Family/Spouse: Agnes Mary PEDERSON. Agnes was born in 1906 in Strathcona, Alberta. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Astrid Elizabetj (Living) LAWRENCE

Notes:

James Huver LAWRENCE married Evelyn Crock, 5 Lawrence children.

. IOOF Insurance Policy 17875, dated 10 May 1901. 
Born 10 Sep 1867, resided at Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. - - -  

Birth:
Clairville (Brampton), Ontario (Alt DOB: 10 Sep 1867.)

Buried:
Medicine Hat, Plot: Section CE, Block 154B, Lot 1.

James married Margaret Evelyn CROCKER. Margaret was born on 1 Aug 1875 in Burlington, Nelson Twp., Halton Co., Ontario; died on 1 Jul 1962 in Medicine Hat, Alberta; was buried in Hillside Cemetery. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Margaret Evelyn is the daughter of Sarah E Wilson of Gainsborough Twp., Ontario, & Kevell Sherlock Crooker, wire worker.

Evelyn Crocker's 5 Lawrence children are:

Mary Elizabeth 1899; married Wm. Ross Young; 2 Young children;
Kathleen Evelyn 1901; m. James Grant Halpin, one Halpin child;
Bessie Ella, 1904; m. Reginald Alfred Clay; one Clay child;
Frank Huver, 1906 Medicine Hat, SK. - 1924;
& Adrian Isaac Lawrence,1908; m. Agnes Emily Pederson; one Lawrence child.

Buried:
Plot: Section CE, Block 154B, Lot 1..

Notes:

Two Lawrence brothers married two Kersey sisters:
John Rezeau Lawrence married Ann Kersey &
Isaac Huver Lawrence marred the younger sister Mary Kersey.

Farmed south half of father's farm at Claireville where he bred horses.

. 1883 Oct 25, West York & Vaughan Agricultural Societies: J R Lawrence, Durham heifer 1 yr old; Isaac Lawrence: Herd of Cattle, 1 male & 4 females.
Ref: York Herald newspaper.

Died one year before his wife died, leaving 7 of their children without parents. The youngest child, Mabel was only 2 when her mother died & Mabel herself was a frail children who died a 7 years of age.
The oldest son William was under 21 and the farm was sold leaving the children to scattered with whomever could give them a home,
notably their older sister, Margaret Lawrence - Burton
& by Uncle John Rezeau Lawrence.
Ref: Toronto Peel Directory 1866 Toronto Gore. N.D. Lawrence, Isaac H, Con 9, Lot 2. - - -

Birth:
Isaac Hoover. [Indefinate date of death is overwritten as either 19th or 29 Dec. 1885).

Died:
Age 49y 8m 16d, Clairville. Peritonitis, 3 days.

Buried:
Toronto Twp. Gore., with parents, wife, Dau. Mabel, son John P.

Isaac married Mary KERSEY on 13 Dec 1860 in Coleraine, Gore of Toronto Twp., Peel Co., Ontario. Mary (daughter of William KERSEY and Margaret BEATON) was born on 28 Jun 1843 in Coleraine, Gore of Toronto Twp., Peel Co., Ontario; died on 20 Apr 1871 in Gore of Toronto Twp., Peel Co., Ontario; was buried in Hilltop Gore Cemetery, Clairville, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Two Lawrence brothers married two Kersey sisters:
John Rezeau Lawrence married Ann Kersey &
Isaac Huver Lawrence marred the younger sister Mary Kersey. - - -

Birth:
Sister of Mrs. John R Lawrence, Annie Kersey.

Notes:

. Elisha Lawrence son to John & Mary Lawrence was born on Friday morning about 7 o'clock the 21 Day of Feb. 1800. - On 5 July 1825, at York, mother Mary Rezeau Lawrence swore she saw her husband, John Lawrence when he wrote down their children's names & birth dates.

Note: The names of those children were equally carefully chosen. The following choice assuredly contributed to their name choice:

. Elisha Lawrence, is a Lawrence heritage name. He was named 1. for his father's brother Elisha Lawrence & 2. for his great uncle, Lieut. Colonel Elisha Lawrence who raised the three battalions of the New Jersey Volunteers where his father John Lawrence first served as an Ensign. - P J Ahlberg, 2010.

. Elisha Lawrence came to Toronto Gore Twp. from New Brunswick in 1821.

. 1815-24 Lawrence, Elisha, UCLP. Summary, Road Building in Gore.
Your Petitioner will cut a Road half a chain wide between 9th & 10th Concession, Gore [Peel County]; from Lot 1 to Lot 17. Level all stumps 10 feet in width in the road to admit sleighs to travel without difficulty or interruption. To be completed by June 1st [1822]; in favour of Lot 2, Con 9, Gore. 400 Acres in total. Elisha Lawrence, Alexander McVean Petitioners further pray, new agreement with Alex. McVean Senior to join to cut the road a Chain in width & cutting small Stumps the width of 18 feet. In favour of 600 Acres of their choice in Gore [of Toronto Twp.]

. 1818, Survey Diaries indicated that the original timber stands within Toronto Gore township included oak, ash, maple, beech, elm, basswood, hemlock & pine. The survey crew working in the township in the summer of 1819 suffered under extreme conditions. One of the complaints noted by the surveyor was that of "musquetoes miserable thick."

. 1821 November 12, York. Quite a formable task, originally Elisha Lawrence petitioned to cut the road by himself & then revised his request to include John McVean & for Alex McVean:
From enormous trees Elisha & the McVeans cleared the wilds of the Gore Road from Clairville to Wildfield, now called Rexdale Blvd., Islington (Toronto) Ontario.
The Humber River's west branch meander & the Gore Road (*Old Malton Road * now Dixon Road) was to cut the north-south concessions road. In November 1833 the McVean Side road was built to give access to the Village of Weston's mills, also on the Humber River.
Elisha Lawrence made extensive hand written contracts for road building in favour of land grants. (including the following sample:)
. Statutes of the Province of Upper Canada: The First Year of William IV 1831, 11th UC Parliament:
Statute XVII. That the sum granted to the Home district, be appropriated & expended as follows, that is to say... & Elisha Lawrence, of the Gore of Toronto, be commissioners for expending the same.

. UCLPetition 9, T Bundle 16, C1836, p182
To Lt. Gov. John Colborne, In Council, Petition of Inhabitants of Gore of Toronto & part of Chinguacousy Twp.
The principle Mille site of the Gore of Toronto is on the Clergy Reserve about 12 miles of Gore. The inhabitants are delirious that a mill on said Lot should be built a grist mill capable making goods Merchaneable flour.
Signed, February 1830, John Mordill Sr., & 104 persons including Elisha Lawrence
Envelope: Lot 5, 8, Gore of Toronto, Containing 200 Acres is a Clergy Reserve. In Council, 6 Feb 1830. Recommended Commissioner John Beitinz (?) of Crown lands to ascertained whether there is a good Mill Site upon as stated.

. 1831 Home District, That the same of £1900, granted to the Home District, be appropriated & expended as follows:
- For the erection of a Bridge across the Humber R., on the road leading from York to Caledon, commonly called Campbell's Road, the sum of £100, & that David Jardine, Nathan Martin of Etobicoke, & Elisha Lawrence of the Gore of Toronto, be Commissioners for expending the same.
Ref: Statues of Her Majesty's Province of Upper Canada, 11th Provincial Parliament.

. 1837 City of Toronto & Home District Commercial Directory: Elisha Lawrence, Con 9, Lot 2, Gore of Toronto, Peel Co., Ontario.

. 1838 April 17, Upper Canada Sundries, Index C9824, Image 757 & Page106499-502
Special Session, Case of Treason. Petition for pardon & other papers in the case of J. C. Divins. 200+ signatures, including Elisha Lawrence, Wm & John, Wm. Munshaw, William Lyon McKenzie, Isaac, James, B. Devins, Polly Divins, Peter, Richard Vanderburg, Jonathan, John Langstaff, T. & Ed. Shepard. [Clearly J C Divins was well liked.].

. 1841 - Weston Plank Road: About the year 1841, the old corduroy road was changed into a modern Plank Road. The road was 18 miles long & ran through Weston to Thistletown, to Claireville, & finally to Coleraine. The building of the road took 2,250,000 feet of pine planking, which was purchased from the mills around West at $4.00 per thousand feet. [Cost = $9,000 for sold ancient pine for 18 miles of road! PJA]
The building of the Toronto Gore or Malton Road did much to help the mills at Weston, in the early days. At certain seasons of the year, the Toronto Gore road was a notorious mud road & farmers from the district, hauling their gain to the mill at Weston, with teams of oxen, were obliged to take 2 days to compete the trip.
Ref: History of Weston, by F D Cruckshank, MD, 1937.
Transcription by P J Ahlberg 2015. -.-

. 1846 Smith's Canadian Gazetter, Province of Canada West:
Toronto Gore Twp, Home District, a small wedge shaped twp., Humber river runs through it, good land, one grist mill, Population 1842, 1,145.

. 1847 Feb 19 - His Excellency the Gov. General makes the following nominations: Ninth Battalion, York: To be Captains: Charles E Lawrence; Lieutenants: Miles Langstaff, John Arnold, Peter Vanderburg Gentlemen; To be Quarter-Master: Elisha Lawrence, Gentlemen.

Quarterly Sessions of Peace, York County
. 1850 Jul 2, Tues., S B Harrison, Esq, chairman, Grand Jury, Elisha Lawrence, Peter Lawrence. Queen VS Nathan & Wm. Dennis, Nuisance.

. 1857 - Collapse of the wheat market (English Tariffs) lead to decline of farm land values.
. 1859 Dec 30 -
. 1861 Census, Peel Co.
Elisha Lawrence, Age 61, b 1800, NB, Episcopalian, Log house.

. Elisha stood 5 feet 9 inch tall. Elisha & wife Sarah cleared the thick woods & planted wheat on the cleared patches. Elisha carried a sack of grain on his back, north to Bolton & then from the Gore through the path in the woods to Richmond Hill, 15 miles distant.
His love of horses led him to introduce the first horses to the area In 1842 he build the first field & creek stone bank barn in the area with the help of neighbors & a barn-raising barn was built close to a hill allowing easy access to the top floor of a barn. Most barns of the time were only single story.
When he married in 1823 there were still plenty of packs of wolves to follow Elisha on his journey to the grist mill. 'Once he had a narrow escape from a pack of these fierce creatures, he was carrying meat in a sack on his back, & got to his cabin in time to start a fire, this being the most effective protection.' They made wool & flax clothing from their own land.

Brother Peter R. Lawrence attended Elisha's barn raising in 1842 & prevailed on them to dump the whiskey because it causes accidents at barn raising. This was the first barn bank in the Gore for many years. At the same time mother sow & piglets invited themselves to the barn raising banquet, but their squeals alerted the building bee of the impending disaster. In the Census of Gore Twp. in 1852 Peter's son, Peter Lawrence, Jr. lived on the adjacent frontside of the farm lot of Uncle Elisha Lawrence, (i.e. at Lot 9, Con 2, Elisha R Lawrence was on the adjacent adjoining backside of Lot 8, Con One.)

Reports of cases decided in the Court of Common Pleas of Upper Canada, Volume 3. By Edward C Jones., Upper Canada. Court of Common Pleas, 1883. Summary:
The by-law recites, that the inhabitants of Union School Section No. 5, in the Gore of Toronto, at a meeting held at the school-house on Saturday, the 18th January, 1851, determined to build a new school-house for that section, & to raise the funds to pay for the construction by assessment upon the rateable property in the Gore.: that Wm. Doubloon, Elisha Lawrence, & Wm. Heugell, trustees for the year 1851, did petition the Municipality of the Gore of Toronto to raise, by assessment 1001: & that the said council, on the 25th February, 1851, pass a by-law authorizing the raising of the said sum. ...It is therefore enacted by the Municipality of the Gore of Toronto, that the special rate of six-sevenths of a penny in the pound should be raised for the year 1852, property in the union school section No. 5 of the Gore of Toronto ...That it should be lawful for the said secretary-treasurer to retain for his own use 5%, on the gross sum collected under this by-law, for his trouble in assessing & collecting the same, & as such treasurer hold the balance thereof subject to the order of the trustees of school section No. 5 aforesaid, to be applied by them in liquidating the expense of building a new school house in the said section, & to no other purpose whatsoever.

Elisha Lawrence, Sarah wife of the above, & Mary their dau., wife of John Bailey: Gorgeous very tall red granite round pillar, is a slight till (2013).Gore Hill Top Cemetery is on Concession 9, lot 3 & 4 one mile north of Claireville on the Gore Road. It is on top of a high bank sloping up from the road & is immediately south of the present day Highway #7.

. 1863 Son John R Lawrence returns from American Civil War with an amputated leg at Spotsylvania.
. 1683 Elisha Lawrence transfers to sons John R. Lawrence & Isaac H Lawrence
Con 2 Lot 9 North, 35 Acres EACH as a gift.

. 1869 Jun 18th inst. Died at his residence, Gore of Toronto, Elisha Lawrence, Esq., aged 69 years; one of the first settlers in the township. Ref: York Herald newspaper.

. Recorded for further research: The Canadian Freeman Newspaper, Toronto: 24 July, 1834, Elisha Lawrence.

. Ontario Land Registry Abstract, Toronto Gore Book, P 8-10.
Lot 2, Con 9, North Dundas Street, Twp of Toronto Gore,
. 1868 Aug 28, WILL, Elisha Lawrence, R Lawrence et all N Half E 130 A & S of East 130 Acres.
. 1875 Jan 1, Mortgage, J R Lawrence et ux, et all, to C H Green $600 South part, discharged.
. 1877 Dec 20, Mort, Isaac H Lawrence, et, to Thomas Kersey, $800, S, 70 Acres., disc. 1929 Jun 18.
. 1887 Mar 15, Bargain&Sale, Margaret A Burton, et all, to John R Lawrence $480. S
. 1893 Jan 6, B&S, Margaret A Burton, et all, to John R Lawrence $4800. SHalf.
. 1904 Jan 2, B&S, Townley R Lawrence, to, JRL, $584, SHalf
. 1905 Aug 31, B&S, Charles J Lawrence to,
. 1920 May 29, Isaac J Lawrence, to Ann Lawrence, Part & O.L.
. 1926 Apr 1, Grant, Elisha W Lawrence, et all, Executors of Joh R Lawrence Estate. to Jos. Creech., $5, 000. Part acres.
. 1926 Apr 1, Grant, EWL et all Exts. of JRL Estate, to Albert Hewson. $4,000, Part.
. 1932 Jun 22, Grant, EWL et all Exts. of JRL Estate, to Isaac J Lawrence, $1. SHalf except W Acres.
. 1941 Jun 14, Mort. Isaac J Lawrence et al, to H R Lawrence Trust, $3,200. SHalf.
. 1943 Sep 30, Discharge Mort., Harold R Lawrence, to Isaac J Lawrence.
. 1943 Aug 17, Grant, Isaac J Lawrence, Widower, to Eugene & Loretta LeMay as joint Tenants. $1.

. 1869 Jun 18, Died, At his residence, Gore of Toronto, on the 18th inst., Elisha Lawrence, Esq., aged 69 years; one of the first settlers in the township.

Research & transcriptions by PJ Ahlberg. Thank you. - - -

Birth:
Born Queensbury Parish, York Co, NB.

Died:
Stone says 18 June 1689; Family history records his death of 25th June, 1869.

Buried:
Aged 69y 4m 28d, Brampton, Con 9, Gore Rd. a mile north of Claireville.

Elisha married Sarah DEVINS on 18 Dec 1823 in Toronto, York Co., Ontario. Sarah (daughter of Isaac DEVINS and Mary POLLY CHAPMAN) was born on 1 Sep 1799 in York Twp., York Co., Ontario; died on 8 Oct 1867 in Gore of Toronto Twp., Peel Co., Ontario; was buried in Hilltop Gore Cemetery, Clairville, Ontario. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

. 1823 Dec 18, Toronto Banns Proclaimed,
Elisha Lawrence married Sarah Devins.
Witnesses: Isaac Devins & Peter Lawrence.
Marriage #117 by Rev. William Jenkins, Richmond Hill.

HILLTOP GORE PIONEER CEMETERY was made unique; lacking common characteristics that typically served to distinguish a village.
In the place of a formal church stood a schoolhouse. With a removable altar, for use on Sundays, the school became an available and convenient resource to various religious denominations.
It was often referred to as "The Schoolhouse Burying Ground" and sometimes as the Anglican and Methodist Cemetery.

This Protestant school, built in 1835, was the first in Toronto Gore. It stood on top of the hill, on the northern edge of the cemetery. It was one room, about 30 square feet, built of hardwood logs lined with dressed lumber. At capacity, the schoolhouse held as many as 80 pupils.

. 1966, the cemetery was again set in order; the brush cleared, the ground leveled and the larger stones set on concrete foundations, and re-lettered. The monuments that were flat were built into a concrete cairn with a central monument
Research & transcriptions by PJ Ahlberg. Thank you. - - -

Birth:
Born near Humber River. Alt DOB 18 Sep 1799.

Died:
Clairville (Brampton), Ontario. Monument reads died O t 10, 1867.

Buried:
Aged 68y 1m 22d [17 Aug 1799.] Red pillar monument is off kilter.

Notes:

Married:
by Rev Wm. Jenkins, #117, Published Bands. Wit Isaac Devins, Peter Lawrence.

Notes:

The Kerseys, who had originally settled in the Gore but later moved to Vaughan, reappeared in the township when 2 of the Kersey boys married Elisha Lawrence's daughters in the 1870s.
Ref: Families & Land in Toronto Gore Twp., Peel Co. 1820-1890., Herbert J Mays, Oct 1979.

. 1878 Jan 3, Provincial Municipal Nominations: Toronto Gore, Reeve, William Kersey.
. 1880 Jan 2, Provincial Municipal Nominations: Toronto Gore, Reeves Wm Porter & William Kersey.
Ref: The Globe Newspaper, Toronto.

Ontario cultural Heritage Assessment Report, Hwy. 50 & Mayfield Rd. Environmental Assessment, Peel & York Region, Ontario, 2010 Feb.
. 1860, Con 10, Lot 22, William Kersey, Homestead
. 1860, Con 10, Lot 22, Thomas Kersey, Homestead, orchard
. 1859, Con 12, Lot 13, William Kersey, Historic Inn,
. 1877, Con 12, Lot 13, Estate of Wm. Kersey, Homestead, orchard, Coleraine Post Office
- - -

Died:
Lot 21, Con 9, Coleraine, Ontario. Indian Line, Hwy 50, York-Peel Co., Ontario

William married Margaret BEATON. Margaret (daughter of William BEATON and Catherine MCFEE) was born on 8 Nov 1809 in Kilfinichen Par. Mull, Scotland; died on 23 Apr 1899 in Woodbridge Twp., Middlesex Co., New Jersey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Margaret is the daughter of Catherine McFee and Wm. Beaton.

Margaret's children: Thomas born 1836, Catherine 1838, William 1840, Mary, 1843, Ann, 1845, Margaret 1851 and Jonathon Kersey 1854.

. Obituary of son:
1922 Sep 6, Woodbridge, Jonathan Kersey, a veteran Vaughan Twp. farmer, died last night from injuries he receive serval days ago when he was kicked by a cow in the stable. In an attempt to save his life an operation was performed on Saturday, Mr. Kersey was born in Coleraine & his father, Wm. Kersey, was one of the first settlers of Toronto Gore, He was an Anglican in religion & a conservative in politics. Besides his wife, he is survive by 4 sons
Edward & Wm of Coleraine, Thomas & William at home; 2 daughters, Miss Annie & Miss May at home;
a brother Thomas of Weston & 2 sisters, Mrs. Margaret Burton, Brampton & Mrs. J R Lawrence, Coleraine.
Ref: The Globe Newspaper, Toronto.

. Obituary Mrs. Wm. Kersey
1925 Oct 5 - Brampton, The death occurred in Castlemore, near her on Friday, Mrs. Wm. Kersey, a resident of Toronto Gore Twp. for theist 54 years.
the late Mrs. Kersey, whose maiden name was miss Agnes Laurie, was a daughter of the late John Laurie of Woodbridge 7 was in her 78th year. She was an Anglican & a member of the St. John's church, Castlemore. Mrs. Kersey was predeceased 14 years ago by her husband & is survived by 4 sons,
Wm. & John of Toronto Gore;
Thomas of Vaughan Twp. York,
& Robert of Vancouver;
2 daughters, Mrs. Wm. Taylor of Toronto & Mrs. Adam Agar of Nashville; and
2 sisters Mrs. Robert Kellam of Vaughan Twp. and Mrs. John Nattress of Woodbridge.
Ref: The Globe Newspaper, Toronto. - - -

Died:
Died in her new home, Lot 2, William St., Woodbridge, aged 91, Bronchitis, 2 weeks.