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War of 1812

The Summer issue 2016 of the Berczy Settlers Gazette included an article and photographs about the “War of 1812 Plaques on Button Monuments” that were unveiled in June. 

The Fall 2012 issue of the Berczy Gazette included the writing of John Stiver, the first white male said to have been born in Markham Township. He wrote about the hardships of his early life and his experience during the War of 1812. Library and Archives Canada has a searchable online database relating to this War of 1812. It can be found at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/war-of-1812/Pages/introduction.aspx. It indexes a number of collections. Not all the records are available online or are on microfilm. Many are still in their original format.

Of course, as a Stiver descendant, my first search of the database was for the Stiver surname. From John Stiver’s writing, we know that he was involved. In addition to John, it is not surprising to find Henry and Francis, his older brothers, listed.

In the land claim #1611 for John Stiver, it states that he was formerly from St. Catherines in the District of Niagara and now residing in Markham. Now we know in what part of the Niagara area they were living. Most of the results look like they may only refer to lists. Several are available to view online.

A petition made by John Stiver, Jr. can be found at Library and Archives Canada http://tinyurl.com/John-Stiver-petition. Look at page 818 to 822 to read the petition. 

Two of the search results, dated September 7 1812, were for a John Stiver of the 1st Regiment, Lincoln Militia, aged 64. Could this be John Stiver, Senior? I would like to get those records to see if there is more information than what is found in the index.

Searching the database for Markham Berczy Settler names, some names were found. These were Francis and Frederick Helmke, Nicholas Hagerman, George and Jacob Munshaw, Henry Pingle, George Quantz, Peter Ritter, John Spanhouse, John Stamm, and Francis Smith. Many of the records were created many years after the War.

This database could be helpful in extending the story of your ancestors.

— Janet Iles, President

 

German Pioneers’ Day

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

In 2012, a delegation that included some of the members of the Markham Berczy Settlers’ Association appeared before the City of Markham council. Lorne Smith spoke about our ancestors. You can read about it here.

2012 German Pioneers' Day delegation to Markham Council outside the City Hall

2012 German Pioneers’ Day delegation to Markham Council outside the City Hall

This year there will be public recognition of this day in Toronto and Kitchener.

For the descendants of the Markham Berczy settlers who came to Canada in 1794, it is an opportunity for us to honour our ancestors. It is a day when we can think about the challenges they faced during their journey and when they arrived in a new country and their contributions to Canada.