| Notes |
- Charles son of Elizabeth Stockdale & Joh Doane, both of Buckshire Co. Penn.
. Biography, Village of Aurora
CHARLES DOAN, retired, was born November 6, 1808, at the settlement of the Society of Friends, on Yonge Street, Lot 94. His parents were from Bucks County, State of Pennsylvania, U. S., & settled in Canada in 1806, subsequently in 1817 settling in Sharon.
At the age of 18 our subject learned the trade of shoemaker, supplementary to the farming experience he acquired, & entered into business in partnership with his cousin Elias Doan, as merchant, & afterwards with Hugh D. Willson.
In 1850 he was appointed Postmaster of Aurora, to which place he had removed. Of the different events which have marked the course of Canadian History, Mr. Doan has an intimate knowledge. He is one of the few men now living who heard the sound of cannon which preceded ‘the capitulation of York during the War of 1812. At the time of the Mackenzie Rebellion he was imprisoned for five months. He was the first Reeve of Aurora, & is an earnest advocate of the temperance cause. He is also president & manager of the Aurora cemetery ground. Mr. Doan was twice married, his first union being with Miss Mary Willson of Sharon in 1831; she died on September 6, 1848. His second marriage was in 1850 to Miss Catharine E. Willson of Sugargrove, Pennsylvania. He had seven children by his first wife, 2 of whom are still living, viz : David Willson, born at Sharon, January 31, 1833; Charles Henry, born at Sharon, April 18, 1846. There is no issue to his second marriage.
. The Man Who Names Aurora, by Dick Illingworth
Charles Doan was the first postmaster for the area & the first Reeve of the newly incorporated Village of Aurora in 1863. As postmaster, he named Aurora in 1854 after the Greek Goddess of the Dawn & gave Aurora its Coat of Arms, bearing the motto Sol Meus Testis, or As The Sun Is My Witness.
Ref: The Man Who Names Aurora, Dick Illingworth.
. With Michell's Corners as the head of rail in 1853, the result of the arrival of the steam train Toronto of the Ontario, Huron & Simcoe Railway, Doan could sense the dawn of a new era as a business & trading centre worthy of the name Aurora. Tiny Michell's Corners was the centre of rebel country in 1837 when the fiery William Lyon Mackenzie marched down Yonge Street in his ill-fated attempt to seize York. It all started in the almost deserted village of Lloydtown, just west of Aurora.
Many local residents were sympathetic to the rebels. Charles participated in the march down Yonge Street & was arrested December 10, 1837 for his part in the rebellion. The marchers saw it as a peaceful mission, but others saw it differently. The militia was called out, the rebels arrested & Charles was thrown into jail. Samuel Lount, one of two men hanged for their part, was a highly respected citizen of Holland Landing. Charles was released from jail on May 10, 1838. While imprisoned, he carved two small boxes which are currently on exhibit at the Aurora Museum.
A very ambitious young man, he moved from Sharon to Micthell's Corners to become the postmaster of Whitchurch Township. He built Castle Doan at the corner of Yonge Street & Catherine Avenue - named after his wife - as the location of the post office. When the house was demolished to make way for the new Our Lady of Grace Church, only a few pieces, including the front door, were salvaged. The door is an exhibit at the Museum.
Doan built Doan Hall just north of the intersection of Wellington Street West & Yonge Street, where Doane Pharmacy is now located. He had a store at the corner which became the new postoffice. Doan Hall was demolished in 1963 despite efforts to save it. The Village of Aurora was incorporated in 1863 & Charles Doan became the first Reeve. He retired from his business in 1870 but continued as postmaster until 1882.
Charles died June 18, 1895 after being married twice, with 6 children & outliving all of them. The family bible that John gave Charles is now part of the Aurora Museum as a gift from the Doan family.
. OBITUARY:
One by one the old residents of this section [Aurora] are passing away, & the time will soon arrive when there will not be one left. Another one was added to the long list of departed last Tuesday evening in the person of Mr. Charles Doane whose death occurred somewhat suddenly. The old gentleman had been quite ill for the past two or three months, but was able to be out until about three weeks ago when he had a severe attack, since which time he has been confined to his bed.
The deceased gentleman was born on lot No. 94 Yonge Street, in what was known then as the Settlement of the Society of Friends, on Nov. 6, 1808. His parents were from Bucks Co, PA & settled in Canada in 1807, subsequently moving to Sharon in 1818.
At the age of 18 he learned the trade of shoemaking supplementary to the farming experience he had acquired, & entered into partnership with his cousin Mr. Elias Doane, as merchant & afterwards with Hugh D. Wilson.
About the year 1850 he removed to this place [Aurora] then called Michell's Corners, & was appointed postmaster, which position he held 32 years or until 1882.
At the time of his removal here Toronto was but an insignificant town containing but few wholesale houses. On account of this Mr. Doane was in the habit of visiting New York once a year to purchase goods for his store, in connection with the post office. He had an intimate knowledge of the different events which had marked Canadian history during the present century.
He was one of the few men who had heard the sound of cannon which proceeded the capitulation of York in 1812. [i.e. On Lake Ontario, over farm land & forest, 49 kilometers distant!]
He took an important part in the Rebellion of 1837 for which he spent five months in prison in Toronto. He was, for many years, an active participant in municipal affairs & when this place was incorporated as a village in 1863 he was elected its first Reeve which position he held also in 1867 & 1868. He was the promoter of the Aurora Cemetery Company, & since the incorporation of that company he has annually been elected its president. For many years he had been an earnest advocate of the temperance cause, & a trustee of the Methodist Church of which church he had been a consistent member for a number of years. The funeral took place on Thursday afternoon at the Aurora Cemetery. - - - [1]
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1808 - 1895 (86 years)