- Thomas Mears
Thomas Mears (1775 –
October 16 1832 ) was abusinessman and political figure inUpper Canada .He was born in the
Thirteen Colonies in 1775. He settled in West Hawkesbury Township. He set up asawmill andgristmill on theOttawa River in that area withDavid Pattee , which later became the basis for the town of Hawkesbury. He was named justice of the peace in the Eastern District in 1806 and in the Ottawa District in 1816. He was elected to theLegislative Assembly of Upper Canada for Prescott in 1808 and was reelected in 1812. He was named sheriff in the Eastern District in 1816. Around 1811, Mears and Pattee's timber operations were taken over by George and William Hamilton when they were unable to deliver goods to repay advances paid by the Hamiltons. Mears also operated the firststeamboat on the Ottawa River, the "Union". In 1819, Mears took over the operation of a sawmill originally built byJoseph Papineau on thePetite-Nation River near Plaisance inLower Canada .He died in West Hawkesbury in 1832.
References
*"Becoming Prominent: Leadership in Upper Canada, 1791-1841", J.K. Johnson (1989)
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