SHORT NOTES \ AS To THL<: Early Settlement and Progress of Ontario County With Brief References to the Pioneers and Some Ontario ( County Men Who Have Achieved Success in the Professions, Agriculture. Commerce and Manufacturing. SML F1059 05 F37 1907 (LC) COUNTY" ONTARIO. liV ). L. FAREWELL, LL.B., K.C. County <2Ierk and Solicitor. ) YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY w\ ¥ ¥ /' v «3 l/\ ! . .- J V f '" / /\ J M , \ w f ' wM ^ t\i i\ WI> g A vt. I'Tj SSj^t-j^ A f r ' f / , / \jwjKaHI SBv'nflfcSF mm-'A\ 30 . "•'^Kt HBBg^^-jl l^^p^j,*,! IrfTrft V«ILmmk 'ijfcMM; '¦B " Hr^W ¦ 1 n ¦¦?! lBB f I ONTARIO COUNTY COURT HOUSE, 1910. COUNTY OF ONTARIO SHORT NOTES AS TO THE EARLY SETTLEMENT AND PROGRESS OF THE COUNTY AND BRIEF REFERENCES TO THE Pioneers and Some Ontario County Men WHO HAVE TAKEN A PROMINENT PART IN PROVINCIAL AND DOMINION AFFAIRS — BY— /// J, E. FAREWELL, LLJ3., K. G, County Clerk and Solicitor- WHITBY Gazette-Chronici-b Prbs 1907. FBI 1107 COUNTY OF ONTARIO. COUNTY or ONTARIO. Ontario, the Keystone County, is wedged in between Durham "and Victoria on the east, York and Simcoe on the west, and rock-rib bed Muskoka on the north, while its southern shores are washed by Lake Ontario. The county was first visited by white men in the month of Aug- 3UO-AJ3UIU pUB pojpunq OM.% ^SU years ago (1615). Champlain, the French governor and explorer, accompanied by Car- on and other Recollect missionaries at that time, ascended the Ottawa river, crossed to Lake Nipissing, descended the French river to Geor gian Bay. Coasting along this he reached the Severn river and thence through Lake Couchiching he came to the country of the Huron In dians. He agreed to join them in an attack on the Iroquois, south west of Oswego, in New York State. Passing through Lake Sim coe to the Talbot river, which sep arates Mara and Thorah Town ships, he reached Balsam Lake, thence down the waters of the Trent to Lake Ontario. Afterwards communication with Lake Huron was made through Whitby and Reach Townships and through the Rouge river in Pickering Township to the Holland river and Lake Simcoe, Through -this latter route another expedition of French and Indians passed from Lake Huron to Niagara under instructions,from the French Commandant at Que bec to avoid Fort Rouille, now To ronto, by taking this route. In the old French map is a trac ing of a canal route between the Holland and Rouge rivers. The first school in the Province was established at Frenchman's Bay, in Pickering, in 1669-1670, by Fenelon and Trouve, Sulpician mis sionaries, who wintered there and gathered the Indians into a school In 1778 Ontario county formed part of the District of Nassau. In 1798 it became part of the Home District, the first registry office for which was Niagara. The first white settler was Ben jamin Wilson, who settled in East Whitby, east of Oshawa harbor, in 1778. Some of his descendants are still living in the county, namely children , of Benjamin and Nelson Pickell. The first "Town meeting for chusing the offisors and other re gulators for the Towns of Whitby and Pickering" was held in 1801. The first meeting for the like pur pose for the Township of Pickering alone was held in 181 1. In these days there were County Lieuten ants who had power to appoint Justices of the Peace and Militia Officers. In 1804 the County Lieu tenant for York County was the Honorable David Wm. Smith, who in some way acquired the title to a great many parcels of "land in the county. In 1851 this county was HISTORY OF THE united to York and Peel for judic ial and municipal purposes. On the 14th of March, 1852, the Governor General's proclamation forming the Provisional County, of Ontario was issued and Whitby ¦ named as the County Town. On the 3rd ol May, 1852, the reeves and deputies met in the brick school house at Port Whitby, and organized the provisional county. James O'Brien Bouchicr, reeve of Gcorgtf'na, having been appointed by commission to act as presiding officer until the election of a warden, so presided until Joseph Gould, TJxbridge, was elected provisional warden. After wards the meetings, until the- final separation from York and Peel, were held in the Free church, now the residence of James Shaw, Whitby. The proclamation' dissolv ing the union of the counties and erecting Ontario into an independ ent county was issued December 30th, 1853. The County was organized in January, 1854, with nine minor municipalities, represented by nine reeves and four deputy reeves. There are now seventeen minor municipalities and three police vil lages in the County. In 1891 thev were represented bv 17 reeves and lS deputies. Under the Coun ty Councils Act the minor munici palities were grouped into 7 divis ions and represented by 14 mem bers. By- recent statute the council will be composed of the reeves of each municipality, and deputies for every thousand ratepayers. The members -of the first council were: Township of Br.ock — Robert Sprotde, reeve; Alexander Car- michael, deputy.-' Georgina — James O'Brien Ilouch- ier, reeve. Mara and Rama — James Mcl'hcr- son, reeve. Pickering — W. H. Mitchell, reeve. Peter Taylor, deputy. Reach and Scugog — Thomas Pax- ton, reeve; Abel W. Ewers, deputy. Scott — Jaincs Galloway, reeve. Thorah — Charles Robinson, reeve. Uxbridge — Joseph Gould, reeve. Whitby — James Rowe, reeve; James Dryden, deputy. Oshawa — Thomas N. Gibbs, reeve. William Powson of Manchester was appointed clerk. At the first meeting Mr. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Dryden, moved that the council do now resolve it self into a committee of the whole to consider the propriety of provid ing ways and means for the erec tion of the necessary county build ings within the County of Ontario. The committee arose and reported a resolution and upon the motion to receive the report, Mr. Mitchell, seconded by Mr. Gibbs, moved that the report be not received but amended by striking out all after the word "resolved" and the follow ing substituted: "That no appro priation for the purpose of erecting county buildings be made by the council until the actual sentiments of the inhabitant ratepayers be as certained by a regular poll yea and nay to the question^ whether the people of the County of On tario desire the separation of the .-'¦', ;;¦-- ::o- •' ¦• ¦-^^^^^^EV>'-^,V: ••*>¦•> j»3"jj** • . r ¦*¦?' ' ¦'¦¦Ta^^&T"~"™'^^H ^B ' ¦ - .-^-,'». ' '**''»: ^ .^-^TT^.?* . » V . V v . ¦*-¦, ^^^^H2^^^^^E-^^^*"WBB Hl^ - " i/-..~ , - v ... . ''' ¦ : '.'"¦ .-¦¦¦ .^«ii!:'£-p!i!i)i li!!!!!!'. FORMER MEETING PLACE OF COUNTY COUNCIL. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. County 0f Ontario from the other Portions of the United Counties, a»d also whether they approve of ™e denotement of the site of the county town by the Government. The yeas and nays were taken. Yeas: Bouehier, Carmichael, Gal loway, Gibbs, Mitchell, McPherson, Sproule — 7. Nays: Dryden, Ewers, Gould, Paxton, Robinson, Rowe, Taylor The provisional warden having voted with the Nays the amend ment was lost. The resolution to raise by way of loan the sum of .£6,000 for the purpose of erecting county build ings was then put and carried up on the same division, the provis ional warden voting a second time to break the tie. The committee to strike standing committees was then balloted for, and resulted in the election of Messrs. Bouehier, Gibbs, Gould, Mitchell and Pax- ton. A motion that when the council adjourns it adjourns to meetl at the Free church (the present residence of Mr. James Shaw) on the first Wednesday in June next, was lost, and a motion to meet after the ad journment of the Council of the United Counties of York, Ontario and Peel was carried. At this meeting there was no quorum. At the third meeting the council proceeded to strike out the name of James McPherson as Reeve of Mara and Rama and did order the name of Michael McDonagh to be substituted in lieu thereof and ..bat Michael McDonagh do take his seat as Reeve of the Township of Mara and Rama, which the said Michael McDonagh straightway did, and upon his motion, seconded by Mr. Ewers, William Paxton, jr., was appointed provisional treasurer of the County. The council passed a resolution requesting the Government to ap point at once a Registrar for the County of Ontario, and an associ ate Judge for York, Ontario and Peel, to be resident within the county of Ontario. William Henry Smith, in his book entitled "Canada West," published in 1851, says: "Markham was long regarded as the first township, not only in the county, but in the Province. Other town ships, however, have been strug gling in the race and first Dum fries and now Whitby has surpass ed her." In 1825 the people of this county were not troubled with customs or internal revenue officers. The near est of these officials were the Hon orable William Allen of York and M. F. Whitehead of Port Hopa. The man who wished to commit matrimony had to journey to An drew Mercer at Toronto for a Ht cense or be called in church three times publishing of the banns. To register a deed a like jour- HISTORY OK THE ney had to be made, Stephen Jar- at Port Hope ami Whitby. .James vis .being the then Registrar of Armour, a relative of the late the territory out of which York, Chief Justice Armour, is said to Ontario, Peel and Simcoe counties have practised law at Whu'.iy shortly after the rebellion.. The Township of Georgina, lying to the north of Scott township, was a part of the provisional county,, but in 18,53 it was by the Act 16 Vic, cap. 96, transferred from the County of Ontario, to the County of York. The population of the County in 1854 was about 30,000. In 1861 it was 41,565. In 1871 it was 45,180. In 1893 it was estimated at.jS,yJi, •but is actually much larger. The Town of Whitby, was organ ized as a separate municipality in January, 1855. The Township of Scugog was separated from Reach in June, 1855, and organized as a separate municipality in January, 1856. The first white settler in this township was a man named Graxton. It contains an Indian reservation of Sou acres on which a small tribe of Mississagu Indians still resides. The Township of East Whitby was separated from the Township of Whitby and organized as a sep arate municipality in January, 1858. The first settler was Benja min Wilson, above named. Rama Township was separated from Mara and organized as a sep arate municipality in January, 1869. The earliest settlers were were formed. There were only four commis sioners within this district entitled to take affidavits as to the execu tion of deeds, on which they could be, registered. In case a man was killed in' this large district only four coroners could be found and all of them lived in Toronto. , There were then only nine public school trustees in the whole dis trict. William Smith of Pickering seems to have been the only Justice of the Peace for this County at this time. To post a letter the people of the Countv had to go to John B. Walren's store on the Kingston road between Oshawa and Whitby. There was a post office in Darling ton, at Black's Creek, just over the Whitby line, kept by .James Black, Esq. This man lived so near the boundary that he seems to have been considered a County of York man. He is named in the Home District lists of commissioners to administer the oath of allegiance and in the commission of the peace. In 1837 Doctor Charles Ward is stated in the Canadian Almanac (Fothergill's) to be practising law COUNTY OF ONTARIO. Captain Allan McPherson, of the Sicilian regiment, and Captains Garnet, Pass, Rooke, Coppinger and Mr. John McKinnon. It con tains a reservation occupied by Chippewa Indians. The Village of Port Perry was detached from Reach June 9th, 1871. Organized as a separate municipality in January, 1872. The Village of Uxbridge was de tached from Uxbridge Township June, 1872. Organized as a separ ate municipality January, 1873. It was incorporated as a town in 1883. The Village of Cannington was detached from the Township of Brock in June, 1878. Organized as a separate municipality in Janu ary, 1879. The Village of Beaverton was de tached from the Township of Thorah in June, 1884, and organiz ed as a separate municipality in January, 1885'. The first settlers were Donald Calder and Kenneth Cameron. The first settler in the Township of Brock was James Reekie. The date), October 10th, 1818. In June, 1900, the Village of Sunderland, in the Township of Brock, was erect ed into a Police Village. The first settler in the Township of Reach was Reuben Crandell. The date May, 1821. The Township of Pickering was formerly called Edinburgh. The first settler was a man named Wil liam Peak, who settled at the mouth of Duffins' Creek before 1801. In June, 1900, the former Village of Canton, or Duffins' Creek, was erected into a Police Village. The first settler in the Township of Uxbridge was Dr. Beswick iu the year 1806. The first settler iu the Township of Scott was Evan Jones, a Welsh man. Date of settlement, 1830. The first settlers in the Town ship of Thorah were J. E. White and a British officer, Ensign Turner. The first settler in the Township of Mara was Patrick Corrigan, 1823. The second settler, Arthur Kelly, took up his location in 1827, and died at the age of 106; The County of Ontario has three towns. Whitby, Oshawa and Ux bridge. Whitby is the County Town. Here are located the County build ings, including the Court House, Gaol and Registry Office, the County of Ontario House of Ke- fuge and Industrial farm, the Ar mory of the 34th Regiment, and one of the Government Experimen tal Fruit Farms. It is an educa tional centre with three well equip ped public schools, an efficient R<:- man Catholic Separate School, and one of the Ontario County Model Schools. The Whitby Collegiate HISTORY OF THE Institute was established as a Grammar School in 1849, and has during its long history held a fore most place among the High Schools and Collegjiate Institutes of the Province. The Ontario Ladies' Cbllege was established in 1874 in Trafalgar Castle,' the former residence of Sheriff N. G. Reynolds. Two very extensive additions, involving a large expenditure, and aggregating with the original outlay upwards of a fifth of a million dollars have since been made. It is so well equipped and has such a numerous and able staff of instructors that it has attracted pupils from all parts of the Dominion and the United States. The Town of Osh'awa has been appropriately called the Manches ter of Canada. It has a number of the largest manufacturing estab lishments for pianos, carriages, malleable iron work, and woollen goods in the Dominion, besides many smaller but prosperous im dustries. It has an excellent High School and three well graded pub lic, schools, and Bishop Bethune La dies' College. The latter occupies Rllsmere Hall, the handsome resi dence of the late Hon. T. N. Gibbs. There is also a convent school and a separate school in connection with the Roman Catholic Church. The Town of Uxbridge has sev eral important milling and manu facturing establishments. It is one of the best market towns in the Province. It has an excellent High and a well graded Public School. Port Perry, Cannington and Bea- verton are thriving villages. The former has an excellent High School and Public Schools, and is the seat of one of the Model Schools of the County. The successful co-education Col lege of the "Friends" is located at Pickering. It attracts pupils from far-off Japan from Mexico and the West Indies. Note — This building was destroy ed by fire in 1905. This misfortune deprived the province of a most useful college and this county of a most able and accomplished educa tionist in Principal Firth. The County of Ontario was well timbered. The energy of its lum bermen in former years supplied a large amount of timber and lum ber for the Province and for export to Great Britain and the United States. It was formerly one of the best grain growing counties in the Province and next to Brampton, Prince Albert was the largest grain market in the Province. The pio neer in progressive agriculture, the County of Ontario from the first has been noted for the energy and .skill of its importers and breeders of live stock, and now holds a first place in the Province in this re spect, having regard to its area. It also holds a leading position am ongst the fruit raising counties. The past history of the County of Ontario, as well as its present condition and prospects for the fu ture, amply prove the wisdom shown in the selection of its motto, "Peace, Plenty, Progress." \Jf- '.- ¦ $39 &&M 1 ¦'¦ ¦.'•.: [¦'•' ' it ' ¦' •¦'¦ 4 •''"'"'¦¦ML BUb: w- ¦ v ¦",ffiB. EW Am B|.?'l--j *mJm 1 * I ¦ ' 1 ' '*'fMM > -^wHBL.5 ¦- Bfe ¦ i ' rrSk .,¦¦¦. BP ,; m F ¦«* *Wij ^iggfiii HBi ^tF-> v^s969 t^*»- lli HpjH^"-"J9 ., mHES H^^5^ "¦1 ¦ --^TSrt jjMBWW^^ ^^fig '; LIEUT.-COL. J. E. FAREWELL AND OFFICERS, 34th (ONTARIO) REGIMENT. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. GEOLOGICAL FEATURES. The Lauren tian, the oldest rock formation crosses from the Adiron dack mountains in New York state at the Thousand Islands and stretches northward to the shores of Lake Huron forms the extreme northern part of the Township of Rama, so "When Britain first at Heaven's high command," "Rose out of the azure main," this part of the County of Ontario was in evidence, and its people now live in "The old country," the oldest of countries. These rocks are crystal line and contain no fossils. At the shore of Lake Ontario the rucks consist of Utica schist and Tren ton limestone, which extend north ward and terminate at Colling- wood. They are full of fossiie. The Utica Schist containing trilo bites, which, when found in rock strata, clearly indicate that the search for coal below them is useless. Two or three miles from Lake Ontario is an old, beach of the lake where it occupied a much grfcater area than at present. From the Highlands of Scarboro' eastward through the counties of York, Ontario, Durham, Northumberland and Hastings this level ground over which the waters of Ontario dashed against high bluffs and banks or pushed up into bays, is found. Geologists call it the Northern shore of Lake Iro quois. About 1850-52 this peculiar condition was pointed out by Abra ham Farewell, ex-M.P.P., to Mr. T. C. Keefer, C.E., while accom panying him in making the prelim inary search for the best line for the Grand Trunk Railway. Mr. Keefer, from the uniform level of the lands, there being covered with water worn gravel and th* clearly marked shore line, concluded that the waters of the lake once extend ed up to this slope. Similar features are noticeable on the south side of Lake Ontario. Ten or twelve miles from the shore of Lake Ontario the land rises in a ridge to the height of 900 feet and beyond this the waters flow into Lake Ontario by way of the Trent and Bay of Ouinte or into Lake Huron. From the south of this ridge flow the wa ters of the Rouge and Duffins Creek in Pickering and Lyndes Creek in the Township of Whitby and Warren's and Black's Creek, through the Township of East Whitby into Lake Ontario.. North of the ridges the waters of the Non- quon flow into Lake Scugog and the Trent Valley. The waters of the Black River pass through Ux bridge and Scott to Lake Simcoe and of the Beaver River through the Townships of Brock and Thorah entering Lake Simcoe at Beaver- ton. The Talbot River forming the boundary line between Mara and Thorah, and another Black River flows through Rama to Lake Couchiching. The waters of Lake Simcoe and Couchiching arc dis charged by the Severn into the Georgian Bay. The soil of the Whitbys and Pick ering, except on the old Iroquois Lake shore, and of Reach is a heavy clay loam. In Uxbridge much of the land is sandy. Through Brock and Scott there are some cedar swamps. Scott has the best 10 HISTORY OF THE gravel for road making and the best roads in the county. In Rama there is much limestone and gran ite. The soils of this county are varied producing "the best that grows." The first prize for wheat was taken at- the Paris Exhibition by the late Mr. James Pile, of the 7th Con. Whitby Township. The gold medal for apples, pears and plums was taken at the last of such exhibitions by the Whitby Ex periment Fruit Station under the management of Mr. R. L- Hagfoard. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. n TOWNSHIP OF PICKERING. Assessment, 1903, $3,837,235- Population, 1 850, 6,385. Population, 1904, 5,211. In 1791 the first surveyor's line was run from east to west on the front of the 1st concession, viz., the Base Line. The shore of Lake Ontario from the Township of Murray to the Township of York, both inclusive, was divided into eleven divisions, afterwards called townships, to which numbers were given. Picker ing was No. 9 in this list and the lirst name given to it was Edin burgh; Whitby was Norwich, Scar- boro was Glasgow, York was Dublin and Darlington was Bristol. The western part of the town ship is traversed by a river which the French called "Riverie Rouge," the Indians called it "Katabbko- konk," or river of an easy en trance. In the settlement of Markham and the west of Pickering by the Dutch German emigrants from Pennsylvania in 1792, under the di rection of a Mr. Berzey, they crossed Lake Ontario or came around the head of Lake Ontario to the river of easy entrance. 1 1 is said that after leaving the river it took > them nearly four weeks to cut their way through to the 6th concession of Markham and corre sponding parts of Pickering. Governor Simcoe called the river "The Nen," but it has always re tained the French name Rouge. Pickering and other townships along the front of Lake Ontario got their names after towns in the county of York, England. East of the mouth of the Rouge is Frenchman's Bay. Over 230 years ago a tribe of Seneca In dians lived here and this bay is marked on the old French maps with the Indian name Gandatsdha- gon. It is the site of the first school in the Province of Ontario. In 1669 and 1670 it was visited by two Sulpician missionaries, Fenelon and Trouve. They spent the winter there and gathered the Indians into a school. Duffins' Creek, which passes through the Police Village of Pick ering, was called by the French "La Riveire Sammon," from the number' of salmon which frequented it. Charles Fothergill called it "The Meander," and the village near it "Monodelphia." In 1796 Asa Danforth, an Ameri can, obtained the contract to lay out and build the second of Gover nor Simcoe's roads for opening up communication through the coun try. This contract was for a road from Ancaster, the head of the lake, to Kingston. The road was to be opened, two rods wide, for horses, and built a safe distance from the lake shore. This precau- 12 HISTORY OF THE tion enabled General Sheaf to lead' his men safely to Kingston after the capture of Toronto, 1813, and a similar safe march was repeated by Col. Hardy in 1814. The first settler in Pickering was Mr. William Peak, who settled near the mouth of Duffins Creek. He was an Indian trader and in terpreter, and the friend of Waubi- kishko, an Indian chief whose sway extended from the Credit River to the Bay- of Quinte, about the year 1800. Mr, William Peake, one of the trustees of Pickering Village is a descendant. In 1809 Pickering had a popula tion of 187. This township was formerly joined with Whiti.-/ Town ship, one of the earliest records re lating to the township matters is dated 4th of June, 1801. It is a record of the first of the old town meeting days, entitled "A record of a meeting for choosing town of ficers and other regulators for the Towns of Pickering and Whitby, held at the house of Samuel Mun- ger, now the Judson Gibson farm, in Pickering, near Salem. The fol lowing officers were elected: Eben- ezer Ransom, town clerk; John Ma jors, Pickering, Eleazer Lockwood, Whitby, assessors; Anthony Rum- merfield, Adam Stephens, town wardens,; David Stephens, collector; Samuel Munger, Mathew De Willi- ger (Terwillinger), John McGahn, pathmasters1; William Peak, David Lloyd, David Crawford, Abraham Townsend, fence viewers; Silas Marvin, pound keeper. , A vote called and passed "That no hogg shall be free comener ex cept they will wey more than forty weight." Voted ''That no fence shall be lawful except it measure 4% ft. high and 2 feet at the bot tom, the rails not to be more than 4 inches apart." "Meeting closed until warned again." Then follows a receipt from Wm. Allan, Treasurer Home District, of the payment of E. Lockwood, Col lector of Townships of ,Pickering and Whitby for 1802, five pounds 19s., Halifax currency, being in full, accruing to the Assessment roll for that year. Caleb and Henry Powell came from New Brunswick in 1810. James B. Pow ell, many years a leading merchant of the Town of Whitby, chairman of the Board of Education and town councillor, was a son of Calelb Powell. Donald R. Beaton, Esq., town ship clerk, has a record of the town meetings for Pickering alone, com mencing 181 1 with Thomas Hub bard, town clerk. In this record appear the names of John H'aight, as assessor; John Lawrence as pathmaster,' Joseph Wilson and Timothy Rogers, pound keepers, and John Richard and James Pow ell as town wardens. In 1812 there is a memorandum in the books, "Our Town Officers were put in by the Quarter sesons for the year 1813 by reason of the wor that was declearede against us COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 13 by the States in the year 1812," and again, "by the same reason our Town metin ware omited in the year A. IX, 1814, and' our Townd Officers were put in in the same manner." Timothy Rogers, above named, built a mill at Duffins Creek about 1810. This* year Nicholas Brown came from Vermont and soon after him the Quaker settlement of the Browns was formed. t , In 1815 the names ofjMcCaus- laud, Stott, Clark and Smith oc cur, amongst the Town Officers. In 1816 Vancleek, Post, Flower- field, Caleb Powell and Ray are new names of Town Officers and it was enacted "Hogs is not to run a free comoners nor Horses." In 181.; James Sharrard, Peter Mathews, Joseph Brown and Sam uel Dodlittle appear as Township Officers. In this year Elder George Bar clay and his sons, George and James, came from Scotland and settled in the township; Eli and David Barelav, long residents of the township, were born in Picker ing. Mr. L. T. Barelav, Local Re gister of the High Court, is u grandson of Elder Barclay, Iu 1818 the names ol Spencer, Udell and Anhrcw Rawson appear in the list, and in 1820 Zepcniah Jones, James Wood and Daniel Yeak are new names of Town ship Officers. At the town meeting! of this year, a by-law was passed regulating the height and charac ter of fences. It is probably the shortest by-law ever passed by a deliberative body. Here it is, "Voted that our fences is to be na- borly and lawfull."' In 1820 the population was 375. in 1821 the following names of per sons who are remembered by many now living, were elected as Town Officers: Joseph Winters, George Caster (or Kester), Asher Wilson, and Joseph Webster, and in 1822, James Brown, Samuel Eves, Solo mon Sleigh (called in the record Sly), George Anderson, John Al bright and Cornelius Churchill. In 1823 the township affairs were managed by John Sharrard, town clerk; Thomas Hubbard, collector; while Joshua Richards (probfcbly Richardson), John Blair and Da vid Wood were pathmasters. Pickering about this time receiv ed .1 valuable addition to its popu lation by the incoming of a num ber of Irish Quakers, the Richard- sons, from Queen's County; the Collins, Wright and Valentync families; Thomas Reazon. father of Henry Reazon, .School Inspector for Victoria County; the Tavlors, from Tipperary. including Peter Taylor, for many years a county councillor, and who was at the time of his death, County Trea surer. About 1825, the Quaker family, i4 HISTORY OF THE the Browns, came from the United States, settled on the Kingston road between Whitby and Picker ing. The family included Asa Brown, Sherman Brown, Abram Isaac and Jacob Brown, Roland and Nicholas Brown. N. W. Brown, at one time the member for South Ontario in the Local Legislature, and Mayor of Whitby, belonged to this family. James R. Brown, Clerk of the Peace and County- Crown Attorney for Prince Ed ward, is a descendant of one of these families. About this • year James Carpenter, father of Ira B. Carpenter, J. P., came from Ver mont and settled near the town line of Whitby. He was one of the first blacksmiths in the county. V*illi»m Sleigh was the Township Clerk in 1825. In 1 83 1 William Dunbar settled at Dunbarton and founded the fine Scotch settlement there, of which Peter Nesbitt, Annans, McCono- chies, Anderson, the Rev. Mr. Ken nedy were amongst the leading men. In 1834 Ebenezar Birrell, after wards a justice of the peace, Local Superintendent of Schools, settled in the seventh concession, east of Duffin's Creek. The leading men on the front road at this time were Squire Galbraith, P". L. S., Squire Francis Leys, who kept the post office on lot 13, the first con cession; Squire George Fothcrgill, Donald McKay, William Smith, Dr. H. Boyes, and Joshua Richard son, all of whom served as com missioners of the Court of Requests, whose jurisdiction and duties were about the same as that of the Division Court before its recent ex tension of jurisdiction. Amongst other early settlers were John Tool, 1821, Job Bur ton, Abraham Knowles, Christian Stouffer, Piatt Betts, Isaac Camp bell, Martin, Nighswander, Am brose Boone, Richard Dale, William Hartrick, Elder Sharrard and his brothers, the Haights, the Mat thews, the Posts, Hiram, G.eorge and Asa, Levins Churchill, the Cor nells, Donald McKay, Samuel and Joseph Jones, the Waddells, Geo. Higinbottom, Wm. Gibsons, and Yeoman and Judson, his sons. Mary Tool, widow of Hawkins Woodruff, died 1906, aged 90 years. Mr. Leys two sons, John and Col. Francis Leys, represented the cities of Toronto and London in parliament. Mr. Leys in 1834 was then the only store keeper in Pick ering. 1 Dr. II. Boys, above referred to had been an army surgeon, serving under the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular war. Judge Boys. of Barric, is one of his sons. Dr. Boys, resided in the Township of Whitby for a time. He was col lector of customs. In 1883 Ralph Mowbray came to Pickering from Brooklyn, New York and Sherwood Palmer moved into Pickering from Scarboro. His' son, James I,., was a schoolmate of the late President Garfield, and was .1 member of the County Council for 10 wars. His brother Charles is a member of the Pickering Council. Squirti Fptbci'giH had been member COUNTY OF ONTARIO. l5 for East Durham, had carried on a Printing and Publishing business in Toronto and for a number of years published a Gazetter and almanac, containing a large amount of in formation as to the condition of Upper Canada. He commenced 'building a mill at Pickering about the year 1835. At that time there was a grist and saw mill on lot 15 in the 5th con cession, East of Brougham, which was being run by- a Mr. Sicely. Mr. H. Howell bought him out and built and carried on a store and distillery there. John Miller, of "Thistleha," Reeve of Pickering and County- Councillor for many years settled here in 1835. His Uncle George re siding in Markham, was then com mencing the importation of. stock from Great Britain for breeding purposes. He brought out some sheep and pigs for his uncle's farm. He was followed in 1839 by his father and the rest of the family. The township, county and pro vince, in fact, have been greatly benefitted by the successful efforts in cattle and sheep raising and im porting by John Miller and his family. It would be difficult to estimate the money value of the services Which they rendered to the county in this way. Mr. Miller and his son, Robert, more than once unsuccessfully contested South Ontario in the Conservative inter ests. Mr. John Miller died at the age of eighty-seven, but was in ac tive business for some time after he passed his eightieth year. John Hyfield, father of Mrs. Yeoman Gibson and Mrs. Joseph Mont gomery, settled at Salem Corners in 1836. A school house was built there about that time. John Pea cock was the first teacher. Miss Thompson, a daughter of Hotel Keeper Thompson, succeeded him. Trueman White came from Mark ham in 1845. He built at White- vale, formerly Majorville, extensive saw, grist and woollen mills. He was for many years a leader of municipal and political affairs and served a term as County Warden. Hugh Pugh, father of Thomas Pugh, late of Whitevale, came from Wales to this township about the year 1834. David E. Pugh, town ship councillor, and his brothers, Judson, Oliver and Hugh, are good representatives of this Welsh Bap tist stock. < The first meeting of the Council of l'iekering since the passing of the Municipal Act, was held at Thompson's Inn, one and a quarter miles south of Broughham, on the 21st of January, 1850. W. H. Mich- cll was elected reeve, R. A. Parker deputy reeve. The other members of the council were Peter Taylor, Frederkk Green and Joshua Wick- son. Of Squire Green it is said, that, when holding court at Green wood, which was named after him, he had as an associate, Sq(uire Birrell. A big, Clustering fellow was before them charged with as sault. He marched in and out of the court at his pleasure, using much profane and very disrespect- i6 HISTORY OF THE ful language to, of and about the court. Squire Green asked his brother, Justice Birrell, if there was not some way of stopping this. Sqjiire Birrell said he might call out the posse comitatus, whereupon Squire Green said, "The posse comitatus be damned. This court is adjourned for five minutes until I whip the scoundrel." The court in due time resumed its sit tings with a well whipped prisoner present and submissive, ready to do and receive what the court should award in the premises. Mr. Michell held the reeveship for three years. On the death of Peter Perry, member for South Ontario, Mr. Michell was elected member, but before he took his seat in the House there was a dissolution and new election, and Mr. Michell did not receive the nomination. John M. Lumsden, afterwards M. P. for the riding, was the next reeve, and after four years was succeeded by T. P. White, who was reeve for sixteen years and Warden for the county in 1861. James McCreight was a member of the council for twelve years and reeve during three of these years. Mr. John Miller, above mentioned, served as reeve for nine years. Messrs. Sylvester Mackie, Peter Hoover, Joseph Monkhouse, George Parker, R. R. Mowbray, George Gerow, Thomas Beare, Jaines McBrady, James Todd, Wm. Barnes, have all served dif ferent terms as reeve. Mr. Monk- house and Mr. Mowbray and Mr. Gerow have each been County Warden. Hector Beaton was appointed as- esssor and collector in 1846. In 1849 he was appointed clerk, as sessor and collector and held these offices for. several years. From 1862 to 1883 he acted as clerk and trea surer, retiring at the age of eighty- two, having served the township continuously for thirty-eight years. He was succeeded by his son, Don ald A. Beaton, in the clerkship, and who worthily fills the position at the present time. George Parker, has been treasurer for the years. Mr. Foster Hutchinson has been collector for about twen ty-one years. David Gilchrist was assessor for nineteen years. The population in 1828 was 1,042 and according to the last census returns it is now 5,285. Among the most celebrated stock breeders and importers in the Pro vince was James I. Davidson, who lived in the northeast part of the township. He was a member of the Dominion Parliament. His son, John Davidson, carries on the busi ness in which his father achieved so much success. Arthur Johnston, for years a member of the CountyCouncil, was for years a most successful importer and breeder of sheep, and now ranks as one of the principal importers and breeders of cattle in America. The Major brothers, sons of William Major; Robert Milne, the Pughs, Graham, brother-in-law of the late John Miller, were most successful sheep raisers. THE COUNTY ARMOURY. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 17 The township is celebrated, not only for the success of its import ers and breeders of cattle and sheep, but of horses as well. Rich ard, Graham and his sons, William, Thomas and Robert, of Claremont, have been for many years among the most successful of importers and breeders of both heavy draught and carriage horses. Robert Graham, veterinary sur geon, was appointed by the Gov ernment of the Dominion to take charge of the horses of the Mount ed Rifles and Artillery which Can ada sent out to assist the Mother Country in South Africa, when the attack of the Boers was made on a sister colony. The first doctor in the township was Dr. William Burns of Duffin's Creek. The second one was Dr. Da vid Tucker, B. A., M. D. Dr. Tuck er was Local Superintendent of Schools after Mr. Burrell. He was an excellent classical Scholar — and edited editions of works hy Roman writers. David Tripp and his five, sons John, Thomas, Edward, James and Ira settled near Frenchman's Bay in 1837. John built and car ried on one of the first saw mills in the Township. i8 HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP OF WHITBY. This township was first known as Township No. 8 of. the Lake Shore townships between the Bay of Quinte and York. It was also afterwards called Norwich. When a north of England man got the management of these mat ters in hand he wiped out the then names of these lake front town ships) and scattered Yorkshire names along the lake shore, name ly: Darlington, Whitby, Pickering, Scarborough, York. The first ' settler in the county was Benjamin Wilson, who settled in this township in 1790 or 1794, east of Oshawa Harbor. He came from Putney in the State of Ver mont, and it is claimed he was a United Empire Loyalist, and his daughter. Mrs. Nancy Pickle,, the first white child born between To ronto and Kingston. Shortly after his arrival hia place was visited by a band of In dians, who took his tools and pro visions which had been furnished to him by the Government, and whatever else he had but his boat, and told him to begone and not to find his way back again. He had come around from Niagara, where the Government then was. He went down the lake shore to Ganaraska, now Port Hope, where he met Wabakischoe, a chief who ruled the Indians from the Humber to the Bay of Quinte. Fortunately for Wilson the chief was accompanied by William Peak, who afterwards settled at Duffin's Creek. Wilson explained to Peak why he was go ing east instead of west. The chief learning from Peak what had hap pened told Wilson to go back with him. Arrived at the shanty they waited about until an Indian was discovered prowling around in the hope that he might pick up something. The chief started him off to find the Indians who had looted Wilson's goods with in structions to notify them to hunt up all the Indians who had taken anything from Wilson and to be and appear three or four days af terwards with all the stolen goods and with all their own stack of furs. The unwelcome news was passed along like the carrying of the "Fiery Cross" in Scotland. The Indians appeared and placed back in Wilson's shanty what was lefly of the goods and provisions. Then the furs of each Indian were opened out and Wilson was told to go through the packs and take from each of them enough to make up the whole of his loss. Wilson took all he dared to take. The chief said it was not enough and that Peake must "pull" more furs from the packs till there was en ough handed, over. Peake "pulled" furs from each and added them to Wilson's stock. The chief was not satisfied. He commenced "pull ing" more furs and added them to Wilson's lot until he was more than paid in value and a good COUNTY OF ONTARIO. »9 surplus for the inconvenience he would have in getting, re-stocked with provisions and tools. The chief hung up a wampum belt in the shanty and told the Indians to remember the day's proceedings. Wilson was not troubled after that In fact he received much assist ance from the Indians in his work. The Record of Marriages in the possession of J. P. Lovekin, J. P., of Clarke, at the time of his death has the following relating to the marriage of Benjamin Wilson's daughter : "Third October, 1811— Married, William Pickell, of Arlington, to Nancy Wilson, of Whitby, being first duly published in presence of William Smith, and Waterman A. Spencer. "Twenty-first April, 1807— Mar ried, John Carr, of Darlington, to Betsy Woodruff, , of Pickering, with the written consent of her father. Present, Morris Carr and wife and Mr. Woodruff's son." About this time a widow wo man who was living at White Riv er Junction, Connecticut, went to Niagara with her sons, Ackeus Moody and William Farewell, and settled near where the Servos fam ily, who obtained lands in this county, resided. She there mar ried Seageant James Cranford of the Queen's Rangers, then quarter ed at Niagara, and moved into the fort. She and her sons went to Little York (Toronto) when Gov ernor Simcoe transferred the capi tal of Upper Canada there in -1796. Toronto then had no existence. The writer was informed by Mr. A. M. Farewell that there were two French traders at the Hum- ber, one of whom was named St. John. They had some fruit trees there, which indicates a somewhat lengthy residence. The first cherry trees in Ontario County were brought to Harmony in 1807 by the Farewell brothers from the Humber and from them many oth er orchards were supplied. In 1804 the two Farewell boys paddled down the lake to the large bay east of Oshawa harbor. Bluff Point, now containing 3 or 4 acres, but then large enough for a respectable farm, ran out to the east of the bay. It was for many years occupied by one Terrill, a fisherman, who afterwards settled in Mara. The writer remembers when native Indian potatoes were growing on, it. The waters in this bay were deep enough for large sized vessels, as was the river en tering into it, the western branch of which was large enough to drive saw mills, flouring mills, brewery, distillery, furniture fac tory, at Farewell's Corners, now Harmony. The protected bay with deep wa ters, the powerful streams, decided the Farewells to purchase several hundreds of acres along the stream in preference to the site on which Oshawa now stands. Had the heads of these streams been 20 HISTORY OF THE examined the adventurers would have found that a half-mile and i% miles away was the source of the supply, which woidd cease as soon as the clearing of the lands along side them was done. The Oshawa creek had . its source west of Rag lan, ten miles away, and its vol ume and continuance was the cause of Oshawa 's prosperity. Mr. W. B. Phipps, the late clerk of the Forestry Department of the Ontario Government, asked the writer for some examples of the ef fect of clearing lands, and on pointing out to him this case, where a village with mechanics, shops of various kinds, mills and factories had been wiped out, he stated it was the best. example he had met with. The Farewells soon opened up a trade with the Indians, and in 1806 left their man, John Sharp, in charge of their camp at Wash- burne Island, Lake Scugog, while they went down the lake and river to let the Indians know that they were on the island for trade. On their return they found the camp looted and their man killed. Hast ily burying him they started for Cedar Creek, at the head of the lake, and followed the trail down to Lake Ontario, east of Oshawa harbor. Enquiring of Eleazar Lockwood on the way, he told them that he had seen the Indians passing the night before and had crept down to the camp and saw and heard one named Ogetonecut describe how he had killed Sharp because his brother, Whistling Duck, had been killed by a white man a year ago and no white man had been killed on his account. Thev followed the Indians to To ronto, finding them encamped on the Island. Going to the Fort they, got the interpreter, Ruggles, and some soldiers, who arrested the Indian. On his trial it was urged that Washbtirne Island was not in the Home but in the New castle district and that the court had no jurisdiction. The line was run by Major Wilmot and it was found that the murder had been done in the Newcastle district. The trial was arranged to take place at Presqule, and while Judge Coch rane, Solicitor General Robert Isaac Gray, . Sheriff Aijgus McDon nell, Mr. John Fisk, the high bailiff, the interpreters, Cowan and Rug gles, Mr. Herkimer and the Indian were going down the lake in the Government schooner "Speedy," Captain Paxton, the vessel was lost with all on board. Mr. John Fisk, the high bailiff, was related to the Bigelow family. Mr. Joseph Bigelow, of Port Perry, has a copy of the letters of administration taken out after he was drowned. The Farewells and Lockwood were to take the schooner opposite Port Oshawa, but finding the wind favor able and not seeing the "Speedy" they hoisted sail in their birch canoe and arrived almost at the place of trial when they were over taken by the "Speedy," but hav ing business at the carrying place they stopped there, and during the storm the three men had diffi culty in preventing the canoe from being blown away. The court was COUNTY OF ONTARIO.- 2! adjourned from day to day for over a week waiting for the arrival of the "Speedy," when a piece of the vessel was found and no sitting of the court was held. By the will of the Solicitor Gen eral, Robert Isaac DeGray or Gray, made in 1803, some slaves were set free and part of the lands at Cedardrake, lot 11, first conces sion, Whitby, was devised to his slave servant, Simon, and to his other slave, "John," lot 17, con cession 2, Whitby. Slavery was abolished by the first parliament of Upper Canada. in 1793. They were set free under the will probably to -prevent any question as to whether the Act was applicable to those who were then in slavery. The bones of a man were found last summer by some campers on Washburne Island and from their position it is probable they were those of John Sharp, who was murdered by Ogetonicut. Amongst the other settlers be fore the war of 1812 were David Annis on the lake shore near Port Oshawa, a branch. of whose family was living in Scarboro at that date. Matthew Terwillegar, called in the early records Be'&illegar, Adam Stevens, the McGahens, gall ed Megan, and the sons, Isaac, Henry, Thomas and Asa, James Cranford, William Pickle, who married a daughter of Benjamin Wilson's, Jabez Lynde, WiiHam Karr, Brisbane. David Annis built the vessels "Dianah" and t'The Lord Durham" a mile up the cre«k from Lake Ontario. The Lynde residence, near' Lynde's Creek, Town of 'Whitby, was built at the time of the war of 181 2 and used as a hotel. Troops frequently stopped there on their marches , up and down the country during the war. The Farewell homestead at Har mony, a landmark for eighty years, was raised on the day of the declaration of the war of 18 1 2. A squad of dragoons forwarding despatches were stationed here dur ing 1 814, the last year of the war. Before that time despatches were carried by Wilmot from Newcastle to Farewells' and by Farewell to Lynde's and Post's, and vice versa. Still Jabez and Hawkins Lynde and Woodruff were also despatch car riers. v Lynde is said to have settled at Whitby about the' year 1865. Abraham and Peter Stoner and John Palmer of Pickering and Thomas Henry of Port Oshawa were also in the service in the war of 1812-15. A man named Dan Smith lived on the lake shore a year before that time. Mr. Nightingale lived on the Farewell farm, Town of Whitby, i$ 1811. 23 HISTORY OF THE The first school in -the township was probably kept on the Howden farm opposite by a Miss Cross, in the same year. Samuel Cochrane settled upon the farm in Whitby on which the House of Refuge stands in 1812, coming from near the province line, Vermont. He was a Quaker, : but volunteered for service in, the transport corps in 18 12 and was drafted afterwards. He served fourteen months. The pay was ,, I4.25 a month. The soldiers got $12 prize money at Detroit. He was at the taking of Detroit and the battle of Queenston Heights and died in 1889 while in receipt of a pension for his services. John Hyland came to the county from Ireland in 1817 and for many- years' kept store in Oshawa. In 1816 John Kerr, from New York State, settled in the Norths west Ward, Oshawa, John McGre gor Southwest Ward, William Karr Northeast Ward, and E. Ark- land Southeast Ward. James Hall, father of Calvin and Samuel Hall, settled on the lake shore in 1820. He told the writer that while clearing the woods on his farm his new axe was broken by a piece of iron shell which was embedded in , a. tree. The writer mentioned this to the late A. M. Farewell, who accounted for it in this way. During 1812 a bri gade of boats engaged in car rying military stores, were attack ed by an American gunboat oppo site Hall's place. The boats were drawn up on shore. Several at tempts were made during the night after cannon firing to take these boats by marines in small boats from the American vessel. The soldiers on the British boats were reinforced by the settlers who with their rifles rendered such good ser vice that the American boat sailed away and the stores reached York in safety. In 1821 ''the four Irishmen" arriv ed from Ireland. They were John Borlase Warren, William Warren, Laurence Hayden and O'Callaghan Holmes. They were County of Cork men and there entered into an agreement to emigrate to Can ada and carry on in partnership agricultural pursuits. They settled north of Hamers' Corners. Messrs. J. B. Wrarren, Hayden and Holr-es were commissioners of the Court of Requests for Whitby and Rcuili. The court was held at a school- house on the 3rd concession, just east of the Dow farm. Mr. High- field, of Pickering, father of Mrs. Yeoman Gibson, bought out the four Irishmen. Mr. George Mc- Gill, father of Colonel John Mc- Gill and Dr. William McGill, at one time a member of the Legislative Assembly, rt Scotchman who came from Paisley or Wigton, in Scot land, in 1822, was bailiff of ihis court. Mr. J. B. Warren, Mr. Hayden, Mr. Holmes, Peter Mc Donald, Alexander Annstiong and Captain F. K. Tincombc were am ongst the earliest magistrates in the township. Mr. Hayden is said to have been the first Roman Ca- COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 23 tholic who settled in South On tario. At the time of his death he was the chief clerk of the Court of Common Pleas at Toronto. His son, Laurence, a Toronto barris ter, the owner of Haydenshore Park at Port Whitby, has probably one of the best collections of books, maps and prints relating to the history of Canada in the pro vince. As an instance of the hard ships of settlers at a comparative ly late date it may be noticed that Mr. Hayden while paddling ir. a canoe to York with a grist was overtaken by a storm near the Highlands. His boat was capsiz ed, the grist went to the bc.Uoir. of the lake, and he reached the shore in a very exhausted condi tion. ^ A Mr. Losie kept a small store in Whitby about 1818, as did a Mr. Storey, and one Smith also had a small store at Duffin's Creek. These had been closed before 1823, when the Warrens kept a store and post office, first at Hamers' Corners, eastern part of the town, and then on the Jerry Lick farm, Kingston road, between Oshawa and Whit by. It is said this store was then the only one between Toronto and Port Hope. There was no other post office in Whitby or Pickering townships. Postal matter Was carried by pri vate ' enterprise from Thorah to this post office. A post office was kept at Hamer's Corners after Mr. Warren's removal to Oshawa by Alexander McPherson. When it was proposed to estab lish post offices at Pickering and Oshawa McPherson protested stoutly on the ground that he could do all the post office busi ness for these townships and have plenty of time to spare. The subsequent postmasters have been Francis Keller, David Smith, Charles Nourse and John D. How- den, the present postmaster. Ezra Annes, afterwards Mayor of the Town of Whitby, settled in the township in 1818. He was a clerk for Mr. Losie. In 1832 Wm. Anderson, the father of George, James, John and Alex ander Anderson, settled in the 2nd concession north of Whitby Town. Wm. Young settled on the farm to the north in 1833, his sons Wil liam and Andrew, are now living on the farm. A Mr. Cornwall was one of the first male teachers and Miss Wil liams one of the female teachers of those times. These teachers "ran the district," that is they boarded around amongst the settlers, their board be ng part of their pay. About 1833 William Dow settled on the Glen Dhu farm, 3rd conces sion, Whitby. He first settled in Lower Canada and lived in the Eastern Townships. They drove west, crossing the ice at Ogdens- burg, and bought the Glen Dhu 24 HISTORY OF THE property, then occupied by Ger- vais Cornell. His son, John Dow, father of -John Ball Dow, barrister, Whitby, carried on the farm after his death. Thomas Dow was en gaged in business in Oshawa and subsequently was agent of the Bank of Montreal, the Ontario and Western Banks at Whitby. Dr. Foote, who was the first doctor in Reach, came from Vermont about this time. He married a daughter of Mr. William Dow. He had an extensive practice in the Township of Whitby. He was a brother of the celebrated Senator Foote of Vermont. Mr. George McGillivray, who married a daughter of Charles Fothergill, member of parliament for Northumberland, arrived , in 1833. His father followed him in the following year. Of his large family, Lt.-Col.. J. A. McGillivray, commanding the 34th Battalion, and formerly member of North On tario, and Major T. A. McGillivray practised law in the county, while three of the sons, Dr. C. F. McGil livray, Surgeon House of Refuge; Dr. Donald McGillivray of Toron to, and Dr. Wm., entered the medi cal profession. Another was a vet erinary surgeon living in the Unit ed States. The youngest son, Nor man, is a minister of the Presby terian church at Cornwall. William Gordon, of Bayside, Whitby, settled in the township about the same time. His son, Adam, represented North Ontario in Parliament. Another son, James, was a barrister and solicitor and Town Councillor. James Dryden came with his widowed mother to the township in 1820 from the north of England. His mother married William Paxton, sr., father of the late Sheriff Thomas Paxton, for many years M. P. P. for North Ontario, and father of the present sheriff, J. F. Paxton. In 1832 he- bought the Maple Shade property near Brooklin. There was no settlement about Brooklin at that time. He got lost in -the woods and came out near the town line of Markham. His second wife was Elizabeth Marsh, daughter of the Rev. Win. Marsh, ' whose father was Israel Marsh, the first Baptist minister of the Township of W^hitby. Mr. Dryden was for many years a leading man in municipal poli tics, representing his township in the Home District Council and tiie Ontario County Council. He was a director of the Ontario Bank and of the Whitby and Port Perrv Rail way. His son, the Hon." John Dryden, represented South Ontario for over a quarter of a century. He was the second Minister of Agri culture in the Province, the office having been held for a short time by the Hon. Mr. Drury. The proud and useful position which the de partment holds to-day is almost entirely due to his practical know ledge of agriculture, the wants of the farm and his broad and com prehensive views as to making such a department of use to the Can,a„ COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 25 dian farmer. Foreign states and governments have recognized its excellence by sending representa tives to Toronto to study the de tails of this department. He is still with his son, ^William, engaged in the importation and breeding of cattle. George Dryden, the Registrar of Ontario County, is a second son of Mr. James Dryden.. Peter Perry came to Whitby in 1836. He formerly represented Hastings in the Dominion Parlia ment. He represented South On tario in the Legislature after he came here and was member at the time of his death. The town was formerly called Perry's Corners. The separation of Ontario from York and Peel was brought about by his energy and shrewdness. About Christmas, 1850, he thought the time a good one to introduce the matter to the people in North Ontario. He took with him Mr. Ezra Annes, as a Reform er, to accompany him to Uxbridge, then strongly Liberal in politics. He had Captain Rowe, afterwards mayor of the town and Warden of the County, at Jones' Corners, now Sunderland, to interview his fellow-countrymen, the Irishmen of Brock. John Watson, who as wharfinger at the Whitby harbor for many years and knew the nor thern farmers well, was taken along to get the farmers together for a meeting. They started away on Sunday, the 24th of December, and spent the holidays in .advocat ing the separation. Had. he lived his energy would have carried through the railway to Midland in a very few years. The expenditures as to the Whit by harbor and the plank road to Port Perry were due to his energy. On his death W. H. Michell was elected member of parliament to succeed him, but -the dissolution prevented him taking the seat. Objection to Michell's views on re ligious matters prevented his , se curing a re-nomination, the Re form convention nominating Amos Wright, of Markham, who was elected. Whitby in those days was known as Radical Corners. To the west of the Town of Whitby Matthias Mackie, from New Jersey, settled at Shoal Point, on Lake Ontario, then moved farther east and settled upon the King ston road before the rebellion. He was noted for many years for having the best log house on the Kingston road. It was made of logs squared, hewed and planed both inside and outside the house. His son, Sylvester Mackie, died re cently upon the homestead. His daughter married David Lusk Reed, who came from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and located about two miles west of Whitby in 1828. He carried on an extensive tanning business there for ma*y 26 HISTORY OF THE years. At his death he was one of the largest landed proprietors in the county. Across the road from Reed's James Almond, Esq;., J. P., lived for many years. He was an Englishman who settled in New York State before 1837. He in some way made the acquaintance of Piatt Betts. Betts was prob ably a Quaker or in some way had had conscientious objections against fighting either for or against the Family Compact, who then ruled the Province, so they exchanged places, Betts going to New York and Almond taking his place in the Township of Whitby opposite the Reeds'. Before 1840 the rear of the township received important acces sions by the incoming of the Der- bys, Henry, and George. The Briggs family — George, Da vid, William and Manly Briggs. The Wells family, Gardner, Martin, Jesse and Simeon Wells, who came from Missaquoi County, Lower Canada in 1832. The ' Campbell family came up from Lennox and Addington. This family consisted of John Campbell, J. I-5., who had represented Lennox in the Provin cial Parliament; Robert Campbell, 'J. P., who engaged with his bro ther, John, in the milling, lumber ing and mercantile business; Aaron Campbell, J. P., Calvin Campbell, J. P., who was for many years a member of the Township and County Council, and was Warden in 1866. Another brother, Isaac Campbell, J. P., removed to Mid dlesex County, In 1840 the brothers, John and Robert, built a large flouring mill on the site of the present Brooklin brick mill. It was destroyed by fire in 1848 and was replaced by a brick mill. B. F. Campbell, a County Coun cillor, now bailiff, is a son of John Campbell, and May and Flo Ir win, the celebrated actresses, are his granddaughters, Mr. John Campbell and David S. Way built another grist and saw mill just north of the brick mill in Brooklin. This mill was for many years managed by J. B. Bickle, who was an active man in munici pal politics and filled the office of Warden in 1868. The progress of the township is evidenced by the fact that in 1840, years after the arrival or the Campbell family, there were but four houses in Win chester, afterwards the pleasant village of Brooklin, these were all log houses and were occupied by John McGee, Amos Way, the Campbell family and William Hep- enstal. Henry Daniel and George W. Coulston, carried on an exten sive mercantile and grain business in Brooklin. Moses Bartlet, R. S. Wicket and W. Murray carried on the tanning business there. The Thomas family was an extensive one. Stephen Mead Thomas did a large mercantile business at Brook lin. He laid out the beautiful Grove-side cemetery on the gra\vel road north of Whitby. He and Lu cius Thomas were amongst the early school teachers. His brothers, Hiram, John and Eber. the Smith COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 27 family on the lake shore, Noah Huckiris, Noah, Bates, Daniel and Jackson Holiday, the DeHarts, the Burns family and William Nichols were early settlers and are repre sentatives of the men who have made the township. In 1828 a considerable amount of salt was made in the township from the waters of a spring on the 3rd concession, near the McGowan place.- From 2% to 4 bushels a day were thus produced. 1 After the separation of Whitby from Pickering the town meetings were held in the old Baptist church on the hill east of the Lick farm on the Kingston road. This build ing was removed in the year 1856 to the west side of Byron street, Whitby, by J. H. Gerrie, after wards mayor of Whitby, and was known as Gertie's Hall, and later , as Toms and Newport's shop. The first township clerk was William Moore, a school master living on* the hill west of the Union Ceme tery. He was commonly known as "Master Moore." James T. Somer- ville succeeded him as clerk. He lived at Thornton's corners. The town meetings were next held at, Oshawa and then at Brooklin, where they are now held. Gavin Burns, father of Mrs. Philip Taylor of Whitby, who suc ceeded Edward Skae as postmas ter in Oshawa, was township clerk at the time Oshawa was incorpoi- ated as a village. Mr. R. T. Har rison of' Brooklin succeeded him as clerk, then John Gordon, Mr, Frost and George Mott in i860; then P. T. Harrison again became clerk, and on his death the present effici ent clerk, Daniel Holliday, wis appointed. 1 The township clerks from the early fifties had in many years to take charge of the distribution and exchange of the school libraries which the township established in each section. . In 185 1 the township was agitat ed over the question of dividing the town into wards, as Pickering was then divided. The effort was un successful. The Rev. Robert Darlington, fa ther-in-law of Dr. Hunter of 1837 fame, was treasurer for many years. EARLY RECORDS. Mr. Daniel Holliday, Township Clerk, has in his possession a book containing a record of the Town meetings held from the year 1839 until the year ,1850, when the old system of appointing two council lors from the Home District Coun cil and making appointments an nually of Township Officers, includ ing pathmasters, pound keepers, as sessors, collectors, town warden and town clerks, was transferred froni the town meeting to councils composed of five members. ' The first meeting mentioned in the book was held on the 7th of January 1 839- Ezra Annis, after wards mayor of Whitby, was 28 HISTORY OF THE chosen as chairman and William F. Moore (Master Mpore), Township Clerk-, James Dryden, Assessor and George McGili, Collector. The overseers of highways, sixty in number were all appointed. Amongst them were the following names of persons who will be re membered as, having been promin ent in the municipal and public af fairs of the Township. Dr. Luther Herrimara, John Ratcliff, after wards Reeve of East' Whitby and County Warden, in the south-east division of the Township Joseph Widdifield, Richard Harper and Richard Luke. In another division John Hyland, James Dryden and Daniel Holliday "a cavalry man in 1837. In another division Israel Marsh, Daniel S. Way, and William Dow, Sr. In another division, Wil liam Maw, Samuel Hill and John Fleming. Again we have John Campbell, ex-M.P.P., of Addington, also a veteran of 1812. Joseph Rog ers, Isaac Orvis, and .Tames Tweedie. On the Post Road divis ion Abraham Farewell, John Ams- bury, Edward Smith, Joseph Fox, Ezra Annis, and John McGregor. In the 8th and 9th concessions, Wil liam Squelch, On the Base Line and Lake Shore, Acheus M. Fare well, Thomas Henry, a veteran of the war of 1812, Edmund- Cooper, Dennis Delay (Dulea), George Hes ter, Benjamin Zwyckey, John Welsh, . Donald Cameron, and Eleaz- er B. Orvis. Amongst the pound keepers ap pointed were : Samuel Cochrane, John Corbet t, John Hickinbot- tpm, Jame* Cortoett, G*ven Bums, afterwards Township Clerk, aad Postmaster at Oshawa; Edward Huggins, John Hubbell, Alexander B aimer and John Hamar.- Amongst the fence viewers of the Township were : Ezra Annis, A. M. Farewell, one of the first settlers^ Peteir Perry, M.P.P., James Twee- die, George Fisher, Thomas Wil- cockson and -George Becket. The meeting appointed William Dow, Jr., John McLean and John Welsh as Town Wardens to look after the poor and the morals of the inhabitants. Two By-Laws were passed, No. I— That all hogs and all rams should be confined throughout the year. (2)— That the remaining by-laws stand as hereto fore. At the next annual meeting Jesse Starr was appointed by' the inhab itants as township Clerk, Elijah Haight as Assessor and Isaac Or vis as collector. Amongst the new names of overseers of highways are William Ain.s-cy, Col. John Far- quharson, called in the records Fer guson, Michael McGowan, Calvin Campbell, afterwards County War den. John Watson, Harbour Mast ers, Sylvester Lynde, Charles Fare well, along with Peter Nicol, a merchant and distiller of Oshawa, Daniel Merritt, James Hall Asa Norton and Robert Almon were pathmasters on the Post Road, (Kingston Road). Benjamin Rog ers, Samuel Dearborn, Joseph Pear son and William Gordon, of Bay- side, were appointed for the Base Line and Lake Shore division. Ezra, COUNTY OF ONTARIO. *9 Annis, Peter Perry, James Twee- die, George Fisher, George Becket, as fence viewers and William Dow, John McLean and John Welsh as , Town Wardens, were honored with re-election. In 1842 Peter Perry and Edward Skae, were elected as Home Dis trict Councillors and James T. Somerville, at Thornton's Corners, Township Clerk. At this Town meeting seven school commission ers', viz., John Ritson, Rev. R. H. Thornton, Luther Herrington, (Harnden), William Dow, Jr., An drew Mason, John Campbell and John McLean were appointed. It was voted that the by-laws stand as heretofore with the exception that all cattle, horses and hogs be kept up from the 1st December to 1st April. Mr. SomervSlle's minutes, of the meeting are written in a very legible hand and a model for all Municipal Clerks as to their arrangement and neatness. Mr. Somerville was an active and able Justice of the Peace. In the next year, 1843, the meet ing was held in the English Episco pal Church, John Farquharson, J. P., being the Chairman. Peter Perry and John B. Warren were elected Home District Councillors .and the School Commissioners were re-elected. At this meeting thirteen by-laws were passed. Amongst them one imposing a fine of six pence per head for each sheep run ning at large and the same for every hog. The goose by-law was introduced requiring geese to be confined throughout the year, and that the owners should pay three pence per head currency for each and every offence to • the contrary, and that any person allowing any stray animals that is a free com moner to remain in his enclosure over fourteen days between the first of May and the first of December shall be liable to a fine 0$ one pound currency. All noxious weeds, briars and thistles were required to be cut down on the highways by- adjoining owners. By-law No. Nine provide that the offices of Collector and Assessor should be held by dif ferent persons, "so that the one "may in some measure and degree prove1 a check upon the ether." A special meeting was held on the fourth of July in the Baptist Church, to fill the vacancy as Dis trict Councillor caused by the re signation of John B. Warren, Esq. The minute proceeds, "when after being moved and seconded an un animous vote of the meetiag was given in favor of Abraham Fare well, Esq., to fill the above import ant office." The collection of fines received the attention of the meeting. In 1844 Gaven Burns was elected Town Clerk and Peter Perry as councilman. But one District Councillor seems to have been elect ed. In 1845 the meeting was held at the Court House, Oshawa, Mr. Perry elected Councillor. In 1846. it was held at the same place and Mr. Farewell succeeded Mr. Perrr- 30 HISTORY OF THE The same Township Officers seem to have been elected as a general rule. In 1848 the meeting was held in a Methodist Chapel at Brooklin when Mr. Perry was elected Councillor and it was resolved that the Township should be taxed by the District Council ^50 to be ex pended by the Town Wardens un der restrictions from the Council in relieving poor and indigent persons worthy of such support. It was re solved that the councillors1 shall pursue the same course this years as they did the last with regard to giving prizes to such roadmast- ers as perform their duty best. Henry Daniels was appointed Town Clerk, at this meeting. In 1849 the councillors presented their report as to the examination of the road and awarded to Divi sion No. 55 William Develin, over seer, the first prize of a new road scraper of the value of £2, 10s. To Division No. 59, Noah Bates, Over seer, to be laid out in procuring useful implements for road making she sum of £2; to Division No. 50, Samuel B. Pringle, Overseer, to be expended for the like purpose, third prize of £1 , 10s. They awarded a first class place for a vast improve ment in the art and practice of road making to no less than 56 divisions, while only ten were put in the second class and one in the third class. The report is address ed to the inhabitants of the Town ship and recommended that due care should be observed in the se lection of active and enterprising overseers. The report is signed by Peter Perry and A. Farewell, Dis trict Councillors. In 1849 John Black, of Columbus, was elected Town Clerk, the meet ing was held at Columbus. In 1850 for the first time live councillors were elected, viz., Ezra Annis, Dr. Allison, James Burns, Luther Harden, Sr., and John Black. Mr. Black being both Councillor and Clerk. Chester Drap er was appointed Clerk, and during the same year Mr. R. T. Harrison was appointed. In 1851, Thomas McBrieu com plained of being wrongly assessed for "a merchant shop" and was re lieved from the taxes; William Thompson' complained that he was assessed for "a pleasure carriage," which he does not possess. The taxes were ordered to be repaid. John Metcalfe prayed to be reliev ed from the payment of taxes on "a frame house" erroneously asses sed. His petition was dismissed, but a Mr. Letcher at the same meeting was relieved from an er roneous assessment for a frame house." Mr. Samuel Pollard at the same session was relieved from payment. of taxes on "a pleasure carriage." These complaints and appeals were caused by the assessment act which had a scale of assessment for the kind of house a man lived in, a house of round logs was assessed, £15. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. *i If built of timber squared or hew ed on two sides, one storey and not more than two fireplaces, £20. Additional fire places, £4. Built of square timber, 2 storeys, J&O. Additional fire places, £8. Frame house under two storeys, £iS- Brick or stone, 1 'storey and 2 fire places, ,£40. Additional fireplaces, j£io. Frame, brick or stone, 2 storeys, £60. Additional fire places, ,£10. Every stove to count as a fire place. Billiard tables and stallions were assessed at ,£200. Close carriages with 2 wheels kept for pleasure, .£100. Open carriages with 4 wheels kept for pleasure, ,£25. Curricles, gigs and other 2 wheel vehicles for pleasure, £15. Waggons for pleasure, £15. By the Assessment Act of 1853 the kind of house and number of stoves and fire-places the kind of carriages for pleasure are omitted for everything was swept into the net of taxation, The pay of members of the Coun cil in 1851 was 6s. 3d. per day. The Township Clerk was required to keep his office open from, six o'clock a.m. to six o'clock p.m. on Saturday of each and every week during the year. In 1 85 1, the Township Clerk was authorized to call a public meet ing in the interest of education to be held in Mt. Thornton's brick chapel, front road, on the third Thursday in June at 10 o'clock a.m. The writer attended this meeting, the church was filled with scholars, teachers and trustees from different parts of the Town ship. A lecture was given by Prof. Hind, of the Normal School and illustrated by chemical experi ments. 3* HISTORY OF THE EAST WHITBY- The township comprises the east part of the old Township of Whit by from lots i to 17 inclusive. It surrounds the Town of Oshawa, as the remainder of the old township does the Town of Whitby. In the Home District days the representation in the District Coun cil was similar to the recent sys tem. The representatives were elected directly to the District Council. The old townships of Whitby and Pickering each sent two members. By consent they were generally taken one from the east and one from the west of the township. For example, in 1842 Peter Perry of Whitby and Edward Skae of Oshawa were representatives. In 1843 Dr. Allison of Brooklin and A. Farewell of Oshawa were representatives . In 1845 Farewell and Perry were representatives. When the Municipal Act came into force and five members were elected the struggle commenced. The east side of the township, with the influence of Oshawa, Columbus, Harmony and Raglan, was pitted against Whitby village, Brooklin and Myrtle. Bands of music from Qshawa and Whitby proceeded to Brooklin on election days, handbills, pamphlets and "Facts for Electors" were scattered broadcast over the town ship. The writer remembers away back in the fifties a number of sail ors from about Port Oshawa vot ing for dead and absent electors at Municipal Elections. It is said that the practise was sometimes at tempted in Parliamentary Elec tions also. The separation of the county from York , or rather the selection of a new county town, was anoth er line of cleavage. When that was accomplished the question of aid to the Whitby and .Georgian Bay Railway was an ad ditional subject. Attempts were made to divide the township into five wards to break the Whitby combination, but it was unsuccess ful. The incorporation of Oshawa was hit upon as a means of counteract ing the general success of Whitby in these struggles. Then came the separation of the township in 1857, when James Dry den and A. Farewell were reeve and deputy. John Ratcliffe becoming 1st reeve and William Bartlett 1st deputy reeve of the new Township of East Whitby. The history of the early settle ment of East Whitby township is referred to in that of the senior township. The southern part of East Whit by was mostly settled by people from the Eastern Townships of Lower Canada, and from Vermont and New York. The centre of the COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 33 township was largely settled by west of England men and was known as the English Corners. In the south were the Coryells, Dearborns, Demerays, Drews, Fare. wells, Groats, Halls, Moores, Henrys, McGills, McGregors, Ro gers, Terwillagers, Annes, Hink- sons, Mothersills, Pickles. > In the centre were the Clarks, Doolittles, Hepburns, Beaths, Hicks, Kars, Lukes,v Ashtons, Mc- Kenzies, Ormistons, Pascoes, Prin- gles, Gibbs, Black, Waits, Howdens, Smiths, Wilcoxson, Chandler, Dr. McMahon, Stabback, Adams,. John Ratcliffe, ex- Warden of the County, Harper and Adams families. Amongst these men of the centre part of the township two are de serving of notice. John Black, a Scotchman, kept a store at Colum bus. The sign was "John Black at home." He was strong in municipal politics. His poetical effusions ap peared about the end of December with wonderful regularity. The writer remembers one headed, "Arouse Columbians, Every One." Another, "Wards, Wards, Will You the Town Divide?" He emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri, and in a letter to a friend some time after his ar rival stated that he was engaged in "the business of raising hogs, mules and niggers." W. H. Gibbs, afterwards more than once mem ber for North Ontario, and after wards an alderman of Toronto, car ried on a store and built and ran the Fornax twills to the west of Co lumbus. He was a brother of the Hon. T. N. Gibbs. In the north part of the township were the Fishers. Harndeus, Sorn- berger, Rays, Prescott, Newton, Halls, Thomas Hodgson and Wm. Thompson, well vnown as "The Citizen" O'Boyle. Grist mills were built by Sandy Small south of Cedardale. Peter Taylor and Morris, three miles north of Oshawa. John Ray, Luther Harnden, near Raglan; A. M. Farewell, grist and saw mill; and saw mills by John Harper, R. Luke, Pascoe,' Ray, J. Campbell, and Edward Smith. Of the Smith , family, William. James, Robert and John, who set tled in the village of Columbus and to the south of it, John and Rob ert were members of the County Council. William, a younger mem ber of the family, served more than one term as a member of the Do minion Parliament, representing South Ontario. He was reeve and represented the Township and the County Council. He is paymaster of the 34th Regiment with the rank of major. At Port Oshawa the Mothersill family were settlers shortly after 1833. George A. Mothersill, a Dub lin man, was harbor master at Port Oshawa. His sons, Richard, ex- Warden of the County, who visited the County Council at its last ses sion, is in his 88th year. His bro thers, John and Dr. Joseph Moth ersill, of Stratford, and Robert, came with their father to East Whitby. Robert returned to Ire land. 34 HISTORY OF THE Mr. Joseph Wood kept a store in Oshawa shortly after 1834. He was harbormaster at the time of his death. A number of emigrants were put off at Port Oshawa about 1853. Some of them wer- ill. Mr. Wood and Mr. George A. Mother sill, the former harbormaster, while humanely attempting to care for these cholera-stricken people, were both attacked by the disease and died, as did some of the emigrants. Elder Thomas Henry, a veteran of 1812, and who was in receipt of a pension for such services at the time of his death, was also harbor master. His sons, George, John (father of Ambrose Henry, the ex-warden), Thomas, Phine- as, Ebenezer, Albert, James 0. and William were all active, useful meii in forwarding the interests of the township. J, 0. Henry & Sons were among the first to export ap ples to England. Before the rebellion while schools and schoolmasters were few, two men who had been working for Philemon Wright, the owner of the present site of Ot tawa, and were unable to get pay for their work, and who declined to accept the lands occupied by the principal streets of Ottawa in pay ment, but did accept a horse, an old wagon and harness and $100 in stead, driving west, came into the township. The breaking down of their wag on at Benjamin Stone's place on the Kingston road, east of Oshawa, resulted in their remaining as set tlers. They were both well educat ed men. Schoolmasters were want ed. One of them, John Ritson, ' taught a school on the eastern boundary of Oshawa. In this schoolhouse, and in the woods to the south of it, Joe Smith, the founder of the Mormons, frequently preached and made some converts. The Luke, Wellington, Keddie and Hudson families, through marriage, are his descendants.. The other man, Reuben Hudson, married a daughter of A. M. Fare well, taught school near Harmony and carried on the mill and distil lery there. He invented a system of shorthand writing, and it is said a cipher which was used as a means of communication by the re bels in 1837. His son, Adrian, ob tained 'the second highest place in the medical service of the United States Navy. ) Benjamin Lett, who afterwards achieved a bad eminence by blow ing up Brock's monument and de stroying one of the locks in the Welland Canal, then lived east of Raglan. He used to bring his grists to the mill east of Harmony. He was a man of studious habits, passionately fond of history. He would appear at the mill with his grist at daylight, leave his grist and borrow a book, go into the woods, and at dark would return the book and start on his ten-mile drive home through the woods. He was arrested as a rebel, although he had taken no interest in politics. Annoyed at what he considered the unjust treatment of Col. Reid of Bowmanville, when he was commit- COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 35 ted for trial, and being a giant in strength, while on his way to Kingston gaol he overpowered his guards and escaped. The acts above , mentioned are ex amples of his subsequent career. He died in the Western States. East Whitby was the residence of one of the greatest, best and most useful of men the Province has pro duced, namely, the Rev. Dr. R. H. Thornton, a Presbyterian minister who for many years lived near the Union cemetery, Kingston road. He was the Superintendent of Schools for the township for many years, and by his lectures and writings aroused great interest in education. He published several useful school books, notably the "Instructive Reader." Through his influence largely the excellent system of school section libraries was estab lished by the old Township of Whitby about 1854. He was the apostle of temperance, and through his influence many total abstinence societies were formed in, this and the adjoining municipalities. He did extensive missionary work in con nection with the church in Reach and the northern townships. He was a man "of the large heart and kindly hand:'" One "of his sons, Rev. Dr. RPbert Thornton, has charge of the second largest church in London, England, and had charge of a church in Edin burgh. Another son, E. J. Thornton, was the popular manager of the Domin ion Bank in Whitby. One of his daughters was married to Principal Kirkland of the Toronto Normal School. Samuel Ball, who lived north of Oshawa, was one of the most use ful men who lived in the township. He was a son of James Hall, one of the early settlers. He built the Oshawa harbor and warehouses and was connected with the manu facturing interests in Oshawa. He built and carried on for many years an extensive woollen mill three miles north of Oshawa. His son, L. C Hall, is a customs officer and town treasurer of Oshawa. Malcolm Wright, on the two rod road, was for many years an ac tive municipal politician. He quiet ly took an important' part in the rebellion of 1837 and for his assist ance to Mr. Gibson of Yonge street Controller in Mackenzie's provision al Government, he was rewarded by Gibson when he became Super intendent of the Colonization Roads and surveyor of many townships, with information which enabled him to procure valuable land grants near the town of Harriston. Gib son was concealed in the barn of Mr. Joseph Thorn, a Conservative, in the 5th Concession, during the winter following, the battle at Montgomery's tavern, and escaped to the United States in the spring, by a vessel belonging to Capt. Trull. His daughter married Capt. Yeo, 0f the Royal Navy, who was at one time a resident of Harmony. 36 HISTORY OF THE Colonel George H. Grierson, fa ther of ex-County Councillor Rob ert W. Grierson and Major J. F^ Grierson, barrister, of Oshawa, was a resident of this township. He was a man of extensive reading and good ability and held several im portant civii positions in North umberland before moving here, and was the first Police Magistrate of Oshawa. This township is well watered and has a large number of farmers who have achieved great success in stock raising and fruit growing. Port -Oshawa at one time had piers and breakwater, but they were washed away and the works were finally" confined to one pier. In the grain shipping days a large amount of business was done. It fell off considerably until the estab lishment of manufactories at Osh awa when the business increased so ' much that it was necessary to. make extensive repairs to the har bor and the Dominion Government assumed the works and made the repairs. It is connected with Osh awa by the Oshawa Railway. Three large vessels, the "Para gon," the "Omar Pasha" and the "Allies" were built ' at this port, by Hon. W. H. Howland, Capt. James Farewell and C. Ferwilliger. The last named of which ended its ocean career as a British Govern ment coaling vessel on the coast ol Africa. It is said that the first three frame bridges in the county, namely, the Harmony bridge, the Oshawa bridge and the bridge at Duffin's Creek were built by the Demarays of East Whitby. In 1856 Jeremiah Lick of Dar lington, moved into East Whitby, from Darlington. He subsequently occupied the Warren farm on the Kingston Road. He was one of the pioneers in improving the making of butter. Years ago he went to' Holland, engaged an interperter, and spent considerable time study ing the dairy methods of that country, which then held a first place in butter making. Joseph Gould, an Englishman, was his neighbor. Mr. Gould's sons, John T. and Joseph Gould, and his son-in-law, the late- Ed ward Morgan, have been noted as extensive shippers of cattle to Europe. Mr. Joseph Gould, now of Boston, was the first shipper of, cattle to Europe from a port in the State of Texas. Prof. Melrose Gould, of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, a noted Publicist and authority on social questions, and an eminent financier, now of New York, is a son of Mr. John T. Gould above mentioned. Away back in the early forties George Gould and his brother, Joseph came to this country. George had been a contractor for building the Delaware and Chesa peake canal, and suffered, by the states repudiating and writing their debts off the slate. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 37 Mr. Thomas Conant, recently de ceased, was a native of this town ship. He was an extensive travel ler and writer for the newspapers. He was the author of "Upper Can ada Sketches." He acquired a large amount of land by economy, and left a fine library, containing many historical works relative to Canada. James McBrien, Inspector of Public Schools for the county from 1872, has rendered very useful service to the cause of education. By constant work he has improved the school buildings and their equipment and succeeded in raising •the qualification of teachers with out involving the school trustees in litigation. He has been connected with the schools of this and Whit by Township for over half of a century. 3» HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP OF REACH This township, which was named after Colonel Reach, was surveyed by Major S. S. Wilmot in 1809. It had no white settler until, as de scribed by a local poet, "In the month of May in the year eighteen hundred and twenty- one, When Reuben Crandell first begun And did the first settling ever done In all the Town of Reach." The Crandells came from New STork State to Prince Edward County in 1812 and from there to Reach in 1821 through the Town ship of East Whitby. The only set tlers then living between the pres ent Town of Oshawa and Port Perry were Joseph Widdifield, who lived on the Oshawa Creek where the Reach road crosses it; roseph Wiley, who lived on the hill north of Goodman's Mill, on the Nonquon road, east and north of Columbus, and one John Ray, who after wards moved into Reach. Mr. Crandell settled on the south side of the road leading from Prince Al bert to Manchester; there his daughter, the first white child, and his son, Benjamin, the second white child in the township, were born. Peter Christie, M.P., now occupies this farm. The forest was so dense that it took Crandell two days in clearing a road sufficient to get his ox team there from Wiley's place. The next settlement was com menced in 1823 by John Ray, on lot 11, in the second concession, . and William Wade settled near Manchester. They were followed by Jones, Hughes and Marvin, but the difficulties of settlement and the privations to be endured were so great that they soon became disheartened and moved away. In 1824 Abner Heard, afterwards known as Squire Heard, and Reu ben Dayton afterwards settled on the site of Prince Albert, which was for many years known as Dayton's Corners. It was some times called Boynton's Corners, after William Boynton, who after wards settled there south of Prince Albert, and built a tavern which is still standing. In 1825 a rough road was opened from this place to Wiley's in Whit by Township, and the first burial in the Township, that of John Ray, took place. The first grave at Prince Albert, which now has one of the prettiest cemeteries .in Ontario, was for the burial of Reuben Dayton, son of one of the pioneers. In 1828 John Ensign settled where Epsom now stands. He was followed by Hosea Shaw in 1829, while south of Manchester Henry Walker, the Silvers, William Asli- ton, (1831) Dunholm, Dwire, Hink- son, Samuel Barber, Hiram Buck FIRST HOUSE IN REACH— REUBEN CRANDELL'S, 1821. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 39 and Thomas Graham (1834). Ashton left England in the sail ing vessel "America" on the 14th June, 1827, and arrived in New York on the 26th of July follow ing. He was fortunate, as to the length of his voyage, as compared with many others who settled at English Corners in Whitby- Town ship and in the Townshipi, of Reach. For example, William Paxton, great grandfather of the present sheriff, J. F. Paxton, was eleven weeks on the ocean. Solomon Orser settled between Port Perry and the Nonquon. He was twelve days in making the journey from Kingston, with a yoke of steers, to the site of Or- ser's Tavern. He was followed by Jeremiah Orser, John Mark and James Moon. The latter kept the Nonquon House, south of the riv er. Charles Black kept a tavern on the, north bank of the river. The deep gorge through which travel lers had to pass, before the road was diverted west to Seagrove, was. probably thought dangerous enough to drive any man to drink. Thomas Shaw settled between Or- ser's and Moon's about this time. A census in 1831 showed the population to be 134. In 1833 and 1834 a number of settlers took up land about Greeribank. The Craggs, Timothy and Isaac ; the Bairds, Robert and Samuel; George Patterson, Robert Wells, first de puty reeve of Reach, and one Adams were amongst these. Lewis Houck, about this time, was settled in the 14th concession. Joseph Ward and wife, old settlers, 'have recently cel ebrated their golden wedding, at which about fifty of their descend ants were present. The first saw mill in the town ship was built by Squire Heard just west of Borelia, in 1831. It served a most useful purpose to the settlers, but was blown down in the storm of 1852. In 1836, the first store in the township was opened by Captain George Leach, an Englishman, in what is said to have been the first frame building built in the town ship. The man who wrote a book, entitled "Twelve Miles from a Le mon," would have had~~a muct better subject in describing the hardship of the settlers, who up to that time had lived, many of them, twenty-five miles from al most every necessary of life. V Reach should erect a monument to Leach. Besides being the first storekeeper he was the first grain buyer and postmaster, the post office being opened in 1840. The first mail was carried to it on horseback by William Thomas, fa ther of W. H. Thomas of Oshawa, from that place. There had been a system of letter carrying through the township at stated in tervals as early as 1827. (See notes as to Tp. of Thorah). In 1836 the Coates settlement was commenced near Shirley post office. Two men, Truax and Pot ter, had previously lived there a 4° HISTORY OF THE short time, but abandoned their location before Mr. Coates settled there. Truax went to 14th con. Reach. In 1838 Reuben Crandell built a few frame houses at Prince Albert and Borelia. In 1846 James Burnett, Edward Asling, Smith settled on the 9th and 10th concessions about the middle of the township. Mr. Asling built the first grist mill about this time, he afterwards had it driven by steam. It is said to haVe been the first steam mill in the township. The first steam saw mill in the present limits of the township was built by A. Fare well of East Whitby at Seagrave in 1854. The mill was not raised on the day appointed because he refused to supply intoxicating li quors for the, "raisin'." It was subsequently raised by Sons of Temperance from Oshawa, Raglan and Port Perry and other temper ance men from the Township- of Reach. Reach now is and foil years has been the only Local Option municipality in the county, except Scugog and Pickering. ROADS. The importance of good roads in promoting the settlement of the country is shown by the fact that the northern part of Brock, the Township of Thorah and the south of Mara had received many set tlers while Reach was compara tively unoccupied, the settlers in these townships having gone up Governor Simcoe's road (Yonge St.) to Lake Simcoe and then east ward along the shores of the lake. A wise policy was adopted in building four leading roads through the Township from south to north, continuing roads from Lake On tario through the Township of Whitbyj first Simcoe street, the Reach road from Oshawa through English Corners, now Columbus, O'Boyle's Corners, now Raglan, Dayton's Corners, Prince Albert, Crandell's Corners (Borelia),, thence north to the Nonquon, striking the town line, between Brock and Mari posa. The Reach part of this road was laid out by Mr. Smellie of Newmarket in 1828. Second, the plank road running from Whitby through Winchester, now Brooklin, Well's Corners, now Myrtle, Fitch- ett's Corners, now Manchester, thence to Borelia and Port Perry. This road was assumed by the Government of Canada in 1845, through the persistence of Peter Perry, who represented the third riding of York, now South Ontario, in Parliament. It was so laid out and built by Gov ernment engineers as to secure a good high and dry road bed with easy grades oyer the ridges that to this day it requires nothing but an occasional coat of gravel. It is still an object lesson to pathmas- ters and road builders. Throughout its entire length it was planked. It was a toll road until the, building of the railway, when it was abandoned to the municipalities, From Manchester COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 4i a good road was opened through Smithtown, now Greenbank, and Sadntfield to the Township of Brock. Third, the Brock road, running! in a direct line north from Whitby through Butler's Corners, now Ashburn, McKercher's Corners, now Utica, Jockey Hill, now Ep som, to the rear of the township. It was surveyed in 1831 and the Scotch settlement between 'Man chester and Utica was commenced by Peter and Donald Christie, un cles of Peter Christie, M.P., ex- warden, Archibald McDcrmaid and Duncan McKercher. Fourth, in 1851 an important road, the Nonquon, with the short est distance between the lakes and the easiest grades, was built be tween Port Perry and Oshawa by a company which Dr. McGill, A. Farewell, T. N. Gibbs, Col. G. H. Grierson and Col. Fairbanks were the promoters. Schools for white children. 1 . The first school west of Prince Albert in 1829. William Ashton, a Derbyshire man, was said to have been the first teacher. It is claimed also that a Mr. John James Alexander Cameron Cull was the first teacher in the town ship. It is stated that John Leav- leslay was one of the first if not the first teacher in this township. 2. One at the Scotch settlement, near Utica, 3. The school at Cedar Creek, 3 miles south of Prince Albert, 1841. 4. The school on the first conces sion north of Ashburn, in 1843. 5. The school' on the Brock road between the nth and 12th conces sions, 1843. , 6. The school at Utica, 1843. 7. One on the 2nd concession, near the Plank Road (Vernon's), 1844. .8. One south of Orser 's tavern, Reach road, 1845. 9. The school one mile north of Epsom, 1845. 10. One between the 13th and 14th concessions, 1845. 11. One between Borelia and Port Perry, 1847. 12. Shaw's schoolhouse, near the Nonquon, 1848. 13. One at the Coates Settle ment, 2nd con., 1848. The first school in the township was established in 1828 by Elder Scott of the American Missionary- Society for the Indians who then had a reservation where Port Perry now stands. The school was not a large one; it had about thirty pupils, some of them about twice the age of the teacher, who was very small. Aaron Hurd, son of Squire Abner Hurd, a delicate boy 42 HISTORY OF THE of fifteen, was the teacher, he was a lad of great ability and promise. He died when very young while completing his studies in a college in the Eastern States. CHURCHES. The first preaching of the Gospel was commenced in 1827 by Elder Israel Marsh, a Baptist., He was grandfather of Charles Marsh, af terwards reeve of the township and member of the County Council. The Rev. Mr. Scott, above men tioned, through his labors in 1827, converted the Indians from Pagan ism to Christianity. Prior to this they had been a pest and a nui sance to the township. Through his labors there was great improve ment in their habits and conduct. In 1832 J. Carruthers, Presbyter ian missionary, commenced to visit the Counties of York, On tario, Victoria and Simcoe preach ing to the settlers* In his journal he speaks of trav elling from Beggs and McGills, in the front of Whitby Township, through the forest to the present site of Prince Albert, thence north to Brock and Beaverton, seeing neither houses nor settlers in some cases for twelve miles. In 1835 the Rev. R. H. Thornton of the Kingston road, in Whitby Township, commenced holding ser vices in the settlers' houses in Reach. He frequently met In dians carrying their canoes between Lakes Scugog and Ontario. In 1844, the Baptists commenced holding services in a schoolhouse, probably Vernon's. The first building built for a church was built by the Methodists on the Brock road in the nth concession in 1848, and in the same year the Presbyterians built a church in the 1 2th concession. The third church was built by the Presbyterians at Utica, about this time. The build ing came about in this way: John' Christie, father of Peter Christie, ex-warden and M. P., was accus tomed to walk to the kirk on Starrs hill, east of Whitby town, from Epsom. He wrote to the Marquis of Bredalbane in Scot land of the want of churches in Can ada. The Earl sent a subscription of ,£20 sterling and with this and the contributions of lumber, shingles and timber the church was built in 1848. John Christie's wife died in 1903, aged 96. The census taken in 1848 showed the population had increased to the number of 1,541 during the preced ing seven years. POST OFFICES. Reach had but one post office un til 1 85 1 and only a mail twice a week. In that year they had a tri-weekly mail. In 1852 the Port Perry, Manchester and Epsom post offices were opened and Prince Al bert got a daily mail. Reach re ceived its first telegraph message at the office of Mason & Curts' harness shop. The steamer "Woodman," Cap- COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 43 tain Hugh Chisholm, was built in 1851, and commenced tri-weekly trips to Lindsay. The first Division Court was held by Judge Burnham at Manchester in 1852. Mr. Bowers of Port Perry built the Scugog floating bridge in 1856 and the services of the Island ferry boat were discontinued. The hridge was a veritable "floating affair," portions of it went float ing down the lake shortly after wards. Dr. W. O. Eastwood, of Whitby, was then practising at Port Perry and was the first to ride over the bridge. Up to that time he had to keep a boat for visiting his island patients. The dam upon the Scugog River at Lindsay was built in 1845 and raised the waters of the lake three or four feet and also a large quan tity of- fever and ague which caused the first medical man to settle in the township, namely, Dr. Jona than Foote, who came from Ver mont. The Ontario Observer was first published in 1857 in Prince Albert by James Holden and has been continuously issued. Messrs. James Holden, James Baird and Henry* Parsons have been the publishers. The Prince Albert Infantry Com pany was raised by Major T. C. Foreman, with John Billings as lientenant, in 1862. This company was for some time in the Toronto gaol in 1866 in charge of the Fen ian prisoners captured at Ridge- way and Fort Erie. Before the construction of rail ways in the county, Prince Albert was for a long time, with the ex ception of Brampton, the largest grain market in Upper Canada. James and Andrew Laing of Osh awa, J. B. Warren, T. N. Gibbs, A. Farewell, P. A. Hurd, George Currie and T. C. Foreman were amongst the principal buyers. Joshua Wright, ex-warden, did a large boot and shoe and tannery blusiness at this point. The Village of Port Perry, with its milling and mercantile interests, had increased so rapidly in population and wealth that it was detached from the township and incorporated on June 9th, 1871. The late reeve Mr. Wright, Crosier and Lamb arc member's of families who have long been connected with the township. 44 HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP OF SCUGOG Assessment, 1900, $342,846. Population, 1904, 472. This island township was survey ed by Major Wilmot in 1816 and 1-817. It formed part of the Town ship of Reach and Cartwright. The building of the dam by Purdy at Lindsay, caused the raising of the lake, separating the present town ship from the mainland. The first white settler was Graxton, then came Stephen Scoville, the Pickles, Moores, Readers, Seargent, E- and J. W. Gamble, Rodman Burnham, Cole, the Grants, Sweetmans, Chas. Nesbitt, Aldred, John Foy, John Collins, Wm. Bateman, J. P., the Hood family, of which the present Reeve Hood is a descendant. There is an Indian reservation about 800 acres, 011 which a small tribe of Mississaga Indians still reside. The first election for the township was held in the Head schoolhouse in 1855, when the fol lowing councillors were elected: James Warren Gamble, Mathew Emerson, Solomon Fralick, Daniel Williams and Joseph Reader. James W. Gamble was the first reeve, John Foy was appointed the first clerk and treasurer, and has filled both offices continuously- and with great ability to the date of his death in 1905. Mr. Thomas Graham succeeded him. There is one post office and store on the island. They were estab lished about i860. There are three schools and four churches in the municipality. Helen Pickle was the first white child born on the is land and still is living there. The island is a beautiful one, containing about 11,000 acres. Seen from Port Perry and the lake it presents a view hardly to be ex celled in the province. It was con nected with Port Perry by a floating bridge about 1855 and with Cartwright Township by a roadway about the year 1889. Scugog Lake is well stocked with fish and is the feeding place of wild birds— the Island will yet be a summer resort. Messrs. Ezra W. Gamble, Wil liam Sexton, James Graham were each elected seven times as reeve of the township. Messrs. Wm. Bateman and W. R. Ham each fill ed the office for five years or more. James Graham, who was a reeve of Reach, bought the extensive Sexton farm and carried on exten sively the raising of thoroughbred stock. Up to 1851 the township had not three miles of road fit for travel. The whole island is now well sup plied with good roads. Before the Island was made a separate municipality, one-half of it was governed by Reach and one- half by Cartwright, COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 45 TOWNSHIP OF UXBRIDGE This township lies immediately north of Pickering in the second range of townships from Lake On tario. Before the separation of the county this township was united with the Townships of Whitchurch, County of York, and Scott. It was surveyed in 1804 and 1805 by S. S. Wilmot, whose name ap pears in the Official Gazette in April, 1805, as being licensed to survey lands. Surveyors,, like the lawyers in those days, were not troubled with examinations. Batches of them were made by Acts of Parliament or Orders in Council. Markham under the leadership of William Berezey in 1794. In 1808 there was a large settle ment of Pennsylvannia Dutch Quak ers. They included the families of Joseph Collins, James Hughes, Amos, Stephen and Thomas Hit-- borne, Elijah Collins, Jona than and William Gold, whose names were later changed to Gould, Ezekiel James, Ezekiel Rob erts, Robert Wilson, Samuel Haines, George Webb and Charles Chapman. They settled at or near Uxbridge Town. The first settler was Dr. BeswicV in the year 1806. He attempted to build a grist mill and saw mill in that year, but before its com pletion he sold his property to Jo seph Collins, who completed the mill but was killed in it while at tempting to remove the ice' around the flutter wheel. In the year 1808 that part of the township around Glasgow was set tled by the following families: The Kesters, Mordens, Forsyths, Browns, Widemans, McWain, Town- send and French. Some of these doubtless descended from the Ger mans from the Pultney settlement in New York State, sixty families of whom, becoming dissatisfied with Captain Williamson, who held a large parcel of land of which he was sort of feudal lord, came to Quaker Hill, west of Uxbridge, is where the first church in the town ship was built in 1809, the church is still in use by the Friends' de nomination, and indicates the head- ' quarters of the site of the settle ment. The second male child born in the township was Joseph Gould, who for many years represented' this and the adjoining township of Scott in the Home District Coun cil, was first provisional warden of the County of Ontario on its sep aration, first reeve of the Village of Uxbridge on its incorporation! and for several terms member of the old parliament of United Can ada for North Ontario. He was born in 1808. He was a leader in municipal, commercial, education al, manufacturing, lumbering and 46 HISTORY OF THE agricultural matters in the town ship. His son Isaac, now living, Was County Warden and represent ed North Ontario more than once in Provincial and Dominion Parlia ments. He represented West On tario at the time this constituency was abolished on the redistribution of Dominion constituencies. The first saw mill in the township was built in 1809, by Joseph Collins, and he also built the first grist mill in the same year. Later grist mills were built by Joseph Gould, McNaugh- ton of Glasgow, Wheeler of Ux bridge, Davidson of Goodwood. The first schoolhottse was built in 1817 on lot 30, concession 6. The first teacher was a little Irish man whose name has not been handed dovn to posterity. The first store was built in 1830 by J. P. Plank, who came from the State of New York in 1826, and it was opened by Carleton Lynde, who brought a stock of goods there from Oshawa. The first post office was estab lished in 1836. The first postmas ter was Joseph Bascom, a des- cendent. Dr. Joseph Bascom of To ronto, was first mayor of the Town of Uxbridge. The Home District Register in 1837 gives the popula tion of the township at 462, and the number of freeholders and householders as 99. The popula tion of Thorah was then 639. In 1822, when Mr. Gould settled in the villgge, it contained Collins' small grist mill,' John Lyons' blacksmith shop and log house, J. P. Plank's small tavern, Thomas Arnold's cooper shop and house. the Carleton Lynde store and Mr, Gould's saw mill and house south of the present grist mill. The only other village of any im portance is the Village of Good wood. The Dowswells and Todds were early settlers. „ Members of these families have held important muni cipal positions, both in the town ship and county. The Waggs, Longs, Widdifields, Vanzant, Browns, Munros, Mordens, McCul- loughs aud Forsyths, were early settlers in the neighborhood. The township has twelve schools and eleven churches. In 1832 the Rev. Mr. Caruthers, the Presbyter ian missionary, speaks of a twelve- mile tramp from Plank's tavern to Whitchurch through the woods without seeing a house or a set tler. In the York Almanac, published by Charles Fothergill in 1825, the popidation of Uxbridge and Whit church is given at 1,291. Mr. Eli Hilborn and S. A. Flum- merfelt, the present clerk, filled the position for many years. The township was well timbered with pine. The Goulds, Forsyths, the Widdifields, Nesbits, pilkeys, the Sharrads, Weir, Dykes and Kellar, built saw mills. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 47 Benjamin Parker of Glasgow was one of the early settlers; was reeve and . then member of the County Council for many years. ,He is an active magistrate. While in the County Council he was an intelli gent and persistent advocate of the establishment of a County ' House of Refuge. John B. Feasby was also reeve and member of the County Council for many years. Aaron Sharrard, J. P., now of Whitby carried on an extensive saw and grist milling business at Glen Sharrard, now (Men Major. John Weir, lumberman, took an active part in municipal politics in Picker:ng and in Uxbridge. The bridge near Weir's Pond has. re cently been assumed by the county as a boundary line bridge. The waters of the Uxbridge streams are so clear, cold and pure that speckled trout abound, and numerous trout breeding ponds have been established. Elisha Miller of Glasgow was an early settler and for a great many years an active constable. He is still living, aged 94. The northern part of the town ship was settled earlier than the south part. The Brothers Asa and Joseph Millard, of Altona, are in the lead ing ranks amongst horsebreeders in the county. They have both re presented their township in the County Council in several sessions. 48 HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP OF SCOTT. In 1842 the population of Ux bridge and Scott was 810. The township was surveyed in 1807 by Major Wilmott of Clarke. The first settler was a Mr". Evan Jones, a Welshman, who arrived there in 1830 and settled on Lot 17 in the 6th concession. Abraham Bagshaw afterwards owned and oc cupied the lot. The first school- house in the township was built on the northeast corner of this lot. The first teacher was a Mr. Wil liam Morrow. During the next few years the Weldons, Vernons, Philps, Pearts, John and James Anderson, David and Donald Urqii- hart, John and George Clark, James Blanchard, Daniel Smith, William and John Hardy, George Smith, Hugh Mustard, Thomas Hood, Peter Leask, Thos. Thomp son, Simeon Tiffin, Joseph An- nand, William Nelson, Andrew Tur ner and Thomas Roland became settlers. The Home District Register and Almanac, published in 1837, gives only the names of fourteen settlers householders in the township who are included in the above list. Jas. K. Vernon was the first reeve of the township after the separation. He was a member of the old Home District Council in 1847 also. He was the first postmaster in the township and kept the office on his (arm on lot 8, in the 6th conces sion. James Galloway was a member of the provisional County Council of Ontario and opposed the separa tion of the county from York and Peel. He had the first contract for carrying the mail into the town ship. The first white child born in the township was the daughter of Mr. Thomas Hood, a Scotchman, who settled on lot 3, in the 6th conces sion, in 1833. She married Mr. John Smith and is now dead. Her brother and sister occupy the farm where she was born. The second white male child in the township was Alexander F. Urquhart. He was born in 1839. The first doctor in the township was Dr. John Hardy. He was the first returning officer at a parlia mentary election held in the town ship. He and his brother William came from Scotland to Scott about 1844. Alexander Hardy, sev eral times a member of the County Council, was a son of William Hardy. ' The first town meeting in the township was held at Mr. Thomas Hood's house, the first Monday in January, 1843. Abraham Bagshaw was elected chairman and John Clark was elected town clerk. At this meeting six school com missioners and five pathmasters for the whole township were ap pointed. The by-laws as passed at this meeting are a model as to COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 49 brevity, "Hogs to be free comin- ers," "Horses to be ditto," "The lawful f ence to be six feet high, staked and double ridered." township was built nearly fifty years ago on the lands where the Oddfellows' Hall at Sandford now stands. These people started in so well as to fences that to this day there are few townships in the Province where the fencing is as good as in the Township of Scott. Before the date of this town meeting the late Joseph Gould, ex- M. P., of Uxbridge, represented the united townships of Uxbridge and Scott in the Home District Coun cil in 1842, 1844, 1846, 184' 1848 and 1849. George Thompson held the offices of town clerk, assessor and collec tor for many, years and was reeve of the township at date of his death. His nephew, John, son of Thomas Thompson, one of the early settlers, was deputy reeve at that time. The early settlers were principal ly from Scotland and the borders of England. A number of Irish settlers subsequently came in am ongst whom are the Madills, Rey nards, Archibald Reid and others. Their descendants were amongst the wealthiest and most prosper ous of the township. The first Superintendent of Schools was Abraham Bagshaw. He was succeeded by the Rev. Wm. Cleland, of St. Andrew's church. The second school house in the Andrew Turner was a representa tive in 1844. The commissioners for the Court of Requests in 1839 for the town ships of Brock and Scott were Mathew Cameron, John Shier, jr., and Joseph Lynch, Esquires. - This township is noted for the law abiding character of its peo ple. The criminal record of the township for the last fifty years contains but few names of resi dents of this township. The township has but two ho tels. The township has nine schools and parts of it form parts of three union schools. Scott has nine churches, five Methodist, three Presbyterian and one Mennonite. The first church was a Baptist church built south of Sandford very earlv in the history of the town ship. The ,Scott Presbyterians did not build a church in the township for many years. They attended St. Andrew's church of Scott and Ux- ¦ bridge at Quaker Hill, in Uxbridge Township. The Rev. Mr. Lambie, from Scotland, did the first mis sionary work in Scott, preaching in the settler's houses. He was well known in Whitby, was minis ter of the Old Kirk on Starr's 50 HISTORY OF THE Hill, east of the t6wn. George Harrison moved into the township from the Township of Reach in 1859. The fine wheat lands of Scott produced a number of good plough men who did not hesitate to enter into contest with men of other townships. Amongst those who entered these contests were Jacob Taylor, John Taylor, Andrew Tur ner, Andrew Smith, Donald Urqu- hart, Colin Noble, William Gallo way and Marshall. They were good representatives of the yeomanrv of whom it may be said, "How jo cund did they drive their team afield," "How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke." Scott was well timbered with pine. At one time on the east branch of the Black River, the fol lowing settlers were running saw mills and doing a large lumber business: Abraham Lehman, Levi Card, Martin Peart, James Leask and a Mr. Stevenson. Mr. Leask had a flduring and oat meal mill on the same stream. In addition to pine the township seems to have had a fair quantity of sugar maples, for as late as 7852, 14,000 pounds of maple sugar was returned as having been made in the township. As much as a quarter of a million pounds of maple sugar has been made in the county in a vear during the early fifties." Messrs. George Smith, Allan Gray and R. S. Webster, represent atives of Scott in the County Council, have been honored with election as Wardens of the County. John Blanchard, several times a member of the County Council, is a son of James Blanchard, one of the early settlers. Robert Rowland, now of the County of York, was for many years a prominent and useful mem ber of the County Council as a re presentative from Scott. William Nelson, Esq., the clerk of the township council, represent ed this township as reeve for four years. His knowledge of Municipal affairs and good judgment, made him a most useful officer. The tornado which swept through Reach in 1853, killing two people, passed through tin's i-.iwn- ship between Udora and Leaskdale. It did great damage and hindered the' clearing up of the lands. Scott has line beds of gravel and has had eouneilmen and pathinasters who knew how to use gravel, and were not afraid to use it— and so the township has the best roads in the country. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 5* TOWNSHIP OF BROCK. This township named after Gen eral Brock was surveyed in 1517. There was a number of settlers in Brock before the more southern Township of Reach. They came by way of Yonge Street, some east from Newmarket and some around the south shore of Lake Simcoe. The first white male child born in " the township was Robert Stephenson. The first white female child born in the township was Rachael Bagshaw. In 1821 Philip St. John, com monly known as the "King of Brock," came from Ireland and set- eled in the township. The Hon. J. W. St. John, thr present member for West York and Speaker of the Legislature, is one of his 120 descendants who were living at his death in 1874. Col. James Vrooman and George Vrooman were earlier settlers, but the pioneer settler was James Reekie. He came there in 1818, October 10th, on the night of which he slept under a pine tree. William Bagshaw who was the first postmaster in the township, set tled on Lot 5, Con. 9, in the year 1821. The first mill was built on Lot 6, Con. 7, by James Ruddy. The first of the extensive Shier family was John Shier. He was a Limer ick man who took up Lots I, 2 and 3 in the 5th Con. His immediate descendants, eight sons and six daughters, are all living. The first store in the township was opened by his brother, Richard Shier, Lot 4, Con. 5. His son George was reeve and county coun cillor. A recent counting of this family shows that there were 217 of the family within 10 miles of the old homestead. This lamily was of the Palatine stock and left Germany in 1706, went to Ire land and descendants came to this country, Jacob Shier settling first in Lower Canada. Came to 5th concession of Brock in 1832. The first town meeting was held on the 7th January, 1833, at tne house of Mr. Samuel Umphrey. William Williams was elected township clerk, Richard Shier col lector and John Shier assessor. Walton's register of the County of York in 1836-7 gives the popula tion of Brock at 1,240; 106 more males than females. The town meetings up to and in cluding 1848 seem to have been held at private houses. In this latter year the meeting was held at the house of William Jones, when Col. James Vrooman and Robert Sproule were elected coun cillors to meet in the Home Dis trict Council at Toronto. In 1850 township councillors were S3 HISTORY OF THE elected as follows: Robert Sproule, Alexander Munroe, Robert McCul- lough and Wm. Co waft. Robert Sproule was elected reeve and John Matcalfe was appointed clerk. One of the oldest settlers, James Weatheral, died recently,, having lived continuously 74 years upon the farm which his father located three years before the birth of his Money was so scarce in those days that he was glad to get a dollar for walking to Toronto and driving some cattle. This was all he received for his 120 mile walk. Thomas H. Walshe was town ship clerk for many years. This position is now worthily filled , by James Vrooman. 1 James Ruddy, who built one of the first saw mills in the township, George Smith, John O'Leary, the Keenans, Dobles, Shipman, Daniel King, the Campbells, the Ameys, the Carmichaels, Brethours, George Brabazon, Doyles, Malones, Tay lors, Francis Acton, Valentynes, John Hall Thompson, the Harts, McPhadens, McLean, McDonalds, Wm., Thomas and John, John Bairds, Bolsters, Cowans, and Cor poral McCully were amongst the early settlers and were followed by the Sproules, Thomas and Henry Glendenning and Malcolm Gillespie, ex-warden . den of this county five times. He also represented North North On tario in the first Dominion Parlia ment. His father, in 183. Major Joseph There are fifteen school houses in the township and three union schools. There are twelve churches. T., H. and Henry Glendenning have filled many important public positions in the township and James Glendenning was a member of the Legislative Assembly. W. J.. Gibbs, the late warden, is the son of Captain Gibbs, an of ficer of the British regular service who settled in Thorah in 1828. The population of the township in 1839 is given as 1,257. In 1836 William Bagshaw and Matthew Cowan were Justices of the Peace for this township. In 1838 Matthew Cameron, John Shier, jr., and Joseph Lynch, Es quires, were the Commissioners of the Court of Requests for Brock and Scott Townships. Cannington was detached from Brock and incorporated as a vil lage in June, 1878. In the northern townships of the county it will be noticed a large number of retired officers and pen sioners who had served in the re gular army became settlers. John Hall Thompson has the The services of Ensign, after- honor to have been elected War- wards Captain, Gibbs, illustrates COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 53 the amount of active service seen by many of them. Here follows a list of his services: Portugal, under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley, in the year 1808. In the 8th Regiment, commenc ing in the year 1793 and extending to the date of his arrival in To ronto (then York), 1827,— 1st. At the battle of St. Vin cent, under the command of the Earl of St. Vincent, in the year 1793- 2nd. In three battles in Egypt, under the command of Sir Ralph Abercrombie, in the year 1806. 3rd. At the bombardment of Copenhagen, under the command of Lord Cambien and Earl McCar- they, in the year 1807. , 5th. At the battle under the command Moore, in 1809. of Corunna, of Sir John 6th. At the bombardment of Walchern, under the command of the Earl of Chatham, in the year 1809. 7 th. Several other battles and skirmishes in Portugal and Spain under the command of His Grace the Duke of Wellington, when he performed the above services in that well known and distinguished regiment the First Battalion, 50th Foot', whose character is so well known and the remainder of his services in several veteran battal- 4th. At the battle of Vimeria, ions. 54 HISTORY OF THE POLICE VILLAGE OF SUNDERLAND. This thriving village, once called Jones' Corners, was made a Police Village by by-law of the County Council in 1900. It is on the line of the Grand Trunk Railway with in a short distance of Blackwater Junction, Many of the early settlers of Brock and their children who have acquired a competence, are here ending their days in well-earned leisure- The village has good ho tels, well stocked stores and pub lic library, and a large number of fine residences. The Township Hall is here. It is a large one and necessarily so for the people of this township and its capital take an earnest and praise worthy interest in all public- af fairs. The old frame building, built in the days of Malcolm Gillespie, has been replaced by the fine new brick hall, containing clerks' offices and a lock up. The village is lighted by electric ity. It has long had a private bank and recently a chartered bank has established a branch to assist in receiving and caring for the surplus monies which the thrifty yeomen of this fine town ship are unable to find borrowers for. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 55 TOWNSHIP OF THORAH. This was probably the first town ship in the county to be visited by a white man. About 290 years ago Champlain, the French explorer and Governor of Quebec, came down the Severn through Lake Couchiching, the Narrows, to the mouth of the Talbot River, down the waters of the Trent to Lake Ontario, by the route along which the Trent Canal is built. The township was surveyed in parts, first, in 1820, by J. E. White, who settled just north of Beaverton on the lake shore in 1822. His son James was the first white male child born in the town ship, and this same James White in I847 married Jeanette Waddell, the first white child born in Mara. The first female child was Eliza beth Turner, now Mrs. McTaggart of Beaverton. She was a daughter of Ensign Turner, a retired half- pay officer, who settled in the southwest corner of the township. The house built by him in 1822 is still standing. It is the oldest house in the township. The lum ber used in building it was brought from Holland Landing by a row- boat. The population of the town ship in 1825 is stated by the York Almanac as 10. In 1824 Donald Cameron brought a number of settlers from Glen garry, amongst which were the an cestors of the Campbells, the Mc- Raes, the McDonalds and Camer- 6ns, now so numerous in Thorah and Beaverton. Mrs, Donald Cam eron died in 1834 and was the first person buried in the Stone Church Cemetery. Her daughter, Mrs. William McRae, was the mother of Alexander McRae, for many years a member of the County Council. The importance of this settlement appears from the fact that the di rectory : and registry of settlers and almanacs published in 1837 shows that one-fourth of the householders of Thorah belong to these four fam ilies. Ensign Turner was followed by a number of half-pay officers, Captain (then Ensign) Wm. Gibbs, Lieut. Osborne, Messrs. Ross, Neil, Murray and O'Donnell, Lt.-Col. Kenneth Cameron, of the 79th Highlanders, who was the first re presentative of Thorah to Home District Council, and a J. P., 1831. In 1827 the balance of the town ship was surveyed by Gibson. A number of Scotch settlers from Is- lay Island, including Donald Cal- der, the McMillans and the Mc- Fadgens took up lands, and in 1830 they were followed by more Highlanders, John Bruce, John Gunn, James Gordon, Fraser, Mc- Lellans, Neil Murray. The mission ary, Carruthers, in his Journal, describes a religious service' held on the banks of the Talbot River on Wednesday, 31st October, 1832. He says: "Thorah is settling by Highland Scotch and has a pro- promising appearance for the sup port of the minister of the Kirk." He describes the roads around the lake to Georgina as ^passing through much forest and the worst possible." 56 HISTORY OF THE Donald Calder built the first saw mill and grist mill. The first store was opened by Kenneth Cameron in 1830. In 1833 George Proctor settled in the township and opened ¦ the second store. He represented the township in the Home District Council for many years. About the same time Charles Robinson came to the township and for over fifty years served it in various import ant positions, as representative in the Counties of York, Ontario and Peel in 1852, many years reeve of the Township of Thorah, a member of the County Council of this county, of which he was warden in 1859, a magistrate and Clerk of the Division Court for many years. The first post office was opened in 1835, the first postmaster being James Ellis, but the carrying of letters to and frbm Beaverton dates back to 1827, when Donald Cameron, above mentioned, ob tained the consent of the Postmas ter-General, that a man could be employed in carrying mail matter between Beaverton and the King ston road post office in Whitby Township, kept by J. B. Warren, a mile and one-half east of Whitby. In addition to being the nearest post office Warren's was the near est store. A subscription was raised and Kenneth Campbell was appointed postman. He walked from Beaverton to Whitby once ev ery two weeks. He received the subscriptipns and a small sum from the persons for w-hom he car ried the letters. The few settlers in Brock, Reach and the northern part of Whitby obtained communi cation with the outside world through this means. The first township clerk was John McKay, who settled in 1 833. The first woollen mill in North Ontario was built by Postmaster Ellis. The population in 1839 is given at 585, while Reach was but 667. The first church was built in 1843. The Rev. Dr. Watson was the first settled pastor of the Pres byterian church. He continued his ministry from 1853 to 1903, con cluding his fifty years of service. The first town meeting was held at Beaverton on the 21st of Janu ary, 1850. The first councillors were Alexander Brait for Ward No. 1, Chas. Robinson, No. 2; Geo. Proctor, No. 3; Donald Cam eron, No. 4; Kenneth Cameron, No. 5. Kenneth Cameron was elected reeve. At the first meeting a petition to the Government was adopted urging the completion of a great public highway* from Port Whitby, to Sturgeon Bay on Lake Huron. In 1858 Mr. McKay, the cleik and treasurer, was succeeded, as clerk by George Smith, who held the office until 1891, when he was succeeded by the present clerk, John McArthur. Messrs. John McKay, Capt. Chas. H. Davidson, B. Madill and John McArthur have been the treasurers of the township since its COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 57 formation. The Commissioners of the Court of Requests for the Townships of Thorah, Mara and Rama in 1839 were Capt, William Gibbs, L- Mc Lean Cameron, Col. Kenneth Cam eron, Francis Osborne and Michael McDonagh, Esquires. A successful effort has been made for manufacturing peat into small cylinders for fuel. Electricity is used for driving the excavators the spreaders, rakes and cars used in this work. Beaverton was detached from the township and incorporated as a village on the 5th day of June, 1884. 58 HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP OF MARA. This Township like Thorah was surveyed in parts. The first part was surveyed by J. G. Chewitt in 1821. North Mara was largely settled by Highlanders from the Wester?: Islands of Scotland and from Glengarry in Eastern Ontario. The majority of the settlers were Ro man Catholics. 'Murdock Johnston and George Thompson, elders of the Kirk, ren dered most important service to their co-religionists by holding ser vices in Gaelic and English and im proving their part of the Township in the matter of education as well as morals. They received much assistance also from the Rev. Dr. McTavish of Beaverton. The first settler was Patrick Corrigan, 1823. The second settler was Arthur Kelly, 1827. He died at the age of 106. By 1839 the population was 112. Amongst the householders were included the Bruces, Hugh and Robert, the Gilchrists, Donald and William; Michael, John and James Graham, Angus Kennedy, Angus P. and several other McDonalds. Donald, John and Finlay McRae, James Ritchie, William and C. Simpson. Robert Waddle, whose daughter, Jeanette, was the first white child born in the township. David Morrow and Alex. McGregor Duncan Campbell, John McNab and Peter" McMillan. There followed a large influx of Irish and Scotch Roman Catholics including the families of McDonagh, McDermot, Doyle, O'Boyle, Flinn, Harahay, Duffy, McNulty, Mc- Grath, McLennan and Foley. The Township of Mara and Rama were united until 1869. They were represented in the First Home Dis trict Council by A. McRae. Michael McDonagh, of Point Mara for several years succeeded him in that office riding on horseback all the way to Toronto. He was an intelligent, warm-heaftd- whole- souled Irishman. Thomas McDermot represented the united townships in the first County Council of Ontario and op posed the railway through the County. • D. G. Hewet for many years was his successor. He was warden in 1858. Alex. Kennedy, another Atherley man followed him. He built the steam grist mill at Atherley. Philip McRae a descendant of one of the earlv settlers was warden in 1874. J. P. Foley, J. P., was a leading man in the township for many years. He was a member of the County Council and left valuable COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 59 bequests for the church and Separ ate School of Brechin. F. J. Gillespie, Timothy O'Leary and William Broomfield, leading men of a later date, each have fill ed various offices of public trust in the township. Each of them has been warden. What was supposed to be the poor Township of Mara has by the perseverance and skill 'of its people been converted into one of the most thriving and prosperous townships in the Province, with good roads, good fences, well tilled farms and good railway' communi cation. The Townships of Thorah, Mara and Rama, formed the seventeenth "Court of Requests" Division in the Home District. William Gibbs, L- McLean, Cameron, Major Kenneth Cameron, Francis Osborne and Michael McDonagh, Esquires, were the commissioners in 1838, and discharged about the same duties as to the collection of small debts as the Division Court Judges now perform. The pioneers of Mara were strong and hardy people — many of them lived to great age. Mrs. Christina Campbell, widow of Duncan Camp bell was one of a group of Mara's centenarians. She came from Isla, Scotland, in 1847, a widow, and brought a large family. The late Rev. Dr. McTavish on coming to Canada sought out his old friends, the Campbells. Duncan Graham, a descendant of one of the early settlers has filled the office of warden and represent ed North Ontario in the Dominion House of Parliament. Peter Thompson, who frequently represented the Township in the County Council, is one of the worthy descendants of a sturdy pioneer family. D. G. Hewit formerly warden of the county and for many years reeve of the Townships of Mara and Rama, was an early settler. He lived near Atherley. 6o HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP OF RAMA. Population, 1850, 8 whites, 500 Indians. Assessment, 1904, $190,936. Population, 1904, 1,239. , This is the most northern of the townships of the county. The Laur- entian range of rocks, the oldest known range of rocks, passes through the northern part of this township. Its settlement began in 1836 when Capt. Garnet settled there. His daughter married James Mc Pherson, son of Capt. Allan Mc Pherson, the second settler in the township. Capt. Garnet had serv-1 ed as a lieutenant in the 82nd Regiment in Spain under Welling ton.. He died 1866, aged 80 years. About the same time Capts. Allan McPherson, of His Majesty's Si- ciliam Regiment; Capts. Pass, Rooke, Cbttinger and Yarnold, and Mr. John McKinnon settled in the front range near Longford, which was the centre of the first settle ment. In 1839 Capt. Allan McPherson petitioned the Government to open a road to Orillia. He was success ful. A post office was opened be tween 1840 and 1847 and was known as the Rama post office. This township is bounded on the west by Lake Couchiching, the In dian name meaning "The lake ol many winds." The first white male child born in tne township was Mr. Allan Mc Pherson, the energetic and prosper ous miller and quarryman. The first female child born in the township was his sister, Mrs. Jane Adams. The father was James McPherson, Esq., for many years reeve of the township and was warden of the County in 1880. There was formerly an Indian village, where Orillia now stands. The Indians were removed to Rama in 1838. They are Chippe- was and Potawotamies. y The first church was the Indian mission church on the Indian Re serve, a log building which is still standing but not now in use. The first store in the township was kept by Peter Jacobs, an Indian, near the site of the Indian church. This Peter Jacobs was a fairly well educated , man and possessed much ability, particularly as an interpreter and public speaker. He acted as interpreter for the mis sionaries both here and in other parts of Canada. He was, present ed to the Queen in London and ad dressed the Methodist annual mis sion meeting at Exeter Hall in London on two occasions. The first mill in the township was Trenouth's saw mill, establish ed about the year 1867, upon the Black River. The Longford Lum ber Co.'s large mills were started about 1870. John Thompson, and COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 61 afterwards his sons, George and William Thompson carried on these mills with great success. The manufacture of lime and chemical products is one of Rama's largest interests. "Rama was formerly united to Mara and while so united Squire James McPherson was reeve of the united townships for fourteen years. Mr. Allan McPherson now carries on a large business in quarrying and cutting limestone blocks for building. In 1837 the Indians volunteered to aid in the suppression of the re bellion and Squire McPherson was one of those in command of them. His father-in-law, Captain Garnet, an able olheer, represented the townships of Mara and Rama in the Home District Council. Capt. Allan McPherson was an officer in the 78th Highlanders and received his commission for special bravery at the battle of Maidar. He served in the army for 20 years. He died at Orillia in 1858, aged 86 years. When the Indians were removed from Orillia to Rama the McPher- sons and the Garnets were the! only white families living in the town ship. The first township meeting; in the township after the passsing of the Municipal Act, was held in 1869. It was held at Thomas Lawrence's Inn on lot 12, Front Range. It re cords the election of Thomas Mc- Dermott, reeve; Messrs. Jno. M. Trenouth, Patrick Mahoney, James Tahaney and William McDonald as councilmen. Dennis O'Brien was ap pointed as clerk, 'Duncan McKinnon assessor and Michael McNulty col lector and Edward Lawrence as treasurer. The second meeting of the coun cil was held at the Rama school- house, but the record shows that it adjourned at noon for one hour to meet afterwards at the Travel ler's Rest. The clerk parentheti cally remarks that the "old boys found the school a dry sort of a ilace." The reeves since have been James McDermott, James Mc Pherson, W. J. Trenouth, George Cleavely, John Carrie, and John Adams, a son-in-law of Squire McPherson, to whose en ergy and tact the building of some of the largest bridges in the- town ship is due. The township is tra versed by large streams which ren der road making difficult. These difficulties are aggravated by the fact that the best land of rthe town ship belongs to the Indian reserva tion and is not liable for taxes. The removal of the pine timber led to a decrease of the population and the people liable to assist in road building. 62 HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF WHITBY. This town was incorporated as such, in 1855, by a special Act of Parliamett. In view of its incor poration as a town on account of the location of the County Build ings there and in view of the pros perity which prevailed during these Russian war times, more land was included within the Corporation limits than was necessary or per haps advisable. The proclamation setting aside the County from York and Peel was dated the 30th De cember, 1853. Much of the early history of the town is included in the history of the Township of Whitby. One of the principal causes of its develop ment and growth was the building of the harbour, which was so con structed that its natural capabili ty.' were so improved as to make it one of the best harbours of re fuge on the north shore of Lake Ontario; also connected with this was the building of a plank road extending from Whitby to Port Perry. During the period of incor poration of Whitby, the Grand Trunk Railway was in course of construction. Wheat sold at $2 per bushel, property was sold for town* lots at higher figures than were ever afterwards realized, there are large and commodious warehouses and elevators at the harbour be longing to the Whitby Harbour Company and Mr. John Watson. The Whitby • harbour and road were sold to a company with James Rowe, (first mayor of Whit by). John Welsh, John Watson, the Perrys and Christopher McDermott. as principal shareholders. The com pany having failed to make their payments to the Government about the year 1861, the Government took possession of the Harbour and the plank road and subsequently sold them to a company or com panies in which Chester Draper, Joseph Gould, and members of the Gould family were the principal stockholders. The road was re markably well built but owing to the completion of the railway to Port Perry and the Port Hope and Beaverton road and the Northern Road to Atherley the traffic was greatly reduced. The owners of the road being in terested in the railway and the harbour, agreed that if the Town of Whitby would give an addition al bonus of #20,000, to aid in ex tending the railway from Port Perry to Lindsay, the company would abandon the road as a toll road to the municipalities through which it passed. The bonus was gj anted and the toll road was ab andoned. In early times the most of the business of the town was transact ed at Hamar's Corners on the Kingston Road, one mile from the centre of the town. The place was named after John Hamar— known as "John Bull." At this point was the post office, which served the Township of Pickering, the present townships of Whitby and East Whitby and the towns of Whitby COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 63 and Oshawa. The Warren Brothers, J. B. and William, kept the post office and store there. James Wal lace, for some time a leading man in the Town of Whitby, carried on a general store and blacksmith shop there. One Demott, had an axe factory, William Till, father of William Till, cabinet maker, carried on that business at East Windsor, as it was then called. There were two hotels there then. In 1837 troops were quartered in the Spur- ril' house until the putting down of the McKenzie rebellion. John Spurrill was for many years a ser- •geant in the British army. This house was built and occupied by- Peter Nichol as a store. Ross Johnston, Deputy Registrar carried on a general store in the brick building known as the Emerald House. Wm. Anderson, a son-in- law of Spurrell, kept this store al so. It was put up in a lottery and changed hands. With the building of the harbour extensive stores were opened at Port Whitby, then called Windsor Bay, and carried on by Rowe and Cotton, John Martin, Welsh and Lawder, James Pringle, Thomas Knox and one Harrison, Robert Bailey, James Bailey, James Bates, Richard Snow in succession carried on an extensive bakery business. Hotels were numerous, Salsbury's large three storey brick hotel was thfc first building of its kind in the County, William Scott, Captain James McAUan, Captain Thew, Archie Hamilton were amongst the early hotel keepers at the bay- There were blacksmith, shoemak er and tailor shops also. About 1S36 Peter Perry came up from Addington County, which he had for some years represented in the Provincial Parliament. He bought property at the four corners, where the Kingston road intersects Brock Street on the site where Pringle's Hardware store and the Oddfellows Hall now stands, and built a frame store. It was painted red, and dis played in large white letters "Peter Perry at Home." His energy and tact was such as to remove the business from the Bay and Hamar's" Corners to the four corners, which were known as "Perry's Corners" up to the date' of incorporation. Extensive general stores were carried on. in the early days of Whitby's history by William Laing, Thomas Dow, James Wallace, Wil liam Herman, L. H. Schofield & Co-, Greene McDonald, Robert E. Perry, Carleton Lynde, Abraham Bryan & Company, T. H. McMil lan, R. H. Lawder, Yeoman Gib son, N. H. Davis, W. Anson Pringle, Lewis Houck. A general store in those days was very gen eral containing a stock of dry goods, groceries, drugs, crockery, china and glassware, hardware, flour and feed, grain and ready- made clothing, seeds, boots and shoes, and often wines and liquors, in fact everything the early settlers needed was sold in them. Later on came the specializing of business so that Hall & Moodie sold groceries and liquor only, R. & J. Campbell, Lowes & Powell, Laing & Stewart, sold dry good principally. G. C. Gross and Hatch & Bro., hardware; Sabine & 64 HISTORY OF THE Shurtliff and William Burns, boots and shoes; Alexander Pringle and John Ferguson, ready-made cloth ing and gents furnishings; Beall, books and stationery- J. H. Ger tie, Chas. Bannister, Doel & Dickie drugs mainly. Mr. Dickie sub sequently became inspector of Di vision Courts. One Connor, on the site of the Watson block kept the only saloon for the sale of liquors that ever afflicted the county. He furnished no accommodation to the travelling public. In his advertise ment, upon opening business he called his place "A Desideratum,' if it ever was "Long wished for and welcome," to the people its re moval was soon wished for anrl much more welcomed by the 'wives and mothers of Whitby. With this saloon and nine or ten hotels a brewery or two, Clark's up Town ,and Nash's at the Bay, a distillery run by one John Sproule, a race course was thought necessary and one was established on the Lynde place, west of Lynde's Creek. Dur ing the mayoralty of J. B. Ger tie, the Queen's plate was run for on this course. The Hon. John Sandfield McDonald, then Premier of Ontario, was the guest of the mayor on that occasion. Matters in a few years so changed that the race course disappeared and the performance which took place there were about the year 1873 replaced by the "Agricultural Horse Trot" on the fair grounds, and lately there were only three hotels where eight or nine formerly carried on business. It is said that the first liquor sold over a bar in Whitby east of Lynde's Creek, was sold by Mr. Jacob Cronk, ' who af terwards removed to Taunton, in East Whitby, and became a very strong temperance man. He died recently at the age of ninety years. The house containing this bar, was afterwards kept by Darwin Kent and Moleyneux Hutton. For many years it has been occupied as a private dwelling by the late S. B. Hatch and Charles Taylor. T. N. Scripture's brick hotel, on the corner east of the Gazette office was a popular hotel in the days of stage coaching. It had a ball room which was extensively used until the building of the Mechanics' In stitute. This hotel was subsequent ly kept by D. P. Wyatt, well- known through the country as a teacher of singing schools. George Robson, Nathaniel and Charles Ray afterwards kept this hotel. Cherry- Smith's hotel, was kept in the old landmark, which occupies the corner west of the Dominipn Bank, in later days it was well kept by J. Black and E. Armstrong. This was the place where in the eariy fcrties, the old boys did mostly foregather to "Mak a night," song and story went round and at times the fun was fast and furious." On the east side of the Brock road, and north of Dundas Street, a large cottage was built. It was suggested to the owner that he might as well make it two storeys and the second storey was put on. Then obliging friends suggested that while he was about it he might make it a three storey, as the town was bound to grow and an additional storey was clapped COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 65 on, and so it came about that Pol lard's Hotel was built. Before the railways destroyed the shipping business many more pub lic houses were necessary than now, for example there were fourteen be tween Whitby and Port Perry. Dur ing the season when grain was be ing delivered there- was at daylight almost every morning a procession of teams reaching from the har bour back to the centre of the town, awaiting their turn to de liver grain. Over thirty vessels have been at one time in the har bor for grain or shelter. MANUFACTORIES. The want of water power hinder ed the establishment of manufac- turies. The public spirit and energy of the citizens in endeavoring to secure their establishment has been shown by the bonuses granted for that purpose. For example the Brown and Patterson Agricultural Works, now the Farmers' Co-Oper- ative Machine Company, the Mudge & Hardwood Organ Factory, the Atlas Woolen Mills, the Martin Saddlery Manufacturing Company, which recently, under the manage ment of Mr. Fred. Hatch, has doubled its building space and its business. Liberal exemptions from taxation have been made to cer tain manufacturers. King Bros. tannery, the successors of William Burns and Carleton Lynde business, is an extensive one. It has for many years been of great value t .> the town and the buildings have recently been doubled in size and greatly improved in appearance. Major Harper & Sony iron aiid woodworking machinery factory haf more than a Provincial and Dominion reputation. Its machin ery is found in every Pro vince in the Dominion. In the early days Ford & Carpenter, O'Donovan & Walkey's carriage fac tories did a large business, Stephen, Gose's Planing Mill and sash fac tory, now carried on by Mr. Rich ard Oke, has served the town and surrounding country well. Nearly fifty years ago, when plaster was more used by farmers' for enriching the land, Messrs. Stone and Grainger had a plaster mill at Port Whitby for grinding up the rock gypsum into plaster. FtiRT WHITBY, PORT PERRY &. LINDSAY RAILWAY. Through the energy of James Holden, Sheriff Reynolds, Chester Dtaper, of Whitby; Messrs James Dryden, Joseph Bigelow, Sheriff Thomas Paxton and other citizens of Port Perry and Whitby and the J 60, 000 contributed by his town a railway was constructed from Whitby , to Port Perry and, then by an additional bonus of $20,000, the road was ex tended to Lindsay and there con nection was made with the Vic toria Railway running through Fenelon Falls to Haliburton, and by means of a short line to Black- water from Manilla Junction con nection was made with the Nipis- sing road running from Toronto to Balsam Lake and with the Pore Hope, Lindsay and Beverton Rail ways to Midland on Lake Huron. 66 HISTORY OF THE If Chester Draper had lived a rail- Way would probably have been built from Whitby to Collingwood for which a charter was obtained. EDUCATION. In the matter of providing schools for primary and higher education, the people of Whitby have always taken a deep interest. The first school in the town limits was taught in 1811 by a Miss Cross. This was probably the first county school. One of the first Grammar Schools outside of the cities and oldest towns of the .Province and certainly the first in the Count v, was established in 1846, througn the public spirit principally of Messrs Ezra Annes, Samuel Coch rane, Peter Perry and J. H. Perry, The principals of the Grammar School have been James Hodgson, William McCabe, L.L.B. Arthur Marling, M.A., Thomas Kirkland, M.A., afterwards principal of the Normal School, of Toronto, and Professor of Chemistry in the To ronto Medical School, G. H. Rob inson, B.A., L. E. Embree, W. W. Tamblyn, Master of Arts, Dr. John Waugh, and George H. Hogarth, B.A. Their principalship covers the times when it was either the Whitby Grammar School, the Ontario County Gram mar School, the Senior County Grammar School, the High School or the Whitby Collegiate Institute. During the principalships of Messrs. Hodgson and McCabe there was but one teacher and lately there have been five masters, each with specialist standing in one of the five great departments of the institute work. MODEL SCHOOL. One of the two county modd schools is situate in Whitby and has always been taught by its able and experienced principal, Mr. James Brown, who has had charge of the Henry and Dundas Street Schools. A large number of suc cessful teachers have been trained in the Whitby Model School. Graduates of the old Grammar School have attained seats in the Local and Dominion Parliaments and lately Mr. T. Hamar Green wood won a seat in the Imperial Parliament for the City of York. v The Hon. John Dryden, Minister of Agriculture for many years and Lieut.-Gov. Daniel H. McMillan, of Manitoba. James Holden and W. E: Wolfenden and James Wallace, who have attained leading posi tions as executive officers of the great railway corporations, are graduates also. ONTARIO LADIES' COLLEGE. In 1872, through the energetic action of the Rev. J. E. Sander son, steps were taken for the pur pose of purchasing Trafalgar Castle, then the residence of the late Sheriff N. G. Reynolds for the purpose of establishing therein a Ladies' College. The active pro moters who associated themselves with him and made the purchase of the building were Messrs. James Holden, Walter Couthard, (after wards Warden of the County), J. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 67 S. M. Wilcox, G. Y. Smith, John Rice, J. L. Smith, ex-Warden, Richard Hatch, Joshua Richard son, William Blair, H. B. Taylor J. B. Powell and Aaron Ross. There have been two periods at which the original building has been largely extended, first the building of Ryerson Hall to the north, second the Frances Massey addition largely "aided by the gift of Miss Frances Massey. There has been a constant improvement in the attendance, teaching staff, curricu lum and work of the college and its equipment. Pupils from the different and dis tant Provinces and states of the American Union, Mexico and West Indies, have been attracted to it. Its success was^largely due to the work of Rev. Dr. Hare, who has been principal since its establish ment. He was for many years ablv assisted by Mrs. Hare, Miss Burk- holder has for some years beeu lady principal. There has been expended on the buildings, including the additions above mentioned, and upon the equipment of the college $175,002. Amongst the early teachers of the Common Schools of Whitby, were the Rev. Dr. Ormiston, Robert Milne, who taught at the Bay, G. Y. Smith, now judge of the Surro gate Court, Ross Johnston, Deputy Registrar, J. H. Greenwood, Miss Alice Hickey, John Dundas, Chas. Bannister. J. K. Gordon, barriester, re counts that while living with his father at "Bayside," there was a, spelling match when Ormiston's Perry Cornerers came down to beat Milne's Bay puuils. The Orm iston pupils were defeated. The Catholic Separate School. J.-J. Murphv was one of the first teachers. This school has beeii steadily improving Under the man agement of its tactful and indus trious teacher Miss Lillie Droogan its pupils have succeeded in carry ing of the county scholarship more than once. Whitby has had a good public li brary for the last sixty-five vears. It was carried on first by tbv Whitby Library Association tli 2 Mechanics Institute and under the Public Library Act. Late Hugh Fraser was Librarian for many years, and his daughter, Miss Hary Fraser, succeeded and is now li brarian. CUSTOMS OFFICE. One of the earliest customs offi cers was Dr. Henry Boys, father of Judge Boys, of the Countv of Sim coe. He was an Army Surgeon in Portugal under the Duke of Welling ton. He was succeeded by William Dow, brother of Thomas and John Dow, then William Warren. (one of the' four Irishmen), Dr. G. A. Carson, and Mr. J. R. Philip. CHURCHES. One of the oldest in the town is the St. John Episcopal Church at 68 HISTORY OF THE Port Whitby. It is a stone building, built by J. C. Stirling, afterwards a well known hotelkeeper and auc- tioner of Greenwood. The Rev. John Pentland, B.A., a genial warm hearted Irishman, was one of the first clergyman in charge. The Rev. V. P. Meyerhoffer, who had been a Roman Catholic Chaplain in Napo leon's armies, frequently preached in this church. The Rev. Professor Bevin, of Toronto University, was one of the clergymen in charge of this church. It is claimed , that St. Paul's Episcopal Church, west of Columbus, of which Rev. Mr. Pent- land was in' charge, was the first » (Episcopal) church in the county. Jt had a greater member ship than the Oshawa or Whitby Church. It was built in 1836. The Old Kirk on the Kings ton Road, near Starr's HiH, was for many years a landmark. Mem bers of this church drove or walk ed long distances from Pickering, Reach and East Whitby to attend it The Rev. Mr. Lambie was amongst the early , ministers. After tfie building of St. An drew's Church in the town the old wooden building was torn down. The Rev. Kenneth McLennan and Rey. Joshua Fraser were min isters of St. Andrew's Church. Some of our old residents remem ber these church-goers walking bare footed, carrying their shoes till they reached the church — when they put on the shoes and after service walked home barefooted. The Old Free Church, on Brock Street, near the foundry was for two or three years used as a meet ing place for the County Council. After the building of the Mechanics' Institute on Byron Street, services were held there. The Rev. Dr. Thornton and Rev. Mr. Lowrie and James Scott were ministers. Sub sequently ' the Presbyterian Church services were held in the present Baptist Church. The Rev. Dr. BaL lantyne and Rev. Dr. Abraham then a student were in charge of this church until- the Union with St. Andrew's. THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. On the west side of Byron St., was a wooden buildino- with a tow er, in which was hung the first church bell in the county, probab ly. It is now hung in the tower of the Ontario Ladies' College. The Rev. Mr. Finlay, Professor Gcikie, Rev. J. T. Byrne and Rev. Mr. Miller were ministers of this church. ALL SAINTS'. Rev. Canon Cay ley was the first rector and its chime of bells was probably the first placed in a church outside of the cities in this part of the province. The Rev. A. J. Fidler, Rev. Mr. Cole, Rev. A. J. Broughall, and the Rev. A. H. Wright have been rectors of this church. Mr. Wright was for many years a missionary in the North-West Territories. He was present at the battle of Duck Lake. the first battle in the Riel's second North-West rebellion and officiated at the funerals of the Mounted Po lice and soldiers who were killed. Hfe-- WSw . „ 1; ^ R&* ^ ... . B: ¦'¦.¦. ' ' '-:' V .' f$ ' : * i lA /v/- ,' '/" 'if ¦ ''^—^^SL^^w n '^i^sSSSff^H' PP'*;V:' \ 1 Wr' ' - ;,^H pffiHe-' i j I' *l "nl COURT HOUSE. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 69 St. Andrew's Church is the suc cessor of the Old Kirk on the hill. Since the Presbyterian Union, it has been used by the two congre gations. The Rev. John Abra hams, D.D., has been the minister in charge for twenty-nine years. His ability, industry and earnest ness in every good work have been of great value to the town and surrounding country. The Baptist Church, was origin ally located on the Lick Farm, on the south side of the Kingston Road. The early town meetings for the Townships of Whitby and East Whitby and for the towns of Whit- bv and Oshawa were held there for many years. A large frame church of the Orthodox style of architec ture, formerly prevailing in this country, was built on the street in front of the Ladies' College grounds. The Rev. John Gertie, Local Superintendent of Schools for many years was the pastor in charge of this church in its early history. On the union of the twt Presbyterian churches the Baptists secured the building on Centre Street, formerly occupied bv the United Presbyterians. THE METHODIST CHURCH. Services were for a long time held in the Free Church, the Pres byterians using it in the mornings and the Methodists in the after noon. A large brick building was erected on Mary Street and used until after the establishment of the Ladies' College, when the present Tabernacle was built. It has a fine auditorium and excellent school room. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC The present neat building of this denomination was built after a dis astrous fire which destroyed their first church. For comfort neat decoration and appointments there are few towns or villages in the province which cai; compare with the churches of the Town of Whitby. OLD SETTLERS. John Shier, P.L-S., was one of tin- first land surveyors in the southern part of the county. He was county engineer and county clerk for many years. Arthur W. Keddie, C.E., M. Whitelaw and W. 0. Johnston, now holding import ant, positions as engineers and architects in the United States, were some of his pupils. Benjamin Yarnold, formerly town treasurer was in his early days a naval offi ce! and saw much active service in tht> British Navy. His son, W. E. Yarnold, P.L.S., of Port Perry, is the countv surveyor. The county buildings were prin cipally erected in 1853. Messrs Cumberland and Storm being the architects and James Wallace, con tractor. They consist of the County Court House, the court rooms and countv offices and adjoining this the county jail. The bnildings are substantial and convenient. The style of architecture is in keeping 7° HISTORY OF THE with the purposes for which they were built. Some years after, a safe and commodious registry of fice, of neat design was built to the nqrth of the court house. These buildings are located upon the highest ground in the town, are supplied with water from the Whit by Water Works system and light ed by electricity from the town electric light plant. They are well heated by steam. The County Armory for the 34th Regiment, on Dundas Street, near th« centre of the town, is well suit ed for the purpose. THE HOUSE OF REFUGE. This is a well built and well equipped building located upon a fine site in the north west part of the town. With it is connected the county farm and about fifty acres of excellent and well cultivni-t-ci land. The Refuge and farm are un der the able and efficient care of Mr. J. F. Lavery, as superinten dent, and Mr. A. E. Christian, in spector. The Refuge was establish ed by the County Council, volun tarily before the recent act, which requires all counties to build and maintain homes for the poor and friendless. That this was done is due largely to the generous action of two public spirited and human hearted Irish Canadians, Messrs. John and William F. Cowan, the able and enterprising* financiers and manufacturers of Oshawa. The ad visability of establishing a County House of Refuge and Farm was dis cussed by the council as early as 1857. Special committee after com mittee had been appointed from that time to consider the question. Much thought and investigation had been given to. it. There was an abundance of eloquence and resolu tions in favor of the plan generally but no action, until Mr. John Cow an addressed a letter to the coun cil, offering to contribute $5.°°° and Mr. William F. Cowan, his bro ther offered to grant the council forty-five acres of land in Oshawa as a site for the Home and Farm. The people of Port Perry then of fered $5,000 to aid the county in building, if the Refuge was estab lished there. Finally the council de cided that it was advisable to go ou with the work and locate the institution where it could be under the supervision of the County Council, Grand Juries and easily visited by county people attending the courts and county offices at Whitby. This action has been ap- Cicved by successive grand juries trid by hundreds of ratepayers from all parts of the county who visit the Refuge. MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP. The town has constructed an ex cellent and efficient system of water works and electric lighting, which will shortly be self-sustaining and which has already been of great advantage to manufacturers and have assured the town from loss by fire and added to the con venience and comfort of the people and which have attracted and wiil attract people to the town as a place for business and residence. ONTARIO COUNTY HOUSE OF REFUGE, Opened Feb. nth, 1903. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 71 Dr. Robert John Gunn, a Banff- sliire Scotchman was one of the earliest physicians in this part of the country. His practice extended through Pickering, Reach, Whitby and East Whitby. He will long be remembered for his great services to the cause of education and religion. He was for many years connected with the School Trustee Boards of the town and was one of the principal supporters of the Bible Society from its formation until his death and was jail surgeon for forty years. Dr. W. 0. Eastwood is another old practitioner who has attained a high position in his profession. Practising here and in 1857 he was local superintendent of schools for Whitby Township. His sons, Wil liam F. and John H. Eastwood, both became able physicians. The many charitable deeds of Dr. East wood and Dr. Gunn in kindly as sistance to the poor will not be forgotten during this and the next generation. Dr. Robert Clark, commonly known as the "Scotch Clark," ("The English Clark," Dr. Joseph Clark, lived in Oshawa) was an other of the early practitioners. Tradition speaks of a Dr. Annis, Dr. R. Chickley and Dr. Peake. Dr. G. A. Carson practised here from 1856 until a few years ago. He represented his branch of the pro fession in the Medical Council and was for some years a Collector of Customs. Dr. F. Warren, formerly of Brook lin, now of Whitby, is jail surgeon and he has a very large practice. His fine residence was occupied at the time of the rebellion by Col. Cox. Drs. John and James Moore succeeded Dr. Warren in Brooklin. Dr. D. F. Bogart, surgeon for the G.T.R. Company for many years is another old timer. Dr. C. A. McGillivray, has been Surgeon of the House of Refuge since its establishment. Dr. P. G. Mefdrum, completes the list of Town Medical men. All of whom have country practice owing to the healthy situation and sani tary condition of Whitby. Amongst the early legal prac titioners were James Armour, Za- cheus Burnham, for forty years, county judge, W. H. Tremayne, first County Crown Attorney, W. H. Billings, son of Francis Billings, formerly Treasurer of the Home District. N. G. Ham and Dr. J. V. Ham, the former a very able but very lean man. The latter clerk of the Surrogate and County Courts and Deputy Clerk of the Crown and a very fat man. J. H. Greenwood, several times Mayor of Whitby, S. H. Cochrane, L-L-D., who succeeded Mr. Tre mayne as County Attorney and who at the time of his death had a very large practice. He was a son of Samuel Cochrane a veteran 7a HISTORY OF THE of 1812. H. J. MacDonnell was Clerk of the Peace after the death of Mr. B. F. Ball, the first Clerk of the Peace in the County. Mr. Macdonnell was County Clerk al most from the formation of the County until 1877. J. K. Gordon, the oldest lawyer in the county, son of William Gor don, of Bayside. Judge G. H. Dartnell was a part ner of H. J. Macdonnell and was Local Master in Chancery, G. Y- Smith, judge of the Surrogate Court and for many years Master of the Bay and Henry Street Schools, has been in practice since 1585. ! ) J. E. Farewell, K.C, L.L.B., suc ceeded Dr. Cochrane as County Crown Attorney in 1872 and Mr. Macdonnell as Clerk of the Peace under the provision of the Statute on his death in 1877. Mr. David Ormiston, B.A., a member of the County Council. Mr. J. B. Dow, B.A., Auditor of Criminal Justice accounts and Local Registrar, and Major T. A. McGillivray, his partner for many years. Major James Rutledge, many times Mayor of the Town and Chairman of the Board of Water and Light Commissioners. The of practising lawyers have been many years engaged in their pro fession here. Nearly every Whitby lawyer has been Chafrman of the Board of Education. Mr. L. T. Barclay, for many years Local Registrar and "Clerk of the Surrogate Court, has re cently commenced practice. He has been a Vice-President of Ontario Ladies' College for a long time. Mr. A. E. Christian, barrister, and also court stenographer, is the latest addition to the profession. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 73 OSHAWA. Assessment, 1907, $1,984,831. Population, 1850, 1,200. - Population, 1907, 6,400. For convenience it might be well to divide the history of Oshawa into five periods. 1. Early settlement, 1798-1822. 2. -Industrial Foundation, 1822- 1840. 3. Post Office Hamlet, 1840-1850. 4. Incorporated Village, 1850- 1879. 5. Town of Oshawa, 1879-1907. Early Settlement. The site of the present. Town of Oshawa covers an area of 2,400 acres, and is generally recognized upon a county map as occupying Lots Nos. 7, 8, 9, 10, n, and 12 of concessions one and two, East Whitby. As most of this land is still used, for purposes of agricul ture it can readily be understood that it is only the more densely populated section that can pre tend to play any part in the real history of the town. In dealing with the early settle ment of Oshawa we will confine our attention to lots Nos. 10 and II of the 1st and 2nd concessions of East Whitby, thus taking in the four two hundred acre farms which come in close touch with each oth er at the main four corners of the town. Who were the first posses sors of this land? and who were their immediate successors? The following table of names and dates compiled from the Registry Office will fairly answer these questions, as to the full lots ,or sections thereof: Lot 10, Up to 1798 " 1798 " .1824 " 1829 " 1832 " 1834 " 1835 " 1836 " 1836 " 1837 Lot 10, (N. E Up to 1798 " 1798 " 1819 " 1832 '>' 1832 " 1835 "' 1839 " 1840 " 1841 Lot 11, Up to 1798 " 1828 " 1828 " 1832 " 1837 " 1837 " 1837 " 1837 " 1839 Lot n, 1st Con. Crown Isabella Shaw John Crooks Chas. Arkland Aaron Choat Dennis Dullea Phil Herriman Joseph Fox Nelson Amsbury . Edward Skae 2nd Con. . Ward) Crown Isabella Shaw Francis Leys Norris Kerr William Kerr Elijah Haight Joseph Wood Abraham Farewell Henry Pedlar 1st Con. Crown King's College Joseph Gorham Robert & John Brad bury Joseph Gorham John McGrigor Elijah Haight William Weller Thomas Gibbs 2nd Con. 74 HISTORY OF THE (N. W. Ward) UP to 1798 Crown " 1795 Elizabeth Gray " 1803 R. I. D. Gray, 1st At torney Gen., Ont. " 1804 Slave Simon (By will) " 1809 John Gray " 1813 Jabez Lynde " 1816 John Kerr " 1829 James Hall " 1836 J. B. Warren When General Simcoe removed the seat of Government from Nia gara to Toronto in 1794, the Queen's Rangers, a British Regi ment of soldiers, were taken along with him, and in 1798 large sec tions of lands throughout the Home District were ceded to the various officers and their particu lar relatives. In. most cases the possessors of these grants never considered them of sufficient value to even visit them let alone attempt anything in the shape of settlement. In many cases these lands were bartered away by the generally easy-going soldier for a mere song. In the case of the lands now under consideration it is seen that they were first, ceded in this very way, and in arriving at the earliest set tlers we must deal alone with those who actually lived upon the land and not with the holders of the deed. Jabez Lynde, 1813, is the first name of any probable, set tler. He built a house in 1804 at Lynde's Creek, just west of the . Town of Whitby, which it was claimed was the only house at that time between Toronto and Port Hope on the Kingston road. In 18 13 he bought lot No. n, or Oshawa's N. W. Ward, and sold it to John Kerr in 18 1 6. It must be fairly tendered to John Kerr that he was the first bona fide settler in Oshawa. He had a large family, many of whom were born before he came to Oshawa; some were born here. Many direct descendants still live in the town and surrounding dis trict. Among the pioneer settlers we meet the following names: Jno. Kerr, Wm. Kerr, Norris Kerr, Jno. McGrigor, John Ritson, Ben. Stone, Annis, Hall, Arkland, Hink- son, Henry, Ross, Bartlett, Wil son, McGill, Farewell. Industrial Foundation, 1822-1840. Since the general introduction of steam power into factories one might fairly ask what natural ad vantages are possessed by Oshawa from a manufacturing standpoint, and frankly the answer would be, that they are very few indeed. While this is true of Oshawa to day it was not the case in early days. The number of possible wa ter-powers of fair capacity within a circumscribed area • attracted the attention of many business men as far back as 1822. To the origin al water-power and the impulse it gave to business must be attribut ed the foundation of Industrial Oshawa. Factories, mills, distil leries, breweries, , carding mills, asheries, tanneries, etc., sprang up along the creek from 1822 to 1840. The life history of thei early fac tories was circumscribed to nar row limits. A few years of en ergy and activity generally termin- COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 75 ated in failure, but apparently from the ruins of small industries larger ones would arise and these would live somewhat longer - than their predecessors. Such seems ever to have been our history. Ups and downs have come and gone but on the whole the tendency of Oshawa has ever been towards the establishment of larger and more permanent industries to take the place of those which happened to be overtaken by misfortune or, dis tress. The appended list of industries and the date of their inception will give a fair idea of the foundation of our industrial history. 1822 Cleveland, Grist mill. 1822 Joseph Gorham, carding mill. 1829 Thos. Gibbs, grist mill. 1832 T. N. Gibbs and W. H. Gibbs, grist mill. 1836 Miles Luke, tannery. 1836 Luke & Ash, tannery. 1836 Bartlett Bros., tannery. 1837 J. B. Warren, grist mill. 1837 J.(B. Warren, distillery. 1837 ,T- B. Warren, ashery. 1837 Thos. Fuller, chair factory. Later by Thos. Fuller, jr., chair factory. Later by Edward Mialls & Co., Ltd., chair factory. 1840 Oshawa Cabinet Co. 1839 Patrick Wall, cooperage. 1841 Henry Pedlar, blacksmith. 1842 John Amsbury, edged tools. 1842 E. Card, fulling mills. 1843 Munroe Bros., foundry. 1841 Moscrip, foundry. 1 84 1 Spalding, brewery. 1841 Lockhart & Wilson, distillery. 1843 R- Wellington, furniture. 1865 Lauchland & Robson, tan nery. Post Office, 1840-1850. In 1840 the people in this little hamlet, known all around' the coun try as Skae's corners, so-called af ter Edward Skae, an enterprising and industrious merchant of the place, received word from their M.P. at that time, that the Government had decided to listen to their re quest and to grant them a post office. It became the duty of the hamlet to select a name, and night after night, we are informed by Mr. Glenney, who was present at the time, the people interested met in the parlor of Munroe's Hotel and before the blaze of the back logs in the large open fire place, they deliberated upon the great question of a name for the new post office. In the midst of one of these conferences-, Moody Farewell and two or three Indians from Lake Scugog with whom he had been engaged in the fur trade, came into the room, and by com mon consent the Indians were taken into the confidence of the council and asked for their opinion as to a suitable name. They rose to the occasion and suggested "Oshawa," explaining that it meant that point at the crossing of the stream where the canoe was exchanged for the trail. The name was at once accepted and has ever since been applied to this prosper ous and progressive town. It was during this period that 7« HISTORY OF THE we have to record the chief events in the life of J. B. Warren. Al though many business men of fair calibre preceded him in Oshawa, still, the extent and variety of his enterprises, the comprehensive plans designed by him for the fu ture, the length of time from 1837 to 1865 in which he stood forth as our most substantial industrial leader, justly entitles him to be re garded in the front rank of those men, past and present, whose busi ness genius did so much towards the building up of the Town of Oshawa. He erected the large mill at the bridge, which has scarcely once since 1837 ceased "to grind the corn to feed the crowd," a tan nery, a store, a distillery, an ash- ery, an hotel, the laying out of the N. W. Ward into town lots, the building of Prospect Park and the laying out of its grounds, which were afterwards developed by W. H. Gibbs into one of the fin est private dwellings in Canada, are all attributed to the business ability of J. B. Warren. Among other business men deserving of re cognition throughout this period are R. Wellington, W. Bambridge, R. Moscrip, Henry Pedlar, Will. McMaster, S. B. Fairbanks, R. Woon, F. Caulfield, J as. Martin, A. Masson, P. Wall, E. Card, J. Fleming, J. Hyland, James Mur- ton, J. D. Hoytt, M. B. Stone, Wm. Bettes, E. B. Wilcox, A. Fare well, Jonathan Farewell, Martin Shaw, Peter Nichol, John Sykes, James Luke, Samuel Hall, Henry Carswell and W. J. Sutton. Village of Oshawa, 1850 to 1879. As in the period from 1837 to 1850, the history of Oshawa was very much told in the life of J . B. Warren, . so in the period of its existence as a village, from 1850 to 1879, the history of Oshawa is al most identical with that of the life of another great man, the Hon. T. N. Gibbs. True that his father, Thos. Gibbs in 1829 purchased the Cleveland mill and the sons, T. N. and W. H., followed along, the) same line, but the great incidents of the life of T. N. Gibjbs and their bjear- ihgs upon the history of Oshawa have reference to the period of his tory now under consideration. He was first Warden of the County in 1854. Born in 1821 at Terrebone, Que., married Aug., 1843, was* director of Confedera tion Life Co., president Dominion Telegraph Co., president of Stand ard Bank, member of Privy Coun cil, June 14th, 1873; Secretary of State for the Provinces until July 1st, when he was transferred! to the Inland Revenue Department; first elected to Parliament in 1865 and continuously represented South Ontario until 1874, when he was defeated by Hon. M. Cameron, at whose death in 1876 Hon. T. N. Gibbs was again returned; 1878 was defeated by F. W. Glen, and called to the Senate April 2nd, COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 77 1880, died in Oshawa 1882. (From Parliamentary Register, 1878). His brother, W. H. Gibbs, was Reeve of Oshawa and the first mayor of the town. He was also Warden of the County, and elected to Parlia ment in 1872 for N. Ontario, de feated 1874 and re-elected' in 1876, removed to Toronto in 1882, and died there 1903. While in Toronto he filled the office of alderman. The members of the first council for the Village of Oshawa were T. N. Gibbs, reeve; J. B. Warren, Si las B. Fairbanks, Patrick Wall and Monroe. The part played by Mr. A. S. Whiting in the industrial evolution of Oshawa entitles him to be re membered as one of the town's greatest benefactors. In 1852 he organized the Oshawa Manufactur ing Co., with a capital stock of $75,000, Pres., A. S. Whiting; Sec. and Treas., W. Abbott; stockhold ers, L. Butterfield, T. N. Gibbs, W. H. Gibbs, A. Farewell, A. M. Farewell, jr., John Smith, James Murton, Geo. Gould, J. D. Hoyt, D. Conant. This company failed in the crash of 1857 and in 1858 Mr. Whiting succeeded in getting Mr. Joseph Hall to take hold of the works and thereon was erected the great industry that made Osh awa known from one end of On tario to the other. In i860 Whiting took a part pf the Hall works to manufacture scythes, and in 1862, being crowd ed out of those quarters, he erect ed the Cedar Dale Works, and un der the firm name of Whiting and Tuttle conducted those works, al ways most successfully, till his death in 1876. In 1S67 Mr Jno. Cowan joined Whiting in these works under the name of Whiting & Cowan. In this way, and at this time, commenced the manufac turing career of John and W. F. Cowan, whose remarkably success ful efforts in these lines have done more for the present proud posi tion of Oshawa as an industrial town than any other single factor now visible in our history. Other gentlemen who held high positions in the municipal life of Oshawa village, and who contri buted much to its successful growth were Silas B. Fairbanks, David Spalding, James Carmich- chael, John Hislop, Geo. H. Grier son, Thos. J. Eck, W. D. Michael,. Ed. Morris, W. F. Cowan, Dr. F. Rae, Dr. McGill, Wm. Dickie, G. Hodder, F. W. Glen, Patrick Thornton, W. T. Dingle, Wm. King, D. F. Burk, J. W. Fowke. Town of Oshawa. 1879 — 1904. The year 1879 will be ever mem orable in the annals of our history as being the date upon which the village corporation came to an end and the birth of a new town took place. W. H. Gibbs was elected as the. first mayor of the town of Osh awa. Dr. Rae was the first de puty. Other councillors were W. H. Thomas, Higginbotham, Steele, Mallory, Western, Munro, Blarney, Kirby, Garrow, Hodder, Smith, Deans, Lauchland, Warren. 78 HISTORY OF THE Since 1879 the mayor's chair has been successively filled by the fol lowing men, whose names have been identified with the industrial and social life of the town: W. H. Gibbs, 1879. Dr. F. Rae, 1 880-1887. John Cowan, 1887 to July, re signed. Robert McGee, 1887, Sep., 1889. W. F. Cowan, 1889-1894. W. J. Hare, 1897. F. L. Fowke, 1898. R. McLaughlin, 1899. F. L. Fowke, 1900-1906. T. E. Kaiser, 1907-1908. Among the matters which engag ed the attention of the town dur ing this period are to be mentioned the bonus by-laws for the purpose of further extending the industrial undertakings of the municipality, namely, Masson Mfg. Co., $15,000, 1887. Heaps bonus, $15,000, 1887. Williams bonus, $20,000, 1888. Canning factory, $5,000, 1900. McLaughlin loan, $50,000, 1900. Eaton bonus, $3.,ooo, 1903. Harness works. First waterworks, $11,000, 1899. Final waterworks, $130,000, 1904. The population of Oshawa in 187 1 was 3,187; in 1879 it was 3,- 900; in 1881, 3.992; 1891, 4,066; 1907, 6,400. The electric light was established in 1887 and the Oshawa Street Railway in 1895. Among the in dustries and institutions which to day contribute to the life of the town and constitute its frame work are The Western Bank and The Ontario Loan Company, with T. H. McMillan at the head of these institutions. The Ontario Iron Malleable Works, which is claimed to be the largest institu tion of the kind in Canada;) the Mc Laughlin Carriage Co., the largest carriage factory in the British Em pire; the- Williams Piano Company, which also can lay claim to being the largest factory of the kind in British North America; the Coult- hard Scott Works; the Schofield Knitting Company., the Canning Co., the Robert Woon Works, the Provan Hay Fork Works, the Ped lar Works, Robson's tannery, Eat on White Goods Factory; Oshawa Steam and Gas Fitting Co. Prominent among the names who have been associated with the municipal history of Oshawa, not already mentioned, are Walter Coulthard, Geo. H. Pedlar, C. A. Jones, Jnr* S. Larke, L. K. Mur- ton, J. F. Tamblyn, Wm. Dickie, Jno. Dickie, O. Hezzelwood, J. F. Grierson, Jas. Provan, C. French, Jas. Ross, R. McCaw, Wm. Glen- nay, E. S. Edmondson, J. C. Smith, Samuel Luke, R. J. Mac kie, Thos. Morris, P. H. Punshon. Schools and Churches. The first school of Oshawa was a small log building in the S. W. corner of King and Simcoe, taught by Miss Hall, in 1829, and after wards by A. Masson, who was the first male teacher. The Union school was built in 1835, a part of COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 79 which is used still as the dwelling house of Royal Grigor McGrigor. In 1843 a second school was open ed where now stands the dwelling of R. Wellington. Centre Street school was built in 1856, and the ward schools in 1877. Among the early teachers were Miss- Hall, Miss Howard, Andrew Masson, Bentley, F. Wheeler, Sloan, Wm. Scott, T. G. Chestnut, D. l! Younghusband, A. W. Lawder, Alex. Begg, Thomas Kirkland, af terwards Principal Normal School, Toronto. The Union schoolhouse from 1835 to 1841- served the double purpose of academy and cathedral. The children attended through the week for instruction and on Sunday all denominations — Methodists, Quak ers, Baptists, Catholics and Chris tians, by mutual arrangement as to time, etc., would meet here in turn for divine service. In 1841 the Methodists built a church on the hill at the head of Nassau St., and iu 1867 removed to the large church still used by them on Sim coe St. The old Catholic church was also completed in 1841 upon the same site as that occupied by the pres ent handsome structure, which was built by Father .Teffcott iu iS<)S. The oid Christian church was erected in 1842 upon the ground now occupied by the Williams Pi ano Factory. The Presbyterians, under the ministry of the disting uished Dr. Thornton, erected a church upon the grounds where now stands their beautiful edifice, built in 1899. The Press. The first paper published in the County of Ontario was the Chris tian Luminary of Oshawa, 1844. It was printed under the auspices of the Christian church. The Tribune and Friendly Moralist/ followel from the same source in 1850, un der the guidance of Elder Thomas Henry. The Freeman and Reform er were started about the same time. In 1855 The Freeman merg ed into The Vindicator and under this heading it has never missed a week of publication since that! date. J. 0. Dornan of Whitby published a paper for a short time. In 1872 The Reformer was established by W. R. Climmie of Bowmanville and is still published. A list of the physicians who have practised in Oshawa are as fol lows: Drs. Clarke\ McGill, Bur- dette, Tempest, Rae, Martin, Mc- Brien, Farewell, Coburn, Belt, Wil kinson, Hoig, Kaiser, McKay, Ford, Montgomery. Lawyers: Silas B. Fairbanks, Egerton Rycrson. John Billings, R. L. Holland, Lvman English, .1. E. Farewell, K. McGec, C. A. 'Jones, I.. K. Muron, A. Rundle, T. V. Grierson, I.. Drew, W. E. N. 'Sinclair, II. K. Murphy. High School Principals : Russell, McCabe, Carnage, Seath, Professor Baker, Tamblyn, Smith. 8o HISTORY OF THE In a mere sketch such as we have here attempted it is impossible to do justice to all the prominent characters who come before us for review, and we hope we do no dis credit to any when we give special attention to a few names which seem to stand out as the great moulding factors in the evolution of the industrial life of Oshawa. Four generations have almost passed away since Oshawa started on its mission to become a great manufacturing centre. It is a mat ter' of congratulation that each period of her existence has been marked by the possession of one or two men of remarkable business ability. And it is to those men, more than to natural advantage, that we owe any prominence we may possess as a manufacturing town. Let us be fair* to the past and true to the present by accord ing to these men the credit to which they are justly entitled. J. B. Warren, T. N. Gibbs, W. H. Gibbs, A. S. Whiting, S. B. Fair banks, James Laing, Thos. Fuller, F. W. Glen, John Cowan, W. F. Cowan, Thomas Dow, Edward Miall, Wm McGill, Robert Mc Laughlin, Samuel Hall and T. H. McMillan, are names which should e\ er be cherished in the memory of those who take pride in the pros perity and progress of the Town of Oshawa. FIRST CHURCH IN UXBRIDGE, STILL IN USE. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. ti TOWN OF UXBRIDGE. Population, 1,617. Assessment, 1873, $167,475. Assessment, 1904, $552,282. Uxbridge was made a Police Vil lage in 1 862 and detached from the Township of Uxbiidge and incor porated as a village in 1872. By an Order in Council dated 19th Sep tember, 1885, the village was incor porated as a town. The late Joseph Gould, the foun der of the village, was the first reeve. His son, I. seven times reeve. J. Gould, was George Wheeler was reeve for three years; R. P. Harman was six times reeve and once mayor. II . J. Gould was five times reeve and once mayor. Jonathan R. Gould was reeve and for two years mayor. Dr. Joseph Bascom w-as the first mayor of the town and filled the office for three years. William Smith, Col. J. A. Mc Gillivray, Andrew Paterson each filled this office for one year. William Hamilton, J. P., Charles Kelly and T. C. Nichols filled the office for two years each. 1 The first settlement in the village was made by Dr. Bcswick about the year 1806, mately connected with the energy, perseverance and good judgment of Joseph Gould and his sons, Isaac J. Gould, Harvey J. Gould, Jona than, Charles and Joseph. It rare ly happens that the wardenship of the county should be held by four members of the same family. The father, Joseph Gould, and his sons Isaac, Harvey and Charles, have all held this honorable position. The building of saw mills, flour ing and oatmeal mills, the estab lishment of the woollen factory, the construction of the Toronto and Nipissing railway, now a part of the Grand Trunk system, the establishment of important factor ies, is largely due to their energy and public spirit. The building and endowment of the public library is a lasting mon ument to their interest in educa tional matters in the town where the founder's life was spent. William Hamilton, merchant and postmaster, and who frequently re presented the Township of Ux bridge in the County Council, and who at' one time owned three hun dred acres of the village site, was an enterprising and worthy citi zen. His grandson, William, now post master and acting magistrate, has been closely connected with the rise and progress of the town. The history of the town is inti- Mr, E. Wheeler, of stouffvillc, 82 HISTORY OF THE about 1856-57 built a saw mill and a grist mill. These were operated by his son George Wheeler, who was for some years a county coun cillor and reeve of the village and representative of North and West Ontario in the Dominion Parlia ment. The tanning of leather has been carried on since the year 1833, when Mr. Joseph Bascom built a tannery there. Mr. Andrew Pat terson has for years carried on a large business there. John Bolster, Harman Crosby, Archie Weeks, Carleton Lynde, afterwards a mer chant and town councillor of Whit by, Ira>G. Crosby, Joseph, Thom as, Robert Johnston and A- T. Button were amongst, the early merchants of the town. Mr. Button for a time did a large lumber busi ness at Epsom in the Township of Reach. The town is situated at the junc tion of two streams which furnish considerable water power, all of which is used. This town was one of the first of the small towns of the Province to establish a munici pal system of water works. The town is lighted by electricity, has good high and public schools, a number of fine churches, a pros perous organ factory and the fac tory of Mr. Harman, an excellent public library in the building in the town presented by Mr. Joseph Gould. The town has good hotels and two newspapers. It is one of the best market towns in the Pro vince. A. D. Williams was the first clerk of the municipality and held office until 1889, when he was suc ceeded by the -present clerk, Mr. J. W. Gould. The Division Court clerkship has been' filled by Mr. Joseph Dickey, now Provincial Inspector of Divis ion Courts,, Mr. Walks, T. W. Chappie, now judge of. the Rainy River District; Mr. Z. Hemphill and the present incumbent, Jo seph E- Gould. Uxbridge has a good volunteer company under the command of Captain S. S. Sharpe. Amongst the members of the le gal profession who have practised in Uxbridge are Messrs-: James Lemon, Mr. Bain, H. M. Howell, K.C, now Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals of Mani toba; Col. J. A. McGillivray, Judge Chappie, E. C. Campbell, who filled the position of police magistrate, a son of the able and well known Judge Campbell of Niagara, F. N, Raines, R. M. Noble, W. S. Ormiston and Si. S. Sharpe. Amongst the members of the medical profession of Uxbridge was Dr. Nation, who commenced prac tice in 1847, Dr. Joseph Bascom, the first mayor, now practising in Toronto; Dr. McClintock, Dr. For rest, Dr. Clark, Dr. Horace Bas com, Surgeon-Major 34th Regi ment. Dr. McGee, Dr. Park have filled the position of high school teach ers. COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 83 THE VILLAGE OF PORT PERRY. Port Perry was detached from Reach and incorporated as a vill age on June 9th, 1871, and organ ize as a .separate municipality in January, 1872. Assessment 1873, $177,045. " 1904, $484,680. Population, 1873, 1,300. " 1907, 1,600. Port Perry was at one time the site of an -Indian Village, and in 1828 an Indian school was estab lished there. On the incorporation of the vill age Joseph Bigelow was elected reeve; Messrs. John Phillippo, Wil- liarh Tait, Caleb Crandell and Allan Sexton councillors. Duncan McKercher was the first clerk and Henry Gordon tlhe first treasurer. He was succeeded by Mr. John Brown, who still holds the office. took up the lot about the year . He subsequently sold these lands to Peter Perry. The first general store was opened by Chest er Draper about the year 1846. In this year Messrs. Thomas and Geo. Paxton and Daniel S. Way built the first steam saw mill in the village. The second was built by Samuel Hill, of Whitby Township,' in 1847. The third mill was built by Stephen Doty in the year 1852. These mills did a very large busi ness and employed in getting out logs and in the manufacture of lumber a large number of men. The first post office was opened in 1852 with Joseph Bigelow, Es quire, as . postmaster. The steamer "Woodman" was built by Hugh Chisholm for Rowe and Cotton, of Whitby in 1850 and made the first- trip to Lindsay in the spring of 1851, Mr. Chis holm being the Captain. Lieut.-Col. N. F. Paterson was clerk and solicitor for many years during his residence there. He was succeeded by Mr. W. H. Harris, M.A. This village was known by the name of Port Perry from about the year 1850 and was named after Peter Perry, of Whitby, who laid out the first town plot in the vill age. The first settler and owner of Lot 19 in the 6th concession of Reach, the present site of Port Perry, was Elias Williams, who Up to 1856 communication with Scugog Island was made by a ferry boat. In this year the Scugog floating bridge , was built par*1 - by subscription. The County of Ontario .subsequently assumed the bridge as a County work and has expended in all about $25,000 in making a solid roadway. * The first newspaper published in Port Perry was the Standard the first issue of which was August 16th, 1866. Mr. Edward Mundy, proprietor of the "Reformer" Os- 84 HISTORY OF THE hawa, being the publisher. It was afterwards published by Mr. S. M. iNewton, of Whitby, now called the "Star," and published by Samuel Farmer. » The Ontario Observer now pub lished in Port Perry, was estab lished at Prince Albert in 1857 by Messrs. Holden and ( Oliver now published bv Mr. Henry Parsons. The first church in Port Perry was a Methodist church built in 1852. There are now six churches. The construction of the Port Whitby and Port Perry Railway was commenced on the 14th Sep tember, 1869, the first sod having been turned by His Royal Highness Prince Arthur. The first president of the company was Mr. Joseph Bigelow. The directors were Sheriff N. G. Reynolds, W. S. Sexton, Ed ward Major, Thomas Paxton, Chester 'Draper and J. Hamer Greenwood. The village is connected with the Township of Cartwright by the Cartwright Roadway, the building of which was largely due to the energy, tact and perseverance of Joseph Bigelow, Esq. The Counties of Ontario and Northumberland and Durham have assumed the bridge which has been of great benefit to the village of Pert Perry and will doubtless be an important factor in causing a union of West Durham with the County of Ontario. In 1883 and 1884, the village was nearly de stroyed by fire. Through the energy of its people it has been so sub stantially and well re-built that there are few villages in the pro vince of its size having more beau tiful or commodious places of busi- The first common school was es tablished in 1847 between Borelia and Port Perry. The present com modious and well equipped , High, Model and Common school was built in 1872. Few schools in the province have made a better re cord than the Port Perry High and Model School under the man agement of Principal D. McBride of the. former. The village has a flourishing manufactory of mill machinery, conducted by M. Williams; flour and saw mills of James Carnegie harness manufactory of Samuel Jeffrev. It has a beautiful site and many fine residences. It is proyided with water works and electric lighting plants, tht property of the municipality. The lake was well stocked with fish, but owing to the lowering, of tht water at Lindsay Dam during the winter of 1904, the fish were nearly all killed. The lake has since been re-stocked. Port Perry with its good hotels, its lake situation and fine scenery is a pleasant summer resort. county of Ontario. 85 Amongst the principal business men of Port Perry in its early his tory may be mentioned Thomas and George Paxton, George and Mark Currie, Major T. C. Fore-' man, Joseph Bigelow, J. W. Trounce, Joshua Wright, Aaron and William Ross, .J. W. Gamble, Joel Morris. Amongst the medical men may be mentioned Dr. Jones, Dr. J. H. Sangster, Dr. F. H. Braithwaite, and Dr. W. O. Eastwood. Among the legal practitioners, P. A. Hurd, John Billings, Maurice H. Cochrane, T. M. Matheson, H. L. Ebbels, W. H. Harris, N. F. Paters0n, K.C, and J. W. Crozier. 86 HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE OF CANNINGTON, Population in 1877, i.°75- 1905, 1,298. Assessment in 1904, $334>°58.. Situated in the Township of Brock was made a Police Village >v" a by-law of the County Council, passed in June 1866, and became incorporated in January 1878. The first council , elected in 1879 consisted of : John Sharp, Reeve; Wesley Brandon, John Coxworth, Adam Dobson, D. C. McLean. George Horn was appointed clerk, William McCutcheon treasur er, and Robert Vardon assessor and collector. Mr. Horn was succeeded by A. J. Sinclair, who was succeeded in 1889 by Mr. W. A. Robinson, pub lisher of the "Gleaner," who is the present clerk. The first settlers in the village were Laughland Davidson, 1830, Robert Sproule, Godfrey, Maybee, Irving Johnston, Alexander Mc- Caskill, N. C. Shipman, D. Hall, W. T. McCaskill, William Donalds, 3. Munroe. Nathan Card. The Beaver River runs through ttf village. The first saw mill was built in 1830 by Joseph and Mike Horner. The first grist mill by the McCas kill Bros, in 1833. The first general store was es tablished by Joseph Davidson in 1835 and the second store by . Charles Gibbs in 1842. The woollen mill was built by Nathan Card in 1840. The first place of worship was built by the Methodist on Munro Street in the same year. The first school house was built in 1836. Its location was on Cam eron Street, then known as Sproule's Bush. The first post office was opened in Joseph Davidson's store in 1847. The first children born on the site of the present village were those of Irving Johnston. His fa mily was not as large as some of the Brock families, but it included the following his sons William, John, Robert, Mathias and daught ers Catharine, Eliza, Margaret, Jane and Rhoda. The present reeve is Mr. Fred erick Beck. Cannington has four fine brick churches, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist. A good public school building with four class rooms. A Grammar school seems 10 have been established in Canning- ton or provisions were made for COUNTY OF ONTARIO. 87 establishing one. By-law No. 244 of County provided that the fol lowing named gentlemen be and are hereby appointed Grammar School Trustees of the County Grammar or High School at Cannington and that they retire from office in ro tation as named, Wesley Brandon. Richard Edwards and Archibald Sinclair. Cannington has a good brick town hall with Council Chamber, Fire Hall for public meetings. It has a good public library. Alfred Wyatt, an English drug gist settled at the village in 1848. He was local superintendent of schools for Brock for 10 years. He was appointed an associate coron er in i860. He married a daughter of Major Thompson, late of the 40th Regiment. The Beaver River which runs through Cannington is said at certain seasons of the year to be a very broad river, so broad that that the Cannington ratepayers contend that at least three , bridges which cross it should be maintain ed' by. the county. There are in all seven bridges in this small muni cipality. Mr. Hugh Wilson was for many years closely identified with the progress and prosperity of this vill age as a merchant, manufacturer and builder of a large number of residences. Malcolm Gillespie formerly 01 Toronto, was an active man in Municipal and Provincial politics. His son, Dr. D. Gillespie, has for many years been an active member of the Municipal Council and School Board— was candidate, op posing Mr. Gould for the Legisla ture. He, with Dr. Bingham, coron er. Dr. Hart and Dr. Boynton, have been for many years engaged in ex tensive medical practice. Cannington has a good volunteer company, No. 7, of the 34th Regi ment, under the command of Cap tain C. F. Bick. Mr. Hugh Lumsden, C.E. and P.L.S., is the chief engineer of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, was formerly an officer of the Volunteer Company, when practising his pro fession at Cannington. The Lums- dei, family was represented in South Ontario by John M. Lums den, who was for some years reeve of the Township of Pickering and represented South Ontario in the old parliament of United Upper and Lower Canada. Another brother is Gen. Sir Peter Lumsden, who was charged with the settlement of the boun dary of Afghanistan and British India. The village is lighted by electri city. 88 HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE OF BEAVERTON. Assessed value in 1884 was $141,- 332. Present assessed value, $240,- 211. Population, 966. Beaverton was separated from the Township of Thorah and incor porated on the 5th day of June, A. D. 1884. It is situated on the Beaver River close to Lake Sim coe. The grist and saw mill was built here by Donald Calder about 1830. The village was formerly called Milton. .Kenneth Cameron opened the first store in the place in 1833. The first white child born in the village was Ann Gordon, who is still living there. In 1829 George Proctor built a grist mill. The building was made of logs. It is now superseded by a fine brick mill with the latest im provements. The first school teacher w'as Da vid Ross, a Waterloo veteran. The school was opened in 1839. The first council of the incorporated village was composed ' of George F. Bruce, reeve. Mr. Bruce had been reeve of the Township of Thorah and was warden of the county in 1882. Councillors, John Leslie, Jas. Ritchie, Charles T. Young, H. Westcott. The first clerk was George Smith, jr., P. L. S., whose father was for many years clerk and treasurer of the Township of Thorah. Mr. Smith was succeeded in 1889 by Major C. A. Paterson, the pres ent clerk. The 1843. first church was built in There are two large and well fin ished Presbyterian churches, one Episcopal church and one Metho dist church. One large, well equip ped public school. The building of the Canadian Northern railway, the proximity to Lake Simcoe, the beauty of the scenery and the erec tion of an excellent summer hotel has made Beaverton a pleasant summer resort. The village has good granolithic and gravel sidewalks and is lighted by electricity. REGISTRY OFFICE. Short Biographical Notes of Prom inent Ontario County People. Since the publication of the short notes as to the early settlement and progress of the County of Ontario as an. appendix to the by-laws of the County Council,' it has been suggested that short biographical notes as to Ontario County men, who have taken a prominent part in Provincial and Dominion affairs, and who have been lead ers in the Agricultural, Manufacturing and Com mercial interests of the County, should also be published. The following notes are now published to carry out the suggestion of the County Council. The writer is well aware that the list is by no means complete, but it is hoped that corrections will be made so that any errors or omissions will 'be cor rected at no distant day by a more complete history of this important County. In writing these notes, the names of a large number of Ontario men have been suggested, who are filling important positions in manufacturing establishments and places of trust and confidence in commercial and financial institutions in many of the larger cities of the United States and in other provinces of the Dominion. ., X" PROMINENT ONTARIO COUNTY PEOPLE. CLERGYMEN. Rev, Dr. Ormiston, formerly a teacher between Oshawa and Whitby, and at Whitby, in this County. He was afterwards one of the Masters of the Provincial Normal School at Tor onto, and rendered great assistance in carrying out the purposes for which the Normal School was established. He was the pastor of the m-tacipal Presbyterian church at Hamilton, and was afterwards nn» <-f ihe leading clergymen in the city of New York. Rev. Dr. R. M. Thornton, _ born in the Township of East Whitby, son >>r the Rev. R. H. Thornton, D. D., (see page thirty-five anti)' was a successful public and high school teacher in this County, graduated with distinction from Toronto Uni versity, was pastor of one of the leading Presbyterian churches in Montreal, and afterwards of leading Presbyterian churches in Glasgow, Scotland, and is now in charge, of one of the principal Presbyterian churches in London, Eng. The Rpv. A. V. De Pensier, former ly rector of the Episcopal Church, Uxbridge, has been elevated to the Bishopric of New Westminster, B. C. Archbishop Dennis O'Connor, was born in Pickering Township, and be came the Roman Catholic Archbishop for the Province of Ontario. T)r. Sowcrby, of Clarcmont, Picker ing, filled important positions as a pastor in London, Out., and in the I nited States, and has achieved more than a provincial reputation as a lec turer. Bishop Clare Worrel, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was for years a resi dent of Oshawa, when his father, Rev. J, B. Worrel, was rector of the Church of England there. Rev. Dr. J. J. Hare, was the first Principal of the Ontario Ladies' Col lege, and during the last thirty-five years has, by energy, tact and perse verance, built up one of the best Ladies'* Colleges on the continent. The Doctor is known throughout the Dominion and the Northern States as an able educator. Norman McGillivray, M.A.. a town of Whitby man, is a distinguished clergyman of the Presbyterian Church at, Montreal. He has achieved a great reputation as an eloquent lecturer and clergyman. DOCTORS OF, MEDICINE County of Ontario men have been very successful, not only in this Pro vince, but in the ITnitcd Stales. Dr. A. D. Hudson, of East Whitby, was a gold medalist in medicine of Ihe University of Toronto, and at the time of his death filled the second highest position in the Medical De partment of the United States Navy, 92 PROMINENT PEOPLE. and but for his sudden death from pneumonia, would have been Surgeon- General of the American Navy in the year following his death. Professor Alexandra Hugh Ferguson professor of Clinical Surgery in the Medical Department of the Illinois State University at Chicago, one of the founders of the Manitoba Medical College, was born at Manilla, in Brock and Mariposa Townships. He has been awarded a Commandership in the Order of Christ in Portugal, the highest decoration the King of that Country has power to bestow on anyone outside of Royalty. . Dr. W. G. Farewell, of East Whitby, has for many years filled important positions in the Medical Department of the United States Navy. Dr. Louis Barker, son of the Bursar of Pickering College, was a graduate Of the Whitby Collegiate Institute, and is now one of the most eminent Professors in Johns Hopkins Univer sity, Baltimore. Dr. Herbert Bruce, of Porl Perry, now ranks as one of the leading sur geons of the Province, enjoying a lucrative practice in Toronto. Dr. Launcelot Youngusband, for merly head master of the school at Oshawa, became one of Detroit's most celebrated physicians and pro fessors. Dr. Norman Farewell, of Oshawa, is a leading specialist amongst" the medical profession was then no such officer as a Crown Attorney in the County. There were no Public School Inspectors paid by the County. There were then tut four sittings of Courts at which crim inals could be tried. Now the large majority of criminals are tried by the County Judges. There were no sit tings of County Courts for the trials of actions- without a jury ; now the trials of prisoners and the trials of civil actions by jurors are exception al, and rare proceedings. In these. days one never knows on what day there may be a trial of some kind going on at the Court House. Some times two Courts are sitting at the same time. After 56 years it became necessary to do in this County what has been done in many other Counties where the Court Houses have been built for much less business The County Council of 1910 took the matter in hand. More vault room was required for the storing of public books and documents ; an addition was made to the south wing, which makes it in appearance, like the north wing and provides new fire proof vaults for the County Clerk, Surrogate Judge and County Public School Inspectors. Also a room for the County Clerk. A second storey placed on both the wings provides for a good County Council Chamber, and three commit tee rooms adjacent thereto. Also for a good Grand Jury Room, which cam be used ate a Courti room when Sew witnesses are to be called. This will save the delay and expense of heat ing up the large Court room. On the second floor ot the north wing there will be additional room OF ONTARIO COUNTY. 103 for the caretaker. When the Court House was built the caretaker's rooms in the garret of the main building were so few and so small that the Council appointed Johnny Welton, an old bachelor, to that office. The es tablishment of the County Law Lib rary captured one of the caretaker's rooms. The caretaker gets by these improvements much needed accommo dation. The County Public School Inspectors get a room. There will also be a room in which can be kept relics of the pioneer days— old books, documents and1 newspapers, relating to the early history ol the County— to which collection contributions are earnestly requested. The modern san itary conveniences which were re quired by the Government for the Gaol, have also been placed in the Court House. The additions much improve the appearance of the build ing, and plainly mark the rise and progress of the Keystone County. A photogravure of the building as it now appears and of the men wko courageously tackled thf problem are printed herewith. 3 9002 YALE