DEDICATED TO MY MANY GOOD FRIENDS HEREABOUTS HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF BRANT HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF BRANT BY F. DOUGLAS REVILLE ILLUSTRATED WITH FIFTY HALF-TONES TAKEN FROM MINIATURES AND PHOTOGRAPHS PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE BRANT HISTORICAL SOCIETY BRANTFORD THE HURLEY PRINTING COMPANY, LIMITED 1920 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PACK INDIAN HISTORY I. The Attiwandaron, or "Neutral" Indians, who are first mention- ed as occupying the region now known as Brant County— Chief village located where Brantford now stands—Habits and Customs of the Tribe 15 II. Brant, the Indian Chief, after whom City and County are named —Splendid services rendered by him and Six Nations Indians to British cause—Visit to Mohawk Village, formerly situated near Mohawk Church —Haldimand Deed giving Six Nations six miles of land on each side of the Grand River 21 III. The Brant Monument and Unveiling Ceremonies—Mohawk Church, the Oldest Protestant Edifice in Upper Canada- Brant's Tomb 53 BRANTFORD HISTORY IV. Early Beginnings of Brantford —Some of First Settlers —Surren- der of Town Site by Six Nations Indians —Burwell's Map and Original Purchasers of Lots 69 COPYRIGHT, CANADA, 1920, BY F. DOUGLAS REVILLE. V. Coming of the Whites—Turbulent Times when Place was a Frontier Village —Oldest Native Born Brantfordite Tells of Conditions in 1845—Incorporation as Town and First Assess- ment Roll 97 VI. Brantford in 1850 —Dr. Kelly's Reminiscences of 1855 —Brantford in 1870 —Incorporation as City, Mayors and Aldermen — The Market Square —Market Fees —'Brant's Ford and Bridges 118 VII. The Press—Medical Profession—Bench and Bar 140 VIII. Brantford's Fire Fighters—Great Fire of 1860—The Story of the Hospitals —Hostelries and Taverns —Amusement Places and Coming of the Movies —Parks 155 IX. Trade and Transportation Highways —Stage Coaches —Grand River Navigation Company —Passenger and Freight Boats ran from Brantford to Buffalo —Steam Railways —Brantford Street Railway 177 X. Visits of Members of the Royal Family and Executive Heads — Three Direct heirs to the Throne Guests of Brantford —Earl Dufferin Makes the Longest Stay —Opening of Provincial Exhibition and Dedication of Lorne Bridge 194 XI. Coming of Electric Power —First Development at Canal Locks — Western Counties Company —The Hydro System —Brantford and Hamilton and Lake Erie and Northern lines —Story of the Grand River—Brantford Waterworks 213 XII. Educational —Brantford Public Schools —The First Grammar School—Collegiate Institute—Industrial Classes—School for the Blind —Young Ladies' College —Free Library 227 XIII, Crimean Celebration—Fenian Raid,—Regular Troops Located Here—Post Office—Customs and Inland Revenue—Brant- ford Police Department —Gas Works 240 TABLE OF CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS CHAPTER PAGE COUNTY HISTORY Facing Page XIV. Pioneer Life in the County and Homes of the Earliest Settlers- Brant's Ford Frontispiece Clearing the Land —Family Bible Often the one Source of Joseph Brant (from the painting by George Romney) 22 Instruction —Means of Cooking —No Saturday Bargains in Interior ancient Six Nations House 28 Clothes 250 Haldimand Deed Containing Grant to Six Nations 34 XV. Brant County Reminiscences by an Old Time Resident—Some Perspective View Mohawk Church 36 of the People and Incidents of Early Days —Visit of an First Six Nations Council House 40 Observing Scotch Advocate in 1831—Prices of Live Stock, Present Six Nations Council House 44 Farm Labor, Implements, etc. —The Early Hotels 262 Joseph Brant in Later Life 48 XVI. Commencement of Brant County Settlement —Once United with Brant Monument 56 two Other Counties—Attainment of Individual Existence— Mohawk Church 62 Proceedings of First Meeting of Separate Council—Coat of Scriptures in Mohawk 64 Arms —List of Wardens and County Councillors 273 Queen Anne Communion Service 68 XVII. The Court House and Deed of the Square—Sheriffs and other An Early Brantford Home and Old View of Market Street 74 Officials of Brant County —Soil and General Agriculture — Development of Education in the County —Mohawk Insti- Prominent Village Residents 80 tute —Laycock Home —Brant Sanitarium 285 Elora, Founded by a Brantford Citizen 82 Old View of One of Present Manufacturing Areas 88 XVIII. Incidents of the War of 1812-14—The Engagement at Malcolm's Market St. 1875—1920 96 Mills—Some Brant County Pensioners—Rebellion of 1837— Story of Dr. Duncombe's Leadership of the Uprising in Corner of Colborne and Market Streets in the Sixties 104 this Section and Details of his Thrilling Escape 390 Corner of Colborne and Market Streets, 1920 112 First Mayors of Town and City 126 XIX. The Invention of the Telephone—Graham Bell the Son of a Distinguished Father—Coming of the Family to Tutela First Owners of Courier and Expositor 144 Heights —Early Experiments —Inception here of Great Dis- Early Medical Men 148 covery is Fully Established—Distinguished Inventor Takes Members of Bench and Bar 152 Part in Memorial Unveiling 308 Hospital and Donors 162 XX. Early Incidents of the Townships —Burford Very Nearly Became Prince of Wales Sleeping Car (1860) 194 the Home of a Peculiar Sect—First Settlers for the Most Prince of Wales at Mohawk Church (1919) . 200 Part Consisted of Sturdy and Capable Men 324 Grand River Near Elora and at Dunnville 220 XXI. Political History of the Two Brants —Names of the Men who Old Central School 228 Have Occupied Seats in the Dominion House and Provincial Royal Fusiliers Parading on Market Square 1867 242 Legislature—One Premier, a Speaker of the Senate and other The Original Gas Works 248 Ministers 351 The First Two Wardens of Brant 276 Court House in 1875 282 Sheriffs of Brant 288 Dr. Charles Duncombe 304 Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor of the Telephone 308 Bell Monument 316 Bell Homestead, Tutela Heights 320 Six Nations Council in Session 346 Onondaga Long House 348 Members of Early Parliament and Dominion House 352 Members of Ontario Legislature 370 (Photographs and reproductions by E. P. Park & Co., Brantford.) INTRODUCTION TO FIRST VOLUME This volume deals more with events than with persons, and in- dividuals have only been mentioned in so far as they have been identified with the early development period, or have held positions of more or less public prominence. The plan pursued in some other such productions of compiling an illustrated biographical record of subscribers, has not in any sense been followed in this instance and the selection of the material has rested entirely with the author. As far as Brantford is concerned, its growth, while never of the boom order, has always been steady. The progress which has been achieved must be mainly attributed to the fortuitous circumstance that from the earliest days the municipality has always contained residents possessed of enterprise and vision. The inauguration of the Grand River Navigation Co., was one of the first manifestations in this regard, followed by the reaching after railways, and still later by the attracting of indus- tries. When there is added to these things the fact that Brantfordites have always had supreme confidence in the future of the community, and have ever most heartily co-operated in anything tending to this end, the explanation is readily found as to why the little settlement located on Indian land in 1830, should to-day be a thriving city of well over 30,000 people, the fourth industrial city of all Canada in the matter of manu- factured exports, the hub of many railroad and radial lines, a place of well kept homes, with not the slightest sign of any slum district within its entire borders, and possessed of municipally owned waterworks, a municipally owned street railway, and a municipally owned Hydro Elec- tric System, while electric power and light are supplied from Niagara and DeCew Falls and natural gas is also available. The frame structures of the earlier days have given place to miles upon miles of fine residential streets—mainly working men's homes—and to the splendid class of men engaged in the local industries and the absence of trade disputes, must also be attributed much of what we have become. As for the future, it is full of a promise commensurate with the past and nothing more than this need be said. Of the County it may also be claimed that there are few agricultural areas anywhere which can surpass the fine farms and the sterling qualities of their occupants. From the first arrival of Thayendanegea and his warriors of the Six Nations, to the successful completion of one of the greatest of modern inventions—the telephone—Brantford and Branty County possess much material of historic interest, which it has been the endeavor of this volume to preserve. In the matter of the life of Brant, the principal authority is the two volume history with reference to that Chief published by Stone in INTRODUCTION INDIAN HISTORHISTORY 15 1838, but many other sources of information have also been used in the compilation of the chapter devoted to that notable man. Thanks are due and hereby tendered to McClelland & Stewart, Pub- lishers, Toronto, for permission to quote from "The Pioneers of the CHAPTER I. Cross in Canada," by Dean Harris, and from the "Reminiscences, Politi- cal and Personal," of Sir John Willison; to the Publishers' Association, Toronto, for use of quotation from "Canada and Its Provinces;" to Judge THE ATTIWANDARON, OR "NEUTRAL" INDIANS, WHO ARE FIRST MENTIONED Ermatinger of St. Thomas, for permission to use an extract from "The AS OCCUPYING THE REGION NOW KNOWN AS BRANT COUNTY—CHIEF VIL- Talbot Regime," with reference to the Brant County uprising led by Dr. LAGE LOCATED WHERE BRANTFORD NOW STANDS.—HABITS AND CUSTOMS Duncombe; and to Major R. C. Muir of Burford, author of that excellent OF THE TRIBE.