| Notes |
- . Ontario Birth Registration #14358-71 (York Co.)
WILLSON, David Tomlinson, male, b. 7 Mar. 1871,
father - Richard Titus WILLSON, farmer; mother - Mary Jane TOMLINSON, infm. - R.T. Willson, North Gwillimbury Twp.
. 1804 Mar 15 - Letters uncalled for at York P.O. Richard Wilson.
. 1812 his father embarked for Quebec to engage in lumbering on the Trent. Their raft being wrecked near Kingston. Refitting in the Cataract Creek. War being declared [1812]. Two frigates brought there raft into Kingston. During the war he was stationed at Presque Isle Point & other places. He was placed in charge of 2 supply boats from York to Lake Simcoe & transparent provisions for the troops at the Sault St. Marie.
. 1813 Nov. he was hired by the Hon. Duncan Cameron, to manage the transporting of 2 boats up Yonge Street for trans-shipping supplies of flour & clothing to Ft. Michilmackinac, Michigan. The supplies were taken from Barrie by horses, to the head of Ft. Willow Creek, (E. Nottawasaga River. The 20 or so horses that carried the flour were taken from near Aurora to Barrie employing a Snake Island Indian guide. The frost set in & the supplies had to remain there until the next Spring.
. In the winter of 1814 he assisted Capt. Dennis, grandfather of Lieut. Col. J S Dennis, went over to Ft. Willow Creek & built lumber boats of the Lake service. In the Spring he was required at York to perform military duty. Peace was declared 1 Apr 1816.
His father-in-law, Mr. Emes, a son, a married daughter & her husband & an Indian were drowned crossing from Holland River to Roach's Point. After Peace, he returned to farming.
WAR of 1812 MUSTER
. 1814 May 15, York Muster Day: Priv. Richd. Wilson of Capt. Dennison Company who were captured at York on the 27th April, 1814. Signed, Lt Col. W. Chewett, 3 Yk. Militia, 1814.5.15.
. 1814 Mar 27 - Apr 16, Titus Willson, Days 21 pd. 1s 8p. discharged 16 Apr. Substitute for S Clark. Capt. Jeremiah Travis, 1st York Militia.
. 1814 Jan 25 - Jan 30, Titus Willson, Days 31, pd. £2 1s 4p. also, Garret Vanzantee Days 21, pd, 19s 5p, Public Service at York, 1 York Militia commanded by Capt. Reuben Richardson.
. 1814 - Mr. Willson became a member of the Order of Free & Accepted masons & continued to the day of his death & is supposed to have been the oldest member in the Dominion. Several loges from the neighbouring villages assembled in regalia to honor him. After this service his remains were taken to St. Paul's church where Rev Dean Givens performed the funeral Church of England Service. A large concourse of sorrowing fiends & relatives followed him to the burial place of his family, bar Sharon, East Gwillimbury.
Mr Wilson's family consisted of 12 children, 7 of whom survived him;
he left 61 (?) grandchildren, 78 great-grandchildren - 158 in all.
Ref: Newmarket Era Newspaper, Ontario, quarter page long.
. UCLPetition 215, W Bundle 12, C2954, p643.
To Samuel Smith, Esq., Administrator of Gov. of Province of Upper Canada, In Council,
Petition of Richard Titus Willson, East Gwillimbury Twp., Yeoman. Petitioner is a native of New York State, age 26 years [1894] resided in this Province upwards of 21 years [1799]; has a wife & 4 children. He has never received & Crown Land, & has means to improve lands, humbly pays for a land grant.
Signed, Richard Titus Willson, York, 10 June, 1820.
Envelope: Granted 12 Jun 1820, 100 Acres.
Note: The petitions of brothers John & Richard Willson are 2 weeks apart & both appear to be in handwriting of Richard Titus Willson.
. UCLPetition 11, W Bundle 4, C2963, p285
To James Earl of Elgin & Kincardine, Captain Gen. & Gov in Chief, Canada. Petition Richard Titus Wilson, East Gwillimbury Twp., York Co. Yeoman & Alfred Wilson, Innisfill Twp., Simcoe Co. Petitions lived nearly the whole of their lives upwards of 47 years in this part of the Province & having seen the rapid growth & advancement in agricultural in this section of the Province, especially West Gwillimbury, Tecumseh & adjoining Townships, & having from time to time for years past seen the difficulties & privations under which the inhabitants of this section labour for the want of sufficient water power, upon which to erect mills for the purposes of grinding grains & converting it into flour, for exportation. Have continued to enrich a standard & merchant mill for which undertaking, the Petitions team themselves full able & competent & with a view to that object have been making inquiry for the situation of the most suitable location upon which end such mill & fixed upon the front part Lot 110, on Yonge Street, Con 3, East Gwillimbury as the most eligible site for the erection of such mill. With a view of obtaining the said Lot 110, application to Mr. John Alexander, District Land Agent, Barrie. Petitions were unable to learn anything definite fro him, in regard to said Lot of land.
Wherefore your Petitioners pray your Excellency in Council, will well said Lot at such a valuation deem reasonable.
Signed, 1847 March 2, Holland Landing, R.T. Willson* & Alfred Willson
Note: Signature of Richard T Willson is precise but more brittle than the fluid signature of 1820. - PJA
Envelope: Lot 110, 1st Con Yonge Street is a Clergy Glebe, that might be sold at its estimated value. Signed, D B Papineau, 19 Mar 1847.
. 1831 York Almanac & Calendar, 2nd North York Militia: Captain, John H Willson from 10 Jun 1826. Lieut. Titus Wilson, from 7 Jun 1926, Aaron Playter from Jun 6, 1826.
. 1832, CHOLERA made its appearance in Canada. Death columns in newspapers became longer each day. The disease spread out on immigrant ships sailing from England & Ireland & also along the St. Lawrence. In a manuscript written by Titus Willson of Sharon, he relates that while working in the Coldwater district, cholera broke out among the large number of immigrants camped at Bass Lake waiting for their shanties to be built by the Government & a great many of them died. He tells that he himself contracted the disease & was carried on a litter to Orillia where he lay for 2 weeks. He was then taken in a bark canoe across Lake Simcoe to Holland Landing.
Ref: East Gwillimbury in the Nineteenth Century, Gladys M Rolling, 1978 Ref: East Gwillimbury in the Nineteenth Century, Gladys M Rolling, 1978. & New market Era Newspaper, 1951.7.5, p9.
. 1833 the Government contracted Mr. Willson to cut roads & a toll house. That year was noted for a dreadful visitation of Cholera. This scourge followed the emigrates. Mr. Willson toiled it & narrowed cost his life. For several years he was occupied in settling & improving the roads & life of settlers.
On the out breaking of the Rebellion in 1837, Mr. Willson's loyalty induce him to stand up for the philosophies of his ancestors. With his 3 sons, he joined the company raised by Col. Colter. At Toronto the Lieut. Governor commended officers with "This is Titus Willson, & a more loyal man does not live". He was elected as Reeve of East Gwillimbury on two occasions & several times as Reeve of Holland Landing.
For several years previous to his death, Mr. Willson's sight failed him. His tedious confinement was alleviated by the attentions of his late & affectionate family to whom he was warmly attached. He calmly contemplated death approach & prepared for it. Surround by members of the Temperance Society & himself always a intemperate man, he said he could not join them in their whole rule condemnation of pique, thought he was willing to abstain? how great a coarse it was then abutted.
Many years ago, when public duties obliged him to travel from Penetanguishene to where Barrie now stands, it was almost an unbroken wilderness, & he had to travel on foot throughout deep snow, in very severe weather. When several miles from a place of shelter he found his strength falling him & his feet so cold that he feared they would freeze. He had with him what travelers usually carried in these days, a small wooden keg called canine, containing spirits. Fearing if he drank the contents, it might injury him, contented the idea of pour some in this boots as an experiment, & to his delight he found it at once warmed his feet & so refreshed his whole system that he was enabled to reach a place of shelter. Perhaps the most rigid tee-totaler could not object to this mode of using.
. 1836 Mar 9, York Committee Room, Petition of E Kennedy. Witness: Titus Wilson examined. Lives in East Gwillimbury - saw the German settlers on the Sunday road in 1834, about 15 or 20 of them moving towards Nattwasauga, they were in a forlorn & destitute situation, no guide, no mode of conveyance, carrying the packs & wall children in a foot of snow. No means of making fire. Directed them to a shanty 2 miles away. Titus went to the Crows tavern to ask Mr. Kennedy to carry them provisions in the morning which they devoured in 3 minutes.
. George McCarthy, deposition: Corroborates the former evidence as to the distress of the German families. He gave them 2s 3p. - they bough a bushel of potatoes & divided them - was when Titus Wilson offered Settlers Agent Mr. Young, some pork & flour at a much less price than it would cost from Barrie & which he first agreed to take & afterwards refused - came down with Wilson when he presented the draft on Hawke for the road work done by him & which Hawke refused to pay. Wilson was put to considerable trouble & expense.
. 1835 Nov 12, Tora Township. We have carefully examined the work contracted for to be done in Thora, Eldon Twp. by Richard Titus Wilson with Wellesley Ritchie, Esq. on the part of the government Viz.
A road cut & leveled about 16 feet she's as to admit of the passage of sleighs & Waggons, from the Talbot River, Thora two, to Balsam Lake, the causewaying laid on string pieces, the high causewaying with abutments & string pieces as slo the bridges over the creeks & vines, & the House at Talbot R. & one at Balsam Lake, all of which we have found to be performed in a workmanlike manner & in strict conformity to instructions. Some additional causeway is necessary! having discovered several mud holes, that required to be finished off on the line of road. The above work has been done at the lowest possible rate & none of us would take the contract at so low a price.
Ref: Journal of the House of Assembly of Upper Canada, Second Session of the Twelfth Provincial Parliament, 1836, publisher William Lyon MacKenzie, Toronto.
. 1837 Toronto & Home District Directory :
Richard T Willson, Lot 13, Con 3, East Gwillimbury, York Co, Ontario.
. 1838 Jan, - Toronto Recognizance of Wm. Miller & Richard Titus Willson against Aaron Friel & Wm. Laughton, JP.
Home District, You William Miller acknowledge to each, the sum of £50 & you Richard Titus Willson acknowledge the sum of £50 to be levied of your goods & chattels, lands & tenements for the use of the Crown if default shall be made in the condition following, that is to say, if you Wm. Miller & you Richard Titus Willson appear before any of her Majesties courts of general goal delivery to give evidence when so requested to do so against Aaron Friel now forwarded as prisoner to Toronto charged with sedition & treasonable practices, then this obligation shall be void. Signed, W. Laughton, J.P.
Ref: UCSundries, Index C9824, Image 596; C /p102560-1.
. 1838 May 26 Upper Canada Sundries: C-9824, page 702, P702 index & C6898, Images 105375-82, p142:
Petition of William Reid for pardon. Petitioner is now a prisoner of Home District Goal (Toronto) changed with hit treason committed in this Province & a Bill of Insurrection (?) has been found. Your Petitioner is deeply sensible of the heinous office which he has committed against the laws of the country & desirous of remitting the only repression now in his power by avowal hoped that his case for Royal Clemency. Please take in to consideration he is an aged father, with a wife & 2 children wholly dependent upon him for support. He was deluded & mislead with false representations to take a part in the recent rebellion. That after your Petitioner was fully aware of the vile intention of McKenzie & his party, he tried to escape but was prevented. He did his utmost exertion to liberate those who were detained by Mckenzie as prisoners & actually did release the sad prisoners. He did finally escape from said McKenzie on Wednesday the day before the Battle on Yonge Street.
Signed, William Reid, Jr, 26 March 1838.
Read 21 May 1838. Entered into Bail for 3 years.
. List of Witnesses & places of abode & additions who are to be produced & examined however against Wm. Read the younger for High Treason, 20 signatures, inc. Richard Titus Wilson of Twp. of East Gwilliambury, Home District, yeoman, Robt. Baldwin, Alex. Wood, John G Spragge, David Bridgford, Jacob Snyder, Jacob Lundy.
. 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; 3 Steers; 5 Milch Cows; 6 Calves/heifers, 6 horses of all ages, 14 sheep, 10 pigs;
300 Lbs. Butter; 0 Cheese, 0 Beef Barrels or Cwts, 16 Pork, Barrels or Cows; 0 Quantity of fish cured.
Remarks for E Gwillimbury: The soil in this land is generally clay, with a mixture of sand & limestone gravel in some parts. Generally very productive when properly managed. Midling well natured by springs. There is one heavy stream crosses the west end of the corner. I should think the land on an average is worth about £8 an acre.
Letters remaining in Richmond Hill Post Office:
. 1858 May 7, R Wilson.
. 1858 Jun 1st - Richard Wilson.
. 1858 Dec 10 - Richard Wilson, M Teefy, Postmaster.
Ref: British Tribune & York Ridings' Gazette Newspaper. Richmond Hill, ON. Published 1858 Jun 25, Friday.
. 1860 Apr 1 & 1861 May 1, R. Wilson.
. 1860 July 2 - Richard Wilson.
Ref: York Herald (Richmond Hill, ON), 13 Jul 1860, p. 3.
. Richard Titus Willson, wrote "Reminiscences of Richard Titus Willson" Published by the Newmarket Historical Society. As I recall, the handwritten copy may be found at the Richmond Hill Public Library, on Yonge Street.
Ontario Land Registry Abstract East Gwillimbury, Book 7, p153
Lot 15, Con 2, [Bayview Ave.] East Gwillimbury
. 1835 Feb 26, Bargain&Sale, Jeremiah Graham, to Richard T Willson, £150, 1 East Acre.
. 1853 May 9, B&S, Richard T Willson, to Emily Wood et all, £300, 1 Acre.
. 1858 Feb 20, Ward 1 Expenditure paid R Wilson for work on townline, Markham & York, £7.10s.
Ref: York Heard Newspaper, published 1859 May 20.
. 1859 Mar 18 - Magistrate for East Gwillimbury Twp., R. T. Willson, J. H. Willson.
Ref: York Commonwealth Newspaper.
. 1860 May 23, Wed. - Richmond Hill Fair - Entire Colts for General Purposes dropped in 1857, 3rd prize, Richard Willson.
Ref: York Herald Newspaper, Richmond Hill, published 1.6.1860.
. 1861 Agricultural Census, Markham,Twp. p 9540
Richard Willson, Front of Con 1, Part of Lot 57 & 52
Acres 54 [?}, Total held 100, Under Cultivation 40A, Uncer Crops in 1860 30;
Pasture 1860 10A, Orchards or Garden 1A; Woods or Wild 52A, Cashvalue of Farm $600, Implements & Machinery, $175;
Fall What 7 A Produced 230 Bu., Spring Wheat 6 A Produced 125Bu,
Peas 5 A Produced 150 bu; Oats 4 A Produced 160 Bu.,
Potatoes 2 A Produced 240 bu; Turnips 1.5 A Produced 170; Carrots 147 bushels, Hay 5 bundles of Tons.
Quarter Sessions of Peace.
. 1861 Mar 19, Special General Sessions, JP Weeler, Esq, Chairman. 92 present, including, Abner Arnold, R L Dennison, R T Willson, R E Playter, W Marsh, Rev W Strachan, John Wilson, 4th. Carried York & Peel Co., should separate from city of Toronto for judicial purposes. Sent to Legislature.
. 1878 Apr 26 - OBITUARY,
The Late Richard Titus Willson, Esq. (Slightly abbreviated version.)
Willson's memoranda his family was of Norman descent, come to England with William the Conquer, & settled in Northumberland. The family engaged in the linen trade till 1776, when his father Hugh William, emigrated to Poughkeepsie on the Hudson River, NY, then a British Colony.
"We came by sloop to Albany, thence by wagon to Schenectady. We there bought a boat. In this we passed up the Mohawk River as far as where Rome now stands & thence by military call & wood & we passed into Oneida Lake & down the river to Oswego - thence across the foot of Lake Ontario to Kingston" We emigrated in the wet month of April & found it extremely long & tedious.
We first settled on Wolf Island, opposite Kingston where we underwent severe trail. Then in 1810 proceed to East Gwillimbury where my family have since resided."
. Research & transcription by P J Ahlberg, 2014. Thank you. - - - [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
|
1793 - 1878 (85 years)