St. Catharines, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada
MacGREGOR & STEVENS families
My ancestor Neil MacGregor (1816 – 1874) came from Kinloch Rannoch in Perthshire, Scotland to what was then Upper Canada (now Ontario, Canada) in 1828. He worked in Chippawa which is just upstream from Niagara Falls. Neil was one of the 50 Militia soldiers who, under Royal Navy Captain Drew, rowed out in seven rowboats to attack the rebel supply ship CAROLINE during the 1837 Rebellion. This event nearly triggered another war with the United States because the supply vessel was tied up on the American side of the shore when the attackers found her. An American was killed and the vessel was destroyed. Neil MacGregor was a Deputy Sheriff in the Lincoln Country area.
William STEVEN moved from Brechin, Angus, Scotland on the East Coast, to Brooklyn and worked for his uncle making headstones for the large cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. He later added the “S” at the end of the name and the Stevens family eventually moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, where William STEVEN(S) married a daughter of Neil MacGregor, Mary Maud MacGregor. St. Catharines is in the Niagara Peninsula, near Niagara Falls.
William STEVEN(s)’ son William Arnott Stevens (1888 – 1961) joined the 19th St. Catharines Regiment about 1907 as an officer and was actively involved with the militia for most of his life. He was also a Manager with Canada, Warren & Pink Company (I am not completely sure of the name) which made axe handles etc.
The family owned a bicycle shop which closed about 1913 and also were partners in Stevens & Adie Cycles. Here are then and now photos of the S&A Cycles (sporting goods) Store on St. James St., St. Catharines.
