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

Photographs of secretarial staff at Lightning Fastener, ca. 1935

Lightning Fastener Co. Ltd. was a zipper manufacturer located on Niagara Street in St. Catharines. It was founded by Gideon Sundback, the inventor of the modern fastener. Sundback was born in Sweden, but settled in the United States in 1905. It was here that he designed and patented a “separable fastener” in 1913. Although he lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, he decided to establish a manufacturing facility for his invention in Canada, choosing St. Catharines over other locations such as Fort Erie and Hamilton. At the height of its success, the company employed more than 500 people and produced more than 50 million zippers annually. Over time, the company had difficulty remaining competitive and was forced to close in 1981.

Estelle Cuffe Hawley fonds, 1852-1999, n.d.

Estelle Cuffe Hawley (1894-1995) was an educator, businesswoman and politician, who became the first woman alderman on the St. Catharines City Council. She began her career as a teacher in Peterborough in 1913, and later taught in St. Catharines at Connaught School and St. Paul’s Ward School, where she served as Principal for six years. In 1928-29, she worked as an exchange teacher in Edmonton, Alberta. This would be Estelle’s last year in the teaching profession. She moved back to St. Catharines in 1930 and began a career in business, as an employee of Sun Life Assurance Co. She remained in this profession until around 1952. It was during this period that she became very active in the community and local politics. In 1934 she was elected to the St. Catharines Board of Education, where she advocated for the improvement of teachers’ salaries, the introduction of nursing services in schools, and the inclusion of music in the curriculum. She served as a member of the school board until 1937. The following year, she became the first woman elected to the St. Catharines City Council. As an alderman, she worked to improve the community's social welfare services, serving consecutively as chairman of all committees. She established comprehensive health services (including medical, dental and nursing), in the public, separate and secondary schools of St. Catharines, the first program of its kind in Canada. She was also instrumental in establishing minimum housing standards and engaging the public in local government by arranging a series of lectures by city officials. She remained a member of City Council until 1943. The following year she campaigned unsuccessfully for the mayoralty. In 1953 she married Hubert Hawley and moved to Orillia. She continued to remain active in the community, serving as President of the Ontario Recreation Association from 1950-1953, and editor of their Bulletin from 1955-1961. During the 1960s, she worked with various groups, including the Voice of Women, the Mental Health Association and the Freedom from Hunger Campaign. In addition to this work, Estelle wrote poetry and short stories, some of which were published in the Peterborough Review, the Globe and Mail and the Canadian Churchman. Some of her short stories (often about her childhood experiences) were broadcast on the CBC, as well as her experiences as a Town Councillor (under the pseudonym Rebecca Johnson in 1961). She also broadcast a segment that was part of a series called “Winning the Peace” in April 1944. Estelle was a sought-after public speaker, speaking on topics such as peace, democracy, citizenship, education, and women’s rights. In 1976, Brock University conferred an honorary Doctor of Law degree to Estelle for her leadership as an educator, businesswoman and a stateswoman. Her husband Hubert died that same year, and Estelle subsequently moved to Mississauga. With the assistance of an Ontario Heritage Foundation grant, she began work on her memoir. She later moved back to Orillia and died there in 1995, at the age of 101.

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.

By-Laws No. 1 through 11

The by-laws are signed by George Barnes and include the first two which state the name of the company is the Ontario Grape Growing and Wine Manufacturing Company and the second by-law states that the place of business is at Barnesdale, St. Catharines, Ontario.

Indenture between Joseph Augustus Woodruff and martina H. Woodruff to Con Gillespie

Indenture of deed of land situate between Joseph Augustus Woodruff and Martina H. Woodruff of St. Catharines to Con Gillespie of Sarnia regarding Lot no. 28 in Sarnia, March 13, 1867.

Letter to the Welland Canal Office from Welland Woodruff, Government Director of the Welland Canal Company

Letter to the Welland Canal Office from Welland Woodruff, Government Director of the Welland Canal Company in which he dissents from giving an extension of time to the St. Catharines Water Power Company to extend the lease of water from this time. This is a copy of the original, March 11, 1837.

Structural studies in the Southern Province, South of Sudbury, Ontario

Rocks correlated with the Hough Lake and Quirke Lake Groups of the Huronian Supergroup form part of a northeasterly trending corridor that separates 1750 Ma granitic intrusive rocks of the Chief Lake batholith from the 1850 Ma mafic intrusive rocks of the Sudbury Igneous Complex. This corridor is dissected by two major structural features; the Murray Fault Zone (MFZ) and the Long Lake Fault (LLF). Detailed structural mapping and microstructural analysis indicates that the LLF, which has juxtaposed Huronian rocks of different deformation style and metamorphism grade, was a more significant plane of dislocation than the MFZ. The sense of displacement along the LLF is high angle reverse in which rocks to the southeast have been raised relative to those in the northwest. South of the LLF Huronian rocks underwent ductile defonnation at amphibolite facies conditions. The strain was constrictional, defined by a triaxial strain ellipsoid in which X > Y > z. Calculations of a regional k value were approximately 1.3. Penetrative ductile defonnation resulted in the development of a preferred crystallographic orientation in quartz as well as the elongation of quartz grains to fonn a regional southeast-northwest trending, subvertical lineation. Similar lithologies north of the LLF underwent dominantly brittle deformation under greenschist facies conditions. Deformation north of the LLF is characterized by the thrusting of structural blocks to form angular discordances in bedding orientation which were previously interpreted as folds. Ductile deformation occurred between 1750 and 1238 Ma and is correlated with a regional period of south over north reverse faulting that effected much of the southern Sudbury region. Post dating the reverse faulting event was a period of sedimentation as a conglomerate unit was deposited on vertically bedded Huronian rocks. Rocks in the study area were intruded by both mafic and felsic dykes. The 1238 Ma mafic dykes appear to have been offset during a period of dextral strike slip displacement along the major fault'). Indirect evidence indicates that this event occurred after the thrusting at 950 to 1100 Ma associated with the Grenvillian Orogeny.

Niagara Lodges of the Loyal Orange Association of British America

The Loyal Orange Association of British America is a Protestant fraternal society. The Loyal Orange Association originated in Ulster, Ireland during the late eighteenth century. Its purpose was to promote Protestant rights and privileges. The association was exclusively Protestant, fraternal, democratic, and benevolent. Orange principles were brought to Upper Canada by Protestant Irish settlers after 1815. The first Canadian Orange Lodge was formally established in Brockville, Leeds County, 1830. By the late 19th and early 20th century, the Loyal Orange Association of British North America had gained considerable popularity and political influence. Many prominent politicians, including several prime ministers, were members. Orangemen were particularly concerned with issues such as separate school funding, language rights, immigration, religious freedom and conscription. Further, they demanded the execution of Louis Riel and opposed the Jesuits Estates settlement. Administrative sketch courtesy Archives of Ontario.

Niagara Editorial Bureau/Ontario Editorial Bureau Administrative Records

Fonds contains materials related to the St. Catharines, Hamilton and Toronto Offices of the Ontario Editorial Bureau, from the early 1940s to 2008. All invoices and personal documents (life insurance plans, T4 slips, vacation pay, doctor's notes etc.) have been removed from this collection. Resumes have been removed and, if appropriate, placed in the biographical file. Duplicates have been removed.

Lizzie Sloman with Ab and son in London, Ontario [n.d.]

A black and white photograph of Lizzie Sloman, with two men identified on the reverse as Ab (left) and son (right). The photograph is not dated but is recorded as being taken in London, Ontario. It appears the photo marks some occasion, as one gentleman is in full uniform, while the other is wearing a corsage. This photograph was in the possession of Rick Bell, of St. Catharines, whose mother was born a Sloman.

Lizzie and Sid Sloman, London, Ontario [n.d.]

An undated black and white photograph of Lizzie and Sid Sloman, taken outside a home in London, Ontario. This photo was in the possession of Rick Bell, of St. Catharines, whose mother was Iris Sloman Bell. The Sloman - Bell family ancestry includes escaped slaves from the United States who settled in southern Ontario.

Josephine Sloman at Cottage in Parry Sound, Ontario

Josephine Sloman is pictured holding a wooden oar at a holiday cabin in Parry Sound, Ontario in this undated black and white photograph. Her husband, Albert, is likely the person standing to her left, visible through the trees. This photograph was in the possession of the Rick Bell family, of St. Catharines, Ontario. The Sloman - Bell families are descended from former Black slaves from the United States who settled in Ontario.

Two Black Gentlemen Photographed by John Cooper, London/St. Thomas, Ont. [n.d.]

An undated cabinet card of two Black men photographed by John Cooper, who operated as a photographer in London, Ont. and St. Thomas, Ont. from 1857 - 1890. The reverse of the photograph features the photographer's stamp in coloured ink. This photograph was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines. The Sloman - Bell family have relatives who include former Black slaves from the United States. John Cooper is listed as a photographer and daguerrean artist in 1857 - 1890 in London, Ont. and in 1874 in St. Thomas, Ont. Source: Phillips, Glen C. The Ontario photographers list (1851-1900). Sarnia: Iron Gate Publishing Co., 1990. "Cabinet card photographs were first introduced in 1866. They were initially employed for landscapes rather than portraitures. Cabinet cards replaced Carte de visite photographs as the popular mode of photography. Cabinet cards became the standard for photographic portraits in 1870. Cabinet cards experienced their peak in popularity in the 1880's. Cabinet cards were still being produced in the United States until the early 1900's and continued to be produced in Europe even longer. The best way to describe a cabinet card is that it is a thin photograph that is mounted on a card that measures 4 1/4″ by 6 1/2″. Cabinet cards frequently have artistic logos and information on the bottom or the reverse of the card which advertised the photographer or the photography studio's services." Source: http://cabinetcardgallery.wordpress.com/category/cabinet-card-history/

Small Cabinet Card of African American Man by John S. Thom, of Lucan, Ontario [n.d.]

A very small cabinet card type photograph of an unidentified man, possibly a relative of the Bell - Sloman family. A handwritten entry on the reverse of the photograph indicates it was taken by John S. Thom, of Lucan. No date is provided, however, John S. Thom is known to have been a photographer in Lucan from 1877-1882. This cabinet card was in the possession of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines. Relatives of the Sloman - Bell family include former African American slaves who settled in Canada.John S. Thom is listed as a photographer in Lucan, Ontario from 1877-1882. Aside from photography, he also operated a general store and sold notions. It appears he then moved to Sarnia, Ont. and is listed as a photographer there from 1882-1900. He is also recorded as being a Sarnia bicycle dealer. Source: Phillips, Glen C. The Ontario photographers list (1851-1900). Sarnia: Iron Gate Publishing Co., 1990.