John Willson, the first speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, moved to Saltfleet Township (Winona) from New Jersey in the 1790s. He became a justice of the peace for Gore District (present day Hamilton, Ontario) in 1811. His son Hugh Bowlby Wilson was born in Winona and fought in the 3rd Gore Regiment during the Rebellion of 1837 before going on to practice law. In 1849, during the annexationist movement he became editor of the newspaper The "Independent", which supported the movement.