William & Catherine in 1812

The two-act play tells the story of William Hamilton Merritt, the founder of the First Welland Canal, and his romance with Catherine Pendergast, who became his wife during the turbulent times of the War of 1812 in the Niagara Frontier. Though it is a fictional account, it is based on historical record to a reasonable degree. The story starts with Merritt, as a young man, surveying the land in Niagara. It is here that he first encounters Catherine hanging laundry at her homestead. Their second meeting takes place in a dry goods store where William is a partner. Catherine arrives and introduces him to her parents Dr. and Mrs. Pendergast. A romance begins and, eventually, William asks for Catherine’s hand in marriage, which must be approved by her parents who evaluate his financial stability as well as his ambitions. They give their approval but before nuptials can take place, America invades the British colony, plunging the countryside into war. William volunteers to fight for the British and is made a Captain where he is engaged in the bloodiest battle of the war, captured, and moved to a small town in New York State where he is held prisoner until the war’s end. Once back in Niagara, he and Catherine marry.
The story is a fanciful creation of what might have been but does not purport to be truth. The facts however are as follows: William Hamilton Merritt worked as surveyor in Niagara; he was a partner in a dry goods store in Shipmans Corners (later to be renamed St. Catharines (for Catherine Pendergast in spite of the different spelling); Catherine’s father was in fact a doctor; William joined the British army as a Captain Merritt; he fought at the battle of Lundy’s Lane, was captured and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner in upstate New York; after the war he returned to Niagara where he and Catherine married. After that, and beyond the time frame of this book, Merritt went on to own and operate a flour mill on Twelve Mile Creek, and conceived of a method to bring a more reliable water supply to his mill, thereby instigating the construction of the First Welland Canal.
The play is written in a comedic style, with characters introduced throughout with comic presence. Though the War of 1812 was a serious affair, as was Merritt’s ambitions to build a canal to circumvent the cataract of Niagara, this play is best described as a romantic adventure comedy with more opportunity for laughs rather than tears.