Hamilton

George Hamilton was born in Queenston in 1788, the son of Robert Hamilton and Catherine Askin Robertson. Finding life during and after the War of 1812 somewhat disruptive along the United States border, he bought 104 ha (257 a) of land at the site of the city (1846) at the western end of Lake Ontario in 1815. He was elected to the House of Assembly of Upper Canada for Wentworth between 1820 and 1830.

Source: Rayburn, Alan (1997): Place Names of Ontario, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp. 148-149.

Related Sites:

• City of Hamilton

London

In March 1793 Lt-Gov John Graves Simcoe examined the site of the forks of La Tranche River (renamed by him the Thames) as a possible location for the capital for Upper Canada, in place of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake), which he deemed to be susceptible to attack by the Americans. Before arriving in Upper Canada, he had proposed naming the place Georgina in honour of George III. On exploring the site, however, he called it New London, with Chatham, as in England, a port downriver, and Oxford upriver at present-day Ingersoll. Lord Dorchester, the governor-in-chief, vetoed Simcoe's choice of a capital, but accepted his proposal to move it to Toronto (renamed York later in 1793). The first settlement at The Forks of the Thames was in 1826, when it became the administrative capital of London District. London post office had been established 5 km west of The Forks in 1825, but it was moved the next year to The Forks. The city was incorporated in 1855.

Source: Rayburn, Alan (1997): Place Names of Ontario. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp. 196-197.

Related Sites:

• The City of London