- Person
- b. 26 Aug. 1796 - d. 18 Oct. 1849
Nicol Hugh Baird was born on August 26, 1796 in Glasgow, Scotland to parents Hugh Baird and Margaret Burnthwaite.
At age of 16 he went to Russia to study with his uncle Charles Baird a machinery worker.
Around 1816, he returned to Scotland to continue training with his father, a canal engineer and builder.
He later departed for Canada in spring 1828.
Luckily, he possessed prominent references from Britain and soon earned a job as clerk of works on the Rideau Canal.
In September 1832, Lieutenant-Colonel John By commissioned Nicol to survey the mouth of the Trent River and design a bridge.
The following year, he worked alongside Frederick Preston Rubidge to develop canals between the Bay of Quinte and Presqu’ile Bay and from the mouth of the Trent River to Rice Lake.
He died on October 18, 1849 in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA.