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J A The Story Of SHARON CKLLAB aura LIB v- v HILLS MAIN a Conveyancing Newmarket NOBLE DENTIST MUNICIPAL Dr a VanderVoort J Mate St ton of iiaL coast gravel ud or at bin a CONTRACTOR Boom Farm Wirt BAIN General Kept Oil Space Heater AH Electrical Household Appliance Box lit Ontario St Newmarket SERVICE PARTS TUBES BATTERIES ETC Main St M A It St Xpert Piano Tuner and Repairer Bought Sold and Rented Ml PLUMBING BEATING Dealer far Water Systems OH Cement Senile Tanks Contracted OAK RIDGES Kin Ml none Aaron SJBOYD TORONTO J rawest J EVANS newmarket Coal Coke Wood And Stoker Coal PHONE Orders taken for gravel and atone and general hauling residence corner cd and Ttcumieh 8tf 0 I A Wok Off j i a Fitted y Watch 01 Street NewmaAet ALL WORK GUARANTEED i s e iTflifi CI f THE VARIETY OF DESIGNS la at MOW Und order nary A excellent j WK- OPTOMETKIgT CLINIC AND AUTO SON MAIN BLOCK aW WORK TOiE LAYOUT and ESTIMATES J Main St Newmarket ETHEL This is the second installment of a continuing Story of Sharon from its founding to the present The story written after almost two years of research and will believe be a major to knowledge of the past The remaining installments will follow weekly those years in the early nineteenth century and even previous there might have been witnessed scenes and inci dents recollections of which should stir afresh the pride of every Canadian in whose veins flows the blood of pioneers Along the ancient Indian trail known as Street wound caravans of covered wagons or sleighs filled with settlers fam ilies and effects and drawn by oxen or horses Cattle followed men were on horseback an axe and a rifle ever handy Up those slimy hills of reek ing clay the wagons creaked and lurched they twisted among the trees often the underbrush had to be chopped to avoid the for bidding swamps Numbers of these newcomers had first touch ed Canadian soil at Kingston some had crossed Lake Ontario to at York while still others came via Niagara and around the head of the lake Over the streams they built bridges at the rivers flowing wide and deep they halted wagon boxes were caulked and the occupants aware of the danger remained inside these improvised boats trusting to the sturdy oxen to tow them across In these days of rapid transportation pen will less ably continue to the hardships and dangers of that long journey over the mountains of Pennsylvania and New York State to this savage Canadian wilderness The last lonely outpost of civ ilizationthe marshy settlement of York left behind the caval cade continued northward where ever deeper into the silence of interminable forest the unknown beckoned On the higher ground above York they had passed through a stand of magnificent timber which extended far and beyond their destination Wher ever night found them they stop ped and the light of their camp- fire was ringed by the gleam of a thousand eyes Weeks had passed since they had left their homes five hundred miles behind Weary and fearful each day was bringing them nearer to keep their rendezvous with faith in a new life in the new townships of Upper Canada Canada that country of promise where they could continue to live in confi dence of British institutions that country where was food and peace and opportunity for all to meet the wilderness in hand to hand battle a Arranged by Timothy Rogers This particular land towards which they were moving had pre- J A Si SONS Real Estate Bay St Toronto LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE RUSSELL GLIDE Aurora Phone King 59r4 On St North End Oak Ridges been arranged for by Timothy Rogers with the Gov ernment at York From Aurora to Holland Landing they spread out through the township of King eastward across Whit church on into Uxbridge district and north into East to and beyond that certain site which was destined to become the village of Sharon The Legend of the centuries re lates that the man whose hands had laid the body of the cruci fied Saviour in the tomb on a missionary pilgrimage to Eng land and seeking a sign had struck his staff in Englands earth There it took root and from it sprung the Holy Thorn This species of thorn is native only in the East Nineteen centuries passed and a band of pilgrims trekked to Upper Can ada a pilgrimage intense with ultimate significance They planted their oxgoads of Poplar in Canadas earth These Poplar twigs took root and grew They marked the corner boundaries of the farms and at the gateways of these homesteads these trees have long stood as a symbol of beginnings in the County of York Very few of them now are to be seen as one travels between the town line and Keswick After the passing of the Con stitutional Act and so many set tlers arriving in the Province it was necessary for immediate sur vey and Augustus Jones was commissioned to survey Street The earliest settlements in the township of East had been made in be fore the commencement of the work of survey by John Stcgman Other surveyors were Hainbly in and who laid out the lines for the village of Sharon in Surveyor Lount was employed in as sisted in the work in 1824 Lind say in in 18G4 and in 1865 These survey ors generally were paid in land The townships of West North and East Gwillimbury were named in honor of the wife of the Governor Major Simcoe Her maiden name had been Crown Lands Beginning at the line between the townships of Whitchurch and East Gwillimbury and following north along the east side of the third concession records in the County Registry Office show that the Crown conveyed No to Timothy Rogers Dec 26 1804 Lot No to Moses Knight March Lot No 3 to Jacob Johnson Feb 1804 Lot No to Abraham Lepard April 11 No to Kings College Jan Lot No to William Howard April 11 Lot No to William Huff Sept Lot No to John April 0 Lot No to Hump hry Finch April Lot No to Mack Sept Lot No to Kings Col lege Jan Lot No to Calvin Washburn Jan Lot to John Hodgson Sept Lot to Peter Vander burgh Sept 26 Lot No- to Doan June Then along the west side from south to north in the second con cession of East Gwillimbury the Crown conveyed Lot No to Timothy Rogers Dec Lot No 2 to Timothy Rogers Bee Lot No to Robert Jan Lot No to Obadiah Griffin March Lot No 5 to Henry Proctor May Lot No to Kings College Jan 3 Lot No to Isaac Kitely Sept Lot No 8 to Joseph Hill July Lot No 9 to Samuel Hughes March 31 Lot No to David Willson May 20 Lot No to Joseph Sutherland Sept 28 Lot No to Kings College Jan Lot No to Thomas Sel- March Lot No to John Feb 1808 Lot No to Mack Sept Cheapest Commodity These Crown Grants consisted of the standard 200 acres each The above dates are the dates of registration Some of the early land transactions appear very obscure Occasionally a set tier selected his land by plan only and quickly transferred it to a new purchaser Some grants were obtained but years were to pass before title was cleared by registration Land was the cheapest commodity at the be ginning of the century and a two- hundred acre farm was of less value than a farm animal of to day is a tradition that Sam uel Haines exchanged a valuable farm at Quaker Hill Uxbridge for a yoke of white oxen in order that his wife Susanna might the more easily attend the meet ings of the Children of Peace at Sharon In accounts written of those early times frequent mention of the settlement of Sharon or Hope is found Lying east of Holland Landing which was the terminus of Street the road from Holland Landing to Sharon was an extension of this main road Street and Street and Sharon at the end of this thoroughfare was the gate way to those northern trails the angling or roads which converged toward the business centre of Holland Land ing Very early in the last century the third concession of East Gwillimbury which includ ed the proposed village of Hope was known as it still is as Queen Street This name was be stowed either by or in honor of the family for Queens County in Ireland from which the emigrated to Upper Canada First Name Hope The first name of the village proper was Hope During the eighteen thirties it was identified as At a later but undetermined date it was chang ed to the lovely name of Sharon was now well and suitably named Sharon the plain in the from which rose the songs of courage of brotherly love of devotion and which have echoed through the many years in the lives of the descendants of those first inhabitants Thus particular locality which consisted of a forest of magnif icent timber sloping to swamp at the west was served by Indian trail Lesser trails ran from homestead to homestead There were no roads only as indicated by the blaze of survey For- more than three quarters of a century the roads throughout this community were notoriously bad In spring and fall it was difficult for even a single horse to traverse them Beavers built dams on the stream once size able now a trickle below the village In the low lands to the west mosquities and black flies made life a nightmare for the settlers The streams teemed with fish and the east branch of the Hol land River watered the farms along the concession Game was plentiful everywhere deer be came a nuisance by eating the slender crops Predatory wild animals menaced settlement for years marauding bears and wolves lynx and wild cats and foxes carried away poultry they kilted the sheep they stole the pigs they even attacked the cat tle Danger everywhere both man and beast At Night The Wolves At night the little stock had to be rounded up and given what ever protection was available and even that many times proved inadequate On occasion the cow had been stabled in the cabin Dr Bruels of Sharon tells that he well remembers listening to his grandfather Rodney tell of the wolves howling about the village Bears were a constant problem in addition to stealing from the stock they en tered the grain fields and bunching the heads of wheat in their paws they feasted at the expense of the farmer Each of these losses was very serious The Era Express v V AUTO WRE a TRUCKS TRACTORS FOR SALE USED PARTS TIRES TUBES GENERATORS AND STARTERS Hairy prop Davis Dr lust east of hospital L Era and Express classified bring results REMEMBER York County Hospital IN YOUR WILL Sanitary Contractor j Septic Tanks Pumped Drains Cleaned and Repaired 24Hour Service t A 1 i j T- St fa i l a j I fa fa v J J- L w I ml si I STUNDEN Richmond Hill Phone Bulldozing and Grading WCWrightman QUEEN ST Phone 145j Canadian Nationals smart provide the charm and informality of your own livingroom In these friendly surroundings you can read chat or watch the landscape through broad picture windows At night you will sleep rest fully in your own private room However you travel in lounge car sleeper drawing room or couch anywhere anytime youll enjoy yourself if you go Canadian National Youll enjoy too staying at Canadian National hotels theyre conveniently located in cities from coast to coast For reservations and information regarding your business and pleasure travel needs tee write or phone your local Canadian National Passenger Agent CANADIAN NATIONAL THE SERVING Alt TEH PROVINCES A I I a hS I j I Showroom i- A HI I I lsX Si Once in the 19th century live a famous author who saw an invader conquer a province of his country invader passed an order that all the current teachers were to be replaced foreigners who would teach only about the concjuerers country Hie author told die effect of this action in a simple Story called The Last Class In the story a teacher tried to impart the learning of a lifetime in the few brief hours left to him Me didnt go around rapping knuckles or shouting for attention He didnt have to His emotion- strained voice stressing love of nation purity of language and loyalty to customs reached even the youngest students hearts And as they filed out of class knowing that on the next day they would be taught by a foreigner they grieved for the many things they taken for granted and were about to lose How fortunate we are that we can go back to school and know the same teachers will be there that we may learn from them whatever subjects we wish to lit us for the kiml of life we choose How vital it is that we protect our institutions of freedom and keep them strong In SO years of matching the progress of Canada The Dominion liank is one of the foundations of Free Enterprise It has always stressed the need for saving build industry and give security to Canadians Make use of your neatest branch of The Dominion Rink sun a Savings Account today fe m fyM T J tTi ASPHALT SIDING BUILTUP v A Etablhed 1871 I w A r 099 MA Mi aJtttinmtnt may rfthe J a