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Archive Record
Metadata
Item ID# |
John Stewart fonds |
Title |
John Stewart fonds |
Object Name |
Archival Fonds |
Dates of Creation |
1838 - 2010, predominant 1838 - 1985 |
Creator |
Stewart, John, d. 1893 |
Description |
The fonds reflects the life and work of John Stewart who held a critical role in the 1837 Upper Canadian Rebellion. The fonds consists of memoirs, letters from John Stewart and other individuals, photographs of the family of John Stewart, and notes compiling details about the life of John Stewart from various resources (including vital statistics, business directories, census records, newspaper clippings, and more). Also included in this fonds is a collection of papers pertaining to the teaching career of Mary (known as May) E. Boyle. |
Admin/Biographical History |
John Stewart was born on November 13, 1808, in Perth, Scotland. He and his family emigrated to Canada in 1817, arriving in Montreal and eventually settling in York (now Toronto), in 1818. In 1819, his father (John Stewart Sr.) acquired a property in Esquesing Township in Halton County. When the Stewart family moved there, they became the township's first white settlers. John Stewart Jr. became one of reformer William Lyon Mackenzie's loyal followers. Stewart contributed to and distributed Mackenzie's paper, "The Constitution". During the Rebellion of 1837, he was captured and charged with treason. He was imprisoned in Fort Henry and escaped in July 1838. John and his wife and three children were exiled to New York state. He received a pardon in 1843 and returned to farming in Milton, Ontario. In 1876, he sold the Halton County property and purchased the Paisley Agricultural Works in Bruce County. John operated a successful enterprise until he handed the business over to his son-in-law Edward Boyle upon retirement. He died on July 23, 1893 at the age of 84 and was buried in Paisley cemetery. John Stewart lived an uneventful life in Bruce County, with his rebellion experiences relatively unknown. This all changed when a former Paisley resident wrote an article that appeared in the Toronto Globe (May 1890) detailing Stewart's past and his involvement in the Rebellion. Sources: Carter, John C. "John Stewart's Rebellion Experiences." The Bruce County Historical Society Yearbook, 2013, pp. 88-93. |
Provenance |
The John Stewart Papers remained with his descendants in Paisley for many years. They were obtained by an unknown individual and put up for auction. The Bruce County Historical Society purchased the items and donated the collection to the BCM&CC. |
Collection |
Stewart, John fonds |
Level of Description |
Fonds |
Physical Description |
14 cm of textual records 34 photographs : black and white ; 16.5 x 10.5 cm |
Places |
Halton County Paisley |
People |
Boyle, Mary Stewart Stewart, John, d. 1893 |
Search Terms & Subjects |
Early conflicts - 1837 Rebellion |
Child Records |
A2009.018.007-01 to -04 A2009.018.001 A2009.018.002 A2009.018.003 A2009.018.004 A2009.018.005 A2009.018.008-01 to -14 A2009.018.009 A2009.018.010 A2009.018.011 A2009.018.012 |