Thomas Mears was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada

Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...

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He was born in the Thirteen Colonies

Thirteen Colonies

The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...

 in 1775. He settled in West Hawkesbury Township. He set up a sawmill

Sawmill

A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....

  and gristmill

Gristmill

The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...

 on the Ottawa River

Ottawa River

The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...

 in that area with David Pattee

David Pattee

David Pattee was a businessman, judge and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Goffstown, New Hampshire in 1778. He studied medicine but never practiced. In 1803, he left New Hampshire for the lower Ottawa River in Upper Canada because he was in debt and accused of forgery...

, which later became the basis for the town of Hawkesbury

Hawkesbury, Ontario

Hawkesbury is a town in the Eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada, on the Ottawa River, near the Quebec-Ontario border.It lies on the south shore of the Ottawa River about halfway between Downtown Ottawa and Downtown Montreal in Prescott and Russell Counties. The Long-Sault Bridge links it...

. He was named justice of the peace in the Eastern District

Eastern District, Upper Canada

Eastern District was one of four districts of the Province of Quebec created in 1788 in the western reaches of the Montreal District and partitioned in 1791 to create the new colony of Upper Canada. Known as Lunenburg District until 1792, it was abolished in 1849...

 in 1806 and in the Ottawa District in 1816. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada

Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada

The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada...

 for Prescott

Prescott County, Ontario

Prescott County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1800 from a portion of Glengarry County. It was named in honor of Major General Robert Prescott, Governor of Canada at that time. First settlers were Americans, but not all were Loyalists...

 in 1808 and was reelected in 1812. He was named sheriff in the Eastern District in 1816. Around 1811, Mears and Pattee's timber operations were taken over by George

George Hamilton (lumber baron)

George Hamilton was a lumber baron and public official in Upper Canada.Hamilton was born at Hamwood House, in County Meath, Republic of Ireland in 1781 and came to Quebec City sometime before 1807. He was a descendant of the Hamiltons of Killyleagh Castle, Co...

 and William Hamilton

William Hamilton (lumber baron)

William Hamilton was a lumber merchant and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Ireland and came to Quebec City with his brother George sometime before 1807. They were originally in the business of importing goods but later became involved in the timber trade...

 when they were unable to deliver goods to repay advances paid by the Hamiltons. Mears also operated the first steamboat

Steamboat

A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...

 on the Ottawa River, the Union. In 1819, Mears took over the operation of a sawmill originally built by Joseph Papineau

Joseph Papineau

Joseph Papineau was a notary, seigneur and political figure in Lower Canada.Joseph Papineau was the father of Louis-Joseph Papineau who had the great distinction of being a fiery player in the history of the French dominated British colony called Lower Canada...

 on the Petite-Nation River

Petite-Nation River

The Petite-Nation River is a river in western Quebec, Canada, that flows from the Laurentian mountains to empty into the Ottawa River near Plaisance, Quebec. The river is 97 km in length....

 near Plaisance

Plaisance, Quebec

Plaisance is a village located in the Regional County Municipality of Papineau in western Quebec. The village is situated on the Ottawa River near the mouth of the Petite-Nation River, 70 km from Gatineau and 160 km from Montreal on Route 148....

 in Lower Canada

Lower Canada

The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...

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He died in West Hawkesbury in 1832.