Benjamin Woodruff Price Papers, 1851, 1853-1860, 1862-1863, 1874, n.d.

The fonds includes sixty two items of correspondence between Benjamin Woodruff Price, aka Woodruff, Ben or Uncle, and various family members, both immediate and distant cousins. Also included is business correspondence related to Price’s activities as a watchmaker and/or jeweler. Benjamin Woodruff Price was born in Thorold Township ca. 1831, the son of Joseph Price and Mary Smith. B.W. Price married Ella or Ellen McGlashan (1851-1906) ca. 1868. Price died between 1891 and 1901, his burial location is unknown at present. A watchmaker and jeweler, Price lived most of his life in Fonthill, Ont. He also included auctioneer, undertaker and photographer as some of his other professional activities. His siblings included David Smith Price (wife Isabella Ann), John Smith Price (wife Elizabeth Jane), and sisters Susan Page (husband Edward Rice Page), Jerusha Price, Mary Price and Martha W. Stone (husband Dudley Ward Stone). John Smith Price died 18 April 1860, leaving no descendents. It is likely that G.W. Stone was a nephew to B.W. Price, the son of his sister Martha W. Stone and her husband Dudley Ward Stone. Susan Page was a sister of Benjamin Woodruff Price. She was married to Edward Rice Page and they had at least two children, Joseph and Clayton. At the time of this correspondence they lived in Suspension Bridge, NY, now part of Niagara Falls, New York. Edward Rice Page’s occupation was listed as saloon keeper. The Price family appears to have had a very large extended family. This information was gleaned from the contents of letters of Maggie Tisdale, daughter of Ephraim and Hannah (Price) Tisdale, P.A. or Ann Morgan, [may also be Phebe Ann] of Newark, NY? and Marietta House of Bayham Township. DeWitt Higgins of Suspension Bridge, NY aka Niagara Falls, NY was an auctioneer, specialized in buying jewellery, watches, clocks, from individuals and reselling his product to others like B.W. Price.

Pleasant Hours: A Paper for Young Folk, Vol. III No. 20- October 6, 1863

This issue of Pleasant Hours: a paper for young folk contains an article titled "The Story of Queenston Heights".

Ship canal. Ottawa versus the Trent. [letter], 1863.

One published letter addressed to the Hon. Sidney Smith, M.L.C., Quebec from W.S. Conger, dated April 6, 1863, Peterborough. The headline reads: Ship Canal. Ottawa versus the Trent. This letter contains reprinted portions of a letter that W.S. Conger wrote in March 1858 to the Hon. Charles Alleyn, then Commissioner of Public Works.

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.

Letters to the Honourable John H. Dunn, 1837-1838

The recipient of the letters is John Henry Dunn who was born on St. Helena (a British territory island of volcanic origin located in the South Atlantic Ocean) in 1792 to John Charles Dunn and Elizabeth Bazette. He was married to Charlotte Roberts on May 4th, 1820 and they had 6 sons and 2 daughters. He came to Canada in 1820 in which year he became the Receiver General for Canada. He held this position until 1841.Charlotte died in 1835. In 1822 he was named to the Province’s Legislative Council. He was president of the Welland Canal Company from 1825-1833. In 1836 he was named to the executive council of Upper Canada but resigned 3 weeks later with fellow counselors when lieutenant governor Sir Francis Bond refused the advice of the council. Dunn was made the Receiver General for the newly formed Province of Canada in 1841, and was elected to represent Toronto in the legislative assembly that year. He married his second wife on March 9th, 1842. Her name was Sophie-Louise Juchereau Duchsnay. They had a son and a daughter. In 1843 he resigned, and was not re-elected in 1844. He returned to England with his family and died in London on April 21, 1854. Dunn was a supporter of the Welland Canal, St. Lawrence Canals and other public improvements. Between the passage of the Canada Trade Act and the Act of the Union he had tried to insure that projects received funding despite financial constraints. He claimed that he has saved Upper Canada from bankruptcy. His son, Alexander Roberts Dunn received the Victoria Cross for his role in the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava. Dunn Street in Niagara Falls is named after John Henry Dunn. The town and township of Dunnville were also named for him. Sources: http://biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?id_nbr=3889 http://www.niagarafrontier.com/cityfalls.html

A review of the case of Alexander McLeod: recently determined in the Supreme Court of Judicature of the state of New York (1841)

Alexander McLeod, a British subject, was tried for the murder of Amos Durfee and as an accomplice in the burning of the steamer Caroline, in the Niagara River, during the Canadian rebellion in 1837-1838.

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.

Letter - Cyrus Sumner to his brother Walter

A letter from Cyrus Sumner to his brother Walter Sumner, dated 23 April 1849. The letter describes the experiences of Cyrus Sumner from the road. He discusses the travel "from Erie to Pittsburg". A transcription accompanies the letter

Laura Dexter letter, commenting on the McLeod murder trial, October 5, 1841

Alexander McLeod was Deputy Sheriff of the Niagara District during the Rebellion of 1837-38 in Upper Canada. On December 24, 1837, he became aware of a scheme by the rebels to use the American steamboat Caroline to provide supplies to William Lyon Mackenzie and his followers on Navy Island in the Niagara River. McLeod notified the authorities in Upper Canada about the situation. A few days later, on December 29, Commodore Andrew Drew led a band of men, including McLeod, to the American side, where the Caroline was moored at Schlosser’s Wharf. A scuffle ensued, in which American Amos Durfee was killed. The Caroline was then released from its moorings, set on fire, and drifted downstream before sinking. Many Americans viewed the incident as a violation of their sovereignty. Tensions between the United States and England were already strained over a boundary dispute between Maine and New Brunswick, and the situation with the Caroline further escalated the tension. McLeod was subsequently arrested in November, 1840 in Lewiston, NY and indicted for arson and murder. The British foreign secretary, Lord Palmerston, insisted that McLeod be released and could not be held personally responsible for the incident, as he was acting on orders from authorities in Canada. Eventually, McLeod was acquitted.

Morris Norman collection, 1863-1971, n.d.

Morris Norman is a chartered accountant and partner at Norman, Goldberg & Co. LLP, an accounting firm in Toronto. He is an avid collector of Canadiana and generously donates much of the material he acquires to various Archives.

Certificate that Joseph Kingsmill, sheriff, has sold 6 acres in Lot 13 in the 3rd Concession of Crowland to Walter H. Dickson

Certificate that Joseph Kingsmill, sheriff, has sold 6 acres in Lot 13 in the 3rd Concession of Crowland to Walter H. Dickson, May 23, 1857.

Indenture of bargain and sale between Walter Hamilton and Augusta Maria Dickson of Niagara to Robert Dickson of Niagara

Indenture of bargain and sale between Walter Hamilton and Augusta Maria Dickson of Niagara to Robert Dickson of Niagara for land in the Township of Dumphries, Jan. 23, 1840.

Indenture –sheriff’s deed (vellum) between William Kingsmill, sheriff of the Niagara District and Walter H. Dickson

Indenture –sheriff’s deed (vellum) between William Kingsmill, sheriff of the Niagara District and Walter H. Dickson for 23 acres in the Town of Niagara – instrument no. 1158, Oct. 29, 1842

Indenture of bargain and sale between Walter Hamilton Dickson and Augusta Maria Dickson of Niagara to Jane Dickson (widow of Robert Dickson), Thomas Clark Street of Stamford and Edward Clarke Campbell of Niagara

Indenture of bargain and sale between Walter Hamilton Dickson and Augusta Maria Dickson of Niagara to Jane Dickson (widow of Robert Dickson), Thomas Clark Street of Stamford and Edward Clarke Campbell of Niagara for 150 acres for the south half of Lot no. 32 in the 7th concession and the north east quarter of Lot no. 22 in the 10th Concession of Dumphries. This was recorded in the County of Halton on the 29th day of January, 1849 in Folio 326, memorial 236, Jan. 12, 1849.

Funeral invitation to the funeral of Mrs. W.H. Dickson at the residence of her husband the Honourable Walter Hamilton Dickson

Funeral invitation to the funeral of Mrs. W.H. Dickson at the residence of her husband the Honourable Walter Hamilton Dickson, to St. Mark’s Church, Niagara. The invitation was sent to Mr. Waters. The item is torn and mouldy but the text is not affected, March 6, 1855.