Niagara South estate and legal documents collection, 1752-1937, n.d. [non-inclusive]

The documents in the collection include the names of families residing in Stamford Township, Welland County, which today is considered Niagara Falls. Some names are: Allan, Barnett, Brokenshaw, Buchanan, Cadham, Clark, Dalton, Dell, Fell, Garner, Hemmings, Kent, Lightbody, Orchard, Perry, Pew, Ross, Street, Thompson, Willox, Willson, Wright. For a more complete list of names consult the finding aid.

Probate (copy) of the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Clark Street of Stamford Township

Probate (copy) of the Last Will and Testament of Thomas Clark Street of Stamford Township. This is a printed copy which is signed by Charles A. Mittleberger, student at law, Oct. 18, 1872.

Irish John Willson United Empire Loyalist Family Fonds

John Willson first came to Upper Canada along with his friend Nathaniel Pettit in the late 1700s. They both moved with their families from New Jersey where they had both been imprisioned for not siding with the rebels and maintaining Loyalist allegiences. Pettit arrived with his four daughters, leaving his son behind. Willson came with his wife and nine children. Willson received 1200 acres of land as well as 200 per child. He settled at the corner of Dorchester road and Thorold Stone Road, where he and his family did very well for themselves. Willson as well as his son Thomas ran ox-teams on the portage. His son John became the proprietor of the Exchange hotel at Niagara, and Charles operated at the Pavilion hotel at Falls View. Shortly after his arrival in Upper Canada John Willson changed his name to “Irish” John Willson, as there were 5 other “John Willsons” which appeared on the Loyalists lists. Irish John drowned in the Niagara River in 1798, and his family continued to thrive in Niagara after his death. His second son Thomas Willson, married Abigail Pettit, daughter of his Father’s friend Nathaniel. Thomas was awarded 250 acres of land as a Loyalist and 200 for Abigail, as she was the daughter of a loyalist. He became a blacksmith and also operated ox-teams along the portage. He was Assessor for Stamford Township for 1800, 1807, 1820 and 1829. During the years 1808, 1822, 1825, 1826 and 1831 he was a tax collector and overseer of Statute of Labour. Thomas and Abigail Willson had nine children together. Francis Bond Head Willson of Beaverdams (mentioned throughout the collection) was a great grandson of Thomas and Abigail. Thomas and his wife are both buried beside the Lundy’s Lane United Church. *for more information on the remaining Willson family please refer to box #1, folders 1-3. * Genealogical information from a paper prepared by Pearl Wilson and given before the Lundy’s Lane Historical Society, May 1945, by Hazel Culp Ferris. Box 1 Folder 1.

Indenture of mortgage between Robert and Eunice Telfer of the Township of London to Ira Spaulding of the Township of Stamford

Indenture of mortgage between Robert and Eunice Telfer of the Township of London to Ira Spaulding of the Township of Stamford for Lot 17 in Block U in the Village of Komoka, Middlesex – instrument no. 1044. This was recorded on Dec. 21, 1857 in Liber B, folio 945, Apr. 7, 1857.

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.

School Board report, Bertie Township, January 13, 1848

Dexter Deverardo settled in the Niagara District around 1834. In 1842, he was elected to the District Council. He served in this position until around 1848, when he became Superintendent of Education for the Niagara District. He subsequently served as county Registrar (appointed in1852), Registrar of the Surrogate Court for Welland (1856), and served as county clerk until 1873.

Indenture between the Honourable William Dickson of Dumphries, trustee and executor for the late Honourable Robert Hamilton Dickson to Samuel Street of Stamford

Indenture between the Honourable William Dickson of Dumphries, trustee and executor for the late Honourable Robert Hamilton Dickson to Samuel Street of Stamford for 50 acres in the Township of Gainsboro consisting of part of no. 27 in the 2nd Concession – instrument no. 599, Dec. 30, 1841.

Indenture of bargain and sale between Walter Hamilton Dickson and Augusta Maria Dickson of Niagara to Jane Dickson (widow of Robert Dickson), Thomas Clark Street of Stamford and Edward Clarke Campbell of Niagara

Indenture of bargain and sale between Walter Hamilton Dickson and Augusta Maria Dickson of Niagara to Jane Dickson (widow of Robert Dickson), Thomas Clark Street of Stamford and Edward Clarke Campbell of Niagara for 150 acres for the south half of Lot no. 32 in the 7th concession and the north east quarter of Lot no. 22 in the 10th Concession of Dumphries. This was recorded in the County of Halton on the 29th day of January, 1849 in Folio 326, memorial 236, Jan. 12, 1849.

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.

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.

Office of the City Clerk, St. Catharines Records, 1928-1974, n.d.

The site of present-day St. Catharines was settled by 3000 United Empire Loyalists at the end of the 18th century. From 1790, the settlement (then known as "The Twelve") grew as an agricultural community. St. Catharines was once referred to Shipman's Corners after Paul Shipman, owner of a tavern that was an important stagecoach transfer point. In 1815, leading businessman William Hamilton Merritt abandoned his wharf at Queenston and set up another at Shipman's Corners. He became involved in the construction and operation of several lumber and gristmills along Twelve Mile Creek. Shipman's Corners soon became the principal milling site of the eastern Niagara Peninsula. At about the same time, Merritt began to develop the salt springs that were discovered along the river which subsequently gave the village a reputation as a health resort. By this time St. Catharines was the official name of the village; the origin of the name remains obscure, but is thought to be named after Catharine Askin Robertson Hamilton, wife of the Hon. Robert Hamilton, a prominent businessman. Merritt devised a canal scheme from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario that would provide a more reliable water supply for the mills while at the same time function as a canal. He formed the Welland Canal Company, and construction took place from 1824 to 1829. The canal and the mills made St. Catharines the most important industrial centre in Niagara. By 1845, St. Catharines was incorporated as a town, with the town limits extending in 1854. Administrative and political functions were added to St. Catharines in 1862 when it became the county seat of Lincoln. In 1871, construction began on the third Welland Canal, which attracted additional population to the town. As a consequence of continual growth, the town limits were again extended. St. Catharines attained city status in 1876 with its larger population and area. Manufacturing became increasingly important in St. Catharines in the early 1900s with the abundance of hydro-electric power, and its location on important land and water routes. The large increase in population after the 1900s was mainly due to the continued industrialization and urbanization of the northern part of the city and the related expansion of business activity. The fourth Welland Canal was opened in 1932 as the third canal could no longer accommodate the larger ships. The post war years and the automobile brought great change to the urban form of St. Catharines. St. Catharines began to spread its boundaries in all directions with land being added five times during the 1950s. The Town of Merritton, Village of Port Dalhousie and Grantham Township were all incorporated as part of St. Catharines in 1961. In 1970 the Province of Ontario implemented a regional approach to deal with such issues as planning, pollution, transportation and services. As a result, Louth Township on the west side of the city was amalgamated, extending the city's boundary to Fifteen Mile Creek. With its current population of 131,989, St. Catharines has become the dominant centre of the Niagara region. Source: City of St. Catharines website http://www.stcatharines.ca/en/governin/HistoryOfTheCity.asp (January 27, 2011)

Public Notices - Niagara Region collection

This is a collection of public notices posted by various villages, towns and townships in the Niagara Region. The notices alert residents to various civic events and initiatives.

Indenture from the Registrar of Lincoln and Haldimand

Indenture from the Registrar of Lincoln and Haldimand (previously listed as Book B - folio 328) stating that Matthew Carnes of Stamford Township sold Adam Hutt of Stamford Township 24 acres in the west end of Lot 12 of Stamford Township. This was registered on April 10, 1804. This document is torn and stained but it does not affect the text, January 12, 1803.

Indenture of Sale from Adam Hutt and wife Dorothy to Mathias Cairns, 1806

Indenture of bargain and sale from Adam Hutt and his wife Dorothy of Lincoln County regarding 27 acres to Mathias Cairns, of Stamford Township beginning at the northeast angle of Lot 29 of Stamford Township. This was registered on May 16, 1839 in Book U, folio 239 - instrument no. 12448, January 17, 1806.