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39 plaques found that match your criteria
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Simon Fraser 1776-1862
This famous fur trader and explore, son of a Loyalist officer, was born in what is now Vermont and came to Canada in 1784. He entered the fur trade with the North West Company in 1792 and, in 1805, was placed in charge of operations west of the Rocky Mountains. In 1808, while searching for a water route to the Pacific, Fraser descended the turbulent river that bears his name. The skill and daring required... -
Sir John Johnson's Mills
Son of the celebrated Indian superintendent Sir William Johnson, Sir John was born in 1742 in New York's Mohawk Valley. During the American Revolution, his Loyalist sympathies brought him to Canada where he organized the King's Royal Regiment of New York. After the Revolution, he received extensive Crown-land grants in Glengarry County and elsewhere. He built a grist-mill and sawmill here on the Au Raisin River about 1790 and, on the bank opposite, a manor-house. Appointed to the Legislative Council of Lower Canada in 1796, he died near Montreal in 1830. -
Sir James Pliny Whitney 1843-1914
Born in Williamsburg and educated at the Cornwall Grammar School, Whitney was called to the Bar in 1876. He was elected to the legislative assembly as Conservative member for Dundas in 1888. A noted orator, he was leader of the opposition 1896-1905. In the latter year, the Liberal government headed by the Hon. G.W. Ross was defeated and Whitney became the sixth prime minister of Ontario. He held that post 1905-14, and his administration was... -
St. Andrew's Church 1812
This building, the oldest remaining stone structure in the province erected as a church, was completed about 1801. Many of the pioneer settlers in this area were Roman Catholic Highlanders, ministered to by the Rev. Roderick Macdonell, the missionary at St. Regis. The church was built under his leadership, with the assistance of a prominent local settler, «Spanish» John Macdonell, who obtained contribution for its construction from members of the North West Company and other... -
Honourable John Sandfield Macdonald 1812-1872, The
St. Raphael is the birthplace of John Sandfield Macdonald, Prime Minister of the Province of Canada 1862-64, and first Premier of Ontario 1867-71. First elected to represent Glengarry in the legislature of Canada in 1841, he became one of the leaders of the Reform party and served in several ministries prior to Confederation in 1867. Always independent in his political thinking, he at first opposed the federation of the provinces. Later he co-operated with Sir John A. Macdonald, chief architect of Confederation, at whose request he formed a coalition ministry in Ontario. -
MacMillan Emigration 1802, The
In September, 1802, over 400 Highland emigrants, including more than 100 MacMillans, arrived at Montreal under the leadership of Archibald McMillan (Murlaggan) on board the vessels 'Friends', 'Helen' and 'Jane'. He planned to form a settlement in Argenteuil County, Lower Canada, but while negotiations were proceeding, many of his followers moved to Glengarry, Upper Canada, where relatives and friends were already established. In 1804 Murlaggan's cousin, Alan McMillan (Glenpean), secured land in the wilderness township... -
Parish of St. Raphael, The
A mission of the Roman Catholic Highlanders of the Raisin River settlement was begun in 1786 by the Reverend Alexander Macdonell (Scotus) and later a small frame church, called the "Blue Chapel" was built. St. Raphael's Parish was officially recognized in 1802. The existing stone church, a fine example of Canadian neo-classical design, was begun in 1821 by the Most Reverend Alexander Macdonell, who had been appointed to St. Raphael's in 1804, made Vicar General... -
Reverend Johann Samuel Schwerdtfeger 1734-1803, The
The first Lutheran minister to settle in this province, Schwerdtfeger was born in Burgbernheim, Bavaria, and studied theology at the University of Erlangen. Emigrating to America in 1753, he served as pastor of congregations in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. Much persecuted for his allegiance to the Crown during the American Revolution, Schwerdtfeger moved to Canada in 1791. He settled here in Williamsburg Township and became pastor of a congregation of German Loyalists, which had... -
Sir Edward Peacock, G.C.V.O. 1871-1962
An internationally renowned financer, Peacock was born near here in the former Congregational Church manse and educated at Queen's University in Kingston. He taught at Upper Canada College for seven years before joining the Dominion Securities Corporation, a prominent investment company, in 1902. Five years later he was transferred to London, England to manage the firm's European office. Acclaimed for his exceptional financial abilities, Peacock played an increasingly important role in the international securities market... -
St. Andrew's Church
This building, the oldest remaining stone structure in the province erected as a church, was completed about 1801. Many of the pioneer settlers in this area were Roman Catholic Highlanders, ministered to by the Rev. Roderick Macdonell, the missionary at St. Regis. The church was built under his leadership, with the assistance of a prominent local settler, «Spanish» John Macdonell, who obtained contribution for its construction from members of the North West Company and other... -
Lost Villages of the St. Lawrence
Construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway required the flooding of 20,000 acres along the Canadian shoreline between Iroquois and Cornwall. Some of these lands had been settled by loyalists in the 1780s. Between 1955 and 1957, 6,500 residents were relocated, many of them to the new communities of Ingleside and Long Sault. Work crews moved buildings to new sites and re-routed highways and railway tracks. Iroquois and part of Morrisburg were rebuilt on higher ground... -
Williamstown Fair, The
Ontario's oldest continually operated agricultural fair received its patent on March 29, 1808, from Francis Gore, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. It is probable that at first, the local farmers simply gathered on the village common or streets. However, on June 25, 1814, Sir John Johnson, the founder of Williamstown, granted twelve acres for the express purpose of holding a fair and it has been held here annually ever since. Through the years, this fair, like... -
Trooper Lorne Mulloy 1879-1932
Lorne Winfield Redmond Mulloy was born on a farm near Winchester. After high school, he became the principal at Navan Public School. Mulloy postponed plans to attend university and enlisted with the Canadian Mounted Rifles, with which he embarked in February 1900 for the South African War. That summer, Mulloy was blinded in battle. Despite the barriers presented by his blindness, Mulloy went on to earn degrees from Queen’s University, the University of Oxford and... -
Battle of Crysler's Farm 1813
In November 1813, an American army of some 8,000 men, commanded by Major-General James Wilkinson, moved down the St. Lawrence en route to Montreal. Wilkinson was followed and harassed by a British "corps of observation," consisting of about 800 regulars, militia and Indians commanded by Lieut.-Col. Joseph Morrison. On November 11, Morrison's force, established in a defensive position on John Crysler's farm, was attacked by a contingent of the American army numbering about 4,000 men...