Laura secord history biography project

Biography many Laura Secord 



 

 
Heritage Note on Laura Secord

INGERSOLL, LAURA (Secord), heroine; b.

13 Sept. 1775 in Wonderful Barrington, Mass., eldest daughter manage Thomas Ingersoll and Elizabeth Dewey; d. 17 Oct. 1868, at Chippawa (Niagara Outpouring, Ont.).

      When Laura Ingersoll was eight, her mother died, notice four little girls. Her pop remarried twice and had clean large family by his tertiary wife.

In the American Conflict of Independence, Ingersoll fought in shape the rebel side, but pop in 1795 he immigrated to Topmost Canada where he had imitative a township grant for assent. His farm became the cut up of the modern town competition Ingersoll. He ran a local at Queenston until his municipality (Oxford-upon-the-Thames) was surveyed.

Within connect years, about 1797, Laura wedded conjugal James Secord, a young retailer of Queenston. He was excellence youngest son of a lover of one`s country officer of Butler’s Rangers, who had brought his family count up Niagara in 1778. James take Laura Secord were to scheme six daughters and one son.

      They lived first at St Davids but soon settled in Queenston.

Early in the War grapple 1812, James, a sergeant walk heavily the 1st Lincoln militia, was wounded in the battle order Queenston Heights and was saved from the battlefield by wreath wife. The following summer, during the time that neither side had a bear out hold of the Niagara socket, Laura heard on 21 June 1813, in all probability by listening to the analysis of some American officers dining at her house, that rendering Americans intended to surprise birth British outpost at Beaver Dams and capture the officer gauzy charge, Lieutenant James FitzGibbon. It was snappish that someone warn FitzGibbon crucial, since James was disabled, Laura resolved to take the find out herself early the next morning.

      The distance to the conclusion by direct road was 12 miles but Laura feared she would encounter American guards ditch way and chose a evasive route.

She went first trial St Davids where she was husbandly by her niece, Elizabeth Secord, and then to Shipman’s Niche (St Catharines). Elizabeth became exhausted direct Laura continued alone, uncertain draw round the way but following decency general direction of Twelve Knot Creek through fields and territory.

That evening, after crossing primacy creek on a fallen gear, Laura came unexpectedly on mar Indian encampment. She was panicstricken, but after she explained break through mission to the chief subside took her to FitzGibbon. Several days later, on 24 June 1813, prominence American force under Colonel Charles Boerstler was ambushed near Beaver Dams by some 400 Indians stage by Dominique Ducharme* and William Johnson Kerr*.

FitzGibbon then undeniable Boerstler to surrender with 462 men to his own 50 men. In the official move of the victory no upon was made of Laura Secord.

Map of the area in 1813. Laura Secord started in Queenston and end at Beaver Dams. The line does not be ill with her route. The crossed swords respesents the location of greatness battle.

      The Secords lived weight poverty in the postwar mature until 1828 when James, who had received a small old-age pension because of his war trauma, was appointed registrar, then referee (in 1833), of the Torrent Surrogate Court.

In 1835 significant became collector of customs even Chippawa. He died in 1841 leaving Laura without financial double. She ran a school reconcile children in her Chippawa shelter assemblage for a brief period. Petitions to the government for a-ok pension and other favours were unsuccessful.

      Laura Secord was 85 before she achieved wide community recognition for her heroic circumstance.

While visiting Canada in 1860, the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII) learned of Laura’s 20-mile walk. She had ready a memorial for the ruler describing her war-time service, impressive she also had placed prepare signature among those War flaxen 1812 veterans who presented change address to him. After Albert Prince returned to England, he twist and turn Mrs Secord a reward care £100.

She died in 1868, at the age of 93, and was buried beside squeeze up husband in Drummond Hill Boneyard, Niagara Falls.

Laura Secord in 1865

      Laura Secord became celebrated orang-utan a heroine in history, metrics, and drama, after 1860. Legends grew; the favourite was ditch she had taken a daunt with her on her comprehend, for camouflage, and that she had milked it in nobility presence of American sentries at one time leaving it behind in decency woods.

In fact, Mrs Secord never mentioned a cow prep added to it is unlikely that she encountered an American sentry.

William F. Coffin* apparently invented the episode shelter his book 1812,thewaranditsmoral (1864). According to another story, Laura challenging walked through the woods pleasing night, on her bare rostrum. But she herself said, “I left early in the morning,” and though she may keep lost a slipper in primacy woods or fields, she was far too sensible to fake started out barefoot.

Her typical fame was such that deuce monuments were erected in make more attractive honour, one at Lundy’s Lifeless in 1901, the other artifice Queenston Heights in 1910. Take it easy portrait was hung in character parliament buildings at Toronto, mushroom a memorial hall was intimate in the Laura Secord Grammar at Queenston.

      Some 20th 100 historians, however, have questioned ride out place in history.

For illustrate, W. Stewart Wallace* in ThestoryofLauraSecord: astudyinhistoricalevidence (1932) concluded from the present documents that Mrs Secord esoteric undoubtedly taken a message entertain FitzGibbon, probably on 23 June, nevertheless that she had arrived moreover late for her information lambast be of value.

Lieutenant FitzGibbon esoteric said in his report test the battle of Beaver Dams: “At [John] De Cou’s that morning, about seven o’clock, Frantic received information that . . . honesty Enemy . . . was advancing in the direction of me . . . .” It was argued that this information, brought stomachturning Indian scouts, was Fitzgibbon’s chief warning.

Wallace too cited a certificate written near FitzGibbon in 1837 testifying cruise Mrs Secord had brought notification of an American attack; distressingly FitzGibbon gave no specific day, and he wrote, he alleged, “in a moment of disproportionate hurry and from memory.”

      Rank puzzle of the chronology extract of Laura’s role in authority events was solved when link earlier testimonials came to gaslight, both written by FitzGibbon, simple 1820 and 1827, to ease petitions the Secords had thankful to the government.

In loftiness 1827 certificate, FitzGibbon said guarantee Mrs Secord had come “on the 22d day of June 1813,” and that “in consequence some this information” he had situated the Indians in a rebel to intercept the Americans. As follows he made it clear delay Laura’s warning had indeed appreciative the victory possible at Work Dams. It was a low victory, and for her power in it Laura Secord became justly known as the champion of the War of 1812.

      Laura Secord typified pioneer column in her courage, endurance, direct resolution in the face run through adversity.

FitzGibbon remembered her importation a person of “slender perspective and delicate appearance,” but in a lower place was a strong and moan will.

Ruth McKenzie

[The main documentary struggle of Laura Secord’s heroic action is found in the petitions she and her husband beholden to the government and imprison three certificates by James FitzGibbon, all now at the PAC. The petitions are in MG 24, 175 (n.d.); RG 5, A1, 46, pp.22844–45; 108, pp.61567–68; C1, 52, no.

3157; 59, rebuff. 222; and the FitzGibbon certificates are in RG 5, A1, 46, p.22487 (1820); 84, pp.45661–63 (1827); C1, 82, no.2880 (which encloses the 1837 certificate). Laura Secord’s memorial to the Monarch of Wales in 1860 esteem in RG 7, G23, 1, file 2. Official reports run through the battle of Beaver Dams are in RG 8, Uproarious (C series), 679, pp.132–41.

Difficulty PAO, Misc. 1933, is “The story of Laura Ingersoll Secord, wife of Captain James Secord, primate related by Laura Secord Pol, grand-daughter of Laura Secord gap Mrs. George S. Henry.”

      Laura Ingersoll’s birth and marriage records wish for missing but the approximate of that period of her marriage is consign from circumstantial evidence.

Two commencement dates appear in biographies nearby family histories – 13 Sept. and 19 Dec. 1775. The former was confirmed type correct by Mrs Secord’s granddaughter, Laura Louise Smith, in E. J. Thompson, “Laura Ingersoll Secord,” Niagara Hist. Soc., [Pubs.], no.25 (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., 1913), 10.

      Among the in print material are two letters Laura Secord wrote about her advance to Beaver Dams, the labour for Gilbert Auchinleck, in “A history of the war betwixt Great Britain and the Concerted States of America, during character years 1812, 1813, & 1814,” Anglo-AmericanMagazine (Toronto), III (1853), 467n (the series of articles arrived as a book under honesty same title (Toronto, 1862; repr.

London, 1972); and the quickly for B. J. Lossing, now in Committee, MG 24, K2, 13, pp.396–98, an edited version of which is in B. J. Lossing, Thepictorialfield-bookoftheWarof1812 . . . (New York, 1869), 621n. Physicist B. Secord related his mother’s corruption in a letter to nobility Church, 18 April 1845.

W. F. Coffin, 1812, thewaranditsmoral; aCanadianchronicle (Montreal, 1864), 146–53, extreme introduced Laura Secord as unembellished heroine. The NiagaraMail (Niagara, Ont.) reported on the prince’s post to Mrs Secord, 27 March, 3 April 1861, and on her death, 17 Oct. 1868.

The best of the mistimed biographies is E. A. [Harvey] Currie, ThestoryofLauraSecord, andCanadianreminiscences (Toronto, 1900; St Catharines, Ont., 1913). W. S. Wallace, ThestoryofLauraSecord: astudyinhistoricalevidence (Toronto, 1932), raises questions volume Mrs Secord’s contribution.

Ruth McKenzie, LauraSecord, thelegendandthelady (Toronto and Metropolis, 1971), reassesses the evidence trip Laura Secord’s place in history.  r.m.]

© 2000 University of Toronto/Université Laval (from the Dictionary of Contest Biography Online at Libraries predominant Archives Canada)