Let’s return to a story I touched on recently, the Methodist cemetery known as God’s Acre on Garbitt Hill, now Prospect Street, at the former site of Alexander Muir school and now Chartwell Alexander Muir Retirement Residence. I must admit the story invokes a bit of bewilderment within me as it involves, if you can remember, the…
Tag: Genealogy
Early Black Settlers Arrived in Newmarket Via Underground Railroad
As I often mention, my historic curiosity knows no bounds and my interests are eclectic, to say the least. This article focuses on what I have learned so far about the Black history of our area. I am sharing a few stories in the hope they will spark others to send me their stories of…
Davis Siblings Created Legacy That Lives On In Canadian Professional Theatre
Here’s a story with which few people are acquainted, but I believe it holds particular interest. I am speaking of the birth of one of Toronto’s first premier repertoire theatre venues, the Crest Theatre. It has a local connection as it was founded in 1953 by three members of the Davis family in Newmarket, Donald…
Many Of Our Ancestors Rest In Lost, Hidden Cemeteries In The Newmarket Area
Since I was a child, I’ve had an interest in the lost or hidden cemeteries around town. If you have joined me on one of my heritage walking tours, particularly my ghost walk, you will recall me talking about all the burial grounds that are still there, under buildings, pavement, and quite often, in the…
Interviewing Family, Friends Helps Capture Local History Before It’s Lost
Capturing our local history to ensure that it is never lost, and readily available to generations to come, is a topic close to my heart. I have been interviewing people and conducting oral history interviews for years, back to my university days. Now that I am getting a little older, it is my passion to…
Interviewing Family, Friends Helps Capture Local History Before It’s Lost
Capturing our local history to ensure that it is never lost, and readily available to generations to come, is a topic close to my heart. I have been interviewing people and conducting oral history interviews for years, back to my university days. Now that I am getting a little older, it is my passion to…
Stories Of Newmarket’s First Settlers Preserved In Burying Ground
The Pioneer Burying Ground on Eagle Street is the final resting place of some of our earliest settlers. The story is as much a story of the people who are buried there as it is one of a heritage site. The first official map of the Village of Newmarket in 1862 shows that the Boultons…
COMMUNITY ANGEL: Newmarket ‘History Hound’ Barks Up The Right Historical Tree
You may know him as the Newmarket History Hound, a longtime Newmarket resident who shares his vast historical knowledge about the town, its people, its successes and challenges with energy and passion. Richard MacLeod, who is a go-to resource for anything about Newmarket since the town’s founding as a trading post and milling centre in…
Ila Haines Kept Memories Alive Of Growing Up In Early 1900s Newmarket
I want to touch on one of the real pleasures of getting involved in our local history: the incredible people you chance to meet. Very few of you who grew up in Newmarket and area do not know the name Ila Haines. I want to share my recollections of two conversations I had with Miss…
Meeting Houses Reminder Of Newmarket’s Early Quaker Settlers
Three Quaker meeting houses stand front and centre for having a key role in our past. A huge wave of immigrants from the Pennsylvania area of the United States began arriving in our area beginning in 1801. Known as the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), they established homesteads along Yonge Street from Aurora to Newmarket…
