Thomas Rodman Merritt

He was born at his maternal grandparents’ home in Mayville, New York in 1824, the son of William Hamilton Merritt.

He studied at Upper Canada College in Toronto and Grantham Academy in St. Catharines.

In 1850, he set up a shipping line that transported goods to Brantford and returned to St. Catharines with wheat.

He helped found Bishop Ridley College at St. Catharines and served as president from 1888 to 1899.

His former home, Rodman Hall (built 1857-1863), later served as a private school and as an art gallery from 1960 to 2020 (acquired by Brock University in 2003.