Tom Russell Port Robinson Collection, 1873-1902
Loading...
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Port Robinson became a significant location for shipbuilding as it was situated along the Welland Canal. The location was ideal for marine construction and attracted many residents to the area that found work in the trades. The collection contains materials related to the marine history of the village of Port Robinson.
Description
Tom Russell is a historian from Port Robinson and has a passionate interest in all historical aspects of the town.
The collection reflects the early marine history, specifically shipbuilding that dominated village industry in the mid to late 19th century.
Some records reflect the shipbuilding activities of William Ross and Sons. Ross was a shipbuilder operating primarily in Port Robinson. It is estimated that Ross and Sons built 20 tugs in the range of 12 to 18 metres in length and 4.5 metres at the beam. Source: Niagara’s shipbuilding heritage, Skip Gillham.
William Dundonald Ross was a native of Scotland. Ross and his Canadian born wife, Catherine Smith, lived in Chippawa until after 1851. In 1854, Ross is listed as a ships carpenter living on Ontario Street in St. Catharines. The Ross family was living in Port Robinson by 1865 when Catherine Smith Ross passed away. He lived in Port Robinson until his death in 1912. William Ross is buried in the Port Robinson Presbyterian cemetery.
The Grisdale and Ross families lived in close proximity to each other in Port Robinson. Hugh Grisdale came from a long line of marine builders and workers. Hugh’s father Robert Grisdale was a ship/tug captain, carpenter and in 1891 a lock tender; while sons Frederick and Hugh became carpenters.
Alfred White built the tug “Inez” in 1884 in Welland for Duncan Armstrong. Additional information on the details can be found in RG 912, Niagara Ship Papers Collection. White used shipbuilding facilities along the Welland Canal in Thorold, Port Robinson, Welland and Humberstone (Port Colborne).
Citation
Collections
Endorsement
Review
Supplemented By
Referenced By
Creative Commons license
Except where otherwised noted, this item's license is described as Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International