Only two years ago, descendants of the Woodruff family donated 14 boxes of family records, dating back to 1784, to Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. Now, after months of describing, scanning, and uploading images, the Woodruff Family Fonds is available online in its entirety on the university’s website.
The Woodruff family came to Niagara from Connecticut in 1795 and became a prominent political, social, and economic force in the area and within Upper Canada.
The collection chronicles the family’s involvement in the War of 1812, the building of the second Welland Canal, the Upper Canada Rebellions, constructing roads and railways, environmental conservation, the First World War, business, and politics.
You can look at the Woodruff Family Fonds here. The finding aid provides good biographical information about the family.
Thanks to Frederick H. Hayward of the United Empire Loyalists’ Assocation of Canada for sharing this news.
That’s an amazing donation! I look forward to investigating it in the future as I have family from St Catherine’s, Ontario. This may be indirect information about their life and times.