Four Years on the Great Lakes, 1813-1816. Don Bamford

Map 1: A Plan of the Straits of Lake Huron into the Manitoolin Lake from the Open Gat to Cabot’s Head from a Survey made 26th, 27th, and 28th Sept. 1815 by W.F.W. Owen. This sketch map, drawn on linen, is the first map depicted of the entrance to Georgian Bay and the passage across to Wingfield Basin at Cabot Head. It is noteworthy that many of the original names given to islands and landmarks have remained to this day, yet several others have been lost, altered slightly, or completely changed. Isle of Coves is now Cove Island, Point Hurd is Cape Hurd, Walkers Island is Baptist Island, and Nancy Strait is not named in any way on today’s nautical charts. The Bruce Peninsula was called Little Cabotia by Owen and his company of assistant surveyors in 1815.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

      In their usual fashion, staff at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the New York Public Library, London (Ontario) Public Library, and the D.B. Weldon Library at the University of Western Ontario, have all made resources available as requested. The Great Lakes Cruising Club and The New York State Canal Corporation, through Car-mella R. Mantello, have provided helpful clarifications. Research material has been accessed through the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. The various websites for the General Register Office for the United Kingdom and www.Ancestry.com have been accessed numerous times for the confirmation of genealogical data.

      We are indebted to the staff at Library and Archives Canada, particularly G. Déry, librarian, and T. Dubé, military archivist, for helping us track down more information about the source of the Wingfield journal. The Archives of Ontario has also been used as a resource. Paul Adamth-waite, of the Archives and Collections Society, Picton, Ontario, has provided resource assistance several times.

      Barry M. Gough is a well-known and acclaimed Canadian historian, writer, and sailor, well acquainted with the life and times of the early nineteenth century. He is a former professor of history and university research professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, 1972 to 2004, after which he retired to the area of his native Victoria, British Columbia. He has spent many summers cruising the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron area on his 32-foot sloop, Danserye, based out of Penetanguishene. His sailing experiences and his historical research led to the completion of two books on the War of 1812: Fighting Sail on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, The War of 1812 and Its Aftermath and Through Water, Ice and Fire: Schooner Nancy of the War of 1812. Gough’s informed perspectives have provided valuable reference points for our own research, and for consultation, as this work on David Wingfield has evolved. We have cited his contributions in our bibliography and in a number of endnotes — and want to acknowledge especially his support in finalizing this document. His long-standing career as a professor at the university level, his contributions to esteemed international historical societies, and his legacy of written history in his numerous books and other publications are commendable. We especially appreciate his time and effort in preparing a foreword for this book.

      We are indebted to Patrick Folkes, Tara, esteemed Bruce County historian, who first provided contact information for the Wingfield Family Society, and for providing reference sources for original maps, photographs, and an historical description of the Georgian Bay coast along Cape Hurd. Whenever needed, he was but a phone call or an email away!

      While the reference cited as the Wingfield Family Society can be acknowledged rather anonymously as a helpful resource, we feel that we must name, in particular, Jocelyn Wingfield, a key historian within the Society, along with Lee Preston, Bob Wingfield, and Wally Goodman. Wingfield Family Society Newsletter editor, Zella Morrow, must be recognized for her assistance in creating an electronic format for the David Wingfield Family Tree shown as Appendix A to this volume. Mick Heath, search room assistant at the St. Martin Parish of the Church of England in Horsley, should also be noted for his efforts in trying to find the burial information for our David Wingfield. Colonel Peter Trustram Eve must be acknowledged for his on-site efforts at Horsley to search the churchyard, albeit unsuccessfully, for the actual tombstone. The inscriptions on many of the nineteenth-century markers have been eroded beyond recognition.

      Special mention is required for Merilyn Hywel-Jones, who, at the last minute, uncovered important new information about David Wingfield’s service record and some of his activities over the years of his retirement on half pay. Without this information, we would have lost the flavour of Wingfield’s final years, the sadness, and the somewhat tragic end to an otherwise esteemed career and fine set of accomplishments in the Lake Service for the Royal Navy. Merilyn is a military, naval, and graveyards researcher “of the very top grade,” according to Jocelyn Wingfield, through whom we were able to acquire her research services in the United Kingdom.

      Ina Toxopeus, current chair of the Friends of Cabot Head, provided information for Appendix F on that topic. John Tozer assisted in the search for appropriate illustrative material from the Wingfield Basin area. Ann Method Green, public relations chair, DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society, and Brian S. Jaeschke, registrar for Mackinac State Historic Parks, assisted in the search for contemporary photographs for that area west of Manitoulin Island.

      Heidi Hoffman, artist, who contributed to Don Bamford’s last book, Freshwater Heritage, has once again produced a number of drawings and maps to illustrate the text. It is also appropriate to acknowledge the fine artwork of Don Bamford’s distinguished friend, the internationally acclaimed maritime artist Charles L. “Chick” Peterson, who provided original paintings for Freshwater Heritage, one of which, The Nancy Under Sail is included here. Tribute must also be paid to the late O.K. “Ozzie” Schenk for his majestic painting of the HMS St. Lawrence under full press of canvas. Neither can we omit recognition for the wonderful images of Peter Rindlisbacher of the Canadian Society of Marine Artists, for his dramatic painting of the cover image showing the mighty St. Lawrence at the moment she is struck by lightning on her maiden voyage and for his images in the colour plates section.

      Finally, our acknowledgements would be incomplete without the mention of copy editor Allison Hirst of Dundurn Press, and editor Jane Gibson and publisher Barry Penhale of Natural Heritage Books, now a Member of the Dundurn Group, for ongoing guidance and inspiration to complete this work. Jane, especially, must be acknowledged for her relentless penchant for detail as the editing process was completed. She is truly a driving force.

      And Mary Carroll, Paul’s wife, has assisted with proofreading and checking the sense of the language on numerous occasions as both Don and Paul have