Chief Wawanosh and the Treaty of 1827

by Jean Turnbull Elford (1982)   Beginning with British rule in the northern part of this continent, land was acquired from the Indians as it was needed for new settlers. Because of legislation passed in 1763, no Indian band forfeited their land without their own and the Crown’s consent. The Indians [...]

2016-02-01T21:15:34-05:00February 1st, 2016|Comments Off on Chief Wawanosh and the Treaty of 1827

Point Edward 1679-1981

by Jean Turnbull Elford in Canada West’s Last Frontier (1982) Point Edward, Lambton’s largest incorporated village, placed where Lake Huron empties into the River St. Clair, made its way into recorded history earlier than any other part of Lambton. The first written account comes from the pen of Father Hennepin [...]

2015-09-03T17:24:21-04:00September 3rd, 2015|Comments Off on Point Edward 1679-1981

OLM Pastor Hosts William Tecumseh Sherman

By Phil Egan, Special for the Sarnia Jornal, Then and Now (2015)  He enrolled at Notre Dame at age 15, and went on to become president of a university. He rode with Union forces during the U.S. Civil war through some of its fiercest fighting in Tennessee and Georgia. In [...]

2015-09-01T20:21:17-04:00August 29th, 2015|Comments Off on OLM Pastor Hosts William Tecumseh Sherman

Birthplace of Alexander Mackenzie For Sale in Scotland

by Rob Ferguson for the Toronto Star (2015) For less than the price of a fixer-upper in Toronto, you can own a stately piece of Canadian history in Scotland for 287,000 pounds — or about 594,900 loonies. It’s the birthplace of Canada’s second prime minister, Alexander Mackenzie, who was born [...]

2015-08-24T15:58:01-04:00August 24th, 2015|Comments Off on Birthplace of Alexander Mackenzie For Sale in Scotland

Union School: The Grammar and Common School, 1860-1892

by Lawrence A. Crich (1986) Any attempt to get a clear picture of education in Sarnia prior to 1860 is met with frustration. This can probably be better understood when one realizes that the first Sarnia Board of Education was formed only in 1851 and the first recorded surviving minutes [...]

2015-08-23T01:05:11-04:00August 23rd, 2015|Comments Off on Union School: The Grammar and Common School, 1860-1892

The Red Brick Schoolhouse and Early Schools

by Lawrence A. Crich (1986) No history of early education in Sarnia would be complete without some mention of the efforts of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in Upper Canada on the St. Clair Indian Reserve. The Reserve then covered a much greater area than its modern counterpart stretching north [...]

2015-08-13T20:15:01-04:00August 13th, 2015|Comments Off on The Red Brick Schoolhouse and Early Schools

Sarnia’s Role in Early Shipping

by Jean Turnbull Elford writing in Canada West’s Last Frontier (1982) With Lake Huron on the north side and the St. Clair River along its western border, Lambton County owes its early development and ensuing prosperity in large measure to its position on these waters. The first settlers came into [...]

2015-08-13T20:07:39-04:00August 13th, 2015|Comments Off on Sarnia’s Role in Early Shipping

James Flintoft Sr. was First Sheriff

by H.F. Holland for the Sarnia Gazette (1960) James Flintoft Sr. came to Sarnia in 1844. He was the third son of Christopher Flintoft, a Yorkshireman who, in 1810, settled near Perth. It was from the district that Malcolm Cameron came and he was instrumental in bringing a number of [...]

2015-07-28T17:42:21-04:00July 28th, 2015|Comments Off on James Flintoft Sr. was First Sheriff

Sarnia-Port Huron Ferries

by Jean Turnbull Elford writing in Canada West’s Last Frontier The earliest ferry to run between Sarnia and Port Huron was a sailboat. A Sarnia named Crampton got a license to run her in 1836. In the 1840s a horse-powered ferry began to run with George Moffat in charge. Julius [...]

2015-07-28T17:37:39-04:00July 28th, 2015|Comments Off on Sarnia-Port Huron Ferries

George Durand: A Sarnia Founding Father

by Phil Egan Special for The Sarnia Journal He arrived by way of London and the old Errol Road, driving a team of oxen and a cart filled with goods he intended to sell. His destination was the collection of log shanties huddled together at “The Rapids.” He was 28 [...]

2015-08-29T18:01:24-04:00July 9th, 2015|Comments Off on George Durand: A Sarnia Founding Father

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