If you’ve heard the name “Laura Secord,” you probably think of it being synonymous with the famed chocolate store.
However, what is little known is that the confectionery brand has nothing to do with the famed war heroine, who, when you peel back the wrapper, has a less-than-sweet backstory.
The candy store many associate with Laura Secord today was named after the historical figure because she “was an icon of courage, devotion and loyalty,” said founder Frank P. O’Connor upon the brand’s founding in 1913. The name was intended to bring about a sense of Canadian patriotism among its customer base.
What started as a single store on Yonge Street in Toronto later expanded across Ontario and Quebec, and has grown to become perhaps Canada’s best-known chocolatier.
But before she became the face of this iconic chocolate brand, there was another lesser-known story that tells the real narrative of Laura Secord: a tale of determination and sacrifice, after her treacherous journey to warn troops of an impending American attack in the War of 1812.
Born in Massachusetts in 1775 as Laura Ingersoll, she settled in what was then known as Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario) when her father, Thomas Ingersoll, an American Loyalist, moved the family north in 1775 after obtaining a township grant for settlement. The area he settled was later named for him, becoming known as the town of Ingersoll, Ont.
Laura Ingersoll eventually married James Secord, and they later settled in Queenston, in what is now part of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The War of 1812 had already broken out between the British Empire and the fledgling U.S. nation at this point, including multiple battles fought along the Niagara frontier. At the height of the conflict, invading American troops occupied parts of Niagara, including Queenston, where Secord lived.
The War of 1812 saw the newly independent U.S. attempt to expand its territory north, while the British defended their remaining North American colonies in Canada.
After her husband was wounded in battle serving for the British in the Lincoln Militia in June of 1812, Secord was nursing him back to health when she stumbled upon something that would change the course of Canadian history forever.
Although there is some historical debate about how she gained this crucial intelligence, Secord had, somehow, overheard that the Americans were planning an attack on the British at the Battle of Beaver Dams.
With a wounded husband at home, she set off to warn the troops alone.
Secord trekked on foot a total of 32 kilometres through the countryside and swamp of American-occupied territory to alert the British at Short Hills, now Pelham, Ont., of the impending attack.
On her way, she encountered a camp of Mohawk warriors who helped guide and escort her to the commander of a small British detachment, Lieutenant James FitzGibbon, to deliver her urgent message.
Meeting Between Laura Secord and Lieut. Fitzgibbon, June 1813, by Lorne Kidd Smith, c. 1920. Photo: Library and Archives Canada
Her warning foiled any plans the Americans had: the British were able to stage a successful ambush at Beaver Dams three days later, capturing nearly 600 American men.
Official reports make no mention of Secord’s journey, although FitzGibbon did provide written testimony in support of the Secords’ later petition to the government for a military pension in 1820 and 1827.
She gained no recognition or fame for her journey, except when Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), learned of the walk she had made during his visit to Canada in 1860. He sent her a £100 award, which is roughly C$19,600 adjusted for over 165 years of inflation.
Secord died at age 93 in 1868, but her legacy lives on: she’s been the subject of books and poetry, and has several schools across the country named after her. She even had several stamps issued for her in Canada.
A 2013 stamp of Laura Secord. Photo: Stamp Stories Podcast
Canada has since bestowed many other honours on her, including a museum and monuments in her name.
In fact, Ontario is full of monuments of the heroic icon, including the Valiants Memorial in Ottawa and a historical marker overlooking the Niagara River.
Funny enough, her home in Niagara-on-the-Lake was purchased for restoration by the Laura Secord Candy Shops in the 1960s — a sweet ending to an even better story.
Laura Secord’s homestead in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Photo: Niagara Parks
The building has been designated as a heritage site and is maintained as it was from 1803 to 1835, offering visitors a glimpse into her life and the events of the War of 1812.
The next time you bite into a Laura Secord chocolate, you might realize that the face of this brand has less to do with candy and more to do with a story that altered Canada forever.
