Photograph - DeVeaux Hall

Black and white, 12 cm x 17 cm photograph, mounted on board, of DeVeaux Hall in St. Catharines. Thomas Woodruff is shown in this photo. The photo was described by R.W. Band in 1973 and is included.

Postcard - W.D. Woodruff Homestead, DeVeaux Hall, St. Catharines, Ontario

A black and white postcard of the W.D. Woodruff homestead, DeVeaux Hall, St. Catharines, Ontario. See reverse for note.

List of Voters for the Town of St. Catharines, 1874

A paperback "List of Voters for the Town of St. Catharines, 1874" by Journal Steam Print. Richard Woodruff is listed as an owner on St. Paul Street in St. Thomas' Ward (p.8) and Samuel D. Woodruff is also listed as an owner in St. Thomas' Ward (p.8). Richard Woodruff is listed as an owner in St. George's War (p.16). There is an extra front cover included which is badly wrinkled and stained. There is a handwritten list within the back of the book which tallies the number of people in each ward.

Masonic photo album collection, Eureka Lodge #20, Prince Hall, Toronto, ca. 1970s-1980s

The collection consists of two photo albums from Eureka Lodge #20, Prince Hall, Toronto, Ontario. The first album consists of 57 colour photographs of Black Shriners and Masons, some featuring a trip to Puerto Rico, circa 1970. Several loose items are enclosed, including photographs, news clippings, and a certificate. The second album contains 26 colour photographs, and 9 loose photographs, circa 1980. Includes photographs of Arthur Downes, one of Canada’s first Black Canadian Grand Masters and Joe Halstead (Order of Canada). Most of the photographs feature members in the lodge interior.

Report on Water Supply for Town of St. Catharines

Report (20 page booklet) on a water supply for the town of St. Catharines by Thomas Monro, civil engineer. This is addressed to Lucious S. Oille, M.D., chairman of the Water Committee of St. Catharines, June 10, 1875.

Payment for the Hall account

Payment for the Hall account, May 28, 1883.

Letter to Samuel Woodruff regarding the $2000 owing to him and presenting applications for Williams, Sampson, Hall, Burrows and Rogers’s accounts

Letter (1 page, typed) to Samuel Woodruff regarding the $2000 owing to him and presenting applications for Williams, Sampson, Hall, Burrows and Rogers’s accounts. There are some handwritten comments on this letter. It is not signed, but bears the Jarvis, Conklin and Co. letterhead, May 16, 1882.

Letter sent from the Port Dalhousie and Thorold Railway to the Town Council of St. Catharines

Letter sent from the Port Dalhousie and Thorold Railway to the Town Council of St. Catharines which states that the estimate that was submitted does not embrace the damages done to the buildings along Line no. 1 from Port Dalhousie to Chisholm Corner. The estimates are included in the document, Aug. 17, 1854.

Clipping from a Town Council meeting at which estimates of the costs of Railway Line no. 1 and Line no. 2 were submitted by the office of Port Dalhousie and Thorold Railway

Clipping from a Town Council meeting at which estimates of the costs of Railway Line no. 1 and Line no. 2 were submitted by the office of Port Dalhousie and Thorold Railway. The estimate was submitted by S.D. Woodruff and George Rykert, president. There is also a disclaimer in which Calvin Phelps claims to have resigned as director of the Port Dalhousie and Thorold Railway when he discovered that the company had no intention to adhere to the original plan for building and running the road, Aug. 1854.

Pelham Cares Inc. fonds, 1980-2015

The beginnings of Pelham Cares occurred in 1982 when the Mayor of Pelham, Eric Bergenstein, received a letter from Janet Hassall, a social worker with Niagara Regional Home Care. Hassall requested that a Social Service Committee be established in Pelham to address gaps in community services, a practice that several other communities in the Region had adopted. Such committees were commonly composed of church parishioners, so Bergenstein contacted Canon J. Nowe of the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, who expressed an interest in participating in such a committee. Bergenstein arranged a meeting in June, 1982 at the United Church Hall in Fonthill, for any interested parties to learn more about the existing Social Service Committees in the Region. The meeting was not part of a Town Council project, but rather an initiative undertaken by Mayor Bergenstein in a personal capacity. Subsequent meetings chaired by Eric Bergenstein were held throughout the remainder of that year, during which the name of Pelham Cares was decided, a steering committee established, and services to be offered were determined. These initially included “visits with the lonely, the shut-ins, at home, hospital or on an outing ; run errands for those who are “stuck”; step in, in emergencies, or regularly, to free a parent or spouse who can’t otherwise get a “break”; in emergencies, provide food, clothing, furniture, medicine and other necessities”. The first official meeting of Pelham Cares occurred in January 1983. Currently, the main services offered by Pelham Cares are a food bank; transportation services to medical appointments; and sponsorship programs to allow youth with limited financial means to participate in sports, recreational and educational activities. The organization also provides emergency food, supplies or short term accommodation due to fire or other catastrophic loss, as well as providing referrals to appropriate organizations or agencies. Pelham Cares is dependent on the funding from community partners such as service clubs, citizens, local businesses, financial institutions and churches. These services are provided by volunteers and one part-time employee. A permanent location for Pelham Cares was established in 2014 with the purchase of a property on Highway 20 East in Fonthill, after a 30 years search for a permanent facility.

Indenture of deed of bargain and sale between Samuel Rock of Crowland Township and Samuel Street of the Town of Niagara

Indenture of deed of bargain and sale between Samuel Rock of Crowland Township and Samuel Street of the Town of Niagara for 1 acre in Lot no. 179 in the Town of Niagara – instrument no. 13070. A memorial of this record was made on Feb. 21, 1856, List B, Folio 169. An envelope addressed to Joseph Woodruff, Clerk of the Peace and postmarked Jan. 1857 was included with this document, July 17, 1840.

Indenture of bargain and sale between James and Ann Jane Butler of the Town of Niagara to Joseph Augustus Woodruff of the Town of Niagara

Indenture of bargain and sale between James and Ann Jane Butler of the Town of Niagara to Joseph Augustus Woodruff of the Town of Niagara for 50 acres composed of the west half of Lot no. 169 in the Township of Niagara – instrument no. 3309. This was recorded in the Niagara Township Register on Aug. 14, 1851, Book A, Folio 219, Aug. 12, 1851.

Indenture between Robert Miller of the County of La Porte, Indiana and Asat Carpenter of the Town of Niagara regarding 50 acres in the Township of Southwold, Middlesex

Indenture between Robert Miller of the County of La Porte, Indiana and Asat Carpenter of the Town of Niagara regarding 50 acres in the Township of Southwold, Middlesex. There are 2 copies of this document tin which the wording seems slightly different. The 1st copy is slightly burned on the side and extremely faded, making it completely illegible. The 2nd copy is legible. Feb. 15, 1853

Indenture of quit claim between John and Nancy Ann Kerlin of the Township of Grantham to Joseph Augustus Woodruff of the Town of Niagara

Indenture of quit claim between John and Nancy Ann Kerlin of the Township of Grantham to Joseph Augustus Woodruff of the Town of Niagara for 100 acres in the west half of Lot no. 29 in the 2nd Concession in the Township of Nissouri, Middlesex, April 29, 1853.

Indenture of quit claim between John and Deborah Ann McNeilly of the Town of Niagara and Joseph Augustus Woodruff of the Town of Niagara

Indenture of quit claim between John and Deborah Ann McNeilly of the Town of Niagara and Joseph Augustus Woodruff of the Town of Niagara regarding 4 acres on the west side of King Street in Niagara, Dec. 4, 1853.