Niagara Community Network
Using the Network Graphic
- Click on a node (point) to highlight its connections
- Click the link in the description to see more information about the person represented by a node
This basic network graphic of claimants and witnesses or lawyers shows the extent of social connections at the local and regional level within the Niagara District. At the center of the diagram is a large cluster of connections between women who included more witnesses in their claims and men who provided supporting statements for several claims. There are nineteen women from across the Niagara District who are all connected to one another through the witnesses who supported their war loss claims.
Within the large cluster, local communities are also evident. George Young, a carpenter in Newark, provided evidence for four claims submitted by women from Newark and one from St. David’s, Mary Bunting. David Secord, a resident of St. David’s, provided evidence for Mary Bunting, three other women from St. David’s, and one woman from Newark. Being only six miles from each other, it is not surprising to see connections between the communities of Newark and St. David’s. However, the longest chain is twelve connections leading from Jane Waddel of Newark to Eleanor Thomas of Grand River, nearly sixty miles west. These local and regional networks apparent even in the limited data provided by a series of war loss claims and witness statements demonstrates the complex and interwoven relationships that women used to their advantage in seeking compensation for losses.
For more information about how the war loss claims process and how women framed their claims and found support, see the section in Module 3 about Claiming Compensation.