Graham Claus, 96, returned to his ancestral family home, the Wilderness, last Wednesday, with his family by his side and “overwhelmed” with emotion.

After a long period of disconnection from an important piece of family history, Claus, the oldest living descendant of the original Wilderness owners, got to see a private viewing of an indelible part of his family history before the end of his life.

Graham Claus is five generations descended from the original owners of the Wilderness property, a place which has historical significance, and recognized by the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake as a heritage property in 1994.

The Claus family was also joined by members of the Niagara Foundation, which now owns the property. They gave him a framed picture of the property in his honour.

Claus said a lot of research went into tracing his roots into this property.

“I started doing research about 40 years ago,” he said. “I discovered 10 rails of microfilm, and I went to the archives in Ottawa, Toronto, and the public library in St. Catharines, where I met Ruth Parker’s daughter.”

Parker one of three sisters who owned the property. She died in 2013.

“She helped me a lot,” Claus said of Parker’s daughter.

The Wilderness property, located at 407 King St. and bordering Regent Street, is on the site of a residential home that goes back to the 18th century.

The property has served many uses over time. It was first a meeting place between a European-descended owner and Six Nations people, who presented Ann Johnson Claus with the land the home is on for her “many deeds of kindness.” 

These include her father, Sir William Johnson, who negotiated the Treaty of Niagara with 24 First Nations groups in 1764.

Johnson Claus’ son, the Hon. William Claus, built the first house on the land, which was destroyed by the American army’s arson during the War of 1812.

After the original house was burned, a new one was built on the same five-acre land in 1816, which serves as the current building with alterations and additions done as recently as the 1970s. 

The house served as a hospital during the 1820s and eventually took on its current name, the Wilderness, at the beginning of the 20th century.

But the site is also notable as a place of natural beauty on top of its history with humans. There is a large gingko tree on the property and sycamore trees line its King Street boundary, making this a unique place.

“There’s so much history, whether it’s Indigenous, British military, or horticultural history,” said Lyle Hall, chair of the Niagara Foundation.

After Ruth Parker died, she left half of the property in the hands of the Niagara Foundation, which eventually bought out the remaining half of the from Ken Reid and took over the whole property again last year.

The foundation has been doing restoration efforts on the property ever since and started accepting visitors earlier this month. They also launched a $1 million campaign to help in these efforts.

“This is true to Ruth’s wishes,” said Hall. “We’re rehabilitating the house and bringing in some kind of programming.”

Last Wednesday, the story came right back to Claus.

It also goes directly back through his family line all the way to the founding of the Wilderness, a history that is not likely to ever be lost on him, and which he finally gets to see for himself.

“I’m still humbled and honoured to be invited,” he said. 

daniel@niagaranow.com