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People and organizations
Brown, Matthew M., 1884-1927
Person · 1884-1927

Matthew M. Brown (fl. 1884-1927) was a barrister and crown attorney in Brockville, Leeds County, Ontario during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Person · ca. 1840-1896

Peter Johnson Brown (ca. 1840-1896) was a lawyer in Ingersoll, Ontario, and later worked in Toronto, after 1889, with the Department of the Provincial Secretary and as Clerk of Assize at Osgoode Hall.

He was born around 1840, and by 1869 he and a partner, Thomas Wells, had set up a law practice in Ingersoll. His work in this area involved him in the legal end of investment and speculation for the firm's clients. The firm involved itself in lumber, railway, mining, and real estate ventures, and was retained to act on behalf of both domestic and foreign investors when prospects for profit appeared. In 1883 Brown became involved in a scheme to acquire a large grant of land on the Athabaska and McLeod rivers and build a railway to develop it. In 1884, Brown was involved in an extensive land trading scheme, involving property in Toronto, Port Arthur, Winnipeg, Brandon, and other places. During this time period he was also carrying on property subdivision and development schemes in Fort William and Port Arthur. In 1890, Brown was implicated in the Hamilton election investigation because he had been attempting to acquire certain railway charters from the Ontario Government for Colonel William Collier, a Hamilton engineer who was a candidate in the election. Because Brown had recently become an employee of the Government (he had been appointed Clerk, Queen's Bench Division of the Ontario Department of the Provincial Secretary in December of 1890), he was requested to explain his actions by the Attorney General's office.

Also in 1890, Brown was hired by the Ontario Commissioner of Crown Lands to investigate complaints by local people against a dam that had been constructed in the South River by Ottawa lumber businessman, J.R. Booth. In January of 1891 he was appointed Commissioner for taking affidavits in York County, under jurisdiction of the Ontario High Court of Justice. In December, 1891, he was appointed by the Ontario Department of the Attorney General as Clerk of the Assize in Osgoode Hall.

Brown's son, George B. Brown, eventually joined the XI Bengal Regiment on duty in India following attendance at the Royal Military College, Kingston.

Brown's daughter Edith was employed by the Ontario Department of Public Works as a clerk and stenographer from 1895 to 1899, then took up a similar position with the Department of Education until the end of 1903.

Person · 1868-1963

Colonel Herbert Alexander Bruce (1868-1963) was a surgeon, soldier, and author who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, 1932-1937.

Born in Blackstock, Durham County, in 1868, Bruce attended high school in Port Perry, Durham County. In 1892, he received his M.B. from the University of Toronto. Bruce then pursued post-graduate studies at University College in London, Paris, Berlin and Vienna. He became a Fellow of the English Royal College of Surgeons in 1896 and began practice in Toronto.

Bruce served during World War One as inspector-general of the Canadian Medical Services, 1916-1917 and, later, as consulting surgeon to British armies in France, 1917-1919. Upon his return to Canada, he became consulting surgeon to the Toronto General Hospital.

Between 1932-1937, Bruce was Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. In this capacity, he was Chairman of Lieutenant Governors' Committee on Housing.

In addition, Bruce served on various boards and committees. He was a director of the Wellington Fire Insurance Company, the Federal Fire Insurance Company and the Dominion Bank. He was also a member of the University of Toronto Board of Governors.

Bruce was awarded numerous honours: a Chevalier of the Order of Leopold of Belgium as well as honorary doctorates from the University of Toronto, University of Western Ontario and Queen's University. He was also a emeritus professor of surgery at the University of Toronto and a Knight of Grace of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.

Bruce also authored several articles and addresses: "Politics and C.A.M.C.", 1919; "Our Heritage", 1934; and "Friendship the Key to Peace", 1937.

Bruce was also involved in numerous medical and cultural organisations. He was a member of Academy of Medicine as well as the British and Canadian Medical Associations. He also served as president of both the Ontario Medical Association and the Ontario St. John's Ambulance Association. Further, he was active in the Canadian Authors Association and Association of Canadian Bookmen.

Bruce married Angela Hall in 1919. The couple had one son, Herbert Maxwell.

Bryce, J. Fraser, 1852-1920
Person · 1852-1920

J. Fraser Bryce (1852-1920) was a Toronto photographer active between 1877 and 1909. He owned and managed two studios: Bryce Studios Co. and The Carbon Studio and was known for his carbon prints of high-society clientele.

John Fraser Bryce was born in 1852 in Dundas Ontario to Scottish parents, William and Christiana (Fraser) Bryce. At age 25, he became assistant to Toronto photographer Thomas Hunter, rising to "leading operator". After a short stay in Toronto, Bryce moved to the United States where he worked for photographers C.C. Randall in Detroit and J.F. Ryder in Cleveland, Ohio.

Bryce returned to Toronto in 1884 where he purchased Thomas Hunter's studio and photographic supplies business. In 1895 Bryce once again left for the United States where he travelled and worked with various photographers, learning and perfecting the carbon printing process. When he returned to Toronto in 1897 he established the The Carbon Studio at 79 King Street West and gained recognition for his carbon portraits of prominent people. His success eventually earned him the patronage of the Prince of Wales.

From 1906 onwards, Bryce's standing as a photographer started to wane and by 1910, his name no longer appeared in muncipal and business directories of photographers working in Ontario. He returned to Dundas in 1912 where he spent the last 8 years of his life insitutionalized, succumbing to paralysis during his final years. He died March 18, 1920.

Person · 1798-1880

Andrew Norton Buell (1798-1880) was a lawyer, businessman, soldier, District Treasurer and Registrar in the Brockville area, and Master of the Court of Chancery of Upper Canada.

He was born at Elizabethtown (later Brockville), Upper Canada, and was the son of William Buell, the town's founder. He articled with David Jones and entered the legal profession in 1821. He was also commissioned, in 1823, as a Lieutenant in the Leeds Militia. He briefly operated in partnership with his brother in a dry goods store, and wrote for the Brockville Recorder. In 1834, he began constructing culverts for a number of St. Lawrence canals. However, this business venture brought him to the point of bankruptcy and from 1838 to 1841 he worked on canals in New York. When he returned to Upper Canada, he was able to secure the positions of district Treasurer and Registrar in the Brockville area. In 1850 he was appointed Master of the Court of Chancery and moved to Toronto. At the time of his retirement in 1876, Buell returned to Brockville.

Buell was married, first to Calcina Richards, then to Ann Eliza Thorp. There were four daughters and two sons from his first marriage but no issue from his second.

Bulman, Alan, 1926-
Person · 1926-

Alan Bulman (1926-) is a veteran, businessman, and film technician who specialized in the preservation and restoration of archival film in Toronto from 1963 to 1994.

Alan Bulman, son of Joseph and Jane (Henley) Bulman, was born in 1926 in Cyprus. Alan undertook his early studies in Glasgow, Scotland, before volunteering for the Royal Navy in 1943. After being on deferred service for a year, he was called to service in 1944 and was taught to fly just as World War II ended. It was in learning how to fly that Alan was exposed to photography. His interest was further piqued when he worked for British Films Limited in Bullham, London, after the war, where he obtained experience working with the preservation of archival footage.

Alan Bulman emigrated to Canada in 1963. From 1965 to 1970, Alan worked at Graphic Consultants Limited, a film restoration house and stock footage company in Toronto. Alan then worked as a Special Projects Officer in the Design Team for Ontario Place from 1970 to 1974, where his work mostly entailed providing archival footage. In 1974, Alan Bulman set up his own business “Colour Prints,” which he operated until he sold the business in 1994.

Burrowes, Thomas, 1796-1866
Person · 1796-1866

Captain Thomas Burrowes assisted in the Rideau Canal's construction and maintenance, 1826- 1846, and documented these activities in numerous watercolour paintings.

Thomas Burrowes was born in Worcester, England, in 1796. He served as a Corporal in the Royal Sappers and Miners from 1813 until 1824 and was based in Kingston, Upper Canada between 1815 and 1824.

In 1826, he became a member of Colonel By's staff, serving as an Overseer of Works for the eastern part of the Rideau Canal construction project. In this capacity, he surveyed the entire Canal Route from the Ottawa River to Black Rapids and painted watercolours which document many aspects of the construction project. He was later appointed as Clerk of Works of the southern section of the Rideau Canal, based in Kingston Mills.

Following his retirement in 1846, he remained in Kingston Mills, living in his cottage "Maplehurst" and working as a farmer and postmaster of the local community. Thomas Burrowes died in 1866 and was buried in the Cataraqui cemetery.

Byers, Mary, 1933-
Person · 1933-

Mary Byers (1933- ) is a Toronto author of books and articles about Canadian social history, heritage and architecture.

Mary Byers was born and educated in Toronto. In 1966, she commenced work on the Architectural Survey of Ontario, which was established by the Province of Ontario and directed by Professor William Goulding in the Faculty of Architecture at the Univeristy of Toronto. The survey created an inventory of pre-1855 buildings in Ontario that were still usable and it formed part of the national inventory of the Historic Sites Division in the federal Northern Affairs and National Resources.

Mary Byers' books on social history and heritage buildings include: Longuissa, 1988; Havergal, 1994; Breaking 100, 1995; Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching, 1999 and the B and R at 75: a History of the Badminton and Raquet Club, 1924-1999. She has written articles for Century Home, York Pioneer, and Leisure Ways.

With Margaret McBurney, she co-authored Rural Roots: Pre-Confederation Buildings of the York Region of Ontario, 1976; Homesteads: Early Buildings and Families from Kingston to Toronto, 1979; The Governor's Road: Early Buildings from Mississauga to London, 1982; Tavern in the Town: Early Inns and Taverns of Ontario, 1987; and Atlantic Hearth: Early Homes and Families of Nova Scotia, 1994 and a series of articles for the Globe and Mail on early homes in Ontario.

Mary Byers is a member of a number of heritage and social clubs including the Lake Simcoe Historical Association, The Toronto Arts and Letters Club, and the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.

Corporate body · 1851-1922

The Bytown and Nepean Road Company was formed in 1851 to facilitate construction of a macadamized road from Bytown to Bell's Corners in the Township of Nepean, County of Carleton, Ontario.

The Bytown and Nepean Road Company was established at Bytown on 21 April 1851. Stockholders proposed to construct a plank or macadamized road from Bytown to Bell's Corners in the Township of Nepean, County of Carleton, and to collect tolls from users of the road. The formation of such a company was in accordance with provincial statutes of the time. However, the company had acted without the knowledge and consent of the Municipality of the Township of Nepean and became involved in litigation, for the Township of Nepean has passed a by- law (By-law No. 17) approving the formation of the Bytown and West Carleton Road Company on May 22, 1851. A meeting between all affected parties resulted in the decision to amalgamate the two companies under the name of the Bytown and Nepean Road Company, and to increase the capital stock to 4000 pounds, of which the Township of Nepean was to hold 100.

On June 7, 1851, the Bytown and Nepean Road Company signed a contract with Mr. Isaac Hope of Kingston for the construction of the first section of the road, and by July of 1852 the contractor had macadamized and completed four miles from Bytown westward. A toll gate and side bars were erected, a rate of tariffs fixed, a gate-keeper appointed, and in October 1852 the shareholders in the company received their first dividend from the tolls collected. By July of 1853, the whole distance of eight and a half miles from Bytown to Bell's Corners was completed and a toll gate was erected at the western end of the road.

In 1888 the City of Ottawa extended its limits and negotiated to acquire the portion of the Bytown and Nepean Macadamized Road which lay within the city. However, the remainder of the road continued in operation under the direction of the Bytown and Nepean Road Company until it was expropriated by the County of Carleton on February 7, 1920, with the County paying $35 000 on March 17, 1922. At this time, the Company proceeded to wind up its affairs, surrender its charter, and distribute its assets. By December of 1922 all the stockholders had been paid off and the Bytown and Nepean Road Company ceased to exist.

Caledon Mountain Trout Club
Corporate body · 1901-

The Caledon Mountain Trout Club is a private fishing club established in 1901, and is located in the Town of Caledon, Regional Municipality of Peel, Ontario.

The Caledon Mountain Trout Club was established as the Caledon Mountain Trout Company on July 22, 1901; the name was changed to Caledon Mountain Trout Club on August 23, 1901. The club owns and operates fish hatcheries and pounds for trout fishing by its members as well as for sale of fish and fish eggs to other clubs, hatcheries and retailers. The Club also offers accommodation and recreational facilities to its members.

The Club remained a share corporation until 1926, when shares were exchanged for Club memberships. It is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership, assisted by a Property Manager, a House Managers (responsible for accommodation) and a small Committee structure.

In addition to Caledon, the Caledon Mountain Trout Club originally owned property in Erin Township, Wellington County.

Cambers, William, b. 1774
Person · b. 1774

William Cambers was a business man, farmer, engineer and local official in Etobicoke Township, Canada West in the period 1820-1856.

William Cambers served in a number of capacities on behalf of the Township of Etobicoke in the middle of the 19th century. He served as an enumerator and assessor in the early 1850s and on several local boards and committees. Cambers also engaged in private business, particularly in the sale of timber and land.

Person · 1838?-1916

Catherine Cameron (1838?-1916), sister of Rev. James Cameron of Chatsworth, Ontario, was the wife of Rev. Andrew MacLean of Crieff, Ontario.

Catherine Cameron, daughter of John Cameron and Margaret MacKillican, was born in Scotland, perhaps on 25 May 1838 or 5 July 1841. The Camerons migrated from Scotland to Grey County, Canada West in 1860. Soon after her arrival, Catherine married Rev. Andrew MacLean, a minister at Crieff, Ontario. They had two sons, John Bayne MacLean and Hugh Cameron MacLean. Upon the early death of her husband in 1873, Catherine moved with her young sons to live with her brother, Rev. James Cameron (d. August 1883), a minister at Chatsworth, Ontario. His son John Home Cameron was close with Catherine's children.

She purchased a small cottage for herself at Durham, Ontario in 1890 but, becoming too frail, she later lived with her son Hugh in Toronto at 86 Chestnut Park, tended by a nurse. Catherine Cameron died at 5 Cluney Avenue, Toronto, Ontario on 31 July 1916 and was buried beside her husband in Creiff.

Person · 1817-1876

John Hillyard Cameron (1817-1876) was a lawyer and politician active in Canada West and Ontario, and founder of Trinity College, Toronto.

Hillyard was born in 1817 at Blendecques, France where his father served with the 79th Highlanders. In 1825, he emigrated with his family to Upper Canada when his father was posted to Kingston. Hillyard attended Kilkenny College in Ireland, the Midland District grammar school in Kingston and Upper Canada College in Toronto. He then began to study law. However, his legal studies were interrupted by the Rebellion of 1837 during which he served as captain in the Queen's Rangers.

After the rebellion, Cameron pursued his legal career. In 1838, he was called to the bar of Upper Canada. He immediately formed a partnership with J. Godfrey Spragge and the two built a law practice. In 1840, he was appointed Commissioner for the Revision of the Statutes of Upper Canada. Cameron also served as a reporter to the Court of Queen's Bench in Canada West, 1843-1846, and, in this capacity, was responsible for establishing the Upper Canada Law Reports. He was made QC in 1846. Later, Cameron became Chairman of the 1856-1857 Commission for the Consolidation of the Statutes of Upper Canada. In 1860, he was elected Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada, and, in 1869, was called to the bar of Quebec.

In addition to the law, Cameron was active in municipal, provincial and federal politics. He served as York alderman for St. Andrew's ward, 1846- 1847 and 1851- 1852, and for St. John's ward, 1854- 1855. Also, in 1846, he was elected to the Upper Canada Legislative Assembly as the Conservative member from Cornwall. Cameron was subsequently appointed to the Executive Council in 1847 and, for a time, was also Solicitor- General for Upper Canada. Cameron left office in 1848 but returned to provincial politics in 1854 after successfully contesting the Toronto seat. He represented the Peel riding, 1861-1867, and, the federal Cardwell riding, 1872-1875.

Cameron also had business interests in numerous transportation and insurance companies. He served as director of the Toronto and Guelph Railway and as solicitor for the Great Western Railway. He was also a promoter of the insurance industry. In 1847, he helped found the Canada Life Assurance Company. He later served as chairman of the Canadian Board of the Edinburgh Life Insurance Company, president of the Provincial Insurance Company and director of both the Canadian Life Assurance Company and Beaver Mutual Fire Insurance Association.

Cameron was a staunch supporter of the Church of England and education. He was legal representative for the missionary service and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Upper Canada. As a representative of the Church of England, Cameron was appointed to the first senate of the University of Toronto in 1850. He was also one of the founders of the Anglican Trinity College and, in 1852, introduced the Anglican Trinity College Incorporation Bill to the Legislative Assembly. In 1863, he was elected chancellor of Trinity College, a post he held until 1875.

Cameron was married to Elizabeth Boulton from 1843 until her death in 1845. The couple had one son. In 1849, he married Ellen Mallet with whom they had two sons and two daughters.

Cameron, Malcolm, 1808-1876
Person · 1808-1876

Malcolm Cameron (1808-1876) was a politician in Upper Canada and Canada West from 1837 to 1867, and federally after Confederation.

Malcolm Cameron was born in Trois Rivieres, Lower Canada, on April 25, 1808 to Angus Cameron and Euphemia McGregor. When he was young he moved to Upper Canada, settling in the Perth area and opening a general store in 1828. He also undertook a newspaper, the Bathurst Courier, in 1834. In 1835 he began to move his interests to the Sarnia area, but was elected as a moderate reformer to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for Lanark in 1836. His volatile political career spanned four decades, and he was noted for his tendency to rapidly switch allegiances and for his explosive temper. He was also a sworn enemy of George Brown. In 1837 he sided with the reformers led by Robert Baldwin, but by 1841 was opposed to them. He was re- elected many times, in 1844 and 1847 for Lanark, and in 1851 the took the riding of Huron. In 1854 he ran in both S. Lanark and Lambton but lost in both. In 1857 he won in Lambton. Following Confederation, he entered federal politics, although he lost a by-election in 1869 in Renfrew. In 1874 he was elected as a Liberal in S. Ontario. He died on June 1, 1876 in Ottawa.

Person · 1822-1892

Sir Alexander Campbell (1822-1892) was a federal politician and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

He was a native of Yorkshire, England, who came to Canada with his family in 1823. He was educated at the St. Hyacinthe College and the Midland District Grammar School in Kingston, and later studied law with Henry Cassady. He became Sir John A. Macdonald's law partner in 1843. He was made a Q.C. in 1856, and a K.C.M.G. in 1879. From 1861 to 1864 he was Dean of the Faculty of Law at Queen's College in Kingston.

He had a long involvement with politics, beginning with his election as a Kingston alderman in 1850. In 1864 he was elected to the Legislative Council of Canada for the Cataraqui division. In 1865 he became Commissioner of Crown Lands and also was involved in the Confederation discussions. He was appointed to the Senate and held a number of Cabinet posts in Conservative administrations, including: Receiver- General, Postmaster-General, Minister of Militia, and Minister of Justice. He also served as Acting Minister of Justice from 1868-69, and was the government leader in the Senate from 1867-1873. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario in 1887.

Canada Company
Corporate body · 1825-1953

The Canada Company was established by British Parliament in 1825 for the purpose of obtaining land in Canada and promoting its sale to prospective settlers. It continued to exist until 1953.

An organizational meeting of the company took place before its founding, at the London Tavern in London, England. The aim of the company was to obtain land in Canada and to promote its sale to prospective settlers. The Company received nearly 2.5 million acres. 1.1 million acres comprised the Huron Tract which became the Huron District in 1834. The remainder of the land, including the Halton and Wilmot Blocks, were allotted crown reserves throughout the Province.

In 1951 the company decided to close their activities in Canada. Official business in Canada was terminated by December 24, 1951, and the company ceased to exist in England by December 18, 1953.

Canada Packers
Corporate body · 1927-1990

Canada Packers, Inc. (now Maple Leaf Foods, Inc.) was a Toronto-based meat packing and processing company.

The company was formed out of a succession of mergers with predecessor companies. These include the William Davies Company, Ltd. (est. 1854), the Canadian Packing Company, Ltd. (est. 1868 as the George Matthews Company), Gunns Ltd. (est. 1876), and the Harris Abattoir Company, Ltd. (est. 1896). These firms merged in 1927 to form Canada Packers, Ltd., which became Canada Packers Inc. in 1980. In 1990 Canada Packers Inc. merged with British based Maple Leaf Mills, Ltd. to form Maple Leaf Foods, Inc.

Corporate body · est. [18--]

The Canada Permanent Mortgage Corporation was a Canadian financial institution established in the nineteenth century, and was also known as the Canada Permanent Building and Savings Society, and the Canada Permanent Loan and Savings Company.

Canadian Car and Foundry
Corporate body · 1909-1955

The Canadian Car and Foundry Company Limited of Montreal, Quebec, manufactured railway and urban transportation rolling stock, ships, and aeroplanes.

The company was created in November 1909 with the amalgamation of the nation's three largest railway rolling stock manufacturers. Beginning with foundries, lumber operations, and fabrication plants in Quebec and the Maritimes, the company moved into the new field of steel body casting and construction. The company quickly purchased the Montreal Steel Works of Longue Pointe, Quebec, and the Ontario Iron and Steel Company of Welland, Ontario, reorganizing them into the Canadian Steel Foundries Limited, the largest steel casting producer in Canada. By World War I, the company had also purchased a foundry in Brantford and erected a fabrication plant in Fort William, Ontario.

By 1920, the company's operations included steel production, shipbuilding, and the manufacturing of luxury wooden railway cars, steel passenger and sleeper cars, grain and freight rolling stock, and electric streetcars. Working with design and production partners in other countries, the company served rail and urban transportation needs in Canada, the United States, Brazil, and much of southern Africa. With the coming of World War II, the company further diversified into aircraft, bus, and motor coach manufacture.

In 1955, aircraft company A.V. Roe Canada Limited purchased the Canadian Car Company Limited or "Can-Car" as it was then known, and closed most of the rolling stock plants. Acquisition of A.V. Roe Canada by British-based Hawker Siddeley Limited resulted in further steel plant closures and a new focus on the manufacture of aeroplanes and urban transportation systems. In 1973, with the assistance of the Ontario Government, the operations were organized into the Urban Transportation Development Corporation Limited and, in 1992, acquired by the Bombardier Group.

Corporate body · 1978-

Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Ontario Council was formed in 1978 to promote education, improve the status of women and girls, and encourage the participation of members in their communities. Membership consists of women university graduates.

CFUW Ontario Council is a voluntary, self-funded non-profit organization with clubs across the province. It is part of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) and affiliated with the International Federation of University Women (IFUW). CFUW and IFUW were formed in 1919.

The Ontario Council is governed by a 13 member Executive Board, which includes six regional directors from across Ontario. The council oversees three standing committees: Status of Women and Human Rights, Legislation, and Education.