History #
W.W. Grant, a schooner built in 1867, had an eventful history marked by various ownership changes and incidents. Constructed in Port Burwell, Ontario, it was made of wood and had a single deck. The vessel was built by David Foster and Elijah McConnell and initially owned by them in Port Burwell. It had two masts and measured 100 feet in length, 21.6 feet in beam, and 7.1 feet in depth, with a net tonnage of 163.
In 1868, ownership of the W.W. Grant transferred to E. McConnell and Elijah Titus. Then, on January 20, 1869, it was owned by George Craig and others in Port Elgin, Ontario. The vessel encountered several incidents over the years, including running aground in Port Elgin with 5,000 bushels of barley in October 1870. Another notable event occurred on October 31, 1871 when the schooner stranded on Chantry Island in Lake Huron while bound for Oswego, New York from Port Elgin.
The ownership of the W.W. Grant changed hands once again on December 28, 1871, with David Foster and W. McBooney becoming the new owners. In August 1872, it was owned by A. McDermond/Diamond from Napanee, Ontario, and Alfred Eccles from Wolf Island, Ontario. During this time, the vessel ran aground on the east shore of Lake Michigan. Ownership then shifted to A.M. Diamond, Eccles, and Simpson on February 25, 1875.
The schooner faced further challenges, such as running aground in Oswego, New York, on October 3, 1878. It changed ownership multiple times, with McDiamond, Hicks, and Simpson becoming the new owners on March 12, 1879. On May 4, 1880, ownership transferred to McDiamond and Hicks. The final recorded change of ownership occurred on April 23, 1881, when T.S. Burley and others from Ernestown, Ontario, became the owners.
Unfortunately, the W.W. Grant met its end in June 1885 when it sank in Lake Ontario.
