FRANK NICHOLSON, deceased, was born on the old homestead in 1850, and is the son of John Nicholson, deceased. He remained at home up to the time of his death in 1882, carrying on the same business as his father before him, viz.: fruits and gardening. In 1837 he married Miss Susan Felstend, of the same township, by whom he had five children. (vol. II, p. 201) (N.B. The apparent discrepancy in dates is in the original text.)
GEORGE NICHOLSON, the youngest son of John Nicholson, deceased, was born on the old homestead in 1841. He has always resided in the township, and has been engaged in gardening on his own account for the past ten years. He owns sixty acres and cultivates ten acres. In 1874 he married Miss Elizabeth Collins, of Don Mills, by whom he has three children. (vol. II, p. 202)
JOHN NICHOLSON, deceased, is a native of Sheffield, England, where he was born in 1810. When ten years of age he came to Canada, and engaged in gardening, and subsequently taking up ten acres on Pape’s Avenue, which he cleared and otherwise improved, he lived there until his death in 1866. He married Miss Mary Hartley, also a native of Sheffield, by whom he had six children, three of whom are yet living. John, the eldest son, was born in Toronto in 1843. He remained at home on his father’s place until he reached his twenty-first year, after which he engaged in gardening on his own account, and has always continued in that industry, cultivating at present eleven acres. In 1864 he married Miss Caroline Cooper, who died in 1877, leaving four children. He married again, his second wife being Miss Hannah E. Lester, who died in 1879. He then married a thrid time, on this occasion to Elizabeth Bolton, by whom he has one child. (vol. II, p. 202)
JAMES PAPE is the second son of Joseph Pape, who came to Canada at an early day. He was born in Toronto in 1845, and has always continued a resident in or near the city, and is at present engaged in business as a florist at No. 12 Carlaw Avenue, his premises and land having a frontage of eight hundred and fifty feet by one hundred and thirty-five feet. He proposes extending his greenhouse arrangements, which will necessitate the using of about ten thousand square feet of glass. Mr. Pape was a representative of St. Lawrence Ward in the City Council, and occupied that position two years. He married in 1856 Miss Agnes Patterson, by whom he has seven children. (vol. II, p. 202)
GEORGE PHILIPS was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1856. He emigrated to Canada in 1876, and settled in Toronto, remaining in the city until 1884, when he removed east of the Don, having under cultivation for fruit-growing twenty acres of land. Mr. Philips is married and has a family of three children. (vol. II, p. 202)
HENRY PHILIPS, proprietor of the Brick Works, Doncaster, was born in Rochester, Kent, England, and coming to Canada in 1872, worked at his trade up to 1875, after which he started the manufacture of bricks at Rosedale, continuing one year. He then commenced near his present location, his yard giving employment to about ten hands, with a yearly out-put of six hundred thousand to eight hundred thousand. (vol. II, p. 202)
JONATHAN PRESTON was born in England in 1826. He came to Canada in 1857, and located first in Halton County, where he stayed about six years, afterwards coming to York and locating on Lot 11, East York, where he remained about eight years. He then purchased thirty-four acres on lot 7, concession 2 from the Bay, and in 1874 moved on to lot 6, where he has since resided. Of late years he has been engaged in the milk business, which he still carries on. In 1849 he married Miss Sarah H. Wilson, a native of England. (vol. II, p. 203)
GEORGE ROBSON was born at Lockington, Yorkshire, England, in 1826. In 1847 he emigrated to Canada and located in York Township, where he engaged in farming up to 1877, since which time he has been living retired at Eglinton. In 1853 he married Miss Elizabeth White, of York Township. (vol. II, p. 203)
J. McCRAE ROSS was born in Rothshire, Scotland, in 1800, being the eldest in a family of two sons and two daughters. His father, Andrew Ross, married a Miss McCrae. Both parents died in Scotland. His only brother was a great botanist; he visited the mountains of Siberia, being sent there by the managers of the Botanical Gardens, London, England; while there he contracted a disease of which he died on his return to Scotland. Mr. Ross came to Canada in 1833, and remained for one year at Picton. Then, having learned engineering in Scotland, he superintended the construction of the first railroad in Nova Scotia. In 1846 he settled in Toronto. For a year he was clerk in the office of John Eastwood, a publisher. For about the next fourteen years he was bookkeeper and clerk in various offices. In 1862 he settled on thirteen acres of land on lot 10, concession 1, of the Township of York, and engaged in farming; this is his present residence. In 1845 he married Hannah, only daughter of William Stabler. He has no children. Mr. Ross is a Reformer in politics, and a Presbyterian in religion. (vol. II, p. 203)
A. RUDD is a native of Devonshire, England, where he was born in 1833. In 1853 he emigrated to Canada, and took up his residence in Quebec, where he stayed two years, afterwards coming to Toronto and entering into the employment of the Bank of Upper Canada. He remained two years at the bank, and then settled on what is now Logan’s Lane, where he acquired nine acres of land, and commenced the gardening business, in which he has been successfully engaged for over twenty-eight years. In 1828 he married Miss Elizabeth Tulford, of Cumberland, England, the marriage being productive of only one child, a daughter. (vol. II, p. 203)
NATHANIEL RUDD was born in Devonshire, England, in 1828, and in 1862 came with his brother to Canada, since which time he has been engaged in market-gardening. In 1864 he purchased his present home on the Don and Danforth Road, and in 1853 he married Miss Mary McGrath, who died in 1866, leaving him one daughter. (vol. II, p. 204)
WILLIAM SAMMON was born in the County of Kent, England, in 1841, and came to Canada in 1871. He settled in the County of York in 1872, bought twenty acres, lot 7, concession 2, of bush land, which he has very much improved, erecting a large house and out-buildings. He is engaged in market-gardening and the fruit-growing trade. In 1863 he married Miss Mary Ann Inward. (vol. II, p. 204)
SCHMIDT BROS., grocers, 241 Kingston Road, established this business in 1883. They carry general groceries, flour and feed, with a trade equally divided between city and country, which amounts to about $6,000 annually. The store has a frontage of 25 x 50 feet, is constructed of brick, and is two storeys high. The firm is composed of Albert and Frederick Schmidt, who are Canadians by birth. (vol. II, p. 204)
HENRY SCRACE, deceased, was born in the County of Sussex, England, in 1801. In 1829 he came to Canada, and in 1832 purchased one hundred acres of uncleared land on lot 17, concession 4, East York, where he remained until 1850, afterwards removing to lot 20, concession 4, where he lived until his death in 1876. In 1833 he married Miss Jane Long, by whom he had seven children, three of whom are living. William, the eldest, was born on the old homestead in 1836, and now owns one hundred acres of the same. George, the youngest son, was born in 1842, and married Mary Jane Sheppard of Scarborough Township, daughter of Paul Sheppard, by whom he has had two sons and two daughters. He owns and resides on lot 17, concession 3, East York. (vol. II, p. 204)
ALBERT SEDGWICK is a native of Toronto, and was born in 1860. He has been, and is still, engaged in market-gardening, at present cultivating sixteen acres of land, and is the owner of two acres of land on Pape’s Avenue. He employs about four hands, and trades principally with dealers in the city. George, his eldest brother, was born in Toronto in 1852, and since 1872 has been engaged cultivating nine acres for himself. Mr. Sedgwick married Miss Mary Kennedy, by whom he has four children. (vol. II, p. 204)
THOMAS SHEPARD was born on Yonge Street in 1804, and is the eldest son of Joseph Shepard, who came to Canada about the year 1774, and settled in York County at an early day. He (Joseph Shepard) was an Indian trader, and travelled all through the country, and in connection with the settlement of Toronto assisted to build the first shanty. Thomas, the subject of this sketch, remained at home until 1837, and then commenced the milling business, which he carried on until 1860. Since that time he has lived retired with his daughter, Mrs. Christopher Harrison. Mr. Shepard took an active part in the Rebellion of 1837, and was one of the historical fifteen who escaped from Kingston Penitentiary. In 1830 he married Miss Nancy Woolcut, by whom he had seven children. (vol. II, p. 205)
N. SHEPHERD was born in the County of Norfolk, England, in 1814, where he remained until 1836, emigrating in that year to Canada. He came direct to York County, and settled in the township of the same name where he has since continued a prominent resident. He was a miller by trade, and located at different places, at different periods of his life. He has held the office of Assessor and Collector for the township for the past twenty years, and for a like period has been a resident of Eglinton. In 1837 he married Miss Ruth Wilson, of York Township, who died in 1871. (vol. II, p. 205)
BERNARD SOMERS, deceased, was born in the County of Cavan, Ireland, in 1808, and remained there until 1832. He then emigrated to America, and after remaining sometime in New York he went to Connecticut, where he lived until 1856, afterwards coming to Canada, and settling near Toronto on the Kingston Road. Subsequently he purchased twenty acres of land on the Don and Danforth Road, lot 11, concession 2, which he cleared and lived on until his death in 1879. Mr. Somers married Miss Mary Caffray, of Ireland, by whom he had nine children, five of whom are living. Hugh, the second son, was born in Ireland, and came to this country with his parents, and at present resides on the old homestead. (vol. II, p. 205)
CUBETT SPARKHALL was born in Norfolk, England, in 1821, and is the youngest son of Cubett Sparkhall, deceased, who died in 1821. In 1832 our subject came to Canada in company with his mother and family, and in 1839 started in the butchering business, occupying a stall in the old and new markets up to 1870, when he retired from retail business, but continued to do something in the wholesale trade. In 1845 he purchased a farm on Logan’s Lane, where he has resided ever since. In 1840 he married Miss Eliza Moore, daughter of James Moore, of Toronto, by whom he had six children, five of whom are living. (vol. II, p. 205)
JAMES B. SQUARES was born in Devonshire, England, in 1821, and in 1854 emigrated to York County, Canada, where he carried on market-gardening ever since. In 1857 he purchased the place where he now resides, on Logan’s Lane. In 1851 he married Miss Ann Nash, of London, England, by whom he has four children. (vol. II, p. 206)
JOHN STRADER is a Canadian by birth, and has been a resident of East York for the past twenty years, eighteen of which he has been engaged in cultivating small fruits, flower-growing, etc. Since 1869 he has occupied his present home, having two acres of land on Pape’s Avenue. In 1866 he married Miss Margaret Sedgwick, by whom he has four children. (vol. II, p. 206)
JAMES TAYLOR, deceased, was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1833. In 1832 he emigrated to Canada and engaged in farming in York Township. In 1871 he purchased two hundred acres of land on lot 3, concession 3, which he very much improved and on which he erected buildings. He married Ann, daughter of John Armstrong, of Scarboro’, who died in 1862, leaving two sons and two daughters. He married a second time, to Mary Watson, daughter of John Watson, by whom he had one daughter, who died in 1877. John Taylor, the eldest son of the above, was born on the old homestead in 1862, where he remained until 1880, going from thence to the United States, and, after residing there about three years, returned to Canada. In 1881 he married Emily Hawkins, daughter of Henry Hawkins. Mary Ann is the eldest daughter of James Taylor, and lives at home; Joseph lives on Yonge Street; Annie, Jane and Bella are also members of this family. (vol. II, p. 206) (N.B. The apparent discrepancy in dates is in the original text.)
J.H. TAYLOR is the eldest son of John Taylor, deceased, and was born at the Don Mills in 1853. He remained on the old homestead until 1879, when he removed to his present large farm, which contains five hundred acres, on lot 10, concession 3, where he devotes his time principally to the breeding of cattle. In 1879 he married Miss Matilda McLean, daughter of Daniel McLean, by whom he has three sons, viz.: John, Charles McLean and Morton. (vol. II, p. 206)
THOMAS S. THORN was born in the County of Kent, England, in 1809. His father, accompanied by his eldest son, came to Canada in 1816, being followed two years later by his wife and family, which included Thomas. His father settled in Durham County; but Thomas learned in Toronto the trade of brickmaker, which he followed for many years. He was engaged in the erection of many of the earlier buildings of the city, notably the first Roman Catholic Church in 1821. He married Miss Catharine Hanan, by whom he had six children, two of whom are dead; his wife died in 1883. Mr. Thorn has held the office of County Constable for the last thirty-two years. (vol. II, p. 206)
JOSEPH TREBELCOCK, grocer, Norway, established his business in 1881, and located first at Leslieville, removing to his present premises a little later. He has built a large brick store and residence, having a frontage of thirty by forty-five feet, where he does a large and increasing trade. Mr. Trebelcock was born in Norway, East York, where he has always resided. His wife was a Miss Fox, a native of Leslieville. (vol. II, p. 207)
JOHN WALMSLEY, deceased, was born in Lancashire, England, in 1804, and in 1825 emigrated to Canada and settled in the Township of York, where he resided up to the time of his death in 1847. He married Miss Mary Cunningham, who came to Canada at an early day. James, the eldest son, was born in 1830 on the old homestead, where he remained until 1844. He then went to Simcoe County and attended school for eighteen months, after which he learned the waggon-making trade. In 1864 he purchased one hundred acres of land on lot 14, concession 3, which he has improved and on which he still resides. For the last twenty years he has been engaged in gardening and growing small fruits. In 1855 he married Miss Eleanor Langrill, of Eagleton, by whom he has nine children, seven of whom are living. (vol. II, p. 207)
JOHN WEBBER, florist, Kingston Road, was born in Devonshire, England, and came to Canada in 1870. Previous to his settlement in Toronto he had located in London and Barrie, and was in the employment of Chief Justice Harrison and Mr. C.W. Howland. His property has a frontage of two hundred and forty by three hundred feet. (vol. II, p. 207)
STEPHEN WEBSTER was born in Northamptonshire, England, in 1830, and came to Canada in 1842; he first settled in the Township of King, where he remained for several years. In 1854 he married Miss Huldah Doan, of the same township, by whom he had two children; his first wife having died, he married Miss Isabella Williams, of Picton, Prince Edward County, in 1859, by whom he has six children. In 1869 he took up his residence in Toronto; the following year he engaged in the manufacture and sale of machine oils, in which business he continued up to 1880; subsequently purchasing eleven acres on the Don and Danforth Road, on lot 11, concession 2, of East York, where he and his son cultivate garden produce; they are also largely interested in bee culture. (vol. II, p. 207)
HUGH WILSON is the eldest son of William Wilson and was born in Ireland in 1812. He came to Canada with his parents, and his principal occupation has been that of farming, although at one time he navigated the lakes. During the Mackenzie Rebellion he took an active part, and was present at the burning of Montgomery’s Hotel and the skirmish on Yonge Street, and was on the side of the Government. Mr. Wilson is one of the oldest residents in the township and a general authority in all matters relating to township lore. He married Miss Mary Cawley, of Wexford, Ireland, who died in 1883, leaving one son and one daughter. He married again, his second wife being Miss Ann Brown, of Lincolnshire, England, by whom he has five children, four of whom are living. (vol. II, p. 208)
JAMES YOUNG, postmaster and merchant, Doncaster, was born in Berwick-on-Tweed, Scotland, in 1824, and came to Canada in 1853, settled at once in Doncaster, where he has resided ever since, and is one of the settlers in this locality. He carried on hotel and store for over twenty years and has been postmaster for fifteen years. He was twice married, first in Scotland, and a second time in Doncaster, to Anne Hogg, daughter of John Hogg, a York pioneer. He has two sons and six daughters, married and settled in the vicinity. (vol. II, p. 208)