John Bostwick

Who was John Bostwick?

John Bostwick was a surveyor, businessman and political figure in Upper Canada.

He was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1780 and settled in the Long Point area in 1797. He apprenticed himself to surveyor William Hambly. In 1805, he became sheriff for the London District. He served as captain in the local militia during the War of 1812. In 1817, his family became the first settlers in the Kettle Creek area. He officially qualified as a surveyor in 1819. In 1820, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for Middlesex. He built a small warehouse and established himself as a merchant at Kettle Creek harbour, later Port Stanley. In 1829, he was named justice of the peace in the London District. In 1834, he was named customs collector at Port Stanley and continued to serve in that post until 1844. He died at Port Stanley in 1849.