William H. Hurdman (October 9, 1818-February 20, 1901) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

entrepreneur and community leader. The son of Charles Hurdman and Margaret Graham, he was born in Hull Township, Quebec in 1818. His family came from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and his father had worked with

Philemon Wright Philemon Wright (September 3, 1760 – June 3, 1839) was a farmer, lumberman and entrepreneur who founded the Ottawa River Timber Trade in 1806. He was also founder of what he named Columbia Falls Village, mostly known as (or Wrightstown) an ...

. In 1841, William Hurdman and his brothers started a lumber business under the name Hurdman Brothers. In 1873, he and his brother Robert moved to Gloucester Township, Ontario. He was reeve there from 1877 to 1879. The brothers built their own bridge, Hurdman's Bridge, across the

Rideau River The Rideau River (french: Rivière Rideau) is a river in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The river flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at the Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is . As explained in a writin ...

. The Hurdmans also established large farms in Gloucester, known for their livestock. In 1861, he married Sarah Sophia Smyth. The

1900 Hull–Ottawa fire The Hull-Ottawa fire of 1900 was a devastating fire in 1900 that destroyed much of Hull, Quebec, and large portions of Ottawa, Ontario. Incident Around 10 AM on April 26 a defective chimney on a house in Hull caught fire, which quickly spread ...

wiped out the Hurdman Brothers operations in the LeBreton Flats area. Hurdman was buried in

Beechwood Cemetery Beechwood Cemetery, located in the former city of Vanier in Ottawa, Ontario, is the National Cemetery of Canada. It is the final resting place for over 82,000 Canadians from all walks of life, such as important politicians like Governor Genera ...

. The family name is preserved in the Hurdman Bridge and Hurdman Transitway Station.

References

Mayors and reeves of Gloucester Township, Ontario 1901 deaths 1818 births Canadian people of Irish descent {{Ontario-mayor-stub