Showing 422 results

People, organizations, and families
Shier, L.V.
Person

L.V. Shier, son of Dr. Daniel Webster Shier and Helise Alberta Workman, was a lieutenant with the 20th Battalion Canadians, British Expeditionary Forces, during the World War I. . He was discharged from the army September 12, 1918 and later became a doctor. Shier married Blanche Relyea (d.1972).

Preston, Josiah J.
Person

Josiah Johnston Preston was born June 7, 1855, as the third son, to James Preston, of American Scots descent and Jane Johnston, of Fermanagh, Ireland. James Preston built one of the first gristmills in Manvers. Josiah was born in the Township of Manvers, County of Durham, Canada West. He had five brothers. He was a grain merchant and in 1887 formed a partnership, called Touchburn & Preston, with Robert Touchburn. Eventually he formed a grain merchanting partnership with his brother Sidney, called Preston Bros. Josiah was deputy reeve and reeve of the Township of Manvers and County Councillor for Division No. 3 in Durham County for 10 years from 1888 to 1897. He was elected 8 times by acclamation. He was elected Warden of the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham by acclamation in 1897. He was appointed clerk of Township of Manvers in 1898 and was holding that office as of 1918. He first returned to the Legislature at the general election of 1902 and was sworn in March 10, 1903 as a member of Provincial Government for Durham East. He was re-elected at the general elections of 1905, 1908 and 1911. He was defeated in the general election of 1919 at age 64. Josiah never married. He belonged to the Anglican church in Bethany and he was an Orangeman and a Mason. He died July 10, 1937. A memorial window was dedicated to Josiah on the west side of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Bethany, Ontario. (Taken from: "The Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1918." Ottawa: The Mortimer Company Limited, 1918) and (taken from: Carr, Violet M. "The Rolling Hills." Lindsay: The Manvers Township Council, 1967.)

Seward, William Henry
Person · 1801-1872

William Henry Seward was born in May 1801 in Florida, New York. His father was Doctor Samuel S. Seward, a medical doctor and merchant. His mother was of Irish descent. William entered Union in 1816 after preparation at Farmer's Hall academy, Goshen, New York, and graduated in 1820. He read law with John Anthon in New York City, and with John Duer and Ogden Hoffman in Goshen, and was admitted to the bar at Utica in 1822. Seward then settled in Auburn, New York in January 1823 as the partner of Elijah Miller, the first Judge of Cayuga county. In 1824 he married Elijah Miller's daughter Frances Adeline.

Throughout the late 1820's and 1830's Seward became involved in politics. The Whig party nominated him for governor in 1834, but Seward was defeated in the election by William L. Marcy. He was again nominated for governor in 1838 and won the election by a majority of 10,421. His liberal and democratic ideals caused much dissention within the Whig party, but he was once again re-elected in 1840 with a rather diminished majority. In February 1849, Seward was elected U.S senator and became known as the foremost opponent of slavery in the Whig party. In 1855, he was re-elected to the senate and again spent much of his time fighting slavery. In 1860, he was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination but he lost the nomination to Abraham Lincoln. Seward supported Lincoln's campaign, and in turn, after being elected President, Lincoln appointed Seward Secretary of State. After eight years of tenure, he retired from office in March 1869. In 1870 Seward embarked on a journey around the world and when he returned home, he dedicated his time to the writing of a narrative on his travels, and after its completion, he began a history of his life and times. Unfortunately, the autobiography was incomplete at the time of his death on October 10, 1872.

Way, Allan Percival
Person

Allan Percival Way (fl. 1921-1945), was a farmer who owned property in Murray Township, County of Northumberland. He also lived in Trenton, Ontario and was married to Florence Mildred Way.

Wearing, Joseph
Person

Joseph Wearing is Professor Emeritus at Trent University, having been a member of the Department of Political Studies for three decades and, for a time, serving as Chair of the Department. He is a graduate of the universities of Western Ontario, Toronto and Oxford (D.Phil.) and is the author of books and articles on Canadian political parties. His books include The L-Shaped Party: The Liberal Party of Canada, 1958-1980; Strained Relations: Canadian Parties and Voters; and The Ballot and its Message: Voting in Canada (edited collection of articles on Canadian voting behaviour). He also wrote a book about his father, Lumberjack in the Court House: The Remarkable Career of Judge Joseph Wearing and helped to produce “:30 Second Democracy: A Documentary on Political Television Advertising.” A more recent research interest is the role of party discipline in the Canadian House of Commons. Apart from his academic activities, Professor Wearing has also contributed to the musical life of Trent University and the City of Peterborough. He was the musical director of six Gilbert & Sullivan productions between 1969 and 1975 and performed in a seventh production. He conducted the Coventry Singers of Peterborough, 1967-1975, and was chair of Town & Gown Concerts that presented concerts by local performers as well as by prominent Canadian musicians including Lois Marshall, soprano, and Anton Kuerti, piano. He was also on the Board of Directors of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra and held the position of president. As a pianist and member of the Master Class Players, Wearing performs regularly at community events in Toronto.

Young, Nim You
Person

Young Nim You is a graduate of Haushin University in Korea and has taken courses in theology. She is married to Kwang Il Lee and has a son, Tae Ook Lee, who was born in 1980. You was involved with the Korean Women's Association for Democracy and Sisterhood and came to Canada as a missionary in 1989 under the auspices of the Partners in Mission Program of the United Church of Canada. You returned to Korea in 1992.

White, Henry
Person

Henry White was a Barrister who lived in Port Hope, Ontario, at the turn of the century. He acted as an agent, collecting rents, for various estates in the area.

White, Phyllis
Person · 1917-2010

Phyllis Hope (Fox) White was born near Swift Current, Saskatchewan in 1917. She taught Normal School in Saskatchewan and served in the Canadian Women's Army Corp during WWII. After receiving a BA in Social Work from University of Toronto and an MA in Education from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Phyllis moved to Peterborough in 1969 with husband Rodney F. White (1922-1995), a professor at Trent University. The couple had three daughters, Pat, Kathy, and Debbie. In Peterborough, Phyllis worked for the Kawartha-Haliburton Children's Aid Society and was a member of the Unitarian Church and the Peterborough Historical Society. She conducted historical research and and was interested in the Port Hope area, writing in particular about her paternal forefather, Elias Smith, who was a loyalist and who fought on the side of the British during the Revolution. Phyllis died in Peterborough in 2010. (Biography augmented with information extracted from the Peterborough Examiner, 24 April 2010).

Smith, Arthur James Marshall
Person · 1902-1980

Arthur James Marshall Smith was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1902. He was educated at McGill University and received his B.A. in 1925 and his M.A. in 1926. In 1931 he received his Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. At McGill University Smith edited the "McGill Daily Literary Supplement" from 1924 to 1925. When is was discontinued, Smith, along with F.R. Scott, founded and edited the "The McGill Fortnightly Review" in 1925. This was the first journal to publish modernist poetry and critical opinion in Canada. Throughout his lifetime, Smith's works were published in anthologies, and he became recognized nationally as a poet, critic and anthologist. He taught English at several American colleges before accepting a position, teaching English, at Michigan State University from 1936 until his retirement in 1972. Michigan University, upon his retirement, created the A.J.M. Smith Award, given annually for a noteworthy volume by a Canadian poet. Among Smith's most distinguished awards were the Governor General's Award in 1943, for "News of the phoenix and other poems", and the Lorne Pierce Medal in 1966. (Taken from: "Poets Between the Wars." Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1969.) In 1978 A.J.M. Smith received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Trent University. Trent University received a number of books and papers from Smith and a room on the first floor of the Bata Library was dedicated to him. A.J.M. Smith died in 1980.

Stewart, Frances Anne
Person · 1794-1872

Frances Anne Stewart (nee Browne) was born May 24, 1794, daughter of Reverend Francis Browne and Anna Maria Noble, in Dublin, Ireland. In 1796, Rev. Browne died quite suddenly in front of his wife. The resulting shock left Frances' mother somewhat of an invalid until she died in 1809. Frances was left in the care of her great-uncle, Robert Waller in Allanstown, Ireland, where she was raised by Harriet Beaufort, who managed the household. Harriet was a well educated young woman, and sought to give Frances the same quality of education. Under Harriet's instruction, Frances received a much more academic education than was the norm for young girls of those days. In the summer of 1816, Frances, and her aunt Susan went to visit some distant friends, the Stewarts, who lived near Belfast. This is where Frances met her future husband, Thomas Alexander Stewart (1786-1847). They were married December 16, 1816. Thomas worked for the firm of Robert Reid and Son, which manufactured linen, cotton and silk. When the company ran into trouble, and eventually bankruptcy, Frances and Thomas decided to emigrate to Canada. The Stewarts went with Thomas' brother-in-law, and former business partner, Robert Reid and his family. The party of 27 set sail from Belfast Lough, on June 1, 1822. Seven weeks were spent on the ship before reaching Quebec. From there they traveled to Kingston, and then on to York, where Stewart and Reid were each granted 1200 acres, provided they settled in an unsurveyed township. Douro Township was suggested as a promising region. On September 9, 1822, Stewart and Reid traveled to the area with Richard Birdsall, the surveyor, and each chose land on the Otonabee River. Life in Douro Township was very isolated for Frances, but she managed well on her own, looking after her home and children. Thomas Stewart died in 1847 from typhoid fever, and Frances Anne died several years later on February 24, 1872 at Goodwood. Extensive biographical information on the Stewart family, plus friends, neighbours, and associates, may be found in accession 02-001.

Madill, Glenn
Person · 1897-1984

Glenn Madill was a scientist employed by the federal government to undertake research on the “magnetic north.” He was educated at Queen’s University and was an assistant magnetician for the Dominion Observatory taking measurements at the north magnetic pole. He was also a canoeist, farmer, teacher and amateur photographer. He and his wife Olive were married in Peterborough, Ontario, in 1921 and lived in Lakefield, Ontario.

Pierce, John Gourley
Person · 1918-2003

John Gourley Pierce was a Peterborough land surveyor and the son of John Wesley Pierce, also a land surveyor, and Mable Pierce. He graduated from Queen's University, served with the Royal Canadian Engineers in Italy and Europe during WWII where he won the Military Cross for Valour. On returning from the war, he joined his father's survey firm, which then became Pierce & Pierce Land Surveyors, in Peterborough, Ontario. In 1947 he completed the survey of the Ontario-Manitoba boundary started by his father in the 1920's. He was President of the Ontario Land Surveyors Association. He was also active in the community and earned numerous awards, among them a citation for outstanding contribution by the Ontario Land Surveyors Association, a City of Peterborough Award of Merit, Rotary's Paul Harris Fellowship, a Sir Sandford Fleming College Fellowship in Applied Education, and the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award.

Pierce, John Wesley
Person · 1886-1949

John Wesley Pierce, father of John Gourley Pierce, was born in 1886 in Eaton, Quebec, the son of Reverend Barry Pierce and Catherine Farnswoth. He attended University of Toronto and was a member of both the Dominion and Ontario Land Surveyors Associations. He was responsible for the definition of the Ontario-Manitoba boundary, begun in 1921 and finally completed by his son in 1947. Until 1932, he worked for the Topographical Survey Branch of the Dominion Department of the Interior and traveled from New Brunswick to the North-West Territories. In 1932 he settled in Peterborough, Ontario and started the survey firm which would become Pierce & Pierce Land Surveyors. (Biographical account supplied by Catherine Cramer).

Neufeld, James
Person · 1944-

James Neufeld was a professor and author and a member of the Department of English Literature at Trent University from 1972-2010. He was the Principal of Traill College from 1982 to 1987, the Vice-President of University Services from 1990 to 1995, and head of the English Department from 2000 to 2005. Professor Neufeld was born in 1944 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. He received his Hons. B.A from the University of Toronto (1967), and his M.A in Theology and Literature (1969) and Ph.D. in Literature (1974) from the University of Chicago. He joined Trent University in 1972 and retired in 2009.

Professor Neufeld’s area of study is in the arts, namely ballet and music in Canada. He has written four books on ballet and one book on Canadian soprano, Lois Marshall (1925-1997). His academic honours and distinctions include the University of Chicago Fellowship (1968-1969), and the Canada Council Doctoral Fellowship (1969-1972).

Lauder, James William
Person

James William Lauder was a Canadian soldier from a German prisoner-of-war camp in 1944.

Standen, Dale
Person

Dale Standen has played various key roles at both Trent University and the Canadian Canoe Museum. Standen is a Professor Emeritus of History at Trent University and has served terms as chair of the Department of History, liaison with Trent’s Frost Centre, and the Principal of Lady Eaton College. Standen’s research pertains to early colonial history of Canada with a focus on French-Indigenous relations and the practice of history in museums. Standen has also held various positions at the Canadian Canoe Museum, including Director on the Board of the Canadian Canoe Museum (ended spring 2004), as a Councilor of the Champlain Society, as President of the French Colonial Historical Society, and as Director of the Board of the Peterborough Historical Society (2018-2019). Standen also assisted in the re-structuring of the Canadian Canoe Museum when they temporarily closed for financial reasons in 2003-2004. As of 2019, he is currently the president of the Peterborough Historical Society.

Person · 1779-1875

Captain Thomas Gummersall Anderson, Superintendent of Indian Affairs (1830-1845), was born at Sorel, Quebec, on November 12, 1779, the son of Captain Samuel Anderson, of the Royal Regiment of New York. His first wife was Mar-pi-ya-ro-to-win (Grey Cloud), a descendent of Sioux Chief Wahpasha, and they had three children; his second wife was Elizabeth Ann Hamilton (1796-1858). After serving an apprenticeship with a merchant at Kingston, Upper Canada, he went into the fur trade at Michilimackinac; and in 1814 was in command of a party of volunteers that re-took Prairie-du Chien from the Americans. After the War he was appointed as an officer of the Indian Department, with the rank of Captain. He was stationed in turn at Drummond Island, Penetanguishene, Coldwater, and Manitoulin Island. In 1845 he succeeded Colonel S.P. Jarvis as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Canada West; and he held this post until his retirement in 1858. He died at Port Hope on February 10, 1875.

Anderson, Joyce
Person

Joyce Anderson (nee Grant) was born 13 May 1938 in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. She married Douglas Anderson in 1960 and they lived in Bobcaygeon on their farm, “Sunnybreeze,” The Andersons had two children, Kim and Mark. Joyce Anderson worked as a music and piano teacher. Her mother was a Cairnduff.

Cameron, David R.
Person · 1941 -

Professor David R. Cameron (1941- ) was born in British Columbia and educated at the U.B.C. and the London School of Economics. He came to Trent University in Ontario to teach in the Political Studies department and became Chair of the department and Dean of Arts and Science. He was the Director of Research for the Pepin-Robarts Task Force on Canadian Unity. He held several senior government positions including Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Ontario Government and Special Advisor to Premier David Peterson on Constitutional Reform. He was appointed Vice President of Institutional Relations and is a Professor of Political Science now at the University of Toronto. He is the author of many articles and several books including "Nationalism and Self-Determination and the Quebec Question" and "Taking Stock: Canadian Studies in the Nineties."

Person · 1859-1950

Frederick Montague de la Fosse was born in England in 1859. He emigrated to Canada when he was 18 years old and worked on a farm in the Muskoka's. He built a house before 1882 and started to clear the land on which he lived. He left in 1883 for the prairies where he joined a surveying team. The story of his adventures in the west are written in "The Western Reminiscences of F.M. de la Fosse". He married Mary Jane Graham Bell in 1885 and they had four children: Margerie, Francis, Bartholomew and Philippa. Between 1885 and 1896 they lived near Lake Rousseau in Stisted Township, since de la Fosse's house had burnt down the year he had returned and before he was able to move into it. He remarried, Amy Vernon Halliday, after his first wife died. Eventually the family moved to Toronto where de la Fosse became the recording secretary of Trinity College. He published many poems in "The Trinity Review" during this time. He moved to the Peterborough area and became the copy editor of "The Peterborough Examiner" from 1907 to 1910. On December 5, 1910 F.M. de la Fosse accepted the position of Peterborough's first public librarian. In 1946 he retired from the library. Under the pen name of Roger Varden, he published "English Bloods" in 1930 which was a story of his arrival in Canada and the subsequent years. He also privately published books of his poetry: "Verses Gay and Grave" in 1937 and "A Dream and an Allegory" in 1944. He also wrote on a wide range of topics including "Centenary History of St. John's Anglican Church, 1827-1927" which was published in 1927. In 1948 he sent a poem to Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II) for which he received an acknowledgement from her. Frederick Monatague de la Fosse died at Peterborough on September 26, 1950. (Taken from: Rahmel, Fern. "A Literary Discovery: the 'western reminiscences' of F.M. de la Fosse, Peterborough's first librarian." Occasional paper. Peterborough Historical Society, 1994.)

Dunlop, Heather
Person

Heather Dunlop graduated with a M.A. degree in Canadian Heritage and Development Studies from Trent University in May 1998.

Campbell, George
Person

George Campbell was a farmer who lived in Norland, Ontario, during the 1870's.

Belcher, John E.
Person

John E. Belcher was an architect, civil engineer, and a surveyor who lived in the Peterborough region at the turn of the century. He was involved in the construction of the Chemong Floating Bridge, the Peterborough Public Library, the Bradburn Opera House, the Wallis memorial in St. John's Church, the Canadian General Electric Company and the Anglican Christ Church in Bobcaygeon, Ontario.

Bell, Robert
Person

Robert Bell was a Provincial Land Surveyor working in Canada West during the late 1840's. He was responsible for the survey of Bell's Line, a road which was never constructed, which was to have run westward through the northern portions of Peterborough and Hastings Counties, from the Madawaska River to Bracebridge. The Peterson Road, which was surveyed and constructed a few years later, eight miles south of and parallel to the Bell's Line survey, was considered to be a more suitable route for east-west travel in the region. It is thought that Bell was born in Ireland in 1821 and that he later emigrated with his parents to New York. In 1843, Bell obtained land in Kemptville, Canada West, and worked in and around Bytown (Ottawa) for three years. In 1847, he was instructed to begin the Bell's Line survey. Upon the completion of the survey in September 1848, Bell retired from surveying; and the following year, he purchased an Ottawa newspaper which was to become the Ottawa Citizen. He died in 1873 at the age of 52.