Military Appointment

George Ridout (1791-1871) was a member of the York volunteers during the War of 1812. He served as 3rd lieutenant in the grenadier company of the York militia, fought in the Battle of Queenston Heights, and was taken prisoner of war in April, 1813 when the Americans occupied York. Ridout studied law, and was admitted to the bar in Janurary 1813. He was an active member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, becoming a bencher in 1820, serving as treasurer for several years, and assisting in the development of the library. In 1828 he was appointed judge of the Niagara District Court and reappointed in 1832. In 1836, Sir Francis Bond Head, Lieutenant-Governor, charged Ridout with insult to the person and office of the Lieutenant Governor and disloyalty to the policies of the crown, and dismissed him from his offices. Ridout denied the charges and was eventually ordered to be reinstated by Lord Glenelg, the colonial secretary. Sir Francis Bond Head refused to do so, and instead chose to resign.

Niagara Historical Society and Museum papers, 1898, 1914, 1969, n.d.

The Niagara Historical Society and Museum papers include a revision of a publication originally prepared by Janet Carnochan, a poem by Janet Carnochan written to commemorate the battle of Lundy’s Lane, one item of correspondence and a scrapbook of historical documents on microfilm.

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.

Robert George Malcomson Papers, 1790s-2009 (non-inclusive)

Materials related to military and naval operations of the 1812 era, research of the late Robert Malcomson, Canadian author and historian. Materials include photocopies of materials relating to the War of 1812, photographs and detailed research notes Malcomson made regarding his approach to research (mainly found in Series VIII). Materials were originally arranged in binders relating to an area of research or a certain publication. Articles were removed from the binders and placed in folders using original titles from the binders as series or sub-series titles. Articles within the binders were separated by tabs indicating what the article related to in the publication or topic of interest. In order to avoid repetition, the writing on the tab was used for folder titles, as each folder would be a part of the Series under which it was grouped. The tab names could be authors, events, accounts etc. of the War. Series and sub-series titles were derived from the original titles on the binders. Original intellectual order was retained, grouping similar subjects into Series and Sub-series. Dates recorded were the publication dates of the articles; however, if no publication date was present the date of retrieval was used if from an academic database (ex. JSTOR). The black and white photos from various repositories are reproductions of paintings, microfilm etc. on photographic paper. The colour photographs from various repositories are actual photographs. All books donated by Malcomson were integrated into the University’s Special Collections book collection. These volumes are noted at the end of the finding aid under separated materials.

Lt. Col. John Clark Papers, 1838-1851 [photocopy]

Lt. Col. John Clark (1787-1862) was born in Kingston, Upper Canada. In 1801 Clark became a private in the 1st regiment of the Lincoln Militia, serving under Ralfe Clench. By June 1812 he was promoted to lieutenant by Maj. Gen. Sir Isaac Brock. During the War of 1812 he served as lieutenant and adjutant for the Lincoln Militia flank company on the Niagara frontier under Col. William Claus, and was present at the surrender of the enemy at the battle of Queenston Heights. By 1838 the Lincoln Militia was being re-organized and Lt. Col John Clark was requested to lead the 5th Regiment, made up of men from both Grantham and Louth townships in Lincoln County. He served in this capacity until his retirement in 1851?. Around this same time Clark bought from William May Jr. a house in Grantham Township. He was to call his home Walnut Dale Farm. John Clark also served as the customs collector for Port Dalhousie, and as a secretary in the Welland Canal Company. One hundred years later efforts by a local heritage group to save John Clark’s home failed, when the house was hit by arsonists. By this time the house had become known as the May-Clark-Seiler House. See RG 195 Anne Taylor Fonds for more information regarding the efforts of the heritage group to save this home. Clark died in 1862 at the age of 79 years and is buried in Victoria Lawn Cemetery. John Clark’s daughter Catherine (mentioned in the diary portion of the papers) was married to William Morgan Eccles.

The Weekly Register - March 1813 and Index

Issues for the March 1813 Weekly Register newspaper (Baltimore, Maryland) are divided and includes the following War of 1812 related stories: March 6th, pages 1-16: Editor's proclamation on reporting on the war (p.1); Declaration of British Parliament - 9 January 1813 (pp.1-6); President's message to Senate and House of Representatives - February 24 (p.8); Events of the War including reports from Ogdensburgh,Battle of Frenchtown with Brigadier General James Winchester, Colonel Henry Proctor, and Round Head; (pp.9-13); naval events (pp.13-15); President Madison's speech - March 4 (pp.15-16). March 13th, pages 17-40 March 20th, pages 41-56 March 27th, pages 57-72 PLEASE CLICK ON THE WEEKLY PERIODICALS ON THE RIGHT OF THE SCREEN (PDF FILES)TO DOWNLOAD FILES. Look for other issues of the Weekly Register within this website. The Weekly Register, also known as Niles Weekly Register, was a weekly periodical edited by Hezekiah Niles (1777-1839) and published in Baltimore Maryland. Volumes of interest were published between 1811 (Vol. 1, No. 1, September 7, 1811) to 1814 (Vol. 5, No. 26, February 26, 1814). These volumes focus primarily on 19th century politics and government in the United States of America. Niles edited and published the Weekly Register until 1836, making it one of the most widely-circulated magazines in the United States. The popularity also made Niles into one of the most influential journalists of his day. Devoted primarily to politics, Niles' Weekly Register is considered an important source for the history of the period. The Register also recorded current economics, technology, science, medicine, geography, archaeology, the weather, and stories of human interest. Call Number: SPCL PER JK 1 N52

The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle - 1812 July to December Index and Supplement

Specific pages related to the War of 1812 include: Pages 655, 656, 657: Battles on the Niagara Frontier, with the death of Major General Sir Isaac Brock at the Battle of Queenston Heights on October 13, 1812. Page 670: Oct 13 - Obituary for Major General Sir Isaac Brock. Click on the pdf links to the right to view the monthly issue. The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle was a monthly periodical published in England during the years of 1736-1833. The volumes of interest from 1812-1815 were written and compiled by Sylvanus Urban, Gentleman. These volumes were printed in London by Nichols, Son and Bentley at Cicero's Head, Red Lion Passage and Fleet Street. The magazine contains accounts of important historical events, abstracts of foreign occurrences, letters from noted figures, articles on geography, biographical entries for prominent people, poems, statistics, obituaries, reviews of books and more.

The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle - 1812 November

Specific pages related to the War of 1812 include: Pages 490: Fall of Major General Isaac Brock at the Battle of Queenston Heights and victory by Major General Roger Shaeffe. Click on the pdf links to the right to view the monthly issue. The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle was a monthly periodical published in England during the years of 1736-1833. The volumes of interest from 1812-1815 were written and compiled by Sylvanus Urban, Gentleman. These volumes were printed in London by Nichols, Son and Bentley at Cicero's Head, Red Lion Passage and Fleet Street. The magazine contains accounts of important historical events, abstracts of foreign occurrences, letters from noted figures, articles on geography, biographical entries for prominent people, poems, statistics, obituaries, reviews of books and more.

The War Vol. 1, No. 20- November 7, 1812

This newspaper was published bi-weekly from June 1812 to September 1814 by S. Woodworth and Co. in New York. Editor Samuel Woodworth formed the content of the newspaper using official documents from both the American and British side with the intention to report the events of the war. Article topics in this issue include: Page 1: Letter from Maj. Gen. Van Rensselaer to Maj. Gen. Henry Dearborn describing in detail the battle of Queenston; Page 2: Letter from Maj. Gen. Van Rensselaer to Maj. Gen. Henry Dearborn describing in detail the battle of Queenston; report of U.S. war sloop Wasp capturing the British war ship Frolic and the subsequent capture of the Wasp by another British war ship, Poictiers; copy of statement by U.S. President James Madison detailing battles in Detroit, Queenston, and his plans for the war; Page 3: copy of statement by U.S. President James Madison detailing battles in Detroit, Queenston, and his plans for the war; Page 4: copy of statement by U.S. President James Madison detailing battles in Detroit, Queenston, and his plans for the war; U.S. President James Madison promotes Capt. Z. Taylor to rank of Major for his part in defense of Ft. Harrison; report of various Naval movements;

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".

Boston Patriot Vol. 8 No. 13- October 24, 1812

A semi-weekly paper that began in 1809 and ceased in 1816. Its succeeding title was the Boston Patriot and Morning Advertiser. Publishers included: Everett and Munroe, 1809-Mar. 7, 1810; Isaac Munroe, Mar. 10, 1810-May 1, 1811; Munroe and French, May 4, 1811-1813; D.C. Ballard, 1814-1816. Editor: David Everett, Mar. 10, 1810-Oct. 23, 1811. Topics of interest include: Page 1: announcement of war against Great Britain and the reasons for the war; Page 2: announcement of nomination of war supporter Francis Carr for Congress; Statement of the Senate of Massachusetts in support of the war; 3 accounts of the American attack on Queenston; Page 3: report of the movement of war ships in and out of the port of Boston; news of naval movements by American and British ships; Page 4: advertisement of American and British muskets and swords for sale;

The Bee Newspaper, Vol. I, No. 13

An original Niagara area newspaper containing an account of the Battle of Queenston Heights and the death and burial of Sir Isaac Brock. The newspaper is dated October 24, 1812, eleven days after the death of General Brock. Topics of interest include: Page 1: Sheaffe announcement regulating the sale of alcohol in Niagara; Myers announcement asking citizens for the return of American muskets recovered from the battle at Queenston; local notices on business claims and education; want ads for wood, straw, flour and pork for military use; announcement by the Prince Regent in Council putting an embargo on American ships. Page 2: release of American prisoners captured at Queenston; news of the British Navy; the security of Canadian properties in wartime; American ships leaving Britain with licenses. Page 3: American ships leaving Britain with licenses Page 4: report on the Battle of Queenston Heights and the death of Isaac Brock.

The New York Weekly Museum Newspaper, Vol. I, No.26- October 31, 1812

A weekly paper that was published from 1805 to 1814. War related news includes: Page 103 - Weekly Retrospect: Troop movements of Captain Morgan and a company of light dragoons from Niagara to Greenbush; report on the Battle of Queenston Heights including a casualty listing and a mention of the death of Major General Isaac Brock and Colonel McDonald and the American's respect for Brock; British attach of Fort Erie and the Village of Black Rock; the privateer Globe under Captain Murphy returning to Baltimore after capturing a British letter of marque; First Nation / Indian attacks near St. Louis; movements of General W. Harrison and army from Fort Defiance to the rapids of Miama (Miami). The rest of the newspaper contains literary works (poems and translations), essays (including on celibacy), marriages, deaths and other anecdotes. The motto on the front page states: "Visiting Every Flower with Labour Meet, and Gathering all its Treasures, Sweet by Sweet."

National Intelligencer Vol. XVI, No. 2193- October 15, 1814

The Intelligencer was an American newspaper that was established, in 1800, in Washington by Samuel Harrison Smith, a young Jeffersonian- Republican from Philadelphia. War of 1812 related content includes: Page 1: Major General Winfield Scott's arrival in Washington escorted by Colonel Laval's cavalry; report from Sackett's Harbour on the American and British navies; a debate on a bill to temporarily remove the seat of government from the City of Washington due to the war; the Military Committee wishing to have the President commission gold medals for distinguished service for Major Generals Brown and Scott and silver medals to Brigadier Generals Ripley, Miller and Porter for their efforts at Chippewa, Erie and Niagara as well as gold medals to Brigadier General Gaines for efforts at Erie and Brigadier General Macomb for efforts at Plattsburg; resolutions of the House on the victory of Commodore Thomas Macdonough at the Battle on Lake Champlain; Page 2: more detail on the proposed removal of the seat of government from Washington; Page 3: a letter from Major General Andrew Jackson to the Secretary of War on repelling the British at Fort Bowyer on the Point of Mobile and naval battle reports on the vessels Hermes, Sophie, and Carron; a letter from Major William Lawrence to Andrew Jackson on the battle at Fort Bowyer; military promotions of Alexander Macomb, Roger Jones, J. Hindman; more on the removal of the seat of government; citizens of Washington offering to volunteer in defense of the city; banks willing to loan the government funds to re-build destroyed government buildings; assignments of Major General Scott, General Winder and Major General Gaines; report of 300 British prisoners from Fort Erie passed through Washington; Montreal newspaper report condemning Provost for his actions at the Battle of Lake Champlain; trouble with stage coaches traveling between New Haven and Bridgeport due to cannon fire; report of a British naval squadron appearing off New Port and by Long Island and New Bedford; report of enemy naval movements from Norfolk; announcement of a book entitled "A Narrative of the Battle of Bladensburg" by and officer of General Smith; Page 4: report on the amassing navy at Kingston under Drummond and the defenses at Sackett's Harbor; report of American and British naval news from Nova Scotia and the east coast; actions of the American sloop of war, The Peacock, in international waters; an enlistment announcement by Captain Perrin Willis of the 2nd Regiment Infantry; listing of American officers and privates released from parole on October 13; Other notices report on stray horses, properties for sale, runaway slaves, imprisonments, missing livestock, medical lectures at the University of Maryland, stage lines, auctions, etc. The paper was a supporter of the Jefferson and Madison administrations until 1810 when it was sold to Joseph Gales Jr. from North Carolina. In 1812 William Seaton joined Gales as a publishing partner. This paper made significant contributions to the nation and wielded considerable influence in political circles during its publication. It has been praised for its "high standard of journalistic excellence and high intellectual level of its contents". (William E. Ames , National Intelligencer: Washington's Leading Political Newspaper) The Intelligencer was, until 1810, named the National Intelligencer, and Washington Advertiser. It was a tri-weekly paper and had a peak circulation of 6, 000. Publication was suspended in 1869.