OHKNOX-L Archives

From: Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman <>
Subject: Fw: Canada Road [Part 1]
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 05:54:59 -0500

From: Merle Rummel <>

I've just returned from my daughter's home near Buffalo -and I spent some
time while there doing more research on the Canada Road listing. I was
able to find considerable more about the road -- so here is a revision:

==========================================================

THE CANADA ROAD

The early Brethren moved north on the Susquehanna River into
Northumberland Co PA near or soon after the time of the
Revolutionary War. There was a trace along the River, there
were also a couple traces from the Tulpehocken and from Reading
across the ridge into the Shamokin Valley.

In 1800, the King opened up settlement in Upper Canada (now
Ontario). The land was available cheap, in "Lots" of 200
acres, by Concessions of 35 lots, in each of a number of
townships and counties. There was considerable Mennonite,
Brethren and River Brethren migration to Lincoln County
(between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario -next to the Niagara
Falls); Vaughan twp, York Co (north-west of Toronto); and near
Kitchener. Many Brethren from Brother's Valley (Somerset Co),
Northumberland Co (Shamokin, West Branch and Lycoming Valleys)
and Southern Pennsylvania areas went up. In the east, there
are two known mainly parallel roads, used to go to Canada.

[Mennonite Quarterly Review, January 1929]
a notebook by Joseph Bowman of Waterloo ONT
-------------------------------
Description of the road from Reading to Waterloo Township,
Halton County, Upper Canada. Joseph Bowman, started September
the 4th, 1817, and arrived in Waterloo, October the 2nd 1817.

From Reading to: miles (located)
Kergerstown .................... 10 (?near Hamburg PA)
Orwigsburg .................... 11 (east of Pottsville)
Sunbury ....................... 47
Northumberland ................ 2
Milltown ...................... 12 (Milton PA)
Bensborough ................... 14 (?Muncy PA)
Muncy Creek ................... 2
Williamsport .................. 12
Heur's tavern ................. 17 (?Roaring Branch PA)
Blockhouse .................... 14 (?Covington PA)
Peters Camp ................... 12 (?Tioga PA)
Widow Berry ................... 18 (?Presho NY)
Addam Hart .................... 6 (?Gang Mills NY)
Thomas Mayberry ............... 20 (Bath NY)
Robert Patterson .............. 6 (?Avoca NY)
Mulhollans tavern ............. 20 (Danville NY)
Dreisbachs tavern ............. 3 (Sparta NY)
Bigtree ....................... 15 (Geneseo NY)
Genasee River ................. 7 (Avon NY)
Calladony Town ................ 7 (Caladonia NY)
Davis' tavern ................. 4
Leroyl ........................ 3 (Le Roy NY)
Battavia ...................... 11 (Batavia NY
Richardson's tavern ........... 11 (?Pembroke NY)
Hersy's tavern ................ 15 (Harris Hill NY)
Buffalo ....................... 14
Blackrock ferry ............... 2
John Boyer .................... 10 (?Black Creek ONT)
Falls ......................... 8
Jacob Myer .................... 20 (Jordan ONT)
Carpenter's tavern ............ 13 (?Stoney Creek ONT)
Dundass ....................... 18 (edge of Hamilton)
John Erb's Mill (Preston) ...... 23 (Preston ONT)
---------
Miles ................ 429

The western road went from Reading to Sunbury (PA 61), followed
the West Branch of the Susquehanna (PA 405/I took I-180), then
up the Lycoming Creek from Williamsport to Roaring Branch (US
15/PA 14), and across the mountains to Blossburg (mountain road
to Ogdensburg, good), to Tioga, to Corning NY (US 15). This
road was used as early as 1798.

In New York, the west route followed the wide valley of the
Chemung River, going northwest (NY 17/I-390) to Danville where
they turned north (NY 63) to "Big Tree" or Geneseo NY (Big Tree
-Ken de wa- was chief of the Indian Village there, hence the
original name).

>From Geneseo NY it followed the Gennesee River (NY 39) to Avon,
where it crossed on the Iroquois Trail, going to Caladonia (NY
5), to Batavia, to Buffalo NY. There they ferried the Niagara
River above the Falls. Black Rock was very close to the
present Peace Bridge from Buffalo NY to Fort Erie ONT.
"Hersy's tavern" is Harris Tavern, the oldest building in Erie
County, at Harris Hill on NY 5, just at the edge of modern
Buffalo.

West of there, above the Escarpment (the cause of the Falls)
was a settlement of the Brethren and River Brethren. For those
going on, the road went along the River to the Niagara Falls.

Just above the Falls, at the Chippawa River (Battle, 1812), the
British Portage, Portage Road, turned inland (now Main Street,
Niagara Falls ONT) going to Queenston, on the Niagara River
below the Escarpment. At Ferry Street, a road, Lundy's Lane,
turned west (Bloody Battle in the War of 1812). Later a branch
of the road, called Beaver Dam Road, goes to the old Settlers
Road, joining it somewhere near Jordan ONT (well, it doesn't go
clear through any more -the Welland Canal stops it near
Thorold, just south of St Catherines).

The Settler's Road went west along the base of the Escarpment.
It is Hwy 81 from St Catherines through Jordan ("20 Mile"),
Vineland, Beamsville, to Grimsby ("40 Mile"). From there it
becomes Hwy 8 to Stoney Creek and is Queenston Street through
Hamilton. Elder Jacob Moyer (Mennonite) lived on the 20 Mile
Creek, between Jordan and Vineland. There may have been a
Brethren settlement at Grimsby, but I didn't find their museum
open, to research.

Those going to Kitchener followed Hwy 8 directly from Hamilton,
through Dundas, Cambridge, Preston, Kitchner to Waterloo. For
those going to Vaughan, they followed the lake shore to beyond
Mississauga and headed north on the Royal York Road and Jane
Street. Vaughan twp was mentioned as 20 miles from the docks
at Toronto, which is a considerable distance by horse.

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Continued in Part 2

Maggie's World of Courthouse Dust & Genealogy Fever
http://www.infinet.com/~dzimmerm/mindex.html
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• Fw: Canada Road [Part 1] by Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman <>