City of the Falls clippings, 1833, n.d.

The clippings describe the City of the Falls and its attempts by its shareholders to sell lots to this newly developing city. The venture by shareholders W. Allan, James Buchanan, Thomas Clark, J.H. Dunn, Thomas Dixon, General Murray, James Robinson, Samuel Street and William Witla intended to favourably position their city as a destination for “affording an easy approach for the annual assemblage of the Fashionable, the Learned and the Great”. The venture failed due to the building of the Buffalo and Niagara Falls railway.

Custom House Niagara forms, 1833

In 1833 William Clarke, the collector of customs at Niagara, completed and signed four forms for the movement of goods between Niagara and York, and Niagara and Brantford. The forms were issued to the firm of Lewis & Gray, James Armstrong, J.A. Wilks, and William Blackely. The goods being transported included scythes, corn brooms, hide whips, sacks, snuff, shovels, spades and two apple trees.

Composite Photographs - William Woodruff and his children

The composite includes photos of: Richard Woodruff (1822-1887) brother of Samuel Woodruff, son of William Woodruff. He married Cornelia McCrumb. His son-in- law was Samuel Zimmerman of the bank. Richard was a director of the Niagara Suspension Bridge. Joseph Woodruff (1820-1886) son of William Woodruff. He married Julia Claus. He was the Sherriff of Lincoln County and one of the incorporators of the Zimmerman Bank. Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff (1819-1904) who was the son of William Woodruff. He married Jane Caroline Sanderson (1827-1912) William Woodruff (1793-1860) who was the son of Ezekiel Woodruff who was born on July 29, 1763 and moved to the Niagara area from Litchfield Connecticut. He died in Niagara on Nov. 26, 1836. Henry Counter Woodruff (1833-1916) was the 7th child of William Woodruff. He married Emma Eloise Osgood (1835-1925) Dr. William Woodruff (1830-1908) of London, Ont. was the son of William Woodruff. Helena Woodruff (1828-1892) was the daughter of William Woodruff. She married Joseph Patterson Boomer. Julia Woodruff (1825-1870) was the sister of Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff and the daughter of William Woodruff.

Indenture between John Baptist Clement and William Woodruff

Indenture of bargain and sale between John Baptist Clement of Niagara and William Woodruff of St. Davids for part of Lot no. 90 in St. Davids. Instrument no. 9050, February 23, 1833.

Dr. William Hull

Professor of Politics.

William Hogan

Bill Hogan was a student at Brock for two years. Among other things, he was editor in Chief of the Badger, now called The Press, and was involved in all things journalistic. His wife Pauline Hogan graduated from Brock in 1970 as well and both live and work in St Catharines. He is an antique dealer and she is a Theologian and has just earned her doctorate.

William Hogan

Bill Hogan was a student at Brock for two years. Among other things he was editor in Chief of the Badger, now "The Press", and was involved in all things journalistic. His wife Pauline Hogan graduated from Brock in 1970 as well and both live and work in St Catharines. He is an antique dealer and she is a Theologian and has just earned her doctorate.

David William Smith House correspondence, 1798 [transcription]

The correspondence from D.W. [David William] Smith to President Peter Russell regarding Smith’s desire to sell a certain piece of property in Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.) to be used as a location for a common grammar school. The notice gives a description of the building situated on the property as being adaptable for the use of a school. The Board of Survey convened in December 1798 to examine Smith’s property and gave an appropriate valuation of the properties and buildings Smith was offering for sale. Smith was the deputy surveyor general of lands for Upper Canada.

Gainsborough [Presbyterian] Church records, 1833-1836, 1841-1846, 1855-1857, 1860-1864, 1866 [photocopy]

The Gainsborough Presbyterian Church was organized prior to 1833, but no records were kept until this date. In 1809, the church was lead by Rev. Daniel Ward Eastman. In 1833 the church became part of the Niagara Presbytery of the American Presbyterian Church. The records include transfer of membership, records of marriages, lists of subscribers and session minutes. Photocopies from originals were made in 1977 by E. Phelps, University of Western Ontario, prior to their deposit with the United Church of Canada Archives, Toronto, Ont.

Canadian Niagara Power Company fonds

Power at the Falls: The first recorded harnessing of Niagara Falls power was in 1759 by Daniel Joncairs. On the American side of the Falls he dug a small ditch and drew water to turn a wheel which powered a sawmill. In 1805 brothers Augustus and Peter Porter expanded on Joncairs idea. They bought the American Falls from New York State at public auction. Using Joncairs old site they built a gristmill and tannery which stayed in business for twenty years. The next attempt at using the Falls came in 1860 when construction of the hydraulic canal began by the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Co. The canal was complete in 1861 and brought water from the Niagara river, above the falls, to the mills below. By 1881 the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Co. had a small generating station which provided some electricity to the village of Niagara Falls and the Mills. This lasted only four years and then the company sold its assets at public auction due to bankruptcy. Jacob Schoellkopf arrived at the Falls in 1877 with the purchase of the hydraulic canal land and water and power rights. In 1879 Schoellkopf teamed up with Charles Brush (of Euclid Ohio) and powered Brush’s generator and carbon arc lights with the power from his water turbines, to illuminate the Falls electrically for the first time. The year 1895 marked the opening of the Adam No. 1 generating station on the American side. The station was the beginnings of modern electrical utility operations. The design and operations of the generating station came from worldwide competitions held by panels of experts. Some who were involved in the project include; George Westinghouse, J. Pierpont Morgan, Lord Kelvin and Nikoli Tesla. The plants were operated by the Niagara Falls Power Company until 1961, when the Robert Moses Plant began operation in Lewiston, NY. The Adams plants were demolished that same year and the site used as a sewage treatment plant. The Canadian side of the Falls began generating their own power on January 1, 1905. This power came from the William Birch Rankine Power Station located 500 yards above the Horseshoe Falls. This power station provided the village of Fort Erie with its first electricity in 1907, using its two 10,000 electrical horsepower generators. Today 11 generators produce 100,000 horsepower (75 megawatts) and operate as part of the Niagara Mohawk and Fortis Incorporated Power Group.

Niagara-Welland Power Company Limited fonds, 1833, 1852, 1904-1906, 1909, n.d.

The Welland Power and Supply Canal Company Limited, established in 1893 and incorporated in 1894 with a capital stock of $500,000. The aim of the company was to harness the natural water supply of the Niagara and Welland Rivers. In 1898 the Canadian Electrical News published a report by Henry Symons, QC outlining the main project of the company. This project involves the construction of a canal from the Welland River to the brow of the mountain at Thorold, a distance of 8 miles; the construction at Thorold of a power house, and from Thorold to Lake Ontario, a raceway by which to carry water into the lake. The estimate for the machinery to generate 100,000 horse power is £125,000; for transmission line to Toronto at a voltage of 10,000….The total estimate therefore amounts to £2,452,162, or roughly speaking, $12,000,000. Source: Canadian Electrical News, August 1898, p. 172. In 1899 the company officers petitioned the federal government desiring a name change to the Niagara-Welland Power Company Limited. Officers of the company were Harry Symons, President; Charles A. Hesson, Vice-President; and M.R. O’Loughlin, James B. Sheehan, James S. Haydon, Frederick K. Foster, directors; John S. Campbell, secretary-treasurer. The company’s head offices were located in St. Catharines, with a New York (City) office on Broad Street. In 1905 and 1909 the company petitioned the federal government for additional time to construct its works, which was granted. The company had until May 16, 1915 to complete construction. John S. Campbell (1860-1950) was a graduate of the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall. During his university years John began his military career first in "K" Company, Queens Own rifles and then later as Commanding Officer of the 19th Lincoln Regiment, from 1906 to 1910. Upon his return to St. Catharines John Campbell served as secretary in the St. Catharines Garrison Club, a social club for military men begun in 1899. After being called to the Bar, he became a partner in the firm of Campbell and McCarron and was appointed to the bench in 1916, serving until retirement in 1934. Judge Campbell served as an alderman for several terms and was the mayor of St. Catharines in 1908 and 1909. He also served as the first chairman of the St. Catharines Public Utilities in 1914. John S. Campbell was married to Elizabeth Oille, daughter of Jerome B. and Charlotte (St. John) Oille. The family home "Cruachan" was located at 32 Church St.

The Welland Canals Foundation, Honourable William Hamilton Merritt and the St. Catharines Historical Society and Museum, 1971-1990, n.d.

‘The Father of Canadian Transportation’ is a term commonly associated with William Hamilton Merritt. Although he is most known for being one of the driving forces behind the building of the first Welland Canal, he was many things throughout his life; a soldier, merchant, promoter, entrepreneur and politician to name a few. Born on July 3, 1793 at Bedford, Westchester County, N.Y. to Thomas Merritt and Mary Hamilton, Merritt’s family relocated to Canada shortly after in 1796. The move came after Merritt’s father petitioned John Graves Simcoe for land in Upper Canada after serving under him in the Queen’s Rangers during the American Revolution. The family quickly settled into their life at Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines. Merritt’s father became sheriff of Lincoln County in 1803 while Merritt began his education in mathematics and surveying. After some brief travel and further education Merritt returned to Lincoln County, in 1809 to help farm his father’s land and open a general store. While a farmer and merchant, Merritt turned his attention to military endeavours. A short time after being commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Lincoln militia, the War of 1812 broke out. Fulfilling his duty, Merritt fought in the Battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812, and numerous small battles until the Battle of Lundy’s Lane in July 1814. It was here that Merritt was captured and held in Cheshire, Massachusetts until the war ended. Arriving back in the St. Catharines area upon his release, Merritt returned to being a merchant, as well as becoming a surveyor and mill owner. Some historians hypothesize that the need to draw water to his mill was how the idea of the Welland Canals was born. Beginning with a plan to connect the Welland River with the Twelve mile creek quickly developed into a connection between the Lakes Erie and Ontario. Its main purpose was to improve the St. Lawrence transportation system and provide a convenient way to transport goods without having to go through the Niagara Falls portage. The plan was set in motion in 1818, but most living in Queenston and Niagara were not happy with it as it would drive business away from them. Along with the opposition came financial and political restraints. Despite these factors Merritt pushed on and the Welland Canal Company was chartered by the Upper Canadian Assembly on January 19, 1824. The first sod was turned on November 30, 1824 almost a year after the initial chartering. Many difficulties arose during the building of the canal including financial, physical, and geographic restrictions. Despite the difficulties two schooners passed through the canal on November 30, 1829. Throughout the next four years continual work was done on the canal as it expended and was modified to better accommodate large ships. After his canal was underway Merritt took a more active role in the political arena, where he served in various positions throughout Upper Canada. In 1851, Merritt withdrew from the Executive Council for numerous reasons, one of which being that pubic interest had diverted from the canals to railways. Merritt tried his hand at other public works outside transportation and trade. He looked into building a lunatic asylum, worked on behalf of War of 1812 veterans, aided in building Brock’s monument, established schools, aided refugee slaves from the U.S. and tried to establish a National Archives among many other feats. He was described by some as having “policy too liberal – conceptions too vast – views too comprehensive to be comprehensible by all”, but he still made a great difference in the society in which he lived. After his great contributions, Merritt died aboard a ship in the Cornwall canal on July 5, 1862. Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=38719 retrieved October 2006 Today numerous groups carry on the legacy of Merritt and the canals both in the past and present. One such group is the Welland Canals Foundation. They describe themselves as: “. . . a volunteer organization which strives to promote the importance of the present and past Welland Canals, and to preserve their history and heritage. The Foundation began in 1980 and carries on events like William Hamilton Merritt Day. The group has strongly supported the Welland Canals Parkway initiative and numerous other activities”. The Welland Canals Foundation does not work alone. They have help from other local groups such as the St. Catharines Historical Society. The Society’s main objective is to increase knowledge and appreciation of the historical aspects of St. Catharines and vicinity, such as the Welland Canals. http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/dec2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006 http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/feb2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006