When Thorold’s population was 370

All the land on which Thorold is built was originally included in the crown grants to George Keefer, Jacob Ball and George Hoover.

The Keefer house stood on the hill where Maplehurst was then built. The Hoover homestead was just east of the road bridge over the new canal, while the Balls lived on what is now St. Davids Road, just east of the Grand Trunk Railway track. The Balls had given the land for the churchyard; and the long church and manse then stood in the midst of their fields. The next house built within town limits was that owned by the estate of the late Judge Baxter; it was the homestead of Squire Black, who bought a farm from the original patentee. 

The early history of Thorold has been included in that of the township, for, with the exception of the Battle of Beaverdams, no event of importance happened here until the construction of the canal in 1824.

In 1827, two years before navigation opened, Mr. Keefer built the stone grist mill later known as the Niagara Casket Factory. The stone was obtained from Hoover’s quarry, through which the new canal ran. While the work of the canal was progressing, the company promised Mr. Keefer, as he was a large shareholder and had taken so great an interest in the project, that if he would built a stone mill with four run of stone, ready for work when the water was let in, he, his heirs and assigns, should have the hydraulic power rent-free forever. As the mill was finished in time, it enjoyed from the government the free water power promised by the canal company.

Originally, Thorold had been well-wooded, and for a long time after the land was cleared it was known as “Stumptown.” Then the name “St. George” was proposed, in honour of Mr. Keefer, and for a few years that designation was common; but before the post office was established, the name of the township had been given to the new village. It is impossible to obtain the date of the first post office situated here, but such an institution is known to have been in existence before 1824. The first post office called Thorold was situated at Beaverdams; the mail was distributed there in the shop kept by George and Jacob Keefer. Afterwards, the office was removed Mr. Keefer’s store on St. Davids Street, Thorold, in the midst of the village.

In 1824, a large number of the Irish and English immigrants employed on the canal made their homes at Thorold, and shops, inns and houses had to be built for the accommodation of the newcomers. From that year until 1887, the canals offered a constant means of employment to the thousands of workmen who came in successive relays to this district. 

With the increase of population, new industries sprang up, and a great deal of money was spent in the place. The government always paid the men’s wages promptly, and the “fifteenth” of each month took the place of the “quarter-day” to which the labourers had been accustomed in the old country. The money was not always wisely spent, and the “fifteenth” came to be known as a day on which the constables had to be particularly vigilant.

During the building of the old canal, the new residents lived near the works, and Front and Pine Streets became the centres of business. At the head of Front Street, George Hoover had a large general store where the City Hotel followed, and many smaller shops were opened afterwards.

The Irish “canallers,” as the workmen were popularly called, had brought their religious differences in an intensified form to this country, and occasionally humiliating broils took place, but as the men began to make permanent homes in the place, they gradually came to identify themselves with the Canadians. 

On the whole, no better element could have been introduced into the township than the quick Hibernian temperament with which to offset the more phlegmatic character of the Dutch and German settlers. At this time, local names were common for the different parts of the village. On the west side of the canal, the southern end was known as Connaught town, while the northern portion, through which St. Davids Street runs, was called Protestant Hill, and when the woods farther west were included, it was spoken of as the Queen’s Bush.

On Aug. 7, 1835, a census of Thorold was taken by Jacob Keefer, which showed the total population then to be 370. 

The families are thus enumerated:
West side of the canal: