John Burtniak Postcard Collection

326 images (b&w and col.) mounted on 54 poster boards ; 64 x 36 cm or smaller. 4 compact disc

Amacy Matthews Letters, 1918

The correspondence is dated October 19, 1918 and December 17, 1918. Amacy Matthews was the treasurer for the Township of Crowland. The correspondence is from J.W. [John Wells] Marshall, the county school inspector and relates to payments to be made to each teacher listed in the correspondence. Each letter includes the signature of the teacher acknowledging receipt of the funds. Teachers listed are Orlin McKenney, Edward Farr, Leonard Matthews, Charles Terreberry, Hiram Pratt, William VanAlstine, Grant Jenkinson and Harry Terreberry.

Bowslaugh Family fonds, 1860-1861, 1868, 1876-1877, 1880-1882, 1886-1890, 1892-1893, 1895, 1898-1899, n.d.

Edward W. Bowslaugh (1843-1923) was the son of Jacob and Anna (Beamer) Bowslaugh. Edward Bowslaugh married Mary Southward, and the couple had six children, Edgar Morley, Edward Freeman, twins Alfred Malcolm and Alice Mary, Annie Olivia, John Jacob and Mabel Florence. Edward W. Bowslaugh was a farmer, contractor and owner of the Grimsby Planing Mills in Grimsby, Ont. and Bowslaugh’s Planing Mill in Kingsville, Ont. The mills manufactured door and sash trim and other wood related products. Some customers contracted the firm to provide wood products for cottages being built at Grimsby Park, the Methodist camp ground. Some time before 1885 Edward Bowslaugh and his family moved to Kingsville, Ont. to open up a new planing mill and door and sash manufactory. He later sold the Grimsby Planing Mills to Daniel Marsh. The diaries and account books include many names of workers as well as friends and family members residing in the Grimsby and Kingsville areas. James M. Bowslaugh (1841-1882) was the son of Jacob and Anna (Beamer) Bowslaugh. James married first Anna Catharine Merritt and after her death in 1875 he married Mary Gee in 1877. James and Anna had three children, Eliza, James Herbert, George Hiram, all died very young. James and Mary Gee had one son, Charles Leopold Kenneth Frederich Bowslaugh, b. 1881. James Bowslaugh was a farmer and lumberman, much like his younger brother Edward. James’ early diaries often note the activities of himself and his brother Edward. Both Edward and James were heavily involved in the Methodist church, teaching or leading Sunday school and attending prayer meetings. Alfred M. Bowslaugh b. 1873 was the son of Edward W. Bowslaugh and his wife Mary Southward. The school notebook is from his days as a student in Kingsville, Ont.

City of Niagara Falls Plans, 1846, 1877, 1884, 1886, 1889-1890, 1892-1894, 1903-1905, 1910, 1914, 1919, 1925, 1927-1928, n.d.

The collection consists of 37 plans, surveys or maps of the City of Niagara Falls beginning in 1846 until 1928. Some of the plans were created for the Falls Company, a group of land speculators that included Buchanan, Murray, Street, Allen, Robinson and others. Other plans relate to the building of the suspension bridge and the railway. Some plans and drawing may refer to estate documents in RG 167 Niagara South estate and legal documents collection. Item 22 has been scanned for preservation purposes.

Dianna Hostetter funeral invitation, 1861

The invitation is a request of Jacob Hostetter to his friends and acquaintances to attend the funeral of his wife, Dianna on Tuesday, October 29, 1861. Dianna, also known as Dinah, was the second daughter of Joseph and Mary Heslop Van Every. She was born in 1831 and married Jacob Hostetter of Grantham Township. Jacob died a year later, leaving two children, Joseph Blain Hostetter (1860-1896) and Laura Diana Hostetter (1861-1933). Jacob was the son of Capt. Herman Hostetter of Ten Mile Creek who had died from wounds received at the Battle of Queenston Heights. Jacob and Dianna Hostetter are buried in the Warner Cemetery, Niagara Falls, Ont.

Eastham-Leinour Indenture, 1830

Fonds consists of one indenture, the sale of part of lot 94 in Niagara Township, to Thomas Eastham, by James Leinour. Thomas Eastham was a driver in the Her Majesty’s Royal Artillery and was General Brock’s trumpeter at the Battle of Queenston Heights. Eastham owned a hotel on the corner of Queen and Highland streets in Queenston. A watercolour of the hotel forms part of the J. Ross Robertson Art collection at the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library. Eastham also served as pound keeper in the Village of Queenston. Thomas Eastham died in 1839 and an inscribed monument marks his grave in the cemetery of St. Mark’s Church, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. No additional information is known about James Leinour.

Eleanor Ostrander Land Grant, 1801

Eleanor Ostrander, daughter of John Clark, and wife of Jacob Ostrander, petitioned for land on March 28, 1797. In her petition she describes herself as the daughter of a loyalist, John Clark, someone who served in “His Majesty’s Service” and that she came into the Province in 1788. Upon this information, Eleanor was granted 200 acres of land in Thorold Township, comprising of lots 115 and 169. Eleanor Clark (b. 1777) and Jacob Ostrander were married 5 October 1794 in St. Mark’s Church, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

Florence P. Dolmage estate papers, 1878, 1945-1946

In 1852 Robert Dolmage (ca. 1821-1889) a merchant of Palermo, Halton County, Ontario married Frances Palmer of Toronto. Together they had four daughters: Carrie, Fanny, Laura and Florence. The family resided in Halton County until they moved to Grimsby, Ont. after 1871 and before 1881. Robert Dolmage died in 1889 and his wife, Frances died in 1904. After Robert’s death the family continued to reside in the family home on Main Street in Grimsby, Ont. and the business interests were looked after by Claude A. Boden. Mr. Boden became one of the prime beneficiaries of Florence Palmer Dolmage’s estate after her death in 1945. Florence Dolmage was buried in Queen’s Lawn Cemetery on July 7, 1945. As she was the last remaining member of this family her estate was dispersed to extended family members as well as charitable organizations. At this time, no information is known about the connection between the Dolmage and Sillett families.

Frederick Sager letter, 1847

The letter was intended to communicate to Dexter D’Everado, Supt. Of Niagara District Schools, that School Section No. 6 in the Township of Bertie had elected school trustees on 12 January 1847. The trustees were Thomas Shedding, Luke Lee and Frederick Sager, Chairman.

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.

Hugh Alexander Papers, 1811-1816 [photocopy]

Hugh Alexander, b. 1780 arrived in Niagara shortly after his birth. He attended school and later apprenticed as a clerk. In 1797 he was granted 200 acres of land in Bertie township and became a merchant and trader in Fort Erie. He was the owner of a sailing vessel, the Chippawa, which he used to transport goods in the area. The ship was lost and/or confiscated as a result of War of 1812 skirmishes on Lake Erie. By 1812 Hugh Alexander was in business together with his brother Ephraim. The Alexander’s storehouse, store and house were burned by the British military when they abandoned Fort Erie ahead of the invading American military in late May 1813. At the time of the burning, Hugh Alexander was engaged as a Lieutenant with the 3rd Lincoln Militia. Prior to this Hugh Alexander had established a second mercantile in Stamford, opposite the green. Misfortune was to strike at this location as well when the British military abandoned the whole of the Niagara area to the invading American forces and the Stamford location was looted. After the end of the hostilities Alexander went on to rebuild his storehouse in Fort Erie and to re-establish his store in Stamford. Hugh Alexander died on November 2, 1817 and is buried in the Stamford Presbyterian Cemetery. Source: George A. Seibel, The Niagara Portage Road: 200 Years 1790-1990. Niagara Falls: City of Niagara Falls, 1990, p. 259-262.

Agnes Ethelwyn Wetherald fonds

An accomplished poet, writer and journalist, Ethelwyn Wetherald’s works were present in all Ontario readers for school children. Among her most notable works are; The Indigo Bird, The Red-Winged Blackbird, and The Pasture Field. The above poem Legacies is one of her most famous works and appears on her gravestone. Wetherald was born in 1857 as the sixth child out of an eventual eleven. Although born in Rockwood Ontario, she spent most of her life in Fenwick (Pelham Township), Ontario, where she died in 1940. Wetherald used her surroundings as her inspiration and focused on nature. She has been coined a nature poet and journalist. Wetherald received her education at both the Friends boarding school in Union Springs, N.Y. and at Pickering College in Pickering Ontario. After her schooling she wrote numerous articles for the Toronto Globe under the pen name Bel Thistelwaite, derived from her Grandmother’s name. These articles lead to a position as Women’s editor of the Globe and later she was part of the Advertiser’s editorial staff in London Ontario. Wetherald continued writing after she was finished with the papers and published six volumes of poetry between 1895 and 1931. Her work was not only known amongst school children, but also attracted the attention of Earl Grey, Governor-General of Canada in 1907 and Sir Wilfred Laurier, Prime Minster of Canada in 1911. In 1921 she published a book entitled Tree Top Morning, which she dedicated to her daughter Dorothy Rungeling who also became an author. Recently Rungeling published Life and works of Ethelwyn Wetherald 1857-1940 : with a selection of her poems and articles about her mother. Rungeling, Dorothy W., Life and works of Ethelwyn Wetherald

Niagara Regional Historical Council fonds, 1960-1989

The Lincoln County Historical Council began meeting December 17,1960 under the advisement of the Publicity, Planning and Development Committee of Lincoln County. The group was composed of three members appointed from each of the four existing historical societies: one member appointed from the executive of the Women’s Institute, one member from Lincoln County Council, the Deputy-Clerk and Treasurer of the County and a member from the Niagara Editorial Bureau. The Welland County Historical Council was soon formed after this along the same lines. In the early 1960’s the Lincoln and Welland County historical councils began work on an inventory of historic buildings with the intent to emphasize the historical significance of this area. The information gathered by volunteers and a professional photographer and an architect was used to present a “brief” to the federal government in 1962 and the provincial government in 1963. This brief, An Area of Historical Interest in the Counties of Lincoln and Welland, Ontario was published in 1962 and revised and distributed to schools and libraries in the area in 1965. The Ontario Buildings Inventory Project became a provincial initiative spearheaded by the Department of Public Records and Archives, a branch of the Department of Tourism and Information, ca. 1966. Volunteers collected and photographed buildings of historical interest in Lincoln and Welland counties. This information was recorded on standardized survey forms for every township in the Niagara region. Niagara Regional Historical Council was created with the merger of Lincoln County Historical Council and Welland County Historical Council, at the time of the formation of Niagara Regional Government in 1970. The first meeting of the new council was held January 1970.

Daniel Shannon fonds, 1816-1822

Lt. Daniel Shannon fl. 1777-1822, was the only son of Susan Drake, granddaughter of Rev. Thomas Drake, eldest brother of Sir Francis Drake, and Captain Daniel Shannon of the Royal Navy. He married Elizabeth Garvey, daughter of Alexander Garvey and Catharine Borden of New Jersey. Lt. Shannon was a Regular in the British Army and on February 12, 1777 he joined the Royal Standard, 5th New Jersey Volunteers. After being arrested and sentenced to hang for spying he was pardoned through the efforts of his mother Susan Drake Shannon who pleaded his case with the Governor. He served under General Cornwallis at the surrender in Virginia in 1781. In 1783 he moved to New Brunswick, Canada where he was reduced to a half-pay ensign in the 2nd Regiment of the Lincoln Militia. He was granted 500 acres of land on the St. Johns River, and on April 1, 1786 his daughter Catharine was born there. The family returned to the United States, residing in Pennsylvania, for a short time. In 1800 Lt. Shannon, with his mother and family, returned to Canada and settled in Stamford Township where he bought 200 acres of land on the Niagara River near the whirlpool. He later served in the Secret Service during the War of 1812 and was stationed at a lookout point on the Niagara River below the falls. In 1806 Shannon’s daughter, Catharine, married Thomas Lundy, fourth son of William Lundy of Stamford Township.