Niagara Parks Commission annual report, 1910.

Printed by Order of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

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.

Copies of two dispatches upon the subject of the Welland Canal, 1827-1828

The material is a printed record of two dispatches sent by Sir Peregrine Maitland, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada to secretary of state for the colonies, the first in 1827 to Earl Bathurst, the second in 1828 to Right Hon. W. Huskisson. The dispatches concern funding for the canal as well as an introduction of William Hamilton Merritt as managing agent of the Welland Canal Company. It was the intention of the Welland Canal Company to send Mr. Merritt to England to gain further assistance from the government and private investors.

Henry Hope & Sons of Canada Ltd. Letter, 1916

Henry Hope & Sons of Canada Ltd. were located at 45 King Street West, Toronto, Ont. at the writing of this letter in 1916. The company specialized in “weathertight casements in iron steel or gun-metal, unbreakable steel windows, fanlight opening-gear, leaded lights and stained glass, patent glass roofing, locks and door furniture, rainwater goods in cast lead and cast iron”. The letter is addressed to Mr. H.Y. [Harry Young] Grant, c/o Fenwick Farm, Lundy’s Lane, Niagara Falls, Ont. from R.W. Smith. The letter is in reply to a query about casement windows. Harry Young Grant (1860-1934), son of Sir James Alexander Grant and Maria Malloch of Ottawa, Ont. was a medical doctor specializing in the treatment of the eye, ear, nose and throat. After his retirement he became a member of the Niagara Parks Commission. He was married to Grace A. Smith, daughter of James R. Smith of Buffalo.

Niagara-Welland Power Company Limited fonds, 1833, 1852, 1904-1906, 1909, n.d.

The Welland Power and Supply Canal Company Limited, established in 1893 and incorporated in 1894 with a capital stock of $500,000. The aim of the company was to harness the natural water supply of the Niagara and Welland Rivers. In 1898 the Canadian Electrical News published a report by Henry Symons, QC outlining the main project of the company. This project involves the construction of a canal from the Welland River to the brow of the mountain at Thorold, a distance of 8 miles; the construction at Thorold of a power house, and from Thorold to Lake Ontario, a raceway by which to carry water into the lake. The estimate for the machinery to generate 100,000 horse power is £125,000; for transmission line to Toronto at a voltage of 10,000….The total estimate therefore amounts to £2,452,162, or roughly speaking, $12,000,000. Source: Canadian Electrical News, August 1898, p. 172. In 1899 the company officers petitioned the federal government desiring a name change to the Niagara-Welland Power Company Limited. Officers of the company were Harry Symons, President; Charles A. Hesson, Vice-President; and M.R. O’Loughlin, James B. Sheehan, James S. Haydon, Frederick K. Foster, directors; John S. Campbell, secretary-treasurer. The company’s head offices were located in St. Catharines, with a New York (City) office on Broad Street. In 1905 and 1909 the company petitioned the federal government for additional time to construct its works, which was granted. The company had until May 16, 1915 to complete construction. John S. Campbell (1860-1950) was a graduate of the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall. During his university years John began his military career first in "K" Company, Queens Own rifles and then later as Commanding Officer of the 19th Lincoln Regiment, from 1906 to 1910. Upon his return to St. Catharines John Campbell served as secretary in the St. Catharines Garrison Club, a social club for military men begun in 1899. After being called to the Bar, he became a partner in the firm of Campbell and McCarron and was appointed to the bench in 1916, serving until retirement in 1934. Judge Campbell served as an alderman for several terms and was the mayor of St. Catharines in 1908 and 1909. He also served as the first chairman of the St. Catharines Public Utilities in 1914. John S. Campbell was married to Elizabeth Oille, daughter of Jerome B. and Charlotte (St. John) Oille. The family home "Cruachan" was located at 32 Church St.

F. R. Lalor and Wm. Jaques Papers, 1910

F.R. [Francis Ramsey] Lalor (1856-1929) was born in St. Catharines, Ont. but lived most of his life in Dunnville, Haldimand County, Ont. He was a merchant and manufacturer. In 1903 he and a few partners founded the Monarch Knitting Co. Lalor was also an exporter of hardwood ashes used for agricultural purposes as fertilizer. Lalor was active in politics, he was a Conservative and the member of parliament for Haldimand, having been elected in the 1904, 1908, 1911 and 1917 elections. William Jaques lived in Simcoe, Norfolk County, Ontario. He was a junk dealer by profession.

George H. Cornish Fonds

George Henry Cornish (1834-1912) was a Methodist minister whose circuits included Clinton, Ont. (1859), Newcastle, Ont. (1861), and Caledonia/Binbrook/Glanford, Ont. (1864- 1865). He wrote several books on the Methodist Church in Canada, including the Cyclopaedia of Methodism in Canada (1881) and the Handbook of Canadian Methodism (1867).

Proceedings : Grand Lodge, A.F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario - 1910

On spine : The Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario.

William Van Every fonds, 1784, 1804-1806, 1815-1816, 1828, 1832, n.d.

William Van Every, son of McGregory and Mary Wilcox (Jaycocks) Van Every, was born in New York state in 1765. During the Revolutionary War he joined Butler’s Rangers and served under Captain John McDonnell. He was granted three lots of land in the Township of Niagara, with additional lands granted at later dates. William married Elizabeth, daughter of George Young. Elizabeth was the widow of Col. Frederick Dochstader and mother of Catherine Dochstader, b. 1781. William Van Every died in 1832, his wife Elizabeth in 1851. Both are buried in the Warner Cemetery, in present day Niagara Falls. The children of William Van Every and Elizabeth Young were Mary, Elizabeth, Phoebe, John, Peter, William, Rebecca, Samuel and Joseph. Source: Mary Blackadar Piersol, The Records of the Van Every Family, Toronto : Best Printing, 1947. And, Patricia M. Orr, Historic Woodend, sponsored by Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, 1980?

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Jacob Tenbroeck, 1828

Survey map and description of Jacob TenBrock's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. Noteable features include; tow path, 12 mile creek, property line between Peter May and Jacob Tenbroeck. The land includes part of lot no.22 in the 2nd and 3rd concession of Grantham. The land is a total of 26 acres and contains 1 road. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map.

John R. Tenbroeck, 1828

Survey map and description of John R. Tenbroeck's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. Noteable features include; the canal, bank of 12 mile creek. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map. The land was surveyed by both Geo. Keefer and Wm. Rykert.

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Samuel Wood Esquire, 1828

Survey map and description of Samuel Wood's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. The same description of the land is also in a deed dated Septmeber 16, 1828 (see county registry 739). Noteable features include; the canal, the tow path, the tow path bridge. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map. The original deed for the land is dated May 16, 1828.

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Job Northrup 1828

Survey map and description of Job Northrup's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. Noteable features include; 12 mile creek, dry dock. The land was used by the Welland Canal Company for canal and hydraulic purposes. The total amount of land surveyed is 10 acres, 3 roads and 20 perches. The deed for the land is dated January 23rd 1828. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map.The surveyor's notes on the map itself are as follows: "the plot in red lines, containing 2 roads and 10 perches, was laid off by Geo. Keefer on Aug. 2nd, 1834 as an additional quantity of land required by the Company for Lock house and other purposes". "The dry dock quantity is 1.2-32" "1 1/2 acres of the above survey for Dry Dock company. Survey July 18th 1833 by Geo. Keefer."

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Hannah Secord 1828

Survey map and description of Hannah Secord's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. Noteable features include; line between Parnell and Secord's land, lock no.6, tow path, line between Clendenning and Secord's land. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map. The deed for the land is dated February 28th, 1828. The land is located on part of lot 16 in the 6th concession of the township of Grantham. In total there are 12 acres, and 17 perches.

St. Catharines Public Schools Honor Pupils certificate to Bessie Bell, December 1910.

A St. Catharines Public Schools Honor Pupils certificate presented to Bessie Bell, dated December 8, 1910 and signed by G. E. Lounsbury, Teacher. This certificate was in the possession of the Richard Bell Family of St. Catharines, Ontario.The certificate reads: "Bessie Bell is this day entitled to receive this public expression of approbation for Industry, Good Conduct and Regular Attendance, for the week ending December 8th 1910. Parents are particularly requested to enquire for a card of this kind at the close of each week."