Jean Shearman (1925-2005) and Elizabeth Shearman Hall (1920-2015) were the great-great-granddaughters of Frances Browne Stewart (1794-1872) and Thomas Alexander Stewart (1786-1847), who immigrated from Ireland to Douro Township in 1822. They were sisters of Rev. John Shearman. Their grandmother, Anna Maria Stewart Williams, was the granddaughter of Thomas Alexander Stewart and Frances Browne Stewart, and the daughter of William Stewart. Jean Shearman was born 28 August 1925 and lived in Toronto, Ontario; she died in 2005. Elizabeth Shearman Hall was born 7 March 1920; she died in 2015. The sisters dedicated much of their lives to transcribing the Frances Stewart letters and creating a biographic reference guide to them and all associated families.
S.C. Shaw was an artist who painted in the Peterborough region in the early 1940's.
The Shakespeare Club, Peterborough's oldest ladies' club, was founded by Dr. Jessie Birnie in approximately 1912. The club did not meet during World War I but has met continuously since 1918. For the most part the club studied and produced plays written by Shakespeare. Studies by the club have included queens of history, great rivers, famous women of history, political studies, world religions, famous authors, poets, playwrights, composers, artists as well as countries and ancient civilizations of the world including studies of these civilizations' arts and literature. Meetings were usually held in members homes with a paper being read about some aspect of what was currently being studied. Food befitting the topic of the occasion was usually supplied for after the meeting. Open meetings were popular as members were able to bring their husbands. The structure of the Club has changed over the years as parliamentary procedure gave way after, World War II, to peculiar Shakespearean rules. Membership elections were eliminated and other methods of selecting the executive were arranged over the years. The Club, with the advent of the Stratford festival, studied pieces being performed for particular seasons and started taking trips to Stratford, Ontario, Niagara-on-the-Lake and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Seymour Township, located in the United Counties of Northumberland and Durham (east portion of Northumberland), is bounded on the north by Belmont Township, Peterborough County, on the south by Brighton and Murray Townships, on the east by Rawdon Township, Hastings County, and on the west by Percy and Asphodel Townships, Peterborough County. Seymour Township was partially surveyed in 1819 by Brown, and the survey was completed in 1833, by Major Campbell. The township is traversed by two rivers, the Trent and the Crow, both of which provided excellent sources of water power throughout the township. The population of Seymour was 2,117 in 1850, and had more than doubled by 1871 to 4,289. Native Indians accounted for approximately two thirds of the population, while settlers of English, Irish and Scottish origin comprised the remaining portion. Most of the very early settlers in the region were half-pay military and naval officers. Major Campbell, is the man for whom the town of Campbellford is named. Campbellford was incorporated in 1876. Due to the water power created by the Trent River, the town of Campbellford quickly became a manufacturing centre with several grist mills, saw mills and woolen mills. The land of Seymour Township was extremely fertile, and lent itself well to farming and agricultural enterprise of the early settlers. Today, Seymour Township still remains largely an agricultural region in Northumberland County.
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.
Ernest Thompson Seton was born August 14, 1860 and changed his name from Ernest Evan Thompson in 1898. He was born in England and came to the United States in 1898. He died October 23, 1946 in Santa Fe, New Mexico is buried at Seton Village, Santa Fe.
Seton is best known as the founder of the Boy Scouts of America. He studied art in Toronto, New York, London and Paris. He worked as an illustrator for several publishers and as a naturalist for the Government of Manitoba. He published his first children's book "Wild Animals I have Known" in 1898. He published a large number of children's and nature books as well as numerous articles. (Taken from: "Contemporary Authors." Hal May, ed. 1983.)
The Serpent Mounds Foundation of Peterborough was founded March 22, 1956, as a non-profit organization. The founding members of the foundation all had a common belief in the ethnological and archaeological importance of the Peterborough Serpent Mounds and wanted to create a group whose interests would lie in protecting the site. In the past, the Serpent Mounds had incurred irreparable damage by well and not so well intentioned persons digging for relics. The purpose of the foundation was: to promote the systematic and sustained archaeological investigation of the Rice Lake Serpent Mounds; to assist in the development of the site as an educational and tourist centre; to co-operate with the Royal Ontario Museum and the Parks Division of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests in these endeavours; to be a local focus point to stimulate interest in the work and support for it; and to provide and administer funds which would enable a thorough archaeological "dig" and study to begin in the summer of 1956 and to continue for four years following 1956.
Dennis Patrick Sears was born in Vancouver in 1925. As a young boy he moved to Saskatchewan near Moose Jaw, where he witnessed an event at the age of six which was to affect his entire life, that of the killing of the hired hand by his father. His father was never charged, and the family moved to central Ontario in Carden Township in 1933. Upon finding hundreds of books stored in his grandfather's house, Sears developed an early interest in reading. In 1943 he joined the navy, and after the World War II, became a policeman in Oshawa. He had already married and had three children, but left his family and job and moved to Calgary, where he continued a troubled life. He soon joined the army and was sent to Kingston to serve in the plainsclothes division of the Provost Corps. Years later he began operating a lift bridge in Kingston, where, in his spare time, he found a renewed interest in literary matters. Soon he was sending letters to the Kingston Whig-Standard, where a favorable response by the editors lead to a regular column, beginning in 1971. Some years later, several of his columns were combined in a book entitled "The Lark in the Clear Air". He has written other books since.(Taken from an article by Ron Base, entitled "Dennis Patrick Sears Grows Up", in Maclean's, June 1975).
Munroe Scott was born in Owen Sound, Ontario, in 1927. He studied English and History at Queen's University, and received a M.A. in Speech and Drama at Cornell University in 1950. He was well known as a documentary film writer and a drama writer for television and film, and wrote and directed several television documentaries. Scott also wrote and directed episodes for several CBC series including "The Tenth Decade", "Inquiry", and others. Scott won the 1974 ACTRA radio award for the Best Writer in Dramatic Mode, and was a finalist in the television award for the Best Writer in the Documentary Mode. He wrote the script for the "Light and Sound Show" that took place on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, in 1984.
Scott was also an accomplished playwright. His first stage play, Wu-Feng, was produced by Toronto Arts Productions in 1974. He also wrote a biography of Dr. Robert McClure, a surgeon and United Church of Canada lay moderator. Munroe Scott died in Lindsay, Ontario, 15 September 2019.
Margaret Jane Scott (Maggie) was born in 1881 at Fitzroy in Carleton County, Ontario. She and her twin sister Ida were born to Annie Knox and Archibald Scott. She and her sister were educated at the Lindsay Model School and the Toronto Normal School. Both girls were teachers and taught for a time between the Lindsay and Toronto schools. Before the family lived in Omemee, they had resided at Perth, near Ottawa, Ontario. Margaret died in 1905.
Harold R. Scott was appointed Minister of Lands and Forests for Ontario on October 19, 1948. He was made a member of the Executive Council of the province of Ontario the following year.
Marisa Scigliano, formerly a Librarian at Trent University, retired in 2021 after more than 35 years of service. Over the course of her career, she published several library-related articles and papers. In 2013, she undertook a research project on the subject of Glenn Madill and launched a two-part exhibition, ‘Moccasin Mania’, in Trent University’s Bata Library.
Betty Lynn Viney (now Schwab), formerly of Kenora, Ontario, was a student at Trent University from 1965 to 1969. When Viney arrived at Trent’s Catharine Parr Traill College in 1965, the residence rooms were not yet ready; she lived with Professor Sandeman and his family until the rooms were completed. Viney is married to Robert Schwab and lives in Ottawa, Ontario.
Deryck M. Schreuder, born in 1942, is a Professor of History who received his Ph.D. from Oxford University. He joined Trent University's History Department in 1970 as an associate professor and he became the Chairman of the Department in 1978. He retained this position until 1981, when he left Trent University. He is the author of several books including "Gladstone and Kruger: Liberal Government and Colonial `Home Rule' 1880-1885", 1969 and "The Scamble for Southern Africa, 1877-1895: The Politics of Partition Reappraised."
Schienger was born in Switzerland and lived in L'Amble, Ontario. For a number of years he taught art at Peterborough Collegiate Institute. He was an associate of the Group of Seven and often painted with them.
George Savigny emigrated to Upper Canada from Scotland. He was a farmer and resided on Lot 15, Concession 17, Otonabee, Peterborough County, Upper Canada in the mid-1850's.
The Save Maple Mountain Committee was created for the purpose of stopping the development of a proposed ski resort in the Maple Mountain - Lady Evelyn wilderness area north of North Bay, Ontario in 1973.
Douglas Sadler was born in London, England in 1916. He served in the 7th Armoured Division (Desert Rats) during World War II and with the Queen's Royal Regiment in Holland. He spent six months imprisoned in Oflag 79, Germany. It was during the World War II that Sadler met his future wife, Joan, in England. They were married in 1942. After the War, he served as a Captain in the Army and one of his tours took him to Singapore in 1947. He came to Canada in 1950 to work on Governor-General Vincent Massey's farm near Port Hope, Ontario and later worked for the Port Hope Evening Guide in advertising. This was the beginning of his newspaper career which ultimately led him to the Peterborough Examiner and the City of Peterborough in 1953. Part of his work at the Examiner included writing his now famous outdoor column, "Come Quietly With Me," which he wrote for more than 30 years. Douglas has written close to 1500 columns on every conceivable aspect of the environment. Late in his life, Douglas decided to return to school. He attended the old Peterborough Teacher's College, and upon graduation, began teaching with the Northumberland Board of Education. He later became the vice-principal of Warkworth School in 1969 and worked there for twelve years before taking a job as an outdoor education consultant. He then moved to the Peterborough County Board of Education. When the outdoor education program was cancelled in 1975, Douglas continued teaching at the Bailieboro School. At about the same time, Douglas became a member of the Peterborough Field Naturalists. After two years, he joined the Ontario Federation of Field Naturalists and was a member for sixteen years, two of which were spent as the Federation's president. Douglas has won the Frank Kortright Award twice and is an honorary life member of the Peterborough Field Naturalists. He earned a degree in geography in 1978 from Trent University and, in 1988, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the same university. In 1987 he authored the book "Reading Natures Clues."
Herman Witsius Ryland, clerk of the Executive Council of Lower Canada, was born in Northampton, England, in 1760. In 1781 he came to America as assistant deputy-paymaster-general of the British forces, and served throughout the last stages of the American Revolutionary War. On the evacuation of New York in 1784, he returned to England with Sir Guy Carleton.
When Carleton, as Lord Dorchester, was appointed governor-general of British North America under the Act of 1791, Ryland, in 1793, came out to Canada as his secretary. He was appointed both clerk and civil secretary of the Executive Council, and for many years he exercised a great influence on the government of Canada. He was the confidential adviser of Sir James Craig, but was dismissed from office by Sir George Prevost as civil secretary in 1812. He continued, however, as clerk of the Executive Council until his death; and he was appointed in 1813 a member of the Legislative Council.
He died at Beauport, near Quebec, on July 20, 1838. A selection of his papers is printed in R. Christie, "History of Lower Canada," vol. vi (Quebec, 1854).
"Harold B. Rye, Otonabee Boat House","Harold B. Rye boat builder and paddle mfr", and "Rye's Pavilion & Boat Livery, Harold B. Rye, prop" appear in Vernon's City of Peterborough Directory for 1926. The location of the business is listed at Lock Street, Peterborough. Again,"Harold B. Rye paddle factory", and "Rye's Pavilion and Boat Livery" appear in Vernon's City of Peterborough Directory for 1936. These are listed as being situated at 628 Lock Street, Peterborough.
Henry Ruttan was born at Adolphustown, Upper Canada in 1792, son of William Ruttan (United Empire Loyalist). Henry was the representative in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for Northumberland between 1820-1824 and 1836-1841. In 1837 he was elected as Speaker of the Assembly. He was Sheriff of the District of Newcastle District from 1827 to 1857. He died July 31, 1871 at Cobourg, Ontario.
Peter Russell, president and administrator of Upper Canada (1796-1799) was born at Cork, Ireland, in 1733, the son Captain Richard Russell, 14th Foot. He entered the army at an early age, but in 1722 sold his commission and came to America as one of the secretaries of Sir Henry Clinton. At the close of the American Revolution, he returned to England; and in 1791, came out to Canada with Sir John Graves Simcoe, as inspector-general of Upper Canada. In 1792, he was appointed a member of the Executive and Legislative Councils of the province; and from 1796 to 1799 he was the administrator of the government, with the title of president. He died at York, 30 September 1801; and his property was willed to his sister, Elizabeth Russell, who left it to William Warren Baldwin. (Taken from The Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography, fourth edition. 1978)
Lionel Rubinoff was educated at Queen's University (B.A.) and the University of Toronto (M.A. and Ph.D.). In 1971 he joined the Philosophy Department of Trent University as a Professor and he retained this position until 1991-92 when he was made Chairman of the Department. He left Trent University after the end of the 1994-95 academic year.