Merritt Family/Rodman Hall collection, 1841-2008, n.d. RG 788

 

The collection contains material about the family of Thomas Rodman Merritt and Rodman Hall in St. Catharines. Thomas Merritt was the youngest son of William Hamilton Merritt and Catherine Prendergast, and Rodman Hall was built by him between 1857 and 1860. The house remained in the Merritt family until 1959 when it was purchased by the St. Catharines and District Arts Council. Additional material about the history of the Merritts and Rodman Hall were added to the papers over the years and were stored in a wood chest labeled “The Honorable [W]. H. Merritt [St.] Catharines”. In 2003 Brock University acquired Rodman Hall and in 2020 an agreement was reached to sell the property to a local group known for heritage building restoration and redevelopment. Rodman Hall was designated as a heritage building under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2018.

Click here to view the Merritt Family/Rodman Hall collection, 1841-2008, n.d. RG 788 finding aid: https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/16542

Recent Submissions

  • Resolution Re: Thomas Rodman Merritt death, 1906
    1906
    Resolution re: Thomas Rodman Merritt, 1906. Contains a resolution by the joint board of the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company and the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company following the death of Thomas R. Merritt, president of the Canadian board (March 8, 1906).

  • Photograph - Mary Benson, n.d.
    n.d.
    A photograph of Mary Benson, wife of Thomas Rodman Merritt. She is seated in a long dark dress with one arm resting on a small table and the other on her lap. The photograph was taken by Fredricks, 585 & 587 Broadway, New York.

  • Photograph - Lt. Col. William Hamilton Merritt, n.d.
    n.d.
    A photograph of Lt. Col. William Hamilton Merritt, eldest son of J.P. Merritt and nephew of Thomas Rodman Merritt. He is dressed in formal military uniform. The stamp on carboard frame of the photograph reads "Engraved and Printed by A. Alexander and Sons Ltd. London, England."

  • Photograph - Major General W. Benson, n.d.
    n.d.
    A photograph of Major General W. Benson dressed in his formal military attire.

  • Photograph - Hamilton Merritt, n.d.
    n.d.
    A photograph of Hamilton Merritt. The photograph is by J. Bruce and Co., 118 King St. West, Toronto, Ontario.

  • Photograph - William Hamilton Merritt, n.d.
    2022-12-12
    A photograph of William Hamilton Merritt seated with one arm leaning on a table and the other on his lap.

  • Photograph - Rodman Hall and Garden, n.d.
    n.d.
    A photograph of Rodman Hall, the home of Thomas Rodman Merritt and his wife Mary Benson Merritt in St. Catharines, Ontario. The photograph is by Poole photography.

  • Photograph - Rodman Hall, n.d.
    n.d.
    A photograph of Rodman Hall and the roof line is slightly faded. This is the home of Thomas Rodman Merritt and his wife Mary Benson Merritt. The image is by Poole Photography in St. Catharines, Ontario.

  • Photograph - Mary Benson Merritt, ca. 1877
    ca 1877
    A photograph of Mary Benson Merritt, wife of Thomas Rodman Merritt. Mary is seated and wearing several beaded necklaces.

  • Photograph - Mary Benson Merritt and Thomas Rodman Merritt, n.d.
    n.d.
    A photograph of Thomas Rodman Merritt with his wife Mary Benson Merritt. Thomas is seated with a book in his hand while Mary stands next to him with her hands on his shoulder. The photograph is by Disderi.

  • Photograph - Mary Benson Merritt, n.d.
    n.d.
    A photograph of Mary Benson Merritt (1829-1908), wife of Thomas Rodman Merritt. Mary is standing with her hands perched on the top of a chair.

  • Photograph - Thomas Rodman Merritt, n.d.
    n.d.
    A photograph of Thomas Rodman Merritt by the Notman Photographer on Bleury Street, Montreal.

  • Photograph - Thomas Rodman Merritt, 1900
    1900
    A photograph of Thomas Rodman Merritt mounted on cardboard backing. The back of the photograph is handwritten 1900.

  • Rodman Hall Pamphlet, ca. 1961
    ca. 1961
    A pamphlet released by Rodman Hall Arts Centre that discusses the history of the building, The Arts Council, The Arts Centre, Rodman Hall Park, and finances.

  • Rodman Hall Notes
    n.d.
    Four pages of notes documenting the history of Rodman Hall. There is also a page devoted to surrounding historic buildings. The final two pages are titled "Hon. William Hamilton Merritt and Thomas Rodman Merritt Business Connections" which includes a list of letters (between Wm. Hamilton Merritt and T.R. Merritt) from the Dominion Archives.

  • Commemorating the Century of the Welland Canal, 7 November 1924
    1924-11-7
    A booklet commemorating a century of the Welland Canal. The booklet cover reads "The Engineering Institute of Canada Incorporated in 1887 as the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, The Niagara Peninsula Branch, Dinner Meeting, Commemorating the Century of the Welland Canal, 'The Welland' St. Catharines, Friday, November 7th, 1924." Included in the booklet are images of E.W. Beatty (President Canadian Pacific Railway), A.J. Grant (Chief Engineer of New Welland Ship Canal), Hon. WM. Hamilton Merritt (Originator of Welland Canal), and George Keefer (First President of the Welland Canal Company). Other images of the canal and surveys have also been included in the eight page booklet.

  • Letter - Gordon Godwin, President of the St. Catharines and District Arts Council to Mr. J. Herbert, 22 January 1962
    1962-01-22
    A letter written by Gordon Godwin, President of the St. Catharines and District Arts Council, to Mr. J Herbert of the National Historic Sites Division of the National Parks Branch. The council is pursuing their objective of two years to commemorate The Honourable William Hamilton Merritt "in connection with Rodman Hall Arts Centre". The council has a list of 5 reasons why they believe Rodman Hall would be the appropriate place to honour Merritt. There is also mention of a grant request. The second portion of this document is another letter to Mr. D.J. Thiessen, Executive Secretary to the Minister, Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources. This letter details the budget requirements "to purchase the property and to prepare the Centre for occupancy".

  • Merritt Family History Article
    n.d.
    A twelve page paper documenting the history of the Merritt family including the developments to Rodman Hall up to 1975. The article begins "The records of the Merritt family can be traced back to the year 1041 in Somerset, England, where the earliest known ancestor was Harding de Meriet, son of Eadnoth, the Anglo-Thane of Somersetshire...The Merritt line in North America goes as far back as Thomas Merritt IV, grandfather of the Honorable William Hamilton Merritt."

  • Merritt Family Tree
    n.d.
    A typewritten document of the Merritt family tree beginning with Thomas Merritt IV (1729-1821) and ending with the Lt. Col. William Hamilton Merritt's two children and the daughter of Jedediah Precott Merritt (Lt. Col. W.H.Merritt's brother).

  • Obituary Lt. Col. William Hamilton Merritt, 22 April 1924
    1924-04-22
    An obituary for Lt. Col. William Hamilton Merritt printed in The St. Catharines Standard on 22 April 1924. The obituary is titled "Lieut. Col. W.H. Merritt, M.D., Answers Death Summons" and begins "One of the outstanding citizens of St. Catharines passed away this morning in the person of Lieut. Col. William Hamilton Merritt, M.D., a native of St. Catharines and a man who has done much in the development of the city of his birth, whose death took place at the family home, Rodman Hall, following a lengthy illness."

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