Canada Company Land Grant to William Eyres of the Township of Manvers in the County of Durham Newcastle for 100 acres

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We the Thomas Mercer Jones of the Town of Goderich in the County of Huron District and Province of Upper Canada and Frederick Widder of the City of Toronto and the County of York Home District and Province.... William Eyres of the Township of Manvers in the County of Durham Newcastle... The East Half of Lot Fifteen in the Tenth Consession of of the said Township of Manvers... 100 Acres... [50 pounds]

Signed TWICE by: Donald MacDonald, Thomas Collier, Frederick Widder, Thomas Mercer Jones.

Thomas Mercer Jones (1795-1868)

A powerful Canada Company land magnate, Jones was born in England and acquired business training there. By virtue of his London connections he obtained an appointment as a Company Commissioner from 1829-1852 and moved to York (Toronto) in 1829. He administered a large portion of this Company's lands, the 405,000 Huron Tract, and by 1839 wielded unrivaled authority in the area. At the height of his influence he moved his headquarters to a newly constructed, lavishly furnished Goderich mansion, later known as Park House. A controversial figure, he was dismissed in 1852 for exceeding his authority. He remained in Goderich as the Bank of Montreal agent until 1857 when he moved to Toronto where he died. Quoted from the Town of Goderich, T.M. Jones historical plaque.

Frederick Widder was a Canada Company Commissioner from 1839-1864, and the son of a Canada Company London director, with family connections to royalty and the right Anglican connections. His moderate approach and financial innovations for the Canada Company would give him good standing with the pioneers of the Huron Tract and the reformers of Upper Canada. Widder's administrative talents and dedication to hard work allowed him to overshadow Thomas Mercer Jones and take the lead in the Canada Company. Widder's home, Lyndhurst, became a social hub of Toronto. Widder's wife, Elizabeth, entertained in style providing upper-class residents of York with refined entertainments redolent of British aristocratic and middle-class life.

Donald McDonald was an Ontario civil engineer, land surveyor and political figure. He was a Liberal member of the Senate of Canada from 1867 to 1879. Donald McDonald was trained as a surveyor by his cousin John Macdonald (1794-1873). John, known as "Stout Mac" for his great strength, was the surveyor for the Canada Company. Donald McDonald was transferred to the clerical staff of the Canada Company, working first at Goderich, then, from at least 1843, at Toronto where he rose to hold the post of assistant commissioner.