The Field family came to the Niagara Peninsula from the Susquehanna Valley, Pennsylvania around 1784. George Field (1721-1787) and his wife Rebecca Johnson Haines (1724-1798) were United Empire Loyalists. George and three of his children, Daniel, Gilbert, and Nathan, were all members of Butler’s Rangers, a Loyalist military unit founded by John Butler during the American Revolutionary War. They were awarded land by the Crown for their loyalty. George’s son Gilbert (1765-1814) built a home around 1800 along the Niagara River between Queenston and Niagara-on-the-Lake on land that was granted by the Crown. The house was used as a barracks during the War of 1812. Although damaged in the War, the house was not destroyed. A nearby cemetery contains the graves of many members of the Field family, as well as other Loyalist neighbours such as the Browns and Vroomans. The house remained in the family until 1925. The property was acquired by the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1968. In 1980 it was returned to private ownership but remains under a protective covenant. Charles Field(s) was an innkeeper in Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake). By 1799 he had taken over operations of the Sign of the Lyon on Prideaux, and also ran an inn on his own property at the corner of Queen and Gate Streets. The connection between Charles Field(s) and the Field family is unclear.

Click here to view Field Family fonds finding aid: https://dr.library.brocku.ca/bitstream/handle/10464/10919/Field%20family%20fonds%20RG%20581.pdf

Recent Submissions

  • Manuscript certificate

    Kerr, Robert (1803-02-11)
    Manuscript certificate, dated 11 February 1803, signed by Robert Kerr, Surrogate, D.N [District of Niagara]. The certificate states “I do hereby certify that Charles Fields of Niagara administered to the Estate of his Brother James Fields late of Niagara…County of Lincoln…”
  • Manuscript search in the Surveyor General’s Office

    1803-04-04
    Manuscript search in the Surveyor General’s Office, York, 4 April 1803, re: lot of James Field in the Township of Beverly, signed by Samuel Ridout. The reverse contains information about James’ brothers, Charles, John, and Thomas.
  • Power of attorney, William Carver (signed x) to Charles Field

    Kerr, Robert (1804-06-25)
    Power of attorney, William Carver (signed x) to Charles Field to obtain a land grant of one acre, lot number 228, Town of Niagara. The document is dated 25 June 1804 and is signed by Charles Field. The signatures of Samuel Casey, Isaac Hurst and James Field are included as witnesses. The reverse side contains additional text dated 19 January 1805 and signed by Robert Kerr.
  • Power of attorney, Charles Field to Thomas Gough

    1809-07-11
    Power of attorney, Charles Field to Thomas Gough (attorney) to receive lots of his brother James Field, 11 July 1809.
  • Letter to Charles Fields from Thomas Gough

    Gough, Thomas (1809-11-20)
    Letter to Charles Fields from Thomas Gough, dated at Niagara, 20 November 1809. The letter contains instructions for Charles to claim his brother’s lands.
  • Account of the estate of Charles Field to Thomas Otway Page

    Hurst, Isaac; Clench, Ralph (1825-06-13)
    Account of the estate of Charles Field to Thomas Otway Page, dated at Niagara 13 June 1825. The total amount of the estate is 54 pounds, 1 shilling and ten pence. It is signed by Isaac Hurst and [Ralph] Clench.
  • Letter to Charles Fields from William King

    King, William (1829-07-22)
    Letter to Charles Fields from William King, 22 July 1829. The letter concerns the rent of a shop to Fields.
  • Sale of 100 acres of Crown land to Ralph Field in the Township of Grimsby

    1846-01-12
    Sale of 100 acres of Crown land to Ralph Field in the Township of Grimsby (lot number 5 in the Gore) for £100, dated at Montreal, 12 January 1846. The document is signed by [Charles] Cathcart and D. Daly. Ralph Field (1798-1858) was the son of Gilbert Field and Eleanor Morden. Ralph was a farmer who lived in Smithville, Lincoln County. He married Bethiah Hill and had seven children, four boys and three girls.