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- . Garrat Robert Vanzant was born in Whitchurch Township; educated in Stouffville; was first employed on a farm at Uxbridge in 1853 & afterwards went to the USA. In 1860 he removed to Toronto here he stayed 2 years, subsequently conducing a hardware business in Stouffville, but sold this business in 189x;
. 1866 Uxbridge Twp., Ontario Co., [now Durham Co.]
Vanzant, A., Con 5, Lot 9 Freehold
Vanzant, Elijah, Con 1, Lot 9 Freehold
Vanzant, G, Con 2, Lot 1 freehold
Vanzant, Hy, Lot 4, Con 1 freehold
Vanzant, John, Lot 1, Lot 14 freehold
Vanzant, Josiah, Con 2, Lot 9 Freehold.
Ref: Mitchell Gazette & Directory.
. 1869 he moved to Markham Village & had a hardware business there until 1900. He is also the owner of 10 acres of land & the residence built by the Honourable D Ressor in 1874; active in municipal matters; 5 years as reeve of Markham Village; an ex-officio member of the County Council of York County; school trustee for many years; member of the municipal council of Markham for 11 years. In 1900 he was appointed governor of the Toronto Gaol. Among other important offices which he holds are Master of Lodge No 87 AF & AM, G.R. Canada, President of the Speight Manufacturing Co., & president of the Reform Association.
. Village of Markham. G. R. Vanzant is descended from a family of U.E. Loyalists, his grandfather, Garrett Vanzant, having emigrated from NY State, & settled in Con. 10, Markham. He is one of a family of 7 children. His father's name was William. He was first employed on a farm in Uxbridge in 1853, & afterwards went to the US.
In 1860 he removed to where he stayed 2 years, subsequently conducting a general hardware business in the Village of Stouffville. He sold out there in 1869 & located on his present premises in Markham where he carried on a successful business.
He is also the owner of 10 Acres of land & the residence built by the Hon. D. Reesor in 1874. He at present holds the position of Reeve, & has been Councillor & School Trustee. Among other important offices which he holds are aster of Lodge No. 87, A. F. & A. M., G. R. Canada; President of the Speight Manufacturing Company, & President of the Reform Association. In 1861 he married Miss Catharine Nadier, by whom he has 5 children, Eva I., Victor Edward, William Clifford, Frank Nicholas, & Clarence N.
Ref: History of Toronto & County of York, Ontario, 1885, Vol. 2.
. Garret ventured into business as a hardware merchant in Stouffville in 1864 but later re-established himself in Markham. He gained considerable experience in politics, serving as a member of the municipal council of Markham & then as its Reeve in 1883, 1884, 1888 & 1890.
. 1873 Oct 6 - Markham Fair: Best sample of tinware: G. Vanzant, prize $1;
Best Parlour stove, First & 2nd prize, G R Vanzant, $3.
Ref: Globe newspaper, Toronto.
. 1879 - G R Vanzant Bill of Sale, hardware, Christian Reesor, Minister, bishop Old Order Mennonite Church.
. 1883 - 1884 & again 1888, 1890 - Reeve of Markham, a hardware merchant.
. 1882 Lovell Province of Ontario Directory: Vanzant, G R, Markham, Hardware merchant.
. 1885 May 5 - Markham Libel Suit. Hugh McMahon QC, made a motion before Chief Justice Wilson yesterday for leave to present an indictment to the Grand Jury against Edwin C Hall of Markham, who is charged by Garret Robert Vanzant, a hardware merchant of the same place, with libeling him in a communication to The Markham Sun, a Conservative paper, printed in march, in which Hall stated that he believed Vanzant had insulted & acted indecently towards ladies in is place of business & elsewhere.
An investigation was held on Wed. 20 April House, but Hall was acquitted, & Vanzant alleges, owing to the fact that Hall induced justices of the peace who are not invited, to sit at the hearing & decide in his favor. Mr. McMahan presented an affidavit made by Wm Craelaman's office to the effect that some of the magistrate who were present at the investigation were not invited & that the case was decided purely on grounds of political partisanship & not on its merits. The order was granted.
Ref: Globe Newspaper, Toronto.
. 1889 Jan 25 - Curling March - 2 rinks of our village Curling Club went to Markham to play a matching in the primary competition for the Ontario Tankard. Score: Rink 1, Stouffville, GR Vanzant.
. 1891 Feb 27 - Mr GR Vanzant has commenced quo warranty proceedings angst Reve Hall of Markham Village. The writ charges Hall with personal bribery at the the election of Jan 5 last & also bribery by agents & also contends that several parties named, noted at the said election who are not qualified elects at the time of the election the case will be heard about the middle of March.
Ref: Stouffville Tribune newspaper.
. 1793 Apr 12 - Ontario Curling association: Semi annual meeting held at the Waker house, Orillia. In regard to a circular which had been issued over the signature of Robt Malcolm, of the Moss Park rink, the committee reported that they had personally examined the accounts and found the statements made to tall untrue, fake & malicious & recommended that Mr Malcolm be called on to prove his statement or withdraw from the association. G R Vanzant, Markham & JMcCrack,Toronto, was appointed to investigate the matter.
Ref: Montreal Gazette newspaper, pub. 1893.4.12.
. 1893 Oct 19 - Vanzant Vs Village of Markham - Judgement on appeal by the plaintiff from the taxation of his costs by Mr. Thom, one of the taxing officers, the question raised being as to the apportionment of costs. The judgment in the action, provided that the defendants should pay the plaintiff her costs of this action, in so far as the same related to the quaking of a certain bylaw & to the obtaining of an injunction & counsel agreeing that the other matters referred to in the pleadings were proper questions to be settled by arbitration, the judgment provided that there should be no order as to the costs in respect of such matters. The taxing officer taxed to the plaintiff one half of the general costs of the action & also costs exclusively relating to the part of the action in which she succeeded. The plaintiff contended that she hold have been allowed her whole general costs, educating such items as were not applicable to the claims as to the bylaw & injunction. The chancellor holds that the action was roughly speaking divisible into 2 parts & that the master?
. 1894 Jan 4 - Elections in Stouffville passed off quietly as usual pugilistic encounters among our citizens seem to be a ran avis?, but we cannot say so much for some of our sister towns & villages, if reports be sure. It is said that GR Vanzant of Markham, on election day allowed his better judgement to be carried away & struck Henry Marr a violent bow in the face with his fists.
Ref: Stouffville Tribune newspaper.
. 1897 Sep 3 - Held at Markham Town Hall yesterday. Exposes opposition tactics & appeals for a united Liberal support, will hold Ontario. At a miss meeting of the Liberals of East York, held at Markham Town Hall yesterday, Mr. John Richardson. M.PP., was again nominated as the Liberal standard-bearer in the coming elections for the Ontario Legislature. The meeting was one of the best that has ever. Present, Markham Village, G R Vanzant.
Ref: Globe & Mail Newspaper, Toronto.
. One of the interesting ironies of this study is that he was appointed Governor of the Toronto Gaol in 1900. Unfortunately, the criminal role model of his father did not pass unheeded. In 1907, in a widely publicized scandal, Garret Vanzant was found "Guilty of improper conduct, incompetencies & irregularities & lack of discipline" in his administration of the Toronto Gaol. At the same time he was accused of "certain financial transactions with prisoners." The latter charge was dismissed. Nevertheless, on the basis of his guilt on the former counts, Garret was fired as governor of the Toronto Gaol & replaced by a vice president of the Upper Canada Bible Society, the Reverend Dr. Andrew B. Chambers.
Ref: Mayhem to Murder, The History of The Markham Gang. by Paul Arculus, 2003.
. 1903-1906, Mights Toronto Directory: Vanzant, Garret R, Governor Toronto Jail, h. 502 Gerrard East.
. 1904 Mar 4 - Mr G R Vanzant, Governor of the Jail, has been seriously ll with typhoid, but is now in a fair way of recovery.
. 1904 Jun 17 -Toronto Letter- The prisoners convey in jail for the seeking ending Jun 11, 127 Men & 54 women. On the same date in 1903 there were but 51 inmates. Governor Vanzant, in part explanation of this circumstance states that it is due to the large number of undesirable immigrants who are arriving in the city.
. 1905 Jun 2 - The Gov.-General & Viscount Bury visited the City Jail last Friday & were accompanied thought the institution by Gov. VanZant.
. 1906 Feb 2 - The genus whose then appears to have got the better of judgment & prompted him to make an affidavit affirming that Mr G R VanZant, Gov. of Toronto Jail, was in St.Thomas on Jan 12, 1890, the day of the West Elgin election, personating a deputy returning officer, turns out to be a wholesale libeler & partizan fraud, County Council Woodcock of this Town, who was one of the auditors of Criminal Justice accounts for 1899, has made affidavit that along with himself was associated Judge MacDonald, Jos. T Stokes & G R VanZant, on the board for that year, & that this board met Toronto on Jan 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 & 145h & that the sole of the members were present. No one can charge Mr Woodcock with being biased politically, because he is a professed Conservative, but the affidavit is a complete alibi for Mr. VanZant & a positive denial of the St. Thomas slander. The West Elgin Annals ought to be prosecuted.
Further newspapers on this subject: Dec. 12, 1906, Jun 14, 1907
Ref: Newmarket Era Newspaper.
. 1907 - Garratt Robert Van Zant, was born in the township of Whitechurch, County York, December 10, 1844. He was educated in the public schools of Stouffville, where he began his business life in 1864, as a hardware merchant. In 1869 he sold out his business at this place, & removed to Markham village, here resuming the business in which he continued until 1900, when he was appointed to his present position, governor of the Toronto gaol. While in Markham Mr. Van Zant took an active part in municipal matters, & for 5 years was reeve of Markham village, and ex-officio member of the county council of County York. He was also a member of the municipal council of Markham for eleven years, & served as school trustee for many years.
In 1863, Mr. Van Zant married Miss Catherine Napier, born in Toronto in 1845, daughter of Alexander Napier, surgeon of the 93rd Highlanders. To Garrat R. & Catherine (Napier) Van Zant were born the following children:
Evelyn, is the wife of R. A. Mason, of Markham; Victor E., of Toronto; Clifford, of Peterboro’, married Bertha Lundt, & has 2 children, Roy & Evelyn;
Frank M., married Louise Bartholmew, & has 3 children, Evan, Kate & Ralph;
& Clarence, of Toronto, married Mary Brill, Cornwall, & has one daughter, Berna.
Mr. Van Zant & his wife are members of the Methodist Church. When active in politics Mr. Van Zant was a Reformer.
Ref: Commemorative Biographical Record of County of York, JH Beers Co.
. 1921 Mar 28, Post Office Department, Retirement G R Vanzant, Toronto, PO.
More research required:
. Vanzant, G. R. 1910. File.
Ref: Archives of Ontario. MG26-G. Volume/box number: 993. Textual records. [Access: Open]. Private. Finding aid number: MSS0091. - - - [1]
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1839 - 1925 (85 years)