Laura’s Family History

            The Ingersoll and Secord families have a very diverse (and sometimes complicated) history. For that reason, we at the Laura Secord Homestead thought we would provide information about Laura’s ancestry, and maybe help some of our readers and guests begin to understand the woman behind the legend. I think it is appropriate to start with the Secord family, as it is under that name that our heroine has become infamous.

Interestingly, the Secords (which has been written Sycar, Silcard, Sea Cord, Se Cord, Seicard) originally hail from La Rochelle in France, and came to Canada in 1681.

James Secord Jr. (who would of course, later become Laura Ingersoll’s husband) comes from a long line of military men. For example, his father Lieutenant James Secord Sr. died at Fort Niagara in 1784.

James Secord is the youngest of eleven children, eight brothers and three sisters. The eldest brother, Sgt. Solomon Secord, later became a Major in the Butler’s Rangers. Another brother, Major David Secord, was taken prisoner during both the Battle of Queenston Heights and the Battle of Lundy’s Lane. Major David Secord held many positions throughout his life time: he was a surveyor, a miller, acted as a member of parliament as the commissioner for highways and bridges, and also erected buildings for mechanics in his village. Unfortunately there is not much information on James’ bother John and Stephen or his sisters Magdalen, Esther and Mary.

James however, at the age of 3 arrived at Fort Niagara relatively destitute in 1776 with his mother and one of his older brothers. Thankfully, they were guided from the Hudson by a friendly Mohawk, and were also given tents, clothing and food. In adulthood, James Secord Jr. was an ensign in the first Lincoln militia and participated in famous Battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1813. It was during this battle that James sustained two gunshot wounds, one to his knee and shoulder.  It is also rumoured that he was one of the men who helped carry Sir Isaac Brock off the field at the battle of Queenston Heights.

James and Laura would later meet sometime around 1795, as this was the year that both Thomas Ingersoll, Laura’s father, moved to Queenston (which was then “Queenstown”), and also when James Secord started his merchant business. The rest, they say, is history.

Laura Ingersoll Secord also hails from a fairly large family, as her father, Thomas Ingersoll was married three times throughout his life. Laura was born in 1775 in Massachusetts, and it was in the United States that Thomas Ingersoll held various town offices. He was also a justice of the peace and preformed marriage ceremonies. He was Lieutenant of the Militia, became Captain in 1781 and was made a Major after the war. At one point, Joseph Brant promised him in person that if he were to move to Canada, he would have some of his men find Thomas the best land to settle and he gave Thomas  66,000 acres of land in what is known as Ingersoll, Ontario.

            Laura’s biological mother, Elizabeth Dewey, was married to Thomas at age 17, and sadly, died when Laura was only eight years old.  Because Laura was the eldest child in her family, she became a mother figure for her siblings. Her biological siblings include: Elizabeth, Myra, and Abigail. Laura had a half-brother Charles, and a half-sister Nancy from her father’s third marriage. Her half-brother, Charles, was Lieutenant of a troop of provincial Light Dragoons, and like James’ brothers, participated in both the Battle of Queenston Height and the Battle of Lundy’s Lane. He would later be appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 2^nd Oxford Militia. He also bought back his father’s lands in Ingersoll, and later became a magistrate, postmaster, and commissioner in the Court of Requests. He would later die of Cholera.

Laura was of course, a very impressive woman on many accounts. She is described as having a “fair complexion, with kind, brown eyes, a sweet and loving smile hovering about the mouth. This did not denote weakness. She was five feet four inches tall and slight in form.” Indeed, Laura was by no means weak. Not only did she manage to travel  32 kilometres in scorching heat to warn the British about an impending American attack, she also survived 7 births. They are as follows:

• Mary: The Secord daughters did fairly well for themselves in regards to marriage, and Mary married Doctor Trumble at age 17 and then moved to Ireland. Trumble acted as an assistant surgeon in the 17^th engagement. His and Mary’s engagement took place during the war and the two were married in 1816.
• Harriet was wed to a lawyer in 1824.
• Charlotte, however, remained unmarried and would eventually die in Guelph.
• Charles, the only boy in the Secord family, eventually married in 1816 to the sister of William Hamilton Merrit.
• Appolonia is the only child who died relatively young, and was buried at age 18 by David Secord.
• Laura Jr. was married twice during the course of her lifetime.
• Hannah was also married twice, and moved to Guelph.

And there you have it, our dedicated readers, a brief account of Laura Ingersoll Secord’s family history.

As always, if any of you are interested in more information about Laura Secord, come visit us at the Laura Secord Homestead in Queenston. Or, for all of your gardening enthusiasts, be sure to check out our next blog post: Regency Gardening. 

 James' Family

 Laura's Family