Politics and my ancestors

Politics was never a big topic of discussion in our household. I have always voted since I became eligible and as far as I know so did my parents.

To find out the political leanings of some of my early ancestors in Canada, I turned to Markham, 1793-1900 and the chapter "Tories, Reformers and Rebels".

By the time of the Rebellion of 1837, two parties had formed -- the Tories and the Reformers. Voting took several days and up to a week as long as there was at "least one vote per hour".

To quote from the book

The organization of gangs to intimidate voters, the provision of free liquor in the taverns during election week, wholesale impersonation, bribery, the issuing of false land deeds to create voters, all made a mockery of the voting process.

The secret ballot did not exist at that time. In the 1832, election James E. Small (Tory) and William Lyon Mackenzie (Reformer) and one independent ran for the legislature to represent York County. In the list from Markham Township (p.188) none of my ancestors voted for the Tory candidate. On the list of supporters for Mackenzie, I find Josiah Hemingway, Peter Hemingway, and Henry Stiver. Also on the list were some of the other Berczy settlers and descendants.

Isabel Champion, Markham, 1793-1900. Markham, ON : Markham Historical Society, 1979.

Happy Simcoe Day

Today is a Civic Holiday in most of Ontario. It is a beautiful day here in my part of Ontario. After this quick posting, I am headed out doors.

It is only in recent years that this holiday has become to be known as Simcoe Day. Having a holiday on the first Monday in August is not a new scheme to have a summer holiday. According to the Ontario Archives web site article, Toronto city council declared the first Monday of August as a holiday back in 1875. In 1969, they renamed it Simcoe Day. This naming seems to have been picked up by other communities.

John Graves Simcoe was Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1792 to 1796. My Germanic ancestors Johan Niclaus Stőber [later Stiver] and his family arrived in Canada during this time in 1794. Under the leadership of William Berczy, my ancestors along with about 60 other families received free land promised by Simcoe in Markham Township.

So as I celebrate Simcoe Day, I remember my ancestors who came to Canada when this province was just being settled north east of Toronto in Markham Township. I think of the hardships they endured during those early years. How that area has changed!