Jordan Post, III

POST - The Posts came from Connecticut to York and then later to Halton. Jordan Post, was the father of the Posts who came to Trafalgar Twp. His son Ezekiel m. 1st Anna Munn and 2nd Phebe Butt. Ezekial settled in Trafalgar in 1806. Ezekiel was named the first constable for Trafalgar in 1809. In 1814 he was the town warden. Ezekiel had land just east of Posts Corners. His brother Ephraim Post owned 200 acres on the south west corner of Dundas & Trafalgar where his Inn was located. He came in 1811. Their sister Millicent married Daniel Munn and he operated the Inn at Munn's Corners.

In July 1806 the first settlers arrived. They included the following families Kaittings, Freemans, Posts, Biggars, Mulhollands, Kenneys, Chisholms, Thompsons, Munns, Trowbriges, Shannons and Lamberts. Early settlers in Trafalgar paid about seven shillings and 6 pence per acre. The settlers were required to clear 5 acres, fence in their lots and build a house. The settlers who had land bordering a road had to clear the trees within 100 feet of the road and also "make improvement" on the road itself. Some settlers in Trafalgar Twp. had completed these duties by January 1808.

Early Settlement (Source: http://www.tths.ca/ward5.html, Trafalgar Township Historical Society) Halton County was late in being settled because the land still belonged to the Mississauga's. Dundas Street was laid out as a trail in 1793, but it was not until 1806 that it was surveyed into the regulation 66 foot wide roadway. On Septmeber 6, 1806 the deed of conveyance and release for the land purchased from the MIssissauga Indians for the use of His Majesty in the Home District was transmitted to the Lieutenant Governor. The concession roads of the 1806 survey, and the line roads that ran perpendicular to them, blocked out the township in areas a mile and a quarter square with five 200 acre lots to a square; between every five lots ran a line road. The 7th line (present day Trafalgar Rd.) situated between lots 12 and 13 does not appear on the survey.

In July 1806 the first settlers arrived. They included the following families Kaittings, Freemans, Posts, Biggars, Mulhollands, Kenneys, Chisholms, Thompsons, Munns, Trowbriges, Shannons and Lamberts. Early settlers in Trafalgar paid about seven shillings and 6 pence per acre. The settlers were required to clear 5 acres, fence in their lots and build a house. The settlers who had land bordering a road had to clear the trees within 100 feet of the road and also "make improvement" on the road itself. Some settlers in Trafalgar Twp. had completed these duties by January 1808.

Dundas Street was almost impossible to traverse except on foot or horseback. The empty Clergy reserve land along the highway meant there was no one on that land to clear out the stumps in the road. Because of the problems these lots caused, the clergy reserves were moved to more remote areas. In 1817 Robert Gourlay met with the inhabitants of Trafalgar Twp. at the house of Daniel Munn to ask questions of the state of the Township. The inhabitants shared that the land is level, the top soil clay mixed with loam and a little gravel. Under that is red clay. The timber was red and white Oak, large white pine, beech, sugar maple and soft maple, black as well as white Ash, basswood, hickory, elm, white and red Hemlock, Ironwood, Chestnut, some Birch, asp, some cedar, some Butternut. The Timber is mostly large and stands thick on the land. Sleighing lasts about three months from Jan 1 to the end of March. There was between 3 and 4000 acres of land for sale in the Township. A great number of the farmers when they first settled had little more than a cow, a yoke of oxen, a log chain and an axe.

Present day Ward 5 was located first in the Home District until 1816 , then in the Gore District and in 1849 Halton County. Trafalgar Twp. had three hamlets-- Munn's Corners, Posts' Corners and Sixteen Hollow. In 1845 it was decided that districts were too large an area to govern and smaller Township councils were elected. An election was held at Post's Inn. In 1849 the Districts were divided up into smaller Counties. In the 1960's Trafalgar Township ceased to exist and became part of the municipality of Oakville. In 1831 7th line (now called Trafalgar Road) was built and 6th Line was improved. 7th Line was needed so the new settlers in moving in above present day Lower Baseline Road could travel down to Oakville.

On Dec 7, 1837 William Lyon Mackenzie made his historic flight following the skirmish at Montgomery's Tavern. The Montgomery's Tavern connected with the Rebellion was burned to the ground during the Rebellion and was located on the west side of Yonge Street near Eglinton Avenue. John Montgomery had his tavern leased to a John Linfoot at the time that it was destroyed in 1837. Mackenzie fled west along Dundas in a wagon past Post's Corners and Munn's Corners towards Sixteen Hollow and The Sixteen Mile Creek. On being hotly pursued he jumped out of the wagon before reaching the bridge and took to the woods. He later ended up crossing the sixteen holding his clothes above his head. Halton legend says after crossing the creek he found shelter at Philip Trillers. Triller was on the east bank but the Triller family had intermarried with the Bucks and Howells who were on the west bank.

By 1839 the traffic coming down to Oakville's port from the north was so heavy that it was decided to improve the 7th Line by "planking" the road from Oakville to Post's Corners. The residents had wated the road planked all the way to Owen Sound but only got the Government to agree to the 4 miles between Oakville and Post's Corners. In 1850 elections were held for the Municipality of the Township of Trafalgar. The township was divided into wards and elections were held at local Inns.

In the May 11, 1841census of Trafalgar Twp. peoples native country was listed. Here is the breakdown... Native Of USA 306, Europe 15, Canada of British Origin 2,584, Canada of French Origin 32, Scotland 127, Ireland 964, England 467

In 1850 the 7th Line (Trafalgar Rd.) was planked for 17 miles from the lake. Toll booths were placed every few miles to cover the cost of maintenance. The booth at Dundas & Trafalgar was operated by Donald Campbell.

Notes for Jordan Post: Jordan Post and Abigail Loomis left Hebron for Toronto with their adult children. Indications are that they were in Shoreham, VT for a period of time around 1790. Jordon and his wife Abigail came to New Toronto, York Ontario Canada in about 1792 and later settled on a land grant in Trafalgar Township. Four of his eight children also settled in the Township. The Post's were not loyalist. It has been proven they were actively recruiting for the other side in Connecticut. There was a Jordon Post Sr. listed in York in 1809 in York,Upper Canada. Minutes of Town Meetings and list of Inhabitants 1797-1823 by Christine Mosser.

Also listed in Wilson's Marriage records in 1814 and 1818 as a baker. Reids marriage Notices 4 October 1820 Trafalgar Upper Canada-On 21st inst. Jordon Post Sr. aged 77 yrs. to Mrs. Lidia Munn age 72 by Daniel O'Reilly,Esq. of Nelson

The town of York, 1793-1815: a collection of documents of early Toronto Firth, Edith G., 1927- This book mentions that Jordan Sr. was a baker and Jordan Jr. was a watchmaker who moved to Scarborough 1834 and built a saw mill on Highland Creek. Jordan Jr. d. 1845 Colonial Advocate lists Jordon's Post Sr. death as being in Etobicoke upwards of 80 years of age. Birthdates of children are from the LDS Film, Heebron VR, Vol 2.

More About Jordan Post and Abigail Loomis: Marriage: May 29, 1766, Hebron, Connecticut, U.S.A..

Children of Jordan Post and Abigail Loomis are: +Jordan Post, b. Mar 06, 1767, Hebron, Connecticut, d. May 08, 1845, Scarborough, Ontario.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/233484276/jordan-post

Jordan Post and his wife, Abigail Loomis and their adult children arrived in Ontario c1803-1805 with some settling in Etobicoke, others in Trafalgar Township, York or Highland Creek. Two of their children married children of Daniel Munn and Lydia Crompton. Following the deaths of their spouses, Jordan Post married Lydia Crompton, widow of Daniel Munn. All four are buried at Munn's Cemetery in unmarked graves.

The two families operated a number of early taverns in the area.

The children of Jordan Post and Abigail Loomis include Jordan, Abigail, Ezekiel, Henry, Ephraim, George Washington, Desdamona and Millicent. Information is skimpy for some of them.

It's hard to believe now but the enumeration of 1805 showed the town of York having a population of 473.