Cavan Township

was settled in the early 1800's principally by natives of Ireland and their descendents. Among the U.E. Loyalists and military claimants to whom early grants of land were made in Cavan we find the following:

Jacques HERLBRONN, Amedie Randolph DEMAY, Edward, John and Thomas KIRWIN, James SHANNON, Henry MILLER, Joshua GRAHAM, Michael GRAHAM, William MCCAMUS, James BROWN, John KENNEDY, D. CARROL, Timothy COLLINS, Archibald KENNEDY, James FISHER, John DONALDSON, Michael KANE, Joshua LANG, George AULT, Michael COONEY, Daniel CARTY, John and George ELLIOT, Andrew MAYNE, Jonathon BRADWELL, John WAFER, Charles MCCARTHY, John THORNE, John TURNER, George OSBORNE, John DOYLE, Thomas BEDFORD, William RAMSDEN, William TROTTER, John PORTER, Thomas KILPATRICK, Richard TAYLOR, William MORTON, Andrew ARMSTRONG, Andrew BREAKY, William MCLAUGHLIN, James GALLOWAY, William BURKE, Thomas SHORTISS, John HUSTON, William LONG, Hy. SPINKS, Florence McCARTHY, William MORRISON, Joshua SHARPE, William ORR, Hugh DAVIS, John FUMELLOT, J.B. SHIROCK, John DEYELL, Francis REYNOLDS, Valentine MITCHELL, Edward MARTIN, James Mitchell, James JORDAN, Robert WIDDIS, James JACKSON, William WIDDIS, Robert HYLAND, John HYLAND SR>, John HYLAND JR, James B. DONNELLY, Robert TAITE, James HUNTER, Samuel and Joseph REDMOND, William FARRELL, Robert BEATIE, Robert JONES, Thomas WALLACE, James BENNETT, John DUART, John and George STUART, George HALL, David HUGGINS, Hannah KEOPKA, James TRENOR, Nicholas PASSMORE, William BEAMISH, George JEFFERSON, Richard SHACKLETON, Alex FAIR, John FALLIS, Thomas LALLY, Samuel PHILLIPS, Robert SHAW, Peter REID, the HUTCHINSONS, George HETHERINGTON, John WALTON, William RICHARDSON, George GUFFY, John BRADEN, William LANNON, Noble EDWARDS, Samuel MIGHT, John WILSON, Samuel CHRISTIE, Alex CAMPBELL, Joshua SOUTHARD, John KREMER, James MCGEE, William LANGACHER, Edward HENCE, Owen CRONER, Lawrence and Patrick MCGUIRE, Samuel MILLS, William MCNISH, John and Joshua GARDINER, Matthew EMERSON, John RUSSELL, Matthew WALTON, the DRURYS, Laurence POWER, James CURRY, Dennis RIORDAN, William HALL, John McAULY, Thomas LYER, Sebastien HEGER, John RICHEY, Charles WILSON, George HOLMES, Alex BROWN, Daniel LAPPIN, Richard HARPER, William LAWSON, William CASMORE, Samuel FENNELL, Timothy O'KEEFE, Matthew MURPHY, John MEDCALF, the BRANDS, John McQUILL, Daniel MOONEY, James ANDREWS, Mark DEVLIN, Alex BROWN, William GOETHY, Thomas MILBURN, Thomas and Patrick GOUGH, Michael DELANEY, James McBRIDE, John MOORE, Francis TARGAT, William SHAW, William McCLINE, Robert DICK, Darby FOLEY, Andrew CLARKE, Joshua ROLESTONE, David SCARLETT, William SPENCE, JoshuaWALKER, Denis McCAULEY, the HOWDENS, John BURNS, John POLLY, Rev. Joseph THOMPSON, William GLASSCOCK, John COLLUM, Joseph SWAYNE, Richard STAPLES, Oliver and Richard STURDY, Alex. and Peter McINTOSH, Samuel CHRISTIE, John HUSBANDS, Valentyne BURN, Michael CONNOLLY, Alexander DALZIELS, Abraham FITCHETT, John MARTIN, Edward LLOYD, Thomas JUDD, George BEACOCK, Benjamin MADDELL, Walter KING, William RUSSELL, John DAWSON, Chas. HOLLISTER, John McNAUGHTON, William SOWDEN, John MEYNER, Patrick RIORDAN, John FOSTER, Mathew WILSON, Ralph and John LEE, William MULLIGAN, Alex. BRADBURN, George TEALING, John CAMPBELL, Thomas, John, and George BRADBURN, David SHARP, David ROBERTS, Thomas NATRASS, Henry COOKMAN, William LOWES, George FERGUSON, William SIMPSON, Thomas MILBURNE, John MONTGOMERY, John PARKS, William ELLIOT, George FOSTER, David SMITH, John McGREGOR, James THORNTON, William McBEAN, James JOLLIFFE, Daniel STEWART, Robert HUSTON, John CROTHERS, William McMIN, John HAMILTON, John WALTERS, Thomas WEBSTER, William MARSHALL, Joseph BENNETT, Richard COATES, Christopher KNOWLSON, John WILKINSON, Isaac LEACH, John VANCE, John MOORE, Richard JOHNSTON, Moses BLACKSTOCK, Robert MORROW, Hugh MAHARRY, James SUTHERLAND, Robert MORRISON, Charles CROWDER, David FREES, William ANDREWS, Edward LIMAS, Samuel FOE, Charles STOWE, Robert RAY, George CRAWFORD, John J. LOUCKS, Robert MAYBURY, John LEANY, John BROWN, William MURPHY, Roddy CUSACK, George ANDERSON, Francis HAYNES, the JOHNSTONS, William SMITH, Thomas MONTAGUE, John and William SCOLLARD, Jonathon HODGSON, Henry MAY, William WEBB, John DOWELL, John MAY.

John Deyell, residing on Lot 23, 3rd Concession, in his 95th year in 1878, was one of the first actual settlers. He came from the County Monaghan, Ireland, and settled on his land in 1816. He had four sons and four daughters by his wife, Margaret Lancashire, whom he married in Ireland. His descendents in 1878 are 74 grandchildren, and 56 great grandchildren living. Mr. Deyell assisted Mr. Wilmot in making the survey of Cavan, and also of part of South Monaghan. Mr. Deyell's experience was that of most of the early settlers - a life of toil and hardship. He says the first person born in the township was Florence McCarthy, and the first buried was Mr.Hyland. The first person married was Mr. McGuire to Miss McNeil. Mr. Thompson performed the marriage ceremony, and received the fee of one shilling. The first mill for grinding corn was a hand mill owned by Mr. Thorne. The first grist and saw-mill were erected by John Deyell at what is now called Millbrook. Mr. Deyell procured a boulder from the field, and got a stone-cutter to dress it down as a mill-stone. The first church was erected on Lot 12, 5th Concession, where Rev. Mr. Thompson, who had been sent out as a missionary, first preached. The first hotel was also built by John Deyell, on his farm, and his well-remembered sign, which hung out for 19 years, bore the motto - "Live and let Live." The first school-house was also built on Mr. Deyell's farm - to which he gave a grant of an acre of land.

John Stewart was also one of the early pioneers. He came in 1817. He was born in Ireland in 1785, and died 25th September, 1877, in his 92nd year. The old homestead is owned in 1878 by his son, Johnston Stewart, where may still be seen the first chair made in the township - quite a curiousity in itself. Mr. Stewart's recollections of the hardships of early pioneer life would astonish some of the comfortably settled "young-folk" who drive to fair and market today over good roads behind a spanking pair of horses. In his day he was obliged to walk 9 miles, fetch home a bag of flour upon his back, over a rough pathway through the woods ! Yet that was amongst the least of the hard experiences of Mr. Stewart.

John Swain, who is 89 years old in 1878, is another of the pioneers of Cavan. He was born in the County Wexford, Ireland, 1788, and settled in Cavan, on the 7th Concession, in 1820. He sat in the municipal council for the long period of 26 years, and was intimately connected with all the projects to improve and advance the interests of the municipality. He retired from public life in his 80th year, enjoying the confidence of the public, and the friendship and affection of his neighbors.

Arthur Graham, another old settler, came from Ireland in 1818, first locating on Young Street, then north of Toronto, and afterwards - in September, 1819 - settled in Cavan Township. He removed to Manvers Township in 1835.

Robert McCamus, was born in the County of Cavan, in Ireland, in the year 1800. He also took up his 100 acres of land, and settled in 1820, and can speak of the wonderful changes he has watched growing up about him during nearly six decades. Mr. McCamus has realized an independent fortune by industry and economy, and has been able to provide liberally for his children. He relates as a fact that farmers taking wheat to Smith's Creek (Port Hope), in 1820, were told by the merchants of that place that they could not exchange tea and groceries for wheat. That tea &c., were a cash article, and that the grain was a drug in the market at 25 cents a bushel ! The axes of the hardy pioneers - McCanus, Deyell, Stewart, Swain, Dawson, Alexander, Graham, &c. - wrought a mighty change in a short space of time. All the wheat they can now grow on their splendid, clear, 200, 300 and 400 acre farms, left to their sons, is bought up with avidity at markets at their doors by keen competitors, at the highest cash price, and the sons of the same old pioneers, with their horses, carriages, and comfortable surroundings, are the most independent men in the country.


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