On June 10, 2022 Heritage Mississauga was onsite at the unveiling of the new interpretive plaque in Port Credit dedicated to Joyce May Firman, the first female letter carrier in Ontario and the first long-term female letter carrier in Canada. This week on Ask A Historian, Matthew Wilkinson looks at the significant contributions Joyce Firman…
Ruth Teverson Hussey (1915-1984) immigrated from England to Clarkson in 1954 and would come to be known as the “guardian angel of Rattray Marsh”. She loved nature and animals from her childhood and took these interests with her to Clarkson. She worked as a veterinarian and dog breeder, however her falling eyesight forced her to…
Sometimes it takes a team. In sorting through recent book donations at Heritage Mississauga, we came across the book Medicine Maid: The Life Story of a Canadian Pioneer by E.L. Hoople. I immediately recalled a conversation I had several years ago with Mac Byard of the Streetsville Historical Society about the book and the author….
Heritage Mississauga is pleased to deliver correspondence from many of the women who served during the Second World War. This week we present a letter that is quite close to our heart. Written by Sergeant Florence May Fowler while at training camp at MacDonald College Quebec, the letter is addressed to her sister Ivy Fowler….
DYK that nurses serving in WWI not only made invaluable contributions to the war efforts with their expert care of the wounded or dying soldiers, but they also helped advance women’s right to vote? The First World War marked the first time that female suffrage was seriously considered by policy makers. Thousands of women made the…
In celebration of #NationalAstronautDay, we would like to recognize some of our iconic Canadian Astronauts and explore their connection to Mississauga. One of Canada’s most well-known Astronauts is Dr. Roberta Bondar. On January 22nd 1992, Dr. Roberta Bondar became the first Canadian woman and the world’s first neurologist in space, launching aboard the Space Shuttle…
I have been inspired all of my life by incredible women that have crossed my path, or shared my journey. From my earliest recollections, strong, dedicated, caring women have been by my side showing by example, how to have my best life, full of bright moments, laughter and above all love of self and others….
Our story has a bit of a mystery: a wonderful obituary, a surname with multiple spellings, and children baptized in two different faiths at the same time. Certainly there is a story to be explored. Catherine Dinan was born in County Clare, Ireland, on February 16, 1844. At the age of 3, in 1847 and…
Formerly known as First Line East, Cawthra Road was officially named for the famed Cawthra family in 1958. Seems simple enough. Patriarch Joseph Cawthra obtained a Crown Grant for Lot 10, Concession 2, SDS, here in historic Mississauga in 1808. Part of the property remained in the Cawthra family until 1974. The Cawthra family was…