John DeCew

John DeCew (1766–1855), (variably spelt DeCou, Du Coo or DeCow, and sometimes with the "C" not capitalized) was a United Empire Loyalist, an early settler in the Niagara Peninsula of Upper Canada, a commissioned militia officer in the War of 1812, and a founding member of the Welland Canal Company.

Early life DeCew was born in 1766 in the British colonies which would, after the War of American Independence, become the United States. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online indicates that he was born in New Jersey, whereas a plaque located in Thorold, Ontario, indicates that he was born in Vermont. He was the eldest son of Jacob DeCew and Elizabeth Bloome. With his family, who remained loyal to Britain after American independence, he immigrated to Upper Canada in 1787.

Later life In 1832, DeCew unsuccessfully opposed William Hamilton Merritt's bid for election to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada in what has been described as an extremely vindictive campaign. DeCew was associated with the reform politics of William Lyon Mackenzie, but there is no evidence that he took any active role in the Rebellions of 1837.

With his milling business in ruins, DeCew relocated in 1834 to Haldimand County on the Grand River. Here, he once again operated a sawmill. He failed to secure rights to operate a bridge or ferry on the Grand River, but in 1835 did obtain an incorporation for a glass works. However, he never produced any glass and the charter expired in 1845. DeCew lived off of his milling, farming and lime kiln operations, and died in Decewsville, Ontario (a settlement named in his honour) on March 25, 1855.