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Notes on Early Hatt Ancestors

These notes are extracted from the Geneology Database that is the foundation of these Hatt Web pages.  The names are links to their position in the database and the notes are the same ones that are linked by the "note" links on the Web Pages

HATT, RICHARD (b. abt 1736, d. 18 NOV 1797)

Note: Notes from Family Stories: For detail references on Historical Facts, see notes on Richard Hatt II - founder of Dundas, Ontario.

Richard Hatt senior, was a London Woolen Draper who, in 1775, moved his family to Wormley, Hertfordshire and became a tenant farmer with substantial acreage [ on the estate of Sir Abraham Hume]. Although only a tenant farmer, Hatt senior enjoyed a measure of prosperity. Local taxes indicate that he paid L26.16 on his land; most paid a few shillings only. Moreover between 1775 and 1795 he held several local offices and attended faithfully almost every parish meeting.
Spurred by the death of his wife in 1791, the expiration of his lease, and the spectre of increasing costs, Richard decided to join his son in Upper Canada.He was decidedly unlike the usual settler. He desired a "considerable tract" to farm and was willing to expend as much money as would obtain a good settlement.
In the fall of 1796, Richard Hatt I arrived in Upper Canada with his family bringing letters of introduction from the Duke of Portland and the Marquis of Salisbury. The Hatt's, Richard I, Richard II, Samuel and Augustus were granted 1200 Acres each by the Government. Richard II and Samuel chose their land in Glandford, but later in 1797, moved to land which they purchased in Ancaster. Here they opened a General Store and in 1798 they built their "Red Mill" [ a grist mill about halfway down stream from Ancaster Village] near a hilly road called Devil's Elbow.

Occupation: Miller/Farmer/Draper

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HATT, RICHARD (b. 10 SEP 1769, d. 26 SEP 1819)

Note: Excerpts of information has been taken from Family Records and Stories over the many years. Should anyone wish to read the Historical details of this area and its people, I would strongly recommend the following publications:

o The History of Dundas-Part 1 to 3, published by the Dundas Historical Society and compiled by T Roy Woodhouse [1965]
o Dictionary of Hamilton Biography, Volume 1
o Wentworth Landmarks - published by the Spectator Printing Company LTD.[1897], Chapter VI
o Ancaster's Heritage, Volume 1&2, published by the Ancaster Historical Society - 1973
o St.Catharines Public Library - private special collections on the Hatt Family

Richard Hatt - 3rd Great Grandson
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Richard Hatt II was a Businessman, judge, office holder, militia officer, postmaster.....the recognized founder of Dundas.
Richard emigrated in March 1792 arriving in Canada that June. He moved to Upper Canada and by December 1794 was engaged in the Mercentile Business.

Richard Hatt's father [ Richard Hatt I] , told his son that to be 'Industrious, obliging, and to act with strict fidelity', was the key to success in life. At the time of his father arriving in the spring of 1796, Richard was a partner of McKay & Co. Almost immediately, Richard decided to move out of Niagara on the Lake, and as early as 1796, settled in Ancaster Township and opened a General Store. He seemed to be more interested in processing goods rather than just provisioning.

In Ancaster, Richard & Samuel built a mill just below the village - the so-called Red Mill, just below the the Village and near a hilly road called the Devil's Elbow - [ 6 acres on lot 47, concession1 ]. It was completed in 1798. Its three run of stones turned out 20 bags of flower and 30 bags of pot barley per day. The water wheel generated 15 HP.He also built a distillery to use up the mildeweed or smutty grain. The Hatt brothers [Richard & Samuel] cleared a road from Ancaster to what is now known as Dundas to gain more customers. This was only modestly successful.

Richard turned his attention to Spencer's Creek, rich in milling sites and largely undeveloped. He purchased, from Edward Peer, along with his brother Samuel, Dundas Mills - its dam and its 2400 foot long flume. South of his 'New Dundas Mills', Richard built a new and larger cooperage, and about 100 yards upstream he built a distillery where moldy and smutty grain, unfit for flower, could be fermented and distilled into whiskey. He also built hog fattening pens where the mash was used for feed.
In this decade, Richard was appointed Justice of the Peace, and he became a Major in the Lincoln Militia in 1803.
In 1804 Richard Hatt provided the money for clearing the debris from Spencer Creek and for deepening the channel in places, so that barges with heavy loads could be poled up in the Town plot. In 1805 he opened up Hatt Street. About 1805 he changed Peer's Dundas Mills to an oatmeal mill and built a stone store just east of it. This building is now known as #2 Hatt Street, was later used as a blacksmith shop for nearly a century and a quarter, then changed into a residence in 1943, and in 1961 it was remodelled into an electrical store.
Hatt's Mill became the centre around which developed the community that would in 1814 adopt the name Dundas. As it grew, it would engulf the earlier village of Cootes Paradise. All roads led to the mills. For his own home he chose the site on which the House of Providence is now located. He called his home Ogilvie Terrace, and today's Olgilvie Street was his front driveway. Here also he built, about 1807, a log building which he as a magistrate used for trying cases, and for jailing those whom he found guilty. This building has been called the first courthouse in Wentworth County. The Magistrate, Richard Hatt, presided at all meetings of Dundas and was one of the principle creators of Dundas. By 1808, he owned all the water rights and mills on Spencer Creek from Websters Falls to Main Street. He, more than any other individual can be credited with creating the Town of Dundas. For two decades he was the community leader, and the prime moving force behind all community projects.

In 1817 Richard and Mary Hatt sent to England for a Silver Communion Service for the use of the church in the village of Cootes Paradise. Since there was no church in the village at that time, the service was used at fireside meetings for years, and was not actually presented to any church until the opening of St.James Anglican Church on December 31, 1843. John Ogilvie Hatt ( Richard's son ) presented the GIFT to the Reverend William McMurray. It was inscribed,"The gift of Richard and Mary Hatt". It is still preserved by the Church Officials, but has not been used for many years.

An outstanding event in 1818 was the publication of Dundas' first newspaper. It came about as follows: A man named Joseph Willcocks, in July 1807, started publishing the province's fourth newspaper, The Upper canada Guardian or Freeman's Journal. When he became a fiery critic of the government, Richard Hatt tried to silence him by purchasing his printing plant in early 1812. When the war broke out, Willcocks became a traitor to Canada by joining the invading Americans. He was killed on September 5th, 1814, while leading a company of American troops at Fort Erie.

It was not until after the war that Richard again thought of his purchase. Remembering the surveyor, Richard Cockerell, who had taught Rosseau's children in Ancaster twenty years earlier, and had been publishing The St.David's Spectator for the last 2 years, Richard Hatt hired him to do 2 jobs:........to teach the Hatt Children and to publish his newspaper [ the first in Gore District and the fourteenth in Upper Canada.

Richard Cockerell published the first edition of the Upper Canada Phoenix on February 3rd, 1818. [ issue # 66 dated May 4th, 1819, hangs in the Dundas Historical Museum ] The last known issue was dated September 28th, 1819, in which is chronicled the death of its owner. This was a real tragedy, because Mr. Hatt had just reached the peak of his career, having been elected to the House of the Assembly in 1818, taking his seat on February 6th. Hatt's most important activity in the assembly concerned the public accounts. Besides findingseveral irregularities in the contingent expenses of the government, Hatt's committee demanded that all public funds be subject to the scrutiny of the assembly 'according to the usage of the British Parliament it constitutionally should be'. Richard Hatt was the first judge in Gore District in 1816.

Richard Hatt's tombstone reads,"To The Memory of Richard Hatt // A Native of Middlesex England // born the 10th of Sept. 1769 // died the 26th of Sept. 1819 // A TRIBUTE OF AFFECTION ERECTED BY HIS SON - THOMAS HATT"
This marker was discovered in 1947 on an Ancaster farm by Jim & Bill English. This tombstone was brought to Dundas where it was held until a rededication ceremony in 1967 at the Grove Cemetary in Dundas. Elsie (Hatt) Indermaur of Lakewood Ohio, Ora (Hatt) Cunningham of Syracuse NY, and Lola (Hatt) Harbison of Buffalo NY., with their families, attended this rededication of Richard Hatt as the Founder of Dundas. The tombstone was placed at the grave of grandson John Thomas Hatt, his wife Isabella Booth and their daughter Evelyn [ who died at 6 years of age ].

Richards remains lie in a recently discovered gravesite on an Ancaster Farm. [ see notes on Mary Cooley, Richard's wife, for details on the Cooley Cemetery]

Richard's last child was born after his death, consequently his estate was not divided until March 27, 1840, under the terms of an agreement written on eight large parchment sheets made from the skins of eight sheep. This agreement , preserved in the Dundas Historical Society Museum, distributed 5617 acres of land, and 414 Dundas Town lots, as well as his mills, shops, stores, houses, etc. His estate was administered by his close friends, Ralph Leeming and Doctor James Hamilton. At his death he was one of the wealthiest men in Upper Canada and one its most successful Businessmen.

Richard Hatt was only fifty years of age when he died. What might he have accomplished for Dundas and the area had he lived a longer life? We can only speculate!

HATT, SAMUEL (b. 30 NOV 1775, d. 8 JUL 1842)

COOLEY, MARY KATE (b. 3 JUL 1780, d. 24 JUL 1843)

Nickname: Polly

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HATT, MARY (b. 25 JAN 1800, d. 23 FEB 1876)

Note: Reference to the Hatt family Bible:

Jane Ada (Hatt) Leavers has noted that the Hatt Family Bible was left by Mary Hatt to son Thomas Collyer Hatt, then to his son John Thomas Hatt, then to his son Thomas Haroel Hatt and finally to his daughter, Jane Ada (Hatt) Leavers.
As a little girl, Jane remembers her grandfather bringing the bibles to her father. Several years ago, from the lists of names and dates in the front of the bible, Jane started a family tree. Later on , John Hamilton continued the research and brought us to this date. Jane also has the original marriage licences of Thomas Collyer Hatt & Jennet Secord, and John Thomas Hatt & Isabella Booth.
Mary Hatt died at her son's home ( R.B.Coulson ) in Toronto

Baptism: 24 JUL 1800

Death: 23 FEB 1876 Toronto, On.,

Burial: Guelph, On.,

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GRANT, ELIZABETH EMMA MARY (b. 18 AUG 1848, d. 14 DEC 1931)

Note: SPRY'S GRAND OLD LADY
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[ This story has been told for years in the Hatt Family ]

One of the most outstanding ladies of Spry in the early days was Mrs. Dick Hatt, who was raised a Lady in England. She eloped with their butler and came to Canada, later moving to Spry.
One can imagine the changes in store for her here in a pioneer country. But, through the long years she still kept the lady like ways and was a good and kind wife, mother and neighbour.
She raised a family of seven sons and two daughters and her husband, who for years was badly crippled with rhumatism, was more or less an invalid.
She used to carry her butter and eggs to a little store at Pike Bay - a distance of seven or eight miles. [ This was before the time of the Spry Store ].
On one occasion when she was returning, it was getting on in the evening and as she neared home she was met by one child, then another and another - they having thought that mother was a long time coming. Her husband died before the family was grown up, leaving her to carry on alone.
She was a jolly woman - always looking on the bright side of things and was an inspiration to all who knew her.
What vast changes for her from a home in England with servants to wait on her, to a pioneer shanty in a strange land...........but, she made good and might well be called Spry's Grand Old Lady.
She has been dead now for some years but through death her memory is still fresh in the minds of the people who knew her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elizabeth Emma Mary Grant arrived in Canada about 1864, in Fergus, with her father James Grant.

Baptism: 16 SEP 1848 EDINGTON PARISH, WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND

Death: 14 DEC 1931 EASTNOR CEMETERY, BRUCE COUNTY

 

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