Geographical Names of Ontario
Hamilton
George Hamilton was born in Queenston in 1788, the son of Robert Hamiltonand Catherine Askin Robertson. Finding life during and after the War of1812 somewhat disruptive along the United States border, he bought 104 ha(257 a) of land at the site of the city (1846) at the western end of LakeOntario in 1815. He was elected to the House of Assembly of Upper Canadafor Wentworth between 1820 and 1830.
Source: Rayburn, Alan (1997): Place Names of Ontario, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp. 148-149.
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London
In March 1793 Lt-Gov John Graves Simcoe examined the site of the forks ofLa Tranche River (renamed by him the Thames) as a possible location forthe capital for Upper Canada, in place of Newark (nowNiagara-on-the-Lake), which he deemed to be susceptible to attack by theAmericans. Before arriving in Upper Canada, he had proposed naming theplace Georgina in honour of George III. On exploring the site, however,he called it New London, with Chatham, as in England, a port downriver,and Oxford upriver at present-day Ingersoll. Lord Dorchester, thegovernor-in-chief, vetoed Simcoe's choice of a capital, but accepted hisproposal to move it to Toronto (renamed York later in 1793). The firstsettlement at The Forks of the Thames was in 1826, when it became theadministrative capital of London District. London post office had beenestablished 5 km west of The Forks in 1825, but it was moved the nextyear to The Forks. The city was incorporated in 1855.
Source: Rayburn, Alan (1997): Place Names of Ontario, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp. 196-197.
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