The Quantz Family of Markham
Chapter 31.1
History
of the Quantz Family in Markham
Markham was
first settled in 1790 some years before any survey was made. It was finally
surveyed in 1794, being the third township in the County of York marked out. In
laying out the township Yonge Street was made the
Base Line. There are ten concessions being almost a square, excepting the
Eastern Line which is also the boundary of the County and does not run parallel
with the concession lines, some of the lots in the concession are consequently
deficient in area.
Though a few scattered
pioneers here and there had taken up land before that date, there were no
systematic attempts at settlement until 1794, when a number of Germans came
from the United States under the leadership of Mr. William Berczy.
Governor Simcoe, believing that many United Empire Loyalist families still
remained in the United States who would be glad of an opportunity to settle in
Canada if encouraged to do so by offers in land held out in inducements which
were responded to by a good who were actuated so much
by the motive of establishment under the rule of King George as of securing
land grants. Among the were sixty four families of
Germans who recently arrived from Hamburg having been brought out by agents to
locate on "Captain Williamsons Demesne", or as it was also called the
Pulionery (or Pulteney)
settlement in New York State. Here they would have been in the position of
tenants under the Patroon system then prevailing in
New York. The prospects of their own farms in Canada was
more inviting and in the face of great difficulties they made their way to
Markham. There was then no roads and no stores, their supplies had to be
secured from south of the lakes. Some few articles could be gotten at Niagara,
but everything required in the way of tools, farm implements and provisions,
had to be brought from the settlements of New York State.
York was
then a mere hamlet. Yonge Street did not exist,
though the line had been marked out. But Mr. William Berczy,
the leader of the expedition was a man of indefatigable energy and boundless
resources. He had, during his residence in the United States, constructed wagon
road all the way from Philadelphia to Lake Ontario and under his direction the
Immigrants cut their way through the unbroken forests and made a wagon track
from York to the southern portion of Markham, which winding in and out among
the trees marked the beginning of Yonge Street. Over
this primitive road they set out on their journey from York with their families
and household effects. Their wagon was ingeniously contrived so that they could
be used as boats on an emergency. Made
of closely fitting boards with the seams caulked, the body of the vehicle being
removed from the carriage could be floated across small bodies of water,
carrying a considerable load. Thus they crossed the Don and other streams in
their journey. Where the banks were steep they lowered their wagons down the
declivity by ropes passes around the trunks of saplings and pulled them up on
the banks of the Rouge, sometimes known as the New River, which they at first
supposed to be a tributary of the Don River, but on following to its outlet
they discovered that instead of leading to York, it entered the Lake nearly
twenty miles to the Eastward. This route afforded them easier access to the
Front than Yonge Street in its primitive condition
and for many years it was one mainly in use.
The first saw and gristmills in York County were built by
Mr. William Berczy. In the earlier day of the
settlement they were situated on the River Rouge on Lot # 4 in the three
concessions of Markham and were known as the German Mills. The Gazette, a paper
published in 1799, in referring to the township of Markham, mentions it as
having good mills and a thriving settlement of Germans. It may also be
mentioned here that the two first white born children in the township were John
Stivers and Henry Elson, whose parents also came with
the Berczy party. Now Mr. Berczy
becoming embarrassed in his circumstances and was discouraged with the
treatment he met with at the hands of the government. The pledges under which
the project of settlement was put into execution were not difficult as he had
expected and in 1799 he withdrew from Markham and took up his residence in
Montreal.
Melchior
Quantz
Now the
oldest of the Quantz family (three generations back) was named Melchior Quantz,
but was known among his neighbours as
"Michael". He emigrated from Hamburg, Germany, in 1772, was a soldier
in the English army and fought in that capacity during the American war of
Independence. He went to England on the restoration of peace and while there
his son Frederick was born. He subsequently returned to America, landing in
Philadelphia in 1791, from thence he came to Canada with this Mr. William Berczy and settled in Markham in 1794.
Author unknown
Chapter
31.2
Facts and Figures
Relating
to the History of the
“House
of Quantz”
(Note:
The author refers to page numbers of a Journal he wrote. The Quantz families
near Didsbury, Alberta have a copy of this journal.
It is now being transcribed and is available on this website. The page numbers
are shown.)
In accordance with a promise made to
myself (and I suppose it is right and proper to keep a promise made to yourself
as well as to others.) I am going to
make room here for a chapter dealing with the name, past and present, and for
which I seemed to be unable to find a better heading than the above.
If you were to look back on page 439 of my old memorandum
you would see a dream related. Just a
simple little dream, yet out of it came the thought that has set me writing
this addition to my memorandum. This
chapter will have to be written to a great extent from memory, memory of sight
and memory of hearing. The dates supplied
will have to come from the old memorandum itself or from documents in my
possession, as I cannot remember dates.
The name Quantz is a German name which some may be
considered unnecessary information as any one hearing the correct pronunciation
of it would suppose it to be such. Some
distant members of the family write it Quance, which destroys the German accent
and makes it more Englishified. Why those same members of the family should
change the spelling, or by what authority I have never learned, and it is a
matter I have always resented in my own mind.
My grandfather carried the name across the sea from Germany when he was
four years old and it was such a heavy load that it took seventeen weeks to get
it across. The family then consisted of
my grandfather George, his older brother Frederick and their father and perhaps
mother although I am not certain of her being alive at that time.
Note:
Melchior (Michael) Quantz - born 1749 - buried in Buttonville
Cemetery. Served in the 1st Regiment York Militia attached to the “Light
Dragoons". Noted by J.O.Q.
Somewhere among the ancient papers belonging to the family I
have seen the “Will of *Melcher Quantz” bequeathing to his sons Frederick and
George sundry effects consisting of brindle steers, sugar, kettles, buckets,
pans, traps, etc. Memory fails here so I
cannot tell just what was bequeathed but one thing is certain the sum total
listed would be considered a very meager possession nowadays, from which we
might infer that at any rate the Quantz family did not commence their career on
Canadian soil in the lap of luxury. As
near as I can compute their landing in this country must have been between 1780
and 1790. Where they landed or where
they may have spent the first years of their existence in this then unsettled
country I do not know. One thing I know
and that is that my grandfather spent some small portion of his early life in
the Garrison, Little York, which place I suppose is identical with the Garrison
common, Toronto. When he was near the
end of his long pilgrimage of life and too childish to remember the things that
happened later in life, I myself heard him talk of his experiences there and
how he would turn his comrades upside down in their wrestling matches. Whether or not he ever saw any active service
as a soldier I cannot tell.
In the history of the
Canadian Rebellion and events leading up to that time I have read of a wealthy
and powerful man of German extraction who for certain benefits and privileges
agreed with the Government of Upper Canada to bring out immigrants and settle
certain townships among which was the township of Markham. Naturally the immigrants which
this man gathered into these townships were of his own nationality and today
the majority of the population of these townships are of German descent. It may be worth mentioning that the false
government broke faith with this man, and from a wealthy and influential person
he became a poor and needy man.
We yet hear of the “Pennsylvania Dutch” and believe that
large numbers of them settled in Markham and adjoining townships. We also hear them spoken of as a superior
class of Dutch people, others contend - and I suppose strictly speaking they
are correct - that the German and Dutch are two distinct nationalities and that
the Dutch are Holland [Not sure of the preceding word on original manuscript]
people, however I am not going to contend with any one about this
conglomeration of mixed terms. Moreover
I do not know whether or not my ancestors were ever in Pennsylvania. I could not say whether they were brought
into Markham by the aforesaid gentleman of rank or settled there of their own
accord. One thing I have always believed
and that is that they were of the superior class and yet I do not wish to
dispute about this question for fear I couldn't furnish proofs to support my
assertions.
I would now like to dismiss the other branch of the family,
namely Frederick's, with as few words as possible. He settled on the third
concession of Markham (near Dollar post office) married a wife and raised a
numerous posterity. A few of them I am acquainted with but the greater part of
them I couldn't pick out if we were turned loose in a ten acre field. The
majority of them are well-to-do farmers and good citizens, one or two of them
have attained some notoriety in municipal matters and if all do their share as
well that branch of the family the name Quantz will exist 'till Gabriel sounds
the last trump.
The rear of Lot #14 in the 6th Concession of the
Township of Markham was the homestead of George Quantz, my grandfather. The
main portion of the farm passed out of the hands of a Quantz two-score years
being sold by my Father to my Uncle William Wonch and
since that time to strangers. The portion of the Lot fronting upon the 7th
Concession was divided into small lots and became the possessions of some of my
Uncles consequently was sometimes called Quantz-town, at other times
Centreville because centrally located between Markham village and Unionville.
At the present time there is nobody there of the name of Quantz but some of the
lots are still owned and occupied by their descendants.
My grandmother’s maiden name was, according to an old German
record in my possession, “Anna Maria” Baker.
According to an insertion in the old family Bible in my father’s
handwriting it was “Maryann”. Whether
the German and English do not correspond or whether there may be a mistake on
one side or the other I do not know. I
simply mention and leave it because it seems to be the easiest way out of the
complication. Eleven children were born
to them and as far as I know this family were all born and raised on the old
homestead heretofore described. In
dealing with this family - namely my uncles and aunts, I would like to give a
brief sketch from memory of each one, as far as my memory will carry me. I would also like to place these records in
schedule form so that any dates not now in my possession and of which I may
become possessed hereafter may be easily inserted. In giving the ages of the family as contained
in the above-mentioned German record we believe them to be correct. The Record was executed by Louis A.
Constantine, Schoolmaster, and I dated August 20th 1824. It is my intention to write the name by which
they were known to me as Uncle and Aunt and they may differ somewhat from the
German. For instance the German record
gives the two oldest girls double names which look nearly alike yet they were
known as Anna and Mary.
Names Born
Died
Parents
George Quantz 1767 May 27th
1873
Maryann Baker (Batger) (Badger) Oct.
10th 1788 May
2nd 1858.
Children
Anna Aug.
1st 1808
Mary June
22nd 1810 April
17th 1908.
Frederick June
5th 1812 Oct.
26th 1888.
Elizabeth Sept.
27th 1814
Sophia July
6th 1817 Aug.
1st 1892
Christeen Feb. 1st
1819 April 26th
1903.
Martha Dec.
8th 1821
John April
14th 1824 Sept.
22nd 1904.
George B. Aug.
4th 1826 June
19th 1892
Margaret April
7th 1828
Philip
Aug.
12th 1830
Aunt
Anna the oldest of the family married John Size, Shoemaker, of
Unionville. I remember five grown
children. There may or may not have been
more. She was born about forty-six years
before I was; consequently they were “old people” at my earliest
recollection. They lived in Unionville
near the schoolhouse where I first attended school and my recollections of my
Aunt Anna are mixed up with kindly pats on the head and bread and butter with
brown sugar on it. Brown sugar was ten
cents a pound in those days and a rare treat on bread and butter. When a boy of eight or nine I remember being
sent time and again for a dozen tallow candles and a pound of sugar and those
articles were supposed to last a family a couple of weeks. The old people were poverty stricken in their
old age and I remember people saying it was brought about by a too free use of
sugar and like articles when they were able to earn them.
Aunt
Mary in her youthful days married a man by the name of Lihty by whom she had two children. After her first husbands
death she married Henry Shoults, and raised an
additional family of three. They lived
on the old homestead, or rather on a small lot belonging to the old home farm
fronting on the seventh concession.
Uncle Henry has been dead a number of years but she still lives with her
son George having attained the great age of over ninety-six years. At the present time she is the only living
member of the family.
Frederick, the firstborn son was a six-foot, two hundred-pound,
powerful man and stories of his exploits in the line of work in his palmy days are yet extant.
He had for his first wife one Peggy Puterbaugh. At least nine children were born to
them. After her death which was longer
ago than I can remember, he married a widow Lundy and
two more children came of this marriage.
He died at Richmond Hill aged 76 years, 4 months, 21 days.
Elizabeth, the fourth of the family, was an Aunt about whom I knew
very little. She was reckoned as the
flower of the flock as far as looks were concerned but I have an indistinct
remembrance of her having left a stain upon our name. She married (it appears to me unwillingly) a
George Bierman of Markham. They separated after a time and she fell in
love and ran away with Jacob Barkey. How long afterward her lawful husband lived I
do not know but she became a faithful wife to the man of her choice and raised
a large family, probably eight or ten.
They lived in Pennsylvania and at least one of her sons gave up his life
in the United States civil war. They
were in Markham on a visit when I was a lad of nine, that being the only time I
ever saw her or her husband. At the
present time no correspondence or definite knowledge of each other exists
between her descendants and their relatives here.
Sophia married George Haacke. Their home
for the greater part of their lives was on Lot 21, Concession 7. Fourteen
children were all they had. My
recollections of Aunt Sophy are pleasant ones. She was kindhearted, motherly, sunny-tempered
Christian. Uncle George was a hard man
in some respects but I believe he was a good husband. Unlike the Quantz’s
he was a moneymaker, adding farm to farm and money to money, nearly all of
which has been squandered by the children since his death. They both died near the old home and both lie
buried in the old Christian graveyard on the 7th Con. where so many
of the descendants of the house of Quantz have found their last resting place.
Aunt Christeen was
an aunt whom I knew more about and whom I held in high esteem although she had
a decided way of making boys toe the mark. Unlike her next older sister with
the numerous family she only had one child - a son.
She married William Wonch also of Markham Township.
My first recollection was of them living on the 4th concession of
Markham and Father and Mother taking me to visit them on a bitterly cold day
and of my crying with the cold on the way. In after years Uncle William bought
the old homestead from Father and for a certain time we lived close together,
my Father having built a house on the front of the Lot or in Quantztown. Years after my Uncle sold out again and moved
to the Township of Innisfil where both the old people
reached the span of life and crossed over. The son, cousin
George E. Wonch, is still there.
Martha
was one of the three children who became United States
citizens. She married Stephen Noble and had two children if I remember rightly.
They left Markham when I was quite young in years and I never saw them
afterward. I very much doubt if any of her connections here could furnish the
date of her death or have any definite knowledge of her descendants.
John was never far afield. For a few years he lived on a rented
farm in the Township of Whitchurch, otherwise he was
always a resident of Markham. I never knew of him living anywhere but on his
lot in Quantztown.
He married Elizabeth Whipple, otherwise known as “Aunt
Betty”. They only had one child - a
daughter who afterward married George Sornberger and
they also spent the greater part of their lives on the same lot in another
house. It is an old saying that “a
rolling stone gathers no moss” but this case must have been an exception, for
although they were nearly all their lives in the one place they never gathered
much of this worlds goods. However theirs was a pleasant and a hospitable home and one which
was often visited by me. I was
called Aunt Betty’s boy and they were nearer to me than any others of my Uncles
and Aunts. Both lie buried in the old
churchyard above mentioned.
It is not
necessary to say much about George Baker
Quantz here. Much of father’s life
and movements are recorded elsewhere in this book. Unlike Uncle John he wandered here and
there. From the old homestead he moved
first to East Gwillimbury, then to Osprey, then to
King, then to Whitchurch. He and Mother are lying side by side in the
Church Hill Christian Church burying ground which some ground was given by him
to the church.
Margaret
was the third one of the girls whose husbands took them to the United States
although it was later on in life when they went. I remember both of them distinctly and
remember playing with the children of whom there were five. They went to Michigan but we used to hear
oftener from them than the others and one of the boys visited Markham ten or
twelve years afterward. Uncle David N. Wismer (for that was her husband's name) was rather
unsettled as far as his occupations were concerned, - being hunter, fisher,
farmer or a follower of any other occupation that caught his fancy for the time
being, and at his best if his possessions had been turned into hard cash he
wouldn’t have required all his pantspockets to carry
it around. Like the other wanderers I
have no record of her death.
Philip, the last of the family was born when the oldest child was
twenty-two. Eleven
children in twenty-two years, making an average of two years for each child. And every one reached manhood and womanhood
and every one married. What an awful
calamity to a family and an outrage upon society that would be in our day. One or two at most, is enough according to
the edicts of polite society now-a-days.
Uncle Philip married Catherine Crosby; a girl born and raised on the
next farm from where he was born and they settled in the Quantztown
and raised a family of six. He was a
carpenter by trade and like many more of the Quantz's,
especially the younger generation; he was a genius at woodworking. Our own Valley Grove home was built by
him. One of his sons was fretwork sawer for the Uxbridge Organ Co. for a number of
years. But in spite of all his natural
abilities he made a failure of life financially speaking and his last days were
spent in a charitable institution in the city of Toronto.
So endeth these memory
sketches. They may be faulty in a few
instances but I think they are correct in the main. It may be of interest in passing to notice
that my computation gives the house of George Quantz senior about seventy
grandchildren. Just a
word about the honored name of George
as relating to the family. Four
successive generations bore the name and unless it crops up somewhere in
succeeding generations it is likely to become obsolete because the last to bear
it came to an untimely end by drowning at the age of twenty. George, my grandfather, George Baker, my
father, George Wellington my brother and George Naurice,
my brother’s son, have borne the name.
It would be impossible for me to follow the family tree as
it spread its branches wider and wider so I will have to confine myself to the
particular branch that represented our family.
As far as my dream and the intent of writing this chapter to my
memorandum is concerned the foregoing may be considered as a prologue. In my dream I was relating to this book the
characteristics, movements and concerns of our own family, that is, the family
of George Baker Quantz of which family I am the oldest, biggest, and most
illiterate specimen living.
According to the records
heretofore-inserted George Baker Quantz was born Aug. 4th, 1826,
married Dec.1st 1852 and died June 19th 1892. Jane Bradburn, his
wife was born Feb. 1st 1833 and died May 4th 1906. We see by these figures that father died in
his 66th year and mother in her 73rd. She was nearly seven years younger than him
being married in her 19th year and survived him nearly 14
years. On Oct. 27th 1896 she
was married the second time to George Feeley, an old
time lover of hers, and May 1900 he was burned to death in the great Hull-Ottawa
fire. Mother was of Irish extraction
both her parents coming from the “old sod” so there was a streak of Irish
somewhere mixed up with the German in the composition of the children. I used to say that I was half-Irish,
half-Dutch and half-Canadian but some folks wouldn’t believe it.
The children of George B. and Jane
Quantz were nine, born as follows:
Name Born Married Died
James Dec. 17, 1853 Dec. 29, 1853
William
Alexander Nov. 26, 1854 Oct. 5, 1881 m.
Susan C.
William
Alexander Apr.
13, 1898 Jun. 18, 1945 m. Florence A.
George Wellington Apr. 30, 1857 Jan. 23, 1884 Apr.
13, 1938
Mary Jane Jul. 26, 1859 Jun. 28, 1881 Jul. 10, 1930
Joseph Sep. 6, 1862 Sep.
8, 1862
Jacob
Daniel Sep. 13, 1863 Oct. 14, 1891 Jul. 2, 1943
Edwin Albert Mar. 10, 1866 Aug. 4, 1904 May 16, 1959
John Oscar Jan. 12, 1868 Aug. 11, 1900 Jan. 24, 1903
Charles Augustus Jan. 10, 1872 Mar. 22, 1874
Charlie was scalded by falling backward
into a pail of boiling water and his injuries resulted in death.
There you have us.
Leaving out the angel children and the only girl, you have the [make], the smart boy, the
plodder, the mischief and the student.
William Alexander, that’s myself, is the first on the list but it is not my purpose to
say anything about myself in this chapter.
There is enough and more than enough about me in the book now. The
writing of this entire book has been a huge task and has required a large amount
of stick-to-itiveness, and let me say that this same trait has been one of the
redeeming features of the [make]
and has often made successes out of what otherwise might have been failures. And
one of the benefits of this book to myself has been
the memory of things past in black and white and the ready reference to dates
that I could not hold in my head. And so
I thought this chapter might tell some of the younger people who might chance
to see it a little more than they yet know about their ancestors and supply
some dates that might otherwise be lost for good.
Although it
may be somewhat of a repetition I want to record the Births, Deaths and
Marriages of each separate family as we go along.
Name Born Married Died
Parents
William Alexander Nov. 26th 1854 Oct.5th 1881 June 18th 1945
Susan Remina Clayton Sep.
1854 Apr.
3rd 1892
Children
Edna Jane July 5th 1882 April 20th 1910 to Aug. 22nd1960
William
R. Reid
Clayton July 8th
1886 Jan. 26th 1916
to
Alma
Holzkamm
Florence Remina Mar.
24th 1892 May
2nd 1892
(Second
Marriage)
Name Born Married Died
Parents
William Alexander Nov. 26th 1854 Apr. 13th, 1898 Jun. 18th 1945
Florence Ella Amos Aug. 15th 1869 Jan.
10th 1959
Children
Gordon Amos Mar. 16th 1901 Jan. 13th 1945 to Oct.13th 1967
Kathleen
Harrison
May
7th 1958 to
Audrey
Luella Emery
John Oscar June 10th 1903 June 1oth, 1949 to
Eileen
Gertrude Taylor
George Wellington comes next. He was considered by people in general to be of
a more enterprising and speculative nature than his older brother. Unlike his
brother he started out on his own account before he became of age. After
roaming around for a considerable time he joined forces with me and from 1879
till 1883 we worked together on "Hard Scrabble". We were fairly successful
while together and during those years done very much toward cleaning up and
improving the old farm of Hard Scrabble, Lot 26, Concession 9, Whitechurch.
After leaving me he spent some time in Flos
and on Jan. 23rd 1884 he married Miss Nancy Doan of Tiny, formerly
of King. (p.100). They rented a farm in Flos near Allenwood and settled
down to business. For several years they continued their farming operations and
then sold out. This was the beginning of what is generally termed "the
hard times" and his stock and effects were sold at great sacrifice. His
business career since leaving me had been a failure. Not only was what he had
gathered together gone but he found himself burdened with debt. Prices were
away down, work was scarce, his stakes were pulled up and he was turned loose
with the burden on his back.
That was the time he showed his breeding. He was a man. He
provided for his family as best he could and struck out for the woods. Year
after year he struggled on 'till every man had his dollar. In the Northern
lumber woods, in the Northwest with the surveyors, in the Sudbury mining
district, in New Ontario, and in Cobalt he has cooked and hunted and worked.
During most of these years he saw his wife and family two or three times a
year. He lived such a life as I have thought many a time I couldn't stand
anyway you could fix it. But he has shook his debts.
For the last years he has been a prospector in the Cobalt district and has a
couple of claims there of his own. The most terrible shock of their lives came
last summer when Naurice was downed while pursuing
his work with the surveyors. (p.436). The family lived
in Wahnapitae and then came to New Market to give the
children a high school education.
Name Born Married Died
George Wellington Apr. 30th, 1857 Jan. 23rd, 1884 Apr. 13th, 1938
Nancy Doan Mar. 11th, 1860 June
12th, 1937
Children
Beatrice May 3rd,
1885 Oct.
14th, 1886
George Naurice Mar.
15th, 1886 May
12th, 1906
Myrtle Jane Sep. 24th, 1889 Nov. 18th, 1919 to
Flt. Lieu. W. C. Johnston Died
1969
Edgar Doan Aug. 18th, 1891 Sep. 1st, 1927 to Aug. 13th, 1968
Georgina
Mackenzie Feb. 4th, 1979
Next comes Mary Jane,
the only girl in the family of nine. I was nearly five years old when she was
born and I remember that I considered my life as being made miserable because I
had to stay in and rock the cradle. I don't think she was "spoiled"
any more than the rest of us because she was a girl. Her life was as uneventful
as the male members of the family and perhaps more so. On June 28th,
1881 she married William E. Spring, son of Jacob and Anna Spring. The ceremony
was performed by Elder William Percy of Stouffville, at Father's house in
Church Hill. (p.56). In October of the same year, they moved to the township of
Tiny where he had purchased a bush farm and they have been there ever since.
Like the Quantz's he was never
noted as a moneymaker. I think however they have lived a happy life together,
which is of much more account than the money making. They have brought up three
obedient and well-behaved children.
Name Born Married Died
Parents
William Edwin
Spring Aug. 18th, 1856 June 28th, 1881 May 6th, 1940
Mary Jane Quantz July 26th, 1859 July
10th, 1930
Children
Herbert Augustus Sept. 18th, 1882 June 1924 to
Mrs.
Margaret Tripp
Laura Ethel May 22, 1884 Mar. 20, 1907 to
James
McFadden.
Viola Pearl July 3rd,
1888, Oct. 29, 1924 to Jan. 1965
John
D. Stone
The
children enumerated thus far were all born on the old farm proper but the fifth
was born in Quantztown after the farm had been sold.
One of my Father's older sisters married a man by the name of Barkey and lived in Pennsylvania. In the autumn of 1863
this couple and their youngest son paid a visit to the old home. The uncle's
name was Jacob and the cousin's Daniel and the young gaffer who had just lately
come into the home was called Jacob
Daniel.
I have heard people talk of the black sheep of the family
but he wasn't black, at least not as far as character was concerned, but his
eyes and hair were several shades darker than those of any other member of the
family. We were all flaxen-haired in early youth except Jake. He was the odd
sheep. He was also shorter in stature than any of us. But he possessed the grim
determination of his old German ancestors. He was a plodder. Like his older
brothers he started for himself as an ordinary farmer or rather his training
was in that direction for he owned no land in those days. He worked sometimes
for me, sometimes for Wellington and sometimes for strangers. But the time came
when he had to quit work. He developed a bad case of Dyspepsia. When he was
getting better he took another notion. He went to Toronto Veterinary College
and in due time became a qualified Veterinary Surgeon. He hung out his shingle
and practiced his profession for some time in Lakefield near Peterborough. From
Lakefield he went to Kentucky the land of whiskey drinking and racehorses.
While in Cynthiana, Kentucky, he married Miss Sophia Doan. But she wasn't a
Kentucky girl, not by any means. She was a sister of his brother
George Wellington's wife and she must have seen him before for she thought
enough of him to travel from Flos to Kentucky alone
to marry him. A son was born to them there but the climate was too hot for
mother and son. During the summer of 1895 they came back to Ontario and in
September of the same year they went to Alberta and took up a homestead. Jake
has never been back since consequently it is over eleven years since I have
seen him. But the plodder has made a home and money in that new country and is
worth more today financially speaking than any other member of the family. And
so after inserting his short family record as we have done with the rest we
shall have to leave him.
Name Born Married Died
Parents
Jacob Daniel Sept. 13th, 1863 Oct. 14th, 1891 Jul. 2, 1943
Sophia J. Doan Dec. 27th, 1864 Jun.
2, 1943
Children
Jacob Doan Feb. 12th, 1894 Killed
in battle in
Europe
June 1916
Oscar Percival Aug. 16th, 1901 June 25th, 1924 to Oct. 6, 1979
Ada E. Stephenette
(Died
Oct. 20, 1968)
Edwin Albert is the next on the list. The funny thing about it is that I
can't remember where we lived when he first came to see us. I don't know where
he was born or why. He seemed to be just born for fun and he has been funny ever
since, and in more ways than one. He was the mischief of the family. He kept
things lively. Evidently he didn't believe that life was made up of all work
and no play. But he did his work bravely too, and his mischief was pure fun,
nothing bad. He was foremost in the lacrosse and ball game. And once in the
football game he was injured internally so that it took years for him to
recover from it and perhaps he was never just as robust again. He and John
commenced their early studies together and although both were good students and
Ed had the advantage with regard to age, John was always a little in advance
with his studies. They passed their entrance examinations in the course of time
and Father and Mother moved to Mount Joy in Nov. 1882 in order to send them to
Markham High School (p.83). Just previous to this Father sold the Church Hill
fifty-acre homestead to Mr. Stotts for $1,000. I also
bought his half interest in "Hard Scrabble", he reserving ten acres
by life lease. After the two boys had passed through their high school studies,
the family moved back and built upon the leased ten acres giving it the name of
Valley Grove which it still bears. They passed their training in the Newmarket model school and thus qualified themselves for
public school teaching. After this they were left to their own resources and
each one had to work his way in life. They taught for some years and then
improved themselves by taking a course in stenography and shorthand, also a
course in Business College. After this their paths diverged. Ed has taught in
business colleges but for the greater part of his life he has followed the
avocation of a public school teacher. He has proven himself a thoroughly
capable teacher and has gained a living thereby. He has drifted wide in his teaching
operations and for the last few years has been in Alberta. He is now located in
Daysland, Alberta and in addition to his duties as a
teacher, has taken up a homestead. In August 1904 he married Ruth Harris of
Alberta and since that time a son has been born to them. The age of 26 was the
regulation time for the Quantz's to marry but he
passed that time by a dozen years.
Name Born Married Died
Parents
Edwin Albert Mar. 10th, 1866 Aug. 4th, 1904 May 16th, 1959
Ruth Harris Sept. 7th, 1886 Dec.
21st, 1915
Children
William Edwin July 29th, 1906 July 22nd, 1938 to
E.
Green
Albert George Sept. 23rd, 1907
Minnie Ruth June 3rd, 1909 Jan.10th, 1933 to
John
Paxton.
Irene Jane Feb. 3rd, 1911 Apr.
5th, 1916
Daniel Ernest Oct. 11, 1912 Oct.
6th, 1939
John Oscar - One more brother finds a
place in this catalogue, the youngest and best. If it were fair to leave his
biography out of this chapter I would gladly do so. He is numbered with the
dead and the memory of the dead is sacred. I cannot do his memory justice so it
is with great reluctance that I write at all. Neither do I wish it understood
that it is because he is gone that I say the good I may of him. It has became a
customary thing to eulogize the dead, and sometimes it is carried beyond the
limits of truth, but what I have said or may say of the Brother that has gone
will only be approaching the truth. The majority of people were not capable of
knowing him as he was, only a few people have sounded
the depths of his great character and - yes, I think I may say it - I am among
that few. He and I, the youngest and the oldest were thrown more together in
our after life than any of the rest of the family.
During his
studies in the Toronto University he was an inmate of my home and yet at that
time I didn't understand him. He passed through one of the greatest
heart-struggles of his life while under my roof and I didn't know it 'til long
after. Where the time came that I had no home, where father and wife and child
passed over in less than three months, where the old "days of
darkness" were dragging slowly along, then I came to know John. From that
time on he and I lived heart to heart. From him I received the greatest share
of the sympathy and help that I so sorely needed at that time.
From him I
learned little by little the grandest truths that have came into my life. And I
came to know that the lessons, the inspirations, the truths, he was dealing out
to me he was dealing out to scores of others. And one of the beautiful features
of his character was that he went about his work so quietly and unobtrusively.
He would listen respectfully to the opinions of people greatly inferior to
himself in wisdom and never argue for the sake of argument. He was modest in
his assertions yet at the same time strong in his convictions. And while he was
exerting himself to make others happy his own life was full of disappointment
and longing and loneliness. He came to know the full what is meant by
"waiting". A great many people think they understood all about
"waiting" where they have scarcely touched the outside of its
meaning.
He was born
in the township of East Gwillimbury on the 3rd
Concession or Queen Street as it is generally called, about two miles north of Queensville on the outskirts of what was known then as, and
may still be called "The Holland Swamp". Poverty held the house of
Quantz in its clutches in those days and the little stranger found a very
indifferent welcome. I myself remember the family living for some time on plain
boiled turnips. Perhaps under the circumstances the mother might be forgiven
for saying that she would not have mourned greatly if the new addition to the
family had been taken away.
But he
didn't go, not then. He stayed with us and took his chances with the rest and
his slice came out of the loaf and the loaves seemed to keep us going some how. But a good deal of the time there was nothing but
the loaf and a little tea to help it down. Sometimes, when things were a little
more prosperous, we had butter on our last half slice. And the little one came
to be dearly loved for even in his childish days he was good. One time the rest
of us took him upstairs to play in a house where only part of the upper floor
was laid and he pitched over and lit on his head on the lower floor barely
escaping splitting his head on an iron pot. He barely escaped with his life as
it was, but there was rejoicing in that house when we knew he would live.
I often
think of our wanderings from place to place and of the privations we suffered
and I wonder sometimes if it made better men of us. As soon as I was able to
work out (thirteen was the age in my case) I was away from home most of the
time and couldn't enjoy the companionship of the younger ones. John and Ed grew
up together and the outward history of the one was the history of the other
until they commenced to teach. I have traced that history in Ed's case. As I
have said, John was the best student. He was a great student. The
exercise of his great mind overtaxed his physical resources. He never could
endure privation and manual labour like the rest of us. He would teach public
school until he would gather a sufficient sum and then expend it on his college
studies. He took the degree of BA in Toronto University in the class of 1894 (p.257)
and the degree of Ph.D. in the University of Wisconsin in July 1897. (p.333).
Aug. 11th,
1900 he married Miss Maggie Baxter, the girl he had loved and waited for long,
long years (p.397). He loved as few love in this life and waited, as few have
to wait. The same day they were married they started for Moose Jaw, Saskatoon,
where he assumed the principalship of the High School
in that place. A year or so afterward they went to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where he
died. Once more you will have to turn back in the old memorandum (p.403) and
read what has been written in the past for the conclusion of this poor
biography. You will there find the last tribute of my poor pen to the Brother
who has gone to rest.
Name Born Married Died
John Oscar Quantz Jan. 12th, 1868 Aug. 11th, 1900 Jan. 24th, 1903
Margaret Baxter Aug. 16th, 1863 Apr.
17th, 1943
By:
William A. Quantz
Dated:
Dec. 31, 1906
Chapter 31.3
Appendix
to Former Chapter
Back in book No. 1, page 444, there is a long chapter and
the title given to it when written was called "Facts and Figures relating
to the History of the House of Quantz". I am making a pause in my weekly
insertions here to add an appendix to that chapter and the reason for it is
that I have been reading an old book from which I have gleaned some facts
regarding my ancestors and my country that seemed to me to be worth Preserving.
The title of the book is "The History of the County of York". The
name of the author I can not give for the perfectly
good reason that it is neither in or on the book.
Evidently the author was too modest to put his name on the outside and the
first leaves are missing. Some enterprising rats or mice have chewed through
the cover and some of the leaves. Whether they were hunting for historical
facts regarding their country or something to eat remains an unsettled
question. The book was published in 1885; consequently there are no historical
facts in it relating to the County of York or Canada after that date.
It is not my intention to try and
dig up Canadian History, but there are a few facts regarding it that have
interested me so much that I think it is worth while mentioning them. My main
object is to retain some further facts concerning my ancestors of which I was
ignorant at the time of writing the former chapter. First then, some facts
relating to the early history of Canada, most of which happened within 25 miles
of where I was born and raised, namely, York, or muddy York, or little York,
afterward Toronto. The name York was first given to the place in honour of the King's son, the Duke of York, York County,
and York Township are names probably derived from the same source.
The name Toronto (meaning meeting
place) is an Indian word and was probably given to the place because it became
a place of supply for the first settlers and place of meeting and barter
between the white man and his civilized products and the Indian and his furs.
John Graves Simcoe, first Governor
of Canada came over from England in 1792 and built Castle Frank as a residence
for himself during his governorship in Canada. When he was recalled to England
the pioneers of Canada lost a good friend and a just ruler. He died in Oct.
1806. The County of Simcoe, Lake Simcoe, Simcoe Street in Toronto, were named
for him. His wife's maiden name was Gwillim, and
East, West, and North Gwillimbury were named for her.
The population of York in 1800 was 200 soldiers and ten or twelve families.
Yonge
Street is one of the first highways built in Canada and was intended to connect
Lakes Ontario and Simcoe. The name Yonge was bestowed
on it by Governor Simcoe in honour of his friend Sir
George Yonge, secretary of war during the earlier
part of the Governor's residence in Canada. Simcoe employed the soldiers in the
work of opening up Yonge Street.
The first public market in Little
York was established in 1803 and called St. Lawrence Market. It is still in
existence in 1933 making it 130 years old. The first St. James Cathedral was
built in 1804. The first parliament was called in June 1798 and the location
was at the intersection of Parliament and Front Streets. That may have been the
reason it was called Parliament Street.
Just a few words
about one of the most prominent men in the history of Canada - William Lyon
McKenzie. He was born in Dundee Scotland, in 1795, and died August 28th,
1861. Toronto was incorporated in 1834 with a population of 10,000 and McKenzie
was the city's first chief magistrate. He was a Member of Parliament, and as
such was thrown out of his seat time and time again. He published a paper
called the Colonial Advocate in which he scourged the grasping, iniquitous rule
of the "Family Compact" and the injustice of the "Clergy Reserve
Law", whereby one seventh of all Canadian lands were set aside in sections
for the sole use of the Church of England.
The story of the rebellion of
1836-37, of which McKenzie was the leading spirit, is generally well known. It
failed in the sense of accomplishing anything of immediate value to the opposers of the "Family Compact" and their iniquitous
granting of lands and positions to their families and supporters but it worked
to their undoing in the end. A number of persons lost their lives and a number
escaped to the United States. Amoung the latter was
McKenzie. He returned to Toronto in 1849.
Reports to the English authorities
and investigations on their part led to the overthrow of the Family Compact
government and the betterment of conditions in Canada.
The Clergy reserves question was
settled in 1855 and the lands thrown open for disposal. The proceeds, a
supposedly large amount, were invested in the interests of education and constitutes what is called the Clergy reserve fund and the
interest of that fund is divided yearly among all our schools.
The "History of the County of
York" deals at some length with the old-time history of Canada as a whole;
its explorers, its Indian natives, its wars, especially the wars between the
English and the French during the time that Upper Canada was held by the
English and Lower Canada by the French.
Then it gives in detail, the effect
of some of the abuses practiced upon the sparse settlers and the injustice of
some of the rulers sent over from the Mother country, who apparently thought
they were going to build a new England where the few would be entitled to rule
over the many and the Church of England would be sustained and enriched without
regard to other denominations or beliefs.
Then the writer gives a more
detailed account of the townships comprising the County of York, namely Etobicoke, York, Scarborough, Vaughan, King, Markham, Whitchurch, Gwillimbury East, Gwillimbury North, and Georgina. After that he gives a
history of the towns and villages included in the county of which we will take
no note.
We come now to the main purpose of the writing of this
chapter, namely, some further facts relating to the history of the House of
Quantz. In doing so we just have to confine ourselves to what the author has
told us about the settlement of the good old banner township of Markham.
After describing the township and giving the acreage, which
is 67,578, he says, "it was first settled in about the year 1790. It was
partially surveyed in 1794, being the third township in the county to be marked
out". The author also says that "a few scattered pioneers had here
and there taken up land but there was no systematic attempt at settlement until
1794 when a number of Germans came over from the United States under the
leadership of William Berczy". Among these were
64 families of Germans who had been brought out from Hamburg by agents to
locate on Captain Williamsons' estate called the "Pulteney
settlement" in New York. These people were there in the position of
tenants. The prospect of owning their own farms in Canada was more inviting,
and in the face of great difficulties they made their way to Markham. There
were no roads and no stores; supplies had to be procured from the south of the
lakes. Some few articles could be got at Niagara (then called Newark) but
nearly everything in the way of tools, farm implements and provisions had to be
brought from the settlements in New York State. York was then a mere hamlet; Yonge Street did not exist, though the line had been marked
out.
But Berczy,
the leader of the expedition was a man of indomitable energy and boundless
resources. He had, during his residence in the United States, constructed a
road all the way from Philadelphia to Lake Ontario, and under his direction the
immigrants cut their way through the forest and made a wagon track to the
southern portion of Markham, which winding in and out amoung
the trees marked the beginning of Yonge Street.
Over this primitive road they set
out on their journey from York with their families and household effects. Their
wagons were ingeniously contrived so they could be used as boats on an
emergency. Made of closely fitting
boards with the seams caulked, the body of the vehicle being removed from the
carriage could be floated across small bodies of water, carrying a considerable
load. Where the banks were steep they lowered their wagons down the declivity
by ropes passes around the trunks of saplings and pulled them up on the
opposite side in a similar manner.
The first saw and gristmills in York County were built by
Mr. William Berczy in the early days of the settlement.
They were situated on the River Rouge on Lot # 4 in the 3rd concession of
Markham and were known as the German Mills.
As near as I can tell the German Mills are in the neighbourhood of where Frederick Quantz settled in the
township. The "Jail Farm" was purchased by the government from a
Quantz and a Quantz has held a position of authority there since the
institution was built, as far as I know.
The author says, "The Gazetteer in 1799, in referring
to the township of Markham, mentions it as having "good mills and a
thriving settlement of Germans". He also mentions that John Stivers and Henry Elson were the two first white children
born in Markham and that their parents came in with the Berczy
party. Berczy became greatly embarrassed in his
circumstances and was discouraged by the treatment of the government. The
pledges under which the project of settlement was first put into execution were
not fulfilled as he expected and in 1799 he withdrew from the enterprise and
took up his residence in Montreal. His losses in connection with the settlement
of Markham were stated at Thirty Thousand Pounds. Ultimately he returned to the
States and died in New York in 1813.
It has been very gratifying to me to get the history of this
man Berczy. Mention of him is contained in the former
chapter of facts and figures but very little was known
to me then except the bare fact that he had lost a fortune in connection with
the settlement of Markham. Possibly his losses came to him during the regime of
the English aristocracy and the family Compact, and if such is the case, at any
rate, it puts the German immigrant and the poorer classes on the right side in
the pages of History, and we belong to both.
Reading this history and studying all the facts that it has
brought to me has been not only gratifying but entertaining. There doesn't seem
to be a doubt left in my mind about the movements of the family back tom the
time of my Great Grandfather, Melchior Quantz. I think we can trace them from
Hamburg Germany, to New York State, and from there to the township of Markham.
There is an old saying in the family that my Grandfather (with his parents)
came across the sea at the age of four. He was born in 1784, so reckoning from
that the migration from Germany would be in 1788. The migration from New York
State was in 1794, consequently giving them only six
years there. This appears to be a short space of time for the settlement and
removal of a colony of 64 families but it agrees with the author's description
of it, for in speaking of their migration to Markham he says they had
"recently" been brought from Hamburg.
A good deal has been said in the former chapter about the
Pennsylvania Germans and their migration to Markham but it would appear from
this history that Berczy's party, who came from New
York, may have been there first, and I suppose New York may have been just as
good a place to come from as Pennsylvania, and it seems to be one more point
cleared up in the Quantz history.
In the history of the township the author has given a list
of the early patentees of the township arranged according to years in which
they received their titles or deeds of land, and Melchior Quantz is recorded as
receiving his in the year 1803, 130 years ago. It is so interesting to meet
with names that you are accustomed to hearing in 1933 mentioned back in the
first years of the 18th century that I will bring some of them to
your notice. John George Shoults, (here spelled
Schultz), John Haacke, John Size, Albright Spring,
Philip Wideman, Nathan Terry, Ners Fierheller, Philip Eckardt, John
Button, Englehart Helmkey,
William Eakin, and others. Descendants of the first
three mentioned in this list married Quantz girls and were Uncles of mine.
Referring back to the old German record I find that
Grandfather was born in 1784, and died Sept. 1873, consequently he would be 89
at the time of his death. Grandmother was born Oct. 10th, 1788, and
died May 2nd, 1858 making her age nearly 70. A few years ago I did a
job of carpenter work for Homer Wilson at Old Gormley
on the 4th Concession of Markham and while there I went down to Heise Hill Cemetery where both Grandparents were buried and
found Dear old Grandmother's grave and headstone and it verified the dates
given above. There never was a stone erected on Grandfather's grave and there
is not even the appearance of a grave left as a Cemetery Commission have
leveled and seeded the yard and it is to be perpetually cared for. The caring
for a cemetery is a good thing, but losing the location of a grave not so good,
and it shows the folly of neglecting to erect some kind of monument to the
memory of the dead. While there I had a chat with Mrs. Baker, a lady over 90
years old who remembered the old people attending the church and described
Grandmother to me. The church is known as the Old Dutch or "Tunkard Church" to which denomination they belonged.
According to all these figures the Quantz family hit
Canadian soil when Grandfather was 10 years old and his Brother Frederick (they
of the German Mills or 3rd Concession Quantzs)
a few years older. Grandfather's first child was born in 1808 so it is reasonable
to suppose that he may have been married in 1806 or 7 at the age of 22 or 23, while his wife
would be 18 or 19. His military experience, of which I have heard him talk, is
still a conundrum; at least it is to me. If it happened in the War of 1812 - 13
between the United States and Canada, he would be 29 or 30 years of age with a
family of three children.
I am through now. It has taken considerable time to cull
these few facts from a large book and put them together in their proper order,
but my time is not valuable so there is very little lost. It seems rather
satisfying to know that I have descended from the old pioneer stock, and that
they and I have been here long enough to give me the honour
of being a real Canadian citizen.
I have a sneaking idea that all of it has been put together
in a rather rummy way, but perhaps most of it may be understandable.
If any of the younger generation of the House of Quantz are
not interested enough to read it just turn the pages down but leave them
intact, so others who may have curiosity enough or intelligence enough to read
it may gain some knowledge of their antecedents.
By William Alexander Quantz
Lot
9, Main Street,
Stouffville
Dated: Feb. 20th, 1933
Chapter 31.4
Appendix
to the History of the House of Quantz
Nov. 15, 1971
I have just had a telephone
call and a visit from a Mrs. Keith Moore whose mother was a Quantz. Over the
years Mr. Moore has spent a great deal of time and money in tracing the Quantz
Family History from numerous sources. In his research he has come up with some
additional information some of which I thought was well worth recording since
it goes back a further four generations prior to Melchior's time. Mr. Moore has
made three trips to Germany and I feel sure that the information is authentic
because it was for the most part obtained from the archives in that country.
The following "Family Tree", while mot
complete in every detail, you will note goes back to a Johannes Quantz who was
married in (April 15) 1649.
Mr. Moore also had some
further information on Melchior Quantz which was obtained from local and which
is not contained in my father's account. After emigrating from Germany to New
York State in 1792 or 1793 he later moved on to Canada and took up land on Lot
13 Concession 2 of Markham Township. This land was held under Order in Council
dated July 28, 1801, which was later confirmed by Crown Patent dated July 15,
1803. This farm, by the way, was just sold out of the Quantz name about two
years ago (1969). It was no doubt some years later that Melchior's son George
homesteaded on Lot 14 Concession 7 Markham Township. This is the old Quantz
homestead to which my father refers in his account and throughout his diary.
Also in my father's account
he recalls his Grandfather George talking about his younger days in York
Garrison and about his wrestling achievements. From Mr. Moore I learned that
George belonged to the First Regiment of York Militia attached to The Light
Dragoon. Mr. Moore also had photostats of Regimental
Pay Sheets covering the period 1812 through 1814. These old records were of
particular interest to me and in my perusal of them I found that both Frederick
and George were listed in the same regiment over that period. I was amused to
see a note of Frederick's desertion from the army but found where he had
returned after a two-week period. Other documents belonging to Mr. Moore
confirmed beyond doubt that both Frederick and George had participated in the
"War of 1812".
In my father's write-up he
said he had no record of whether or not Melchior's wife had accompanied him to
this country. However, since Christine's death is recorded on Feb. 29th
1820 it is obvious that she too spent some years in Canada.
One other fact comes to
light in Mr. Moore's research. In my father's writings he said that Melchior
(which he spelled in error as Melcher) sailed from Hamburg Germany and he
always assumed that this was where he lived in that country. The German
archives reveal that Melchior, as well as his father, lived in Homberg which apart from Hamburg. The seaport is a small
city quite some distance from Hamburg. I saw pictures of the town, which Mr.
Moore had taken, a very quaint and pretty place indeed.
To me the above and much
more of the verbal nature was very interesting. It all came about through
inquiry because of the name taken from the Toronto telephone directory. I was
glad to get the information and glad to make Mr. Moore's acquaintance. He is
quite a character and I rewarded him by giving him a copy of my father's
write-up on the family.
By John Oscar Quantz
Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
Nov. 15, 1971
Chapter 21.5
Genealogy
of Melchior Quantz
Lived
in Name Married
Malsfeld Johannes Quantz Anna Straub
m.
Apr. 15, 1649
Malsfeld Ulrich
Quantz
Niederbeisheim Johann Henrick Quantz Anna
Elizabeth Baur
and Homberg b. Nov. 28,
1688 b. 1682
d. Mar. 28, 1751
Homberg Urban Quantz Anna Martha Scheidler
b. Jan. 7, 1719 b.
1700
d. Jan. 26, 1761 d.
Mar. 14, 1761
Homberg Melchior
(Michael) Quantz Christina (Christine)
b.
Sept. 20, 1749 b. Sept.
24, 1742 (1745)
d. Feb. 20, 1827 d. Feb. 29, 1820
Son 1 George
Quantz Mary Ann Baetjer (Baker) (Badger)
Born in Homberg,
Germany b. Oct. 30, 1767 b. Oct. 10, 1788
Lived in Markham, Canada d. May. 27, 1873 d. May. 2, 1858
m.
May. 18, 1807
Son 2 Frederick
Quantz Elizabeth Ritter
Born in London, England b. Mar. 12, 1782 b. Sept. 16, 1791 Hamburg,
Germany
Lived in Markham, Canada d. Nov. 3, 1876 d. Aug. 7, 1876
The above documents were
found in the Markham District Historical Museum.
Retyped and Compiled by:
Richard John Quanz
24
king Henry Drive
Markham,
ON
Dated: Feb. 25, 1998
--- End ---
For more information see
the 10 volumes of the “Diary of William A Quantz” on this
website.