Thomas Millard Senior land grant, 1797

Thomas Millard Senior was born in Middlesex, Connecticut, in 1728. He served as a Private with Butler’s Rangers. In July 1784, Thomas and his wife Mary, along with their 4 children, were on a list “to settle and cultivate the lands opposite Niagara”. He took the oath of allegiance at Niagara around 1784-85.

Persia steamboat poster, no date

The “Persia” was built in St. Catharines in 1873. From 1877 to 1894 the ship was owned by James Norris of St. Catharines. The Toronto and Montreal Steamboat Co. acquired the ship in 1894, followed by the Quebec Navigation Co. in 1907. A fire severely damaged the ship in 1911, and the following year the “Persia” was rebuilt as a barge.

Legal document involving John D M’Kay, Thomas Butler, and John Harris, February 5, 1828

Richard Leonard was a member of the 104th Regiment of the British Army. He fought during the War of 1812 at Sackett’s Harbour, Lundy’s Lane and Fort Erie. After the war he settled at Lundy’s Lane and was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 1st Lincoln Militia. He later became the Sheriff of Niagara. He died in 1833 and is buried in the Drummond Hill Cemetery.

City of Hamilton land abstracts (lots 93-203), 1865

An abstract of title for multiple lots in Peter H. Hamilton’s survey, south of Hunter Street, in the City of Hamilton. The lots involved range from lots 93-203 (non-inclusive). The document is dated November 10, 1865. The entries are dated from 1798 to 1865 and include the grantor, grantee, lands and instrument. The name Geo. S. Papps, Esq. appears centred at the top of the page. The document is signed at the bottom by John H. Greer, Registrar. A note on the reverse side of the document reads “Re Angus Abstract”.

Power of Attorney of Colonel John Butler for Robert Hamilton and Robert Addison, January 4,1797

John Butler (1728-1796) was originally from Connecticut but settled with his family in the Mohawk valley of New York around 1742. His father was a Captain in the British army and well acquainted with William Johnson (superintendent of Northern Indians). Butler impressed Johnson with his aptitude for Indian languages and diplomacy. He began to work with Johnson in 1755, and received several promotions in the department, until his apparent retirement in the early 1770s. At the onset of the Revolutionary War in 1775, Butler relocated to Canada to join the British forces, settling in Niagara. During the War, Butler was instrumental in maintaining the alliance with the Indians. After the War, Butler became prominent in local affairs in Niagara, but failed to secure any important offices when the province of Upper Canada was formed in 1792. In an effort to recoup some of the financial losses his family suffered during the War, Butler illegally attempted to supply trade goods to the Indian department with his son Andrew, his nephew Walter Butler Sheehan, and Samuel Street, a Niagara merchant.

Thorold Patentees Map, no date

A map of Thorold showing the lots and names of the individuals who were granted the lots. In some cases, the year that the original grants were made are included. A note on the back of the map indicates that the information was taken from the Centennial History of Thorold or from the Patentees map.

Plan of part of the lands of the Six Nations Indians, January 26, 1833

A plan of part of the lands of the Six Nations Indians, dated January 26, 1833. A note on the plan reads “Part of the lands of the Six Nations Indians as surveyed by order of their Superintendent, John Brant, Esq. Dated at the Mohawk Village, the 29th day of April, 1831. Part of which was returned to the office of the Honourable, the Commissior of Crown Lands, on the 31st Oct. 1831, and now rendered more complete by a continuation of the survey under the same order in 1832, and by information obtained from private practice not connected with my official instructions all of which is most respectfully submitted to the inspection and for the information of His Majesty’s Government by Lewis Burwell, Surveyor”. The map shows the early loyalist land holdings in the Brantford area.

Henley Bridge blueprints, 1939 [photocopies]

Four pages of photocopied blueprints of the Henley Bridge on the Queen Elizabeth Way in St. Catharines, Ontario. A note below the title indicates the bridge was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on June 7, 1939. Three of the pages are part of the same blueprint and can be fit together to recreate the complete blueprint. The remaining page is an incomplete blueprint drawn by William Lyon Somerville, Architect, and dated March 24, 1939.

Map of part of the “Smith & Kerby” tract in the City of Brantford, County of Brant, Ontario, no date.

An abstract map of a part of the “Smith & Kerby tract” lying within the City of Brantford, County of Brant, Ontario. There is no date on the map. The map shows parts from McMurray’s Survey, Mrs. G.S. Wilkes Survey, and the Howell Survey.

Catherine Everingham land grant, 1802 [photocopy]

Catherine (Lemon) Everingham was the widow of James Everingham, a private with the first Battalion of Colo Delancys Regt. of the Jersey Volunteers. He died in the American Revolutionary War in 1796, leaving his wife and two children settled on two hundred acres of land in the Township of Willoughby. No certificate had been awarded to James Everingham for this land. Catherine subsequently petitioned the government to grant her the land that she had settled on with her family.

A roll of non-commissioned Officers, Drummers, & Private men enlisted for the first Battalion of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, 1781 [photocopy]

The King’s Royal Regiment of New York was a Loyalist regiment that served on the Canadian frontier during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment was commanded by Sir John Johnson, who recruited members from the settlers on his estates in the Mohawk Valley. After the War, the two battalions of the regiment were disbanded. The First Battalion settled on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, while the Second Battalion settled by the Bay of Quinte.

Kimberly-Clark (Canada) records, 1960-1987

Kimberly, Clark & Company was founded in Wisconsin in 1872. The founding partners were John A. Kimberly, Havilah Babcock, Charles B. Clark, and Frank C. Stattuck. That same year, the company built the Globe Mill, which made newsprint from linen and cotton rags. The company soon established a reputation for developing new and innovative paper products and processes. In the 1920s, Kimberly-Clark opened a Canadian Pulp Mill and Power plant known as the Spruce Falls Power and Paper Company, in Kapuskasing, Ontario. Other branches of Kimberly-Clark were established in Ontario at Huntsville and Terrace Bay.

Meat Packers Council of Canada records, 1954-1961

The Meat Packers Council of Canada was originally founded in 1919 in an effort to encourage farmers to produce better quality livestock. Originally known as the Industrial and Development Council of Canadian Meat Packers, charter members included Harris Abattoir Co. Ltd.; William Davies Co. Ltd.; Swift Canadian Co. Ltd.; Gunns Ltd.; Canadian Packing Co. Ltd.; Puddy’s Ltd.; F.W. Fearman Co.; Ingersol Packing Co. Ltd.; Whyte Packing Co. Ltd.; Gallagher-Holman & Lafrance Co. Ltd.; Gordon – Fronside and Fares Packers Ltd.; Wilson Canadian Co. Ltd.; and Armour & Co. Most of these firms were based in Ontario, but the Council’s operations were soon expanded with the opening of a western and eastern field office. The Council was incorporated in 1961. In 1980, the name changed to the Canadian Meat Council.

Fur Council of Canada records

The Fur Council of Canada is an association that represents people working in all sectors of the Canadian fur trade, including trappers, processors, designers, manufacturers and retail furriers. The association aims to “promote, defend and enhance the professional, economic, social and moral interests of our members”. The Council supports fair trading practices for the benefit of producers and artisans; the responsible use of renewable resources; partnerships between the fur trade and other sectors of the Canadian and international fashion industry; and innovative use of fur by young designers.

Ontario Federation of Agriculture records, 1974-1984

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture was established in 1936 and is the largest voluntary farm organization in Canada, representing 37,000 farm families. The Federation came about in response to the creation of the Canadian Chamber of Agriculture (later renamed the Canadian Federation of Agriculture) in 1935. The establishment of an Ontario branch was needed to provide a forum through which similar organizations from other provinces could communicate about farm issues that were of interprovincial, national, or international importance. The organization is led by farmers and is based in Guleph, Ontario. Their missionis to enable prosperous and sustainable farms. They accomplish this through lobbying, government and media relations, and community representation.