Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 07:00
Brantford Expositor
Editorial - This letter is in regards to the recent threat of occupation at the construction site on Grand River Avenue. As the administrator of the Internet discussion board at the 49thparallel, which discusses native land claims in Caledonia and Ipperwash, and as a Brantford resident, I have to state that the claims made on the Grand River site, are baseless.
The land in question falls within the Kerby-Smith Tract. The Kerby-Smith tract was granted to John Smith by Joseph Brant for helping to build the Mohawk Chapel. The Kerby-Smith tract is huge at more than 1,000 acres.
The original tract of land passed into the hands of A.K. Smith. When he passed away, the lands fell into the hands of his widow, Margaret. Margaret married William Kerby. William Kerby built a house on Dumfries Street (now Brant Avenue) and Scarfe Avenue now passes through what was once the driveway (although the house is still there). Kerby also had a distillery at the bottom of Church Street where it meets the river. Grand River Avenue at the time was known as West Mill Street.
The Kerby-Smith tract can still be seen on maps today as some of Brantford's major streets. The tract starts on Kerby Island in the river, and proceeds up Scarfe Avenue to West Street (known as Cedar Street then). It then proceeds up the west side of West Street to Fairview Drive. This means that the Zellers store is in the northeast corner of the tract. The tract then proceeds west on Fairview until it reaches St. Paul's Avenue (assuming St. Paul went that far). The Wayne Gretzky Centre would be the northwest corner of the tract. The tract then goes down the east side of St. Paul to the river.
Margaret Kerby deeded away much of the land in the tract to the Town of Brantford. When it was incorporated as a town in 1847, most of what is now North Ward along Albion and William streets was deeded to the Town of Brantford for development. Most of the houses in this area date back to circa 1852. Several lots at the corner of Albion and Cedar Street (now West Street) were given to the Anglican church, in 1831, by Mrs. Kerby as she agreed with Joseph Brant before his passing in 1807. This land is currently where the Grace Anglican church is now.
Why the Confederacy is claiming the land as its own when there is obviously no valid claim is anyone's guess. Jarvis Street falls within the Kerby-Smith tract.
John Gill
Brantford