BIOGRAPHY / HISTORY

Samuel Dickson was born in 1809 in County Cavan, Ireland. He emigrated from Ireland to Peterborough in 1830 and became employed by James Hall as a distiller. In 1840 he built a saw mill on the Otonabee and owned all the land from Parkhill (Smith Rd.) to the bridge on Hunter Street on both sides of the river. He married Ann Holmes and they had ten children: one son and nine daughters of whom only six daughters survived. Samuel Dickson was on the Peterborough Council for four years. He built a number of houses and owned a large portion of Peterborough property. He died in 1870 when, while supervising the repair of a railway pier, he fell into the river and drowned. His daughters married and they and their husbands helped to run the lumber business. His eldest daughter, Mary Ann, married T.A. Hazlitt, who on the death of Samuel Dickson became the manager of the lumber business. Elizabeth married William Davidson and through her line the family maintained the lumber business. In 1906 the Dickson family sold some of their property and established the Peterborough Lumber Company which would give jobs to some of the older men from the Dickson Co. Samuel's grandson Dickson Davidson was the President of the new company. When he died Laura Davidson became President. At her death in 1957, Helen Munroe McCrae, became the President. She was a great granddaughter of Samuel Dickson.

CUSTODIAL HISTORY

This fonds was in the custody of Lois Davidson before it was donated to the Trent University Archives.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

This fonds consists of letters from Hugh Munro, Edinburgh, to his son Samuel Munro and daughter-in-law Emma Davidson Munro as well as letters to Samuel Dickson from his mother in Ireland. There are also photographs and newspaper obituaries of Laura Davidson, President of Peterborough (Dickson) Lumber Company from 1934 to 1957; photographs of the Dickson home on Dickson Street, Peterborough and typescript histories of the Dickson Lumber Company.

NOTES

Title based on contents of the fonds.

This fonds was donated by Lois Davidson.

Restrictions: N

For related records see: 77-003, 82-006 and 96-1011.