James Secord (merchant)

James Secord was born on July 7, 1773, in Westchester County, Province of New York. He was the youngest child of James Secord (1732–1784) and Madelaine Badeau. James was a descendant of Ambroise Sicard, a Hugenout who had come to British America in 1688 to escape religious persecution in France. While James was still an infant, his family moved west and settled on the Susquehanna River in an area that was claimed by both Connecticut and Pennsylvania. In 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, his father and three older brothers travelled to Fort Niagara and joined the British Indian Department leaving Madelaine and the younger children behind. His brothers transferred to Butler's Rangers upon its formation while his father continued serving in the Indian Department as a Lieutenant. The following year, Madelaine abandoned their home on the Susquehanna and brought James and his three sisters to Fort Niagara. In a letter written in 1861 to the Reverend Egerton Ryerson, Elizabeth Spohn described how her grandmother, Elizabeth Bowman, arrived at Fort Niagara along with Madelaine and her children: By August 1780, James's father had left the Indian Department and had begun clearing land along Four Mile Creek west of the Niagara River. In 1782, his father and an uncle, Peter Secord, obtained government help with the construction of a gristmill and sawmill with the understanding that the mills would be owned by the Crown but operated by the Secords. Construction of the mills was completed late in 1783. When James's father died in 1784, his uncle became the sole tenant. A small village known as Four Mile Mills developed around the mills but later underwent a name change to St. Davids. ==Merchant==

James became a merchant in St. Davids dealing in flour, potash and other products. James struggled as a merchant in both St. David's and Queenston. He was frequently in debt and lost most of his land holdings through sales or foreclosure. One of James creditors was his brother-in-law, Kingston merchant Richard Cartwright who was highly critical of James's business practices. Business, however, slowly improved and by 1812, James was able to employ two servants and could claim that he was "in easy circumstances." == War of 1812 ==

When the United States declared war against Britain in June 1812, James joined the militia as a sergeant in the 1st Lincoln Regiment but was later attached to Isaac Swayze's troop of Provincial Royal Artillery Drivers, also known as the "Car Brigade." This unit was responsible for moving field guns and supplying ammunition during military engagements. James had previously been a captain in the 1st Lincoln Regiment but had resigned his commission before 1812. This story has been discounted by later biographers as the Americans had surrendered hours before James was found. == After the war ==

James and Laura struggled financially for many years after the war. His wounds were disabling and he never fully recovered. He needed a walking stick to move about and was no longer able to engage in physical labour. In 1820, James was given a license to operate a quarry on the military reserve near Queenston, however, dressed stone was not in high demand. Three years later he was granted a pension of £18 a year for his wartime service. James claimed for property damages and losses during the war and was compensated £485. In a 1829 letter to Laura's sister he wrote: "With respect to our worldly affairs I am sorry to say we are not very prosperous. We make out to live and have clothing and food, but riches, my dear woman, it seem, is not for James Secord." In 1832, James successfully petitioned for a grant of land as he had been a captain in the 1st Lincoln before the war. James was appointed Registrar of the Niagara District Surrogate Court in 1828, and was made a Judge of the Surrogate Court a few years later. He resigned from this position in 1835 when he was appointed Collector of Customs at Chippawa. James and Laura turned over their Queenston home to their son Charles, and moved to the Customs House in Chippewa. James died of a stroke on February 22, 1841 at the age of 67. He was survived by Laura and six of his seven children. Two more children had been born after the war, Laura Ann in 1815 and Hannah in 1817, but his daughter Appolonia had died in Queenston from typhus at the age of 18. James was buried in the Drummond Hill Cemetery, site of the 1814 Battle of Lundy's Lane. == References ==