Background
Street was born in Farmington, Connecticut in 1775. In 1787, after his father"s murder in New York state, he came to live with his uncle, Samuel Street, in Chippawa.
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Samuel Street
Edit ProfileCareer
He established a number of sawmills and gristmills in the Niagara region, mainly in partnership with Clark. The gristmills processed wheat produced on farms in the region. These mills, by virtue of their location, were the major source of flour production in Upper Canada.
Several of their mills were burned by the Americans during the War of 1812 but they were eventually compensated for these losses.
Street also profited as a major money lender. He became a major share-holder in the Bank of Upper Canada and the Gore Bank.
He also held shares in the Bank of Montreal and the Commercial Bank of the Midland District. With William Hamilton Merritt, he acquired shares in the Welland Canal Company.
He also had extensive land holdings, some acquired via foreclosures on loans and via sales of land to recover unpaid taxes.
When Clark died in 1837, Street became sole owner of the mills and also expanded into textile mills. He died at Portuguese Robinson in 1844.
