Notes:

Ira is the son of Elizabeth Read & Thomas Breuls.

Birth:
- or resided.

Ira married Julia Maria WILLSON. Julia (daughter of Rodney WILLSON and Angelina MCCARTY) was born in c 1858 in East Gwillimbury Twp., York Co., Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

. 1873 Mar 21. East Gwilliambury Council, Resolved that Bylaw No. Second Series be the same is hereby amended by erasing the name of Rodney Willson path master in road Division No. 4 on 5th Concession & inserting tho name of Albert Rogers; also thatthe name of Wm. Wiilson, be erased as path master for No. 3 Union Street & inserting of Joseph Purdy, & the seal of the Corporation be attached thereto. Carried.
Ref: Newmarket Era Newspaper.

RODNEY WILSON, lots 13 & 14, concession 3, was born on the farm where he now lives, being the son of John H., & grandson of Hugh D. Wilson, who came to Canada in 1812, & took up their residence in North Gwillimbury. His mother was Rebecca Barr, who died at the age of 72 years. Rodney lived for 12 years on concession 5, & took up his residence on the old homestead in the fall of 1882. He married in 1857 Adeline McCarty, daughter of R. McCarty, an early settler in this township, by whom he had one child, a daughter.
Ref: History of Toronto & York County, Ontario, C Blackett Robinson, Publish, 1885.

The Story of Sharon:
Predatory wild animals menaced settlement for years, marauding bears & wolves, lynx & wild cats & foxes scarred away poultry, they killed the sheep, they stole the pigs, they even attacked the cattle. Danger every where threatened both man & beast.
With The Wolves: At night the little stock had to be rounded up & given whatever protections available & event hay many times proved inadequate. On occasion the cow had been stabled in the cabin. Dr R W Bruels of Sharon tells that he well remembers listening to his grandfather, Rodney Willson, tell of the wolves howling about the village. Bears were a constant problem, in addition to stealing from the stock they entered the grain fields & bunching the heads of wheat in their paws they feasted at the expense of the farmer. Each of these losses was very serious. [published 1951.6.21]

Dr. Bruels further described early difficulties. His grandfather often had told him of going with his father John Willson, when each took a go of gain to Hogg's mill & had it ground into flour which they brougth back on horseback. He quotes his grandfather that in those earliest days at Sharon they placed their grain in the follow stump of a tree & pounded it to meal by a stone attached to a sapling. [published 1951.6.28]

Newmarket Era & Express Newspaper,. - - -

Died:
Lots 13-14, Con 3. North Gwillimbury.

Rodney married Angelina MCCARTY in 1857. Angelina (daughter of Ranselar MCCARTY) was born on 16 Apr 1837 in East Gwillimbury Twp., York Co., Ontario; died on 18 Apr 1911 in East Gwillimbury Twp., York Co., Ontario; was buried in Newmarket Cemetery. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Angelina is the daughter of Rensslleer McCarty.

Birth:
Alt Name: Adeline McCarthy.

Died:
Aged 60y and six days.

Notes:

Biography
John Hugh Willson, born 10 July 1791, died 29 Dec. 1863. He purchased his farm, “Spruce Dale” on Lot 13 & 14, Conc. 2, in 1815 with money he & his brother Richard made during the War of 1812. It had 15 acres cleared & a small house & barn.
He often told the story that during the initial settlement of the village he had been forced to grind his flour by placing it in a hollow stump & pounding it with a stone attached to a sapling. Richard worked the farm alone the first year, as John was hired to help build a schooner for the Hon. Peter Robinson at the mouth of the Nottawasaga River.
In 1821 John married Rebecca Burr, daughter of Reuben & Elizabeth Cleaver Burr, born 3 Aug. 1802 in Catawissa, Pa., died 5 March 1874. They were Quakers, & Rebecca was disowned for her marriage to a non-Friend 13 Dec. 1821. Her family had immigrated to Whitchurch twp. in 1805 (Lot 85, conc. 1). After a short stay near Richmond Hill, the Burr family had moved to Lot 17, Conc. 2 of E.G. in 1816. Rebecca’s sister Jane was married to Jeremiah Graham, another member of the Children of Peace. John was a member of the Children of Peace for only a short time; Rebecca never joined.
John & Richard worked for 2 years providing fresh beef for the naval establishment at Penetanguishene, but in 1823 split up the farm they had worked together. Although John had originally settled his farm with his brother Richard’s help, they were on opposite sides in the Rebellion of 1837. Richard wrote “I was then a Lieutenant & my brother John, a captain in East Gwillimbury. When I went to my brother’s ( John), to ask him to turn out he was not at home, but at Sharon. His wife said “He would not & should not go.” I then asked her for his arms, for we were in great want of them. She said “I know nothing about them.” I then went into another room to look for his rifle, which I could not see, but I saw his sword hanging by the head of his bed. This I took down & as I did so his wife, who had followed, caught hold of the hilt & jerked it partly out. To save myself from being stabbed I was obliged to pull her close to me & at the same time towards the door. I then wished myself clear of both her & the sword, but I dared not let go of her & seized the hilt of the sword giving her a heavy push, & walked off with it. But instead of following me she ran into the house & called for the rifle, the children following her. It was ridiculous to see one of her Britannic Majesty’s officers, with a sword in his hand, running from a woman, but run I did, & in a different way to what she had expected. I ran around the house when she looked for me in front, & before she saw me I got some 25 rods away. She, however, leveled the rifle at me, but did not fire. She told me afterwards her reason for not firing was that, as I was some distance away & in motion, & she greatly excited, she might not kill me, etc. She, however, went immediately for her husband who in short time came to my house not well pleased. I then demanded of him, in Her Majesty’s name, to either turn out in defense of the government or lend me his sword. He choose the latter & I still have the sword, as I bought him a new one some time after.” John was elected a Township Commissioner, councillor, in 1836-38, & again in 1850. John & Rebecca are both buried in the Sharon Burial Ground.
Richard Titus Willson, born 5 April 1793, died 18 April 1878; married Aug. 1814, Eleanor Emes, daughter of Calvin & Martha Drury Emes of Georgina Township. For further details see the notes for his brother John above. Richard served under Captains Selby & Traviss, both of East Gwillimbury, in the War of 1812, for which he was later granted a pension. He became a Mason in 1814, & at the time of his death was said to be the oldest Mason in the Dominion. He served as a magistrate for a number of years & was twice elected reeve of Holland Landing. His lengthy reminiscences were republished by the Newmarket Historical Society as one of their Occasional Papers (No. 1). He was a member of the Children of Peace for only a short time.
Ref: David Luny, 2014.

. 1851 Agricultural Census, East Gwillimbury Twp., York Co.
R T Willson, Con 3. Lot 13-14, 100 Acres; 60 A under cultivation; 36 A under crops in 1851; 12 A Under pasture 1851;
2 A Gardens or orchards; 40 A under wood or wild;
8 A yielded 215 bushels Wheat; 3 A yielded 70 bsh. Barley.
3 Bulls, oxen; 5 Steers; 1 Milch Cows; 2 Calves/heifers, 2horses of all ages, 11 sheep, 5 pigs;
100 Lbs. Butter; 0 Cheese, 6 Beef Barrels or Cwts, 15 Pork, Barrels or Cows; 0 Quantity of fish cured.
Note: shares property with Richard T Willson. - PJA

Monument White rectangular marble stone, 18” wide, 2 1/8” deep & approx. 37 3/4” high. Headed with an inscribed square enclosing a central monument with flanking willows. Name of deceased is arched:

JOHN H. WILLSON
died Dec. 29, 1863
Æ. 72 y’s, 5 mo. 19 d’

Inscription:
Here lies to all the world a friend,
While he did live to pray,
So did he live so was his end,
Untill his dying day.
His joys of life were in his home,
Nor did he seek abroad
He lived unto this world unknown
And placed his trust in God. - - -

Died:
72y 5m 19d = 10 Jul 1791. Lot 13 & 14. Con 2.

John married Rebecca Cleaver BURR on 13 Dec 1821 in Town of York (Toronto), Ontario. Rebecca was born on 3 Aug 1802 in Catawissa, Columbia Co., Pennsylvannia; died on 5 Mar 1874 in East Gwillimbury Twp., York Co., Ontario; was buried in Sharon Burial Grounds. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Rebecca is the daughter of Reuben & Elizabeth Cleaver Burr, born 3 Aug. 1802 in Catawissa, Pa., died 5 March 1874.

They were Quakers, & Rebecca was disowned 13 Dec. 1822 for her marriage outside of the Friends.

. 1882 2nd month 14th day. Rebecca Willson formerly Burr (having had a right of membership amongst friends) has so far deviated from the rules of the Society as to marry a man not a member thereof. And Friends having treated with her on the occasion, but she not appearing in a disposition to make satisfaction for her outgoing.
We therefore disown her, & consider her no longer a member of the Society until she comes to a sense of her deviation so as to make satisfaction to this Meeting.
Signed in & by order of Yonge Street Monthly Meeting, Watson & Priscilla Player, clerks.
Ref: Cdn. Friends Historical Association, 2018.

. Monument White willow trees & inc. a monument design on monument, Inscription:
In memory of Phebe, wife of David Willson who died Mar 5, 1874. Aged 84y 7m 2d. Sharon, E. Gwillimbury, York Co., Ontario. Monument Inscription:
My sudden death proclaim aloud
To you my dying friends, x God. - - -

Died:
Aged 71y 7m 2d. = 3 Aug 1802.

Buried:
Row 1. White monument with a pillar monument & willow trees.