Civic Holiday in Ontario today

The first Monday in August in Ontario is a Civic holiday. It goes by different names and depending where you are whether businesses and offices are open or closed. Some municipalities may have special events planned. Many head to a beach or a park if they live close to one and the weather is favourable.

In Toronto, it is called Simcoe Day to recognize John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada [later Canada West and then Ontario]. In other municipalities it may have another name to honour one of the founders or it may just be called the Civic holiday.

As a Markham Berczy settler descendant, that is, a descendant of one of the families that came with William Berczy to Upper Canada in 1794, it is important to know something about Simcoe. It is because of the land offered free by the Lt. Gov. John Graves Simcoe that the group with William Berczy von Moll came to live in Upper Canada. My ancestor, Johan Niclaus Stoeber  [Stiver] came to Markham Township with this group that had travelled from what was to become Germany to the United States and then Canada. The land arrangements in Upper Canada is another story - a post for another day.

Happy holiday!

© 2014 Janet Iles

German Pioneers Day, 2011 in Ontario - on October 11

The Tuesday following Thanksgiving is German Pioneers Day in Ontario. This day was established by legislation that took effect in 2000.

In Toronto and Kitchener, there will be a special flag raising. Markham, Ontario has also proclaimed it as well but the Town has no special events planned.

On my mother's side, I have Germanic ancestors. In 1993, I made this discovery. Since 1994, I have been a member of the Markham Berczy Settlers Association. In 2009, I became President. Our membership is widespread and consists mostly of descendants of the German pioneers who came with William Berczy to the Markham area of Ontario in the late fall of 1794.

Johann Niclaus Stoeber (Stiver) and his family came to Canada as part of this group. I have written some blog articles on the family.

This year on October 11, the association will meet. At 3 p.m. we will have a tour of the new collections building and see some of the exhibits. Enter by the new glass doors. In the evening, we will meet at 7 p.m. at the Bethesda Lutheran Church, Unionville. Note: This is different to the original plans outlined in the August newsletter.


View Markham District Historical Museum in a larger map
The Association's website can be viewed to learn more about the group. The website includes an index of the newsletter. The Association is now also on Facebook.
© 2011 Janet Iles

German Pioneers' Day - the Tuesday after the Canadian Thanksgiving

 To mark German Pioneers' Day, the Markham Berczy Settlers Association will meet for its annual meeting at Bethesda Lutheran Church, in Unionville.

First, a small delegation will go to the Markham Civic Centre at 7 p.m (101 Town Centre Blvd.- Warden Avenue and Highway #7, Council Chambers) to celebrate German Pioneers Day at the Town of Markham Council Meeting

Lorne Smith will make a short presentation to Council recognizing the immense contribution the German pioneers made to the start of Markham and to the economic, cultural and social life of the community since their arrival. Lorne will introduce representatives of local German heritage organizations.

This will also be an excellent opportunity to visit the Bicentennial Plaque at the Civic Centre.

The meeting will follow at the Bethesda Lutheran Church. (8 p.m. start)

Annual meeting
Presentation by Bob Stiver about the restoration work of the Stiver Mill

Refreshments will be served.

You are welcome to attend if you are in the area and want to learn more about the Markham Berczy Settlers Association and the restoration plans for the Stiver Mill.
© 2009 Janet Iles

A Place Called Home

A Place Called Home. Carnival of Genealogy #47. It's time for a geography lesson. Pick out a city/town/village where one of your ancestors once lived and tell us all about it. When was it founded? What is it known for? Has is prospered or declined over the years? Have you ever visited it or lived there? To a certain extent, we are all influenced by the environment we live in. How was your ancestor influenced by the area where they lived? Take us on a trip to the place your ancestor called home.

Three of my ancestral lines called Markham Township, Ontario, Canada home for various lengths of time.

STIVER / STOBER / STOEBER The Stiver / Stöber line came to Markham Township in late 1794, having left Germany in 1792 and spending over a year in New York State. The family was part of the Markham Berczy Settlers.

The 200 acre parcel of land that William Berczy allotted to Johann Niclaus Stöber was at Lot 19, Concession 2 of Markham Township. This is south of the present day Major Mackenzie Drive, between Bayview Avenue and Leslie Street [Headford], near the Town of Richmond Hill. On the Ontario Archives Land Record Index, Johann is called Nicholas Stöber. He received the land by free grant and it was issued July 3, 1797. He received the patent for this land in 1808 but Johann immediately sold it to Henry C. Philips. There is also a lease of land at lot 20, concession 6 [east of what was to become Unionville] dated January 5, 1804.


When the family arrived in the recently, partially-surveyed area of Markham Township, few European people would have lived there. The arrival of the Berczy Settlers of about 200 people is considered the first "systematic attempt at settlement" of the area. By November of 1794, the people were on their land living in make-shift homes. The land needed to be cleared. The first few years were very harsh. Some families left. Our Stöber / Stiver ancestors remained and there are still descendants living in the area. There is some indication that some of the family may have returned to the Niagara Region for a short time but returned when the War of 1812 broke out.

When the family arrived, the area was heavily forested with pine, oak, maple and butternut trees. The main rivers of the area were the Don and Rouge and were most likely were the main transportation routes as there were only trails between homes and settlements. Many of the Berczy settler men helped with clearing parts of Yonge Street going north from York, which became Toronto, the capital of the province. "The first saw and grist mills in York County were built by William Berczy in early days of settlement. They were situated on the River Rouge, on lot no. 4, in the 3rd concession, and were known as the German Mills." [History of Toronto and York County, 1885 v1. p. 115]

HEMINGWAY The exact date of the arrival of Josiah Hemingway in Markham Township is not known but would most likely have been by 1800. The area would still be very much in the development stages as noted in the quote below. Josiah settled Lot 4 & 5, Concession 4 of Markham Township.

In The History of Toronto and York County (1885 v.2 p.290): Josiah was described as follows:

After his marriage, he settled on lot 4, concession 4 of that township, his land then being in its primaeval state; but through succeeding years he and his faithful helpmate after the first of the hardships -- the labourious work of clearing -- was accomplished, got together a very comfortable home. Josiah died in the year 1854, at the advanced age of eighty years, leaving a family of three sons and six daughters. Relative to the early history of York County, it may be mentioned that Josiah Hemingway with his seven and a half pound axe cleared the first part of Yonge Street leading north from Toronto.

His date of death is incorrect in the book. [More on that in a future posting.]













JOHNSTON David Johnston came from Annan, Scotland with his parents and siblings in 1833 and lived in Richmond Hill for about a year and a half. In 1834, the family moved to Uxbridge Township, Lot 35, Concession 5. At what point, David left home is not known. The 1846-7 Brown's Directory shows him at Lot 5, Concession 4, which was the same property that was listed for Josiah Hemingway, his father-in-law. The Roswell's Toronto & York directory, 1850-1 shows him living at Lot 1, Concession 6, Markham Township.

In Lovell's Canadian Dominion Directory of 1870-1 David Johnson, shoemaker is listed as living and working in Unionville, which had a population of about 250 at that time.

Markham Township grew as more settlers joined the original German families that settled the area. By 1842, the township had 5,695 people living there. By 1871, the population had grown to 8,152. By the 1881 census, the population of 6,375 is reported with incorporated municipalities of the villages of Markham, Stouffville and Richmond Hill taken out of the count.

Today, Markham Township, no longer exists on the map of Ontario as a municipality. In 1952, part of the township was annexed by Richmond Hill Village. In 1971, part was annexed by Markham Town, part by Richmond Hill Town, rest by the new Whitchurch-Stouffville Town". Markham is part of the Regional Municipality of York.

Within the Town of Markham now can be found the former municipalities of Milliken, Thornhill, Village of Markham and Village of Unionville. The once mainly agricultural area is a fast growing urban area. From the early days with the German Lutherans being joined by the German speaking Mennonites to the arrival of the English speaking people, Markham has become home to 285,000 of many cultures. Thanks to Heritage Markham, the Town is trying to preserve and remember its heritage. The Town's motto is "Leading While Remembering." Unionville is a beautiful area with the early main street buildings maintained. It is a great place to spend the day.

I have never lived in Markham Township. Fortunately, it is only a three-hour drive. Since 1993, I usually visit once a year for the Markham Berczy Settlers meeting. I have seen the growth of the area. New sub-divisions are being added. The agricultural land is disappearing. In 2004, I spent a week there while attending the Markham Berczy Settlers' Research Days.

To help you locate the area, I have now added a map.



View Larger Map


Sources
All photos are from Unionville, Ontario taken in 1992.

Dunford, Fraser. Municipal Records in Ontario : History and Guide. Toronto : Ontario Genealogical Society, 2005
The 1846-7 Brown's DirectoryHistory of Toronto and York County, Ontario is now available for reading and searching at http://www.ourroots.ca/ Volume 1 contains the history of Toronto and York up to 1885. The Township of Markham in the book format is from p 114 to 124. Volume 2 contains the biographical sketches.
Lovell's Canadian Dominion Directory of 1870-1Markham, 1793-1900. Markham, Ontario :Markham District Historical Society, 1989. 2nd ed. Isabel Champion Editor.The Roswell's Toronto & York directory, 1850-1
A Story of the Markham Berczy Settlers : 210 years in Markham 1794-2004 : a Story of Bravery and Perseverance. Markham, ON : Markham Berczy Settlers Association, 2004

Making connections with living relatives

Living Relative Connections

In my genealogy research, I do not go out searching for my cousins but some connections have come my way while doing my research both on and off-line. Here are few examples.

Off-line discoveries of connections

After I joined our local branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, my research interests were posted in the newsletter. I was fortunate to receive a letter from a cousin who believed we had a connection because she recognized some names. Through correspondence, we shared information. She gave me information on my McKenzie line. Because she was older than me, she knew about earlier generations. it was wonderful to make the connection. I have visited her a couple of times.

In Berczy Bunch, I talked about my discovery of my fifth cousins related to the Stiver (Stoeber) line. Thanks to the Markham Museum's display table at the Ontario Genealogical Seminar in Toronto in 1993, I learned about the Markham Berczy Settlers Association. I see and I am in touch with these fifth cousins more frequently than I am with most of my first cousins. Within the group, we have shared with each other what we have learned. I made two trips with this group - one to the United States and one to Germany.

On-line discoveries of connections

I wrote about one connection in the Gift of Genealogy John contacted me because he had seen some of my postings on a mailing list. I am not sure what degree of cousins we would be but it was through the information that he gave me that I was steered to the correct part of Gloucestershire to be researching my Iles family.

Thanks to a message board, I was able to re-connect with at first cousin who had moved out of the area and I didn't know where she was living. I also have made connections through mailing lists with cousins who have seen some of my postings.

I have a web site for my Stiver connection. The web site was created as part of my studies with the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. My web site has been very helpful in making connections with other fifth cousins, I didn't know about.

Although, I have not yet made connections with cousins through my blog but perhaps some day a new found cousin will drop by.

I have a friend who always says that networking is so important when doing genealogical research. It may not be a cousin that helps you out but someone you meet at meeting or online.

This posting has been created for the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia.

Genealogical Research Goals 2008 (not my family)

In 2008, I want to put into a readable narrative my research on the soldiers from Knox who were killed in the 1st and 2nd World Wars. My goal is to have the material in some type of "published format" before Remembrance Day - November 11 2008.

I have been working on this project for almost two years. I began the research in connection with the restoration work of the church organ. The organ was a memorial to the men who had died in the First World War that had been affiliated with Knox. The organ has now been recognized as a military memorial. I will include in the printed information a section on the church organ. A list of the men are on the Church web site. I would like to know more about these men so I welcome contact from anyone who is connected with these families. Most of the research has been completed, although I would love to have photographs of the men.

In addition, I would like to write an article on the Markham Berczy Settlers to talk about what we can learn about them through various land records. I started on this research a couple of years ago but it is one I like to complete in 2008.

Markham Berczy Settlers Association - October 2007 meeting

The following is on my calendar for next week. - Markham Berczy Settlers Association

Friday, October 26, 2007 -- 7:30 p.m. -- Bethesda Lutheran Church, Unionville, Ontario [20 Union Street, Markham]

Guest Speaker: Robert M. MacIntosh, author of Earliest Toronto
Earliest Toronto tells the story of the City of York until the war of 1812, that is during the time of William Berczy and the early settlers of Markham. Robert MacIntosh will expand on the information in his book. (copies of book will be available for purchase) For more information on the book check his publisher's web site

I look forward to hearing the speaker and his research about early Toronto.

I also am looking forward to seeing other members of the Markham Berczy Settlers Association (some of whom are my fifth cousins).

For more information on the group check this earlier post and the Association's web site.

Berczy Bunch

Back on the 14th of August, I talked about the Markham Berczy Settlers Association web page and the search Rollyo I had created, but I didn't explain the purpose of this group.

It is an association comprised primarily of descendants & spouses of the original settlers to Markham Township, Ontario who came from Germany to Markham in 1794 via the USA. The group promotes research about the group as a whole and the individual families. In 1993, I made the discovery that I was a descendant of one of these early settlers. Johan Stoeber (changed to Stiver)- his daughter Anna married Josiah Hemingway. Then his daughter Hannah married David Johnston and goes on from there.

http://www.bmts.com/~jiles

I knew from a handwritten chart (my mother's handwriting with information from her mother) that Hannah Hemingway and David Johnston were my ancestors and they lived in the Markham Township area. It was through reading the history of Markham that I had purchased at an Ontario Genealogical Society seminar in Toronto that I made the discovery. See my LibraryThing holdings to see books about Markham Township. http://www.librarything.com/catalog/researchergal

In 1994, the newly formed Markham Berczy Settlers Association had a large reunion of descendants of the early families. What a day! Since then, I have been an active member of the organization serving on the Board of Directors. I act as webmaster of the web site and this week updated the newsletter index. It is now on 10 pages. The annoucement of the upcoming meeting is also posted. Robert M. MacIntosh, author of Earliest Toronto will speak.

It is always fun to get together with other members of the group, especially the 5th cousins! This group is a combination genealogy and historical association. It is through this orgnization, I became really interested in combining the study of history and genealogy.
http://www.markhamberczysettlers.ca/