. Mr. Merritt's mill required more water than the stream along which it was situated would provide. In looking for a remedy for this defect he conceived the idea of digging a channel that would supply the required power. l''rom this it may be inferred that the early promoters of the Welland C'anal were as much actuated by a desire to establish an inexhaustible su[)ply of waterpower as they were to provide a great highway for marine craft. Both objects have been accom|)lished. The commerce of the continent has felt the influence of the Welland Canal, through whose waters have passed ships laden with the merchandise of the world to the value of untold millions ; and while the canal has been of so much service to the carrying trade of this whole continent, it has called into existence busy towns in the locality through which it passes, by supplying valuable waterpowers. The slope of the " mountain " along which the canal is located, admits easiest access to these privileges, and here varied industries have been established, i'he Town of Thorold is situated at the top of this slope and within its borders begins the wealth of waterpower caused by the descent of the canal. Beyond it lie the Village of Merritton and the City of St. Catharines, both of which places also enjoy waterpower, but as neither of them come within the sco]je of our history we may safely style Thorold the Manchester of Welland County. The town also possesses great quarries of best (juality limestone giving rise to quarrying industries and manufactures of lime and cement, which have always been an important factor in its progress and prosperity. Having said that Thorold sprang into existence in consequence of having water power, anci that it is now a manufacturing town, it is unnecessary to add that it is a bu.sy place. It, however, possesses an attraction that is lacking in many busy places — its prettiness. .Situated, as it is, at the edge of the " mountain,"' it commands a magnificent vi';w of the valley below, beyond which may be seen the blue waters of Lake Ontario. The visitor, after enjoying the beautiful panorama of nature, is reminded by a glance over the town, that art, too, has done much to enhance the beauty of the place. Front street is lined with handsome business blocks. The old canal is studded with subsuuiiial buildings, the industrial hives of the town; the new canal n have )e and of the , both in the elland giving have that at it is . It, in ess. I view ntario. liy a of the nal is canal IHOKOIJ) lOWN. 363 runs through Thorold's eastern outskirts, and a walk to its Iwiiks iVom I'lont street llie princijial business thoroughfare takes us past two beautiful (lunches, one belonging to the Presbyterian congregation, and the otiier ;o tlie l-lpiscopalians. West of the old canal, which divides the town in about the centre, may be seen the tower of tlie Konian (latholic ('hurch, and the pinnacle of the Methodist Temple ; farther north, on the same side of the canal, rises another hill, on the top of which is the classic mansion of Mr. John Keefer. In every part of the town the beautiful villa residences of 'I'horold's " solid " men render the pla( e attractive. First Settlkmknt. Among the first who settled on the site of the present town, was (ieorge Keefer, whose son, Mr. John Keefer, is one of the oldest residents of the place. As early as 1790, Mr. Keefer ami one or two other ;)ioneers commenced to convert the forest in the north-eastern corner of Tliorold Township into farms. So little progress was made in clearing the land, however, that when a small collection of rude houses had sprung; up in consecjuence of the building of the canal, the place took the name of Stump Town, An appellation that clung to the village for some time. The old name was eventually dropped, and the present one substituted, a change, no doubt, agreeable to many English immigrants of that time, wiio were pleased to find in the new world Ikj'Ji a township and a village perpetuating a name familiar in their native Lincolnshire. In 1827 the tirst mill was built in the village by Mr. (leoige Keefer. and as soon as the canal was ready for the passage of boats, in 1829, the place began to grow rapidly, and the population to consist of a more permanent and desirable class of citizens, than the canal laborers, who were the first sojourners in the village. At the above date, however, the village was in so incipient a state that had one of its residents fallen a.sleep — Rip Van Winkle like - and not awakened until to-day, he would have rubbed his eyes with wonder as he gazed at the large buildings, tall chimnies, the street cars, the telegraph, and telephone wires and various other remind(.'rs of the progress of modern times, and have concluded that he was in some other world. There were then no churches in the village proper. The Methodists had erected a place of worship at the beaverdams, a mile or two distant, and the Episcopalians had built a chuich east of where the present town stands, but the four splendid churches of solid stone that now adorn the town were yet to come. When the Government assumed control of the canal in 1842, the population began to increase rapidly, and the improved hydraulic powers of the enlarged canal to be extensively utilized by enterprising men. A writer, in speaking of the village in 1850, said, "The hydraulic [lowers of the canal have here been taken adv.nntage of to a considerable extent, and five grist mills have been erected, having an aggregate li *.i :h 'i — fl,l I ii i .164 llIsToKY UK Wl'.I.I.ANI) COUNTY. of fifteen run of stones ; also a saw mill, containinj^ one iiprij^hl and two circular saws, and two planinjf ma( hincs. There are also attached to the estahlisii ment a n)achine sho|) and carding machine. A cotton factory was in operation here for some time, hut has ceased vorking, and tlie establishment with the machinery, etc., is for sale. Thorold also contains a tannery, broom factory, soap and ( andli' factory, and two potteries ; and three churches, Episcopal, Methodist and Catholic. Half a mile from the village is a i)laster mill, and in its iin-.nediate neighborhood extensive (piarries of both giay and white lirncstonc, and hydraulic cement are worked.' Incorporaiiun. In the year 1S50 the village was incorporated, and began to do business on its own account as the " Municipality of the Vilia;j;e of 'I'horold." W. J5. Hendershot was elected Reeve at the first municipal election iield in the village. He had pre- viously served for one year as representative of the township in the old Niagara District Council. Mr. Hendershot was one of the earliest merchants of 'I'horold, having begun business there in a small grocery, when the village was very small. As Thorold grew, his business expanded to very large dimensions, embracing not only one of the most extensive general stores in the Niagara District, but also large milling interests. At the time of his death, in 1873, he had amassed a large fortune, after liaving been identified with the rise and progress of 'I'horold for nearly half a century. The construction of the (Ireat Western Railway in 1854, and of the Welland Railway a few years later, gave additional impetus to the village. .Since that time the shipping facilities have been excellent, and Thorold has ever since enjoyed those two great promoters of prosperity which should go hand in hand to build up a town — hydraulic power for manufactures, and means of trans|)(>rting the manufacturer's productions to the distant consumer. The census returns of 1871 show the extent of the place at that date as follows : Areas, Dwellings, etc. — .Xcre.s, 1020. Houses inhabited, 307 ; uninhabited, 3 ; being built, 5. Families, 3 c 2. Total pojjulation, 1635. Sexes — Males, 821 ; females, 814. Married -Males, 259; females, 261; total, 520. Widowed — Males, 25 ; females, 48 ; total 73. Children and unmarried — Males, 537 ; females, 505 ; total, 1042. Religions. - Adventists, 3 ; Baptists, 4 ; Freewill Baptists, r ; Christian Brethren, 5 ; Catholics, 447 ; Christian Conference, i ; Church of England, 465 ; Wesleyan Methodists, 432 : Presbyterians, 10 ; Canada Presbyterians, 262 ; Quakers, I ; not given, 9. Origins — English, 446; French, 19 ; (lerman, 77 ; Irish, 805 ; Scandinavian, i; Scotch, 273 ; Swiss, 4 ; Welsh, 10. THOKOLI) rOWN. 3^5 land to labitcd, .■s, 821 ; )\vcd — Icmalcs, iiKivian, nirtli I'laces l^ll^lalul ami Wales, 94 ; Ireland, 272 ; Scotland, 102 ; New Hrunswick, 1 ; Nova Scotia, i; (.)ntaiio, 106^^; (^)uel)cc, 14; other Mritisli Posses- sions, I ; I'laiice, 5; (lermany, 10; Sweden, etc., i; United States, 70; oilier countries, 1. Thf. New Canal. On Saturday, the and of Aiij^ust, i€. We, the Reeve and Council of Thorold, on behalf of the inhabitants. ' .»ve to approach Your E.vcellency with assurances of loyalty and devotion to i person of Her Majesty the Queen. \Nt also take this opportunity of expressing our respect and esteem for yourself both personally and as Her Majesty's reprepresentativc, and of welcoming you and the Countess of Dufferin to the Niagara Peninsula. Your Excellency, during the visit ycu are about to make to the public works now in course %\. .'*> ^^^. ,oO^. 00. 16^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) .0 II 1.25 ^ a nun ^ m 1.4 IM 2.0 1.6 v: ^% %f <$> c^ '^• d? /. * <;' / W Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Micror'^productions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 366 HISTORY or WKT.LANO COUN'IY. of conslriKtioM in tliis jjlaro, will behold .in uiKJci taking creditahle to the energy and entL'r|)risc of the Dominion, jiuI destined, we believe, to be the great highway of the inmiense carrying trade between the great West and Europe, and to advance the interests and jirosperity not only of this part of the country, but the whole of Canada. We have no doul); tliat \'our i'Acellencv will ap|)reciate the imjiortance to tile general iiiterest of the coiinlry, of manufactories and other industrial establish- ments on tlie line of the Welland ("anal. While knowing thai your extended lour through tiie Province of Ontario will be taken advantage of i)y you to increase your knowledge of the country and its people, we trust ii will also l)e productive of pleastne to you, Lady Dufferin, and the members of vour family. W. I' ■i-ii, ( leri loHN .NFtd )oN.\(;n, Reeve. i His !• xcellencv, ui reply, ex]);essed ihe |) e.isure it gave him to receive ai idflress from the inhabitanis of I'Ik a i)lace to which, by its cc.nection with the Welland Canal, considerable attenlion was ,ii liie present time chrected, not only from ail jiarts of ihc dominion, bnl from the Cnited .States. It overrate the importance of th was nnpossible to ose works now in progress, whose magnitude was a measure of the advancement which had taken place in the aspirations of the (lovernment aiK )f ti ie peo|)le o f Canada since the iiresent Welland ('anal was constructed. Dming his ])resent lour he had visited the distant waters of Lake Sujierior, and he had arrivd at the < onclusion that no reasonable man could doubt hut that within a few years the industry and energy of the Canadian peo[)le would have conducted the waterways of the .Atlantic to the head of Lake Superior. (.\pi)lause). Neither was it possible to overrate the conse(|uences which wiaild flow from these great works. No one could look upon the navigation of the northern ])arts of Xorth .\merica without i)erceiving that the River St. Lawrence and the cliain o f lak es w aloivj which all hich empty their waters into it, are destined to be the highroad the |)rodu( lions iiot only of the Canadian Northwest, but also of the noithern valleys of the .M'ssissippi and its tribuiaries, would pass. (Cheers). It must necessarily follow that a community located upon that great thoroughfare would immensely iJi-ol'tt f)y the stream of commerce which would flow beside them, and he (Lord Dufferin) sincerely trusted that a great deal of the advantage to whicli he referred would stick to the fingers of the ) i(.'o lie o f '!' lorold (Cheers). In conclusion, hi' thanked them lor the kind expres>ions in their address with regard to himself ;ind Lady hufferiii, and assured ihem that he would always watch with great interest what he trusted would result in a rajiid improvement in their circumstances. The usual cheers were given, after which a number of citizens were introduced to His lv«icellencv. inciudiiii; the meinDeis of the council Rev. I'ather Sullivar and the Rev .\Ii •"razer. Colonel ( 'lemenl, a I' Loy.ilist, and a veteran of the i : THOROI,!) TOWN. 367 war of 1812, was also introduced, and with him Lord Duffciin coincrscd for a short time, during wliich some interesting anecdotes of the battle of Chipwawa were related. Leaving the main street of 'I'liorold, the vice-regal ixirty drove to the cutting which •• .is then being made for the new canal, and Iiaving arrived there inspected it c.i a couple of points. .Mong the works, at fre(iucnt intervals, the men employed on them had flags flying. Having thus spent a short time, the party drove directly back to Merritton, and there got on hoard the train on which Lady Duffcrin and the rest of the party were awaiting them. 'rHOkOLD A Town. Hy a special act, 'I'horold was incorporated as a town, and elected its first Mayor in January, 1875. Oeorge IJaxter, ICsc]., the present ("ounty Judge, had the honor of being elected Mayor on that occasion. .Mr. iJaxter also filled the Mayor's chair for the year 1876. In 1877 Dr. I'almer was Mayor. He was succeeded in 1878 by Dr. Lemon. Mr. Jno. (Irenville filled the position in 1879 and 1880. Jno. .McDonagh, Ksq., was first elected Mayor in 1881, and re-elected in 1882, 1883 and 1884. Mr. Alexander I'raser was Mayor in 1885 and 1886, and Mr. William McC'leary succeeded to that honor in 1887. iN'Dt SIRIKS As intimated in the jjreceding chapter, 'I'horold owes its very existence (o the wealth of hydraulic power that i.as fostered its manufacturing interests, and when we say that the manufacturing interests have been fostered, it is unnecessary to add that a solid foundation has been prepared upon which a populous city will probably some day stand. Of ail the businesses in which men can engage, that of the manu- facturer ranks second in importance. The agriculturist is an indispensable member of the human race ; without his productions the rest of mankind could not exist. ' If the plougliiiiaii ros ' idouring Mills. - 'I'his important industrial e.stablishment is one of the oldest in the town, h;n-ing been built as early as 1827, l)y Mr. (leorge Kcefer. 'I'hat gentleman, whose name is associated with the building of the canal, had completed the mill before the canal was navigable. He and his descend- ants continued to run it for a great many years. Mr. Jas. l.aw.son conducted it Trom about 1 868 until recently, and had it thoroughly overhauled and refitted, 'i'he burr stones have been replaced by rollers or roller brakes, nuich superior to stones and capable of producing a liner grade of tluur. The liusiness of this mill amoimts to about sixtv-live thousand barrels annually. W'elland .Mills. 'I'his very extensive establishi.vjnt was built in 1846, by the late Jacob Reefer, whose father built the first mill in the jilace. It was conducted for a great many years by the firm of Howland iV .Sjjink, of which Sir W. P. Mowland, late Lieut. -Governor of Ontario, was the senior member. Mr. Spink retired fr(.>m the firm a few years ago, and became a ])artnerof Mr. i.awson. The W'elland Mills are at present owned by the firm of Howland, Jones iS: ( "o. .Mr. Jones is himself an inventor of mill ma( hinery. The mill is fitted with the inost improved rollers, and has received a dijiloina for being the best e(iuipi)ed in Ontario. Its cajiacity is five hundred barrels ])er day. The Ontario Silver ("ompany is the name of a manufacturing business at present owned by ("leorge Hendrick, of Springfield, Mass. I'he establishment was first opened in ( )ctober, 1884, by the Ontario Silver ("ompany, Limited. In 1886 the original company was succeeded by the present firm. .About thirty-five hands are employed in the manufacture of spocjns, forks, and other kinds of silverware, which are s> d exclusively to the wholesale hardware and jewelry trade. The factory itself and the water i)ri\ilege are the piopeity of John McDonagh, Ksq., a gentleman who has clone nuu h tcnvards building u\) the town. Thorold I'cnindiy and Machine Sho[), of which .Messrs. Dobbie \- Stuart are the proprietors, was established by Mr. ,\r(hil)al(l Dobbie in 1859. The t)riginal sho|) was some distance south of the present piemises, and was destroyed by fire. 'I'he business was o])ened, in the buildings at present occupied, in 1865 Mr. John •Stuart be. -me a member (tf the firm in 1881. in the establishment are manii- ■Jkd. IHOROl.lt rowN. 369 factored all kinds of mill Hearing, shafting, and general machinery, wi^.ile a specialty is made of contractors' plant. The average number of hands employed is twen- ty-five. Thorold Woolen and ("otton Manufacluring (!()ni[)any, of which the lale R. l!. McPherson was the senior member, established its extensive factory in i!v: Smith is the style of a lirm, the senior member of which is a so^i of Mr. Ino. Hattle of the (!ement Works, liattle iV Smith manufacture, on an exten- sive scale, paints and shoe blacking. Although a com[)aratively new industry in the town, it is an imjiortant and growing one. lohn Hand's Mouring Mil' was built i)y its present owner in 1862, on a site which he jjurchased from th. li'e John Hrown. The mill has a ca|)acity of one hundreil and fifty barrels per day. 'I'he Thorold (Iristing Mills, in which .Messrs, J. C. Jones iV Co. carry (jn i)usi- ness, were first built by the firm of Mcl'hersor 'v' W^ir. After the death of Mr. Weir his surviving partner sold the i)i()p^:rty to 1). '"ooper iV Son, in iSSo. 'I'he Messrs. Cooiier still own the mill, which they ieas*. to the lavseni occupants. The mill is fitted with rollers, and comiiKinds a good gris'.ng business. (!nrK(HEs. A caivt'ul examinat'on of Thorold satisfies one tliat the |)lace is well described bv the word "substantial." Not only are most of the buildings in the town of a subst.iai il char.icler, but the business enterprises are nearly all established on a sure fiiotin^ and 'Thorold can number among its residents as many ''solid" men as any other town of its si/.e in Oilario. 'To no othei co:n[)onent part of the town can the word "substantial" be more appropriately applied than to its churches. Al' hough there are otlu'r towns and villages in which a greater number of churches exist, we (inestion whether any other town in the Province possesses nioresul)slantial .1 m « ' ■, ( jjiiWiTrs iB f ,1 i-v,^fl."!.r'im 370 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. church edifices than does the town of 'i'horold, or whether their internal economy is in so sound a financial condition. When the village was still small, and better known by the name of " Stump- town " than by its present dignified title, an acre of land was donated by the late (ieorge Reefer to the Methodist denomination as a site for a church. 'i"he deed is dated October 14th, 1833, and by it the lot on Pine street, which is west of the canal, was conveyed to the trustees, who were James Brown, H. Swayze, William McClellan, J. Rattray, J. Ker, I,. Parsons, and F. Hutt. The church, which was erected at that time, was a small wooden building, which was used as a place of worship for a number of years. In 1845 the requirements of the growing congre- gation led to the construction of the present church. Tiie building committee consisted of Jno. Vanderburgh, John Ker, William Beatty, Peter Reefer, and Jacob Reefer. Among tho.se who contributed to the funds, was Lord Metcalf, at that time Governor, who gave jC\o. The church is of stone and was originally 38 x 54 feet. Although steps were taken in the direction of building in 1845, the church was not completed until 1849. On January 21st of the latter year, the dedicatcjry sermon was preached by the late Rev. Egertor Ryerson. In 1870 the building was enlarged by an addition, which makes it now eighty-six fjet in length. In 1882 it was refitted throughout, new pews took the place of the old ones, new carpets and upholstering made the comfort and refinement of the interior correspond with the handsome and substantial edifice itself. .\mong tiie ministers who have been [)astors of the Thorold church, are some of the most prominent Methodist divines in (Canada. The following are the names of those who have been stationed here during the last thirty years : The Reverends Laird, Dr. Rose, :\. Sutherland, Dr. Potts, J. Wakefield, J. H. Starr, J. S Clarke, \. Warner, James Preston, James Slater, Dr. Parker, Jno. Kay, and J. E Lanceley. The last named gentleman is the jjresent pastor. During the early years of Thorold Village, the Episcopalians worshipped in the church known as St. Peter's, mention of which is made in our history of Thorold Township. It was situ.ited a short distance east of the village, although the land on which it stood is within the corporation limits of the present town, and was bought by the Government at the time of constructing the new line of canal. The first rector was the Rev. Thomas iirock I'uller, the late Bishop of Niagara. In 1856 the present beautiful and connnodious church was erected in the village. It is situated at the corner of {Jarlto;i and ('laren'.ont streets, on a site given liy 1 )r. Rolls, and is a massive stone structure, whose lofty spire, rising high above the town, may be seen at a long distance. The jiresent rector of St. John's Ghurch — as it is called is the Rev. P. L. .S|)encer. The i'resbyterians in 'I'horold have recently erected a very handsome stone church, delightfully situated at the corner o( (!Iaremont and Ormond streets. The old i'resbyterian Church was built in i860. Previous to that date the congregation SP IHOHOLD inWN. 371 held their services in the town liall and the school house. Tlie first minister who otticiated tor the denomination in the place was the Rev. (lolin Mcintosh, the pioneer of Fresbyterianism in the N'iagara Diotrict. The present pastor is the Rev. C. I). Macdonald. The (Ihurch of the Holy Rosaiy, Roman Catholic, has the largest congregation of any of the Thorold churches. Of all the fine church edifices in the town, this church is also the most beautiful and costly. The first Roman Catholic Church in the place was built on the site of the present one west of the old canal, at the corner of (^ueen and Mill streets, about the year 1837. The building committee consisted of John O'Brien, William Hannan, James Boyle, and A. Schwaller. The Rev. T. J. Sullivan has been the i)astor since 1871, and it is largely owing to his work that the recently erected church e.xists. 'I'he reverend gentleman raised no less than thirty-five thousand dollars of the money recjuired for its constru::'iion. The congregation numbers about eight hundred, and has in connection with the church a separate school, in which about one hundred and ninet> children are being educated. In this school four peinianent teachers are employed. '.'horoi.d Hkih School. This in;,;'>;ition was founded as Thorold Crammar School in 1851, and it may be saitl owes its orig'n to the founder of the Mechanics' Institute, the late Bishop fuller. It was formed on the closing of a private school, conducted by the Rev. Mr. Dickson, for the higher education of the young of Thorold and the surrounding country. The Rev. Mr. Dawson, H. A., was the first head-master and the school was conducted above the brick building now known as the Thorold market. It was then removed to I'ine St., to rooms in the building now known as the west side jjiiblic school. The second head master was the Rev. Donald McLeod, B. A., son- in-law of Bishop i'"uller, who was succeeded by John McNeeley, M. A., an excellent scholar and good teacher, who did much to advance the cause of higher education. After his death the school was conducted by J. H. Ball, M. A., the present county inspector, until the a[)pointment of a head-master in the person of Wm. Houghton, M. .\., who taught in a building on Mill St., now the site of Mr. Schwaller's resi- deme. Mr. Houghton was succeeded by Mr. Cruickshank, B. A., who was followed by tile Rev. Nelson Burns, M. A., the school at this time having been removed to what is now known as the McKea;',ue building, on Pine St. A fine building was ihcn erecteil on Ormond St., valued at, including grounds, $10,000. Mr. Burns having [resigned, the fir.st head-master in the new school building was James Johnston, B. A., who was succeeded after one year, by the present head-master, Andrew Mc- Culloch, M. .A, who has held the position for ten years. The school ranks now as one of the best two-master schools in the I'rovince, and w 11 no doubt retain its position so long as it remains under its pre.sent regime. 'l"he main work of the ! m ,'li , i, i f-1 37« HISTORY OK VVELLAND COUNTY. school is tlic preparation of teachers and the education of the young for the dif- ferent professions and for entraiu r In ihr I'liiNirsiiies. The success of this institution is due in a great measure to the continuous exertions of K. J. jolmslon, M. 1)., wlio has been for many years chairman of the board, wiiicli now consists of the following gentlemen: — ('hairman, R. ). Johnston, M. I).; Secretary and 'I'reasurer, Rev. il. \>. McDonald, M, .\., 1!. 1).; 'I'rustees, William .McCleary, Thomas Conlon, Andrew liardie, William McCartney. Thoroi.d Mkchanks' Insiu'utk. 'i'his Institute was founded ai)out the year lS^^, and owes its origin to the late Bishop I''ulier, then rector of 'I'horold, wiio was the first i)resident. The nucleus of the library, about 6oo volumes, was obtained by subscription. .Xfter an existence of several years, it was for some reason closed and remained closed for some years, when a literary society, then in ojieration, took charge of the books, and selected as president R. J. Johnstu.i. M. 1)., who was succeeded as ])resident by James H. Heatty. Judge Baxter was then made jiresident, a jjosition he has held for more than twenty years, and to hini is due, in a great measure, its present usefulness, as by his untiring and well directed exertions vh.e library at the present time consists of between three and four thousand voluniirs, carefully selected and well preserved. During the sununer the Institute is ojien two evenings in the week, and as a rule three evenings in the week during the winter. On its tabk."^ are to be found the leading newspapers, illustrated [)apers, |)eriodicals of all kinds, and magazines. The fee is one dollar per year, payable in advance, and ihe ( onditions are that all books nuist b' returned within a certain time or the re.uler be subject to a fine, and that all booKs lost, destroyed or defaced, nuis' lie made good The officers for 1.S86-7 were : - President, Judge IJaxier ; X'ice-l'resident, James Dale ; Secretary and Treasurer, .Andrew McCulloch, .\I. .\. ; (.'ouunittee, R. 1). Mcpherson, William P.lackstock, M. I)., .\lexander l''raser, James Fish, T. 1'^. Sinison ; Librarians, I'raiik Simson, Hugh .Minhirmick. L()1)(;ks. Mountain Lodge, No. 221, A. 1'. cV .\. .M., was instituted in icSjo. The first W. M. was John Dale. The ])resent membership is about seventy, in iiS86 the W. -M. was John Dale and the Secretary was W. '!'. I'ish. Livingston Lodge, No. 130, I. ( ). ( ). I''. I'his lodge was instituted in March, 1873, by Harpei W ilson. Ther ere were tourteen charter members. .\t \n pn.'senl liier<' are about sixty members in good standini he lollowing are the |)rominent officers: N. ()., James .Magill : \'. (i., (Iharles Howell: Treas., Alex. .McClenc hy : ('hap., Wm. McCleary; Warden, K. R. Price; ("on., Peter Steei) ; .Sec., J no. Howell. Livingston 1 jicani|)ment. No. 29, 1. ( ). ( ). 1"'. 'i'his encampment was instituted in 187S with nineteen charier members, .\mong its ch.uter members were Win. TMuKol 1' lOWN. Mi Mr(!lcary, ('. H. IJriclger, W. Wiliiains, Win. Imiicc, lOvaii Mcriici:-'jn, 1'. Sleep and Thos. Rcid. 'Thurc arc at jJicsciU aljout thirty iiUMiil)ers. Siiinmit Lodge, No. 41, A. (). U. \V., was started by (Irand Organizer Penning- ton witii fourteen charter members. Tiie hjdge has (iourished since its incejjtion and now nimibers about eighty. I'eter Meadow is \V. M. and T. iirown, Secretary. Select Knigiits of A. (). U. W. 'Phis lodge was organized in 1882 with ten charter memi)crs. The commander is ii. 1''. Morley. 'I'iiorold Division, No. 90, Sons of I'eniperance, has been in existence about fourteen years. It was organized by Rev. W. R. I'arker. A. Hardie and J. H. Wilson, who were cliarter members, are still earnest supporters of the division. There are at present about thirty members. .\. Hardie is W. 1'.: |. H. Thom])son, Treas. : Miss Rosa Dale, Secretary. 'I'lic (orange ( )r(lcr. There are tluee lodges of ()ran:;emen and one of Or.inge \'oniig liiitmis in the town. \'i(tor.a 1.. ( ). I,., No. 204, is in a lloiirishing condition with about S'Ventyfivc members. 1,. (). L., No. ijc, has a membershi]) of about forty-two. It was instituted about 1870. I'he officers are W. M., W. Hansel: D. M., J. Weldon ; Treas., 'T. Madill : Sec, G. McLean ; Chap., C. Darker; (). T., R. Sharpe. 'There is also a branch of the Royal lilack I'receptory, known as Zoar Lodge. King William Lodge, No. 16, O. V. H., has about one hundred members. In aildition to the lodges iiientioneil above there is in 'Thorold a Council of the Roval Templars of 'Temperance, and a (Circle ot the Ortler of (!anadian Home Circles, i)oih of whiie began to receive settlers as early as most of the other portions of the county. Some of the United Em|jire Loyalists, in their search for land.'^ on wiiich to locate, discovered a tract in the locality referred to, which they rightly judged could be converted into farms of great fertility. The descendants of the pioneers of this part of Wainlleet still occupy the greater portion of the land on which liieir ancestors settled in those WAlNl'l.KKI roWNMIIl'. .575 early days, ami tVuin tlicui wc liavc lo-ariicil llic names (jf most uf tlie early settlers. No doubt there were others eiiua'ly deserving of mention who heli)ed to fell the forest trees and convert the wild i .nt' into |i,o'I'i(tive farms, but as their names have not been brought before us we have to . ontent )urselves with mentioning the following as pioneers of Wainfleet : David Morgim, a number of whose descend- ants still reside in the township in the neighborhood of what is known as M- rgan's I'oint, came from Pennsylvania while the American revolutionary war wa.T .,o'ng on. Accompanied by his son, whose name also was David, he <:rossed Lake Krie ip an Indian canoe. A peck of potatoes and some seed corn was an iinnortant pan of the cargo of their craft. 'They cut the eyes from the potatoes for seed nd ate the rest. They also planted corn among the trees and built their log cabin, 'i'his was probably the first attempt made by a while man to live in Wainlleet. The exact date we have been unat)le to fix. It must have been previous to the building of Street's mill at Niagara I'ails, liowever, lor when Mr. Morgan had harvested his first ( roj) of corn lie look a bushel of it in his (anoe and journeyed down the lake shore via what is now I'lirl I'lrie, into the Niagara River, which he f.vjrsed as far as the mouth of the Cliip|)awa, at which point he left his canoe and ;,\v, n'td his grist aro..nd the l'"alls, embarking in another boat farther dow.. the rive-, in which he conveyed his bushel of corn to distant Kingston, where he had it converted into llour, after which he returned by the same route. William I'ares settled on the land still occupied by his descendants, about the close of the American revolutionary war, and soon afterwards -he settlement was enlarged by the immigration of Jacob Minor, Henry Zavit/., Abram Kinnaird, Lawrence Furry, and several others. 'I'he early settlers of Wainfleet endured haril- ships similar to those of the pioneers of other townships. It is true that the loca- tion of a settlement had something to do with the amount of inconvenience ex|)eri- enccd by its people. For instance, after the Street mill was constructed at the Falls the residents of Stamford Township found going to mill an easy task compared with the journey the peoi)le had to take from the southern portion of Wainfleet to reach the same point. Still, the Wainlleet settlers were close to the lake shore and could go all the way by boat, so that perhaps their trip to mill was less arduous than that of the settlers who had a less number of miles to travel but were compelled to go the whole distance through the woods on horseback or on foot. The nature of the soil in the first settled portion of Wainfleet leads us to believe that good crops were raised without the same amount of hard labor reiiuired to [jroduct; inferior crops in some other districts, (lame was plentiful everywhere, and the settlers along the lake had an ample sup])ly of fish. After Christian and Henry Zavitz, two of the pioneers, built their mill at Sugarloaf, the trips to Street's mill at Niagara F"alls were 'to longer necessary. For many years, however, it was necessary to go to the Town of Niag., a for household supplies, that being the centre oi trade for the 15 I H li \. r % . il • ! I' \ .576 MISTOKY or Wl.M.ANIi COUNTY. whole distri( I. Immediately north of thi' territory on \vlii( h the pioneers settled was an im|)enetral)le marsli whi< h, for years after the other |)ortions of tiie town- shij) were sett'i-d, iiarhored i)easts of prey and reptiles. The deadly rattlesnake was a ^reat source of alarm to the people. When a settler was stung l>y the poisonous fan_ns of one of ihose reptiles, his life was usually saved by the copious use of whiskey, which, especially with those not accustomed to drinking, is a certain cure for the bite of this snake. As rattlesnakes have now about disappeared from Wain- lleet, It were devoutly to be wished tliat whiskey, too, should cease to exist ! Tile tonstruction of the Weliaiul 'J.inal leeder tVom tiie (Irand River, in a norlii-easterly direction, diagonally through the entire length of the township, brought about the settlement of a large portion of Wainfleet, shortly afier die year 1S30, that probably would yet be in a marshy condition, had the canal and its feeder not bi,en projected. The digging of the channel greatly facilitated the drainage of the !;uid, as well as afforded shipping conveniences for people who sealed near its banks. M.\KSH Lands. One of the lirst steps taken by the Municipal Council of Welland County was the reclamation of the marsh, ab(nit thirteen thousand acres of which were pur- chased from die (lovernment, at the rate of one dollar per acre, in I1S54. Large sums were expended for drainage, and farms .-iold from the tract as they became lit for cultivation. 'I'he soil in the marshy district is composed of " black muck," or alluvium of unsurpassed fertility, and the portion of it drained forms some of the most productive firming land in Canada. In 1882, the county, having already dis[)osed of about eight thousand acres of the tract purchased from the Crown in 1854, sold the balance to Messrs. Wilson iV Reaveley. That enterprising firm have already done much to improve the land. They have constructed a ditch under the Ontario Drainage .Act, four feet wide in the bottom, and from four to seven feet deej), upwards of three miles in length. They have also done about ten miles of ditching as a jirivate enterprise, and have ditched about two miles under Ditches and Watercourses' Act. When this tract of about five thousand acres of marsh land becomes thoroughly drained and ready for cultivation, the settlement of \Vclland County, which was commenced more than a centuiv ago. may be said to be com])lete. .Many citizens of the county have continually found fault with the County Council, as long as that body managed the marsh lands, accusing the members, and particularly the Marsh I,ands Committees, of bungling matters and committing many errors, both of omission and commission, in connection with that particular piece of county property. It has been argued by some that the county made an error in ever buying the lands from the Government at all. The facts of the case .scarcely warrant that conclusion, however. The original cost, -#« iiiT\timlmm Mti Il- ls us of irc 111- 1 a jar icr us was )ur- irge : 111 or tl ic ly ao 1 in lavc the feet lilos lies irsn of to the the md with onio L all. :ost, ' !^_:.i;;;UX'M).liu.ical superintendent of sihoolsin 1856 and held office until the end of I.S6.S, and the Rev. ]. Creighton had the ottice for 1869 and 1870. \'ii,i..\i;i-; or .M.\kshvii.i,i;. This village, the capital of the township, is situated along the banks of the W'elland Canal I'eeder. The late h'.dward Lee, to whom we refer elsewhere, was the father of the |)lace, and its history has always been closely identified with that gentleman's busy life. In addition to the substantial township hall, the village (oiitains a s> bonl house, an I'.piscopalian church, a mill, a i)ostoffice, a couple of stores, an hotel, blacksmith shop, \:c. There is also an Orange lodge here with a g(jod membership. The second I )ivision Court t)f the county has its headijuarters at .Marshville. V.. Lee was ( lerk up to the tune of his death, and 1'. |. Wilson has been appointed as his successor. i li !f 1 5 ^i' ^/.!frS(v tlie I ownsliip of Crowland. It is tlie smallest township in the county, containing only i of comnuuii- ( ation between the river front and the interior of the township. .About i Wclland River iioar tlie X'illau'c of ' "liipiiawa, in tiio north-easlcin corner ol the municipality. Usslier's or Street's Oeck takes its rise in a swamp in the south-west angle, and meanders i'- a north-easterly direction throuj^h the centre ot" tiie township until it falls into the Niaj^ara about a mile south ot' the \illaL';e of ('hii)pawa. On a l^lain near the mouth of this creek, and hetwecn it and tiic \'illat,'e of ("hippawa, an en.naLjement was fought on July 5th, 1S14, hetwcen the llritish aru'v under Cicnerai Riall and the American d .ces under (leneral Itrown, which is known as the battle of C!hippa\va. Hlnck t'reek, that has its source in the I'ownship of Hertie, falls into the Niagara in the southeastern part of tliis township. Navy Island, in the Niagara Kivcr, is included in Willnughby. It lies nearly half a-mile from the western shore of the river, and contains about three hundred acres, one hundred and fifty of whi( h are in orchard ; a[)ples, pears, plums, peai'hcs and grapes are culti\ated with gratifying success, and luany tons of fruit are annually e.\p(jrted. In I. SS5 there were one thousand eight hundred and eightv-seven acres sown with winter wjieat in Willoughby Township, and nearly litty thousantl bushels threshed. The yield, in some cases, was as high as t'orty bushels per aiTe of wheat, and from fifty to sixty bushels of oats. ( )ther cereals were equally successful, whilst roots yii'lded a magnifuenl return. .\s high as seven hundred bushels of turnijjs have been harvested from an acre. .Mangolds ha\e iieen ktiown to produce from six hundred and ilfty to seven hundred bushels to the acre, and jiotatoes between two hundretl and fifty to three hundred bushels. There are two hundred and thirty-five acres of orchard in the townshij) ; and in 18S5 it contained one thousand two hun- dred and si.xty-eight sheej), six hundred and tuenly two horses, one thousand three hundred and thirty nine horned cattle, and had a population exceeding one thousand one hundred |)ersons. it has six churches, six ])ublic schools, one roller gri.st-mill, one saw mill, one planing-mill, one wagon shop, blacksmith sho|)s, and a general store. W. Iv Tench's llouring mill, near the N'illage of ('hippawa, on the W'elland River, is one of the largest in the couiUy, and does an extensive trade. 'The W'elland River, which t'orms the northern boundary of the township, is navi- gable the entire distance, as well as die Niagara, which fornas the eastern limit. 'The i'',rie and Niagara branch of the (lanada Southern Division of the Michigan Central Railwav traverses the township from north to s(juth, and has one station in it, at IJl.ack (!reek, and another at (!hii)|)awa, and the facilities for ship])ing both by water and rail are exc-ellent. The actual value of real and personal projierly in the town- ship at present exceeds seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. A large propor- tion of the jioDulalion are of (lerman origin, but all alike are thrifty, industrious and progressive. 'I'he office of 'Township Clerk has been held by the following gentlemen : 1850, Heauchamp ("olcleugh ; 185 1-2, I'homas Wilkinson ; 1S53-8, John Dobbie ; 1859-79, John Smith; 1S80-2, Isaac H. .Mien; 188^7, James Smith. 'The office of If! HISTOKY OK WKI.I.AND COrN'lV. !•/ 'IVcasurcr lias bccii filloil as follows : 1.S505, Martin Dill ; 1S56S, Jolin I )ol)l)i(.' ; i.S5{j-6(;, l'",lij.ili Shainholts ; 1 870, (Icorge Weaver ; 1.S71-2, Nicholas Myer; 1S75- .S7, Rohirl M( C!rc'(lie. Rev. A. ("hristy was Local Sii] erintendeiit ot Schools from 1.S56 to the end of i,S6 ^, .iiid the Ke\. \K\. I. .M( I ,eo(l filled tile office from liio hei^inniiiL; of iSfif to the end of rSio. Lying on the soutiurn l)order of U'illoiighhy Township, and partly within tlie Township of liertie, about three miles from the nearest jioint on the Niagara River, is the little villai^e of \ow ( lermatiy, in which has recently been established the post office named Snyder, taking its name from the Rev. I". Snyder, professor of Knglish and elocution, through whose inthien<'e and energy the post office was estal)lisheie and Niagara IJianch of the (Canada Southern division of the M. (,'. R. R. affords good railway accommodation. The princijial shipments from here of late years are timber, by way of the ri\er, to liufliilo and other .\merican ports, .Mr. L H. .Allen getting out over a million feet for that ])urpose the i)ast winter, to be used prin- cipally in shij) and dock building at iiuffalo. .\niong the pioneers of this locality the nanii's .)f the lieanis, the ( londers and ilakers, figure prominently, the grandfather of 1 ?! wii.i.iiri.iiiiN i(i\\ \>iiii'. 385 dly i.l- 111(1 DOll ;iio \cn irin- thc •r ol ' the Messrs. Ulmiiis Imviiv^ taken up Soo acres larc abniii 1 yt^j. Tlii-' Mi>miii,i;stars were also caily settlers, and are < ln^ely idciuilUd with llie urDwlh and ,id\,inreinent of lliis |ian of the coimty. The first stori' 111 lihu k ( 'reek was kept by K(>l)erl Int^ram, wlio 1 Diiiliined rariiiiiiL;, iiiercanlile hiisiness, and l)la< ksir.tliiiii;. As lar hack as 1842, lliero were three liotels liere, tlic phice \)uuv^ at that time on the sta^'e route between Chippawa and l-'ort luie. The towint^ of rafts up the Xiaj^ara River was then ex('hisi\ely done by .)\ 'n, it i)cin,i; no uncouiiuou siLjIlt to see ten or twelve yoke slowly ploddinii; alon,. the bank with a raft of timber in tow. .\boul a mile above here anijther tavern, kept l)y one Kinney, flourished in tiiose days : ami farther on tlie r.Jmer liotel offered ii(iui I'lie Mctliodist Cluircli in Chipiiawa was hiiill about the yoar 1852. It hclonns to llic Lyon's ("reck (inuit. of wliicli ilu' Kcv. J. !•'. I'aii< liild is tlu- intsciu SiiptT iiUciuloiit. 'I'he l.uliuiaii Cluiii li was Uuilt almiil iSfio. I'licrt.' is no iii^ular pasloi al present. Inn tlu' luilpit is supplied tVoni Niagara I'ails, N. V. I, oyal Orange l,oS52 ; t'roin ie(|iunt line town of to dav. The building of the Welland ('anal nei essitateil the (onstruciion of an ai|ue(lu(l to con- vey the waters of the artificial channel over the Welland River. The fuM ai|iK(lui t was of wood, and when the canal was completed in 1X29 the sclHcuunl was known as " 'I'liK .\(.)nKi>r( 'I." I'',ven after the place hi\A become lUiite a i)o|)ulous village that was the name it bore. l>y the year I'S.p, the time at which the (lovernment bi'gan ilu' lailarge- ment of the old c.mal and proceeded to lep'.ice the old wooden a(|iie(lu( t b\ one of stone, the village had become (|uite an im|)ortant |)la( e. Its name was ai that time changed to M|':kuitisvii.i,I';, In honor of the late William Ilaim'ltoii Mi'rritt. The progress of \lerritls\ ilU' was comparatively slow until the separation of the I'nited Counties of Lincoln and Welland took place, and the village — after a hr.rd struggle with rival places — |(t\\N ol WI.M.WI). .i'»' hcT.'imc llic (iipil.il til iIk' coimty. Tlic en.'(li(ii\ of llu' > inmlv hiiil(lm^;s m iS5f) witiiLsscd tlic bcyinniiii; uf prosperity lli;it h;is lu-vcr clcpartcil. In( oki'oua riitN. I!v an Act of I'ailiaiiii'nt, nssci\tL(l to July -'41I1. ''*^5'^i lli<-' \ iHa^c of Mcrritls- villf was iniorporatctl and aiitliori/cd to do business midcr llic name of the Munici- pality of the N'illage of W'ellaiid. We (iiid fmin tlu' preanil)le of tlie Ac t tliat tiie petition to I' irliami'nt, askill^ for incorporation, set fortii tlial tlie N'iila^e of Mcr- rittsvillc at th.it liuie contained more than seven lumdred and fifty inliabitants. 'The Act provided tiiat the internal management and government of tl.c pi k e should be imder the i ontrol and authority of a Ktuiu il of five, to be denominated "'I'hc Kt'cvc and Council of the X'illage of U'elland, who are to be elected annually," etc., etc. I hi' boundaries ol' the new village wi le delnud as follows : "( 'oinmcnciiig ;u the north side of the Kiver Willaml, ,il tlu' nmih east corner of lot number 247 in the 'I'owiiship of Thoriild iheiice west aloni; the north ends of lots numbers 247, 248 and 249 \n the said township of ■JlKnold, to ilir western boundary of said lot number 249 thence south along the v.estern boundai) of the said lot to the Kiver \\'ellaii(l thence across the said river to the northwest corner of lot iiumber 27 in ihe lillh (oik ission of ih.' Township ol ("rowland tluaicc' south ;'long the western boundary of llu' sjjd lot number 27, to the road allowaiK e between the litth and sixth concessions of the said Township of ('rowland theiK e east along the southern boundary of saiti lot to the southwest c(jrner of lot 2() in the sixth <()n- cession of the said Township ol ('rowland thence south across the said road allowaiue. and along the western boundary of lot number 26, in the sixth concession of the said 'Township of (Irowland. twenty-five chains - thence east across the said lots numbers 26 and 25, to the allov.oiuc for road between lots 25 and 24-- thence north along the said road allowaiii e to the ;i ..th side of the road allowance between the said fifth and sixth concessions thence east along this allowanci- to the south east corner of lot number 2,5 to the said I'lt'th concession - thence north along the road allowance to the north-east comer of lot number 23111 the fourth (on cession thence west to the River Weiland - thence across the River W'elland to the place of beginning." Muxicii'Ai. IlisroRV. ( )n the se\enteenlh day of August, of the same year, a commission was issued by Sir I'Almimd W. Head, instructing I,. 1 ). Raymond, lvs(|., ;o act as returning ol'iicer at the Inst municipal election for W'ellaiid Village. Mr. Raymond issued his proclamation and ap|)oiiUed .Sejilember lOlhas the clay for nomination. 'The election resiilletl in the return of the folhnving gentlemen as the first council of the village: I ). .\b C"aw, .M. lletts, (.'hester 1 )einare, \V. A. Hald, and \. 'T. hitch. At llial lime llie reeve was not elected by the people, but was chosen at liie first J II \ . V)^ HISTORY ()!• WKI.LANI) COUNTV. i ii meeting of the council tioni among tiic incmhcis of tliat body. 'I'hc first cjiincil meeting ot' liic N'illagc ot' Welland was lield on the twenty-seventh of September 1858, and Mr. 1). Mc(!aw \emaie, \. 'I'. Kitch and A. K. Scholfield, counc illors. 1859. — John Hellems, reeve : Moses lU.'tts, I). McCaw, A. K. Scholfield r,.id Wu, A. Hald. i860. — John Hellems, reeve; Wm \. llald, Moses IJelts, .\. K. Scholfield, I). McCaw. 1861. T. W. Hooker, reeve; .Moses Detts, Wm. .\. IJald, C. I )emare, R. Morwood. 1862. Wm. .\. liald, reeve ; T. W. Hooker, R. Morwotxl, J. 1 )unigan, M. Hetts. 1863. — R. Morwood, reeve: Wm. A. Raid, M. ISetts, J. Dunigan, '1". W. I It)oker. 1864. -Wm. A. Raid, reeve: 1 >. Cooi)er, T. W. Hooker, R. Morwood, 1 ). McCaw. 1865. 1866. S. Ramont. 1867. .M. Retts, reeve: 1'^. Hoover. I). McCaw, R. Morwood and W.N. Carden. 1868. — 'I'. W. Hooker, reeve : I'. Rrown, Jas. Critfith, I). McCaw, !•',. Hoover. 1869. A. (',. Hill, reeve: Jas. ( hiffith, R. Diflin, R. i.amont, S. Hampton. 1870. M. Hetts, reeve: J. (iriffith, .\. Ilcndershot, A. K. NanW'yck, J. l.emon. 1871. .\. C. Hill, reeve: R. Morwooil, (). H. Rounds, ( i. 11. Hurgar and R. I.amont. 1872. .\. (i. Hill, reeve ; R. .Morwood, .\. Heiidershot, S. Hamilton, ( ). H. Rounds. M. I'letts, reeve: R. Morwooil, II. .\. Rose, A. Heiukrshot, H. Dunn. 'I". W. llot)ker, reeve; I'-Ikis Iloo\er, .\. W". ('osl)\-, W. N. (iarden, itul II. TOWN (U W KM AM I. ^^93 1873. A. (i. Hill, rccvc; '1'. W. lloukcr, I). .NhCaw, R. MDiWDod, J. II. Price. i.Sy.}. J. II. I'licc, iccvc : (1. II. lUirLjar, T. Cumiiics, I). .McMwiiii;, K. Morwoiid. i(S75. J. II. rricc, iL'fvc : j. Diinigan, .\. Williams, ( '■. II. lUiri^ar and I). McKwiiig. 1876. .\. Ileiidcr.shol, rccvc ; J. (Iriftilh, \\ . Hill, W. I ). JdTicy, .S. I.aiiioin. 1877. -.\. Heiidcishot, rccvc; '1". W. Hooker, S. l.aiiioiU, Win. I'agc, J.J. Sidcy. 1878. - .\. Ilendcrshot, inavor : .\. Williams, rccvc; (1. II. Iliirgar, .S. Hamp- ton, I). .McConachic, .\. .\slicr. J. \'. Sirawii, ( i. Croiimillcr, W. I). Jeffrey, J. Tiickcy, (). Stalker, W. I., licalty, I >. A. JohnsDii. Wm. Page, councillors. 1879. I'. Sway/.c, mayor; V. W. Hooker, rccvc ; J. H. liurgar, dci)Uty-rccvc ; K. Ho.\, ('. J. I'agc. '^.'has. Stewart, R. .Morwood, J. R. .Mi:( "ollmn, .\. Robinson, J. Tuckcy, K. O. White, I''. Olt. Wm. Hcatty. Win. Hill, I ). .\. Johnson, councillors. 1880. — K. Sway/cc, mayor : T. W. Hooker, rccvc ; J. II. Hur^ar, deputy-reeve ; (1. H. Hurgar, K. Box, J. .Xjjplcyaid, .\. Robinson, R. .Morwood, .\. .\sher, R. .\. tlomphell, Jas. 'I'uckcy, H. W. Ilohson, i''. .\1. Il;igar, I). A. Johnson, W. I,. IJcatty, coiincillorH. 18S1. R. Morwood, mayor: J. H. lUng.u", reeve: I). .\. Johnson, dciuity- rceve ; ,M. .S. liradl, J. .\ppleyard, K. IJox, W. 1'",. Teskcy, J. .McCollum. i'',. Holder, H. .\. Rose, A. I'.. White, ('.. Stalker, I'. M. Ihigar, J. Richardson, I). Ross, councillors. 1S82 S. I.amont, mayor; J. H. I'>ing;ir, rccvc; (1. I.. Ilohson, tlepiUy- reevc; I )avid Ross, I'.. .\. S;imcr, J. .\. Ciilchncsc, II. (iriftilh, K. Holder, dcorgc Cronmiller, Micliacl .\lc.\uliff, .M. \'anderl)urgh, (Ico. St;ilkcr, John Richardson, T. R. Secord, and I'.. O. Roimds, < oimcillors. 188^ R. .Morwood, mayor; T. \\ . Hooker, leevc ; H. (Iriltiths, dcpuiy- rceve ; I )avitl Ross. J. .\ {lilchncsc, E. .\. .S;uUcr, .\dam \'(jung, Jno. .\pplcyard, R. H Dyer, W. 15, ('ham!)ers, James Hodges, M. X'anderburgh, John I'hclps, John Richardson, .Alexander Robertson, councillors. 1884 - F. .Sway/c, mayor ; 1 ).... Johnson, reeve ; H. (Iriltith. deputy-reeve; K. Hoover, K. .\. Sautcr, Joseph .Mc('olltun, II. .Minms, William St;nUon, .Adam Young, H. Schumacher, James Hodges, M. \'anderl)uri;h, H. W . liobson, Joseph i'hclps, and John RiclKU;Isor,, coun< illors. 1885 W. I ). Jcffrcv, uiavor ; H. (Iriftith, rccvc: ( ). I., liobson, dciiuty- rcevc ; 1'".. H1 IIISTORV Ol- WKI.I.AND COUNTY. rccvc : J. Mc;Cav , K. Hoover, \V. N. (!uircMt, Henry Mintiis, Cliarlcs Ashcr, Adam Young, J. H. Hodges, W. A. Hald, M. \'anderbiirgh, W. (i. Somcrville, Robert Cooper, and David Ross, councillors. 1887 - R, Morwood, mayor ; John Richardson, reeve: J. H. Burgar, deputy- reeve : J olin McCaw, \V. N. Current, (leorge H. Ikngar, Henry .\Iinnis, Adam ^'oung, Cliarks Asher, James H. Hodges, J. I"'rank (Invss, (leorge Stalker, David Ross, Robert Cooper and W. (1. Somerville, councillors. Thi: \\'i;i.i ani> (H 'r<)-ii.\v. 'The |)ro\erl) about a propliet being without honor in iiis own country, applies to tile country as well as to tile pr()[)lict. One's own country is generally without honor, as tar as natural beauiy and resources are concerned, with its own people. !''ew citizens of Welland tully estimate the [)leasant situation and the great resources ot their town. Had some of them. Rip \'an\\'inkle-like, fallen asleep a (luarter of a century ago, and been awakened by the town bell this nu)rning, they would, after rubbing their eyes and taking a stroll, reali/e that Welland has resources, and that during the last twenty-live years she has developed them in a high degree, 'i'he man who last saw Welland twenty-five years ago, and returns to-day, having s|)ent the intervening time in other towns in the long settled })ortions of this Province, will tell you that Welland not only com[)ares favorably with the best of them in health- fulness and pleasantness, but that she has kept abre;\st of the times in using the various inventions with which modern science has made important the latter i)art of the nineteenth century. We do not intend to enter into a panegyric on the beau- tiful landsca[)es and natural scenery in and about the town : there are other towns which nature has made more fitting subjects for the painter's canvas. Still, both nature and art have done much to make Welland beautiful. I-'.ven in winter, when everything is subdued with a monochrome of while ; when the river and canal are lloored with crystal ; wh.'ii the last red leaf skates on the frozen snow, and the huge icicles hang like so many swords of Daniocks fiom t'.e house roofs : even then Welland has its attractions. In NUiiimer the beautiful fuliage of the ornamental trees thai border many of the streets, the tasty private residences with their well- kept lawns, the hanilsome architecture of the business blocks, some of the churches, and other public buildings, all help to improve the general appearance of \Velland. The visitor, as he conies into town by the Crand I'runk railway, finds himself at the sl.ition at the east end. ( )n the way u,! I'^ast .Main street, he i)asses a number of pleasant dwellings, and also the .Mode! School building and the ('ourt Hou.se, and cat< lies a glimpse of several other nice private residences on Division street, which i.i south of l'',ast .Main and runs parallel with it. He finds .Main street gay with stoles and their glittering anil diversifiei! wares, to atlia( t that sex to whom sliojiping is the best subslilulc for paradise. Crossing the canal and proceeding to 11 TOWN Dl W IJ.I.AMi. 39S the west end of Main street, he comes to the handsome Hii;li School building. Near it are the Acjueduct Roller Mills. Returning eastward, the visitor finds himself at the junction of West .Main and N'ortii .Main streets Strolling out the latter thoroughfare, he f:nds himself upon the substantial iron bridge whicli crosses the W'elland River, lie fnids that the stream passing beneath him has the Words- worthian charm of nuict, as he watches " Tlie.sc wiiter.s, idlliiig from tliuir inouiitiiin springs. With M soft inland nininnn. " To the east he has a view of the most stupendous piece jf masonwork to be found in the Dominion of Canada, the aejueduct, which carries the waters of that great artificial channel, the W'elland C^anal, across the W'elland River. Our friend goes on across the bridge on his tour of ins|)ection and finds, north of the river, in addition to the flouring mill and machine shops, a large number of dwellings, a couple of stores, and three churches. .Xfter wandering about tlie streets of the " north side " for some time, admiring the beautiful homes that some of our business men have fitted up for themselves, he is reminded by the hoarse scream of a whistle from the Iron W'ork«, and the ringing of a bell from the tower of the town hall, that it is si.\ o'clock. As he hurries back to his hotel he finds the sidewalks thronged with people just released from the various industries of the town. He comes again to the canal bridge, and perchance finds it "swung" to allow the passage through it of some craft, bearing the products of the great western world to the markets of the East, or the wares of some eastern manufacturer to the dwellers in the I'ar West. 'I'he bridge again clo.ses and W'elland's visitor, as he jjasses over it, mingling with the throng of people that like himself have been detained by the swinging of the bridge, mentally concludes that he is visiting a " right smart " town. Thk Schools. ;\t an early date we find there was a school in what was called the Shotwell building, on the n(jrth side of the river, near the site of the [)resent aqueduct. It was sup|)orted largely by the pupils' tuition fees. 'The first school house owned by the public was situated on the present site of the County Model School. It did service for a number of years, and remained standing until about 1^58, when it was rephu ed by the brick building now occujiied by the Model School. .Xmong those who "taught the young idea how to shoot'' in the old school house were the late Cilbert Cook, Henry Brown, and Iv R. Hellems, the present Police Magistrate of the town. Mr. Hellems was the teacher at the time of the erection of the present building. He was succeeded by a Mr. Stutterd, who occupied the position of teacher for some years. .\ higher institution of learning, known as the W'elland lirammar School, was conducted in the earlier years of the village in the farm house now owiieil and occupied by A. J. Mc.\l|)ine. The master for a long time was I! !' 7 ! '■ i'. II • 'i .V) r", IIISIORY (il Wl.lIANli COUNTY. fi' a n I • a jaiiK's 1 lodgson, wliii li;is sincu hccn I'ul)lic Sc lionl Inspi'c tor in tlic County of \'ork. 'I'lic (irainmai S( liool attciwards (m ( iipiiil a pan ot llu' pn.">L'iU Model School hiiilding. In iiS66a system of union giainniar and conmion schools was inaugurated, with j. W. Jollv as headniaster. I'U' ous to tliis date a brick school house had ixx-n erected on Aiiiieduct street for tiie icconunodation of junior pupils rcsitling on the north side of tlie river. In iSj^ ,hat huildinu was destroyed by fire, and the present structure erected on its site. Ahoiit i.Syo the increased sclmol population of Wellaiid necessitated the building of a school house exclusively for the use of the ( 'ir.innn.ir School, so that the building on the east side of the canal ruuid be used entirely for conuiion school pin-|)oses. The building on West Main street, at present used for the junior i)ui)ils of ward ihrce, was erected to suiijily the want, and the (Iranimar School was moved into it. .Mr. Jolly ^.is succeeded as headmaster of the (Iranimar School by Ira Del.aMatter, ]}. .\. 'i'he next master was ]']. .M. iiigg. .M. .\., who was succeeded bv Win. Oliver, I!. .\. In 1.S71, by an .Act of Parliament, the names "Orammar" and "Common Schools" we-e changed to " High '' and " Public Schools." Since that date the Welland High School has increased its usefulness until at the present time it occupies a creditable position among the high schools of Ontario. In 1874 Mr. Oliver resigned his jjosition as headmaster, and Ceo. I5aptie, H. .'\., was selected by the board to fill the vacancy. .Mr. I'.ajitie remained in Welland less than a year. In januarv, iiS75. j. M I )iinn, 1>. .\., I,. I ,. i'., a teacher of long experience, accei)ted the position of headmaster of the High School, and has ever since ])erformed his duties in that capacity so ably that now, after twelve years of service, he commands the greatest respect and esteem of those who know him, particularly of the many young ladies and gentlemen who have either " finished"' their education at the High School, or have, under his instruction, pre|)ared themselves for a successful career at some higher educational institution. .Miss May B. Bald, the first lady who ever received the degree of li. .\. in Ontario, was a graduate of the school. .M. W. iSridgman, the mathematical master, has been a number of years in the school, and has proved himself to be an efficient instru('tor in his department. (1. '!'. .\nley has been for some time the teacher of modern languages. Since January, 1.S79, the High School has occuiiied the beautiful building on West Main street, which the board had completed a short time previous to that date. The striu ture, which stands in the midst of spacious grounds, is of red brick trimmed with white. It is two stories in height, with a basement used as the caretaker's residence. The buiKling is well furnished, and is heateil throughout by hot air from a huge furnace in the basement. Returning to the history of I'ublic Schools, we fiiul that .Mr. Helle ms was employed a second time as teacher in cast side school. .\s before stated, his first term of service was succeeded by that of Mr. Slutterd. Amuiig those who taught •|<)\V\ ol' W 1.1, T. AND. .V)7 aCtcr Mr. Stultcrd were .Messrs. Kowlaiid Hill .md |. ll.iinikon liur^ar. .Mr. Mcllems continued to hold the headniastershii) on the east siile tlie secmid time until 1876, when he resigned to engage in business. 1!. Schooley was for a number of years the teacher of the north side scliool. .Mr. llelems' successor on the east side was R. .\. (Campbell, wiio held the jjosition until the establishment of the County .Model School in Welland. .Se|ileinber 1.S77, when Robert (Irant was selected as headmaster of that institution, and continued to hold the position until December, 18.S6, wlicn he resigned to accept a more remunerative position in tiie Hrockville Public School. On June 29111, 1867, the Rev. j. Hriggs, at that time local sujierinlendent for Welland, in his report said : " If we as parents and guardians of the young, unite with the trustees and teachers in the noble work of educating thrm, we shall erect for ourselves, to be read by posterity, inscriptions on monuments 'more enduring than marble, more lasting than brass.' " The present efficiency of the I'ublic Schools in Welland indicates that the late .Mr. Hriggs' advice, given a score of years ago, has been heeded. The i)resent I'ublic School Boud is composed of men some of whom have themselves been teachers, and all of whom attach a jtroper aiiKjunt of import- ance to the great work of educating the youpg. The teachers are all experienced members of their i)rofession. Mr. (}rant, the headmaster, jiossessed tact and skill in managing the schools that won for him an enviable rei)Utation as a teacher who could mould the "raw material" into the best possible graduates of a I'ublic School. Mr. (hant's successor as headmaster is .Mr. .McLaughlin, an experienced teacher with good (jualifications. .Mi'.THODi.sT Chukch. The great .Methodist body, whose ramifications now extend into nearly every habitable part of the world, were not slow in establishing branches of their church in the various settlements of the Niagara District. In the earl\ days of Welland County the .Methodist ministers, who were sent here to preac-h the (jospel, had to endure great physi(~al hardship. 1-ong horseback rides over bad roads, between the various log school houses, in which .Methodist meetings were held, were the expe- riences of the pioneer Methodist ministers of Welland circuit. The Revds. William and I^gerton Ryerson are remembered by the older .Methodists of Welland to-day as among the earliest who i>reac bed according to the form of the Methodist Church in this locality. It was not until after the incor|)oration of Welland as a village that a Methodist Church was erected in the i)lace. l'"or some years i)reviously, Merritts- ville had been an ap[)ointment on a large Wesleyan Methodist circuit, taking in Port Robinson, Miscner's, Cook's Mills, i.yon's Occk, I, cam's, Baxter's, Craham's, McAfTee's, Port Colborne and Ramsden's. In 1 861, the work on this circuit was conducted by the Revds. Keogh and Whiting. In that year steps were taken H! a I i r 1 1 i, ■i T i if 398 H1-.I()KV ()!• WLLLANU COUNTY. towards llic crc< lion of ihicc ntw ( luiiclius on tlic ( irciiit. ( )iic dt iIkmu \va>. llic first W'cslcyaii Mdliodisl ("luircli in W'clhiiul. 'I'lu' l)uil(lii\n ( onMiiilKc '.vurc Messrs. 'I'lippcr, M(jrwo()(l, ("inTLV, Ila^ar and Hodgson, 'llic liuilduig was creeled on the north side of I'-ast .Main street, and was o(( upied liy tlie Methodists initil the ilatc of completion of their new cluirch on Miiir street, when it was ;;old to the C'lun'ch of ihe l)is(i|)Ies of Christ. Soon after the ere( tion of the W'clland chinch, some changes were made in the circuit, anil for a number of years the appointments were Welland, Lyon's Creek, C'rowland, .Misener's and lirown's Bridge. Eventually \Velland was made a station i)y itself. .Among tlie ministers who have labored in Welland were the Revds. J. Reynolds, 'I'. I). I'earson, J. liriggs, K. t'larkf, J. (loodwin \\ illiam Ikyers, T. .S. Howard, U . W. She[)herd, R. J. ForemaHj Ceo. C'larke, and i'. Colling. I!y the year 1882, the congregation of the Canada Methodist (Church (once known as the W'esleyan) had become sufficiently large and prosperous to warrant the erection of a new ( hurch, and the arrangements for building were gone on with immediately. The building was completed and dedicated to the worship of .-Mmighty Cod on the ijlh December, 1882, by the Rev. Dr. Williams, of St. (Jatharines. The church, which is a magnificent red brick structure, 83.\6i feet over all, is an ornament to the town, its cost, including extras, was about .$12,000. i'lie situation is central, it being located on .Muir street, near the canal bridge. In the year 1885, the different Methodist bodies in Canada having previously united, the congregation of what was fornierly the .Methodist Episcopal Church, w s amalgamated with that of the east side, or (."anada Methodist Church. Rev. Thomas Colling, 15. A., who was the lirst pastor of the united church, still labors as the ministerial re|Kesentative of .Methodism in We land. 'I'he .Methodist Episcopal congregation, previous to the union above referred to, worshipped in a church erected by them about the year 1865, and continuously maintained from that date up to time of union. The building, a red brick .structure, situated on Dennistoun street, near the river, is still owned by the t ongregation, who have no use for it, and offer it lor sale. I'kKSHV IKRIAN. The history of the Presbyterian Cluirch commences, so far as regards the Niagara District, about the beginning of the century, when Presbyterian ministers from the United States crossed the river and helil services at various places. So far as relates to the Town of Welland, it begins about the year 1854, when Rev. .Angus Mcintosh was -sent out by the Church of -Scotland as an ordained missionary. He labored several years, his [larish extending from I'ort Erie on the south to Port Dalhousie on the north. There were several places in this extensive field where Mr. Mcintosh held regular services, at stated intervals. The jioints nearest Wel- land where services were held were Cook's Mills, Doan's Ridge, and the 6th con- roWN ()l WKI.I.ANl). y)'j cession ot Crnwland, by I-yon's (Ireck. 'I'hc school houses of these sections were used lor tile imrpose. It \v;is not until i COUNTY. Will AMI .Mi,( iiANics' iNsrnrri;. 'I'hc history of tliis institution takes us h.ick to the first (juarter of the present (•cnlury. It was previous to 1.HJ5 that soine of the early settlers in tiie neighbor- hood of what is now the Town of W'elland began tlie agitation leading to the forma- tion (jf llie "W'ellanil Library," which may be considered the foundation of the library of tiie present Mechanics' Institute. The W'ellander of to-day, who ( losely scans the early history of the W'ellaiul Library, and notes the zeal and energy dis- l)hye(l by the inhabitants of this sparsely settled locality in those early days, in trying to proviile themselves with food for the minil, cannot fail to appreciate in a high degree the ailvantages now possessed by our citizens in having access to so goodly a collection of books as the present library of the Mechanics' Institute. It was the grandfathers of the present generation who founded the W'elland Library. .\t that time there was not even a hamlet where the town now stands ; there was no village of Merrittsville ; the " Acjueduct " did not then exist; the (irst sod had not yet been turned on the W'elland C'anal ; the beautiful farms that to-day line both banks of the Chippawa were just bcuig reclaimed from a state of wilderness ; the settlers' rude homes were tar apart. 'I'he pioneers of that day realized the necessity of imi)rovinii; the minds ot the people of this young country and set about the collection of some literature out of which to form the nucleus of a circulating library. 'I'he minutes of a meeting of the " W'elland Library Company," held in a school house near HrowtVs Bridge, November 26th, 1825, illustrate the interest taken in it by its members, 'i'he shareholders present were David 'rhom|)Son, James Brown, (leurge IJradshaw, Nathan Heacock, Amos iiradshaw, John Hellems, Josiah Page, l'atri(k O'Reilly, .Alex. Brown and (leorge .Shrigley. 'I'hese men were not residents of one thickly settled neighborhood, but lived miles apart and instead of having the good roads of to-day on which to travel, were obliged to go to this meeting by the bridle paths which mostly formed the highways ot those days. At the meeting referred to " Mr. Aaron Crane, of Pelham, came forward with Clarke's Travels, in bds., four volumes, and proposed selling them to the company and taking a share : the books were purchased and Mr. Crane purchased a share." Some of the by-laws pa.ssed at the meeting are interesting, and if similar ones were enforced by directors of libraries now their volumes would present a better appearance. It was decided that fines should be levied on readers of books as follows : " For folding down a leaf, 33/i'd ; for every spot of grease, 3^4'd : for every leaf torn, 33/j;d ; any person loaning a book belonging to the library so that it shall be taken out of his house, five shillings.'' The minutes of the annual meeting held in November, 1826, show that the company had taken Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, of Philemon IJerchard, and allowed him two shares in consideration thereof; that they had purchased twenty new volumes in the course of the year, and taken of John Hel- lems, Paley's Philosophy and two volumes of Washington's Orticial Letters, TOWN OK WKl.I.ANli. 403 for wliirli they allowed him iis, 6(1., making the whole luimher of vohimes in the library I'lfty-nine. i'or a period of upwards of tliirty years the W'ellaiid Library ('ompany flourished, holding their annual meetings sometimes at a s( hool house at or near iirown's I'.ridgc, and sometimes at O'Reiliy's bridge. A ^hort time previous to the year 185X. the peo|)le of the rising vilh.ge of Merrittsville began an agitation for the starting of a Mechanics' Institute. 'I'liey negotiated with the Weiiand Library (!ompany for an amalgamation of the proposed Mechanics' Institute with their company, and completed arangements in 1S5.S, the year of the incorjioration of the Village of Welland, 'I'he library was accordingly removed to Welland village, and the Welland Library (;om])any merged into the Welland Mechanics' Institute. Interest in the welfare of the institution seems to have died out about the year 1862, as that is the last year in which minutes of any meeting can be found until 1877. In I'"ebruary of the last named year a meeting of the surviving mem- bers of the old Mechanics' Institute was held to make arrangements concerning a |)roposed .scheme of amalgamation with a new Mechanics' Institute that had been organized in 1S75. Satisfactory terms were agreed u[)on, the union was consummated, and ..ince that time the progress of the Welland Mechanics' Institute has been onward and upward. .\ number of citizens deserve honorable mention tor the exertions they have put forth in the interest of the present Welland Mechanics' Institute and its library. .Mr. I. H. Burgar for a long time gave tiie library room in his drug store and attended to the duties of librarian free of charge. For tiie past four years the library has occui)ied comfortable and commodious cjuarters in Mc(!aw's block. .\ reading room is kept open during the evenings of the winter months, in which may be found cojjies of tiie ieatling news[)apers, magazines and other periodicals. The library at present contains upwards of 2,000 volumes. The present officers of the Institute are : President, (leo. Ross; Vice-President, |. 1'. dross; .Secretary, \..C Raymond; Treasurer, John .Mc(!aw; Directors, M. W. Hridgman, |. K. Hill, and ;\. U. Rice. LonoKs. Orient I,odgc, No. IJ54, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted on the evening of Wednesday, .March 251!!, 1S74, by District 1 )c])uly (Irand Patriarch Harjjer Wilson, assisted by Orand Patriarch |. II. Perry, Pros. I. IS. Mclntyre, William Heeney and otheis. The first ot"tic( -licarers of the lodge were D. McC^onachie, N. H. Colcock, James ISrown, William Lowe, (Icorge .'\. Otis, .A. Williams, Dr. Schooley, H. W. llobson, .\lo\aiuler Oriffith, M. S. Hradt, Jno. Isniii^, William Russell, J. R. Wrightson, I. P. Wilson, and ( ". J. Page. The material of which the lotlge was constructed was such that from the first its success was looked \i\)on as certain, yet its enter[)rise and usefulness, in projecting and causing the com- jjletion of Orient Hall within four years from the time of its institution, surpassed the expectations of its most enthusiastic members. There had for some time been ■>04 niSTOKY OK WKI.I.ANI) COUNTY. iMr I ! ^ni 11 1 .1 ' I ! t: 11 fell llic iiccil ot soinclhiiif^ in ihc town in the sliiipc ol a [luhlic liall, Wn int'ctinj^s, entertainments, etc . To supply sikIi .i Imildin^^ as this, ihr nicmlicis dl ( )rirnt I.odge set to work, and in llie early part ot 1.S77 purchased the site .i meeting remain to recount the details of her early history. A large amount of work has been done by .\leirilt Lodge, upw.irds of one hundred and torly masons ha\ing been " m.uk- " by lur, and twenty four admitted from other lodges. The present ol'lice bearers are |. H. Crow, j. !■'. Hill, I >. R. I'ursel, A. K, layh^r, W. H. Crow, 1). Robins, Ceo. Wells, I'led. Ingram, I'. W. Hooker, W. 1'^. Hurg.ir, ( '. Ramey and S. j. .Sidey. llu' brethren w!io have attained the honorable rank of I'.ist-masier of .Merritt Lodge are .\. (i. Hill, jas. Bridges, J. W. Schooley, S. L Hopkins. Thos. Cumines, T. W. Hooker, j. H. Hurgar, J. J. .^idey, J. W. \'okom, 1. I'. Willson, I). 1). Hooker, R. A. Campbell, Iv H. Burg.n-, S. |. Sidey, R. Cnmt, and Lvaii .Mylchreest. Copestone Lcjdge, .\. I'', and .\. M , was instituted on the si.xth of I'ebruary, 1879. It started with eleven members, and its membership has now iiK leased to upwards of forty. The princi|)al oflices .ire at present Idled as follows: W. M., R. W. Mro. I. 1*. Wilson ; S. W., liro. C, .Seigelhur.st ; J. W., Hro. W. 15. Chambers; Sec, J5ro. W. ( 1. Somerville, TOWN OK W 1. 1. 1, AND. 405 Wil'.oii ("liaiiki, of Kuyal Anli Masons, was iiislitiili'd Mar- li lytli, 1S75. Tlic opening was successful in the highest degree, a lirge niiniher nt llie iiotetl dignitaries of the order being present anf|)iity-i('cvc for Staiiiford. Wii.i.iAM Wkicii'I', Hci^vo for Tliorold 'I'i). .Iamks McCoi'I'Kn, ncputyrotvf Tliorold Tp. W'li.MAM ,Iami;s, {{ccvc for 'I'liorold N'iilagc .lAcoit M isf.skk, Kecvf for Waintloet. .Iami.s I»i-.i.i., Kc'ovi! for Willougliliy. liKXi'Ki; I »'I'1\ ki;akI)o, (IitU of {'ouinil, Akciii i'.ai.h 'I'iiomi'son, 'rruasurur. Ari:rsTls W. Sll i;ii:i,!:v, Al.lAANDKK H i:ii>, Auditors. I\i\ AS 'I'l i.i.v, .\rrliiti'ct. John Hki.i kms ,V Wii.i.iam .\. I'.ai.o, ( ontraiaors. 1Ii;m;\ 'I'inti; K'nss, ( 'K rk tif Wdrk.s. .Ioiin Latshaw, I'ortiiiaii of Works. " Three cheers were then given for the (^ueen, followed by a " royal salute '' from Sergeant Watson's amateur artillerymen and '"Rule r.ritania '" from the band. " When tiie music ceased, the Warden being called for, stepped forward and s|)oke to the following effect : " ( Iknti.I'.mkn, ■ - .\s arrangements have not been made for celebrating this, to us imjiortrinl event, on a \cry large scale, so it is not my pur|)ose to detain you with a very long sjieech. " Having been closely identified with this undertaking from the commencement, and my reputation as a public man in the county being to some extent involved in its success or failure, I cannot deny feeling some little pride and satisfaction in being 1 ' 1: i i i ■ ! it in I , i ill ! -I 410 HISTORY OF Wi;l,LANI) COUNTV. [lurmittcd lo perforin in yuur presence the ceremony you have just witnessed, wliich cannot but be regarded by all as the final consummation of a local measure in which the anticipations and the hopes of a large majority of the people of W'elland have <-entred. I need not allude to the difficulties encountered and oven ome in reaching this eventful jjcriod in our county's history -difficulties in which the most of you, as well as myself, have participated. " Those trials, I have reason to believe from the cheerful countenances of gentlemen around nie, taking part in this ceremony, but whose ably directed op])o- sition we have all up iu this day fell those trials, I have reason t(j believe, are now- well nigh to an end. " l'"or my own part, I am ready to say, ' l.et by-gones be by-gones," and what- ever as[)erity of feeling or harshness of expression may have grown out of the sharp and protracted contest ujjon the (juestion of the se|)nration of these counties, on this corner stone, I, for one, [lart with them all. " With reference to the building, the report of the architect shews, confirmed by my own personal inspection, that the work thus far is of the most substantial kind, ami creditable to the builders and arti/ans employed. " When completed it will, in respect of convenience of arrangement, style, and beauty of e.xterior, do honor to the architect who has designed, and the county which has erected it in fact, it will be the model Court House of Upper (!anada. " In conclusion, gentlemen, I congratulate you upon the i)rospect of becoming an inde|)endent munici|)ality at an early day, and trust that the control of your own local affairs may lead to that speedy and perfect devehjpment of this fine < oiinty which the advocates of the measure have confidently expected to How from it.' 'I'nK Kkni.xn R.aii) ok 1866. 'The X'illage of Welland was a grand s<'ene of confusion during the time of the raid. The excitement ran highest on I'riday, June 1st, the day on which the Fenians crossed the lines when all manner of false reports were circulated and believed by many. To some of the prominent iricn of the village, and particularly to T. W. Hooker, lls(j., at that time reeve, the i)e:)i)lo were indebted for the active measures inaugurated for their defence and protec tion, .\ i)ublic meeting was held, at which it was decided to appoint a vigilance conunittee. The reeve accordingly Ciilled together a number of judicious |)ersons as a committee, and the body kejit session night and day during the raid. No arms could be |>ro(ured, and the (jpera- tions of the committee were confined to directing the scouting anil patroling parties. Hy sending out messengers, reliable information was obtained, and the committee were thus enabled to contradict the sensational reports circulated tlirough the town. The next week the (Irahamsville com|i,my of volunteers, under Captain (Ira ham, was stationed in Welland, to act as a guard for the court house and the llio tlic and ilarly TOWN UK WKI.I.AMi. 411 iKiiiL'diict, places wliicli it was feared inij^lu he selected Uy the destroying liands of any I'ciiian manuideis wlio miifht still he lurking in the ( ountiy. Saturday, July jlh, 1X^)6, was a gala day in Welland, the occasion henig the presentation of a flag by the peojjle of the village to the Ciiahain^ville X'oliuiteer Infantry Company. The proceedings were enlivened by the music of the t'onthill brass band. Mr. (larden occupied the chair. The tlag was jjresentetl at the hands of Mis.ses Mary A \.!afferty, JCUa Hooker, Isabella Hoover and Candace I'attison. 'I'HI'. CiOVKUNOK-dK.N'KRAI.'s N'lSII. t)n Monday, August 28th, 1874, Lord and I.ady Dufferin |)aid a visu to Wel- land, and the glorious manner in which they were received evinced the loyalty, enterprise and energy of the inhabitants. 'I'he day was all that could have been desired. No shower, no cloud, no dreary mist marred its course. In splendor the monarch of the day arose, and in his rosy chariot pursued his ethereal race. All appeared hapjiy and agreeable on this auspicious day. l-ong before the ap|)ointed time, large numbers of people came i)ouring into town from the surrounding villages and townships, desirous of partici[)ating in a right hearty wel- come to Her Majesty's representative in the Dominion, and to l.ady Dufferin. Hours before the party were e.vpected to arrive at the Welland Railway station its grounds were thronged by an immense crowd, estimated at about three thousand persons, all anxious to secure a position from which a favorable view of the features of the occasion might be had. The Welland iUass Band was i)resent, and at inter- vals relieved the monotony of waiting by discoursing choice music. .\ troop of cavalry, under Captain Huchner, was formed in the rear of the platform in readiness to give the act ustomed salute to the commander-in-chief of Her Majesty's forces in the Dominion, and act as an escort to the party whilst driving through the town. At a few minutes past three o'clock the sjjecial train conveying His Kxcellency and suite came up to the station. The locomotive was very handsomely decorated with evergreens and miniature tlags. Surrounding the dome were the words of Lorci l)ufferin"s motto, '' I^er Tias nrtas." As the train came in the band played the national anthem, and upon the a[)pearance of His Kxcellency and Lady Dufferin upon the platform, they were greeted with enthusiastic cheers ; besides His Ivxcel- lency there were on the i)latform W. .\. Thomson, M. 1'., Hon. J C. Currie, M. P. P., the members of the town council, and many other prominent men of the town and county. J. H. Price, Ksq., read the following address : To His Excellency^ Ri^^lit Honorable, the Earl of Dufferin, Governor-General of the Dominion of Canada, etc., etc., etc., — On behalf of the inhabitants of the N'illage of W ellantl, we now beg to tender to your ICxcellcncy and the Countess ol Dufferin hearty and loyal welcome, anil to thank you for this opportunity of expressing our attachment to your E.xcellency as 2(i I 412 IIISIOUY Ol WKI.I.ANI) COUNTY. I ll^ ife i ■ 1 i tlic rcpiescnlativc of our Sovcrcii:!!, and our esteem lor jour^clt as a nohlLniaii pre eminently an ornament to your order. When we remind vour l'.\( ellency llial you are now within tlie liorders of the county wliich was tlie scene ol the hattle of lain(l\'s I., me and otheis oi iSij, and that many now in your lv\< el!en< y's ]]resen(<' are the descendants ol tlie heroes ot tliose memorable battles, lou^lit b\ Canadians on Canadian soil, in deleiisr ol liritisli connei lion, and that a tew ol' the veterans (jT that |ieriod are siill ainonusl us, we need liardi\' assure your ICxcellency that \()ii are in the midst ol a pi-ople whose l())altv to the (^)iu'eii and attachment to the mother rountiy is not e\( elkd in any part of Her .Majesty's dominions. Situated as we arc upon the threat tlioroui^hl'are between the Ivist and \\'esl,and having within the limits oi our villajj;e one ol" tiie greatest arcliitectiiral works ol its kind in tiie Dominion, your I'Aceliency will pardon our honest jiride in staling that we are prospercHis and happy in the enjoyment of our many privileges and rights as citizens of this great empire. We regret that your Excellency's time will not iiermit a longer stay amongst us, that we might testify more fully than by words our appreciation of the honor which your Excellency has conferred upon our village and county, and we trust that before returning to Ottawa you will find an opportunity to visit the scenes of interest within the county ; and that your tour through the Trovince may be as satisfactory to your ICxcellency and tiie Coirfitess of hulTerinas it is gratifying to the inhabitants of those localities honored by your visit. In conclusion, allow us to express (jiir sincere wish for the ccjiilimied hajipiness of your ICxcellency and that of the Countess of 1 )ufferin and family. E. R. HEI-LEMS, J. II. PRICE, Clerk. Reeve. In reply to this address, I.ortl Dufferin said that he was extremely gratified by the kind and cordial welcome whi( h had been prepared for him. lie was well aware that in coming to the County of Wellaiid he was visiting a locality wlii( h had been rendered illustrious by the warlike deeds of the forefathers of manv of those present, and he rejoiced to think that it would be his privilege to make the ai quainl- ance of some at least of the surviving heroes of those glorious days. Happily, however, the deeds of those days were reminiscences of the past, and we mighl confidently look forwartl to enjoying, uninterrupted by war or other disastrous circumstances, the indeiiendence and security which those who fought for the Crown in those years secured. Me sympathized with them in the satisfaction with which they alluded to the fact, that in that locality a system of works was abotit to be inaugunited in which both the inhabilants of Canada and the L'niteil States were etiually interested, and wlii( h ( mild nol fail, when comjileted, to prove a source of additional wealth to both peojiles. In < oiu lusiuii, he ihanked them for those TOWN (IF WKI.I.ANf 41:1 expressions in the address persoiKil to liiniM'lt" and l.idv i 'iilTerin, and assured them tlial it uave tluaii tlie L;realesl salisl'ai ti^n to lind themselves in the pi(tiires(Hie County of Weliaiul. A niiiiiher of {^enllenieii weie tlien presented to His I'Acelieiicy, amongst whom were the town coimcil and cKik. |ud',e Ma'donald, I-. \'. lindwell, I >r. I''ra/er, Sheriff IIol)son, 1,. I). Raymond, the \ai ions ( |jru\inen of tiie place, Messrs. Isaac Kell)', of I'horold, John I'oster, of \\'ainllei.'t, and Jesse N'okom, of Crowland, veterans of 1S12, and several other ii;enlle:nen. His Ivxcellency look nuuh interest in niakiiiL; the a(:(|iiaintanee of tiie veteian^, engai^in;.' in conversation with Mr. Kelly as to whom he served inider, what battles he fought in, the particidars of the death of (lenerai Brock, and other reminiscences of the war of 181 2. Lord Dufferin, acconiimnied by Messrs. Thomson, Currie and the town council, then to(jk a drive through town, passing under three hands(jnie arclie.s, trimmetl with evergreens and ornamented with hunting and mottoes, erectetl under instructions of the town couik il. The I'lrst of the^' l)ore tiie Irisii nK)tto, " Cctui Millc failtlic" — (a hundred thousand welcomes) upon one side, and " Farewell " upon the other, the latter to face the party when driving hack. The second arch was in.scribed " Peace and Prosperity' and " (iod .save the (Jueen." 'I'he third arch was near the canal, and U[)on it were the appro|iriate mottoes, " 'I'rade and Commerce" and "The Welland Canal the I'^astern and Western connecting link." The party examined the aijLieduct at considerable length, His ICxcellency ap- l)earing much interested in the noble piece of engineering and mechanical skill by which the waters of the canal cross those of the Welland River. Having satisfied their curiosity in res])ect t(j the atiiieduct, the party returned to their carriages, and were driven to their train, accompanied by the cavalry as an escort, and the band which had accompanied the party through the tcnvn. .Cavin<; CoRNi:k Sionk ok OkiKxr H.m.i,. ( )rient Hall, as the beautitui business block situated on the south side of Ivist .Main street is called, is a building that would be a credit to a town or city of far greater preteiisiims than Welland. The pride with which citizens refer to it is pardonable, aiul it rellects great iredit upc^n the enterprising members of ( )rient l,odge, No. \},\, 1. ( ). (). I'., who < aused its erection. The corner stone of this beautiful structure was laid on the 14th of August, KS77. That day having been also ap|)ointed by the reeve tor tlie annual civic holiday, the citizens generally and a large number of visitors from the surrounding country assembled to witness the interesting ceremony of laying the corner stone. 'Ihe members of Scotia Lodge, of I'orl Robinson, and ISeatim Lodge, of i'ort Colborne, arrived early by tugs. .\t a later time other brethren Irom ThoroUl and St. ( 'alharines came by train, in com- pany wiUi J. Ham I'erry, 1'. (i. M., lndei)endent Order of Oddfellows of Ontario, n I. I ^ 414 HI^'I'OKV III' WI.I lANli COl'N'IV. \ II whose scivi( cs had l)ci.ii iiiadu a\:iil ihk' tor tlic i i-rciiioii\- in IkiikI. Ad a(l('i\ss (if welcome was read to Mr. IVriy. In ilif ( (jiiisc ol liis reply llial ;4enlkii)aii leleiicd to the |ilii( k and energy tlisjilayed hy the nuiuhi-is (it"()rieiit Lodge, vv hi el 1 had only i)een instilnled ahotit three and one half years, in undertaking ••() i^real a task as the eref the village of Welland. the n nnes ni the lodge antl its officers and members, the building ( dinniiltee, the (1. M. and 1'. (i. M. of I. (). (). I'', of (Ontario, and the contraclcjrs : also copies of the coiisiitution and by laws of ilie lodge, and die order of exercises; also copies of the following news|)apers : the Toronto .IA7// and (ilolh\ the Tort Colborne Free Press, and ihe Welland Te/e^i^rn/'/t and Trilnoie. Specimens (jf 50c., 25c., and loc. and 5( . silver c{jins were also deposited with the records. 'l"he (Irand Master concluded the ceremony by saying: " brethren of Orient Lodge, No. 134, the duty assigned us has been performed. We have begun a good work which it remains for you to finish. Naving entered upon so important an enterprise, fail imt in carrying it forwar(J to success, whi( h 1 am confident you will achieve. 1 trust you will here erect a temjile worthy of being dedicated to the great cause of humanity and \v|ii(h will rellect honor upon )(iur zeal in its behalf."' The proceedings were lirought to a close after addresses on the subject of Oddfellowship had been delivered by various members of ihe Order who were present. Nor.M'.l.K K.MI.W.W .\((II)KNTS. One of the most destructix'e and distressing railway catastrophes that ever occurred in this sectujn took place on the night of .\pril 24th, 1S70. i'he Canada Southern Railway (now known as the Miihigan Central R. K.) crossed the (anal at the Junction, about one mile south of Welland. by means of a bridge which spanned both the canal at present used for navigation and the old canal running parallel with it. The two streams were s(.'parat((l by a narrow ^trip of land, on which the centre of the bridge stood, liy this it may be understdud thai when the bridge was "swung" to allow the jiassage throui;h it of a boat, the old canal, as well as the one now in use, was an open channel into whii h the carelessness of an engineer would plunge his train, causing almost incah ulable destruction. On the occasion to which we refer the bridge was ojien, but no attention was jiaid by the engine- driver who is supjiosed to ha\e been ask'e|i tJK' danger signals, .md up to the very hist ihe locumolive exerted its umes'.r ained strength in dashing itself aiul its burden to a merciless destriu lion. I'Ik- tr.iiii w.is one of thirty-three cars. roWN (i| WKI.l.Wll. 415 liiMvily laileii, and \v< st(i|i|>aL;i <()iilil hi' LflVctcd until tiiu chasm wa> rlmkid up and n(i nmri' cais could possihU' hi' Iom I'd niln 11 or ladur |iilcd ujKin the spot wliciv iIk ( IkhuilI //iV,/ /'((•//. Tile water in the old < anal was seven i>r ei^ht feet deep, and the ( haniiel ahout forty lecl wide. Tiiis hu^e ditch was literally packt;d with the i/c/ins ot the locomotive and lirsi lorn ( ais with their tVei{,'lu, so that the succeeding five were literally across on a le\el with the track, ^trikini; the bridj^e so se\erely as to knoi k it some six li'et tVom its positiim, crealinj; havoc with the underpinniiiL; and machinery. The x eiie tlie next niornini; IjCf^^ared description. The locomotive buried itselt completely out of si;^ht in the mud and water, reinain- inj,' in the same position as when on the trai k that is, it did not overturn. The tender could not be seen. The fotu' cars following crashed on the on}.;ine, riding it and smashing themselves and throwing their freight in every direction. Staves, lumber, whiskey, cornmeal. eggs, dried apples, etc., etc., were distinguishable in the mass in app.ireiitly ine\lri( able contusion. The smokest.ick of the I'ligiiu' was snapped off like a pipe stem, scooped in the bank and filled with mud like ,1 dreilgi' shovel, and the stem beiii like the h.ilf of S. Cornme.il and whiskey b.irrels were smashed and the ( ontenis mixed together. I'-ggs. i>roverl)ially brittle, seem to have stood as good a < haiK < of I'scaping intact as the stoutest articlis or implements. Two lives were lost by this accident, those of .\aron ( "ady, the engine driver, and John \ an Houghton, a brakesman. The latter was at the time ])erforming the duties of lireman while the regular llreman was ealing his sup,()er in the caboose. .\ talal accidi'iU also oc< tirred at W elland on .Sund.iy morning, June 22nd, iS.S.|. 'I'wo (Irand Trunk freight trains collided almost immediately in front of the W'elland passenger depot, piling the cars and locomotives into a comjilete wreck where Mast .Main street crosses the track, completely blockading that street for about seventeen hours and killing two men and injuring others, one seriously, 'i'he train going north was regular tVeight No. 2.S, an engine and I'lfteen cars. The train bound south w.is a light s|)etial going to I'orl l'',rie, and consisted of an enuine and caboose. One of the men on the southward bound train was seriously hurt, but none of them were killed. The lireman and the brakesman on \o. 3.S were both killed, liolh engines were hoi)eless wrecks, and six freight cars were more )r less broken. IllSTORK At. NOTKS. The fust saw mill on the site of the present town of Welland was built by Mr. Seely, a native of New NOrk State. This mill, which was driven f)y water power, stood on the north bank of the river, near the i)resent iron bridge. Mr. Seely afterwards sold the mill to Moses iJetts, The original building remained standing imlil iSSf) when it was destroyed by lire. .\t thai time it was owned by O. H. Rounds. riie Ihsi tavern was ke|)l by Ihomas llar|ier. It stood on the east side of the old canal between the ai[Ueducl and the [iresent site of the canal bridge. vfe'i 4i6 IIISIYiKV OK WKI.I.ANri COl'NTY. 'I'hc first house built on lliu ^ilc ot ihi-' pivjii'iit town >too(l on liiinl now o(< upird by Mcll;uil)y's block, lis owmi wa^. Jacob (iiillitli. W'c omitted in our list of industries to mention llie Wellaml Canninj; l''actt>ry, started by Messrs. Iiradt\ SlK'|iard in i SSfi. TIk' operation^ ol the larloiv so far li.ive l)een eminenlh' surcessiul, lioih in llie (|m,iIii\ o| die oiilpiii and linaui lall), and till' industr) bids fair lo become a peiniamnl and most iin|)oriani out'. i#f vVtU ,S;.. /-V'' m-h 5> •- 1 1) S(i3, and is now large and lucrative. He was married to .Sarah, daughtir of (leorue Slierk, nf Humberslone, and has a family of six, named Sarah l.oretta, I'loreiue, .Milton .M., .Mice, Walter i)e(!ras, and Roderick Harold. JOSHU.A !•'. lUvXM, Black Cri'ek. w.is bnrn 111 lu rlie Township, on t' _■ tenth (lay of .May, 18.14. llis lather was .Adam lieam, who emigrated with his father, John Ream, Iniin I .ancaster ( "ounly, Teimsylvania. at the aj^e of eleven. He look an active pan in the war of iSu, when a young man, r^s one of the ("anadian Militii, in engagements at T'orl T'.rie. ( )r. one occasion a considerable force of k \\ 420 HISTORY OF \Vi;i.J AND COUNTY. Americans were attciiii)tiri,i: to cross Ni-iL;ara River in boats to Canada, when the nuicii smaller Canadian fore es marclied lait from l)eiiind a hill antl tnrest tlii(kel along the frontier, and alter firing at tiie en^any thev reloaded their muskets while rapidly marching i)a( k around the hill and out again at the .lanie i)lac.e along the river, and thus continued marching and firing. This skilful maneuver had the desired effect : apjiearing to the Americans like a much larger force of Hrilish man hiiig " Reminisceraes," historical and biographical ; Carlton \- I'orter. |Hiblishers, \cw \'ork. Our subject, who is one of a family of fourteen wiio grew Lip to manhood and womanhood, received his educa- tion at different institutions in Canada and ihe Uniied Stales. He studied music with some of the best masters during several years' residence 111 Xew \ Ork and other .\merican cities. T'cing endowed by nature with a voice ot rare j)ower and richness, he began life a> a protessor of vocal nui->ic ; a profession he followetl for a nuint)er of year>, during which tune he coiiducteLl numerous concerts and success- ful musical conveiuious and fesiixals, at the city of Warsaw, Indiana, and different points in that state and nihei jiiaco in the United .Suites and ( 'anada, and acted as cories|)ontlenl of the American .\il Journal of Xiw \'ork and other ]),ipei's. .\t present he resides in ISertie on the old homestead farm at the torks of jilack Creek, and is a wholesale timber de.der. sinpping I.u'ge (luaiuities n[ that production from (Jeorgian 15ay and either parts nf Canada to the United States, and has a business office in iUilf.ilo, X. \'. J. .\. l!l", l''/d !\', wati hmaker and jeweller, Ridgeway, was i)orn in the count^■ of Waterh Ont. m leceinljer. i'''j\. II is hither was of i'rcnch extraction and ame from I'enusvlvania his mother was a daughter of Tobias Warner, who c the preseiu century and settled in ib.e township of Waterloo, ne earn in ar tlu' site ol the present village of llespejer, which was iheii an unbroken forest. Our subject is the youngest of aniily ot seven, tour u'lris and three hjcated near Collingwood, Ont. .uid le otliei" 111 1) Oh: >>■• Oni lie oroihers is o. .\Ii'. lieesh) receivec his I ISKHiKAI'IlK AL M1\..\( 'K l!l Li., farmer, was born m lliat part of Crow. and Township which i'cs between the jiresent town of Welland and the village of Cook's .Mills, on the 2ist day of .\ugust, 1S15. His father came to Canada previous to the war of 1.S12. and settled near Niagara Falls on i)ro|)erty then owned by Ca|)tain Hardy. During the war he removed to Crowland I'ownshij) anil jun-chasetl tlie tarrii on which he lived when our subject was burn. J 110. brack bill, at the age of twenty-tour, reuKned to the slate ol .Mi( higan. and was there married to .Martha, a daughter of C'.ileb IngersoH, nf New \'ork Slate. He eontmued to reside in Michigan until i>^^2, when he returned to Canad.i and purchased the farm on which he has e\er since resided. He is a Keformer in politics. His hum is delightfully situated along the hike shore near tlie village of Ridgeway. It possesses fa':ilities for dr.iinage unsur[iassed b\' any other tarm in W'ellaml County. Mr. iSrackbill's mother was Sarah HanMm, :i nali\e ot' New Jersey, ihe mother of .Mrs. brackbill was ( 'elinda Carey, a n,ui\-e of .\ew \'ork Siale. born near Onondaga Lake. .Mr. and .Mrs. iirackbill were the parents ol' a t'amily of seven, l'i\e of whom are living : .Mice Josephine is tiie wit'e ol |aine> .\. Saunders, of I'arkdale : Mary I'dizabeth, who was the wile of James iirown, ol' 11. .M. ( usioms al Niagara falls, died in November, 1.SS3 ; Alma J.uie, decci-^ed ; id.i l.ouis.i, the wife of halwaril (!othard, ol Kidgewav ; Sarah I'., wiio is still :ii home, ,1 Uaclier possessing superior ability and holding.! pro\in( ial eciiitic ale ; W'.dler D.. and i'loreiK e l^tella. Kf'A'. r. J. liROW'N w.is bc»;n in die l(nvn>.hip of liurfird in the countv of brant, 011 ihe 2iid dav ot ji:ne. 1S3.S. His p.ireii;-. were John and Mllen (.\dair) Hrown, th.; forme'' ol wiiom w.is Imiiii in tu- < .)uniy of Down, and the latter in .\rmagh County, Ire'and, lliey < :.:ue to C.ui.ida m the year 1855 and settled in iimfoid, which w.i-, the liiilh|)lacL- ot tiii. -.'beet of this skett h. Heie he spjiit his childhood and early 'Ooviiood ; atteiuletl die publii s( hool ol ihe sei tion in which his lather's farm was -iiu.Ued, and ailerward.^ went to .\lhert College, Uelleville. lie entered the ministry in 1 .ijc) as as^,isiaiil 10 Supei iiUeiuleui Rev. J. R. I'hilli|)s, of ().ikl,ind-. Circuit; allerwards \v,i> at ■v\'esiminsie.', .\vlmer. Si. .Marys and Dunn- ville. He was ordained at Hamilton by the Rev. Drs. Williams and Carman, in the Near [8X4 ; this was the first ordination by the united contetence of the t-' IP if 422 HISTORY OF WKLLANI) COUNTY. n It Methodist (Ihurrli. Ml' was lU'Xt pastor of Wclland West Methodist churrli, and in JuiU', iS,S5,\vas transferred to International ISrid^'e, after filiini,' \vhi( h aiipoinlnient, and in the fall of itiie of the peace, and m 1883 engineer for the to\\n>liip of liertie. lb' is a member of the .Xmerican ,\ssociation, the Huffalo Historical Society, and oilier societies of a \ =asK liI()(,KAI'llU .\l xKl.rt'HI.S. 42,^ similar cliiiracttT ; is a journalist by i)rofcKsion, and has at ilirfcrcnt times \)vcn coii- iiL'c'lrd will) tiic staff of various newspapers and magazines, and is the authoi of several translations from different modern languages. In iSyi; he was married to Julia, third daughter of S. II. Kennedy, ICscj., of Scranlon, I'a.. and resides on his farm in the Township of iiertie, near l''ort I-aie. JOHN .\i!XI':R CRWSLKR, of Her .Majesty's Customs at International liridge, was i)orn on the old Crysler h(jnistead, in '1 iiorold Township, near Allan- l)urgh, on the twenty-sixth day of November, 1X5,5. His parents are William 1,. and Klizabeth (Hertrand) Crysler. 'I'he ancestors of the family on both sides were United i-anpire Loyalists. Our subject's paternal grandfather came to Canada a^ the time of the American Revolutionary war, anil, on a(<(junt of his loyalty to the llritish King, ri.'ceivetl a gram of land in 'riiorold Township, lie serwd in the war of 1.S12, taking part in the battles of CTiip|)awa and i,untly"s Lane, .\tter the close of the war, lie settled down to farm life. His son William, the faiher of oiu" present subject, was one of a family of five, and w.is born in rS^i. He still resides on the f.irm, the dci:d of which his father receivetl I'rom the Crown. .Mr. J no. .\. Crysler received his primary education at the public school of his native township, after whi( h he attended the l-'onthiU high school, and subsecjuently took a course at the St Catharines collegiate institute. He holds a provincial teacher's certificate, and has tatight public schools in Welland (Jounty for about eleven years. He received his appointment as landing waiter and clerk in H. M. Customs in januar)-, 1.S84, and was stationed for a lime at Clifton, and afterwards transferred to T'ort I'a'ie, or Inter- n.itional ISridge. He was married on the jyth of July, 1879, to .Maggie, a daughter of Jonas Steele, \\s(\., of I'elham, whose biogra|)hy appears in this volume. 'There are tw(j children as the result of this marriage : J. Steele, born May 17th, iiS.So; and Helen Welib. born April loth, i88_v Our subject is a member of the Kpisco[)alian Church. He is also connected with the Orange order, in which he has the degree of Scarlet Knight, and is a jiastmaster. He became a member of the .Masonic fiMternit\' in Welland Lodge, Xo. ,56, T'onthill, in i87(;, and for se\eral terms occu- pied the jiosition of secretary. l're\inus to receixing his a|)pointineiU in the Cus- toms he was a very active politician in the ( 'onservative party, and was for some time secretary of the 'Thorold Townshii) .Association. T'.LC.IX 'TH()M.\S CHO.VTl':, undertaker and furniture dealer, Ridgeway, was born in Clanford 'Township. Wenlworth ('oimty, T'ebruary 1 <)th, 1849, His l)arents were Thomas and Lleanor (Cirahame) Clioate. The grandfather of our sub- ject was a United Tanpire Loyalist, whose birthjilace was in the Slate of \'ermont. .\s a captain of militia he look part in the battles of Chi|)i)awa and (^hieenslon, and was also on duty during the rebellion of 18,57. l'*-' obtained a grant of land in (liantbrd. His son, oiir present subject's l.ither, occu|ned the [josilion o( towiishi]) clerk and treasurer of (ilanford t'or u])wards of t'orty years. I'^lgin 'T. ("hoate. I I'll 424 HISTORY OK \VI.IJ.A\n COUNTY. previous to mining to this county, Tilled the position of do])Utv-reevo of (llanford 'I'ownship. He was married December 22nd. iS6(). U) Jane, a daughter of 'I'honias I'reiK h. of ( llantord. I'hev have three chiklren ; Wiiliain 'riionias, horn Nov. 16th, 1S70: ( Charlie ( iraham, Aug. <)lh, i.SSo; Roy j-^lgin, Oct. 12th. 1.SS4. Mr. Clviati.' is an eiiMgn iu the militia and a meinl)L'r of the l'".pisco])al ('luii'<'h. !!1:NJ.\MIN MOOR!', DISH i:k. miirhant. Ridg.-way. \va^ Ixan in the lown- sliip of I'elhani on the i.^tli day of Oimher, i^.^S, He is a son of I'homas and I'hilura (.\nilre\vs) Disher. He wa,-- married on the 1 5lh of .March, it, iSO; : he has finished a course at the ISriti'^h .\merican ( 'omiiuTcial ('olU'ge. Iniontn, luid i> tai^a^ed wiUi hi> tailur in the stoii'. .Mu'nti X'iiK i lit wa-> horn .March .^otii. 1.S70. anil has adopted printing a*.^ Ills a\<)c,iiion. Mr, Di^Ik'iV meK'.nitile liusun'ss 1-. e\tensi\e and Ins stock aiw, us large and \aru'd. He i> also proprietoi of a saw-mill, foundry and machine shop in Kidgewa\-. antl has .1 half-inttaest in the m.iiiufK ture of the " liuffalo l''or;;e,'" a usehil article in large demand. He was i'm iwo years clerk of the township of IJeriie. and the jiresent vear (i^lS;) is a memlu'r nf the mumcip.d couin il. In 18S4 he was appfjinted i'.'stice ui the jHMce. lie i-> a meniher of il.e .Metliutlist t'huKii ; also a nieiiiher ol' the Ancient ( )rder of L'nited Woikmen and of tin.' Roval I'em- plar> of Ic-mperance. R.Nl.l'H DISHh.R, firmer, Ridgew.w, was horn in Chauinnina ('ouiits. New Wnk Stale, in 1.S2J. and c.m.e to Canada in 1 .S ^ ^ with his lather. I'homa.s Disher, who w.is horn m (^Hieeustoii m I7S(;. I'liey .settled ,H the >hort Hills, hut m 1845 moved to Kidgewa\-. the jiiesent home nt' oui sulijei t. His father died in i.S4Sand his moiher it^. 1S77, Mr. Disher's gr,mdfil';Ki was of Dutch descen, .ind had ten children, all ol whom grew lo man's est.ite ; the\ all < anu' to ( 'anada and settled in I'elliain, man\ ol their dtscendants still li\ing there. The suhjeit ef eur sketch has heeii m the l..wnship > otincii .ind is .it pu'seiit tnwnship ire.isiuer. He married Sar.ih Ann, dauLjhter of l)a\id Morgan, notice ■0 i.'1-ev, Here m tins \\-orl I'hey have .1 l,imil\- of four daughters ; .Minerwa, iivmj in \'ork Suite; ( 'or.i (i., married to Mr. N'ounn ; Hertha, married to Mr. I. earn, and Ruih 1'. JOHN I'T )( i!'A\'( )1\ i 11. [lostmaster ,i,id -eiier.il merchant. Steveiisville, second son of I'homas I'.dueworth and .M.ii'ioiv ( Ruherison) I'Algewoith, w.is horn ()ctol)er 15th, 1.S57, at W'inilh.im ( "entre, Norldk ('(iuiit\. (Jntario. Thomas i-",(.lgc- worlh inovetl from Windham ( 'eiitri.' to 'I eeler\ille and settled on ,1 i'.iiin in i.Sdo, where he still resides. I'homas I'^dgeworth ( oiuhu ted a genei.ii stole ha- sexeial years, and up to 1876, at Teeterville, assisted hy his son John as clerk, in tlie fall I'.IOORAI'HICAI. ■KKTCHICS. 425 of I'Syy, I'hoiiKis IvlLicworth purcliased ,1 flourinL,' mill ;it the town nf Amliorsthiirii ;uk1 was ar< ompanioil there liy his son John, who Ijccami' i partner in ( uniluctm^ ihe niillinu business. ( )n the .M)tl) day of ()itol)L-r. iSjij, John I'.cinewonh was married to i'errse l''(irre. tlaugiuer of (leorge and Maria (I'owcll) I'orce. ol' W indham t'enlrc. Mr. and Mrs. i'Mueworlh are united with the .Mediddist (hunh. John I'ali^ewortli withdriw trom the |)artnershi|i in the mi'linn hiisniess in tin; spring ol" iSSo, and areepted a situation on the (lanada Southern Railway as telegraph oper- ator, havini; previously n((jiiired a knowledge of teleL;ra|)hiim when clerkini,' in his father's store. lie continued in tlu' i'mplo\- of the railway for about three years, resi!.,minL!; on accoimt of |ioor health. Previous to tins he leaseil Thomas H. .Mien's brick store in Stt'vensville U>\ \])rvr ve.irs. i,iki:i;: jto-session ot the same m .March. i.SS^, and openin;i a general store. !n Xovemher following, hy remowil nl T. H. .\llen, he was a|)pointed |)i>stinaster for Sieven-^v ille. In 1 .SS(), lu' \\.\s appointed a commissioner in I!. R. During r'^S; he ere-cted .1 st'Ue ami dwellmg cond)ine(l on the corner of Main ayuI .\\v Line stvei-ts, mn\ing into it late in i parents, aie interred in the .Mc.Vffee burying ground, near the homestead on Niagara Ri\er. The ancestry of .Mr. llershey can be traced to Switzerland, wherein 1702 Andrew llershey was born. lie had to leave his native land on account of religions persecutions, and for a time lived on the bank of the River Rhine, 1' ranee. In 1711; he emigrated to .\merica and settled in I .ancaster Coimty, Pennsylvania, where the great-grandfather of our subject was liorn, named Henjamin. The grandfather, Denjamin, born in the last mentioned ])lace Nov. [4th, 1776, came Ui Canada in 17(^5 with his family of five sons, Christian, Abram, Benjamin, Henry and John, and settled on the Niagara River, near to where stands Lhe fme residence now occupied by the joint owners, Emily, Kate, Ma'y and Ruth .\I., who have managed the pro])erty, estimated at $50,000, with abilil)- and success. Their father, .\brah.im .\. llershey, was born Nov. 5th, irnational Lodge, No. 2j8, sim.Ued M Inteiiialioii.il Bridge. In D1.1 ember, i8f)(), he martiei.1 Ellen T'lelds. an adojjled daughter of Daniel I'ields, of Dundas. by whom he li.id j m I IIIOC.RAI'HICAI, sKKK MKS. 427 of cct ihe old ihc lUil )Sl- ons lU'C lied h.id tsvo children, Mary Louisa and Alfred. She died in May, 1875, and in September, 1877, he married Agnes, a daughter of James S. Stygall, of Buffalo. H. N. HIHH.\R1), conveyancer, notary public, issuer of marriage licenses, i\:c., Ridgeway, is a son of Chancy M. Hibbard and .\senath Humi)hries, natives of the state of Vermont, who emigrated to ("anada in Ncnember, 1XJ54, and settled in the township of Bertie. The family consisted of three children : Jane Asenath, born Jan. 5th, 1828, and married H. J. Beam of Willoughby ; Charles Samuel, who was born Oct. 2nd, 1834, is a farmer in Bertie : Henry Nobles, our present subject, was born July i6th, 1833; he was married on the 21st day of October, 1861, to 1-ovila Balcomb, daughter of Wm. Balcomb, of the county of ' Igin. He was for a num- ber of years a public school teacher, and is an ordained minister of the Methodist church. He settled in Ridgeway in 1875, and is a useful member of .society there, filling the position of superintendent of the Methodist Sabbath school and occupy- ing prominent positions in various benevolent institutions. He was one of the or- ganizers of the Bertie and \Villoughl)y Fire Insurance Company and is secretary- treasurer of that institution. His children are Milton B., born June 15th, 1865; Murray H., Aug. i8th, 1866; Nellie L., April i8th, 1868. DR. JOHN B. HERSHEY was born in the township of Bertie in 1816. His father, Benjamin, a native of I,ancaster County, J'ennsylvania, was born Nov. 14th, 1776, came 'to Canada with the grandfather of our subject — also named Benjamin — in 1795, who brought with him his family of five sons, named Chris- tian, Abram, Benjamin, Henry and John, and settled on the Niagara River, about four miles below the International Bridge. The ancestry dates back to Switzerland, where, in 1702, Andrew Hershey was born. He had to leave his native land on account of being persecuted for his religion. This noi)le young man, not being willing to forego his convictions of conscience, chose rather to leave his native land, and for a time took up his abode on the banks of the River Rhine, in France. From there, in 17 19, he came to America and settled in Lancaster County, Penn- sylvania, where, for two or three generations, the descendants lived. In 1795, as previously stated, Benjamin, the grandfather, immigrated to Canada, bringing with him his family of five sons. Dr. John !?., our subject, is largely self-educated, and from extensive reading and close application to study he (jualified himself for the practice of medicine. For many years he has followed the practice of his profession, making a specialty of curing the disease of cancer. His success in this direction has gained for him a wide popularity, so much so that people from the different States and Canada are continually consulting him in regard to that dread disease. His system of treatment, essentially his own, is wonderfully successful in many cases. His son, John B. Hershey, educated in the institutions of (,'anada and the United States, received his license to practice medicine and is now located in the city of Buffalo. He is associated with his father in the special treatment of cancer. 27 :i!i ;.: 4 ill 42.S iii>riiin ()|- wi'.i.i.ANi) cjoUNTV. « ^ 1 m AIAA 11 AMI i TON' K II, MAN. |.nn(i|);il oC the Ridgcway j)ul)li< school, was horn ;it StiimloKl Nillauc, April 4th. 1.^5,^ "'^ graiuifatlier, Jaciil) Kilmaii, was a native ot rcnnsylvania, haviiiL; liccn lioiii in that state 1 Jeccinhcr 1st, 1775, A\\i\ niarrifd Mary rctric, who was horn Auj^'iist 25th, 1 7S0, 'I'hcy emigrated to this |ii()\in(e during the eaiiv days ot' thi> ( cntui\, and huated in Stauilord 'I'dwn- shi|i, taking u|) seven huf. ived aires ot land m the neighliorluiod ot' wliat i^ now the town of Xiagar.i Falls. Jarob Kilnian was engaged in the hatlle ot I.unds's Lane, where he was severely wounded and captured by the .Xnieriians, by whom he was held ,i> .1 prisoner for thirty days, lie had a family ol eleven, including Jacob, the father ot our present subject, who was born Marc h i;th, 1819. He was married ( )ctobei iJth, I1S43, to .\moret, daughter of josiah I'age, ot i'horold i'ownship, antl had fi\e children, vi/ ; .Milton, born August 27111, 1X45 ; iuiiily. November 31 I, 1.S47 ; Josi.ih E., April ,50th, 1 .S5 1 ; Alva II., .Vpril 4lh, 1S55 ; Willie (.)., July 7th, iSf)i. The father held prominent municipal otfices, and was an active member of the Methodist cluirch. Our subject matriculated at Ann Arbor University in 1S75, and subsequently attended the Normal School at Toronto, ftoin which he obtained a provincial cerlilicate in 1S79, since which time he has had charge of the Ridgcway public school. 1 le is passionately devoted to art, and his work on canvas is [iro- nounced by critics to be of a very su|)erior character, lie has also lound some time to devote to the science of entomology, and has the l.u\gest [)rivale collection of specimens in the |irovmce. His report of the ravages oi the clover weevil and his description of the same to the Government, is of great interest. .Mr. Kiiman was married AugUNt 24th. 1S76, to hla May, daughter of the kite 11. Ncjble, whose birthplace was Weslfield, Mass. They have two children, vi/ : I ,eroy Noble, born .March 241!!, uSy.S, and /ella May, born .March 20th, 1 SSo. ( )ur subject is a member of the .\. ( ). L'. W'., and the I. ( ). (). I''. He is also connected with the Sons of 'I'eniperance, and has filled various oflices in that order. J.\.MKS I'',. MORIN, l.ieut.-Col., Ridgeway, Out., .\1. 1'. 1'. lor c-ounty of W'elland, was born in the county of Limerick, Ireland, on the tenth of .May, 1849. He is a son of .Michael and l-llen (Nash) Moriii. His talher ailojfted the business of wagoninaker and came to Canada in 1S51, settling at Port Robinson, W'elland County, where he engaged in the work of carpentering. He died in tlie following year, leaving seven ot a i.imily, the >ul)ject of this sketch being the youngest. (Jol. Morin completed his studies at the (lommercial (College, Ihiffalo. He left school at the age of fourteen years, and began to learn the trade of car[)enter under K. Cutler, and coiuinued at this occupation abcnit a year, when .Mr. Cutler o])ened a general store, and .Mr. .Moriii abandoned his trade and entered into mercantile business. In 1S65 he was appointed manager of the firm, and this poMlion he siill holds. We may say that the business lias increased very greatly, Mr. Culler engaging in large roller llouring mill operations and in building l!I()i;U Al'lll( \l. SKKI'CIIKS. 42() I) i • iiul coiUfiK till};. 'I'liL' sole in,in;i,L;(.'iiKnl n kle, thresliing with a llail, and winnowing the grain by pouring from one basket into another, they would start with a bag on their backs to mill, several miles through the woods, and return with the tlour. Such were the hardships of those days. The subject of this sketch is one of a family of twelve, of whom eleven survive : he was married on the 6th day of January, i 'ii i '■I II !* I Is I I'M 'i < i i\ .( ■■ 1 ill' 4;Jo HISTokV ni WKI.LANI) COUNIY. 1H43. tlis parents were Amliruse and Mary (Muchner) I'attison. The father of our siil)je( I was born in Schoharie ('ounty, among the Catskill Mountains, in the stale (j( New \'ork, Aii.nnst 27lh, i!■ WII.I.AND COI'NIY. .Ma( kun/ic rubLllioii. I If was uducalrd ,11 ilir piililic school-,; Icariiifl llu' Iradr of sign and ornanuiital p.iintiiij^ and ^lass -^taiiiinL; ni llurfaio. I If was iIut wards employed as a iiunilici ol tin.' sf( lei scrvKf ; dmiiiL; lliis liiiir tlir i'tnian trouijics arost,'. Tlu' day llif hciiians iiossi'd, Mi. St hiycr was on a( li\r duty, an''l was taken prisontT l)y AdjutanI Til/ raliick. who took hini hetoii' roh.ju'j O'Ni'il, who liberated him. In 1S74 iir was appointed a landiii); waitei m 1! M (iisloms. He is now ai'tini; as sill) collector at I'ort I'aic, at tiic I'Vrry landing, lie in.irrii'd Mari^aret, (hiii;;liter ol .\lr. Chahneis, ol .\Ioiilton. They iiave a lamily ol three children. IMCriOK SIIISI,I'',R, l'!s(|., deceased, was l)oiii in the lowiiship o!' Ileitie on the farm known as the Joseph ( loldin^ tarin, j ' .. miles west ol I'mt I'.iii', m (he year iiSio. He was the third son of John and Susannah Shisler, who were horn in i'enn- sylvania. He had four brothers .and three sisters. Ilis parents died ai the aL;e of 6.S and 67 years. .\Ir. .Shisler was ;i resident of lUrtie all his life, lie was married at the age of 21 years to Miss Sarah iiarnhart, two years his senior. He lived to see the forest L;i\e \\ay to ureat orch ikU and lloiirishiiu; towns, and h.is ln'cn iden- tified with many m.itlers ot publi( iiiteri'si, and lab.irLii zealously lor tin- 1 ninmon weal of his countr)'. Ilis publii' spirit and enterprise have beiai pioverbi.il, and ho has been generally known throughout this district as an advam ed ihmker in his realm of action. He was a justice of the peace for ^5 years, a memi" i' of the ]5crtie council for several years, school trustee for 1.3 yeais in succession and path- master on his road division 22 yiars, his road disision beini; tb' bi \ ni the coimty. Having secured a fair share of this world's good--, so I'^at hi- ''I he p,isse^ist .iin inixm llial was i'ml)aias.s(.'d IhiaiK i.dh it dtlaawisc. His wili.' was hniicd siAi'ii mmis .iliia liis death, nii ilu' j Jiid Jan.. iSXy. |.\\II''„S \l('il'',S, tiiisniilh, (il Slfvonsville, dealei in tinware .ind stoves, was l)oni in I'orl .Stanley, ' )nt., I )e(iaiihei- Mti;, 1S51, and !■> .1 son ol l'hih|i \'i,L;es, a native ot ( 'anada. James \ i^es w.is in.nrieil in iSjij in ,\h( c M. liiird, of Uidi^eway, Out. Worked in l\i(l|,'eway tour years, :uid 1 .mu' to Sieveiissiile l.iiuiarv I5lh, 1 SS ^, wliero he has since ;nid slill e,irrie-> on ihe tin and slow Uusi iiess, doni4 all kinds ol iin r(]orini;, eavetroip^hini; an I jol) work. lie has a lirst class stock of stoves, ami l)\ his .illeiilion to linsiness ,ind \vell dire'i ted efforts to please is doiiij; a siiccesst'iil hiisiiuss. l':i)\V.\RI) lll'.NKN' WII.CO.X, lo' (Hive lirem.m on ilie .\l. C. K. K., International liridge, was horn m the (oiinly of \'orfolk, ( Int.. on the thirty-first day of .\iij;iisi, i,S5,S. His parents are I'.dward S. and LiKy M. ( I >iirph\ ) Wilcnx ; ihev were ol Irish descent. Mr. \\'ilco\ was r.iised to t.n'iii life, iiis lather havin.; followed farmin.L; and saw-millm.n diiiiim his life lime Oiii s ijei t le.nau.'d the trade of cheese-makint; in lioston, coiiniy of Norfolk, started a la. lory on his own aciount in tl'ie village of ( "aiiis\ ille, count)', of liranl, which he cairitd on \er\- successfully for LaL;hl years. In 1 SS.^ he was eiii|iloyed hy llu' .M. ( '. K. K., and came to Inter- national Uridj^'c, where he has siiK e resided, lie was married on the eleventh day oi liecemher. 1.S7.S, to .\li married October 12th. 1881. to llr,nnah M., daughter of Joseph and Mary l.'-llen (Water-) StMkes, of the township oi' llarwich, in the county of Kent. They have a tamil\- cjf two c:hildren, named Morin i.eroy, born 29th I mmmmmmm I'.10(.KAI'II1CAI, SK1.T(HKS. 437 May, 18S3, and William W'ancn, Dorii hoccniher 19th, iiS married I'ebruary 4th, 1881, to Li/zie Jane, a daiit^hter of l-'Jias ilr.iiiey, of ("rowland. I'heyhave a family of two children, vi/ : William Jolm. born 15th I'ebruary, iSSj, and i'~lizabelh May, born .May 15th, 1884. .\lr. Darby is a member and otiicer of .Myrtle Lodge No. 337, A. !''. \: .v. .\I., I'orl Robinson, and is also a member of the Orange order. \Vn.l.l.\.M AI.I.IA' ilOl.Dl.R, tanner, was born in the township of Crow- land June ist, 1855. He is a son of .Martin and Margaret (Doan) Holder, and grandson of .Martin Luther Holder, of (ierman descent, and J'vlias Doan, one of the earliest |)ioneers ol' the county. Our subject has always engaged in farming. He married June Jiid, 1.S75, .\ddie, a diiighter of Jacob and .Ann (Clothier) Current, and grand-daugluer of Joseph ( uiieiu. Then- lamily consists ot two sons, Irving Dufferin, born ()ct(jbei lotli, iSyO, and Harry Orin, boin .May :;nd, 1884. Mr. Holder has t.dcen an active part m [)i()iiioiiug ediuation, ha\ing been a member of the school board for a luimbcr ol veais; was elected to the council board of the township for 1882, but at the expiration of that year ret'used to be pui in nomination •" ir the ot'tlce again. On his farm, lot toui in the .-,ixth concession, he has erected large and c(;mmodious buildings, se> ond to none in the township. J.AMl'^.S HLXDLKSO.X, reeve i-f Crowl.nul rownshi|i, is iif Scottish nativity, having b^'en bom in Siirlingshiie. ( )( tobei ^jih, 1827. In 1842 he came to Canada, hi- father, (iiaile^ Henderson, ha\ing(()me out m i8j;S. He settled in Welland Counts, iiving thiee vearN at CInppawa, aiul since that time continuously in the township of (rowland. .Mr. Henderson's mother's maiden name was Lillias Kirkwood. Mr. llenderson is one of the pruspen us ,ind ])rogressive farmers of Crowland. ! le ha> :;IKd maiiv in)|)o!iant public p..^iiicn>. On several occasions he luis bet-n ree\'e of his adopted townshi|t. and is one ot the most uselul ineinbers of the countv council, Lor four years lie was ,1 ii:embei of the board of lic-ense commissioners. Lor twenty-live years he has been a juaice of ihe peace. He is an elder of the I'resbyterian church, ami an earnes' advoiMte of the cause of tein|)erance. He is a Reformer 111 politics ; has be<_n treasurer of the ('oimty Re- '■; I 3 '( 1 fo rni As.sociation and i)resideni of the Cirowland lowiiship .Association. He was I It ij lu I {;,. ■ •: ! I M i' '•V 438 HISTORY OF WELLANI) COUNTY. married in 1853 to Maria, a daughter of Jacob Brookfield. Two daiii;htcrs and one son are the fruit of this union. Charles, the son, is a barrister, of the < iiy of Toronto. Mary, the eldest daughter, is the wife of William H. (lainer of i'lKjrold Township ; and Lillias is still at home with her parents. DAVID MISENER, favmer, was born in Crowland Township, May 5, 1823, and is a son of Matthias Misener, whose birth occurred in Pennsylvania, Dec. 2ist, 1781, and whose biography appears elsewhere in this work. Matthias' father, Leonard, tor/k up five hundred acres of land, and at his death was owner of one thousand acres. When I^eonard Misener first came to this country it was one unbroken wilderness, he having built the first house on the banks of the Chippawa, in the township of Thorold ; a part of the structure is standing at the present day. It may be truly said of him that he was, in addition to being a U. E. Loyalist, one of the very first pioneers of the county, having at that early date, to make the grain used for bread fit for that purpose, to hollow out the end of a stumj) and pound it thereon. Subsequently, when the windmill was erected at Fort Niagara, and later when Street's watermill was built at Niagara Falls, (formerly Hridgewater), the grain was taken to and from those places on horseback, following a bridlepath through the forest, or by taking their grist down the Chippawa by boat, and thence overland on the back of the person going to mill, a distance of three miles. David Misener married, February i8th, 1846, Louisa Matilda, daughter of (Jeorge and Rachael (Wilson) Young, and grand-daughter of John and Margaret Young and Samuel and Jane Wilson, natives of Maryland. They have a family of six children, viz : Melvin B., Rachael (!., Alice M., Whitson 1)., Miles M., and Frank E. Mr. Misener was elected for four years to the council of his township, and for two years was reeve of the same, viz: 1876 and 1877. He was appointed by the Ontario (iovernment in 1878 a justice of the peace, is a member of the Sons of Temper- ance, and in politics ;s a Reformer. Mr. Mi.sener's father experienced one season of great hardship, in '.le summer of 1816, which was called the " hungry summer." In that year snow fell to the depth of three or four inches in the month of July, levelling the wheat as though a heavy roller had passed over it. They had to gather a plant in the woods called ditna, which tliey used as "greens," living entirely on it and wild game until the wheat got a little hard, when they would take it and hold it over the fire until the chaff would loosen from it, and then scorch it and boil it in milk for food. Mr. Joel Misener, of the county of Haldimand, son of Jacob Mise- ner, brother of our present subject, has in his po.sse,ssion the deed of the land which was given during the reign of (leorge III. .\t that time the name was spelled Miznardt ; it was afterwards changed to Muisner, then to Misiner, then to Misner, and now it is Misener. ROBERT MISENER, farmer, was born on the farm on which he lives, June 15th, 1821. He is a son of Matthias and Cath irine (Vanderburgh) Misener, and \ a^ imwuiiiiriiriTinmi latesSWi^feMiit'rT'''.-'^".-.- I I'.KX.KAI'IIICAI, >K1.|( IIKS. 4.19 grandson of l.ccpird ami ISarbaia ( licndcr) Miscncr, of I'tMinsylvania, of (icrinan descent. I'he grandfather cnme to ("anada as a U. Iv Loyalist, in lytSy, and settled in Thorold, building and living in a log house which still stands on the banks of the Chippawa, one of the most ancient landmarks of tlie settlement of the country. He had a family of nine children, named I'eter, l^lizabeth, John, Mary, Leonard, .'Vnn, Charlotte, Matthias and Sarah. He was accidentally killed by a handspike in rolling a log while clearing his farm, September 3rd, 1806, aged 62 years. Our subject's great grandfather was Philip Bender. He (Robert Misener) was one of a family of twelve, nine of whom grew up to manhood and womanhood, named Jacob, Barbara Bender, Matthias R., Bhilip C, Ruth .\my, Robert, David, Eliza H. and Margaret McFarland. Oui subject married February 7th, 1843, Sarah, a daughter of Andrew and Agnes (Nevills) Ostrander, both born in Canada, and grand-daughter of James and Eve (I)e Shired) Nevills, the former of Irish and the latter of (lerman descent ; and Andrew and Jane (Davis) Ostrander, the former of German and the latter of Scotch descent. She used frequently to cany despatches j'or the British army during the revolutionary war. The family of Andrew and Agnes were : Ph(ebe L., Ceorge Monroe, Sarah, Chlo, Mary Ann and Davis Deshired. Mr. Misener has two sons, named Ei)hraim and Wellington. He owns a fine faim on the banks of the Chippawa, near where was built the "Matthias Mi.seir.'"" bridge in 1821. He has some interesting relics of the revolutionary war, among them part of a wagon that was used during that war as an ambulance and forage conveyance. Following are the dates of deaths with ages of members of this family: Leonard Misener, September 3rd, 1806, aged 62 years : Barbara (Bender) Misener, .'Xpril 23rd, 1821, aged 79 years, 6 months: Matthias Misener, Feburary 7th, 1863, 81 years; Catharine (X'anderburgh) Misener, November 4th, 1831, aged 50 years, 6 months, 28 days ; Andrew Ostrander, December ist, 1852, aged 57 years : Agnes (Nevills) Ostrander, January 17th, 1866, aged 74 years; Jane (Davis) Ostrander, Ajiril 20th, 1864, aged 104 years. CEORCK OLIVKR PATFISON was born in Crowland on the eighteenth day of September, 1834. The genealogy of the family takes us back to the last century, when the I'attison family emigrated from Dungannon, county of Tyrone, Ireland, to America. John Pattison, our subject's grandfather, was born at Hartford, Conn., March 27th, 1767. His wife, Catharine Carter, was born June 17, 1771 Their son Ambrose, the father of Mr. (leorge O. Pattison, was born in the Catskill Mountain district, along tlie banks of the Hudson, in Schoharie County, N. W, on the 27th of August, 1 803, and about four years later the family came to Canada. Of the ten children comi)rising their family, seven were born in New York State, one in Pelham, where the family settled, and the other two in Crowland, where they after- wards moved. Ambrose Pattison, when ;i young man. worked by the month for various settlers, among others for a Mr. F^lijah Phelps, of Pelham, and while there ■5 1 44° HlSTOk^ f)l' WKI.I.AN'Il COKNTY. 11 I IN l)lantcd the two rows of ]Hj])lar trees, a luimlKr "\ whidi uv still standing along tlie road between the ninth and tentii concLssions ot i'elhani. Xmhrose I'attison married Mary, a daiiiiliter of I'eter litiehner. oi (Injwlaiul, on the iSlh of April, iiS26, and settled on what i> known as the inoimtain farm ni I'elhani. where he remained four or five vears, when he exchanged the farm for one in Cjowland 'I'ownship, along Lyons Creek. Then he continued to live until about seven months betore his death, which oci urred .a the residence of his luphew, Michael M. Park, of the township cf W'alpole. li.ildnnand Couiuy. on the j6th day of June, iiSyS. Ambrose I'attison was the fitherot nine chiidien, sew n of wiiom are Ining: .Mary Catharine is iio\y a ifsideiu of loronio. ! he Nounge^l daughter is Mrs. Iv A. Sennett, oi ('lowl.uid. The oldest son, Ambrose ( '.. w.is bom m Crowland on the 5th of August, lo;^. lie ha-, been a fuaiier troui Ins youili up, an.l has been a resident of tlie townsiiip of Houghton for o\cr thirty years. Mr. ( ieorge O. I'attison was reared on the old homestead, on seventy acres ol which he ikjw resides. In September of i .S53 he went to 'I'hame.sford. Oni., to leain the tinsmith trade. l''indmg tlie work injurious to his health, he came back to \\ elland County on the first eastward bound train that passed over the Creat Western Kailw.iy after the completion of that ri)read repntation. He began planting beans in 1 S6j; by sowing half a bushel of beans broadcast anil harrowing them m, getting a return ot only a little more than live bushels. The foilo\^ ing \ear lie [il.inted half a bushel, pan in drills and part in hills. ;ind liarsested a crop of jj'j bushels, showing what a little extra labor will sometimes do. from th.it time on Mr. I'.iilison has (le\oted his attention princip.ill\- to the cultivation of beans, and has been the means of getting a large number (jf f Miners interested m the same profitable ( rop. He is an adherent of the .Methodist church. He is unmairied. I'lniip .\l. I'.ittison. .mother son of .Xmbrose I'attison, now a le^ident of W'atertord, w.is liorn in Crowland on tile 5lh jul\'. i^'^.iS. lie' farmed until the age c l'altis^^^^'1^ ■% H» j»wi i "" i " wi nmjtfwi» i iiii i Lii i'iw *ti i '^' iu()<;h m'iik \i >^kI' rrnK.s. 445 John B., now livin;,- in (!;iIifornia. The subject of this sk^u li received his education in the coninKni and liij^h schools of Wdlaiul. and was elected to the township council of (Jowland for the years 1S70-7 1-;^-;,?, for ihe last two years by accla- mation as reeve, during which time he assisted the < ouniy < otUK il in the settlement of the marsh lands, and registry otfice (Ulticulties. Mr. 'I'lift is an adherent of the Cliurch of l'"-ngland, and was married julv ^nl, 1S7.', to Maiia, a daughter of (icorge Hanna. of ("rowland. They have a tiuniiv cf seven (hilduii. named: James Kmerson. born June J2nd, 1X7^; Charlotte Meatric e, i)orn January iSth, 1.S75; Irena Agnes, born April gth, 1X77 ; deorge i'",rnest. born h'ebruary 26th, i (if oiir >iihir(t removed from (^iici'tiston to .\ll:inliiir;ili. ami Inmi ihiTi' to IVlliani ('iirnir>, wluTi' ihcy died. Our siihjec tV niotlu'r is I'Vantcs (|)(ian) Wilson, a dan^iiin (il jolin I )()an, one of till' (.'.irlv SL'ttk'is of ( rn-.vl.ind 'rownsliip. William M.W iNon lived at i'ort Kohinson. wlu're lu' carried on luisuicss as a Mai ksinilli, ami died ;lieie alxiiii the vi'ar i84_^. He [i.TJorined ai li\e inilit,ii\ diit\ in ihe leUiliion oj iS^; S as imniher ol a ( oiii- paiu' of dianoons \li. John I ». Wilson lias la'en en[;a^;ed ai tariii work most of his life. He IS an cxperiencid thre.sher, and has for some tune lieen proiuiclor of a steam ihresliing machine, and has I'njoyed a good palrona^^i' li\ the farmers ot the county. He resides in Crowlaiul, (|uiti' near the eastern boundary of the ^own of Welland. He has been for three years a member of the t rowl.md Township council. He has never m.irned. His mother, who is li.ile and iu'artv at the aiUatu ed age of seventy, lives with him. I).\\H'-1. ^'()UN(;. farmer and weaver, was born in ("rowland Township on the seventh day (jf June, 1.S20. on the farn) on which he still resides. He is a son of (leorge and Ra< hael (Wilson) NOunj;. His ^landparents were among the first settlers on the (!hippawa. they having come to this part of the ct)tmtry as early as 17S6 .Mr, \'()ung's father was ,1 tiller of tin- soil ,ill his lile ; he < lit the lirsl tree of the bush and broke the first sod of the farm on wlii( h our subject now lives ; his busv life ended about 1.S40. .\lr. N'ouiig was brought U|i a farmer, and learned the trade of weaving from his mother. lie has bet'ii married three times, first, m 184^), to .Margaret, daughter ol Matthias .Miseiier, whose biograjiliy appears elsewhere in this work: second, in 1^5^. to .\deline, .i daughter of Leonard M. Matthews. In 1864 he married his |)resent wife. Kach.iel .\ni\, daughter of .\dam and I'^lizabeth Misencr of the township of Hrantford. She is a granddaughter of I'eler and Debo- rah (Wilson) Misener, who were of I'ennsylvania Duti h descent : her grand-parents were William and Mary(Fonger) .Miller: and great grand-parents were Jacob and (!atharine (I'"oiiger) Vansickle. His famih are : by his first wife. Rhoda .Augustine; by his second wife, .\masa Webster, ( ieorge Daniel, (alisla .\melia, and .\nna ICva ; by his third wife, William Nelson, .\dam Kingman, Isa ICIinor, .Maitland Stanley and I'eter ( 'lavton. .Mr. Voung has been a member of the township council; has also assessi'tl the township twice, and luis been a member of the school bo;ird tor a number of years, which position lie still holds, He is an active, e.irnesi inember of the (lood I'emplars and Sons of I'emperaiK e. / IIIDi.k \I'MI( .\l •^KK.TC HIS. 447 HUMBERSTONE AND PORT COL BORN E. I'll. IAS .\L ( il'S 11 Ni'. u;i>, l)():n ill 1 1 mnbiistoiic lownsliip < h Uihcr ,?otli. 1S34. II'.' is a son ot" |(jlin .iiul ( '.ith.iniK, ,iiul i^r.iiidson of (icorneaiul .Mary (StoiKT) .\ii;;uslinc. ,\t ilic ;i^(.' nf (.'i,:;liti.rn he went lo Ic.iin the caiiii'iUcr trade, which he \vw:k'(l al toi Tn e years. He h.is hceii iweiU\ three years at tlie l)Usiiicss of carriage IjiiiMiiiL:, ami !■. at present the seiiioi |pa!lner ot" ihe firm of .Xiigiistinc «.V Kiiuier. ot' lliiiiil)ers;( lie. who do an esteiisive iiiannfa( tiiniig business in tlieir line. .\|i. .X'lgtistinc married jaiuiiry .Sili. 1M61, .Mary Kii/alielli, daiiglitcrof Henry (". anfl Catharine (IJosven) .\n^er, and i;raiiil diiightir of John Howen. They have two ( hildnn. .\dell,i i'ioieiK e. born ( )( i'llier uiiii. i.S6.'. ,iiid Curtis Jerome, who was hoin Si|Heiul)i.r iilh. iSC)5. ( )iir ^l:llje' t is a iiieinliei ol the .Masonic frater- nity, and also of the A. (). I . \V. Ihewho'e l,imil\ .ire ( oiitici ted with the Metho- dist rhiirrh, of which Mr A. h,i< heen a nieiiilier lor alioiit tweiitv years. HK\K\ CKO.N.MIi.i.r.K, l.xj.. she senior member ol the linn of Cron- niiller iV W'liite, was born in the lownsliip of Mertie in i.Sji;. His parents were natives of .Msace, one ot' llie pro\ iiKes so loni; m dispute iietween ( lerinany and France. Our subje( t spent his bos hood on ihe I'.iim and re,tmaster. Fort Colioorne, is a native of New York State. He came to Canada with his father in 1S54. I'hey located in Fort Robin- son, but in 1838 moved to Fort Colborne, where in 1850 the subject of this sketch engaged in mercarM'le pursuits. His business rapidly increased from a small grocery to a general store. After doing business in this way for twenty yeau .d accumu- latiiii; )nsiderable property by his honesty, carefulness and adherence lis calling, he went exclusively into dry-goods, going the next year to England and to Scotland t<' pun h se his stock in the chief markets cf the world. At one time his business was the most imp(jrtanl of the kind in the county. In 1880 he retired from active pursuits, ami r.ow lives a little way from the scene of his busy life <)n a farm of eighty five acres, in one cf the finest residences in the county. .\Ir. Carter was born on the twenty-seventh day of February, 1828, in Brighton, Monroe County, N. \'., ■^-e'^^iiii^iar^ I'.KKiKAPHICAI. SKKICIIKS. 449 and is a son of Levi and Hannah ((lit'cn) (!arter, natives of New jersey, of I',Mu;lisli descent. The ancestors of the family, llcnjamin, Daniel anunk Railway Company to take charge of the railway bridge on the canal at Port Colborne, which duty he still performs. Mr. Cross enjoys good health considering his advanced age. He owns comfortable premises in Fort C!olborne, and has the distinction of having built the first macadamized roads in the county, viz : those leading from St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Port Robinson to Thorold. F2LISHA FURR\', merchant. Humbe.stone, was bcjrn in the township of Wainfleet in 1831. His parents were Samuel and F^lizabeth (.McKay) Furry. In 1849 he married Sarah .\nn, daughter of the late Matthias Zavitz, of the same town- ship. 'I'hey have a family of five : The eldest. .Mary F^lizabeth. marrieci Waiter Simpson, (now dec eased) : Margaret .\ngeletta, married to Lemuel R. Snider; and Helena Alberta, Ulysses S. (iraiit, and l-Llla F^zella .\., at home, unmarried. He followed farming pursuits until i8()7, when he engaged in business at Fort Colborne as a general merchant a business which he has continued ever since, either in Port Colborne or Humberstone. He combines the gram buying business with his general store, and is one of the substantial mei oi the township. He enjoys the l;lO(iK AI'HK .\I, SKKlfHKS. 45' respert of his fcllownicn in a hi^'h dcgrct.'. and has filled inaiiv important puhlir ])ositions While farniinj,^ in Moultc^n he was elected reeve of that township. Ho has also been a member of thi- Port I'olhorne X'illa.ne and I lumhrrstone Townshiji councils for a term of tlfteen years, repeatedly representini; the latter i)lace in county council. In i8Sj he was elected warden of the routity of W'elland, and in i., a daughter of John and Catharine (Kilman) Shugg, the former of F'.nglish and the latter of Canadian birth. .Mrs. Dr. F"ares is a grand- daughter of Adam and Fllizabeth (Near) Kilman, of (ierman descent. l'F7rF'.R (IIMHON'S, l^stj, hardware merchant. Port Colborne, was born in the town o( Newjiori, county of Mayo, Ireland, on the 22nd day of May, 1821. He is a son of John and .Mary ((^)uinn) (iihbons. He was educated in his native land, and came to America in 1847. He landed at New \'ork and proceeded to Buffalo bv i)acket boat ; the New \'ork Central Railway was at that time being constructed. Mr. (iibbons, a short time after arriving in Buffalo, came on to Port Colborne, then better known as Ciravelly Bay. .Vftcr filling an engagement as clerk in the store of John McRae .at Stonebridge, he began business on his own account in Port Colborne in 1 849, and has continued to conduct a mercantile i)usiness in the plaie ever since at present enjoying the distinction of being the oldest merchant in the village. His business career has been — thanks to his ability, a])i)lication, and fair dealing an uninterrupted success. His first goods game by boat to Niagara and w%'re teamed from that place by horses, the canal 452 HISTORY OF \Vi;i.I,ANI) COUNTY. being undi'i ii'|i;iir Mr. (iilil)t)ns was married in .\iigii.st, 1X01,10 Mary Kilcn, (laiiglitLT of Ni( iiolas Ilingiiis. I'licy have a family of two, John 1'., and Mary M. Our sul>jeanna .\(leline, .\nna Rebecca, 'Ihonias Metrlur, Esther i-Jizubelh, uid I'lederick Stephen .McKeii/ie. I'hc grand- parents of (Mir sul)je( t were n itives of N'lw jersey, ami came to this [)r()vince on account of their love for the British llag. .Matthew ilaiuv, the doc toi's father, was an artilleryman in ii of the entire community. .M.liKRT H.\NNA, farmer, Welland !'. C)., was born on the old homestead in Humberstone on the fourteenth day of July, 1844. His |)arents were Richard and Ann Jane (Johnson) Hanna, both of whom were natives of Ireland, his father hav- ing been bom in the county of Cavan iiul his mother in the county of Tyrone. They were married in '{"oronto, wht.Te th.ey lived for some time. .\[)nui i8;5 they came to this county and lived foi a short time near wiiere the a(iue(''.i< l now is in the town of Welland, and afterwards setlkd on the faim where our subject now lives. Mr. .AIIi'Tt Hanna is one of a family of twelve children. He was ediK ated at the common S( hools, and has alwavs lollowi-d tlu- Imsmess ot l.irmmg, but has al.so engaged m baling hay, dealing in timber, and other ''lUirpnses. lit married on the i<)th day of September, i88_^. Miss Jennie, daughter of Hiram Skinner of Niagara Palls, Onl. They have two ( hiidreii .\rlhur .Mexaiid.r, bom July 24th, 18S4 ; and Kva Cieraldine, born January 3rd, i88(). .\h. Hanna is a menil)ei' of the Orange fraternity. « I ^W'IHhI Illoi.KAIMIK AI, >K) !( HKS. 453 Dk. I'RANK KINCx, of I'orl Colhonic, is a son of Dr Ricliarci S. King, who died al I'ort Roljinson, Auj^ust jiid, 1SS5. l-or years [ircvioiis to liis death, he was l)erliai)s as widely iie. Dr. King connnenced the practice of his profession at Stonebridge, but in 1849 removed to I'ort Robinson and assumed charge of the practice of Dr. Campbell, and was shortly after appointed surgeon to the police force, who were keejjing peace along the line of the canal, then in course of construction. In 1861, at the time of the troubles in regard to tile Trent affair, Dr. King at I'ort Robinson, and (.'apt. V'erner at I'ort Colbornc, organized the W'eiland Canal tield battery. In the March jjrevious to the Fenian riid, the battery was called otu, ;,winL; to an ajiprehension of impending trouI)le, hut, no disturl);tn(vs occinrmg juKt then, in April the men returned to their homes. On the fust of June, 1866. the battery was again called out, and with (^apt. King in command, was ordered to go to lort l^rie and patrol the river on the tug "W. T. Robb " in company with the l)ininvill<; naval brigade. i'hey arrived at Fort Erie at about 8 a. in., landed and marched to i'llack Creek, where they re-embarked on the tug and returned to Ion JCrie. Shortly after their arrival at the village they en- gaged in brittle with the leni.iii horde, and :t was here that a ritie bail shattered Dr. King's left leg so bad!;/ that u necessitated ani[)utation. .After being shot, and when the Fenians were chargin^,, he rolled hmiself over to ;he side of the wharf, and clung to one of the piles until rescued from his perilous position by his friends. After the battle was over, he wa^, removed to Ikiffalo to have his wound attended to. When well eiiough to return home he crossed the rivei and was met by an immense assemblage ent might tlwell. His first attention was directed to the purchase of a pre-bytery; in this he was siucesstul, in the autumn of 1871, at a cost of $2,000, which was |)aid inside ot two years. The parish has. despite drawbacks in the way of dearth of labor, steadily ini teased, so that the erection of a new church because a necessity to accommodate the people. On tlie 20th of July, 1879, the cornerstone of St. Pauii k's ( hurch was blessed and laid i)y .Xn hbishop Lynch. It was dedicated l)\ Hisho|) ( )'.M,ihone\. aiixiliai v l)isho|) of Toronto, on the 14th (jf March, 1880. The church is an inijiosing edifice ol gothii architei lure, and t'or beauty of design and artistic finish has tew to icpial in even towns larger in size .md more abounding in wealth than Port Colborne. It was erected at a coslof .$10,000, all of whii li has been paid, with the exception of a debt of $1,100 still hanging yvt;r It, In the summt;'' of 1880, an addition was made to the presbytery at >t M H^ ! ,«W^HUJW.". '11 I " ' i III()(;R AI'IIICAI ^KKTC HKS. 455 a rost of $1000. I'ho Wclland < liunli, callLd the " ( "hun li of the Japanese Martyrs, " lias also had its due share of care paid it. In 1.S74 it was sui)plied with a l)eaiitifiil allar and vestries. It was als(j |)ainted and frescoed the same year. 'I'hese improvements give its interior a chaste, ornate and churciihke a])pearance, well calculated to inspire piety and devotion. These i:iii)rovenients cost $(joo. The chun h was shinj^led and Mirr(jundcd by a i ornice in 18M2, This entailed a cost of $355' ' " ^^'1" ''!'• 't mi^hl lie stated that in roiuid numbers $10,000.00 have t)een expended in the parish in fifteen years, for the purchase of church property, erection and decoration of churches, together with fencinj,' and keeping church lots and school yard in good general repair. All the money has been collected by subscrip- tion, and from festivals within the limits of a poor parish - without an appeal to the general iniblic for external ai(i. It has been contributed by Protestants as well as Catholics, showing that a kindly and generous feeling e.xists between all sections of the community here. It is to be hoped that no untoward event may ever occur to remove or even mar this mutual charity and forbearance. A. B. KNTSLKN', M. I),, was born in Humberstone rownshijj July 30th, 1858, His parents were Christian and ("nristina (Bingleman) Rnisley. The father of our subject is a (Canadian by biitli, but of Cerman origm, (being the third son of the late Daniel Kinsley, one nf the pioneers of Humberstone). He died in July, 1886, having survived his wife six years. Christina P)ingleman was born in W'urtemburgh, (ierniany, and brought to Canada in her infancy. Our subject was educated at a common school and at the Welland High School, after which he spent three years as a public school teacher. He then attended the Toronto School of Medicine, and in 1885 graduated with the degree of M. H. from Toronto University, and the degree of .M. D. C. M. irom \ictoria Univer?,ity. Dr. Knisley immediately began the |)iactice of his professi(.)ii in Humberstone, where he still resides. He is of a pleasant disposition, whii h adds greatU- to his popularity. He already enjoys a large' and rapidlv increasi;.g itnutice. He was married in Sejjtember, 1886, to .Miss Eva !•'., onlv daughter of Mr. and Mr>. I'eter I, earn, of the township of Bertie. JOHN .M( rat;, late mei< liant, who died at his resideiK e in Tort Colhorne on the 5th of November, 1880, wa^i a native of Ross--.hire, Scotland, born at I'oolewe, Se|)tember 15th. 1 Soo, being the son nt Donald and Julia Ann .McKae, and the seventh ( hild of a l.unilv of ten ( hildren. It is a family remarkable for its longevity. The mother of John, whose surname w.is Nh Rae, lived to be ninety-three years old; his father was drowned by accident at sixty five ; and the grand-father of our subject, who.^e name was Cieorge. was nearl\ 100 at his death. During the boyhood of John, the fannlv moved down to Kiniail, Ross-shiri; : he sei.iired a district sch( il edu- cation ; fanned and luiiled until i;i \\\> iweutieth vear. when he contemplated going to ("ape Colony, but fin, illy dei ided to (oine to C.in.ida. with the intention, at first, of simply seeing the country. In the latter i)art of June, 1820, he sailed from f !; 45'' HISTOKY ()!• WKI.LANI) COUNTY. Scotiand for Canada in the ship " Cilcntaniici " of Ahcnlecn, and was twenty-one days in reaching ('a|)e Hreton and tliat was not a slow trip from Scotland sixty- seven years ago. On tlie 2nd of .\iigiist he landed at (Jnel)ec. I'Voni (Quebec he came to Montreal on a steamboat, named the " .\Iolsom," and, while coming n|) the river, he predicted that if he lived fifty years, he should see steam used as a motive power on the land. Scarcely a lustrum had pa.ssed before George Stephenson had the railway system of Kngland pretty well develf)ped. Our su!)ject spent a few years in the eastern part of Upper (Canada, in manufacturing |)otash and in working on the Rideau ("anal, and, about 1834, found his way as far west as Fort Erie and Hum- berstone, settling at the latter place in 1839, where he entered into business as a general merchant In 1852 he moved to i'ort ('olborne and settled permanently. At the o|)ening of the rebellion, near the close of 1837, he, with others, offered his services to aid in suppressing it, but the rebels soon abandoned Navy Island, and that ended his ;.iilitary career. .\t the time of the Fenian raid, in 1866, I'ort Col- borne was for a short time full of British soldiers, and the house and store of Mr. McRae were opened to shelter theui, other mere hunts and housekeepers generally doing the same. The village was literally packed with defenders of the country, and for a short time the excitement was intense. Only two or three families that were in Humberstone and l^jrt ('olborne villages forty-eight years agcj, were here in 1880. For many years he was the leading merchant in the place, and at one time furnished su|)plies for nearly all the bcjats which passed through the Wel- land Canal, being a successful business operator. Mr. .\lcRae had several offices offered to him years ago, but he declined to acept any of them, and lived a very quiet life. He was one of the leaders in organizing the Presbyterian Church of this place in 1870, and was an elder up to the time of his death. He had been twice married : the (irst time to .Miss liarbaia .McRae, of Clencoe, Upper Canada, she dying in 1847, leaving three children, ail now dead ; the second time he was united, in i84(;, to .Miss Mary Louise (iraybiel, of the township of Wainfleet, county of VVelland. By her he has two children, John (.'., born at Humberstone, on the 14th of December, 1856, and I'.dgar 11, bom at I'ort Colborne tone. ( )iir subjects grandfather and great- grandfather were born in Ravaria, and einigraletl, the latter dying on the |)assage out. His grandfather was but mne years of age when he landed in Pennsylvania, where, in after years, he farmed and conducted a taclory for tulling cloth, until the outbreak of the American revolution, when, being a Loyalist, he sank the heavy machinery of his fat torv in the river to hide it from the rebels, antl came to Canada, settling near J51ack ('reek. .\t the close of the war he returned to his native land with a horse and cart to bring the machinery to this covintry, where he contemplat- I 1 I'k ! ij \ r « 458 HISTORY OK WKl.I.ANn COUNTY. ed starting a factory. On tlic return trip tlif horse jj;ii' c out with its hL;ivy load (the plate used for pressin^^ (loth weighing ahoiit iialf a ton) and Mr. .Morningstar traded the horse for a yoke of oxen and jjroceeded on his journey. He had not .got more than halfway home, however, when his funds gave out and he was .sorely pu/.zled as to how the e.\|)enses for the halanc e of tiie trip were to be met. Meeting a friendly (^)uaker he related the to him. The (^)uaker heard his storv, and ^.ning " riirc looks like ,m honest 111, in," g.ive him ihe re(|iiired amount, lor whiih iu- look no note 01 writing; ol any kiivi. The (^)uaker slated that he would he in (Canada the ne.xl spring and that the inoiuy coiilil then he returned to him. .Mr. Morningitar arrived safel\ .it home afiei :in .ihseiue of nineteen weeks. The (,)uaker was paid hi^ money wiien he (ailed at the appointed time. The woolen mill, which was started with the ma( hiiiery hioughi fidiii I'ennsylania, continued to exist as the iirojierty of the Morningsta'' fimih' tor ahout filtv vears Henjamin, our siil)|e( l ^ fadier. was horn in rySc), and ( ()n->ei|iieiitly was ahout three years of age when the family 1 ame to Canada in 1 71;.'. In 1S14 they removed from Black Creek to the farm in i himbersicaie wheie .Nhraliam .Morningstar was born. He has, until recent \eais, I'olloweil the business of tanning in Humber- stone. He was married in I•S.^4. to .\lar\ Sheik who w,is born m 1S26 ; she is a daughter of Jacob Sherk. They have had .1 family of ten. o' whom seven are living. (Caroline is the wife of \:. H. Near, jeweler. Stoneliridge ; (Catharine married Philip Zavil/. of liertie ; Wilson is the propiietor of the lloiirmg and slnnldy mills at DeCew's Kails; Clayton is in business ;ii Weston, Ontaiio ; ( vremis farms in Humberstone ; .Alniira and Wallace are unmanied and living at home. Our subject now resides in the village of .Stonebritlge, where he is enjoying a well-earned rest from thi' adise duties of life. J.'XNH'-S H. .XKI'T. .\1. I>., is a Canadian li\ birth, having l)een born in the township of M;irlon, Went worth t'ounty, .\iigiist i(;lh, i^j,(). He received his preliminary education at the old Hamilton (irammar School, alter which he took a course at the ("ollege oi .\ledi( me, rhiladel|ihia, where he graduated with the degree of .M. I'. He subsetiuently i)assed his e.\amination and became a member of the Collei^e of I'liNsicians and Surgeons at i oronto. Mr. Si-lT then l)(.'gan the practice ot his jirofession at Port Colbonie, when' he still resides, in tlie enjoyment of .1 lucrative practice and the coiilideiK e ol the conmumity. His father was Jacob Neff, a native of Canada, of (ierman extraction, who died in iS.S^ at the ailvanced age of eighty yea' >. His mother's maiden name was Pnidem e DeWitt. She was born in New Mrunswick. of (Ierman and Welsh parentage. Our subject has three children living : James I'-dwm, Pella, and Jessie. I'hey are being liberallv educated, the youngest, aged thirteen, having already passed the examination admitting her to a higher institution of learning. Dr. N'eff isof a genial, kindly disposition, taking his recreation with the gun or rod and other health-giving and invigon'tiiig amusements. ^■' ^m x I'.lfir.KAI'llIf Al SKI.ICMKS. 459 I-'-t'lH. N'KI'I-'. faniKT. Ilmnl)t.'i lone I'. ().. wa> horn in tlic town^ihip of lIumbcrsKjiif. Ma\ iSili, iS.\(>. lie i^ a -.on ol .\l)ran\ I', .uid I'.vc (Shcrk) N'cff, and }^rands»)ii of I'ciir Ncff, a native oi I'rnnsyUania, who ( ainc to ( anada m i7i;o. locating in HumliLr^tonc I'ownsliiii. IIk' latlu'i ai our siibjci t liad a faniil)' of seven (liildien five suns and two (la^l^lltel^ all of whom married except one, who diid in his twentieth year. Mr. Nefl" now resides on the old homestead, wliidi has been in possession of the family for nearly a ( eiilury, and was originally purchased for $2 |)er acre, lie was in iS.S,? elected township couik illor, and for the last five vears, ini hiding 1SS7, has held ihe |)osiiiiin of depuis ri;eve of Miiin- bcrstone rownshi)). and for three of the above ve.irs was returned bv acclimation, .serving his townsliip m the ( ouniy cdinu il with marked ability. .Mr. Nell was mar- ried January 12th, i.SOS. to .Margaret, a d.iughtei of .\icholas leaver of Humber- stone 'Township. 'I'hev have four ( hildren, named Omar, borti ;ist July, 1S71; ;\lice. .\ug. Jist, i''^7,^; Charles, March ,?ist, i'H75. ;ind Frederick, |ul\ :;4th, 1877. The great gr.indfatlier of our subjci t c.uiu- t'roin I'nissi.i ,ind settled m I'eniisvlvania. The grandfather I'eler came lo ('.iiiada .md settled .it what is now the village of Humberstoiie. The vilhige was known for some time as I'etersburgh, taking its name from I'eler Neff. .Mr. N'eff is ,m adherent of the Mennonite church and a Conservative in politic s. |{)N.\ TH.W Nl'.l'f. ol the liim of Neff \- Son, foundrymeii and machinists, Hiimbeistone. was born in the lowiship of 1 lumberstoiie, near the Milage of Sionebndgc, on the .'7th ol .August, I'S,^^'. His father was Abr.im I'. .W f f, and his mother's uaiden name was lAi.' Slierk. ()ur subject had a taste lor mechanical work from his c hildhood, ,in( had an excellent o|)por- tunity to ( ultivate his talent in that direction in the shop of his father, who h.ad a small esuiblishmeni on liis farm, in whic h he 'iianiifactiired and repaired farm- ing im|)lements, lioih in wood and iron. .\t the age of seventeen, Icjnathan built an engine, whu h was used to run the mac Iniury in his f,uher's shop, and com- pleted a second I'ligine about the time th.it he was twenty one. In i() IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) V A « 't/. S>pA ^ J^ V PhotDgraphic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 titute for Historical Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 >^ li! i I > 460 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. latter a native of the town of Clyde, New York State. His grandfather, Joseph, was a native of Highfield, Yorkshire, England ; and his grandmother, Aniia Steinhoff, born in Stamford Township, was one of a family of si.xteen children who grew up to manhood and womanhood. Joseph on coming to the country bought and sealed on lots 16 and 17, ist ran.i;e and broken front, township of Crowland^ containing 300 acres. Here Mr. Ramsden, senior, brought up his fiimily, con- sisting of five children, the father of our subject being the eldest. Our subject received his primary educatiui) at tlic schools of Crowlatid and Hum her '.one, afterwards attending the Welland grammar school for a period of four years. Graduating from that institution he for a time attended Belleville College, and hai? since t^iven his attention to farminu;. He moved to his present residence, lots 2 and 3, rst concession, Humberstone, in 1857. Mr. Ramsden's education has fitted him for taking a leading part in the affairs of .is county. In 1872-3 he was elected to the township council of Hamberstone, nnd in 1875 was elected deputy reeve and took his seat at the county council, hnldnig that position by the popular voice up to the year 1882, except the years 1877 and 1878. In 1883 he was elected reeve and has ever since filled the position w''ri marked ability. At the Con- servative convention held at Port Robinson, October 25th, 1886, Mr. Ramsden was offered the nomination as the candidate to contest the riding for the House of Assembly. He is one of the rising men of the county and bids fair in the future to fill the most honorable position in the gift of the people. He married, October 13, 1869, Mary Malinda, a daughter of William and Malinda (^Miller) Ba.xter, of Bertie Township, a descendant of a U. E. Loyalist, ?/: 1 ^ni; of the first pioneers of the county. They have a family of two children, luu .■^ Leslie Baxter, born January 6th, 1876, and Florence Ethel, born July 26th, 1886. MATTHEW RICHARDSON, of the firm of M. Richardson & Son, manu- facturers of apiarian supplies, was bor' on the 28th of July, 1826, at Frampton, West End, near Boston, Lincolnshire, England. He learned the trade of miller and baker, and married in 1847 ^^^ second daughter of James Appleyard, of Halton, near Spilsby, Lincolnshire. He started into the baking and confectionery business in Crowland, in the same shire. He lived there three years, fighting against keen competition and the credit system. From Crowland he removed to Boston, and was there empi ;yed on the Great Northern Railway. He learned the machinist trade, and then went on a locomotive until he became tired of so hard a life and so small pay as that work commanded in those days. He resigned his situation with the Great Northern company, after being a little more than five years em|)loyed by them. With his family he left England for America on the 5th of January, 1856, on board the " Isaac Wright," Black Ball Line, a sailing vessel, bound for New York. The trip across the ocean lasted five weeks. There were altogether 241 passengers on board. Mr. Richardson brought his family to St. Catharines, where they lived for 'M lilor.RAl'rilCAL SKKTCHkS. 461 ade, mil the em. sard The on for four years, during which time he was employed in the tlouring mill of T. R. Merritt. In i860 he removed to I'ort (Jolborne, where he took charge of the ele- vator engine. He worked in the elevator until 1867, when he severed his coiineclion with the company and began business ^n his own account as a lumber dealer, .un- ning a saw mill, planing mill, and door, sash and b'ind factory in connection with his lumber yard. He continued in that line until 1877, when he went into his present business of manufacturing apiarian supplies. 'I'he firm manufacture every- thing pertaining to the keeping of bees and the production of honey. Their business extends throughout the whole of Canada. Mr. Richardson is eminently -'> man of enterprise. This characteristic is illustrated in the active interest he has taken in the natural gas project. In 1885, he, in company with nine other gentle- men, began the sinking of a well to test the possibility of finding natural gas or any other valuable commodity in the bowel;; of the earth underneath Port Colborne. A bonus of $500 was granted to the company by the village council. On the 14th day of July, 1885, the drill was started. At a depth of no feet, gas was .scented, at 230 feet, a small vein was struck, and at 232 feet there was enough gas to give a flame four feet high. At 452 feet was a vein of salt brine, and at 764 feet a vein of very superior gas, which continues at this writing (May, 1887) as strong as on the day it was discovered, October 9th, 1885. The well is now 1227 feet deep, but the pro- gress of drilling is temporarily arrested by an accident, which caused some broken tools to be left at the bottom of the well. Mr. Richardson has such faith in the enterprise that he has purchase'' the shares of three of the stockholders, who wished to abandon the work, and he believes that good paying gas will be struck before the well reaches a depth of fifteen hundred feet. Mr. Richardson has been the father of a family of eight children, two daughters and six sons ; of these five sons and one daughtef still survive. They are all married, except the youngest son. EDWIN SMITH, acting deputy-postmaster of Port Colborne, dealer in books, stationery, itc, was born at the mouth of the Chippawa river, county of Welland, March 30th, 1822. His father, Frederick, was a native of Steuben County, state of New York, who came to Canada in iSog, settling at Niagara Falls, where he engaged in various employments, among others running Samuel Street's flouring mills for a length of time, tie also carried on lumbering, farming, iS:c. He married Rachael Skinner, a native of Canada, born at Niagara Falls, who was the mother of our subject. Mr. Smith married June 30th, 1847, Mary Ann, a daughter of John and Mary (I.eese) Havens, natives of New Jersey, but of Welsh descent. He has a family of three children, named Frederick R., John Havens and Mary Abbie, living, and four deceased. Mr. Smith's has been a varied and active life. The following are some of the positions he has held or is still holding : He has for the i)ast thirty years been a school trustee, and is now chairman of the board for Port Colborne ; was assessor of the township of Humberstone for two years ; has been member of 29 462 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. ; I in the council and reeve of the township, and whilst occupying the position of county councillor assisted in locating the county seat at the town of Welland ; he has assisted in taking the Dominion census ; was made commissioner for taking affidavits in 1877 , a notary public in 188,^, and is is;^^uer of marriage licenses. He is a charter member of Merritt Lodge, No. 168, A. F. & A M., located at Welland ; a charter member of Macnab L-odge, No. 169, A. F. & A. M., at Port Coiborne ; a charter member of King Hiram, R. A. M., No. 57, instituted at Port Coiborne, Ont. A. K. SCHOLFIELI), clerk of the sixth division court of Welland County, was born June 4th, 1824. He is a son of the late John Scholfield, who was born on the 15th of February, 1797, at Todmorden, Lancashire, England, and who came to Canada in 1818 and settled in Pelhani. John Scholfield married Margaret, a daughter of Jacoij Kilman, one of the early settlers of the county. Joan Schol- field's name is closely connected with the early history of Pelham, in which town- shij) he was for many years one of the most enterprising citizens. He raised a family of nine, all of whom survive save one, the late D. T, Scholfield, M. I). Our present subject at an early age went in the employ of D. D'F>erardo, Esq. In 1849 he went to California across the plains, enduring all the hardships incident to that kind of travel in ihose days. He remained in California two years, and upon his return married Ellen J., the eldest daughter of the late Robert Hobson, the first sheriff of Welland County. In 1854 he was appointed a clerk in H. M. customs at Clifton, and was afterwards removed to i'ort Coiborne. In 1856 he left the customs to accept the position of deputy-sheriff. He filled that office until 1861. He then moved to Port Coiborne, where he remained until 1864, when he again engaged with Mr. D'Everardo at Fonthill. In 1873 he removed to the township of Moulton. In 1879 he was appointed by Judge Macdonald to the position of clerk of the division court at Port Coiborne, and has lived there ever since, combining the business of conveyancing with the performance of his duty as clerk of the division court. Mr. Scholfield's active life has left its mark in the shape of imprr>vements. His most extensive enterprise was carried on in Moulton, where he made vast im- provements in what was once a desolate tract of comparatively useless land. He also fitted up the property that is now the residence of J. H. Price, Esq., of Wel- land, and he built Maple Hall, the beautiful residence of the late Jonas Steele, Esq., of Fonthill. Mr. Scholfield has been thrice married. His second wife was Miss Fairchild. The present Mrs. Scholfield is a daughter of Mr. james Hodgson, first headmaster of the Welland grammar school, and sister of Mr. J. E. Hodgson, one of the present high school inspectors. Mr. Scholfield is the father of three daugh- ters : Mr Vv'. C. Helliwell, of Oak River, Man. ; Mrs. R. C. Macdonald, of Font- hill and Miss Scholfield, who is at home with her parents. MiEN SIMPSON, proprietor of the Commercial Hotel at Port Coiborne, was born 'n Ireland in the year 1825. His mother died when he was an infant, and his HUM lilOGRAPHlCAL SKETCHES. 463 father brought him t , Canada when a mere child, settling at Lachiite, in the Province of Quer)ec. Our subject was brought up at that place, and at the age of twenty-four he came Lo this province, having previously married Jane McOuat, a native of Quebec Province. Mr. Simpson settled at Marshville, where he farmed for eighteen years, the whole time being connected with the late E^dward Lee, Esq., of that place: for nine years as an employee of Mr. Lee, and nine years as a tenant on that gentleman's farm. He removed from there to Humberstone, where he farmed for one yeai . and then became a resident of Port Colborne. About the year 1873 he began the hotel business in. Port Colborne, and has pursued that avocation ever since. He has been proprie'Lur of the Commercial since 1881, keeping a good house and ably performing the duties of host to his numerous patrons. He is a member of McNab Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He has been twice married. 'I'he [)resent Mrs. Simpson was a Mrs. Sarah A. Cramer. By his first wife he had one son, Walter R., who mr.-ried a r'aughter of Elisha Furry, Escj. Walter died at the age of twenty-five, leaving two children, the elder of whom, Robert Elisha, still survives and is the only descendanr of our subject. HENRY B. SNH^ER was born in the township of Humberstone in 1833. His parents, George and Rosanna (Ringel) Snider, were both natives of Alsace — at that time a French province under Napoleon. They emigrated to this country in 1830. Our subject has resided in Humberstone Township continuously from the time of hir birth. At the age of eighteen he went to learn the blacksmith trade of Philip Fahrback at Stonebridgt. He fini.shed learning the trade with Godfrey Rother, after which he worked in Bertie two years, and came to Stonebridge in 1867, where he began mercantile business, carrying on a blacksmith shop in connection with his store. About \en years ago he ribandoned die blacksmith business, since which time he has devoted his attention entirely to his store business. In 1877 he was appointed treasurer of the township of Humberstone and hold:; that position of trust at the present time. He married, lu '858, FrPT-ces Elizabeth 01m.sted, a native of New York State. Her father, Horace S. Olui.ted, for many years kept the hotel known as the Travellers' Home, on the Fort Erie road, about four miles east of Stonebridge. Mr. Snider's children are Lemuel Rodolph, who is engaged in the marble trade at Stonebridge ; Georgiana Jane, the wif>:' of N. ; Baxter, a carriage manufacturer oi Hagersviile, Ont., and Jessie Amelia, who is unmarried and living at home. PETER STORM, of Humberstone, one of the leading stock raisers in the county, w..s born in the township in which ! e resides, in 1849. His father, George Storm, of German descent, was born in Pennsylvania, and with his widowed mother came to Canada about 1808, the family locptmg in Vaughan Town- ship. When about 18 years of age, George Storm iv.ov>'d to Humberstone, subse- quently marrying Eve, daughter of George Zavitz. He was succeeded on the w 464 HISTORY OP WKLLAND COUNTY. 1 1! It homestead by the subject of this sketch, his youngest son, I'eter Storm, who was married to a daughter rf Jacob Stoner, of Dunn, in 1873, five children resulting from the union, named Rosetta Alice, Leshe Benjamin, Elra Edmon, Elsie Isabel, and Ida May. . 'vs. Storm subsequently died, and on November loth, 1886, Mr. Storm married Mariam, daughter of Menno S. Heam, Esq., of Black Creek. Mr. Storm has ben a successful stockraiser and agriculturist, of late devoting much at- tention to improved stock in horses, Holstein cattle and Oxford Down sheep. He has recently purchased the imported Cleveland bay coach stallion " Friar Tuck," notable as the first thoroughbred stallion of the class introduced in this section. Mr. Storm's standing and services as an agriculturist and stockraiser have been re- cognized by his election as vice-president of the Netherby Union Agricultural Society, and he was also for some years treasurer of the County of Welland Horse- breeders' Association. GEOR(iE SMITH. — The family of the late George Smith, of Humberstone, rank among that township's oldest and best known. They are of Alsatian descent. George Smith, grandfather of the present generation of this family, came to Buffalo with some fifteen other families from Alsace. The others remained in the States, but Mr. Smith disliked a republican form of government and came to Welland County, settling near Sherkston, previous to the Mackenzie rebellion, 1837. His son George inherited the homestead, added to its domain, was a man of liberal and progressive ideas, and a most respected and influential citizen of the county. He was on the commission of the peace, and for several years served as a member of the municipal council of Humberstone. He died in the fall of 1884, leaving two daughters and four sons living. The latter are George, Frederick C, and John J. Smith, farmers, and Philip Smith, in the harness business at Stonebridge. Of the.se John J. Smith, though young in years, has already been appointed a justice of the peace, and is a member of the board of license commissioners for the county of Welland for the year 1887. This branch of the Smith family are Lutheran in religious belief, and Reformers in politics. THOMAS R. SECORD, deputy superintendent of the southern division of the Welland Canal, dates his birth at the village of St. Davids, on the 25th day of June, 1830. He is a son of Samuel R. and Elizabeth (Weaver) Secord ; his father was born at St. Davids in 1805. His grandfather, Stephen, who was born in 1757 and died in 1808, was one of three brothers who left France on account of the persecutions they suffered as Huguenots. Our subject's French ancestors were all Huguenots, and on account of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV. they fought for their religion under the Prince of Conue. The heroic conduct of the Secord family in France in defending their religious faith was perjietuated in their descendants on this side of the Atlantic by their military exploits during the war of 1812-14. David, our present subject's great uncle, fought as a major at the battle of Lundy's k a=c HIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 465 Lane, St. Davids, Chippawa, Quccnston Hcij^hts, and Niagara. Mr. '1". R. Secord's aunt, Elizabeth Secord, accompanied Mrs. Laura Se<()rd, tiie heroine of the war of 1 81 2, on her perilous journey through the woods to notify the British conuiiaudcr of the approach of the American troops. Mr. '1". R. Secord \.'a;; appointed to his present position in 1861. He was inspecting superintendent of the building of the Welland Railway, and was superintend'MU of the rebuilding of the lUirlington Bay Canal. He has been connected with the militia, having acted as lieuttnant in the 5th company, Lincoln battalion, imder Col. McDonald. He married, in 1855, Elizabeth laylor, daughter of Solomon and granddaughter of Solomon Hill. Her greatgrandfather was William Hill, who took i)art in the .American revolutionary war and came to Canada as a U. E. Loyalist. Solomon Hill sat in the old Parlia- ment ol Canada in 1803. Mr. Secord has a family of four : Lachlin McCallum, born j! ne 22nd, 1856 ; Gertrude Blake, born Dec. 15th, 1862 ; Samuel Woodruff, born Oct. ijih, 1864 ; Henry Cartwright, born Nov. 28th, i86-3. CHRISTIAN W. SCHROEDER was born in the township of Humberstone on the 4th of July, 1842. His father, Henry Schroeder, was a native of Prussia. His mother's maiden name was Dora Klepper. Our subject was brought up in his native township and learned th*^ trade of shoemaking. He began business on his own account in Stonebridgc; Village, and still resides there, carrying on busine.ss as a shoemaker. He has married four times. His first wife was Catharine Ulrich, who died March i6th, 1869, leaving one daughter, Dora Schroeder. He next married Julia Held, of Rainham Township, Haldimand County, who died October 30th, 1882, leaving one daughter, Margaret, who was born April 21st, 1873. He next married Margaret Pfaender, the widow of the late Simon Smith. She died April 30, 1885. Mr. Schroeder was again married May 31st, 1887, to Miss Lydia Miller, of Crowland. He is a member r: St. Peter's Lutheran CHiurch, and is a Reformer in politics. In all his troubles he has always worked his way through without assistance except the help of the Lord in whom he ever places his trust. GEORCE WHITEMAN, Stoncbridge, was born m Alsace m 1813. He is the eldest son of John and Margaret (Krop) Whiteman. In 1832 he decided to emigrate to America, and walked 450 miles to Havre de Grace to board a ship for that purpose. After a trip lasting forty-two days he arrived in this country, and spent one year in Humberstone, from whence he went to Waterloo, where he re- mained until 1838, when he went to New York to meet his father and mother, who came to this country at that date. They travelled from New York to Buffalo by canal boat, and came to Humberstone, where they bought the Jacob Neff farm. Thereon the parents resided until the time of their death. Our subject was married in 1841 to Elizabeth Smith. They had a family of four — one son and three daughters. The son, John Whiteman, resides in Humberstone, on tht old home- stead. The daughters are Mrs. Johnson Schooley, Bertie ; Mrs. John Lampman, 466 HISTORY OK WKLLANI) COUNTY. Ki i V Humbcrstone ; Mrs. John Haines, Victoria. Mrs. Whiteman died August and, 1 86 1, and Mr. Whiteman was married again in August, 1.S64, to Lucy Michener, who was born in Humberstone, January 22nd, 1834 - a daughter of William Michener. There are no children by this marriage. Our subject sold his farm in 1883, and removed to the village of Stonebridge, where he is living a retired life. Mr. Wh'te- man is one whose life is an illustration of what may be accomplished in this ccimtry by industry and perseverance. 'I'he result of his active life has been the accumula- tion of a large property, and this has all been accomjjlished by his own unaided exertions. He has started his .son in life with one of the best farms in the township, worth about $11,000. He paid $4,000 for a farm which he gave to one of his daughters, and $5,900 for a farm for another daughter. A nice residence was given another daughter, and Mr. Whiteman, besides other property, still retains $14,000, the income from which permits him to live cor-ifortably in his declining years. GEOROE J. WEAVER, organ manufacturer, Humberstone, was born at Port Stanley, on the 12th September, 1842. His father was Samuel Weaver. The pa- rents were both native Canadians. The family removed to Humberstone when our subject was a child, and he has been a resident of the township ever since. When a young msn he went to learn the printing trade of A. Dinsmore at Fonthill, but abandoned the work before completing his time. Most of his life he has been in business in Humberstone, where he has run a factory for the manufacture of shingles and the bending of wood. He siarted his organ factory in September, 1885. The instrument manufactured is known as the Weaver organ. Great pains are taken to turn out organs not only elegant in finish, but of a rich tone. Mr. Weaver was married on the 15th of October, 1872, to Mary Jane Pope, daughter of William Pope, a native of England. I'hey have a family of five children living. They attend the Methodist Church. PELHAM TOWNSHIP. REV. THOMAS J. ATKINS, sufjerintendent of the Fenwick circuit of the Methodist church, was born in Brant County, Ontario, May loth, 1856. He was educated in his native county, and after a preparatory course of four years, one of which was spent on the Norwich circuit, in 1877, one year on the Malahide circuit, 1878, and two years on the Brant circuit in his native county, 1879-80, he was in i88i ordained and given charge of the Humberstone circuit from 1881 to 1884. His next appointment was to the superintendency of the Fenwick circuit, where he is at present st.itioned (May, 1887). Mr. Atkins is an earnest and energetic worker HKMiRAl'HICAI. SKKTCHKfv ugust 2nd, liener, who Michener. 1883, and Mr. VVhtc- his country accumula- vn unaided e township, one of his c was given ns $14,000, years. )orn at Port The pa- e when our »ce. When bnthill, but iias been in I of shingles 1885. The ire talien to ^Veaver was of William k'ing. They ircuit of the ;6. He was 'ears, one of hide circuit, 9-80, he was 18 1 to 1884. nit, where he rgetic worker in the cause of religion. He was largely instrumental, whilst in charge of the Humberstone circuit, in huildini^ Hethcl church of that place, and has at present in contemplation the erection of a place of worship near Marshville, in the I'enwic k circuit, for which he has already received subscriptions to the amount ot $1200. He is a son of (leorge and Jane (Howie) Atkins. His father was born in Norfolk County, England, and came to Canada in 1837 with the grandfather of our subject, and settled in Brant County near where the asylum for the blind is situated. 'I'hc maternal grandfather of our subject, Stephen Howie, was one of the first settlers of the township of Blenheim. He was engaged in the war of 1812, and took part in the battle of Lundy's Lane, and other battles of the war. The family of ihe father of our subject consisted of eleven children, two of whom are in the ministry, viz : Thomas J. and Robert Anson. The latter is stationed at Crescent Lake, York Colony Mission, Assiniboia, N. W. T. Three of the sons follow the occupation of farming, viz ; John, Ceorge and Alfred ; and Marenus E. is at pre.sent attending the Collegiate Institute, Brantford. Mr. Atkins married September 7th, i88i, Mary Alice, daughter of the Rev. R. Duff, of the Niagara conference, Methodist church. They have one son, Lome He Witt Duff, born March 19th, 1883. Mr. A. was instrumental, in connection with Rev. John Reynolds, in the construction of the beautiful new edifice in Ikantford Township, known us Brant church. May his life become increasingly useful in his devotion to the cause he has espoused. S. E. BIRDSALL, M. 1)., Fenwick, township of Tc hapr was born in Canboro Township, county of Haldimand, May 18th, 1849. He received his primary edu- cation in his native township, sub.sequently attended the grammar schools at Smith- ville and Fonthill, and still further improved his education by a two years' course at Toronto University. He next attended the Toronto School of Medicine for four years, and graduated from that institution in 1876 with the degree of M. 1). His first experience in the practice of medicine as a profession wa.s at Tilsonburg, in Oxford County, where he remained two years. In 1878 he came to the county of Welland and entered into a co-partnershij) with the late Dr. Haney of Fenwick, M. P. P. for Monck. Since the death of Dr. Haney, our subject has had control of a large and steadily increasing practice, and by his skill in the profession, and genial and courteous manner, he has won general confidence and esteem. He is a son of .\ndrew and Elizabeth (Scott) Birdsall, and grand.son of Samuel BirJsall, Esq., a native of Pennsylvania, who settled in Canboro, and was owner of 5,000 acres of land given to him by Benjaiuin Canby^ from whom the townshi[) of Canboro took its name, and who purchased the land from the Six Nations Indians. The doctor's maternal grandfather, John Scott, first settled at Little York, and constructed the first building in Toronto after it received that name. He nexi re roved to the town of Clifton and assisted in the construction of the railway susi)cision bridge. Dr. Birdsall married, Oct. 15th, 1871, Miss Elln Hare, a descendant of military and 468 HISTORY OK WKLLAND COUNTY. I hcrou: ancestors. She is a (laiijililcr of (,'aptain Richard and Mary (Clans) Hare, j^randdaiighlcr of (!()l. IVtcr llarc, and great-granddaughter of Major Hare, and also gr'.t-grandd.'- •liter of 1 aura Secord, who, in the war of 1812, carried des- |)at(hes 20 miles through the wilderness at night and alone that were the means of saving the Hitish army. Tlie exploi.s of Laura Seeord are treated of in our chap- ter on the war of 1812. HKNRY HROWN deceased, was born in Thorold Township, August 27th, 1819. His fathc , John Brown, moved to Pelham when Henry was quite young. Our subject was married on the twenty-third day of April, 1844, to Elizabeth, a daughter of John and Mary (Moore) Cohor, the former a native of Buck's County, IVMinsylvania, who came to Canada with his father in 1788. She is a grand- daughter of Ambrose and Deborah (Heacock) Cohoe and Jeremiah and Mary (Wildman) Moore, and a descendant of Jonathan and Ann Heacock, of Wolvcr- hamjjton, Staffordshire, England, who came to America and settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 17 it. Mr. Brown immediately after his marriage settled on the farm on which his widow no"/ resides, in Pelham Township along the VVel- land river. Here he lived until the fourth of Jure, 1869, the date of his death. He was highly respected and left to his widow and family a good property. He was the father of eleven children, of whom six grew up to manhood and woman- hood. 'i"he names of those living are David J., Edwaiu A., Ambrose J., Sarah C. the wife of Jacob Fretz, and Cyrus H. David J. mar 'e;u Sr^ah E., eldest daughter of Daniel and Nancy (Killman) Vanwyck ; Edward A. nianied Emma J., youngest daughter of Danie! and Nancy (Killman) Vanwyck. WHITSON BECKETT, farmer, lot 4, concession 4, Pelham, was born on the old homestead on which he lives, on November 30th, .1826. He is a son of Stephen (born 1 781) and Anna (Taylor) Beckett, and grandson of Samuel Beckett, who was born in Chester, Cheshire, England, on October 24th, 1743, and died in 1812. Whitson Beckett's great-grandfather, Peter Beckett, came to America with his family and settled in Philadelphia. Peter's son Samuel, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, came to Canada from Philadelphia about 1792, and first went to what is now Yonge street, Toronto, but was greatly dissatisfied with the location and prospects, and came to Niagara, stopping near that town, on a farm belonging to Mr. McNabb, for one year. Looking about for a location, he and his family were delighted with the hills and vales and brooks about what is now the pleasantly and romantically situated hamlet of Efifingham, and in the fall of 1793 bought the premises now owned by Whitson Beckett, on which, probably three or four years previously, had been built a grist mill by David Secord, of whom the property had been purchased. Secord had, at time of sale, some ten acres cleared, and had apple trees bearing fruit, one of which at the present time still stands on the farm, over one hundred years old, and girths nine feet ten inches in circumference. This remarkable tree HIOriRAPHICAL SKKTCHKS. 469 has already been referred to in the press. \Vhiis hear the howling of wolves and bears. The farmers all kept traps of some de.scription in the corn- field to capture or frighten the wild animals. On one occasion a huge black bear came to John Cure's pig-pen to devour the swine within. It was a frequent thing for them to carry away the smaller pigs. Mr. Kelsey came to I'elham when he was fourteen years of age, and learned the carpenter trade (with his brother Calvin) at which he spent the greater part of his life. In Pclham, one night, as he was coming from over the mountain, he was chased by fierce wolves, but he hid himself and escaped unharmed. On February 7th, 1837, he married Hannah Page, of Vermont, who was born on April 7th, 1821. In June, 1839, he bought a tract of land in the woods, which he cleared, and settled on. For many years he was a true member of the Quaker church. In politics he was a Reformer. He died on June 22nd, 1886, in his 73d year, leaving a widow and six children to mourn his loss. DANSON KINSMAN, postmaster, Fonthill, was born in the township of Ccrnwallis, K ing's County, Nova Scotia, on the 23rd of April, 1813. His parents were Benjamin Avery and Mary (English) Kinsman, both natives of Nova Scotia. The fiither was a descendant of the English family of Kinsmans who crossed the Atlantic in the "Mayflower." Our subject received his education in his native province, and was married there on the 19th September, 1839, to Elizabeth, a daughter of John and Abigail (Foster) Douglas. In r85o, Mr. Kinsman, accom- panied by his wife and four children, removed to this province and settled at Font- hill, where he engaged in mercantile business. He has continued to reside here ever since, with the exception of four years, which he spent in the United States. In 1864 he was appointed postmaster at Fonthill, a position which he still holds. His general store business was always conducted on an extensive scale, and his honor and uprightness, together with his genial disposition, make him a popular man in the society in which he moves. He has for many years been a consistent member of the Bai)tist church, and is one of the substantial pillars in the branch of that deno mination in the village which he has so many years made his home. He was appointed a justice of the peace many years ago, but has always refused to take the oath of offce. He has six children, viz : John Douglas, who holds a position of trust with a large insurance company in New York City ; Avery, who is a resident of Rochester, N. Y.; James is a traveller for a hardware manufacturing company in I'hiladelphia ; Anson travels for a Detroit dry goods house ; Hattie, the only daughter, is the wife of Torrence Lamb, of Brockport, N. Y.; and Fred, the youngest son, conducts the mercantile business in Fonthill, i;i which he succeeded his father in 1884. FRED KINSMAN, merchant, Fonthill, was born on the 14th of October, 1862. He is a son of Danson Kinsman, wiiose biogmphy precedes this. His father having been so long in business, our subject has from his earliest days been associated 48o hiStORY OF WKLIAND COUNTY. with mercantile life. He had been given a liberal education at the Konthill putjiic school and the Welland hit;h school, and in addition to the business experience he had acquired in his father's store, had lilled an engaji;ement with a Toronto dry goods house, so that it was under the best of auspices that he succeeded to the business at Fonthill in February, 1884. He now does a very extensive trade, always keeping large stocks of dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, hardware, etc. He is a young niun of the strictest integrity, and is much respected by his customers and the busi- ness community. He is an adherent of the Haptist church. E1)\V.'\R1) MORRIS, senior member of the firm of Morris, Stone it Wellinfr- ton, proprietors of the Fonthill nurseries, was born in Denbighshire, Wales, in 1838, At the age of ten he was brought to Canada l)v his parents, who settled in Ontario County. He received his education at the schools of that county and began busi ness for himself in Oshawa, as a general merchant, about i860. He remained there six years, at the end of which period he sold out and began farming in Bertie Township, in the county of Welland. He also was a member of a mercantile firm doing business in the village of Ridgeway. After residing in Bertie about five years, Mr. Morris sold out there and removed to I'elham, where he started what is known as the Pelham Small Fruit Farm, which was the first venture of the kind in the Niagara District, and the beginning of the small fruit business now so extensively carried on. It was in conducting this fruit farm that our subject obtained his first |)ractical knowledge of nursery work. His connection with the Fonthill nurseries is more fully treated of in our historical sketch of that industry. Mr. Morris is a shrewd business man and is much esteemed by his many acquaintances. He is a member of the Ma.sonic fraternity, and adheres to the Episcopal church. DAVU) JOHNSON Mc.\LPINE, farmer, was born in the township of Gains- borough, i6ih of June, 1853. He is a son of David McAlpine, who was born in Pelham on the 9th of April, 1814, and Deborah (Cohoe) McAlpine, who was born July 4th, 18 1 2. David McAlpine and Deborah Cohoe were married in Thorold Township on the ist of January, 1833. The following is a record of their family : John Cohoe McAlpine, born November 25th, 1834, married Sarah Jane Wilson, January 27th, 1857, and had one son, Frank Wilson McAlpine, born March 8th, 1862, in the township of Louth. They now live in Tuscola County, Michigan. Sarah Jane McAlpine died May 5th, 1878. FMward McAlpine, born in Pelham, July i6th, 1836; he married Jennie Ewings, January 9th, 1877, and has one son and two daughters ; he lives in Whatcom County, Washington Territory. Richard McAlpine, born in Pelham, October loth, 1837, married Adelia Fay, February 19th, 1869 ; he has two daughters and lives in Mono County, California. The other son is our present subject. David McAlpine, the father, followed farming throughout life, living in Pelham Township and the United States. For several years he was the trusted agent of Street N: Fuller, in the purchase of lands, performing the duties mOCJKArillCAI. SKKICHKS. 481 of that office in connection with his farminjj; operations. He died May r^th, 1H74. Our subject's paternal grand|)arents were Riciiard and Sarah (Johnson) M(\\lpine. His mother's |)arents were John and Mary (Moore) Clohoe. Her j^randparenls were Ambrose and Deborah (Heacock) Cohoe, who emigrated from Huclv's County, I'enn- sylvania, to Canada, when this country was a wilderness. John Cohoe was about six years old at the time. On their way from Pennsylvania the small children were put into baskets and tied on horses. John Cohoe died in i860, and Mary, his widow, in 1866. Ambrose Cohoe brought his family to (!anada in 1788, the year jireceding the starvation summer. The family were obliged to eat leaves and herbs, in order to sustain life. The hard work and lack of sustenance, together with an attack of fever and ague, caused Ambrose Cohoe's death, in 1 789, in his 46th year. He left seven children, and a widow who survived him fifty-nine years, dying in 1848, at the advanced age of 99 years and four days. The family lived near where the village of I'onthill is now situated. Ambrose Cohoe's father was Daniel. He married Mary Cutter, a daughter of Amb'-ose Cutter, of England. Deborah (Heacock) Cohoe was a daughter of Jonath mi and Susannah (Morgan) Heacock, (who emigrated in early life from Wales to Buck's County, Pennsylvania,) and a granddaughter of Jonathan and Ann (Till) Heacock. Ann Till was a daughter of John Till, of White Grove, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, who came to America and settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Jeremiah Moore, a great grandfather of our present subject, came to Canada with his wife, Mary (Wildman) Moore. He was born in Sadsbury, Pennsylvania, February 22nd, 1745, and died February 15th, 1813. His father, James Moore, was born in Ireland in 1715. James Moore, married Ann Starr, 1741. He lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Mary Moore, wife of Jeremiah, died June 4th, 1826. Jeremiah and his wife came to Canada in 1788, with eight children. They lived in Stamford a few years, and then removed to Pel- ham. He was a brazier and blacksmith, and took u\> four hundred acres of land in Pelham. ISAAC NUNN, deceased, was born at the old homestead in Pelham Town- ship, October 26th, 181 7. He was a son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Johnson) Nunn, and grandson of Jonas Johnson, who was a resident of New York State. The father of our subject came to Canada in 181 2, and first settled in North Pelham, but, having the misfortune to lose his house by fire, he bought and moved on the property now occupied by one of his sons, on the north side of the road, and contiguous to the property that was owned by our subject. Mr. Nunn was brought up to farm life and was the occupier of a farm of 1 15 acres, being composed of lot 17 in the nth concession, and part of lot 10 in the nth concession. His first wife was Maria, a daughter of Thomas Lambert, of Howard Township, county of Kent. By this union he had one daughter, Sarah E., who was the wife of the late John P. Garrold, a son of Phillip and Catharine (Stirtzinp;ei) (.aiold, of German descent. 482 HISTORY OK WKLLANI) COUNTY. The issue of the marriage of Sarah E. was one son, Ahner 1'. (larrold. Mr. Nunn's second marriage was with Margaret, (laughlei of I'eter and Charily ((Ihiirch) 'I'uttle, and widow of liic late Sc|)liiiiiis Knniii^^s, who was a son of Lawrence Jennings, of EngUsh descent. Mr. Nunn was an adiierent of the Methodist church, and a Reformer in pohtics. He tooic part in the war of the rebeihon of 1837, having been first stationed at (Ihippawa, then removed to I'ort Rol)in.son,and finally to Port Colborne. From the latter place, after the troubles ceased, his company was discharged from active duty. 'I'he maternal grandparents of Mr. Nunn, the Johnsons, were natives of Ohio. Since obtaining the above information from Isaac Nunn, on the 20th day of .August, 1886, at which time he was in apparently good health and conversed in a cheerful manner I'hcut the early times and the hardships he endured in his boyhood, he has been stricken by the "ftl. destroyer." His death took place but a short distance from where he was Lorn, on the farm on which he had lived the most of a long and contented life, on the jlh '!ay of November, 1886. He died as he had lived, esteemed by all who knew him. JOHN A. OH-L, farmer, St. Catharines I'. ()., was born on the farm on which he now resides. North Pelham, April loth, 1856. His parents were Jabez D. and Mary (Adams) Oill. His paternal grandparents were John N. and Margaret (Johnson) Oill, and his mother's parents were \Vm. and Mary (Smith) Adams. Our subject's great-grandfather was a United Empire Loyalist, and received a grai . of land in consecpience thereof from the British (lovernment. His son, John N. O'll, settled in I'elham Township, on lot 6, where our subject's father was born. He was one of the veterans of 181 2. Jabez D. Oill has always been a farmer, and is at present residing in (Irantham Township. Jno. A. Oill, our subject, recjived his education at the public schools of (irantham, at the St. Catharines Collegiate Insti- tute, and at the commercial college, Hamilton. On the 24th May, 1882, he mar- ried Louise, a daughter of Jacob and Ann ( Traver) Kennedy, and granddaughter of Samuel and Hannah (Stull) Kennedy and Ix'wis and Charlotte (Hostetter) Traver, and great-granddaughter of (ieorge and Elizabeth (Elsei)her) 'I'ravcr. The Travers were of German descent. Mr. Oill has a family of two children : Howard Dexter, who was born Nov. 4th, 1883, and Mary Louise, born Dec. t6th, 1884. Mrs. Oii's grandfather Traver came to Canada from Rhinebeck, Duchess County, New York, aljout 1825, and settled on the Niagara river near old Nia,i;ara. He afterwards moved to a farm in (Irantham, near St. ("atharmes, whce he died. Our present subject's great-grandfather, Nicholas Oill, was a native of Germany. He served seven years in the army. His wife was Eve Frank. JAMES P. PE(i(j, North Pelham, was born in Blenheim, near Rondeau, Ont., April 25th, 1847. His parents were Thomas and Sarah J. (Betts) Pegg, natives of Norfolk, England, who died shortly after coming to Canada. Mr. Pegg was left an orphan when a mere child and has made his own way Ji the world. He began IlKJdRAFHICAI. SKETCHKS. 483 by acquiring a thorough education. After attending the ronimon schools for a time he attended the high schools at Chatham, I'onthill, Hamilton and St. C^atharine.s, after which he received a certificate as ica< her. I'lom the age of niiitcen to thirty- five he followed his profession continuously, and has since given some attention to farming. In 1884 he secured a patent for a valuable labor-saving invention, known as " I'egg's Improved Hay-rack Elevator," and in 1885 was granted letters jiatent for the same by the United States (iovernment. The invention is one of those simple, easy and efTective improvements that commends itself to the farming com- munity, and must necessarily be of great service in these times of high-priced labor. Mr. Pegg hos been twice married. His first wife was Lavadna Ann, second daughter of Martin Metier, of I'elham 'I'ownship, by whom he had one son, Addison. His present wife is Henrietta, daughter of Hamilton Recce, of I'elham, and has Lssue one son, James Hamilton. Mr. I'egg is an .dhcrcrt of the Presby- terian church and a member of tl.e O. C. H. C. THOMAS RAY, contractor, bridge builder and farmer, Pelliam Township, was born in the city of York, England, October nth, 1833. His father, John, was born in Yorkshire, Eebruary 15th, 1806, followed agricultural pursuits until 1824, was then appointed an official in a lunatic asylum called the Friends' Retreat, where he remained four years. Thinking he could better his prospects, he gave up his situation, and in 1828 came to America, where he remained eighteen months. Re- turning to England, he was rc-appointed to his former position, holding it for seven- teen years, when the favorable impression of Canada, produced by his former visit, induced him again to give up his place and return, bringing with him his wife (Elizabeth Elliott) and family, in 1845. He settled in the township of Pelham, purchasing a farm for $8.00 per acre. He was twice elected to the Pelham Town- ship council. The grandparents of our .subject were Thomas and Hannah (West) Ray. Our subject was raised to farm life, i)ut at the age of sixteen years engaged in mechanical pursuits, for which he has a natural genius. His talent for construc- tion led him early to engage in contracting for the building of the numerous bridges over the Chippawa river. He has built and re-built the following : O'Reilley's bridge, first in 1869, rebuilt in 1880; Montrose, a swing bridge, in 187;!; Beckett's, re- paired some years ago, and built new in 1885, an iron structure ; Tisdale's, wooden bridge, 1881 ; Robins' bridge, 1881 ; and the Wellandport iron bridge, in 1883. Mr. Ray married March 23rd, 1859, Elizabeth, a daughter of Jesse Wilson, and grand- daughter of Jesse Wilson and Benjamm Martm, the latter at an early date the occu- pier of the land on which the court house now stands, in the town cf Welland. The family of Mr. Ray consists of two daughters, Clara and Bertie. He is enter- prising and energetic, and is well calculated to make his way in the world. DANIEL C. ROLAND, farmer, lots 9 a.id 10, 2nd concession, Pelham, was born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, on the 23rd of April, 1828. He is a son of 484 HISTORY OK WKl.KANI) COI'NTY. , John and Mary (Kt-rri) Koland, and granclson of Michael Kern, a native of (ler many. Our subject was educated in his native state, came to ('anada in 1H47, on his f)irth(lay, and hved with his hmther, with whom lie learned the trade of a car- penter, lie worked at his trade for several years both m (lanadaand the United States. In 1H54, he took possession of his present |)remises, and since i860 has given his attention almost exclusively to farminf(. On the 19th of April, 1854, he married Anna Margaret, a daughter of Josejih and Martha (Oregory) Disher, and granddaughter of William Disher, of (lerman de.scent, who came to Canada during the .American revolutitmary war, as a U. E. Loyalist, and settled on the farm on which Mr. Roland now resides. .After residinii; in Canada a few years, ou' subject was elected by the popular vote to a seat at the council board of his ado|)ted town- ship, and was re-elected on eight or ten different occasions. He has for several years been a member of the school board. He is a consistent temperance man, and during tiie existence of a division in the neighborhood was a member of the Sons of Temperance. He has been the father of four children, viz : Joseph Kdgar, John Elmer, Martha J. and Mary Edith, all of whom are living except John Elmer. SAMUEE RICE, deceased, was born in Thorold Townshii) on the 8th day of June, 1807. The genealogy of the family takes us bad. to the time of the early settlement oJ the county, when Obadiah I )ennis, of English origin, and Prudence Havens, his wife, of Welsh parentage, emigrated from New Jersey as U. E. Loyalists, and settled in Stamford 'Township. They removed from there to Hertie. Thomas Rice, of Irish parentage, another U. E. I.oyali.st, came from Pennsylvania and settled in I'elham, bringing with him his wife and six children. One of his sons, 'Thomas, married Abigail, a daughter of Obadiah Dennis, and settled in 'Thorold Township, where our subject, who was one of a family of four sons and one daugh- ter who grew to the estate of manhood and womanhood, was born. Samuel Rice began life as a farmer in Pelham 'Township, at IVlham Corners, where he remained until the time of his death, which took place on the 24th day of November, 1885. He was twice married, his first wife being Rebecca Forrester, and the second, Mar- garet, daughter of John and Rebecca (Cochrane) (llark, was born in Nova Scotia. Mr. Rice had by his first wife eleven children, all of whom grew to manhood and womanhood, but only four of them survived him. 'The family are widely scattered. 'They were all well educated. 'Thoma,,, ''-.; widest son, who was a surgeon in the army during the American war, was drovned 'n the Mi-sissippi River. Of the sur- viving ones. Dexter lives in Chicago ; Kate, wifj of Mr. .Anderson, in Cincinnati ; Sabina, widow of Daniel Stoner, in Chicago ; and .Abigail, widow of the Rev. Charles Walker, in Stratford, Ont. Mr. Rice was one of those honest, upright men, who possessed the confidence of the whole community. He was a justice of the peace for Weiland County. JON.AS STEELE, J. P., was born in Humberstonc 'Township, September lil()(lKArHK:AI. SKKTCHKS. 485 27th, iSiS, and is a son of Solomon and Lavinia (IJarncs) Stcflc. Solomon Steele was also !)oin in Hiimhorslone. His lulher's Christian nanv was William, who was a U. K. Loyalist and came to C\ana(la in 17.S3, soon after the dose of the revolu- tionary war, hecoming one of the earliest setlleis ii\ Hinniterstone rownshi|). Thi' father of our subject, Solomon Steele, was in the war of 1H12. lie fought at (Jiueenslon Heights, in the battle in which the gallant (Jeneral Urock so I ravely met his death. 'The grandfather, William, assisted in the erecticMi of the first flouring mill in or about Port (,'olborne, and one of th'. first in the county, rl)out lytjo. On the death of William, the mill descended to his son John, an uncle of our present subject. Jonas Steele received his education in the first school house built in Huniberstone Township. In the .; days children did not have the beautiful school houses, with their patent desks, in which to receive their education, which the rising generation now enjoy. Mr. Steele's boyhood was in the d .ys when the school bouses were built of logs. He learned in his early manhoon the carpenter and joiner trade, following that business for eight years ; and built the first house in the village of Jordan. He nc.";t engnged in mercantile pursuit, for a period of twenty- four years, at Ridgeville, formerly known as Steele's Corners, taking its name from Mr. Steele. After that, for ten years, he devoted his attention to fruit growing, es- tablishing the first vineyard at Ridgeville, continuing that pursuit till 1880. Mr. Steele has been issuer of marriage licenses for a long period, and has held the posi- tion of justice of the peace for the past thirty-six years, and was first postmaster of Ridgeville. He is a member of the Disciple church of forty -five years standing, is president of the P'onthill labrary Association, and president of the Pelham Con- servative Association. Since retiring from his fruit farm at Ridgeville, Mr. Steele has resided continuously at Fonthill, where he is ■xn extensive property owner, and has added greatly to the appearance of tliat village ir- iUo manner in which he has fitted up his buildings. — Since the foregoing was written, Mr. Steele has passed over to the majority. His death occurred at his residence, Fonthill, on Saturday, March 26th, 1887, after a brief illness, in his 69th year. EDWARD SISI.KR was born in the state of Nassau, Cermany, on the 20th day of November, 1837. His father was Caspe. Sisler, an 1 his mother's maiden name was Catharine Haynes. Our subject received his education in his native land, and emigrated to America in 1849, landing ai. New York on Christmas day of that year. He remained in New York for two years, where he vvas engaged as clerk in a store. He then spent two years as a clerk in Huffalo, N. Y. In (853 he came to Canada and was employed as a clerk in the general store of Ab.aham Tice, of Caistor. Mr. Tice sold out his business to (ieorge Killens, who retained the ser- vices of Mr. Sisler until the time of his (Mr. Killens') death. Our subject then purchased the stock of goods from the executors of Mr. Killens' estate and began business on his own account. After doing busin^-ss in Caistor for twelve years he 486 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. I i f removed to St. Anns, where he kept store for another ten years, making twenty-two years n.ltogether in mercantile life. He then retired from business, in which he had been very successful, and iiegan farming in I'elham Tuwnship, near Fenwick. He has continued to reside on this farm ever since, with the exception of five years which he spent on a farm in Thoiold Township. While Mr. Sisler has been eminently successful in his private business, he has been selected for important piiblic duties. While living in Gainsboro he was once elected as a member of the council of that township. From 1881 to 1886 he filled the honorable position of deputy-reeve of Felham Township, each time being elected by large majorities. In 1859 he married Margaret, daughter of John and Charlotte (Molitore) Truium, of Gainsboro Township. Mr. Sisler's farm in Pelham Township, which consists of one hundred acres of very fertile soil, is one of the best in the county. The build- ings are first-class, and the traveller as he passes along the road cannot fail to admire the fine residence and grounds and thrifty surroundings. Our subject has been the architect of his own fortunes, and is an example of what may be done in Canada by industry and perseverance. He is .1 member of the Presbyterian church. North Pelham. H. P. SAVIGNY, proprietor of the I'emperance Hotel, Fonthill, township of Pelham, was born at Sorel, a town forty-five miles east of Montreal, on the St. Law- rence river, province of Quebec, December 19th, 1856, He received his primary education in his native town, when, removing with his father to Montreal at the age of sixteen years, he was further educated at the British Canadian school. His father is harbor master at Montreal, which position he has occupied for thirty years, dating his first incumbency to the office in 185 1, but was removed from the office for a period of five years (from 1873 to 1878), Our subject learned the trade of jeweller and chainmaker at Montreal, working at that business for five years. He came to Fonthill in 1874, and engaged in market gardening. In 1883 he married LuciUa, a daughter of the late Thomas and Jane (Leeson) Smith. After the death of Mrs. Smith, in 1883, Mr. Savigny took charge of the Fonthill Temperance Hotel, which he greatly improved, and is now keeping one of the best public houses in Welland County. The hotel is delightfully situated, and from the windows can be seen the waters of Lake Erie, distant about twenty miles. Mr. Savigny is of a genial disposition, and is an obliging landlord. He adheres to the Episcopal church, and is a member of the Canadian Home Circle. He was also one of the first members of the 44th Battalion Band, and assisted in its organization, but resigned from the body, as it interfered with his business. JOHN JAMES SAVKJNY, merchant, Fonthill, was born in the town of Sorel, province of Quebec, February 7th, 1851. He is a son of Andrew Blair Savigny, who was born near I'^dinhurgh, Scotland, an inheritor of the Tremont estate, the property of the Savignys. The family can trace their history to the massacre of the niOORAPHICAL SKETCHES. 487 Huguenots, when all the grown-up members of the family were destroyed. Tliere is in connection with tUi.; massacre an incident of a rather marvellous character. The ancestors of Mr. Savigny were all nundcretl cxcei)t an infant that was passed unnoticed. The child was taken by nuns, who knew the parents, secreted in a monastery, passed by means of a symbol from convent to convent, and finally deliv- ered to relatives in Scotland, from whom the present family are descended. The grandparents ot Mr. Savigny came to Canada, bringing his father with them. The mother of our subject was born in Sorei, P. Q., and is of ICngiish origin. The family of the father of Mr. S. consisted of twelve children, ten of whom are living, six of them in the county of Welland. Our subject was educated in Sorel, learned the business of ornamental japanning and sign writing, which he followed up to 1884, when he embarked in the mercantile business. He married February 2nd, 1879, Emma, a daughter of Anson Buin.s, of Troy, N. Y. They have a family of two children, viz : Milton Day and VVnl^er Lloyd. Mr. Savigny came to the county of Welland about 1872. He is a member of the O. C. H. C, is an adhe- rent of the Church of England, and a Conservative in politics. JOSEPH THORN, deceased, was born on the banks of the Hudson river, at High Park, Sussex County, New York State, on the 14th day of April, 1805. His father was William Thorn, a native cf England, who came to America about the be- ginning of this century. His mother was Sarah (Minard) 'i'horn ; she was bnm in Connecticut. When cur subject was a young man, the family came to Canada and settled in St. Davids, Stamford Township. On the 21st of April, 1828, he married Sarah H. Rice, daughter of Thomas and Abigail (Dennis) Rice. Mr. Thorn began life on his own account in Stamford Township, as a farmer and miller ; he after- wards removed to Pelham, where he remained until the time of his death, which occurred in December, 1879. He led an active life and accumulated a large prop- erty. His widow survives him. They have no family, but have raised a number of children, whom they adopted. Mrs. Thorn lives at the family residence, Pelham Corners. She is a devoted member of the Baptist church, and her liberality has to a large extent assisted the Baptist congregation in Fontliiil in paying for their beau- tiful church. Mrs. Thorn enjoys the friendship of a large circle of acquaintances. JOSIAH WARD, farmer, Ridgeville P. O., dates his birth at Columbia County, State of New York, May 14th, 1828. His parents were Richard and Ruth (Hoag) Ward, the former of English and the latter of Dutch extraction. About the year 1832 the family came to Canada, settling on the farm now owned and occupied by Mr. Seth Page in Pelham. The father was a carpenter by trade, and combined the work of his trade with that of farming. He sold his first farm and purchased the property now owned by Mr. Vanevery. He lived on it until the time of his retire- ment from active work, since which he has resided at Pelham Corners. He is in the enjoyment of good health and al. nis faculties at the ripe old age of eighty-eight in 488 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. years. Our present subject, Mr. Josiah Ward, learned the trade of blacksmith, at which he worked many years. For about twenty years he was in the employ of the late John Kro-.vn, Welland Canal conLiactor, managing his dredges, during which time he saved sufficient money to purchase his valuable premises of i8o acres, situ- ated along the Canbcro Road, in Pelham. On this farm Mr. Ward has lately erected a mansion that is an ornament to the county. Our subject married Ruth, a daughter of Peter Beckett. They have a family of three daughters, viz : Hannah, the wife of D. J. Stone ; Adeline and Annie Jane. Mr. Ward has been for ten years a member of the A. F. & A. M. He is a Conservative in politics. WILLIAM A. N. WEST, farmer, St. Catharines R O., was born at Port Dal- housie, in Lincoln County, on the ist day of March, 1850. His parents were Charles and Mary (LaPlaunt) West. Charles West was a native of the United States and the birth-place of his wife was Montreal. Both the parents died of cholera, when our subject was two years of age. He was adopted by John Hippie, of Clinton Township, and was brought up on that gentleman's farm. By applying himself diligently to his studies he received a liberal education, at the Campden public school, and after securing a teacher's certificate, devoted himself to the teaching profession for four years. In 1878 he married Ellen, a daughter of Wil- liam Richardson, Esq., and the following year settled on his present premises in Pelham, where he has since continued to reside, turning his attention to agriculture. Mr. West is one of the progressive farmers ot the township, and the results he has secured indicate the intelligent manner in which he conducts his farm. In 1878, when he commenced farming, the soil was in a very impoverished condition. He has, however, by his excellent system of using artificial fertilizers, feeding stock, etc., made the land very productive. He uses all the latest improved machinery, and is a succe.ssful breeder of improved Suffolk pigs and Southdown sheep, on which he carries off a share of the prizes at the fall fairs, in which he takes an active interest. He also uses his p',n in the interest of his profession, having contributed able articles to agricultural periodicals. Our subject has four children, Maggie M., Hattie B., P'lorence E., William C. R. He is a member of the school board, occupying the position of secretary-treasurer, a position for which his experience in educational matters eminently fit him. He has twice performed the duties of township assessor. He is an adherent of the Methodist church, and a staunch Reformer in politics. DAVID WILKKRSON, farmer, Fenwick P. O., was born in Thorold Town- .ship, October 17th, r8r8. He is a son of John and Annie (Hoover) Wilkerson, and a grandson of Robert Wilkerson, a native of Pennsylvania, of German descent, who came to Canada as a U. E. Loyalist during tiic American revolutionary war, and settled on the old homestead m Thorold Township, still in possession of his des- cendants. He was awarded lands for his adherence to the British crown. The father of our subject took part in the war of 1812, and was it the battle of Chippawa, mm BIOGRAt'HICAL SkETCllliS. 489 at which engagement his brother Jacob was killed. John and Robert, .in making the attempt to carry the body of their brother away for burial, were so closely pur- sued by the enemy that they had to drop him and flee for their lives. The father of our subject died on the old homestead in the 42nd year of his age. Mr. Wilkerson was brought up a farmer, and married November 24th, 1847, Elizabeth, (born De- cember 1 2th, 1828) a daughter of John and Catharine (Bouk) Wormer, the former of Schoharie, state of New York, and the latter of Canadian birth, and grand- daughter of Frederick and Catharine (Bowman) Bouk, of German descent, who came to Canada shortly after the revolutionary war, and settled inThorold Township. Mr. Wilkerson has a family of six children, viz : John Wesley, born March loth, 1850; Robert George, born January i6th, 1852, died January 30th, 1880; Harvey Edwin, born September 27th, 1855 ; Ivlen A., born September i6th, 1857, died May 9th, 1861 ; Martha Jane, born March 9th, 1861 ; and Henry Edward, born September nth, 1865. A. W. YOKOM, farmer, Welland P. O., was born at the village of Cook's Mills, Crowland Township, on the 8th day of July, 1844. His father, Jacob L. Yokom, now resident of VValsingham Township, Ont., was a son of the late Jesse Yokom, who was one of the oldest residents of Crowland Township, and a veteran of the war of 181 2. Our subject's mother, Mary Yokom, was a daughter of Elias and Amy (Seger) Doan. Elias Doan's parents were Elijah and Margaret (Brayley) Doan, natives of New Jersey, who settled in Crowland as early as 1797. Amy Seger's parents were John G., and Mary (Fitch) Seger. Mr. A. W. Yokom is thus descended from the very earliest pioneers of Welland County. At the age of eigh- teen he removed with his parents from Crowland to Pelham. He learned the trade of a carpenter of his father, and combined it with the business of farming. He is now the owner of a good farm in South Pelham, conveniently situated within a couple of miles of the county town. He has been twice married. His first wife, to whom he was married March 6th, 1866, was Miss E. V. Hopkins, who died leav- ing one child, Freddy Milton, who was born May 4th, 1868. On March 6th, 1878, our subject was married to Catharine, a daughter of John Stirtzinger, a native of Germany, who came to Canada in his boyhood. 49° HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. STAMFORD TOWNSHIP AND NIAGARA FALLS VILLAGE. HENRY i^ROWN, merchant, Niagara Kails South, was born in Coydon, in the county of Surrey, England, November 24th, 1822. His parents were John and Ann (Plowman) brown, both natives of England. Our subject received his educa- tion in his native land, and there learned the trade of carpenter and joiner. He emigrated to Canaria, arriving on this side of the Atlantic in May, 1841. He settled at Niagara Falls a id continued to work at his trade, until 187 1, when he embarked in his present business. He deals in general groceries, provisions, crockery, glass- ware, etc. When the village o*" Niagara Falls was incorporated, Mr. Brown was elected to a seat at the council board, and was re-elected several years following, performing his duties in a manner satisfactory to his fellow-townsmen, whose confi- dence and esteem he possesses. He was married during one of his visits tc his native land, in 185 1, to Harriett, a daughter of John Dalton, by whom he had one daughter, Eliza. His second wife was Isabella, a daughter of George and Ann (Matthews) Cole, of English descent. They have a family of four children, Harry, (leorge, Isabella, and Grace. Our subject has been for thirty-five years a member of the C. O. O. F. His wife and family are all members of the Baptist church. ELI E. BOOK, physician and druggist, Niagara Falls South, was born in Gainsboro Township, Lmcoln County, May 22nd, 1836. He is a son of Jo.seph and Mary (Snider) Book, and grandson of (jeorge and Elizabeth Book, of New Jersey, bu' of German descent, and William Snider, a native of Pennsylvania. The father of our subject was born near Beamsville, in Lincoln County, Ont, where he lived throughout the whole of his life, and where he died. Dr. Book received his early education in Lincoln County; he afterwards attended Trinity College, 'I'o'onto, and Dr. Rolph's Medical School. Subsequently going to Michigan, he graduated from Ann Arbor School of Medicine, in 1865, securing a dijiloma. l''or the next four years he practiced medicine in Stamford; then, going to Bath, New York, he contin- ued his practice in that place until 1882, when he returned to Canada, passed an examination before the Board of Physicians and Surgeons at Toronto, and received a license to practice in Ontario. He established in Niagara Falls South shortly after, and has, in connection with his practice, the largest stock of drugs and medicines in the village. The doctor married April 15th, 1871, Mary Hannah, a Canadian, born May 4th, 1844, and a daughter of Daniel and Amy Margaret (Miller) Callahan, the former of Irish, and the latter of English nativity. They have one son, Fred, born September 27th, 1874. The doctor is a member of the Royal Templars of Tem- perance. ALEXANDER BUNKER, tha present owner of Bunker Hill, was born near Hamilton, in Wentworth County, September 12th, 1812. He is a son of Nathaniel mOGRAPHICAt, SKETCHES. 491 Bunker, a native of New Jersey, a U. E. Loyalist who came to Canada in 1810 and settled in the township of (llanford, where he and his wife lived and died. Our subject has been, throughout most of his eventful life, an hotel keeper, starting first in the business at the city of Hamilton. He next went to New York City and continued the hotel business during the war between the North and South, making sufficient money to retire from active business operations, when he returned to Welland County, bought his present property, named it IJunker Hill, and has ornamented and beautified the grounds in a pleasing and attractive manner, with lawn, park and garden, tastefully interspersed with trees, flowers and shrubbery. A more pleasant treat than to spend a few hours in listening to the anecdotes of Mr. Bunker one can scarcely conceive. He has given names to the avenues and walks, each one bearing on some incident or .event that has actually taken place. His premises formed part of the old Forsyth estate, and on the part now owned by Mr. B. was erected one of the first hotels of the county. It was for a time the residence of Lord Elgin, Governor General of Canada. During the Governor's residence here the great prima donna, Jenny Lind, being on a visit to the Falls, was his invited guest and sang three songs. The hotel has since been burned, but Mr. B. has i.:arked the spot by an ornamental mound of flowering plants, and called it Jenny Lind's Mound. Throughout the grounds are painted signs commemorating incidents which have taken place and given rise to the names. For instance, the well of Jacob and Rebecca. Mr. Bunker married in 1840 Diana Bowman, of Oakville, Halton County. They have two children, Alvira Ann, wife of Wm. Sabin, of New York, wholesale fur dealer ; and VV. A., foreman for Macy & Co., corner of Broadway and 14th street. New York. H. G. A. COOK, surgeon dentist, Niagara Falls South, was born in Stamford Township, November 13th, 1840. He received his education in Stamford, and after a special training for two years under Dr. Chrysler, established himself in business at Niagara Falls South, in 1864, where he still continues his profession, having a branch office at Welland, to which he gives his attention on Wednesdays of each week. The doctor is a son of Abner and Nancy (Brookfield) Cook, descend- ants of the earliest pioneers of the county. His maternal ancestor, Catharine daughter of James and Eve Durham, was the second white child born in the county, and perhaps in the province, receiving from Governor Haldimand a grant of 200 acres of land — a grant made to a few of the earliest native-born subjects. Dr. Cook married, August 13th, 1864, Susan M., daughter of Revel Hawking, an orderly of Col. Booth, of the 43rd regiment of the line, who landed at Quebec, from Gibraltar, in 1836 or 1837, Mr. Hawking buying out his unexpired time shortly after. Our subject has been a member of No. 103, Cataract Lodge, of the L O. O F., since 1874, and a charter member of Dufferin Council, No. 4, Order of Chosen Friends. ilu J 492 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. m! ABNKR COOK, of Niagara Falls South, is a son of Hagi^ai and Sarah (Dur- ham) Cook, and grandson of Robert and Martha (Skinner) Cook, and great grand- son of James and Eve Durham. The ancestors of our subject came to Canada from New jersey about 1776, and settled in Stamford. What goods they had were brought on packhorses, through the bush l)y Indian trail, swimming or fording the streams on their way, The grandfather of Mr. Cook took up 300 acres of land north of the eastern extension of I.undy's Lane, on which at present stands part of the village of Niagara Falls, the stream called " Muddy Run " taking its rise on the farm. The father of our subject married Sarah Durham, and had a family of four- teen sons and daughters, who grew up to be heads of families. Our subject mar- ried Nancy Almira, a daughter of Jacob and Mary (Clover) Brookfield, who was one of her father's family of fifteen children that grew up and became heads of families. Mr. Cook's daughter, Carrie, married Frank Booth, a son of James Booth, taxidermist, of Niagara Falls South, who was born in Cheshire County, near Man- chester, England ; he came to America about 1846, landed at New York, traveled west to Michigan, and south to Natchez, Mississippi, afterwards came to Canada, stopping about a year in Toronto, and finally settled in Drummondville, now Niagara Falls South, about 1849 "•' 1850. His father, Joseph Booth, was a hat manu- facturer, of Hyde, England. Mr. James Booth learned the trade he follows in England, and the experience he has acquired in his travels has made him a first-class artist. His wife was Mary Ann Rose. Mr. Frank Booth is a member of the I. O. O. F. He has one son, named Frank. PETER DEWITT, farmer, township of Stamford, was born August 12th, 1814, in the state of New York. The parents of our subject, Pe*.er and Ann DeWitt, came to Canada in 18 16, bringing young Peter with them, at that time not quite two years old, and located on the farm where Mr. DeWitt at present resides, and which was formerly owned by Col. Thomas Clark. Here the old people lived and died, the father at the age of seventy-nine and the mother at the unusual age of one hundred and two years. Our subject has followed the occupation of farming through- out life. His farm, lying on the north side of the Chi|)pawa river and fronting on it, is one of the finest in that section, and his house and surroundings show thrift and enterprise. He has assisted, in all the various changes, to transform a wilderness, in which, since his recollection, roamed all the wild beasts native to the clime, to a fine, well-tilled farm. He also assisted in opening up the road from Port Robinson to Chippawa. Mr. DeWitt married, February 29th, 1876, Charlotte, a daughter of Henry and Alsie (Pettit) Dell, and granddaughter of the I'-^ttits of Long Island Sound, of English and Cerinan extraction, and of the Dells of New Jersey, who wore U. E. Loyalists. Our subject is a Liberal in politics, and is an adherent of the Baptist church. Mrs. DeWitt adheres to the Methodist church. CALVIN D. EMMETT, farmer, Southend P. O., was born in the township 1 Sarah (Dur- great grand- e to Canada ney had were r fording the cres of land :ands part of ig its rise on family of four- subject mar- leld, who was ime lieads of James Booth, /, near Man- York, traveled e to Canada, :, now Niagara a hat manu- he follows in lim a first-class ber of the 1. August 1 2th, dAnnDeWitt, 2 not quite two ies, and which ved and died, ual age of one rming through- nd fronting on show thrift and I wilderness, in ;lime, to a fine, •t Robinson to a daughter of if Long Island ,Msey, wlio wore dherent of the 1 the township Jf^zacr't^^^uZr- 4^> :| I 4 - ll i :f': !'l i M n HIOC.RAPHICAL SKETCHES. 495 of (Iranthani, in the county of Lincoln, on the 26th day of March, 1851. He is a brother of Dr. Emmett, of Konthill, whose bioj^raphy, puljlished elsewhere in this work, deals with the genealogy of the family. Our subject received his education in his native county, and in 187 1 settled on his present farm in Stamford Township. He owns 194 acres of very productive land, composed of a rich, sandy soil. He is a progressive farmer, and enjoys the esteem of his fellow citizens to such an extent, that he is now serving a third term as deputy-reeve of Stamford. He has been twice married. His first wife was Miss McDougall, a native of Niagara County, New York State, by whom he had one child, now deceased. The present Mrs. Emmett is Alice, a daughter of Richard and Catharine (Stull) Secord, of Crantham Township, a descendant of the pioneer families of Secord and Stull, who settled in the Niagara District at a very early date. Mr. and Mrs. Emmett are the parents of two children, both boys. Our subject is a Reformer in politics. W. H. FERGUSON, of the firm of W. H. Fergu.son ^: Co., brewers, was born at Niagara Falls, N. Y., May ist, 1854, and is a son of Robert and Pollen (Waters) Ferguson. He was educated in the state of New York, and engaged in the livery business, which he followed for about 15 years. He bought the brewery business of William Russell in 1885. The brewery, which enjoys a large trade, has a capacity of 20,000 barrels per annum. The firm devote their attention ex- clusively to the manufacture of lager beer. Mr. Ferguson was married April 13th, i88c, to Josephine Curry, who was born in New York State. Her father, James Curry, was a native of Ireland. They have three children, Mary, Nellie and James. They are all members of the Roman Catholic church. JOHN KER, Esq., was born in the township of Grantham, county of Lin- coln, on the 15th of November, 1806. His father, Thomas Ker, was a native of Scotland, having been born Augu.st 13th, 1772, at the village of Hyac, near the border of England. He emigrated to America and worked for three years in Philadelphia as a stonecutter. About the year 1800 he came to Canada, and settled where the village of Merritton is now situated, taking up land and combining the business of farming with his trade. He married Elizabeth Ball, a descendant of a U. E. Loyalist. She was born in 1784, and died in 1833. Thomas Ker died in 1855, in the eighty-third year of his age. He was ordered to Lundy's Lane during the war of 1812, but did not arrive at the battle ground until the fighting was over. His company was, however, detailed to take the |)risoners to Niagara, which proved a very perilous feat, the Indians being so incensed at the Americans that they at- tempted to kill the prisoners. Our subject, John Ker, Esq., was brought up to farm life and moved to Stamford Township in 1853, where he bought 160 acres, near Drummondville, now Niagara Falls South. He improved this land until he made homes for himself and descendants, second to none in the county of Welland. In his younger days he was an extensive contractor on the VVelland canal. His com- 31 i i ; I BPT— -arr? iK I , ^ 496 HISTORY OF Wl:i,I,ANn COUNTY. mission as justice of the ptacc dates back to the time when (^iiecn Victoria ascended the Knglish throne. He possesses j^reat business abihty, and has always been of a judicial turn of mind, so that his services have been frequently selected in arbitration matters. He was married February 70th, 1833, to Mary, a daughter of Alexander and Hannah (Palmer) Brown, the former a native of County Down, Ireland, and the latter of New Jersey, of English de.scent. Mrs. Ker's grandfather was at the taking of Quebec, under (ieneral Wolfe, and caught that great command- er in his arms after he was shot, preventing him from falling. Our subject was at an early age afflicted with a peculiar disease — a palsied or withered leg — which has rendered him a cripple for the last sixty-five years. Otherwise he is hale and hearty for a man of his years. He is the patriarch of four generations now living around him, with the heads of the different families unbroken. He has a son and daughter living, viz : Walter Ker, Ksfj., and Hannah, the wife of Ralph Oarner, of Niagara Falls South. Mr. and Mrs. Ker are members of the Methodist church. WALTER KER, Eaq., was born in the township of (Irantham. He is a son of John Ker, Esej., whose biography jjrecedes this. He received his education at the St. Catharines grammar school, and began life as a farmer. He was married Sejnember 24th, 1856, to Maria, a daughter of Jo.seph and Elizabeth Wright, of Nottingham, England. They have two sons and four daughters, viz : Franklin, Helen, Blanche, Selina, Hamilton and Mabel. Franklin married Harriet, a daughter of Marcena and Mary Ann (Orey) Mor.se ; they have one .son, Wilfred, who is the great grandson of John Ker, making the fourth generation in the male line living. Walter Ker is one of the progressive farmers of the county. He has on his premises an extensive vineyard of fifteen acres, from two acres of which he last year gathered nineteen tons of fruit, which sold for $50 per ton. Like his father, Mr. Ker is well qualified for the transaction of public business, and was, in 1885, com- missioned justice of the peace. He also follows in his father's footsteps as a Re- former in politics, and his son Franklin at present occupies the position of president of the Young Liberal Club, of Niagara Falls South. MRS. MARIA KICK, widow of Michael Kick, is a daughter of Jacob and Catharine Myers, of German de.scent, and natives of the United States, having lived and died in the city ot Buffalo, N. Y. Mrs. Kick was born near Buffalo, on the 8th day of August, 1831, received her education in that city, and was married July nth, 1854, to Michael Kick, who was born in (lermany, a son of Matthias Kick. Mr. Michael Kick came to this county when fourteen years of age. He died in April, 1875. He, with our subject, have been the proprietors of the International Hotel, for the past twenty-six years ; since his death it has been carried on by Mrs. Kick. It is one of the most orderly and best conducted hotels in the village of Niagara Falls South. It is what might be advantageously imitated by all pro- prietors of hotels, a home, surrounded by all the comforts that one can desire, and IIIOORAI'HlCAt. SKKTCHES. 497 iL-n Victoria has always tly selected a daughter iinty Down, grandfather It command- )ject was at eg — which is hale and i now living s a son and I Oarner, of t church. He is a son education at was married I Wright, of iz : Franklin, et, a daughter :d, who is the le line living, e has on his :h he last year s father, Mr. n 1885, com- ;eps as n Re- >n of president of Jacob and ;s, having lived ufliilo, on the married July Matthias Kick. He died in e International ed on by Mrs. the villai^e of ed by all i)ro- can desire, and the yard and grounds are adorned by tree>i, shrubs and tluw<'rs in profusion, Of Mrs. Kick's family, Michael was proprietor of the Urunswick House from 1878 to 1885, and, at the time of his death, Febrnary 8th, 1886, was proprietor of the Cliff House. 'I'he other children arc : Charles, now assisting his mother ; I'rank, now proprietor of the Niagara Hou.se, Niagara I'lills ; l<^sther, formerly clerk at the museum ; and ICIizabeth. CH?\RLES A. KICK, hotel-keeper, Niagara Kails South, was born at Chip- pawa, county of Welland, May 4th, 1855. He is a son of Michael and Maria (Myers) Kick, and grandson of Jacob and Catharine Myers, of (ierrnan descent, but of American birth. Michael, the father of our subject, came to this county at the age of fourteen years, became proprietor of the International Hotel, which he carried on for about a quarter of a century, up to the time of his death, in April, 1875. Mr. C. A. Kick was educated primarily at Drunnnondville, and afterward at Loretto Convent, Niagara Falls. He came to Niagara Falls South with his parents in i860, and, with the exception of three years that he was at Buffalo, has lived here since. He i> a Reformer in politics, a member of the Canadian Order of Odd Fel- lows, and is now an honorary member of the fire department of the village. He was at one time secretary for the same, and at an earlier period one of its most active members. Mr. Kick is an e.xtensivo reader, well posted in current events, and is a shrewd and close observer of politics. HENRY KALAR, Est}., deceased, was born on the banks of the Wel- land river, near the village of Chippawa, on the 13th of October, 1802. He was ten years old at the time of the late war between (Ireat Britain and the United States, and was well accjuainted with the i)rivations and troubles incident to the war. The family consisted of four brothers, John, James, Henry and William. John and James took an active part in the war of 181 2 and '14, being engaged in the memorable battles of I-undy's Lane, Queenston Heights and Chippawa ; young in years, yet fighting as Canadians can fight for king and country when a foreign foe invades the land. Henry remained in the township of Stamford, and in the 24th year of his age married Mary, eldest daughter of Samuel Glasgow, who, with his wife Elizabeth, were natives of Edinburgh, Scotland, but emigrated to this country about the beginning of this century. In those days men were marked for their politics. To stand up and declare oneself a Reformer, was ofttimes to bring down a storm of persecution on one's head, and to be branded as disloyal. How- ever, Mr. Kalar saw fit to cast his political lot with the gallant few who loved prin- ciple and freedom of thought rather than the government pap of those early days, and when William Lyon Mackenzie rose up as a teacher and leader in Canadian politics, he, with thousands more, denounced the political abuses of the day in no un- measured terms, and in 1837 8 came boldly to the front as a supjiorter of Macken- zie's principles. Mr. Kalar lived many years, and was proud to see the grand 498 HiSTOkY OK WKLLAND COUNTV. banner of Reform sweep like a whirlwind over fair Canada. Free speech, a free press, free schools, and the |)rin(iples of responsible government were liie issues of the rebellion of 1X57-^8. Mr. Kalar's father was a U. K. l,oyali?>t, having come to this country at the close of the revolutionary war. Our subject's family consists of three daughters and two sons, Maria, Clynthia, Marjory, James H. and Ralph. Ralph was born in the township of Stamford, March i7tli, 1M35, and received a liberal education, but has followed the pursuit of a farmer and is the owner of a fine farm, situated in the township of Stamford. In princi[)le he follows closely in the foot- ste[)s of his father, and is always to be found on the side of pure and i)rogressive government. He married Miss Jennie Keeler, daughter of William Keeler, of the township of Augusta, in the county of (Irenville, in the year 1869. His family con- sists of three children, two sons and a daughter, Malcolm, Mary R., and Norman M., now promising students in the high and public schools. Mrs. Ralph Kalar's grandfather, J. H. Keeler, like many of his type, canit to this country because a Tory of his stamp was not wanted in the state of New Jersey. I'o be known as a U. E, l/0yali.st was to him the highest possible compliment you could pay him. Mrs. K's. father, William Keeler, took an active part in the rebellion of 1837-38. He was in the battle of Windmill I'oint, below the town of Prescott, and gloried to see the patriots of this now free and liberal country put to rout. Hut as time rolled along and brought its changes, a more indei)endent Liberal could not be found. He lived many years to regret the course he took in thirty-seven and eight, and claimed that to be loyal was to be true to freedom and inde|)endence. William Keeler married Miss Rosanna Hanks, an American lady, who brought her Republican prin- ciples with her, and her influence is still felt in the neighborhood where she resides. She is the mother of seven children, six daughters and one son. James Harvey Kalar, brother lo Ralph, lives on the old homestead in the township of Stamford He is a prosperous farmer and takes great pride in good stock, fine horses, etc. He married Miss Harriet Keeler, of Spencerville, county of (Irenville, daughter of James Keeler, a jjrosperous lumberman and farmer. Their family consists of one son, a bright little fellow of six summers. WH^LIAM I-OWKLL, Kaq., of Niagara Falls Village, was born February 16th, 181 1, at the village of St. Davids, township of Niagara, in the county of Lincoln. His father, Francis Lowell, died when William was but four years old, about the close of the war of 1812 and 181 5. Owing to the war and general devastation of homes his mother was left with very limited means, but by industry and economy was enabled to give her son a fair business education. At the age of fourteen he entered the mercantile establishment of John Tannahill, at the town of Niagara, as clerk, and afterwards served in the same cai)acity in the then village of St. Catharines. About 1828 he went to London District, returned to his native village in 1831, and through the kindness of an uncle was induced to join in a general store at mmk HlfKiRAPHICAI, SKKl'CHKS. 499 ioci), a free lie issues of \n\!, come to (■onsists of ilph. Ralph ed a liberal a fine farm, in the foot- I progressive [.eeler, of the is family con- ir.d Norman alph Kalar's ry because a ; known as a uld pay him. of 1837-38. lid gloried to as time rolled )e found. He , and claimed lliam Keeler publican prin- e she resides, ames Harvey of Stamford, rses, etc. He , daughter of nsists of one ''ebruary i6th, ty of Lincoln, aid, about the devastation of and economy of fourteen he of Niagara, as St. Catharines, 'illage in 1831, eneral store at Drunimondville, now Niagara Kails Village, Dul which, in Mr. Lowell's opinion, should never have lost its former historic nune. Here he continued in '»usincH:H until 1H60, and having been eminently successful, lie retired from a* live mercan- tile life. His only busmess at present is the dealing in securities. Although he is in his 76th year he is liale and hearty ; the oldest inhabitant of the village. Mr. Lowell married, in 1834, Mary, a daughter of Christian anr* Mary (McC!arty) Zavitz, natives o( lUick's C^ounty, I'ennsylvania, the former of C.crman descent, and the latter descended from the I-ant, 1 isof London, England. ,Mr. /avitz assisted at building the first mills in the pn , and at an early date located at Sugarloaf Hill, Humberstone Township, \'> >' e he built mills for himself, and where his daughter Mary was born, August /ih, 1814, He afterwards moved to London District, took up a large tract of land, erected mills theron, and was fairly successful in business. He was generous to a fault, and all were treated hospitably at his house, which was never closed to the needy. The family of Mr. Lowell consisted of five children, four of whom are dead : James Alfred, the only surviving son, is at present living at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The father of Mr. Lowell was a native of Massachusetts, who came to Canada previous to, and took part in, the war of 1812, in the ranks of the ni'iitia. He was taken prisoner, conveyed to (Ireenbu.sh, and kept for several weeks closely guarded. Watching for a favorable opportunity, he, with several of his comrades, made their escape, and after much difficulty and delay reached home. Some time previous to the above events he had married Catharine, a daughter of Joseph Clement, an officer of the Ikitish army at the time of the revolutionary war, vho at its close came to Canada as a U. E. Loyalist, and was permitted to take up land for services. He was also entitled 10 his rations and a retiring allowance for the rest of his life. Mr. Lowell has often listened to his mother recount her trials and difficulties during the troublous times of the war of 18 1 2. On one occasion, the enemy, having takei possession of St. Davids, burned, among others, the house in which she lived. Nothing was left but flight, to remove herself and two children from danger. She look William on her shoulders and the other in her arms, r.nd started on a journey of seven miles, to the house of Mr. Collard, an old friend. Arriving there she was kindly sheltered and provided for, but fresh troubles arose. The militia to the number of 300 took possession of the buildings, the officers being quartered in the house. The next morning, the main body of the troops having left, the officers, being more leisurely in taking their breakfast, were surrounded by a troop of American cavalry, and at the com- mand to surrender laid down their arms. This surprise and capture was made through one Wilcox, who had turned traitor. When the enemy surrounded the hou.se they pointed their weapons to the windows. Mrs. Lowell knew Wilcox at once and begged him not to allow his men to fire into the house, which order he gave at once. On leaving with the officers as prisoners, the : oops fired the house, and '■-yv^-i-r,-* !.-, -.iiwi. Soo HISTORY OF WKLLAND COUNTY. it was soon reduced to ashes. , Again were Mrs. Lowell and her children compelled to hunt fresh (]iiarters. This is hut an illu.stration uf the difficulties and hardshi[)s endured not only by tiiis family, i)ut l^y others during that unsettled period, in a country where the means (jf commuiiicatiou and transportation were uf the most meagre kind ; where food and shelter could not be obtained, and where defenceless women and children were subject to be torn to pieces by savage beasts of the forest, or to be killed by the more relentless foe in human shape. In 1844 Mr. Lowell was included in the commission of the peace, and for many years discharged the duties of magistrate very efficiently. He is a Reformer of the old school, and nothing pleases him better than to associate his name with the late Hon. Robert Baldwin. Of late years he has not taken any active part in politics, but always claims and exercises the right of the franchi.se. Since the foregoing was written, Mr. Lowell has generously offered to build a churcli for the Presbyterian congrega- tion of his village, wholly with his own means, and the offer has been gratefully accepted by the church. GEORGE LAW, fruit grower and gardener, township of Stamford, was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, August 3rd, 11^35. He is a son of John and Margaret (White) Law, of Fifeshire, who came to Canada in 1842 and settled in Niagara Township, near Brock's monument. The father of our subject, born in 1800, was a farmer throughout life, and died in 1883 in his 83rd year. The mother of Mr. Law was born in 1809, and died si c 'ly after coming to Canada, in 1850, at the age of 39 years. Our subject was brought up to farm life, and managed the farm of J no. Drew at Niagara Falls for eleven years. He then bought his present premises, bordering on Lundy's Lane, and has since devoted his time to growing small fruits and vegetables. He has a fine young vineyard on his place, and, taken altogether, has one of the best laid out and managed |)roper''es on the Lane. Mr. Law was elected to the council of the township of Stamford in 1882, which position he still holds by the voice of the peojjle, making an efficient and able councillor. He is a member of the school board, of the Royal Templars of Temi)erance, and of the Methodist church. His fatlier's family consisted of five children, viz : James, now dead ; George, John A., Mary and Maggie. The elder of the sisters is keei)ing house for Mr. Law in his pleasant home on Lundy's Lane. EDWARD LINDNER, proprietor of the fruit canning establishment at Stam- ford, was born on the 21st day of September, 1857, at the village of Newmarket, in the county of York. His parents, who were natives of (5ern)any, removed from Newmarket to what is now known as West Toronto Junction, when our subject was four years of agi. There ht received his education and learned tiie trade of a car- penter. In 1879 he established himself as a builder, and during the comparatively short time he was engaged In the business he erected more than forty houses, besides one large business block. He was married in October, 1880, at the village of Carle- HIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 501 impelled ardshi[)s 3d, in a he most fenceless lie forest, 1 ,owell arged the hool, and Robert Lit always s written, congrega- gratefuUy as born in ;t (White) Fownship, a farmer . l,aw was age of 39 m of J no. t premises, small fruits altogether, r. Law was lion he still )r. He is a and of the James, now ; is keeping icnt at Stam- :;wmarket, in moved from r subject was ide of a car- ;()mi)aratively )uscs, besides lage of Carle- ton, to Mary, a daughter of Joseph and Mary Upton, who are natives of Sussex, England. He has two children, one of whom was born in July, 1882, and the other in 1884. He began his present business as a partner of A. B. Dunning, of Toronto, but some lime ago severed his connection with that gentleman, and has since carried on the business alone. He manufactures a large amount of canned goods annually, which finds a market through the wholesale trade. JOHN A. ORCHARD, Esq., reeve of Stamford and warden of the county of Welland, was born in Devonshire, England, March 2nd, 1815, a son of Thomas and Eliza Ann (Medway) Orchard. Thomas Orchard came to Canada in 1835, and, after stopping a year at Toronto, located in Stamford, where he died in 1839. Our subject came with his father to Stamford, and has resided there ever since. In 1859 he was appointed bailiff of the fourth division court of the county of Welland. In 1865 he was appointed clerk of said court, which position he still holds. He did business as an auctioneer for nearly thirty-five years and up to 1885. Mr. Orchard was elected reeve of Stamford by acclamation for 1884-5-6-7, and the present year holds the important and honorable trust of the county wardenship by the unanimous vote of the county council. Mr. Orchard has held many positions of trust. He was one of the first license commissioners for the county of Welland under the "Crooks Act," and assisted in framing the rules and regulations fcr the government of hotels and liquor stores. In 1869 he was appointed clerk of the township of Stamford, holding the office twelve years. In 188'' he was appointed a member of the provincial board of commissioners fo; the management and trusteeship of the government reservation at the Falls, known as the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park. He has always filled the trusts reposed in hipi with great efficiency and integrity, and no man in the county possesses a greater share of public confidence and esteem than Mr. Warden Orchard. DELANO PEW, farmer, Niagara Falls South P. O., was born November 25, 1849. He is a descendant of Charles (jreen, a native of New Jersey, a United Empire Loyalist who became one of the i)ioneers of Lundy's Lane by settling on lot 132, Stamford, during the progress of the revolutionary war. The grandfathers of our subject were James Pew and Reuben (ireen. His grandmother (keen's maiden name was Fortner. Both of the grandfathers look part in the war of 1812. (Irandfather Green was a noted sportsman, and whilst fishing in the Nia- gara River, having been annoyed by the Americans firing at him, he, with that deadly aim for which he was inous, fired on the enemy, killing one of his tormentors. After that time he was unmolested. Our present subject's father was John Pew, who was born at what is known as the Beech Woods, in Stamford Town- ship. He was a farmer and contractor for twenty-seven years, havirg the contract for supplying the eastern section of the C. W. R. with wood. John I'ew's wife, who survived him and is still living at the advanced age of seventy-six, was Sarah 502 HISTORY OF WELLANP COUNTY. ! i: Oreen. Delano I'cw, our present subject, was educated at the Drummondville grammar school, and brought up to farm life. He was married November 14th, I.S73, to Emma, a daughter of William and I'.lizabeth (Evans) Rus.sell, both natives of England. Mr. I'ew has two daughters, Maud and Nellie. He is a member of the I. O. O. v., and occupies a seat on the school board. His farm is one of the finest in the county ; a beautiful grove of pines surrounding the house commands the admiration of all beholders. The farm was sold by the ancestors of the i)resent owner about seventy years ago for $1000, and a quarter of a century later one-half of it was re-purchased for $5800 — a good illustration of the increase in value of property in the neighborhood. GEOR(iE ROBINSON, farmer, township of Stamford, was born in Stafford- shire, England, A. I). 1814, at a place called Mosall, and received his education under a private tutor. He was apprenticed to the cabinet trade, but, not liking the business after learning it, he came to Canada in 1840, and after knocking about for several years he settled down to farming. He is a son of Richard and Mary (Ash- ton) Robinson. The father, a man of wealth and good social position, died sudden- ly, leaving an unsettled estate in the hands of trustees, who managed it so carelessly that the matter was handed over to the court of chancery for settlement. As gener- ally happens in such cases, but a moiety of the estate was di> ded among the legatees, seven in number. On our subject coming to Canada he settled in Stamford Town- ship, and has since followed the occupation of farming. He married November 30th, 1845, Maria, a daughter of Robert and Abigail (VanWyL.^y Fralick, and grand- daughter of John Fralick. The VanWycks were originally from Holland. Mrs. Robinson was born at Niagara P'alls. Her father came to Canada at the close of the American revolution. She had four sisters and three brothers. Two sisters and two brothers are still living. Of her family of five, four sons and one daughter, three sons and the daughter are married, one son being dead. The living are Richard, William and Samuel. The two former are living in Stamford and the latter is an Episcopal minister. The daughter is married to the Rev. Thos. Watson of the Episcopal church. Mr. Robinson is a member of the Church ol England, a Con- servative in politics, and a meuiber of the A. F. & A. M. JOSEPH RE.WELEY, farmer. Fort Robinson P. O., was born at Niagara Falls on the thirteenth day of March, 18 16. His father, Thomas Reavcley, was a native of Northumberland, F^ngland, who came to Canada in 181 1, after iiaving lived two years in the United States. He erected a carding mill at Niagara Falls, the second establishment of the kind in the country. 'I'hoinas Reavcley married Nancy Heasli]), a native of Stamford Township ; her parents came to Canada during the latter part of the eighteenth century, from the county of Cavan, Ireland. Our sui)ject is the only surviving member of a family of three sons and four daughters. He received his education in the schools of Stamford and began life as a farmer, and has con- BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 503 jondville )er 14th, h natives L'mber of le of the ommands e present one-half value of Stafford- education liking the about for ary (Ash- i;d sudden- carelessly As gener- ic legatees, ord Town- November and grand- and. Mrs. lie close of ) sisters and ighter, three re Richard, latter is an itson of the ind, a Con- Niagara Falls vas a native ng lived two the second mcy Heaslip, ie latter |)art Lil)ject is the He received ind has con- tinued in the same business ever since. He owns a valuable farm of 137 acre.s, composed of very productive clay loam soil. He is one of the intelligent agricul- turists of the county, and not only excels in his profession as a farmer, but possesses p public s[)irit, and is ever anxious for his country's welfare. He was one of the yeomen who assisted in quelling the rebellion of 1837-8, and in i86r, when there was a probability of war between Canada and the Uniu-d States, hi. was one of the first to offer his services in defence of the Crown. At that time he was a lieutenant in the militia. As a member of the VVelland Canal field battery he went to the front in 1866 to assist in repelling the Fenian invaders. He took part in tlie engage- ment at Fort Erie, and was one of those whom the Fenians made prisoners and served with rations of raw pork and soda biscuit. Mr. Reaveley continued to be a member of the battery until 1870, when he retired from the service. He is 1 staunch Episcopalian, and attends divine service at Fort Robinson. He takes a deep interest in the welfare of his church. He has repeatedly been warden of the church, and has several times been a delegate to the diocesan synod. He has been for many years a member of the Orange order, has filled all the offices from county master down, and is at present chaplain of the Port Robinson lodge. He has for a long time been a justice of the peace in his native county. He married ('harlotte, a daughter of Crowell Willson, one of the U. K. Loyalists who settled in Welland County. The union has been blessed with eight children — six sons and two daughters. The family have all been given a liberal education. Albert, the eldest son, who is a high school teacher, is a university graduate in art.s, and also of the school of gunnery at Kingston ; he was with his father' at the Fenian raid, and and at that time rose to the rank of lieutenant. Rthelbert, another son, is a medi- cal student, while the rest of the surviving sons are farmers. One of them, Thomas, married a daughter of Francis Weils, of Oowland, and is a farmer of Thorold Township. One of the daughters married Thos. Wilson, of Wainfleet, and the other married Mr. Spencer, now a resident of VAgin County. Mr. Reaveley is a staunch temperance advocate, and has been a life-long Conservative in politics. (iEORCF SHRIMP TON, Esq., mer'hanl, Niagara Kails South, was born near Salist)ury, Wiltshire, Eng., April 26, 1833. He came to Canada with his parents, James and Eliza (Evans) Shrimpton Their family consisted of six children, viz : Mary Ann, now wife of Neighbor Potter, Ceorge, Aaron, Elizabeth, wife of (leorge Smith, Albert and James. The father, James, on coming to Canada, settled in Stamford and began farming, first renting and afterwards buying the property on which Albert now lives. He died in April, 1881. Our subject learned the trade of carpenter and joiner in England, and for eight years after coming to Canada followed that occu- pation. He next farmed for eleven years, then started the mercantile business, in 1875, in the village of Niagara Falls South, and through enterprise, industry and honorable dealing, has so far won the confidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens I 1 1 . 1 1 ! . 1 1 II mm ii pii i 504 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. i that at present he fills the position of reeve of the village. He was for ten years, from 1868 to 1878, assessor for the township of Stamford, and was for two years a mem- ber of the township council. Next he was elected to the reeveship of his village in 1884, and to the same position for 1885, 1886 and 1887. He has been for six years a member of the school board, and for the last four years its chairman. He was appointed a justice of the peace in 1885. He married Dec. 4th, 1868, Mary, daughter of Richard and Julia (McDonald) Huff, of Canadian birth. Mr. S. has a family of three children, named Percy G., William J. and Clara E., all of whom are receiving a good education. Mr. Shrimpton is a member of the A. O. U. W. and has been advanced to the position of Select Knight in that body. He has also been a member of the Methodist church for the past 25 years. WARREN SPENCE, carriage and wagonmaker, was born in the village of Niagara Falls, November 27th, 1846. He learned the trade of carriage building at St. Catharines. He was afterwards for fourteen years in New York State, acquiring a more perfect knowledge of his business, the last eight of which he carried on an establishment of his own. Returning to Niagara P'alls South in 1878, he commenced business, in 1879, in the large shops now occupied by him, and employs on an average eight men, making all kinds of work knowr. to the trade. He is a son of Henry and Sarah (Pew) Spenre, the former a native of London, England, who came to Canada about 1819, at the age of eight years, with the grand- father of our subject, and lived for a time at Toronto, but came to this county at an early date, settling in Drummondville. He (Henry) was extensively engaged in contracting and building' in Canada and the United States, going as far south as New Orleans in pursuit of his trade, and is at present living at Niagara Falls South, at the age of 75 years, hale and hearty. The mother of our subject, Sarah Pew, is a Canadian by birth and is descended from the early pioneers of the county, whose history is given elsewhere in this work. Warren Spence married in April, 1869, Mary, a daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth Hiddleman, of New York State. They have a family of four children, three of whom are now living, viz., Ella, Clarence and Elizabeth ; and Frances, deceased. THOMAS C. STREET, deceased, was a native and life-long resident of the county of Welland. He died on the 6th of September, 1872, aged about sixty-three years. He inherited a large property from his father, who was one of the early settlers along the Niagara frontier. Durmg his lifetime, by judicious investments, this patrimony was augmented, so that he died the possessor of a fortune that made him one of the millionaires of Canada. In 1851, he was elected member of Par- liament for Welland County In 1854 he was defeated by Dr. Frazer, but was again elected in t86i, and from that date continurd to represent the county until the time of his death. Mr. Street was one of tht- most widely known men in (Canada, — a man irreproachable in private life, and of great hospitality and sociability. mOOr.APHICAL SKETCHES. 505 ars, from a mem- village in lias been ;hairman. th, 1868, rth. Mr. E., all of : A. O. U. He has village of )uilding at acquiring ied on an 1878, he him, and I the trade, if London, the grand- 5unty at an [ingaged in J south as '"alls So'ith, rah Pew, is anty, whose ^pril, 1869, tate. They a, Clarence lent of the It sixty-three )f the early investments, le that made iber of Par- )ut was again intil the lime ;^anada, — a ty- AL^'/V B. SPENCKR, blacksmith, was born at Lundy's Lane, May ist, 1856, and is a oon of Benjamin and Edna C. (Cojk) Spencer, and grandson of Robert, a native of Pennsylvania, of German descent. ('The genealogy of the Cook family appears fully elsewhere in this work.) Our subject received his education at thi schools of his native township, and learned the trade of blacksmith with (leorge F. Woolnough, of Niagara Falls South. He started in business for himself in 1882, on the site of the old battle ground of Lundy's Lane. Mr. Spencer married November 6th, 1883, Catharine H., a daughter of James and Anna (Ramsey) Bruce, of Scotch descent. They have one son, named Cordon L. Mr. S])encer is a member of Cataract Lodge, No. 103; Niagara Falls Camp, L O. O. F., and belongs to the Cataract Fire Co. of Niagara Falls South. ■^^SiP' NIAGARA FALI.S TOWN. JAMES E. AN(JER, pul;lisher and proprietor of the Niagara Falls Review, and Rev. William H. Anger, principal and originator of the St. Catharines Business College, are members of one of the oldest families in the county of Welland. Two brothers named Anger, (or Ahinger) came from Germany at an early date and settled at a place called Clobrock, N. Y. Both fought for the British Crown dining the revolutionary war, and when General Washington finally triun»phed, they, with the Nears, (Cierman, Neher) HofTmans and other Loyalists, came to Canada, bringing with them what they could with ox teams. Augustus Anger settled near Dunnville ; John Charles Anger in Bertie, and had three sons, Augustus, John Charles and Frederick. The last named died a bachelor. Augustus married and has many des- cendants now living in the county. John Charles married Abigail Near in Bertie in 1787 — just one hundred years ar'G. In 181 2, both John Charles and his eldest son took up arms in support of the British Government, and participated in the battle of Chippawa. The son, named Frederick, who had located in Wisconsin, came to Canada to battle for the land and flag of his fathers, returning after the war to Wisconsin. The old homestead was the farm now owned by John Miller, Bertie, on the Ridge road. Of the sons of J. C. Anger, all went west except William C. and Henry C. The former resided near Ridgeway, the latter, who was born in 1801, remained on the old homestead, willed him by his father, until his death in 1877. Of H. C. Anger's descendants, two sons and two daughters yet survive, James E. and William H., whose names head this sketch, and Mrs. E. Augustine, of Humber- stone, and Mrs. W. J. Hrown, of Port Rol)inson. James E. Anger started the Ni- agara Falls Review in 1879, and has succeeded m establishing a permanent and V 5o6 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY, i iii SI paying business. His wife is Martha, daughter of Thomas Spcdding of Bertie. William H. Anger, after being associated with his brother in the publishing business at Niagara Falls for some years, started the Niagara Falls Business College, remov- ing it lo St. Catharines in 1885, and changing the name to suit the new location. The institution is rapidly winning a wide reputation for success and efficiency in fitting the young for the ])ractical business of life. It is fitted with telegraphic, banking and other facilities. Mr. Anger is well cjualified for the work he has under- taken, being a B. A. of .A^lbert College. His wife is Hattie A., daughter of James S. Dell, Esq., of VVilloughby. CAPTAIN HIRAM BENDER. — As local genealogy is always appreciated, we give a brief outline of this family history back to about the middle of the last century, when Philip George Bender, a native of Germany, and his wife, who was born in Holland, emigrated to the state of New Jersey. There they lived until the time of the American revolutionary war, when they came to Canada, as U. E. Loyalists, with Butler's rangers. They took up lands at Niagara Falls, buying of the Indians their rights to fifteen hundred acres, but Mr. Jiender only took out a patent from the Crown for four hundred. On this land he erected a log house, during the latter quarter of the eighteenth century. Subscfjuently he built a frame house — the first in the territory now comprising the county of Welland — which was burned in the war of 181 2. These buildings stood in what is now the limits of the town of Niagara Falls, on the south side of the site of the present stone struc- ture of Hiram Bender, the present owner, who is a descendant of the fourth gener- ation from Philip G.* John B., who was a son of Philip G., was born in New Jersey and received his educatior: at the military school for children of soldiers, held at Lewiston. He had a family of five sons and six daughters, who attained their majority. Two of them, Aleni, and Candace, the wife of Wm. Cropley, still survive. Philip, the father of our present subject, was born April 14th, 1802. He served in the war of 18 12 as a teamster, and on one occasion took a cannon from St. Davids to Burlington Heights with a yoke of oxen. He was sergeant in a cavalry comi)any during the rebellion of 1837 ; in 1847 he was made ensign ; in 1849, fi""^' cornet ; and on May 2nd, 1862, Lieut.-Col. In I'ebruary, 1826, he married Elizabeth, a daughter of Nicholas and Jane (McLean) Misener, the former of German and the latter of Irish descent. The Misener family consisted of eight sons and four daugh- ters, one of whom, the mother of our subject, was born Aug. 14th, 1805. Philip Bender was the father of ten children, six of whom are now living : Mary Ann, John, (deceased), Jane, William, (deceased), Ellen, (deceased), Margaret, Philii) George, Hiram, John, Mira, (deceased). Hiram, our present subject, was born at Niagara Falls, received his education at the Drummondville grammar school, and afterwards attended the military college at Toronto, from which he graduated in 1867. He was appointed ensign in No. i company of the 44th battalion, and pro- ii| filOOkAPHICAI. SKETCHES. SO? moted to the second lieutenancy, and eventually became captain. During the Fenian invasion he served as 1)1 'vate in No. 2 company of the lyth battalion. For four years he occupied a seat in the county council as reeve of the town of Clifton. On Sept. 7th, 1879, he received an appointment in H. M. customs at Niagara Falls, a position he still holds. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, also of the I. O. O. F., and of the A. O. U. W. Captain Bender is of a genial disposition and enjoys great popularity. THOMAS BUTTERS, freight agent of the Orand Trunk Railway at Niagara Falls, was born in Dundee, Scotland, November 22nd, 1829. His parents were James and Jean (Anderson) Butters, both natives of Scotland. Our subject, who was educated in his native city and learned the trade of printer there, came to Canada in 185 1, landing at Montreal. He followed his trade for about three years, working in Montreal, Brockville, Toronto and Hamilton. In May, 1854, he took a position on the CJreat Western Railway, now one of the divisions of the (]rand Trunk, and has been in the employ of the company ever since. He removed to Niagara Falls (then called Elgin), in 1856. In 1857 he was removed to Windsor as cashier and freight agent for the (i. W, R., where he re.sided for some years. In 1864 he returned to Niagara Falls, (then called Clifton,) and has resided there ever since. In 1876 and 1877 he was elected councillor of Niagara Falls, and in 1879 filled the mayor's chair. He was again elected mayor in 1885. In 1854 Mr. Butters was married to Mary, a daughter of William Wallace, of Dalkeith, Scot- land. They have ^ family of six children, viz : Mary, Jean, F21izabeth, Anne, James and Helen. The family are members of the Presbyterian church. Our subject is major in the 44th battalion, (retired) ; he has been chairman of the school board for seven years, and was president of the Mechanics' Institute from the time of its inception in 1878 until 1885. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. MORTON M. BUCKLEY, Esq., of Niagara Falls, was born in Lancashire, England, February 23rd, 1830. He came to Canada in 1861, and setded in the township of Stamford, where for six years he kept a grocery store. He then moved to Niagara F'alls, and for thirteen years was proprietor of the Albion Hotel. In 1880 he retired from active pursuits and handed over his business to his sons. The father of our subject, I'hilip Buckley, was a cotton- spinner of Lancashire ; he died in his country. Mr. Buckley's mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Morton, is now living in the city of Philadelphia. Our subject married January ist, 1852, Elizabeth Wood, a daughter of William S. Wood, who in TS32, the date of Mrs. Buckley's birth, kept the liritish Museum in Toronto. They had a family of thirteen children, three of whom are dead. The survivors are Philip M., William P., M. IL, Charles A., George E., Victoria A., now wife of R. J. Wood, of Hamilton, Elizabeth A., Wright H., Arthur and Amelia. Of the sons five are in business in M n - .( ;1 ^ i • I . f : I! I. ryUM i r. 1 V: 1 ;i 508 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. Niagara Falls. Philip M. is carrying on the gents' furnishing and cigar business, VV. R is proprietor of the Albion Hotel, M. H. is dealer in fancy goods and pictures, Charles A., keeper of the billiard hall, and (ieorge E., flour and feed merchant. Mr. Buckley was for a [)eriod of six years member of the school board, and for a like period assessor of the town of Niagara Falls. He is a member of the order of ('hosen Friends, and he was some years ago an active member of the I. O. O. F., and was for several years elected as to\yn councillor The position he holds at present, as one of the largest property holders of the town, has been secured through his business abilities and untiring assiduity. DANIEL RUPERT COSBY, for many years proprietor of the Canada South- ern Hotel at Niagara Falls, Ont., was born Feb. 22nd, 1816, at Toronto, then known as Little York. His father, Fountain Cosby, who was a Virginian slave, was bought by the maternal grandfather of our subject, Mr. Sebastian, judge of the supreme court of Kentucky. Judge Sebastian made Fountain his groom. The Sebastians were a proud Spanish family, but the judge's daughter, Mary, loved her father's groom. An elopement was the result, the pair fleeing to Canada. They crossed the Detroit river at what was at that time known as French Village, now the city of Detroit. They arrived in Windsor and were there married on the 13th of June, 1809. They subsequently went to Little York, where their son, our present subject, was born. From Toronto the family moved to Kingston, where the parents died. Mr. Cosby has during the most of his life been engaged in large hotels and on board steamboats in the capacity of a steward. \Vhile thus engaged he made several trips to South America. He also sailed on Lake Ontario for a number of years. He was for seventeen years steward at the International Hotel, Niagara Falls, N. Y. For six years he resided in Detroit, Mich. He started in business for himself at Niagara Falls in 1878, and kept one of the best condacte.l hotels to be found in the vicinity of the Falls. He married in 1842, Elizabeth Co'lon, a native of New York State, but of Oerman descent. She died October i8th, 1884. Mr. Cosby has four sons living, Albert, Ceorge, Daniel and Frederick. HERMANUS CRYSLER, who died at Niagara Falls on the 2nd June, 1884, was born in 1795, and was of U. E. Loyalist stock, though of German descent. His father, John Crysler, and his grandfather, Baltus Crysler, came from Germany to America, in 1768, .settling in Schoharie, N. Y. During the revolutionary war, the Cryslers sided with the party of the United Empire, and on the triumph of the Revolution loyally sought a home under their beloved flag in Canada. His father also took a prominent part in the war of 181 2, distinguishing himself for bravery at the ba . .^ of Queenston, where the gallant Brock lost his life, and on other occa- sions. The subject of this sketch, though then too young to bear arms, chafed to serve his country, and was detailed to team supplies to the forces. In 1825 he married Edna Cook, a granddaughter of Robert Cook, the pioneer settler elsewhere lUOORAPHICAL SKKTCHES. 500 referred to in this department uf our work. The union was blessed with a family of twelve children, nine of whom grew U|) to the estate of manhood and womanhood. Mr. Crysler was the builder of the Clifton house. He took a prominent part in business, politics and society, until the cares of advancing age called a halt. He was all his life a leading resident of Niagara Falls. In politics he was a Reformer. He died full of years, leaving a large number of descendants to mourn the loss. JOHN FERCiUSON, M. I)., Niagara Falls, M. P. for Welland County, was born in the county of Middlesex, Ontario, in the year 1839. He is descended from an Irish family of Scotch extraction, whose estates lay in Calway and Ayrshire. In 1660, James Ferguson, a younger son of the family, became possessed of large pro- perty in the county of Cavan, Ireland, in which place he settled. His son Thomas and grandson Richard entered the army, the latt- r taking part in the troubles of 1743, as an officer of the King's Black Horse (now the 7th Dragoon Guards) under the Duke of Cumberland. His grandfather, Henry F., held a commission in the Cavan militia, and took an active part in the Irish rebellion of 1798. This gentle- man came to Canada in 1824, and settled in London Township, The father of our subject was John Ferguson, of Middlesex, who was a justice of the peace in that county. Dr. John Ferguson received his education at thp London grammar school, and after- wards entered the medical department of Victoria College, Toronto, and was also a private student under the late Dr. Rolph. In 1864 he graduated M. D. from Victoria College, and then left for the city of New York and entered Bellevue hospital, under Austin Flint, M. D., and attended the hospital for wounded soldiers at Blackwell's Island. On his return to Canada he began practicing his profession, but after four years' practice he abandoned it and began contracting for public works. He built a portion of the New York and Oswego Midland Railway, and the (lalt and Berlin Railway. He was also member of a firm who built (from 1873 to 1877) six miles of the Welland Canal enlargement, and in company with Robert Mitchell constructed the larger portion of the Toronto Wa'^'^r Works. He was personally in charge of the.se operations, and also of the St. Catharines Water Works. In company with H. C. Symmes he built and established the first wood pulp mill at Sherbrooke in the province of Quebec. Dr. V. has taken an active part m political contests as a Con- servative, appearing in the fight in nearly every election since 1867. In that year he assisted, for seven months on the public platform, A. P. Macdonald, who was elected in West Middlesex ; John H. Munroe, who was elected in West Elgin ; also in the contests in Bothwel' and North Middlesex. In 1871 he took an active part in South Waterloo election in the interest of Abraham Erb, who was the candidate of the late Sandfield Macdonald mini-stry. During 1873 he went through South Waterloo delivering a nurober of vigorous, powerful and brilliant, speeches in behalf of Mr. Phin and the Conservative cause, and he took a similar course through North Went- worth, Waterloo and West Middlesex, Mr. McKechnie profiting by his efTective ad- 5i« HISTORY or WF.LLAND COUNTY. 'f i \ !i dresses. In 1882 he appeared on his own behalf before the electors of Wellaiul, and received the reward of his ability, liis integrity and zeal, in being chosen for parliament. He has since sat in the House of (Commons, and he was very speedily looked upon as one of the clear-headed and solid members of that body. He is vigorous, ready and practical, and his judgment upon public (piestions is certam to be careful and sound. In 1887 he was re-elected for Welland by a largely increased majority. In 1879 and 1880 he ^ravelled extensively through Ireland, England, Scotland, France, (Jermany, Switzerland and Italy. He married, in i86y, Miss Robinson, only daughter of the late William Robinson, who was the iiayor of the town of (ialt, and who contested the south riding of Waterloo in the Conservative interest against Jas. Cowen in 1863, and in that Reform constituency came within sixty-three votes of being elected. The fruit of the union is four children, three daughters and one son. The two eldest daughters died in 1874. The son is attend- ing Upper Canada College, and is in his fifteenth year. In 1881 Dr. F. purchased a large fruit farm on the banks of the Niagara river, and upon the farm is the cele- brated Whirlpool Rapids Park. We may add in conclusion that Dr. F. is not a parliamentary gladiator, but whenever the occasion demands he is ready, and gives his views with promptness, with poiyt, and with effect. ANDREW GREGORY HILL, Esq., was born in the township of Clinton, in the county of Lincoln, in the province of Ontario, Canada, on the 23rd day of September, 1834. He was educated at Victoria College, Cobourg, and graduated in Arts in i860, and in Law, taking the degree of L. L. H., in 1861. He studied law with Richard Miller in St. Catharines, and afterwards with the late Hon. ,\dam Crooks in Toronto. He commenced the practice of his profession in St. Catharines in 1863, but in the fall of the same year moved to the town of W/slland, and entered into a co-partnership with the late Warren Rock. Mr. Hill continued in business in Welland for upwards of ten years, during which time he was for several years a member of the high school board, and a member of the county board of educa- tion for the county of Welland. He was also reeve of the village for many years, and for a like number of years member of the county council. During his con- nection with county affairs he was largely instrumental in procuring the removal of the registry office of the county from Fonthill to Welland. He took an active in- terest in the politics of the county and country, and in 1872 contested the county of Welland for the House of Commons, ia the Reform interest, against the late Thomas C. .Street, who had represented the county for many years, but was defeated. In April of 1874 be was appointed police magistrate for the town of Niagara Falls, under a special act to provide for the better government of that part of Ontario situated in the vicinity of Niagara Falls, which position he has held continuously since that date. ALEXANDER LOGAN, was born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, August 31st, moORAPHICAL SKETCHES. 5" 185 1. He is a true Highlander, his forefathers for many generations having lived in the same county. He was educated in the public schools of his native country. At the age of fifteen he was engage] as assistant or pupil teacher in the village where his parents then resided, which profession he was engaged in for four years. Coming to Canada, in 187 1, he located at Niagara l-'alls, and shortly afterwards entered into commercial life. Was first elected a member of the town of Niagara Falls council in 1882, in which capacity he served until 1885, when he was defeated in a close contest for the mayoralty, but was more successful in January, 1886, ' being elected mayor by acclamation. ZENAS BE.'vCH LEWIS, Niagara Kill.s, was born in the county of Went- worth, May 6th, 1833. He is a son of James Lewis, who was born in Wentworth County in 1798, followed farming throughout life, and died in his native county at the age of eighty years. The mother of our subject, Elizabeth Corwin, a daughter of Benjamin and Penelope (Sway/.e) Corwin, traces her lineage to Capt. Ceorge Curwen, of Northampton, England, who came to America in 1638 and settled at Salem, Mass. He was descended from the ancient Curwen family of Workington, Cumberland, England, bringing over with him memorials of such descent, such as a crest with the Curwen arms, &c. Before 1433 ^"d back to 1140 the name was spelled Culwen. Hutchinson, in his History of Cumberland County, gives the records of this family back to the reign of Flthelred, about A. I). 870. The grand- father of Mr. Lewis on the paternal side was Levi Lewis, a native of New Jersey, but of Welsh descent, who came to Canada at an early period and settled on the borders of Lincoln and Wentworth counties, taking up lands in both. Mr. Lewis, the subject of this sketch, married Ellen P., a daughter of Dennis and Catharine (Lawrence) Palmer, natives of Canada, but of English descent. Mr. Palmer's father, in the early history of the county, was the subject of a thrilling cxperi-^nce. Pursuing his way on one occasion through the township of Pelhafti, he was over- taken by the memorable hurricane that passed through that township, and was so completely hemmed in by fallen timber, uprooted by the storm, thai the neighbors had to choj) a road to his horse before he could be extricated. JAMES W. OLIVER, M. 1)., C. M., was born in Hawick, Roxburghshire, Scotland, April 23rd, 1840. His parents were Cieorge and Wilhelmina (Telfer) Oliver. The faniily came to Canada in 1844, and settled in the township of Louth, county of I>incoln, where the father followed farming until his death in 1846. He left a family of six, of whom four are still living. William farms on the old hoine- stead near St. Catharines. Beatrice is the wife of Robert S. Ness, of Minneapolis, and Georgina is married to E. Porter Adams, who resides near Queenston, Ont. Our subject was educated at the St. Catharines grammar school, and studied me- dicine under the late Dr. Mack, of St. Catharines, graduating at McCill University, Montreal. He began the practice of his profession at Niagara Falls in 1867, where 32 5 t Jta HISTORY OK WKM,ANI) COUNTY. I he lias resided ever since. He was married in 1S72 to l'Mi/.al)eth, daiigliler of the late William l.egi^etl, Ks'|., collector of customs at Niagara I'alls. Mrs. Oliver (hed in 18S3. Dr. Oliver was gazetted assistant surgeon of the 44th battalion infantry in 1K71, and surgeor in 1HH2. He served as a private in the njth battalion at the Fenian raid in 1866. He is a member of the A. K iV A. M., and also of the 1. O. O. K., the A. O. !•'., and of A. O. U. VV. Dr. Oliver is one of the most succe.ssful and |)(>|Hilar physicians and prominent citizens of the county. WAI/IKR \V. WOODRUKK, posti'iaster at Niagara 1-alls, was born at Niagara Falls Smith, May ist, 1X36, and was educated at Montreal and at Upper Canada College, Toronto He is a son of Joseph C, and Sarah (Shaw) Woodruff, grandson of Kichar ' and Nancy (Clement) Woodruff, and great-grandson of Fzekiel Woodruff, a nativ Connecticut, who came to (Canada at the time of the American revolutionary war J. K. Loyalist, and settled in the township of St inford, where he taught sdiool for a number of years, acted in the capacity of convi mcer, and was clerk of the district in its early days. He was buried at St. Davids. His family consisted of three sons, Richard, Henry and William, and one daughter, Sai.ih, who married Judge DeVeaux, the founder of DeVeaux College, Niagara Falls, N. Y. Richard, the grandfather of our subject, took part in the war of i8i2;had his house burned by the Indians, at St. Davids, and had to fue to Fonthill with his family to save their lives. He and William were members of the old Parliament of Canada, when Niagara was the capital. Richard's family were seven in number, viz : Joseph C, William, John, Samuel, Richard, Catharine and Margaret, the latter being the wife of Samuel Zimmerman, the railway magnate and banker who was killed at the Desjardins railway disaster, 'i'he father of our subject, J ose[)li (C, was born at St. Davids in i8ocS, and followed the mercantile business throughout life. His family of five children, two of whom are now dead, were (1. W., VV. W., T. W., R. W. and Sarah DeVeaux, the last two deceased. Mr. WoodrufT, the subject of this sketch, in 1862 moved to Niagara I'alls, then Clifton, and was for thirteen years engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was api)ointed to the [josition of postmaster at Niagara Falls in January, 1868, and still holds office ; he was for five or six years treasurer for the town ; for about ten years a member of the town council, and from 1872 to 1879 was successively returnetl by the popular voice to lill the mayor's chair. Mr. W. married November 5th, 1861, Miss Sue Hackinstose, of American parentage. i.: lltOC.KAI'HIfAI. SKKlCHtS. 5'.? THOROLD TOWNSHIP. THOMAS .\Rt:HIMAI,I), fanner, Ihorold 'rownship, Allanluiruli 1'. O., was horn in Stralhhcn, Lanarkshire, Srotland, January ist, iS^^j. Mis parents were Andrew and A}{ncs (Case) Archihald, natives of" Scotland. Our suhject recei\cd his education in his native land, and for a while followed fanninf^ there. In 1S5H he married Catharine I'a^eat, a native of Scotland, and in Dei.einher of iSCi.j tliey came to Canada. His father and family came out several years after. Thomas settled in 'Choroid Township, first renting a farm and afterwards purchasing 100 acres of the glebe lands belongiri{ to 'Thorold parish, on the Holland Koad, one of ihe first surveyed for public iravts in the country, leading from St. Johns to the Falls. Mr. Archibald was raised to the established Church of Scotland, but after coming to Canada he united with the Methodist church, and is a pronjinent member of that body. He takes a deep interest in the improvement of his farm, and is a warm supporter and member of the Ihorold Township agricultural society. In 1884 he was elected to the township council of Thorold. He is a Conservative in politics, and a strong advocate of temperance. His family consists of one daughter, .\gnes, now wife of William Kottmier, of (Iranlhain 'Township, in the county of Lincoln. 'The father of Mr. A. died in 1885, but his mother is still living, at the great age of eighty-six years. DAVID HAl-D, farmer, Welland V. O., was born in the township of 'Thorold on the second of April, 1829. His father and grandfather, who wore both named Thouias Uald, were natives of .Scotland. They came to Canada about the begin- ning of the I -resent century, and settled in 'Thorold 'Township. Our subject's father took part in the battles of Qucenston Heights and Lundy's Lane. He married Catharine Thompson, who was of a U. K. Loyalist family. Our subject was brought up to farm life. In 1851 he went across the plains to California and remained in that state for seven years, when he returneu to Canada and engaged in farming on the old homestead, where he has continued to reside ever since. His farm, which consists of about 250 acres, adjoining the town of Welland and lying along the bank of the Welland river, consists of very fertile and productive soil. In 1882 Mr. Hald went to Manitoba, where he was engaged as a contractor on the construc- tion of the Manitoba iV Southwestern Railway. He also carried on extensive farm- ing operations in that province one season. Besides farming, our subject has de- voted iiis energies to ship|)ing, and is at [jresent half-owner of the schooner " R. Morwood." Immediately after the Fenian raid of 1866, he was appointed captain of a volunteer company that was raised in Welland. He was married in 187 1 to Hannah K., daughter of James Co k, of Crowland. They have a family of three children, two boys and one girl. 'They adhere to the Presbyterian church. HARLAN IJEMISS, farmer, Welland T. O., was born on the farm on which 1 ,.kii'J*>«-;; ^-Ji 514 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. i' * If f' i f, he resides, on the (Quaker road, on the twelfth day of March, 1858. His father, Orin Beiniss, was born in Chenango County, New York State, in 1809, and when (juite young came to v'Janada. In 1833 he married I'h(jebe Crafibrd, a daughter of James and Amy Crafford, who were U. E. Loyahst: from near Philadelphia, Penn. Phijebe CrafTord received two hundred acres of lind in the county of Lambton, as the daughter of a I,oyalist The issue of Orin Be'iiiss from this marriage was nine children, five of wh(;m died young ; the remaining four are now all living in Michigan. His second wife, to whom he was married in 1852, was a Miss Herring- ton, of Otsego County, N. Y., by whom he had seven children — three daughters and four sons. The youngest son is practicing medicine in Newark, N. J. The rest of the family live in Welland County. Orin Bemiss died in March, 1886. His widow is s»il] living with our subject. Harlan Bemiss was educated at the public school near his home, and at the Welland high school, after which he spent three years in travel, in which he visited California and other western states. He then settled on the old honiestead, and has pursued the occupation of a farmer ever since. He owns a valuable farm of one hundred acres. The soil is a rich sandy loam, and very productive. While well adapted to the raising of cereals, it is a good fruit farm. Mr. 15emiss already has a fine vineyard, and contemplates going more extensively into the cultivation uf small fruits. His market town is Welland, about two miles distant. He is in politics a Conservative, and a member of the Masonic fraternity. ROBERT COUI/riCR, collector of canal tolls at Port Robinson, was born in the United States. His [)arents, John and Hannah (McMahon) Cou'ler, were na- tives of Banbridge, county of Down* Ireland, and were on their way to Canada from the United States at the time of his birih, in 1824. They settled in that year in Welland County. John Coulter assisted at building the old Welland canal, from 1824 to 1829, earning on that work the first money with which he started in business, as on landing in Canada he was moneyless. The parents continued to reside at or near Port Robinson and lived to the good old age of seventy-six and eighty-five years respectively, dying but rec:entiy, honored and respected by their descendants and all who knew then). Our subject received his education in the township of 'I'horold. He recollects when there was not a house where the thriving village of Port Robinson now is, and has been a personal observer of the erection of every building in the place. He remembers when the first vessel passed through the Welland Canal, coming from J^ake Ontario to the Chippawa river. Mr. Coulter married Margaret, daughter of George A. Darby. They had one daughter, Mary, now wife of (George Lampman, of Creensborough, North Carolina. Our subject's second wife was Margaret, daughter of Patrick .Milloy, a native of Ireland. By the last marriage live children were the issue, viz : Elizabeth, Maria, Jolm, Thomas, and Maj'gie. Mr. Coulter was appointed license inspector, April i2tli, 1876, a position he resigned on i OSPTn- i M i ii.T a HIOGRAPHK'AL SKETCHES. 5IS His father, , and when daughter of jlphia, Penn. Lambton, as age was nine all living in Vliss Herring- -ee daughters , N. J. The March, 1886. lucated at the nich he spent rn suites. He : a farmer ever ; a rich sandy :als, it is a good -s going more Welland, aboui )i the Masonic Ml, was born in m'ter, were na- to Canada from in that year in ind canal, from ^ rted in bus-iiness, I to reside at or eighty-five years ccndants and all lip of 'I'horold. ,f Tort Robinson f building in the Welland Canal, larried Margaret, w wife of George second wife was last marriage five nd Margie. Mr. on he resigned on being apppointed collector of canal tolls, on February 27th, 1878. He was elected reeve of Thorold 'i'ownship for a period of nine successive years, and was warden of the county for three years. He also held the position of chairman of the Reform association for the Niagara District and the county of Welland for fourteen years. He was appointed a justice of the peace for the county of Welland in 1862. DAVH) DAMUi^R was born in the township of Thorold, on lot 23, on the fifth day of November, 1806. His ])arents were Henry and Anna (Winger) Damude, natives of Pennsylvania, an J were of Swiss descent. They came to Canada after the revolutionary war. The father was a weaver by trade, but after coming to Canada he only worked at weaving during the winter season, his time being fully occupied during the remaining months of the year. The first grist mill of which our subject has any recollection was situated at Niagara l-alls, a distance of twelve miles from his home. His father used to take a bag of wheat on his back and carry it to this mill. After a time there was one built at Effingham. Mr. Damude was brought up to farm life, and now owns two farms, 235 acres, besides town property. He is one of the ancient landmarks of the county. He married first EUinor Ostrander, and afterwards, on isth February, 1864, Nancy Catharine, a daughter of Matthias and Elizabeth (Tice) Misener, natives of Pennsylvania, of Dutch descent. They have a family of four children, named Anna Elizabeth, John, Mary Catharine, and Cora Margaret. Mr. Damude is giving his family a liberal education, the eldest daughter having attended the Young I-adies' College at Oshawa, and the Welland high school. JOHN J. DAMUDE, farmer, Fonthill P. O., was born on the first day of August, 1834. His parents were John and F'/lizabeth Damude. His paternal grand- father, Henry Damude, came to Thorold Township from Pennsylvania in the last century, being a U. V.. Loyalist, and settled on lots 153 and 154. Our present sub- ject received his education at the public school, and has always followed the i)usiness of farming, in which he has l)een successful. His farm, lot 151, the soil of which is a mixture of clay and loam, is very productive. He possesses the confidence of his fellowmen in a high degree, as a \noo( of which he occupied the position of township councillor for one year, and afterward was elected deputy-reeve a number of years, subsetiuent to which he .served as reeve for two years. He has repeatedly been a member of the school board. He was married October ist, 1861, to Annie M., d"ugh;er of Abraham ar.d jane R. Miller, of Pelham Township, by whom he had five children, two of whom arc dead. There are one son and two daughters living. Mr. Damude is a Conservative in politics. JOHN, (iUlNTER, farmer, St. John's P.O., was born in the township of South Cayuga, county of Haidimand, on tlie 25th of June, 1837. His parents were both born in Wurtemburg, Germany, and arc referred to at greater length elsewhere in this work. When our subject was a child the family removed from ! i I'. ! ^;| ij (--. ■ J li ii i j 1 ^f ^ 1 H ■ 516 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. South Cayuga to the county of Lincoln ; afterwards they moved into Pelham Town- ship. He was broujj;ht up as a farmer, and began life on his own account on the farm whereon he still resides. At present he is in possession of 300 acres, finely situated in the northern part of Thorold Township, on which he has an orchard of 1600 fruit trees in bearing besides some 600 shade trees surrounding the farm. The premises, with the fine buildings thereon, and other assets of Mr. (>., are worth $40,- 000 ; and this result has been achieved within the last 25 years from an original investment of $1,000, by the energy and close application of Mr. (iuinter. His farm is weli-htncked with cattle, sheep and horses. He exports cattle direct to the European markets. Mi. Guintei married, in 1861, Bertha Laws, of I'elham Town- ship, by whom he had four children. The eldest died in infancy — the three younger, two daughters and one son, surviving. In 1872 our subject was elected to the council of his adopted township, and in 1873 took his seat at the county coun- cil board as deputy-reeve of i'horold. He has for many years been an active mem- ber of the agricultural .societies of the township and county, filling the position of director on the board, and has held the position of justice of the peace for a num- ber of years. He takes an active interest in the cause of education, and for several years has been member of the school board. Mr. (Iuinter is hospitable and gen- erous, using with no niggard hand the abundance with which Providence has sup- plied him. In his large and well-furnished mansion and plentifully-supplied cellar, his guests ever find refreshment and congenial hospitality. DUNCAN GILLIS, Fonthill, contractor and builder, was born in the township of Esquesinij, county of Halton, on the 24th of August, 1847. His parents were Neil and Anna (Reid) Gillis, both natives of Argyleshire, Scotland, who emigrated to Canada about two years before our subject was born, and settled on a farm in the above named township. The father died in 1862, and his widow still resides in Halton County. Mr. Duncan Gillis, who is one of a family of four children, was reared on his father's farm, and when he had grown to the estate of manhood he went to learn the carpenter and joiner trade of Mr. Dolson, a prominent builder of St. Catharines. After serving his apprenticoshi|) with that gentlemen he was for five years em[)loyed as a carpenter in assisting to construct the new Welland canal, and while so engaged helped put in the first lock bottom of the enlarged canal. He next moved to Fonthill, where he was employed ly Mr. C. Klager, the well known builder, until that gentleman's death, immediately after which he embarked in business on his own account, and has a business in I'onthill and vicinity, where he enjoys an enviable rej)Utation as a good mechanic and an industrious and useful citizen. In 1886, he erected for I). D'Everardo, lCs(|., an elegant barn which out- rivals all other buildings of the kind in the Niagara District in size, architectural design and finish. Our subject was married, June 19th, 1873, to Nellie Quinn, who was born at Niagara Falls, of Irish parentage. They have BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 517 a family of tbrec children living : James lulward, horn 29th November, 1874 ; Kate, born 25th October, i.SyS ; and Frederick, born 17th March, 1SS6. Mr. (lillis is a member of the I. O. O. F. and the R. 'I", of 1". WILLIAM HIXSON, farmer, Al'.anijurgh P. O., the son of Nathan and Nancy Hixson, was born on the 3rd day of May, 1823, in the township of Thorold, on the VVilkerson farm, near the Black Horse tavern. He received his early education at the public schnci, after which he went to the township of Stamford, where he fol- lowed the business of briclrmaking with his brothers, Jacob and 'I'imothy J. He also, at the same time, carried on farming operations. He was very successful, as were his brothers. He married Catharine, daughter of Donald and Margaret Shar[), of the township of Crowland. They have two children, one son and one daughter. The son, Levi, is preparing for the medical profession. Their daughter is at home. The farm Mr. Hixson lives on he purchased in 1853. His father came with his parents from the state of New Jersey about the year 1788, His grandfather was a U. E. Loyalist, and by trade a blacksmith. Mr. Hixson's father was ten years of age when he came to this country. His grandfather, Hixson, was descended from an Knglish family, and his grandmother was Scotch. He owns one hundred acres of land in the township of Thorold, and is in easy circumstances. His farm is composed of clay loam soil and adapted for the raising of all kinds of farm produce and fruit. AN1.^RF:\V hansel, farmer, Thorold P. ()., was born July 2nd, 1862, in the township of (iranlham, in the county of Lincoln. He is a son of Benjamin and Mary ((Irisdale) Hansel, and grandson of Jacob Hansel, a native of Pennsylvania. The father of our subject died in 1871, at the age of forty-nine years. His mother died in June, of 1886, aged sixty-five. Mr. Hansel was educated in Thorold Town- ship and at the high .school in Thorold, and has since maturity followed farming. He is in possession of 185 acres of fine farming lands in Thorold and (Irantham Townships, with all the necessary buildings and improvements that make farming a source of profit and pleasure. He takes pride in keeping good stock, especially horses and sheep. Mr. Hansel married, January ist, 1883, Elizabeth, a daughter of Aaron and Rosanna Higgins, and granddaughter of Henry Higgins who for many years was an officer on the Welland canal. They have a fiimily of two daughters. Mr. Hansel is a member of Mountain Lodge, No. 221, A. F. and A. M. He is a secularist in religion and a Democrat in politics. AVERY B. KINSMAN, F'sc} , was born in the village of Horton, Kings County, Nova Scotia, on the 14th day of February, 1824. His parents, Avery B. and Mary (F^nglish) Kinsman, came to Canada about 1784, and settled in Nova Scotia ; they were U. E. Loyalists, of English descent. He attended the public schools of Horton, and afterwards the Acadia College of the same place. He learned carriage building at an early age. He was in Australia from 1851 to 1858. Returning to America, he spent the next three years in New York State, then com- Si8 HISTORY OK WKLLAND COUNTY. l; i ^-1 ing to the county of Welland, he started a carriage building business at Fonthill, which he carried on very successfully for twenty-two years. Mr. Kinsman has been a justice of the peace since 1877, having been appointed by the Mowat adminis- tration. He has been a member of the A. ]•'. iS: A. M. society since 1863. He has a!ao been on the school board at various periods. He was married first in 1849 to Ann Maria, a daughter of Isaac Whitman, a native of Nova Scotia. He has four children, two sons and two daughters, Albert W. and Ada M., born at Fonthill ; Frank B., born in New York State ; and Flora, l)orn at Fonthill. His first wife died in 1875. His present wife was Mrs. Jonathan Randall. JOHN KELLY, Esq., farmer, was born in Thorold Townsliip, March, 181 9, and is a son of Isaac and Matilda (Theal) Kelly, and grand.son of John a native of New Jersey, of Irish descent. The latter came to Canada, in 1780, and settled in Thorold Township, on lots 48 and 49. The maternal grandfather of Mr. Kelly came to Canada in the latter part of the last century, and fought in the war of 18 1 2, having had a bullet put through his hat r.t the battle of Lundy's Lane. The father of our subject took part in the battle of Chippawa, and died in 1874, in the eighty-seventh year of his age. Mr. Kelly was brought u|) to farm life, an occupa- tion he has since followed. He was a[)pointed justice of the peace about i860. He is a member and trustee of the Welland Methodist church, being also" a leader and steward of the same. He was married in 1848, to Rebecca, a daughter of Jonathan Doan, and had a family of seven children, named, Orin A., who died in infancy ; Albert E., who died in the northwest ; James E., of Welland ; George Bender, now in the northwest ; Elissa M., wife of William Bunting, of St. Cath- arines ; Ida Alniena, now living in Guelph ; and Sarah Matilda. He married a second time, in 1870, Mary Jane, a daughter of James Hare, of Bridgeport, Ont. GEORGE P. MISENER was born in that part of Crowland Township now forming a part of the town of Welland, on the sixth of December, 1841. His parents were Elisha and Azubia (Park) Misener. His paternal grandparents were John and Catharine (Young) Misener, natives of Pennsylvania, of German descent. His great-grandfather was Leonard Misener, of whom mention is made in Robert Misener's biography. Our subject followed the occupation of a farmer until the fall of 1885, when he received the ai)iK)intment frpin the Dominion Government of tender of bridge number 16, on the Welland Canal, commonly known as the Quaker bridge. He has been thrice married, his first wife having been Henrietta Evans, a daughter of John Evans. By this marriage there were two children — (ieorge .A.lvin and Azubia Maud. His second wife was Mary, a daughter nf Win. Misener, who died less than a year after her marriage. Mr. Misener's third wife, to whom he was married March 12th, 1879, was nanied S^rah .'Mice i'cw, a daughter of William Pew, one of the pioneers of Thorold 'I'ownship. Our subject is an Orangeman of nine- teen years' standing, and now lives in 'ihorold Townshij) at the Quaker bridge. BIOGRAPHICAL SKKTCHKS. 519 ; at b'onthill, lan has been wat adminis- : 1863. He I first in 1849 He has four at Fonthill ; first wife died Murch, 181 9, (hn. a native >, and settled of Mr. Kelly in the war of Lane. The 1 1874, in the e, an occupa- 2 about i860, also" a leader a daughter of , who died in Hand ; George , of St. Cath- rte married a Report, Ont. lownship now , 1841. His d parents were jrman descent, ide in Robert rmer until the Llovernment of 1 as the Quaker rietta Evans, a -deorge Alvin Misener, who ) whom he was ,f William Pew, ;cman of ninc- cr bridge. PATRICK ROCK, hotel keeper. Port Robinson, was born in the town of Roscommon, Ireland, P'ebruary 13th, 1837. His parents were Owen and Bridget (Leonard) Rock. When our subject was about three years of age, the family came to America and settled in Albany, N. Y., where they remained some time, and then went to Lockport, N. Y., from whence they came to Canada and settled in Stamford, where Patrick attended school. In 1853 they removed to Wainfleet Township, and there the mother died. Our subject, after going west and stoijjiinga season, engaged in farming, which business he followed until 1884, when he began keeping the hotel in Port Robinson. The house is conveniently situated. Mr. Rock is a good land- lord, and does a fair share of the hotel trade. He was married in 1863 to Eliza- beth A. Pierce, a native of Welland County. They have five children, Mary A., Emma, Olivia and Almeda (twins), and John. They are adherents of the Episco- palian church. THOMAS ROBERTSON, farmer, Thorold Township, Alianburgh, was born .August 20th, 1814, at Huntly, Aberdeen, Scotland, son of Alexander Robertson. His mother's maiden name was Ritchie. In 1883 he emigrated to Canada, where he engaged in different occupations. When the rebellion of '37 broke out, he joined Captain McMicken's dragoons to assist in its suppression. In 1845 he took up farming in (Irantham Township, until 1850, when he travelled the overland route to California, returning in 1852, and then engaged in farming in Thorold Township. He was a member of the Free Church of Scotland until he became connected with the Canada Methodist body. He married May 26th, 1 840, Agnes Wilson, daughter of John (a commissioned officer in the war of 181 2-14) and Elizabeth VVilson, whose parents were U. E. Loyalists. The family of Thomas Robertson were seven child- ren, five sons and two daughters. The eldest, Elizabeth Ann, married J. Sidey Upper ; they are residing at Two Rivers, Manitoba. William Robertson, at present in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory ; Mary Augusta, (deceased) : Alexander (deceased); Ephraim H., school teacher, married Lilly C. Pew, who are both deceased. Ephraim was a member of the Orange and Masonic fraternities. .Augustus R., school teacher, belongs to the Orange and Masonic fraternities. John W., residing in Win- nipeg, in the employ of the Canada Pacific Railway. Agnes Wilson, our subject's wife, is the daughter of John and Elizabeth Wilson of Ancaster. Her mother was the daughter of Benjamin Fairchild of Niagara, an officer in the Indian department, also a U. E. Loyalist. ROBERT SPENCER, Lst]., farmer, Alianburgh P. O., was born on the (Quaker road, in the townshijj of 'Tliorold, Dec. 20th, 18 17. After receiving his education he learned the trade of carpenter, and after following that avocation for 14 years he turned his attention to farming, an occupation he has since followed. Some years ago he purchased land on the north side of the Holland Road, east of Alianburgh, where he now lives, Mr. Spencer is one of the oldest magistrates in 520 HISTORY OF WELL/iND COUNTY. h the county of Wclland, having been appointed over 27 years ago. He was elected for one term in the old municipal council of Thorold Township as deputy-reeve, and the two following years he was chosen by the council as reeve. For a number of years previous to 1873 he held the position of clerk of Thorold Township, and his active participation in agricultural matters has given him a prominent place in the different societies of the township and county. For 25 years and until age made it imperative on him to cjuit, he was selected for the position of president, vice- president or secretary-treasurer of the township or county agricultural societies. He was brought up as a Quaker or Friend, but upon his marriage he severed his con- nection with that body, and is now an adherent of the Methodist persuasion. His grandfather Spencer was born in Ireland, came to America when a boy, but at the close of the revolutionary war he and his family removed to the city of Mon- treal, the father of our subject being then eiglil years of age. Mr. Spencer has been twice married. He has three children by his first marriage. His son is now living in the United States ; his eldest daughter was the wife of Mr. W. P. Page, secretary of the Canadian Mutual Aid Association, but has departed this lilr ; the other daughter lives at home with her father. Mr. Spencer's second wife was a daughter of the late Robert Chappell, of Thorold Township, by whom he had one child. He is a staunch adherent of the Reform i)arty in politics. His ancestors were of Dutch and Irish descent. ELIJAH SHAINHOLTS, farmer. Port Robinson postoffice, was born Decem- ber 5th, 1854, in the township of Willoughby, county of Welland, where he received his education, and where he lived until 1880, when he, with his father and family, moved to Thorold Township, where he now lives and follows the occupation of farming. He married, November 5th, 1882, Luella Minier, a native of New York State. In 1885 Mr. Shainholts was elected to the office of councillor for Thorold Township, and succeeded in that year in passing a by-law prohibiting cattle running at large. Although this act was distasteful to a number of ratepayers, and an extra effort made to return his opponent to the council, still a majority was found in favor of Mr. Shainholts' views, and he was again returned in 1886 with an increased majority. His tact and fluency make him a popular member of the council. Mr. S. is a member of the A. F. (S: A. M. His father, Elijah, was a son of Elijah Shainholts, a U. E. Loyalist who came to Canada at the close of the American revolutionary war and settled in the township of Willougliby, where the father of our subject was born nearly three-quarters of a century ago, and who died in i886 and was buried with Masonic honors, 'i'he farm on which Mr. Shainholts now lives is composed of clay loam, and is well adapted to the raising of fruits and all kinds of agricultural products. Our subject takes much interest in the agricultural soci- eties of the county and townships, and is a (Conservative in politics. JOHN R. SWAYZE, F:sq., Thoi-ld P. O., is a descendant of a U. R. Loyalist BiH KIOGRAPHICAL SKKTCHES. 52' e was elected deputy-reeve, 'or a number ownship, and nent place in intil age made esident, vice- societies. He ered his con- suasion. His n a boy, but i city of Mon- r. Spencer has s son is now . W. 1'. Page, this life ; the md wife was a 1 he had one His ancestors born Decem- re he received ;r and family, Dccui)ation of of New York for Thorold ;attle running and an extra ound in favor an increased ouncil. Mr. on of Elijah he American the father of died in i886 olts now lives md all kinds icultural soci- J. E. Loyalist family, and was bnrn on the farm on which he lives, in what is known as the Bea- verdams settlement, on the 8th day of June, 1832. His grandfather, Israel Sway/.e, one of the first pioneers of the place, came from the United States about the close of the revolutionary war, and settled on four hundred acres of land granted to him for his attachment to the crown of (Ireat Hritain, where he passed the remainder of his life and where he died. At the time of his coming to the country it was an almost unbroken wilderness, small clearings having been made at a few places. The father of our subject, Hiram Sway/c, was born in the United States, and was three years old when he came to this country. He battled with the forests, enduring all the hardships and privations of a |)ioneer life, and in time was gathered to his fathers and buried at the old Beaverdams burymg ground, the oldest in Thorold Township. John R., our subject, was brought up a farmer, and married September 23rd, 1857, Sarah Burrett, a daughter of Charles and Martha Burrett, by whom he had a family of ten children, five of whom are still living. A daughter of Mr. Swayze married John Chelew, of Louth Township, and has issue one child. Our subject has been for several years a member of the Thorold Township council, and of the township and county agricultural societies. He is an earnest, active member of the Methodist church, and of the Beaverdams division of the Sons of Temper- ance. He takes an active interest in the improvement of his stock and has large and convenient Iniildings on his [jremises. He is a Reformer in politics, and has filled the position of president and director in both the township and county agri- cultural societies. As a farmer, Mr. Swayze might be copied after to advantage. His buildings and farm stock show a neatness and thrift unexcelled in his township. He keeps a large stock of cows for dairy purjjoses, and supplies a large portion of the town of Thorold with milk. Mr. Swayze has been promoted to the rank of captain in the reserve militia. He has for a number of years held the position of president of the Dominion plowing association of the counties of Welland and Lincoln. HIRAM P. SWAYZE, farmer, Thorold Townshij), was born on the home- stead on Beaverdams creek, the 24th day of February, 1821. He is a grandson of Israel Swayze who came to Canada about the close of the American revolution and located on 400 acres granted to him by the crown. At the time of the grand- father's settlement it was literally moving into the bush. No roads, no bridges were to lie found in the county, if we except the bridle paths, as they were termed, paths through the forest by which people walked or rode a horse from one ciea'-ing to another, or out to the frontier on Niagara river. In fact, there was but very little use for these conveniences as there was no produce to move, and the jjcople, a.s a rule, had no money to import goods. They simply settled in the woods, worked and delved, and were fortunate when they got enough to subsist on without hunger. In course of time, as they cleared their farms and produced a surplus, they I i « i '1 1, ■! \ ■: U '1 iii S jl ii > ! .4.' 1,1 ^ 1 523 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. also cut out the roads, built corduroy bridges over the marshy places, searched out convenient spots to ford the streams, or went over theiu in the log canoes, or "dug- outs" aij they were called. Th'-se and many similar experiences are what Mr. Swayze, Sr., and others have handed down to us as the trials of a pioneer life. Hiram, a son of Israel, and father of our subject, was born on the old farm, as- sisted to clear away the forest, and during his life helped to make many a broad field fit for cultivation. He spent his life in farming, and after his death was buried in the old Reaverdams burial ground. Hiram 1'. was born on that part of the old farm now owned by Hyatt Summers. He received his education at the Beaver- dams school hou.se. On March 13th, 1849, he married Maria Ellenwood. They have a family of seven children, three sons and four daughters, all still living at home. Mr. Swayze has on different occasions been a member of the .school board, and for a number of years a member and director of the township and county agricultural societies. On his fine farm he has excellent and capacious buildings, and a quarry of very fine building stone, from which quantities have been taken for constructing locks, Ike, along the Welland canal. Mr. Swayze is a member of the Methodist church, a temperance man from principle, and a Reformer in politics. DRAYTON A. SUMMERS, farmer, was born in Thorold Township, Decem- ber 21st, 1838. He is a .son of Francis and Orillia (Holcomb) Summers, of Thor- old Township, who were among the early pioneers of the place. The family of Francis consisted of eight children, of whom our subject was the eldest. He re- ceived his primary education in his native township, afterwards attended the academy in St. Catharines, and finally took a commercial course in the city of Buffalo. Dur- ing the greater part of his life he has followed the occupation of farming, and is looked upon as an advanced and clever agriculturist, taking considerable interest in agricultural societies. He married, August 15th, 1872, Saraii, a daughter of (ieorgc (Iriffiths, of Thorold Townshi|). Their home consists of 175 acres of fine farming lands. Fine buildings, orchards and stock, abound. Knowledge and industry go hand in hand. Mr. Summers in politics is a Conservative of the purest brand, fol- lowing in that respect in the footsteps of his father. He has been frequently elect- ed to the council of his native township, and might have retained the position but for his failing health. He is a member of the Church of England, and of Moun- tain Lodge, No. 221, of the A. F, iS: A. M. . FRANCIS SHRINER, farmer, Thorold V. O., was born at the old homestead on which he still resides, Dec. 21st, 1852. His grandfather, Daniel Shriner, a na- tive of New Jersey, settled on the pro|)erty ai)out the year 1 800. Our subject's father, John ahfiiier, is still living witli his son on the homestead, and is hale and hearty at the advanced age of seventy-six. Daniel Shriner married Elizabeth, a daughter of John Hoover, one of the [)ioneers who settled in the northeastern por- -L BIOORAPHICAI. SKIiTCHES. 523 tion ot Thorold Township. Our present subject's mother was Eli/.a Ann, the dauj;h- ter of Robert Wilkerson, one of the |)ioneer settlers of the townshij). From this it may be seen that P'rancis Shriner is descended from United Empire Loyahsts en l)oth sides of the house. Flc is one of a family of ten, consisting; of six sons and four daughters. He received a liberal education at the Thorold high school, and began life as a farmer on the old homestead. He was married on the 16th of May, 1883, to Mary, daughter of Wm. Ellwood, the proprietor of an extensive clothing house in Buffalo, N. Y. Our subject served four terms as a member of Thorold Township council. He is an adherent of St. John's church (Episcopalian) of the town of Thorold. He has two children, one son and one daughter. The Shriner homestead is a choice farm, watered by what is known as the Shriner creek. It is composed of parts of lots 27 and 28, and is rendered historic by an event of the war of 1812. An engagement took [)lace here, when 500 Americans under General lioerstler surrendered to the Hritish troops and their Indian allies. During the skirmish a grape shot struck the gable end of the Shriner residence. BARUCH TUCKER, Esq., AUanburgh, was born at Bridport, Dorsetshire, England, on the 25th day of December, 18 12. After receiving his early education, he chose the trade of carpenter, and having served his apprenticeship he emigrated to America and landed on Canadian soil. Wending his way westward, he located in the village of AUanburgh, where he followed his trade. He married, and by his first marriage raised quite a family. After working at his trade for some time he entered into co-partnership with Mr. John Rannie, in the lumber and grist mill business, having leitsed from the de|)artment of public works saw, grist and carding mills. In this enterpri.se the firm of Tucker & Rannie amassed a small fortune. In 1874 the co-partnership was dissolved, Mr. Rannie moving to Toronto. After the sale by the department of canals of the mills, for the construction of the new canal from AUanburgh north, the mills were taken down by the purchaser, R. Mit- chell, contractor. Mr. Tucker for some years afterwards kept a lumber yard, but recently he has retired from active business life. Mr. Tucker, although not a mem- ber of any. body of Christians, attends the Methodist church at AUanburgh. He has been a life-long Reformer, but has never been an active worker. He was once elected a councillor, but having no taste for legislation he never offered himself for re-election. Tn 1874 he was appointed treasurer of Thorold Township, upon the retirement of his late partner, Mr. Rannie, but the following year he was removed from that office by a party council, which preferred an appointee of its own political choice. Mr. Tucker's second wife was the widow of the late constable Charles Richards, who lost his life attempting to arrest the murderer 'I'ownsend. Mr. Tucker has two sons and a daughter living, his other children having died young. JOHN 0. WILSON, Est]., reeve of Thorold Township, farmer, was born in Thorold Township, January 26th, 1836. His parents were Robert and Mary (Hill) II 1 i:[ U 1^ ft *" ), ! • HISTOKY OK WELLANI) COUNTY. 5*4 Wilson. His grandparents, Andrew and Mary (Smith) V^ilson, were among the early pioneers of the county, the former being of (lernian descent and the latter born in the United States. Mr. Wilson's maternal grandparents, William and Molly (McMullen) Hill, were alsoamong the earliest i-ettlers of the coimty. William Hill, shortly after coming to the country, in about i8oo, ke|)t a grocery store one mile west of Port Robinson, but the taking uj) and clearing of land was the c hief early occupation of his ancestors. They, like the other early settlers of that period, located in the wilderness, and had but a vague knowledge of the boundary of their lands, but were largely instrumental, by clearing the land of its timber, in giving an impetus to the settlement of the county. The father of our subject was chiefly engaged in farming throughout his life. He was in rutive service during the rebellion of 1837. Mr. Wilson has devoted the greater part of his time to farming; latterly, however, he is dealing largely in the business of loaning money. He was elected to the council of Thorold Township first in 187 1, and has been a member of it almost continuously since. In 1872 he held the position of deputy-reeve. After the expiration of that year he refused to allow himself to be put in nomination for two or three years, when at the urgent request of his friends he accepted the nomination for reeve, and has held the position, with the exception of one year, ever since. He is chairman of the township board of health. He is an active politician, and has been elected to fill the different positions in the county and township Conserva- tive associations from the presidency downwards. Mr. Wilson was married on the 14th day of March, i860, to Catharine Misencr, whose ancestry appears elsewhere in this work. They had one daughter, Florence Azubia Catharine, born January 2nd, 1871. His first wife died January 3rd, 1871. He married again on the 15th day of March, 1877, Mary Jane, a daughter of Thomas McCllashan, of Lincoln County. RICHARD H. YOUNCi, farmer, township of Thorold, was born September seventh, 1855, '" Crowland, and received his education at ;> • public .schools of that place. He is a son of Walter and Elizabeth Young, and grandson of ,\dam Young, and great grandson of Cieorge Young, a native of Pennsylvania, of (lerman descent. The grandfather, Adam, carne to Canada from Pennsylvania shortly after the Ame- rican revolutionary war, as a U. E. Loyalist, and settled in the township of Crow- land, at that time an unbroken wilderness. His grandmother, Catharine, was a daughter of Thomas Heaslip, a U. E. Loyalist, who took part in the war of 181 2. His maternal grandfather, Mr. Reaveley, was a British soldier in the peninsular war under the Duke of Wellington. After receiving his discharge at the close of the war he came to Canada, settled at Bridgewatcr, and was owner of the second flax mill in Canada. Mr. Young married I'ebruary 23rd, 1880, Mary Ann, daughter of James and Honora Welch, of Port Robinson, natives of Limerick County. Ireland. They have a family of four children, three sons and one daughter. lllOr.RAPHICAI. SKETCHES. 525 wL-rc anionf; the It and the latter Villiani and Molly y. William Hill, y store one mile IS the ( hief early s of that [)eriod, )oundary of their ber, in giving an bject was chiefly iiring the rebellion farming ; latterly, He was elected to mber of it almost ■reeve. After the )mination for two ;d the nomination year, ever since. ^e politician, and wnship Conserva- is married on the appears elsewhere ne, born January gain on the 15th ishan, of Lincoln born September lie .schools of that of Adam Young, German descent, y after the Ame- ownship of Crow- Catharine, was a the war of 1812. he peninsular war the close of the f the second flax Ann, daughter of County. Ireland. THOROLD TOWN. JAXnCS II. l!.\I,i,, M. A., county inspector of schools, is a (lanadian by birth, having been born on a farm situated in what is now the village of .Mcrritton, and adjoining the town of Thorold, in 1833. His parents were Jaco!) and Cath- arine (Crysler) Ball, both natives of Canada and descendants of that noble class of pioneers known as United Empire Loyalists. J. H. Ball received his primary edu- cation at the old St. (Catharines grammar school, after which he took a course at Trinity College, 'I'oronto, where he gr.iduated with the degree of M. A. He then engaged in the teaching profession as principal of the Thorold high school, and con- tinued to hold that [josition until 1871, when the present system of school inspection wa:; inaugurated by the dei)artment of education. Mr. Mall was appointed to the inspectorship by the county council in that year and still holds office, performing the onerous duties devolving ujjon him in connection therewith in a creditable manner. He is a firm adherent of the ICpiscopalian church. He married Miss Hester Hor- ner, daughter of Samuel Horner, a native of Ireland. Mrs. Ball is a lady of high literary attainments, having been educated at the W'esleyan Female College, Hamil- ton, from which she obtained a diploma, and subsecjuently attended the Toronto normal school, where she obtained a first-class provincial certificate. They have five children. CiKORCiE BAXTER, judge of the county of Welland and master in chan- cery, dates his birth at the town of Killaloe, county of Clare, Ireland, March 14th, 1832. His father, Captain James Baxter, who was an officer of the 68th regiment, first visited Canada in 1825 when on a regular tour of service, taking in the ^Yest Indies, Gibraltar, and other places. He made a second visit to Canada in 1839, and upon his return to Ireland in 1841 he exchanged from Her Majesty's 68th in- fantry to the Royal Canadian rifles, a regiment that is now disbanded. Our sub- ject, who accompanied his father to this country, was educated at different parts of the world, in consecjuence of his father's various changes in location. He complet- ed his education in C'anada, however, and ' as called to the bar in Trinity term, 1853 ; began the practice of his profession in the county of Elgin, of which county he was appointed deputy-judge in 1855. He removed to the county of Welland in i860, and practiced his profession in the town of Thorold until the death of the late Judge Macdonald, when he was appointed as that gentleman's successor, on Jan 13th, 1882, to the office of judge of the county court of Welland, master in chancery and judge of the surrogate court, and also local judge of the high court of justice. Judge Baxter is naturally of a judicial temperament ; has a legal turn of mind ; is not afraid of work, and gives his decisions in suits that come before him from a common-sense standpoint ; the sentence he pronounces on the convicted erring one who stands in the criminal's dock always bears the impress of "justice i 1.^ ' ll i I I li(f r. I 536 HISTORY DK WKI.I.ANI) COUNTY. tcinpcrc'cl with mcny." Alllioiii^h the Duminioii liancliisc Ac t of 1K.S5 is looked upon hy ono political party of this country as a partizan measure ( ah iiiated to heiic- fil the party in jiower, Judj^e Baxter as revising otficer has been so impartial in the discharge of his duty that no man can accuse him of being actuated by fear, favor or affection for the party to which he belonged before his elevation to the bench. Our subject has been connected with the militia, having raised a volunteer company at the time of the 'i'renl affair, and he'd the ot'tui. of captain until 1865, when he retired. On February 2isl, 1H56, Juilj^e iJaxter married Caroline, youngest daughter of George Low, Esq., of London, Kng. They have a family of one son and two daughters. JOHN HATTLE, proprietor of 'i'horold Hydraulic Cement Works, was born in county ^^""'p, Ireland, and came to Canada in ICS42, finally locating in Welland County, penniless. The ilirfKuities he had to contend with, the determined efforts he made to secure a livelihood are shown in the fact that for some time he worked for 62)^ cents per day, boarding himself out of that sum and saving something to begin business with. Rising gradually, as his means accumulated, he engaged in teaming in partnership with Mr. John Riley of St. Catharines. Proving successful in that and other business at which he was employed, he ventured on the purchase of the vessel "Thomas I,. Helliwell," in company with his brother Matthew and Captain Thomas Smith, both of .St. Catharines. 'I'his enterprise proved a failure, the vessel being lost on I»ik Erie on the thirtl day of December, her insurance having expired three H". , previous. She was valued at $15,000; and insured for $12,000. No'' iaiinted by his misfortune, Mr. Mattle, in c()m[)any with Mr. :\s "Thomas K. I'arkes " and "John F. Warner." He ount pui<:hased the "Jane C. Woodruff," and in 1872 la's .shipyard, St. ("atharines, the vessel " Mary Battle," at o. .afterwards, in company \,.ih others, he bought the steamer "Scotia," of St. Catharines. He, in company with A. I'Vaser, bought the cement busines!- in I'horold of the executors of the late John Brown. After running the business in partn(;rship ..rone v r, Mr. Battle bought out his partner's interest, and is now running the works the name of liattle iV Sons. They employ a large number of men, and the iias a capacity of 200 barrels daily. One of Mr. B.'s sons is a partner in the bu: s of manufacturing paints and shoe-blacking un- der the firm name of Battle & nyth. .Mr. Battle was one of the company and chief projector of the pulp mills of Thorold. Our subject is a .son of John and Bridget (Healy) Battle, and grandson of Matthew and Winnifred (Mooney) Battle, and Matthew and Catharine (Flynn) Healy. He went home It) his native land in 18H5, after forty-three years' absence. He married (!ecelia. the only daughter of Patrick and .Margaret (Macdonald) C!ullen, of St. (latharines, Ont., natives of county Armagh, Ireland. They have a family of twelve — ten sons and two daughters ; all Rile af ma^ L of $2' IIIOC.KAI'HICAl. SKKTCIIKS. 5?7 f iHiS5 is liiokcil il( iilatfd to bcnc- iinpartial in tilt- ed i)y fear, favor II to the bciK'h. liituccr company 1865, when lie Dungest (laughter )ne son and two Works, was born iling in Welland etermined efforts e time he worked ng something to d, he engaged in roving successful on the purchase ler Matthew and proved a failure, er, her insurance and insured for ompany svith Mr. K. Warner." Me iff," and in 1872 Mary Battle," at ught the steamer ught the cement \fter running the partner's interest, They employ a ally. One of Mr. shoe-blacking un- the company and son of John and (Mooney) Battle, lis native land in only daughter of , natives of county wo daughters ; all living, with the exception of the youngest son. Mr. Battle is a member of the Roman l!atholic church, and a Reformer in politics. {'HARI-K.S H. BRIIKIICR was born on board a British merchant shij) of which his father was commander, his mother acu.ompanying her husband on his voyages. She continued with her husband on board the ship until our subject was about two years old, when she settled in Sussex, iMiiMand. There the boy was kept until he was ten years of age, when he began the roving career of a sailor. He can tell many interesting anecdotes of his sailor life, and has visited almost every ([uarter of the globe. He has rounded the (Jape of Oood Hope, and has been in India, China, Rio de Janeiro, and scores of other foreign places, whose names suggest to the average (Canadian points so far distant that the man who has visited any one of them is a very extensive traveller. He sjient a few years along the coast of New Zealand and Australia with the naval brigade, making headciuarters at Sydney, l-'rom there he went to California, in 1864, and joined the Noi'thern army, serving under (lenerals McI-)owell and Crook for three years. He next returned to England, where he married I'juily K. White, and soon after came to Canada and settled in 'I'horold, where he has since remained, in the employ of the Quebec bank, of which he is messenger. He also has a position in connection with the office of the engineering staff on the canal. He is a member of the A. V. iV A. M., the I. (). (). K., and the A. O. U. W, fraternities. Mr. and Mrs. Bridger have a family of six children, one of whom was born in ICngland, the rest in Canada.. WH-I.IAM H. BLACKSTOCK, M. I)., is a Canadian by birth, having been born near the village of Thornton, Simcoe County, June rst, 1846. His parents are John and Annie (Crant) Blackstock. His paternal gran^lfather, whose name was also John, was a native of the county of Cavan, Ireland, wlio came to Canada in 1823, and lived in Stamford Township three years, took up six hundred acres of land in Simcoe County, being the first actual settler in Essa Township, and the only inhabitant for one year. The father of our present subject, who was the sixth son in a family of thirteen children, served in the rebellion of 1836-7 under Captain Armstrong, of the Lloydtown volunteers. He died January 4th, 1883, at the ripe old age ol seventy-six, after having celebrated his golden wedding in i88t. Dr. Blackstock received his elementary education in the schools of his native county, and took a course at Victoria University, from which he graduated in 1867 with the degree of M. I). He then began the i)ractice of his profession at the village of Hillsdale, in Simcoe County, where he remained for eighteen years. For a portion of this time he wus the only physician within a radius of forty miles. His increas- ing practice in Simcoe County entailed so much driving that the Doctor, in order to jiractice nis profession without so much fatiguing physical exertion, located in Tho- rold July 15th, 1885. He also has offices in Merritton and AUanburgh. P'or the last six years of his residence in Hillsdale he was president of the Simcoe County ill m i '5 4 i ■ I i-< 528 HISTORY OK Wl!LL\Nr) COUNTY. medical association, and chairman of the boaid of Hcense commissioners for East Simcoe. He was commissioned justice of the peace for the county of Simcoe in 1877. In 1874 he was, at the hands of the Ontario Government, appointed fustee of the bonuses granted by the municipalities towards the construction of the North Simcoe Railway, a position he held until the com])letion of the road. Dr. Llack- stock is a gentleman of a genial, affable disposition, and possesses many sterling qualities, which have already won him many friends in Welland County. He already has a large practice in Thorold and surrounding country. He is a Royal Arch Ma,son and a memlier of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Previous to the Doctor leaving his o' ' home, where he had s[)ent so many years, and where he was looked upon as a household friend, he was entertained at a banquet, on the 19th of June, 1885, and made the recipient of a beautiful gold watch, valued at $175. An address was presented by the medical association of Simcoe County, speaking in very flattering terms of the services the doctor had rendered that body as its presi- dent, signed by P. H. Spohn, M. 1)., and one from the citizens, conveying their heartfelt thanks for past services, and sincere wishes fr ■ the future welfare of one who, in their opinion, had labored long and arduously to advance their interests as citizens and in the cause of humanity. Our sul)ject married, on September 2nd, 1886, Annie Elizabeth, younge.st daughter of J no. Keefer, Esq., whose biography appears elsewhere in this volume. THOMAS CONLON, .son of Timothy and Bridget (Groark) Conlon, was born in the county of Mayo, Ireland, in 1843. In 1848 his i)arents started for America vvitli their family, but the father died on shipboard during the passage out. The mother and children came to Allanburgh, this county, where they remained until 1859, when they removed to Thorold, where Hie subject of this sketch has since resided. Mr. Thomas Conlon has prosecuted a successful business in vessels and contracting. For eight years he was elected a councillor in the town of Thorold by acclamation. In 1872 i:e married rCllen O'C'onnor, of Merritton. They have six children. Mr. Conlon is a member of the Roman Catholic church, and in politics he has always been a consistent Reformer, receiving the Liberal nomination for the Commons' representation for the coimty of Welland in 1887, contesting the seal un- successfully with the formci' representative of the county. Dr. P'erguson. VVH,1.I.\M 'I'. I'TSH, town clerk, Thoroid, was born in Niagara on the 24th November, 1818. His father was a native of England, and his mother, whi je maiden name was Frances Peters, was ()orn near Prescott. Our s'lbject was educated in his native town, and began life as a clerk in Clement's store. He for a number of years was engaged in mercantile pursuits in Thorold, but has not been in business since 1862. He has been town clerk since 1868. In 1871 he was commissioned a justice of the peace, and now a<,ts as police magistrate for the town. He was married to a Miss Camp, but his wife and only cnild are dead. ioncrs for East y of Simcoe in )pointod trustee )n of the North Dr. Llack- s many sterlinj^ ty. He already a Royal Arch Previous to the d where he was on the 19th of d at $175. An ity, speaking in body as its presi- convcying their e welfare of one their interests as September 2nd, whose biography Conlon, was born rted for America issage out. The y remained until sketch has since ;s in vessels and vn of Thorold by . They have six h, and in politics jmination for the esting the sealun- uson. agara on the 24th ler, whi je maiden ect was educated He for a number It been in business k-as commissioned e town. He was V, moGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 529 ALEXANI)PM< KRASER, ex-mayor of the town of Thorold, dates his birth in the county of (Uengarry, Ontario, January, 26th, 1831. His father's name is also Alexander, and his mother's maiden name was Margaret Summers, a descendant of Andrew Summers, who was one of the early settlers of (llep..;arry County, having come to this country as a U. E. Loyalist. The father of our present subject was born in Inverness-shire, Scotland, in May, 1801, and came to Canada with his father when a child. He served as captain in the militia during the rebellion of 1837, and was afterwards breveted colonel, which rank he still holds, although too old for active service. Our subject came to VVelland County in 1857, setUing in the town- ship of Thorold on a farm, but following the business of a contractor. He prosecuted large public works in Pennsylvania and Nev York during the war and immediately after. He had also important contracts in enlarging the Welland Canal. One of them was removing 800,000 yards of earth at the deep cut, and another was rock excavating at the town of Thorold. Mr. Fraser was elected reeve of Thorold for six years, and was warden of the county in 1883. He held the office of mayor of Thorold for two terms. He also served as a member of the Thorold high school board. He was married m 1857 to Phcebe, a daughter of the late Joseph Upper, of Allanburgh. They have a family of six childien, Sarah Frances, Alexander, Evan, Louisa, Clara andStanley. He is a staunch Conservative in politics, holds the position of chairman of the Conservative a.ssociation of the town, and is treasurer of the county association. He belongs to the Chosen Friends and Canadian Home Circle fraternities. In October, 1886, he was selected by the Con.servative asso- ciation of Welland County as the standard bearer of his party at the approaching provincial elections, which h? unsuccessfully contested with the present represent- ative. Col. Morin. R1<:V. WTLITAM EDWARD GRAHAME, late rector of St. John's church, Thorold, and St. Paul's, Port Robinson, was born at Hardepool, in the county of Durham, England, June 20th, 1841. He is the youngest son of John Orahame, Esq., collector of H. M. Customs at Seaham, county of Durham, England, which position he held for a period of thirty years. Our subject received his education primarily in England, and, coming to Canada in 1859, completed his education by taking the theological course at Trinity College, Toronto. He was ordained deacon in October, 1874, by the Right Rev'd. Dr. Bethune, second bishop of To- ronto, and Decombcr 19th, 1875, was admitted to the priesthood by the Right Rev. Dr. P'uller, first bishop of Niagara. Mr. Orahame was until recently rector of Thorold, one of the most important parishes in the diocese of Niagara, which is now presided over by the Right Rev. Charles Hamilton, D. D., succes-sor to the late Dr. Fuller. Mr. Cirahame married February 19th, 1878, Miss Henrietta Bur- gess, second daughter of the Rev. Henry (^aswali, D. 1)., vicar of Figheldean. Wilt- shire, England, and prebendary of Salisbury cathedral. Dr. Caswall was ar.thor of > : jl N *! '! !'! I if If . fi s Ml !. i- 530 HISTORY OK WEU.AND COUNTY. " America and the American Churcli," and other well-known works. He was four- teen years in the service of the church in Canada and the United States. JOHN JOSEPH OEARIN, Esij., was born in the township of I'elham, county of VVelland, December 12th, 1852, and is a son of John and Ellen (Collins) Gearin, who came to Canada about 1850 from the county of Limerick, Ireland, and settled in the township of Pelham, where they followed farming for a number of years, but latterly he has been appointed to the position of foreman on the old canal from the county line of Lincoln to Allanburgh. Our subject received his education at Tho'old, having come there when quite young with his father, and engaged in his present occupation of flour and feed merchant in 1876. He was appointed clerk of the fifth division court of Welland County in January, 1885, and justice of the peace in July, 1885. He carries on in connection with his oth^/ business an in- surance agency ; is a member of the Board of Trade of city of 'J'oronto ; is a trustee on the separate school board of the town of Thorold, and a member of the Roman Catholic church. He married, January 22nd, 1878, Ellen, a daughter of Patrick and Mary (Fewry) (iarner, of Irish descent. They have a family of four children, named in the order of their ages : Camilla, May, William, and Loretta. JOHN HAMMON, proprietor of the City hotel, Thorold, was born August 23rd, 1833, in Lathbury, Newport, Bucks, England. He is a son of Ellis and Ann (Speaks) Hammon. After having learned the engineering trade at VVoWerton, England, he came to America in 1863, landing at New \'ork. He was employed for some time by a New York firm who furnished arms to the American Ciovernmenl for use in the civil war. Subse(juently he came to Canada, and for fourteen years he was in the employ of the Great Western Railway Company of Canada, a portion of which time he was locomotive foreman and steamboat inspectc. In 1882 Mr. Hammon bought the City hotel in 'i'horold, and since then has conducted it, keep- ing a house in every way meetmg the requirements of the travelling public. In 1857 our subject was married to Ann, daughter of Mr. John Canning, of the Can- ning family, a direct descendant of him who is referred to in English history as Lord Canning, who was once Governor-General of India. CHARLES HAIST, of the firm of Haist Bros., proprietors of the West Side grocery, Thorold, was born in the township of Pelham on the fifth day of April, 1866. His parents are (ieorge and Agnes (Klump) Haist, both natives of Germany, who settled in I'elham the i8th day of Sep- tember, 1853, and are among the most highly respected residents of that township. Our subject was brought up on his father's farm, but r ecided upon a mercantile career. He began life on his own account when sixteen years of age as a clerk in the store of Mr. F. W. Hmt, of Fenwick, and afterwards filled an engage- ment with 'laylor Bros., Welland. In August, 1S86, in company with his brother, he purchased the business of Andrew Hardie, in the town of Thorold, and still HIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 53> continues to conduct it at the old stand. A large and well selected stock of g( neral groceries, crockery, etc., is kept constantly on hand, and a good trade is enjoyed by the firm. Our present subject, who has the entire management of the business, is a young man of good business training and ability. Tlie.se (lualities, combined with strict integrity and close attention to business, will no doubt bring to our young friend the success which he so richly deserves. JAMES JONES, the subject of the following sketch, is of Welsh descent. His family left Wales and settled in Broseley, England, 1593, in ihe neighborhood of which he was born in the year 1835. He came to America in 1855, and entered the milling busines.s, and continued therein twenty-seven years. He was among the first to introduce " rolls " into milling, and invented and patented several machines of this kind. By uniting these different machines he formed the system of milling known as " The James Jones System," and having successfully introduced it into several mills in the United States, he came to Canada in 1882. Here his patent was scon in demand ; and having converted several mills to his system, he settled in Thorold and changed the Welland mills to it also, and joined the firm, the name of which then became Howland, Jones & Co., whose mill doubtless is one of the finest in the Dominion, having a capacity of 500 barrels i)er day. Mr. Jones married M. A. Collard, daughter of J. H. Collard, Enmore Mills, Somersetshire, England, by whom he had seven children, four of whom are now living. Their eldest daughMT married Rev. J. I). Symonds, Baptist minister, Louisville, Ky. Their daughte. i Jessie Collard Jones and Leonie Irene Jones, with their son, Aldred Jones, are still with them. Mr. Jones and family are much esteemed in Thorold and in the county ; being always ready to help in every good work, and in whatever contributes to the advancement of the general good. JOHN KEEPER is a Canadian by birth, having been born at what is now the town of Thorold, January 13th, 18 13. He was one of a family of thirteen children. His father was (leorge Keefer, a native of New Jersey, and his mother's maiden name was Catharine Lampman. The grandfiither was a native of (lermany. He was taken ])risoner the time of the American revolutionary war, and died on board ship, still a prisoner. Oeorge iveefer came to Canada about 1790, and settled where the magnificent residence of our present subject now stands. He built a grist mill, the first in the town and the fourth in Welland County, in 1827. John Keefer learned the tra(K of a miller in his father's mill, and was engaged in that business for about twenty years. The mill has since been sold to James Eawson & Co., and Mr. Keefer has led a retired life. I'hrce brothers of our subject were engineers, as- sisting in the building of the old Welland Canal. John Keefer is one of those un- assuming men, .so seldom met, whose candor and honesty is stamped in indelible characters on their countenances. He was married October 9th, 1838, to Sar.ih, a daughter of Gilbert McMicking. They have a family of four children living, viz ; HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. : 1: ; i f It h [ I I i I : 1 1 1 j U, ' John (lilbcrt, Hugh Forbes, now in British Columbia, Mary, the wife of Arthur Lindsay, of Ottawa, and Annie E., wife of Dr. Hlackstocit. Mr. Keefer is a member of the Episcopalian church. JOHN C. LAMPMAN, deceased, was horn in Stamford Township, July 24th, 1833. He was a son of Peter, born in Stamford in 1803, and Catharine (Cole) Lampman, and grandson of Frederick Lampman, a native of New Jersey, and great grandson of Frederick, of Dutch descent. The grandfather of our subject came to Canada about 1785, as a U. E. Loyalist, and settled in Stamford Township. The ancestors, as far as above mentioned, were all farmers, and Mr. I,am|)man was brought up to that occupation, receiving his education at the schools of his native place. His first attempt in mercantile pursuits was as clerk in a dry goods estab- lishment in Thorold, for a short time, then, going to Woodstock, he was employed in a hardware store for four or five year.s, when, returning to Thorold, he was confi- dential clerk for Mr. A. Schwaller for ten years, afterwards engaging in partnership with him for three years. In 1873, he embarked in the grocery business for himself, continuing therein up to the time of his death. He was treasurer of Thorold for the years 1865 and 1866, and was elected to the council board in 1875, and was chairman of the hoard of school trustees for the town at the time of his death, which happened suddenly at Hamilton June 14th, 1886. He married in June, 1862, Elsie, a daughter of Elias and Anna (Chrysler) Durham, natives of I,incoln County, Ont. They have but one daughter, F'.lsie Alhcrta, horn April, 1863. The family are adherents of the Church of F^ngland. ROBERT BARCLAY MACPHERSON, deceased, late senior meml)er of the Thorold Woolen and Cotton Manufacturing Comjjany, was born in Inverness- shire, Scotland, on the 17th day of December, 181 7, nnd caine to Canada with his parents, John and Margaret Macpherson, in 1823. The family settled in Glengarry County, Ontario. Although following the business of a merchant in Scotland, John Macpherson directed his attention to agricultural jjursuits from the time that he arrived in Canada until he died. Mr. R. B. Macpherson's was a life of unceasing activity and responsibility. He left home at the early age of thirteen years, and from that time depended upon his own resources. His first employment was in ■; country store ; suhsecjuently he was engaged in assisting at forwarding timber ])ur- chased in this vicinity to Quebec. After the comjjletion of the old canal, he had charge of different country stores north and west of Toronto. In 1S68 he built a flouring mill, and another in 1873, furnishing the contractors and the men working on the new canal with supplies. He was a member of the 'i'horold council from 1856 to 1862, and a member of the county council for two years. In politics and religion he was a Liberal. Mr. Macpherson was general business agent for a firm of contractors on the improvement of the Welland Canal in 1843. For a period of thirty years he filled the important position of general business agent of the late mmmmm MMMN' HIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 533 John Hrown of 1'horold, a large public works contractor, and after his death com- pleted his unfinished contract on the Welland Canal, a work amounting to about one million dollars, having been appointed by the court of chancery as administrator of the Brown estate. He built the woolen and cotton manufactory and started run- ning it in 1882. It is one of the best of its kind in Ontario, having a capacity for completing eighty to one hundred thousand dollars worth of goods annually. Mr. Macpherson married in 1855, Madeline, a daughter of James Secord. Their family numbered eight children. Our subject died suddenly on the ist December. 1886, at an hotel in the city of Buffalo, whither he had gone on business. ANDREW Mcculloch, M. a., principal of Thorold high school, was born at Houston, near (ilasgow, Scotland, on the 28th of July, r845. The family emi- grated to Canada in 1846, and settled at Hamilton, where lliey remained until pur- chasing the estate of Caleb Hopkins, M. P., near Wellington Square, county of Hal- ton, at which place the subject of t'i:is sketch was reared. Mr. McCuUoch received his early training in the central school, Hamilton, and his classical training from Dr. Greene, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, rector of Wellington Square. He matriculated at Queen's University ii; 1868, taking a scholarship for general pro- ficiency, and was graduated as B. A., with first-class English honors, in 187 1. In 1874 he obtained the degree of M. A. After graduation he was for some time asso- ciate principal and proprietor of the Canada Business College, Hamilton, having for partner Mr. Conklin, the present member for the city of Winnipeg. Mr. McCuUoch remained here until appointed headmaster of the Brant county high school, which he taught for two years, when he received the headmastership of the Drummonville high school. He was appointed headmaster of 'i'horold high school in 1877, which |)osition he still holds. Mr. McCulloch's career as an educator and disciplinarian is too well known to require any comment. He married on the nth August, 1879, Theresa Elizabeth Ball, only surviving daughter of the late Frederick Ball, Esq., of (irantham. Mrs. McCuUoch died June 5th, 1885, leaving three daughters. JOHN McDONACrH, Esq., was born in Rivers-town, county of Sligo, Ireland, on the 6th day of February, 1822. His parents were William and Elizabeth (Carson) McDonagh. His father was the youngest of five brothers, the four eldest of whom served in the peninsular war, under the Duke of Wellington. Three of the brothers were killed in those campaigns, only one surviving the battle of Waterloo. The father of our subject was for 25 years a volunteer in the yeomanry. On signifying his intention of resigning, having made up his mind to come to America, he was presented with an address and a sword for faithful services. He emigrated to Canada in 1841, settling in the township of Caledon, afterwards removing to Tecumseh Township, when' he died at the age of eighty years, and where he is buried. Mr. McDonagh's mother died a few years previous to his father's death. Our subject, at the age of seventeen years, joined the revenue ■ '' ! i 534 HISTORY OF WKLLAND COUNTY. police, of Dublin, serving for three years in serveral of the cities in Ireland under command of Col. lirararton, of the Royal Artillery, a veteran of W'ateroo, when he resigned and came o Canada in 1843. He landed in New \ork, came by packet boat to Rochester and took a steamboat from that city to Toronto. Having stopped there for a couple of months he next came to the county of Welland. In April, 1850, he, in company with twelve others from Welland Comity, started overland to California, walking all the way from the Missouri river, ihey left St Josephs, on that river, May the 9th. Their outfit consisted of four wagons, carrying their equip- ments, with four yoke of oxen to each wai^on. Taking the trail to the mountains they first reach the big and little Vermillion rivers, then the big and little Blue, where they saw tlieir first buffaloes, and on to I*'ort Kearney, on the platte bottoms ; up that stream to the south fork, Afhich they forded from three-(iuarters to a mile in width, thence to Ash Hollow on the main platte ; up that river to Court House and Chimney Rocks, afterwards crossing Laramie river, and on 120 miles to Kort Laramie, where they crossed the main platte ; from there through the Black Hills to Sweet Water river ; crossing this river sixteen times they came to Rock Independ- ence, and on the night of June i8th stood on the South Pass. P'rom this place they began their descent, first striking the (Ireen river, then the llcai river and mountains, through which, Mr. McDonagh says, they encountered the most difficult travelling on the journey. On July 1st they reached Soda or Steamboat spring, and next struck the head waters of the Humboldt. Travelling down it 400 miles to the sink, a place where this river loses itself in the desert, they crossed the plain 40 miles to Carson river. At this point Mr. McDonagh and three others of the party, with 36 pounds each on their backs, left the teams and proceeded the last 200 miles, mak- ing the journey in about three and a half days. They arrived at Hangtown,or Placer- ville, where he first witnessed mining for gold. After remaining here four days he went south 70 miles to the Mo(jualima river, where he worked six or seven months. He next went up in the mountains, to the north fork of Jackson creek, where he remained for nearly four years working alone, and for two years of the time not within four miles of the habitation of any English speaking |)erson. In the above the route of Mr. McDonagh and his party has mirely been outlined. The dangers and difficulties of the journey have not been portrayed, nor will it be necessasy to say more than that on the trail made by the old forty-niners evidences of the ferocity of the Indians were frequently met with in the shape of the dead bodies of white people, the destruction of their wagons and camp ecpiipments, and many superfluous articles not prized by the red man. There the mining was no sinecure. After working as long as he could see, and getting his supper by torch-light, so as not to spend any of the daylight that was useful in mining, he would start down the mountain to the nearest station, four miles distant, '^arrying back 50 to 100 pounds on his back. Among the perils of mining, especially alone, just one incident will r«M* BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 535 suffice : — On coming from his work one evening, and just as the last trip was made from an 1 8 feet shaft, the whole depth of earth, including an additional (piantity from the mountain side, perhaps twenty-five feet in all, fell, burying the shaft out of sight and striking Mr. McDonagh on the shoulder a slight blow ; a hali minute earlier and it would have been " Good-bye, John." Mr. McDonagh took the steamer Brother Jonathan at San Francisco, Feb. 15, 1854, for the Isthmus, crossed over to (Ireytown and from thereto New York, arriving March 15th, 1854. He took his gold to the Philadelphia mint, where they coined it without charge, and courteously invited him to inspect the works. The first piece of gold he ever found was made into a ring, which he keeps as a souvenir of California. About a year after his return he settled in Thorold, starting a saw mill, and is still conducting a lumber trade. Mr. McDonagh married, in 1854, Mary Ann, a daughter ot Daniel VVillson, of AUanburgh. For 25 years he was a member of the town council of Thorold, was for four years elected by acclamation as reeve, and was for four years mayor, for three of them being elected by acclamation. He joined the A. F. and A. M. in 1858, and has attained the degrees of R. A. and K. T. in that body. He has held for 16 years the chairmanship of the Conservative association for Welland County, and has been for 15 years chairman of the Conservative association for Thorold Town. He is still hale and hearty, enjoying the respect and esteem of all who know him. WH.LIAM McCLEARY, the present mayor of the town of Thoi d, was born in that town, then a village, November 5th, 1853. His parents were Beatty and Matilda (McCabe) McCleary, both natives of Ireland. His primary education was received \t the public school, after which he attended the Thorold and Beamsville high schools, and subsequently took a course at Day's Commercial College, Toronto. He is now the senior partner of the firm of McCleary iV McLean, whose saw and planing mills are situated in the village of Merritton. This firm does an extensive business, their sales exceeding sixty thousand dollars annually. Mr. McCleary was first elected to the council of the town of Thorold in 1881. In 1883 he was elected deputy-reeve, and again returned in 1884, and had by that time gained so much popularity in the county council that he was chosen as the incumbent of the war- den's chair, being the first deputy-reeve who ever got the position of warden in Welland County. In 1885 the people of Thorold raised Mr. McCleary from the office of deputy-reeve to the^eeveship, re-elected him for 1886, and placed him in the mayor's chair by acclamation for 1887. Our subject is a member of the Masonic, Odd Fellows and Orange fraternities, and also of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He was married December 6th, 1877, to Jennie, daughter of James and Susan Ewart. Mrs. McCleary is a Canadian by birth, of Scotch descent on her father's side, and Irish on her mother';-. They have two surviving children, Leonard Beatty and Annie Fawcelt. I'hey have also buried two children. I vl 536 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. JAMES MILLAR, merchant tailor, Thorold, was born in Banffshire, Scotland, March 22nd, 1823; received his education at his birthplace, and learned his trade at Fochabers, M'.irrayshirc, Scotland, and afterwards carried on business for twelve years in Aberdeenshire. He came to Canada in 1857. After remaininj^ one and a-half years in Hamilton, he went to the Hastings Road, then being opened up for settlement, taking up a lot of bush land ; but having to carry his flour on his back lor 12 miles, the novelty of farming in the bush was lost ; thence he came to Thor- old, where he worked at his trade for seven years. In 1866 he started business on his own account, and had the misfortune to be burned out. He soon resumed, and has since that time done a very successful business in Thorold. Mr. Millar was married in his native country, April 13th, 1857, to Ann, a daughter of David Mair, a native of Fifeshire, Scotland. They have a family of six children, viz : James K., David E., Elizabeth H., Mary J., Jessie, and Robert M. Our subject has been a member of the Thorold school board. He was president of the Sunday school convention, and is a member of the Methodist church. AMANTUS SCHVVALLER, general merchant, Thorold, was born in the pro- vince Lorraine, December 2Sth, 1810, when that province vas a French possession, and came to Canada iu 1830. He is a son of F"rancis, who was fond of relating to his son what privileges the people here have, to show the contrast of the laws and customs of the present with the feudal times in that province, as by recount handed down by his ancestors. For instance : The head of a family was accorded, m bar- onial times, the right to cut four cords of wood, in addition to six trees, for use for any purpose ; and a further right to cut four trees, to use in his business, if the person was a mechanic, for the support of himself and family. Mr. Schwaller has resided, with the exception of three 0/ four months he was in Buffalo, continuously in the county of Welland. On his arrival he was almost penniless, and his first em- ployment was as a day laborer for George Keefer, working for that gentleman a good part of the time up to 1840 in a mill. In 1844 he bought a farm for $1,300, and improving and working on it for ten years, he sold it for $5000. He next embarked in the occupation of merchant near the premises he now occupies, about the year 1856, building up a lucrative trade, until at [)resent he is in the possession of a larg'j property, and one of the finest residences in tne town of Thorold. Mr. and Mr.s. Schwaller have a family of three children, named Louisa, now the wife of Dr. Lemon, Amanda and John. Mr. Schwaller was for thfrteen years a member of the town council, six of those years holding the position of reeve, and is an adherent of the Roman Catholic church. REV. T. J. SULLIVAN, |)astor of the C;hurch of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Thorold, was born in the county of Cork, Ireland, in 1842, and came to Canada about 1849 with his father, John Sullivan, who settled in St. Catharines, where he still resides. Our subject received his theological training in the seminary of Our I! i iuo(;raj>hicai. skktches. 537 lire, Srotland, led his trade ;ss for twelve ning one and aj/ened up for r on his back ame to Thor- d business on resumed, and r. Millar was if David Mair, iz ; James K., ;t has been a Sunday school Lady of Angels, Suspension liridgc, N. Y., and was ordained priest, August 15th, 1868, at St. Catharines, by Archbishop Lynch of Toronto. .After having pastoral charges in the town of Niagara and the township of Adjala, in each of which places he remained about 18 months, he took charge of his present pastorate in 1871, and has remained there evev since. It has been under Father Sullivan's administration that the splendid church edifices, school and convent have been erected in Thorold, and that gentleman has, by his energy, raised the large sum ot thirty thousand dol- lars of the money recjuircd for their construction. His congregation numbers about eight hundred. The church is educating about 190 children in the schools, in which four teachers are employed jiermanenlly, and one temporarily. 'I'here are six Sisters of the Community of St. Joseph, who are teachers both in common branches and music. Father Sullivan is also president of the C. M. 15. A. He possesses sterling ([ualities, which endear him to his flock and command for him the respect of the whole community irrespective of creed. orn in the pro- ch possession, of relating to the laws and ecount handed ;orded, in bar- ges, for use for lusiness, if the Schwaller has 0, continuously nd his first em- ntleman a good or $1,300, and ; next embarked about the year ssion of a larg'? Mr. and Mrs. he wife of Dr. member of the is an adherent le Holy Rosary, mie to Canada ines, where he ;minary of Our WAINFLEET TOWNSHIP. J. WHITMORE AUCUSTINl-:, I'ort Colborne 1'. O., was born in Wainfleet Township on the 19th of August, 1858, the youngest of the four children of Jonas and Elizabeth (Fares) Augustine, and was married December 24th, 1879, to Sebelia, youngest daughter of Henry Root, of Sherbrooke, and granddaughter of the late Fvlizabeth Hardi.son, whose father built the first gristmill in this section of the country. Mr. and Mrs. Augustine have one daughter living, Elsie Blanche, born in Wainfleet October 25th, 1885, and two sons lie buried at Morgan's Point. Our subject has two sisters, I'riscilla H., and Elizabeth F., the latter an invalid for upward of twenty years, and a brother, A. W., who moved to Middlesex, Ont., twelve years ago, and is now a member of the nuinicipal council of that county. The parents of on; subject were also both natives of Wainfleet, and descendants of pioneer re- sidents. ROBERT CHAMJ5ERS, farmer, Candasville P. O., was born in the township of Wainfleet, Ajiril 28th, 1842. His parents were Robert and .'\gnes (Robinson) Chambers. His maternal grandfather was a native of Ireland. Mr. Robert Cham- bers has always followed farming. He is now possessor of the farm on which his father settled, when it was in a state of wi.Jerness, about the year 1826. This farm is now very valuable. It consists of two hundred acres of choice land, situated along the Welland river. Mr. Chambers is an enterprising as well as an intelligent ■■a l" t ! * fl I 'i^ i ii' - 1 1 1! Jl jm ' !i ^! 538 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. farmer, and is highly esteemed by the community in which he lives, as a i)roof of which he was elected to a seat at the council board of his native township in 1886. He was also secretary-treasurer of his school section three years. He was married October ist, 1879, to Lucinda, a daughter of Daniel and Harriett (Nunn) Robins, both of whom were born in the township of (lainsboro, Lincoln C!f)unty. Our subject's family consist.s of three children, Elma, Levi, and Ada Lilian. EDWARD LEK, Esq., Marshville, dales his nativity at the county of Mona- ghan, Ireland, 4th Nov., 181 1. He came to Canada in the year 1826. On his arrival on the Welland Canal that great work was then in progress. Mr. Lee stopped with his friend, (ieorge Coulter, who kept a small grocery at north end of deep cut, adjoining the farm of Garret Vanderburgh. In [827 Mr. Lee accepted a situation as clerk in the store of his old friend, Duncan McFarland, Esq., who is .still living. While with Mr. McFarland, Mr. Lee spent many happy days of hi.s boyhood, Mrs. McFarland being a most estimable and motherly lady, making all things pleasant for those around her. Mr. Lee was present in 1829 when the first two boats passed through the canal, the one an American and the other a Canadian vessel. He states that a strife existed as to which should take precedence and claim the honor of being the first vessel that passed through that great highway. The late Honorable Wm. Hamilton Merritt was highly esteemed by Mr. Lee ; to him he owes a debt of gratitude for good counsel and sound advice in the days of his youth. Mr. Lee settled in Marshville in the fall of 1832, entered into the mercantile busi- ness on his own account, a poor boy with no one to help him excei)t kind wholesale merchants who trusted him with their goods. " Thanks to kind Providence," says Mr. Lee, "those merchants all got their pay." When Mr. Lee settled in Marshville, in 1832. there were no improvements, except a few small huts occupied by canal laborers. There were no roads, the surrounding country being an unbroken forest, in which there were plenty of wolves, bears, deer and other game. That great wil- derness has been removed, the great marsh largely drained, and the surrounding lands turned into good farms, in all of which Mr. Lee took a deep interest, doing a great deal himself to forward improvement. He may well be called the father of the place. In 1837, the year of the Mackenzie rebellion, iie married Miss Marga- ret Hershey, daughter of Abraham and Margaret Hershey, of Bertie. Mrs. Lee had five children, three of whom are living. Mrs. Lee died, July 31, 1874. Mr. Lee was elected reeve of the township council of Wainfleet in 1857, which office ho retained for 25 years in succession, till he retired in December, 1882. During above period he was five times elected warden for Welland County. On his retirement from the township council, that body presented him with a beautiful and costly easy chair, and the county council, at their first meeting in 1883, with a handsome testimonial in the shape of an engrossed address,-;!,finely framed, bearing date Janu- ary 26, 1883, and to which is attached the county seal, signed by A. Fra.ser, warden; HIOCRAPHICAL SKKTCHKS. 539 J. C. I'age, county clerk,- - as a mark of respect, of the appreciation of his valuable services as county councillor and warden. Mr. I,cc was api)ointed a justice of the peace about the year 1866, and held the position of postmaster for forty-live years. He died at his home in Marshville on April 5th, 1887, in the 76th year of his age, universally regretted. ROWAN LATTIMORK, farmer, was born at Marshville, in the township of VVainfleet, I'eb. 21, 1865, and is a .son of Alexander and Mary (Mell) Laltiniore, natives of Ireland. Alexander l.attimore was born in the county of Cavan, and first settled in this county at Port Robinson, engaging in the occupation of butcher. He afterwards settled at Marshville and went into timber speculation and purchase of lands, owning at the time of his death about 1,000 acres. He was for a number of yeais previous to his death a member of the township and county council, deserving and receiving the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens, until his decease, which occurred in 1881. Our subject received his education at the schools of his native place, and at the town of Dunnville, assuming control of his paternal home, which consists of a farm of 185 acres, .situated adjacent to the village of Marshville, in the year 1885. He has since devoted his time to its cultivation and improvement, making it second to none in Wainfleet. Mr. Latti- more is a member of the order of Sons of Temperance and is highly esteemed and respected. ENDS MARK, postmaster at Fork.s Road, was born in the township of Wainfleet on the 24th of October, 1850. His father was John Marr, a native of York County, Ontario, of Scotch and Irish parentage, and a direct descendant of the tiarl of Marr, referred to in English history. Our subject's mother was Cerilda Thomas, a daughter of Casper Thomas and .Sarah (Nunn) Thoma.s, (for history of Nunn family, see Felham biographies). Mr. Enos Marr lived on a farm in Wainfleet, and began business at the Forks Road in the spring of 1879. Shortly before he settled in business, he spent several months in travel, visiting Manitoba, the northwest territories, and nine of the states and territories of the American union. He has continued in business in Wainfleet since 1879, and has always had a good trade. In t88o he had the post office established at Forks Road, and was appointed postmaster. He is now arranging for a change in the name of the post- office from Forks Road to Marr's Hill. He has established a cemetery, to be known as Marr's Hill cemetery, Marr's Hill, Ontario. He was married January 5th, 1881, to Margaret T., a daughter of the late C. C. Cosby, of Moulton. Mrs. Marr was an orphan from her early childhood, and until the time of her marriage resided as the adopted daughter of Mrs. John Smoke, of Wainfleet. They have had a family of four children, three of whom survive. Their names are Lawrence E., Sir Richard Anson, Charles Lytton, (who was killed by accident), and Margaret Cerilda. Mr. Marr is a member of Duffcrin Lodge, No. 338, A. F, & A. M., of which craft i ^ '. ;.* ; ill I J i ) 1 \ 540 HISTORY (IV WKI,I,ANI) COUNTY. he beratiic a inciiil)cr in 1H76. In 1H85 and iHHU he was rollcclor ul taxes for Waindct't Township. He is also sccictary-troasurcr of S. S. No. 1, W'ainllect, and also secretary and salesman of the I'orks Koad Chee.sc (.'ompany, estaiilished March 5th, 18X7. I'd'HRAIM .MORdAN, farmer, was horn in the lownshij) of Waintleet, March 22n(l, 1S14. His re<:ollection dates hack to an early period, when most of the township, except on the borders of the lake, was unsettled, and covered with forest. He is a son of David and Ruth (VanNorman) Morj;an. 'I"he former was born in Pennsylvania, and came to Canada in i7«;o, as a U. K. Loyahst, with his fatlier, David Morgan, and settled on Morgan's Point, so named after the family. Here the grandfather lived and died at Maiden, at the age of about 50 years. He was of Welsh descent. The father of our subject followed farming throughout life, assisting at clearing the lands in the vicinity of the Point, and he died at about eighty-six years of age. He took an active part in the war of 181 2, having been out on service during part of that struggle. Our subject still resides on the old homestead, lots 13 and 14 in the first concession of Wainlleet Township. He was one of eleven children ; his father's family consisting of four sons and seven daughters. Mr. Morgan was married, in 1847, to jane /avit/, a daughter of Samuel and Mary Zavitz. Hia wife died in 1865. He has held a seat at the council board of his native township for eleven years, by the popular voice, but has now retired from active life. A growing aversion to mingle with public affairs has caused him to refuse the honor of an appointment to the magistracy of the county, a |)osition that has several times been offered him. He bids fair to live a number of years, and enjoys life as only a man can who has a clear conscience. . JOHN RKKH, farmer and lime-burner, townshij) of Waintleet, was born in Alsace, at that time a i)rovincc of 1'" ranee, but now a province of (lermany, on the 2ist day of November, 1832. He came to America with his parents, John 'I'heo- bald and Elizabeth (Hans) Reeb, natives of Alsace, in 1848, landing at New York on New Year's eve. Among the other members of the family who < ame over at that time was a brother of our subject, named (leorge, and his sister Margaret. Two other brothers, Michael and Andrew, had come over some time i)revious to the year 1848, and settled in the township of WaintlcL't. The father and the rest of the family made their way to this county soon after landing in America. Here they engaged in farming, but in 1852 the head of the family died, at the age of sixty-five years. Our subject was educated in his native c-ounlry in both the (lerman and French 1-anguages, but acquired his knowledge of the English tongue, (which he now speaks with tolerable fluency) after arriving in this country. He has always carried on the business of farming, and in connection with it that of lime-burning. The product of his lime-kiln, which has a capacity of about 100,000 bushels per annum, he ships chiefly to Buffalo ; it is of the finest quality of white lime. His farm, be- IIICK.RAPHICAI. SKKTCHKS. 541 fort' a flivision was made amoii}; his sons, consisted of 250 acres, lying a short dis- tance west of I'ort (Jolhorne, on the line of the Hiiffalo and (loderich division of the (Irand 'I'riink Railway. His lime kiln and (|iiarry, situated on the farm, are in close |)roximity to the railway, and a switch from the main line affords excellent opportunities for shipment hy rail to all parts. Mr. Reel) mairied Novemher 22nd, 1853, Henrietta, a daughter of (Ihristopher .ind Christina (I'lpling) Noxal, of (Iirman descent. They have a family of five sons, named I'l.omas ICuphronius, William Eugene, Menno, Alexander and John Andrew. 'I'hey are all well established in life as farmers, except 'I'homas, who follows the business of lime-burning at Dunnville ; Mcnno has an interest in his father's business in Wainlleel. Mr. Reel) is a member of the l-utheran church, and his political leanings are Conservative. WILLOUGHBY TOWNSHIP. ISAAC H. .'Vl.l.KN, postmaster at lilack ("reck, was burn in New Ikdford, Mass., U. S., in the year 1824. His parents reniov d to iJuffalo, N Y., when he was only fourteen years of age, and one year later his father died. iieing now thrown on his own resources, he found employment as a clerk in Buffalo. In 1849 he removed to Black Creek and bought the premises now occupied by him, of Robert Ingraham, oi)ening there a general store. In 1855 he erected a steam saw- mill, and in 1866 built one much larger and more complete, which continued in active operation till January, 1886, when it was totally destroyed by fire. Since then he has been largely engaged in buying and selling white oak timber, both round and square, in connection with general lumber business, and the store before mentioned. MICHAP:L B. BARNHARI), reeve of the township of Willoughby, was born in Alsace, then province of France, (but since the Franco- Prussian war a possession of Cermany), on July 24tli, 1832, and came to Canada with his jjarents, Adam and Margaret (Sauer) Barnhard, in 1834. The family settled in Bertie, abou; two miles west of New (lermany, where the father carried on farming for about twelve years, when he died, his wife dying four years earlier. Our subject learned the black- smith and wagonmaking business, and has carried on the same successfully for many years and up to the present time, in addition to farming. He located on his present farm in 1863. He war, elected to the council of the township of VVilloughby in 187T, and for several succeeding years. In 1882 he was elected reeve of the town- shij), which honorable position he still retains. In the county council he has care- fully watched the interests of his constituents, nor has he refused his vote and voice J I ll 542 HISTORY OF WELLANl) COUNTY. in aid of progress and improvement generally. He was married Feb. i, 1858, to Ellen, daughter of Carson and Rebecca (Hrown) Brundage, the former of Pennsyl- vanian and the latter of Canadian birth. They have a family of seven children, named : Rebecca, now wife of James Bradt, of Beamsville ; Maggie, now teaching school; Lily, Jennie, Michael, Charles and Willie. The family attend the Meth- odist'church. Mr. Barnhard is a member of the Masonic and Workmen fraterni- ties, and is a Reformer in politics. He has been on the commission of the peace since 1876. MENNO S. BEAM, farmer and stock-raiser. Black Creek P. O., Was born in Bertie Township, Welland County, on January 28th, 1838. He was a son of Henry and Annie (Sherk) Beam, natives of this county, and among the oldest settlers of Willoughby, afterwards removing to Bertie, where the subject of this sketch was born. Menno S. Bean married, October ist, 1861, Fannie, daughter of Henry Winger of Humberstone. Mrs. Beam was born May 20th, 1843. lo Mr. and Mrs. Beam have been born eleven children, ten of whom are now living, viz : Miriam, married to Peter Storm, of Humberstone ; Levi H., living on the home- stead — a valuable aid to his father in the stork-raising business ; Albion, telegraph operator in the employ of the (Jrand Trunk Railway Co., at Victoria, Ont.; Sarah, Elvie, Hiram, Bertha, Emanuel, Lillie and Mabel. One child died in infancy. Mr. Beam's grandfather came to Canada from Pennsylvania about 1797, taking up an eight-hundred acre i^lot, on a portion of which land Black Creek now stands. Menno S. Beam has always been engaged in farming and stock-raising, and has acquired an enviable re|)Utation as a breeder of Norman-Percheron horses. }Ie also has high-bred sheep, fowls, etc., and is in all respects c. representative '"armer. He is a Reformer in politics, and has four times been elected as township councillor. The Erie and Nip^aru branch of the M. C. R. R. runs through a portion of his farm, which is pleasantly located almost on the bank of the famed Niagara river, at Black Creek. During the Fenian raid of 1866 the British soldiers under Col. Peacock jjassed through here, the telegraph office for their use being located in Mr. Beam's residence. HERVEY J. BEAM, farmer and stock raiser. Black Creek 1'. O., is a son of John and Eliza (Wait) Beam, his mother a native of V^-irmunt, his father a Pcnn sylvanian. Hervey J. Heam was born March 25th, 1825, on the farm on which he now resides. His father came from I'ennsylvania and settled here about i7i;7. Hervey J. Beam was married January loth, 1854, to Jane, i daughter of Chauncey Hibbard, of Ber*' Mrs. Beam was born January 5th, 1828. 'I heir children number three, nan, : Horace H., who still resides with his parents on the home- stead ; Charles O., one of the most proi.iinent dental surgeons of the city of St. Catharines, who, on November 16th, 1880, was married to Emma Price, of Thorold, Ont.; Humphrey F., engaged with the New York transfer company, in the American iKcb. I, 1858, to |rmer of I'ennsyl- seven children, Igie, now teaching ittend the Meth- r'orkmen fraterni- ^sion of the peace P. O., \Vas born in e was a son of among the oldest |ie subject of this annie, daughter of h, 1843. To Mr. e now living, viz : 'ing on the home- \lbion, telegraph ;toria, Ont.; Sarah, d died in infancy. It 1797, taking up Ilreek now stands. ck-raising, and has heron horses. }le )rescntative ''armer. :ownship councillor. igh a portion of his ed Niagara river, at ioldiers under Col. eing located in Mr. 'i(ac ■Ci k l\ O., is a son of :, his father a I'enn- : farm on which he 1 liere about 17^7. ighter of Chauncey !8. 'Iheir children rents on the home- s of the city of St. la Price, of Thorold, ny, in the American Mi: : :^C~ ; 1 ■ j i ■i j 1 M H ! i »'»'; ^ l\ ! I ii i i A !! i.J'; iiii I i • It Wi li ,, i*.\ i . 1 1 , j ■ 1 ^^ 1 5 1 i "^^""•wrm--- mOGKAPHICAL SKETCHES. 545 metropolis. Mr. Beam and his son Horace take an active interest in the advance- ment of all things i)ertaining to a model farm, and of late are introducing thorough- bred stock into almost every department in that line. They are extensive apiarians, managmg sixty colonies of bees last season. The antecedents of the sub- ject of this sketch were p'oneer settlers in this part of the county. Of the eight hundred acres of land taken up by the great grandfather of Menno S. and Hervey J. Beam, who came here about ninety years ago, six hundred acres still remain in pos- session of his heirs, who include representatives of five generations. The second night after the advent of the F'enians, in 1 866, the raiders could be distinctly heard at work throwing up breastworks of rails, etc., their c^imp bemg but ?. mile south of Mr. Beam's residence. Expecting that they would be scouting for cavalry horses, Mr. Beam swam his most valuable team across the Niagara river to Grand Island to prevent their falling into Fenian hands. Mr. Beam has always been a staunch Liberal in politics, MICHAEL I). GONDER, deceased, was Oorn on the bank of Niagara river, lot No. 6, township of Willoughby, May 15th, 1804. He was a son of Jacob and Mary Ann (Dunn) Gonder, the latter comintf from New Jersey immediately after the close of the American revolutionary war, and the former from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, m 1779, v ith the grandfather of our subject, Michael Gonder, a native of Ger.-nany. His grandmother, Rebecca Snyder, of German origin, died in Penn- sylvania. The grandfather, a U. E. T^oyalist, left the States on account of perse- cutions dUiing the war, in the way of burning his buildings, etc., and on arriving in Canada he erected what was for the times a superior house, and kept for many years a place of entertainment where the newly arrived inmiigrant could get accom- modation and direction as to different parts of the country. After several years he moved up the Chippawa and located where the town of Welland now stands, and where he died and is buried. His house was always the resting-place of the needy, as well as the abode of the great. During the war of 181 2, General Drun.mond occupied the house of Michael Gonder on the Niagara river, and for a time made it his headquarters. The father of our subject inherited one-half of the old home- stead on the frontier. He was, during the war of 1812, captain of a company of militia, and on one occasion was taken ])risoner by the American> and confined in old Fort Niagara for a ueriod of six weeks. Some time after his liberation he was again made prisoner, but as he was being conveyed to the fori managed to make his escape from his captors, when near Niagarr. Falls. He died at the age of seventy-one years, and is buried in the old family burying ground on the farm on which he lived, where the mother of our subject is also buried. Michael D. Gonder was brought up a farmer and continued that occupation throughout 'the whole of a life longer than the allotied life of man. He married June 26th, 1827, Sarah Ann, a daughter of Reuben and Rebecca (Baker) Wait, old pioneers of the country. They 34 1 i i ill ti ■ WU h [Hi Is 1 ' li , 1 ij I 11 546 HISTORY OF WKLLANl) COUNTY. had a family of fifteen children, fourteen of whom grew up to man and womanhood, viz : Rebecca, Morris J., Thomas I)., Levi M., Reuben M., Mary A., (Jeorge A., Hannah, Evelyn A., Hervey J., Sarah A., Mina A., Albert W., and Gertrude, eleven of whom are now living. Our subject took an active jjart in the war of the rebellion of 1837 ; he was lieutenant in a company of militia, and after the assassination of Captain Ussher was promoted to that position. Although but small at the time of the -.var of 181 2-14 he was entrusted by General Drummond to carry dispatches and acted as his interpreter. After the batde of Lun-'y's Lane the half-famished Ameri- can soldiers on their retreat begged for and obtained food from Mr. Gonder and his mother ; but in order to save supplies fur the house the rows had to be hidden in the woods. Mr. Gonder relates, among other incidents, one showing the different treatment received at the hands of the wliites and Indians. On one occasion the Indians had taken from him and his mother a mare that had a foal, but were persuaded to return the animal on representation that it was all the horse they had and that the colt would die ; not so the whites : no pleading could persuade them to relinquish her, but they marched her off, exulting in their Lriui.iph. Mr. Gonder was a Conservative in politics, and a staunch adherent of British rule. He was apjjointeJ a magistrate about 1830. The above information wa,i obtained from Mr. (louder on the second of September, 1886. He was then enjoying good health for a man of his advanced years, and was in possession of all his faculties. A couple of weeks later we were pained to learn of his death. He died September 28th, highly respected by u large circle of acquaintances. Mr. Gonder was a man of clear intellect. He was a great reader, had a good memory, was well info'ir.ed on general subjects, but was espe- cially at home in history. Perhajjs no man in W'elland County had a better know- ledge of Canadian history than he. He had a rare talen^ for legal ciuestions, If he had given his attention to the study of law when young, he would no doubt have gained high rank in the legal profession. Mr. (bonder had wonderful conver.sational powers : he expressed himself with easv. and clearness. This gift made him very attractive in the social cir'e. He loved society, and few knew better how to enter- tain company than he. He wa's withal very gentlemanly in his bearing. He was a true patriot, and the Mackenzie rebellion greatly intensified his patriotism. He was willing to give his life for his country. After Captain Ussher's assassination he was threatened with the same fate. For some tmie he was stationed with his com- pany opposite Navy Island, while his own house was filled with soldiers who were guarding the frontier, y A word in relation to Mr. Gonder's religious life. He was never a member of any church, but kindly iis])osed toward the different denominations in his community, cheerfully aiding in the erection of houses of worship and the support of the ministry. He was also a great friend of the Sabbath .school and Bible society, always encouraging these enterjirises liy his means. We might say that he was bioad s|)irite«i in his religious sentiments, that he was in full sympathy mo(;k.M'HicAi, skeiches. 547 womanhood, (leorge A., trude, eleven the rebellion assination of t the time of ispatches and lished Ameri- )nder and his 3e hidden in the different occasion the ere persuaded and that the relinquish her, !onservativc in a magistrate an the second his advanced later we were cted by a large He was a great , but was espe- a better know- icHtions. If he no doubt have 1 conversational made him very ;r how to enter- iring. He was patriotism. He issassination he d with his com- >ldiers who were i life. He was It denominations vorship and the lath scboo) and We might say in full sympathy with evangelical doctrines, and that in his last days especially he enjoyed the peace of the gospel. REV. T. SNYDER, of the village of Snyder, township of Willoughby, was born in the town of Berlin, county of Waterloo, September 26th, 1848. His father came to (Canada about the year 1825, when two or three years old, and his mother, a native of Germany, in her early years. Mr. Snyder received his primary education in his native town. Having obtained a first-class certificate before attain- ing his majority, he taught school in Waterloo County for a period of six years. With an imbition worthy of imitation by the young men of the country, he, at the age of twenty-one years, entered Toronto University, where he pursued his studies for some time, subsequently attending the colleges at Harvard and Yale, graduating from those institutions with the degrees of M. A. and B. D. He next took a course at the Union Theological Seminary, state of New York, from which he graduated with the degree of Ph. D. He was ordained in 1878 by the synod of New York, and elected pastor of St. John's Lutheran church at Liverpool, near Symcuse, acting in that capacity for one year and nine months. He was next elected to the North- western University at Watertown, state of Wisconsin, as professcr of philosophy and English literature. The doctor's health failing in the prosecution of the ardu- ous duties of the university, he resigned and sought rest in the east, but was not allowed to rest long. Again he accepted a call, from the Lutheran churches at Snyder, Humberstone and Welland, also purchasing a farm, thus adding a business calculated to restore his health. Through his efforts post-office facilities have been secured for his adopted pl.ace, and in honor to him the name has been changed from New Oermany to Snyder, Mr. Snyder has perhaps the largest private library in the county, the number of volumes exceeding 3,000, some of the works being very rare and valuable, and dating back more than three hundred years. He was married, in 1869, to Louisa, daughter of the Rev. I), and Mina (Pack) Stahlschmidt, and has a family of two sons, viz: William, horn Dec. 31st, 1870, and Harold, born Dec. 3rd, 1 88 1. Mr. Snyder is an earnest, active and willing worker, in what he consid- ers for the advancenient and improvement of society and the country at large. TOWN OF Vv^ELLAND. M. W. HRHXIMAN, mathematical master of the Welland high school, was born 111 the county of Elgin, Ont., on the first day of May, 1851. He is a son of .\ndrew P. and Jan*- (Wrong; Bridgman, and a grandson of Thomas Bridgman, a native of New Brunswick, and of John and Nancy (Backus) Wrong. The Backus family were pioneers of the county of Norfolk. ^L W. Bridgman was educated )» 5' n j i i i ■ii 548 HISTORY OF Wl;i,LANt) COUNTY. principally at the Smithville high school, and at an early age began life on his own account as a teacher. He taught public schools in various plares in the counties of Lincoln, Wentworth and Welland, and in 1876 accepted the position of mathe- matical master in the Welland high school, where he has since remained. Whilsi being proficient in all the departments of high school work, he particularly excels as an instructor in mathematics, in which bram.h of learnmg his natural abilities as well as his inclination give him a standing among the leading mathematicians of the l)rovince. Aside from his usefulness in the school room, Mr. Hridgman's jxiblic spirit and the warm interest he takes in whatever benefits humanity, render him a good citizen of the town. He has labored untiringly in the interest of the Mechanics' Institute : he is a member of Willson chapter of Royal Arch Masons, and a past- master of Copestone lodge. He is a Liberal in politics, and has for some years been secretary of the County Reform Association. He was married on September 2Sth, 1884, to Mary, fourtii daughter of Mr. David Campbell, of Wainfleet Town- ship. They have one child. Lulu, who was born Feb. 28th, 1886. Mr. B. is a member of the Presbyterian church. THOMAS BLANC HARD, son of Matthew and Ann (Barnes) Hlanchard, was born on the i6th day of April, 1846. His parents were natives of Yorkshire, England, who came to Canada in 1845, and settled on a farm in Pelhani. They afterwards removed to Crimsby, where they still reside. Our subject is one of a family of seven children. He has been engaged in the thre':^''"^; business for a number of years. His work in that line is extensive, he having a large patronage from the farmers of the county. Mrs. Blanchard was Miss Amanda Eastman ; they were married in 1866, and have four children : Samuel, born January 22nd, 1867 ; Carrie, born November 6th, 1868 ; Anna Belle, born August 30th, 1873 ; andLily May, born March 20th, 1877. M . Blanchard's father, at the advanced age of sixty- two, took the first prize given by the Dominion Plowing Association; he also took many prizes previous to that time. MATTHEW BE.'\'l"rY, founder of the firm of M. Beatty &: Sons, was born in the north of Ireland, near Londonderry, on the 12th day of August, 1815. His parents were James and Mary Beatty, both natives of Irelami. When he first came to .America he remained a short time at Si. Johns, New Brunswick. He went from there to New York, where he learned his trade. From there he removed to Michigan, and was in that state and on the lakes four or five years. I;e then lived for a yea.'' and a half in Buffalo, and a likt [n'riod in Rochester. In the autumn of 1842 he came to Canada, and after working at his trade in St. Catharines for a period of eighteen years, he settled in Welland. He purchased from A. L. Haun a small shop used as a foundry, and in it established the business which has since ex- panded 10 the large j^roportions of the Welland Iron Works, of which more ex- tended mention is made in our historital sketch of the town of Welland. Mr. . - '««aFwe4.„.f..^...»^-^^ BIOGKAI'HICAL SKKTCHKS. 549 (J on his own iL' counties of on of mathe- ined. Whilsi liarly excels as ral abilities as laticians of the gnian's jjublic render him a the Mechanics' ns, and a past- or some years on September ainfleet Town- Mr. B. is a it's) Hlanchard, s of Yorkshire, Felham. They ct is one of a "f business for a larf^e patronage , Eastman ; they iry 22nd, 1867 ; , 1873 ; and Lily iced age of sixty- nation ; he also Sons, was born ;ust, 1 81 5. His lien he first came wick. He went ; he removed to he then lived n the autumn of Catharines for a Dm A. L. Haun a lich has since ex- which more ex- )f Welland. Mr. Beatty was married ii: 18^8 to Mary, a daughter of William and Mary (Talbot) Leverton, and granddaughter of Richard and Mary Talbot, all of Knglish descent. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Beatty consists of three sons and two daughters. The three sons, William L., Harvey L., and Alvin ()., carry on t>^e business established by their father. JAMES HLACKWELI,, coal merchant, was born in New Fame Township, Niagara County, state of New York, on the nth day of April, 1842, and came to Canada in February, 1863. He then went back to the States and served in the war between the North and South, as a member of the 48th New York regiment, company (1., under Lieutenant-Generals Terry and Scholfield, as part of Sherman's army. Our subject marched to Raleigh in North Carolina, expecting to take part in a battle, but the Southern army had abandoned their position on the news reach- ing them of the approach of the Northern forces. Hy reason of the climate and forced marches he was taken sick, and was subject to hospital treatment for over three weeks, when he was honoral)ly discharged, the war having come to a close. Mr. Blackwell was elected and served as councillor in the Welland Town council, as a representative forward No. 2 for the year 1885. He was married on January ist, 1866, to Sarah Jane McCarter, a native of New York State. They have a family of three children, named : Edna Elizal)eth, born in the townshi[) of Crow- land, October 2nd, 1866; Charles Henry, born in the township of Crowland, November 30th, 1870, and Carrie Louise, born in the township of Crowland, July 30th, 1873. THOMAS FRANCLS BROWN is of Irish nativity, having been born at the town of Bailina, on the border of the river Moye, in the county of Mayo, province of Connaught, December 22nd, 1847. His father, John Brown, accompanied by his wife and young family, emigrated to America when our subject was an infant. They first located at I lamilton, and from there went to New York State, living for a few years at Niagara Fails. About the year 1856 the family came to Welland, where they have ever since resided. John Brown, our present subject's father, died January 3rd, 1865. His widow died in 1886, at the good old age of eighty-one. Mr. T. F. Brown was married on the 5th day of November, 1879. to Cecelia, daughter of Michael and Matilda Cafferty, both natives of Ireland. Mr. Brown has been pres- ident of the Reform Association for Weliand County, having occupied that position and the jKjsition of vice-president for several years. He is also president of the Re- form Association of the town of Welland. He takes a lively interest in educational matters and is now serving his third term as member of the Welland high school board. Mr. Brown, at the request of the town council, organized a fire dejjartment, and at a later time he organized what was known as the Citizens' Independent Hook and Ladder company, which was not dependent on the citizens for support in any way and was kept ia existence for five years, the town at the end of that time buying » 3 ii !! :l ;i i |!» 'r! !l ! i| il i-l I 550 HISTORY OF WKLLAND COUNTY. out the plant. Our subject Is senior jjartner of the firm of Hrown Hros., wholesale dealers in liquors, tobaccos and tij^ars. The firm also are proprietors of the roller flouring mills. They own considerable real estate in liie town, including two valu- able hotel properties — the City hotel and the 'i^'indso; house. Mr. Brown is of a genial disposition ; the warm heart that beats within his bosom, and his open-handed charity, make him deservedly jjopular with those who enjoy his ac(juaintance. RICHARD HRIDGES, merchant, is a native of Canada, having been born in the city of Hamilton, April 28th, 1856, and received his education in that city. He is a son of Thomas and Mary (Mann) Bridges, and grandson of Thomas Bridges, natives of England, who came to Canada at an early day, a id settled in the city of Hamilton, when there was but one church in the place. Our subject, when quite young, was for several years engaged in different occupations, such as shoemaking, machinist, etc. He came to Welland in the year 1876, and acted as clerk for a period of five or six years, but in March, 1884, he bought out the stock of a former proprietor and established his present business, which consists of gen- eral groceries, liquors, etc., having a fine and varied stock worth from four to five thousand dollars. Mr. Bridges was married on the 9th day of October, 1885, to Emma, daughter of Joseph and Mary Fagan. The business carried on by Mr. Bridges is conducted with enterprise and ability, and from the address and attention he gives to it is worthy of patronage. He is a Royal Arch Mason. WALTER BALFOUR was born in Kircuddy, Scotland, in 1854, and came to Canada with his parents in 1857. His father was Robert lialfour and his mother's maiden name was Annie Kirk. The family located at Ashburn, in the county of Ontario. Mr. Balfour, who was one of a family of ten, learned the mercantile business with his brother at Port Colborne, with whom he remained for about ten years. He first engaged in business on his own account at Fonthill, where he remained for about three years. He next carried on business in Brooklin, Ontario. He discontinued business chere in 1882, and accepted a position with T. Eaton vt Co., of Toronto, as manager of a department of a large dry goods business in that city. Mr. Balfour's active temperament, however, prompted him to engage in busi- ness again on his own account, in order to give his energies more scope. He accordingly removed from Toronto to U'elland, where he engaged in the general store business again, and still continues it. He enjoys a large trade, and is very popular with his customers. Mr. Balfour was married, in 1881, to Alice, youngest daughter of W. G. Church, Esq., of Fonthill. They have two children, Donald and Olive. Mr. B. adheres to the Presbyterian church. GEORGE R. E. BURG A R was born in Thorold Townshij), on the 26th day of January, 1806. His parents, Joseph and .\nnie (Rowland) Burgar, were natives of New Jersey, of English and Irish descent. His paternal grandmother was a cousin of Lord Nelson, the great English admiral. Joseph Burgar, accompanied BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 55' )s., wholesale of tilt- roller ng two valu- rown is of a oi)en-handed itance. g been born in that city, of Thomas id settled in Our subject, ons, such as and acted as 3111 the stock nsists of gen- ii four to five her, 1885, to d on by Mr. > and attention 4, and came to d his mother's the county of :he mercantile I for about ten hill, where he oklin, Ontario, th T. Eaton & usiness in that ngage in busi- e scope. He in the general e, and is very ilice, youngest Idren, Donald n the 26th day ir, were n.itives jmother was a I accompanied by his family, came to Canada as a U. E. Loyalist during the latter part of the eighteenth century. After si)ending a couple of years along the Niagara river, they settled in Thorold Township, on lots 238 and 239. Worn at that early date and reared on a farm adjacent to the territory now occujjiecl by the town of Welland, our present subject has been an observer of the gradual transformation of the wild- erness of eightv years ago into the beautiful farms and live town of to-day. He remembers when the territory lying to the south of the Welland river was a solid block of wilderness, with occasional clearings made by some settler. Nowhere was this wilderness denser than where the busiest i)art of the town of Welland is now situated. Within the memory of Mr. lUirgar the site of the present town abounded in wolves, bears and other wild beasts, whose howling frequently made night hide- ous. Our subject remembers well the hardships endured by the early settlers. When a young man he frequently went .to Street's mill at the Falls with a grist. The means of getting there was by boat to Chii)pasva, and from there overland to the mill. The trip was a difficult one, especially returning, when the heavily-laden boat had to be rowed the long distance between the mouth of the ('hippawa and Mr. Hurgar's home, often against a strong current. When the mill at St. Johns was built the settlers in this locality had their grain ground there. The usual means of transporting it was on horseback, the horse carrying in addition to his rider two bags, containing about four bushels of grain. I'he roads were the rudest of bridle paths. Although young at the time, Mr. Burgar has a di.stinct recollection of the wrr of 1812, in which his father, Joseph Ikirgar, took an active part. During one winter a portion of a company of British regulars was (juarteied at his farm. Our subject was himself an active participant in the troubles of 1837-8 in the loyalist ranks. Mr. Hurgar lived in Norfolk County for a few years, and for a time in the state of Ohio, but the greater portion of his life has been spent on the farm on which his father settled in the early days. He married Rachael, a daughter of An- drew Smith, a U. E. Loyalist, and one of the early settlers of Norfolk County. Of our subject's family but two sons survive, J. H. Burgar, fo*- several years and at present deputy-reeve of Welland, and member of the firm of Burgar & Douglass, druggists, of Welland, and 1 )r. Burgar of Welland. Mr. Burgar, in iiis ripe old age, is enjoying a well earned rest from tlic active duties of life, and is residing with his son, Dr. Burgar. W. E. BUR(tAR, M. D., a son of G. R. E. Burgar, whose biography precedes this, is a graduate of Queen's University, having obtained his degree from that institution in 1868. He began the practice of his profession in Welland, and has continued to reside here ever since, with the exception of a few years spent in Penn- sylvania. He married Mary, a daughter of John Gross, whose biography is also recorded in this work. Doctor Burgar enjoys wide popularity, both as a citizen and as a j)hysician. i I ( «; Itt » If. '.t ' .1 '', 1 \ 2 * 55» HISTORY OK WKLLANI) COUNTY. JOHN H. (IROW, of thi- firm of 'I'aylor and Crow, was born in Pelham Township, November 21st, i^sf). He is a son of Jacob (Irow, who is still hving in VVeliand, and who has been one of the well known business men of the county for at least half a century. 'Ihe ancestors of tli' family were among the earliest settlers of lY'lham. Mr. Jacob Crow has been for a long time closely identified with the lumber trade in this locality, and one of his sons, Mr. W. H. (!row, succeeds his father as a lumber dealer in the town of Welland. Mr. Jacob Crow has long been one of the most prominent temperance workers and Methodists in \Sx'lland (bounty. He has been a lifelong Reformer in politics. Our present subject, Mr. J. H. Crow, was liberally educated at the Konthill high school, the Welland high school, and the St. Catharines collegiate institute, and subsequent!) attended the normal schools at Toronto and Ottawa. He was for a number of yr;ars a successful teacher, being engaged at that profession both before and after attending the normal schools. Among the positions he held while teaching were the i)rin y Photographic Sdences Corporation 4v iV ■% ■SJ <\ 23 WEST MAIN STKl£ET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^9> V 6^ J. V '%'■ ^ly CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Micr^treproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 sm i^i w I'll If ¥ in 554 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. position. Mr. Coulson was a successful business man and enjoyed the respect of his fellowtownsmen at the P'alls to such an extent that he was elected reeve of that place for seven consecutive years, and the following year was chosen as the occupant of the mayor's chair. He was married July i8th, i366, to Louisa, a daughter of John Bell, formerly of Port Robinson. Mrs. Coulson's parents came from England when she wcs a child. Our subject's family consists of five children: Florence E. L., born June 15th, 1867 ; Alice M. M., January T2th, 1871 ; Mabel M. C, August 26th, 1875; Jennie G. B., September 21st, 1879; and Charles H. L., November 30th, i88r. Mr. Coulson is a member of the Masonic, Oddfellow and Canadian Home Circle fraternities, and attends the Methodist church. J. E. CUTLER, contractor, builder, and proprietor of planing mill, was born in the township of Caistor, county of Lincoln, en the 13th day of January, 1850. His father is the Rev. J. W. Cutler, a minister of the U. B. Church. His father and grandfather came to Canada from the United States when the former was about eleven years of age, and settled in Lincoln County. Our subject's mother wa. Lucy Hilts, the daughter of William Hilts. He received a common scho 1I education in Canboro Township, and learned his trade of car[)enter of his father, who worked at that business before he entered the ministry as a profession. He began business on his own account as a builder in Canborj. In 1872 he removed to Fenwick, where he carried on a carnage-making business until April, 1883, when he removed to Welland. In March, 1886, he started his present industrial establishment, in which he gives employment to about a dozen m-^n. The business is a use*"!:! one to the town, and its proprietor, being not only a first-class mechanic but a courteous and gentlemanly business man, enjoys a liberal patronage. He has been twi e nirrricd. His first wife, whose maiden name was Josephine Jones, and her only child, f'laggie, are dead. He afterward married Emily, a daughter of James and n.vrah (Wright) Garner, of Fen wick. The union has been blessed with three children, James F., George Anson and William. He is a member of the I. O. F., and an adherent of the Methodist church. GEORGE CRONMILLER, undertaker and furniture dealer, was born on the farm now belonging to Michael Stoltz, on the Sodom road, in Willoughby Townshij), on the 30th of May, 1836. His parents, Michael and Dorothy Cronmiller, were natives of Alsace, who came to this country about 1828 and settled in Bertie Town- ship. Mr. George Cronmiller was brought up as a farmer, and was engaged as such for many years. In 1868 he engaged in the undertaking business in Willoughby Township. In 1874 he sold his Willoughby property, known as the Lemon farm, removed to Welland, and has since carried on the furniture and undertaking business in that town. In lO/'i he purchased a very beautiful hearse, the best in the county at that time. He enjoys a good trade in both branches of his business. He has always taken a deep interest in educational and municipal matters. For HE" BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 555 le respect of reeve of that the occupant daughter of oni England 1 : Florence abel M. C, arles H. L., Idfellow and lill, was born nuary, 1850. is father and :r was about ler wa J Lucy education in 10 worked at 1 business on tiwick, where removed to iut, in which ' one to the rurteous and vi e ill Tried, riiid, J*iaggie, rah (Wright) n, James R, I adherent of born on the )y Township, miller, were iertie Town- aged as such Willoughhy [.emon farm, undertaking , the best in his business, latters. For nine consecutive years, and until he removed from the township, he was a member of the school board in S. S. No. 6, Willoughby. He was also member of the town- ship council of Willoughby for 1872 and 1873. He was a member of the council cf Welland for 1878, the year following the incorporation of the place as a town. Our subject married Susanna Weaver, who is one of a family of twelve sons and daughters of (icorge Weaver, one of the early settlers along Sodom road in Willoughby. Our subject has had six children, five of whom are living, as follows : Elizaoeth A., the wife of H. I). Suess ; Susanna M., Caroline C, Clara A. and (leorge H. A. ; Ida M., died young. JOHN W. DAWDY, merchant, was born in Gainsboro Township, county of Lincoln, December 14th. 1847, and was, until his majority, engaged on the farm of his father, Caleb Dawdy, whose birth took place in New Jersey in 1797, and who came to this country with Jeremiah, the grandfather of our subject, in 1805, when aboi'.; eight years of age. During the war of 181 2, whilst Jeremiah was in the ranks Caleb drove a team for the purpose of conveying troops and munitions of war. Our subject was a member of the Fonthill brass band for about nine years, and engaged in his present business January ist, 1877, since which time he has carried it on in this town. He has been a member of the school board for four or five years. On December 19th, 1S69, he married Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Page) Kelsey, and has a family of six children, named : Nellie May, born July 25th, 1871 ; Harvey Edgar, born i6th May, 1873; Fred. W., born i8th September, 1874; William C, born April i5tii, 1876; Maud, born 9th March, i88i ; and Frank, born February 2nd, 1883. Mr. Dawdy is a member of the Methodist church of good standing, having been o'"> the official board for a number of years and occupied all the positions that laymen are eligible to. He was elected by the quarterly board of Welland to reprcjent the laymen at the first annual con- ference of the united Methodist church, held at Ridgetown, and was there elected delegate to represent the laymen at the first general conference held at the city of Hamilton, in the year 1882. J. MURISON DUNN, B. A., L. L. B., principal of the Welland high school, is of Scottish nativity, having been born in Dundee in the year 1830. When an infant he was brought to this country by his parents, who were William and Janet (Muiison) Dunn. He received his early education at the old Niagara District grammar school, and subsequently took a course at Toronto University, from which he graduated with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws, having previously occupied the position of headmaster of a high school, for which he held a certificate of fitness. Mr» Dunn is the only gentleman who has ever taken the degrees of B. A. and L. L. B. at once. At the time of his graduation the two examinations were held simultaneously, and he accomplished the difficult feat of answering the examination papers set for both courses in the limited time prescribed 5: L i il56 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. for on i. He occupied the position of principal of the Drummondville grammar school for a time, and afterwards held a similar position in Peterboro, where he remained fur some years. Having a taste for journcilism he severed his connection with the Peterboro high schoo' and became one of the proprietors pf the Peterboro Examiner, which paper he conducted for >^"ome time, simultaneously taking up the study of law. He subsequently was elected heac^master of the Guelph high school, from which he sent a large number of students to the university, most of whom took a good stand and now hold jjrominent positions. While in Guelph he acted as editorial writer upon the Daily Advertiser, which he and another gentleman bought out and of which he afterwards became sole proprietor. Having an oppor- tunity to dispose of the Advertiser he did so, and accepted the professorship of helle lettrei in an educational institution in Pittsburgh, Pa. After about a year he tetu'-ned to Canada, and was offered the headmastership of the Rlora high school, where he remained until he came to Welland, about twelve years ago, upon receiv- ing his appointment as principal of the Welland high school. It has been under Mr. Dunn's management that this school, a full history of which is given elsewhere in this work, has obtained so creditable a place among the high schools of Ontario. Mr. Dunn makes a specialty of the dead languages and English literature, and the high standing of his former pupils at the university examinations has won for him an enviable reputa ion as an instructer of young men contemplating a university career. He has found time to edit three classical text books, which have been authorized by the Minister of Education, and are extensively used in the high schools and collegiate institutes of Ontario. These works consist of very useful vocabularies and explanatory notes of the idiomatic and other difficult passages of the portions of the works of Virgil, Ccesar and Cicero, prescribed to be read in the high schools. Our subject is a prominent member of the A. F. & A. M. and the R. A. M., having been for two years D. D. G. M. of Niagara District. Mrs. Dunn's maidea nam2 was Miss Louisa Langell. They have a family of six sons : Charles, the eldest of whom, is a graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College, and is practic- ing his profession in Hamilton ; Herbert, who distinguished himself at the Univer- sity of Toronto by taking a scholarship each year of his course and a silver medal at the final examination, when he received the degree of M. A. at the age of twenty- one, is at present a law student in Toronto Since beginning the study of law he has carried off the two scholarships'offered by the law society. He is now manager of the Messrs. Gambles' law office and intends going for " call " in November next. Ernest, the third son, is in the United States ; William occupies a position of trust in the Imperial Bank of Canada ; George is a student at the Welland high school, preparing for a university course ; David, the youngest son, is entering upon a busi- ness career. Mr. Dunn's old pupils are to be found in most of the cities and lead- ing towns of Ontario. Many of them have distinguished themselves in their several HBH-—^^ ille grammar oro, where he lis connection the Peterboro taking i>p the Guelph high Tsity, most of in Guelph he ler gentleman ing an oppor- ofessorship of )ut a year he 1 high school, , upon receiv- s been under ven elsewhere Is of Ontario, ature, and the won for him g a university ch have been in the high of very useful It passages of be read in the V. M. and the Mrs. Dunn's ions : Charles, ind is practic- al the Univer- i silver medal age of twenty- idy of law he now manager ovember next, sition of trust d high school, I upon a busi- ties and lead- n their several BlOGRAfHlCAL SKETCttE^." SS7 professions, and from them their old teacher ever gets a hearty greeting when he meets them. WILLIAM EARLY, proprietor of the Queen's hotel, Welland, was born in the township of Clarke, county of Durham, 4th May, 1837, and is a son of Francis Early and Margaret (Delong) Early, who were married in ,1 •.; year 1834, and reared a family of nine children, viz : Maria, William, Margaret, Francis, Esther, James, Robert, Gideon and Edward. The father of the subject of this sketch was born in the county of Down, Ireland, 25th December, 1810 ; emigrated to this country in 1832, and located in Clarke Town.ship, Durham County, following the occupation of farming. Our subject followed farming up to his 31st year, when he removed to the town of Bowmanville and engaged in the grocery business in that place for four years ; then removed to Brantford, and for four years managed tiie Bingham house, and finally settled in Welland. Mr. Early was married 8th January, 1867, to Mary, daughter of Patrick Burns, of the township of Ops, county of Victoria, and they have four children : Margaret Helena, Annie Maria, Mary Unia, and William James. Our subject is a member of the Masonic order, having been initiated in Copestone lodge in 1883. ROBERT GRANT, late principal of the Welland County model school, is a native Canadian, having been born in the township of Bristol, county of Pontiac, province of Quebec, on the third day of July, 1834. His parents, William Grant, a Glasgow weaver, and Janet Murray, both natives of Sutherlandshire, Scotland, emigrated to America, were married, and settled at the birth-place of our subject. Robert Grant was one of a family of five. His two brothers, the Rev. Alexander Grant, the present pastor of St. Mary's Presbyterian church, and the Rev. George Grant, inspector of public schools for Parry Sound district, were students from their boyhood, and our present subject remained on the farm to the age of twenty-three. He then attended the Toronto normal school for three sessions and graduated with a first-class provincial certificate. He then taught two years in the city of Ottawa and one year in the county of Wellington. He again engaged in the business of farm- ing for five years, at the end of which time he resumed the teaching profession, and was master of schools in Portage Du Fore, Clarendon and Bristol, all in the Province of Quebec. From the last named place he removed to the town of Simcoe, Ont, where he accepted a position as second master in the high school of which his brother, the Rev. George Grant, who taught there for twelve years, was principal. In 1877, when the county model school system was inaugurated, he received the appointment as principal of the Welland County model school, which position he filled with marked ability from that date until the end of 1886, when he resigned to accept a more lucrative position in Brockville. The school under his management was a mode/ one in every respect. He not only is an excellent disciplinarian and instructor of public school pupils, but effectively instructs teachers-in-training with I i : j 1'^ I h I i.ll: I !l'i -^ iM ill' 5S8 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. regard to the theory of education. Mr. Grant is very popular with the i)eople of VVeliandon account of his fine social qualities, and the ability with which he filled im- portant offices in various associations in the town and county. He i.s a P. M. of Merritt lodge, A. F. & A. M., and was pre^ii-lenl of the Welland County Teachers' Association in 1879 and 1886. He wai; president of the Welland Mechanics' Insti- tute for four or five years, and by his untiring energy did much to advance the inter- ests of that usel" 1! institution. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. He married a daughter of Thomas Stewart, Esq., of South Dumfries Township, county of Brant. They have a family of eight children. L. V. GARNER, auctioneer, wholesale hay dealer, and manufacturer of car- bonated beverages, was born in Thorold Township on the 14th day of February, 1849, on ^'''^t ^^ known as the "Quaker road." His parents were Robert S. and Lcuisa ^F.ilenwood) Garner. The father was born in Stamford Township, but came to the Quaker road when a young man, where he commenced farming, which occu- pation he followed in the same place until the time of his death in 1883. L. V. Garner received a liberal education at the public schools of the section in which his father's farm was situated, and at the old Welland grammar .school. He learned the blacksmithing business and started a shop on his own account in Welland, which he ran successfully for several years. In 1880, in order to give his business abilities more scope, he quit this business, and, being naturally a good salesman, he went on the road as general traveling agent for Green Bros. &: Co., of Waterford, manufac- turers of agricultural implements. Since 1883, Mr. Garner has been engaged as a wholesale baler and dealer in hay. He does a very large business in that line, hand- ling thousands of tons yearly. Mr. Garner enjoys considerable popularity, having occupied a position in the town council board, and is a member of the Welland public school board. He has been twice married. His first wife was Jane, daughter of Alexander and Edith (Young) Page, of Thorold Township, who died, leaving three children, Robert Burton, born May 29th, 1876, Alexander Zeno, born November 27th, 1877, and Mary Georgina, born February 12th, 1880. The present Mrs. Garner was Miss Lizzie Jackson, daughter of Robert Jackson, Esq., of Peter- borough. Mr. Garner is a member of Orient lodge, I. O. O. F., of the Canadian Home Circle, and attends the Baptist church. He is a licensed auctioneer, and his services are in good demand in that business, he having a good connection with the farmers throughout the county. His latest enterprise is that of the manufacture of carbonated beverages, in which he is largely interested. WILLIAM M. GERMAN, barrister, was born in the township of Hillier, county of Prince Edward, Ontario, on the 26th day of May, 1851. His parents were (ieorge and Susan (Garrett) German, both natives of Canada, descended from United Empire Loyalists, from Duchess County, New York L'tate. Our subject was ri'^ared on his father's farm and received his primary education at the lUOGRAPHICAI, SKETCHES. 559 the people of h he filled 'm- a P. M. of nty Teachers' :hanics' Insti- nce the inter- church. He iship, county iturer of car- of February, jbert S. and lip, but came , which occu- 883. L. V. in which his e learned the nd, which he ness abilities 1, he went on rd, manufac- engaged as a at line, hand- larity, having the Welland "e was Jane, p, who died, r Zeno, born The present A; of Peter- le Canadian leer, and his ;ion with the nufac'iure of ) of Hillier, His parents :ended from Our subject ion at the public schools. At the age of fifteen he entered Victoria College, Cobourg,whirh he attended about two and one-half years. He then left school and went with a geologi- cal surveying party who were collecting specimens for the museum of Ann Arbor University, Michigan. In 1876 he entered, as a student, the law office of the Hon. Lewis Wallbridge, of Belleville, who was speaker of the old Parliament of Canada, under the Sandfield Macdonald regme, and is at present the chief justice of Mani- toba. Mr. (ierman remained with the Hon. Mr. Wallbridge three years, after which he was articled with Edward Fitzgerald. Q. C, of Toronto, and was admitted to practice in Trinity term, 1882. He in that year began practicing in Welland, where he has since remained. He passed as a barrister and was called to the bar in 1883. He was married in 1885 to Henrietta Aylmer, daughter of Angus Mac- donald, Es(i , of the inland revenue department, Toronto. They have two children. Mr. Cierman possesses in a high degree the talents necessary for prominence in the legal profession. He is a fluent spcnki^-, possesses a liberal share of mother wit, and in debate the ablest of opponents recognizes in him "a foeman worthy of his steel." He is in politics a Reformer, and won much popularity .n his party by the excellent addresses delivered by .iim during the two last Ontaiio elections, and the recent election for the House of Commons. SINCLAIR HOLDEN GLASGOW, M. D., is a native of Welland County, haviug been born near Niagara Falls, in the township of Stamford, on the 30th of March, 1855. His father, William Glasgow, was born near the same farm and has always resided in Stamford, with the exception of seven years spent in the county of Norfolk. He has for many years held a commission as justice of the peace, and at the age of sixty-one is still hale and hearty, enjoying the respect of a large circle of acquaintances. His wife is Mary F^ .,ab'*th. .1 d.iughter of James, and grand- daughter of William Lundy, from whom LundvV Lane took its name, and one of the earliest settlers of the county. The jiaternai i.Trandfather of our subject was the Rev. Samuel Glasgow, a native of Scotland, who at an eai-ly age removed to the county of Tyrone, Ireland, and was educated for the ministry at Belfast. He was ordained by the presbytery of that city, and came to Canada previous to the war of 181 2, settling in Stamford. It is claimed — on good authority — - that the city of Glasgow, in Scotland, took its name from the ancestors of this branch of the family. Another ]iortion of the family history discloses a romance which would furnish material for an interesting three-volume novel. About four generations ago Lady Douglas, a daughter of the Earl of Douglas, returned the affection of a lover whose suit the haughty Earl forbade. Although no pains were spared to prevent the union of this heiress of the ancient Douglas' rank and wealth with a young man of inferior birth, the young people proved the truth of the old adage, that " Love laughs at locksmiths," by embarking for America, where their marriage could not be tcrbidden by tyrannical parents. They sailed in separate ships, and Lady Douglas '; ■ s6o HISTORY Of WELLAND COUNTY. '^^1 ! S m:i arrived safely in New York, but never heard of her lover, whose ship is supposed to have foundered or to have been captured by pirates. Thus Lady Douglas found herself in the strange city of New York, destitute of means except her jewels, and these she decided not to sell, in case she might at some time rec}uire them as a j)roof of her identity. Realizing that she must do something to obtain for herself a livelihood, she sought employment and was eventually engaged as a servant in the household of a wealthy New York merchant named Fortner. The Portners dis- covered from her lady-like manner that she was occupying a position subordinate to her birth, and made of her an equal. She was finally persuaded to marry the merchant's son, a youth in every way exemplary. Among the descendants by this marriage are to be found some of the leading citizens of the United States. One of Mr. Former's daughters married for her first husband a Mr. Field. Her se- cond husband was a Mr. Garrison. The ancestor of our subject, Mr. Anderson, her third husband, held the position of colonel in the British army during the American revolutionary war, and for his services was given a grant of land, on part of which the city of St. Johns, in the province of New Brunswick, now stands. Dr. Glasgow was primarily educated at the old school house on Lundy's Lane, afterwards attended for five years the Drummondville grammar school, whose principal at that time was the late Rev. James Yeo Cameron, M. A. He graduated from that institution with a teacher's certificate and for the next two years taught school. In 1874 he matriculated in medicine in Toronto University, and after taking a four years' course at Toronto School of Medicine, he graduated with the degree of M. B. from the Toronto University in 1878. In the same year he obtained an M. D. at Victoria University and a license to practice from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ontario. He embarked in the practice of his profession in the town of Welland in the year 1878, and in 1882 was appointed assistant-surgeon in the 44th battalion. In 1 885 he received the appointments of gaol surgeon for the county of Welland, and division surgeon of the Grand Trunk Railway. He is a Reformer in politics, and is president of the Welland Young Men's Liberal Club. JOHN GROSS, pump manufacturer, was born in Clinton Township, county of Lincoln, on the 14th of January, 1825. His father was Jacob Gross, a native of Bucks County, Pa., who came to Canada about the year 1816, and settled in the township where our present subject was born. John Gross's mother was Annie, a daughter of Samuel Moyer, who was also a native of Pennsylvania. John Gross, who was one of a family of five, was brought up on a farm. In September, 1852, he married Elizabeth Barber, of Saltfleet Township, and soon after removed to Huron County where he resided about twelve years, combining the business of farming with ihe manufacture of pumps. He returned to Lincoln County where he remained four or five years and then came to Welland County. In 1872 he established his present business, which has gradually increased ever since. His IlIOGkAI'HICAI, SKETCHES. 561 is supposed to )ouglas found er jewels, and re them as a xin for herself servant in the Fortners dis- lubordinate to to marry the idants by this States. One eld. Her .se- Anderson, her ; the American part of which Dr. Glasgow ne, afterwards incipal at that ted from that pt school. In • taking a four ; degree of M. led an M. D. 'hysicians and 1 the town of in in the 44th the county of I Reformer in hip, county of s, a native of settled in the was Annie, a John Gross, :ember, 1852, ■ removed to e business of I'ounty where In 1872 he • since. His family consists of three daughters and two sons. Mr. J. K. Gro.ss, one of the sons, is associated with his father in the business. Their factory is one of the best equipped industrial establishments in the town, and the goods manufactured by the firm have a reputation extending beyond the limit of this locality. Mr. J. F. Gross is a member of the town council and of the public school board. He received a lioeral education and was a public school teacher before joining his father in the business. WILLIAM NELSON GARDEN, merchant, was born in the township of Willoughby, county of Welland, on the 20th of March, 1821. His father was John Campbell Garden, an officer in the Royal Newfoundland reginient. He died in i860, aged seventy-seven years. Our subject's mother was Mary Thompson, a native of Nova Scotia. She died in 1882 at the advanced age of eighty-five years. They were both pensioners: the father drawing $400 annually up to the time of his death, and his widow receiving half that amount for each year that she survived him. W. N. Garden was liberally educated at a school situated at what is now the city of St. Catharines. He taught school for three years, and afterwards engaged in various employments, getting his first knowledge of his present business while vend- ing teas, &c., from a wagon. Mr. Garden has been a close observer of the world and the changes society has undergone since his boyhood. He describes the roads when one could jump from stump to stump for long distances, the houses when they were supplied with fire-places five or six feet long, the rolling in of the back logs, the baking of bread in the bake kettles of the period, and the cooking of other victuals over the fire in vessels suspended in a crane, &c. Mr. Garden was first married on December 4th, 1851, to Melinda, a daughter of Philip S. Mussen, Esq., of AUanburgh, by whom he had three children : William B., born April 9th, 1854 ; Charles A., born Oct. 4th, 1856 ; Lucy E., Oct. 30th, 1852. His first wife having died, he was again married, March 15th, 1858, to Ann, a daughter of Robert and Sarah (Montgomery) Brown. This union has been blessed with the following r Robert M., born Jan. ist, 1859; Albert Edward, July loth, 1865 ; Sarah L., Aug. 27th, 1863. Our subject has been a member of the town council. He is a notary and commissioner for taking affidavits, and was nominated a justice of the peace but refused to accept the office. He has been a member of Merritt lodge, A. F. & A. M., for about twenty years. O. H. GARNER, stationer, manager of the G. N. W. Telegraph Co.'s office, town ticket agent, G. T. R., was born in the township of Stamford on the eleventh day of March, 1858. His parents are Anson Garner, ex-reeve of Stamford, and Amanda (Robinson) (iarner. He is descended on the paternal side from George Garner, one of the very earliest pioneers of Welland County. Through his paternal grandmother he is connected with the Corwin family whose lineage is traced back through several centuries elsewhere in this work. Our subject was reared on his 33 \^ J \ I ) J' I 1 \\ l hi . 1 f i 562 HISTORY OK WEI.LANI) COUNTY. father's farm and educated at the puLi schools of his native township and at thi; Drumuiondville high school. He began business in VVelland in Janmry, 1878, as a partner of K. R. Helleir.;,, ICs(i.. the present police magistrate. The? business at that lime was comparatively small, and has since grown to large proi)ortions. Mr. Hellems retired from the firm in 1883, since which time Mr. (larner has conducted it alone. His slock of books and stationery is always large and well assorted. He also keeps a depot for the sale of all kinds of new.',papers, periodicals, etc., and is agent for the sale of railway tickets as well as ocean and lake steamships. Mr. Garner is courteous in his manner, attentive to his business, and deservedly one of the most successful young business men in the town. He is a member of the Sons of 'rem[)erance and an adherent of the Methodist church. HERVKY J. (lONDER was born un Christmas day, 1846, in the township of Willoughby. His father was Michael I), (londer, one of the oldest and most respected justices of the peace of VVelland County, and a descendant of a very early pioneer family, whose history is fully given elsewhere in this work, and who died recently at the old homestead on the banks of the Niagara, in Willoughby Township. Our subject was brought up on the farm and was educated at the common schools of his native county, with the exception of a short period he at- tended school at Drumbo, in Brant County. In 1873 he began the business of selling subscripton books, in the county of Waterloo, for the National Publishing Company of the United States, and later on he sold for the same and other pub- lishing companies in the county of Bruce and eLsewhere in the Province of Ontario. Subsequently he sold fruit trees for a time. About 1876 he began hand- ling agricultural implements, which business he still follows in the town of Welland. He represents the well known Massey Manufacturing Company of Toronto, in harvesting machines. He also deals extensively in plows, harrows, rollers, &c., enjoying a good business connection with the farming community. Mr. Gonder was married February 20th, 1877, to Mary A., a daughter of Hugh and Elizabeth (Macdonald) Menzies. Mrs. Gonder was born on the banks of the river Spey, Inverness-shire, Scotland. They have a family of one boy and two girls. The name of the son is Cromwell, born January 20th, 1878 ; the daughters are Elizabeth Gertrude, born July 15, 1880, and Sarah Ethel, born Aug. 20th. 1882. Mr. Gonder is a member of the O. C. H. C, and the family are adherents of the Baptist church. S. S. HAGAR, Esq., was born in Thorold Township in 181 1. His parents were Jonathan and Azubia (Hopkins) Hagar. The father was a native of New Jersey ; he died about the year 1815. Our subject's maternal grandfather came to Canada immediately after the close of the American revolutionary war as a Loyalist, and settled near where the city of Hamilton is now situated. He was the father of thirteen children, one of whom, named Caleb, was for a number of years a mem- ir ^ IllOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 563 hip and nt tht; I'lry, 1878, as u' business at portions. Mr. has conducted as.sorted. He s, etc., and is lanisliips. Mr. rvcdly one of cr of thc! Sons 1 the township dest and most dant of a very fork, and who in Willoughby lucated at the rt period he at- he business of nal Publishing ind other pub- le Province of le began hand- wn of Welland. of Toronto, in s, rollers, &c., 4r. Gonderwas and Elizabeth he river Spey, Is. The name are Elizabeth . Mr. Gonder of the Baptist His parents native of New father came to r as a Loyalist, s the father of years a mem- ber of thi early parliament of Canada. Mr. S. S. Hagar, after engaging in various employnients, entered the lunihcr trade and m 1845 built a saw mill in Wainfeet Township. His life has been an active one. Besides giving a great deal of atten- tion to the enterprises in which he has been engaged, he ha.s occupied a number of important public positions. Under the old regime he was for a long time local superintendent of schools for Waintleel. He was also clerk of the division court for the same place. He has for about thirty years been a justice of the peace. In October, 1839, he married Jane ICliza, a daughter of Charles K. and Margaret (VVilkins) Kell, and granddaughter of Zenas Fell, and great-granddaughter (jf Titus Fell who was a son of Joseph Fell who left F^ngland with his family in 1704, settling eventually in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, whqre Mrs. Hagar's father was born. Our subject has two daughters living: Hairiett, the wife of C. C. Millard, now living in F^ast Saginaw, Mich., and Maggie, the wife of E. A. C. Pew, of Welland. Mr. Hagar has long been identified with the temperance work, and is a Methodist in religion. JAMF2S H. HODGES, general agent for Patterson Bros., agricultural imple- ment manufacturers, Woodstock, was born in the township of Gainsboro, Lincoln County, on the 15th of October, 1848. He is a son of Henry and Phiebe Miranda (Phelps) Hodges, of the Mayflower stock. He was brought up to farm life. He first engaged in his i)rc.sent occupation in 1875. He proved himself an efficient and reliable agent, and has for some time been general agent for the firm named, having under his jurisdiction all the local agents of Welland, Lincoln, Haldimand, and parts of Brant and Wentworth counties. He was married on the 9th of March, 187 1, to Eleanor, a daughter of James and Elizabeth Crayston, natives of Lincoln- shire and Lancashire, F^ngland. Mr. Hodges has been a member of the Metho- dist church ior fifteen years, and holds the position of class-leader and member of the quarterly board. He is a member of the town council. RICHARD HARCOURT, M. A., M. P. P., is a native Canadian, having been born in the township of Seneca, county of Halc'iniand, on the 17th day of March, 1849. His father, Michael Harcourt, who was a native of Perth, Scotland, (although his parents were from the county of Fermanagh, Ireland,) sat as represent- ative of Haldimand during two terms of the old parliament of Canada. Our present subject's grandfather, Luke Harcourt, fought at the battle of Waterloo under the Duke of Wellington, and died a pensioner of the British government. Richard Harcourt's mother was Ellen (Weir) Harcourt, a descendant of a U. E. Loyalist family. He received his jmmary education at the village of York public school and afterwards attended a jirivate school taught by the Rev. B. C. Hil!, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, a thorough scholar under whose tutorsliip many young men got a good start on the road to learning. When a mere lad our subject, armed with a first-class teacher's certificate from the Haldimand County board, began life ]/ I ' '- i x r i ; \ HISTORY OK WIOLI.ANh COUNTV. on his own account in tliut profession, wliich has i)ccn used as a "stepping-stone" by so many |)rotninent (lanadians. He sui)st'cii'cntly attended Toronto University, and distinguislied himself in the early years of his course by taking scliolarships, and when he graduated in 1870 with the degree of Master of Arts, he carried off the silver medal in metaphysics. After leaving the university, he accepted the po- sition as principal in the Cayuga high school. In 187 1 the change m the school law, providing for the appointment of county insi)ectors took place, and although he had from his earliest years been a Reformer he was selected by a Conservative county council to be inspector for Haldimand. He filled the position for five years, with what measure of accejUability to the people of the county, is best evidenced by the handsome token of esteem, in the shape of a costly gold watch, which he received from the teachers of Haldimand when he severed his connection with them, in 1876, in order that he might give his ability and energy more scojie by entering the legal profession. He studied law with Mowat, Madennan overnor-(ieneral complaining that John Hellems, a common county magistrate, had issued papers 568 HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. ■I i i for his arrest and had him taicen in charge of a common constable several miles along the canal, to the great injury of his feelings, dignity, etc. The Governor forwarded a copy of the complaint to Mr. Hellems and asked what defence he had to offer for interfering with the military authorities. Mr. Hellems in reply sent a copy of the information, evidence, etc., to the Governor, accompanied by a letter in which he stated that he had simply done what he conceived to be his duty, and that if His Excellency himself resided within his jurisdiction and information were laid against His Excellency charging him with any offence against law and order, he would issu<. a warrant for Iiim just as quickly as for anyone else. John Hellems was entirely ii.iepend'jnt in politics. He was a warm advocate of the .separation of the counties c' .'.inccln and Welland, and after that measure carried he was one of the contriij^tc"-.- v ho ere '-d vhe county buildings. He died at the residence of his daughter, Mr;. I;ennis Rice in Thorold Township, on the i8th of April, 1867. His widow r ved liim a few years. Mr. E. R. Hellems was reared on his father's farm and given a liberal education, what he could learn at the common schools of those days being supplemented by the instructions of private tutors. At the age of six'cen he began teaching school and followed that profession for about twenty-five yeai For six years of that time he was master of the public school at AUanburg, and fc teen years he had charge of the Welland public school. In 1877 he disconti. . "d teaching and began business as a stationer in Welland. He was agent for the Mii itreal Telegraph Company and of the American Express Company, and was a lie sed auctioneer for the county. He took into partnership Mr. O. H. Garner. ifter being in business about seven years, Mr. Hellems sold out his interest to his partner. He is still agent for the Express Com|)any and continues to act as auctioneer, in addition to which he performs his duties as police magistrate and clerk of the town. He possesses a judicative mind and is eminently qualified to perform the duties of police magistrate. His appointment to that office was made in 1881 at the unanimous request of the town council. He was married on the 24th December, 1857, to Maria, a daughter of the late Jacob Garner of Stamford. One daughter, Alice V., and one son, Fred., are the result of this union. RICHARD MORWOOD, mayor of the town of Welland, was born in Oneida County, state of New York, January 23rd, 1831. His parents were John and Margaret (McPherson) Morwood, his maternal grandfather being John McPher.son, of Scotch descent. John Morwood, the father of our subject, was born in Ireland, and came to America, living in Oneida County until 1842, when he came to Canada, stopping for some time at St. Johns, where he worked in a woolen factory. He returned to New York, hut after staying for a short period in that state he came again to Canada, and died in the town of Welland. Mr. R. Morwood engaged in the mercantile business in the town of Welland in 1856, which he has successfully carried on since that date. His is the oldest house in that branch of trade BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 569 veral miles e (Jovernor nee he had reply sent a by a letter lis duty, and rnation were nd order, he hn Hellems eparation of was one of ience of his April, 1867. 1 his father's 1 schools of it the age of ; twenty-five : Allanburg, In 1877 he le was agent )mpany, and J Mr. O. H. old out his d continues e magistrate tly qualified t office was married on (Jarner of this union, n in Oneida John and McPher.son, in Ireland, le came to lien factory, te he came engaged in successfully \\ of trade in the town, and from the varied assortment of the stock he is able to supply his customers with plniost anything from a " needle to an anchor " chain, or from a paper of pins to the most costly dress goods. He married, in 1857, Louisa, a daughter of Henry Hoover, of U. E. Loyalist descent, who settled at an early period in the history of the county where the town of Thorold now stands. Mr. and Mrs. Morwood's family consists of five children : Amelia, Albert, John, Frank and Jenny. Our subject has repeatedly been elected to the council of the village and town of VVelland, serving as councillor, reeve, and on four occasions as mayor, occupying that position at the time of writin^ this work. He is a consistent mem- ber of the Methodist church and one of its most liberal supporters. HENRY MINNIS was born on the Lower Rhine, Prussia, on the 8th of July, 1826, and came to America in 1850. He first came to BufiVJo, but subsequently located in Welland County, living at various times in Crowland, Bertie and Hum- berstone, and doing business as a farmer, but principally as a dealer in wood and timber. As a result of industry and business ability he accumulated a handsome property, being now owner of fine properties in Humberstone and Welland. For the past seventeen years he has been a resident of Welland ; he is now serving his fourth year as councillor for Ward No. Two, in which he resides. As a councillor he occupies the responsible position of chairman of the committee on streets and sidewalks. Mr. Minnis is one of the oldest members of Merritt lodge, A. F. & A. M., and is also a member of Willson chapter, Welland. His wife's maiden name" was Susan Elliott ; she is a native of Ireland. His brother, Mathias, a well-known resident of Humberstone, came to this country two years after our subject. DANIEL McCAW, the senior member of the firm of D. McCaw & Son, dealers in boots and shoes, was born in the county of Antrim, near the Giant's Causeway, in the north of Ireland, November loth, 1810. His parents were John and Jane (McCormick) McCaw. He was educated at the parish school near his home on the Emerald Isle, came to Canada at the age of thirty-two years, and worked some time at Port Colborne, from whence he came to Welland, (then the village of Merrittsville) and started business for himself in 1849. Mr. McCaw has continued to do business in Welland ever since, and has in that time been identified with the rise and progress of the place. He was the first reeve of Welland on its incorporation as a village, and was a member of the town council for many years, and in the earlier days of the place, in connection with Mr. Hellems, took great interest in the improvement of the schools, being a member of the board of trustees for twenty-five or thirty years. Mrs. McCaw was Jane, daughter of Samuel and Catharine (Christie) Anderson. They have one son, John, who is associated with his father in business. They are staunch Presbyterians. Mr. McCaw was baptized by the Rev. W. J. Stavely, 0. I)., of the county of Antrim, Ireland. He has always given the church of his choice a consistent support, and was instrumental »»•?** 11J».wl' HISTORY OF WELLANP COUNTY. in bringing the Rev. Mr. Mcintosh to Welland, who preached the first Presbyterian sermon ever delivered in this place. JOHN McCVW, of the firm of 1). McCaw & Son, was born in Welland, April 7th, 1854. He received a liberal education at the Welland public and high schools, and at an early age ocame associated with his father in business. He was married January loth, 1883, to Frances Elizabeth, daughter of John and Anna Bella Arm- strong. They have two children, Robert Daniel, born May 24th, 1884, and John, born December 5th, 1886. The subject of our sketch enjoys largely the confidence of his fellow-citizens, having a seat at the town council board. He is also a nicm- ber of the public school board, and is treasurer of the Welland Mechanics' Institute. Like his father, he is a member of the Presbyterian church. A. J. McALPINE, Esq., is a native of Crowland Township, having been born on lot 23 of the 4th con. of that township on the 4th day of September, 1832. He is a son of Jonas and Maria (Lambert) McAlpine, and grandson of Richard and Sarah (Johnson) McAlpine. The family, who were early settlers of Welland County, are descendants of the clan McAlpine, famous in Scottish history. Our subject is the only surviving descendant of his parents, his only brother and only sister having died in infancy. His father died when A. J. was only twelve years of age. He was educated at the best schools the county afforded in those early days. S. W. Folger and A. W. Taylor conducted schools in Pelham which he attended. At the age of fifteen Mr. Folger induced him to go to the teachers' examination, which was then conducted by Mr. D'Everardo, the superintendent for the district, at Fontnill. He passed a very satisfactory examination considering his youthfulness, and for the next five years engaged in teaching, during which time he filled engagements in Gains- borough, Moulton and Wainfleet. The occupation not agreeing with his health, he began farming on the old homestead in Crowland, and has continued to reside there ever since. At the age of twenty-two Mr. McAlpine married Sophia, a daughter of Jacob Kennedy, Esq., for a great many years one of the most prominent citizens of Gainsborough Township. Mrs. McAlpine's mother's maiden name was Martha Thomas. The union has been blessed by a family of eight sons and one daughter. Alfred, the eldest son, after receiving a primary education at the Welland high school took a course at Sackville University in New Brunswick. He graduated from there with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and soon after accepted a position as professor of classics in Peekskill Military Academy in New York State. He subsequently re- moved to Aurora, in the same state, where he holds the position of principal of the Military College. He married Miss Frances Howe, who is now deceased, leavmg one child, a little boy, who is living with his grandfather McAlpine. The other sons of our subject are Augustus, Bruce, John, Irving, Charles B., William D. and David L. Augustus and Bruce are both married and settled in life ; John has taken a course at Stanstead Wesleyan College, in the province of Quebec, and has recently m resbyterian land, April gh schools, van married iella Arni- and John, confidence so a nicm- s' Institute. ; been born 1832. He ichard and ind County, subject is ister having . He was W. Folger the age of h was then ntnill. He for the next ts in Gains- 5 health, he reside there daughter of : citizens of i^as Martha e daughter. liigh school from there s professor quently re- ipal of the :d, leavmg other sons and David las taken a s recently mmmm BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 571 carried off the silver medal in classics and matriculated at the McGill University ; Irving has also been attending the Stanstead College. In fact Mr. McAlpine is giv- ing his whole family a liberal educuion. His only daughter, Ida, is at home. In 1854, when he was still a young man, he was appointed a justice of the peace, and was frequently associated with the late Squire Hellems in the administration of justice. Mr. McAlpine's farm is delightfully situated along the banks of the Wel- land river. For many years he has conducted an extensive dairy business, and has supplied a large portion of the inhabitants of the town of Welland with milk. J. H. PRICE, farmer, was born in Thorold Township, county of Welland, November i6th, 1819. He is a son of Aaron and Charlotte (Buckbee) Price and grandson of Elisha and Martha (Woodruff) Price, who carried on a large sugar plan- tation in the West Indies for a number of years, said plantation having been ac- . quired by the great-grandfather of our subject whilst acting as master of one of his vessels trading with those islands. The ancestors of Mr. Price were of Welsh origin. The grandfather came to Canada shortly after the American revolutionary war, as a U. E. Loyalist, bringing with him hit, son Aaron, who was born near the city of New York, and settled in the county of Norfolk. Thg father of our subject removed to this county about 1800, and purchased property near the town of Wel- land. He was engaged in the war of 181 2, but from his knowledge as a mechanic was transferred to the department to construct vessels for the transportation of sui> plies." He died near Welland in 1846. Mr. Price, the subject of this sketch, was brought up to farm life, receiving his education at the common schools and at a school of higher grade kept by one Welford. He married, June 13th, 1844, Ade- laide H., a daughter of Lewis and Susan (Hull) Wilson, and granddaughter of Major Hull. They have a family of two children : Lilian A. and Edgar W. Mr. Price took "part in the suppression of the rebellion of 1837, and at the time of the Trent affair was commissioned lieutenant of a Welland company, and afterwards captain of the Wainfleet militia. He was elected to the town council of Welland for four years, the two latter years of his service holding the position of reeve. He has also held the office of treasurer of the high school board since 1880. Mr. Price was appointed to the magistracy of the county of Welland in 1856, and has held the position for the last thirty years with credit to himself and benefit to the citizens generally. He has for the last sixteen years been one of the most prominent and useful members of the county agricultural society, each year filling either the office of president or that of treasurer. LLEWELLYN HOR'I'ON PURSEL, of the firm of "Pursel Bros.," merchant tailors and dealers in gents' furnishings, hats, caps, &c., was born on the seventeenth day of February, 1858, in the village of Waterford, county of Norfolk. He is a son of Samuel P. Pursel and Abigail (Young) Pursel. His maternal grandfather, Abraham Young, is a prominent member of the Presbyterian church in Windham i : * ! i I 'i 57? HISTORY OF WELLAND COUNTY. >i i l' Township. Jonathan Punsel, his grandfather, was born in the county of Columbia, state of Pennsylvania ; he left there and came to this country, settling in Windham, county of Norfolk, and engaging in farming ; he had a family of four sons and two daughters, five of whom are still living. Samuel P. Pursel, the father of the subject of this sketch, resides in Waterford, and is engaged in the furniture business. His family consists of four children, all boys, viz : Nelson, Thomas (deceased,) Dennis R. and Llewellyn. Our subject is a member of lodge No. 36, I. O. O. F., and en- campment No. 6, St. Mary's, in v/hich he has occupied prominent positions ; he is also a charter member and present leader of No. 7, VVelland Canadian Home Circle. CLAYTON J. PAGE, merchant, was born at Fonthill, township of Thorold, in the county of Welland, August 4th, 1849, and is a son of Edward and Susan (Price) Page, both born in Canada, he an American, she of German descent. Our subject received his education in the schools of Fonthill and New York State. He was married May 24th, 1870, to Eliza Ann, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth VVil- kerson, natives of Canada. Mr. Page has had a family of three daughters, two of whom are now living, viz: Minnie Maud, born February 17th, 187 1, and Florence S., born July nth, 1874. The youngest, Thalia Lorrein, was born July 12th, 1877, and died February 21st, 1882. He engaged as clerk in the store of Rose & Bridges, about twenty years ago, and started on his own account in 1875, in this town. He carries on a large business in the grocery, hardware and provision trade. Mr. Page was elected to fill the office of town councillor, for 1881, and is a member of the Odd Fellows and Foresters. LORENZO DULMAGE RAYMOND, clerk of the peace and county attorney for Welland County, was born in the county of Leeds, Ontario, on t^e 28th day of September, 181 1. The Raymond family is of English origin, the ancestors of our subject having emigrated from England and settled in one of the eastern states as early as 1 630. L. D. Raymond's father. Dr. Truman Raymond, was a native of Massachusetts, who came to Canada early in the present century, and was stationed at Gananoque as a surgeon in the militia during the war of 181 2. His wife, our subject's mother, was Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of John Dulmage, a native of Limerick, Ireland, who came to America in 1760, landing at New York on the loth of August of that year. He took up land on the Batten Kill, in the state of New York, and at the outbreak of the American revolutionary war joined the Britisl'. forces. At the close of the war he came to Canada as a U. E. Loyalist, and settled in Grenyille County. After the close of the war of 181 2, Dr. Raymond removed his family from Leeds to Prescott, and there our subject received his primary education. In 1824 the family removed from I'rescott to the old town of Niagara, and L. D. Raymond finished his education at the Niagara district school. Subsequently he studied law at Niagara with Charles Richardson, Esq., at that time clerk of the peace for the Niagara district. He was called to the bar in Michaelmas olumbia, Windham, s and two le subject pess. His ,) Dennis and en- ns ; he is lie Circle, rhorold, nd Susan ent. Our tate. He both VVil- rs, two of orence S., 1877, and Rose & 5, in this ion trade, a member d county n t|^ie 28th ancestors e eastern nd, was a , and was ii2. His Duhnage, iew York ill, in the ir joined Loyalist, Raymond jived his town of t school, hat time :haelmas lUOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 573 term of 1835. He began the practice of his profession at Chippawa, and subse- quently re noved to St. Cathaiines, where he continued to reside until the final separation of the counties 01' Lincoln and Welland. On the i2th of May, 1856, he was appointed clerk of the peace for Welland County, and on the 5th day of March, 1858, became county attorney. He has held the two offices, in connection with which he has practised his profession in Welland, ever since. In his younger day.s, Mr. Raymond was connected with the militia. At the outbreak of the rebel- lion in 1837, he was sergeant in' Captain Heburne's company, of Chippawa, under Colonel Kerby. In December, 1837, he became ensign of the company, and in 1847 was made captain of a company in No. 2 battalion, Lincoln militia, under Col- onel Clarke. He has been for a long time a member of the A. F. & A. M. frater- nity, and was a charter member of Merritt lodge, previous to the organization of which he was a member of Welland lodge, at Fonthill, He has long been a promi- nent member of the Episcopalian chu.ch, and has frequently been appointed a dele- gate to the synod of the diocese. Mr. Raymond was married on the 30th October, 1855, to Mary J. Cochrane, a daughter of Samuel Cochrane, Esq., a native of the county of Armagh, Ireland. The union has been blessed with a family of three sons and one daughter. Samuel 1)., the eldest son, is assistant accountant of the head office of the Imperial Bank of Canada. William B. is a barrister, practicing his profession in Toronto, where he is connected with the firm of McCarthy, Osier, Hoskins & Creelman. L. Clarke, the third son, is a barrister, practicing in Welland as a partner of his father. Mr. Raymond's only daughter, Minnie, married Rev. T. C. Street Macklem, rector of the parish of St. Simon's, Toronto. Dr. Raymond, our subject's father, died at Welland in 1861, in his 78th year. It is now about fifty-two years since Mr. Raymond was called to the bar. Few, if any, of the prac- ticing lawyers of the province have been so long in the profession, and few public officials have won for themselves the same degree of popularity that Mr. Raymond's courteous manner and sterling integrity have won for him during the thirty odd years that he has held a prominent public office in Welland County. GEORGE ROSS, P. L. S., D. L. S. and C. E., was born in the village of Beaverton, county of Ontario, June 12th, 1853. He is a son of John and Mary (Macdougall) Ross, and a grandson of George and Margaret (Gunn) Ross, both natives of Sutherlandshire, Scotland. The father and grandparents of our subject came to Canada in i837»and settled on a farm near Beaverton. Geo. Ross received a preliminary education at the public schools, and later attended the high school at Port Perry. He graduated at McGill University and received the degree of Bachelor of Applied Science. He served his apprenticeship in surveying with Messrs. Wads- worth, Unwin & Brown, P. L. S. Ik C. E.'s, of Toronto, and received his commis- sion as P. L. S. from the Ontario Government in 1879. He afterwards became a P. L. S. for Manitoba and also a D. L. S. While practicing his profession at Gait, Iw.., ^i HISTORY Of WICLLAND COUNTY. \'- I Ont, in 1 88 1, he received an appointment on the northwest surveys. In 1883 and 1884 he was engaged in traversing the How river and laying out townships in the railway belt. Mr. Ross is now practicing his profession in the town of VVelland, having in two years obtained nearly the whole patronage of the county of Welland. He was married April 28th, 1886, to Amy Mann Rice, daughter of Rev. 'I'homas and Deborah (Keayes) Williams, of Orillia. CASPER RAMEY, bailiff of the first division court of the county of Welland, was born in the township of Humberstone, on the ninth day of January, 1831. His father was David and his mother Jane (Liedy) Ramey. His paternal grand- father, whose name was also Casper, was one of the [lioneers of tht county, having come here from Fensylvania at a very early date. The subject of this sketch when a young man was engaged in sailing on the lakes, in which business he continued for over twenty years. At the outbreak of the American war he was on a vessel trading between Chicago and Oswego; he was afterwards captain of the J. W. Verner, one of the first tugs that worked on the Welland canal. He was also captain of a number of tugs, vessels and propellers. Mr. Ramey has met with many perilous adventures in his sailing experiences, and can giving thrilling accounts of a mariner's life. He has been shiprecked several times ; has had his vessel sink beneath his feet and been saved by a yawl ; has been on boats that were dismasted. In 1878 Mr. Ramey received an appointment as chief-of-police for the town of Welland and filled this position for some time, until the force was disbanded, since which the town has had no salaried police force. He next purchased the steam yacht "Louise" and run her for a passenger boat between Welland and Fort Colborne. In 1880 he sold the yacht to L. McGlashan. In March, 1883, Captain Ramey received at the hands of the Ontario Government his appointment as bailiff of the first division court of the county of VVelland, a position he still holds, giving universal satisfaction to those for whom he does business. His manner of perform- ing duties which are usually unpleasant is such that much of the pain which a hard officer would inflict on a poor debtor is quite removed. He was also appointed crier of the high court, in June, 1885. On the twenty-fourth day of January, 1854, Captain Ramey married Cynthia Jane Cu.sack, daughter of Rheddy Cusack, a government surveyor, and a native of Limerick, Ireland. They have four children, all girls. Mr. Ramey is a member of the Oddfellow and Masonic fraternities, and attends the Episcopal church. JOHN RICHARDSON, reeve of Welland, was born in White Plains, state of New Jersey; in 1829. His father was Robert and his mother Maria (Odell) Rich ardson, both natives of Ireland. The family came to Canada in 1829 and settled in Louth Township, in the county of Lincoln. Robert Richardson died during the year 1838, and his widow, the mother of our subject, about ten years later. When the father died, John, who was a lad of nine years of age, went to live with James In 1883 and mships in the of Welland, |y of Welland. Rev. Thomas y of Welland, inuary, 1831. [aternal grand- •ounty, having s sketch when he continued as on a vessel of the J. W. He was also met with many accounts of a his vessel sink vere dismasted. )r the town of was disbanded, purchased the ;Iland and Port , 1883, Captain itment as bailiff ill holds, giving ner of perform- i pain which a ) also appointed January, 1854, ddy Cusack, a e four children, raternities, and Plains, state of (Odell) Rich 29 and settled lied during the s later. When ve with James UlOGRAt'HICAL SKETCHES. 575 Disher in Pelhani Township. He continued to reside with Mr. Disher until that gentleman's death, which occurred when our subject was but fifteen years of age. Young as he was, however, he took charge of the farm and managed it until he was of age. When 24 years of age he married Phcebe Jane Brady, daughter of Andrew Brady and Margaret (Disher) Brady. Mr. Richardson from the time of his mar- riage followed the business of farming in Pelharn, (Irantham and I-outh townships, until March, 1878, when he moved to Welland, bought a residence and engaged in business as a wood merchant, which he .still profitably carries on. He enjoys the respect of his fellow-townsmen in a high degree, and was elected to a seat in the town council for five successive years. At the municipal election of 1880, at the unanimous request of the Reformers of the town, he allowed himself to be made a candidate for the reeveshij). His opi)onent was also a gentleman of great popular- ity, so that the election was perhaps the most exciting and warmly contested in the history of the town. Both candidates made gallant runs, and Mr. Richardson's opponent was elected by the small majority of one. Mr. Richardson was elected reeve for 1887 by acclamation. While farming our subject was for several years a very successful exhibitor at the provincial fair, particularly in g lins, seeds and domestic manufactures. His children are ; Sarah M., who was born Jan. 26, 1855 ; Anna, Feb. 12, 1857 ; Ira, Sept. 28, 1858 ; John, Aug. 12, 1865 ; Wm. A., Oct. 28, 1875. Of these all are living except Ira, who died Oct. 23, 1884. Sarah married William Thom in 1880. THOMAS ROACH, of the Commercial hotel, is a son of Garrett and Mar- garet (Lahey) Roach. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 24th, 1833. Garrett Roach was a native of Cork, Ireland ; his wife was also born in Ireland, in the county of Limerick. The father was accidentally killed at Humberstone in i866, and the mother died in 1882. Thos. Roach, our present subject, was one of a family of seven. When a boy he moved with his parents from Halifax to Lowell, Mass., and from thence to Lockj^ort, N. Y., where they remained but a short time, removing to Buffalo, from whence they came to Canada in 1841, settling in that portion of Welland then known as Crowland. Mr. Roach on attaining his majority went to work as engineer on steam dredges, which avocation he followed for about sixteen years, since which time he has been engaged in the grocery and liquor trade. He was married in February, 1866, to Mary, daughter of David Quinlan, of Port Colborne. They have nine children, viz : Mary Loretta, born Nov. 28th, 1866; Margaret, Dec. 14th, 1869 ; Ellen, Feb. 7th, 1872; Annie, July i8th, 1874; Alice, Jan. 31st, 1877; Garrett, Sept. 30th, 1879; David William, Feb. 24th, 1883; Ger- trude Catharine, May 22nd, 1884 ; Estelle Irene, Jan. 23rd, 1886. Mr. Roach is a consistent member of the R. C church and is held in high esteem by his many ac- quaintances. P. W. RAYMER was born in Pickering Township. His father was John and ^BfRr'«Lj.LL'i1 board, and HI()(;kAI'HI( Al SKKTCHKS. 577 for a number of years its treasurer Hi was several times elected to a seat at the council board. He was one of the early members of Merrill lodge, A. K. \- .\. M., and is a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters. 1)A\'I1) ROSS is .1 native of .Scotland, having been born near I'idinburgli. In 1862 he came to Canada. He was a lad aged about thirteen at the time. Upon his arrival in this country he was thrown entirely upon his own resources, as he had but fifty cents in his pocket when he landed. He went to work in a general store in the village of Morriston, Wellington (bounty, and was employed there for seven years, at the end of which time he took a course at Hryant iV Stratton's C^ommercial College in Torfinto. He was for the folUjwing two years a salesman in a Toronto dry goods store. It was in about 1875 that .\Ir. Ross first located in Welland County. He began business in the town of 'Thorold as a i)artner of Mr. Mull. For about four years he remained in Thorold, and then removed to Welland, where the firm started a branch store. The business of Bull & Ross was very extensive, they having at one time no less then four general stores along the line of the canal, situ- ated at Merritton, Thorold, Welland and Port Colborne. ,\ large business was done in each. Mr. Ross has resided in Welland continuously since he first came to the town, and has been engaged in business the whole time. The present store of Ro.ss & Co. is one of the most liberally patronized dry goods depots in the county. The stock is always large, choice and complete. Customers are certain of courteous treatment at the bands of .Mr. Ross and his assistants. Mr. Ross is |)opular as a citizen, and occupies a seat at the council board. Always ready to do his share towt^rds the promotion of any good cause in the town, he has taken a lively interest in the fire department, and for a number of years has been treasurer of the fire company. He is a member of the Masonic and Odd F'ellow fraternities. He mar- ried Miss F^mma Warrington, of ICnglish nativity. Four children, of whom two survive, have been the fruit of this union. FLETCHIiR SWAYZIC, F:s(}., of the firm of F. Swayze cS: Son, was born in Gainsborough Townshii) on the 23rd day of December, 1842. His parents are Samuel and Mary Ann (Haney) Swayze. Our subject, at the early age of sixteen, obtained a teachers' first-class certificate. At the age of seventeen he began teach- ing and continued in that profession for several years, after which he was engaged in the mercantile business in St. Catharines, Fonthill and Fcnwick, Ont. At a lafer time he did business as a merchant in Welland. In 1875 he was appointed official assignee by the Dominion (lovernment, and held office until the then existing in- solvent law was repealed. He was afterwards appointed bailiff of the first division court of Welland County, but resigned that position and o[)ened an office in Welland as an accountant, !kc. He afterwards purchased an old established insurance busi- ness and took his son into partnership with him. The firm enjoy the confidence of the public and do an extensive insurance business. They are also town ticket 36 It '^i !!• wmmm \i V 578 HISIOKV OK Wl;i.I.ANl> COUNTY. li a^ints lor llic M. C R. R. and have llic ( ciitr.il tclepluiiii; l)iisiiH'ss in tliLir od'wc. Mr. Sway/c has [)ccn several linu-s elected to important municipal offices. He was mayor of Welland for iSjc;, iKXoand 1K.S4, lie possesses consideralile executive ahilily, and was an excellent municipal official lie has been a justice of the peace for several years. He has been a member of the public school board for about twelve years, and I he most of that time has been its chairman. Mrs. Swayze is a daut;hter of W. (i. Church, ivs(| , of i-'onthill. They have a family of four sons and two dauj^hters. J. J. SIDKY, proprietor of the Welland Trihum: newspaper and job printing house, is the eldest son ol (leorge and I^li/,al)elh A ( Tewsley) Sidey, the former of Scottish and the latter of Knulish birth. He was born in Stamford in 1X44. From Stamford the family moved to Thorold Town, where, alter attending; the common and j^ranunar schools, the subject of this sketch enj^aged to learn the printing trade in 1X51;, with John I). Murray, at that time i)ublisher of the 'I'horold Gazette. After working at the busine.ss for some years in Thorold, St. ("atharines and elswhere, Mr. Sidey came to Welland, December ist, 1864, and on September 15th, 1865, in partnershij) with Mr. Albert H. Patterson, jnirchased the Tribune printing office. .Mi. Paiterscm ceased his connection with the business after a short term, and Mr. Sidey has v:ontinucd it up to the present, the only change in jjroprietorship being a p-rtr.rv.ship with Mr. John Mcdovern, (now of the customs staff at Niagara I'alls,) which existed two or three years. On the 21st of October, 1874, Mr. Sidey married Jeannette, daughter of the late Joseph l'"oster, of ('anfield. Ont. They h.ive three children : Herbert Bruce, born Sept. 15, 1875 ; Alice Maud May, born June 25, 187S, and John Robert, born Sept. 27th, 1885. Under the management of Mr. Sidey and his brothers Samuel J., as business agent, etc., and Herbert C. Sidey, as foreman, - - the Tribune newspaper and the printing business in connection has increased from a very small beginning to an establishment employing .steam ])ower and a dozen employees, and the circulation of the paper has sextupled increasing from 500 to upwards of 3,000 weekly. This book was wholly jjrinted at the Tribune printing house. J. W. SCHOOLKY, M. I)., C M., was born in the townshii) of Hertie, March, 1837. He was educated in the common school, obtained a first-class, unlimited certificate from the ct)unty board of examiners, and taught school for three years. He then attei.ded Victoria College for two years, and subsequently began the study of medicine, graduating from the medical department of Xm^ University of the (ireen Mountains, at Burlington, Vermont, in 1862, and from the medical department of Victoria College in 1863, lie settled in the town of Welland the same year, where he has been practicing his |)rofe,ssion ever since, with the exception of about eighteen months. He was married in 1865 to Sarah E., the eldest daughter of the Rev. John and Margaret Baxter, of the township of Bertie, and by whom he has a ( In tlifir offKc'. |< fs. lie was |ii)l(j executive |e of the peace laid for al)oiit |s. Swayzc is a of four sons |ti job i)rinting tile former of I H44- I'rom I' • (iinnion and iitiiig trade in cjrold Gazette. -atharines and on September iiirchasecl the 1 the business sent, the only n, (now of the ^n the 2Tst of seph I'oster, of ^■|"- '5. '«75 ; t. 27th, 1885. [., as business )aper and the eginning to an 2 circulation of weekly. This Bertie, March, ass, unlimited r three years, gan the study versity of the al department le same year, tion of about Lighter of the om he has a IIIO(;R.\l'mcA!. SKKTCHKS. 57'; family of two dauKlitcrs, I.i/.zie |. ami .\liie Maud. The .SS, and his mother in 1803. Mis grandfathei with three brothers came into the county from the state of New Jersey about the year 1776, and were members (jf the Society of Friends. Dr. S. is of (lerinan des- cent on his father's side, and Scotch on his mother's, his grandfather M<;Kay having come from Scotland and settled in this county about 1780. W. T. SAWMO, publisher, is of I'.nglish nativity, having been born at Lelant, in the county of C!ornwall, in the month of August, i84(;. He was educated at the place (if his birth, and at the age of fifteen removed with his parents from I.elant to Ilfracomlie in Devonshire. He there learned the trade of printer, and in 1871 came to Canada. Soon after his arrival in this country he accepted the jiosition of fore- man in the office of the Grand Hirer Sae/iein, at that time owned and edited by 'I'homas Messenger. A year later Mr. Sawle purcha.sed the business from Mr. Messenger and conducted the Saclieiii until June, 1882, when he sold it and re- moved to IJrantford, where he purchased an interest in the Hrantford Telegram and became the manager of that journal. Ill health caused him to sever his connection with the Telegram and to seek a business less wearing on the physical system than editing a daily paper. He accordingly came to Weiland and pun based the Tele- graph, a journal of which more extended mention is made in our chapter on the press. \Vhile a resident of Caledonia, Mr. Sawle took a lively intere.st in municipal affairs, and was for two years reeve of that place and for several years a member of the village council. He was for a long tim;i secretary of the Haldimand County C'onservative Association. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and was for three years \V. M. of St. Andrew's lodge. No. 62, Caledonia. He is also a member of St. John's chapter. Royal Arch Masons, Hamilton. He is connected with the C. O. O. K. Mr. Sawle has also been connected with the militia, having held the office of captain of No. 7 company of the 37th battalion from 1876 to May, 1887. He was married in 1872 to Mrs. A. C. Messenger, a daughter of the late Samuel McClung, of Cayuga. CjKORCK S'I'.M.KEK, merchant, is of Scottish nativity, having been born in Morayshire on the 26th day of May, 1837. He was thrown on his own resources at the early age of twelve, and may be said to be the architect of his own fortunes. In 1857 he came to Canada, and after remaining in Quebec Province four years he made his way west to St. Catharines, where for twelve years he worked at his trade — milling. In 1874 he engaged in the flour and feed business in Weiland. He gradually merged his flour and feed business into a general grocery and provision trade. He also keeps a large and well selected stock of crockery and glassware. In 1864 he married Charlotte Elvis, a native of Lincolnshire, England, who came to Canada with her parents, William and Sarah Elvis, when quite young. Mr. and 'iii tl: 1 I f 5«o HISrORV OK WKLLANl) COUNTY. ( !' i : Ik i I ' I lit: Mrs. StallcLr h IV i family of three suns, viz: (icorgc \V., born May 8th, 1865; John Alexander, born May i.Sth, 186S; and David, burn in 1870. Mr. Stalker has been for .several yea .s a member of the town cxnmcil and of the school board. He is a member of the A. K. X: \. M. and I. (). (). I'', fraternities. He is a prominent member of the i'n-.sbyterian church. CWLKiJ SWAV'Zl'v, pliotograplier, is a Canadian i)y birth, and was born on the 26th of Kebr'iarv, 1836. The father of our subject was also a Canadian, having been Ixjin in the year iart cash and part stock, which he received from Mr. Gore for whom he had worked at Konthill. Mr. Sauter gradually increas- ed his business by hard work and the practice of economy, until, at the time of his 8th, 1865 ; Stalker has l)oard. Ik' a promin'.-nt IS born on the , having; been ne before — grandfather, ed 700 acres the crown of isoner at the 1 by feigning , who mistook nada, and was ir subjfu:t, ob attending the id hi ■■ present Aurora, in the id is the owner which lie con- )f Royal Arch Konthill, Nov. The couple I of the law in marry without • of our present in the land of lot hesitate in id his intended as the amount re immediately me to Welland jrt house for a r was born. It u])on which it :h he received idually increas- the time of his nior.RAPHICAL SKKTCHKS. 5»' death. May 4th, 1882, he had nne of the largest and best v quipped furniture and undertaking businesses in the county. Dur present subject, E. A. Sautei, succeeded to the business and still continues to carry it on. He is a young man, jiopular with the public, keeps a large and well assorted stock of furniture, good hearses ar.d funeral outfits, and does a large and increasing business. He married Miss Hrenims in 1882. They have one child. Mr. Sauter is an adherent of the R. C. church. JOHN SULLIVAN, of the firm of Heemer iS: Sullivan, contractors, is a native of Ireland, and was born in the year 1845. When he was a young child, the family emigrated to the United States, and in that country our subject has spent the greater portion of his active life. When a lad aged about ten or twelve years, he wa: thrown entirely on his own resources, and has ever since been the architect of his own fortunes. Although but a mere boy when the American rebellion broke out, he determined to risk life and limb in defending the Northern cause and preserving the integrity of his adopted country. Accordingly, at an age when most boys ha' e not sevw'red the ties that bind them to their parental homes, John Sullivan enlisted on the 25th November, 1861, in the 105th New York regiment, which was afterwards consolidated with the 94th New York. The generals under whom he .served in the early |)art of the war were McDowell and Pope. He was in the battle of Cedar Mountains and all the battles of Pope's retreat from Kapidan to Hull Run. He was a member of the corps-sent to Thoroughfare (lap to check Longstieet. He was in the heat of the batde at Hull Run, and a day or two later was in the engagement at Chantlily, where (leneral Kearney was killed. He was next under McClellan, at South Mountain, Hooker being corps commander. He was then at Antietam ; and afterwards at Fredericksburg, \'a., under Ikirnsides. Here the army was arranged into tliree grand divisions ; the one to which our subject belonged crossed the Rap- pahannock and made repeated charges on the rei)el breastworks, but was finally compelled to retreat and evacuate. Mr. Sullivan next took ])art in Hurnsides' second advance on Fredericksburg, but owing to heavy rains and bad roads the attack had to be abimdcned. Hooker then took Hurnsides' place, and under him our subject fought in the attempt to dislodge Lee from I'ledericksburg, and was in the hottest of the fight at ('hancellorsville. He was ne.xt in that long, hard fought, and mem- oralile battle, known as Oettysburg, where his corps commander, Reynolds, was killed. Mr. Sullivan received three severe wounds in the fight, and lay for four months in Little York hospital in Pennsylvania. He rejoined his regiment again in the winter of .H(;4. at Annapolis, Md. He was afterwards home on a furlough, but again joined the regiment in front oi Petersburg, and took part in all the battles in front of that place, with (leneral Warren as corps commander, and (leneral (iiant as commander of the army. .'\t Weldon Railroad he fought under (leneral Warren, whom he f^ulogizes as a brave soldier and a noble commander. Mr. Sullivan's last battle was Hatcli's Run, where he received a very severe wound and was sent to the 582 HISTORY OF WKLLANI) COUNTY. j: iil. i ■ ■! hospital at IJaltimorc. After his recovery he again joined his regiment and remained with it until the army disbanded, when he was honorably discharged with the rank of. sergeant. In the above brief sketch of Mr. .Sullivan's e.xploits as a soldier, we have only been able to deal in a general way with his connection with the war. He took part in twenty-five actual engagements, not including skirmishes, and was wounded five times. After the war closed, he went to the oil regions in Pennsyl- vania, and there his little all was swept away in unfortunate speculations. Nothing daunted by his reverses, he set to work as a laborer on public works. Beginning as a teamster, he rose to the position of foreman, and finally was employed as general superintendent by some of the contractors of extensive public works. About the year 1873 he was married to Miss Ellen Almeda Parks, of Hancock, Delaware County, N. Y., and soon after began business on his own account as a contractor. He has completed every contract he has ever undertaken. The work performed by him includes a large amount of double track work on the Erie Railroad; masonry and grading on the New York and Canada Railway, between Montreal and Albany, the heaviest masonry contracts on the West Shore and Buffalo Railway, and bridges and other structures along the Hudson River. His first Canadian contract, in perform- ing which he was connected with his present partner, Mr. H. J. Beemer, of Mon- treal, was the building of one of the sections of the Eachine (anal. In August, 1882, he came to Welland, when he again joined Mr. Bcemer, who had secured the contract for building the Welland acjueduct. The work had been attempted by another firm, who had abandoned it in despair, after failing to construct a cofferdam sufificiently strong to withstand the pressure of the water in the river. Mr. Sullivan has had the entire management of this great undertaking, and has suc- ceeded in completing the aqueduct so that ships can pass tiirough it, in less than five years from the time he began the work. The work |)erformed by the former contractors was a detriment rather than an assistance to the i)resent firm, who have completed this great piece of masonwork in the face of many unforeseen difficulties, and what at first appeared almost insurmountable obstacles. These obstacles have all been overcome by the energy and the nil des/^erandiini jiolicy of Mr. Sullivan, who has as areward for his five years labor tne iionor of having successfully completed a contract, a more difficult one tc perform than which lias perhaps never existed. It is to be regretted that sometliing more tangible than honor has not also been the reward for so stupendous a work 'I'he first ship to use tlic new acjueduct was the ]iropelIer " Newburgh," which went northward through it on Monday evening. May 30th, 1887, drawing about fourteen feet of water. Our subject is a nn'mber of the A. F. iV \. M. fraternity. He has a family of three surviving children. During his five years' residence in the town he has made a host of warm friends, who have been drawn around him not more for his fine business qualities than by his genial manner and the warm interest he takes in the welfaro^of the community. *V mOCJRAPHICAI, SKKTCHES. 583 nd remained ith the rank a soldier, we he war. He les, and was in J'ennsyl- ■is. Nothing beginning as 1 as general About the k, I )eiaware a contractor, performed by ; masonry and d Albany, the d bridges and t, in perform- iier, of Mon- In August, id secured the attempted by ) construct a the river. Mr. and has sue- in loss than ly the former irm, who have ;cn (lilficultics, )bstacles have Mr. Sullivan, .illy completed never existed, also been the duct was the evening. May K'lnber of the During his vho have been genial manner J. 15. TAYLOR, the senior member of the firm of Taylor (!t Crow, was born in the township of I'elham on the seventh day of October, 1849. His father, Elisha C. Taylor, one of the most highly respected citizens of Pelham, resides on the farm on which he was born, and which was purchased by his father, John Tay- lor, from the Crown in 1790. The family were natives of Duchess County, New Jersey, and were members of the Society of Friends. They came to C*anada as U. E. Loyalists, — John Taylor, our subject's grandfather, being at that time eighteen years of age. J. B. Taylor received his education at a common school and at the Konthill grammar school. In 1S68 he was married to Sarah Haiker, of Norwich, and settled on a farm in Pelham. A year later he removed lo the township of Nor- wich, where he continued agricultural pursuits. Having been sadly bereaved by the death of his wife, which occurred on the rsth of April, he rented his farm and fol- lowed the business of speculator until 1881, when he, in connection with his brother, Mr. A. E. Taylor, engaged in the grocery busmess in Norwich under the firm name of Taylor Bros. The firm disposed of their Norwich business in January, 1884, and purchased the large mercantile establishment of the late James Bridges in Wel- land. Mr. J. H. Crow was, during the year 1886, admitted to partnership. The business is one of the most extensive of its kind in the town, and the meml)ers of the firm are all popular young business men. Our subject is a consistent member of the Society of P'riends. He was married on the 26th April, 1887, to Miss Rachel Bradshaw of Welland. ALLEN E. TAYLOR, of the firm of Taylor iSc Crow, was born in I'elham Township on the twenty-ninth of March, 1863. He is a son of Elisha 'I'aylor, to whom further reference is made in the preceding biographical sketch. He was reared on his father's farm, and began business as a merchant in Norwich as a part- ner of his brother, Mr. J. B. Taylor, with whom he has been associated in business since. He w>is married on the thirteenth of October, 1885, to I'^va, daughter of John and Mary (Holmes) Watl.s, both natives of England. Mr. Taylor is one of the most enterprising young men of the ;own. He has been an efficient officei of the fire company. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and an officer of Merriit lodge. He is also financial secretary of Welland lodge, Independent Order Foresters. ARCHIBALD THOMPSON, Sr., is (me of the oldest residents of Welland County. He was born in Stamford Township on the 12th day of December, 1800. The family is of Scottish origin. 'The first of the 'Thnmiisons who came to America was Archibald, an uncle of our present subject, who emigrated lo the United States from Roxboroughshire at an early date, and came on to Canada as a U. E. Loyalist at the close of the revolutionary war. He settled in Stamford along the Niagara river. In 1785 James and John 'Thompson came lo ('anada from .Scotland, and settled in Stamford, John along the Niagara River, and James, our present subject's I'll , I ' ' 584 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. father, on the banks of the Chippawa, at what is now known as Montrose. The name is spelled in Scotland " Thomson," but the government officials in making out their titles to the lands on whicl> they settled wrote the name " i'hompson," and members of the family have spelhd it with the " p" ever since. Our subject was born on the farm at Montrose whore his father settled, and there grew up to the estatfe of manhood. He was too >oung to take any active part in the war of 181 2, but remembers the conflict well. His two elder brothers, David and James, were active participants in the principal .xittles. Our subject was one of a family of ten, seven sons and three daughter,. He is the only living representative of his generation of the Thompson family. His brother David settled in Haldimand County, and for a lopg time represented that constituency in Parliament. After his death his son succeeded him, and represented the county as long as he lived. Our present subject resided in Stamford, where he farmed until the date of the separa- tion of the counties of Lincoln and Welland, when he waj api)ointed treasurer of Welland County, and removed to Welland where he has resided almost continuously ever since. About the year 1858, he was the Liberal candidate for the representation of Welland ("ounty in I'arliament. His opponent was (lilbert McMicken, now a prominent Conservative politician in Manitoba. The election was a warm one, and resulted in the defeat of Mr. Thompson by a small majority. Mr. Thompson was one of the first representatives of Stamford in the Old Niagara district council. He has held a commission as justice of the peace for more than half a century. In 1837 he served in a comjiany under Captain Bradshaw in quelling the rebellion, and now has the rank of lieut. -colonel of the retired militia. He is a member of the Presby- terian church. His first wife was Miss Jane Fitch, who died leaving a family of five daughters and three sons. His second wife was Mrs. Sims, and his third wife was Mrs. Cook, Mr. Thompson is still hale and hearty in his eighty-seventh year. In full possession of all his faculties, he can recount many interesting details of the history of the county in which he was born, and in which he has spent his long and useful life. ARCHIBALD THOMPSON, Jr., license inspector for Welland County, was born in Stamford Township on the 27th day of March, 1842. He is a son of Archibald Thompson, Sr., whose biography precedes this. He was reared on the farm and received his education at the Drummondville grammar school. He con- tinued farming and lumbering until 1880, when he received his present api)ointment, since which time he has resided in Welland. He has been a justice of the peace since 1876. On the 9th of June, 1875, he married P^liza, a daughter of the late Abraham Hershey of Bertie, of whom mention is made elsewhere in nur biogra- phical department. JOHN EDWARD WHALLEY, merchant tailor, was born in Wosbro Com- mon, Yorkshire, England, on the 7th day of November, 1850. His father was ^^ mOORAPHICAI, SKETCHES. 585 itrosc. The Is in making I'hompson," Our subject grew up to n the war of and James, of a family itative of his 1 Haldimand nt. After his ; lived. Our f the separa- 1 treasurer of t continuously representation licken, now a rarm one, and npson was one incil. He has ■. In 1837 he 1, and now has f the I'resby- ig a family of his third wife -seventh year. details of the U his long and d County, was e is a son of reared on the )ol. He con- t appointment, ; of the peace ;r of the late n our biogra- Wosbro Com- -iis father was Richard, and his mother Emma (Guest) Whalley, both natives of England. Our subject received his education ii; his native land, and learned his trade at Kirkham, Lancashire. He emigrated to America in 1868, and remained in the United States about eight years, when Ije came to Canada, and after remaining a short time at St. 'I'homas went to Niagara Falls, and two years later came to W'elland where he en- gaged as cutter for I). McConachie. He afterwards started business on his own account, and has carried on business in Welland ever since. He keeps a large and well selected s'ock of imported cloths, gents' furnishings, etc., which he buys in the foreign markets himself He is a first-class cutter and enjoys a good trade. Mr. Whalley was married in September, 1876, to Mary, daughter of William Hearn, a native of Devonshire, England; they have a family of two children, a boy and a girl. Our subject is a member of Merritt lodge, A. F. iV A. M., and adheres to the Episcopal church. H. WEl.'.ER, L. I). S,, was born in the township of Scott, county of Ontario, in the year i860. He was educated primarily at the public schools of his native township. He next attended the Toronto collegiate institute, and afterwards took a course at the Royal College of Dental Surgeons in Torotito, graduating from that in.stitution in 1881 with the degree of L. 1). S. After practicing for some time in Cannington he came to Welland, where he still continues the practice of his pro- fession, in which he is proficient, doing a good and steadily increasing business. He was married on the 28th of October, 1885, to Miss Minnie, a daughter of James and Hannah Reekie, of Cannington. His father, Lafayette Weller, is a native of Canada, and was born in the county of York. His mother, also of Canadian birth, is a native of the city of Quebec. His paternal grandfather, Paul Weller, who mar- vied Frances Smith, were residents of the village of Sharon, township of East Gwil- limbury, county of York. I'aul Weller was a son of Fibenezer Weller, who married Zente Hyde, and came to Canada from Massachusetts in r8oi. They were of F^nglish de.scent. Our subject's maternal grandfather was John Morrison, who was married in the county of Down, Ireland, to Mary, only daughter of Peter Moore and Jane Hamilton, natives of the county of Down. John and his wife emigrated to Quebec about the year 1825. where they remained for eighteen years, and after- wards came to Scott, Ontario County. Mr. Weller is a member of the Royal Templars of Temperance, and is an adherent of the Methodist church. He is a member of the A. l'. &.' A. M. ALPHONSO ELASCA WHITE, merchant, was born in Pelham Township, in Welland County, on the first day of October, 1844, and was educated in the schools of his native township. He served his apprenticeship at carriage building in Hamilton, came to Welland in March, 1866, and engaged in the trade which he had just learned, joining in partnership with his father and brothers and continuing in this business for a period of eight years. He then embarked in mercantile HISTORY OK WKLLANI) COUNTY. > ft: business, dealing for the first two years in sewing machines and musical instru- ments. The father of our subject, David White, was born in VVurtemburg, Ciermany, on the eighth day of February, -820, came to Canada in 1831, and is still living. The mother was born in this coui.ty and is a daughter of Smith Shotwell, of Welsh descent, their ancestors having come to America during the persecution carried on against the Covenanters. Mr. White was married June 28, 1866, to Joanna, daughter of Christopher Overholt ; she was born on the twenty-eighth day of October, 1842. They have one daughter ; name, Lily Vasa Arvilla ; born February 10, 1869, who has received a liberal education at the high school of the town. Mr. White was elected a member of the council and has been a member of the high school board for the past three years. He is a member of the Baptist church, joining that body thirteen years ago. His dry goods and millinery establishment is a leading one of its kind in the county. ADOLPHUS WH.LIAMS, B. A., solicitor, &c., dates his birth in the county of Elgin, July i8th, 1844. His father. Dr. A. Williams, was a native of England who came to Canada when a young man and settled at Aylmer, Ont., where he died in 1885, very highly respected. Our present subject received his primary edu- cation at the old St. Thomas grammar school, and afterwards graduated at the Toronto University with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1866 Mr. Williams was at thf battle of Ridgeway as a member of the University company of the Queen's Own of Toronto. In the engagement three of his brave comrades were killed and two more were wounded. After the battle Mr. Williams was stationed for several days at Fort Erie, and finally removed to Stratford where he was kept until the disturbance ceased and the troops were discharged from active duty. Mr. Williams studied law with the firm of Bell, Crowther & Tilt, of Toronto, and began to practice his profession in the town of Welland, where he still resides, enjoying a large and lucrative legal practice and the esteem of his fellow-citizens. He has creditably represented the town in the county council. He married Maria, daughter of Mr. Joseph Va .derlip, one of the early settlers of the county whose relations are living in several sections of the western peninsula and are among the most numer- ous and widely known families in Ontario. al instru- rtemburg, nd is still Shotwell, ersecution 866, to ith day of February lown. Mr. f the high St church, lishment is the county of England where he rimary edu- ited at the Ir. Williams lany of the nrades were as stationed le was kept : duty. Mr. ), and began enjoying a s. He has ria, daughter relations are most nunier- APPENDIX. Time, with its never-ending, ever-varying, changes, ])asscs swiftly by, and during the three months the History of the County of WcUand has been in press, several changes have occurred which are entitled to space here to complete our history to date, July ist, 1887. That portion of our work dealing with Dominion politics closes on page 67, with the issue of the general elections of February, 1887, in doubt. Since then Parliament has held a session, and that doubt has been dispelled. The Conser- vative Government has been sustained by a majority of about thirty. The most exciting episode of the past few months of Canadian history has been the visit of t)ditor O'Brien, of United Ireland, and a prominent agitator for home rule for Ireland, to Canada. This gentleman came to Canada professedly to excite hostility and ill-will against Lord I-ansdowne, charging that Canada's Gov- ernor-General had caused his Irish tenantry to be harshly and unjustly evicted. Mr. O'Brien made a great mistake. Although the people of Canada differ widely on the question of Irish home rule and many warmly advocate it, yet few but partizans endorsed Mr. O'Brien's mission, which took cognizance of a side issue rather than the main question. Lord Lansdowne, in his capacity in Canada, is considered as Her Majesty's representative rather than in his personal position, and an attack upon him appealed to Canadian loyalty, which, when put to the test, has never yet been found wanting. (Jovernor Lansdowne was also placed in that position in which he could not defend himself from attack. For these reasons public sympathy, especially in the cities of Ontario, ran strongly against Mr. O'Brien and his mission. Unfortunately, instead of shewing disapproval by merely ignoring Mr. O'Brien, feeling ran so high, especially in Toronto, Kingston and Hamilton, where the Orange element largely prevails, that hostile demonstrations occurred. The only serious riot, however, took place at Toronto, where, whilst quietly walking on the street on the evening of May i8lh, the talented but mistaken Irish patriot and a few in his company were brutally mobbed. A correspondent of a New York journal was severely injured by being struck on the head by a stone, which had been aimed at O'Mrien. The Irish agitator took refuge in a bicycle repair shop, which was wrecked by the mob, the intended victim barely escaping with his life by a roundabout way wm 588 HISTORY OK WELLAND COUNTY. to his hotel, aided by warm friends. The police were cither powerless, or sympa- thized with the mob, the latter holding undisputed 1)0. session of the streets for some hours. In Montreal and Quebec, Mr. O'Hrien was cordially welcomed. With the 2ist of June, this year - 1887 Queen Victoria began the fifty- first year of her reign. 'I'he event was celebrated by making the day a public holi- day throughout the whole of the Ikitish possessions, ("anada is not being outdone in loyalty by other portions of the Hriti.sh r,mpire during this jubilee year. Reso- lutions of loyalty to Her Majesty are being passed l)y all i)ublic bodies throughout the Dominion, and many towns and cities are holding jubilee celebrations. Ru- mor also has it that many prominent ('anadians are to receive the distinction of knighthood in the order of St. Michael and St. Oeorge before the jubilee season closes. County History. We regret the necessity of supplementing our county history by a notice of the death of Sheriff George J. Duncan, which occurred at his home at Welland, of an affection of the heart, on Wednesday, April 20th. Sheriff Duncan's death was universally deplored. His Honor Judge liaxter, at the succeeding sessions, correctly voiced public opinion when he stated from the bench that " during the seven or eight years in which the late sheriff had occupied that posuion, his conduct and de- meanor had secured for him the respect and esteem of every one who knew him. Those drawn closest to him learned to respect and admire him greatly indeed. He knew his duty well, and he ever performed it, kindly and courteously. His death is a grievous loss to this county — a loss regretted most sincerely by high and low, rich and poor." Sheriff Duncan's funeral took place on Monday, .'Xpril 25th, and was one of the largest ever held in the county. The Masonic, Odd Fellows, and A. O. U. W. orders turned out in procession to pay the last tribute of respect to their departed brother, and the attendance of the public was general. The vacant shrievalty has not yet been filled. In the meantime Mr. G. W. Duncan, deputy-sheriff, fills the position of acting sheriff. No little excitement and ill-feeling is being caused along the frontier by the en- forcement by the U. S. authorities of a law passed to prohibit alien labor. An attemjit is being made to apply the law to a number of railway and other em- ployees who live on the Canadian side of the river, but work on the American side. This harsh and unfriendly measure, if enforced as threatened, will place some two hundred employees at Niagara Falls in the position of having either to give up work on the American side or move there. A similar condition of things exists at Fort F>ie. The Welland ("ounty Reform As.sociation at its annual meeting at Crowland on June 28th, 1887, unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing the principle of as m )r synipa- ; for somn the fifty- hlic holi- ; outdone Rcso- jroughout jns. Ru- Tiction of ce season ice of the ind, of an death was , correctly seven or :t and de- mew him. leed. He is death is low, rich as one of O. U. W. departed ievalty has IT, fills the by the en- ahor. An other em- rican side, some two re up work ts at Fort Crowland )rinriple of APPKNUIX. S«9 unrestricted reciprocal trade relations with the United States. i'he movement throughout Canada to that effect is becoming widespread, and the cause is meeting with almost unanimous approval from the farmers, who desire and reijuire a wider market for the [)roduce of their farms and forests. On Wednesday, June 22nd, Stephen I'eer, of Niagara Falls, outdid Hlondin by walking acro.ss the Niagara river between the cantilever and suspension bridges on a wire rope only five-eighths of an inch in diameter. This is the first occasion on which Niagara river was ever crossed on so slender a rope. The elevation was about 200 feet from the water. I'eer carried a balancing i)ole twenty-one feet in length and of forty-five pounds weight. He got a collection of $35.00 for his daring, but reckless deed. On the Saturday evening following, Peer either fell or jumped over the bank or off his cable. He had been drinking heavily, went out from the hotel, and was last seen alive near his rope. Not returning soon, search was made and his body was found down the bank under the cable, dying from the effects of the fall. And thus was added another but not an unexpected victim to Niagara. We close our history by appending an historical sketch of the village of Stevensville, a fuller reference to which was inadvertently omitted in our history of Bertie Township. Village of Stevknsville. Thirty years ago Stevensville was a thrifty village, benefiting particularly by the large timber trade of that period when forest abounded in all directions. In about the year 1855 the large flouring, saw and planing mills, store, blacksmith shop, etc., of Peter Wright (now of Stamford) were erected, and for years these combined businesses attracted a large trade from the surrounding country, the roadway at times being almost blocked witii logs, and the mills were pushed to their fullest capacity. Peter Hendershot's store was also then one of the leading business houses in the county, the annual trade being very large for those days. But an evil day came for the prosperous little village. In February of i86o Hendershot's store was burned to the ground. The loss was heavy, and the proprietor received no insurance to assist in rebuilding his business. This was a reverse to the progress of the village, but a greater calamity was soon to follow. But a few weeks later (on the 25th of March, i860,) the combined mills, store and shops of Peter S. Wright fell a prey to the flames. The citizens were appalled. The firing of the mills was supposed to have been committed by an incendiary and one arrest was made, but after a formal hearing the accused was discharged and the matter dropj)ed. In the meantime Mr. Hendershot had placed a stock of goods in one of Mr. Wright's buildings, and for the second time his goods fell a prey to the ravages of fire. Some years later the tannery conducted by William Cropley, an institution not large but furnishing an excellent (juality of goods, was also burned. Fire had thus complete- » I II iii m w !l I ,('■ 1^ iU " I 1 ;i i ! f: 1 I 590 HISTOkY OF WELLANI) COtJNTV. ly wiped out the main businesses of the village. With the exception of Hender- shot's store, which was rebuilt on the o|)posite side of the street (now occupied by T. H. Allen) none of these businesses were reviv(.*d for many years, and of course Stevensville suffered a relapse. Ikit time rolls on : railways < onnect the village east and west ; gi'st and saw mills again make their welcome appearance ; better stores and handsomer residences are built ; church and school accommodations are abreast of the times, — ^and the Stevensville of to-day is again the prosperous village that its location and facilities entitle it to be. Twenty-five years ago it was thought by fruit growers that fruit could not be successfully grown in this vicinity. This delusion has been most happily and |)ractically dispelled, and adjacent farming lands and vineyards have established a solid reputation for fruit-bearing qualities. I'o this tact, we think, may safely be attributed a large share of the renewed thrift of the village and suburbs. While many farmers are more or less extensively engaged in the culture of the grape and other leading fruits, none perhaps stand more prominently in that line than Paul Hendershot, whose lands lie one-half mile east of the village. Fifteen hundred fruit trees of the choicest varieties and fifteen acres of grapes in full bearing, give ample evidence of the virtues of our soil in produc- ing fruit in quantity and quality. While some sections with sandy soil experience many barren years in apple bearing, this portion of the county seldom records a complete failure. Mr. Hendershot ships many tons of grapes annually to London and Toronto and has the satisfaction of knowing that they lead the market in quality. Of those at present citizens of the village, Mrs. Benjamin House is undoubtedly the oldest resi- dent. Of the first business men who settled at Stevensville and who still reside there, William W. Wade, (who located here in 1841,) Louis Shields and John Gilmore, may be named. The first church within the village proper was that of the United Brethren, which was built about quarter of a century ago. The late Benj. House gave land for this building and was largely instrumental in its construction. During the three years' incumbency of Rev. Mr. Kearns, whose term here expires this year, a handsome new Methodist church has been erected ; and in this regard, the congregation of Stevensville owe much to this rev. gentleman, who literally put his shoulder to the work and pushed it to completion. He personally assisted in getting out the timber and lent a willing hand at every stage of its construction. In 1878 the small brick school house, although built but about ten years, was found to be of insufficient size to accommodate the youth of the place and better facilities were demanded. The trustees, Messrs. John Hendershot, Joseph Taylor and (ieorge Krafft, were fully alive to this needed improvement, and in that year the substantial and commodious i^ublic school building, which still remains as a mark of the liberality and good sense of our people, was constructed. J. Oliver is the present principal of this school ; Miss J. Armstrong, assistant ; James B. Tripp was nmim APl'KNDIX. 591 of Hcnder- w occiipictl :ars, and of onncct the ippcarancc ; mmodations : prosjjerous ; ago it was this vicinity, cent farming iialitit's. To red thrift of vely engaged stand more f mile east of fifteen acres til in produc- sandy soil f the county any tons of .tisfaction of at present ; oldest resi- [10 still reside Ids and John ras that of the he late Benj. construction. I here exjjires in this regard, 10 literally put illy assisted in ;s construction. ;ars, was found better facilities :>h Taylor and n that year the ns as a mark of . Oliver is the s B. Tripp was the builder ; the cost exceeded $2200. Many of the finest buildings here and at other points in the county were erected by John H. Maun, whose cxten:.'ve con- tracts and milling and timber operations have been a boon to the village for many years. One of the latest buildings constructed by him is the Hutcheon House, a large brick hotel standing in the centre of the place. J. H. Haun is now inter- ested in milling operations in Muskoka, his |)laning mill here having been bought by J. H. Weaver, who gives employment to a number of men in his mills and on his building contracts. Mr. Haun was succeeded in the grist and saw mills by Pirson & Johnson, who are also driving a steady trade, their business calling many farmers to the village, and thereby lienefiting trade in general. In 1885 John Kdgeworth added much to the appearance of the place by the building of large, new premises for postofifice, telegraph office and store combined. The (irand Trunk and Michigan Central Railways afford daily passenger accommodation P'yast and \Vest, and give good shipping facilities for grain, fruit and other products. There is also an American Express agency, located at the M. C. R. depot. A strong divi...on of Sons of Temperance was established here about two years ago, and has a membership of about fifly at this writing. The principal officers are : \V. P. — Menno House ; P. W. P. J. H. 'I'ubby ; Recording Scribe — J. Robb ; Finan- cial Scribe — J. Robb ; meetings every Friday evening. A lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen was instituted here on May 2ist, 1880, and still thrives. The officers tor current term are : M. W. — Uriah Carver ; Recorder — John Clark ; Fiunncier — J. H. Tubby. The lodge meets every alternate Thursday in Detenbeck's hall. There was a lodge of Good Templars here at one time, but it has long since ceased to exist, and the S. of T. division fills the mission in its stead. mm^ > I mm T i 1, n 1 y, i. ERRATA. Page 149 — Reeve of Chippawa for 1886-7 should read Herbert G. Mackkm, instead of J. F. Mackleni. Page 141 — Daniel P. lirown in the list of justices should read David P. Brown. Page 175 -- In our list of post offices, Air Line was omitted, and Falls View has been established since the list was printed. I f Icrbcrt G. 1 UaviU 1'. Falls View