In the late 1600s, Ambroise Sicard, a French Huguenot born in Mornac, France in 1631, fled from the persecution that followed the Treaty of Nantes, and ended up at New Rochelle in New York Province. Most of the Secords in Southwestern Ontario are descended from three of his great-grandchildren, John, Peter, and James Secord. These brothers fought in the Revolutionary War, James as a lieutenant, Peter as a sergeant, and John as a private in Butler's Rangers.

At the end of the war, many Loyalists ended up at Fort Niagara, having left all their money and property to avoid persecution. The government of the Province of Quebec, as all of British land to the north of the new United States of America was called, was worried about being able to support these people. Governor Haldimand gave permission for selected families to move to the western bank of the Niagara River to settle as tenants of the Crown. The families were those of older and wounded Butler's Rangers and included Peter and James Secord and their families.

Peter moved to the important crossroads where the Iroquois Trail crosses the trail along Four Mile Creek. The Iroquois Trail started at Queenston and went through St Catharines to Hamilton and eventually became Highway 8. James settled nearby. After a couple of years, Peter wanted to build a sawmill and a gristmill but, because he did not own the land, he had to ask for permission. This was refused, but the government decided that the mills were needed so the government would build them. They hired Lieutenant David Brass of Butler's Rangers to build a sawmill and a gristmill to be operated by Peter Secord. These mills were built between 1782 and 1783 on the Four Mile Creek. Of the two mills, only the Secord gristmill survives.

Peter Secord's Gristmill in St David's

For the next ten years, Peter and his family worked on the property but, despite many petitions to the government, he was not awarded the property. In the end, he gave up and moved to the Charlottesville area of Norfolk County, where he had land. Peter had three sons, Peter, David, Daniel, and Silas. Silas was a sergeant in Butler's Rangers. They all moved with him in 1793. Of the sons, Peter ended up in Ohio, and David (called Captain David to distinguish him from his cousin) in Norfolk County.

Secord House in St David's

Peter's mills and property were awarded to him in 1796 but by then he was gone. His property was bought by James' son David (known as Major David) in 1799. Major David had been a sergeant in Butler's Rangers at the age of 17 and had been wounded at the ambush at Oriskany. He later became a politician and soldier, fighting at Queenston Heights, Beaver Dams, Chippawa, and Lundy's Lane as a major of the 2nd Lincoln Regiment. The village that grew up around his property was named after him: St David's.

Major David's three brothers, Simon, Solomon, and Stephen also fought in the Revolutionary War. Simon was killed in 1777, Solomon was a second lieutenant, and Stephen was a sergeant in Butler's Rangers.. Their younger brother, James, was too young to fight in the Revolutionary war but fought in the War of 1812.

The most famous Secord of all is Laura, the heroine of the Battle of Beaver Dams. Laura was the daughter of another famous Canadian, Major Thomas Ingersoll, the founder of the town of Ingersoll. She married James, the brother of Major David Secord, and began married life in St David's. Two years later, the couple moved to Queenston, where they were living when the War of 1812 began. James was wounded at Queenston Heights and invalided home. They were there when the Americans occupied Queenston in 1813.

One evening, Laura heard some Americans talking about an expedition that was about to get underway against the unit commanded by Lt James FitzGibbon. The Secords knew right away that FitzGibbon must be warned. Because her husband could not walk very far, Laura had to do it. Pretending to chase a cow that she wanted to milk, she managed to evade the American guards and set out for St David's to find her brother-in-law. But Major David was away from home so she carried on herself. Eventually, after stumbling through the woods for hours, she was found by a group of natives. She managed to convey her message to them and they escorted her to FitzGibbon. The battle was won but there was no glory for Laura.

Even though FitzGibbon acknowledged her part in the victory, her heroic act was forgotten for fifty years until a visit to Canada by Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1860. By then, she was 85, impoverished, and living in Chippawa. Now, of course, all Canadians have heard of her, even if only because of the chocolates named in her honour. Her home in Queenston has been restored by the chocolate company and is open during the summer.