Frank Marion Chapman

Cabinet card photographic portrait of Frank Marion Chapman, taken in Ottumwa, Iowa, ca. 1890s.

Grounds of Palmetto Grove, estate of Frank Marion Chapman, Covina, California, ca. 1915

Grounds of Palmetto Grove, estate of Frank Marion Chapman, Covina, California, ca. 1915.

An Act to authorise the stock held by private parties in the Welland Canal to be purchased on behalf of the Province [Welland Canal Stock Bill], 1841

The bill is a proposal by the government to purchase Welland Canal stock held in private hands. The bill was read for the first time on Wednesday 4 August, 1841, and received second reading on 10th August, 1841. One hundred and fifty copies were printed of the bill. This example was addressed to Samuel Street at the Falls of Niagara, by William Hamilton Merritt, September 1841.

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.

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Abraham Augustine, 1837

Survey map and description of Jacob Augustine's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. The land surveyed is lot #26 in Humberstone.Noteable features include; canal, concession, line between Abraham and Jacob Augustine's land. The land totals 7 1/4 acres. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map.

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Jacob Augustine, 1837

Survey map and description of Jacob Augustine's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. The land surveyed is lot #27 in Humberstone. Noteable features include; canal, concession, line between Neff and J. Augustine's land. The land totals 8 acres. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map.

Jacob Cochenour’s War Loss Claim, August 16, 1841.

Jacob Cochenour was an early settler of Bullock’s Corners in the Township of West Flamborough. His father, Jacob Cochenour Sr., was an American who settled in this area in 1785 on 200 acres of Crown Land along the Spencer Creek.

Welland Canal/St. Lawrence Seaway Authority fonds, 1826-1880, 1905-1951

The Welland Canal Company was formed in 1824 by William Hamilton Merritt. Construction of the first Welland Canal began in 1829 and was completed in 1834. The canal ran south from Port Dalhousie along Twelve Mile Creek to St. Catharines. An extension was built in 1833 to Gravelly Bay, now Port Colborne. As ships became larger and the wooden locks deteriorated, the need for a new canal became apparent. In 1839, the government purchased the Welland Canal Company’s assets and began making plans for the construction of a second canal. Construction began in 1841 and was completed by 1845. In 1887, a third Welland Canal was completed, which operated until 1932, when a fourth canal was completed. This canal remains in operation today.

Letter to Mr. Henry H. Collier, 1837

Henry Haight Collier, was born in Howard, Steuben County, N. Y., November 28, 1818. His father, Richard Collier, was from Green County, in the same State. His grandfather, Isaac Collier, and his great-grandfather were originally from England. His mother, Mary Haight, was of Dutch origin. In 1835, Henry went to St. Catharines, where his elder brother, Richard Collier, resided. He spent two years at Grantham Academy, and then returned to Steuben County, to read law in Bath, with Edward Howell, and subsequently with Hammond and Campbell. Mr. Collier never opened a law office. He studied law for two years and in 1839 he went to Texas where he was connected with the State and Treasury Departments. In 1845 Mr. Collier returned to St. Catharines and opened a general store called St. Catharines Agricultural Works with his brother. The store remained open until May, 1877. He added the manufacturing of lumber in 1850, and manufacturing of agricultural implements in 1869. He built one of the first saw mills on the canal, on Lock No. 5, in St. Catharines. In July, 1877, he was appointed Collector of Customs. He became a Village Councilor for St. Paul’s Ward in 1859, and held that office from fifteen to twenty years. He was Deputy Reeve and member of the County Council for two terms. He was the Mayor of St. Catharines in 1872 and 1873. He was also Chairman of the Board of Water Commissioners of the city, during the time that the works were being built. He was a Justice of the Peace for twenty years or more. Mr. Collier was affiliated with the Reform Party and he was a Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity and an Odd Fellow. He was also active in the Methodist Church. On June 1, 1858, he married Cornelia, daughter of Moses Cook, of "Westchester Place," St. Catharines, and had a daughter and son. Mary J. (married name: Mrs. Frank Camp) was a graduate of the Female Seminary at Hamilton, and Henry Herbert was a student in the University of Toronto. Henry H. Collier died on July 15, 1895 and is buried in Victoria Lawn Cemetery, St. Catharines, Ontario. Sources: www.accessgeneology.com "Historical Profiles from Victoria Lawn Cemetery" by Paul E. Lewis "Sincerely Lamented St. Catharines Obituaries 1817-1918" by Paul Hutchison

Dr. Stuart D. Scott Papers, 1837-2010 (non-inclusive)

Dr. Stuart D. Scott has written extensively in the fields of prehistory and history. As an archaeologist, he has traveled to some of the most significant sites in the world, including Pompeii, Stonehenge, the Valley of the Kings, Egypt’s pyramids and the Taj Mahal. He spent nine months excavating with the Tikal Project in Guatemala before returning to the University of Arizona where he received a Ph.D. in 1963. He excavated in New Zealand as a Fulbright scholar in 1963-1964. In the fall of 1964, Dr. Scott started a long career in the Anthropology Department of the State University of New York. He taught graduate and undergraduate archaeology courses and continued his archaeological and historical research. In 1979, Scott established the Old Fort Niagara Archaeology in Progress Project at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York. For many years, he became involved with historical archaeology in western New York. It was during this work that he became interested in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837-1838 and its aftermath. Dr. Scott and his wife, Patricia Kay Scott, would use Christmas breaks, summer vacations, and sabbatical years to travel. They were repeatedly lured back to the South Pacific, conducting research in New Zealand, Australia and many of the Micronesian and Polynesian islands. To tell the whole story of the Rebellion and the prison exiles, they traveled extensively in Canada, the United States, England and Tasmania to collect archival research and to experience the scenes of this remarkable narrative. In 2004, Dr. Scott published To the Outskirts of Habitable Creation: Americans and Canadians Transported to Tasmania in the 1840s, which told the story of the men captured, tried, convicted, and exiled as a result of the Rebellion, also called the Patriot War. Other contributions include: • A collaboration with Dr. Charles Cazeau on the book Exploring the Unknown, Great Mysteries Reexamined published by Plenum Press in 1979 • The Patriot Game: New Yorkers and the Canadian Rebellion of 1837-1838, which appeared in New York History, Vol. 68, No.3. 1987 • A Frontier Spirit: The Life of James Gemmell published in Australiasian Canadian Studies, Vol. 25, No. 2 2007 • To the Outskirts of Habitable Creation which appeared in the Friends of the National Archives, Vol. 20, No. 1 2009 • Numerous academic journal publications • Service on conference panels • Various research papers and proposals Before retiring in 1997 and while still a resident of Buffalo, N.Y., Dr. Scott spent considerable time with Brock University President Emeritus James A. Gibson and History Professor Colin Duquemin. The three shared a love of Rebellion history. It was largely because of this connection that Brock University was chosen as the recipient of Dr. Scott’s research materials.

Niagara Ship Canal [to accompany Bill H.R. no. 921], February 14, 1837 (1837)

Mr. Hard, from the Committee on Roads and Canals, made the following report.

Journal of the House of Assembly of Upper Canada (1836-1837) (1837)

The earlier Journals of the House of Assembly are to be found in: Ontario. Bureau of Archives. Report of the Bureau of Archives for the Province of Ontario (where they have been printed due to their non-existence in their original form.).

Niagara Suspension Bridge Bank note, 1841

The Niagara Suspension Bridge Bank operated in Queenston in 1840. The bank issued notes in denominations of ten dollars, five dollars and one dollar, and featured a drawing of the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge, ten years prior to its construction. The notes are signed by the bank’s Cashier, Gilbert McMicken, and President, Joseph Hamilton. The bank failed a year after its establishment.

Summons for Court Upper Canada - 1841

A summons "in the court of Requests - Upper Canada" Niagara District Division for a debt of three pounds, one shillings and six pence. Summons to appear before the Court of Requests, Robert Osborn vs. John Shadwick, signed by Walter Sumner, clerk of the court, 1841.

Letter - Lyle Vanclief, M.P. to Donald Ziraldo, 1996

A letter from Lyle Vanclief, M.P. Prince Edward- Hastings, to Donald Ziraldo in regards to Bill C222. The Bill would require warning labels on alcoholic beverages in order to encourage moderation. The letter indicates that Mr. Ziraldo has sent a letter to said Vanclief with concern about the Bill. Vanclief responds in this letter by indicating his disapproval for Bill C222.