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THE rOWNSHIP
OF
S C A R B O R O
1796-1896
EDITED BV
DAVID BOYLK
4
PRINTED FOix THE EXECUTIVE CO.XfMITTEE sO
^
BY
NA/ILLIAM BRIGGS,
1
t
oy
TORONTO.
1896.
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j'e • • • « • • •
• ••
Zo tbe
Son6 an^ HJaugbtcrs of Scarboro
at home and abroad,
This Book
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
BY
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE,
WITH THE
VERY FULLEST AND HEARTIEST CONFIDENCE, THAT ALL
WHO BELONG TO
THE OLD TOWNSHIP
WILL ACCEPT WITH PARDONABLE PRIDE
THE RECORDS OF A RURAL COMMUNITY,
THAT HAS EVER BEEN ACTUATED
BY A SENSE OF DUTY,
EFFORTS MADE TOWARDS THE REALIZATION OF WHICH
HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CROWNED WITH
SUCCESS.
1796— 1896.
Scarboro Centennial.
"One hundred years I " How e.-isily 'tis said —
How slight an effort of the gift of speech I
Not many letters to comprise it all.
A little child can lisp them o'er with ease,
But who can grasp the fulness of the time?
Or who can measure all that it contains ?
Its symphonies and mournful cadences,
Its echoes of the past that thrill the ear,
Thfit stir the heart to richer, fuller life,
And cause the pulse to beat with quicker throb
As we do muse on days that long are past ? -
Days that were bright with honest, suiniy smiles,
Or clouded o'er with sadness, or with pain, —
Days full of memories of varied scenes
IHumined by the acts of friendship true
Of those whose lives were joined to ours in love —
But who have left us for a little while.
Until the call to us shall also come
To enter on .1 higher, nobler life
That knows no end, that is not measured by
A term of years, but where ten thousand times
Ten thousand centuries are but a drop
In the vast ocean of eternity !
— R. Davidson, Inyltside.
PREFACE.
ONE linndrcMl years n^o to-day, Kohert Hunis had
but a fovv weeks to live ; Tlioinas C'ailyle Iiad
spent only six months of diseontent in this world ;
Napoleon Bonai)arte had just assumed command of
the army of Italy, and was no dou])t even then forming
})lans for the eonc^uest of Europe ; the United States
was in its infancy, with General Washington as Pre-
sident ; General Prescott was Governor of Canada ;
Simcoe was at the head of affairs in Upper Canada,
Newark being still the capital ; and CJeorge the Third
reigned, King of Great Britain and Ireland.
The year 1795 had proved one of great agricultural
depression in the British Islands. Peace prospects
were slender ; l)usiness was unsteady, when not actu-
ally stagnant ; labor, consequently, was not in much
demand, and famine stared thousands in the face.
In such circumstances it was but natural that many
persons, especially the more adventurous and enter-
prising, should look abroad for that measure of comfort
and success, the prospects of attaining which seemed
to be so uncertain and so distant at home. Of this
class, as is hereinafter recorded, were the very first
settlers in Scarboro.
It is in commemoration of this settlement, and at
such a time, that the people of Scarboro have had the
present modest volume prepared in connection with
their celebration, the object being to bring together
Preface.
in a handy form the various records of local events
and bits of personal reminiscence, many of which, in
oourse of time, would otherwise he lost or forgotten.
The time is past when history was supposed to be
merely a record of political events, of campaigns in tlie
field of war, and of great discoveries. Imi)ortant as
these are, they do not by any means constitute the
sum total of history ; and hence we find considerable
attention now being given to sociological features in
the growth of nations ; and as nations are but aggre-
gations of communities, it would seem that intelligent
citizenshij) implies a knowledge of facts pertaining
to the development of institutions and industries in
young settlements of modern, as well as of ancient
date.
In most townships, the people as a whole, or groups
of them, have much in common regarding origin and
circumstances ; and as time advances, general interests
become mingled through marriage, business, and social
relations. Such municijmlities, therefore, almost natur-
ally suggest themselves as fields for the convenient
grouping of local records.
The plan followed in this book is to present the
subject under separate heads rather than as a con-
tinuous narrative, and no attempt has been made to
produce anything but a bare statement of facts, beyond
supplying introductions to the chapters, and such
connective passages to the information collected as
seemed necessary to put the material in tolerably
readable form.
When the writer undertook, quite unexpectedly, to
perform this work, he feared his ability to complete it
in the time at his disposal, and for this reason felt
Preface.
liinisrlf fortunate in gainin^^ the ready assistance of
two well-known literary ladies, both of whom are
deeply interested in everything that relates to Canada
and C*anadian liistory, local as well as general.
Mrs. 8. A. C'urzon,* President of the Woman's
Canadian Historical Society, has prepared the chap-
ters on "Domestic Life," "Churches and Ministers,"
" Socit^ties," and the cha})ter relating to the Centennial
proceedings. Miss M. A. Fitz(Til>))on,t Secretary of
same organization, has written the chapter devoted to
militia matters, and that containing hrief references to
pioneers and their families. The work of each lady
will speak for itself.
Collected as the information was, somewhat hur-
riedly, hy the committees aj)pointed for this purpose, it
is ({uite certain that numerous omissions, and perhai)s
some errors, will be noticeable. In the face of many
difficulties, how^ever, and the exj)enditure of much
time, the committees performed their work well, and
it is only fair to state that si)ecial thanks are due to
the Chairman of the Executive Committee, Rev. D. B.
Macdonald, without whose untiring efforts, and excel-
lent organizing ability, it would have been impossible
at this juncture to bring together the material required
for the memorial volume, now fully twice its originally
intended size. To him also the editor is indebted for
much of the information contained in several of the
chapters, and for valuable assistance rendered in vari-
ous other ways. Messrs. J. C. Clark, David Martin,
* Mrs. Curzon is the author of "Laura Secord, a Drama, and other
Poems," and many short addresses and papers on historical subjecta.
tMiss FitzGibbon is the author of "A Veteran of 1812," "Home
Work," "A Trip to Manitoba," and several magazine articles.
Preface.
Dr. O. Sisley, A. W. Forftir, J. C. Cornell, K. Malcolm,
and A, J. lleynolfls, all supplied admirable ei)itome.s,
either of general subjects, or concerning the several
districts they represc^nted.
To Mr, Clark also is due the credit of having photo-
graphed most of the views that are reproduced in the
book.
It should l)e mentioned that the poems given a;
length are by natives, or former residents of the
townshi}).
It is mucli to be desired that every other township
in the I*rovince should take stei)s to crystallize in type
the knowledge that now exists chiefly in the memories
of the oldest people, and to bring together the num-
erous scattered references to municii)alities, as these
may exist in writing or in print.
That this embodiment of what relates to Scarboro
will in some degree meet with the ai)proval of those
for whom it is more particularly intended is the sincere
hope of the editor,
David Boyle.
Toronto, June 10th, 1896.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Paor
Topography and Geology ------- 9
CHArTKR II.
Before the White Man - - - - - - - 19
CHAPTER III.
Foundation and Settlement ------ 25
CHAPTER IV.
The Pioneers ----..-. - 29
CHAPTER V.
On the Farm - - - - ----- 63
CHAPTER VI.
I)ome.stic Life . - 100
CHAPTER VII.
Roads - - . . . . . . -112
CHAPTER VIII.
Councils and Councillors - - 117
CHAPTER IX.
Trvdes and Tradesmen - 126
CHAPTER X.
Churches and Ministers ---.... jgg
CHAPTER XL _
Schools and Teaohrbs - . . . . . - 177
Contents.
Faob
CHAPTER XII.
Public Libraries - 197
CHAPTER XIII.
Doctors and Lawyers 205
CHAPTER XIV.
Societies 217
CHAPTER XV.
Public-houses and Stores ....-- 220
CHAPTER XVI.
Villages and Post-offices 223
CHAPTER XVII.
Militia 228
CHAPTER XVIII.
Birds and Beasts -------- 238
CHAPTER XIX.
Games and Sports - 241
CHAPTER XX.
Odds and Ends 262
CHAPTER XXI.
The Centennial Celebration ------ 272
Appendix A 285
Appendix B - 292
Appendix . - - 293
Poetry —
Scarboro Centennial iv
The Land of the Bracing North 62
. The Canadian Backwoodsman 99
/
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Scarboro Heights Frontispiece. ''*"
Old Settlers
Oldest Living Residents
SCARBORO AS IT WaS AND Is - - - . .
Typical Buildings— Old and Recent
Prize Ploughmen ---....
Old Councillors --.....
Recent Municipal Officers
Ministers --....,
Presbyterian Churches --....
Episcopalian Churches --....
Roman Catholic Church ---...
Methodist Churches --.....
Old Teachers and Old Doctors
Schools - - . . .
Scarboro's Defenders - - . . .
Curlers op 1835 ......
Curlers and Quoiters - - . . .
Checker Champion ......
Scenes in Scarboro .......
Map of Scarboro --....
29
48
63
74
86
117
125
136
148
157
157
166
177
188
228
243
249
256
262
285
CORRECTIONS.
Read made ins ead of "ceded," third line from foot of page 28.
Jfead folk instead of "folks," third line from foot of page 98.
Vic ron- --*^^ r ^.\.^ -i y^ _
SECTION OF SCARBORO HEIGHTS.
TOWNSHIP OF SCARBORO.
CHAPTER I.
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY.
"In Nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read." — Shakespeare.
\ PPEOACHING Scarboro from Lake Ontario,
ly. one cannot but be struck with the boldness of
the shore line, as compared with the rest of the coast,
both eLst and west of this township. The cliffs, or
Heights, as they are called, consist of boulder-clay
and sand, somewhat irregularly stratified, forming
what is known geologically as "drift," that is, the
result of interglacial deposition during indefinite
periods, in some equally indefinite past, when ice-fields
spread themselves over the northern part of the con-
tinent, sending immense branches as far south as the
state of Kentucky. On no other portion of the north
shore of Ontario can the phenomena of such deposits
be better studied than along the face of this cliff from
Port Union westwards to Victoria Park.
In a paper* read before the Toronto Mechanics'
* The paper appears in the Monthly Review, of June, 1841, published
in Toronto at that time, but subsequently removed to Kingston, which had
been chosen as the capital. This number of the magazine was brought to
light by Mr. J. C. Clark, of Agincourt, and by him kindly lent for perusal,
2
10 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Institute in 1841, by Mr. John Roy, Civil Engineer,
on " Toronto Harbour," the writer referring to a time
when he claims "that the whole of the waters from
the west, including the Mississippi waters, were dis-
charged by the Niagara Kiver, and through Lake
Ontario, up to the period Lake Ontario subsided to its
present level," and when, "therefore the quantity of
water which flowed through the chasm must have
been more than double what it is at present," expresses
his belief that the current acting on the bottom of the
lake was sufficiently powerful "to throw up the
materials excavated on the north shore," and that as
the level of the lake gradually fell, a series of ridges
was thus formed, until the time came when the water
being only some 9^00 feet above its present level, gave
the Niagara current "a vastly greater power to act upon
the bottom of the lake than any of the three former
subsidations ; for the current had not only a greater
downward bend, but also the waters of the lake were
greatly reduced in depth ; consequently, we find
vastly greater deposits of the excavated materials
upon the northern shore of this elevation. Those
heights in Scarboro which project forward [sic] to the
lake, the hill upon which Captain Baldwin's house
stands, and the ridge upon which Dundas road runs
along the head of the lake, all belong to this era."
Mr. Roy's theory is as bold as it is absurd, but the
quotation serves to show that more than half a century
ago attempts were made to account for the existence
of Scarboro Cliffs and other escarpments on the north
shore.
In 1854, Prof. Henry Youle Hind and Mr. Sandford
Fleming made a study of the Heights with relation to
their influence in the formation of Toronto Island, or
Topography and Gkology. 11
Hiawatha Island, as it has sometimes heen called; and
five years later, the distinguished Scottish geologist,
A. C. Ramsay, referred to them in the Journal of the
Geological Society, but it was not until 187G that
something approaching an exhaustive scientific exam-
ination of Scarboro Heights was carried on by Mr.
G. J. Hinde, an English geologist spending a few
years in this country.
Mr. Hinde believed firmly that the beds of the
great lakes had been scooped out, through the tre-
mendous grinding force exerted on the rocks by mov-
ing ice-fields from 3,000 to 5,000 feet in thickness; but
it is unnecessary that we should adopt this view in our
consideration of the facts he reached regarding the
nature of the cliffs, which are, after all, only a section
of what constitutes the township at large. He
writes:* "The present basins of the lakes, how^ever, by
no means represent all the hollows made in the old
rocks by the glacial ice; many of these have been
filled up by till and stratified deposits, and until bor-
ings are made must remain unknow^n.f Thus, Dr.
* Page 12, "The Glacial and Interglacial Strata of Scarboro Heights,
and other localities near Toron. >, Ontario," by Mr. George Jennings
Hinde. Toronto, 1877.
t Mr. Hinde was unaware that at least one boring of fully a thousand
feet had been made near the village of Highland Creek in 1866, when
an attempt was made to "strike oil." Unfortunately the log of this boring
has been lost. Mr. Wm. Helliwell, in whose possession it was, vouches for
the accuracy of the following statement, from memory:
Sand and gravel (surface) - - - - 5 feet.
Blue clay ------ 50
Limestone ------ 750
Soapstone ------ 100 '« (?)
Rock salt and cavities - - - - 97
1,002
12 - History of the Township of Scarhoro.
Sterry Hunt has shown that the pahtozoic rocks on
the shores of Lake Erie are cover 3d with glacial and
stratified clays to a thickness of 100 to 200 feet
beneath the lake level ; whereas the lake itself in most
places is not more than 70 feet in depth. There is,
however, to be considered, the fact that the present
depth of the lakes is probably very much less than
their originally excavated depth by the glacier, for
stratified deposits of clay and silt brought down by
the rivers, etc., have been gradually accumulating in
their basins [beds] since the time when the glaciers
which filled them w^ere dissolved.
"At the Scarboro Heights there is one of these filled-
up glacial hollows. The palaeozoic rocks were eroded
by the first glacier deeper than the present lake level :
without a boring it is impossible to say how deep the
hollow may have been. With the exception of a short
distance at both ends of the section and a space in
the central portion, the basal beds of the Scarboro
Cliff are composed of beds of stratified clay. . . .
Before describing the fossils contained in the clay
beds, I wish to mention the beds of sand and sandy
loam which rest conformably on the upper surfaces of
the clayey strata. These sand beds are of a yellowish
tint ; the strata are horizontal, and appear, like the
clays, equally free from pebbles or boulders. Their
maximum thickness shown in the cliff is forty feet,
but they have evidently been eroded, and in some
places completely removed, and their original thick-
ness may have been much greater. . . .
From this it would appear that Mr. Hinde's theoretical hollow must
have extended a long way into the lake, and that the deposit would thin
out nearly to the surface, a little farther inland than this point, for the
boring was made less than two miles from the lake shore. Several borings
at intervals of some miles would be necessary to aftbrd the required data.
TOPOdRAPHV AND GEOUKIY. 13
"There is thus exposed at the Scarboro Cliff, beds of
clay Hiid sand of iiiterglacial age, 140 feet in thick-
ness, leaving out of account the extent to which they
way reach below the lake level, and the amount which
may have been eroded from the upper surface."
The fossil remains found consisted mainly of low
forms of vegetable and animal life, including soft
woods, wings of a beetle, two or three crustaceans,
and two kinds of shells. " Both the plant and animal
remains so far discovered in these strata conclusively
show that they are of land and fresh water origin ;
not a trace of any marine organism has been found in
them."
Without entering further into details, it may safely
be assumed from the evidence in our possession, first,
that the cliffs on the lake shore merely show in part
the section of a deposit that once extended far away
into the lake, a portion of which deposit now forms,
perhaps, the greater part of the township at the south;
second, that the beds of clay and sand were laid down
in fresh water ; and third, that the tenacious quality
of the deposit has enabled it, as a mass, to withstand
the erosive forces which have carried away the mate-
rial on the limits of the hollow in which the clays
were originally laid down — hence the elevation along
the lake shore.
The following table has been prepared by Mr. Hinde
to show the succession of strata forming the Heights :
7 stratified sand and gravel, post-glacial - 50 feet
6 till or boulder clay 30
5 laminated clay and sand, interglacial - - 90
4 till or lx)ulder clay ..... 70
3 interglacial fossiliferous sand - - - 40
2 " " clay - - - - 100
1 till or boulder clay, below lake level
380
14 History of the Township of Scarboko.
It will be observed that the total here given exceeds
by nearly one hundred feet the greatest altitude
(290 feet) reached by the cliffs, but this is because the
measurements of the several beds have been taken at
their thickest parts, and these do not occur immedi-
ately above or below each other (see diagram, p. 9).
Close to the lake shore the surface is much broken
with ravines from fifty to a hundred and fifty feet in
depth, especially near the south-west angle; and along
the banks of the Rouge on the eastern side, the sur-
face is somewhat rugged, but, in general, the town-
ship may be described as undulating or " rolling." The
southern portion is sandy, although with the excellent
system of farming, for which the township as a whole
has been so long celebrated, good crops are produced
close to the lake shore. To the north of this light
belt the soil becomes heavier, and in some places
appears as a rich clay. These alternations are just
what might be expected from the character of the
deposit that forms the whole or the greater part of the
township.
Scarbcro is well watered. Highland Creek, w^hich
rises near the no^th-west corner (in Markham), drains,
with its numerous branches, fully half of the township,
traversing a diagonal course and entering the lake at
Port Union near the south-east corner. The Rouge,
rising in Markham, also takes a course (with its several
feeders) from north-west to south-east after entering
Scarboro, and reaches the lako through Pickering.
On the west side of the township a branch of the Don
flows generally southwards until it enters York, where
it takes a westerly course to join the main stream.
Springs of pure water are very numerous, and no
Topography and Geology. 15
difficulty is experienced in procuring an abundant
supply at depths of from twelve to seventy feet. On
lot 14, con. 4, there are two springs which, from an
early date, have had curative properties attributed to
them. Gourlay, in 1822, referred to them as
" medicinal springs," and adds that they " begin to be
resorted to by persons affected with rheumatism and
other chronical complaints. An eminent physician of
York is said to have received much benetit from the
use of the water."*
In the neighborhood of EUesmere is a large num-
ber of springs. On lot 27, con. 2, one close to the
creek, strongly impregnated with iron, discolors the
vegetation. A short distance down there is a large
gushing spring in the bottom of the creek, and on lot
28 is another, the water of which colors everything
red. A few rods farther down there is one which some
years ago was supposed to contain sulphur ; the water
is very clear but has an unpleasant smell. The creek
has encroached so much on this spring lately that the
latter is almost lost to view. For about one-eighth of
a mile beyond this, numerous springs issue from the
banks of the stream, and in many places the bottom
is of a marly nature and so soft that a pole may be
pushed down six or eight feet. About forty years ago,
Mr. Andrew Young dug a well on lot 29, con. 1.
Twenty feet down the workers struck a soft place,
and the water rapidly rose several feet to the surface.
Another well bored twenty feet farther north and a little
deeper, also filled at once and ran over as did the first,
and both have continued to flow. These two wells are
at the head of the west branch of the Highland Creek,
*" Statistical Account of Upper Canada," Vol. I., p. 145.
16 History op^ the Township of Scaruoro.
On lot 20, con. 2, there is a flowing well, the water
of which if confined would rise about five feet above
the ground. The bore of this one is only about an
inch and a half, but it is estimated that at least twenty
thousand gallons of water flow from it daily. Nearly
one hundred yards to the south-east, on lot 28, is
another well with an inch and three-quarter pipe, from
which flow about twenty-five thousand gallons a day.
It is on ground nearly five feet lower than the former,
and is eleven feet deeper.
Numerous springs along the creek on lots 25 and
26 have dried since the bush was cleared.
The Oil Company.
In the year 1866, when the oil fever in Canada
was at its height, the Scarboro Oil Company was
incorporated with a capital stock of $4,000, which
was divided into 160 shares of $25 each, to sink a well
at Highland Creek village. The Board of Management
consisted of :
President, . . . . . Wni. Helliwell.
Vice-President, ----- Wm. Rolph, Sen.
Treasurer, ----- Thos. Eliiott.
Secretary, ------ Donald G. Stephenson.
Directors.
Messrs. Wm. Helliwell, Wm. Rolph, Sen., D. G. Stephenson, Wm.
Tredway, Wm. Westney, Geo. Chester, Jerry Annis, Jas. Humphrey
and Andrew Annis.
The company leased a site for operations from
Messrs. Gooderham & Worts and Mr. Wm. Helliwell
and wife, on lot 8 in the 1st concession of Scarboro,
for a term of forty years at a yearly rental of twenty
cents, beside a royalty of a 160th part of the proceeds.
The directors made a contract with Mr. Hood, of
TOI'OURAPHY AND GKOLOGV. 17
Toronto, to bore to the depth of 1,000 feet. This
was effected without tiiidinj,' oil, although brine of the
strongest character was brought up in the sand pump,
but it was too much impregnated with carbonate of
lime and of magnesia to be suitable for nuiking salt.
When the contractor was down about 000 feet, one
Harry Key, a waggon nuiker, occasionally poured a
gallon of oil into the well at night, thus causing con-
siderable excitement in the neighborhood. It failed
to occur to Key and others that wells did not yield
refined oil.
A difference of opinion having arisen between the
contractor and the directors as to the depth reached
by the drill, careful measurements made by Messrs.
Wni. Tredway and Geo. Chester showed that it had
penetrated 1,002 feet. It is to be regretted that
notes of the boring made at the time have been lost,
and that there is no statement of the analysis of the
brine. Mr. Helliwell has supplied from memory the
figures touching the strata passed through, and these
are given herein on page 11, foot-note.
Notwithstanding the . failure of the company to
realize their reasonable enough expectations, the
pluck and public spirit of the stockholders are to be
commended. Unlike those who hope to find coal in
Ontario, tlie Scarboro Oil Company had not only the
theories of science, but the facts of experience in their
favor, and failure to strike oil at a thousand feet does
not prove that petroleum may not exist at even a less
depth not very far away. That the boring was made
through soapstone, would seem to indicate that
possible oil-bearing rock had been passed.
In the annual report of the Geological Survey of
18 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Canada, for 1890-91, Mr. Brummell writes of a "Well
at Highland Creek": "I have been unable to obtain
any authentic account of operations at this point, and
give the following as the result of inquiries made at
different times and of various persons. The informa-
tion shows that a well was sunk near this village,
during either 1866 or 1867, to a depth of 682 feet,
penetrating the Trenton limestone to a depth of 434
feet, in which formation it is reported that large
quantities of gas w^ere struck.
" The record of the well is reported as follows :
Surface (blue clay) - - 48 feet.
Shale, black, - - 200 n Hudson R. and XJtica.
Limestone, . - . 434 ,, Trenton.
" The fact that this well was at once abandoned
shows that there was, as is usual in this district, but
a small flow of gas."
This statement only renders matters more confusing.
Not only was gas not sought for when the Highland
Creek well was bored, but the records of strata pene-
trated are totally dissimilar and Mr. Brummell's
figures are little more than two-thirds of those sup-
plied by Mr. Helliwell (p. 11), whose statement that
the soapstone penetrated measured one hundred feet
in thickness, is astounding. No carefulness can be
too minute in recording particulars relating to deep
borings, copies of which should be forwarded to the
Department of the Bureau of Mines, Toronto, and to
the Geological Survey, Ottawa.
A complete list of the shareholders of the Scarboro
Oil Company will be found in the Appendix. Their
enterprise was a praiseworthy one, and their names
should not be forgotten.
Before the White Man. 19
CHAPTER II.
BEFORE THE WHITE MAN.
"Tribe was giving place to tribe, language to language ; for the Indian,
hopelessly unchanging in respect to individual and social development,
was, as regards tribal relations and local haunts, unstable as the wind."
— Parkman.
WHEN Canada was taken possession of by the
French near the middle of the sixteenth
century, it is probable that nearly all the peninsula
formed by the great lakes, and a wide strip extending
easterly along the shores of Lake Ontario and the
River St. Lawrence, were occupied by members of the
powerful Huron-Iroquois Indians; the rest of the
territory (forming Upper Canada at a more recent
date) having been in the hands of the Algonkins who
were less disposed to occupy fixed places of abode, for
it is well known that the former people settled them-
selves in what by courtesy we call villages, consisting
of rudely constructed houses built, or put together
with poles and sheets of bark in a sufficiently perma-
nent manner to last for a few years. Many of these
dwellings, bemg intended to accommodate several
families, were, according to our ideas, of disproportion-
ate length when compared with their breadth, measur-
ing from fifty to three hundred feet in one direction,
and not more than fifteen or twenty in the other.
20 History of the Township of Scarboro.
W\ now remaining to indicate the sites of these
*' long houses " are rows of ashes mingled with char-
coal and fragments of bone, shell and coarse pottery.
When the floors of such huts became inconveniently
filthy, rather, perhaps, because of the quantity than
the quality of the deposit, the village was removed to
some other eligible situation, the old name being
retained. These removals have led to considerable
confusion arising from the accounts of travellers, who
mention this or that village of a given name, in
places several miles apart, because the references have
been made at, and to, different periods.
It will be seen that this mode of living implies some
other differences in customs when we compare the
Huron with the roving Algonkin. The comparatively
settled life of the Hurons afforded an opportunity to
perform a few agricultural operations of a simple kind.
Perhaps it was the desire to grow corn, pumpkins and
beans that led to the fixity of habitation. However
this may have been, the women of the village led a
much easier and, on the whole, a more comfortable life
than their unsettled Algonkin sisters, and they were
thus enabled to devote considerable time to the pro-
duction of pottery, the making and adorning of gar-
ments, and the forming of numerous tools required to
carry on these operations, assisted, no doubt, in the
last-mentioned, by the men of the tribe. Ceremonial
observances must also have been modified if they did
not sometimes actually originate as a result of this
village habit, and in none of these was this more
marked than in the modes of burial.
The Hurons first interred bodies singly, or exposed
them on a scaffold, or in a tree, until the flesh dropped
Before the White Man. 21
from the bones. At intervals of ten or twelve years
was held the Great Feast of the Dead, one of the most
important and most impressive ceremonies performed
by this people, and one, too, peculiar to themselves. A
large pit having been dug, usually on an eminence, the
collected bones of all who had died since the holding of
the last "feast " were thrown into the excavation, while
the shamans, or medicine-men performed their incanta-
tions, and the assembled people howled and gesti-
culated to terrify the bad okis, and probably burned
tobacco to win the favor of the good ones. It is the
occurrence of such communal graves, bone-pits or
ossuaries, that leads to the popular conclusion account-
ing for the presence of so many skeletons as the result
of battles fought close by.
The inveterate foes of the Hurons were the Iroquois,
a people of their own kith and kin. We have no
means of knowing for how long a bitter warfare was
carried on between the two branches of this great
family, but while it lasted it was most remorseless,
until in 1649 the Hurons, or Wyandots, as they were
also named, were almost exterminated, the few sur-
vivors being driven out of the country. It is chiefly
of these people that we find remains in the form of
stone, shell and bone relics in this part of Ontario.
The Iroquois having accomplished their purpose in
the destruction of the Hurons, and their attention
being otherwise engaged until they ultiniately became
involved in the colonial troubles between the British
and the French, found no time to repel the hordes of
Ojibwas* who, spreading themselves southwards, soon
*Also spelled Ojebways, Ojibbewas, Chippewas, and various other ways.
22 History of the Township of Scarboro.
occupied all the abandoned territory of the Hurons
and Neutrals, to the very margins of Erie and Ontario.
It was with this branch of the enormously wide-
spread Algonkin family that the British settlers came
into contact, and with its members that our early leg-
islators had to deal in acquiring peaceful possession of
the soil for agricultural purposes. Our governmental
transactions with the aborigines have always been
characterized by fairness, if not generosity, but it is
doubtful whether those who procured cessions and
surrenders from the Mississaugas (by which name our
Ojibwas were known) would have treated them so
liberally had it been apparent that these Indians them-
selves were, comparatively, new-comers, whose oc-
cupancy did not extend further back than from fifty
to a hundred years.
That few relics of the kind mentioned belong to this
people will appear evident when it is borne in mind
that, during the whole time the Mississaugas have
had a foothold here, communication with the whites
enabled them to procure necessary arti«"les of a
superior kind to those of their own production.
The area now embraced by Scarboro township was
undoubtedly a desirable one for the Indian. The
lake-shore cliffs formed an admirable defence against
attack from the south, so that enemies from that
quarter must needs have approached the villages by a
circuitous route ; there could not be better soil for
their extremely simple method of cultivation ; exten-
sive forests of magnificent pine, with here and there
clamps and ranges of hard-wood trees in great
variety, afforded ideal places of domicile ; small fruits
were plentiful, and numerous streams supplied fish of
Before the White Man. 23
different kinds in abundance, while game, we may
presume, was not difficult to procure.
General evidences of Indian occupancy have been
observed in many parts of this township, but most of
the traces serving to point out village sites, potteries,
or corn patches, have long since been cultivated be-
yond recognition. Among the localities showing proof
of aboriginal residence are lot 25, lot 30 (north halt),
and lot 32 (south half), on the 2nd concession, where
relics have been picked up ; while on lot 25, concession
1, a number of graves have been found.
Large ash beds, half an acre in extent, may yet be
seen on the farm of Mr. Martin Willis, lot 13, con-
cession 2.
Indian relics have been found on lot 25, the north
half of lot 30, and the south half of lot 32, all on the
3rd concession.
Eelics of various kinds have been found on lot 31,
concession 4, where there seems tc have been a camp-
ing ground. A specimen bearing a highly polished
surface was found here. No ossuaries, or single
graves, have been discovered in this neighborhood.
On lot 25, concession 4, and lot 23, concession 3,
old camping grounds have been recognized. Another
camping ground was seen on lot 22, concession 5.
A Mississauga camp, consisting of bark lodges
affording shelter to forty persons, is reported to have
existed on lot 29, concession 3, as recently as 1835.
In connection with this encampment, perhaps the last
of its kind in these parts, Mr. J. L. Paterson relates that
his father saw one of the Indians seize a red-hot brand
from the fire, and apply it to stanch the bleeding of
one of his wrists, from which the hand had just been
24
History of the Township of Scarboro.
cut off in an encounter with another member of the
band.
At the place known as Bead Hill, specimens con-
nected with the Mississaugas have been unearthed,
consisting of "Queen Anne" gun-barrels with copper
sights, hunting knives, copper kettles, and other
articles of European manufacture. Along the hill
formerly known as the Hog's Back, an Indian trail
runs toward the west.
The Rouge yields many evidences that its banks
were, of old time, frequented by the red man, Algonkin
as well as Huron and Iroquois. Perhaps the earliest
printed reference to this fact is to be found in a small
volume by William Brown, printed in Leeds, England,
in 1849. Some of the men employed in his saw-mill
discovered a quantity of human bones on the bank of
the stream, and from time to time stone and bone
relics have been found at intervals along both banks
of the river.
Foundation and Settlement. 25
CHAPTER III.
FOUNDATION AND SETTLEMENT.
" We cannot overstate our debts to the past, but the moment has the
supreme claim. The past is for us, but the sole terms on which it can
become ours, are its subordination to the present." — Emerson.
BEFORE 1790 this part of the Province was
known to trappers and Indian traders only,
and but for the selection of Toronto by Governor
Simcoe as his new capital, it might have remained
unoccupied by the whites for another quarter of a
century or even more.
Having determined upon calling the seat of govern-
ment York, in honor of the Duke of that title, it was
natural enough that, influenced as he was, he should
adopt other names connected with the English original,
and we accordingly have Whitby, Darlington, Picker-
ing, Markham and Scarboro. In like manner the
French St. John became the Humber, the stream to
the east he called the Don, and the Rouge he dubbed
the Nen.*
*In Chewitt's map of 1813, but probably as a misprint, this river is marked
the New. The graceful writer who treats of this neighborhood in the second
volume of "Picturesque Canada," speaks of "the well-wooded Heights of
Scarboro, which early French explorers called Les Grandes Ecores. This
the Loyalists Englished into 'The High Lands,' so that the stream flowing
through the Heights is still called ' Highland Creek.' A little to the
west of the Seneca village [Qanerask^, now Port Hope] was a stream that
3
26 History of the Township of Scarboro.
When the townships along the lake front were laid
out by Surveyor Augustus Jones, in 1701, it is said
that Pickering, Scarboro and York were respectively
named Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dublin. The people
of this township may congratulate themselves in
having now a more appropriate name in Scarboro,*
•
jjave kindly shelter to distressed canoes ; and so by Indians of the next
•century and of a different race, it was named Katabokokonk, or the ' River
•of Easy Entrance.' In niaking its way to the lake, it pierced a hill of red
tenacious clay, which sufficiently colored its waters to justify the old
F"anch name, Rivihe Roiigt. In his attempt to reproduce in Upper
Oanada the east coast of England, Simcoe re-christened this stream the
Ncn, just as he had converted St. John into the Humber, and La Grande
Rivifere into the Ouse. But like the Grand River, the Rouge fortunately
survived the palimpsest maps of Governor Simcoe. It is still the Rouge,
and the name is interesting as the sole trace now remaining on this north-
west shore, of the old Sulpician Mission and of Louis the Fourteenth's
domain."
* Scnrboyoii{fh, Isaac Taylor tells us in his " Words and Places, " is a
word of Norse origin, Scar meaning a face or cliff, from skera, to shear or
■cut asunder. In a foot-note he refers to the cognate words in Gaelic and
Erse, sgeir, a cliff, and in Anglo-Saxon, seiran, to divide. "Hence," he
•says, "the shire, a division of the kingdom, the shorp, which divides land
from sea, the skewer, the ploughs/iare and the shears, instruments for divid-
ing, and a share, a divided part. A sharoer consists of divided drops of
water. To score is to make notches on a stick, and the numeral, a score,
■denotes the number of notches such a stick would contain. A scar is the
mark where the flesh has been divided. A shard is a bit of broken pottery.
JShear, sharp, and skarp denote that something has been cut off'. Sewer,
scare and scour are from the same root."
Borough is connected with beorgan, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning to
<iover, to hide or to protect, and probably also with the German burg, a
town. Other forms of borough are burgh and brugh, all originally pro-
nounced with a final guttural, which, passing into hard "g" in English, has at
last become silent, unless we regard the short final " o " in Scarboro as all
that is left of it.
At a meeting of the General Committee to collect information for the
history of Scarboro, held in St. Andrew's Church Sunday School, Beiidale,
in January, 1896, it was decided that in the preparation of this book, the
name of the tow^nship should be spelled Scarboro.
Foundation and Skttlement. 27
although it is to be deplored that the custom of
importing old world place-names to America has been
so persistently followed, and too often with an entire
disregard to the " eternal fitness of things."
Jones surveyed only a portion of Scarboro bordering
on the lake, and for some reason unknown, made the
concessions to run east and west instead of north and
south, as is usually the case. He seems to have been
determined also that the township should not lack
highways, for the side lines are plated at intervals of
half a mile, and along each of these a road is opened.
On account of the line followed by the lake shore,
extending in a south-westerly direction, the township
is considerably longer on the west than on the east,
and concessions A, B and C do not extend all the way
across the township. Concession A is only a small
triangular portion. North of concession D, the others
are numbered from one to five and as they are the
result of a different survey, the side roads are not in
line with those to the south.
Shortly after the preliminary survey was completed,
some grants of land were made in recognition of
military services during the American war, and to
United Empire Loyalists, but the township does not
appear to have suffered much from the locking-up of
extensive tracts held by non-residents, unless near the
front, along the leading roads. Between 1820 and 1830
The Canada Company secured a few hundred acres,
a grant of 384 acres was made by the Legislature for
the support of grammar schools,* and King's College
* From the " Final Report of the Commissioners of In(]uiry into the
aS'airs of King's University and Upper Canada College," by Dr. Joseph
Workman, in 1852, we learn that so recently as 1850, of this land there
remained 120 acres unsold.
2S History of the Township of Scarboro.
came in for considerably over 2,000 acres. (See
Appendix A.)
In March, 1796, David Thomson and his wife found
their way hither, apparently having followed the
Indian trail which was subsequently opened as a
highway and known as the Danforth Road.
Particular reference to the Thomsons and other
pioneer familieb will be found in the following chapter.
It is worthy of note that Scarboro does not appear
in any of the cessions made by the Indians. What is
called "The Toronto Purchase," made in 1787*, did
not even extend eastwards as far as the town line
between York and Scarboro townships.
Correspondence with Dr. Douglas Brymner, the
accomplished Dominion Archivist, and Mr. Duncan C.
Scott, Secretary of Indian Affairs, has elicited that
neither in the Department of Archives nor in the
Indian Department is this territory mentioned. Dr.
Brymner, after making a thorough search without
being able to meet with anything bearing on the point,
referred the writer to Mr. Scott, who replied to the
effect that this matter had frequently been under the
consideration of the Indian Department, and that while
there is what may be called a tradition in the office
confirming the belief that a cession has been made,
there are no documents so testifying.
It is probable that some verbal or otherwise informal
transfer of this, and a wide strip extending eastwards
along Ontario and the St. Lawrence, was ceded to the
British by the Iroquois, who claimed it as a hunting
ground even after the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
* "Surrendered by the Mississaugas on the Ist Aug., 1805, for 10s. &
divers good & valuable considerations given on the 23rd Sept., 1787."
OLD SETTLERS.
1. Mrs. \V. Pat^rson. 2. Mrs. A. D. Thomson. 3. Th. Brown.
4. C. Lamaroux. 5. John Martin. 6. .J. A. Vhonison. 7. Chris. Thomson.
8. R. Uaniillon. 9. Mrs. J. Elliot. 10. S. Thrmson. 11. A. Johnston.
12. Mrs. A. Bell 13 Mrs. Sisley. 14. C. C. Bowen.
15. F. Thompson. 16. A. Forfar. 17. F. / nistrong. IS. A. Paterson.
19. S. Kennedy. 20. H. Hogarth. 21. C. Pilkey.
22. Mrs. E. Secor. 23. John Tingle.
The rioNEKRs. 29
CHAPTER IV.
THE PIONEERS.
" With aching hands and bleeding feet
We dig and heap, lay stone on stone ;
We bear the burden and the heat
Of the long day, and wish 'twere done.
Not till the hours of light return
All we have built do we discern."
— Matthew Arnold.
HISTORY that is to some extent within our
reach, incidents that are within the memory
of the very aged, tales told us by those only lately
gone from among us, havv^ a special interest, a per-
sonal significance. As we trace the sequence of
events, look down the vista of the vanished years,
and revive the memories of men and women who
have lived and died doing their duty in preparing
the way for us, we make their lives our own. We
learn how by perseverance, loyalty and love they laid
a firm foundation for the building up of a vigorous^
national life.
The more we study the past the better we shall
appreciate the present, and realize the importance of
our influence upon the well-being of the future.
Through hardships patiently endured, and difficul-
ties boldly met and overcome, our fathers laid the
foundations of our present prosperity, and a just pride
in the integrity of the Empire which their loyalty
preserved, should incite us to weld its several parts
30 History of the Township of Scarboro.
more closely to each other, and thus in our turn leave
that which makes for a grjeat peace-binding, war-con-
trolling, national heritage to those who follow us.
A hundred years ago our fathers felled the first tree
and made the first clearing 'wherein to plant a home
on the forest-crowmed heights, and in the picturesque
valleys of our township.
To-day, in the crowning year of the century, we
have well-tilled farms, handsome residences, educa-
tional advantages, religious liberty, every necessary
and comfort of civilized life. The advance of science
has provided an ample field for the exercise of talents
given us, and made opportunities of which we may
avail ourselves to earn an honest living, and by indi-
vidual exertion and ability rise to wealth and position.
Although there are other names in the township
preceding his in the records of land grants, David
Thomson was the first actual settler within its boun-
daries.
A stone-mason by trade, and possessed of the solid,
practical education common to all Scotchmen, David
Thomson came to Canada in 1795.
Born in the parish of Westerkirk, Dumfriesshire, in
1760, he, and his wife Mary Glendinning, brought
four children (James, Andrew, Bella and Eichard)
with them to the New World, Eichard being only
eighteen months old. A Freemason, a Presbyterian,
and a Conservative in politics, David Thomson came,
as did all of his countrjanen, imbued with that patriot-
ism and love of free institutions which have ever been
characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon race.
Coming by way of Quebec, he, as many other
settlers at that date appear to have done, went on to
Niagara, which place had until then been the seat of
The Pioneers. 31
Government. He arrived just at the time this was
being removed to York, and v^as at once employed as
head mason in the erection of the new government
buildings.
Some of the records speak of his working at the
fort, others on the parliament buildings. It is pro-
bable he was employed on both.
The residential part of York was that portion of
the city of Toronto lying nearest the Don River. The
marshy shores of the bay, hemmed in as it then was,,
by the peninsula of sand which is now our Island, and
by the low^, often submerged lands, fostered malaria and
generated a low fever and ague from which many suf-
fered greatly. Mrs. Thomson's health was so affected
thus, that they had been only a few months in York
when her husband saw that he must look for a healthier
locality in which to settle. The township of Scarboro
had recently been surveyed and thrown open to set-
tlers, and David Thomson turned his prospecting steps
in this direction. Following the road which was
then little more than an Indian trail through the
woods, he crossed the intervening sand-plains until he
struck the better soil in the valley of Highland Creek.
Here he found the necessary conditions for success in
a new settlement — rich soil, land well drained, and
unlimited water power. There was also the advan-
tage of an abundance of valuable pine.
Selecting a spot about two and a half miles from
the lake shore, as the crow flies, and adjacent to
a clear, running spring, the first white settler in the
township struck the first blow towards establishing
his home there. The spring had evidently been used
and kept open by the Indians who in days gone by
had made this spot their resting-place.
32 History of the Township of Scarboro.
David Thomson was not alone. He had evidently
brought others with him, possibly James Elliot, who
is mentioned as the owner of the ox-team and sled by
which the family and their household goods were con-
veyed to their new home shortly afterwards. During
the first day the men not only chopped the trees, but
with them constructed the walls of the small log-
house. The logs were left in their natural state,
rough and unhewn, and after cutting out the aper-
tures for the door and windows the men made a fire
inside, ate their supper, and set a watch to keep off
the wolves while the others slept after the hardest
day's toil they had ever performed.
What a picture for the painter ! The rough walls,
the drowsy watchman, the blazing fire casting its
bright light on the recumbent, yet half-alert figures
of the tired men inside, and, outside on the dense
forest, ever and anon revealing the sneaking forms
of the hungry wolves, that would fain have questioned
the right of the pioneers to invade their domain.
The terrors of that night were never forgotten, and it
was not until one of the great oxen, by whose aid they
had hauled the logs, lay down across the half-barri-
caded doorway and thus interposed a barrier between
them and the wolves, that the men slept soundly at last.
. A few days, however, enabled them to make all
ready to go back to York and bring Mrs. Thomson
and the children. The path was carefully selected,
the men breaking the twigs of the trees along the
route through the woods, and " blazing " the way to
guide their return.
They were accompanied by John Thomson (after-
wards known as " Thomson of the Bay," probably to
The Pioneers. 33
distinguish him from another of the same name),
and James EUiot.
The comparison between the hfe in Scotland and
the strangeness of the experiences in the woods of
Canada, must have made a profound impression ou
Mrs. Thomson's mind. The " Mother of Scarboro,"
as she is invariably called, was no doubt possessed of
indomitable courage, as well as a strong and abiding
trust in the protecting arm of the Almighty. She
must have had a firm nerve and boundless love for
husband and children to carry her through the first
seven months of her life in Scarboro. She was often
alone from week's end to week's end with her children
in the forest log-house, while her husband worked for
the means of living at his trade in the town, returning
with the week's provision on his back on each recur-
ring Saturday night.
\Yhat must have been the joy of the greeting with
which the weary bread-winner was met ! How long-
ingly the wife nnist have watched for the figure
coming into the little clearing beyond which she and
her little ones dare not venture ! How precious must
the Sabbath days have been, and with what anxious
thoughts did the brave woman bid her husband good-
bye on the Monday morning I
She used to say, " Often in those early days the
cottage was surrounded by wolves, some on the roof,
others gnawing and scratching at the door."
One day Mrs. Thomson heard a connnotion among
the domestic animals in the enclosure ; she ran out,
and seeing a bear about to carry off a pig, she struck
him with an axe and made him drop his prize. The
bear made off to the woods, and one of the men fol-
lowed, but failed to kill him.
34 History of the Township of Scakhoro.
During these first seven months of their Hfe in
the township, Mrs. Tliomson had not seen another of
her own sex, until one day an Indian woman came
into the cottage. The face was strange, the language
spoken unintelligible, but Mrs. Thomson welcomed
her gladly. Albeit, of an alien race and color, they
were women, and they understood one another by the
freemasonry of sympathy divinely implanted in the
breast of woman.
Two years after their arrival in the New World a
daughter (Janet) was born to the Thomsons, the first
white child born in the township.
It would be difficult to give a detailed account of
all the privations and daily difficulties of this pioneer
life in the w^oods — the mother alone with her children
while the husband worked either at York, or in clearing
the land about the cottage : the necessity of adapting
their wants to the means of supplying them ; and the
terrible anxiety when any of their number fell ill.
One of these privations, which would appear to us
now as of minor importance, was the difficulty of
obtaining any variety of diet. Cornmeal and milk for
breakfast, milk and cornmeal for dinner, and the same
for supper, day after day, became not only mono-
tonous but nauseating. As the spring opened it
occurred to Mrs. Thomson that by noticing what the
cow fed upon she might find some plant that would
take the place of the garden greens of her old home.
Pursuing this idea, she followed the cow into the
woods, and thus discovered the leek. iVt first it was
so great a relish that they used it frequently, but soon
wearied of it. A dose of warm milk in which it had
been boiled, administered to Mr. Thomson while ill of
The Pioneers. 35
an ague he had contracted at York, so disgusted him,
that the leek was ever after banished from his table.
The stream supplied them with fish, some of which
they salted for winter use. Doubt has been expressed
as to the variety of fish caught, some affirming it to
have been salmon, others that it was salmon-trout. It
was undoubtedly salmon, which was then common to
all our large lakes.
There are several fish stories extant. The follow-
ing is vouched for by several persons still living in
the township :
Andrew Thomson (who came with his brother David
to Canada and settled on the adjoining lot in Scar-
boro) and another man, were fishing in that part of
Highland Creek which flows through Springfield Farm;
the former hooked and landed a fish so large that when
suspended from a pole run through its gills and rest-
ing on the shoulders of the two men, its tail touched
the ground. The men were about five feet nine
inches in height. This fish was probably a sturgeon.
David Thomson had overcome the first difficulties
of settlement in the forest when he was joined by his
two brothers, Andrew and Archibald.
Andrew was born in 1770, and was twice married
before he left Scotland. His second wife, Jane Hen-
derson, and four children came with him to Canada —
John, his eldest son by the first wife, and Margaret,
Andrew and William, the second family.
Archibald was also born and married in Scotland,
and brought a family of ten to settle near his brothers.*
* According to other accounts he came to America unmarried, some
years before his brother David. After residing for a few years in the
States, he reached the city of Quebec as a U.E.L. Here he was married,
and subsequently removed to Detroit, which place he left for Newark on
the arrival there of his brother David.
36 History of the Township of Scarboro.
With such large famiUes the Thomsons soon became
so numerous in the township that it was necessary to
designate them by the names of their farms, after a
common custom followed in Scotland. Others were
distinguished by local sobriquets earned by some
peculiarity or some incident in which they had taken
part. Hence we find "Buffalo Dave," " Stone-house
Archie," " iVrcbie'c Arch," " Beardy Archie," " Squaw
Village John," " Grandmother's Dave," " Russian
Dave," "Springfield Jimrnie," "Squire's John," "Fid-
dler Dick," and so on.
David Thomson took out the patent for his land,
lot 24, concession 1, two hundred acres, on May
17th, 1802 ; Andrew, the patent for lot 23, conces-
sion 1, on the same date.
Among the records of the life of this Thomson
family, during the early days of their life in Canada,
is a curious account-book, in which details of work
done for Andrew and Archibald Thomson are entered.
A recapitulation of a few of these entries may not be
uninteresting here :
"In 1796, wrought at Mr. Dickson's house for
Andrew Thomson — days. Eec'd of him 2 dollars.
" 1797. — Wrought to Arch'd Thomson at the jail
14 days— March 14."
Down the column of consecutive days other names
appear. At May 5th it reads :
" To And'w Heron, 1 day. 6th. — At the grave-
yard, 1 day. 17th. — To Mr. Wilson, 1 day.
" June 23rd.— To Mr. Pilkington, 1 day.
"To plaistering the two government rooms, And'w
Thomson, John Thomson, and D'd Thomson, 14 days
each.
The Pioneers. 37
" July 26tb. — Begun to wall the government brick
houses — D'd Thomson."
The name of James Elliot also appears frequently in
the pages which follow, the walls of the government
buildings evidently taking until the end of August to
build, and other work occupying the men until the
7th of October.
The account for the quantity of bricks used is also
given on another page :
'' 53,500, at 17s. 6d. per thousand, amounting to
M6 16s. 2d. ; four 84-foot arches, at Is. per foot,
^4 4s. Total, £51 2d."
Other names prominent in Toronto and the Grov-
ernment are also mentioned, including those of Capt.
McGill and Mr. Cameron.
An entry on one of the yellow leaves of the little
book would lead us to infer that Mrs. Thomson kept
her husband's accounts, as in the same handwriting
there is :
"April 8th, 1798. — To sewing one shirt, 5. To
hemming a handkerchief, 1."
There is no note to indicate whether she charged
Samuel Heron shillings or pence for the work done.
On the same page is an entry of 7| lbs. of beef at lid.
per lb., bought of Samuel Heron.
In course of time, as the land became cleared,
there were many open glades in which comfortable
log-houses and some frame farm buildings dotted the
landscape. Neighbors were nearer, the population
was increasing, and times were apparently growing
better. The settlers could now look forward hope-
fully to success. Roads were being made, and traffic
between the principal settlements and the markets
was thus rendered less infrequent.
38 History of the Township of Scarboro.
When war was declared by the United States
against Great Britain in 1812, David Thomson was
given a commission in the 3rd York Regiment of
Militia, and no doubt fulfilled the attendant obligation
of raising the company he was to command from
the settlers in the township, so many of whom bore
his own name. (Further particulars of his military
career will be found in the chapter on Militia.)
After the cessation of hostilities, the settlement of
the country was more rapid, a number coming over
from the United States, and others from Great Britain
and Ireland. Shortly after the close of the war,
David Thomson built a tavern, or stopping place, on
the opposite bank of the stream from that on which
the first cottage stood, and on the old Markham Road,
in order to accommodate the public travelling to and
from the north by that route. The site is now occu-
pied by the fine residence of his grandson, Anos
Thomson. The vacated cottage was rented by Mrs.
Betsy Stafford, a widow, who kept the first store in
the township.
The tavern was a frame house built by one of David
Thomson's sons. The roof was covered by hand-made
clap-boards. In this house David Thomson and his
wife lived the remainder of their days. Hospitable,
kind and full of sympathy for those in trouble, they
were honored and respected by all who knew them.
About a year before he died David Thomson under-
went a surgical operation, having his leg amputated
for some disease of the knee. When Drs. Graham
and Hamilton were ready to operate, the old man,
with a nerve wonderful in one of his age, mounted the
table without assistance, laid himself down, and en-
dured the amputation without flinching. He died in
The Pioneers. 39
1834, and was buried in the old church-yard of St.
Andrew's. His wife survived him some years, dying
on November 8th, 1847.
A large tombstone marks the spot where they lie.
It bears the following inscription which tells its own
story :
yRemorg of
flDar^ Thomson,
Cbe rtiotber of Scarboro,
"WUbo MeO tbc Stb flovembcr, 1847.
BfleD 80 )icave.
Here her remains repose side by side
with those of her husband
DAVID THOMSON,
Whose gravestone tells the Land
of their Nativity and when they
settled in Scarboro, which was
then a Wilderness. On the opposite
bank of the passing Rivulet, a
little above this Burial-ground,
they built their lonely cottage,
and there they contended successfully
against the hardships of a
forest life ; and there she passed
the first seven months after their
settlement without seeing a woman,
and the first was ar> INDIAN.
As her husband, she lived and
died respected, leaving behind her
above 100 Descendants.
As time ruvs on, so families pass away ;
Ye living m,en improve the present day ;
seek that home that lies beyond the grave,
Employ all means th' immortal soul to save.
40 History of the Township of Scarhoro.
The experiences of other early settlers in the town-
ship were more or less similar to that of the Thomsons
— they all had to overcome the difficulties of clearing
the forest, to live in the rudely-built log-houses and
to endure the like privations. In writing the history
of one we have that of all. Among the names most
prominent in the annals of the township in the early
days of the century are Annis, Cornell, Elliot, Pherrill,
Devenish, Kennedy, Smith, Post, Palmer, Paterson,
Secor, Chester and Adams.
The founder of the Annis family on this continent
came to Massachusetts, U.S., in 1670. His descend-
ant, Charles Annis, attracted by the bounty offered
by Ijieut. -Governor Simcoe, came over into Canada
in 1793. He first settled in Whitby township, but
removed to Scarboro, to lots 16, concessions C and D,
which he purchased in 1808.
He had not borne arms in the War of Independ-
ence, and he took the oath of allegiance to the British
Crown before Eobert Baldwin, J. P., on January 15th,
1801. His son Levi, with William Cornell and the
early settlers in the township, cut out the timber
along the route through the forest for the Kingston
Road in 1800, and Charles Annis with his second son
was employed by Government, in 1812, to carry the
mail between York and a post half a mile east of the
present town of Oshawa.
Roger Coonet (Vankoughnet ?) and John Buck
had come from the United States with Charles Annis,
one of whose sons married a daughter of Coonet, by
whom he had a large family, who all married and
settled in the township.
Levi Annis's house appears to have been used as
The Pioneers. 41
quarters for contingents of British soldiers when on
their way np from Kingston to York and Niagara.
Fears of invasion and raids made by parties from the
United States were a source of anxiety to the settlers.
Many stories are told, althougl there are not sufficient
data extant to render them authentic his<^ory. One
in connection with Levi Anni 's house is to the effect
that upon an alarm bping given of the approach of
the enemy, the soldiers quartered there buried their
money in Gates's Gully, close by. As there is no
record of the money having been dug up again, belief
in the story has led to many a search being made for
it by the romance- loving lads in the township.
A daughter of William Fawcett, who came to Can-
ada from Cumberland, in 1825, and bought lot 15,
concession 1, married into the Annis family.
Though not as numerous as the Thomsons, the
Annises married and intermarried with the families
of the other early settlers, and formed an important
constituency in the township.
James Elliot, who accompanied David Thomson in
his original journey, was also the founder of a large
family. He came to Canada in the same year, and
was employed in the government works at York. He
took up lot 21, concession D^ and married Janet Thom-
son, niece of David, in 1802, their marriage being the
first celebrated in the township.
He afterwards moved to lot 24, concession 3, also
taking up lot 25, which, being on Clergy Reserve land,
was available for pre-emption only. Three of his sons
w^ho survived him received one hundred acres each.
His daughters married, and moved with their husb nds
4
42 History of the Township of Scarboro.
into other townships. Some of his descendants still
reside in Scarhoro.
Stephen Pherrill is another name around which early
reminiscences group themselves. Born in 1782, near
the liiver St. John, at a point where it divides the
State of Maine and New Brunswick, he married
Elizabeth Hussell and came to Scarboro in 1803. The
route by which they travelled was a loncf one. He
rowed his wife and child, with the small amount of
baggage they possessed, in a small boat up the St.
Lawrence and up the lake to York. There he was
employed in Scadding's mill, on the Don Kiver. He
took up lot 24, concession B, in 1805 or 1806.
When war broke out in 1812, Stephen placed his
team at the service of tlie Government, and was em-
ployed to convey soldiers, stores and ammunition from
Kingston to Niagara. He also carried the dispatches
from York to Whitby, having to swim his horse across
the River Rouge. His wife siiared the task, for when
he reached his fann upon the return journey, weary
and wet, his horse jaded and tired, she mounted the
other horse and carried the dispatches on to York,
while her husband took needed rest.
There is a story told of this brave woman defying
a party of rude Americans who came into her house,
and, with wanton violence, destroyed all they could
not carry away. She was forced to desist from active
protestations against the breaking of her crockery by
threats of being killed if she were not quiet. Dishes
were valuable things in those days — all such neces-
saries having to be brought from Montreal in bateaux
(large flat boats), forced up the rapids by men with
strong poles, and occupying many days on the journey.
Thk Pionkeks. 43
Her sou Adiia was bom in Scarboro in IHIO. He
died in 1892, and his son Tilnioth now lives on the
farm.
Wiihani Devenish was another of the earliest settlers.
Born in London, he came to Canada via New York,
and crossed the Niagara River in 1792. He was a
carpenter, and probably was also employed on the
new government buildings at York. He settled in
Scarboro, lot 35, concession C, in 1804, and built the
first frame barn in the township in 1807. It was
pulled down by D. Hough, of Medonte, in 1840. The
scantling used for braces and girths were hewn from
rough timber with the axe ; the boards were split from
pine logs ; the material used for doors was sawn by
hand ; the nails were made by a blacksmith. It is to
be regretted that this building was not preserved as a
monument to the industry and perseverance of the
early settlers. It is supposed that the old school-
house in this section was built about the same time.
The loneliness of life in the woods is graphically
illustrated by a gift made by William Devenish to an
incoming settler named Foglie, in 1810, whom he
induced to accept a life-lease of one hundred acres of
heavily wooded land, part of his own lot, for the nominal
rental of one shilling a year, in order that he might
secure him as a neighbor.
Foghe settled on it and married. He does not
appear to have done much clearing, except to dispose
of the timber. The Lewis Lumber Company, having
built a large steam mill at Norway in 1822, bought a
quantity of the valuable pine from Foglie. He died in
1825, but bis landlord allowed his widow to remain on
the lot. Mrs. Foglie was found murdered in her
44 HiSTORV OF THE TOWNSHIP OF SCARHORO.
house about twelve years after the death of her hus-
band. It was generally supposed that the reports of
her wealth and the hope of getting possession of it
had excited the cupidity of some of the men employed
at the mill. The truth of this has never been ascer-
tained. The murderer failed to find her money, as it
was discovered later sew^ed up inside a mattress. The
land then reverted to the original owner.
William Devenish was married to Jane Webster by
Parson Addison, a w^ell-known divine of that date,
1799. Her family came to Scarboro and lived on the
I)evenish farm. His brother-in-law^ and William
Purdy built a carvling mill on the little Don, just
on the town line between York and Scarboro, This
mill was run by the latter in 1820, but the date of its
erection is uncertain.
William Devenish was the assessor and tax collector
and commissioner for the township for twenty-seven
years before the municipal laws came into force, and
was a J. P. until his death, on July 29th, 1856. He
had eleven children, the only one of whom surviving is
Ann, married to J. P. Wheler.
William Cornell also belongs to the group of the
earliest settlers, coming in next to Thomson. De-
scended from a Cornell, or Cornwell, who came to
America and settled in Rhode Island in 163C, William
Cornell w^as born on October 29th, 17C6. He came
to Scarboro and took up lots 17 and 18, concession C,
on the lake front, at the end of last century. He
brought his wife and family across the lake in a boat,
which they anchored out from the shore and lived in
until the house was built. He plied a lucrative trade
across the lake, carrying grain, potatoes, etc., to
The Pioneers. 45
Oswego. He lost both her and her cargo of wheat
in 1812. She was probably seized in Oswego as a
legitimate war-prize. Having to carry his corn and
wheat to Port Hope to be ground, he made an early
effort to supply the need of the settlers. He built
the first grist and saw-mill in the township, conveying
the mill-stones for the former from Kingston on his
sled, and paying for them with a span of young colts.
He set out the first orchard in the township about the
year 1802.
William Cornell was twice married. His first wife
died in 1808. His second was Tinv, the widow of
Parshall Terry. By her he had two sons and four
daughters. She died in 1834.
Cornell belonged to the Society of Friends. He
lived to the great age of 93 years and 6 months.
William Knowles, the ancestor of the present E.
Knowles, also had an eventful journey to the town-
ship. Born in England, he came here from New\
Jersey with his wife and seven children in 1803.
Coming by boat round the head of Lake Ontario, they
were obliged to put in at the Forty Mile Creek, the
site of the present tow^n of Grimsby, where the eighth
child, and father of the present R. Knowles, was born.
Xo details are extant as to whether the poor w^oman
had other care than her husband could give her, or
whether the child was born under the shelter of a roof
or of a tent. This was probably but one more of the
many instances recorded of the endurance and bravery
of the women whose sons have inherited their pluck
and made Canada wdiat it is to-day
As soon as Mrs. Knowles was able to travel, they
came on to Scarboro, probably by road, as the record
4G History of the Township of Scarboro.
is that William Knowles bought lot 3, concession 1,
from Jesse Ketchum, paying for it with a span of
horses, a set of harness, and waggon. It is reasonable
to suppose that after the birth of the child it was
more difficult to continue their journey by water.
The Forty Mile Creek was also in the direct road
from Niagara to York, and the exchange of boat for
horses and waggon w^ould not be a difficult matter to
arrange.
He had been led to suppose when he purchased the
lot that he would find a house ready to receive his
family. He found only the roofless walls of a log
shanty, and the first days of his life in Scarboro were
spent under the trees.
Knowles was a blacksmith and built the first
smithy, making the nails used in building the first
frame barn in the township. He planted out an
orchard, naming each tree after the child who dug the
obstructing stump out of the spot where the tree was
set. He grew his own fiax, and his wife, who was of
Dutch descent, carded, spun and wove all the blank-
ets, linen and cloth required for the family. William
Knowles died in May, 1825; his wife survived him till
January 27th, 1842. Dying intestate, his property went
to his eldest son Richard, who, however, g<^nerously
divided it equally with his brothers. Daniel subse-
quently bought out his brothers' shares, and lived on
the estate until 1861. The stone house on the lot was
built in 1832, and while being the second erected in
the township, is believed now to be the oldest stand-
ing. Daniel kept the first store in the section, and
was part owner with James Adams of a vessel plying
between Canadian and United States ports.
The Pioneers. 47
In 1835, Daniel Knowles was appointed one of the
Commissioners for making the present Kingston Road.
In 1850, he was a prominent member of the Scarboro
and Pickering Wharf Company. This company did
an excellent business in shipping grain, tan-bark, tim-
ber and cordwood, until the building of the Grand
Trunk Railway diverted the traffic. He was elder of
a sect known as the " Disciples of Christ." They held
their meetings in the old school-house on his land.
His sister Anna was one of the notables of the
township. She kept house for him. Rising early, she
performed her own domestic duties, then saddled a
horse, well known in the section as the " Old Sorrel,"
and rode five miles to Pickering, where her brother
John lived. After baking, washing or scrubbing for
him, and setting his bachelor quarters in order,
she rode home again before evening, following the
banks of the Rouge, making " Old Sorrel " swim
across intervening creeks. She seems to have been a
matter-of-fact woman, probably possessing a sense of
humor, and was celebrated as one of the best soap-
makers in the section. When one of her neighbors
asked "in what moon" she made it, she replied to her
superstitious querist, that her " soap was made in a
kettle, not in the moon."
James Kennedy came from Schenectady, N.Y., in
1800, and settled on lot 28, concession 5. The names
of three of his sons are prominent in the militia annals
of the township. He nad five sons and three daugh-
ters, most of whom married and settled here. His
grandson Thomas, having sold lot 28, concession 4
(his father's property), to Mr. Eckardt, succeeded
him on the old homestead, where he lived till 1847,
48 History of the Township of Scarboro.
when he bought lot 26, concession 3. Many of James
Kennedy's descendants own lots in the township ;
others are in good positions in different parts of the
country.
Isaac Chester, born in Northumberland, England,
about 1785, married Elizabeth Whitfield, in . 808, and
came to Canada, via New York, in 1819. He remained
some time in York, where he was employed in building
the brick house (still standing) on the corner of King
and Frederick streets, Toronto, afterwards occupied
by the Canada Company's offices. He moved to
Scarboro about 1820, taking out a 100-acres' grant on
lot 26, concession C, and bought the present home-
stead, lot 25, concession D, from Elummerfelt,
another resident of Scarboro, about 1828. He died at
the age of eighty-six, his wife at eighty-two. He had
nine children, and has a number of descendants still
resident in the township.
George, his fourth son, who lives on lot 19, conces-
sion D, keeps a general store. He was lieutenant in
the Scarboro militia ; postmaster from 1853 to 1858 ;
member of the council for eight years, filling the
office of Reeve for six and of 1 )eputy-Iieeve for two
years. He is a member of the Church of England and
a Conservative. He married Elizabeth Finlay, and
has three sons and two daughters.
Thomas Adams, or, as he was better known among
the settlers, " Uncle Tommy Adams," was another of
the early settlers. He was said to like his sobriquet
so well that he declined to be addressed by any other
name. He came to Canada from Vermont, U.S., in
1808, and settled upon lots 1, concessions D and 1. He
built a log-house on the bank overlooking the lake, and
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The Pioneers. 49
later on, a brick one. The latter was struck by light-
ning about the year 1832, when his son William was
killed. Thomas Adams was a carpenter, and captain
of an American sailing-vessel during the war of 1812.
He was driven for refuge into Highland Creek. There,
fearing his cargo of guns, brass kettles and ammuni-
tion might be seized, he threw everything overboard,
and, tradition adds, "the drowned cargo is still sup-
posed to be lying at the bottom of the creek."
About 183-1, Thomas Adams, in partnership with
John Allen, built a sailing-vessel at the mouth of
Highland Creek. They named her the Mary Ami.
Adams built the first school-house in the section, in
1836. It is still staading, a cottage of planks, on the
Kingston Koad. Many of the first frame houses in
the neighborhood were also put up by him. Adams
had six sons and two daughters. One of the sons,
James, was a sailor and part owner with Daniel
Knowles of the Highland Chief, a vessel built at the
Humber Eiver about 1834. This vessel was lost in a
great storm on the lakes, when all hands perished.
The wreck was driven ashore at Presqu' He Point,
overhauled, and ultimately sold to Thomas Scott.
Among the earliest names in the township is Ash-
bridge, a U. E. Loyalist. Around it a peculiar inter-
est centres. Sarah Ashbridge, a widow, with her
children, came from Philadelphia in 1790. She
was given a grant of two hundred acres, lot 27, con-
cession B. Her story would be interesting ; her loy-
alty, endurance and perseverance in making the jour-
ney from Philadelphia to Canada, and at that early
date taking up land in the wilds of a new township,
in order to li^ e and bring up her children under the
60 History of the Township of Scarkoro.
shadow of the Union Jack, should be a narrative of no
commonplace nature. It is to be regretted that this
story cannot be gathered and given now to the readers
of the records of a century in the township.
Mrs. Ashbridge bequeathed her land to two of her
grandsons, Andrew Heron and James McClure. Her
son Jonathan was granted lot 26, concession B. He
gave it to his son Isaac in 1844. Isaac married Ruth,
daughter of George Auburn, and his son Jonathan now
owns the farm. Isaac died in 18V)4.
At the time of the terrible massacre of St. Barthol-
omew, when so many lost their lives for the Protest-
ant faith, two brothers and a sister left their home and
property. They made their escape from the shores of
France in an old scow, and were taken on board a
British merchant ship bound for New York. Here
they landed and made a home for themselves and
their descendants, accunmlating a fine property in
the New World. Part of this estate is the present
Jerome Park, the finest race-track in America. Upon
the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, their loyalty
to the flag under which their ancestors had been
rescued made it impossible for them to join the rebels,
or take any part in the revolutionary movement.
Isaac Secor, the representative of the Old French
Huguenot family of De S^cor, left his property and
crossed into Canada.
He came first to Kingston, and moving west, built
the first stone mill at Napanee, and it is probably from
this mill, and the quantity of flour ground in it that
the place was named by luhe Indians " Napanee," —
flour or bread. In or about the year 1817, he under-
took the contract to improve the Kingston Road
The Pioneers. 51
through the township of Scarboro, a distance of about
twelve miles, for the sum of $1,100. He married and
left four daughters and two sons, who remained in the
township. The Secors, father and sons, served in the
militia (for particulars, see Militia chapter), proving
their loyalty and devotion to be as great in the
Scarboro branch of the family as in that settled in the
Niagara peninsula, which had the fidelity and courage
of Laura Secord to glorify it.
Instances of the changes made in names by their
environment are common throughout the country.
In the Secors the Scarboro branch had but dropped the
noble prefix of "de." In Niagara it was also dropped;
but the pronunciation of the name led to its being
spelled with a final " d," Secord.
A greater alteration, however, occurs in that of
Pierre le Pelletier, which, in Scarboro, is now only
known and recognized as Peter Pilkey. The celebra-
tion of the centennial of Scarboro settlement might
be a favorable date on which to restore the name to its
original form.
Pierre le Pelletier de Scarboro was born at Three
Eivers about 1775. He came to Kingston in 1800,
and thence to York, in a vessel carrying a cargo of
potash kettles. There being no wharf at York, the
kettles were carefully lowered from the deck to the
water, when, it is said, the men got into them and
paddled ashore !
Thus did Pierre le Pelletier, the ancestor of the
Pilkeys of to-day, arrive at York. He first located on
the right bank of the Don, within the limits of the
town of York, and obtained employment at the New
Fort.
52 History of the Township of Scarhoro.
During 1812 he held the post of baker to the
garrison, and when the capital was attacked by the
Americans under Chauncey, his stone bread-trough
was rendered useless by an enemy's cannon-ball.
It is stated that Le Pelletier took an active part in
the war of 1812, and that his family still possess a
medal given him for blowing up the fort at Detroit.
Fort Detroit was not blown up — the fort at York was,
either by accident or design, probably the latter ; and
if this Fvench-Canadian was bhe man detailed to the
duty, and was thus rewarded for it, a valuable item
would be added to the history of that memorable day.
In the same year he was employed in the convey-
ance of a cannon and an anchor from Kingston to
Penetanguishene. These were drawn by oxen from
the Rouge to Holland Landing, by way of the Dan-
forth and Old Ridge Roads. From Holland Landing
to the head of Kempenfeldt Bay they were conveyed
on a raft, thence from the site of the present towai of
Barrie to the Nottawasaga River by land, with the
intention of completing the distance by that river to
the Georgian Bay, and along its shores to Penetan-
guishene. But, alas ! the anchor was lost in the river,
wdiere it remains to the present day.*
Pierre le Pelletier settled on lot 35, concession 1,
and his family of nine sons formed a valuable company
for the development of the towaiship's resources.
Another Scarhoro pioneer with an interesting re-
cord was Joseph Harrington. His father, mother,
*This anchor was of enormous weight, and the cost of its transport
reached the sum of seven hundred pounds. It should be taken up and
preserved as an historical relic in the County of Simcoe. It would make
an excellent monument.
The Pioneers. 53
grandmother and one child, U. E. Loyahsts, left
Cleveland, Ohio, early in the spring of 1804. Driving
their own horses and bringing several cows with them,
they crossed the Niagara and came around the head
of the lake. Owing probably to the rate of travel
possible for the cattle, the party were longer on the
road than they had calculated upon. When they
reached the Huniber Kiver near Weston, it was neces-
sary to make a halt. They succeeded in securing
an old stable as a lodging, and there Joseph Harring-
ton was born, on July 17, 1804. As soon as Mrs.
Harrington was able to travel, they moved on to
Markham. Young Joseph married Sarah Pickel, of
Darlington, in 1832, and settled in the township of
Scarboro, on lot 19, concession 2, seventy-five acres of
which he bought from Wm. Proudfoot. This part of
the township was still covered with forest, and the
Harringtons had many experiences similar to those of
the earliest settlers. During the first summer they
lived in v ane house w^ithout either door or window,
and did all their cooking on a camp fire in the open
air.
Harrington built a mill-dam and mill during the
first year, and although it w^as a great labor it was a
great success, and the time spent in the work proved
a good investment both for himself and his neighbors.
James Jones, a Welshman, took up his abode on
lot 28, concession C, in 1811. He obtained a twenty-
one years' lease of it from the Clergy Reserve, paying
for the first seven years an annual rental of ten shil-
lings, or three bushels of good wheat ; thL second
seven years the rental was increased tc one pound
(twenty shillings), or six bushels, and the last seven,
54 HisT(jRY (JF THK Township of Scakhoko.
one pound ten shillings, or nine bushels of good wheat,
was claimed. He purchased this hundred acres in
1829, obtaining a deed from King's College.
Jonathan Gates, who settled on lots 19 and 20,
ooncession C, in 1815, is another name familiar to
early settlers. He was the proprietor of the well-
known Gates's Tavern, and his name will occur fre-
quently in what follows.
The name of Helliwell is now a prominent one in
the township. In the records of the founder of the
family in Canada there are several very interesting
items.
Thomas Hilliwell was a cotton spinner in Tough-
stone, Yorkshire, Enghiiid. In 1818 he decided to
try his fortune in the New World, but owing to some
guild re:julation preventing skilled workmen leaving
England, he v/as obliged to smuggle himself on board
a sailing-vessel at Sunderland, and arrived in Quebec
just after the river was free of ice. He settled first
at Lundy's Lane, and opened a store for general mer-
chandise at the junction of Lundy's Lane and the
Chippewa Road, now a central corner in the village of
Drummondville. His family joined him in August.
He also rented the building afterwards occupied as a
museum at Niagara Falls. It was then a distillery,
and Thomas Helliwell carried on the business in con-
nection with his general store, exchanging goods for
grain, which he made into whiskey and sold at a
York-shilling a gallon.^
Thomas Helliwell bought lot 7, concession 1, from
a man at the Falls in 1820, but did not settle on it.
* A York-shilling was a British sixpenny piece, and was equivalent to
sevenpence halfpenny currency, or twelve and a half cents.
Thk Pioneers. 55
His son, William HoUivvell, came to the township in
1847. In 1821 he bought the Don Mills, and l)uilt a
brewery there. After his death in 1825 his three elder
sons carried on the business, until William became of
age, when he was taken into partnership and remained
in the firm until he removed to Scarboro in 1847. He
lived in the rough-cast cottage near the present post-
oflice at Highland Creek. He has been twice married,
and has a number of descendants living in the town-
ship and in other parts of Canada.
John Hough was another of the earlier settlers who
came to Canada, crossing at Queenston in 1794. His
son William, born in Albany, N.Y., in 1777, came to
Scarboro before the close of the century. He settled
on 200 acres of lots 28, concessions A and B, on what
is now called the Kennedy lioad. His father and the
rest of the family followed him in 1804, and took up
the 200 acres of lot 30, concession B, since known as
Hough's Corners, a name it has borne for over eighty
years. John built the first saw-mill on the little
stream running through the east corner of lot 30, con-
cession C, in 1816.
We get a quaint little peep of life in the bush from
the records of the Walton family. John Walton,
born in Cumberland, England, in 1799, emigrated to
Canada, with his parents, in 1818. Having worked in
the lead mines in England, he turned his knowledge
to account by sinking wells. Many of those in the
neighborhood of Gooderham & W^orts' distillery were
sunk by John Walton. In 1823 he settled in Scar-
boro, on lot 35, concession 2, and lot "" >, concession 3,
for which he paid $1 an acre. He afitrwards sold the
north half to Robert Oliver, and lived on the south
56 History of the Township of Scarboro.
half. He married Mary Thomson, third daughter of
the first settler in Scarboro.
Mrs. Walton carried her butter and eggs to York
market, a distance of ten miles, by a footpath through
the woods. She received fourpence a pound for her
butter, or one York-shilling for two pounds, and the
same for her eggs per dozen, taking groceries and other
necessaries instead of cash. Oue takes an interest
in learning that cit the end of three years the family
fortunes had prospered well enough to provide the
worthy daughter of a brave mother with a mare called
"Kate," and a side-saddle on which she might ride to
market. After two years more, the industrious couple
procured a second steed, and, with ingenious fingers,
fashioned for the team a set of harness, from strips of
bassw^ood bark.
Thomas Paterson, born in Kelso, Scotland, settled
on lot 28, concession 3. He was a Presbyterian, and
Thomas Paterson was one of the first elders ordained
in St. Andrews's Church. His son William had pre-
ceded him by two years, taking out his patent in 1818.
The land was uncleared, and the family endured all
the hardships and privations inseparable from life in
the bush. His grandson, John L., settled on lot 27,
concession 3, is noted for the pride he has taken in
the successful working of his farm. Other grandsons
are James, Thomas and Andrew, all leading farmers
on the Kennedy Road.
Between the years 1820 and 1830 we find many
names still prominent in the township. Among them
was John Perryman Wheler, a Devonshire man, who
took an active interest in church affairs and was one
of the most prominent in all agricultural matters,
being for thirty years a director in one or other of the
The Pioneers. o7
agricultural societies in the township, or in the Ivast
Kiding of York, and a life niemher of the Agriculture
and Arts Association of Ontario. He was also a mem-
ber of the township council, and for eighteen years
held the office of reeve. Mr. Wheler was an able
man, being conversant with municipal law, and con-
sidered an authority on all questions within its scope.
As president of the first regularly constituted Reform
Association in the township, he took a lively part in
its proceedings. He was License Inspector from the
date of the Crooks Act until his death.
James lonson is another name belonging to this
date. He came from Westmoreland, England, and
settled on lot 29, concession D, in 1827.
Robert Jackson, born in Yorkshire in 1803, came
with his wife and four children to Canada. He bought
lot 17, concession D, from J. Willmot. After living
twelve years in the log-house, he desired to build a
brick residence. To do so it was first necessary to
make the bricks. This he did on the farm, puddling
the clay by the feet of his oxen. Mr. Jackson actively
assisted in the building of St. Margaret's Church, and
served as churchwarden in Christ Church for eleven
years. He was married twice, his second wife being
a daughter of Pennock Thompson. He had eighteen
children, all of whom married and settled in Canada,
and his descendants would make a regiment 850 strong.
His son, Thompson Jackson, was director and presi-
dent of the Scarboro Agricultural Society for ten years,
and representative of the township council for three.
Stephen Washington, the founder of Washington
Methodist Church, built in 1842, settled on lot 22,
concession C, in 1824.
6
58 History of the Townshii' of Scarboro.
James Humphrey, born in the County of Tyrone,
Ireland, on May 31st, 1797, came to Canada m 1824.
He purchased the two hundred acres of lot 16, conces-
sion D, for which he paid live dollars an acre to the
Clergy Reserve Fund. He was a member of the
Church of England, and gave the site on wdiich Christ
Church stands. He died in 1893, at the advanced
age of 95 years and 11 months.
Francis Armstrong, familiarly known in the town-
ship as " Daddy Armstrong." He is a carpenter and
wheelwright, and though in his eighty-third year, is
still active.
The Richardson family came from Ireland, in ^ "^23
and 1824, to lot 14, concession D. Notwithstanding
the prosperity that has attended this family, its mem-
bers are now widely scattered, the only representative
left in the township being John, w^ho represents East
York in the Local Legislature, and who is a Commis-
sioner in Queen's Bench. For fourteen years he was
Reeve, and in 1885 he held the position of County
Warden. Numerous physicians and ministers, else-
where mentioned, have done honor to the name both
in this country and the United States.
\/ Jordan Post, a settler who has left his own and his
wife's names upon two of the central business streets
of Toronto, was born in Connecticut, U.S., in 1767,
came to Canada, and settled in York about 1790, and
did business there in after years as a watch and clock
maker. He married Melinda Woodruff about 1804.
Having faith in the future of the place, he invested
largely in real estate, part of it being the block
where Jordan and Melinda streets retain the old
iiames. He moved to Scarboro in 1829, to five hun-
The Pioneers. 59
dred acres on Highland Creek, where he built a saw-
)nill, and became one of the pioneer lumbermen of
the district. He floated the output down the stream
to a point known as Cornell's Landing, and shipped
it in small sailing-vessels to various ports on the
lake. He built what was known for years as the
" Old Yellow House." It was burned down in 1885.
It stood on the site of Mr. Tredway's present house.
Here he kept a general store until his death in
1845. He left six children. His sons Jordan and
Woodruff inherited the property. The latter built a
second saw-mill about half a mile east of the old
one, and carried on a successful busniess for some
years. He finally sold out to his brother-in-law,
Stephen Closson, and went to the United States,
where he entered the Episcopal Methodist ministry,
and is still living at Olean, N.Y.
John Bell came to the township in 1820, and
purchased lot 29, concession C, from Captain John
McGill. He kept the 'Blue Bell" from 1833 until
his death in 1866. The only clearing between this
tavern and the Woodbine was a small patch on lot
32, concession B, on the hill south of the Danforth
Koad, known as McCarthy's clearing.
David Brown was a wheelwright and waggon-maker,
lot 30, concession 3. He built two stationary thresh-
ing machines for the late Wm. Hood and his brother
Thomas Brown, making his horsepower wheels with
wooden cogs. His name is perpetuated in the town-
ship ill "Brov^rn's Corners," where the present owner
of the lot is post-master.
William Oliver, lot 10, concession 3, was born
in Norfolk. He was employed by Richard Beatty,
contractor, for improving and straightening the King-
60 History of the Township of Scarboro.
ston Koad, in 183G, and was familiarly known as
" Billy-go-the-Road," probably from having tramped
some distance in search of work. He leased a point
of land adjoining Highland Creek, which is still known
as " Billy's Point." He was the iirst settler on lot 2,
concession D.
Marshall Macklem, lot 24, concession 4, is spoken
of as the pioneer planter of trees along the roadsides,
setting an example which many have followed, to the
great advantage of the township.
George Morgan took up lot 32, concession 3. His
son John, who, with his wife, survive, are aged
respectively, eighty-two and eighty years. He owned
the Iirst mowing machine used in the township (about
1838).
Wm. Nash, lot 20, concession 4, was for many years
a well-known county constable,
William Clark, born in the parish of Beith, Ken-
frewshire, Scotland, settled on lot 30, concession 4,
which he purchased from John Kennedy in 1838. He
was a member of the Home District Council in 1842.
He left seven sons and two daughters. William, jun.,
succeeded him, and had live sons and two daughters.
The second son, John C. Clark, J. P., now occupies the
homestead. Hugh, fifth son of William, sen., settled
on lot 28, concession 4.
Samuel Horsey, lot 30, concession 3, located in
1835. His son Ralph now lives on the homestead.
His second son, George Edward, now of Kansas City,
U.S., is a musician and composer of more than local
fame.
Andrew Fleming, born in Lanarkshire, Scotland,
settled on lot 9, concession 3, 1834. He left a number
The Pioneers.
61
of descendants worthy of the name to form a clan
in the New World. One of them, his namesake, now
occupies the homestead.
Of the other names which belong to a later date of
settlement, many are treated under other chapter
headings and need not be referred to more particu-
larly here.
When this chapter was first undertaken, it was
intended to give a brief account of all the families in
the township, but when the material was sent in, it
was found to be so incomplete, and to contain so many
apparently conflicting statements, that it was decided
to select only a few of the earliest familif , .3se
experiences might, in a general way, represeuL ;. x.
Imperative as this decision was, it is not the less
regrettable, both on account of the fact that so much
valuable information has been brought together, and
because of the desirability that family records of the
kind in question should be compiled. The manu-
script, however, is preserved, and is available for
future use, should it ever be decided to prepare a
Scarboro Family Book.
62 History of the Township of Scarboro.
THE LAND OF THE BRACING NORTH.
Sing ho 1 for the land- of the bracing north,
For the land of the maple tree,
Whose million of fields of gold extend
From the east to the western sea.
Oh, ho 1 for the land of a thousand lakes,
Where a myriad rivers run.
Where leaps the bold blood of a hardy race
In the heart of each sturdy son.
May the God of the nations prosper her,
May Canada's fame increase ;
May the leaf of the maple proudly wave
Till time shall forever cease.
Sing ho ! for the land of the northern lights,
Where they flash in the winter sky.
And shine like the deeds of heroes dead
Who were strong in the years gone by.
Then here's to the land of the brave and free,
And of women divinely fair,
Wliere nature is glad and the sunlight laughs
As it gleams in the buoyant air.
Sing ho I for the land of the warlike north,
For a Brock and a Lundy's Lane ;
Let foeman but touch our sacred soil
And we'll show him our might again.
Sing ho ! for the laud of our birth and pride,
For a nation that yet shall be
As splendid, as famed, and as numberless
As the leaves of her maple tree.
— William T. Allison.
SCARBORO AS IT WAS AND IS.
On the Farm. 63
CHAPTER V.
ON THE FARM.
"The first farmer was the first man, and all historic nobility rests on
possession and use of land." — Enursan.
" In ancient times, the sacred plough employed
The kings and awful fathers of mankind."
— Thoiiition.
" (3ft did the harvest to their sickle yield ;
Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke ;
How jocund did they drive their team afield !
How bow'd the woods beneath their sturdy stroke 1 "
— -Grail.
POSSESSING, as Scarboro does, almost every
variety of soil, from the sandy in the south to
the clay loam and heavy clay of the centre and north,
the methods of tillage pursued differ accordinf^ly, but
in most cases it may be said that agriculture is
intelligently followed, and the results will correspond
favorably with those of any other similar area in
Ontario.
Without exception the original settlers were char-
acterized, not by industry alone, but by that strong
common-sense which, while it accepts the inevitable,
strives as best it may to adapt means to ends. It
was, perhaps, a fortunate circumstance, that from the
earliest years, those who took up land were not all,
or even mainly, from any particular place. Scotsmen,
Englishmen, Irishmen and natives of the United
States mingled fraternally and exchanged opinions.
64 History of the Township of Scarboro.
The social friction proved beneficial all round, and
manifested its good effects, especially in the chosen
occupation of the people. During the first half of the
century, some of the best farming in Upper Canada
was conducted in this township, 'ud many of the
farms were brought to a condition scarcely, if at all,
inferior to the best in Great Britain.*
Up to this date, Scarboro has maintained its agri-
cultural reputation, and some of the very finest farms
on our continent may be found in this township.
Special reference is made to one of these in the
following pages, although it is but fair to state that
there are other farms in Scarboro, quite equal to
" Kelvin Grove " in all that goes to constitute high-
class, successful treatment of the soil.
The extracts that follow from the records of the
Agricultural Society tell their own tale, and a run
through the township will demonstrate the correctness
of all deducible inferences.
The Scarboro Agricultural Society was formed on
the first day of January, A.D. 1844. The subscription
for each member was five shillings. The officers were
a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer,
and not less than twelve Directors, to be chosen
annually.
* " One of the best farms to be seen in this neighborhood is in the town-
ship of Scarboro, belonging to Mr. Gates. He keeps a splendid tavern
just ten miles from the City Hall, upon the plank road in Kingston Street,
and his house is surrounded on both sides of the street with his farm, which
contains about ^iOO acres, some of which extends to the borders of the lake.
He takes care that every portion of it is well manured, having a large sup-
ply made in his stables, and he grows everything upon his own farm that is
consunied in his house except groceries. He catches ;i much tish as serves
his table all the year round, and makes as much sugar from his own maple
grove as he wants, and kills his own mutton, beef and pork." — W. Bkown's
"Four Years in United States and Canada," p. 86. Leeds, 1849.
On the Farm. G.>
The anniuil meeting was fixed for the first Friday of
Jiiniiary in each year, and the office-bearers' meeting
quarterly, on the first F>iday of January, April, July
and October.
It was also decided to hold annually an exhibition
of farm stock, produce and other articles, to he held
on the first Friday of October in each year.
It was determined, too, to hold a ploughing match if
the funds would admit.
The list of subscribers comprised : William Crone, J. P.
Wheler, John Torrance, Thomas Brown, Arch. Malcolui, John
Lee, Wm. Mason, Martin Snider, Joshua Sisley, Arcli. Glen-
dinning, Joiui Stobo, Stephen Closson, R. D. Hamilton, Joiseph
Armstrong, W. H. Norris, Wm. Armstrong, Isaac Che.ster, Geo.
Scott, Wm. March, Tho.s. Smitli, Robert Reid, Rev. Jas. George,
John Rogers, Thos. Paterson (Toronto), Jas. Finlay, Jas. Palmer,
Ed. Cornell, Geo. Weir, Jas. A. Th(jmson, Jas. McCowan, Jas.
Patton, Alex. Neilson, Geo. Monkman, Stephen Washington,
Nicholas Richardson, Jonathan Gates, Geo. Bambridge, John
Gibson, Joseph John.son, Francis Muir, Wm. Devenish, Davi<]
Marsliall, Ciias. Cornell, Wm. Fitzpatrick, David Brown, Thos.
Jac<iues, Henry Howell, Alex. Bederact, Thos. Paterson, Jas.
Carnaghan, Barljara Berwick, Thos. Whiteside, Jas. Lawrie,
Benjamin Johnson, Geo. W. Post, Ed. Whitelield, Thos. Young^
Thos. Davidson, John Holmes, Wm. Clark, Robert Sellers, Jas.
Davidson, Wm. Weir, Robert McCowan, John Ferguson, Wm.
Paterson, Geo. Auburn, Allan McLean, W. D. Thomson, Wm.
Hood, Jas. Harley. Total, 71 members.
The officers electeil were : President, Wm. Crone ; Vice-Presi-
dent, J. P. Wheler ; Secretary, Stephen Closson : Treasurer,
Thos. Brown.
£ s. I).
Total received from members' subscriptions 17 15
Government grant 11 5
Total £29
60
History of the Township ok Scarboro.
The first fair was held at Sisley's Hott'l. DanF(»rtli Rcwid,
on October 18th, 1844, wlieii the t'ollovviiij^ ]>reiniuins were
awarded :
One-year-old mare
II II
Brood mare Ist prize lOs.
II 2nd .1 5s.
Two-year-ol<l mare colt . . 1st pi'i/e
II II 'I . . 2nd II
II hoi'se II . . 1st -I
M " II . . 2nd II
. 1st .1
. 2nd II
Aged bull 1st
One young bull l.st «
Milch cow 1st
II 2nd M
Two-year-old heifer .... 1st
II M .... 2nd II
One-year-old n .... 1st n
II II .... 2nd 11
Aged ram 1st n
II 2nd H
Ram lamb 1st h
II 2nd I.
Aged ewe 1st
II 2nd H
Ewe lamb 1st n
2n(l n
Boar 1st n
Sow 1st
M 2nd M
Jas. Patton.
Geo. Auburn.
Arch. Cilendinning.
Jas. McCowan.
John Holmes.
John Stoljo.
T. Davidson.
John Holmes.
H. Howell.
Robt. McCowan.
Jas. Davidson.
Jsis. McCowan.
Geo. Auburn.
John "^Forrance.
Robt. Reid.
Robt. Reid.
Wm. Mason.
J. P. Wheler.
John Lee.
Geo. Scott.
J. P. Wheler.
Geo. Scott.
J. P. Wheler.
Geo. Scott.
John Lee.
John Lee.
(jleo. Weir.
Grain.
2 bush, fall wheat 1st prize
II II II 2nd 11
M spring II 1st n
M II M 2nQ II
W. Paterson.
John Holmes.
John Lee.
A. "McLean.
On the Farm. 67
2 bush, peas 1st prize , . A. McLean.
M 2nd M . . Win. Mason,
.1 oats 1st ir . , Jus. Patton.
M 2n(l M . . J. Torrance.
M potatoes 1st « . . Joshua Sisley.
II S. turnips 1st « . . John Torrance.
M W. M 1st M . . Wni. Weir.
4 lbs. butter 1st - . . J. P. Wheler.
II It 2n(l .1 . . Jas. McCowan.
2 lbs. cheese 1st « . . Jas. Patton.
For stock, the prizes were 10s. and .^s. respectively for 1st
and 2n<l.
For grain, potatoes, roots, butter and cheese, the prizes were
OS. and 28. 6d. for Ist and 2nd respectively.
The total prizes awarded amounted to £13 7s. 6d.
The 8econ<l fair of the Agricultural Society was held at
Sisley 8, on the 18th day of October, 1845.
£ s. n.
The total receipts were 39 10
The expenditure was —
Premiums awarded 27 10
Ploughing match 2 10
Printing 18 9
Total £30 18 9
Leaving a balance of £8 lis. 8d. to carry over to next account.
The officers were the same as for the previous year. In addi-
tion thirty-seven directors were elected. The total number of
subscribers was eighty.
Premiums were awarded — in horses, to M. Hutchinson, Jas.
McCowan, Thos. Davidson, and Geo. Scott ; in cattle, to John
Torrance, John Bell, Arch. Forfar, M. Davidson, and James
McCowan ; in sheep, J. P. Wheler and A. Taylor; in hogs, John
Lee, D. Thomson, and Geo. Weir; in grain, A. Glendinning, W.
Clark, Alex. Neilson, Geo. Scott, John Torrance, Col. McLean,
Jas. Patrick, J. P. Wheler, Thos. Brown ; in roots and potatoes,
68 History of the Township of Scarboro.
R. Reid, S. Washington, and J. P. Wheler ; in butter, James
McCowan and Jas. Patrick ; in cheese, Jas. McCowan and
G. Scott.
In 1846, the fair was again held at Joshua Sisley's, when
£24 10s. was awarded in prizes. The successful competitors
were : in horses, A. Forfar, A. Neilson, Wm. Mason, D. McBeath;
in cattle, John Torrance, A. Taylor, Margt. Davidson, A. Forfar,
E. Whitetield ; in sheep, A. Taylor, G. Scott, George Miller ; in
hogs, Wm. Boynton, J. P. Wheler, A. Neilson, J. Donaldson ;
in grain, J. P. Wheler, Wni. Devenish, Thos. Brownhe, James
Patton, .J jhn Torrance, D. Thomson, W. Crone ; in potatoes
and roots, S. Washington, J. Crawford, W. Crone ; in butter
and cheese, Margt. Davidson, Jas. McCowan, John Torrance,
Geo. Scott.
The total amount of premiums awarded was £24 Is. The
officers were the same as for 1845.
The fair in 1847 was also held at Sisley's, on Friday, the
fii-st day of October. One of the regulations was that any
male animal taking a first prize was to remain in the township
during the next ensuing season. The judges appointed were :
For horses, John Thom, John Elliott (of Pickering), and Joseph
Smith : for cattle and sheep, William Mason, John Darling (of
Markham), and Robert Reid; for Vmtter, cheese, and roots,
Wm. Devenish, Thos. Dowswell, and Edward Cornell.
The successful exhibitors were : in horses, W. Miller, R. Reid,
M. Hutchinson, W. Boynton, and Hugh Elliot : in cattle, A.
Taylor, J. P. Wheler, G, Scott, Jas. Patton ; in sheep, W. Miller,
Geo. Miller, and R. Reid ; in pigs, W. Boynton, G. Scott, J.
Ferguson, Alex. Wilson : in potatoes, R. Reid, and J. Pilkey ;
in roots, J. Patton, W. Crone, S. Washington ; in grain, J. P.
Wheler, J. Gibson, Wm. Clark, J. Torrance, and Thos. Brownlee ;
in cheese, George Scott and James McCowan ; in butter, Thos.
Brownlee and Margt. Davidson.
The total amount awarded was £22 7s. 6d.
In 1848, a resolution was passed prohibiting any person not
residing in the township from showing any description of pro-
perty for competition at the annual show. The ^'how was held
On the Farm. 69
at Sisley's, on October 13th, when £26 2s. 6d. was awarded in
premiums.
The fair for 1850 was held at J. H. Smith's tavern, Kennedy
Road, when £15 2s. 6d. was awarded in prizes.
The fair for 1851 was held at the same place, but no parti-
culars are available.
In 1852, the total number of subscribers was 121, and the
total receipts were £44 5s. 6d.
The premiums awarded at the fall fair amounted to £25 Os. 6d.
£ s. D.
In 1853 the receipts from subscriptions
were 19 7 6
Balance from previous year 17 10 7
Grant from Government 11 2 6
Total £48 7
Expenditure.
£ s. n.
There was paid in premiums 28 2 6
Paid in printing 1 5
M judges' dinners 18 9
II biilance to ploughmen 14 10
By balance on hand 3 4 4
The successful exhibitors were: in horses, J. P. Whelei, J.
Crawford, R. Steers, George Scott, A. Glendinning and A.
Forfar ; in cattle, G. Scott, A. Forfar, J. P. Wheler, J. Patton,
W. Wride, J. Gould : in sheep and swine, J. P. Wheler, G. Scott,
J. Lawrie, William Wride ; in grain, J. P. Wheler, William
Paterson, William Forfar, J. Sisley, J. Patton ; in roots, J.
Sisley, J. Crawford, J. P. Wheler, G. Ridout : in dairy products,
J. McCowan, A. (Jlendinning, William Hutcheson ; in imple-
ments, James Gilray, J. Crowther, R. Sylvester,
Fall fair, 1854. The total number of subscribers was 101.
The fair was held at Malcolm's " Speed the Plough " Inn,
Malvern, Markham Road, on October uth, 1854.
70 History of the Township of Scarboro.
The successful exhibitors were : in horses, J. P. Wheler,
James Lawrie, James Putton, James Bowes ; in cattle, J. P.
Wheler, James Patton, A. Young, John Wilson, Richaixl Collins;
in sheep, Geo. Scott, J. P. Wheler; in swine, J. P. Wheler,
William Wride, John W^eir ; in grain, J. P. Wheler, Williani
Paterson, John Muir, John Weir, James Patton : in roots, Joshua
Sisley, A. Glendinning, J. P. Wheler, John Weir; in dairy pro-
ducts, James Patton, A. Young, George Ridout, John Weir ; in
implements, George Ley, James Bowes, R. Sylvester. The
total amount awarded in prizes was £26.
The annual meeting of the Agricultural Society was held at
Malcolm's Inn, Markham Road. The following were elected
office-bearers :
President, J. P. Wheler ; Vice-President, J. H. Smith : Secre-
tary-Treasurer, A. Glendinning; Directors, William Paterson,
James Lawrie, Robert Buchanan, William Hood, John Weir,
William Mason, Robert Paterson, Thomas Crone and James
Patton.
The fall fair was held at Robertson's Inn, Kennedy Road, on
October 26th, 1855, when the successful exhibitors were : in
horses, J. P. Wheler, William Paterson, Andrew Young, A. P.
Thomson; in cattle, J. P. Wheler, James F-itton, W^illiara
Wride, James Lawrie, John Crawford : in sheep, J. P. Wheler,
John Malcolm, George Scott, Joshua Sisley ; in swine, J. P.
W^heler, John Malcolm ; in grain, William Paterson, William
Wride, John Malcolm, William Forfar, Joshua Sisley ; in roots
and potatoes, J. P. W^heler, William Pateraon, James Lawrie,
John Malcolm, William Forfar, J. Sisley, F. Bell ; in implements,
etc., George Ley, George Ricliardson, Richard Sylvester. The
total amount awarded was £25 15s.
The officers for Scarboro Agricultural Society for 1856 were :
President, J. P. Wheler : Vice-President, J. H. Smith ; Secretary-
Ti'easurer, Wm. Crawford. Directors — David Brown, Andrew
Flendng, R. McCowan, Wm. Wride, Jas. Purvis, J. B. Burk,
J. L. Paterson, Thos. Brown.
The fair was held on October 10th, 1856.
On the Farm. 71
The successful exhibitors were : in horses, Win. Wride, John
Crawford, A. P. Thomson, Joshua Sislej'-, Jas. Lawrie, Wni.
Paterson ; in cattle, J. P. Wheler, Win. Wride, John Crawford,
John Malcolm, Jas. Patton, Jas. Lawrie, Geo. Scott, Alex. Gibb ;
in sheep, John Malcolm, Geo. Scott, Jas. Weir; in swine, J. P.
Wheler, Wm. Wi-ide, John Malcolm : in grain, Wm. Wride, Jas.
Patton, A. P. 'I'homson, Joshua Sisley, Andrew Fleming, Andrew
Walker : in roots an<l potatoes, J. P. Wheler, J. Sisley, G. Ridout,
Andrew Fleming ; in Imtter and cheese, Andrew Fleming, Alex.
Wallace, Jas. Russell ; in implements, John Malcolm, John
Brown, John P>urk, John Heck.
The total amount awarded was £29 10s.
The officers of the Scarboro Agricultural Society for 1857
were : President, J. P. Wheler : Vice-President, Jas Lawrie ;
Secretary-Treasurer, Wm. Crawford. Directors — A. Fleming,
Thos. Whiteside, Jas. Purvis, R. Sylvester, F. Scott, D. Brown,
Wm. Wride, Alex. Thomson, John Hockri<ige.
The fair was held at Hockridge's Inn, Kennedy Road, on
Friday, October IGth, 1857.
The successful exhibitors were ■ in horses, Jas. Lawrie, John
Crawford, Wm. Crawford, Andrew Young, Geo. Scott, Andrew
Taylor, Joshua Sisley, Mark Hutchinson, Wm. Oliver, Geo.
Weir, D. Thomson, Alex. Muirhead, Geo. Graham ; in cattle,
J. P. Wheler, Jas. Lawrie, Andrew Young, John Malcolm, John
ToiTance, Jas. Patton, Wm. Wride, Andrew Fleminj^>; ; in sheej),
J. P. Wheler, Jas. Lawrie, John Malcolm, Geo. Scott ; in swine,
John Malcolm, Wm. Wride , in grain, Jas. Lawrie, Geo. Scott,
Joshua Sisley, Wm. Wride, Andrew Fleming, Wm. Forfar, A.
Glendinning ; in roots and potatoes, J. P. Wheler, John Malcolm,
Wm. Irving, Wm. Paterson, John Weir ; in dairy products and
bread, Andrew Young, Jas. Patton, John Cliester, Wm. Irving,
A. Glendinning, Wm. Paterson, John Stobo ; in implements, etc.,
J. Brown, J. Patton, J. Fowler, Joseph Bowden.
The tot.d amount awarded was £45 12s. 6d.
The Scarboro Agricultural Society has held fairs each year
since organization, and during the last twenty years the pro-
gress of the Society has been steady, while the improvement
72 History of the Town'^'iip of Scarhoro.
both in the niimber and variety of the exhibits and in the
amount offered in premiums has been marked, as a conse-
(juence, Searboro breeders have become well known to American
buyers — our magnificent heavy horses especially commanding
very high prices.
The fair held at Woburn, on the 27th day of September,
1895, was one of the most successful in the Society's history,
there being no fewer than 1 ,462 entries in the various classes,
and a total amount of S 1,1 10 was offered in prizes.
There were entered for competition 139 horses, 71 cattle, 60
sheep, 19 swine, 78 poultry : 190 entries were made in dairy
products, 02 in grain and seeds, 211 in roots and potatoes, 351
in fruit and garden products 32 in implements and manufac-
tures, 249 in ladies' work and fine arts.
The following sums were awarded in prizes : For horses,
$204; cattle, SSO; sheep, S52 : swine, ^24: poultry, $24.50:
dairy products, $187.50 ; grain and seeds, $46.50 ; roots and
potatoes, $62 ; fruit and vegetables, $104.50 ; implements and
manufactures, $51 : and for fine arts and ladies' work, $85.
The principal exhibitors were: in horses, Alf. Mason, W.
Howard, \Vm. Annis, W. C. Ormerod, Wm. Fisher, Thos. Hood,
Jas. Maxwell, J. Chapman, J. Lawrie, A. Summerfeldt, H. Arm-
strong, W. A. Noble, Wm. Milliken, Jas. ToiTance, Jas. McGris-
ken, J. Little, A. Coulson, P. Stewart, T. Jackson, J. Stobo, Wm.
Mason, Wm. Loveless, G. R. Forfar, J. Ashbridge, L. Kennedy,
J. Kirton, Thos. Walton and Wm. Doherty ; in cattle, John
Lawrie, Crawford Bros., Wm. Fisher, John Little, A. A. Forfar,
W. J. Haycraft, Jas. Lawrie and J. Miller : in sheep, W. F.
Pearson, J. W. Cowan, F. VVheler, J. Miller, P. Boynton and T.
F. Boynton ; in hogs, W. J. Haycraft and Boynton Bros. ; in
poultry, W. J. Haycraft, J. Lawrie, A. Martin, J. M. & Thos.
Ramsey and G. Robins.
In grain, S. Rennie, U Young and T. & J. Manderson ; in
roots and potatoes, W. B. Davidson, A. W. Thomson, S. Rennie,
R. W. Thomson, G. McCowan, J. L. Paterson, W. White, S.
Morgan, Geo. F. Morgan, P. C ^oll, R. Sellers, J. McGrisken
and U. Young; in fruit, etc., K. W. Thomson, A. W. Thomson,
On the Farm. 73
H. T. Orinerod. J. Johnson, H. Wliite, Alex. Baird, Wni. Patton,
A. lonson, Thos. lonson, Alex. Neilson, D. Be*in, J. Ashbridge,
Wni. Loveless, Jas. Chester, J. Lawrie and J. Holmes; in daiiy
products, Mrs. Wm. Mason, Miss A. Davidson, Miss Jackson,
Miss N. Malcolm, Mrs. Alex. Baird, Mrs. Wm. Young^, Mrs. F.
Weir, Mrs. R. S. Powers, Mrs. Robert Chapman, Mrs Adam
Richaidson and Mrs. W. W. Walton : in ladies' work, Mrs. S.
Rich, Mrs. W. J. Haycraft, Mrs. R. S. Powers, Mrs. J. H(jlmes,
Mrs. Cousins, Misses M. and A. Paterson, Miss M. Mason, Miss
J. Forfar, Mrs. M. Secor, Mrs. G. Gray, Miss M. H. Thomson,
Mrs. A. W. Forfar, Miss B'^ldam, Mrs. A. lonson. Miss N. Mal-
colm, Miss E. Hammond, Miss A. Davidson, Miss F. Chester,
Mrs. J. Chapman, Mi-s. G. R. Forfar, Miss M. Jackson and Mrs.
A. Mason : in implements and manufactures, D. Beldam, Jas.
Ley, Jas. Gibson, A. W. Forfar, Thos. Ramsey, G. D. Davies
and the Speight Waggon Co.
The officers and directors of the Scarboro Agricultural So-
ciety for the present year are : President, W. H. Tredway ;
^/^ice-President, D. Beldam ; Directors — W^m. Doherty, T. Jack-
son, T. Pherrill, W. W. Walton, G. R. Forfar, Geo. C. Chester,
J. Ramsey, W. J. Haycraft and Geo. Little ; Auditors — A. M.
Secor and Alex. Baird ; Sec'y-Treas., Alex. McCowan.
EA8T RIDING OF YORK FARMERS' ASSOCIATION.
The East York Farmers' Institute, composed largely of
Scarboro farmers, originated at a meeting held at EUesmere,
February 11th, 1886, called for the purpose of forming an
association for mutual improvement and protection.
An association was accordingly formed, to be known as "The
East Riding of York Farmers' Association."
The officers were : J. T. Brown, President ; A. Richardson,
1st ^^ice-President: George May, 2nd Vice-President; W. D.
Fitzpatrick, Secretary ; W. W. Walton, Treasurer.
Various committees were appointed, and the first subject
selected for discussion was, " The feeding of cattle for the pro-
duction of milk."
6
74 History ok thf, Tovvnshie' of Scarhoro.
EAST YORK FARMERS' INSTITUTE.
The former Association was continued until Julv, 1887, when
the East York Fanners' Institute was orj^fanized at a nieetin<^
held at Ellesniere, by the election of J. T. Brown as President :
A. Richaivlson, Vice-President; Alex. McCowan, Secretary':
Thos. Whiteside, Treasurer.
The directors were: F. Arnistroiii;, J. Leadlev, (Jeoriio Smith,
Jos. Tingle, R. (Jalhraith, Geo. Elliot, B. Carnaohan, D. Marshall,
Frank Glendiiniing, and W. Glendinnin^'.
Since organization, the Institute has held meetings regularly
every second week during the winter months, principally at
Ellesniere and Agincourt : and special yearly mass-meetings,
addressed by delegates sent by the Department of Agriculture.
At these meetings subjects connected with agriculture are dis-
cussed. Among the subjects engaging the attention of the
Institute have l)een : '" The improvement of stock : " " Breeding
of Clydesdale horses ; " " Rotation of crops ; " " The selection
and cultivation of fruit trees :" "Buying, feeding and marketing
of cattle for the British market ;" " Sheep-feeding and rai.sing; "
" Farm Fences ; " " Statute Labor : " " Countiy Roads : " " Farm
Insurance : " " Poultiy on the Farm ; " " Bees on the Farm : '
"Farm Help : " " Mist 'ikes made in Farming:" and kindred
.subjects.
J. T. Brown held tlic office of President lentil ]89'\ when
Andrew Hood succeeded him, and heUl that jffice lantil 1892.
John Leailley was Pi-esident in 1892 and '98. L. Kennedy was
President in 1894-95.
T. M. Whiteside was elected Secretary' in 1888, and continued
in that office until 1892, when J. C. Clark succeeded him.
The present officers are: A. Richardson, Pi-esident : \V. J.
Haycraft, 1st Vice-President : Jos. Armstrong 2n(l Vice-P)\'si-
dent : J. C. Clark, Secretary : Geo. Elliot, Treatuirer. Din'cton;
— S. Rennie, E. Wood, J. Elliot, \Vm. Johnson, and J. Kennedy.
The membership for 189') was seventy-seven.'*"
*The foregoing iiccount of the Agricultural Societies and Farmers'
Iu.stitutes was supplied by J. C. Clark.
TYPICAL BUILDINGS— Old, and Recent.
1. Old Lop Birn. 2. old Log Blacksmith Shop. 3. yialvern Hall.
4. Bam (transition period). 5. Farm Steading of To-day.
0. Side-drive Barr. 7. End-drive Barn.
On the P'arm. 75
THOROUGHBRED STOCK.
J. P. Wheler deserves the credit of haviiif^ done much to
improve the stock of the township and of the Province l)y his
enterprise in the importation, first, of Durham, and, more
recently, of Ayrshire cattle, many of which secured the highest
premiums awarded at local and provincial fairs.
John Torrance, sen., is also well known as an importer of
Ayrshire cattle and draught horses. Mr. Torrance's efforts to
improve stock have been crowned with well-merited success.
John Hockridge was one of the first importers of Leicester
sheep, early in the " forties." He lived on the Kennedy Road.
Others who devoted themselves to the importation of thor-
oughbreds were James Lawrie, George Scott, John and William
Crawford, and Simon Beattie, most of whom included horses,
cattle and sheep in their enterprise ; the Crawfords making a
specialty of Ayrshire cattle and Clydesdale horses. Mr. Beattie,
too, favored Clydesdale horses.
With so many noted importers and breeders in the township,
it is little wonder that in stock, as in other departments, Scar-
boro stands so high at the present day.
PLOUGHING MATCHES.
From an early date in the history of the township there
seems to have been a disposition, or rather a determination, to
conduct farming in a manner superior to the slip-shod methods
that characterized many other portions of the Province. The
presence of huge pine stumps did not, however, favor " scientific"
ploughing, but as soon as these provoking obstacles could be
removed, a desire was evinced to emulate the accurate " rig and
fur " performances of Old Country ploughmen.
Mr. Wm. Brown already quoted, wrote in the " forties " :
" Everything you see and hear [in Scarboro] reminds you of
your English home. You will see as good ploughing and gen-
eral farm management as you do in the best parts of England."
Mr. A. M. Secor, one of the oldest living natives of the town-
ship, thinks there was a ploughing match held on the farm of Mr.
76 History of the Township ok S( akhoko.
R. Stobo, lot 21, concession C (Kinf^rston Road), in 1830 or 1831,
and that the j)lon<j]niien were, Messrs. J. Torrance and A. CJlen-
dinninj^ : and J. L. Paterson states that there was a plough-
ing match held (hv thinks, at Ed. Cornell's), about 1832 or
1833, in which the late Win. Hood was a competitor, Abraham
Torrance takinj^ first prize.
In 183(3, a ploughin<jf match came off on the farm of David
Annis, lot 10, concession C, the principal and oidy competitors
beinj^ Jas. Patton and J. Atkinson.
Another account says the first ploufrhing match was held at
Robert Stobo's place in 1833, when R. Stobo, R. McNair, and
one of the Torrances took prizes, and that another match was
held where part of Toronto now stands, in 1835, the prize-
takers being John Lawrie, Archibald Thomson, and Jas. Patton,
all of Scarboi-o. He further states that in 1836 or 1837, among
those who carried off the honors were Jas. Patton, Abraliam
Torrance and John Lawrie. It was probably at this match
(some think it was in 1838) that Walter Crone took first prize
in the boys' class, his ploughing being thought the best on
the field.
But most of those, and probably even some earlier trials of
skill now wholly forgotten, were individual, rather than general,
in their character, and it was not until the organization of the
Scarboro Agricultural Society in January, 1844, that it became
possible to manage such friendly contests in a regular manner.
Notwithstanding the cautious nature of the Society's resolution
only "to hold a ploughing match if the funds would permit," the
hearty support extended to this movement warranted a com-
petition in the following spring,* and we find accordingly that
" The first ploughing match under the auspices of the Scarboro
Agricultural Society was held at Ai'ch. Muir's, Kingston Road,
on April 26th, 1844, when there were eight competitors.
The first prize (£1 10s.), was awarded to John Gibson ; sec-
ond (£1 OS.), to Archibald Glendinning ; third (£1), to Joshua
Sisley ; fourth (15s.), to Wm. Crone, a total of £4 10s.
* The statement following is almost word for word as written by J. C.
Clark, of Agincourt.
On the Farm. 77
The judges were Jan. Patton, And. Bertram and Ed. Cornell.
The second ploii<^hin«( match under the auspices of the Scar-
boro Agricultural Society was held April, 1845, on tlm farm of
Chas. Cornell, Kini^'ston Roa<l.
The Judf^es were Jas. McCowan, Thos. Brown and Wm.
Clark, Jun.
In this match there were to be two classes, viz., one for Old
Countrymen, and one for Canadians. The time of the match to
be at the rate of an acre in ten hours. C)nly two prizes were
awai'ded — first, to Jas. Patton (£1 10s.): second, to Alex. Wilson
(£1), the rest of the competitors failino- to complete their work
in the time recpiired.
The third annual plouffhing match was held in April, 184(),
In this there were two classes, those under, and those over
seventeen years of age.
The prizes for those over seventeen were awarded : first, to
John (Jibson : second, to John Crone ; third, to Arch. Glen-
dinning : fourth, to Joshua Sislev.
Prizes for those under seventeen : first, to John Wakefield ;
second, to Wm. Wakefield : third, to J. Pilkey. At this match
£7 was awarded in prizes.
The fourth ploughing matcli was held April 22nd, 1847, on
lot 2(S, concession I).
The successful competitors were : In class one — first, Jas. Pat-
ton : second, John Cibson : third, John Wakefield. In second
class — first. William Wakefield : second, J. Pilkey.
The fifth ploughing match was held April 22nd, 1S48, at W.
Buclianan s, lot .S8, concession 8, in the L'Amaroux Settlement.
The successful cf)mpetitors were : first, Jas. Patton : second,
Wm. Hood : third, J. Sisley. Junior class : first, J. L. Paterson;
second, W. Wakefield ; third, J. Pilkey.
The sixth ploughing match was held in 1849, at Asa Post's,
township of Pickering, when twenty premiums were awarded
to the twenty best ploughmen, these to be selected to plough
against an equal number from W'hitby.
The following were the ploughmen for Scarboro : J. Crone,
John Weir, George Evans, James W^eir, William Addison, James
78 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Patton, J. Torrance, R. Gilchrist, William Hood, John Crawford,
J. Morrison, John Wakefield, J. L. Paterson, Thomas Crone,
Joshua Kennedy, William Weir, Robert Addison, A. P. Thom-
son, A. Bertram, and James McCowan.
The Scarboro men defeated those from Whitby.
The following is an extract from the treasurer's book as to
expenses incurred in connection with this competition :
£ S. D.
To bill for dinners at William Palmer's
in Pickering 21
Pay for beer on the field 5
K Mr. Brown [Geo. ?] for printing 2 15
II Turnpikes (tolls) 1 50
In 1850, a ploughing match w^as held at lot 31, concession D
(Mr. John Martin's), at which 15s. was awarded to each of the
twenty best ploughmen, these to be selected to plough a match
against an equal number from Yaughan. The judges for Scar-
boro were John Weir, of Reach ; J. Gibson, of Markham :
William Crone and James Darling.
The following is extracted from the Treasurer's account :
1850. £ s. D.
To paid Mr. Sheppardson 20 00
200 bills 1
M Township bills 7 6
M Beer on the field* 50
Turnpikes [tolls] 60
II Postasje 11.^
Total £21 19 7i
1850.
June 14th, to paid the 20 men 20
II II II expenses as above . £21 19 7i
The balance £3 Os. 4 id. was divided among the ploughmen.
* Mr. David Martin says that this does not account for all the beer, that
there were three booths, that his father supplied a keg, and that he himself
carried the beer around, and his brother Robert distributed the cakes.
On the Farm. 79
In 1851, another ploughing match between Scarboro and
Vaughan came oft' near Thoruhill in the lattc: township, when
Scarboro achieved even a more decisive victory."
At this point a break may be made in Mr. Clark's annals to
introduce an interesting statement by Mr. David Martin,
explanatory of the origin of the inter-township contests just
mentioned :
" For some time previous to the period above referred to (1849
to 1851), a spirit of riv^alry had existed between the townships
of Whitby and Darlington, and a good deal of chaffing was
indulged in with regard to the merits of their respective
ploughmen. In order to bring matters to an issue and thus
end the controversy, Whitby sent out a challenge, open to any
township in the Province, conditions to be twenty men and
SlOO a side.
This was done with the expectation that Darlington would
instantly take up the gauntlet thus thrown down. This, how-
ever, the latter failed to do, and the challenge remaining open
for some time, was at length accepter! by Scarboro. This was
in the spring of 1849, and the match at which these twenty
men were selected to meet Whitby, was held on lot 83, in the
3rd concession, at that time tenanted by W^illiam Buchanan.
The representatives of the respective townships met each other
half way, viz., on the farm of Asa Post in the township of
Pickering, Scarboro winning easily. One of the conditions
of the match was that the winners be bound to accept a chal-
lenge from any other township in the Province, if made within
one year.
The following spring, viz., 1850, Vaughan challenged Scar-
boro to a trial of skill, number of men an-' alakes to be the
same as before. The match at which the f wenty were chosen
to meet Vaughan took place on the farm of John Martin, lot
31, concession D, April 26th. And a few days after, the
Scarboro ploughmen met their opponents on the farm of M.
Welch, near Thornhill, township of Markham, the Scarboro
men beating Vaughan scarcely less decisively than the}' had
Whitby the previous year. This result was a surprise to the
80 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Vaughan ploughmen, who attributed their defeat to every
reason but the true one, viz., the superior skill of their oppo-
nents ; and what rendered the defeat all the more galling was
the presence of the Earl of Elgin, the first and last Governor-
General to grace a ploughing match with his presence. This
extreme dissatisfaction on the part of Vaughan prompted them
to challenge Scarboro again in the following spring. The latter,
of course, at once accepted, and twenty of her best men were
again chosen at a match held on lot 28, concession D, then
occupied by Mr. George Evans. Kigfoot Farm, Markham, the
property of the late George Miller (the celebrated importer of
Durliam cattle and Leicester sheep), was chosen as the battle
ground on which the question of supremacy was to be settled.
The honors again remained with Scarboro, Vaughan sustaining
a more signal defeat than before.
The ploughmen of the latter township were now more dis-
satisfied than ever, and the following spring issued a third
challenge, conditions as to number of men and stakes same as
on the two previous years. Scarboro, however, having now
beaten Vaughan twice, refused to be bound l)y the former con-
ditions, but ofiered to meet them with thirty 'men a side, the
stakes to be doubled. Vaughan accepted. Scarboro held a
match on the farm of James lonson, lot 29, concession D, at
which the requisite thirty were selected. Vaughan, however,
now began to haggle and to demand such unreasonable changes
in the conditions on which the match was to be held, that
Scarboro refused to entertain them, and after a great deal of
bickering the match was declared ofi".
These contests led to a marked improvement in what to the
husbandman is a most important and necessary art. The
ploughs used, it may be proper to state, were mostly imported
from the celebrated 'makers. R. Gray and Sons, Uddingston,
near Glasgow, Scotland.
Another matter may also be mentioned here. Although
not having any neces.sary connection with ploughing, yet it
serves to illustrate a great change in the social habits of the
people. It was then (juite common to see three or four liquor-
On THE Farm. 81
bars in the field in full blast, the hotel-keeper holdings that his
license conferred the right to sell drink anywhere within the
limits of the municipality. Nobody questioned it ; indeed, it
was thought ((uite a convenience to have the supply there, a
state of matters which public opinion would not now tolerate
for an instant.
No record of these matches having been kept, it is now diffi-
cult, if not impossible, to obtain the names of all the plough-
men who took part in them, but the following list may be
taken to be correct as far as it goes; some of them ploughi ig
in one match and some in another — those marked vitii an
asterisk certainly in all of them :
* James Patton, *John L. Paterson, * James McCowan, *Aichi-
bald P. Thomson, *George Evans, *John Crone, *James Weir,
*Thos. Crone, *John Weir, John Crawford, *W^m. Weir, Joshua
Sisley, *John Wakefield, Geo. Burk, Wm. Wakefield, Archibald
Browning, *Wm. Hood, Robert Gilchrist, Walter Hood, Andrew
Bertram, Henry Mason, John Cash, Wm, Addison."
Proceeding with Mr. Clark's account, we find that " In 1852,
at the annual meeting of the Agricultural Societ}', held pro-
bably on lot 28, concession D, it was moved by J. P. Wheler,
and seconded by Mr. Palmer, ' that the money now lying in tlie
hands of the Treasurer, and belonging to the Ploughmen's
Society, remain in the Treasurer's hands for six months.'"
Carrie*].
In 18.54, at the annual meeting of the Agricultural Society,
held at John Malcolm's Inn, Markham Road, a communication
was received from Messrs. P. Paterson &l Son, Toronto, placing
at disposal of the Society a double-movinted iron plough as a
premium to be competed for at the annual ploughing match.
A vote of thanks was passed to the Messrs. Paterson for the gift.
The entrance fee was placed at 2os. for each ploughuian, and
the total amount was to be divided into a number of additional
prize.s.
The ploughing match was held at Mr. Arch. Malcolm's farm,
on the .5th of May, when the following ploughmen competed :
Jas. Patton, Jas. Hamilton, Thos. Mason, John Paterson, Robt.
82 History of the Township of Scarkoro.
Paterson, Geo. Evans, J. Sisley, John Weir, Chas. Curtis, Wni.
Breekon, Robert Gilchrist (of Scarhoro), Wni. Hood (of Mark-
ham), Gio. Strachan, Geo. Burk, Josh. Lotton, Jas. Rosson (of
Pickering), Wni. Dalziel, and Henry White (of Vanghau >
The prizes were awarded as follows :
First Class.
1st. Jas. Patton, Scarboro Iron plough.
2nd. Robt. Paterson, Scarboro £3 os.
3rd. Joshua Lotton, Pickering 3
4th. Chas. Curtis, Scarboro 2 15
5th. Gea Burk, Pickering 2 10
6th. Thos. Mason, Scarboro 2 5
7th. Wni. Hood, JMarkham 2
8th. Geo. Strachan, Pickering 1 15
9th. Win. Dalziel, Vaughan 110
10th. John Paterson, Scarboro 1 5
lltli. Geo. Evans, Scarboro 1
12th. Jas. Rossen, Pickering 15
13th. Wm. Breekon, Scarboro 010
Second Class.
Boys under eighteen years of age and residents in the town-
ship:
1st. Geo. Breekon £1 5s.
2nd. Duncan Malcolm 1
At the first quarterly meeting of the Scarboro Agricultural
Society for 1855, held at Robertson's Inn, April 0th, it was
moved, seconded, and
Resolved, — That the purse of £50 * won from the ploughmen
of Vaughan Township, shall be equally divided among the men
who ploughed at the several matches between the townships,
giving each ploughman a share in proportion to the number of
matches at which he ploughed.
The ploughing match was held on the farm of Mr. Jame^
* As £50 currency was equal to §200, the " pur.se " must have meant the
two years' winnings.
On the Farm. 83
lonson, on the 4th day of May, 1855. This match was restricted
to residents of the township, and there were two classes, those
over the age of twenty years and those under that age. The
successful competitors were :
First Class.
£ .S. D.
1st. RoLert Paterson, iron plough, value 9
2nd. James Weir, cash 1 50
3rd. John Paterson, cash 1 00
4th. John Weir, cash 15
Second Class.
isL Aiclx. Malcolm, cash 2 50
2nd. Robert Muir, cash 1 15
3rd. George Patton, cash 1 5
4th. George Breckon, cash 15
The ploughing match for 1856 was held at Mr. John
Malcolm's farm, Clyde Bank, on Friday, the 1st day of May,
when the following were the successful competitors :
First class, all ploughmen over the age of 18 years :
£ s. u.
1st prize, Robert Muir 1 50
2nd ., Arch. Malcolm 1 00
3rd u George Patton 15
4th II James Cooper 10
Second class, boys under 18 years of age:
1st prize, W^atson W^ride 1 50
2nd I, David Burk 1 00
The annual ploughing match for 1857 was held on the farm
of William Bell, Kennedy Road, on Friday, April 24th. At
this there were two classes, as formerly. The following prizes
were awarded :
Senior Class.
£ S. D.
1st prize, John Bushby 2 10
2nd II Arch. Malcolm 2 50
3rd n George Evans 2 00
84 History of the Township of Scarboro.
£ 8. I).
4th prize, Georj:re Walton 116
5th n Richard Burk 1 10
6th n Rohert Muir 1 50
7th „ Win. Thomson 1
8th n Joseph Stark 15
9th .. George Patton 10
Second Class.
1st prize, David Bm-k I 10
2nd t. Simpson Rennie 1 5
3rd .1 George Sheppard ] 2 6
4th ., Watson Wride 1
5th II Francis Papineau 17 6
6th I, Robert Skelton 15
7tii .1 George Morgan 12 6
8th I, John Wride 100
9th II John Brown 7 6
A special prize was au'^arded to William Sylvester of £1 2s. 6d.
From 1857 the progress of ploughing in the township was
rapid, and it may be said that the next twenty years saw the
development and culmination of this art, bringing to the front
the Rennies, Hoods, Morgans, Patersons, Malcolms, Pattons,
Weirs, Kennedys, and Stewart, of the first class, and Ormerods,
Vradenburg, Ley, Pickering, Telfer, Masons, Burk, Keats, Yeo-
mans, Wood, Dix, Littles, Shadlock, Steers, and others of the
second class.
It may be doubted whether their acknowledged superiority
could have been attained by^carboro ploughmen ha<l they not
had the services of a skilful mechanic in the constructing and
adjusting of their ploughs. Thus the artisan at the forge, an<l
the ploughman in the field were enabled to evolve an implement
constructed on scientific principles, thoroughly adapted to the
work of moulding and placing the upturned soil in the position
required by judges of what constitutes perfect ploughing.
The right kind of mechanic was found in James Ley, whose
shop, for weeks before an important match took place, was
On the Farm. 86
thronged witli ploughmen from near and far, while the glow of
the forge and tiie merry ring of the anvil could be seen and
heard far into the night. Mr. Ley's iron ploughs have still a
reputation in the Province second only, if imleed, second, to
that o^' the Grays, of Uddingston, Sct)tland.
Charles White, of Milliken (who, though not a resident of
the township, liad a shop located so near the border as to be
under the influence of the prevailing ploughing sentiment), also
contributed to the success of 8carboro ploughmen, and was
consi<lered by many to be (juite as skilful as Mr. Ley,
At a ploughing match held near London in the fall of 18G5,
S. Rennie took third place among eighty-three competitors.
The judges, moreover, paid .i high compliment to Mr. Rennie's
work by saying it was done more in accordance with scientific
principles than that of any of his competitors, and they re-
(frette*! that he had been assi<;ne<l to a field the soil of which
was such that high-class work was impossible.
At another match, under the auspices of the Agriculture and
Arts Association, held near Hamilton in the following year,
Andrew Hood took second prize, and another Scarboro-taught
ploughman, in the person of his brother, Walter Hood, of An-
caster, was awarded first.
At Brooklin, in 1868, over sixty plouglimen competed. In
the first class, of five prizes awarded, four came to Scarboro,
viz. : S. Rennie, first ; Adam Hood, second ; Wm. Hood, third ;
and Andrew Hood, fifth. In the second class, a Scarboro
ploughman, William Patton, took first prize. At this match
the time allowed was twelve hours to an acre, while the length
of the lots \vas under twenty rods. The time taken up in
turning was thus increased. The field abounded in stones, and
in tlie hurry and excitement of a close finish an enthusiastic
Scarboro ploughman did not notice that he had lost a portion
of his ploughshare, which loss, however, did not prevent his
taking a first place.
October 21st, 1875, was a red-letter day in the history of
Scarboro ploughing, as the provincial match under the auspices
of the Agriculture and Arts Association was held on that date
86 History of thi: Township of Scakhoko.
on the farm of Hu;j^h Clark, lot 29, conccHsion 4, hoar wlicru
Agincourt station now stands.
The connnittee in cluirge was composed of Messrs. Wilmot,
Aylesworth and Graham, representing the Agricnlture and
Arts Association : Messrs. Tran, Wheler, Crawford, Speight and
Rennie, representing the East York Agricnltnral Society, and
John Little, representing the Scarboro Agricnltnral Society.
John Crawford was appointed Secretary of Committee, and
.^558 was awarded in prizes. The jndges were James Borland
(Darlington), James Weir and George Bin-k (Scarboro), for
the first class; Wm. Foley (Darlington), James McCowan and
Jas. Weir, for the second class : Geo. Shaw (Darlington), Peter
Bri.stol (Bath), and John Coxwortli, for the third, fourth and
fifth clas.ses. Among the 1,500 spectators was Wm. Hood, sen.,
than whom there is none more deserving of a niclie in the his-
tory of the agricultural development of the township. ]\Ir.
Hood had three sons competing in this match, and each of them
obtained a first prize.
The ]\hirkham Economist said of this gathering: "The
connnittee, judges, ploughmen, and many of the visitors were
very generously entertained by Mr. Clark, who, with his good
lady and family, were untiring in their efforts to promote the
comfort of their guests, and their hospitality will be long
remembered by the numerous participants."
Mr. S. Rennie was equally generous : in fact, all the farmers
residing within a radius of two miles made visitors welcome.
The judges said they had never seen such uniforndy good
ploughing, nor so much done in one day, while no dissatisfaction
was apparent.
In the first class there were twelve entries and five prizes.
Of these, three were won by Scarboro ploughmen, viz.: first,
Andrew Hood ; second, John Morgan, and the fifth, Jas. G.
Paterson.
In the second class there were twenty-five entries, and the
first five prizes were secured liy Scarboro men, viz. : first, Thos.
Hood ; second, Thos. Keats : third, A. Smith ; fourth, Wesley
Ormerod, and fifth, Alex. Stewart.
PRIZE PLOUGHMEN
On the Farm. 87
In tht.' thir<l cIhhh, Adam Hoxl tocjk tirst prize.
In the fourth cIuhh the Scarhoro winneis were : J. I*. Mason,
who took third prize ; J. Thomson, wlio took I'ourtli, and
Xornian Malcohii, who won fifth.
In the fifth cUiss the Scarlwro prize-takers were : J. R. Secoi",
who won first; W. Ormerod, who won third; Wm. Ferguson,
foui'th, and Arch. Paterson, sixth.
At a provincial matcli held at E<;linton in 1878, Thos. Hood
took first prize in first class.
Adam Hood took first in third class, with Jas. Patton second.
In 18(S8, at a ploughinf( match held near Montreal under the
auspices of the Quebec Provincial As.sociation of Agriculture
and Arts, Andrew Hood won the first prize in the first class, a
very handsome gold medal, valued at $75, and his brother-in-
law, Wm. ]Milliken (Markham), took secon<l prize.
In 1890, the East York Ploughmen's Association was formed.
The officers were: A. Quantz, President: .John Little, of Scar-
boro, Vice-President, and Thomas Hood, of Scarboro, Secretary-
Treasurer. The Directors were : Wm. Hunter, Wm. Milliken,
Wm. Hood, W. T. Hood, S. Hitter, D. C. Steele, F. W. Jackes,
J. B. Gould and George Gormley, of Markham : S. Rennie, Robt.
Petch, J. G. Paterson, J. L. Paterson, Alex. Doherty, Andrew
Hood and J. Morgan, of Scarboro.
This association has held a ploughing match each year since
its organization.
In 1894, they received the Provincial grant, and held their
match on the farm of Wm. Mdliken, Markham. In the
various classes there were sixty-two entries. In the first class
the Scarboro winners were: F. W^eir, who took second prize, and
Thos. Little, who won sixth prize. In the second class R.
Rennie took first prize ; Alex. Sterling, second ; Thos. Shadlock,
fifth, and W. Bennett, sixth. In the third class Walter Pilkey
took third prize. In the fourth class A. Thomson took second
prize, and in the fifth class Jos. Nash took first prize ; Thos.
Craig, second ; John Loveless, fifth, and W^m. Doherty, sixth. In
the sixth class A. Bennett took first prize ; Thos. Bell, second :
John Monk, third ; Albert Mason, fourth : R. Chapman, fifth ;
Thos. Jackson, sixth ; F. Collins, seventh, and Geo. Beare, eighth.
88 History of the Town-^iI' of Scarboro.
The last match was held on October 31st, 1895, on the farm
of John Lawrie, near Malvern, Scarboro, when there were
thirty-nine entries. The Scarboro winners were : In the first
class, George Little, who won fourth prize, and Thos. Little, who
won fifth. In the second class R. Rennie took first ; Thos.
Shadlock, second; Alex. Stirling, third, and Alex. Weir, fifth. In
the third class Wni. Fisher won first prize ; Jos. Teeson, second :
S. Pickering, tliird: W. F. Bennett, fourth, and L. Thomson, sixth.
In the fifth class Thos. Bell took scond prize ; Albert Mason,
third, Thos. Craig, fourth, and F. Collins, sixth. In the sixth
class, John Malcolm took first prize, and C. Mason, second."
IMPLEMENTS.
For many years the implements used on the farm were
primitive in design and rude in construction, but well adapted
for the work they had to perform. Settlers from Britain
(juickly perceived that they must modify their views regarding
such things by adapting themselves to the circumstances of a
new country, as well as by philosophically accepting the inevit-
able. But as the clearings increased in size and the stumps
<lisappeared, the demand grew for implements and machinery to
take the place of the old " No. 4," or even less elegant and less
efficient plough: the "Wild Goose" or a -shaped drag; the
reaping-hook and scythe ; the flail and the ancient methods of
winnowing. When oxen became despised as aids on the farm,
and horses came into general use, iron ploughs were imported
from Scotland, and counterparts of them were produced here.
Blacksmiths began to vie with each other in turning out the
lightest, most wide-spreading, and most serviceable harrows;
the cradle displac-od the hook, while lighter waggons and
more comfortable sleighs took the places of the c^inbrous
vehicles that had done duty in pioneer days. No lorger were
the sleighs shod with strips of beech ; and the erstwhile spring-
pole waggon-seat was supplanted by one supported on elastic
steel. Then the day of machinery dawned.
The first reaper, the " Hussey," was brought into the town-
ship by Martin Snider in 1851, from Albany, N.Y. In the
On the Farm. 89
following year someone imbued with old fogy ideas, and
inspired by diabolism, ruined this machine, upon which Mr.
Snider immediately proceeded to Albany and procured another.
Self-rakers were brought from Rochester in 1854. On the
occasion of their introduction, on the 17th July in that year, a
procession of seventeen waggons was formed, each carrying a
reaper, and a parade was made along King Strett, from the
city to Scarboro. As self-rakers, these machines were not a
success, and in most instancee the rakes were removed and
the bundles thrown off by hand.
The Hussey reaping machine had to be drawn at a trot to
make it work at all satisfactorily, especially when the grain
stalks were a little damp ; and so exhausting was this work on
horses that two teams had to be kept in the field for needful
changes. The original reapers had no reels, but this defect
was soon remedied, and improvements rendered the draught
considerably liirhter than it was at first. Some of the machines
delivered the grain at the side so that cutting could be done
without waiting for the sheaves to be made, but in most cases
these were pushed off" by a man on the rear of the machine, the
binders following. Self -rakers came next, and after them the
self-binder (about 1883), the latter performing its work, at
first with wire, but afterwards with twine.
John Morgan was the pioneer in the introduction of the
mower, he having purchased a machine known as the " Kirby,"
and made by Massey in Newcastle in 1851.
The six-horsepower " buzzer " followed the flail, but as it
did not thoroughly separate the grain from the straw and chafi",
the newer threshing machine took its place, and latterly, steam
has been employed as the motive power instead of horses.
Hugh Elliot and Peter Pilkey were among the first to run
buzzers in this township.
The first separators were imported from Rochester.
At the other end in the line of development, it is stated that
the steam threshing engine was introduced July 31, 1879,
7
^0 History of the Township of Scarboro.
by David Beldam, who paid .^1,216 for a Woodbridge machine.
Mowin^^ machines, too, have been considerably improved, and
in connection with hay-nxaking we have also the sulky-rake
and the " tedder," all saving nmch labor and time.
Even the sowing is not now performed by hand, broadcast
And drill machines being employed for this purpose.
Tillage is no longer confined to the old single plough and the
harrow. In addition to innumerable improved forms of both of
these, we have sulky and gang-ploughs and cultivators in great
variety, which largely answer the purpose of both plough and
harrow.
Spades, shovels, hoes, manure-forks and hay-forks, as Wf
have them to-day, are fully fifty per cent, lighter than those in
use at the beginning of the nineteenth century, and the same
may be said regarding almost eve^y other farm implement in
which steel has taken the place of iron. Hand- tools, like those
just mentioned, must ever retain a place on the farm, although
they are not now employed to anything like the extent of their
old-time application. Modern devices have largely displaced
them all, except on the very smallest plots of ground, and every
year decreases the amount of labor formerl}^ done with such
tools, the best illustration of which may be found in the pres-
ent-day methods of loading and unloading hay by means of
horse-power, which is also utilized to carry the material to the
most distant part of the mow. Roots are no longer chopped
with a cleaver, or slowlj^ sliced with a knife ; a windy day is
not now required to separate the chatt' from the wheat ; it is not
now necessary to lose a day by going to mill for the purpose
of having a few bags of coarse grain ground for feed ; even the
pumping of water by hand has ceased on many farms, and in
all the above instances machines of one kind and another,
whatever their motive power may be, have rendered obsolete
the older and simpler, but more laborious methods.
In the dairy, too, it would astonish our grandmothers if they
could have but a peep or two at the way things are managed
where there is a dairy ; but on many farms this department
has become most modest in its proportions and equally su in its
On the Farm. 91
aims, for the milk, when not sent to a joint-stock company's
creamery or cheese factory, is usually dispatched in lar^e cans
to supply the wants of Toronto's population.
The vast improvement that has taken place in implements
has enabled the farmer to dispense with the employment of so
many extra " hands " as were formerly re([uired during busy
seasons, and has not only rendered it necessary for him to pro-
\ide special accommodation for the housing of his machines,
but has laid upon him the obligation to become, in considerable
measure, a mechanic.
His wife, too, has profited not a little from the nowadays
order of things. Of course, she is still kept busy, or, rather,
she keeps herself busy. She has convinced herself that
" woman's work is never done," and she is determined to live
up to this creed or perish in the attempt ; but when all her
old-fashioned and ever-necessary daily dusting, and sweeping,
and cooking have been performed, she has now much more
leisure to knit a little, to " piece and patch " a little, to read a
little, and even to exchange confidences with her neighbor.
The results conse([uent on the development of electrical
science during the twentieth century, now almost within hail-
ing distance, are certain to revolutionize agricultural methods
in a still more marked degree tlian has yet been effected, and
in no way will the change be more noticeable than in the
variety and structure of farm implements. Through the wind-
mill, anil by other agencies (until the time is reached when solar
heat itself shall be cheaply transformed into electrical energy),
batteries will be charged as motors for the plough, the harrow,
the reaping and all other machines that now require the use of
horses. Even weeds may be exterminated and plant-growth
regulated by the same mysterious means, while scarcely any-
thing can be more certain that not only will heat and light for
domestic purposes be similarly supplied, but that the farmer of
the future will market his produce and ride to church in elec-
trically propelled vehicles.
92 History of the Township of Scari^oro.
KELVIN GROVE FARM.
It can be said of* the township of Scarboro that it occupies
the proud position of having the farm that won the gold medal
and the sweepstakes prize awarded by the Provincial Govern-
ment in 1883 and 1886, respectively.
When the instructions given to the judges, and the number
of farms entered upon the list of competition are known, the
distinction gained and the honors won are all the more gratifying.
The instructions to the judges were in the following terms :
" In addition to any other points that may be thought desirable
by the judges, the following shall be taken into consideration
in estimating what is ' the best-managed farm ' :
1. The competing farm to be not less than one hundred
acres, two-thirds of which must be under cultivation.
2. The nature of the farming — whether mixed dairy, or anj^
other mode — to be the most suitable under conditions effected
by local circumstances.
3. The proper position of the buildings in relation to the
whole farm.
4. The attention paid to the preservation of timber, and
shelter, by planting of trees.
5. The condition of any private roads.
6. The character, sufficiency and condition of fences, and
the manner in which the farm is subdivided into fields.
7. Improvements by removal of obstacles to cultivation,
including drainage.
8. General condition of buildings, including dwelling-house,
and their adaptability to the wants of the farm and family.
9. The management, character, suitability, condition and
number of live-stock kept.
10. The number, condition and suitability of implements
and machinery.
11. State of the garden and orchard.
1 2. Management of farm-yard manure.
13. The cultivation of crops, to embrace manuring, cleaning,
produce per acre in relation to management, and character of
soil and climate.
On the Farm. 93
14. General order, economy and water supply.
15. Cost of production and relative profits."
In 1883 the jjjroup comprised the counties of Cardvvell, Peel,
York, Ontario, Durham, Sin.coe, Muskoka and Algoma. The
gold medal was won by Scar])cro.
In 1886 there were eighteen entries, comprising farms in
the counties of Middlesex, Oxford, Kent, Brant, Simcoe,
Wellington, York, Norfolk, Renfrew, Carleton, Frontenac,
Mctoria, Huron, Halton, and Bruce.
These included all the gold medal farms of previous years,
nearly all the silver medallists, and a number of the bronze
medallists. Here again the same township and the same farm
won the sweepstakes prize.
This farm is situated in concession 5, lot 30, township of
Scarboro. It was deeded by Mrs. James Fenwick to Joshua
L'Amaroux, on January Kith, 1832, for £75. On February 17th,
1838, it was sold to Robert Rennie for £175, and on June 5th,
1867, it was deeded to Simpson Rennie, its present owner.
Probably no better history could be given of this farm than
that to be found in the " Reports of the Council of the Agi-i-
culture and Arts Association of Ontario '" for the years 1883
and 1886, as follows:
"The casual observer, in passing Kelvin Grove, owned by
Mr. Simpson Rennie, township of Scarboro, might easily be
oblivious of the fact that on his right and left lay the different
compartments of a farm that for some years hence shall be
regarded as the most famous in Ontario, and which will live
in the story of Canadian agriculture in all time. This farm,
consisting of about one hundred acres, lies principally in the
5th concession of Scai'boro, extending from side-road to side-
road, with twenty-two and a half acres across the highway.
. The country around it is plain and level. There
is almost a total absence of the romantic in nature, either on
the farm or the surroundings, as the running brook, the tree-
clad hill, or the shady dell, with its witchery of attractions.
The buildings are plain, and so are the fences. There is no
attempt at display, and yet there is a perfection of neatness
94 History of the Township of Scarboro.
about everything belonging to the place, and everything that
is done upon it, such as v e never saw at any other farm.
"When the I'Mrniing that is usually done at our Agricultur.vl
Colleges e(|uals that of Kelvin Grove, either in its essence or
upon its surface, then shall students crowd in from all <iuartcrs
to get lessons in this first and noblest of the sciences. . . .
The farm could not be better divided into fields. . . . No
better site could have been chosen for the buildings, and the
bush is in the most convenient location. The plan of the
yards and the site of the orchard could not be improved upon,
so that in all these particulars we assign to Kelvin Grove the
full number of marks. The orchard, comprising two and a half
acres, is in a flourishing condition, and is surrounded by one of
the most perfect Norway spruce hedges to be found anywhere.
It resembles a high fortification, sloping inwards toward the
top, so dense that the blasts of winter cannot penetrate it, and
so high that the winds which scale it blow above the tops of
the trees within. No limb in all its length protrudes beyond
another, and although but some twelve yeai-s planted, it is now
more than twelve feet high. . . . The soil of this farm, a
clay loam, blackish in its texture, and resting on a not over
retentive sub-soil of clay, is most thoroughly underdrained.
"The obstacles of cultivation were absolutely lacking. They
had all been removed, not a stick or stone was to be seen dis-
figuring the garden-like surface of this farm, nor is there a
prong of a stump on the place to jar the plough, or disturb
the equilibrium of the ploughman. The cultivation was simply
perfect, if perfection is attainable in this line. . . .
" The system of husbandry is mixed, though in a modified
form. . . .
"The fences were the neatest of the kind that we have ever
seen, without any exception. They consist mainly of the
straight rail, post, stake and wire ; but the rails are all fitted at
the ends, and perfectly level on the top and even with the
posts, and the stakes were sawn. The posts are sunk four feet
in the ground. You might look along the top of a line of this
fence the full extent of the length and breadth of the farm.
On the Farm. 95
without (letectin^ the slit^^htest variation in the construc-
tion. . . .
"Tl\e singular neatness alx)ut every detail of this farm was
one of its unicjue features ; even in the most trifling details it
is everywhere manifest. . . .
"A word to our young men before we leave the description
of this sweepstakes farm. Kelvin Grove lias not attained its
present proud distinction by accident, or as the result of a
happy combination of circumstances. In several respects
others of the competing farms had by nature a most decided
advantage, as in natural beauty, water supply, and in other
ways. It has been made what it is by the unflinching de-
termination of its owner. The sweepstakes prize for the best
farm in Ontario is not the flrst prize he has won, but the last
of a long line, each one of which has been the direct result
of a personal effort."
Milk.
The most recent industry, and one which is rapidly develop-
ing year by year to the advantage of the Scarboro farmer, is
the production of milk for consumption in Toronto.
Joseph Gray, of Toronto, is said to have begun the Scarbora
trade in May, 1877, but on account of the diflftculty in keeping
the milk sweet, his venture did not prove a success.
On the 1st of May, in the following year, two farmers, James
Taylor and David W, Thompson, determined to establish dairies
and handle their own product without the aid of any middle-
man. They also purchased milk from their neighbors, and so
successfully did they carry on this business that others have
devoted their attention to it, and the consequence is that from
seventeen eight-gallon cans per day taken into the city in 1878,
there are now upwards of three hundred. The principal con-
cerns and their daily product are here given :
Loudon Dairy 27 cans.
Hillside " 27 "
Wexford " 27 "
Elm " 27 "
Bendale " 25 "
96 History of the Townsi'^p of Scarboro.
Lake Shore Dairy 25 cans.
Highland Creek Dairy 25 "
Danforth Dairy 27 "
Wol.urn " 65 "
Agincourt " 25 "
300 "
Individual dealers, say 50 "
Total 350 "
As each can contains ei^i^ht gallons, the daily average (quan-
tity delivered in Toronto is about 2,800 gallons, and as the
producer is paid at the rate of 85 cents per can, the cash
returns amount to fully SI 00,000 per annum to the farmers.
The development of this industry has not been without a
very perceptible effect on the methods of farming. Indian
com, hay, and forage crojDS of various kinds have largely dis-
placed grain. Many milk*-co\vs are kept in stalls during part
of the summer, and supplied with green food and meal, or
chopped grain. Farmers who formerly depended mainly on
wheat and other grains, now rely chiefly, or altogether on dairy
products, especially milk.
LOGGING AND RAISING BEES.
Bees of many kinds are a necessity in every new settlement,
where it frequently happens that the united labor of numerous
hands is required.
First, in point of time, if not in importance, came the logging-
bee. Usually, during fall, the lioHion of forest to be cleared
w^ould be "underbrush*^^," or freed from all saplings and low
growths that might interfere with one's freedom of motion from
place to place, or with the swing of the axe. Winter-time was
devoted to the real chopping, which consisted not only in felling
the trees, but in cutting them into lengths of from twelve to
fifteen or sixteen feet. The most skilful choppers succeeded
best in making as many trees as possible fall with their tops
* The ugly and useless word milch is purposely avoided here, as there
seems to be no more reason for speaking of a milch-cow than of a milch -
maid, a milch-pail, or a milch-sop.
On the Farm. 97
toj^ether, thus saviiii^ much labor iti disposing; of the "brush," a
matter of very consi<lerable importance.
So far, one man mi^ht carry on the work alone, but as stx)n
as the logs were cut, co operation became necessary. Neighbors
arrived at the "chopping" by invitation, many bringing their
oxen with them, and the work of forming innnense log-heaps
began. In Scarboro it was customary to divide the " ciiopping "
into portions about four rods wide, and forty lo!ig, containing an
acre, for seven or eight men, and a yoke of oxen. Such a
portion was called a "through." The gangs of rnen vied with
each other as to which should first accomplish the task of
arranging the logs in great piles, so constructed as to burn
freely, and on the completion of the work festivity and rollick-
ing mirth followed in due cour.se.
Sometimes logging-bees were carried on during the early
hours of sunnner mornings, chiefly, perhaps, for the sake of the
oxen, which fre(j[uently succumbed to the effects of noon-day
heat.
After a good " burn " the clearance could be rendered fit for
receiving seed during the fall.
Raising-bees, or, simply, "raisings," as they were usually
called, demanded skill of a different order. Gatherings of this
kind were not of such frecjuent occurrence as those for logging
purposes, but from the first they were of great importance.
The putting up of the simplest log shanty recjuired the united
labor of several men ; barns of this description demanded a
score or more, and when frame structures took the place of the
log ones, large numbers of hands were needed to place the
timbers in position after the framer had done his work. The
raising of a big barn was a matter of no small conse(iuence. All
the neighbors for miles around were invited, the women being
required to prepare and serve the immense quantities of food
used on such occasions. As time and opportunity served, indi-
viduals in every section or settlement developed special aptitude
in handling the huge " sticks " and placing them in position.
Two good men were always chosen as " captains," and they,
in turn, selected their assistants from the crowd of willing
98 History of the Township of Scarboko.
workers, youn<^ and old. The right of first choice was settled
by one of the captains tossin<i up a piece of hark, or chi]),
marked on one side, the opposiii<; captain <ruessing white oi"
black, wet or dry, before it reached the ground. Naturally
enough, the men first selected felt the honor, and looked for-
ward with no small degree of ambition to the time when they
themselves would be chosen captains and have the choice of
men, for it must be borne in mind that, in connection with these
"bees," there was fre(|uently much rivalry among the y<ning
men, because, in pioneer comnmnities, bone and muscle, adiled
to skill in the execution of manual labor, stand deservedly high
in popular estimation. The captains, having decided by another
toss which end of the building each gang should tackle, the
contest (and it was a real one) takes place between the twenty,
forty or fifty men engaged on each .side. All is couimotion and
apparent confusion, but only apparent, for every stick is num-
bered. The race begins for who shall first get one of the bents
together, and next as to which side shall have it first up. The
excitement becomes more intense ; the grog-boss moves al tout
discreetly, dispensing his favors ; the men's clothing is now no
more than trousers and shirt — some have even dispensed with
boots and stockings, that they may skip freely along the uplifted
bents and purline plates when the proper time arrives. The
clamor of gruflf voices is deafening, and the stentor-tones of
" Yoh, heave!" may be heard easily half a mile away. But
long before sundown every brace is in its place, the last pin
has been driven, and all the rafters are in position. If no
serious accident has happened, the rai.sing may be regarded as
a success, for it is extremel}' dangerous work. Bumped heads,
" barked " shins and jammed fingers may be numerous, but they
are not taken into account. The frame is up, the job is well
done, and our side came out ahead. Hurrah !
Of late years, when a barn is finished, it has been the custom
for the farmer to invite the young people of the neighborhood
to a dance on the spacious floor of the new building. In 1894
about four hundred young folks gathered in the large barn of
Mr. J. Mason. In 1892 a similar celebration was held at Mr.
T. Jackson's.
On the Farm. 99
THE CANADIAN BACKWOODSMAN.
VVM. CLARK, JUN., AGIXCOUllT (1840).
Away in the l)ush on my stninp-studded clearance,
I fret na' for kintra' nor kin ;
Hero a body's no' faslied* wi' a laird's interference,
Tliouj^h a livin's j^ey fajshiou.st to win.
I dinna forget the j^reen haunts o' my childhood,
Loved spots in the lands far away,
VVliich memory will cherish while leaves deck the wiMwood,
Or plants woo the freshness o' May.
But oh, in yon islands how al l did it grieve me
Tlie poor man's condition to see.
And sometimes to feel too wi' nane to relieve me :
Now here I hae little to dree, j
I hae sax score guid acres, tho' rough to be sure,
Wi' houses and cattle to tit,
And though cash binna plenty, I'll no' say I'm poor
(There's a thing they ca' " trade " gangs for it).
Wi' chopping and logging and ploughing and reaping
I've mair aye to do than I can.
0' a' places else, there's least time here for sleeping,
It's labor, no' rank, mak's the man.
To plough my ain land is nae sma' consolation,
Though the rigs§ binna straight to a line ;
In ilk molehill o' life there's aye some dislocation, ||
And so there, of course, is in mine.
'Tis cheery to look on the trees waving yellow
And think there's nae rent day at han'.
The taxes at hame are the bane of a fallow,
Wha hasna a mine at comman'.
I hear o' rebellion, distress and commotion
In the lands I hae left far ahin,^
And rejoice, there's a soil on this side o' the ocean
Where the willin' a livin' may win.
Even kings noo a days are na free frae adverses,
Where the tide o' convulsion has flown ;
Here peace is the crown o' a' man's ither mercies, —
A shanty's mair sure than a throne !
• Fashed, annoyed, worried. Dislocation. The word here is oliliterated in
t Fashions, difficult, troublesome. the MS., and the reader may supply a better
t Dree, to endure or suffer. one than we have succeeded in doing.
§ Rigs, ridges (the ploughing). H Ahin, behind.
100 History ok tiik TovvNsiin^ ok Scarhoro.
CHAITER VI.
»
DOMESTIC LIFE.
" At niyht returning, every Irthor 8j)ed,
He sitfs him down, the monarch of a shed ;
Smiles by hits cheerful tire, and round surveys
His children's looks that brighten at the blaze ;
While his loved partner, boastful of her hoard,
Displays her cleanly platter on the board."
— Goldsmith.
THE 'Mather" and "mother" of Scarboro were
not left long in the absolute loneliness referred
to elsewhere. Members of his and her families settled
around them, but the difficulties of life in the bush
were not easily overcome. Perhaps the greatest in-
convenience was the absence of mills. Many a make-
shift had to be resorted to, of which remembrances
still linger. A corn-mill (for Indian corn) in common
use is thus described : A long pole was balanced on a
forked upright post, well sunk in the ground ; to one
end of the pole was attached a rope, by which it could
be worked up and down ; to the other end of the pole
was affixed an elongated block of wood, which had its
lower end rounded to fit into a hollow in a large and
heavy block standing on the ground. In this hollow
the corn was put, and the pole, by means of the rope,
was worked up and down so that the descent of the
upper block crushed the corn in the hollow of the
lower.
Domestic Life. 101
Roads not being opened up in the township, and
the difficulty of travelling the mere ox-trails and
bridle-paths being great, stores were few. Yet indus-
tries flourished, and, necessarily, they were such as
have always been common to new, or secluded com-
munities in the Old, as well as the New World.
Straw-working was carried on to a considerable
extent, for men and women wanted light covering for
their heads, and the bees required hives. The early
crops of cereals were but large enough to little more
than supply the necessities of the farmers them-
selves, and much of the straw was converted into
hats. Many a wet day and spare hour were usefully
tilled by the young folk in preparing and plaiting the
straw for bead-wear. Rye, wheat and oat straw were
all used for the purpose, but rye was the favorite.
The hats being sewed, they were bleached by exposure
to the fumes of sulphur in a close box. The best rye
hats sold for four York-shillings (fifty cents), those of
w^heat straw for half that price, and a large number
were sent to market.
The women of Scarboro were also famous spinners.
Four skeins of fourteen knots each was considered a
good day's work, but some of the maidens, in their
desire to outdo their rivals, reached as high as eight,
and produced that number day after day. The latter
skeins appear to have been of the size containing eight
knots, and this would give them a supremacy of eight
knots in the day's work.
This, of course, was with the large wheel. But
the small wheel had its honors, too, and one loves to
imagine the bright, healthy girl of those early days as
she lilted her happy song while she drew the fine
102 History of the Township of Scarboro.
thread, perhaps to be woven into her bridal outfit,
from the humming wheel, and gaily smiling to herself
as the tones of her lover's voice fell upon her ear from
the distant field or the full barn, as he pursued his
day's employment.
Nor can w^e forget the mother, full of cares and pro-
jects for the welfare of her dear ones, who've thoughts
would run in a quieter strain, yet who sang tc her
toddling bairns, or to the babe in the cradle, the words
of some homely old ditty.
As far as can be ascertained, David Thomson had
the first flock of sheep in his section of the township,
but he had great difficulty in keeping his lambs from
the wolf, that would attack the flock even in daylight.
Before the introduction of carding mills, all work in
preparing wool for cloth was done by hand. Picking,
dyeing, carding, spinning, and weaving were part of
the thrifty housewife's work. Nor were her colors ani-
line dyes either; she procured the plants that grew
around. For brown she took butternut; for yellow,
onion skins or wax- wood, and golden-rod ; sumach
came in for her purpose also, and a dozen other color-
sources that the Indian had found out long before.
When carding mills were introduced, wool was
taken to the mill to be made into rolls, then spun,
dyed and woven at home. Here, too, the good wife
made her husband's clothing as well as her own and
her children's. How she did so much in a day of
iiweuty-four hours only is a present-day puzzle. It is
true, neither housekeeping nor cooking in those days
was very elaborate. There were no drawing-rooms —
the open-hearthed, hospitable kitchen, with its blazing
fire, served all purposes.
Domestic Life. 103
Stoves of any kind did not find their way to
Scarboro for a good many years. An amusing story
is still told of one of the old settlers, evidently an
oddity, who has left behind him the legend of a fire
called the " koonet," or " coonet," or, as was pro-
bably the correct word, the " Vankonghnet " fire.
Mr. Vankoughnet's idea of comfort and convenience
savored of the rough plenty of the time, and is wholly
inapplicable to a date when wood is worth six dollars
a cord. Near the middle of his one-roomed house he
constructed a fire-bed by digging a shallow pit about
six inches deep and three or four feet across, the edges
of which were flanked with stones set in clay mortar.
He made a door on each side of his cabin, through
which he drew the logs with an ox. Having taken in
sufficient fuel for the night he closed his doors, rolled
the logs at full length across the fire-pit, and sat down
to read, to meditate, or perhaps chat with a friendly
neighbor.
But the ordinary settler's fire, large as it was, was
not on so liberal a scale. The place which the stove
now holds in the farm kitchen was well filled in past
days by the bake-kettle and Dutch oven, in which both
bread and meat could be nicely prepared for table.
Indeed, for the baking of bread the iron kettle, covered
by a lid, and buried beneath the live coals, is said to
have surpassed the stove appliances of to-day.
Various other methods of preparing food were re-
sorted to in the kitchen before the advent of stoves.
Meat was sometimes hung to roast, suspended on a
hook before the fire, or, as the Indian used to carry
out the same idea, by holding the meat on a forked
stick close to the red-hot coals on the hearth. Nor
104 History of the Township of Scarboro.
were the resources of the housewife exhausted by these
methods. Did she wish to prepare bacon or pancakes ?
Then she used the long-handled frying-pan, and it was
quite a feat for the cook to turn the pancake by a
toss without letting it fall into the fire. Her camp-
kettle or pot, hung upon the " crane," could be swung
off, or over, the fire as required.
The clay, or brick oven was also an adjunct of the
kitchen, that was considered indispensable, and was
used for the various purposes which the more pre-
tentious arrangement serves to-day ; and what batches
of bread — salt-rising or hop-yeast — it would hold!
And what an array of saleratus-raised cakes ! And as
for pies ! well, ask grandfather about them.
The first stoves — all for burning wood, of course, —
great generous things that took half a cordwood stick
at once, were the Burr, the King, the ever-famous
Davy Crockett, and the Lion Air-tight. In the early
part of the century a single stove called Dr. Nott's
was actually imported from England, as well as
anthracite or " Kilkenny " coal for its fuel !
Soap-making was another domestic economy every
housewife practised. Hard-soap, soft-soap, lye and
leach-barrel, what a history is hidden in the world-old
word soap ! The men were economical, too, and care-
fully burning their fallow, produced from the clean
hardw^ood ashes a valuable article of commerce — pot-
ash. How good the God of nature is to His creatures
we never know, until we are deprived of outside assist-
ance. No stores ! then where did our ancestors get
their rope and string, harness for their oxen, and cord-
age for all other purposes ?
Long before the white man's appearance, the Indian
Domestic Life. 105
had found out the toughness of the young bark of the
moose-wood, and used it for loose handles to his bas-
kets ; this the earliest settlers of Scarboro also used.
The bark of the elm, and of the bass-wood (used
for the same purpose in Russia), made strong ropes
and was in great demand. Elm bark, too, was much
used for chair-bottoms, and some of these primitive
seats are still kept as relics in the township. For
this purpose black-ash was, however, preferred, because
it did not stretch. The wood was split into slabs about
an inch and a half in thickness, and then pounded with
a mallet, when it could be readily split into thin rib-
bons and woven, basket-fashion, into the chair-bottoms.
It is hardly likely that rush-bottomed chairs would be
unknown, as they were the common chairs of the Old
World, and every countryman knew how to prepare
the rushes. For ropes, also, flax was sparsely grown ;
it was used, besides, for grain-bags and coarse ticking,
at an early date. Some years ago a flax mill was built
by the Milnes on the River Rouge, but did not prove
financially successful, because after the civil war in
the United States, cotton became so cheap as to
make flax- working unprofitable.
There are few places where the sweets that our
nature craves are not to be found, and Canada has
her splendid maple trees for a supply. Sugar-making
was largely carried on in Scarboro for many years.
Happy memories of those by-gone times still linger
among the older people. They had their " sugaring-
o£F" and "taffy-pulls," when the young people met
, for an evening's enjoyment, including the invariable
dance which followed.
In the sugar-bush would be found the large trough,
106 History of the Township ok Scarboro.
made from a section of a pine-tree dug out with an
axe. It was big enough to hold several barrels of sap
as it was collected from the trees. There, also, were
large kettles, or caldrons, in which the sap was boiled
down, and the "camp," in which was stored the
necessary utensils used in the process. Sugar, syrup,
and vinegar, in sufficient quantities for family use,
were made by each household. Corn-cakes and buck-
wheat pancakes, with maple syrup, was, and remains,
a favorite Canadian dish.
Nor were sugaring frolics the only fun that our fore-
fathers indulged in. Logging, husking and paring
bees, and barn-raisings were seasons of great enjoy-
ment as well as of industry. Logging-bees and rais-
ings have already been referred to at length in the
chapter, " On the Farm."
Husking-bees employed the united industry of both
sexes, and were a favorite source of amusement with the
early settlers. The farmer having gathered his crop
of Indian corn into his threshing floor, or upon the
open field, invited the young people to husk it; or,
rather to unhusk it. and the merriment on such occa-
sions was most hilarious ; but, alas ! the monster and
insatiate silo has come with its friend the cutting-box,
and the happy husking -days have gone never to
return !
When the orchards of the first settlers began to bear,
and the beautiful fruit was garnered, all the apples that
were not sold, or would not keep through the long
winter, were pared, cut into eighths, strung on cords
and hung up to the kitchen ceiling to dry, with a
view to future pies. The young folk gathered in the
farmer's ample kitchen and took the work in hand.
Domestic Life. 107
Generally a certain quanUty was made the task of
the evening, and after this was done a supper was
served and dancing followed.
Every country connnunity in the new, as well as
in the old lands had its violinist. Among Scarboro's
early sons who swung the bow gracefully were,
notably, "Fiddler Will," "Fiddler Andrew" and
" Fiddler Dick," and one of these worthies having
been given a comfortable place, reels, strathspeys,
hornpipes, and country dances begun, and merriment
reigned supreme.
" New times, new manners," so to-day many of
the old amusements have fallen into disuse, and
new ones have come in. One anniversary, the royai
birthday, remains, however, and is always a season
of recreation. On this day the loyal militia of Scar-
boro used to meet for annual drill, and it was called
"training day." Since then George IV. and William
IV. have reigned for short periods, and each birthday
has been right royally celebrated.
For the last fifty-nine years all loyal subjects have
kept the 24th of May, the birthday of our present
beloved sovereign. Her Majesty Queen Victoria. For
twenty-eight years another occasion of public rejoicing
and recreation has been added to our national holi-
days in Canada, namely. Dominion Day, the 1st of
July. On this day picnics, socials, or social tea-
parties, lawn parties, or excursions by rail or steam-
boat, are the usual forms of pleasure. Sunday
Schools avail themselves freely of the opportunities
for a little outing to some point, generally on the
lake shore, which the simple form of the picnic
affords. Gates's Grove in early times, and at present
108 History of the Township of Scauhoro.
Victoria Park and many other convenient points are
selected for these gatherings.
The story of domestic and social life in Scarboro
would be incomplete without some reference to its
mental food. Books, though few, by reason of many
causes, were not entirely absent, even in the humblest
families of early Scarboro. Beyond the cherished
Bible and prayer-book, or, as in the case of the Pres-
byterian Church, the paraphrases of the Psalms of
DaA^id, other highly- valued volumes were to be found :
"Baxter's Saints' Eeet," "The Imitation of Christ,"
" Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress," with perhaps also an
odd copy of " Defoe's Plague of London," or his
" Kobinson Crusoe." Among the remains of the old
Thomson library we find such works as " Spectacle de
la Nature, or Nature Delineated," an excellent w^ork
preparatory to the fuller study of natural history,
translated from the French by Dr. Bellamy and others
in 1743. On the shelves w^ere also " Pinnock's Cate-
chism of Mental Philosophy," and his " Catechism
of the History of Greece." With these were "The
Complete English Farmer," " Mechanickal Dialing,"
" The Marrow of Modern Divinitj^," as well as several
volumes of Sermons, and works on the Shorter Cate-
chism.
In the old Walton library we find " The Complete
Body of Practical Divinity," by John Gill, 1796,
and on the Brownlie bookshelves were " Ebenezer
Erskine's Works," " Matthew Henry's Commentary,"
and quite a large number of other works of value.
Of newspapers read in the township in very early
times, people in the Old Country furnished their
friends in the New with such as they could afford, but
Domestic Life. 109
it must be remembered that this was before the .daily
press possibilities were dreamt of. There were also
The Colonial Advocate^ first issued in Toronto in
1824; The Courier, The Mercurjj, The Upper Canada
Gazette, the first newspapers published in the Pro-
vince, and undoubtedly others, for the period between
1824 and 1834 was one of ^reat activity in the public
press. The Montreal Witness has been read in Scar-
boro from its first issue in 1844 or 1845.
The Scarboro and Highland Creek Public Libraries
are fully described in another chapter, but special
reference may be made here to the books now sup-
plied to Sunday School scholars, such books being
immensely superior to the namby-pamby stuff that
used to be doled out to us.
The house furnishings of to-day correspond with
the rest of the internal fittings. The dinner-horn
or conch-shell of old time has given place to the
more melodious bell on the kitchen roof, and the
" spread " for a meal nowadays is in striking con-
trast with the humbler fare that constituted one in
the early days. City folk are prone to regard the
farmer's table as one that is set out, substantially it
may be, but coarsely and uninvitingly. The sight of
a Scarboro menu would speedily dispel this notion, in
view of the snowy linen, the excellence and variety of
the dishes, and the tasteful manner of serving.
It is claimed for the wives and daughters of this
township, that if they could only enter into competi-
tion with outsiders as the husbands and fathers have
done in their lines, Scarboro would bear the palm in
all that pertains to housekeeping, as it confessedly
does already in so many other departments, industrial
as well as social.
110 History of the Township of Scarboro.
How different, not only in appearance, but also in
comfort and convenience of its internal arrangements,
is the Scarboro farm-house of to-day from that which
sheltered our grandfathers and grandmothers in the
beginning of the century.
Other pages in this history give a description of
the material used in, and method of constructing, the
old-time farm-house.
The interior of early houses comprised only one
room, with the clay and stone-built fire-place — or, as
at first, clay and wood — at the one end, and beds at the
other, while, to economize room, the children's bed
was pushed underneath the larger one. The bunk
w^as used as a seat by day and a bed at night. At
one side of the fire-place, and at an angle of 60 degrees,
there was a narrow staircase, or a ladder, leading to
the garret, which in some cases had to be used as a
sleeping apartment. The recess formed by the angle
of the stairs and the outer wall of the fire-place, was
known as the *' pot-hole." The furniture of the room
consisted of beds, table, chairs and cupboard, all home-
made. Nails, or pins, driven into the wall held the
various pans, etc., used in kitchen. The fire-place, in
the earliest times, supplied the only light. Next was
introduced the saucer with oil, or melted tallow, in
which w^as placed a cotton wick. The days of the
tallow candle followed, and these in turn were suc-
ceeded by the kerosene lamp. The modern farm-
house is designed in all its arrangements with a view
to comfort and convenience. There are parlor, pri-
vate sitting-room, dining-room, and from three to five
bedrooms with clothes-room off each, wide halls,
and, in some instances, hoists from the cellar to the
Domestic Life.
Ill
(lininf^-room. Many houses are heated by means of
coal furnaces, and where there is no furnace, coal
stoves are used. The large kitchen is always con-
venient to the dining-room ; a supply of soft-water is
kept in underground cisterns, the pump being not
unfrequently placed in a corner of the kitchen, while
the hard-water pump is equally handy.
In the modern house the sleeping apartments are
chiefly upstairs, the aim being to have only one on
the ground floor, which is used in case of sickness.
A hanging-lamp in each supplies light in dining-room
and parlor, hand-lamps being used in bedrooms. In
most houses of to-day all the rooms are carpeted, with
the exception of the kitchen, which is in some in-
stances covered with oilcloth or linoleum. Musical
instruments are found in nearly every house, and in
many a Scarboro home may be heard the sweet strains
of organ or piano produced by no unskilful fingers.
112 History of the Township of Scakhoko.
CHAPTER VII.
ROADS.
" It is one thing to see your road, another to cut it." — Gei/nje Eliot.
'* Who can answer where any road leads to '. " — Lijtton.
IT is not unusual to find that the first roads in lake-
shoro (or first oihmumI) townsln'ps foUowed tortuous
Indian trails, as these always led along routes })resent-
ing fewest difficulties and most advantages. Iii many
instances the surveyors' work is regardless of devia-
tions, but it is probable that the Kingston, Danforth
and other old roads in this township were laid out on
the lines i)ursued by ancient i)aths.
Danforth Road. — Governor Simcoe being duly im-
pressed with the value of good roads, contemplated
the opening of one from Burlington Bay to Kingston,
to be known as Dundas Street (in honor of Henry
Dundas, Lord Melville, at that time Secretary of State
for the Colonies), a name retained by that portion of
the road extending westw^ards from Toronto.
" The road eastwards towards Kingston was to be
constructed in course of time by the settlers. Mean-
while the communication with Montreal was to be
made by water. ... In 1799, it is recor<led that
the road from York to the Bay of Quinte was ' con-
tracted out by Government to Mr. Danforth,^ to be
cut and completed, forty feet wide, by the first of
* His name is said to have been in full, Asa Danforth.
Roads. li;i
Jiilv lu'xt.* Mr. Danfoitli had already iiiadi' forty
miles of excellent roa<l.' The Gazette of Deeeniher
14th, 1700, says: 'The road from York to the Mid-
land District is com[)lete(l as far as the toNynship of
Ifope, ahout sixty miles, so that slei<;hs, wayj^ons, etc.,
may trayel it \yith safety.' "t
Durinj.;' the war of ISliI military stores are said to
haye been lande<l at the mouth of Hij^hland Creek, and
carried over the Danforth and Old Kidge Roads to
York, on their way to Penetanj;uishene. A large
ancljor that had l)een taken by this route and the Old
Ridge Road was lost in the Xottawasaga Riyer, by the
wreck of the raft on wliich it was carried. (See p. ')2.)
For many years a toll-gate stood on the Danforth
Road, on lot oT, concession B.
It was eyidently in following this as a mere trail from
the lake-shore that Dayid Thomson reached the si)ot
he chose as his home in 1 79().
Portions of the Danforth Road are closed to allow
of some lots being s(j[uared,
Kingston lioad. — This road connecting King.ston
and Y'oi'k, was first known as Kingston Street. It
was made in 1800, but for many years was little better
than a wide path through the woods, there haying been
scarcely any attempt to make it what we now call a
good road, at all seasons. An old resident (lescril)es
it as he remembers it sixty years ago, when its course
was nearer the lake than it is at present. He says :
" Passing through this section from east to west, it ran
* A coirespondent says the contract price was $100 per mile, and Dan-
forth was to run the road to suit himself.
t From a very excellent summary of the history of York, by Dr. Wm.
Canniff, in Miles' "Historical Atlas of the County." Toronto, 1878.
114 History of the Township of Scarhoro.
iK'twt'cn Old St. Maij;ait't's Clmrcli .-iiul tlic jni-si'iit
parse mat;!', cntcrin};' tlic north corner of lot K>, toiifes-
sion 1). Ncai" this ))oint was the first (Klliot) hotel
after passing- Hij^hlaud Ci'ci'k. On the opposite side
of the ro;;d was a lo^-house ocen})ied Itv a shoemaker
named Small, Crossinj^ lot 14 near the honse of
J. Kiehardson. M.lM*.,it ran into lot 1.") ahont fonr
rods north of the present load. A loj^" sehool-house
stood here, in whieh Miss Closson tan^ht. Ahout
twenty rods west of the (Irand Trunk Railway eross-
in^, it crossed the present load, and l)e<;an the ascent
of Scarhoro Heights, keeping near the bi'ow of the ]iill>
and passing the old home of J. Huni})hrey to lot 1<3,
the Annis homestead, on which stiKxl a hotel kept by
John Muir. This place was known as the William
Wallace Inn, the front of which was decorated with
what was, no doubt (?) a striking oil -painted portrait of
the redoubtable Avarrior himself. Passing south of the
Methodist cemetery it crossed ' Dolway's Swale ' over
a log bridge to lot 17, concession V, keeping close to
the tO]) of the hill to the centre of lot 18. Near this
it is said that a still earlier road ran down to the flats,*
and that the first stage coaches between York and
Kingston used this branch for some years.
The route of the main road over lot ' is still marked
liy a row of pine-trees on the farm of Levi Annis
on the south side of w^hich stood the old Burton home-
stead, and farther on the frame hotel kept by Mr.
Gates. It crossed the present road to the north side
near Bambridge's l)lacksmitli shop to lot 21, the old
Stobo farm, where there was a toll-gate, after which it
* J. G. Cornell writes that "before this, the road ran down the hill to
the flats on lots 17 and 18, concession C."
Roads. 115
ran ahout tliirty rcxls noi'tli of the present I'oad past
the liomes of Jolin Stobo, Stephen Wasliington, Jolni
Tlionis and Steplien IMienill to Toronto."
In 1HI7, the I'oute of Kingston Stivet was eliani^cd
hy beinji nia(h' to take a eoui-se generally somewhat
fartliei' to the north, wliere more favora))le <;ra(U's
were ol)tainai»le, the work heinj^- (h)ne by Joseph Seeor
for $11, (MM) nn(h>r tlie sni)erinten(k'nee of Connnis-
sioners IVter Seeor, Dan Knowles, Areli. (llendin-
nin^ and Wm. IlelHwell. Tlie owners of tlie hmd
through wliieli tlie new road ran received no compen-
sation l)evond jjjettin}'' tlie old road allowance. At
onetime the road was i)lanked from Norway to High-
land Creek.
Toll-gates were placed on it about IHoO. In ISoO
the road was taken over by James Beatt}'.
Marhham Planh Road. — The Markham an<l Scar-
boro Plank Road Co. was inc()i'i)orated under an Act
of the Canadian Parliament in 1852, the President
being Joseph Tomlinson, and the Treasurer, John
lleesor.
Planking was laid down from the Kingston Poad to
Stouffville. Shares were issued at £6 ijs. each. This
road was considerably frequented while it rem^nned in
good repair, but to keep it in this condition cost more
than was warrante*! by the returns.
Toll-gates were placed at Scarboro village and at
the corner of the second concession.
An informant states that this road " was opened as
far south as Mr. Purvis's, lot 18, concession 2, in 1S:30.
From there it struck across lots to James Chester's, in
concession D."
116 History of the Township of Scarhoro.
Old Bidge Road. — Even the memory of this old
highway is almost foigoiten, as it has long- since been
enclosed in the various lots through which it passed,
on the watershed l)etween the two main l)ranclies of
Highland Creek. Following this course, it extended
in a general southerly and south-easterly direction,
until a little south of Benchile it met the Danforth
Road, both forming, no doubt, part of the original
Indian trail, one branch of which extended to Toronto,
while the other led to Lake Simcoe by the Holland
River.
It is referred to as " The first road, running in a
south-easterly direction and crossing concession 3, in
lots 26 and '27 ; concession 2, in lots 24 and 25, until
it struck the Danforth Road."
First Markham Boad. — The oldest road to Mark-
ham extended from the Old Ridge Road at a point
near the south end of lot 24, concession 2, until by a
somewhat devious course it reached concession 4, after
which it followed a tolerably straight line between lots
17 and 18, where it entered the township of Markham.
J. C. Cornell states that " a road from the present
site of Scarboro post-office, ran in an almost straight
line to St. Andrew's Church."
Other particulars relating to roads will be found
in the following chapter.
OLD COUNCILLORS.
1. J. P. Wheler. 2. Peter Seoor.
5. Wni. Clark, gen.
3. J. Crawford. 4. J. Torrance.
6. J. Moyle.
Councils and Councillors. 117
CHAPTER VIII.
COUNCILS AND COUNCILLORS.
"Order is heaven's first law ; and this confest,
Some are, and must be, greater than the rest."
— Pope.
THE history of municipal institutions in Ontario,
however interesting, would be out of place
here. Suffice it to state, broadly, that w^e have suc-
ceeded in elaborating what is perhaps the most perfect
system of local self-government to be found in any
country at the present day. If we excei)t those offices
in the gift of the Dominion and Provincial Govern-
ments, and which are usually l)estowed as political
favors, there is not a position from that of pound-
keeper or pathmaster to that of member of the Legis-
lature or of Parliament, beyond the attainment of any
ambitious and even moderately intelligent man ; our
school section, townshij) and county boards affording
admirable means for the training of those who are
desirous of becoming public servants.
When the first parliament met at Newark in 1792,
the organized j)ortion of Upper Canada was laid out
in immense districts, the areas of which became less
and less as population increased. The limits of these
districts were first shown in Chewitt's map, prepared
in 1795, and, with more details, in that of D. W. Smith,
Acting Surveyor-General, in 1798.* At this time the
* A beautiful copy of this map accompanies the report, for 1891, of Dr.
Douglas Brymner, Dominion Archivist.
118 History ok the Township of Scakboro.
Home District, of wliicli Scarl^oro formed a part, ex-
tended from the head of the Bay of Qiiinte, on the
east, to the present Comity of Perth, on the west.
All to the east of York was included in the counties
of Durham and Northumberland, and while all to the
w^est w^as called the West Hiding, what now c(mstitutes
York and Ontario formed the East Riding of York.
When the first Home District Council met in Toronto
on the 8th of February, 1842,* the boundaries of the
district were greatly restricted. The following list of
townships then included will enable anyone to trace
the limits of the territory on a map : Adjala, Albion,
Brock, Caledon, Chinguacousy, Essa, Etobicoke, Geor-
gina, GwillimluuT (East, West and North), Innisfil,
King, Mara and Rama, Markham, Mulmur and
Tossorontio, Medonte and Flos, Orillia (North and
South), Oro, Pickering, Reach, Scarboro, Tecumseth,
Tliorah, Tiny and Tay, Toronto, Toronto Gore,
Uxbridge and Scott, Vaughan, Vespra, Whitby,
Whitchurch, and York.
At this time there were no tow^nship councils, and
all municipal business w^as transacted through the Dis-
trict Council, in which each township was represented
by one or two members, according to population, the
number of members in the Home District Council
being fifty-one ; ])ut in 1849 the number of townships
in the district had fallen from forty to tw enty-four, and
the councillors had decreased from fifty-one to forty.
In the records of the Home District Municipal
*The division of the Province into districts, and the representation of
each township in the District Council, was the beginning of municipal
government in Upper Canada. The scheme was formulated by Lord
Durham. ^
Councils and Councillors. 119
Council (1842 to 1849), we find that Wm. Clark and
John Torrance represented Scarboro in 184:^ and 1843.
In 1844, the councillors were Messrs. Torrance and
Secor ; in 1845, '4(3 and '47, Messrs. Secor and
Paterson ; in 1848 and '49, Messrs. Secor and A.
Glendinning.
During this period most of the municipal legislation
affecting 8carl)oro related to schools, and that of but
little im})ortance.
From the minutes we find that in August, 1845, on
the petition of James Jones to the Home District
Council, a road was opened between lots 28 and 29
"from the Dunford* Road to the Plank Road," and
on the 29th June, 1848, " Thos. Rogers, Joseph Beek
and others " petitioned " that a road l)e established
l)etween B and C broken front in the township of
►Scarboro," l)ut no action seems to have been taken
})ursuant to this recpiest ; and on the same day A. H.
McLean prayed " that the old line of road l)etween 18
and 19 l)e abandoned, and side-line first concession be
adopted," with a similar result.
At this meeting, too, John Skelton asked payment
" for some l)ridge alleged to have been built by him
about twenty-three years ago " — to use the language of
the Committee on Roads and Bridges — but " your
committee do not recommend the prayer of the peti-
tion." This must have proved aggravating to Mr.
Skelton, as it was not a recommendation of his prayer
he asked for, ])ut a recommen<lation of payment.
At the first half-yearly meeting of the Home District
('ouncil in 1849, a by-law was passed a})pro})riating
* Evidently meant for Danforth.
120 History op^ the Township of Scarhoko.
the sum of £'),000 for tlie improvement of roads and
bridges. Of this amount £'203 came to Searboro, " the
sum of £30 to be expended in building a bridge over
tlie Highhmd Creek, at Arvinston's saw-mill, on the
Markham Road, and in draining and otherwise improv-
ing the same road northward to Mape's Inn ; and that
Peter Secor, Edward Cornell and James Purvis he
Commissioners.
" The sum of £173 to be expended by John
McCreight, Jordan Post, William Brown, Daniel
Knowdes, Wm. Helliwell, Lewis Secor, Joshua Sisley,
James Lawrie, Edward Cornell, James Purvis, John
P. Wheler, James A. Thomson, John Elliot, John
Fitzgibbon, Joseph Smith, William Paterson, William
Clark, sen., Joseph Pilkey, Roliert Buchanan, (*hris.
Thomson, John Tingle, and William Devenish, together
with the tw^o councillors of the township, upon such
roads and bridges as they, or a majority of them, may
deem expedient."
The first local nuinicipal recor<ls relate to a town
meeting held on the 3rd of January, 1848, at Thomas
Dowswell's Inn, J. P. Wheler in the '^•hair, when
Arch. Glendinning w^as elected councillor, and Wm.
Chamberlain, clerk, assessor and collector. It has
already been mentioned that Mr. Glendinning was a
councillor for that year, but this record enables us to
understand the simple methods of election, and brings
out that wdiile a councillor was chosen to hold office
for two years, only one councillor was elected each
year.
The first township council met at Dowswell's tavern,
21st of January, 1850. It consisted of Peter Secor,
Reeve ; J. P. Wheler, Deputy Reeve ; Wm. Helliwell,
Councils and Councillors. 121
Christopher Thomson and Edward Cornell, all of whom
took the oath of qualification before Win. Clark, J. P.,
a former representative in the Home District Comicil.
A list of the members that have com})ose(l succeed-
ing councils will be found appended, but reference
should here be made to the fact that John Crawford,
who served as Deputy lleeve from 1859 until 1865,
has continued most worthily to fill the position of
township clerk from 1865 to the present time.
The township records go no farther back than 1848,
when a declaration was made and signed by Joseph
Pilkey, Isaac C. , George Snider, Adam Walton,
Wm. Kennedy, Wm. Fawcett, sen., Wm. Mason, Thos.
Kennedy, Wedley Robinson, Daniel Kennedy, George
Galway, John Palmer, John Warren, Isaac Christie,
Timothy Devenish, John Richardson, Alex. Wilson,
Geo. Stephenson, Abraham Stoner, Wm. Young, Wm.
Richardson, Wm. Westney, Wm. Anthony, Jas. Law,
Isaac Stoner, Thos. Adams, Thos. Booth, King Parkes,
James Peters, Wm. Chamberlain, Marshal Macklin,
Thomas Adams, jun., Isaac Secor, Wm. A. Thomson,
Jas. A. Thomson, James Johnson, John Sherburn,
Jas. Spring, Thomas Brown, Jas. Wilson, John Law,
Wm. Nelson, Robert Jackson, Andrew Potter, Thos.
Demma.
In 1850 district councils were abolished, and county
councils introduced, and the words Reeve and Deputy
Reeve were used to designate the chairman and vice-
chairman of the township:) council. Up to 1867 the
councillors chose their own reeves, but since that time
these officers have been elected at the polls.
122 History of the Township of Scarboro.
MEMBERS OF THE TOWNSHIP COUNCIL AND THE PRINCIPAL
TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS OF THE TOWNSHIP OF
SCARBORO, FROM THE YEAR 1850 TO
THE YEAR 1896 INCLUSIVE.
i
Rkeve.
Deputy Reeve.
COUNCILLOR-S.
Treasurer.
Clerk.
1850
Peter Secor
J. P. Wheler...
' Wm. Helliwell . . .
- Chri.s. Thomson . .
Ed. Cornell
Jos. H. Smith.
W. Chamberlain.
1851
J. P. Wheler
Thos. Brown . . .
( Chris. Thomson
J. Jas. Purvis
[ Wm. Helliwell . .
Jos. H. Smith.
Stephen Closaon.
1852
J. P. Wheler
Chris. Thomson.
■1
John Heron
(ieo. Stephenson
Thos. Dowsw ell .
Jos. H. Smith.
Stephen Closson.
1853
J. P. Wheler
G. Stephenson . .
•,
Isivac Ashbridge . .
Jos. Secor
Wm. Clark
Jos. H. Smith.
Stephen Closson.
1854
John Torrance ....
W' m. Clark
1
Geo. Stephenson . .
Wm. H. Norris . .
Thos. Kennedy . .
Wm. Helliwell.
Stephen Closson.
1855
J. P. Wheler
Wm. Clark
;
Jos. H. Smith
Jordan Post
Jas. Humphrey.
James Moyle .
James Moyle.
185G
J. P. Wheler
W^m. Clark
f
1
Jos. H. Smith ....
Jordan Post
John Crawford . . .
James Moyle. .
James Moyle.
1857
J. P. Wheler
Wm. Clark
1
Thos. Brown
Geo. Stephenson .
John Crawford . . .
James Moyle. .
James Moyle.
1858
J. P. Wheler
Wm. Ckrk
..
Thos. Brown ....
Wm. Helliwell . . .
Wm. H. Norris . .
James Moyle .
James Moyle.
1859
J, P. Wheler
John Crawford .
1
Isaac Ashbridge .
Wm. Helliwell . .
Edwin Snider ....
James Moyle. .
James Moyle.
Councils and Councillors.
123
<
Id
1860
Keeve.
Deputy Reeve
J. P. Wheler.
1861 J. P. Wheler
1862 J. P. Wheler.
John Crawford . .
John Crawford .
John Crawford . .
1863 J. P. Wheler John Crawford .
1864
J. P. Wheler.
1865 D. (J. Stephenson.
1866
186^
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
Thos. Brown .
Geo. Chester
Geo. Chester
Geo. Chester
Geo. Chester ,
J. P. Wheler.
J. P. Wheler.
J. P. Wheler.
John Crawford . .
Geo. Chester
Geo. Chester . . . .
D. G. Stephenson.
D. G. Stephenson.
D. G. Stephenson.
D. G. Stephenson.
D. G. Stephenson.
D. G. Stephenson,
D. G. Stephenson.
I
Councillors. | Trea-surer.
Jas. Palmer ....
Wni. Helliwell .
Edwin Snider . .
Jas. Palmer
Daniel Knowles
Edwin Snider . .
Thos. Brown
Wni. Helliwell .
Edwin Snider . .
Thos. l{rown . .
D. G. Stephenson
Edwin Snider . .
Thos. Brown . .
D. G. Stephen.son
Wm. Clark . . .
John Taylor . . .
J. P. Wheler .
Wm. Clark . . .
D. G. Stephenson
-■ Thos. Kennedy.
[ Thos. Whiteside
James McCowan
Thos. Whiteside
John Wilson . . .
James McCowan
-[ 'Thos. Whiteside
[ John S. Palmer.
I
James McCowan
Simon Miller . .
M. Macklin ....
J ames McCowan
Simon Miller . .
John S. Palmer
James McCowan
Simon Miller . .
John S. I'almer
James McCowan
Simon Miller . .
Ja.s. Humphrey
Simon Miller . .
jJames McCowan
Jeremiah Annis
James Moyle . .
James Moylc . .
James Moyle.
James Moyle.
James Moyle.
John Crawford
Cl^RK.
James Moyle.
Tames Moyle.
James Moyle.
James Moyle.
James Moj'le.
John Crawford.
John Crawford John Crawford
John Crawford John Crawford
John Crawford John Crawford.
John Crawford John Crawford.
John Crawford
John Crawford.
John Crawford John Crawford
John Crawford
John Crawford
John Crawford.
John Crawford.
124.
History of the Township ov Scarhoro,
u
1874
Rkevk.
J. P. Wheler.
1875 J. P. Wheler...
1876 Geo. Chester . .
Dei'ity Rkkvk.
COCNCILLOKS.
Simon Miller .
Wm. Tredway . .
ThoH. VVhiteHJdu,
Jas. Chester . . . .
1877
D. (i. Stephenson
1878:D. <}. Stephenson
1879, D. G. Stephenson
1880 D. G. Stephenson
1881 John Richardson.
1882 John Richardson.
1883 John Richardson.
1884
1885
1886
1887
1888
1S89
1890
1891
John Richardson.
John Richardson.
John Richardson.
John Richardson.
John Richardson. -
John f'ichardson.
D. G. Steplienson. -
D. G. Stephenson
James Chester . .
Wni. Tredway . .
James Cliester . .
I ,
[W m. Tredway . .
James Chester .
A. M. Secor.
Jolin Richardson
A. M. Secor
John Richardson
A. M. Secor. . .
James Chester
A. M. Secor. .
(Jeo. Morsran
A. M. Secor. .
(leo. Morgan.
A. M. Secor. .
(ieo. Morgan
A. M. Secor. ,
Geo. Morgan
John Richardson.
John Richardson.
A. M. Secor. .
Geo. Morgan .
A. M. Secor.
Geo. Morgan .
A. M. Secor
Richard Knowles
A. M. Secor
Richard Knowles
A. M. Secor
Richard Knowles
.Tames Chester . .
Alex. Baird
Jas. Chester ....
VVm. Treilway . .
James L^wrie . . .
W^m. Tredway . .
John Richardson.
John Richardson.
Geo. Morgan. .
Geo. Morgan ....
John Richardson.
Jas. Humphrey, jr.
Geo. Morgan . . .
Jas. Humpiirey, jr,
iCieo Morgan . . .
Alfred Mason . . .
Rich'd Knowles .
Alfied Ma.son . . .
Rich'd Knowles .
Rich'd Knowles .
W. W. '.Valton .
Rich'd Knowles .
W. W. Walton.
I
I
Rich'd Knowles
W. W. Walton..
Rich'd Knowles
W. W. Walton.
Rich'd Knowles
David Brown. . .
David Brown.
Alex. Baird . .
Alex. Baird . .
Levi E. Annis
Alex. Baird . .
L^vi E. Annis
Levi E. Annis . . .
Lyman Kennedy
Treasurer.
Ci.EUK.
John Crawfonl John Crawford
John Crawford
John Crawford
lohn Crawford
John Crawford
John Crawford
John Crawford
.John Crawford
John Crawford
John Crawford
John Crawford
John Crawford
G. M. Jacques.
G. M. Jacques.
G. M. Jacques.
G. M. Jacques.
G. M. Jacques.
G. M. Jacques.
John Crawford.
John Crawford.
John Crawford.
John Crawford.
John Crawford.
John Crawford.
Ic^hn Crawford.
John Crawford.
John Crawford.
John Crawford.
John Crawford.
Thos. Crawford.
Thos. Crawford.
Thos. Crawford.
Thos. Crawford.
Thos. Crawford.
Thos. Crawford.
h
St
s
S
= <
O
J
<:
CL
o
2
D
"2
c
c
Councils and Councillors.
12.-)
<
u
185V2
1893
1894
1895
1896
Rkf.vk.
Dkitty Rekve.
John Kuliunlson -[ . . i. i
John Richardson -[ ., i, • i
\ Alex. Baud
.John Richardson [
'.luniea Cheater. . ,
Lvnian Kennedy
JaineH Chester • • !
Lyman Kennedy . !
Alex. Baird ,
Robert Cowan . .
James Ley . . . ,
Robert Cowan .
CorNrii.LOR.s. TuE.vsrnER.
Levi E. Annis.
Lyman Kennedy. ,
A. M. Secor
Lvman Kennedy . . . ., r.
r,' , i /, •'A. M. Secor. .
RoiHjrt Cowan ....
Robert Cowan ....
Thompson Jackson
A. M. Secor.
Thompson .Ja<kson^_^j,.^^.^j.
Andrew \ oung . . ,
Thompson Jackson L. Tr T>- l j
AndrJw Young .. -T-H. Richardson
CtKRK.
riios. Crawforil.
Thos. Crawford.
Thos. Crawford.
Thos. Crawford.
Thos. Crawftjrd.
ODDS AND ENDS.
"Fat" pine knots were the first sources of light,
the original spark having been produced by means of
flint and steel to ignite a piece of " punk " or dried
fungus, usually found in the hearts of decayed beech
and maple trees. A good knot would yield a flicker-
ing flame for fully half-an-hour.
In course of time shallow vessels containing oil and
cotton wick came in. These were succeeded by dip
candles, formed by repeated dipping of wicks into
melted tallow ; and these again by moulded candles
made by the half-dozen or more at a time. Next
came the kerosene lamp.
Splints, both ends of which were dipped in sulphur,
were the forerunners of the present lucifer matches.
Nearly every man, and many women, carried appli-
ances for striking a light, consisting of the flint and
steel, and punk, or prepared cotton or paper. The
box in which these were contained was called the
tinder-box.
i^
126 History of the Township of Scarboro.
CHAPTER IX.
TRADES AND TRADESMEN.
"All true work is sacred ; in all true work, were it but hand-labor,
there is a something of divineness." — Carlyle.
WOODCRAFT.
IN all early settlements, the individual was thrown
to a great extent on his own resources. The
mother of the family w^as not only cook and house-
keeper, but dairy-maid, laundry-maid, and seamstress
(as is yet too frequently the case) ; and the head of the
house acted in the capacity, not of husbandman alone,
but of carpenter, mason, harness-maker, shoemaker,
blacksmith, and occasionally miller.
The house of the first settler was a marvel of wood-
craft. His furniture consisted wholly of the product
of the axe and the auger. Seats were either solid
sections of trees, or slabs in which three legs had
been inserted in one-and-a-half, or two-inch holes ;
tables were similarly put together, and l)edsteads were
made by means of long pins inserted in holes bored in
the logs forming the wall, and sui)ported at their outer
extremities on blocks ; chimneys were constructed of
wooden bars crossing each other at the ends in the
form of a square, the interstices being filled up with
clay ; floors consisted of slabs split from logs, and
roughly faced with the axe ; hinges and latches were
Trades and Tradesmen. 127
of wood, and the doors themselves were indebted mainly
to the axe for their existence. Locks were seldom
thought of, and when a fastening of this kind was
considered necessary, a wooden pin passing into the
door-jamb inside was sufficient ; other pins round the
walls or in the joists served to support shelves or to
suspend articles of various kinds ; birch-bark, when
procurable, was made into excellent substitutes for
boxes, when sections of hollow logs were not so em-
ployed ; even household vessels of large size were
scooped from suitable pieces of timber ; and in a gen-
eral way it may be said that the Canadian pioneer
lived in the Wood Age. In Scarboro he had a great
variety of material, including magnificent white pine,
growing two hundred feet in height ; Norway pine ;
maples of several species ; red, blue, and white beech ;
slippery and swamp elm ; black and white ash ; oak of
the varieties known as white, red and scrub ; red,
black, and silver, or white birch ; black, T)igeon and
choke cherry ; three kinds of thorn, two of spruce,
besides balsam, cedar, hemlock, tamarack, poplar,
basswood, balm of Gilead, ironwood, hickory, butter-
nut, hazel, two kinds of willow, dogwood, stinkwood
(moosewood, or leatherwood), sassafras, and numerous
shrubs l)earing no local names.
One naturally concludes that if woodcraft did not
flourish here it would be a wonder. At first, as a
matter of course, the trees had to be got rid of regard-
less of every other consideration but the clearing of
sufficient space for a crop, and it was some years before
much demand sprung up for forest products of any kind
in this locality. Hardwood ashes, and subsequently
crude potash, were perhaps among the first of industries
128 History of the Township of Scarboro.
to yield the settler any income. These were carried in
schooners from the mouths of the liouge and High-
land Creek across the lake, the return cargoes, if any,
consisting mainly of salt, flour, and sim])le articles of
household furniture. With the increase of business
these trading yessels added smuggling to their enter-
prise, and it is said that the hollows and rayines of
the cliffs were the hiding places of contraband goods
as long as the illicit traffic was carried on.
This trade flourished for many years, and large
quantities of tea, leather goods, and general merchandise
were landed night after night at the mouth of (xates's
Gully, as recently as 1838. When opportunity seryed,
the contral^and goods were deliyered in Toronto,
Whitby, and other places. A farnier, deliyering tea on
one occasion, narrowly escaped capture by hiding his
two bushel bagful in the manger where his horse was
feeding.
With the more rapid disappearance of the forest
immediately around York, and the steady growth of
the yillage itself, the Scarboro farmer in course of time
found it worth his while, with the assistance of " Buck
and Bright," to haul fuel in the shape of cord wood to
the seat of goyernment beyond the Don. But this
could be done in winter only, for during the rest of the
year the roads were not too good, eyen when they
could be called roads at all. In more recent years
this industry has proyed a most i)rofitable one, wood
selling at one time as high as $7.")0 per cord, and eyen
now with coal in competition, it will bring from $4.50
to $5.00 a cord. While the hey-day of this trade
continued, hundreds of teams entered Toronto from
Scarboro eyery morning, and it has been stated that
Trades and Tradesmen. 129
upwards of one million dollar^ must have accrued to ,
the townshii) from this source alone.
MILLS.
At an early date the value of the pine and oak was
recognized, and as soon as possible after the settlement
of the township, saw-mills of a ]>rimitive kind were
erected on the numerous branches of Highland Creek
and the Rouge. In some instances the machinery was
also used to drive a pair of stones for gristing })iirposes.
D. W. Thomson, of Ellesmere, supplies the following
list of those owning mills that ive at one time and
another been running in the township, viz.: On High-
land Creek, Messrs. David and William Thomson (three
on one site), J. A. Thomson, J. 1*. Wheler, Peter
Secor, Col. McLean, Wilson, ►Stei)henson, Helliwell,
Post and Closson — those of Messrs. Wheler, Secor*
an<l Helliwell being also grist mills.
On the Big Rouge mills were ow^ned by Messrs.
Brown, Milne, Lawrie, Eaton, Knox (grist), xVikens,
Smith and Burr. Mr. Aikens also made oatmeal, and
Mr. Burr added carding to his sawing industry.
On the Little Rouge the owners were Messrs.
Hetherington, Patton, Thomson and dates ; Mr. Thom-
son also made Hour.
On Wilcott Creek, Messrs. Harrington, sen., Har-
rington, jun.. Chapman and R. I). Thomson.
On the Little Don the sawyers were Messrs. Hough
and Heron.
Mr. J. Law gives the date of the first saw -mill at
Highland C^reek as 1804. It was built by W. Cornell,
* Secor's mill was destroyed by fire in January, 1833, but was rebuilt the
following year.
130 History of the Township of Scarboro.
and rented for some years to Mr. Law's father. It was
probably in connection with, this mill that Thomas
Adams, " an American Dutchman," told Mr. Helliwell
he helped to build a dam in I8O0, where the Helliwell
Cider Mill stands at he })resent day.
Mr. A. W. Forfar says Archiliald Thomson erected
his saw-mill on lot '17, concession '1, about 1808, but
owing to unsuitableness of situation it was removed to
lot 26 ; and that David Thomson built a mill on lot 25,
concession 1, about 1811.
A mill was erected bv Simeon Tomlinson on lot 21,
concession 4, in 1848, which was the first, or one of the
first, driven by steam in Hcarboro.
What was known as Arvinston's saw-mill stood on
Highland Creek in 1849.
In 1852 John Chapman put up a steam one on lot
25, concession 8, and there was another on lot 30, con-
cession C, on the farm now owned by Mr. Job Jones,
a native of Oxford, England, who came here in 1835.
Archibald Elliot built one on lot 24, concession 3, in
1854. In 1856 it passed into the hands of John Milne.
This mill is still in use, and a pair of stones having
been added, grain for feeding purposes is here ground.
This list is no doubt imperfect, for it is certain that
other mills existed that are now forgotten.
Twenty-four or twenty-five saw-mills have been in
operation in the township at one time.
With so many mills, running even but one saw each,
the limited area of timber soon became depleted, and
their occupation fell away.
A few small steam-mills eventually took the place of
the numerous old water ones, chiefiy to supply local
demands. Grist-mills were established at a few places.
Trades and Tradesmen. 131
Helliwell's did an extensive business for some years,
but it was destroyed by fire ; Stephenson's was built
on the site of an old saw-mill ; and the only mill in
this part of the township now is one for chopping and
cider-making, belonging to William Helliwell, on the
south side of the Kingston Road, near Highland
Creek Bridge.
About 1830 a flour-mill was erected on lot 19, con-
cession D, and, more recently, J. P. Wheler built one
on lot 21, concession D. It was burned down about
1864. Badgerow's woollen mill stood on lot 16, con. 2.
A big freshet in 1850 carried away all the old dams.
For a long time there was no mill nearer than Port
Hope, and, more recently, Markham, where the grists
were carried on horseback. But even this was an
improvement on the earlier condition of affairs, when
the settlers were compelled to carry supplies of flour
on their own ])acks from Toronto.
Primitive methods of grinding were sometimes re-
sorted to. Mr. Levi Annis says one plan was to burn
a hollow in the upper end of l short hardwood log ;
into this hollow was fitted a tlat stone, on which the
grain was placed, to be pounded b} means of a weight
suspended from a spring-pole.
BLACKSMITHS AND WAGGON-MAKERS.
In the early days of pure woodcraft the want of a
blacksmith is not severely felt, unless when a mishap
befalls the logging-chain, or repairs are required to the
plough. But the son of Vulcan becomes a necessity
within a few years after .jcttlement. Among the early
mechanics of this class we find John Smith (very
appropriately), on lot 19, concession 3; John Holmes,
132 History of the Township of Scarboro.
lot 26, concession 2 ; David Forfar, lot 28, concession
2 ; Peter Lvttle and A. Taylor, both in school section
No. 9 ; Robert Brown, C'has. McGarry (who was an
axe-maker), lot 27, concession 5. Thomas lonson,
father of John lonson, had a shop on the Kennedy
Road, on the north side of the Danforth Road. A log
blacksmith shop, still occu})ied by A. McPherson, was
bnilt on lot 3'), concession 4, in 1839. Guy Pollock
was a blacksmith, wdiose name was ado})ted as a nom
deplume by Dr. Hamilton.
Waggon and plough makers included Messrs. John
Brown, Urquhart, Bambridge, Golgrove (school section
No. 9), James Taylor, George Richardson, and Jacob
Brooks. David Brow^n, a wheelwright, lived on the
north side of the Danforth Road, nearly opposite his
brother Thomas's residence. A waggon shop is now
carried on at EUesmere by the Forfars.
SHOEMAKERS.
As one correspondent says, " The first shoemakers
were nearly all the first settlers, wdio made their own
boots at night, mostly from buckskin, after chopping
all day." The professional knights of St. Crispin,
however, were represented by Henry Hogarth, who
settled here in 1836 ; Homer Newell, about 1840, on
lot 26, concession 4 ; Richard Skelton, who settled in
1851 on lot 31, concession 4, where he still resides;
Joseph Hall, on lot 22, concession 4, in 1857 ; and
Michael and Richard Crow, two brothers, who opened
a shop about 1837, on Harrington's HiL, Markham
Road.
OTHER TRADESMEN.
Among weavers, the names we find are those of
Robert Hamilton in 1834, on lot 25, concession 3,
Trades and Tradesmen. 133
and Messrs, Hosliel and Horn, school section No. 9,
no date. Other weavers were John Brownlie, Fraiik
Cavender and Hector Douglas.
Harness was made and repaired in school section
No. 9 by T. Dowswell, and another similar business
was carried on by K. Malcolm (now of Toronto). Jos.
Wyper, now doing business at Malvern, has been
there since 1860, and A. Walker has a shop in the
same place.
The only tailors mentioned are Messrs. Hose and
Lauder, and Alex. McKenzie, who ' wlii})pe(l the cat"
in the township for several years previous to 1840,.
when, in modern })hraseology, the tailor " made gar-
ments from gents' own material," which at that time
was "homespun."
About the same time John Underwood carried on
his trade in a similar wav, near the front road.
Wm. Ferguson made pumps on lot 19, concession 3,
as early as 1855, and Wm. Macklin, on lot 24, conces-
sion 4, was engaged about 1833, and for some years,
subsecjuently, in the manufacture of fanning mills.
Early in the century bricks were made on lot 18,
concession C, and several other j)laces. The earliest
brickmaker mentioned is James Stonehouse, lot 19,
concession 5, but there were, no doubt, some before his
time (1830).
Immense quantities of magnificent square timber,
of stave bolts and shingles were for many years shipj^ed
from the township. R. Stobo was prominent in the
timber business. Norman Milligan made a specialty
of getting out masts for the Quebec market.
The first tanner is said to have been Joseph Pilkey.
Henry Auburn operated a tannery on lot 29, conces-
sion B, near the Kingston Road.
13-i History of the Township of Scarhoro.
At the village of Highland Creek there was for
some time an attempt made to nianufaeture artificial
stone, and at the same place there was a small boot
and shoe ftictory.
In this village Messrs. William H. and Benjamin F.
Closson, sons of the late Ste})lien Closson, have estab-
lished a business, the specialty of which is to grow
potatoes for seed. They have in stock uj)wards of
130 new and standard varieties of potatoes, consign-
ments of which they make between Maine on the east
and Manitoba on the w'est. The Closson Bros, deserve
success, and they have achieved it.
Many local industries were successfully {H'osecuted
by the settlers, whose proximity to Toronto afforded
them facilities of great value, which they were not
slow to turn to the best advantage.
SHIP-BUILDING.
The small, but excellent harbors at the mouths of
Highland Creek and the Rouge, coupled with the
existence close by of the very best kinds of timber in
great abundance, induced several persons to select
these places during the first half of the century as
ship-building yards.
In 1820 a Captain Hadley built on the Rouge a
handsome schooner named the Duke of York. The
Captain was evidently somewhat of a naval architect,
for his vessel is said to have been constructed on
beautiful lines and to have been the most rapid sailer
on Lake Ontario, making the trip from Oswego to
York in from two to five hours less than the time
required by any United States craft.
During the winter of 1825-26, Joseph Dennis here
built for Captain Richardson a fine steamer, called the
Trades and Tradesmen. 135
Canada. Alex. Secor and a few others yet living re-
member numerous events connected with the building
of this boat, which was successfully launched on the
3rd of eJune, 1826, after which she was towed to
Toronto, where she received the engines made for her
in Montreal. She was a vessel of fine ai)})earance,
good sailing qualities, and in every way worthy of her
builder and her owner.
In 1 834 a vessel was i)ut on the stocks at the mouth
of Highland Creek by John Allen and " Uncle Tommy
Adams," also familiarly known as "the American
Dutchman." This vessel, named the Mary Ann, was
engaged in local trade for many years, and i)roved (»f
great service to the farmers in carrying ashes, grain
and shingles away, and in bringing back Hour, salt,
lime, etc.; but her sailing qualities were such that her
owners were frequently quizzed, on their return to
port, about the condition of things in Liverpool, Cal-
cutta and other distant places ! The Mary Ann was,
in all probal)ility, constructed on some Noachian or
*' stone-hooker " model.
This year, also, another sailing vessel was l)uilt by
William Quick, west of the ridge called the " Hogs-
back," on the Rouge. " Bill " Quick named his craft
the Charlotte of Pickering, but this is all that is known
regarding her.
In 1843, Messrs. Scripture and Matthews laid the
keel of a schooner at Hunter's Hole, on the Rouge,
and this appears to have been the last of the vessels
built in Scarl)oro, or in connection with the township,
for it should be noted that although the Rouge has
the main portion of its course in this township, it
empties into Lake Ontario through the township of
Pickering.
136 History of tiii: Township of Scakboko.
CHAPTER X.
CHURCHES AND MINISTERS.
" No silver saints, by dying misers giv'n,
Here brib'd the rage of iii-iequited heaven ;
But such plain roofs as Piety could raise,
And only vocal > ith the Maker's praise."
— Pope.
" As pleasant sonsio, at morning sung,
The words that dropped from his sweet tongue
Strengthened our hearts : or heard at night,
Made all our slumbers soft and light."
— Lontjfdlow.
ST. ANDREW'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
IX the infancy of Scarboro the only altar was that
of the family. There was neither church nor
minister, yet prayer and praise were not wanting ; the
(lays of the patriarchs were renewed.
But the settlement grew, numbers increased, and it
became possible to organize meetings for public wor-
shij). Still, it renijuned impossible to build a church,
and gatherings were held in barns, workshops, private
houses and taverns, or, as they were more properly
termed at that period, inns or pul)lic-houses. The
old David Thomson tavern furnished such convenience,
and there, as seems eminently appropriate to the
earliest records we have of that good man, the first
communion of the Church to which he belonged was
administered. It was probably owing to the hetero-
geneous places of gathering for worship in the early
.MKTiriiDi.sT :
MINISTERS.
1. Kev. John KleUher. •_'. Rev. Canon Belt. | ^ Rev. Wni. Itii-'s! 0.1)^ 4. Rcr. M. B. C
ItoMAX Catholic : 7. Kev. K. K. (iiilla<,'hur.
PRK.>-kYrERIAN :
5 Rev. Dr. J. Geor;;e. .i. Itev. Dr. Jas. Bain. s. Itev. .}. Maokay, li.A. 9. Rev. T. Wijfhrman.
CiiUKciiEs AND Ministers. 137
sottlonu'iits tliat till' tiTins "meeting" aiid " meeting-
lioiise " I'funo to he used.
As till' as is known, the first Presl)vtei'ian mission-
ary oi' minister wlio visited Searljoro was the Rev.
Kohert MeDowall, tliougli it apj)eai's from reeords
extant that lK)th Ba})tist and Methodist })reaehers had
also ministered to the spiritual wants of the peo})le.
Mr. MeDowall was sent to Canada hy the Diiteh
Ileformed Chureli of the United States in 17t)!^, .ind
was settled at Adol})hust()wn, an aetive eentre of the
United Emj)ire Loyalist immigration in 17H4, and
Houree of religions aetivities in the vari(ms ehurehes.
Mr. McDowall's duties led him to visit the settle-
ments as far west as York, and it was during these
travels that he ministered to the pioneers of Scarboro.
His visits about ISO.'), are mentioned in the records
of 8t. Andrew's (/liureh.
In I SI (I, the Rev. John Beattie, also a minister of
the Dutch Reformed Church, preached in Scarboro
during his tour of eighteen weeks along the north
shore of Lake Ontario.
For several years, dating from 1S12 or 1813, ser-
vices were held in the old log building known as " the
haunted school -house," near the Springfield Farm.
The year 1818 marks a new era in the history of
Presbyterianism in Scarboro. In that year the Rev.
William Jenkins, who came to Canada from the United
States in 1817, and was settled at Richmond Hill,
began to minister regularly to the Presbyterians of
Scarboro, avd at once entered upon the organization of
a congregation under the name of " The Presbyterian
Church in Scarboro." The records state that on the
26tli December, 1818, the Rev. William Jenkins and
10
138 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Mr. John Stirrat, who was an elder from Whitby, met
in Scarboro and took under examination the following
men nominated by the congregation for the • ifice of
elder, viz., Andrew Thomson, Robert Johnston, and
James Kennedy. These men were approved, and w ere
ordained to the office of Ruling Elder in the new con-
gregation, and the first duty assigned them was to
inquire into the method of communicating religious
instruction to the children of the neighborhood.
Mr. Jenkins continued his ministry in Scarboro for
about twelve years, giving one-third of his time to this
charge, for which the i)eople })aid him .$100 ])er annum.
In 1819 the congregation of St. Andrew- 's erected the
first church liuilding in the township. The land on
which it was l)uilt was the gift of David Thomson, the
first settler. The building was 30 x 40, frame, and is
thus described by Mrs. Ross, a daughter of Rev. Jas.
George, who succeeded Mr. Jenkins : *• The first
church as I rememl)er it was frame, with a stair built
on the outside to give access to a gallery, added when
the congregation grew too large for the ground floor.
The church was seated with wooden pews.* A long
narrow table exteutlcd from before the i)uli)it nearly to
the door, a long \)fw on each side of it ; a shorter table
and pews were p'aced across the end of the church on
each side of the pulpit. These w ere the communion
tables and i)ews. The pulpit, a high enclosed place,
was reached by a stair. The precentor's desk, directly
in front of and lower than the i)ulpit, was also enclosed."
It would be a pleasure to quote from this excellent
account the descrij)tion given of the manner of con-
ducting the ordinary Sabbath service, and also the
*This, no doubt, means that the pews were made of plain deals or boards.
Churches and Ministers. 139
communion service, but space forbids. For some
years the ])eople of all denominations met in this
building and joined in tlie Presbyterian service, and
in the church-yard near by they buried their dead, as
the toml)stoiies show.
Mr. Jenkins is described as an excellent scholar,
an able preacher, keen in sarcasm, and yet guileless
as a child. He died on 8eptt»mber '2'yth, 1843, exactly
a quarter of a century after having organized the first
Presbyterian Church in Scarboro.
In 1H2:3, other Ruling Elders were added to the
church session. They were David Elliot and Adam
Bell. Two years later Thomas Paterson was added to
the roll. The first session clerks were William Cas-
sels and William Elliot.
On August '2'2nd, 183:3, a call was given to the Rev.
Jas. (icorge. Mr. George was a Perthshire man, a
graduate of Dollar Academy, and of St. Andrew's and
(rlasgow universities. Reaching the United States in
1829, he held several charges, and was highly thought
of by his peoi)le in each j)lace ; but the then })revailing
unfriendly sentiment to (jreat Britain was so painful
to him that he j)referred to live and work under the
old Hag, even in the woods of Canada. His Scarboro
people soon built him a manse, u})on land given l)y
James A. Thomson, of S]>ringfield Farm, and here his
wife died within the year, leaving him a grieved and
lonely man.
At the time of Mr. George's inducti«)n the number
of communicants on the roll of St. Andrcnv's was
seventy. At the same period the following names
were added to the session roll, viz., Rol)ert Stobo,
William Paterson, John Skelton, George Thomson,
140 History of the Township of Scarboro.
and George Telford, llie latter ha<l been an elder in
the Old Country.
Under Mr. CTeor<i!:e the membership ra})i<lly inereased,
two hundred and fifty names being added within a few
years of his ministry. In him the cause of education
ever had a staunch friend. He was the founder of the
first temperance society in Scarboro, and actively
supported the movement to estal)lish a public library,
which for many years has afff)rded the chief supply of
reading matter in the township.
In his time the method of conducting the Presby-
terian worshi]) in Scarboro, as elsewhere, followed much
more closely than it d(/. s now the usage of the " Auld
Kirk" in Scotland. The service began at ten in the
morning, and with a short intermission lasted until
three in the afternoon. In winter the whole service
was conducted without any cessation, and generally
lasted four hours. The sermon preached in the after-
noon often reached an hour and a half in length.
Most of the people walked to church in those days,
some of them, as the Hoods and Gibsons, coming a
distance of six or eight miles on fo(^t.
Mr. George remained in Scarboro for twenty years,
with the exception of a seven months' settlement in
Belleville. In 18.')3 he was a})pointed Professor of
Mental and Moral Philoso})liy and Logic, in Queen's
College, Kingston. In 18').") he received the degree of
Doctor of Divinity from the University of Glasgow.
He remained for nine years in Kingston, then accepted
a call to Stratford, and remained there until his death
in August, 1870. He is buried in St. Andrew's
church -yard, where a fine monument was erected to
his memory by a loving people. A mural tablet to liis
memory was also placed in the church at Stratford.
Churches and Ministers. 141
The following persons were ordained and received
into tlie Session of St. Andrew's l)y Mr. George, in
1841, viz., Andrew Telfer (or Telford), James A.
Thomson, Thomas Brown, Robert Hamilton, and Wm.
Clark, who, with Mr. Telfer, afterwards became elder
in Knox Church. The session - clerks during this
ministry were George Thomson and William Clark.
In 1849, a new church liuilding was erected, which
was then considered the finest in that part of the
country. In 1803, it was put in thorough rei)air, at a
cost of f$l,5.")0, and is the St. Andrew's Church, Scar-
boro, of to-day.
A relic of Rev. Dr. George remains in an old, dis-
colored copy of a sermon })reached by him in St.
Andrew's Church, for the day of jniblic thanksgiving,
ai)i)ointed by the Government, for the restoration of
our national i)eace in 1838. The sermon is entitled,
''The Duties of Subjects to their Rulers, with a Spe-
cial View to the Present Times." It was printed " By
reijuest of the Congregation," and signed, " In the name
of the Congregation," by William i^iterson, Chairman,
and James Whiteside, Secret'-iry pro tern. The })am-
phlet contains thirty-two images, and was printed at
the office of " W. J. Coates, 140 King Street, Toronto."
The vacancv caused by the translation of Dr. Geory-e
to the Chair of Logic at Queen's University, was not
of long duration. In December, 18.")3, the Rev. James
Bain took up the work at St. Andrew's, and, having
served the congregation ten months as stated supply,
was inducted to the charge in October, 18')4.
Like his predecessor, Mr. Bain was a native of
Perthshire, Scotland, and was for twenty-seven years
pastor of the LTnited Presl)yterian congregation at
142 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Kirkaklv. He came to Canada in 1853, and was at
once sent to Scarboro, where he continued for twenty
years as ])astor of 8t. Andrew's. In 1864, a part of
St. Andrews's was formed into a separate congregation,
and a fine frame church, known as 8t. John's, was built
about seven and a half miles distant. Both churches
were served by the same pastor. This union was very
harmonious, and lasted for twenty-five years, when a
separation took place. St. John's, being within the
lines of Markham township, then l)ecame part of a new
charge. During this ministry Mr. Alex. Stirling was
ordained elder.
In 1874 Mr. Bain demitted his charge, and retiring
from the active work of the ministry, settled in Mark-
ham village, where he died on the 9th of December,
1885, in the eighty-fourth year of his age. His body
was laid to rest in St. Andrew's Cemetery, where a
handsome granite monument was erected to his
memory.
Mr. Bain was in many respects a remarkal^le man.
Possessed of a clear intellect, he was a vigorous
thinker, had a wide range of knowledge, debating
power of a high order, great fluency of speech and a
magnificent voice. Few were his superiors on the
platform. He was a man of good business ability, of a
genial and kindly disposition, and ever ready to help,
so that when he resigned his charge he had many firm
friends.
The ministers who followed Mr. Bain at St. Andrew's
are still living, and their w^ork has been done so re-
cently that it will be unnecessary to do much more
than mention their names. Rev. Malcolm McCxillivray,
a graduate of Queen's College, Kingston, succeeded
Churches and Ministers. 143
Mr. Bain in 1875. He remained about five years,
(1 emitting his charge in 1881. Mr. McGiUivray was
very highly respected by his people. Under him the
congregation greatly increased, and the seating capacity
of the church was fully taxed. During his time also,
the Sabbath School was built, and a good beginning
made towards beautifying the grounds. Too much
credit cannot be given to the successive Boards of
Management in the congregation for the energy and
taste they have displayed in making, not only the
interior of the church, but all its surroundings, so
attractive. During Mr. McGillivray's ministry the
membership ro) ved 323 names.
Rev. Charles j^. I'anner, who succeeded Mr. Bain as
pastor, began his ministry in St. Andrew's in the year
1882. He had been in Scarbt ro (mlv a little over four
years, when he was called by the congregation of
Levis, Quebec. This call he accepted, and left Scar-
boro in 1887. During the vacancy which fodowed,
steps were taken to effect the afore-men^ioned
separation between St. Andrew's and St. Jolm's. This
change was made before the present pastor was called.
In 1888 Rev. D. Barclay Macdonald, who graduated
at Knox College, Toronto, in 1882, accepted the
pastorate of St. Andrew's, and is still in charge. The
equipment of the congregation is now complete, and
the work is very prosperous. An organ was intro-
duced into the church in 1889, and the service of
praise is conducted by a very excellent choir under
the leadership of T. A. Paterson, with Miss Mary
Glendinning as organist. There is also a Young
Peojjle's Christian Association.
144 History of the Township of Scarhoko.
In 1S.')(> a Ladies' Missionary Association was formed
w^itli the following officers :
Directress, - - - . Mrs. Davidson.
Board of Management :
Mrs. Bain. Miss Chester.
Mr.s. Elliot. Miss Wliiteside.
Mrs. D. Brown. Miss Loveless.
CoLLtCTORS :
Eastern District, - Misses M. Brown and J. Thomson.
Western u - Misses M. A. Loveless and M. Patton.
Northern n - Misses A. and M. Paterson.
Southern n - Misses M. Brown and I. Brownlie.
Home 1! - Misses B. and A. Thomson.
This society was formed for the purpose of deep-
ening the interest in, and collecting funds for, the
education and support of female orphans in India.
The first orphan thus assisted was named Mary
Thomson Scarboro, in memory of Mary Thomson, iie'e
Gleudinning, the " Mother of Scarboro." Another of
these orphans was named Margaret Bain, connnemor-
ating a daughter of the manse. During its first year
the Society collected for this w ork nearly fifty-seven
dollars.
We find that the following persons have taken an
active interest in the Society's w ork at various periods,
viz., the Misses J. Gleudinning, I. Gibson, Mary
Weir, Margaret Lawrie, Agnes Marshall irgaret
Tingle, Janet Bain, Mary Purdie, Jane Frame, Isa.
Walton.
In 1880 Mrs. Geo. Elliot resigned the treasurership,
and Miss Marshall was ai)pointed in her place. The
Society continued its work until 1888, when it was
Churches and Ministers. 145
merged into the Women's Foreign Missionary Society,
whieh is now an active missionary society within the
congregation. The present otticers arc:
Hon. President, - - Mrs. Macdonald.
Prcf^ldenf , - . - Miss E. Brown.
Jut Vice-President, - Mr.s. \V. Green.
2nd Vice-President, - Mrs. Geo. McCowan.
Secretary , . . . Miss Ida Carnaghan.
Treasurer, ... Miss Jennie A. Thomson.
Last year al)out $110 was sent into the General
Fnnd, and $.").■) in ch)thingfor the Indians of the Cana-
dian >sorth-West.
Mr. A(him Bell teaches the Bible-class in 8t.
Andrew's Chnrcli, and the Sabl)ath School teachers
are :
Mrs. Carmichael. Miss Elizabeth Brown.
Mrs. Martin. Miss I. Carnaghan.
Mrs. Green. Miss I. Bell.
Mrs. A. Thomson. Miss M. Glendinning,
The Secretary-Trea.surer is Mr. W. Carmichael.
ZION CHURCH (PRESBYTERIAX).
In 1889 Parsonage Cliurch, Primitiye Methodist,
withdrew from the Methodist body, accepted Presby-
terianism, and was united with St. Andrew's in one
pastoral charge. It chose Zion for its new name.
This congregation has a fine brick edifice, is in a
flourishing condition, and the united charge makes
one of the strongest country congregations in Canada.
The officers elected at the time of the union were
Messrs. Dayid Martin, George Fitz})atrick, and Leslie
Armstrong, as members of session. On the Board of
146 History of the Township of Scarhoro.
Management have been such men as Adam Richard-
son, John Tingle, W. W. Thomson, Thomas Pilkey,
George Coulson, Joseph Tingle, James McBeth, and
Joseph Armstrong.
The church has an efficient choir under the leader-
ship of Miss Minnie Fitzi)atrick. This congregation
has an active Auxiliary of the Women's Missionary
Society, which is doing excellent work. Its officers
are :
President, . . . Mrs. Armstrong.
Vice-President, - - Mrs. T. lonson
Secretary, . - . Mrs. Fitzpatrick.
Treasurers, - - - Mesdaines A. lonson and
A. Richardson.
The latest statistics to hand for the united charge
show:
Scliolars on Sabbath School roll 149
Teachers 18
Present membei-sliip on communion roll 307
Contributions for all purposes S3,079
" missionary and benevolent work 891
Gifts of clothing for Indians of the Car^adian
North-West 92
Cost of manse built in 1887 2,500
The following figures show growth in the material
welfare of these congregations : When Mr. Jenkins
began his work in St. Andrew's in 1818, he received
$100 per annum ; in 1833, when Mr. George assumed
charge, he received $500, with manse and firewood.
Mr. Bain received about the same amount until St.
John's was opened, when his stipend was increased.
In 1875, when Rev. Mr. McGillivray took charge, he
Churches and Ministers. 147
received $1,000 with manse and glebe. The stijiend
now paid by the whole charge is $1,400, with free
manse and glebe.
John T. Bi'owii w^as session clerk in 188H, and most
faithfullv did he discharge the duties of his ottice.
He was always whole-hearted and enthusiastic in his
work ; a man of kindly disposition, of an ardent tem-
j)erament, always lio})eful, and ever ready to give both
time and money to the cause he loved. He was very
much missed when he withdrew from this congregation
to reside in Vancouver, B.C.
The senior meml)er of session was James Russell, a
man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Mr. Russell
was a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, and
spent many years in teaching in the early days of
Scarboro. For a long })eriod he walked over six miles,
night and morning, to and from his school. He was
humorously dubl)ed, " Knight of the Birch Rod at
Squaw Village."
Mr. Russell was a man of ripe scholarship, was
widely read in history, science and literature, and
thoroughly conversant with theology. After his re-
tirement from the active duties of life, he spent hours
each day reading alternately the Hebrew, (xreek and
English Bibles. He died in July, 1890, having been a
member of St. Andrew's Church for forty-seven years,
and a member of session for twenty of these. He was
a man very highly esteemed by his brethren of the
session.
Besides Messrs. Brown and Russell, there were
Messrs. James Stirling, John A. Paterson, David
Martin, Adam Bell, William Carmichael, Beeba Car-
naghan and William Green, all men of ability, piety,
148 History ok thk Township of Scauisoro.
sound judi^nu'iit, and I'xc'cllcnt scholai'sliip. Of tlio
session as it tlicn cxistcMl, only tlic last four names
remain on tlie roll of t()-(lay. W'^illiam Heron has since
heeii addecl. William (Ireen aets as session-elerk.
KNOX CHURCH (PRESBYTEUrAN).
The a^^itation that took place in Scotland (leading
to the formation of what is designated " The Free
Church"), in 1S4:), distui'hed the Presbyterian hrethren
in ('ana<la,and alumt 1S4M Scarborowasso far affected
by it as to cause a bri'ak-off from St. Andrew's con-
<;re<'ation, and the formation of Knox Church. Tlie
history is communicated to us as f()llo\ys :
Preyious to a conj^regational orpuiization, the meet-
ings of this l)ody were held in the school-house, lot 29,
concession '2, and at the first conununion twelye per-
sons partook. At the meeting of the Presbytery of
Toronto, held on tlie 7tli of June, 184S, steps were
taken to organize Knox Church, Scarboro. The Uev.
Dr. Burns, according to appointment of Presljytery,
yisited Scarboro on the PJth of June, examined, and
enrolled forty members. Arrangements \yere made
for dispensing conununion on Sabbath, June 2')tli.
York jVIills* and Knox Church were erected into one
pastoral charge, and the first minister inducted was
the Key. Thos. Wightman. The induction took place
on the 2.")th of Noyember, IS4H. The Key. Dr. Willis
preached, taking as his text Hebrews x, \\)-'2'l. Dr.
Willis achlressed the minister, and the Key. Mr. Kin-
toul, the congregation. The members of Presbytery
present at this induction \yere Key. Dr. Willis, Mod-
erator ; Key. Messrs. Kintoul, Harris and Boyd, and
* Then and still popularly known as " Hogg's Hollow."
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES.
1. Melville. 2. St. Andrew's (1817). 3. Present St. Andrew's (Erected 1849).
4. Zion. 5. Knox.
ClIUKClIKS AND MiNISTKKS. 14^
Janu's Armour, Kldcr. Knox's sliarc of the aimiial
stipend, at that date, was .$ii()(h
Mr. Wi^^litnian was a Scotsman, Iiavinj^' Ikhmi hom
in 1 )umtri('sshiii>. He ivccivtMl his literary and tlico-
lo^ical education in Kdinhurgli. In 1S44 lie eame to
Canada, and was settled at York Mills, which, as
already stated, was afterwards joined with Knox
Church. In 1H4H Mi*. \Vii;htman was inducted to the
Knox part of the chai'<;('. He continued ;o serve the
united con<;rej;ation for four yeai's, and, aftei- the
sepai'ation of Knox Church from Voi'k Mills, he min-
istered to the latter conj^re^ation for two years lonj^er.
His death took place on March :]()th, IS71.
On December 1st, IS.')!?, the union between York
Mills and Knox Church was, l)v action of Presbyterv,
dissolved, and the latter was united with Melville
Church, }Ii<^hland Creek.
In IHS:> this union was dissolved, Melville being
united with Dunbarton, Knox Church beconiinj;' a
separate charge.
The first elders of Knox Church were Wni. Clark^
sen., who had been onhuned an elder in Scotland in
18:30; Andrew Telfer, ordained in 18:39 (both Mr.
(Uark and Mr. Telfer served in the eldershii) of St.
Andrew's for several years, but withdrew on the Free
Church question) ; Wm. Young, ordained in 184'J, and
Messrs. Wni. Ferguson, John McLevin, and Wm.
Clark, jun., onhiined June 28th, 1849.
The Rev. Mr. Macdonald, of St. Andrew's Church,
Scarboro, has kindly sui)})lied the following notices of
the several ministers of Knox Church :
Rev. John Laing, now Dr. Laing, of Dundas, Ont.,
was ordained and inducted to the pastorate of Knox
150 History of the Township of Scarboro.
C'liui'cli, Scar))oro, in June, 18.')4, The church at that
time was small, l)ut there was room for growth, and
witliin two years the 1)uil(liiig was enhirged to (hjul)le
its original size.
This was Mr. Laing's first charge, and he being full
of youthful vigor and earnest zeal, did not spare him-
self in his work. Kegular servic(\s were held in Knox
and Melville churches ; in addition to this, services
were held in various school-houses, and for two years
open-air meetings were held near the Kouge. Through
the instrumentality of his young men's class, S;d)l)ath
vSchools were estalflished in various sections, a i)reach-
ing station was opened by him, and a church built near
the York town-line, and another at Cedar (Jrove. In
the village of Markham, too, a station was o})ened.
Frecpient visits were made to Pickei'ing and Whitby
on the east, and to (icorgina and Yonge Strc on the
north and west. The demands of the work liecame so
great that an assistant had to be employed for the last
two years of his ministry. Dr. Laing is a graduate in
Theology of Knox College, Toronto, and in Arts, of
Vi(;toria University. He has done good service for
the Church, notal)ly on the Home Mission Conmiittee,
and in connection with Knox College. He held the
highest position in the gift of the Church, Moderator
of the (icneral A.ssembly, in 1S9(), and has been Clerk
of the Presbytery of Hamilton for twenty-one years.
Dr. Laing was succeeckvl in the pastorate of Knox
Church by Mr. D. H. Fletcher, who possessed in a
marked degree those qualities which rendered the
ministry of his predecessor so successful. It may l^e
truly .said that these two early ministers gave Kn(jx
its missionary bent ; that, humanly speaking, Laing
Churches and Ministp:rs. 151
planted, and Fletcher and the Mackays watered that
missionary spirit which is so vigorous to-day.
Mr. Fletcher's studies were begun in Scotland and
continued in Toronto, whei'e he attended classes in the
University. Taking up the study of theology ui Knox
College! he graduated in that institution, receiving his
di})l()nia in 1860. In November of that year he was
ordainc.'d and inducted into the })astorate of Knox
Church, wlu^re he continued to la)K)r for nearly twelve
years. In 1S7*J, he was called to McNab Street,
Hamilton, where he still serves. He is now Dr.
Fletcher, liaving received the degree of I). I), from his
Alma Mdter a few years ago. Dr. Fletcher has been
Moderator of the Svnod of Hamilton and L(md()n, and
has rendered good service to the Church as examiner
in Knox College, and on the Board of Management,
of which he is still a member. Messrs. Laing and
Fletcher each served in Scarlxn'o as Local Suj)erin-
tendent of Education.
A vacancy of more than a year's duration, caused by
the removal of Mr. Fletcher to Hamilton, was ter-
minated by the induction of Rev. (rcorge Burntield.
Mr. Hurntield received both his literary and theological
education in Canada, being a graduate of Toronto
University and Knox College. He came to Scarboro
in 18713, and remained about four years, when he
acce})te(l a call to the First Presbyterian Church,
Hrockville. Mr. Burntield was a man of wi«le and
ripe scholarship, and was gifted with extraordinary
oratorical powers ; lierein, indeed, lay ihe chief
strength of his ministry. After leaving Brockville
Mr. Burnfield held a charge in Toronto, whence he
rev'ioved to Philadeli)hia, U.S.
I.r2
HisTokv oi' TiiK TowNsmi' ok Scakhoko.
It. I*. Mac Kay was next in tli(! succession. \U*
too, is i\ (aiiadiiin l)y hiilli and c(|iication, iIk;
INihlic scliools of Zona, Woodstock lli^^li S(;}iool, and
Tonnito (Iin'vcrsity supplying liis litci"ir-y cr|iii|)tn('?it,
Knox ('olIc;.^(' hcin;^- liis tlicoloj^ictal Alma Mater. In
|h77, Mr. MacKay was ordainc(| and inductee! to tha
pastorate of Knox Churcli. His ministry there, vvliicli
covered a period of seven years, was stron*^ and
spiritually fruitful, tlie missionary spirit of the coiij^re-
^ation hein;^- pei'ceptibly hroadene*! and deepened. In
IHS4 he was ti'anslatecl to l)uiui /Xviinie ("hurch,
Parkdale, fr-om which |)osition, after a pastorate of
s(!Vefi vears, he was called l>v the (Jeneral Assenihlv to
tin; secretaiyship of the Foi-ei;;!! Mission ( 'orninittec!.
John Ma(;K'iy, also a ("a?iadian and a /orra man,
Huc(-eed(!d his namesake in Knox ( 'lunch. .Mr. .VIa(;-
Kay's niinistj-y was brief, hut ir : too hrief to have doiK^
{^ood work, and ^^reatly endear'e(| Inmself to his peopN^
Ifi.'-' ministry in Knox pr-actically ctloscd in |S!M?.
aIthou;;li he did not r-csij^ri Iiis (;har-|^(^ till IHIH. After*
a lini^erin;^ illness he die(l in Is94. .Mr'. .MacKay's
(education was wholly r'eceive(| in ( anadian collej^es.
II(^ serve<i for- some time on tin; l>oar<l of I'Aarniner's
of Knox ("oIIe;^e, of which i»?stitution Ik; was a
(listin^^irished ^r-aduate.
The present pastor', Jiev. James A. lir-own, was
inducted l»y ijie I'r'cshyter'y of Tor'onto in November',
IHOI. He is Canadian bor'rr and trained, bein^ a
j^r'aduate of (Queen's ('olle;.;e, Kin^.ston. As may Ik;
K(;(;n by i-efer'crrcj; to the followirr;^ statements, Knox
(Jhiirch contirures in the; enjoyment of iim'nterrupted
[)(;ac(; and pr-osper'ity under the rnfuistr-y of Mr'. P>r'own :
Knox (hur-ch is built on lot 20. corrccssiorr I>, S(tai'-
CnUkMIKS AND MiNISTKKS.
l.-i3
horn. A iiHdc Itcaiit ifiil ;m«I cciitF'al silc could scantcly
he foiiiid Miiywln'rc. I Im' first paiccl of ImikI, consist-
inj4' of one acre, was ijicscntcd to tlic (-(jii^rc^^at ion l»y
tJic late Tlios. Kcimcily. An additional aci'c has sin(;(^
been piii'cliascd by the (;on;^r'('|4ati<>ii.
'I'lic fir'st l)iiildiii;4, ('nH;t('<l in 1H4M, was a frames
structure. A few yeai's later- an ad<lition was made,
^^ivin;; tlie building the form 'A' a T. I'lie old chuicli
has been converted into two private resich'iiccs, and a
new one of i;rick was en^^ted in \x7-. It has a seat-
\\v^ capacity ot 4."(), and cost over $7,000. The slieds
can accommodate u|)war(ls of a hundred vehicles, 'l'h(^
church stands in the midst of the cemetery, wher(; tli<!!
sacred dust of many of the early and sainte<| mcndiers
of the (ton'.n-ef^at ion rests, arid junnerous beautiful
niomiments mark their ;.;raves.
Compared with the small stipend that Knox Church
(rould contribute in iHlH^the pn^.sont stipend of $1,000,
t(»}4('ther- wit h a manse and six acres ^^lebe, manifests
an advaiKM' in mateiial prosperity which is a pi'opcu*
subject of tiiaii!. fulness.
Knox Church is widely known throu^liout the Pres-
bytcria?! body as a libei-al (tontriltutor to missions and
otiiei- scliemes of the ('lunch a Wonian's l^'oreiirn
Missionai'y Socriety, a Mission liand, and a Youni^
Men's Home .Missionaiy Society testifyin;^ to its
activity mi tliat direction. In the early lu'stoiy of fh(^
con^rci^ation, its Sabbath Scliool was for- many years
condu(;ted by William Clark, )u;i.,and Wm. Crawford.
At pres(uit, 140 scholar's mv on the roll, with s(!ven-
t(;(^n t(;a(;lier's.
The temj)oral affair's of the con^r'cj^^ation arc, en-
trusted to a boar'd of five tr'ustees, who ar'c electe(|
11
154 History of the Township of Scarboro.
annually. From the year, 1880 to 18Jj'), Knox ('liiirch
has c()ntri])ute(l to ordinary revenue and for benevolent
purposes ahove ^'2'2,'2^)(), and for missionary jmrposes
in the neighborhood of $12,500, a sum total of .$o4,7i")0
— an average of over $2,000 i)er annum.
The membership of Knox Church in 189.') 'vas 207.
(^f the fortv meml^ers enrolled in 1848, but three
remain, viz., Mr. and Mrs. Hug)i Elliot and Mrs. Wm.
Clark, jun.
MELVILLE CHURCH (PRESBYTERIAN).
In comparison with iSt. Andrews's, the parent of
Presbvterijuiism in Scarboro, Melville Church is recent.
Knox congregation, established in the north-west sec-
tion of the township in 1848, took a warm interest in
the foundation of another in the south-east, where the
adherents of the Presbyterian Church w.'re then, and
are still, fewer ihan in any other section of Scarboro.
It was at first proposed to erect the church on tlu^
Markham Road, where it is intersected l)y the first
concessi(m; but the gift of a l)uil<ling site, and a lil)eral
<lonation of money by the late (xcorge Stephenson,
influence*! those ccmcei'ned to erect the building on
the more suitable spot wliere H now stands. Its
position is thus descril)ed by a loving hand :
"Charmingly situated on the crown of a high hill,
encircled with pines, firs, and cedars, stands Melville
Church, overlooking the beautiful valley to the east
through which Highland Creek meandei'ingly finds its
way to the blue waters of Lake Ontario, which can l)e
seen in the distance. Immediateiy in front of its
sacred threshold })asses the Kingston Road, always
thronged with industrious farmers and others on their
Churches and Ministers. 155
way to the markets of the Queen City, thirteen miles
<listant."
MelyiUe Church, Hke Zion of old, is therefore " beau-
tiful for situation."
In December, ISoO, Mr. Telfer, Representatiye Elder
for Knox con[i,re<;ation, ai){)eare(l before the Toronto
Presbytery, askinj^' for ministerial sui)ply, which was
cheerfully <! ranted for eyery alternate Sabbath. On
the 10th December, IHol, the church was opened and
dedicated to the service of (xod l)y the yenerable Dr.
Willis. The foi'tni<;htly supply from Toronto Presby-
teiy ceased in December, X^^rl, when the congre<;a-
tions of Mehille and Knox churches uii..ed as one
pastoral charge. On this occasion the first "sacra-
ment " was observed by nine communicants, two of
whom aie still living — Mr. flonathan Paird and Mi's.
Stei)hens(m. The Rev. Thomas Wightman was the
otticiating ministei' at this memoraide service, and
Messrs. W. Young and Wm. Ferguson acted as elders.
In 1S.')4 the Kev. flolin Laing was oi'dained and
inducted. Shortly after his advent several families
connected with the " Auld Kii'k " (among whom were
the Xeilsons and Oowans) joined the infant congrega-
tion, and brought hope and strength with tluMii. Mr.
Laing remained until ISOO, when, greatly to the ivgret
of his people, he accepte<l a call to Cobourg.
In the same year he was succeeded by the Rev. Mr.
Fletcher, who labored most indefatigably and with
great success, until his I'cmoval to Hamilton in 1S7*2.
In lS7o the Rev. (ieoi'ge Pmrnfield, II D., was called
and inducted, and for over three years filled the pulpit
with unusual brilliance and ability.
The Kev. R. 1*. Mac Kay was ordained and inducted
156 History of the Township of Scarhoro.
over the cono rogation in 1877, and labored faithfully
until \HH'2, when the conneetion with Knox C'hureh
was severed, and a union eonsunnnated with Dunbar-
ton Chureli, in the township of Pickering,
A enll was then acee})te(l l)v Rev. R. N. Craig.
Dui'ing his })astorate a new ehureh was erected on the
old site, and dedicated on the 4tli September, 1887, by
the Rev. Dr. lletcher, of Haniiltor, one of its former
pastors. Mr. (*raig did excellent work, but in 1889,
to the regret of his congregation, he resigned. The
minister at present is Rev. flohn Chisholm, who was
called and inducted in 1890.
The growth of the congregation of Melville Church
has been slow but steady, its most active growth
liaving taken place within the last six years.
The number of members on the roll this year (1896)
is one hundred and forty-tive.
The amount given as share of minister's sti})end in
1890 was $:3:)0; at present it is ^oOO. The totrd
amount given in 1889 to the schemes of the Church
was $119 ; in 1895 it was $310.
William Cowan is the present superintendent of the
Sabbath School, ihe condition of which is in every
way satisfactory.
The Women's Foreign Missionary Society, presided
over by Mrs. H. Westney, is in excellent working
order, and annualiv raises large contributions in
money, be^iides supply ii\g clothing for the Indians of
the Canadian North-West.
The elders of the congregation at present are Wm.
Cowan, sen., (xeorge Scott, Wm. Stephenson, John
Mcintosh, Alox. Neilson and Robert Cowan.
IRec ^atncn Coneumcbatur.
3
o ■■
z -i
<: s
J I
O ,;
U
W ■=
Ghurches and Ministers. 157
ST. MARGARET'S, WEST HILL (EPLSCOPALIAN).
The niotlicr Cliurch of En«;lan(l in Scaihoro, and tlio
second of any. denomination huilt in tlie township, was
St. Marj^aivt's. Tliere seems to remain no iveord of
the time the huildin^- was ))e;4un, l»nt it is told that
]|ol)ert flaekson, the fatlier of T. Jackson, was out
shootinj^' in tlie woods in \H'2H or ls:}(), an<l came upon
it in an unfinished state. He at once took steps
toward its completion ; sul)scri})tions were raised, and
jdiout 18:]() St. ]VIar<iaret's (/hui'ch was opened. It is
unfortunate that the records of the Church of England
in Scarhoro are apparently lost. Many particulars,
therefore, that would liave heen invaluahle in a liistory
of the township) are not at our service. Previous to
IHoO, it is certain that the ("hurch of En<;land had
adherents in Searboro, and that cleriiymen from York
ministered to the wants of tlie scattered people.
The late Archdeacon McMnrray, of Xiaj^ara, at this
])eriod a young- man, used to hold service in private
houses in the township, and it is related that in riding
to his a[)pointments, liis fct were often in the mud, he
being a tall man, and the roads in many places ))ad.
St, Margaret's Church owes its name to Mrs,
Margaret Washburn, whose husband, the Hon. Simon
Washburn, contri])at(Ml largelv to its c(mstructi(m.
Mrs. Washburn was a sister of Lieut. -Col. Fitz()i])l>on
of Beaver Dams fame. The Hon. Simon Washburn
owned much land in and about Scarl)or() township,
an<l more than once contested the county against
William Lyon Mackenzie. At the time of its erection
St. Margaret's Churcli stood close to the road betwx^en
Kingston and York, but the straightening of this
158 History of tmk Township of Scakhoko.
Ijij^liway thicw tlic church sonic <list{in(U' nortii of
wiiat is now the Kin^^ston Road.
Tlic first interments in the j^i-avc varcl were tlie
l)0(lii's of some pci'sons name(l Fislici-, wlio died of the
cliolera cpicU'inic in \h:]2.
Witli re<^ard to tlie furniture of the church, the
foliowinjj' extract from a contrihution hv the Ivev. Dr.
Sca(ldin<;', of Toronto, will he interesting^': " I remem-
" her very well the soundin<4-l>oai'd, ))ulj)it and i'eadin<i-
"desk in St. Marpiret's. West Hill, as the place is
"now desi<^nated, so 1 am infornu'd. I have more
"than once taken <luty there: l)ur that church hein;^"
" somewliat farthei' east on the Kingston Road was
" rather out of my l)eat. I used to see the same
" sounding-hoard, puljnt and readinj^-desk i'l St. James'
"('hurch, Toronto, not then a Cathedi'al Church at
"all. In ISlS, on the estahlishnient of ])eace, Dr.
" Strachan, the incumbent, cnlai'^cd the old primitive
"church building- at York, and improved its appear-
" ance by adilinj^' to it a belfry and spiie. Hon. Francis
"(iore, the Lieutcnant-CJovernor of the pei'iod, fur-
" nished tlie renovated interior with tlie soundinj;-
" board, i)ul[)it and reading-desk at liis -own ex[)ens(\
"When the first St. James' Church, constructe<l in
"stone, replaced the wooden structure about the
"year 1H:}8, and all the interior fittinj^s w^ere clian^ed,
"the s(»undin<;-])oai'd, puli)it and reading-desk which
"(irovernoi' (Jore had so jj^enerously ])resented were
"donated as a charitable gift to the Cliurch on the
" south [since the change of line, now on the north]
" side of the Kingston Road, some way ])el()W the
" Four-Mile Tree. The original cost of the gift was
"$100," This furniture was removed five years ago.
ClIUR( MES AND MiNISTKKS. 151^
It is hclicvt'd that tli(^ Itcv. Mr. Dude usis tlic first
r(';:;iilar inciimhcnt of St. Mar^nirct's. In 1H40 Itcv.
W. H. Xoi'i'is, Lli. I)., was appointed, and was suc-
ceeded hy Rev. W. S. Darlin^^ 'I'lie followinj;- incum-
])ents have since held tlie cliar^^e: Rev. W. Belt, M.A.,
Rev. Jolni Fletclier, M.A., Rev. C. R. Hell, Rev. Henry
Owen, Rev. K. Hoi'ace Musson, liev. F. linit, and the
Rev. Thaddeus Walker, tlie present incumhent, who
took char<;'e in 1S<)1.
The first incnnihent^ received a stipend of six hun-
dred dollais a year, and the present lias eight hundred.
The early I'ecords heing- lost, the first name on the
existin*^ re<^istei- of l)a])tisni is that of Stej)hen West-
ney, now of Pickerin<;', al)f)ut the date of ls4:) ; hut a
(correspondent, T. fJackson, says the first l)a})tisnis
were those of two children, one of Mrs. (ieorg-e Bani-
hridge, and the other of Mrs. Burton, and that at that
time the tioor of tlie church wa " not wholly laid, so that
it must liave ])een ahout 1H:>(). Tlie first marriage,
which was solemnized, it is .said, by Rev. Mr. Fletclier,
was that of John Law to Miss Caroline l>ell.
The (;liurcli seats about two hundred, is now in
excellent re})air, and shows but little trace of sixty-
eight years' wear and waste. The church-yard sur-
rounding St. Mai'garet's is well cared for, and is by
far the most })eautifu]ly situated of the many burial-
grounds of Scarboro. Among its earliest interments
was a member of the Booth family.
Rishop Strachan seems to have administered con-
firmation in this cliurch, and at one time over a
Inmdred candidates wc-e presented. Even in later
times seventy was no uncommon number. (*onfirma-
tion-cards used to be given to the young ('onimunicants
IGO History of the Township of Scarboro.
on these occasions, a commendable practice that has
fallen much into disuse.
CHRIST CHURCH (EPISCOPALIAN).
The second Episcopalian place of worshii) erected in
Scarboro was Chri.st Church. It was built in 184.')-(},
the funds being collected largely through the efforts
of the Rev. W. S. Darling, then incumbent of Scarboro.
The land was the gift of the late James Humphrey,*
and the building committee was composed of some of
the leading members of St. Margaret's Church. Among
these w ere Messrs. William Westney, Robert Jackson,
James Humphrey, John Taber, and Henry Galloway.
The contract was let to Wm. Harris, carpenter, and
the plastering to the late John Baxter, of Toronto,
The building was first covered with cement, laid off in
squares to imitate stone, but this soon came off, and it
was boarded, as at present.
The bell, which has a very fine tone, was hung about
1860, and cost $160, which was defrayed by the Ladies'
Sewing Society,
The church was opened on the 15th of June, 1846,
Rev. W. S. Darling conducting the morning service,
and the Rev. Mr. Winstanlev that in the afternoon.
Rev. Mr. Darling was incumbent of Scarl)oro for
ten years, and was very active in promoting the inter-
ests of Christ Church. In all good deeds he was
aided by his wife, who was an indefatigable w^oiker
both in cliurch and Sunday School.
The Rev. Wm. Belt (now Canon Belt of Burlington)
was incumbent for sixteen years. Unde/ his direction
the Church was very i)rosperous, and at that time had
♦Some say J. Hopper gave part of lot 33, concession 3, Scarboro.
Churches and Ministers. 161
one of the largest English Church congregations in the
township. Too much praise cannot he given to Mr.
Belt and his family. He was very j)o})ular with all
<lenominati()ns, and tof)k a great interest in the Militia
and the Public schools.
In 1887. during the incumbencv of Rev. Mr. Burt,
Chrisi. Church was remodelled inside; the old-fashioned
pal})it and reading-desk were taken down and new
desks jmt in their places. One of these was the gift
of the late Mr. (Iieape, and the other of Wni. Rolf,
of Markham. The staine<l glass window was put in
at the same time.
The re()})ening on Sunday, Ncnember 6tli, 1887, was
conducted h\ Rev. Canon Belt and Rev. I*rof Clark,
of Ti'inity College, Toronto. Many of the congregation
who had left the })arish attended the service.
Scarboro has other Church of England congrega-
tions l)eside St. Margaret's and Christ Church. At
L'Amaroux is St. Paul's, al)out the same age as Christ
Church, and at the town-line between Scar})oro and
York, St. Jude's was erected in 1848, the site of it
being taken from St. Saviour's at East York, and St.
John's at Norway.
In the earlv davs our venerable friend Dr. Scad-
ding conducted services with considerable regularity
in tliL- L'Amaroux settlement.
Christ Church Sum^ v School is one of the oldest In
the township; its history is to be traced back to 1831,
when Adam Anderson taught in the old St. Margaret's
Church. For some time })rior to the building of the
present church, Mr. Anderson conducted the classes
in an okl log school-house on lot 14, concession D, and
when Christ Church was finished they were held there.
162 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Edward Galloway assisted Mr. Anderson, and taught
for a number of years in St. Margaret's,
Among the many workers and teachers in the school
in the i)ast may be mentioned Rev. W. Belt, Mrs.
Belt, Misses Matilda Hum])hrey, Ellen Jackson and
Margaret Thom})son, liev. C. R. Bell, Rev. H. Musson,
Mrs. Musson, Win. Humphrey, Misses Anne Knight
and Maggie Humphrey, and Rev. Win. Burt.
The present officers of the school are: All)ert
Chester, superintendent; Misses M. Secor, M. Jack-
son,* M. Cornell and L. Dodd, teachers, and James
G. Cornell, lil)rarian.
The library is a good one, and although the newer
plan of selling or passing on to other schools, collections
of the books purchased, is now the rule, there remain
on hand some of the volumes which constituted the
first liljrary. They are standard works of the timer
and become increasingly valuable.
METHODIST CHURCHES.
Ill the year 1S20 the Methodist circuits in Upper
Canada were seven, viz., Detroit, Thames, West-
minster, Ancaster, Yoiige Street, Duftin's Creek,
Niagara.
It was from Yonge Street that Scarboro was served,
and when it is understood that in 180."), this Circuit
'* included the townships on both sides of ' the street ^
from the Bay of Toronto to Lake Simcoe ; as Scarl)oro,
York, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, King, Whit-
church and East and West Gwillimbury," some idea
of its area may be formed. It is possible that it also
included the hamlets of Toronto township, namely,
Trafalgar and Nelson, of " The New Purchase."
* Died since MS. was prepared.
Churches and Ministers. 1G3
Itinerancy was a distinguishing feature of Method-
ism in those early days as now, but then it was an
itinerancy that meant everything the word implies in a
newly opened country of forest, lake, and stream, in
winter as well as in summer ; in the rains and mud of
autumn, and the mire and slush of spring,
" The oi)ening of Methodist activity in (*anada," says
Carroll, " l)egan with the entrance into the Province
of the Unity of the Empire Loyalists in 1784," and in
his " Case and his Cotemporaries,"' Vol. I., j). 3, a very
graphic account of early Methodism and of the United
Empire Loyalists in Canada is to be found; but these
pages are too few to allow us to enter into more than
the local history of the great movement.
As far back as 1803, itinerant ministers came into the
township and preached wherever they could get a
house. One of the chief meeting places was at the
home of Levi Annis, who kept a }m])lic-house. Meet-
ings were also held in ])arns, waggon-sho})s, school-
houses, or wherever a congregation could l)e gathered.
There was no station or circuit nearer than Y(^nge
Street. Very few individual meml)ers of the Methodist
Church came from the Old Country to Scarl)oro, but
the persistency of the travelling Methodist preacher
won manv adherents. Levi Annis was a verv warm
friend to the ministers, who had to travel many miles
over bad roads and through the woods in tliose davs
from one "preaching place" to another. Tht^y invari-
ably rode on horseback in summer, and sometimes on
a " bung " — a small sleigh with a pole and neckyoke
for one horse — in winter. They were com})elled to
carry with them their books, horse-provender, and fooil
for tliC: i selves, the latter often including tea, then
164 History of the Township of Scarboro.
considercMl a great luxu T: and, pr<)l)al)ly too, a treat
for the good wives who entertained them on their way.
When the preaelier arrived in a neighborhood the
day before " meeting," messengers were sent in all
direetions, and the entire commnnity for miles around
came to the service. The stipends in those days were
very moderate, single men receiving $80 per annum,
and married men $!()(). This the preacher had to
collect for himself as he went, and not seldom it would
be paid him " in kind," while in bad times he might
have to content himself with less than his duf\
xVnnis's was the chief centre of Methodism in the
township for many years, and among the earliest f.imilies
identifying themselves with the body were also the
Richardsons, Proctors, Howells, Washingtons, Mcdin-
nises, Pilkeys, Fawcetts, and Thompsons.
Some of the travelling j)reachers wdio heli)ed to
mould the character of the i)eople, and preached at least
once every two months at McGinnis's or Annis's,
sometimes at other farm-houses, were, in 1803, Seth
Crowell, Wm. Anson, Dr. Bangs ; 180.3, Robt. Corson ;
1808, Mr. Pickett ; 1809, John Reynolds ; 1810, Joseph
liOckwood, who hunted coons in the north of the town-
ship till he got enough skins to make himself a coat ;
1811, Andrew Prindle ; 1812, Jos. Gatchel ; 1813,
Thos. Harmon, who fought alongside of General Brock
on Queenston Heights, and who preached powerful
sermons, dramatic, passionate and emotional ; 1815,
John Rhodes; 1817, David Culp : and in 1818, James
Jackson and W. W. Rundle.
At this period Messrs. McGinnis and Pilkey often
went all the way to York to attend the preaching there,
driving an ox-sleigh in winter and a lumber waggon in
Churches and Ministers. 1G5
summer. Yrom the year 1818 to 1827 the fbllowiiig
pioneer itinerants preached more regularly in various
parts of the township than did their ju'edecessors : Revs.
David Yeomans, David Culp (who exehanyed at times
with the })reacher at Duftin's Creek), Daniel Shepherd-
son, Jolin Ryei"son, Wm. Slater, Wm. H. Williams,
Jos. Atwood, Jas. Kiehardson, Egerton liyerson,
Cornelius Flummerfeldt, John Carroll.
In 18-J8 the Methodist Episco})al Church of Canada
separated from the Methodist Episco})al Church of the
United States ; l)ut the separation had not much effect
on the cause in Scarboro, as no church had yet been
l)uilt. A verv notal)le ccniference in Canacban Meth-
o(bsm was that at Hallowell, held in 1833. At this
conference it was decided to unite with the parent
body in England, and from that date MetlnxHsm in
Scarboro ])rogressed with great rapidity, and numerous
church buildings were erected. Scarl)oro was still
sui)i)lied from the Ycmge Street Circuit ; but among
later develoi)nients and necessary rearrangements,
Markham was set off as a circuit and Scarboro
included as one of its stations.
From 1828 to 1850 the following names of ministers
laboring in the township are given as well-remenil)ered
and faithful men : Revs. Davi<l Wright, Mr. Corson,
Edmund Stoney, John Beatty, Thomas Bevitt, James
Hutchinson — nearly all of them Canadians, the fruit
of the labors of the first Methodist preachers from the
other side.
In connection with Markham Circuit are men-
tioned Rev. Messrs. McFadden, Campbell, M n,
John Potts, Graham, Norris, Haight, John N. 3 ;
and t\w following families, among others, as helpi. in
16() History of the Township of Scarhoro.
the formation of societies : J. P. Wlieler, Wm. Bam-
])n(l<;e, Peter Seeor, the Swallows, William Heron,
Isaac Brumwell, the Duncans, and Kichard Staunton.
If space would permit, a most iiistxiicHve and inter-
esting clia})tei' dealing wiili the personnel of the earliest
Methodist ministers who served the townshij) could
be given, but we nuist refer the reader to Kev. Dr.
Carroll's exceedingly valuable work, from whicli we
have already quoted, namely, "Case and his Cotem-
poraries," and proceed at once to the churches.
The Weslevans seem to have built the first Method-
ist church, or, as it was then called, "meeting-lnmse,"
in Scarl)oro, in 1H:}S. It was name<l after Ste])hen
Washington, a res})ected member and liberal donor,
and about ISIJ.") two other churclu's, Wexford and
Highland Creek, were joined with it in one circuit,
called the Weslevan Methodist Scarboro Circuit, with
the Rev. T. P. Lewis — now rector of (Ji'ace Church
(Anglican), Toronto — as first pnstcn*. His successors
up to (hit of the union of all Methodist bodies, were
Revs. 1). L. Brethour, J. H. Harris, J. H. Robinson,
J. E. Smith, C. V. Lakc\ J. F. Medcalf, J. W. Annis,
M. Fawcett. To the latter is due the connnencement
of the Ladies' Aid Society, in L"^<S4, Mrs, Fawcett being
Presi(kMit, and the membership twenty-six. The min-
isters since the union have been Revs. T. R. Read,
M. B. Conron (who has lain these four years by the
side of his beautiful young wife, ne'e Annie Wilson, in
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto), J. J. Rechlitt,
F. C. Keani, G. W. Stephenson.
In 187.') a })arsonage was l)uilt by the Wesleyans in
Scar])oro village, at a cost of $2,()(K). It was enlarged
in 189:], and belongs to the united body, the Primitive
METHODIST CHURCHES.
1. Malvern. 2. Christie's.
6. Centennial.
3. Sfarboro Junction. 4. Free Methodist. 5. Hillside.
Ebenezer. 8. Washington. 9. Wexford.
Churches and Ministkrs. 167
Metho<lists and Bil)le Christians havin<»- paid their
sliaro towards it.
The amount of money raised annually by the Wash-
ington Church congrej^ation for all purposes is $S0().
The Sunday School is a Hourishin*;' institution, and
has 110 scholars on its roll. William A. Heron is
the superintendent, Harvey l)ix the secretary, and
Joseph Sparks the treasurer. The teachers are L. E.
Annis, Hattie Wilson, Mrs. W. A. Henm, Mr. Wilkins,
Mrs. Bilker, and Sarah Heron, the latter ])eing also
librarian. Since ISO.') the followin*:; have I )een super-
intendents of the school : Josei)h Richardson, James
Montgomery, John Hoss, Wm. Dark, John P. Wheler,
and Wm. A. Heron, the latter having acted from ISJ.")
to the })re.sent date.
The pastor of Washington Church is Rev. (1. W.
Stephenson.
In 187.) Christie's Church was joined to the Scar-
boro Circuit. It first l)elonged to Yonge Street South
Circuit, and was built in 1846. In 1888 this church
was joined to the I'nionville Circuit, to which it still
])elongs.
IVIinisters who have been appointed to this church
were Rev. T. Turner, wIk^ was in charge when the
church was built ; Revs. Wm. McFadden, Thos. Jones,
Wm. Wilkinson, J. W. McCallum, and John Hunt.
According to Methodist practice, married ministers
remain three years on a circuit ; the young, or unmar-
ried men, one.
The Primitive Methodists began to preach in Scar-
boro about 1840. They first met in a school-house
near where Zion Presbyterian Church now stands.
In a short time they built a hewed log meeting-house,
1C8 IIlSTOKV OF THE TOWNSMIl' OK SCARBORO.
lathed and plastered inside, and elaphoarded on tlie
outside, and this was used for worsliip until 1S74 or
187;').
The Primitive Methodist ehurch on Kennedy Koad,
known as Sewell's, and also as Hetliel, was })uilt on a
site i)resented hv Thomas Walton in 1S42. The deed
of the Bethel site was signed by the following re})re-
senting the Primitive Methodist C'hureh : Josej)!!
Sewell, Wallis Walton, Joseph Pilkey, Isaac Cliester,
Jas. Palmer, Jolui Atkinson, and Charles D. Maginn.
It was witnessed by the minister then on the circuit,.
Rev. Wm. Lvle, and by John Sewell.
This church was built of brick burned on the ground
by John Atkinson, now of Toronto. He also did the
masonry of the church ; and the carpenter work was
done by a son of Isaac Chester, whose name
appears on the deed. The whole cost of the un})re-
tentious edifice was £100. A plan of the Circuit in
1844 is preserved ; it contains the names of twenty-
seven preachers and three exhorters. Revs. John
Lacy and M. Nicholls were the itinerant ministers, the
others being local j^reachers. The Circuit at that date
embraced Toronto and several stations outside, as well
as Sewell's, or Bethel, Twaddle's* Chapel, now^ Zion
Presbyterian Church, and Markham Road Chapel.
Services were held in Bethel every Sunday after-
noon up to 1881. Tlie membership numbered about
forty.
Providence, another Primitive Methodist appoint-
ment in the Scarboro Circuit, was built on the King-
ston Road in 1859. Services were continued in this
place until 1890, when the present Methodist Church
* Spelled in the baptismal certificate of Mrs. Jas. lonson, Tiviedle.
Churches and Ministers. 1G9
was (liMlicattMl. After Bothel was closod, the two
societies united and met only at Providence,
This con<4ret;ation huilt a new churcli at Scarlmro
Junction after the union, ahout 1891. It is a frame
structure and cost }f>l,(M)().
Some of the leading members at the time were John
Everest, John Heal, and (x. F. Stejjhenson. They
have a tlourishing society, with an aggressive Christian
Endeavor organizaticm, which contriluites to .;nj)i)ort a
foreign missionary. It was organized in IHiM), with
William Oliphant as President. Wm. Dark is the
superintendent of the Sunday School.
The Primitive Methodists also organized a society
and Iniilt a church at Malvern al)out IS');").
These three churches, forming part of a circuit, had
as ministers Rev. Messrs. Markham Sims, William
Thornley, R. J. Stillwell, Eli Michlleton, C. O. John-
ston (now of Toronto), Wm. Avison, and R. McKee,
who was the last pastor before the union, the i)astor
residing at the Parsonage Church.
Another Primitive Methodist church was at Milli-
ken's Corners. The society was first organized in a
dwelling-house (some say Brookes's waggon-shop, lot
26, concession 5, Scarboro), where it met for two years.
Its first ministers were Rev. Messrs. Lyle and Jolly.
A frame church was then built, and called **Ebenezer."
The trustees were Thos. Harding, John Turner, Wm.
Stonehouse, and John Stonehouse. Thos. Harding
gave the land, on lot 24, concession 5, Scarboro. The
building cost $300.
The travelling minister for the new church was the
Rev. Matthew Nicholls, the " young man " being Rev.
J. Edgar. The senior or married minister received
12
170 HiSTor./ OF THE Township of Scarboro.
$300 per annum, and the younger or unmarried, $150.
In 1853 a flourishing Sabbath School was organized,
the superintendent being Mr. Waters.
In course of time, the building becoming inadequate
to the wants of an increasing congregation, a new brick
church was erected in 1877, on the other side of the
town-line, the l»ev. J. W. Robinson being the pastor
in charge. In order to get ihe deed for his own land
back from the Conference, the former donor, Thomas
Harding, bought an acre of land from Wm. Morgan,
at a cost of $200. It was situated on the south-east
corner of lot 1, concession 6, Markham. The church
is a fine structure of brick, with a full-sized basement,
and cost $7,000. The trustees at present are Thos. O.
Harding, R. H. Mills, and M. Risbrough, the minis-
ters in charge being Revs. R. J. Fallis and A. J. Paul,
with a membership of forty persons. The amount
raised for church and school purposes per annum is
$310. The married minister's salary is $700, the
unmarried $350. There are eighty children on the
Sunday School roll.
The cemetery grounds are pleasantly laid out in
plots, with gravel w^aiks, and a beautiful row of ever-
greens and maples surrounds them.
The Free Methodist Church at Armadale was the
result of a revival in 1879 under Valtina A. M. Brown
and Arlette E. Eddy, who were sent by the Canada
Conference of the Free Methodist Church. The out-
come was the organization of a society of - hirty mem-
bers. The first class-leaders were Silas Phoenix and
Robert Loveless, the Rev. Thomas Carveth taking
charge as pastor. A place of worship was built and
dedicated free of debt in November, 1880.
Churches and Ministers. 171
The building is frame, and has seating for 250 ; the
cost, with shed, being $1,100. The site, consisting of
half an acre on lot 19, concession 5, was given by
Francis Underwood. The dedicatory sermon was
preached liy the Rev. B. T. liolierts, M.A., of North
ChiH, N.Y.
The following pastors have had charge up to the
present, viz., Revs. Thomas C'arveth, John Adams,
James Craig, I). Marston, Wesley C. Walls, Wm. F,
Wilson, Stewart Walker and James Clink. The salary
paid is $300 per annum.
The Discipline of this Church requires members to
renounce the use of to})acco and spirituous liquors, and
forbids connection with secret .societies. The mem-
bers are most conscientious in these particulars, and
the missionary spirit of the Church is manifest from
the fact that they have sent out three })reachers and
three evangelists. They have held five camp-meetings
in the neighborhood.
The Sabbath School numbers thirtv-five scholars
and four teachers, Elijah Loveless being the present
sui)erintendent.
The total amount of money raised in 1895 was $500,
thus disbursed : Preacher's salary, $300 ; District
Elder, $48 ; Sabbath School supplies, $20 ; Inci-
dentals, $50 ; the balance, $92, being devoted to mis-
sionary purposes.
Of the Bible Christian Methodists, who were among
the bodies that united to form a grand Methodist
whole, the congregation which used to worship on lot
3, concession 1, Kingston Road, in turn with the other
denominations, bought a site, in 1863, for a church of
their own. Their pastor at the time was Rev. H. J.
172 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Stevens. The lot they })urchase(l from Thos. Adams
was the north quarter lot 1 , eoncession 1 , upon which
they built a stone church, '17 x 30, at a cost of $300.
The congregation was in connection with Pickering
Circuit. In 18(57 a Sunday School was opened, with
Andrew J. Courtice as superintendent, a position he
held for fourteen years, when he was succeeded by
Richard Collins. This was a " union " Sunday School
up to the date of amalgamation with the Methodist
body in 1883.
After the union, the " Stone Church " congregation
was joined to Highland Creek Methodist Church, and
was placed on the Scarboi'o Circuit. At the time of
the union. Rev. Mr. Read was appointed on the Cir-
cuit, and services were held alternately in the Stone
Church and at Highland Creek. This pastor endeav-
ored to bring the t»,'o congregations together by build-
ing a new church, but failed. The late Rev. M. B.
Conron, his successor, organized a La<lies' Aid Society
to raise funds for the same purpose, but it was
reserved for his successor. Rev. J. J. Redditt, to fur-
ther the project by the appointment of a building
committee, which purchased a site on lot 3, concession
1, north of Kingston Road, from R. Knowles.
Under the pastorate of Mr. Redditt's successor,
Rev. F. C. Keam, tenders were called for by the Build-
ing Committee for the erection of a church, and the
contract was awarded to Messrs. A. Gray and A. W.
Secor. The price for the building proper was agreed
on at $2,500, and on November 7th, 1891, the whole
was completed at a cost for site, building, furnishings,
sheds, fence, etc., of $3,420, of which $1,000 towards
the church building was contributed by the Ladies'
Churches and Ministers. 173
Aid. This is known as Centennial IMethodist Church.
A good Sunday Scliool is held in the basement of the
church. W. H. Closson is the superintendent.
An Epworth League holds meetings every Sunday
evening at 7 p.m., the mem))ers taking turn as leaders,
the subject to be considered ])eing })rescribed by the
League.
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
As the first form of the Christian religion j)resented
to the Indian nations who occu})ied Canada at the time
of the French settlement ; as the religion of the gov-
ernment then set up, and of the colonists themselves
with very few exceptions ; as the centre of education
in the colony, and the heart of a most vigorous mis-
sionary effort on l)ehalf of the savages, the Roman
Catholic Church in Canada must ever engage the care-
ful attention of the historian.
In the Province of Ontario, then an unknown region
of the great west, ineffaceable traces remain of the
labors of great French missionary priests as early as
the beginning of the seventeenth century. Lalemant,
Breboeuf, Daniel, Jogues, are names the poet still
delights to honor. They were men of learning whose
observations have been invaluable to science ; men of
piety whose lives were not dear to them. Later days
have kept uj) the record of able priests of the Roman
Catholic Church who gave their best to the building
up of their faith and the country of their birth or
choice. Laval, Macdonell, LaSalle, Charbonnel, Power,
are names honored and revered not alone in their own
Churdi.
As settlements grew in nr.mber and extent through-
out this province, it was deemed desirable that a more
174 History of the Township of Scarboro.
exact oversight of their people should be established,
and certain new dioceses were set oif. In 18*26, when
that of Kingston was organized, there were but seven
stationed priests in the Province, and Roman Catho-
lics in the back settlements were, like their Prot^^stant
neighbors, often without the ministration of their
Church for lengthened periods. Scarboro, therefore,
only shared the common lot in having no settled i)riest.
At York, how^ever. Father Crowley was statioue i,
and as often as possible he visited his little flock at
Scarboro, they honoring his teaching by travelling into
York as often as wind and weather i)ermitted, to
receive the Sacraments of the Church for themselves
and children.
In 1843 the parish of Oshawa was established, and
the Church in Scarboro received the ministrations of
the priest stationed there. This was Kev. Father
Proulx, wdiose stately tigure and noble bearing are
still remembered.
Father J, B. Proulx was born at Lachine in 1808,
was ordained at Montreal, July 26th, 1885. and was
first stationed at Laprairie, opposite Montreal. On
coming to Upper Canada he was sent by Bishop Mac-
donell to w ork among the Indians at Penetanguishene,
and afterw^ards on Manitoulin Island. In 1846 he was
given charge of the parish of Oshawa, and in 1858
went to Toronto.
On his visits to Scarboro, Father Proulx said mass at
the houses of Mr. McHenry and Mr. Nash, now in-
cluded in Markham township ; and at Highland ( 'reek
at the house of Mr. Walsh, where the travelling priest
always found a warm welcome and a home.
Churches and MINISTEK^? 175
In 1854 Father Proulx earned the gratitude of his
scattered little flock at Scarboro by building for them
a church, their present place of worship, St. Joseph's,
at Highland Creek, and leaving it to them free of debt
as a gift of his love and good-will.
In 1860 the parish of Pickering was erected, and
Scarboro was included therein. The present priest in
charge is the Rev. C. F. Gallagher. This gentleman
studied classics and philosophy at St. Macarten Semi-
nary, County Monaghan, Ireland, and theology at the
Grand Seminary, Montreal. He was ordained by
Archbishop Lynch on the 21st September, 1877.
Since his ordination he has held charges at Niagara,
Caledon, and Schomberg, and came to his present
parish in October, 1892.
MENNONITES.
Any account of the religious denominations of the
township w^ould be incomplete without a special refer-
ence to the Mennonites, who, though comparatively
weak in numbers, are strong in moral influence.
Unpretending and unaggressive as these people are,
they pursue the even tenor of their way most consist-
ently. Owing to their system of government, without
a clerical body of any kind, mention can be made of no
leading members.
In Markham the Mennonites are considerably more
numerous, and excellent accommodation has there
been provided for worshippers, those of Scarboro
uniting for this purpose with their brethren in the
former township.
176 History of 1:1E Township of Scarboro.
BIBLE SOCIETY.
The Scarboro Branch Bible Society was organized
on the 11th of November, 1856, within St. Andrew's
Church. Rev. James Bain, President ; Wm. Clark,
Robt. Hamilton, J. P. Wheler, John D. Thomson,
Vice-Presidents ; Rev. John Laing, Secretary ; James
A. Thomson, Treasurer ; Archil)ald (jlendinning, David
Brown, Depositaries.
Present officers : W. A. Heron, President ; Alex.
Neilson, Vice-President ; Amos Thomson, Treasurer ;
R. M. Loveless, Secretary.
Total contributions since organization, over $5,800.
As an illustration of the pranks performed by the
whirligig of Time, the following may be taken :
In the early part of this century Mormon mission-
aries invaded the township and secured a number of
converts among whom was John Taylor, a Methodist
preacher (some say he was also a teacher), who "for-
sook all and followed " the disciples of Joseph Smith.
He was imprisoned with the Smiths in 1844, and on
the occasion of the attack made upon them in jail he
was severely wounded. In 1880 he became head of
the Church of Latter Day Saints, as successor to
Brigham Young, and died in exile, July 23rd, 1880.
He was born in England in 1808.
OLD TEACHERS.
1. E. R. Jacques. 2. Mrs. Tliompson. 3. James Russell.
OLD DOCTORS.
4. Dr. Pollock. 6. Dr. Closson.
W. D. Fitzpatrick.
Schools and Teachers. 177
CHAPTER XI.
SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS.
"There is no teaching until the pupil is brought into the same state or
principle iti wliich you are ; a transfusion takes place ; he is you, and you
are he ; there is a teaching : and hy no unfriendly chance or bad company
can he ever (juite lose the benefit." — Emerson.
THE (K'cupatioii of teacher in the early (hiys
was not in every respect a happy one. In
nearly every instance the teacher was a man — no one
else was thought able to rule the rough-and-ready
youngsters of j)ioneer days. At an early age the boys
of the farm were initiated into the mysteries of
"hunting" the cow, " branding " and "niggering" in
the new clearings, " minding gaps," driving oxen, l)laz-
ing away with old Hint-locks at })re(lacious crows and
hawks, and of numerous other emj)loynients, many of
which are now rendered unnecessary by the march of
events. The associations connected with some of
these experiences, coupled with the lack of home com-
forts and conveniences, and the general extremely
natural condition of society, did not tend to foster in
the young people of those days what we call refine-
ment. The parents had neither time nor inclination
to concern themselves about manners, and, as a conse-
quence of these and other factors, discipline was fre-
quently very lax. Given, therefore, from a dozen to a
score or more of precocious backwoods boys and girls,
178 History of the Township of Scakijoro.
crowdtMl into a small log building, in nowise charac-
terized l)y commodiousness within, any more than by
architectural beauty without, we may well cease to
wonder why the grand})arents, and great-grandparents
were less amenable to discipline than are the young
folk of our own day.
But this was not all. The old-time preceptor had no
knowledge of educational princii)les ; he entered the
school and left it, a tyrant, in the worst sense of that
word. His professional creed was summed up in the
easily understood and easily applied dogma, " No
larnin' without lickin'." An old soldier, a decayed
tailor, an otherwise unsuccessful anybody, was good
enough for a school-master, if only he could prove his
claim to be a master after the api)roved manner of his
day and generaticm. All things considered, his pay
was not bad — it was not, at any rate, nuich worse than
salaries paid to-day, when (jualifications are taken into
account. Indeed, if we gauge the scale of payment in
early days by the ability on the i)art of parents to pay
it, it w^as very high. Consider, also, the delights of
the erstwhile dominie when he " boarded 'round!" — a
week here, two or three weeks there, in proportion to
the number of young rebels from one family over
whom he had to raise his rod, aye, and let it fall, too !
What splendid opportunities were afforded him to gain
a varied experience of sleeping quarters, of cookery, of
domestic etiquette, of the home influences brought to
bear on his pupils — to display his own erudition and
exalt his attainments before the old folk, to increase
his stock of knowledge from the recitals of others, and
to become familiar in every sense with " the people of
the parish." ..
Schools and Teachers. 179
School fittings were extremely simple in cbarjicter —
lon^ backless benches, sometimes so high that when the
chihlren were seated, their feet did not reach the floor;
ecjually long desks ranged round the walls, or when
douhle-sided, standing in the middle of the floor ; a
chair and table, })erhai)s, for the teacher, an<l we have
the furniture of the old-time school-house, unless we
achl the stove, which in its time superseded the big
fire-place with roaring chimney. Yes, this was all.
The first school-rooms were innocent of pictures, of
maps and charts, of globes, of blackboards, and of the
numerous appliances that are now to be found even in
the poorest schools. 15ut changes came in due course,
and as the circumstances of the })eoj)le improved, com-
forts and conveniences were added for the benefit of
pupils.
It must not, however, be supposed that these details
were in every instance a])plicable to our township, the
pioneers of which had in most cases received the bene-
fits of i)arish school education,* including, it need hardly
be said, a thorough grounding in Christian doctrine,
both directly from the Bible, which was the text-book
for reading purposes, and from the pages of the Shorter
Catechism. These people were, therefore, not likely
to overlook the amenities of every-day life either in
the domestic, or in their somewhat restricted social
relations, and when children ai)peared in the clearings
of Scarboro, they were brought up with nearly as much
rigidity of discipline as if they had been in the " land
of brown heath and shaggy w^ood." English, Irish and
American settlers were also of an intelligent class,
• Receipts and accounts kept by the Thomsons in 1796 are well written
and accurately spelled.
180 History ok the Townsiiit of Scarhoro.
with clearly dcfiiuMl ideas rrjjjaivlinjjf the rcspoctivo
<luties of j)ai'('nt.s and cliildrcn, and tlio advantages
pertaining to common school education. We may there-
fore readily undi'rstand that in settlements so ccmsti-
tuted, nmch interest wcnild he displayed in i)r()vi(ling
for the young peo])leas good schools and school-masters
as were possible at the time. Notwithstanding this, it
is evident that the circumstances of the settlers neces-
sarily ini})lied the existence of conditicms which, while
they were not by any means approved of, had to be
tolerated, and there is no lack of proof that the back-
woods seminaries in Scarboro at the beginning of the
nineteenth century, and even somewhat more recently,
were not of a type greatly superior to those of other
districts.
The following from the pen of David Martin, who
himself received his education under Scarboro school-
masters, is an excellent epitome of educational affairs
in his day, but it must be remembered that the genuine
old-time school had by this time been considerably
inn)roved ui)on, although he makes some reference to
the condition of things preceding his own experience.
Mr. Martin savs :
" For many years, indeed during the first half of the century,
the school-houses were of the most primitive kind. The forest
furnished the readiest and cheapest material. The logs, it' of
pine, weri^ flatten^^d on two sides ; if of hardwood, they were
generally 1; ft round, dovetailed in the usual way at the corners,
the interstices between the logs being chinked and plastered.
In size, the buildings seldom exceeded 18 x 24 feet, and were
never too high. The fire-place usually occupied one end, and
desks facing the wall ran round the other three sides. The
seats consisted of long forms without backs. Similar forms or
benches placed crosswise in tl'.e centre of the room furnished
Schools and Teachers. 181
seats for the smaller children. The limited space forbade any-
thing in the shape of desks, tho.se luxuries being reserved for
pupils in arithmetic and writing. Light was admitted through
long windows similar to those conunon in blacksmith and
carpenter shops, and were usually two panes high and ten or
twelve panes long, the .sashea sliding past each other horizon-
tally, for purposes of ventilation. In winter, fuel was supplied
by the parents, who were recjuired to bring a ([uarter of a cord
per pupil. The teacher was promised no stated salary, but
received a rate per pupil (commonly 3s. 9d., or 7') cents per
quarter), taking his chances of emolument, — the more pupils,
of course, the more pay. In the early part of the century it
was not uncommon for the teacher to receive his board gratis,
staying a few weeks with one and another of the families
representetl at the school. If unmarried, which was often
the case, he sometimes lived in the school, keeping ' bachelor's
hall.' The number of teaching hours was alternately thirty
and thirt3'-si.\ per week, each alternate Saturday being a holi-
day. About 1860 a change was made, the time of teaching
being reduced to five days per week.
" It will readily be seen that as long .as the teacher was paid
as described above, the schools were situateil without regard to-
any kind of system, the first consideration being the desirabi-
lity of a lai'ge attendance. Indeed, this was the chief factor in
determining where a school should be placed. This method of
locating school-houses continued until 1847, at which date a
change took place. The township was then regularly divided
into sections, almost exactly as they are at present, new schools
being erected in the centre of each section. For the building
and maintenance of these schools, trustees were empowered to
levy a rate on the section. Among other advantages, this
enabled the trustees to engage a teacher at a certain fixed
salary. A rate bill, commonly twenty-five cents per month, per
pupil, was charged, and if the amount so collected failed to pay
the stipulated salary, a tax was levied on the ratable property
of the section to supply the deficiency. All the expenses of
conducting the school — fuel, repairs, etc. — were provided for
by general taxation.
182 History of the Township of Scarboro.
" For a long time great difference of opinion prevailed as to
the relative merits of free schools versus rate-bill schools, and
as the matter was for a number of years entirely optional with
the ratepayers, the question as to w^hich should be adopted,
recurred regularly at the annual meeting, and very heated dis-
cussions sometimes took place. A poll frecjuently being opened,
adherents of the respective systems drummed up votes with as
much enthusiasm as at a parliamentary or municipal election.
Opinion, however, gradually settled down to the conviction
that on the whole, the free system was the preferable one ;
opposition to which having almost entirely ceased, the schools
w^ere finally declared free, by law. In those early days very
high qualifications on the part of teachers were not demanded,
and were seldom securetl, ability to teach the three ' R's ' fairly
well being considered sufficient. The method of teaching dif-
fered widel}^ from what it is now. The younger children were
taught individually until sufficiently advanced to read and
spell words of one or two syllables, when they were put into
classes for reading nnd spelling, these being the only subjects
in which the pupils were taught collectively. For those in
writing, the teacher usually set the headlines b}- hand, in addi-
tion to which he had in many instances to rule the paper, and
make and keep in order the quill pens, wdiich were the only
kind in use. Steel pens were introduced sometime in the
' forties,' but did not come into general use until about 1850.
To pupils in arithmetic, no two of whom were probably work-
ing in the same part of the book, the teacher had to give his
attention individually.
" The First Books, or Primers, used were such as the fancy
or caprice of the parents might dictate, and as they w^ere not
taught in classes, uniformity was not a necessity. After the
Primers, Mavt^r's combined reading and spelling-book was in
almost universal use. For the more advanced pupils, Cobb's,
Webster's and Carpenter's spelling-books were employed by
some masters, but their introduction never became general. In
reading, the Bible, Testament and the English Reader were the
principal, indeed the only, text-books, the last-mentioned being
Schools and Teachers. 183
composed of selections from the most eminent authors in prose
and verse, compiled by Lindley Murray, author of the well-known
grammar. Verses of Scripture were committed to memory
by the pupils. Before 1850 geography received comparatively
little attention, which, in some respects, was perhaps not much
to be regretted, as, previous to that, almost the only available
books on the subject were by American authors, strongly anti-
British, conveying the impression, as American publications
usually do, that the United States was the greatest, and, in
fact, almost the only country or nation worth mentioning on
the face of the earth. Grammar was also mi^oh neglected, but,
when taught, Lennie's and Lindley Murray's were the principal
text-books, chiefly the former. In arithmetic, that of Francis
Walkingame was mostly, if not exclusively, used, until super-
seded by the Irish National book about 1850, which, in turn,
became obsolete about 1858 ; the introduttion of the decimal
currency about tl-at time necessitating a change. In schools
where a large proportion of the children were of Presbyterian
parentage, the Shorter Catechism was taught by some teachers
when requested by the parents, but the practice has long since
been discontinued. On the whole, the schools of the period to
which I at present have more special reference, in the first half
of the century, were fairly efficient. The teachers, who were
mostly Old Countrymen, often Scotsmen, ruled, perhaps, with
somewhat despotic sway, enforcing their authority with a
sometimes pretty free use of the birch, or rather the blue beech,
a vigorous application of which now and then for purposes of
discipline was thought to have a salutary effect. But what-
ever their faults in this respect (if they were faults), and how-
ever slender their attainments, the old-time teachers succeeded,
to a fair extent, in imparting to their pupils the rudiments, at
least, of a good education, and comparatively few of the chil-
dren of those early settlers were to be found who could not, at
any rate, read and write."
In the 1 8 X 24 log schoolrooms, it will be readily
understood, accommodation was not ample during the
winter months when even the grown-up young people
184 History of the Township of Scarboro.
availed themselves of the opportunity afforded by
slackness of work to attend school, more especially
when, as sometimes happened, the reputation of the
teacher stood high. Hats, caps and wraps of all sorts
were stuffed into desks, for the want of nails and hooks
on which to hang them. Windows were frequently
destitute of several panes ; chinking fell out ; knot-
holes in floors were covered with prominent patches ;
desks and benches became loose and creaky ; doors
ceased to fit their frames, or, perhai)s, rather the
frames ceased to fit the doors, for it was not uncom-
mon for the whole structure to assume an appearance
of utter recklessness, by sinking more or less to one
side, and thus generally disarranging the simple archi-
tecture.* But even this condition of things was not
without its c5inpensations, chief of which was, perhaps,
the advantages secured by way of ventilation.
Sometimes a second edifice of logs succeeded the
original one in a section, but in most cases the first
building was superseded by a frame structure, and
more recently by one of brick or stone. With the
advancement of time came also improvement in the
grounds ; neat fences and gates were supplied, trees
were i)lanted, respectable outhouses erected, and
the water supply was attended to. In every instance
these improvements have been found to " pay," both
directly and indirectly, for not only does the task of
discipline become thus a comparatively easy one for
the teacher, but the effects are visible on the pupils in
after-life.
* It was not unusual in the old buildings to protect the home-made ink
of the pupils from freezing during winter, by burying the bottles nightly
in a hole made under the floor.
Schools and Teachers. 185
Modes of punishinent in the old days were barbar-
ous. It is recorded of one teacher that he sometimes
tied the thmnb of one hand of a pupil to a string hang-
ing from the roof or ceiling, while the other hand held
a book, the pupil meanwhile having to stand on one
foot until his task was finished, or his punishment
thought sufficient.
The first school taught in the township was in the
house of James Elliot, on lot 22, concession D, in the
extreme north-west corner of the present section 9.
This school was taught by a man named Pocock, an
Englishman, in the year 180."). The first school-house
built in the townshi}) was on the Springfield farm, near
the line between lots 23 and 24, concession 1, within a
few rods of where St. Andrew's Church now stands.
S. S. No. 1. — The first school-house was of logs,
built on lot 31, concession 3, in 1817, and the first
teacher was a Mr. Edward, who was followed by
Messrs. John McFiggin, Jos. Maughan, or (according
to one statement, Mr. Clark), Andrew McFarran, and
Messrs. Hugel, Cooper, Muir, Leitcli, Nealy, W. D.
Fitzpatrick, John McConnell (afterwards Dr.), McKin-
non, Tomlinson, Field, Ramsay, Quantz and Yeo.
The present trustees are J. Kennedy, J. C. Clark
and Thomas Armstrong.
8. S. No. 2. — In 1830, the increase of population
and the need of better facilities than were afforded by
schools in distant parts of the township, led to the
erection of a log school-house on lot 25, concession 3.
The first teacher appointed was James Little.
This building continued to be used for nineteen
years. A new one, also of logs, was put up in 1849,.
on the site of the present school -house, lot 22, conces-
13
186 History of the Township of Scarboro.
sion 4 ; l)ut it was burnt down in 1851. Temporary
quarters were found until 1853, when the school-house
now standing was erected. Estimated cost, $1,500.
The teachers following Mr. Little were Messrs.
Upham, Cooper, McDonald, Mills, Eckroyd, Mc-
Kinnon, McCaffrey, Wm. Irving (now Dr.), Steele,
Lancaster, Martin, Macklin, McLean, Doherty, Whaley,
Bruce, Ward, Yeo, Dean, and Misses Jeannie Elliot,
Carrie Clifford and Agnes Moir.
Present trustees, Matthew Elliot, Alex. Macklin,
James I. Stewart.
S. S. No. 5.— The first school was opened in this
section in 1836, in a small log building on lot 17, con-
cession 4, Markham Road, and the teachers in this old
structure were James Park, Alex. Muir and — Hand.
A new frame school-house was erected in 1851, on
lot 15, concession 3, on the corner of the Stirling farm.
There was just enough ground for the building to
stand, and the scholars had the Queen's highway as a
play-ground.
In 1872 a brick building took the place of the frame
one, on lot 15, concession 4, where an acre of land, at
$250, was not thought too much for the wants of the
young people. This building cost $2,500.
Since the erection of the frame school-house in 1851,
the following teachers have been engaged : James
Russell, Wm. Davison (4 years), George McKennell
(5 years), E. R. Jacques (9 years), G. M. Jacques (8
years), J. B. Dunham, G. W. Ormerod, W. J. Clark (2
years), E. T. Young, John F. Stewart, Samuel Jewett,
and the present teacher A. R. Jacques, now^ in his
third year of engagement.
Present trustees, John J. Weir, Wm. Pearson and
Charles Monk.
Schools and Teachers. 187
S. S. No, 4. — The first school section was a union
one with Pickering, the school-house standing on the
town-line, and the first teacher was a big Scotsman
named Ferguson, of whom all that two of his old pui)ils
now living can remember, is the force and frequency
with which he applied the " taws."
Other teachers were Messrs. Reesor, Break, Clark,
Spence, Johnson, and Misses LawTie, Hewitt, Poole,
Montgomery and Irwin. Present teacher, Mr. Wells.
Present trustees, Thomas Maxwell, Thomas lieesor
and James Murison.
S. S. N,>. J.— About 1828 or 1824, the first school
was established in this section, the humble building
having stood on the north- west corner of lot 26, con-
cession 1."* A Mr. Carruthers taught here in 1824, a
Mr. Dobson was teacher in 1880, a Mr. Hope in 1836,
and these followed : Messrs. Clark, McFiggin, Muir,
O'Reilly, Closson and James Russell, t When the
townshi}) was divided into sections in 1847, a new
frame school -house was built on the south-east corner
of lot 80, concession 2. The present commodious
building was erected in 1871, the builders being Thos.
and David Forfar.
Present trustees, A. A. Forfar, Beebe Carnaghan
and Thomas Pilkey.
S. S. No. 6. — The first school-house in the township
was built within the bounds of the present Section
* Some say it was on concession 2, and one statement is tc the effect that
it was knowr* as the Stjuaw Village school.
t Mr. Russell lived near the Mouge, 7h miles from the school (which he
tHught in the early " fifties"), and as there were in those days no Saturday
holidays, he had to walk ninety miles a week to and from school, to which,
if we add another fifteen miles to and from St. Andrew's Church on Sunday,
we have a total of 105 miles a week, or nearly 5,500 miles a year ! For
other particulars referring to Mr. Russell, see " Churches and Ministers."
1>S8 HiSTOKV OF Till-: TOWNSmi' UF SCARBOkO.
No. (). Tt stood on the Sprinofiold farm, lot '2'A, con-
cession 1, and was l)nilt of ronnd loj^s with saddle
corners, and one door in the end. It cannot now be
ascertained with certainty who the first teachers in
this school were. For some years it was used as a
church. The next huilding in Section <i was erected
on lot 24, concession 1, on the corner of the grave-yard
lot. The old men to-day speak of i)laying hide-and-
go-seek among the tombs when they went to school
here. It was made of hewed logs, with a door and
two windows in the side, and a fire-place in the end.
Here John Taber taught.
The third house was built on lot 19, concession '2.
It was a frame l)uil(ling. flohn Muir taught here for
many years. The i^resent brick building was erected
in 1863, on lot 18, concession 2. It has a senior and
junior de})artment.
Teachers in No. 6, as far as can be known, were
- — Anderson, John Taber, J. Muir, — Gibson,
A. M. Sheriff, Alex. Muir, W. 1). Fitzpatrick, H. M.
Campbell, T. Macdonald, W. Puryis, — Smith, W. J.
Clark, Miss Taylor, W. J. Coltman, Alfred Kennedy.
In the junior de})artment, Misses L. Dunsmore,
— Hewitt, — Squire, L. Willis, F. B. Duncan and
M. F. Pearson.
Present trustees, Robert Pnrdie, Robert Green and
John Baird.
S. S. No. 7. — The first school-house was on the
Fishery Road, and was an ordinary square building of
plank, erected in 1832. The first teacher was John
Wilson, a Yorkshireman.
The second building stood on lot 14, concession
D, on the side-road. The Rev. Saltern Givens fre-
Schools and Teachkks. 189
quently lield P'piscopal service liere. Metliodist
ministers also held service here.
The third school-house was Imilt on the West Hill,
and is now the dwelling- of the Camps family.
The })resent structure (frame) is on lot 1>, con-
cession 1, a little north of the Kingston IJoad. The
school ])roperty is valued at about $2,000. There are
nearly l')0 children of school age in the section, and
the number in attendance in ISl).') was \'2'2.
Present trustees, Jas, Neilson, Henry Westney.
S. S. No. ^. — Not fewer than six school-houses liave
existed in this section. One stood near the residence
of (ieorge Taylor, close to the intersection of the I)an-
forth Koad and the side-road, between lots 26 and
27, concession C. Another was on lot 27, concessicm
C, near the farm-house of Kol)ert Martin, at })resent
occupied by James Miller. No dates can be given in
connection with these ])uildings. The site of a third
school was on the side-road between lots 34 and 3."),
concession C, almost in front of Wm. Thomson's resi-
dence. This school was built al)out 1S24, and was
taught in 1826 by a Roman Catholic named Fitzgerald.
After him came Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Carroll, an emin-
ent Methodist minister, who died not man}' years ago.
Still later, luit prior to 1833, the teacher was Miss
Hannah Fitzpatrick, and afterwards Wm. Thomson.
This building was removed to Moffat's Corners, and
re-erected on the York side of the town-line.
Miss Fitzpatrick also taught in an old church which
was removed to York, and thence to Wexford.
The fifth building used as a school stood on the
north end of lot 32, concession C, near the residence
of Alex. McCowan. The teacher was a Perthshire
Scotsman named David Ogilvie. This was about 1835.
190 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Another old school-house stood on the north end of
lot 32, concession 1. It was erected, as nearly as can
be ascertained, about IS3H, of flattened pine loj^s, and
measured about IS x 20 feet. It was first taught by
Miss Mary Branham, and afterwards by David Ogilvie,
from 1842 to IH^.") ; by an Englishman named Thomas
Adams from 1845 to September, 1847 ; and for the rest
of the year by A. Veysey. When the scIumjIs were re-
arranged, in consequence of divi<ling the township into
regular sections, the school was removed to the centre
of the section, and Mr. Veysey continued teacher until
the end of 1849.
The following is a list of teachers who have been in
Section No. 8 since 1st January, 18r)0 :
Thomas Cooper - . - - 1850, and part of '51.
Duncan McJs air . - - - Remainder of '51 and part of '52.
Mr. Leonard ----- " " '52.
♦Timothy T. Coleman - - 1858, '54, and '55.
Duncan Fitzpatrick - - - Part of '56.
Mr. McKay - " - - - - Remainder of '56.
William R. Bain - - - - 1857.
•f-Alexander Muir - - - 1858 and part of '59.
James Poole ----- Remainder of '59, and 1860.
John McConnell - - - - 1861.
Henry M. Campbell - - - 1862, '63, '64, and '65.
jJohn A. Wismer - - - 1866.
Martin Sutherland - - - 1867-'68.
^Thomas Hogarth - - - 1869, '70, '71, '72, '73, and '74.
Cranswick Craven - - - 1875-'76.
* Afterwtrds entered the medical profession, and was some time mayor
of Seaforth.
t Now Principal of Gladstone School, Toronto.
I Now Commercial teacher of Jamieson Avenue Collegiate Institute,
Toronto.
§ Now Principal of Leslieville School, Toronto. ^
Schools and Teachers. 191
William H. Bewell - - - 1877. 78, 70, '80, '81, '82, '83.
Miss Mary E. Caldbeck - - 1884, '8.'), and part of '80.
Miss Elizabeth Armstrong - Remainder of '86 ; '87, '88, '89.
Miss McCarten,
Miss Yeomans, - - . . 1890.
Joseph Pa.xton, ,
Miss M. E. Pomeroy - - - 1891.
Miss Catherine McMurchy - 1892. '93, '94.
Miss Fanny B. Duncan - - 1895-96.
The present school -house is of brick, 54 x 30 feet,
and cost $1,900. Its preilecessor, which had stood
from 1846 to 1H63, cost $i'80. The present teacher is
Miss F. B. Duncan.
Present trustees, Leslie Armstrong, Jas. Crichton,
George McCowan.
*S'. /S^. No. 9. — The first school-house is said to have
stood on lot 18, concession D. The second one was
on lot 19, concession C, on the old Kingston Road.
The third was on lot 14, concession D. Another
building used as a school-house stood on lot 26, con-
cession C, and here Mr. John Taf)er taught in 1835.
The present school-house in Scarboro village was
erected in 1861 at a cost of $1,400, exclusive of the
site which was purchased for $400. In 1895, $642
was levied for school purposes ; the average attend-
ance having been H'), the whole number of school age
in this section being 140.
Present trustees, Smith Wilson, William Patton,.
Andrew Young.
S. S. No. 10. — The first school-house in this section
was built on Danforth Road, lot 26, concession C, on
the farm owned by George Taylor, sen., about 1823.
Wm. Bell, sen., Isaac Chester, sen., and Geo. Taylor,
192 IIlSTOKV OF THE TOWNSHII' OK SCARBOkO.
sen., attondcMl school thcTo, John Tahrr tau<:;]it for
some time. In \K]:] the school-liouse was huilt on the
Kinjiston Road near tlie Halt-wav House. Some years
after this another seliool-house was built on tlie south-
east corner of h)t '2\), concession ('. Tliis afterward
gave phice to the sjliool-hou.se on the site of the
present (me on the Danforth Hoad. The j)resent
l)ui](lin<,' was put up in 1H7(). In IH94, S. S. No. 10
was enlarued l)v .')(>() aci'es from the .south-east corner
of S. S. No. 8. The section thus enlarpMl was divided
into two, the one to the west next to York town-
line heing desijjjnated S. S. No. 12. Names of some of
the teachers are the following : John Taber, Mr.
►Simmons, Mr. Cowan, Mr. Skelton; and teachers of
later years were Isabella Kindlay, Libbie Latham,
A. P. Latter, Oscar Pickerin*;', David Whiteside, Miss
I. C. (xibson, (t. li. Hodgson, and the present teacher,
N. K. Walter.
Present trustees, Geo. Smith, John Heal, Jonathan
Ashbridge.
S. S. No. ii. -Before 1836, the first log building
used as a .school-house was on lot 4, concession 1.
The teacher, Mr. Sannnons (or Salmons) boarded
from house to house, but slept in the school-room,
rolling his bed up every morning and placing it in a
corner. In 1836, a building of planks was put up for
a school-room, on lot 3, concession 1, Kingston Road.
For its day this was rather a superior structure, with
a cottage roof. It is now used as a dwelling. The
builder was "Uncle Tommy Adams." From 1837 to
1843 the teacher was Hugh (xraham, who was suc-
ceeded by William Steele, wdio remained until 1850.
From 1850 till 1858 the teachers were William
Schools and Ti;a« hkrs. 193
('lark, Thomas Ncaly, Miss Falls and Miss Jacobs.
In 1 8 ')0 Miss Dorothy ('ampbcll Imh.iiiu' tcuc-hor, and
throui^h hvv cttbrtsa inoic conunodioiis and nun'c sani-
tarily satisfactory Imildinji- of stone was oivctcd on
lot 1, concession l,in ISOO. The trustees were Messi-s.
C. ('. Sanders, Ed. Huxtable and Wni. Cowan. Since
1801, Miss Caniplxdl's successors were Wni. I'eai-t,
Miss Lo wry, Arch. Little, Thos. Hojjfarth, A. E. .\nnis,
Wm. Fleinin<i-, W. 11 Walker, Su.san »!. Hn<^-^ard, K. H.
Butler, V. Palmer, ('. ('raven, Miss M. Hewitt, John
Stoneliouse, A. [.aw, ('. Craven (aj^ain for fonr and a
half years), (Jeo. Tait, 1). H. Campbell (:} vears), J. E.
Kelly, W. H. Closson, C. V. Ewers, E. W. U'onkin,
C. F. Ewers, M. E. Smith fnmi 18<n to 180.'), and for
the present year, Sara Norris.
The schooMiouse is finished in modern stvle, and
is equipped with maps, charts and gl()l)es. The. .scliool
property is valued at $1,200.
S. S. No. 12. — Opened September, 1895. Building
cos!} $2,200. Teacher, Maud liobertson.
Present trustees, Daniel Baldwin, George Bell,
Francis Duffort.
In the old frame school that stood near Gates's
tavern between 1840 and 1845, the teachers were
Wm, Sabnonds, Jas. Mcintosh, Wm. Skeiton, John
Boyle, John Jackson and Thos. Moodie.
A. M. Sheriff once taught at " McHenry".^," on
the Danforth Ivoad, one and a half miles east of
Woburn.
Before the appointment of county superintendents,
the gentlemen who acted as township superintendents
in Scarboro were the Rev. Messrs. George, Belt, Laing
and Fletcher.
194 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Id Smith's '' Canada," published in 1851, reference
is made in the Business Directory of Vol. I. to " W.
H. Norris, Principal of Collegiate School, Scarboro,"
and to " A. F. Purcell, Classical Master of Collegiate
School, Scarboro." As it has been impossible to
find any record of this " Collegiate School," the infer-
ence is that Messrs. Norris and Purcell announced
themselves as above, rather because they were wilHng
to manage such a school, than that it existed.
The Alexandra School is conducted under the In-
dustrial School Association of Toronto. It is situated
on the eastern limits of Toronto, and is maintained
for girls. It was established in 1890, and consists of
two cottages. The school is reformative in character.
There were twenty-four ward pupils at the Alexandra
in 1895. The grounds are fourteen and a half acres
in extent. Miss Walker is Superintendent ; assist-
ants, Miss Brainard and Miss Hill.
The Blantyre Industrial School is a Roman Catholic
reformatory institution for boys. It cousists of the
old Blantyre mansion and grounds, the former having
been remodelled and enlarged. The institution is
beautifully situated and the extensive grounds afford
ample employment to the pupils.
Among all the dominies who have exercised sway
in this township, Thomas Appleton deserves special
notice. He w^as a Yorkshireman and a Methodist,
who came to Upper Canada in 1819, and began to
teach school the same year in Scarboro, remaining
here for twelve months. He next taught in King for
four months, w^hen he was appointed to take charge of
Schools and Teachers. 195
the Common School in the town of York, where, after
managing the school most satisfactorily for a year,
the trustees, Dr. T. D. Morrison, Jesse Ketchum and
Jordan Post, came into collision with the *' Honorable
and Venerable Dr. Strachan," whom Eobert Gourlay
characterized as a " monstrous little fool of a parson."
Dr. Strachan, in the name and on behalf of Lieuten-
ant-Governor Maitland, but quite illegally neverthe-
less, applied to the trustees for the school-house, in
which he purposed placing a Mr. Spragg, whom he had
brought from England to conduct a " national," i.e.^
a Church of England school, on the Bell, or moni-
torial system. This application having been refused
by the trustees, payment of Mr. Appleton's services
ceased, on the plea that the legislative grant had
been too much decreased to warrant the expenditure,
although Mr. Appleton, with the consent of the trus-
tees, continued to officiate for several years. Remon-
strances, petitions and memorials were unavailing ;
but, with "John Bull" persistency, the ousted dominie
maintained his claim for remuneration. Apphcations
made to the Home District Board < t Education were
not even replied to, and no sati faction could be
obtained until the case was referred to a committee of
the Legislature, which reported on the 18th of March,
1835, " That eighty-live pounds four shillings be paid
to Thomas Appleton, teacher of the Connnon School
of this place, in the years 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, 1826
and 18:<?7, for public moneys due to him, and withheld
by the Board of Education, and lor the interest accru-
ing thereon." This report was signed by Wm. Lyon
Mackenzie, David Gibson, Thomas D. Morrison and
Charles Waters,
196 History of the Township of Scarboro.
We have the case of Mr. Appleton to thank for the
abohtion of the old Provincial Board of Ediu'ation,
and for bringing to an end the efforts that had been
so long and so determinedly made, to fasten oli. this
Province, sectarian Protestant schools,*
The great difficulty of procuring exact information
with regard to school affairs is a cause of regret. Too
frequently the secretary of the board performs his
duties carelessly, the minutes being either unrecorded
or recorded only on loose sheets of paper. Even when
books are kept, they are liable to be lost or mislaid, as
changes take place in the board of trustees ; and it is
quite certain that this condition of things is not nearly
so bad in Scarboro as in many other townships, where
those in office have been, and are, less qualified to
perform the necessary clerical labor.
The suggestion is here made that inspectors should
be instructed by the Minister of Education to examine
the minute-book of each school board at least once a
year, preferably, perhaps, as soon as possible after the
annual public meeting, and to make such suggestions
as may be deemed necessary for the purpose of main-
taining correct records. This course would ensure
transference of all documents from old to new officials,
and minute-books out of date, or tilled up, should be
deposited in the county registry office, or in some
other place of security.
* Numerous references to tlie Apideton case will be found in the first
two volumes of the "Documentary History of Education in Uj>per Canada,"
by J. George Hodgins M.A., IjL.D.. Barrister-at-law, Librarian and His-
toriographer to the Education Depart ment of Ontario, Toronto, 1894.
Public Libraries. 197
CHAPTER XII.
PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
" Books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a progeny of lif©
in tlieni to be as active as that soul whose progeny they are ; nay, they do
preserve, as in a vial, the purest etticacy and extraction of that living
intellect that bred them.' — John Milton.
SCARBORO PUBLIC LIBRARY.
JUST thirty-ei^i^ht years after the cutting of the
first tree, many of the pioneers having passed
from the scene with the disappearance of the
forest, a somewhat unusual and highly creditable
movement in a purely rural cominuuity was success-
fully carried out. Perhaps without exception, every
one of the "Fathers of the Settlement " had received,,
at least, a good elementary education either in the Old
Land, whence most of them came, or in the United
States, from which arrived a few representatives of
the United Empire Loyalists. It has already been
shown how heartdy, and how self-sacrificingly, the
original occupiers set themselves to the task of pro-
viding such schools as were possible in those days.
Most of the original settlers would have regarded
with wonder the proposal to enact any law or regula-
tion in favor of compulsory attendance at school,
other than the parental form of it, to which they
themselves had been subjected, and which, no doubt,
they sometimes exercised over their Canadian off-
spring.
198 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Now that sons and daughters of the " first families "
became tiie parents of a new generation, they craved
for mental food of a quality superior to that supplied
by the text-books and by the weekly newspaper. Dr.
George Birkbeck, in Great Britain, had shown the
practicability of establishing libraries for the use of
mechanics, and the movement was in its prime during
the first half of this century. It is not unlikely that
the yeomen of Scarboro were thus influenced, to some
extent ; but whatever the moving cause may have
been, it is to their infinite credit that, on the 7th of
April, 1834, a meeting was held in St. Andrew's
Church to organize a public library, which continued
to be known as the Scarboro Subscription Library for
a period of forty- four years, until, in 1878, it was
incorporated as a Mechanics' Institute under the
Ontario x\ct.
The first meeting, which would appear to have been
as harmonious as it w^as well attended, resulted in the
election of K. D. Hamilton, M.D., as President ;
Robert Hamilton, Vice-President ; Wm. Elliot, Treas-
urer ; Arch. Glendinning, Secretary, and James A.
Thomson, Librarian. Besides these, there were en-
rolled as members, the Rev. James George, Thomas
Paterson, Andrew Johnston, William Glendinning,
Simeon Thomson, Francis Johnston, Wm. D. Thom-
son, Jon. Thorn, John Gibson, S. Cornell, Christopher
Thomson, J. Brownlie, Wm. Forfar, jun., Wm. Pat-
erson, George Scott, David Brown, Thomas Brown,
Wm. Hood, John Muir, Adam Bell, John Stobo, Dr.
D. Graham, J. Davidson, J. Findlay, John Elliot,
John Tingle, Alex. Jackson, Andrew Paterson, Thos.
Whiteside, John Martin, George Thomson, John
Public Libraries. 199
Glendinning, John Thornbeck, Daniel Ferguson, Mar-
shal Macklin, Robert Tackett, Wm. Crone, T. Walton,
sen., Wm. Findlay, Wm. Scott and J. Carmichael — a
goodly number for a beginning, even where the popu-
lation is comparatively dense at the present day ; but
here we find forty-six persons, chiefly farmers, living
in some instances, as a matter of course, miles apart,
uniting, more than half a century ago, to place them-
selves and their families in touch wuth the best
thoughts of the best literary and scientific writers of
that time and of past time.
In addition to the officers already named, a com-
mittee of twelve was appointed to manage the affairs
of the librar}^, and among the regulations they laid
down we find that members were required to pay an
entrance fee of five shillings (currency, presumably),
and the sauje amount annually, in two payments, each
half-yearly, in advance; and that a general meeting
should be held half-yearly to choose " managers,"
examine books, and arrange for the purchase of new
volumes. Each member was privileged to recommend
the purchase of a book, but the decision was to be the
result of a majority vote, and " no book of a seditious,
deistical, or licentious character was to be allowed on
the shelves, on any pretence whatever." Sedition and
deism were terms which, sixty or seventy years ago,
possessed a much wider range of application than they
do to-day ; and we can readily understand the solici-
tude and the horror that actuated the people of 1884
in their desire to preserve themselves from the very
taint of disloyalty to Creator or to king, when we bear
in mind that Voltairism, on the one hand, and repub-
hcanism, on the other, were openly advocated in many
200 History of the Township of Scarboro.
quarters. In Canada, Robert Gourlay had done much
to unsettle public political opinion. William Lyon
Mackenzie and Dr. Papineau were not throwing oil on
the troubled waters ; and as the men of Scarboro were
all true Britons to the core, nothing could be more
reasonable than that literature of the tendencies in
question should be excluded from the library !
For fifty years the meiubership averaged forty-
seven, and now stands at seventy — than which it
would be difficult to adduce better proof regarding
the uniformly judicious management of the library,
and the steady, highly intelligent character of the
people.
iVlthough incorporated, as already mentioned, in
1878, it received no public aid until 1880, when a
government grant of $400 and a municipal grant of
$25 enabled the committee to make considerable
additions to their catalogue, which now contains the
titles of about four thousand volumes. The circula-
tion amounts to 2,775 per annum, or an average of
nearly thirty-three volumes to each member, and it is
worthy of observation that the percentage of fiction is
extremely low.
Some of the old minute books having been lost or
mislaid, it is impossible to follow the record consecu-
tively ; but it is known that Jas. A. Thomson waa
president in 1860, perhaps also previous to that date,,
and continued in office until 1878, when Jos. Latter
was elected, and held the position till 1888. David
Martin was appointed president from 1888 to 1891,.
when he was succeeded by A. W. Forfar in 1892, and
by Wm. Carmichael in 1893. Mr. Carmichael is still
in office. Among those who have acted as secretaries.
Public Libraries. 201
may be mentioned G. M. Jacques, from 1875 to 1881 ;
Henry Thomson, from that date until 1891 ; David
Martin, till 1893 ; and D. W. Thomson, the present
efficient secretary.
At the time of incorporation, upon careful examina-
tion, the library was found to contain 1,108 volumes in
good condition, classified as follows : Biography, 124 ;
History, 144 ; Fiction, 177 ; Works of Reference, 28 ;
Literature, 131 ; Religious, 210; Travels, 121; Science
and Philosophy, 77 ; Poetry and the Drama, 35; Mis-
cellaneous, 61.
Since incorporation the number of volumes has
increased to 3,651, classified under the following
heads : Biography, 324 ; History, 382 ; Fiction, 874 ;
Literature, 319; Science and Philosophy, 335; Travels,
363 ; Religious, 528 ; Miscellaneous, 382 ; Poetry and
the Drama, 79 ; Reference, 65.
Number of volumes issued during the year ending
April 30th, 1896: Biography, 120; History, 192;
Fiction, 1,112 ; Literature, 639 ; Science and Phil-
osophy, 78; Travels, 77; lieligious, 338; Miscellan-
eous, 173 ; Poetry and the Drama, 40 ; Reference, 6.
Total issue, 2,775 ; number of members, 85.
Board of Management for current year : President,
William Carmichael ; Vice-President, George Elliot ;
Treasurer, David Martin ; Secretary, David W. Thom-
son ; Librarian, John Buchanan.
Directors : Robert Martin, John Parsell, Joseph
Tingle, Isaac Chester, Archibald W. Forfar.
In 1846 a small frame library building was erected
near St. Andrew's Church, and within a short distance
of the spot on which David Thomson cut down the
first tree. Although this unpretentious-looking little
14
202 History of the Township of Scarhoro.
structure has answered an admirable purpose for half a
century, it has long since ceased to be worthy of the
treasures it contains, or to afford the accommodation
required, and it is now certain that a new and com-
modious brick structure will be provided on a neigh-
boring site nearer to the church and on the opposite
side of the road. An edifice of this kind for such a
use is one of which any comnnmity should be proud ;
the best situation in the locality is not too good for it,
and there is little doubt that all will unite to make
the new building worthy of its purpose, and to main-
tain the high state of efficiency so long held by the
Scarhoro Library.
As this goes to press, the building, a commodious
structure 26 x 36 feet, is in course of erection, and
will probably be completed in time to be inaugurated
during the centennial, June 17th and 18th. The
walls are of brick, on a stone foundation, and the
edifice, though plain in exterior, will be commodious
and attractive within, and must prove a source of
much pleasure and a little pride to the patrons of
the library. Mr. Carnaghan, Chairman of the Build-
ing Committee, has made himself most commendably
active in his efforts to complete the erection.
HIGHLAND CREEK PUBLIC LIBRARY.
At the present day, owing to the vast number of
newspapers, magazines and periodicals of various kinds,
the want of books is not so likely to be felt as when
there was a dearth of literature, and it is an evidence
of a desire for something iiore substantial than mere
news gossip, and monthly doles of from second or third
to tenth-rate stories, when people feel the want of
Public Libraries. 203
high-class books, inchiding works of reference, history,
biography, science and travel. Actuated by this spirit,
and no doubt fully aware of the advantages so long
possessed by their up-stream neighbors, the residents
of the eastern side of the township resolved to estab-
lish a Mechanics' Institute Library, entitled to a
" legislative grant per annum." A meeting of pro-
minent persons was accordingly held at Highland
Creek in December, 1889, when it was decided to ask
for incorporation, and an active connnittee was ap-
pointed to canvass the neighborhood for subscribers at
$1 per annum. Fifty-five names were procured, and
on January 28th, 1890, the Institute was incorporated.
The first annual meeting was held in Elliot's Hall, on
Tuesday, the 13th of February following, when there
were elected : Wm. Tredway, President ; Robert
Cowan, Vice-President ; Henry Westney, Secretary-
Treasurer ; A. J. Law and T. C. Kirkhara, Librarians ;
Chas. Humphrey, T. G. Parker, A. T. Elliot, J. H.
Eichardson, James Duncan, B. F. Closson, J. W.
Stanion and L. Lewis, Directors; Arthur Reeve, sen.,
and James Pratt, Auditors.
The available funds were not large, consisting of
$110, of which $25 was a grant from the Township
Council, and $30 a donation from the Highland Creek
Literary Society. On March 1, 1890, the Highland
Creek Library was opened, and before the close of the
year its membership numbered fifty-nine.
Beginning with 167 well-selected volumes, additions
have been made annually, until at this date there are
upwards of one thousand books in the library, with a
circulation of nearly two thousand. The following
table shows its condition, as per official statement for
the year ending April 1st, 1896 :
204 History of the Township of Scarboro.
No. of Vols. No. of Vols. No. of Vols.
■Purchased. in Stock. Issued.
Fiction 40 23G 586
Voyages and Travels 18 201 55o
History 34 175 499
Miscellaneous 40 190 421
Biography 10 82 102
Scienci : n 102 138
Poetry 5 24 35
20 42
Literature ^ ^^
Religious
Works of Reference 2 13 15
Total ^ 1,051 2,408
Amount of money expended in books, SI 15.79; value of
books in library, S758.30.
Ben. F. Closson, President
A. T. Elliot, Sec.-Treaa.
Mark Taylor, Librarian.
Doctors and Lawyers. 205
CHAPTER XIII.
DOCTORS AND LAWYERS.
" No one is more estimable than a physician who, having studied nature
from his youth, knows the properties of the human body, the diseases
which assail it, the remedies which will benefit it, exercises his art with
caution, and pays equal attention to the rich and poor." — Voltaire.
"Just laws are no restraint upon the freedom of the good, for the good
man desires nothing which just law will interfere with." — J. A. Fronde.
UNDER this heading we are limited mainly to
the medical men of the township, the few
lawyers connected with it, either by birth or other
reason, finding more profitable centres elsewhere.
A very respectable list of medical practitioners, who
have found Scarboro a desirable locality from an early
period of its settlement, will engage our attention.
Several are native to Scarboro, and of these a fitting
opportiniity serves at this juncture for giving their
names, as well as the names of certain divines and
lawyers who are, or were, sons of its soil.
Among the medical men we find : Opie Sisley, M.D.,
CM. ; Samuel R. Eichardson, M.D. ; Jos. Richardson,
M.D.; Samuel Richardson, M.D. ; Russell Taber,M.D.;
Stephen Taber, M.D. ; Wm. Lapdey, M.D. ; Marshal
Macklin, M.D., CM. ; David A. Clark, M.D., CM. ;
WiUiam Irving, M.D., CM.
Among the ministers : Eevs. James Richardson,
Ezekiel Richardson, J. J. Elliot, B.A., A. G. Bell,
B.A., James Thom, and Albert D. Wheler.
206 History of the Township of Scari?oro.
Among the lawyers: John Bain, Q.C., Jas. Baird,
B.A., G. W. Badgerow, T. A. Gibson, B.A., and
John Thorn.
DOCTORS.
In dealing with the medical men of Scarboro we Und
much that is not only characteristic of" the men, but of
the times to which they belonged, and certain of them
demand a more enlarged notice than do those who,
living in our own day, are governed by its convention-
alities.
The township, as far as our records go, went on
very well until 1829 without a resident doctor. At
that date, R. D. Hamilton, M.D., a canny Scotsman
from Lanarkshire, came over by way of New York
to Canada, settling in Scarboro on the Danforth
Road, near ±5unker's Hill, but afterwards residing
with his brother-in-law, John Torrance, on lot 24,
concession D.
He was " a happy old bachelor who had loved and
lost." Rather eccentric, and quite self-dependent,
he could do his own cooking and mending, and sew
on his own buttons. But notwithstanding his eccen-
tricities, Scarboro loved him as she would a generous,
noble-minded friend. He was at home everywhere,
and used to say that no matter where the dinner-horn
blew he knew there was a glad welcome for him.
Dr. Hamilton was a highly educated man and a
great reader. He was also a waiter, and produced a
w^ork in two volumes, on the principles and practice
of medicine on the plan of the Baconian philosophy,
quoting from, and criticising freely the works of,
Hippocrates, Galen, Newton, Cullen, Lavoisier, Aris-
totle and Lord Bacon. Of some of the old vrriters
Doctors and Lawyers. 207
he quaintly said : '* They havo written on the loss of
health in the same romantic style as Milton on the
loss of Paradise."
The stock of medicine carried by Dr. Hamilton, as
compared with the present-day deluge of drugs, was
very limited, consisting merely of a few powders
stowed in his pockets, but a minimum assortment was
balanced by a maximum dose. A pet nostrum of his,
especially after bleeding, consisted of: calomel, 8 to 10
grains, and antimonial powder, 5 to 6 grains, given
in one bolus. An ardent advocate of purgatives, no
argument convinced him that their use could by any
possibility prove harmful.
He had been an army surgeon, and had seen actual
service at Corunna and in other engagements, and his
army training, no doubt, accounted for his freedom with
the lancet, and his advocacy of the then usual practice
of bleeding, as a specific for " all the ills that flesh is
heir to," especially diseases that were of an inflam-
matory nature.
It is told in this connection that on one occasion
when old David Thomson had pneumonia, Dr. Hamil-
ton bled him each day for nine consecutive days, taking
at least a pint of the crimson fluid on each occasion.
The hartly old pioneer not seeming to improve under
this heroic treatment, Dr. Paterson, of Markham, was
called in, in consultation, when they decided to bleed
him again, making the tenth bleeding he had under-
gone. The patient appearing no better, hope was
abandoned, and the relatives were summoned to the
bedside. But the story concludes with Thomson's
recovery, and a four years' longer lease of life for the
patient. — —
208 History of the Township of Scardoro.
An odd tale is told of another of Scarboro's hardy
sons who, having had his ear bitten off by a horse,
took the severed member in his pocket, and walked
a very long distance to consult Dr. Hamilton, who
successfully re-united the parts.
As the worthy old doctor never kept a horse, he
had to be sent for, and taken home — generally on
horseback — the messenger mounting with the doctor,
or walking behind. It is said the horse was never put
beyond a walk, however urgent the case.
He was conservative both in medicine and politics,
and under the name of " Guy Pollock"* wrote some
pungent articles in the city papers.
He died in 1857, at the age of fifty-seven years, and
was buried in St. Andrew's graveyard, being put,
according to his own request, twelve feet under ground.
In his panegyric at the grave the Eev. J. Bain said of
him, that he " was the beloved physician, the beloved
of the country-side."
The next medical man to settle in Scarboro was Dr.
Graham, who came to the township in 1834, and took
up his abode at Gates's Hotel. He also was a Scots-
man, from Lanarkshire, and, like Dr. Hamilton, lived a
life of celibacy. He was of fair complexion, of a fine
physique, tall, erect and athletic, with a prepossessing
countenance and a courtly manner. He was very fond
of sport, and kept a blood-horse, being in his element
in a race, or in hot chase after a fox.
Dr. Graham's loyalty and conservative principles
took him out as a volunteer in 1837. After the rout
at Montgomery's Tavern, he, as did others, helped
*G'ay Pollock, whose name Dr. Hamilton assumed, was a contentious
blacksmith, but not at all of a literary turn. Reference ia made to him in
Chapter IX., Trades and Tradesmen.
Doctors /.nd Lawyers. 209
himself to one of the horses left behind by the "rebels."
He was then boarding with a Mr. Lawrie, of the op-
posite political stripe, who, on learning the facts of the
case, would not allow the horse in his stable, nor the
doctor to remain under his roof.
In his profession Dr. Graham was skilful and much
liked ; he was not so ardent an advocate of the lancet
as his brother-physician, though he by no means
neglected its use.
He died at a comparatively early age in 1847, and
w^as buried in St. Andrew's graveyard, w^here a modest
little monument marks the spot.
In 1842, or about that year. Dr. Winstanley took
up his residence in Scarboro. He w^as an Englishman,
and the son of an English Church clergyman who
held a living in this province (some say in Scarboro
township). The Winstanleys were of an aristocratic
family, and the doctor was the first of his profession
in Scarboro to keep a handsome turn-out, which con-
sisted of an English dogcart and a fine horse in
English harness. Like Dr. Graham, he was fond of
hunting and sports in general, for which there were
plenty of opportunities in the tow^nship at that period.
Dr. Winstanley remained in Scarboro but a short
time, removing to Yonge Street, not far from Toronto.
But he was fond of the beautiful scenery of the
Heights, and built a delightful summer cottage on
the acclivity a little west of Victoria Park, where he
spent his summers for many years before failing health
confined him to his towai residence, where he died.
Dr. Hipkins, who came to Scarboro about 1849, was
of English extraction. He established an excellent
practice during the four years of his stay, and w^as
very popular. He removed to Toronto.
210 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Dr. Bain was born in Kirkaldy, ScoUand, his father
being Rev. Jas. Bain, of. St. Andrew's Church, Scar-
boro. He began practice under his father's roof about
1856, but left the township about a year afterwards,
and died at an early age.
Dr. Baker, who came to Scarboro about 1853, was a
Canadian, and graduated from the Medical Board of
Upper Canada, his degree being signed and sealed at
Quebec by the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, on the
25th April, 1853. The same year, in the pleasant
month of June, he married Emily, the wadow of
Francis Earls, of Toronto, and commenced prac-
tice. Dr. Baker is said to have been the first medical
man in Scarboro to carry a medicine case.
Six weeks subsequent to the birth of her first child
(a son, who survived both father and mother, dying in
England in 1889), Mrs. Baker died, and shortly after-
wards Dr. Baker went to New York Hospital and took
a tw^o years' post-graduate course. Keturning, he
practised in Toronto and Scarboro until shortly before
his death, September 25th, 1861.
Dr. Harvie, who settled in Scarboro about 1857,
was an American who had formerly taken up his
abode in Durham County, Ont., practising at Ennis-
killen, Darlii.gton township. He stayed but a short
time in Scarboro.
Dr. William Lapsley, a Scarboro boy who now re-
sides in Toronto, carrying on a consulting and office
practice, is a graduate of Toronto School of Medicine.
In 1861 he settled at Woburn, in his native township,
where he practised for twenty-seven years and estab-
lished a line connection, besides making a number of
warm friends. In 1888 he went to Toronto, where he
Doctors and Lawyers. 211
is frequently referred to as consulting physician. One
of his sons is also a memher of the medical profession.
Dr. Lorenzo Dow Closson, who was born near
Chautauqua, N.Y., in 1829, was the successor of
Dr. Hamilton, by whose influence it was that he
received the appointment of surgeon to the 3rd
Battalion of York militia. He has filled the respon-
sible offices of coroner for the united counties of
York and Peel, and medical health officer for the
township of Scarboro. For upwards of f)rty years
he practised in Scarboro and its vicinity, until his
naturally strong constitutic . gave w^ay under the
continued strain of a large and laborious practice,
and he was obliged to retire. Since then Dr. Closson
has resided in Toronto, his elder son, Dr. John H.
Closson, being in practice in that city. Dr. Closson's
name is still a household w^ord in Scarboro ; no other
physician ever spent so long a period in the prac-
tice of his profession in the township, and probably
none whose time and talents were more cordially
devoted to her welfare.
Dr. John Closson, an elder brother of the former,
also practised here for several years, during the same
period.
Dr. Duncan James Pollock came to the township
in the first year of the American civil war, 1862. He
was a son of Charles Pollock, of Hamilton, Ont., and
settled at Ellesmere, occupying a brick cottage on
the 1st concession. He was a bachelor, and his sister
kept house for him. He commenced the practice of
his profession very young, notwithstanding which
he soon became popular, and his practice rapidly
extended throughout Scarboro, and into the town-
212 History of the Township of Scarboro.
ships of York and Markham. He was also coroner
of York township.
Dr. Pollock was an enthusiastic curler, and a mem-
ber of the Ellesmere Club, and was at one time its
president.
After about twenty years of residence in what half
a century had made a populous township, the heavy
labor of a rural practice began to tell on him seriously,
and he retired to a less arduous field in Toronto ; but,
owing to a long period of overwork, an organic disease
was developed which ended his bright career at a
comparatively early age. He died in the south on
the 26th November, 1879.
Dr. Samuel R. Richardson was born in Scarboro.
He practised for a short time on the Markham Road,
near Woburn, about 1882. He spent two years as
assistant superintendent of the Toronto Asylum for
the Insane, under Dr. Joseph Workman, the most
distinguished of Canadian alienists, and was for two
years professor of materia medica and therapeutics,
and lecturer on diseases of the mind and nervous
system in Victoria Medical School. Dr. Richardson
has been in Eglinton for upwards of sixteen years.
Peter McDiarmid, M.D., born in the Ottawa Valley,
began his medical profession in 1866, having selected
Scarboro as his field of practice, choosing Malvern as
his place of residence. Dr. McDiarmid succeeded Dr.
Pollock, and continued his practice with marked suc-
cess for four years (1871 to 1875). As a man he
gained the respect and confidence of the community.
His removal to the States was deeply regretted by his
numerous friends.
One of the few medical men who have spent a quar-
ter of a century in the practice of their profession in
Doctors and Lawyers. 213
Scarboro, is Dr. Duncan McDiarmid, elder brother of
the last named. A man of a modest, miassiiming
manner, and of a kind and sympathetic nature, he
wins the love and respect of his patients, and his
opinion is commonly looked upon as final, so com-
pletely do they trust his professional judgment. Dr.
McDiarmid was born near Ottawa, and came to Scar-
boro in 1870, w^here he is still active, hale and hearty.
Dr. William Irving, now of St. Mary's, was born in
Scarboro in 1847. He taught school in section No. 2,
and graduated at Trinity Medical College in 1874.
He practised for a time in East Toronto, and subse-
quently in his native township, when he removed to
Exeter, and afterwards to Kirkton. He has been in
St. Mary's for eight years, and now enjoys a lucrative
practice. He is an active politician, and is President
of the Perth County Reform Association. Dr. Irving
is credited with the belief that Ontario is the finest
country in the world, and that Scarboro is by all odds
the best township in Ontario.
Drs. Joseph and Samuel Richardson, the younger
brothers of J^hn Richardson, M.P.P. for East York,
both enjoy lucrative practices, the former in Chicago,
and the latter in Strathroy, Ont.
Dr. Hunter came here in 1888, settling at Woburn.
His practice extended mainly toward the eastern part
of the township and about Highland Creek, where he
enjoyed a large patronage. He was a man of con-
siderable ability. He left Scarboro in 1890.
Dr. George Robert Cruikshank was born at Weston,
York County. He entered upon practice at Ellesmere
in 1886, but after four years left to take a post-graduate
course at Edinburgh. Returning to Canada, Dr.
Cruikshank settled in Y\'indsor, where he now resides.
214 History of the Township of Scakboro.
Opie Sisley, M.D., CM., was born in Scarboro in
1863. Matriculating in .Arts in Toronto University,
he entered at the same time the Toronto School of
Medicine, graduating in 1888 and becoming a Licenti-
ate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Ontario the following year. He lirst settled at Elles-
mere, but moved to Agincouri in 1894, wdiere he still
resides. For four years Dr. Sisley has been coroner
for the County of York and medical health officer for
the township of Scarboro.
Dr. Clapp is the latest addition to the long line of
illustrious physicians who have taken up residence in
Scarboro township during the century that has elapsed
since the first opening was made in the mighty forest.
He came to the township in 1893, and settled at Scar-
boro village, where his health has materially improved,
and he is able to attend to a good practice. More
fortunate than the maj' ity of his brethren in the
profession. Dr. Clapp en, ys a private income, and in
the season is able to indulge his loudness for hunting
in the wilds of Muskoka, or the solitudes of Nipissing.
LAWYERS.
Thomas Alexander G-ibson, B.A., youngest son of
John Gibson, born June 2'2nd, 1866, studied at Mark-
ham High School and Toronto Collegiate Institute,
matriculating at Toronto University in 1884 w4th first
scholarship for general proficiency. Graduated with
highest honors in classics in 1888, and at once entered
upon the study of law with the 11 i of Fullerton, Cook
& Co. Called to the bar in 1891, and formed a part-
nership with W. R. Cavell, under the firm name of
Cavell & Gibson, w^ith offices at 43 Adelaide Street
Doctors and Lawyers. 215
East, Toronto, where he continues the practice of his
profession.
Matthew A. Hall is a Scarboro boy, who has won
considerable success as a lawyer in Omaha, Neb.,
where he is partner in one of the principal legal firms
in the city. Few men in the state are considered
capable of rendering a sounder or more profound
opinion on matters of law than he is, and his reputa-
tion as an honest lawyer is equal to his fame as a
counsellor. Mr. Hall is one of the many young men
that we are proud to connect with our township.
John Bain was the son of Rev. James Bain, of Old
St. Andrew's Church. He was called to the bar in
the Province of Ontario, in the year 1866, and
appointed Queen's Counsel in the year 1887. Mr.
Bain was solicitor for the Imperial Bank and other
large corporations, and had a large and influential
practice. He died at the age of forty- six, in the
year 1893.
George Washington Badgerow was born May 28th,
1841, in the township of Markham, but spent much
of his earl}' life here, assisting his father in the
management of a woollen mill, on lot 16, concession
2. At the Markham High School, where he ranked
as the best student, he qualified for a public school
teacher, and having secured a situation he walked
eighteen miles twice a week after school-hours to
take lessons in the higher departments from a tutor.
He studied law in Toronto, and was called to the bar
in 1871. He represented East Riding of York in the
Local Legislature as a Liberal from the year 1879 to
1887, and was appointed County Crown Attorney for
the county in 1887. Mr. Badgerow was an enthusi-
216 History of the Township of Scarboro.
astic member of the United Workmen order, of which
he was Grand Master for two years ; Supreme Over-
seer in 1884, Supreme Foreman in 1885, and Supreme
Master Workman of the A.O.U.W. of America, in
1886. He died 31st of July, 1892.
James Baird, a member of the firm of Lobb and
Baird, w^as born in Scarboro village. He is a son of
Jonathan Baird, who formerly kept hotel near the
Grand Trunk Railway, in the village. He received
his early education in S. S. No. 9, and went to
Toronto Collegiate Institute in 1876, Toronto Uni-
versity in 1878, and graduated with the degree of
B.A. in 1882, was called to the bar in 1885, and is
now practising law in Toronto in the above firm.
John Thom, a Toronto lawyer, is also said to have
been born in this township.
Societies. 217
CHAPTER XIV.
SOCIETIES.
»
"To understand man, however, we must look beyond the individual
man, and his action or interests, and view him in combination with his
fellows." — Caiiijle.
THE records of the various societies that have
existed in Scarboro township from time to time,
are not so full as could be desired, but such as we are
able to give are most creditable to the moral sentiment
of the township.
The first temperance society of which we have
record, was instituted in 1834 in what is now School
Section No. 5, by the Rev. James George, minister
of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. The following
is a partial list of the members: David Elliot, Walter
Elliot, James A. Thomson, Adam Bell, Agnes Mc-
Levin, Margaret Eeeve, Margaret Elliot, Thomas
White, William Forfar, jun., Wm. Paterson, Mary
Johnston, Margaret Glendinning, Catharine Bowes,
Ellen Elliot, Agnes Bell, Teasdale Hall, Hugh Elliot,
Thos. Paterson, Sophia Durham, Jane Reeve, Matilda
Elliot, and Thos. Bell.
In S. S. No. 2, the first " regular " temperance
organization was that of Mount Meldrum Division
Sons of Temperance, instituted in 1855, on lot 24,
concession 1.
It is still in a most flourishing condition, and has
been a great power for good in building up a sound
15
218 Hlstorv of :ue Township of Scarhoro.
temperance sentiment in the community. Its numer-
•ous members, past and present, have carried its
principles to ahnost every part of our Dominion.
The present place of meeting is Temperance Hall,
Agincourt, lot 24, concession 3.
Its charter members were : John D. Thomson,
David G. Thon.^on, James Elliot, Archibald A.
Thomson, Anditw A. Thomson, Kichard Eyan,
Thomas A. Little, Samuel Harvey, James Scott,
Archibald Elliot, Thomas Scott.
In 1862 Scarboro village had a Temperance Society
Building, but no further record has been furnished.
School Section No. 2 can boast of a camp of the
Sons of Scotland at Agincourt. Its charter mem-
bers are William Johnston, John Johnston, James
F. Elliot, David Wyper, Alexander Weir, James T.
Stewart, William Docherty, Alex. Docherty, William
Anderson, Wm. Green, J. Irwin, Wm. Crawford, John
Chisholm, John Elliot, Joseph Irwan, Georgp 1 -axter,
Erancis Weir, Wm. B. Davidson, John Maruu, J. C.
Angus, R. Craig, James Ogg, D. McDiarmid, M.D.,
Bev. J. A. Brown and Wm. Thomson.
Court Highland Creek, No. 1089, I.O.F., was insti-
tuted in June, 1892, with the following staff of officers :
A. T. ElHot, C.D.H.C.R.; James Duncan, C.R.; W.
J. Morrish, V.C.R.; J. R. Dale, M.D., Phy.; W. H.
Closson, Fin.-Sec; W. Stitts, S.W.; R. Parker, S.B.;
W. H, Tredway, P.C.R.; John Plaxton, Chaplain;
Bobt. Cowan, Treas.; Henry Reeve, Rec.-Sec; David
Mosher, J.W.; James Atkinson, J.B. The court
commenced with a charter membership of twenty-one
and has had a steady growth ever since, having for its
Societies. 219
meir>bers the best citizens of the locality. Among
the recently initiated brethren are Kev. John Chis-
holin and Chas. A. Druinniond, M.I)., the latter being
elected as associate physician. There has not been a
death in the Court since its commencement, and the
applications for sick benefits have been very few. All
the work is carried on in the name of Liberty, Benevo-
lence and Concord, meeting fourth Tuesday of each
month in Elliot's Hall.
There are three brass bands in the township :
Highland Creek Band, the members of which are J.
Thorne, A. Collins, J. Gormley, A. Law, E. Collins, Geo.
Sprunt, W. Bennet, A. Neilson, and C. Humphrey.
Scarboro Village Brass Band, the members being
W. Collier, F. Secor, Geo. Sprunt, E. Cornell, J.
Cornell, J. Mcllmurray, J. Fawcett, J. Hammond,
J. Chester, A. Taylor, and W. Miller.
Ellesmere Band, named the " Maple Leaf," includes
W. Glendinning, Sidney Thomson, T. Whiteside, F.
Bell, Richard Thomson, J. M. Thomson, Andrew
Paterson, John Walton, Albert Mason, — Loveless,
and Harry Thomson.
There is a Mouth Organ Band at Malvern, consist-
ing of A. Callender, C. Callender, W. Bennet, Andrew
Thomson, J. Clayton, E. Willis.
Another organization of a similar kind has recently
been formed at Agincourt with a numerous member-
ship, of which the leader is J. Dixon; Sec.-Treas.,
W. Young ; President, N. White ; and the players, J.
Dixon, and W^. Bennett (on the guitar), W. Gorman,
W. Paterson, E. Heron, R. Johnston, J. Kennedy,
W. Bennett, J. A. Johnston, S. Shedlock, L. Thom-
son, and L. Glendinning (on the mouth organ).
220 History of the Township of Scarhoko.
CHAPTER XV.
PUBLIC-HOUSES AND STORES.
" ''Vhoe'er has tiivvel'd life's dull round,
Where'er his stages may have been,
Miiy sigh to think he still has found
The warmest welcome at an inn.'"
— Hhenstone.
" What is true of a shopkeeper is true of a shopkeeping nation."
— Tucker, iJetiii <>f GloHcester.
PUBLIC-HOUSES during the pioneer days were
places of very considerable importance. Many
farmers on well-travelled roads turned an honest penny
by providing " entertainment for man and beast." In
most cases liquor was supplied, but not always. Among
the first hosts in the tow^iship were David Thomson,
Levi Annis and Jonathan Gates. The inn of the last-
named was a noted stopping-place on the Kingston
Road for many years, and on two occasions was
thought to be of sufficient importance for circus exhi-
bitions.* But besides the respectable hostleries, such
as those mentioned, there were found at short inter-
vals along the leading roads numerous places where
whiskey might be procured ; whiskey, too, on which
had been paid neither duty to make, nor license to sell.
About 1831, and no doubt for many years both before
'■■'■ A wild beast show and circus was exhibited at Gates's in 184.3 ; another
in 1845.
PunLK-IIOUSES AND Stokes. 221
and after that date, tliere is said to have been no
fewer than twenty-four houses between Highhiud
Creek and Pickering' where whiskey could be had.
In 1835 Mr. John Bell, who came to Scarboro about
1820, from Durham, En^^, and settled on lot 29, con-
cession C, erected the " Blue Bell Inn," which soon
acquired a hi^h reputation. After the building of the
Nipissing Railway this famous old hostlery ceased to
pay. and was pulled down about 1876.
Hockridge's Hotel, nearly two miles farther north,
was built about the same time, but was opened slightly
before the " Blue Bell." The building was destroyed
by lire about 1878, but had ceased to be a hotel eight
or ten years before.
In the fall of 1847, liichard Sylvester commenced
hotel-keeping on the south-west corner of lot 34, con-
cession 1. Ten years later Mr. Sylvester moved the
building to the north-east corner of lot 35, concession
D» The hotel business was discontinued in 1870,
and in 1872 the house became the property of John
Tingle, who forthwith moved his stock-in-trade into
it, and in April of that year opened the old bar as
a general store.
Elliot's Inn was on the Kingston Road, not far from
where St. Margaret's Church now stands.
Mr. Moffat kept a hotel on the south-west corner of
lot 35, concession C. This place was known as "The
Roval Oak."
«
Another noted hostlery was the " Painted Post," on
the Danforth Road, near the Scarboro and York town-
line
Sixty years ago the " William Wallace Inn " was
kept by John Muir, on lot 16, on the old Kingston
222 History of the Township of Scarboko.
Koad, and about the same time a beer-shop and store
stood on the road opposite the old log school-house
between lots 18 and 19 on the south side. The
owner of this place was Wm. Burton.
Mape's Inn on the Markham Road is mentioned in
the municipal records of the Home District for 1849.
But the first hotel between Toronto and Markham is
said to have been kept by Richard Taylor on the Dan-
forth Road, lot 26 (no concession is named).
John Malcolm's tavern, *' Speed the Plough," was
on the Markham Road, lot 19, concession 2.
Robert Malcolm succeeded him, and also kept a
harness shop on his fifty-acre farm, early in the
" fifties," but gave up the business about 1856.
Sisley's hotel was on lot 23, concession D, on the
place known as Bunker Hill.
Dowswell's (now Woburn) was on lot 18, conces-
sion 1.
STORES.
A Mrs. Betsy Stafford is said to have been the first
storekeeper in the township on the Pioneer Thomson
farm, within a stone-throw of St. Andrew's Church
and the Public Library ; and it is thought that a
store, opened in S. S. No. 8 about 1848, by Paul
Sheppard, on lot 35, concession D, was the next.
Sheppard was succeeded by Samuel Blackburn. This
store was discontinued about 1846.
J. J. McBeth opened a store at Wexford in 1865,
and gave up business in 1879. In 1865 John Tingle
also opened a store at Wexford.
Wm. Burton kept a small store on the south side
of the Kingston Road, opposite the school-house be-
tween lots 18 and 19.
Villages and Post-offices. 223
CHAPTER XVI.
VILLAGES AND POST-OFFICES.
" I visit such tranquil spots always with infinite delight."
— Oliver Wendell Holmes.
"The post is the grand connecting link of all transactions, of all nego-
tiations. Those who are absent, by its means become present ; it is the
consolation of life." — Voltaire.
THE selection of place-names by Euro-Americans
is nearly always a matter of caprice, without
the remotest reference to topography, hence the curi-
ous jumble presented by the names of post-offices in
Scarboro, although it is in this respect not so bad as
are many other townships.
In Agincourt, Armadale, Ellesmere, and Wexford,
there is no court, no dale, no 7?iere, or no ford (fiord).
In the hybrid Bendale, the be7i is missing. Other post-
offices are Brown's Corners, Malvern, Woburn, Dan-
forth. Highland Creek, West Hill, Wexford, Scarboro
Junction, and Scarboro. Among all these names are
represented England, Scotland, Ireland, and France,
without any degree of propriety except in the two
instances of West Hill and Highland Creek, although
Danforth is allowable.
It is not too much to expect that the General Post-
office authorities may yet see the necessity of exercis-
ing some measure of discretion in matters of this
kind, and that they will give the preference to Indian
224 History of the Township of bcARBORO.
names, or to English ones, which, if not characteristic
of the localities, are at least less absurd than many
already bestowed.
Highland Creek village is one of the oldest commer-
cial centres of the few extremely modest ones that
ever existed in the township, owing to the proximity
of Toronto. At the eastern intersection of the Dan-
forth and Kingston roads, it was once of more compar-
ative importance than it now is, although yet a point
where considerable local traffic is maintained. A
Catholic, a Methodist, and a Presbyterian church are
situated at short distances of the point at which the
roads cross each ler.
Wohurn possesses the town hall.
Scarboro village comprises about forty acres, as
shown on a plan registered in the registry office of the
County of York, being the south-east part of lot 19,
concession D. The property was owned by Isaac
Stoner, and sold by him in the fall of 1855, by auction,
in lots containing one-fifth of an acre up to one acre.
Some choice quarter-acre lots sold as high as $428.
The Grand Trunk Railway erected a station at this
point, at which a large business was transacted in the
shipment of flour and grain during the years 1856 to
1859, when, in consequence of the heavy grade, the
station was moved one mile farther west. Most of
the lots have merged into farms and gardens.
The chief buildings here are a brick school-house,
the Methodist parsonage, a building for the sale of
every description of farming implements, a general
store, a blacksmith shop, and a few dwellings.
The first post-oifice in the township was on lot
19, concession D, the first postmaster having been
Villages and Post-offices. 225
Peter Secor, who held the position from the date
of estahHshment in 1830, to 1838.* On the removal
of the office to lot 17, concession D, Col. McLean
became postmaster, and so continued nntil 1853.
Other postmasters have been W. Tredway, Donald
McLean, M. Rosebush, and the present official, J.
Knights.
It may be mentioned as an evidence of how facts
may become merely matters of tradition in a com-
paratively short time, that in the books of the Post-
office Department at Ottawa, there is not a scrap
of information pointing to the establishment of this
office in 1830. Here, therefore, we are indebted to
the memories of "oldest inhabitants" and to local
documents.
Agincourt rejoices in having two railway stations —
one on the Canadian Pacific, and the other on the
Midland branch of the Grand Trunk. It is, next to
Scarboro Junction, the most populous village in the
township, and does a good local trade.
Agincourt post-office w^as 05;>ened June 1st, 1858,
the tirst postmaster having been John Hill, who was
succeeded by John Miller, who was followed by J. W.
Kennedy. The present postmaster is W. A. Kennedy.
It is said that Mr. Hill, having made many vain
endeavors to get a post-office established here in con-
nection with his general store, happened one day
when in Ottawa (perhaps on this business) to meet
a member of parliament representing a constituency
in Quebec, where Mr. Hill originally came from.
Asking Hill if he could do anything for him, the
desirability of a post - office was mentioned. The
* Mr. Secor'a sympathy with Mackenzie was what led to this change.
226 History of the Township of Scarboro.
M.P. said at once, " I'll put that through for you,
but you must let me give the office its name."
Within a short time Mr. Hill was appointed post-
master of Agincourt, pronounced locally Aigincourt,
even the " t " being sounded.
Danfortli post-office was opened on April 1st, 1859.
Henry Hogarth held the office of postmaster until his
death, on April 16th, 1883, when his daughter Agnes
w^as appointed. Miss Hogarth is still in charge.
Scarboro Junction post-office was opened on July
1st, 1873, George Taylor being in charge. He w^as
succeeded by Robert Davidson, on March 7th, 1876.
He continued in office until February 20th, 1888,
when the present postmaster, R. Bell, was appointed.
A considerable area of farm land has been laid out
at the Junction as village or town lots, most of which
as yet forms only an extensive common.
At this point the Midland branch of the Grand
Trunk Railway unites w4th the main line.
Malvern has the largest public hall in the township,
and here are held the principal political meetings in
the district. With seating accommodation for 1,000
persons, it is in frequent demand for lectures and
concerts. During the curling season, the basement
of the hall affords capital rink-space for the Scarboro
Club. In this village also there are blacksmith, wag-
gon, and harness shops.
The other places are so small as to require no par-
ticular notice here, containing as they do little more
than the post-office, a small store, a blacksmith shop,
and sometimes a church and a hotel. Numerous
incidental references to these Utile centres occur in
the foregoing chapters.
Villages and Post-office.s.
227
POST-OFFICES IN THE TOWNSHIP OF SCARBOPO,
DATE OF ESTABLISHMENT, AND NAMES
OF FIRST POSTMASTERS.
Name of Post-office.
Date of
Establishment.
Name of
Postmaster.
Agincourt
June 1, 1858
April 1, 1869 ....
April 1, 1878....
September 1, 1888
April 1, 1859....
June 1, 1853 ....
July 6. 1852
Novell! ber 1, 1856
(No record in P.O.
July 1, 1873
June 1, 1879
March 1, 1865 . . .
July 6, 1852
John Hill.
Armadale
Robert Harrinifton.
Bendale*
c5
William Forfar.
Brown's Corr ^
Danforth . .
Ellesmere
Da^nd Brown.
Henry Hogarth.
A. Glendinning.
— Chamberlain.
David Brown.
Highland Creek ....
Malvern
Scarboro
Department, Ottawa)
George Taylor, sen.
John H. Richardson.
Scarboro Junction . . .
West Hill
Wexford
Woburn f
J. T. McBeath.
Thos. Dowswell.
The foregoing statement is from the department
of the Postmaster-General, and may be considered,
therefore, authoritative.
Beginning with the oldest, the order of seniority is
as follows : Scarboro, Highland Creek and \Yoburn,
Ellesmere, Malvern, Agincourt, Danforth, Wexford,
Armadale, Scarboro Junction, Bendale, West Hill,
and Brown's Corners.
* Formerly Beniomond.
t Forme- ly Elderslie.
228 History of the Townshu* of Scarboro.
CHAPTER XVII.
MILITIA.
" Deeds Speak."
—.ird Beij. YorJ: MiUtia Binmer, IS I?.
"O heard ye not of Queenston Heights —
Of Brock who tighting fell —
And of the Forty-ninth and York,
\Yho 'venged their hero well '. "
—Mrs. S. A. Cnr-Mn.
UPON the declaration of war by the United States
against Great Britain and her colonies on June
18th, 1812, the men of Scarboro responded loyally to
the call to arms.
From a letter written by Colonel Chewett, 8rd Regi-
ment of York militia, to " Captain Thompson,"* in
whicJi reference is made to his company, in conjunc-
tion with the Pickering and Whitby companies, we
gather that the Scarboro men were attached to that
regiment, and from the family records of the township
we know that they were with General Brock at
Detroit, when Hull surrendered on August 16th, 1812.
From Burlington Bay to the shores of Lake Erie tiie
road lay through the forest; but Bf men were all
volunteers and hardy woodsmen, accustomed to life in
the New World and loyally devoted to the defence
of their country. They often had to bake bread before
they could have supper, when they halted for the
* This is evidently meant for David Thomson, the pioneer.
SCARBORO'S DEFENDERS.
Militia. 229
night. Many rolled the dough hastily together and
covered it with hot ashes ; others, more patient and
ingenious, impaled theirs on forked sticks, and setting
them on end in the ground close to the fire, turned
the dough about until it was baked, their patience
being rewarded by having lighter and cleaner bread
than that baked in the ashes.
Part of the way along the shores of Lake Erie before
they reached Long Point, was narrow, and the waters
of the lake so rough that it was often difficult for the
men to avoid a wetting from the incoming waves. At
one spot they were obliged to wait until they receded,
and then run for a slightly wider margin before the
succeeding swell could overtake them. General Brock,
who was ever one with his men, enduring the same
trials and discomforts, tried when his turn came, to
follow the example of the men, but, being less nimble,
the wave caught and drenched him thoroughly. He,
however, endured the soaking quite good-naturedly,
and hurried on as though nothing had happened.
The General embarked his men at Long Point in a
number of small boats used by the settlers for the
transport of their corn and Hour, and after four days
and nights of incessant toil reached Amherstburg, a
distance of two hundred miles.
The passage was a stormy one, and the conduct of
the men in the face of such difficulties won Brock's
admiration.
After the surrender of Drcroit, the volunteers re-
turned to York, where some of the Scarboro men
were retained as reserves during the campaign on the
Niagara frontier, but the majority w'ere with Brock at
Queenston Heights. Several men from our township
230 History oi< the Township of Scakhoro.
were badly wounded. John and Andrew Kennedy
were of this number, the hitter having had his leg
shot away by a caniion-ball. The Secors, Wilsons
and others received injuries. Upon the return of the
regiment to York, the Scarboro company was with it
when a banner,* worked by the women of Toronto,
was presented to it by Miss Powell.
After York was taken by the Americans, on April
27th, 1818, manj' of the Scarboro men who were
among those included in the articles of capitulation
and therefore under parole until exchanged, returned
to their homes ; some of them, no doubt, taking
advantage of enforced inaction to attend to the
ploughing or seeding on their land, f
Tradition says that a number of Scarboro men
were among " FitzGibbon's Tigers."
The graves of many of these early defenders of
Canada are to be found in St. Andrew's cemetery.
Among the records of those who defended the
country against the invaders in 1813, the name of
Jas. Elliot occurs. Elliot was at home (about fifteen
miles distant) when he heard the three cannon-shots,
which were the pre-arranged signal intimating the
approach of the American fleet. He ran all the way to
-■^ A full account of this banner and its presentation is given by Miss
M. A. FitzGibbon, in "Transaction No. 1 of Uie Woman's Historical
Society of Toronto," 1896.
+ This is not improbable, as, in his accounts of the campaign of 1813 on
the Niagara frontier, FitzGibbon speaks of the militiamen and settlers who
joined him when they heard firing in the woods. Others may have fought
in the ranks with the 49th, known as the "Green Tigers." The militiamen
wei &\j that time frequently mingled with the regular regiments, fighting
in the same ranks. The nature of the ground and the character of the
warfare rendered this commingling of the men of the militia with the
regulars a mutual support.
Militia. 231
York, and arrived at the moment of the blowing,' up of
the magazine. The concussion was so great that it
loosened the phister from Mr. Phiyter's house at Scar-
boro. Another account speaks of Wni. Pherrill who
was detaclied as signal-man at the outlook post on
Scarboro Heights, with orders to mount his horse and
ride into York with the tidings the moment he spied
the American vessels in the distance.
Although the story of Elliot's hastening to York
upon the report of the signal guns comes from various
sources, and is probably correct, he must certainly
have reached the town before the blowing up of the
magazine, as the guns were fired before eight o'clock
on the evening of the 20th.
That our old defenders were jealous of the honor
and integrity of the regiment to which they belonged,
the following curious petition to Sir Peregrine Mait-
land, then Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada,
testifies. It is copied from the original draft on the
water-lined paper of the date :
" To His Excellency Sir Peregrine Maitland, K.C.B., Lieuten-
ant-Governor of Upper Canada and Major-General com-
manding His Majesty 8 forces therein, etc., etc., etc.
We, the Undersigned Non-Commissioned Officers
and Privates of the Company of the 2nd Regi-
ment of York Militia, beg leave to approach Your
Excellency with the purest sentiments of Loyalty and
Attachment to His Majesty's Person and Government,
who has given us an additional proof of his paternal
care for this distant part of his extended Dominions
in placing over us as his Representative an Officer of
Your Excellency's distinguished Rank and Character.
Feeling as we do, that nothing can be nearer Your
Excellency's Heart than the preservation of that
232 HlSTOKV OF TIIK ToWNSHIC OF SCARBORO.
Honor and integrity in alJ ranks of the Otticers of
the Militia of this Province, which as a Mihtaty
Character You must always have revered, we come
before your Excellency witii the more conhdence to
state what we humbly conceive to be derogatory to
the Honor of the Corps to which we belong.
Captaip Daniel Brooke, 'who has been appointed to
the command of the Company, has been publicly
accused by his Brother-in-law with Felony and other
heinous offences, which accusations have never to our
knowledge been satisfactorily answered, in Consequence
of whicii, without any evil Intention of opposing the
Laws of the Country, we unthinkingly determined
not to serve under a person of his Character.
We are now, however, fully convinced of the ten-
dencv our conduct had to Insubordination, and are
sorry we should have been guilty of such Misconduct,
and will in future faithfully discharge our duty under
the orders of any person Your Excellency may appoint
over us. Nevertheless, we shall feel much gratified
should Y''our Excellency be pleased to grant us the
Indulgence of placing another Officer in the room of
Captain Brooke,* whom we can never respect as a
Man, however we may be inclined to obey his orders
[as] a Captain in the ^Militia of Upper Canada.
We are, with the highest sentiments of Esteem,
Your Excellency's most obdt. and very humble
servants :
Kichard Thomson, Adna Bates, jun., Gideon Cornell,
Earl Bates, George Cornell, Andrew Thomson, Thos.
Sweeting, Wm. Jones, David Thomson, Archibald
Thomson, Peter Little, Christopher Thomson, James
Thomson, John Martin, James Taylor, Andrew John-
ston, Joseph Secord, William Thomson, Levi Annis,
John Miller, Thomas Adams, Wm. Robinson, John
* He owned the bush in York township which, in after years, formed a
rendezvous for the notorious "Brooke's Bush Gang.' This Brooke had
no connection with a family of the same name in the township, one of
whom was a well-known old stage-driver.
Militia. 2U3
Crosby, James Daniels, William Thomson, John
Thomson, James Thomson, Peter Secor, Amariah
Kock\v*3ll, Isaac Secor, Peter Stoner, Jonathan dates,
John Laing, Stephen Pherrill, John Stoner, Abraham
Stoner, Adna Bates.
Scarhuro.'' *
The Scarboro militia met annually for drill on the
King's birthday, June 4th, at Sisley's Hotel on the
Danforth lioad. In 1828, about 120 men assembled.
One of the features of the muster, after salute and
roll-call, was treating the men to a drink of beer, which
was carried round in a pail.
The men at this time were not very proficient in
drill, and it is said that an Irish officer in command of
one of the companies often remarked, "It is hard
work to get them in order, even to give them a drink
of beer."
In 1860 they were drilled at Woburn by the late
Colonel R. Denison.
In 1836 the officers in command of the 8rd Regi-
ment of East York or Scarboro militia were : Colonel,
A. H. McLean (January 19th, 1836) ; Lieut. -Colonel,
R. D. Hamilton ; Major, Wm. Proudfoot ; Captains,
J. McDonnell, A. Glendinning, Wm. Thomson, J.
Torrance, James Gibson, John Taber, G. H. Fitz-
Gerald, Joseph Secor (January 9th), John Howell;
Lieutenants, D. Graham, J. Willaghan, D. Knowles,
David Stobo (or Stoner), Wm. Pherrill, J. B. Street,
* The document is not dated, and there is no record among the papers
as to whether this unique petition was granted. It probably was, and a
better man than the objectionable captain appointed. The petition of
which this is a copy is in the possession of Mrs. W. Oarmichael, who
kindly permitted us to use it here. Mrs. Carmichaei is a granddaughter
of the pioneers David and Agnes Thomson.
16
234 History of the Township of Scarboro.
John Wilson, Alex. Grant (January 20th), A. Mc-
Donnell ; Ensigns, W. J. FitzGerald, Thos. Chester,
James Wentand, John Elliot, John Kennedy, John
Pilkey ; Adjutant, G. H. FitzGerald. There is no
Quartermaster or Surgeon. Limits : Township of
Scarboro.
The men of Scarboro did not aid the " rebels " in
any way during the outbreak in 1837. An old resident
remembers seeing Matthews (who was a native of
Pickering) and his followers going up the old Kingston
E,oad at about nine o'clock one night. They carried
a white flag, and endeavored to persuade all whom
they met to join them, making prisoners of those who
refused. Among the latte^ was a shoemaker named
Small who, in his usual condition of high spirits,
marched with them, singing " Rule Britannia," and
when they stopped at Gates's, tried 1 j burn their flag.
When the " rebels " threatened Toronto, the loyalty
of the Scarboro men was practically expressed. They
marched out four hundred strong. A number of
these men are still living, including Hugh Elliot, Isaac
Chester, James Weir (the two latter are over eighty
years of age), and several others. They were enrolled
and commanded by Colonel Allan McLean, formerly a
captain in the 91st British Regiment. He had seen
service in India, and was a very popular man in
Scarboro.
Our Volunteer Rifle Company was organized in the
autumn of 1861, largely through the efforts of J. R.
Taber. The first meeting was held in a house built
by G. Chester for J. Rose, directly opposite the Scar-
boro post-office.
Militia. 235
The officers were : Captain, W. H. Norris; Lieut.,
J. R. Taber ; Ensign, Wm. Tredway, who subsequently
resigned, giving place to R. H. Stobo ; Color-Sergt.,
H. Chester; Sergeants, Isaac Stobo, R. C. Bowen,
David Atchison; Corporals, Jas. Allison, Jas. Law,
Robt. Martin, Wm. McCowan ; Bugler, Jas. Hartley.
Rank and file : R. Cornell, J. Dowswell, T. Scholes,
H. Chester, I. Stobo, R. Stobo, W. Taber, G. Rush,
C. Bowen, H. Bowen, T. Bowen, W. Churchill, J.
Cann, Wm. Hall, J. Atwell, J. Leslie, J. McHenry, J.
Duncan, J. Lennox, A. Hatrick, J. Ellis, J. Brumwell,
H. Callender, J. Huxtable, J. McCann, J. Bell, J.
Dawson, J. Smith, W^. Kizer, W. Collins, Wm. Purdie,
J. Booth, R. Taber, R. Stoner. Total, 44.
At uhe first review held in Toronto after the Com-
pany was organized, and when it had been brought to
its full strength of 64 officers and men, it received
great praise from the inspecting field-officer for the
excellence of the men's marching, and steadiness
under arms.
Scarboro's patriotism was again severely tested at
the time of the St. Alban's Raid. She sent a well-
drilled company to the front, which remained at
Niagara from January 1st till May 1st, when it re-
turned to Toronto. It was sent to Dunnville in 1866
to guard the Grand River dam above the Welland
Canal, and prevent threatened damage by rumored
sympathizers with the Fenians. It remained there
three months, being billeted on the townspeople.
They had returned home only nine days, when
they were again ordered to the front to repel the
Fenians.
2:v\
llis'KJkv oi nil, TowNSHU' (;!• .S( aki'.oko.
Th<'y went from Tonjiiio to Port I);illioiisi(' by
Kt(;}Uii(!r, tlioncc! to Tiiorold by tli(! road, iiiid were?
(l<;t{iin(;(l tlicr*; tliroii^'h lark of a siilliciciit iiUMil)(^r of
railway cars, \Vh(tri tlujy njanhcd l^'niiu-hnjan's (Jrcfk
th(;y found tlic brid;,((! had \H',(t]i biinuid by th(! i'.nciny.
On Sinubiy morning' f'^'-y mandiod into l''ort I^lric,
in oj)«rn ord<;r, doiildc; file, oik; liiindicd feet apart,
forrriinj^' tlic (;omi(:(tin«{ link b(;tvv<j<!n tin; udvaiKM;
j^iiard and ('olf)n(!l I.ovvry'H b{itt(;ry.
'J'lu! Scarboro (;oni[)a,ny was considfircd })y both
British and Ann-rican ollicors th(; linost at tlir; front,
vvh(!n! it rcniairuid al)oiit Hix w(!(;ks. 'J'h(! average
hei^dit of the men was 5 foot 10 inches. Wni. Piirdio
and l»uss('ll (!orn(dl wore Horf^(;ants of tiio company.
'I'h«^ following composed th(; Soarboro itifh; ('fjin-
pany in iHfjri-fi: (.'apta' , \V. H. Norris; IjieiitH.,.!.
li. Tabor, \{. II. Stobo; Color-S(;rgt., il. Chc^stiir;
Sergeants, Isaac; Stobo, l>. (J. Howcm, I)avid Atidiison ;
(.'orporals, Jas. Allison, Jas. Ijaw, Kobt. Martin, Win.
.McCowan; liiiglor, das. Hartley, liauk and lih; : W.
I*nrdi(;, W. y\llison, .1. .\llison, J. Smith, (J. liiirton,
II. (>allend(.*r, (!. Hos(! Kobinson, d. (1. Ki/(jr, A. licr-
tram, ('. (Jentleman, I). iIosk(!n,(i. I'lu^rrill, W. 'I'alx-r,
d. liow(!n, L. Iliggins, J. O'Brien, \i. Whittington, M.
Moody, d. Sccor, d. Bennox, li. ('onxdl, d. Post, \V.
Post, I). Oalbraith, B. Armstrong, W. Koa(di, d. lioll,
d. BIlis, hcn.,d. BIlis, jiin., d. A(dioHon, J. Hartley, d.
Boslie, d. .Mininj, IB ('arrick, d. ('h(!stor, VV. Wilson,
d. Orni(!rod, B. Howen, B. Bowen, IB Boweii, d.
lirumwtdl, W. Hall, W. Obiirolidl, d. l)owsw«dl, W.
l)owsw(dl, (i. UmsIi, d. Biincaii, I(. Williams, d.
Scholes, M. Murdoch, T. Booth, B. liiitler, W. Hewitt,
'i'otal nink find file, /5o.
MfMTiA. 2:i7
S. S. No. '.) hiiH hftoi: tlu; <;(Mitr<! of or;^'arji/;ition ajul
h(!iulqiwirt('rs of the militiii and volmittjcr coiiipany of
S(arl)oro.
A niiiahor of roiriiriission i)ap<irs, Korn(» rrHidaln and
H(!V(;ral swords uru still hcAd with loyal pride; as luur-
loorris by families in ilm stjctioii as iri(»t'if)rials of the
military life (jf th<; township.
'L'lHin; is no militia eoirip;i,riy in (;xist<^ne(! now ;
hut should th(!r(! aris(; a ikmmI for men to defend tin;
e.ountry, Searhoro woidd he as nsidy to j)rove her
loyalty to tin; iiritish fla^f its h«;r sons were in tlu; j)ji.st.
Note. - SiiKM; tin- nlxjvc chuptcr was written, ii coiitcmponiry
.M.S. jutcoiiiit, (■()rriil»<>i)iti\'«', of soim- of tlir ron;;^oiii;^ .stat<'in(!iits,
hilH ('.()lt\i'. to ii^lit. W<r r|iiot<; :
"()m .Mondjiy, tli(! 2(»tli April, uKont six (>'(;lo(-k pin., we
n'c.t;ivf(| int,illi;^ffi(:f! tliut tli(^ <;ncniy's Hfjuadron wen; in sij^lit
r»(»ni tin; lli;^lilutid.s, staii'lin;^ in shon; about tt-n mih-s <'a.st
of York. Tin- si;^nal ^un.s vvcrt; firod. .
"Colonel ('liewett was in (toinmand <>[' tin; unemboditMl
inilitia of tli<^ town and n<'i;^}d>orli(jod. . . Atljiitant-
(leiierul Sliaw, who lived in tin; nei;^lil»r)rliood and kiKrw every
loot ol tiKr j^roiind, was commanded to lea<l the militia, in
.Major Allan's ahstfiice,* and prevent the enemy i'ldin tuniin;^
oiii- flank and to support the Indians.
"The fall of (y'aptain McNi-al, at the moment of makin;( a
charj^e uj^ainst the enemy's riflemen, and the Iwavy loss sus-
tained hy the Htli, threw them into ooid'usioii. The militia
drivijii ha(;k, retreated to the ravine in front (A' Klmsley's house.
" TImui (letieral Sheaffe (hicided to retire to Kin/^ston with his
staff and regular forces, and deputeij (Jolonels (Jhewett and y\llan
to make the hest terms they could with the enemy." — Janns
* Major Allim huving hcuri Mjiit in uiioLlnir (liroctiori \ty M;iji)r-(ic)n«rttl
Sheatfo.
238 History of the Township of Scarijoro.
CHAPTER XVIII.
BIRDS AND BEASTS.
" He prayeth well, who love*;h well
Both man, and bird and beast."
— Coleridge.
MR. A. W. FORFAR supplies the following list
of maminals an^ reptiles that have been met
with in the township, but most of them are now
seldom, or never seen :
"Black bear, wolf, lynx, carcajou, fox, raccoon,
porcupine, skunk, woodchuck, otter, beaver, marten,
mink, weasel, hare, black, red, grey and flying squir-
rels, chipmunk, four kinds of mice, two kinds of moles,
and at least one kind of deer.
Reptiles were never very numerous ; two kinds of
turtle ; black snake, milk snake, copperhead, garter
snake, two kinds of small brownish snakes (one with
the under side a bright crimson, and the other a
light brown merging into a light yellow); three lizards
(one very small, red; one about four inches long,
brown ; and one about nine or ten inches, bluish
slate color, with large yellow spots).
There were, and are, also four kinds of frogs, and
two of toads."
The last black bear was shot on lot 21, concession
B, in the winter of 1885, after a very exciting hunt, by
Isaac Stobo and Robert Callender. Bruin had located
himself in a cave on the face of the high clay cliffs
Birds and Beasts. 239
which border on the lake, and seemed determined to
"• hold the fort," from which he was dislodged only
with great difficulty. Mr. Stobo retains the skin of
this animal as a valuable, almost as an historical,
keepsake.
Deer were plentiful. Even as recently as sixty
years ago, small herds of them were often seen drink-
ing together at the aa ns of the old saw-mills, and it
is recorded that one man has shot as many as fourteen
in a day. Two were observed on the lake shore in the
winter of 1895.
Birds of all kinds were much the same as those in
other similarly situated parts of tho Province, except
perhaps that eagles were niore numerous about tlie
Heights. An eagle shot there four years ago measured
about seven feet from tip to tip of its wings. A few
yet appear, but they are seen more seldom every year.
Proximity to Lake Ontario brought immense numbers
of water fowl up the numerous streams. Pigeons
flew in such incalculable numbers that they were
killed when flying over hills — njen, women and boys
knocking them down with poles, — especially when the
weather was a little foggy, i^-
Wm. Humphrey asserts that his father, in 1834-35,
made more money shooting quail than he did when
threshing grain with the flail, at the rate of every
tenth bushel for his pay. The birds came to feed off
the grain, and Humphrey disposed of his game at a
remunerative figure in York.
Hundreds of sand-martins still nest along the pre-
cipitous portions of the cliffs, but not now in numbers
comparable with those of former years, when less
disturbed by man, and not at all by sparrows.
240 History of the Township of Scarboro.
FISH.
The streams might almost be said to have been
aHve with fish, inchiding sturgeon, suckers, mullet,
shiners, alewives, whitetish, herring, salmon-trout,
brook-trout, pike, maskinonge, perch, and black, white,
and rock bass. It was not uncommon for farmers to
lay in a stock from the Scarboro streams, and for this
purpose anglers came from Markham and other places,
to return only when they had secured one or more
barrels of fish. A man named Tommy Young is said
to have speared three barrelfuls during one night in
Highland Creek.
The re-stocking of the township waters is a subject
that ought to occupy attention. It would seem clear
that sawdust was largely to blame in the first place
for the depletion of the fish-supply, but latterly there
is just as little doubt that the scarcity is owing to a
disregard of times and seasons on the part of anglers,
for the streams are now^ free from pollution. That
the water becomes extremely low in the smaller
creeks during summer is not a serious objection, for
if fish-culture were undertaken in a business-like way,
farmers, through whose lands the streams flow, might,
at comparatively small cost, provide themselves with
fish-ponds, the proprietorship of which should be as
fuiJy acknowledged as it now is in houses and cattle.
There is no reason why some scores of Scarboro
farmers should not supply the Toronto market with
broQK-trout at remunerative prices. As in the case
of other industries, fish-culture demands intelligence
and skill. Of the former there is no lack here, and
the latter would speedily be acquired.
Games and Sports. 24-1
CHAPTER XIX.
GAMES AND SPORTS.
" Who can enjoy alone,
Or, all enjoying, what conten*^ment find ? "
—Milton.
" If those who are the enemies of innocent amuseinenta had the direc-
tion of the world, they would take away the spring, and youth ; the former
from the year, the latter from human life." — Balzac.
CURLING.
CUELING in Upper Canada, as a popular game,
dates from about 1830. During the first half-
century friendly contests on the ice were frequent, not
only in Scarboro, but in Toronto, Bowmanville, Gait,
Guelph, Fergus, Elora and other places where Scots-
men " most did congregate," emigration about that
time having been largely influenced in consequence
of the feeling of political unrest that prevailed in
Great Britain, previous to the passmg of the Reform
Bill in 1832.
Numerous settlers brought with them their curling
stones. Those who had failed to do so, and who were
bound to curl, either fashioned field-stones for the
purpose, or provided substitutes by sawing off sections
from small logs of beech, or of birch.
Prominent among the early Scarboro curlers were the
Clarks, Crawfords, Gibsons, Greens, Glendinnings,
Youngs, Richardsons, Malcolms, Masons, Morgans j
242 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Kennedys, Kennies, Patersons, Forfars, Sheppards,
Stobos, Chesters, Thomsons, Hoods, Waltons, Elliots,
Telfers, Kaes, Badgerows, Broomfields, Bells, Smiths,
Secors, Walkers, Martins, Purdies, Weirs, Lawries,
Browns, Findlays, Nelsons, Crones, Scotts, Flemings,*
Torrances, Hamiltons and Muirs, many cf whom
have long since crossed the " hog-score " in the great
Rink of Time.f
Mrs. Wm. Purdie, of Malvern, has a distinct recol-
lection of friendly matches having taken place about
1832 and 1833, and of seeing the players passing along
the Kingston Road wuth their besoms.
It appears that an invitation having been sent by
the Toronto curlers to those of the township on the
" Front Road," John Torrance, of the "Back Road,"
agitated the formation of a rink embracing the players
in his own neighborhood. Hence the rinks so-named.
The earliest club matches recorded came off in the
winter of 1835-6, when the Torontos invited Scarboro
to send one rink of eight players, and one stone each,
as the game was then practised. ;]:
W^hen this invitation reached Scarboro, there was
considerable rivalry between the old and the young
* Andrew Fleming, one of the Auld Garg Siccars, possessed a marvel-
lous ability in "running ports" and " chipping out " probable winners.
His mastery of such tactics won for him the sobriduet of "The Duke,"
after the Duke of Wellington. It has been suggested that perhaps the
word was originally connected with " jook " (Sect), to dodge in and out —
among the other stones.
+ "Pioneer David" himself was, no doubt, a k-jen curler, although circum-
stances prevented him from following the bent cf his inclination. William
Thomson (probably his father) was president of the Dumfries Curlers in
1772.
:|: James Findlay's stone was known as "Loudon Hill," and John Tor-
rance's as ' ' Tinto, "
CURLERS WHO PLAYED AGAINST TORONTO
IN 1835.
Games and Sports. 243
players as to representation on the challen^'ed rink.
The old hands referred contemptuously to the youn^?
fellows as " Wully Draigles," and the coiupliment was
returned by the latter speaking of their seniors as the
" Auld Gang Siccars." But this good-natured ennila-
tion was terminated by an agreement that the two
parties should play against each other, the winners to
enter the lists in opposition to the Toronto club.
The following is the result of this early match on
Toronto Bay :
Auld Ganf) Siccars. Widltj Draigles.
James Findlay, Walter Miller,
Robert Hamilton, James Mcl'owan,
Thomas Brown, John Stobo,
Abraham Torrance, James Green,
Archibald Glendinning, John CJibson,
James Gibson, sen., Robert Scott,
Andrew Fleming, James Weir,
John To. I'ance, skip. . . 19 .James Gibson, skip . . .27
Majority for the Wully Draigles, 8 shots.
In the match ultimately played with Toronto, Scar-
boro was confronted by Dr. Telfer, Alex. Ogilvie, Wm.
Henderson, Alex. Badenach, John 0. Heward, Hon.
Justice Morrison, George Denholm, and Capt. Thomas
Dick, skip, who, after four hours' hard play, were left
lamenting to the tune of fifteen shots behind Scarboro,
the score standing, Toronto, 16, Scarboro, 31, being
within a shade of two to one.
Mrs. Thomas Patton distinctly remembers another
curling match on the Highland Creek marsh, between
Toronto and Scarboro. The men came in sleighs, and
the horses were put into the barns, sheds and stables
244 History of the Township of Scarboro.
of her grandfather, Kichard Beattie, who resided on
lot 5, concession D. . She thinks this match took place
in the winter of 1841-2.
By the exertions of Eobert Malcolm, of Toronto, an
old Scarboro boy, a match was arranged for in the fine
covered rink of the Maple Leaf Club at Ellesmere, on
the 17th of March last, the anniversary of the saint
whom Scotland bequeathed to the Emerald Isle. It
was at first the intention that four of those who
skelpit Toronto sixty years ago should take part in
this game, Scarboro against Old Countrymen (chiefly
Scots ) ; but, unfortunately, James Gibson was unable
to be present, and James Weir, though on the ice and
intensely interested, did not play. The ages of the
staunch old Britons averaged between seventy and
eighty years, and of the Scarboro chiels, nearly sixty
years. The game lasted three hours, and the ice was
all that could be desired.
The score stood as follows :
Scarboro. Britain.
R. M. McCowan. Jas. McCowan, sen.
Wm. Patton. S. Kennedy.
Geo. Elliot. John Gibson, sen.
S. Rennie, skip 19 R. Crawford, skip. ... 15
T. Gibson. G. Empringham.
A. Bell. A. Doherty.
R. Thomson. Wm. Hood.
I. Stobo. A. Fleming.
A. Malcolm, skip 15 R. Malcolm, skip .... 12
Total 34 Total 27
Much encouragement was given to the players by
the presence of the genial, faithful and highly respected
Games and Sports. 245
minister of St. Andrew's, the Kev. Donald Barclay
Macdonald, and among the numerous spectators
present, were : Mesdames D. R. Thomson, Christine
Thomson, Anthony lonson, Isaac Stobo, Adam Rich-
ardson, Robert McCowan, George Chester, Archibald
Paterson, Robt. Forfar, Tilmuth Pherrill, Wm. Young,
Thos. Weir and Wm. Doherty ; Misses E. Hood, V.
Forfar, A. Richardson and Nellie Carson ; Messrs.
Francis Armstrong, David Forfar, Thos. Whitesidc\
John A. Paterson, David W. Thomson, Isaac Chester,
sen., Francis Glendinning, James G. Thomson,
Jfimes G. Paterson, Robert Thomson, Lyman Ken-
nedy, John C. Clark, Anthony lonson, James Gibson,
William Mason, Joseph Forfar, Francis Mason,
Joseph Teeson, sen., William Allenby, Henry Ken-
nedy, Andrew^ Young, juu., Archibald A. Forfar,
Robert Galbraith, James Ley, Alex. McCowan, Archi-
bald W. Forfar, Alex. Baird, WiUiam Green, John
Marshall, Robert Chapman, Robert Forfar, Wm. W.
Walton, Wm. Young, Robt. Rennie, Tilmuth Pherrill,
George Chester, Arch. Paterson, Wm. W. Thompson,
James Cherry, Thomas Weir, Wm. Doherty, Abner
Abraham, Albert Mason, Lawrence Jackson, William
Milner, Joseph Teeson, jun., Ernest Forfar, Jolni
Glendinning, Robert Mason, David Forfar, jun., John
Malcolm, Charles Milner.
After the curlers had taken lunch, they were
arranged outside and photographed by J. C. Clark.
A return match was played in the magnificent
Victoria Rink, Toronto, on the 20th of March, only
three days after the last game, w^hen Scarboro repeated
its victory of sixty years ago with considerable im-
provement on the score, which on this occasion stood
exactly 2 to 1 in favor of the township men, thus:
246 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Scarhoro. Toronto.
T. Gibson, • D. Gibson,
A. Malcolm, W. Snmnierfeldt,
R. Crawford, B. Chapman,
A. Hood, skip 23 W. Forbes, skip 12
Simpson Rennie, D. S. Keith,
Richard Thomson, Geo. Taylor,
Adam Bell, W. B. McMurrich,
Jas. G. Malcolm, skip. . .10 Kay Roberts, skip ... 5
John Gibson, G. Waud,
Jas. Gibson, Hugli Miller,
And. Fleming, John Bain,
R. Malcolm, skip 11 Dr. Richardson, skip . . 5
Total 44 Total 22
Majority for Scarboro, 22 shots.
A very hearty wish was expressed among the players
on both sides, that similar veteran matches, but on
a larger scale, should be played annually, and it is
likely this desire will be realized.
The Markham Economist, January 3rd, 1861, has
the following :
Curling Match, Malvern. — The annual curling
match between the five Canadian players from the
east and the five Canadian players from the west side
of the Markham Road, took place on Badgerow's
pond on Friday, the 28th ult,
• • • • • •
Below is a list of the names of the players and num-
bers scored by each party :
East. West.
James Fleming, William Purdie, jun.,
Robert Fleming, Peter C. Secor,
Wm. Fleming, A. Glendinning, jun.,
Andrew Fleming, jun., R. Thomson, jun., skip.26
A. Malcolm, jun., skip . . 29
Games and Sports. 247
The paper does not explain how the four players
from the west matched iive from the east, but on such
occasions it was customary for one or more of the
minority to play extra stones, so as to make the num-
ber of throws on both sides correspond.
HEATHER CLUB.
The Heather Curling Club, an offshoot from the
Scarboro Curling Club, was formed at Burton's
tavern, Markham Eoad, on the 31st day of December,
1862, when the following officers were elected, viz.,
John Gibson, Pre?,; Arch. Glendinning, Sec.-Treas.
On October 22nd, 1863, a meeting was held to take
into consideration the propriety of erecting a covered
rink. J. Gibson presided, and Adam F. Macdonald,
now the indefatigable Principal of Wellesley School,
Toronto, was secretary. At this meeting, a commit-
tee, consisting of the President, Robert Crawford and
James Robertson, was appointed to solicit subscrip-
tions for that purpose. On November 5th this com-
mittee reported, when it was decided to proceed with
the erection of the said covered rink, the same to be
built on the farm of William Clark, lot 30, concession
4, and a Building Committee, consisting of the
President, Hugh Clark, J. L. Paterson, Robert Craw-
ford and Adam Armstrong, was appointed to have the
matter in charge. The building was completed, and
curling commenced December 16th, 1863. This is
supposed to have been among the first, if not the
first, of covered curling rinks in the Province. The
first members of the club were William Clark (hon-
orary member), John Gibson, Andrew Young, Arch.
Glendiniririg, Hugh Clark, Thomas Gibson, James
248 History of the Township of Scarboro.
llobertson, Simon Kennedy, John L. Paterson, Wm.
Crawford, Robert Crawford, Wm. Clark, John Craw-
ford, Adam Armstrong, Jas. Paterson, Jas. Young,
liobt. Cunningham, George Gibson, Lockhart Rogers,
James Clark (of Kentucky), Henry Kennedy, George
Morgan, Adam Bell, Dr. Pollock, Simpson Rennie,
Andrew Hood, William Rennie, Robert Gibson and
John Clark.
In 18G6 Thomas Todd, of Markham, gave a coat of
arms to be competed for between the Scarboro and
Heather clubs, which w^as won by the Heather Club.
On the 25th day of March, 1869, it was resolved to
join the Royal Caledonian Club, and the name of the
Heather Curling Club first appears in the annual for
that season. On January 6th, 1870, the Heather and
Waverley (of Cobourg) clubs, competed for a R.C ^.C.
medal, w^hich was won by the Heather Club. In
January, 1872, the Heather unsuccessfully competed
with the Toronto Club for a R.C.C.C. medal. The
following year they won a R.C.C.C. medal from West
Flamboro. In January, 1875, another medal was won
from the Thistle CUub, of Hamilton. In 1876 the
Heather Club won a pair of curling-stone handles, pre-
sented for competition among the three Scarboro
clubs, by Robert Malcolm, of Toronto, between the
years 1862 and 1869. The Heathers played 68
matches with outside clubs, winning 36, losing 24,
and 3 were ties.
MAPLE LEAF CLUB.
The Scarboro Maple Leaf Curling Club was organ-
ized in 1874, by a number of players belonging to the
old Scarboro and Heather clubs, on account of the
great distance many of the players had to travel to
ANOH.LW rLEMINO.
■THt DUK[ -
CURLERS AND QUOITERS.
Games and Sports. 249
meet with other members of the latter organizations.
Ellesraere was selected as headquarters, and the first
president chosen was W. Glendinning, A. Young, jun.,
having been appointed secretary.
In 1878 the Maple Leaf Club joined the Royal Cale-
donian Curling Club Association, and about the same
time erected a covered rink. This building collapsed
in 1881, but in 1883 another and more substantial one
was put up, and much new^ interest was manifested in
the game.
The club has met and divided honors with repre-
sentatives from the Hamilton Mechanics, Hamilton
Thistles, St. Mary's, Guelph, Brampton, Whitby,
Newcastle, Cobourg, Port Hope, Mavkham ; the Gran-
ite, Caledonian, Prospect Park and Moss Park clubs,
of Toronto, and the home clubs.
It holds several valuable trophies, including three
silver cups, live pairs of curling-stones, and half-a-
score of medals.
For several years they have been among the finals
for "the tankard," to win which is still regarded as
" a consummation devoutly to be wished."
The officers of the club at present are : Wm. Green,
President ; R. McCow^an, Vice-President ; Rev. D. B.
Macdonald, Chaplain ; Committee of Management,
H. Thomson, A. Paterson, W. Young, A. Mason,
W. 0. Walton, A. T. Paterson ; Secretary and Treas-
urer, R. Forfar. Members: R. Thomson, A. Richard-
son, Robt. Green, F. Bell, J. Chester, George Chester,
George McCowan, J. Stobo, W. Chester, N. Malcolm,
W^m. W. Walton, and R. Buchanan.
The Maple Leaf stands ready to accept challenges
from the world, to play on Ellesmere ice.
17
250 History of the Township of Scarhoro.
QUOITING.
This game has been phiyed in the township with
enthusiasm for upwards of sixty years. The first ckib
was organized in 1858, and was the outcome of a
championship contest held in Toronto, under the
auspices of the Caledonian Society, when Messrs,
David Johnston and A. Muir, both Scarhoro men,
carried off the medal. Instead of deciding as between
themselves, they very public-spiritedly undertook to
form a club, placing it in possession of the medal, to be
held against all comers. Besides the two gentlemen
named, there were Messrs. John Holmes, jun.,
Edmund Jacques, Kichard Thomson, Simon Kennedy,
Walter Glendimiiug, John Stark, and nearly fifty
others. The first member of the new club to win the
medal was John Holmes, jun., who also won a cup in
a quoiting match. Messrs. A. Muir, E. Jacques and
K. Thomson have since held the medal.
The length of pitch was arranged at 21 yards
between hobs, with natural sod ends. After this club
became defunct, a new^ one under the old name,
" Scarhoro Quoiting Club," was formed in 1870.
President, Geo. Morgan ; Secretary-Treasurer, David
Brown ; Umpire, Andrew Hood. In this club the
length of pitch was regulated at 18 yards, clay ends.
Several contests between the home club and those
of Gait and Ayr resulted invariably in favor of Scar-
horo.
In an international match against a picked team
from various noted quoiting centres in the United
States, Scarhoro won by 365 points. Besides the
officers of the club above named, other members were
Geo. Sheppard, Simpson Rennie, Walter Glendinning,
Games and Sports. 251
Win. Purdie, David Purdie, Richard Sylvester, Alex.
Miiir, James Pattou, 1). Lawson, D. Smith, W.
Brotherson, K. McCowan, W. McCowan, J. W.
Kennedy, J. Kippon, J. Ley, John Walton, T. Pilkey,
J. Allen, Geo. Robinson and Isaac Thomson.
The membership having dwindled considerably, a
new club was organized in 1891.
Tlie largest prize which has come to Scarboro for
quoiting supremacy was won by Wm. Purdie, jun., in
a Toronto contest, when he carried off a $50 prize —
$42 cash and a pair of steel quoits.
It is proposed that a match shall take place on the
occasion of the present centennial celebration, between
those who are over and those who are under forty
years of age. Players are to be residents of Scarboro
on one side, against all comers.
Among the earliest quoiters in the township was
John Torrance, who won a championship silver medal
at the Athletic Games in Toronto, in 1840, and which
is still in possession of his descendants.
CRICKET.
Scarboro Cricket Club was organized over forty years
ago with Alex. Muir as the first Sec.-Treas., John Muir
as Captain at one time, and Chris. Moody at another.
Among the players were Chris. Moody, Guy Stoner,
Ed. McGann, Ed. Stevens, David Secor, Ira Bates,
Alex. Purvis, Isaac Fawcett, Dan. Scrivner, Joseph
Armstrong, John Muir.
After some years, the club became greatly dimin-
ished on account of removals and deaths, but received
a new lease of life, when the following names were
added to its list of players : Peter, William, James
252 History of the Township of Scarboro.
and Sidney Purvis, D. Brown, W. Brown, James Pat-
ton, P. Ellis, T. Ellis, G. Ellis, John Clark, D. Stoner,
D. Purdie, James Law, John Law ; Captain, James
Purvis. They played matches with Weston, Mark-
ham, Unionville, and Ellesmere.
There is now a good club, called by the same name
and embracing some of the players of former clubs.
Indeed, the present one is the continuation of the
former organizations. The present captain is D.
Beldam ; players, Charles Beldam, Geo. Taylor, J. E.
Spark, John Gormley, J. Ormerod, Harry Ormerod,
K. Callender, C'. Callender, D. Brown, Arthur Law
and Ab. Law. Matches were played with Markham,
Pickering, Toronto, Old Fort, East Toronto and
West Toronto Junction. Out of ten matches played
in last season, i.e., 1894-95, eight were won.
There is another cricket club at Ellesmere.
FOOT-BALL.
There are five foot-ball teams : " The Aborigines,'*
of Highland Creek ; " Scarboro Village," " Rangers,'*
" Maple Leaf " and " Union," all composed of alert,
muscular young Scarboronians, who thoroughly enjoy
a good "kick," and who maintain an excellent spirit
of friendly rivalry among themselves.
CHECKERS.
There is no field of amusement in which her sons
have taken a higher place than in the realm of
checkers. We believe that no part of our broad
Dominion has produced so many enthusiastic and
ardent lovers of the game as has the township of
Scarboro.
Games and Sports. 253
The first public match in Scarboro of which we can
find any authentic account was played at Malvern,
between East and West Scarboro in 1853, The
players representing the west were Adam Core, John
Muir, Wm. Mills, J. L. Paterson and Jas. Paterson.
Those of the east were Andrew Fleming, sen., Robert
Fleming, William Fleming, E. R. Jacques, Thomas
Jacques, jun., and John Jacques. The West won the
match.
Checkers was now quite extensively played, and
local matches were of common occurrence for several
years.
In 1859 Markham players challenged Scarboro to
play a match in Markham village, with twelve a side ;
the Scarboro men went on the day appointed, but
found no opponents. A bloodless victory !
The Economist (Markham), March 27th, 1862, says :
" Early in the forepart of last year a movement was
set on foot in the township of Scarboro for the purpose
of making arrangements for a 'draught tournament.'
. . . Thirteen competitors entered the lists. Four
prizes were given : John Muir, sen., first and cham-
pionship ; James Fleming, second ; Andrew Fleming,
sen., third, and Alexander Muir, fourth.
E. R. Jacques, who competed for first, was debarred
from contescing for second."
For some years after this time lively engagements
for supremacy took place between the clubs of Scar-
boro and Toronto.
The Economist, April 2nd, 1863, says : *' A highly
interesting contest at ' draughts ' between the players
belonging to Scarboro and Toronto clubs, came off on
the 28th of March, 1863, in the city of Toronto,
resulting in favor of Scarboro by three games.
254 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Scarboro. Toronto.
Won. Won. Drawn.
Jas. Fleming 3 J. Arnold 3
R. Fleming 4 J. Cruthers 2
Jos. Purvis 3 J. K. Gordon 2 1
E, R. Jaccjues 4 D. McDonald 1 1
Andrew Flen.mg, sen . 1 J. Drynan 4 1
John Muir, sen 2 W. McDougall .... 4
Total 17 Total 14 5
A return match was played at Malvern on May 25,.
1863, and resulted in another victory for Scarboro by
three games. The Scarboro players were John Muir,
sen., Andrew Fleming, sen., E. R. Jacques, James
Fleming, Jos. Purvis and R. Fleming.
The Toronto players, unwilling to accept defeat at
the hands of a country club, challenged Scarboro to a
third contest, with twelve players a side. The match
was arranged for October 16th, 1863, at Woburn.
Only three of the Toronto club put in an appearance
— their best three. The following is the score :
Scarboro. Toronto.
Won. Won. Drawn.
J. Muir, sen 1 M. Rooney 1 4
E. R. Jacques 4 J. Jeffrey 2
R. Fleming 1 J. K Gordon ... 1 4
Total 6 Total 2 10
Majority for Scarboro, 4 games.
This, as the score indicates, was a closely-contested
match, but was another decided victory for Scarboro.
In the winter of 1864 the Grand Draughts Tourna-
ment was arranged in Toronto, where the best players
of Canada met to measure their strength. Scarboro
Games and Sports. 255
was represented by John Muir, E. R. Jacques, and
liobt. Fleming. Five prizes were offered. R. Flem-
ing secured the second.
The year 1867 witnessed another match between
Scarboro and the metropolis of Ontario — two players
a side. E. R. Jacques and Wni. Fleming represented
Scarboro, and Dean and Varcoe, Toronto. The match
took place in Toronto, and six games were played with
each opponent, making twenty-four games in all. Scar-
boro won 17 games, Toronto 3, and 4 were drawn.
After Mr. Fleming left the township in 1869, and
Mr. Jacques's death in 1872, checkers from occupying
a prominent place, seemed to have died out for a time,
although the township was never without its " rem-
nant " of good players and playing. Lately the game
has again come to the front, and Scarboro to-day may
be said to be a township of checker-players. There is
a board in almost every house, and there are organ-
ized clubs at Ellesmere, Woburn, Malvern, and Hill
Side, each with a large membership. Out of these
numbers there will no doubt yet arise some David to
slay the present Goliaths, and win for this Scarboro of
ours the proud title of " champion of the world."
Among the chief players who have made the name
of Scarboro famous in connection with the " Dam-
brod "* mention should be made of Addm Bell, who
still lives on lot 22, concession 2 ; John L. Paterson,
lot 27, concession 3; Adam Core (a native of Biggar,
Scotland), who may be called the father of checker-
playing in this township ; James Jackson, now of
* From dame, or dam, any woman, or a lady, each piece of old being so
designated ; and brod, a board. Until quite recently the game was known
by no bther name in Scotland.
256 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Orillia ; John Jackson, miliwriglit ; John ElHot, from
Newcastle-on-Tyne ; James Lawrie, of lot 12, con-
cession 3 ; Walter Hood ; William, his son, now cham-
pion of Manitoba and the North-West Territories ; the
late George Morgan ; George Chester ; John Miiir,
the champion of 1862 ; Joseph Purvis ; E. K. Jacques,
who composed and published numerous games and
positions, and was for many years recognized as
Canada's greatest player ; Dr. Thomas Jacqnes ;
Andrew Fleming, who settled on lot 9, concession 3,
in 1834; Robert Fleming, son of Andrew, now of
Dunedin, New Zealand, where his influence in further-
ing the game has been very marked ; and William
Fleming, his brother, born in Scarboro in 1841.
Further reference to the last-named gentleman may
not be out of place. When only twelve years of age
he played in a match between East and West Scar-
boro, drawing two games out of six played against
Adam Core. A few years later he played in several
team matches against Toronto, and invariably won.
In 1867 he made a tour of Canada, during which he
lost but one game out of about two hundred, winning
all the rest with the exception of ten or twelve draws.
In 1868 he held the championship of Canada, since
which time he has defeated almost every noted checker-
player in the Dominion. He has published a large
number of original games, and is the author of many
critical positions, which have been highly spoken of by
the best authorities.
In 1887 Kelly, of Winnipeg, challenged him for the
championship and $100 a side. Kelly resigned with-
out having won a game. In the same year Kelly re-
peated the challenge with a stake of $50 a side, and
this time Fleming defeated him with a score of 6 to 1.
WILLIAM FLEMING,
Checker Champion.
Games and Sports. 257
Having held the championship of Canada until
opposition to his claim had ceased, he resigned the
proud title in 1890, with the record of not having lost
a match in twenty-two years.
The names of some of Scar.boro's present players
are Wm. Young, J. Reynolds, Wm. Miller, Adam
Bell, Alex. McCowan, Joseph Teeson, jun., Wm. H.
Paterson, Wm. Paterson, A. W. Forfar, Robert Gal-
braith, Robert Thomson, Albert Mason, Thos. Walton,
Frank Bell, James Ley, David Marshall, Lawrence
Jackson, Robt. Forfar, John Malcolm, Frank Hancock,
John Martin, Robert Martin, Joseph Teeson, sen.,
Walter Green, William Milner, Horace Thomson,
Charles Milner, Hugh Doherty, Ernest Forfar, Alex-
ander Doherty, William Doherty, T. Ramsay, John
Lowry, Robert Jackson, James Maxwell, David
Brown, Wm. Irwin, James Clayton, George Hough,
T. L. Willis, Emerson Maxwell, John Weir, James
Weir, Thos. Weir, Robt. Sisley, Joseph Ormerod, John
Lawrie, Robert Sellers, A. McPherson, Alex. Neilson,
Wm. H. Jacques, James Murison, James McCreight,
Andrew Murison, Arthur Wells, Donald Reesor, Fred.
Collins, Miss M. Collins, Frank McCreight, Robt.
C'ollins, John Murison, William Stotts, Robert
Neilson, H. A. Burrows, Wm. Patton, Geo. Chester,
Russell Cornell, Robert Green, William Carmichael,
Vipond Sparks, W. H. Chamberlain, Wm. Green, F.
Wheler, H. White, W. White, L. Morgan, James
Paterson, J. L. Paterson, John Lawrie, Jas. Lawrie,
sen., Wm. Closson, Wm. Morrish, David Leslie,
Wm. Stephenson, James Shackleton, J. H. Richard-
son, W. J. Haycraft, W. Latham, Rt. Callander, Miss
Fanny Callender, and E. L. Oliphant.
258 History of the Township of Scarboro.
SHOOTING.
Shooting has always been a favorite sport in this
township. Here, as elsewhere, it is to be feared that
the right to use lire-arms has sometimes been exer-
cised irrespective of the rights of the lower animals,
which, indeed, were not supposed to have any.
Our birds are no longer subjected to indiscriminate
slaughter, and public sentiment condemns the old-
time practice of shooting at the protruding heads of
living turkeys and geese through a hole in the top of
a box. In those days competitors drew lots to decide
the order of firing, and he who lirst shot off the ex-
posed head received the fowl as his prize. A target
now takes the place of the bird, the winning shot, as
a matter of course, being that which hits nearest to
the centre.
Mr. J. C. Clark supplies the following information
relative to the township rifle club :
The Scarboro Rifle Club was organized in 1886.
The preamble sets forth, "That we, the members of
tb«^ Scarboro Rifle Association, desiring to encourage
and foster the sport of rifle shooting, and to develop
accuracy in the use of that w^eapon, and to engage in
friendly competition with like associations, do hereby
adopt the following as our Constitution, by the terms
of which we each and all agree to be governed."
The officers were : S. Rennie, Pres. ; T. M. White-
side, Vice-Pres. ; A. W. Granger, Sec'y ; and J. W.
Kennedy, Treas. ; wdth about forty members.
A silver cup was given for competition by W. M.
Cooper, of Toronto, and a silver medal by the Presi-
dent, S. Rennie. It was arranged to shoot for the
Games and Sports. 25^
medal at ranges of one hundred and two hundred
yards, otf-hand, and for the cup at ranges of four
hundred, and five hundred yards, any position, head to
the target, the medal or cup to be the property of the
member winning it three times. The medal was won
by A. H. Canning, and the cup by J. C. Clark. A
diamond scarf pin was won by J. E. Angus in a club
competition, at ranges of one hundred and two hun-
dred yards.
In 1889 the Association joined the Ontario Ofif-hand
Rifle Association, and shot in the various matches of
the season, competing in the annual tournament at
Orillia, where they secured third place, members also
winning valuable prizes in individual competitions.
In 1892 a challenge appeared in the sporting col-
umns of the Toronto papers, from the Howard Club, of
Ridgetown, to shoot any club in the Province, distance
one hundred yards, with a rest. This was promptly
accepted by the Scarboro Club, a^\d conditions were
arranged accordingly, teams to consist of fifteen men
a side, to shoot five shots each, result to be determined
by string measure.
The Scarboro Club succeeded in beating their oppon-
ents by about forty-five inches. Their scores were :
Jas. Rennie, 3 J inches ; A. Paterson, 4§ inches ; B.
Dixon, 5| inches ; R. Rennie, 5J inches ; Thos. Hood,
5f inches ; J. W. Kennedy, 5| inches ; J. F. Davison,
6J inches ; G. Chester, 6^ inches ; S. Rennie, 6g
inches , A. H. Canning, Gf inches ; Wm. Rennie, 7^
inches ; J. E. Angus, 7| inches ; J. Chisholm, 10|
inches ; R. McCowan, 11| inches ; R. Canning, 12
inches.
The present officers of the club are : A. McPherson,
260 History of the Township of Scarboro.
President; J. Chisholm, Vice-President; J. C. Clark,
Sec.-Treas.
The rifles in most common use are Winchester,
Martin, Bullard, Ballard, and Kemington, of 32-40,
38-55, 40-60, 40-56, 45-75 calibre. The target of the
Dominion Oif-hand Rifle Association is used for ranges
of one hundred and two hundred yards.
LAWN TENNIS.
Lawn tennis as a club game is of somewhat recent date
in Scarboro as in most parts of the Province, although
for many years previous to the formation of the Agin-
court Lawn Tennis Club, a number of ardent adhe-
rents of other field sports met frequently on the private
lawns of J. C. Clark, near Agincourt, and the first
tennis of the township was played there.
Prominent amongst the lovers of field sports who
assembled there were that veteran baseball enthusiast,
Geo. H. Eamsay, B.A., Dr. D. A. Clark, W. D. Skelton,
J. M. Field, B.A., R. S. Rennie, Geo. H. Deane, J. C.
Clark and a few others, who formed the nucleus of the
very prosperous club which organized in 1892 under
the following officers : Honorary President, Dr. 0.
Sisley ; President, J. C. Clark (J. P.) ; Vice-President,
W. A. Kennedy ; Secretary, Dr. D. A. Clark ; Treas-
urer, G. H. Ramsay ; Captain, G. H. Deane ; and prac-
tice was continued on the lawns of J. C. Clark and
Dr. Sisley, Agincourt.
Many matches were played during that season with
uniform success against Weston, Deer Park, East
Toronto, Stouffville, Thornhill, Lindsay and Uxbridge,
the club suffering defeat at the latter place only.
In 1895, the courts of the club were constructed at
Games and Sports, 261
Agincourt, the memborship materially increased, and
much was done to popularize the game, which now
bids fair to be one of the leading sports of the summer
season.
A series of handicap matches was arranged and
played amongst the individual members, G. H. Deane
being the winner.
The present officers are : Honorary President, J. C.
Clark, Esq.; President, O. Sisley, M.D.; 1st Vice-
President, W. A. Kennedy ; '2nd Vice-President, A.
J. Smith ; Secretary, G. H. Deane ; Treasurer, K. S.
Kennie.
From the contents of this chapter it will be seen
that the people of the township participate largely in
the recreative. Indeed it may be in some measure on
this account that they enjoy their present general
prosperity. Social friction rubs off the rough corners,
and friendly intercourse, with consequent exchange of
ideas, leads to improvement aesthetically as well as
materially.
Games and amusements in Scarboro have never
been allowed to degenerate to the merely mercenary
level. They are indulged in, not as ends, but as
means, and the results may be seen in all the best
of the numerous happy homes that dot the township,
from York to Pickering, and from Markham to Lake
Ontario.
'T^^t^
2G2 Odds and K\ds.
CHAPTER XX.
ODDS AND ENDS.
"Those scraps are good deeds piist." — Shakenpearc.
ME. JOHN GOLDIE, an eminent Scottisli
botunist, set out on a pedestrian tour from
Quebec, on June 4th, 1819, for scientific purposes ;
and on the 25th of that month he made the follo\v-
ing entry in his diary :
" As I did not intend to go into York, I travelled
to-day but slowly, sometimes in woods and sometimes
in cleared land. Before mid-day I passed a creek
which lay very low, so that the road is very steep on
each side. All the declivity on the east side was
completely covered with the Penestetnon puhescens*
such a quantity of which I never expected to see in
one place. For a number of miles to-day I passed
through barren, sandy, pine woods, which it is pro-
bable will never be cleared. In the morning I met a
number of Indians and squaws. One of them was
very drunk. He told me he was crazy with taking
too much bitters this morning. One of them had no
clothing upon him, except a piece of cloth about a
foot in length and breadth, which hung before him.
" I stopped for the night six miles from York, there
being no other inn upon this road nearer to it. As I
* The common beard-tongue. The flower has some resemblance to
foxijlove.
|(^yiEW3PT^^^91^^fSify--ip'^BWB
SCENES IN SCARBORO.
Onns AND Ends. 2<>*}
was only a short distance from the lake, I went to it,
but found the shore at least two hundred feet hi^h,
and very abuipt, in some places almost perpendicular,
so that it was with consideiable ditliculty that I could
approach the water. Having bathed in the lake, I
returned to my lodging. This day was very pleasant,
there being a considerable breeze, which both kept a
person cool, and kept off those tormentors, the mos-
quitoes. Thermometer, 76."
The foregoing extract is made from the manuscript,
by the courtesy of Dr. J. Caven, son of Principal
Caven, and grandson of Mr. Goldie.
The old house now standing near Scarboro post-
ollice, and formerly the residence of Col. McLean, was
erected by Capt. liicnardson, who, while living here,
built the steamer Canada^ at the mouth of the Kouge.
The first brick house was built on lot 24, concession
B, in 1831, by Stephen PherrilL* It is still in good
repair. About the same time the late James Jones
built one on lot 28, concession C, having made his
own bricks.
The first house in school section No. 7 was bnilt of
planks by Wm. Cornell. It w'as afterwards used as a
hotel. Mr. Cornell also made the first clearing in this
section.
A schooner, laden with marble slabs and tea, was
wrecked on the beach, off the 0116*8, about forty years
ago.
* One writes that the name was Adna Pherrill, anu the number of the
lot 25, not 24, concession B.
264 Odds and Ends.
Wheat, flour, potatoes, and produce of various kinds
were formerly shipped from the mouth of Highland
Creek to ports in New York State. At a still earlier
date the settlers took their wheat by boat from this
point to the Bay of Quinte, and brought back flour.
The round trip required from one to two weeks.
The south eighty acres of lot 34, concession B, bore
an important part in the examination that took place
in 1846, relating to the mismanagement of King's
College affairs. Jas. Dark bought the lot in 1835 for
X'140, of which he paid only a small sum. On his
death the lot was left to his wife Charlotte, w^ho sold
it to her son Edwin. Other sons were James and
Matthew.
It was largely on account of an investigation regard-
ing the attempt made by a King's College clerk named
Haw^kins to secure possession of this land from the
Darks, that other shady transactions of a similar char-
acter were brought to light.
During the early part of the century the mail for
Mariposa left Scarboro twice a week (on horseback),
the time required being from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jacob
Brooks carried this mail for thirty years, first on
horseback, and subsequently in a vehicle. Brooks
served in the war of 1812, and received a Fort Detroit
medal. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, Inglis,
who drove the Markham stage from Toronto for up-
wards of fifteen years.
John Waller was probably the first mail-carrier
to employ a conveyance for the use of passengers
between York and Kingston.
Odds and Ends. 265
. The annals of Scarboro present examples of some
changes that have taken place in surnames.
Cornwell has simply been abbreviated to Cornell by
the elision of the w. But Pilkey, from Pelletier, is a
clear case of corrupting a French word to make it
easy for English pronunciation (see " Pioneers," page
51). A similar change seems to have been effected in
this word elsewhere, for in the Buffalo Express of
March 28, 1896, there is a reference to "Thomas
Pelkey, a jolly and corpulent French-Canadian," and
an " Alfred Pelkey," as members of a party bound for
the gold-fields of Alaska. Farther east in Ontario the
form Pelkey also appears. On the Pilke}^ medal it
is " Pelkie." (See page 270.)
Macklin, the present form of a namf distinguished
in the township, has appeared as Macklim and Mack-
lem. The name of Macklin, the well-known actor,
was originally Maclachlin, or Maclaclan.
G. W. Badgerow's grandfather was a Parisian
Frenchman, who, when he settled in Pennsylvania,
had the name of Bergeron !
Malcolm, for some years, degenerated into Malcom,
but the second I has been restored, showing the
connection with MacCallum and Gillichallum, "the
servant of St. Columba."
Secor, which in Scarboro families has retained its
original form, takes now the spelling of Secord else-
where, e.g., Laura Secord (see "Pioneers," page 51).
" Coonet," or " Koonet," as applied to a kind of
houf J, or fire-place, was originally VanKoughnet, an
old settler (see "Domestic Life," page 103).
The " Coonet " log-house was so constructed that a
yoke of oxen could enter at one side and pass out at
18
266 History of the Township of Scarboro.
the other when drawing logs to supply the huge fire-
place at one end of the building.
The district comprised in S. S. No. 1 (the north-
westerly part of the township) is known as the L'Am-
aroux Settlement, a family of that name having early
settled in this locality, on lots 33 and 34, on the 4th
concession, and lot 33, in the 3rd concession. The
venerable Rev. Dr. Scadding conducted religious ser-
vices in this settlement in its early days.
The first cooking stove, a " Birr," or " Burr," is said
to have been brought into the township from New
York, by William Cornell, who reached Scarboro by
schooner.
Old Tommy Adams ("Uncle Tommy") was the
pioneer flax-grower in 1825. It was scutched, heckled
and spun here by primitive methods, being chiefly
made into bags, mattresses and ropes. The ropes
were used on his schooner, plying between Port Union
and Oswego.
Straw-plaiting was a favorite occupation among the
women in early days. Thirty yards made a good hat.
The Misses Nancy and Jenny Perry (yet living, at a
very advanced age, in a cottage on the Kingston Road)
were regarded as most proficient and expert plaiters
and hat-makers.
A correspondent who has supplied numerous inter-
esting scraps of folk-lore, writes : " The modern craze
for church parties was totally unknown in early days.
Churches then were used solely for devotional pur-
Odds and Ends. 267
poses. The only entertainments of the early settlers
were the hoe-down and dance, which generally took
place in the evenings after logging-bees, raisings, etc.
The celebration of the monarch's birthday was not
so enthusiastically observed until the regivie of our
beloved Queen. Long may she reign ! "
The Methodist Church at Highland Creek was en-
larged in 1868 by building an addition to the front
end, thus making it look long and narrow. A jocular
minister used to refer to it as " the shooting gallery."
Bunker, or Bunker's Hill, seems to have been whim-
sically applied to what was formerly known as Sisley's
Hill. It has been suggested that the name was
bestowed on account of the number of " engage-
ments " that used to take place here in connection
with town-meetings, fairs, trainings, etc., John Bar-
leycorn being always an active participant, and often
the instigator.
In 1802 the population was 89; in 1820 it had
reached 477, and ten years later it was 1,135.
In 1803 the township owned 5 horses, 8 oxen, 27
cows, 7 young cattle, and 15 swine ; but as it is cre-
dited with only three houses, it is puzzling to know
where all the people lived, for they must have num-
bered nearly a hundred.
In 1842 Scarboro contained 2,750 inhabitants, 1
grist-mill, and 18 saw-mills. In 1850 there were 3,821
inhabitants, 3 grist-mills, and 23 saw-mills.
268 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Robert Hamilton, a Scottish weaver, who came here
in 1825, was the pioneer total abstinence advocate in
the township. On the occasion of his first "raising'*
he absolutely refused to provide whiskey, and those
who came to assist refused just as positively to touch
a stick on this account. The dead-lock was overcome
by his giving the boss carpenter authority to manage
the business as he pleased, and the exercise of this
pleasure brought the work to a successful termination.
A correspondent supplies the three following ex-
tremely interesting paragraphs :
"In evidence of the primitive state of the country
in the later ' twenties ' or early ' thirties,' Mrs. Jos.
Workman once told me of an advertisement which she
remembered of Mr. (afterwards Sir Francis) Hincks,
informing the public at large that he had imported a
half-dozen of gentlemen's white shirts, which would
be found of good quality and at reasonable prices.
The mother of the writer remembered seeing even
empty waggons stuck in the mud on King Street
East, within a hundred yards of the market, between
1825 and 1830.
"About 1830 a saw-mill was owned and run by a
Mr. Taylor at Highland C^eek, who at that time was
a local preacher amongst the Methodists. He was
converted to Mormonism by the Mormon missionaries
in the early 'forties,' and rapidly rose in Utah until
he became Brigham Young's right-hand man, and
finally succeeded to the presidency of the Mormon
body. At last accounts he had six other wives besides
the one he took from Scarboro.
" The early settlers were all extremely hospitable,
Odds and Ends. 269
and in nearly every house was a supply of whiskey or
ale, and the social glass was a matter of course, being
rarely absent. At the same time drunkenness was
very rare. Amongst those few who indulged too
freely was a farmer in the east of the township, who,
however, lived to the good old age of ninety-eight. A
few years before he died, a temperance lecturer, to
emphasize his contention that temperance was condu-
cive to longevity, cited the case of this old gentleman,
of whose age he had been told a few minutes before,
as that of one where temperate habits firmly followed
produced such a green and vigorous old age. His
eloquence was brought to a sudden stop by roars of
laughter, and then he learned, to his disgust, that his
pattern old man had been anything but a temperate
liver for more than seventy years. Now no more
abstemious or law-abiding township exists in the
Dominion than old Scarboro is."
Victoria Park, a well-known summer resort for pic-
nic and pleasure parties, is situated at the south-west
angle of the township. It consists of fourteen acres,
partly cleared and partly woodland, on the lake shore.
In 1877 this property was leased for a park by J. K.
Boyle, of Toronto, from Peter Paterson, of Blantyre.
It is now the property of Thos. Davies, of Toronto.
" Squaw Village" was so called from the fact that
on one side of the road there lived a family consisting
in part of nine extremely candid young women, some-
what swarthy in complexion, while on the opposite
side was another bevy somewhat less numerous but
equally frank.
270 History of the Township of Scarboro.
Scarboro's magisterial bench is composed of the
following Justices of the Peace : Jeremiah Annis, Jos.'
Armstrong, Geo. Chester, J. C. Clark, Wm. Helliwell,
Richard Knowles, Jas. Lawrie, John Milne, Simpson
liennie, A. M. Secor, John Richardson.
The silver medal mentioned in the chapter on
militia matters as being in the possession of the
Pilkey family, is for service in the British army
between 1793 and 1814. Medals of this kind were
issued in 1848, and bear on one side a bust of Her
Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria. The Pilkey
medal has on the clasp, the words "Fort Detroit."
This, however, means, not that the soldier performed
service nowhere else, but that the capture of Detroit
was the most memorable event of the campaign. The
family tradition that the medal was presented to
Pierre le Pelletier for " blowing up a fort " may be
correct, and may refer to the explosion of the York
magazine.
Medals bearing "Fort Detroit" on the clasp are
among the most valuable in the whole series of Brit-
ish war issues.
On the rim of the medal is engraved, " P. Pelkie,
Canadian Militia."
Mrs. Wm. Forfar had on one occasion an extremely
exciting wolf experience. She and her brother, when
children, were attending to the boiling down of sap
one night, when a pack of some eight or ten wolves
made their appearance, and, notwithstanding the fire,
showed a desire to become quite too intimate. Young
Forfar, who was the elder of the two, managed to
Odds and Ends. 271
lodge his sister in a small tree beyond the reach of
immediate danger, and in this position she remained
for many hours, while her brother treated the venture-
some brutes to repeated applications of hot syrup from
the sugar kettles. This mode of defence was a novel
one, and one also which no doubt proved as embarrass-
ing as it must have been painful to the wolves, which,
towards daylight, retired from the place.
The " Fishery Eoad," mentioned elsewhere, is only
a by-way leading from Kingston Road to the lake
shore, chiefly used by " Old Portwine," a Dutch fish-
erman.
The " Kennedy Road," one of the chief highways
extending from the front to Markham town-line, re-
ceived its name from the Kennedys, several families
of whom reside in the neighborhood.
The last lynx seen in the township was captured by
the two sons of David Martin, on lot 31, concession
D, in 1891 or 1892. This animal was a large one of
its kind, and may be seen as a mounted specimen at
" Aberfoyle " farm-house — Mr. Martin's residence.
In the Thomson family there is a **Fort Detroit"
medal granted to Richard Thomson for his services
during 1812. In the same family are also retained
several old military weapons of this date.
272 History of the Township of Scarboro.
CHAPTER XXI.
/ THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
" Time will discover everything to posterity : it is a babbler, and speaks
even when no question is put." — Euripides.
WITHIN the last twenty years several notable
centennials have been held in Ontario. In
1884, Toronto and other cities celebrated the settle-
ment of the United Empire Loyalists in the Province.
In 1892, Niagara, Kingston and Toronto commemo-
rated the setting off as a separate Province of Upper
Canada, and the summoning of its first Parliament by
Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe. At the
same time Niagara celeljrated the organization of its
first Church of England parish by the name of St.
Mark's, and two years later (1894) saw the centennial
of St. Andrew's, the first Presbyterian congregation in
the old town. In 1894, too, the settlement of Glen-
garry a century l^efore by the fiiithful Highlanders
from the Mohawk Valley was celebrated, and it is
certain that the coming quarter century will see more
of these commemorative events as time brings our
most wealthy and prosperous towns and townships to
the centennial anniversary of their birth, or recalls the
circumstances of great issues.
In 1881 the idea of a township celebration was
suggested by Edmund Jacques, and supported by
A. W. Forfar and D. W. Thomson, but not much be-
yond desultory talks on the subject took place until
The Centennial Celebration. 273
189i. In that year, at a social held in 8t. Andrew's
Church, Robert Malcolm, of Toronto, an old Scarboro
man, delivered an address on the subject. The result
of this was the appointment of a committee to consider
what should be done. The Committee was composed
of a number of old settlers, the Rev. D. B. Macdonald
being chairman. The subject was kept alive, and
suggestions in reference to it considered, but nothing
definite proposed until 1894, when A. W. Forftir and
D. W. Thomson were again to the front in its behalf
At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Me-
chanics' Institute, held in November, 1894, the pro-
posal to hold a celebration under the auspices of the
Mechanics' Institute was broached by Mr. Forftir, and
a committee was named to consider the matter and
report before Christmas of that year, Wm. Carmichael
being chairman. This committee never met to report.
During the fell of 1895, A. W. Forfar and D. W.
Thomson again agitated the question. Together with
John Buchanan, they laid the proposition before the
Township Council. The result was the circulation of a
petition amongst the ratepayers, and a public meeting
was called, by proclamation, at Woburn, on October
23rd, 1895. A fair representation of the people re-
sponded. Among those present were David Martin,
D. W. Thomson, A. W. Forftir, James Chester, Isaac
Chester, Alex. Baird, Andrew Young, J. C. Clark,
James Ley, Geo. Elliot, Thomas Thomson, John Gor-
man, W. F. Maclean, M.P. (East York), J. M. Thom-
son, Arthur Thomson, A. M. Secor, W. D. Annis,
W. W. Thompson, Francis Armstrong and Rev. D. B.
Macdonald.
The meeting being called to order, the Reeve read
the proclamation and explained why he issued it.
274 History of the Township of Scarboro.
PROCLAMATION.
To THE Inhabitants of Scarboro in the County of York,
And fdl others, Her M<ijest\i's sjibjeets, iohom it doth or may in auij ivise
concerti :
Whereas, I, James Chester, Reeve of the Township of Scarboro, having
received a requisition signed by Rev. D. B. Macdonald, Thomas Hood,
James Ley, Levi E. Annis, Archibald W. Forfar, Beebe Carnaghan, Isaac
Chester, David Martin, D. W. Thomson, Alex. McCowan, Adam Richard-
son, W, A. Heron, Lyman Kennedy, Win. Carmichael, Robert Martin and
eighty others, who are freeholders of the said township, having a right to
vote for members to serve in the Legislative Assembly in respect of the
property held by them within the said township, requesting me to chII a
public meeting on or about the 23rd day of October next, to be held at
Woburn, in the said township, for the purpose of taking into consideration
the advisability of celebrating, in a suitable manner, the
ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY
of the settlement of the township, which will occur in June, 1896 ;
And Whereas, I have determined to comply with the said requisition,
now, therefo'"e, I do hereby appoint the said meeting to be held at
WOBURN,
in the Township of Scarboro, on
Wednesday, October 23rd, 1895,
at 7 o'clock p.m., of which all persons are hereby required to take
nc-tice.
And Whereas, the said meeting has been so called by me in conformity
with the provisions of Chapter 187 of the Revised Statutes of Ontario,
entitled "An Act respecting Public Meetings," and all persons who
attend the same will therefore be within the protection of the said Act,
of all which premises all manner of persons are hereby, in Her Majesty's
name, most strictly charged and commanded at their peril to take especial
notice and govern themselves accordingly.
(Signed) James Chester,
Reeve.
By order, Thos. Crawford,
Township Clerk.
He then declared the meeting open for business.
The Centennial Celekraiion. 275
On motion, Mr. Chester was called to the chair and
A. W. Forfar a})i)()inted secretary.
The llev. D. Barclay Macdonald bein*^- called upon,
moved the first resolution, as follows : " That in the
opinion of this meeting the residents of Scarhoro
should honor, in a fitting manner, the hundredth anni-
versary of the settlement of their township, in June
next."
The reverend gentleman pointed out the value of
this movement, and showed how much the people of
the present day are indebted to their forefathers. The
resolution was ably seconded by (Jeo. Elliot, suj)ported
by W. F. Maclean, M.P., and carried with much en-
thusiasm.
The second resolution, " Recognizing the great
educational value of a public library, and the urgent
need of a suitable place for our present valuable col-
lection of books, amounting to upwards of 4,000 vols. ,
therefore be it resolved, that we do forthwith proceed
to the erection of a memorial building, to be called the
' Scarboro Centennial Memorial Library,' " was moved
by James Ley and seconded by Dr. Opie Sisley. After
a warm discussion it carried by a large majority.
Rev. Mr. Macdonald, being again called on, moved
and strongly supported the third resolution :
''Recognizing the interest which would be awak-
ened by, and the value to the cause of education and
patriotism of, a series of Canadian local histories,
therefore be it resolved — if the committee to be ap-
pointed report favorably upon the project — that we
proceed to the issue of a history of this township, in
such form as may hereafter be determined."
This resolution was seconded by Dr. Sisley, and
276 History of thi: Township of Scarboro.
iifter IxMiig cordially supported l)y other gentlemen
present, was enthusiastically carried.
On motion the ^ollowinjj;- gentlemen were appointed
an Executive Comniittce, viz. : Messrs. J. C. C'lark,
James Ley, Adam Kichardsou, L. E. Annis, (Jeorge
Chester, sen., Geo. Elliot, David l^rovvn, John Lawrie,
Wm. Tredway, and Kev. D. B. Macdonald.
On motion of J). W. Thcmison, a Committee on
Information was ai)pointed.
Messrs. A. M. Seeor, W. W. Thompson, and Alex.
Baird were named a Connnittee on Finance.
The meeting adjourned.
Before separating the first meeting of the Executive
was called for organization, to meet in St. Andrew's
]\Ianse on October 29th, 189;").
The Executive Connnittee met according to appoint-
ment. Organization was effected, and the following
became i)ermanent officers : Chairman, Rev. D. 11
Macdonald ; Secretary, J. C. Clark ; Treasurer, A. M.
Secor.
The Executive set to work m ith vigor to accomplish
the work entrusted to it. A majority of the members
were faithful in attendance at meetings, and gave
valuable assistance in the work of the Committee.
Two leading i)oints engag' 1 their attention: (1) The
production of a histoiy of the townshij) ; ("2) The
preparation necessary for a fitting celebration of the
Centennial.
At a later date the Information Committee met for
organization at Woburn. On motion, John Richard-
son, M. P. P., was called to the chair permanently, and
Levi Annis ai)pointed secretary. The Committee was
divided into twelve sub-committees, one for each school
section, and a chairman named for each, as follows :
The Centennial Celebration. 277
No. 1. — Simpson Ronnie, Chainnan ; 1. C. Clark, Thos. Hood,
Alfred Mason, F. (J. Morj^an, Rev. J. A. Brown, Thos. Crawford
(township clerk), Dr. (). Sisley, John T. Paterson, R. Skelton,
E. Wood, Thos. Armstrong.
No. 2. — Lyman Kennedy (reeve). Chairman ; Georjje Elliot
Alex. Macklin, James Stewart, Hugli Elliot.
No. 3. — David Brown, Chairman : R. Hardinj^, James Weir,
Jas, Sterling, A. R. Jae([ues, R. Jackson, Thos. Ormenxl, Adam
Russell.
No. 4. — William Milne, Chairman ; Andrew MeCreight, P-
Reesor, N. Reesor.
No. 5. — A. W. Forfar, Chairman ; A. Young, F. Glendinning,
W. Walton, Beebe Carnaghan.
No. 6. — A. M. Secor, Chairman ; W. Carmichael, Adam Bell,
John Johnston, Francis Scott, Wm. Green, Rev. D. B. Macdonald,
Richard Thomson, Thos. Pilkey, D. W. Thomson, Amos Thom-
son, R. Purdie, Jonathan Baird.
No. 7. — Wm. Tredway, sen.. Chairman ; B. Closson, Wm.
Helliwell, R. Neilson, W. Humphrey, H. Westney.
No. 8. — David Martin, Chairman ; W. W. Thompson, Francis
Armstrong, Alex. McCowan, Anthony lonson, Jos. Armstrong,
Robt. Martin (also in No. 10).
No. 9.— L. E. Annis, Chairman ; F. Wheler, D. Pherrill, Rev.
W. G. Stevenson, Rev. T. Walker, John Richardson, M.P.P.,
Geo. Chester, sen., Isaac Stobo, Jas. Humphrey.
No. 10. — A. J. Reynolds, Chairman ; Robt. Martin (see also
No. 8), Robt. Bell, Jonathan Ashbridge, Geo. Taylor.
No. 11. — Richard Knowles, Chairman : Andrew Annis, W. W.
Stotts, R. Cowan.
No. 12.— D. Baldwin, Chairman; A. Moffat, G. Bell, J. Rich-
ardson (York), A. Heron.
A Toronto contingent was appointed, chiefly com-
posed of former residents of Scarboro : Robt. Malcolm,
Chairman ; Dr. Closson, Alex. Muir, A. Hood, K.
Swan, Hugh Miller, W. Christie, E. M. Morphy, T. E.
Champion, and H. M. Campbell.
278 History of the Township of Scarboro.
The chairman of the Executive was requested to
prepare a circular giving an outline of the information
necessary for the history. This circular was accord-
ingly prepared, and issued to all sub-committees.
Copies of it w^ere also sent to interested persons in
various parts of the Dominion.
It was at first intended that one or more of the
Committee should undertake the preparation of the
Centennial volume, but it was soon felt that for various
reasons it would be more advantageous to have this
done by someone not connected with the township,
and after a little discussion the following resolution,
moved by James Ley and seconded by George Elliot,
was adopted : " That someone outside of the township
be engaged to edit the volume, and that the Chairman,
the Secretary, and L. E. Annis be a committee to
select and engage an editor."
At next meeting this committee reported in favor of
David Boyle, Curator of the Ontario Archaeological
Museum, of Toronto, and this selection was confirmed
by resolution.
The following programme, prepared by the Execu-
tive Committee, will be carried out as nearly as possible
on the days of celebration, June 17th and 18th, 1896 :
WEDNESDA Y, JUNE 17th.
1. Special Memorial Re-Union Services in St. Andrew's Church,
1 0. 30 a.m. to 1 2 noon. During these services the past will
be reviewed ; short addresses will be given by old residents
of the township and of other parts of the Province. Ap-
' _ propriate services of praise will be sung by the choir.
2. Dinner-horn Call to the Tables. Dinner from 12.15 to
1.30 p.m. _ _
Band Music. ~ '^ ^
The Centennial Celebration. 279
3. Bugle-Call to Assemble at the Platform.
Hymn : "Before Jehovah's Awful Throne."
Prayer : Rev. G. W. Stephenson.
Choir : "Let the Hills Resound."
4. Short Addresses : John Richardson, M.P.P., and Mr. Simpson
Rennie, representing the farmers.
Interlude : Mouth-organ Band.
Choir (250 voices, Mr. Stouifer leader): " Raise the Flag."
— Nelson.
5. Short Addresses by Messrs. James Ley and Wm. Tredway, rep-
resenting the trades.
Interlude, concertina and organ, followed by Choir : " Wake the
Song of Jubilee."
6. Short Addresses by Rev. J. A. Brown, Dr. D. McDiarmid and
Mr. Alfred Jacques, representing the professions.
Instrumental Interludes. Last speaker to be followed by full
chorus, "Rule, Britannia" — Band and Choir.
7. Announcements. — National Anthem.
Closing Prayer : Rev. Father E. F. Gallagher.
Bag-pipe Selections, ten minutes.
8. First Foot-ball Contest. Play to last one hour. Band Music
at half-time and close of game.
9. Tea served at five o'clock.
Band Music.
10. Second Foot-ball Contest Bag-pipes at half-time and at close
of match.
Concert at 8 p.m., in the Large Tent.
Children's Games will be arranged at suitable times during the day.
THURSDAY, JUNE 18th.
1. Commemorative Services continued in St. Andrew's Church from
10.45 a.m. to 12 o'clock noon.
2. Dinner-horn Call. Dinner from 12.15 to 1.30 p.m.
3. Bugle-Call to assemble at the Platform, 2 p.m.
Anthem : " Praise ye the Lord."
Hymn: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty." -
280 History of the Township o?^ Scarboro.
4. Chairman's Address preparatory to hoisting the Union Jack and
Dominion ensign.
Choir : " Raise the Flag." Flags will be run up to the mast-head.
Band : " Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue," followed
by the Choir and Children, the latter of whom will take up
the song with appropriate flag exercise.
5. Address by His Honor Geo. A. Kirkpatrick, Lieut. -Governor of
Ontario, in response to the Salutation of the Flag.
6. Addresses by W. F. Maclean, M.P., and H. R. Frankland, Esq.
Interlude : Violin and piano.
Children and Choir : " The Maple Leaf."
7. The platform being honored with the presence of a number of old
people belonging to the township, addres.ses in their name
will be given by Mr. Elias Wood and D. B. Read, Q.C., a
" York Pioneer."
Choir : " O God of Bethel."
8. Address : O. A. Howland, M.P.P., Chairman Canadian Historical
Celebration Committee."
Choir : " This Canada of Ours."
9. Address : David Boyle, Secretary Canadian Historical Celebration
Committee, and Editor of the Scarboro Centennial volume.
The People (led by the Choir) : " Auld Lang Syne."
10. Address : Hon. Dr. G. W. Ross, M.P.P., Minister of Education.
Choir : " Hark the Song of Jubilee."
IL Chairman's Closing Remarks.
Choir : " God be with you till we meet again."
Closing prayer by the Chairman.
The People (led by the Choir) : " God Save the Queen."
12. Horn-call to Tea, at 5 p.m.
13. Final Foot-ball Contest.
REV. I). B. MACDONALD, Chairman.
During the daj arrangements will be made for bowling and quoit-
ing contests between Scarboro players and others.
By the courtesy of William Fleming, of Markham, an old Scarboro
boy, the two organs and piano to be used in the musical part of the
programme have been supplied.
The Centennial Celebration. 281
Sii])j()iiuMl are cojnos of sonic letters received in
resixnise to invitations extended by the Centennial
Executive Committee to prominent ])ersons, asking
them to take part in the proceedings of the celebration.
The Lieutenant-Governor writes :
"Government House,
Toronto, May 24-th, 1890*.
Dear Sir, — It ^ives me great pleasure to accept tiie iuvitii-
tion of the Executive Committee of the residents of Scarboro
township, to be present at the celebration of the Centennial on
June 18th proximo.
I heartily commend the action of the Committee in preparinj^
and publishing a volume containing the historx^ of Scarboro
from 1796 to 1896, and I shall have much pleasure in accepting
a copy of the volume as a memento of the occasion.
The history of our province and country can best be pre-
served by histories of localities and early settlements such as
you propose.
Very soon we shall miss from among us those venerable men
and women, to be met with in every county, who delight us
with stories told to them directly by the early settlers of the
Provinc*>, one hundred years ago — thrilling stories of suffering,
privation and toil, all met and overcome by heroic endurance,
and a tirm hope and belief, soon afterwards realized, in the
fertility and resources of the country, in the salubrity of the
climate, and in the happiness and prosperity of the people who
were to be the possessors of this great province. These stories
and traditions should be crystallized into history now, while
those who heard them at first hand are able to relate them.
The names of many of our townsliips contain a history Avhich
should be known to every child in the township, but, alas ! very
few can tell whence the name came, or why it was given.
I trust that every township, and certainly every county, in
this province will follow the example of Scarboro and encourage
19
282 History of the Township of Scarroro.
the preparation of histories of the various townships and coun-
ties, which must prove not only interesting to the people whose
history is given, hut pf incalculable value to the future historian
of our country.
Wishing you every success, I am,
Yours very truly,
George A. Kirkpatrick.
The Rev. D. B. Macdonald,
St. Andrew's Manse, Bendale, Ont. "
The Minister of Education, Dr. G. W. Ross, re})lies :
"Toronto, ApriL SOth, 189().
My Dear Mr. Macdonald, — I am very glad to notice that
you propose to hold a centennial celebration of the settlement
of the township of Scarboro. I l)elieve such celebrations tend
to increase the interest of our younger people in the growth of
Canadian institutions, and, as a consequence, secure their attach-
ment to the land in which we live. Besides, I think that we,
who are the descendants of the pioneers of Canada, can in no
better way show our appreciation of the great services they
rendered to this country tlian by occasionally meeting to recall
their early courage and endurance in order that we may be
moved to imitate the qualities of citizenship which, under
adverse circumstances, they manifested so patiently and so
nobly.
I shall be glad to receive a copy of your memorial volume.
I am sure it will be worthy of a wide circulation.
It may be impossible for me to be with you at the date of
your celebration on account of the Dominion elections. Other
engagements, however, permitting, I shall do myself the pleasure
of attending.
Yours truly,
G. W. Ross.
Rev. D. B. Macdonald, Bendale." —
The Centennial Celeukatiun. 283
From l'i*iiK*i}){il Grant, (()iiocii's University, King-
ston, ('ana* la :
" April Uth, 1896.
My Dear Mil Macdonald. — I would like to be with you at
the celebration of the Centennial for many reasons, but absence
from Canada at the time will make it impossible I am so
thankful that vou are i^oinjj to make vour celebration contribute
to what is greatly needed in Canada — the formation of material
that is indispensable to Canadian history-writing. We are
deplorably ignorant of the real past of our province, for its real
past is to be found, not in the records of legislative bodies, nor
in military annals, l)ut in the actual experiences of our pioneers,
and in the story of municipal development, and of social, relig-
ious, educational and industrial life. There are to be found
the hidden springs of our na 'onal character, and the forces
which are shaping our destiny.
Scarboro has a histcjry, and I rejoice that it is to be given to
us. May your example incite other townships and counties to
issue similar local histories, perhaps to otter prizes for them.
With all best wishes, believe me,
Sincerely yours,
G. M. Grant."
From O. A. Rowland, M.P.P., Chairman of the
C xinadian Historical Exhibition Connnittee :
"Toronto, April 27th, 189(j.
Rev. D. B. Macdonald.
Dear Sir, — Many thanks for your kind letter inviting me to
be with you at your admirably conceived centennial celebra-
tion on the 17th and 18th of June. I am very much plea.sed
with the admirable circular of instruction and suggestion wliich
your Committee issued preparatory to the work of compiling a
township history. It cannot fail to have the effect of pro-
ducing a great awakening of mind throughout the township
regarding the interesting facts wliich lie dormant even in our
most modern industrial communities. The study of develop-
284 History of the Township of Scarboro.
ment is the chief occupation of modern scholarship, and when
appHed, as you induce the people of your township to do, to
the study of the staj^es by which their industrial and social
civilization has arrived at its present state, it ought to liave
^ood eti'ects on the minds of those who pursue and contribute
to the study, as well as on the minds of those who come to
witness the surprisinf^ collected results.
No small part of its j^ood fruit may be found in its tendency
to renew a vision of the sacrifices of the past, which have led
to the prosperity of the present, and to the revival of a becom-
ing veneration for the honesty, courage and single-mindedness
of those worthy and industrious ancestors who initiated the
task of making the wilderness blossom as the rose.
1 shall certainly be with you if it should be at all possil)le.
With the most sincere wishes for your success, and that of
your committee, believe me, dear sir,
Very truly yours,
O. A. HOWLAXD."
From Rev. Dr. H. Scadding :
" Toronto, May 2nd, 1896.
Dear Mr Macdonald, — It is very kind of you and the
Connnittee to desire my presence at the approaching celebra-
tion in Scarboro, but I regi-et being obliged to decline the
invitation. I am, however, in complete sympathy with you
and the Committee in the undertaking. I sincerely wish that
all our municipalities would follow the example of Scarboro ;
all of them might at least make out an accin-ate list of the first
patentees in their respective districts. In the Crown Lands
Department there is, I think, a register kept, entitled ' The
Domesday Book,' which would be of assistance in doing this.
To be a descendant of one of the ' First Patentees ' is, in some
points of view, as considerable a distinction as the being a
descendant of the first United Empire Loyalists.
Believe me, dear Mr. Macdonald, , _
Very faithfully yours,
Henry Scadding."
ARMADALE
APPENDIX.
THE "FIRST FAMILIES."
The following list, copied from the hooks in tlie OntHrio Crown Lands
Office, supplies information with regard to the original patentees of the
land in Scarboro. The si)ellings are given just as they occuf in the entries.
CONCESSION A.
Lot 27. Sarah Ashbridge (all)
28. King's College (all 18a)
29, 30. Cdpt. VVm. Mayne (all)
31. Cliarles Watkins (N. pt. 47a)
3L Septimus Auljurn (S. pt. 40a)
32, 33. John White (all)
34. Rev. H. Addington Simcoe (front pt. 70a)
34. Canada Company (N. h 100a)
35. King's College (all) . .
CONCESSION B.
Submission Gallaway (all) . .
Parshall Terry, jun. (all 25a)
King's College (all 100a)
23. David Fleming (all)
Parker Mills (all 132a)
Stephen Pherrill (all 140a)
Jonathan Ashbridge (front part 100a)
John Adair (N. part 100a)
Sarah Ashbridge (all 200a)
King's College (200a)
30. Capt. W. Mayne (all)
Thomas Palmer (N. ^ 100a)
Thomas Walton (S. A 100a)
Andrew Templeton (rear i)
Richard Thornbeck (N. pt. of S. ^ 37a) . .
iiot 19.
„ 20.
,■ 21.
., 22,
., 24.
II 25.
.. 26.
., 26.
„ 27.
„ 28.
„ 29,
,. 31.
.. 31.
.. 32.
., 32.
May IG, 1799.
January 3. 1828.
May 6, 1796.
April 14, 1852.
April 9, 1874.
August 24, 1796.
November 24, 1840.
July 18, 1831.
May 16, 1835.
May 17, 1802.
May 20, 1801.
January 3, 1828.
April 30, 1799.
May 17, 1802.
April 11, 1832.
August 8, 1799.
August 8, 1799.
May 16, 1799.
January 3, 1828.
May 6, 1796.
July 4, 1839.
May 29, 1847.
June 17, 1799.
October 18, 1842.
280
AlTKNDIX A.
Lot 32.
3.-J.
X).
34
34.
35.
Lot 10.
11.
12,
14.
15.
10.
17,
15».
20.
21.
22,
24.
25.
20.
27.
28.
29.
29.
30.
31.
31.
31.
32.
32.
33.
33.
34.
35.
John White (S.pt.) . .
John White (S. pt.) . .
Eobert Tait (re.-ir h 100a) .
Andrew Heron (N. pt. of S.
King's College (N. h 120a)
Kinj,''s College (S. pt.)
Henry Webster (all -'00a) .
h)
CONCESSION C.
(Included in 10 D, «/. r.)
King's College (;ill) ..
13. Donald McLean (200a) . .
William Osterhout (all)
James Humphrey (all 98a) . .
Wm. Osterhout (all)
18. Nicholas Smith (all 248a)
Submission Gallaway (all) . .
Parshall Terry, jun. (all 200a)
King's College (all 200a) . .
23. David Fleming (all)
Thomas Hewett (all 200a) . .
Thomas Walton (all 180a) . .
Elisabeth Dennis (all 200a)
John Adair (all 200a)
King's College (all 200a) . .
Elizabeth Thompson (all 200a)
John Weaver (all 200a)
John Weaver (all 200a)
James Palmer (W. | 89a) . .
Wm. Phirrill ( \ E. | 50a)
Josei)h Hough (N. E. | 50a)
Andrew Temjjleton (front i)
Thomas Cornwell (N. i 100a)
Robert Tait (front i 100a) . .
John Haacke (N. h 100a) . .
King's College (all 200a) . .
Wm. Devenish (all 200a) . .
CONCESSION D.
Lot 1. Joseph Ketchum (all)
II 2. Charles Coxwell Small (all)
II 3, 4. Joseph Ketchum . .
II 5. King's College (all 152a)
II 0, 7. John Richardson (all 400a)
August 24, 1790.
August 24, 1790.
May 17, 1802.
November 11,1842.
January 3, 1828.
May 10, 1835.
August 18, 1810.
January 3, 1828.
March 29, ISO.l
July 8, 1799.
October 17, 1844.
July 8, 1799.
July 24, 1799.
May 17, 1802.
May 20, 1801 .
January 3, 1828.
April .'50, 1799.
June 17, 1799.
May (!, 1841 .
August 10, 1801.
August 8, 1799.
January 3, 1828.
May 10, 1799.
August 8, 1799.
July 8, 1799.
September 7, 1854.
June 10, 1840.
September 4, 1840.
June 17, 1799.
October 2.!, 1809.
May 17, 1802.
April 2, 1817.
January 3, 1828.
May 18, 1803.
March 23, 1798.
June 9, 1835.
March 23, 1798.
January 3, 1828.
June 0, 180(5.
Appendix A.
287
Lot 8. Alex. Neilscn (E. i 80ia) ..
M 8. Alex. Nelson (W. ^, 82L1) ..
.. 1». Charles Rice (all 'iWa)"
M 10. Samuel Heron (all 200a) . .
., 11. King's Colleije (all l()O!i)[0
n 12. .lames Hoghtelling (all 200a)
., 13,14. John Mdiill (40l)a)
M ir». .lames Hum[)lirey (200a)
n IH. Elizal)etli()sterh()Ut(200a) . .
„ 17, 18. Robert Isaac Dey (Jrey (400a)
.. 10. D(.nald McLean (E. A 100a)
M 19. Alex. McDonell (VV.'i) (
M 20. Alex. McDonell ) '
t, 21. King's College (200a)
u 22. .James Elliot (20<Ja) . .
n 23. David Robertson (I'OOa)
M 24. Samuel Heron (200a)
n 25. John Taber (N. A of N. i 50a)
II 25. Isaac Chester (S. A 100a) . .
M 25. Jane Mc Bride (S. i of N. h .50a)
M 20, 27. Robert Isaac De Grey (400a)
II 28. Kings College (200a)
„ 25). Hon. John Richardson, et al. (200a)
„ 30. Martin Buckner (200a)
„ 31. David Ferguson (S. A 100a)
31. John Martin (N. \ lOOa) . .
32. Thomas Corn well (S. A 100a)
.32. Dorcas Hendrick (N. pt.) )
33. Dorcas Hendrick (N. pt.) j ^^*^
33. Ephraim Payson (S. h 100a)
34. Elsa Cole (200a) .'
35. James MoUoy (200a)
CONCESSION 1.
Lot
1.
2.
3,
5.
6.
•Joseph Ketchum (200a)
Charles Coxwell Small (277a)
4. .Joseph Ketchum (400a) . .
King's College (200a)
John Small (200a) . .
7. John Coon (200a) . .
8. \Vm. Helliwell (200a)
9. Joseph Forsyth (S. h 100a)
9. John Haacke (N. A 100a) . .
10. Mary McGill (200a) . .
May 19, 1847.
October ;!. 18.54.
May 17, 1802.
May 20, 1801.
January 3, 1828.
September 1, 1797.
May 27, 1797.
October 17, 1844.
April »!, 180.5.
August 10, 1801.
March 29, 1805.
June 12, 1806.
January 3, 1828.
July 8, 1799.
July 8, 1799.
July 8, 1799.
March 10, 1848.
June 8, 18:«.
October 1, 1838.
August 10, J 801.
January 3, 1828.
November 5, 1827.
May IG, 1799.
May 1, 1838.
O -tober 2(i, 1844.
October 2.3, 1809.
June 12, 1798.
July 8, 1799.
November 20, 1807.
December 31, 1798.
March 23, 1798.
June 19, 1835.
March 23, 1798.
January 3, 1828.
October 22, 1807.
May 10, 1799.
July 18, 1S5G.
September 4, 1800.
April 2, 1817.
April 6, 1797.
288
Appendix A.
Lot 11.
tl
12.
II
1-'.
II
l.'J,
II
15.
II
15.
II
16.
tl
17.
M
18,
II
21.
II
22.
II
23.
tl
24.
41
25.
11
25.
II
2f;,
II
28.
II
2i>,
41
31.
II
31.
II
32,
II
34.
II
35.
Lot 1.
II
2.
II
3.
II
4.
II
5.
II
(5.
II
II
8.
II
<.).
II
9.
II
10.
II
11.
II
12.
II
12.
II
13.
II
14.
...-,-- ,,
15.
II
16.
II
17.
KitigH College (2<H)ii)
fJenrge Irvin (N. A lOOa)
James Hoghtelling (all 2(MJa)
14 John McCJill (400a)
Will. Fawcett (S. i 100a) . .
Frances Faucet (X. \ 100a)
Lt. Miles McDonoIl (20Oa) . .
Wm. Jones (200a) . .
10, 20. Robert Isiac Do Grey (60O
King's College (2(M)h)
Ebenezer Cavers (200a)
Andrew Thomson (200a)
David Thomson (200a)
William D. Thompson (N. i 94a)
Andrew Thompson (W. \ of S. j 47a)
27. Robert Isaac De (Jrey (400a)
King's College (200a)
30. Wm. Pickar.l (400a)
Daniel (Jalbraith (8. i 100a)
Robert CJalbraith (N. 4 100a)
33. Capt. Wm. Demont (400a)
King's College (200a)
Capt. Win. Demont
CONCESSION 2.
Zipporah Roebuck (200a) . .
Wm. Eadus, et al. (200a) . .
King's College (200a)
Joseph Ketchum (20(Ja)
Owen McGrath (200a)
Thomas Chester (S. h 100a) . .
Owen McGrath (200a)
Elizabeth Davis (200a)
Canada Company (S. i 100a)
Canada Company (N. h 100a)
Susannah Harris (200a)
John Segar (200a)
Wm. Westney (S. h and N.E. j 150a)
Wm. Anthony (N. W. J 50a)
George Irvin (200a) . .
Amos Merrit (200a) . .
•John Markley (200a)
King's College (200a)
Richard Hatt (200a)
July A, 1828.
April 5, 1797.
September 1, 1797.
May 27, 17!)7.
September .30, 1850.
June 4, 1857.
July 8, 1799.
March 2(J, 1804.
August 10, 1801.
January .3, 1828.
May 17, 1802.
May 17, 1802.
May 17, 1802.
October 7, 1857.
April 5, 18(il.
August 10, 1801.
January 3, 1828.
July 24, 1799.
September 23, 1836.
September 23, 1836.
May 1, 1798.
January 3, 1828.
May 1, 1798.
May 17, 1802.
April 0, 1797.
January 3, 1828.
March 23, 1798.
October 24, 1798.
June 18, 1856.
October 24, 1798.
December 31, 1798.
November 29, 1844.
February 14, 1834.
July 24, 1799.
July 8, 1799.
June 18, 1856.
January 30, 1857.
April 5, 1797.
April 15, 1797.
July 8, 1799.
January 3, 1828.
July 24, 1799.
Appendix A.
289
Lot 18,
(1
20.
II
20.
II
20.
II
21.
II
22.
11
23.
II
24.
II
25,
II
27.
II
27.
11
28.
f 1
28.
(1
29.
II
30.
II
31.
II
32.
II
33.
II
33.
II
33.
II
34,
in. Richard Hiitt (400a)
.James Uowes (N. A 100a)
Jo.seph Hall, et id. (S. E. | ."lOa)
Andrew .Johnson (S. W. \ 50a)
.\ndrow .Johnston (2(K>a)
.Jacob Fisher (2(K)a) . .
Valentino Fisher (200a)
Kings College (200a)
2»!. Archibald Thoniiwon (H. h lOOj
.John Walton (N. A 100a) ..
.John Thompson (S. h 100a)
Archibald Tliomson (S. i 100a)
•Jolin Henry Kahman(N. i l(K)a)
.John Henry Kahman
Canada Company (200a)
Eliphalet Hale ('.'OOa)
Capt. NVm. Demont (2(M)a) . .
Ichabod Vradenburgh (N. A lOOa)
Andrew Fitzpatrick (S. A 100a)
Louis Simon (N. \ 100a) . .
35. Capt. Wm. Demont (400a)
} =
300a
November 1, 1808.
December 20, 1858.
October 14, 1859.
June 21, 1859.
July 8, 1790.
May 17. 1802.
March 8, 1803.
January .'5, 1828.
May 10, 1709.
December 19, 1835.
October 10, lbo»).
May 10, 1799.
July 8, 1799.
July 9, 1829.
May 24, ^799.
May 1. 1798.
November 27, 1850.
Sei)tember3l», 1830.
February 18, 1850.*
May 1, 1798.
JU
L' J..
2.
3.
4.
5.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9,
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
15.
CONCESSION 3.
Eliza Small (all)
Clarissa Thomjisim, et al. (N. | 150a)
Eliza Small (all)
John Robert Small (200a) . .
Canada Company (N. A 100a)
Canada Company (S. ^ 100a)
Wm. Ea lus, et al. (200a) . .
Eliza Small (all)
John S. Palmer (200a)
10. James Whitton (400a) . .
King's College (200a) . . •
Elizabeth Vanderlip ('200a). .
Sarah McDougall (200a) . .
Nathan Osburn (200a)
Alex Sterling (N. h 100a) .
Thomas Walton (S. ^ 100a). .
February 10, 1797.
March 3, 1857.
February 10, 1797.
June 30, 1801.
August 21, 18.35.
February 17, 1837.
April 0, 1797. t
February 10, 1797.
July 29, 1862.
October 24, 1798.
January 3, 1828.
October 24, 1798.
July 8, 1799.
July 8, 1836.
October 9, 1857. J
March 8, 1859.
* Voided by the Heir and Devisee Coiuniissio.n, July 20, 1850,
t"This lot is omitted in the Keoord of the Patent bearinjf date March Sth, 1S32, but is
supposed to exist in the oriifinal." (MS. note ui Crown Lands Register, page 117.)
{ Patent to Andrew Sterling— Cancelled.
290
Al'I'KNDIX A.
ot lG-20. John McDougall (l,000ii)
August 20, 1804.
t 21. Canada C()mi)itny (200,1)
July 9, 1829.
. 22. .John McDougall (200a)
August 20. 1804.
1 23, 24. John McDougall (400a)
May 17, 1802.
. 25. John Elliott (S. h 100a)
January 7, 1846.
. 25. Robert Hamilton (N. h 100a)
September 25. 1847
. 2fi, 27. Nicholas McDougall (400a)
May 17, 1802.
, 28. King's College (200a)
Janiiary 3, 1828.
. 29. Margaret Ryckmaii (200a;
July 24, 1799.
M .m Richard Flack (200a)
July 8, 1799.
II 31. Jacob Snider (rear pt. 100a)
May 27. 1839.
.1 31. Thomas Rogers (front pt. 100a)
May 27, 1839. '
H 32, 33. Capt. Wm. Deniont (40{ia)
May 1, 1798.
M 34. King's College (200a)
January 3, 1828.
M 35. Capt. Wm. Deniont (200a)
May 1, 1798.
CONCESSION 4.
iot 1, 2. Eliza Small (400a)
February 10, 1797
M 3. Canada Company (200a)
August 31, 1831.
n 4. Eliza Small (200a)
February 10, 1797.
., 5. John Robert Small (200a)
June 30, 1801.
n 6. King Park (S. i of S. i 50a)
July 5, 1856.
n 6. James Ross, the Elder (N. -h of S. h 50a).
M.ay 3, 1848.
t, G. Abraham Reesor (N. ^ 100a)
June 18, 1850.
M 7. James Thompson (200a)
December 31, 1798
.- 8. John White (all)
August 24, 1796.
.- 9. Canada Company (S. i ICOa)
March 8, 1832.
M 9. Canada Company (N. | 100a)
February 14, 1834
„ 10, 11. John White (all)
August 24, 1796.
,1 12. George Hamilton (200a)
June 18, 1845.
.1 13, 14 (E. i). John Hewett (300a) ..
July 10, 1797.
1 14. (ieorge Hamilton (W. part of E. h)
September 4, 1837.
M 14 (W. i), 15. Eva Bradt (300a)
July 24, 1799.
. 16. King's College (200a)
January •", 1828
M 17, 18. Elizabeth Thompson (400a) . .
June 12, 1798.
M 19. Lieut. Miles McDonell (200a)
July 8, 1799.
M 20. Joseph Harrington (S. i 100a)
September 25, 1847
., 20. Wm. Nash (N. i 100a)
May 10, 1855.
u 21. John Smith (20(')a)
July 10, 1801.
., 22, Barnabas Eddy (200a)
July 8, 1799.
.1 2C. Ernest Martin (N. pt. lODa)
[Nodate.— D.B.]
,. 23. Nancy Wintemute (S. J, 100a)
July 29, 1833.
.1 24. Canada Company (200a)
July 9, 1829.
II 25. Azariah Lundy (200a)
July 8, 1799.
Appendix A.
291
Lot 26.
If
27.
II
27.
If
28.
M
29.
II
30.
II
30.
II
31,
11
33.
11
33.
M
33.
II
34,
Lot
1,
.1
3.
II
4,
II
(5.
II
7.
II
II
M
II
II
David Thompson (200ji)
Thomas Kennedy (N. h 100a)
Jairus Yeamans (S. h 100a) . .
Andrew Thomson (200a)
Archibald Thompson (200a)
Andrew Kennedy (S. I 100a ")
Andrew Kennedy (N. ^ 100a)
32. Capfc. Wm. Deniont (400a)
Isaac Christy (S. h 100a) . .
John Rogers (N.W. ^ oOa) . .
John McCready (N.E. | 50a)
35. Capt. Wm. Demont (400a)
CONCESSION 5.
2. Peter Reesor (all 128a) . .
Benjamin Wm. Eaton (all). .
5. Andrew Mercer (all)
George Kuck (all)
Andrew Mercer (all) . .
8. John Oliver (rear part)
9. George Kuck (all) . .
10. John Oliver (rear part)
11. John Oliver (rear part)
12. George Kuck (all) . .
13. [No entry for this lot.— D.B.]
14. Andrew Mercer (VV. h)
14. George Hamilton (W. pt. of E. h)
15. Andrew Mercer (all). .
10. King's College (all 68a)
17-19. Andrew Mercer (all)
20. Benjamin Wm. Eaton (all) . .
21, 22. Andrew Mercer (all)
23. King's College (all)
24. Helen Fenwick (all)
25-26. James Osburn, jun. (all)
27. Helen Fenwick (all)
28. John Kennedy, sen. (all 64a)
29. James Osburn, jun. (all)
30. Helen Fenwick (all)
31. 32. John Wintermute (all) . .
33. Benjamin Wm. Eaton (all). .
34, 35. John Wintermute
May 17, 1802.
May 2, 1838.
June 22, 1838.
May 17, 1802.
May 16, 1799.
November 1, 1817.
May 17, 1828.
May 1, 1798.
May 27, 1836.
September 1, 1845.
September 1, 1845.
May 1, 1798.
February 4, 1812.
June 26, 1812.
August 8, 1811.
April 13, 1812.
August 8, 1811.
March 5, 1840.
April .3, 1812.
March 5, 1840.
March 5, 1840.
April 3, 1812.
August 8, 1811.
Sejitember 4, 1837.
Augusts, 1811.
January 3, 1828.
August 8, 1811.
June 26, 1812.
August 8, 1811.
May 16, 1835.
February 13, 1812.
August 7, 1811.
February 13, 1812.
February 1, 1812.
August 7, 1811.
February 13, 1812.
June 30, 1801.
June 26, 1812.
June 30, IPOl.
292 Appendix B.
B.
The statistics of ScarboTo for 1795 would be peculiarly interesting at
this time, but unfortunately there was no statistician, because there were
no taxes to collect, and even if there had been, there was nobody to pay
them. Had Lioutenant-(Jovernor Sir John (iraves Simcoe appointed
some one or more intellifjent Mississauwis to furnish him with an estimated
return of the township's natural wealth and resources, it might have stood
S'Muewhat thus : Mr. and Mrs. Sauj^a and family, 7 ; Wigwams, 1 ; Pines,
6,205,631 ; Oaks, 2,587,«)0() ; Maples, 4,759,1)89; other trees, 41,214,108 ;
Bears (resident), 102 ; (non-resident), not known ; Wolves (resident), 423 ;
(non-resident), very large number ; Deer (transient), 1,025 ; Game-birds,
numerous ; Fish, uncountable ; Income and personal property of the
Sauga family, inappreciable ; Days of statute labor, none.
Exactly fifty years after this the figures prepared for the' use of the
Home District Municipal Council stood as follows : Resident lands,
uncultivated, 22,313 acres : cultivated, 10,913 acres ; value of land,
£21,375 ; value of st<jck, etc., £22,054 ; tax on land and .stock at Id. in
the pound, £180 19s. Id. ; School taxes, £135 13s. 3cl ; total, £310
12s. 4d. ; and there were about 650 heads of families (in 1848 there were
654).
The following table will show how matters stood at the close of the next
half-century, according to the township as.sessnient roll for 1895 :
^•^1-. AveraKo
Number of pers<ms assessed 1,410 .... ....
acres (resident) 42,773 $2,174,567 00 $50 84
,. acres (non-resident) 208 41,545 00 199 64
Total 42,981 §2,216,112 00 ^bl 56
Taxable income §2,900 00
Personal j)roperty 4,400 (X)
r,300 00
T.tal $2,223,412 00
Number of Persons in families 3,816
II Children between 5 and 16 years . . 845
It II II 7 and 13 years . , 494
II II over 16 and under 21 years. . 267
II Cattle 3,615
II Sheep 1 ,838
II Hogs 1,958
II Horses 2,013
H Dogs 416
Bitches 22
Acres of Woodland 1,800
M Swamp, marsh or wet land 3,642
II Orchard and garden 876
Fall wheat ." 1,52U
Days of statute labor 2,249
Appendix C.
293
C.
SCARBOllO OIL COMPANY SHAREHOLDERS.
Wm. Allison, Highland Creek.
Jerry Annis, Scarboro.
David Annis, Scarboro.
Thos. Adams, sen., Highland Creek.
Andrew Annis, Port Union.
Jane A. Annis, Scarboro.
Wm. Armstrong, Rouge Hill.
Emily Annis, Port Union.
Jos. Bowden, Woburn.
Wm. Booth, Highland Creek.
Jane Bennett, Highland Creek.
Martin Badgerow, Malvern.
Jas. Brandon, Dunbarton.
Rev. W. Bit, Scarboro.
Jas. Bennett. Highland Creek.
Margt. Bell, Highland Creek.
Jacob Brumwell, Highland Creek.
Wm. Bell, Danforth.
Wm. Bellchamber, Dunbarton.
Edward Burton, Stouffville.
A. V. Bussick, Stouflville.
Fanny Burton, Stouffville.
Geo. Castle, Scarboro.
Jos. Covey, Toronto.
Russell Cornell, Scarboro.
J. H. Colegrove, Scarboro.
Chas. Cornell, Scarboro.
Geo. Chester, Scarboro.
Dr. L. D. Closson, Scarboro.
Wm. Collins, Scarboro.
Edward Clark, Scarboro.
Jabez Collins, Cherrywood.
Fred. Chinn, Stouffville.
Jno. Collins, Highland Creek.
Jessie Chapman, Scarboro.
Stephen Closson, Highland Creek.
Jno. Chellew, Scarboro.
Mary Courtice, Pickering.
A. J. Courtice, Pickering.
J. W. Chapman, Highland Creek.
Ann Clark, Highland Creek.
Jas. Carnaghan, Scarboro.
.Ino. Duncan, Highland Creek.
Robt. Dixon, Port Union.
Thos. Ellis, Highland Creek.
Thos. Elliot, Highland Creek.
Jno. Elliot, Highland Creek.
Geo. Ellis, Highlaim Creek.
Wm. Fawcett, Highland Creek.
v. A. Fawcett, Highland Creek.
.John Ford, Higlilaiid Creek.
J. Francisco, Highland Creek.
Andrew Fleming, Highland Creek.
Jno. Fisher, Dunbarton.
Ann Ferguson, Dunbarton.
W. S. Finch, Toronto.
J. R. Foster, Toronto
Wm. Galloway, Highland Creek,
liinatius (ialloway. Highland Creek.
Nelson (iates, Scarboro.
Mary (Juthrie, Scarboro.
B. W. Gossage, P.L.S., Toronto.
Wm. Helliwell, Highland Creek.
Geo. Hane, Highland Creek.
Mary Hodgins, Highland Creek.
Jos. Humphrey, Scarboro.
Jas. Humphrey, jun., Scarboro.
Edward Huxtable, Highland Creek.
Frank Helliwell, Highland Creek.
Arch. Heron, Danforth.
Chas. Hood (the contractor), Toronto.
Thos. Ireson, Belford.
.Jos. Ireson, Belford.
Thompson .Fackson, Scarboro.
Thos. Jacques, Scarboro.
Chas. Justis, Highland Creek.
Wm. Keeler, Highland Creek.
Stephen Keeler. Highland Creek.
294
Appendix C.
Harry Key, Highland Creek,
.las. Keeler, Highland Creek.
Orson Keeler. Highland Creek.
Simon Kennedy, Agincourt.
Chas Ley, Highland Creek.
Alf. Lailey, HJLchland Creek.
Uy. Lanktret' Highland Creek.
Thos. Laskey, Highland Creek.
Sarah Dickson, Highland Creek.
Jas. Lawrie, INIalvern.
Chas. Mabley, Scarboro.
Saul Mighton, Scarboro.
Alex. Motfat, Scarboro.
Jas. Mitchell, Port Union.
Jus. Moon, Port Union.
L. Mordan, Stouffville.
Jno. Morrish, Highland Creek.
Jno. May, HighlaTul Creek.
Chas. Mcintosh, Highland Creek.
Arch. McAllister, Highland Creek.
Donald McLean, Scarboro.
Thos. McMahon, Scarboro.
Robt. McHenry, Scarboro.
Peter Nesbit, Dunbarton.
Jno. S. Palmer, Dunbarton.
Thos. Parker, Highland Creek.
Jno. Pearce, Highland Creek.
Jordan Post, jun., Highland Creek.
Richard Pearce, Highland Creek.
Hy. Lee Pallen, Port Union.
W. H. Paterson, Port Union.
Geo. Pearce, Rouge Hill.
Mary E. Richardson, Scarboro.
J. M. Read, Scarboro.
Wm. Rolph, Woburn.
J. S. Reason, Woburn.
Samuel Richardson, Scarboro.
James Richardson, Scarboro.
VVm. Richardson, Scarboro.
Ezekiel Richardson, Scarboro.
Hy. G. Rutledge, Toronto.
Chas. Robertson, Toronto.
Thos. Skelding, Highland Creek.
Gilbert Smith, Norway.
I). Secor.
W. B. Sanders.
W. Somerville.
Wm. Size, Unionville.
Thos. Stephenson, Highland Creek.
John Sterner, Highland Creek.
Eleanor Seeker, Dunbarton.
D. G. Stephenson, Highland Creek.
James Smith, Toronto.
Hy. iiloore, Toronto.
JosJiua Trijip, Highland Creek.
Wm. Tredway, Highland Creek.
Jos. Telfer, Scarboro.
Smith Thompson, Malvern.
Geo. Topper, Malvern.
Jas. C. Taylor, Malvern.
John Wright, Highland Creek.
John H. Wilson, Markham.
Thos. Walton.
Martin Willis, Malvern.
Wm. Westney, Highland Creek.
David Wallace, Highland Creek.
Eliz. Wallace, Highland Creek.
John Wilson, Highland Creek.
Edward Wheler, Stouifville.
Matthew Walton, Toronto.
Thos. Young, Highland Creek.
James Young, Highland Creek.
Adam Yule, Port Union.
IxNDEX.
ADAMS, James, 46.
Adams. Thomas (Uncle Tommy), 48,
135, 2tJ(J
Addison, Parson, 44.
Agincoiirt. 225.
Agricultural Society, First, 04.
Subscribers, 65.
First fair. 6H.
First fair, prizes, 66, 67.
Second fair, 67.
Secon 1 fair, prizes, 67, 68.
Third fair, iiS.
Fourth fair, 68.
Fifth fair, 68.
Fairs. 1850-1854, 69, 70.
Fairs, 1855-1857, 70-72
Fair, 1895, 72.
East Riding Association, 73.
Fartners" Institute. East York
73, 74.
Anchor, Large, lost, 52, 113.
Anni.s, Cliarles, 40.
Mail-carrier, 40.
Annis family. 40.
Annis, Rev.' J. VV. , 166.
Annis, Levi, 40.
Quarters for British soldiers, 41.
Armstrong. Francis, 58.
Ashbridge family, 49.
Ayrshire cjittle, 75.
BANDS. Brass, 219.
Mouth organ, 219.
Bark chair-bottoms, 105.
Bark ropes, 105.
Barn, First frame, 43.
Bear, Last, killed, 238.
Bears, 33.
Beer at ploughing-matches, 78.
Bees, Husking, 106.
Logging and raising, 96, 98, 106.
Paring. 106.
iBell, John, .59.
Bible Christian Methodists, 171
Bible Society, 176.
' " Billy. go-the- road," 69.
Billy's Point, 60.
i Birkbeck, Dr. (Jeo., 198.
Boarding round, 178.
; Boys, Pioneer, occupaticjus, 177
i Birthdays, Kings', 107.
Birthdays, Queen's, 107.
Black ash chair-bottoms, 105
Blacksmiths, 131.
"Blue-bell," The, 59.
Brebfeuf, 173.
Bridges, Old, 119.
Brick house, First, 263.
Brick-maker, Early, 1.33.
Bricks, jirice in 1796, 37.
Brock, (General, 228, 229.
Brooke's Bush <iaiig, 232.
Browns Corners, 59.
Bnnvn, D.ivid, 59.
Books, Pio leers', 108.
Brymner, Dr. Douglas, 28.
Buckwheat pancakes, 106
"Bung" Sleigh, 163.
Bunker Hill, 267.
Burial, Deep, 208.
Buzzer, The, 89.
CANADA Company, 27.
Cunadiu The, 135.
Canddijin Backwoodsman, 99.
Candles, 125.
Carding by hand, 102.
Carroll, Rev. Dr., 163, 165.
Centennial celebration prf)posal, 272.
Centennial proclamati(jn, 274.
Centennial programme, 278-280.
Chairs, Black-ash-bottomed, 105.
Chairs, Rush-bottomed, 105.
Checkers, 252.
296
Index.
Chewett's map, 117.
Chester, Isaac, 48.
Chester, Lieutenant Georgfe, 48.
Chishohn. Rev. .J., 15(>.
Christian Endeavor organization, 1(J9
Churches -
Bethel, or Sewell's, 168, 169.
Bible Christian. 171.
Catholic. Ixoinan, 173.
Centennial Methodist, 172, 173.
Christ. Hit).
Ebenezer, 169.
Free Methodist, 170.
Knox, !48, 152, 1.53.
Melville, 154-160.
St. Andrew's, 1.S6.
St. Andrews, Old, 138.
St. John's, 142.
St. Jude's, 161.
St. Margaret's, 114, 157-160.
St. Paul's, 161.
Stone, 172.
Zion, 145.
Clark family, 60.
Clergy Reserve land. 41.
X Closson, Stephen, 59. r.'.-, ■2.^,(%'iA''
Clydesdale horses, 75.
Coming changes. 91.
Cocking of old, 103.
Coonet fireplace, 103.
Coonet, Roger, 40.
Cordwood, 128.
Corn cakes. 106.
Cornell family, 44.
Cornell, William, 40.
Corson, Rev. Robert, 164.
Councils —
Chose reeves, 121.
District abolished, 121.
First meeting township. 120.
First iiieuibers, 120.
Councillors, 117.
Two for each township, 120.
Craig, Rev. R. N., 156.
Cricket, 251.
Crowell, Rfcv. Seth, 164.
Culp, Rev. David, 164.
Curling, 241.
First matches, 242.
Litst matchea, 244 246.
Heather Club. 247.
Maple Leaf Club, 248.
"The Duke," 242.
Scarboro Club, 244. ,
DAIRY, 90, 91.
Danforth, Asa, 112, 113.
Danforth post-ottice, 226.
Daniel, Father, 173.
Dark lot, The, 264.
Darling, Rev. VV. S., 160.
Darlington, 25.
Detroit, Surrender of, 228, 229.
Devenish, Wm., 43.
Dinner-horn, 100.
Dishes, Wooden, 127.
District, Home —
First council. 118.
Original limit.s, 118.
Roads appropriations, 119, 120.
Tovvnshij) representation, 118.
Doctors, Native, 205.
Bain, 210.
Baker, 210.
Clapp, 214.
Closson, J., 211.
Closson, L. D., 211.
Cruikshanks, G. R., 213.
Duncan, 213.
Graham, 208.
Hamilton. R. D., 132, 206.
Harvie, 210.
Hipkins, 209.
Hunter, 213.
Irving, Wm., 213.
Lajjsley, 210.
McDiarmid, Peter, 212.
Pollock, D. J., 211.
Richard.son, Joseph, 213.
Richardson, Samuel, 213.
-Richardson. S. R., 212.
Sisley, Opie, 214.
Winstanley, 209.
Dolway's Swale, 114.
Domestic life, 100.
Domini<m Day, 107.
Duke of York, The, 134.
Durham cattle, 75.
Durham, Lord, Municipal (iovem-
ment, 118.
Dutch oven, 10.3.
Dyes, Home-made, 102.
EAR, jvered, 208.
Ecores, Les Grandes, 25.
Electric possibilities, 91.
Elliot, Jas., .32, 33, 41.
Elliot Hotel, 114.
Engine, Threshing, 89.
Index.
297
Episcopalian churches, 160.
Epworth League, 173.
FANNINGMILL-MAKER, 133.
Farm, 64
Farmers' Association, East Riding,
73.
Farm-house, Modern, 110.
Farmers' Institute, East York, 73, 74.
Papers read, 73, 74.
Farm prizes. Rules for awarding, 92.
Farmer's table., 109.
Farmer's wife's work, 91.
Fiddlers, 107.
First brick house, 263.
First Council Home District, 118.
First frame barn, 43.
First grist and saw mill, 45.
First log- house, 32.
First library, 198.
First meeting township council, 120.
First members township council, 120.
First orchard, 45.
First Parliament, Up. Can. , 117, 272.
First post-ofSce, 224.
First school, 185.
First stove, 38.
First teacher, 185.
First teetotaler, 268,
Fish, 240.
Fish culture, 240.
Fish plentiful, 35.
Fish story, 35.
Flax first grown, 266.
Flax mill, 105.
Flax ropes, 105.
Fleming, Andrew, 60.
Fleming, Sandford, 10.
Fletcher, Rev. D. H, 150, 155.
Foglie, 43.
Mrs., killed, 43.
Foresters, I. O., 218.
Foot-ball, 252.
Forty-mile Creek, 45, 46.
Furnaces, Coal, 111.
Furnishings, Modern house, 109.
GATCHEL, Rev. Jos., 164.
Gates's Grove, 107.
Gates's Gully, 41.
Gates, Jonathan, 54.
Gates's Tavern, 54.
George, Rev. .Tas., 138, 139.
Glendinning, Mary, 30.
20
Glengan-y Highlanders, 272.
Goldie, John, 262.
Gourlay, Robert, 16, 195, 200.
Grammar Schools' grants, 27.
Grimsby, 46.
HARMON, Rev. Thos., 164.
Harness-makers, 133.
Harrington, Jos., 52.
Hay-forks, Horse-power, 90.
Heights —
Elevation, 14.
Formation, S-14. "'
Fossils, 12.
French name, 25.
Old Kingston Road, 114.
Strata, 15.
Helliwell family, 64.
Heron, Samuel, 37.
Heron, Andrew, 36.
Hidden money, 41.
High farming, 84.
Highland Giief, The, 49.
Highland Creek Village, 224.
Hind, Prof. H. Y., 10.
Hinde, G. J., 11.
Home District —
Board of Education, 195.
First Council 118.
Original limits, 118.
Roads appropriations, 119, 120.
Township representation, 118.
Horses, Rebels', 209.
Horsey, Samuel, 60.
Hough's Comers, 55.
Hough, John, 55.
House, early. Description of, 126.
Hull's, General, surrender, 228.
Humphrey, James, 58.
Hunt, Dr. Sterry, 12.
IMPLEMENTS, 88-91.
Buzzer, 89.
Cultivators, 90.
Gang-plows, 90.
Hussey reapers, 88, 89.
Improved ploughs and harrows,
88.
Modern lightness, 90.
Mowers, 89, 90.
No. 4 plough, 88.
Reapers, side delivery, 89.
Root-cutters, 90.
Sowing machines, 90.
298
Index.
Implements —
Self-rakers, 89.
Separators, 89. ' •
Steam thresher, 89,
Wild-goose harrow, 88.
Indians —
Algonkin, 19-24,
Huron-Iroquois, 19-21,
Mississauga camp, 23.
Relics, 23,
Indian woman and Mrs. Thomson,
34.
lonson, James, 57.
JACKSON family, 57.
Jackson, Rev. James, 164.
Jenkins, Rev. Wni., 137.
Jogues, 173.
Jones, Surveyor Augustus, 26, 27.
Jones, .James, 53.
KELVIN Grove Farm, 92.
Kennedy, James, 47.
Ketchum, Jesse, 46.
Kings' birthdays, 107.
King's birthday drill, 233.
Kingston Street, 113, 115.
Knowles, Anna, 47.
Soap, 47.
Knowles, William, 45.
Koonet fireplace, 103.
LADIES' Missionary Association,
144.
Laing, Rev. John, 149, 150, 155.
Lalemant, 173.
L'Amiroux Settlement, 2G6.
LaSalle, 173.
Lawn tennis, 260.
Lawyers, native, 206.
Lawyers —
Badgerow, G. W., 215.
Bain, John, 215,
Baird, J., 216.
Gibson, T. A., 214,
Hall, M, A., 215.
Leicester sheep, 75.
Letters —
Lieut. -Governor's, 281.
Minister of Education's, 282.
O. A. Howland's, 283.
Principal Grant's, 283.
Dr. Scadding's, 284.
Lewis, Rev. J. P., 166.
Lewis Lumber Company, 43.
Libraries, Public, 109, 197.
Scarboro Public Library, 198.
Books, Number of, 201.
Building, New, 202.
Building, Old, :01.
Circulation, 200.
Incorporated, 200.
M mbirs. First, 198.
Orticers, First, 198.
Highland Creek Pub. Library, 202.
Books, Number of, 204.
Incorporated, 203.
Officers, First, 203,
Lockwood, Rev, Jos., 164.
Log-house, First, 32.
Loyalists, U. E., 27.
Lynx, Last, shot, 271.
MACKLIN, Marshall, 60.
Magazine blown up, 231.
Magistrates, 270.
Malvern, 226.
Maps—
Chewett's, 117.
Smith's, 117.
Masts, 133.
Medicines, Old, 207.
Mennonites, 175.
Methodist churches, 162.
Military stores, conveyance, 113.
Militia at Queenston Heights, 230.
Militia forest march, 228, 229.
Militia officers in 1836, 233.
Mills-
Absence of, 100.
Chopping, 130.
Flax, 105.
Flour, 129, 131.
Primitive, 131.
Steam, 130.
Old corn, 100.
Saw, 129, 130.
Milk-
Production of, 95.
Annual revenue, 96.
Dairies, daily product, 95, 96.
Effect on farming, 96.
Supply, Toronto, 91.
Ministers, Native, 205.
Ministers —
Annis, Rev. J. W., 166.
Bain, Rev. James, 141.
Bangs, Rev. Dr., 164.
Index.
299
Ministers —
Beattie, Rev. J., 137.
Bell, Rev. C. R., 151>, 162.
Bell, Rev. W., 159, 160, 161, 162.
Brown, Rev. Jas. A., 152.
Burnfield, Rev. G., 151, 155.
Burt, Rev. F., 159, 161.
Carroll, Rev. Dr., 163, 165.
Chisholm, Rev. J., 156.
Corson, Rev. Robt., 164.
Craig, Rev. R. M., 156.
Crowell, Rev. Seth, 164.
Crowley, Rev. Father, 174.
Darling, Rev. W. S., 160.
Fletcher, Rev. D. H., 150.
Gallagher, Rev. C. F., 175.
Gatchel, Rev. Jos., 164.
George, Rev. Jas., 138, 139.
Jenkins, Rev. Wm., 137.
Laing, Rev. John, 149, 150, 155.
Lewis, Rev. J. P., 166.
Macdonald, Rev. D. B., 143, 273,
275, 276, 280.
McDonell, Bishop, 174.
McDowall, Rev. R., 137.
McGillivray, Rev. M., 142.
McKay, Rev, John, 152.
McKay, Rev. R. P., 152, 155, 156.
McMurray, Rev. Archd., 157.
Musson, Rev. E. H , 159, 162.
Norris, Rev. W. H., 159.
Owen, Rev. Henry, 159.
Prindle, Rev. Andrew. 164.
Proulx, Rev. Father, 174.
Reynolds, Rev. John, 164.
Ryerson, Rev. Egerton, 165.
Scadding, Rev. Dr., 158, 161,266.
Strachan, Bishop, 159, 195.
Tanner, Rev. Charles A., 143.
I Taylor, John, Mormon Pres., 176.
Walker, Rev. Thaddeus, 159.
Winstanley, Rev. Mr., KiO.
Wightman, Rev. Thos., 148, 155.
Missionary Society, Women's For-
eign, 145, 148, 153, 156.
Mission, Sulpician, 26.
Montgomery's Tavern affair, 208.
Morgan, George, 60.
Mormons, 268.
Mormon missionaries, 176.
" Mother of Scarboro," 33, 144.
Mowers, First, 89.
McCarthys clearing, 59.
Mackenzie, Wm. Lyon, 157, 195, 200.
Musical instruments. 111.
Municipal government —
Lord Durham's scheme, 118.
NAMES, Changes in, 265.
Napanee, 50.
Nash, William, (>0.
Nationalities of settlers, 63.
Newspapers, Early, 108, 198.
Colonial Adrootte, 109.
Courier, 109.
Montreal Witness, 109.
Mercitrij, 109.
Upper Canada Gazette, 109.
Norris, Rev. W. H., 159.
OIL Company, 16-18.
Directors, Appendix C.
Oil-well, Strata, 11.
Old fireplace, 104.
Old schools, 178.
" Old Sorrel," 47.
Old teachers, 178.
Old-time roasts, 103.
"Old Yellow House," 59.
Oliver, William, 59.
Oldest stone house, 46 .
'•■ Oldest brick house in Toronto, 48.
I Oven, Dutch, 103.
j Oven, Clay or brick, 104.
j PANCAKES, Buckwheat, 104, 106.
I Park, Victoria, 108.
I Parliament, First U. C, 117, 272.
' Paterson, Thomas, 56.
' Pelletier, Pierre le, 51.
Pens, Quill, 182.
Pens, Steel, 182.
Penetanguishene anchor, 52.
Petition to Sir P. Maitland, 231.
Pherrill, Stei)hen, 42.
Mrs., mail-carrier, 42.
Phlebotomy, 207.
Pickel, Sarah, 53.
I Pickering, 14.
! Pickering Wharf Co., 47.
Pilkey, Peter, 51.
I Pilkey Medal, 52, 270.
I Pine-knot lights, 125.
Pioneers' books, 108.
I Place names, 223,
I Ploughman's Association, East York,
I 87.
' Ploughmen, Prize, 76-88.
300
Index.
Ploughmen, Early, 81.
Ploughiiig-matclies, 75.
First, 7*5.
At Cornell's, 77.
At lot 28, concession 9, 77.
At Buchanan's, 77.
At Post's, 77.
Scarboio vs. Whitliy, 78, 79.
At Martin's, 78.
Scarboro rs. Vaughan, 79.
Lord Elgin at, 80.
Prizes, 81-88.
At Malcolm's, 81, 83.
At lonson's, 83.
At Bell's, 83.
At London, 85.
At Hamilton, 85.
At Brooklin, 85.
At Clark's, 85, 86.
At Eglinton, 87.
At Montreal. 87.
At Milliken's, 87.
At Lawrie's, 88.
Plough-makers, 132.
Plough-makers, Celebrated, 84, 85.
Ploughs, Old-fashioned, 88.
Pollock, Guy, 132, 208.
Port Hope, 45, 131.
Port Union, 14.
Post, Jordan, 58.
Post-office, First, 224.
Presbyterian churches, 136-160.
Priests, French missionary, 173.
Priests, Distinguished modern, 173.
Primitive mills, 131.
Prindle, Rev. Andrew, 164.
Privations, Pioneer, 34.
Prize farms, 92.
Pumping water, 90.
Pumps, 1.33.
QUEEN'S Birthdays, 107.
Quoiting, 250.
RAMSAY, Prof. A. C, 11.
Reapers, Hussey, 88, 89.
Self-rakers, 89.
Rebellion episode, 234.
Record, First township, 121.
Reeves chosen by Councils, 121.
Richardson family, 58.
Rivers —
Don, 14. 25, 129.
Humber, 25, 26.
Rivers —
Highland Creek, 14, 25,26,49, 128,
129.
Katabokokonk , 26.
Nen, 25.
Rouae, 14, 25, 42, 128, 129.
St. John, 25, 26.
Wilcott Creek, 129.
Roads —
Appropriations for,- 119, 120.
Danforth, 112, 119.
Fishery, 271
Kennedy, 116, 271.
Kingston, 113.
Markham, First. 116.
Markham Plank, 115, 120.
Old, closed, 119.
Old Ridge, 113, 116.
Plank, 1 19.
Root-cutters, 90.
Ropes, bark, 105.
Ropes, tlax, 105.
Rundle, Rev. W. W., 164.
Russell, James, (foot note) 147, 187.
ST. ANDREW'S Old Church, 138.
St. John's Church, 142.
St. Margaret's Church, 114.
St. Andrew's Church, 136.
Salmon trout, 35.
Saw-mills, 129.
Scadding's Mill, 42.
Scadding, Rev. Dr., 158, 161, 266.
Scarboro —
Canada Company in, 27.
Concessions in, 27.
Grammar Schools' grants in, 27.
Junction, 226.
King's College Grants in, 28.
Loyalists, U. E., in, 27.
Meaning of name, 26.
No Indian cession of, 28.
Pop. in 1802, 1803, 1820 and 1842,
267.
Soil and tillage in, 63.
Spelling of, 26.
VUlage, 224.
Schools —
Old, 178, 184.
Alexandra, 194.
Anti-ink-freezing device, (foot-
note) 184.
Blantyre, 194.
Boards, Minute books of, 196.
Index.
301
Schools —
Books, Old, 182, 18:^.
Case, Appleton, 195.
Collegiate, It)4.
Discipline, (Jld, 180.
Early municipal legislation, 119.
First, 186.
Fittings, Old, 179.
Free, 182.
Modern iui{-iovements, 184,
Punishments, 185.
Rate Bill, 181.
Sectarian Protestant, 196.
Sections, 185-193.
"Squaw Village," 147.
Teachers, Old, 178.
Scotland, Sons of, 218.
Scott, Duncan C, 28.
Secor family, 50.
Secor, Peter, tirst postmaster, 225.
Settlers' nationalities, 63.
Sheep, tirst flock, 102.
Ship-building, 134, 135.
Shoemakers, 132.
Shooting, 258.
Signal, enemy's approach, 230.
Simcoe, Governor, 25, 40, 272.
Sleighs, Old, 88.
Smith's map, 117.
Smuggling, 128.
Soap-making, 104.
Soap and the moon, 47.
Sowing machines, 90.
Spinners, Famous, 101.
Splint matches, 125.
Spnngs, Medicinal, 15.
Mineral, 15.
Other, 15, 16.
"Squaw Village," 269.
StaflFord, Mrs. Betsy, 38.
Stage coaches, 264.
Stage drivers, 264.
Staves and shingles, 133.
Stephenson, George, 154.
Stock-breeders, 75.
Stone, A.rtificial, 134.
Stores —
Blackburn's, 222.
Burton's, 222.
McBeth's, 222.
Mrs. Stafford's, 222.
Sheppard's, 222.
Tingle's, 222.
Stove, First cooking, 266.
Stoves, 103-104.
Strachan, Bishop, 159. 195.
Straw plaiting, 101, 266.
Sugar-bush, 105.
Sugaring frolics, 106.
Sugar making, 105.
Sulky rake, 90.
Sulpician Mission, 26.
TABLE, Farmer's, 109.
Tailors, 133.
Tanners, 133.
Taverns —
Annis's, 220.
Elliot's, 114, 221.
Gates's, 114, 220.
Thomson's, 38.
Mapes's, 120, 222.
"William Wallace," 114.
Malcolm's, 222.
Sisley's, 222.
Dowswell's, 222.
Bell's, 221.
Hockridge's, 221.
Moffat's, 221.
"Oil Yellow House," 59.
"Painted Post," 221.
Teachers, First, 185.
Tedder, 90.
Teetotaler, First, 268.
Temperance society. First, 217.
Temperance societies. Other, 217,
218.
The Mary Aim, 49.
Thomson, Andrew, 36.
Thomson, Archibald, 35.
Thomson, David, 28, 30, 35, 38, 228.
Thomson by-names, 36.
Thomson account book extracts, 36,
37.
Thomson, John, 32.
Thomson medal, 271.
Thomson tombstone, 39.
Thomson, J<-inet, first white child,
34.
Thomson, Mrs., "Mother of Scar-
boro," 33.
Thomson, Mrs., and Indian woman,
34.
Thomson selects his farm, 31.
Thoroughbred stock, 75.
Threshing machines, 89.
Timber, Square, 133.
Tinder boxes, 125.
302
Index.
Toll-gates, 114, 115.
" Toronto Purchase," 28. •
Township Council-
First meeting, 120.
Councillors* list, 122-125.
First members, 120.
First municipal record, 120.
Trees, kinds, 127.
U. E. LOYALISTS, 137, 272.
Upper Canada, First Parliament,117.
VICTORIA PARK, 108, 269.
Villages and Post-offices—
Official list, 227.
Benlomond, 227.
Elderslie, 227.
Violinists, 107.
Volunteer Company, 1861, 234.
Volunteer Company, 1865-6,235, 236,
WAGGON-MAKERS, 132.
Walton family, 55.
Walton's, Mrs., marketing, 56.
Washington, Stephen, 57.
Water supply, HI-
Weavers, 132.
Wheler, John Perryman,_36.
Woburn, 224.
Wolf story, 270.
Wolves, 33.
Women's occupations, 101.
Woodruff, Melinda, 58. "
Workman, Dr. Joseph, 212.
Workman's, Dr. Joseph, Report,'^27.
Workmen, A. O. U., 216. ^|^-«
"WuUy Draigles," 243.
YORK, Capture of, 230.
Young, Andrew, 15.