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CHAPTER XLIV.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, BROCKVILLE.
THE BUELL FAMILY.
Among the United Empire Loyalists who sought
refuge in Canada were the original pioneers of the
shanty was built upon the site of Brockville, down
to the present time, the descendants have been inti¬
mately associated with the control of public affairs,
not only in the town, but also throughout the
county.
William Buell, Sr., was of English descent, both
upon his father and mother’s side. He was the son
of Timothy Buell and his wife, Mercy Peters, and
was born at Hebron, in the then English Colony of
Connecticut, on the sth of October, 1751. His
mother was a descendant of the Rev. Dr. Samuel
Peters, who at the commencement of the American
Revolution was Bishop of Connecticut, and wrote a
history of that colony, which has recently been
republished under the editorship of his great¬
grandson, S. Jarvis McCormick, Esq.
When the war broke out, Mr. Buell remained
loyal to the British Crown, and as soon as was
practicable made his way through the wilderness to
Montreal, where he received an ensign s commission
in the “ King’s Rangers,” subsequently becoming
lieutenant. His service extended over a period of
seven years, and during a portion of the time
he acted as quarter-master. He was frequently
detailed to carry important despatches from the
authorities in Canada to the British commander
at New York,and on many occasions met with hair¬
the insurgents, but succeeded in effecting his escape,
and was also present at the surrender of General
Burgoyne.
On the roth of March, 1782, he was married at St.
Johns, Lower Canada, to Martha Norton, whose
father was an U. E. Loyalist who had removed to
Canada from Farmington, Connecticut. A family
of nine children was the result of this union.
Of these children, William Buell, the younger,
represented the County of Leeds in the Parliament
of Upper Canada for several years. He was a
Lieutenant-Colonel of the Militia, and for about
twenty-five years publisher and proprietor of the
Brockville RECORDER.
Andrew Norton Buell, the second son, studied
law, and, while a student, wrote the /frsf editorial
which appeared in the Brockville RECORDER. He
was for several years Treasurer of the Counties of
Leeds and Grenville, and a’short time Registrar of
the Court of Chancery, Clerk of the Crown and
Pleas in the Court of Common Pleas, and subse¬
quently for about twenty-five years Master and
Accountant of the Court of Chancery.
Phoebe Buell,adaughter, married Stephen Richards,
Sr. Their eldest son, William Buell Richards, repre¬
sented the County of Leeds in the Parliament of
Canada, became Attorney-General, Chief Justice of
the Upper Canada Court of Queen’s Bench, and
afterwards Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and
Deputy Governor of the Dominion, being knighted
by his sovereign. His brother, the Hon. Stephen
Richards, is a distinguished lawyer, and was at one
time a member of the Executive Council for the
Province of Ontario, and also Provincial Secretary
and Commissioner of Crown Lands. Another
brother, the Hon. Albert Norton Richards was
the representative of South Leeds in the Parliament
of Canada, and also in the House of Commons for
the Dominion, Solicitor-General of the Sandfield
McDonald administration, and Attorney-General
for Manitoba. He is at the present time Lieutenant
Governor of the Province of British Columbia.—
Sarah Richards, a daughter of Stephen Richards,
Sr., married John Sippel, Esq., a Civil Engineer, for
many years in charge of the enlargement of the
Lachine Canal and other important government
works.
After the termination of the Revolutionary War,
Mr. Buell, Sr., was placed upon the half-pay list,
and retired from military service. In 1785, accom¬
panied by his wife, he removed to Upper Canada,
settling upon the present site of the Town of Brock¬
ville, then a wilderness. He received a grant from
the Crown of the land upon which the central
portion of the town was subsequently built, where
he settled, and erected the first house.
About the year 1800, Mr. Buell, after a contest
with Reuben Sherwood, a Provincial Land Surveyor,
was elected a member of the House of Assembly for
Upper Canada, for a term of four years.
Mr. Buell donated to the Counties the land upon
which the Court House was built, and also the sites
for the Presbyterian, Baptist, first Methodist, and
Roman Catholic Churches.
His first wife died on the 7th of December, 1823,
in the 61st year of her age. About the fourth year
after her death, Mr. Buell married Mrs. Margaret
Bernard. One daughter was the fruit of this mar¬
dent of Brockville.
Mr. Buell was upright and honest, and very kind
to the poor. He was generous in his character,
liberal in his politics, and highly respected. He
died at Brockville on the 8th day of August, 1832,
in the 81st year of his age. His remains, and those