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The Hamilton Active Service Canteen was established on May 2, 1941, by the volunteers of the Hamilton Citizens’ Committee for War Services, with the purpose of supporting and entertaining military service personnel stationed in Hamilton during World War Two. After a meeting to discuss the logistics of operation, the Active Service Canteen opened its doors on May 17, 1941. The building was located right downtown at 20 King Street East, just east of James Street, occupying the entire second floor of the building. In the early days of the canteen, attendance was low, so financing came from various sources including donations from local clubs. After a year in operation with over 160,000 visitors, the canteen became self-sufficient and even opened another location specifically geared to female service members at 10 James Street North.

The Hamilton Active Service Canteen was staffed entirely by volunteers, many of whom were women, who served in the kitchen, the games room, and as dancing partners for the servicemen. The canteen served light refreshments with a menu including salads, soups, sandwiches, bread, pies, ice cream, coffee and cokes, all at reasonable prices. Entertainment included weekly Saturday night dances, as well as a games room with card tables, ping pong tables and a billiards table, along with a few pianos. There was also a reading room that was stocked with books, magazines and local newspapers, as well as notepads for writing home to family and friends. When the war in Europe ended, the canteen was no longer needed, so it closed its doors on November 17, 1945. Over the 5 years the canteen was in operation, it served close to 1 million service members, and provided a comfortable, sociable and entertaining home away from home for those who served their country during the war.

Donald William Adams was born June 4, 1922 in Louth Township to Stanley William Adams and Dorothy Serena (Kerr) Adams. The family moved to Hamilton a few years later. They lived with Charles Staple Kerr and Mary Alberta (Knight) Kerr, his maternal grandparents. C.S. Kerr was a high school teacher employed at Central Collegiate Institute. They lived at 92 Blake Street until about 1938 then moved to 36 Maple Avenue. Don Adams attended Hamilton Technical School and was then employed by the Bell Telephone Company. He was a member of the Cedar Springs Ski Club and the Model Engineer's Club. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in about 1942 and became a Pilot Officer with the Atlantic Transport Group. While at the Ellenburg Depot in New York State he was killed in a flying accident on June 22, 1944 along with three other men. He is buried in Woodland Cemetery.

Gray graduated from the University of Toronto in metallurgy at the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, 1930-1934. Upon his graduation, he began a 39 year career as an engineer at Stelco in Hamilton, Ontario.

The Alumnae Association of the Wesleyan Ladies' College, established in June 1868, supported the continued intellectual engagement of graduates of Wesleyan Ladies' College. Their motto was "Vita sine literis mors est" (Life without literature is death). The Alumnae Association's Literary Club was primarily composed of Wesleyan alumnae, but accepted some non-alumnae as well as daughters and grand-daughters of original graduate-members, and continued to do so after the college ceased to exist. The Literary Club, sometimes referred to as the Ladies' Literary Club or Hamilton Ladies Literary Club, was also affiliated with the Royal Society of Canada. The club met on a biweekly basis from October to May, and held an annual meeting in June. In the 1957-1958 season, they started to meet once a month. The Literary Club remained active until ca.1966.

In 1886, Charles S. Cochran (1854-1933) opened a photographic studio in association with Alexander M. Cunningham (1863-1926). In 1902, Cochran left and the studio was renamed the A.M. Cunningham Studio. After his son Charles H. Cunningham joined the business the name changed to A.M. Cunningham & Son. When Alexander died, Charles continued the business, which was known in later years as the Cunningham Studio. In 1955, Charles retired and sold his interest in the firm. From 1967 to 1968 the business was known as the Reid Studio. In 1969, the photographic studio closed because the building was set to be demolished for a downtown urban renewal project.

The Ancient Order United Workmen began in the United States in 1868 and was the first fraternal benefit society to offer financial insurance to its members. Providing insurance for workingmen during the 1860s was a novel idea, but the A.O.U.W believed that its fraternal structure and its low overhead costs made it more likely to succeed compared to commercial life insurance firms that often went bankrupt. Working class men had to apply for membership and if accepted, had to pay a $1.00 initiation fee. When a member died, his dependents would receive a $2,000 payout. After the death of a member, each remaining member in the association would be required to pay another $1.00 to replenish the fund. The popularity of the association resulted in many branches being established throughout the United States and even in Canada. The Grand Lodge of Ontario A.O.U.W. chapter was established in 1880 and had 226 lodges in the province, including the Hamilton Lodge No.49, which was established that same year with 500 initial members. The Hamilton Lodge was similar to the parent association in that it was a fraternal benevolent organization providing social and financial support to its members and their dependents by visiting the sick, assisting the poor, and caring for the orphans and widows of deceased members. The association also promoted the establishment of libraries and reading rooms to further education and learning, as well as advocated for apprenticeship opportunities. The association was incorporated by the Ancient Order of Independent Foresters in 1926.

The Ancient Order United Workmen began in the United States in 1868 and was the first fraternal benefit society to offer financial insurance to its members. Providing insurance for workingmen during the 1860s was a novel idea, but the A.O.U.W believed that its fraternal structure and its low overhead costs made it more likely to succeed compared to commercial life insurance firms that often went bankrupt. Working class men had to apply for membership and if accepted, had to pay a $1.00 initiation fee. When a member died, his dependents would receive a $2,000 payout. After the death of a member, each remaining member in the association would be required to pay another $1.00 to replenish the fund. The popularity of the association resulted in many branches being established throughout the United States and even in Canada. The Grand Lodge of Ontario A.O.U.W. chapter was established in 1880 and had 226 lodges in the province, including the Hamilton Lodge No.49, which was established that same year with 500 initial members. The Hamilton Lodge was similar to the parent association in that it was a fraternal benevolent organization providing social and financial support to its members and their dependents by visiting the sick, assisting the poor, and caring for the orphans and widows of deceased members. The association also promoted the establishment of libraries and reading rooms to further education and learning, as well as advocated for apprenticeship opportunities. The association was incorporated by the Ancient Order of Independent Foresters in 1926.

Both native to Prince Edward Island, Elaine Hughes (nee Corr) and Bernie Hughes left the province and moved to Hamilton, Ontario. At the age of 18, Elaine moved to Hamilton and began attending the P.E.I. Country Club on the corner of Bay and King Sts, where she later met Bernie Hughes. Bernie Hughes started his country music career in Hamilton on CHCH TV’s Saturday Night Jamboree, playing with a band called the Rhythmaires. He later formed a band of his own called the Mountain City Playboys and frequently performed at the Jockey Club in Hamilton, Merritt Hall in Ancaster, along with other venues in the area, and a featured performance and the Grand Ole Opry in 1961.

Elaine Hughes used to work for the Mountain City Playboys by copying out music for the band, ordering uniforms and performing general management duties. In 1971, Bernie & Elaine Hughes released their first album together, and they ran a live radio broadcast from the Saddle Room at the Jockey Club for 17 years.

Bernie Hughes was a respected member of the Hamilton Musicians’ Guild and was considered by the music community as one of the “fathers of country music” in Hamilton. In 1981, Bernie died after a long battle with cancer. Elaine Hughes continued to sing and play music after his death and formed a musical partnership with Smiling Bill McCormack. Elaine continues to play country music with friends at the Veteran’s Service League in Hamilton.

Ivan S. Brookes, a resident of Hamilton, Ont., was a marine historian, writer and photographer. His research interests were in the early navigation of the Great Lakes. In 1973 he published The Lower St. Lawrence about navigation in and around the lower St. Lawrence river area. He also authored an unpublished history of Hamilton Harbour in the nineteenth century. In 1985 the Marine Historical Society of Detroit declared him Marine Historian of the Year for his body of work on Great Lakes maritime history. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War Two and in 1947 joined the staff of the Steel Company of Canada. Before his passing in the spring of 1993, he developed a significant collection of photographs and other material, much of which can now be consulted in the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes at Bowling Green State University.

William Bruce (1832-1927) was born at Unst, Shetland Islands on November 7, 1832 and was the eldest son of Magnus Bruce of an old Scottish family. William was brought to Canada at the age of four; attended Dr. Tassie’s school in Hamilton, and at the age of sixteen entered McQuesten and Fisher’s foundry as an apprentice. He later attended Oberlin College in Ohio and from 1858-1867 was a writing master at the Central School in Hamilton. He was skilled in penmanship, illumination of manuscripts, painting and was also an expert photographer, astronomer, lecturer and a keen freemason.
On March 1, 1855 William Bruce married Jennet Blair of Glanford. The Blair family came to Canada from Ayrshire, Scotland around the same time as the Bruce family. Jennet was described as “a lady remarkable for mental and physical activity.” William and Jennet Bruce had two sons and a daughter. Irvie, the elder son, died in adolescence. William Blair the artist, born in 1859, died in Stockholm Sweden. In 1906, Bella Christina, Mrs. John Walkden, died in 1958 at the age of ninety.
About 1869, William bough the ten acres of property on Hamilton Mountain which is now Bruce Park, between Queensdale and Brucedale Avenues East. Here at “Elmwood” Mrs. Bruce kept a cow and chickens, a vegetable garden and orchard, kept house, brought up the children, and looked after her husband’s comfort. She died on January 27, 1904.
Of all William Bruce’s interests perhaps astronomy was the most outstanding. His observatory in the hayfield behind his house attracted not only the surrounding population but also many noted scientists. Some of his telescopes are at McMaster University, Hamilton. William Bruce died at “Elmwood” 191 Brucedale Avenue, Hamilton, on March 7, 1927 and was buried in Hamilton cemetery with full masonic rites.
William Blair Bruce (1859-1906) was the first artist from Hamilton to gain international status. He was a figure, landscape and marine painter. He studied law and worked as an architectural draftsman before turning to art. Bruce attended the Hamilton Mechanics Institute, 1877, and studied privately under the Hamilton artist, Henry Martin. He attended Academie Julian, Paris 1881 and was also active in Giverny. He married Caroline Benedicks, a Swedish sculptor, in 1888.

Raymond Lowes (1911-2007) joined the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club in 1959 and as the chairman of a conservation committee he submitted a proposal to build a walking trail along the Niagara Escarpment. The proposal went to the Federation of Ontario Naturalists in 1960 and a Bruce Trail Committee was formed on September 23, 1960 to do a feasibility study. The original Bruce Trail Committee included Raymond Lowes, Phil Gosling, Dr. Norman Pearson and Dr. Robert McLaren. A membership organization was started and incorporated in 1963 as the Bruce Trail Association. The goal was set to complete the project in time for Canada’s Centennial in 1967. It took from 1963 to 1967 to build the trail, and it opened in June of 1967. The trail runs the length of the Niagara Escarpment from Tobermory to Queenston a distance of 720 kilometres (432 miles). The Bruce Trail Association acquired a permanent headquarters in 1984 with the acquisition and restoration of Rasberry House on the grounds of the Royal Botanical Gardens. In 2009, the Bruce Trail Association became known as the Bruce Trail Conservancy, which reflects of the association's mandate to conserve the land on which the Bruce Trail is situated. The Bruce Trail Conservancy is comprised of 9 regional clubs, each of which is responsible for a section of the trail: Niagara Bruce Trail Club (Queenston to Grimsby), Iroquia Bruce Trail Club (Grimsby to Kelso), Toronto Bruce Trail Club (Kelso to Cheltenham), Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club (Cheltenham to Mono Centre), Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club (Mono Centre to Lavender), Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club (Lavender to Craigleath), Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club (Craigleath to Blantyre), Sydenham Bruce Trail Club (Blantyre to Wiarton) and Peninsula Bruce Trail Club (Wiarton to Tobermory).

William Bruce was born at Unst, Shetland Islands on November 7, 1832 and was the eldest son of Magnus Bruce of an old Scottish family. William was brought to Canada at the age of four; attended Dr. Tassie’s school in Hamilton, and at the age of sixteen entered McQuesten and Fisher’s foundry as an apprentice. He later attended Oberlin College in Ohio and from 1858-1867 was a writing master at the Central School in Hamilton. He was skilled in penmanship, illumination of manuscripts, painting and was also an expert photographer, astronomer, lecturer and a keen freemason.
On March 1, 1855 William Bruce married Jennet Blair of Glanford. The Blair family came to Canada from Ayrshire, Scotland around the same time as the Bruce family. Jennet was described as “a lady remarkable for mental and physical activity.” William and Jennet Bruce had two sons and a daughter. Irvie, the elder son, died in adolescence. William Blair the artist, born in 1859, died in Stockholm Sweden. In 1906, Bella Christina, Mrs. John Walkden, died in 1958 at the age of ninety.
About 1869, William bough the ten acres of property on Hamilton Mountain which is now Bruce Park, between Queensdale and Brucedale Avenues East. Here at “Elmwood” Mrs. Bruce kept a cow and chickens, a vegetable garden and orchard, kept house, brought up the children, and looked after her husband’s comfort. She died on January 27, 1904.
Of all William Bruce’s interests perhaps astronomy was the most outstanding. His observatory in the hayfield behind his house attracted not only the surrounding population but also many noted scientists. Some of his telescopes are at McMaster University, Hamilton. William Bruce died at “Elmwood” 191 Brucedale Avenue, Hamilton, on March 7, 1927 and was buried in Hamilton cemetery with full masonic rites.

The Registrar of Shipping in Hamilton, Ontario documented the ownership of small vessels and large passenger and freight ships, by administering and tracking ownership, transfers in ownership and vessel name changes. The registrar documented the particulars of vessels through builder's certificates and ship surveys, and also compiled various correspondence, as well as reports for shipwrecks, strandings and collisions.

The Registrar of Shipping, Hamilton, Ontario documented the ownership of small vessels and large passenger and freight ships, by administering and tracking ownership, transfers in ownership and vessel name changes. The Registrar documented the particulars of vessels through builder's certificates and ship surveys, and also compiled various correspondence, as well as reports for shipwrecks, strandings and collisions. In the early years, the Registrar of Shipping operated its offices out of the Hamilton Customs House, which handled the flow of trade and passengers through the Port of Hamilton and along the railway line.

Captain James Sutherland (1805-1857), was born in Hoy, Orkney Islands, Scotland to a sea-faring family. He began his sailing career at the age of seventeen starting as a low-ranking mate and climbing the ladder to captain. He immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1831 and sailed the steamboat Queenston, owned by John Hamilton. He married Margaret Robinson in 1833 and moved to a house on Hughson Street in Hamilton, Ontario. During his sailing career, Sutherland commanded some of the newest and most prestigious steamers to sail the Great Lakes such as the Traveller and the Niagara. By partnering with wealthy Hamilton investors, Sutherland who was of modest means, was able to co-own and command a fleet of steamships, including his most notable steamboat the Magnet. He retired from sailing in 1853 to work for the Great Western Railway Company. On March 12, 1857, Captain James Sutherland became the most notable Hamiltonian to lose his life in a train wreck on the Desjardins Canal Bridge.

In 1909, the electors of Hamilton, following the example of many other Canadian cities which during the proceeding 20 years had adopted new government structures, approved By-law 860 by a vote of 2,786 to 1,213 thereby providing for the establishment of a Board of Control under the Ontario Consolidated Municipal Act, 1905. The new Board was formed under By-laws 899 and 900. The organization of such municipal bodies was part of the reformist zeal of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which saw businessmen campaign to restructure local government along more efficient eand orderly lines, imitating the modern business corporation. In part, their goal was to end civic corruption and favoritism and to reduce the influence of aldermen and the ward system, as well as to govern the city paying special attention to the needs of business.

Previously, mayors such as John S. Hendrie (1901-1902) had appealed to voters on a "business platform," promising better municipal management, and under their stewardship several civic bodies of "experts" had been organized including the Hospital Board (1896), the Board of Cemetery Management (1899), and the Board of Parks Management (1900). The new Board of Control served as the executive committee of Council; indeed, its creation was a move to strengthen the executive branch without sacrificing "the democratic form of an elected body." It was composed of four members, elected at large every two years, and the Mayor who served as Chairman of the Board. The Controller receiving the largest number of votes acted as Deputy Mayor and Vice Chairman of the Board.

In the early 1930s, a suggestion was put forth by Mayor John Peebles "to promote the better business administration of the city" by appointing a chief administrative officer. Such an appointment, it was believed, would foster greater co-operation and coordination between the branches of civic government, thereby encouraging continuity in the development of city policy and eliminating the duplication of effort arising from divided authority. The chief administrative officer would be in charge of personnel and would act as a single, informed source whom Council could consult. Peebles' proposal was examined by Council but was not acted upon. For the next fifty years the question of employing a chief administrative officer was raised periodically, but the position was not established. More particularly, the idea was revived during the mayoralty of Victor Copps (1963-1976), who urged the adoption of a "manager type of government" to free the Board of Control from spending its time on administrative details, thus allowing it to concentrate on formulating and enforcing policy. In 1980, Hamilton appointed a chief administrative officer and the Board of Control was abolished.

A city solicitor was appointed in 1847 by Hamilton City Council to provide advice concerning legal and legislative matters and to promote and defend the interests of the corporation. At first, payment was covered by fees for individual services rendered, and the solicitor sent in detailed accounts payable for Council's approval. In 1891, under By-law 583 the solicitorship was made a strictly salaried position with compensation allowed for disbursements and traveling expenses. After 1895, Council made an annual payment towards the salaries of legal clerks and assistants and to cover office expenses incurred on the City's behalf. During these years the duties of the solicitor, which previously had been determined by need on an ad hoc basis, were systematically laid out.

Until 1902, the city solicitorship was not a full-time position, and the solicitor continued to maintain a private legal practice while conducting the city's business. At that time, recognizing that the growing volume of civic legal business necessitated a full-time solicitor, a separate legal department was established with offices at City Hall. The earlier policy had led to potential conflicts of interest. In 1869, Council demanded that the city solicitor choose between representing the city or the Wellington, Gray, and Bruce Railway in which the city held an interest, maintaining that "the two offices are incompatible and ought not to be held by the same person." In 1872, while preparing the Hamilton and Northwestern Railway By-law, the Finance Committee discovered that the city solicitor also had been retained by the Provisional Directors of the Railway. It recommended that the city dispense with the solicitor's services, but Council reserved judgment. The matter finally was settled when the solicitor resigned. As with other branches of civic government, the growth of Hamilton in both size and complexity promoted the expansion of the solicitor's department. In 1920, an assistant city solicitor was appointed. Staff lawyers, often specialists in specific areas of law, were added to the legal department. By 1973, six lawyers and one law student staffed the department, and its appropriations totaled $344,310. The following individuals served as city solicitor: George W. Burton, 1847-1872; Frank Mackelcan, 1872-1906; John Morison Gibson, 1872-1894; F. R. Waddell, 1906-1931; A.J. Poulson, 1931-1957; Alan S. Stewart, 1957-1959; A. Foster Rodger, 1959-1965; Clifford R. Demaray, 1965-1967; Kenneth A. Rouff, 1967-1989; and Patrice Noe Johnson, 1990-[?].

Under Hamilton's Act of Incorporation City Council could appoint a non-councillor to serve as City Clerk. His duties, many of which were first established by practice and precedent, were set out in Statutes and municipal by-laws. The Clerk, with the authority to summon committee meetings and to convene Council meetings when required by a competent authority, attended all Council meetings, recording the proceedings "without note or comment." He was the custodian of city documents, keeping Council's books, records, and accounts, the original or certified copies of by-laws, and the City Seal, attending to Council's correspondence, and storing all deeds, securities, leases, and other valuable papers belonging to the city in his office safe; these records were not to leave his possession without the permission of the Mayor or the Chairman of the Finance Committee.

In 1861, the Clerk was given permission to employ help as needed on a temporary basis, and it was not until 1884 that Samuel H. Kent was appointed as permanent Assistant City Clerk, serving also as Assistant Secretary to the school Board and deputizing for the City Clerk as Police Court Clerk. In 1886, a general duties clerk was added to the department. Nonetheless, in 1891, City Clerk Thomas Beasley complained to Council that the growth of the city, the result of a major annexation occurring earlier in the year, had led to a great increase in the work of the department; consequently, finding his work backing up, he had been forced to hire help out of his own pocket. By 1925, the department had expanded to consist of the City Clerk, 2 Assistants, and 10 clerks. By 1973, office staff stood at over 40 with departmental appropriations set at $496,840. Under the super vision of the Ontario Government, increasing emphasis was placed on professionalization; after 1958, for example, the City Clerk was required to have university training in public administration. Originally the Clerk was paid a salary and could keep the fees he collected but in 1850 this was changed to a larger salary in lieu of fees.

Clearly, because of the multiplicity and important nature of his functions, a competent, experienced City Clerk was essential to the smooth and efficient operation of municipal government. Thus, it is unsurprising that between its incorporation as a city and the introduction of regional government in 1973, Hamilton had only 6 City Clerks, with 3 Clerks overseeing operations between 1854 and 1964. Continuity and stability in terms of senior personnel was the hallmark of the department, with new Clerks often chosen internally after serving a long apprenticeship. For example, Samuel H. Kent (1906-1935) had joined the Clerk's office in 1884. Such continuity, moreover, led to a close and personal identification on the part of City Clerks with local government and its fortunes. For example, Thomas Beasley (1854-1906) rescued the City from bankruptcy during the financial crisis of 1863 by hiding assessment rolls from the sheriff and then leaving town. The following individuals served as City Clerk: Charles H. Stocker, 1847-1852; John Kirby, 1852-1854; Thomas Beasley, 1854-1906; Samuel H. Kent, 1906-1933; James Berry, 1933-1964; Edward A. Simpson, 1964-1996; and Joseph J. Schatz, 1996-[?]

The Act of Incorporation of Hamilton required that the affairs of the city be managed by a Mayor and a Municipal or "Common Council", replacing the previous government by the Board of Police. The Mayor and Councillors composed City Council. Two Councillors were elected in each of the five municipal wards established by the Act, and together they named one other person to serve with them on Council. From among their number the Councillors chose the Mayor, who held office for a one year term. The system, at times, could cause problems as in 1854 when all the Councillors successively were nominated for mayor and were defeated. Minors and non-citizens were ineligible to run for office, and property qualifications were established. The Mayor was paid a salary in lieu of fees and prerogatives.

In April 1872, in the midst of a period of labour agitation, a Special Committee reported to Council on the method by which the Mayor was elected. Its report concluded that the present system was objectionable on several grounds: first, electors wanted to select the Mayor themselves; second, the election of the Mayor by councillors deprived one ward of an elected alderman; third, it implied that each alderman was suitable for the office of Mayor when the electors had voted for him as an alderman, not as Mayor; and fourth, the position "would be elevated in dignity and independence and the interests of the Electors would be advanced by his being elected by the people at large." In 1874, Benjamin Charlton became the first Mayor of Hamilton elected by a civic vote. Individual Mayors could leave their impact on both the office and the city. For example, Charles Magill (1854-55) championed the construction of the waterworks. T.J. Stewart (1907-08) was a vocal advocate of the municipal ownership of utilities. Lloyd D. Jackson (1949-62) promoted urban renewal in the city. The inaugural addresses which the Mayors presented to Council from 1898 until 1973, included in Council minutes, reflected their concerns and plans for the municipality and outlined the accomplishments of previous Councils.

Charles Schriber Cochran, son of William Cochran and Mary Rupert, was born in Paris, West Canada in 1854. He married Cicely Eliza Springer and had two sons. In 1886, he and his family moved to Hamilton, where Cochran opened a photography studio in June of 1886 at 124 King Street East. By the mid-1890's his was one of the most prominent studios in the area, winning awards at conventions of the Photographic Association of Canada, and receiving honours at the Jamaica Convention (1891) and the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893), also known as the Chicago World's Fair. Around 1899, Cochran was commissioned by W.H. Carre of Montreal to take photographs of the city for Artwork of Hamilton (1899). In 1902, he sold his studio to A.M. Cunningham (Alexander McKenzie Cunningham), who had previously been in his employ. Conchran remaining in Hamilton until 1904 before moving to the United States. He eventually settled in California, where he resided until his death in 1933.