MapsNotable Windsorites

The Legacy of Samuel Smith MacDonell

July 24, 2022
The name S. S. MacDonell may not mean much to the average Windsorite today, but this man was crucial to Windsor’s development, and is the man responsible for creating both Wyandotte and Erie Streets. Born in 1823 in Toronto, he went to college studied law and was called to the bar in 1847. He joined the North York militia in 1842, eventually becoming lieutenant-colonel in the Essex…
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Notable WindsoritesOld Newspaper Stories

Chief Clarence DeFields 1877-1965

January 30, 2022
Today we take a look at the life and times of Chief Clarence DeFields, Windsor’s longtime Fire Chief. He was a fireman with the Windsor Fire Department from 1900-1916 when he became the chief. He served as Fire Chief for 30 years, from 1916 until his retirement at the…
Notable WindsoritesOld Newspaper Stories

Fred Neal - 1855-1931

September 12, 2021
Fred Neal was a local historian, who’s early work “Township of Sandwich, Past & Present” left us an invaluable record of early days in Sandwich. If you don’t have a copy, or have never read it, a copy can be found here…
Notable Windsorites

J Clark Keith - 1886-1982

July 18, 2021
Continuing with the recent theme of notable Windsorites, today we present J Clark Keith J Clark Keith – 1976 He was an engineer who helped shape the Windsor we know today. He was born in Smith’s Falls, Ontario in 1886. His first surveying job was with the Grand Trunk Railroad surveying the Northern Ontario section. He studied at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1911. Upon…
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Notable WindsoritesWindsor

H. W. Patterson House - 2277 Lincoln Road

July 11, 2021
Image from Google Streetview Down in my neighbourhood in South Walkerville is this handsome Georgian style brick home. The house was built in 1924 by Harry W. (H.W.) Patterson. Patterson at his retirement from the Airport in 1959 Patterson was an interesting man.
Notable Windsorites

Edgar Nelson Bartlet 1862-1927

March 30, 2020
E. N. Bartlet – 1927 With last week’s article about the Bartlet building, some questions came up about who was the building named after? I did some research over the last week and came up with the obituary for Edgar Nelson Bartlet, the man who built the building that still bears his name on University Avenue West to this day. MR. EDGAR NELSON BARTLET, member of one of the oldest…
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