Early History

The square mile that eventually became New Toronto, was originally part of the "Indian Hunting Grounds" inhabited by the Mississauga Indians.  In 1787, the area was included in "The Toronto Purchase", a deal that Lord Dorchester arranged for the British Crown; a purchase of a quarter million acres from the Mississaugas, stretching 14 miles along the shores of Lake Ontario, from present day Scarborough to Etobicoke and traveling 30 miles inland.  The price?  1700 pounds sterling and some goods. 

There is a historical plaque mounted on a cairn in Marie Curtis Park at the mouth of the Etobicoke River commemorating the Toronto Purchase.  The plaque reads:

In August 1788, Alexander Aitkin commenced the survey of the western boundary of the lands purchased from the Mississauga Indians near here, at the mouth of Etobicoke Creek.  Etobicoke Historical Board, 1988"

The Ojibways described the area between the Etobicoke and Humber Rivers as "Wah-Do-Be-Kaug" which means, "Where the black alders grow".  It was once spelled "Ato-Be-Coake" by the first Provincial Land Surveyor, Augustus Jones, and then eventually became Etobicoke. 

In 1792, John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, designated nineteen counties in Upper Canada, one of which was York County.  Etobicoke Township was part of York County.

Most of the early settlers of Etobicoke were part of the Queen's Rangers.  Simcoe chose this area to place the Rangers in order to protect the Capital of Upper Canada.  In fact, in 1795, the Honourable Samuel Bois Smith was given a grant of 1530 acres, extending from what is now Kipling to Etobicoke creek, to as far north as what is now Bloor Street.  Smith was a major in command of the Queen's Rangers at Fort York. Smith's house survived in Long Branch until 1955, and of course his name lives on today holding title to Colonel Samuel Smith Park.  (Sam Smith by Robert A. Given)

After the war of 1812, discharged soldiers were given grants of lands in the area.  Etobicoke was attractive to land owners, as the taxes were relatively low.  The first land patent was given to a Sergeant Patrick Mealey, and his wife, Honor, on March 18, 1797, a lot west of today's Royal York Road at the lake.  My understanding is that the lots were about 200 acres each, so that would have pretty much covered the east end of today’s New Toronto. (Beginnings by Robert A. Given)

In 1799, a patent was given to Private Joseph Hunt.  Hunt later became a sergeant with the 49th regiment of Foot, and was killed in action at the current site of Battlefield Park, Stoney Creek, on June 6th, 1813. (Historical Plaques of Hamilton-Wentworth)  Hunt’s daughter, Frances E., married John Murchison (City of Toronto bios | History of Toronto and County of York).  Their son, Richard Murchison, owned land in the New Toronto area, according to the 1878 County of York map shown below.  (It makes me wonder if Murchison’s land was part of Hunt’s original patented lot given the relationship).

Patents were also given to John Clark and Thomas Tivey in 1799, but I’ve yet been able to secure any additional information on them.  Another grant was given to a Captain William Hooton in 1798.  Copies of the grant were kindly donated by Amy Brewitt, a descendant of William Hooton.  The transcription of the grant is as follows: 

William Hooton Land Petition

 

To His Honor, Peter Russell Esq., President of the Province of Upper Canada In Council.

The Petition of William Hooton late Serj’. Q’s Rangers Humbly Shewith

That your petitioner having been discharged as a Serjent in the Queens Rangers, petitioned the Honorable the Executive Council for Lands - and received a grant of 400 acres - that your petitioner conceives himself entitled to 100 acres more, from there being 500 acres allowed to reduced Serjents - prays your Honor will be pleased to allow him the additional 100 acres and your petitioner is in duty bound will ever pray -

William Hooton.

York 29th May ‘98 (1798)

Petition of Serj’. William Hooton, late of the Q’s Rangers for 100 acres of land No. 123.

Rec’d 29th May 98, read 30th . Recommend for 500 acres inclusive as a reduced Serj.

In Land Book D page 117.

 

 

The following was a family history that I discovered in some genealogy internet pages, posted by Adel McKay of Toronto:

William Hooton (c1740-1808) was a retired soldier from the 14th of Foot and the Queen's Rangers (or 1st American Regiment) and was an early applicant for land in Etobicoke Township. His wife was Mary, allegedly a Whitney (a family who also settled in the Humber Valley).  It appears the Hooton family came from Bedfordshire in England where there are two baptism records in Bedford Town. Registrations of marriages of his three daughters are at St. James Church in early Town of York:

   About 1801 Mary Ann Hooton (bc1783) married Henry Jackson (bc1752) allegedly in Nottinghamshire (served in the English Reg. 40th of Foot), and later operated the Peacock Tavern near the present west Toronto Junction. His large family seems to have moved to the area of Markham and Uxbridge.

   Margaret Hooton (bc1784) to Isaac Mitchell in 1803 (Isaac Mitchell joined the 14th Regiment of Foot in 1786 and in the Queen's Rangers at least from 1792 then discharged 5 March 1798). Isaac died shortly after his son John was born. His wife then married another soldier, John Peeler born in Lower Canada in 1811.

   Charles Cameron from Kilmonivaig, Inverness (served in the 26th of Foot) married Sarah Hooton (bc1789) in 1808 and took up a land grant in Toronto Township near Erindale. Several of his large family moved to the Acton area of Halton County. It is very likely that Charles Cameron had at least two sisters at York: one, Mary, married John Berry in 1802 and settled in Etobicoke Township, as did Ann who married Philip Haines in 1808.

 

 

Throughout the 1800's, the New Toronto area at the time was largely farmland.  In 1888, the Mimico Asylum was built, to ease the overcrowded Queen Street Asylum, and shortly thereafter, the electric radials came down Lakeshore with industries starting to settle just north of the Lakeshore.

There are some absolutely great historical maps online:

Greater Toronto Area Digital Map Library - University of Toronto:

This takes you to a map of south Etobicoke, between the Humber and Etobicoke rivers, in 1867.

 

Digital Library Collections - County Atlas Project - McGill University: 

This website has county atlases from the period of 1874 -1881.  Just click on Township and select Etobicoke.  On the button entitled "County Atlases", it gives an excellent description of concessions and how they were allotted, and the maps provide the names of the owners of the lots.

Below, I've expanded the portion of the 1878 Etobicoke map showing the Long Branch, New Toronto, and Mimico areas.

   

click on the links below for some family histories:

Charles Northcote:  Concession 1 SFL Lot 2

Mrs. Murray:  Concession I SFL Lot 2

G.H. Green:  Concession I SFL Lot 3

Richard Murchison:  Concession I SFL Lot 4

William Martin:  Concession I SFL Lot 5

Mrs. I. Bates:  Concession I SFL Lot 5

Henry Whitlam:  Concession 1 SFL Lot 6

Harrison estate:  Concession 2 Lot 6

 

The map below is a portion of the Mimico Map from 1890 listed on the National Archives website. What's interesting between these two maps, is that what is now Kipling Avenue was Mimico Avenue in 1890.  In the 1878 map above, the road is not named but is represented by the line segregating lots 5 & 6. Today, Mimico Avenue is in the centre of Mimico.  It is also interesting to see the clear residential development that took place over the 12 years (notice the Asylum on the south of lot 5 below), and the change in railway lines, from the Great Western Railway (above) to the Grand Trunk Railway (below) and the additional Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway (below). Click on the map below to go to the website that has the full copy posted that you can download/save.  Click on the Associated Images dropbox to obtain the two parts. 

 

 

In the 1880's, New Toronto truly started its industrial development.  In the October 25th, 1890 edition of the Toronto Globe, there was a full-page article entitled "Toronto's Growing Suburb - New Toronto - As it is and what it will be."   The article is so interesting and full of sketches of buildings around town, such as the Industrial School for Girls, the Asylum, Morrison's Brass Foundry, McDonald's Stamping Works, John Sheene's Hotel, and others.  To view the article, you can access the Globe's historical pages online at any Toronto Public Library.  (I will say though, that the scan of this particular article is not very good.  The microfiche is much more legible and is available at only those library branches that have microfiche, such as the North York Central Library)

 

Robert A. Given, a noted author on Etobicoke history, writes an excellent description of the industrial development in New Toronto during those years and more, which you can read at the Etobicoke Historical Society's website: Etobicoke Historical Society - Stories - New Toronto.  

 

On January 1, 1913, the Village of New Toronto was incorporated. 

 

Over the years, there seems to have been a lot of talk about amalgamation with Mimico.  In 1916, the first proposal was made and approved by Mimico voters, but rejected by the New Toronto voters.  

 

In 1920, New Toronto became a town.

 

The Images Canada website has some great photographs of the early Lakeshore area.  Just enter "Lakeshore" in the keyword to see all the thumbnails.

 

Another great website for locating photographs is the Toronto Public Library Digital collections.  Click on go, and then on the link for "Souvenir Pictures".  Again, just enter "Lakeshore" in the keyword to obtain a list of links to the search results.

 

Below is a picture of Lakeshore Road circa 1917 – Credit: Toronto Reference Library