Gilbert McMicken document, n.d.

Gilbert McMicken emigrated to Upper Canada in 1832 and settled in Chippawa. In 1835 he was married to Ann Theresa Duff. In 1837 the family moved to Queenston where he was directly involved in the Kingston-Queenston trade endeavours begun by Robert Hamilton. He had a variety of interests, including a partnership with James Hamilton, son of Robert Hamilton. He was also a collector of customs in Queenston and operated the Niagara Suspension Bridge Bank for a time. He entered politics and represented Niagara as well as becoming mayor of Clifton, now part of Niagara Falls, Ont., in 1856. McMicken went on to have an illustrious career, serving as land agent and leader of Canada’s first undercover agency. McMicken moved to Manitoba and was active in business and politics. He died in Winnipeg in 1891. Source: Dictionary of Canadian Biography – Gilbert McMicken website (March 22, 2010)

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.

Rick Bell Family fonds, 1874-1875, 1879, 1884, 1886, 1888-1889, 1896, 1898, 1909-1910, 1939, 1945, n.d.

Lewis Tyrell married Jane Gains on August 31, 1849 in Culpeper Court House, Virginia. Jane Gains was a spinster. Lewis Tyrell died September 25, 1908 at his late residence, Vine St. and Welland Ave., St. Catharines, Ont. at the age of 81 years, 5 months. Jane Tyrell died March 1, 1886, age 64 years. Their son? William C. Tyrell died January 15, 1898, by accident in Albany, NY, age 33 years, 3 months. John William Taylor married Susan Jones were married in St. Catharines, Ont. on August 10, 1851 by William Wilkinson, a Baptist minister. On August 9, 1894 Charles Henry Bell (1871-1916), son of Stephen (1835?-1876) and Susan Bell, married Mary E. Tyrell (b. 1869?) daughter of Lewis and Alice Tyrell, in St. Catharines Ontario. By 1895 the Bell’s were living in Erie, Pennsylvania where children Delbert Otto (b. 1895) and Edna Beatrice (b. 1897) were born. By 1897 the family was back in St. Catharines where children Lewis Tyrell (b. 1899), Gertrude Cora (b. 1901), Bessie Jane (b. 1902), Charles Henry (b. 1906), Richard Nelson (b. 1911) and William Willoughby (b. 1912) were born. Charles Henry Bell operated a coal and ice business on Geneva Street. In the 1901 Census for St. Catharines, the Bell family includes the lodger Charles Henry Hall. Charles Henry Hall was born ca. 1824 in Maryland, he died in St. Catharines on November 11, 1916 at the age of 92. On October 24, 1889 Charles Hall married Susan Bell (1829-1898). The 1911 Census of Canada records Charles Henry Hall residing in the same household as Charles Henry and Mary Bell. The relationship to the householder is step-father. It is likely that after Stephen Bell’s death in 1876, his widow, Susan Bell married Hall. In 1939, Richard Nelson Bell, son of Charles Henry and Mary Tyrell Bell, married Iris Sloman. Iris (b. 22 May 1912 in Biddulph Township, Middlesex, Ontario) was the daughter of Albert (son of Joseph b. 1870 and Elizabeth Sloman, b. 1872) and Josie (Josephine Ellen) Butler Sloman of London, Ont. Josie (b. 1891) was the daughter of Everett Richard and Elizabeth McCarthy (or McCarty) Butler, of Lucan Village, Middlesex North. According to the 1911 Census of Canada, Albert, a Methodist, was a porter on the railroad. His wife, Josephine, was a Roman Catholic. Residing with Albert and Josie were Sanford and Sadie Butler and Sidney Sloman, likely siblings of Albert and Josephine. The Butler family is descended from Peter Butler, a former slave, who had settled in the Wilberforce Colony in the 1830s. Rick Bell b. 1949 in Niagara Falls, Ont. is the son of Richard Nelson Bell. In 1979, after working seven years as an orderly at the St. Catharines General Hospital while also attending night school at Niagara College, Rick Bell was hired by the Thorold Fire Dept. He became the first Black professional firefighter in Niagara. He is a founding member of the St. Catharines Junior Symphony; attended the Banff School of Fine Arts in 1966 and also performed with the Lincoln & Welland Regimental Band and several other popular local groups. Upon the discovery of this rich archive in his mothers’ attic he became passionate about sharing his Black ancestry and the contributions of fugitive slaves to the heritage Niagara with local school children. He currently resides in London, Ont.

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Robert Brown, 1827

Survey map and description of Robert Brown's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a two page written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. Noteable features include; line between Grantham and Louth townships, bed of the 12 mile creek. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map, including notes about the deed to the land.

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Robert Brown 1827, land description #2

Survey map and description of Robert Brown's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a two page written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. Noteable features include; line between Grantham and Louth townships, bed of the 12 mile creek. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map, including notes about the deed to the land.

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Abraham Augustine, 1837

Survey map and description of Jacob Augustine's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. The land surveyed is lot #26 in Humberstone.Noteable features include; canal, concession, line between Abraham and Jacob Augustine's land. The land totals 7 1/4 acres. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map.

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Jacob Augustine, 1837

Survey map and description of Jacob Augustine's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. The land surveyed is lot #27 in Humberstone. Noteable features include; canal, concession, line between Neff and J. Augustine's land. The land totals 8 acres. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map.

Photograph of Robert Bell, Airborne Regiment, World War II [n.d.]

A photograph of Robert Bell (kneeling, front row, third left) with his airborne regiment in the Second World War. The date and location of the photo is unknown. This photograph was among those recovered from the attic of Iris Sloman Bell, of St. Catharines, in the 1980s and kept in the possession of her son, Rick Bell. The Bell- Sloman family is descended from former Black slaves from the United States.

John O. McKellar (ship) certificates, 1952-1983.

The John O. McKellar was a ship that belonged to the Scott Misener fleet. The first ship named after McKellar was launched on Januaray 25, 1929, from Wallsend, England, and was bound for Sault St. Marie, Ontario. This ship became part of the Colonial Steamship Company in 1950, and in 1952 was renamed the J.G. Irwin when construction of a new John O. McKellar was completed. John Oscar McKellar was born on June 28, 1878 in Lobo Township, Middlesex County, west of London, Ont. He worked as a marine engineer, and became acquainted with Robert Scott Misener when the two were shipmates serving with the Algoma central fleet. In 1919, the two men joined forces to run a shipping company. Together, they purchased the wooden steamer "Simon Langell", and worked together on the ship for the next three years. Throughout his career with Misener's company, John McKellar served as Chief Engineer, then Marine Superintendent, and finally Secretary-Treasurer. He died on September 19, 1951.

Grant of Permission for lease of military lands from Sir Robert Prescott to Thomas Clark, 1798-1801.

Transcript (original spelling and grammar retained): By His Excellency Robert Prescott Esquire, Captain General and Governor in Chief in and over His Majestys Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, General and Commander in Chief of all His Majesty’s forces in the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and their several Dependencies and in the Island of Newfoundland &ca. &ca. &ca. I do hereby authorise and permit Thomas Clark of Queenstown in the County of Lincoln in the Province of Upper Canada merchant to take possession of all that Lot, piece and parcel of Land (being part of the land reserved by his Majesty for Military purposes) situate, lying and being at Queenstown in the Township of Newark, in the Home District in the said Province of Upper Canada, bounded and abutted as follows, that is to say beginning at the Distance of two Chains and ninety links from the South East End of his Majesty’s Store House, the said distance being measured along the Bank up Stream, thence South thirty nine degrees and an half West one Chain and fifty links thence south fifty degrees and an half East one Chain and thirty links thence North thirty nine degrees and an half East to the Edge of the Bank and from thence along the Bank to the place of beginning, containing thirty one perches and one hundred and twenty five square links and to occupy and hold the said Lot, piece and parcel of Land during pleasure subject nevertheless to the provisoes and Conditions herein after contained, that is to say. First on condition that it shall and may be lawful to and for His Majesty his Heirs and Successors and to and for the Commander in Chief of His Majesty Forces for the time being and to and for the Officer commanding his Majesty’s Forces in Upper Canada for the time being and to and for either of them to determine and make void this present permission to occupy during pleasure the said Lot, Piece or Parcel of Land above described at any time hereafter whenever he or they shall see fit so to do without any compensation or indemnification to the said Thomas Clark or any other Person or Persons whosoever for any Loss Injury or Damage which he the said Thomas Clark or any other Person or Persons whosoever may thereby sustain. Secondly on this further Condition that it shall and may be lawful to and for His Majesty his Heirs and Successors and to and for his and their Officers, Soldiers and Servants at any time hereafter by order of the Commander in Chief of His Majesty’s Forces for the time being or by order of the Officer commanding his Majesty’s forces in Upper Canada for the time being or by order of the Officer of His Majesty’s Corps of Royal Engineers commanding in the said Province of Upper Canada for the time being to enter upon the said Lot Piece and parcel of Land which the said Thomas Clark is hereby permitted to occupy during pleasure or upon any part thereof and to take down and from the said Lot piece and parcel of Land or from any part thereof to remove any dwelling House Store or other Buildings on the said Lot, piece or Parcel of Land or any part thereof erected and to remove any goods or Chattels on the said Lot piece and parcel of Land or on any part thereof or on any such dwelling House Store or other building found or being and that His Majesty his Heirs and Successors or any other Person or Persons whosoever shall not be liable or responsible to the said Thomas Clark or to any other Person or Persons whosoever for any Loss, Injury or Damage which he or they shall or may in such case sustain. Thirdly on this further Condition that the said Thomas Clark shall not erect on the said Lot Piece or Parcel of Land which the said Thomas Clark is hereby permitted to occupy during pleasure or upon any part thereof at any time or times hereafter any dwelling House store or other Building whatsoever of Stone or brick or of any other materials wood only exccepted and that if any dwelling House or Store or other building of Stone or brick or of any other materials except wood shall at any time be erected on the said Lot, piece or parcel of Land or upon any part thereof, then and in such case, this present permission and every Clause and Article thereof shall from thenceforth cease and determine and be absolutely and entirely null and void. And lastly on this further Condition that the said Thomas Clark or any other Person whosoever shall not assign this permission to occupy the said Lot, Piece or Parcel of Land above described to any Person of Persons whosoever, and if any such assignment shall be made by the said Thomas Clark or by any other Person in his right, or on his behalf, that then and in such case such assignment and this permission to occupy during pleasure the said Lot piece and parcel of Land above described, and every Clause and Article thereof shall from thenceforth cease and determine and be absolutely and entirely null and void. Given under my hand at the Castle of St. Lewis in the City of Quebec in the Province of Lower Canada this Ninth day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight and in the thirty eighth year of His Majesty’s Reign. [Signed here by Robert Prescott] By Order of the Commander in Chief [Signed here by James Green (Illegible signature)] I the said Thomas Clark above named do hereby accept the above written Permission to occupy during pleasure the said Lot piece and parcel of Land above described upon and subject to the several Provisioes and Conditions above written and each and every of them severally and respectively. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand the Sixteenth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight and in the thirty eighth year of His Majesty’s Reign. [Signed here by Thomas Clark] Signed in the presence of [Illegible signature – looks like J. M Donell Lt. Col.] [Illegible – looks like 2d. Battn R. C. Sm?] [Signed here by C. Anderson] Whereas Inconveniences did arise from the peculiar situation of the Ground contiguous to the above described Lot of Land and the occupation thereof, if estimated by the above Limits would prove highly disadvantageous to Mr. Thomas Clark be it known that in consideration thereof we do permit the above Lot to extend one half Chain more in length up stream so as to comprehend the space allowed for the Road between Lots Two + Three, and we do hereby appropriate the said additional space wholly to the use of the said Thomas Clark. In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed this Thirteenth Day of October in the Year of our Lord one thousand Eight Hundred and one. [Signed here by J. M’Donell Lt. Col] 2d. Battn. R. C. [in?] Com of Fort George + Dependencies Robt. Pilkington Captain Royal Engineers

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

Robert Campbell, Pelham Township Land Documents, 1879-1894 (not inclusive)

Robert Campbell was the son of Robert Campbell and Jannette Miller, born about 1836 in Pelham North Township. He married Elizabeth Ann Ingram on Saturday, September 7, 1878 in Pelham Township, and they had 2 sons: Robert Carson Campbell and George D. Campbell. He died on February 27, 1908 in Malahide Township, Norfolk County, Ontario.

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

Niagara Falls Park: Notice to Treat to Sutherland Macklem, Esquire, 1885

The Niagara Parks Commission administrative headquarters are located in Oak Hall which is on the cliff above Dufferin Islands. In 1798 this land was granted by the crown to United Empire Loyalist James Skinner until 1898. A century later it was the home of the Clarks, Streets and Macklems. These families controlled the mills of Bridgewater which was a pioneer industrial village located at Dufferin Islands. Then, it was known as Clark Hill. Colonel Thomas Clark, commander of the Second Lincoln Militia in the War of 1812 is the earliest known occupant of the house. When Clark died in 1837, the house went to Thomas Clark Street who was the son of the Colonel’s partner. Mr. Street was a bachelor and his sister, widow of Dr. T.C. Macklem, managed his household. Mrs. Macklem had 2 sons. The eldest son drowned in the Niagara River at the age of 8 and the younger son, Sutherland became heir to the estate. Mr. Macklem opened Cynthia Islands and Cedar Island to the public and had roads built to reach them. Two suspension bridges connected them to the mainland and tolls were charged on the bridges. The improvements to the land cost Macklem $18,962. He called the bridges “Bridge Castor” and “Bridge Pollux”. There was also an office built at the end of Bridge Castor. Macklem also spent $454 fixing up the Burning Spring Building (the burning spring is enclosed in a barrel which collects gas and lets it out through a tube at the top). Macklem received a yearly income of $56,378.79 from tourists and visitors. In 1887 Cynthia Islands and Cedar Island were deeded to the crown and became part of Queen Victoria Park. The name Cynthia was changed to Dufferin in honour of Lord Dufferin. Sources: www.niagarafrontier.com/parks.html www.niagarafrontier.com/burningsprings.html

Dr. Stuart D. Scott Papers, 1837-2010 (non-inclusive)

Dr. Stuart D. Scott has written extensively in the fields of prehistory and history. As an archaeologist, he has traveled to some of the most significant sites in the world, including Pompeii, Stonehenge, the Valley of the Kings, Egypt’s pyramids and the Taj Mahal. He spent nine months excavating with the Tikal Project in Guatemala before returning to the University of Arizona where he received a Ph.D. in 1963. He excavated in New Zealand as a Fulbright scholar in 1963-1964. In the fall of 1964, Dr. Scott started a long career in the Anthropology Department of the State University of New York. He taught graduate and undergraduate archaeology courses and continued his archaeological and historical research. In 1979, Scott established the Old Fort Niagara Archaeology in Progress Project at Old Fort Niagara in Youngstown, New York. For many years, he became involved with historical archaeology in western New York. It was during this work that he became interested in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837-1838 and its aftermath. Dr. Scott and his wife, Patricia Kay Scott, would use Christmas breaks, summer vacations, and sabbatical years to travel. They were repeatedly lured back to the South Pacific, conducting research in New Zealand, Australia and many of the Micronesian and Polynesian islands. To tell the whole story of the Rebellion and the prison exiles, they traveled extensively in Canada, the United States, England and Tasmania to collect archival research and to experience the scenes of this remarkable narrative. In 2004, Dr. Scott published To the Outskirts of Habitable Creation: Americans and Canadians Transported to Tasmania in the 1840s, which told the story of the men captured, tried, convicted, and exiled as a result of the Rebellion, also called the Patriot War. Other contributions include: • A collaboration with Dr. Charles Cazeau on the book Exploring the Unknown, Great Mysteries Reexamined published by Plenum Press in 1979 • The Patriot Game: New Yorkers and the Canadian Rebellion of 1837-1838, which appeared in New York History, Vol. 68, No.3. 1987 • A Frontier Spirit: The Life of James Gemmell published in Australiasian Canadian Studies, Vol. 25, No. 2 2007 • To the Outskirts of Habitable Creation which appeared in the Friends of the National Archives, Vol. 20, No. 1 2009 • Numerous academic journal publications • Service on conference panels • Various research papers and proposals Before retiring in 1997 and while still a resident of Buffalo, N.Y., Dr. Scott spent considerable time with Brock University President Emeritus James A. Gibson and History Professor Colin Duquemin. The three shared a love of Rebellion history. It was largely because of this connection that Brock University was chosen as the recipient of Dr. Scott’s research materials.