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About Markham For modern-day residents of the Town of Markham, it's probably difficult to realize that only a little over 200 years ago the Town began life as a small village made up of a collection of homes at the corner of what is now Hwy. 48 and #7. The surrounding land, known as the Township of Markham, had been named by the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, after his friend, the Archbishop of York, William Markham.
The Township's first European settlers were 64 families of German descent led by William Moll Berczy. They had emigrated from Europe to settle in New York in 1792 but for a variety of reasons, were unable to carry out that plan. In 1794 they arrived in Upper Canada where Berczy, through agreements with John Graves Simcoe, had been able to obtain 64,000 acres in Markham Township on which the settlers were able to homestead and begin establishing Markham's agriculture industry. Eventually they were joined by many other immigrant groups - United Empire Loyalists, Pennsylvania Germans, families from the British Isles and other families fleeing the French Revolution. Markham Township found itself home to many saw, grist and woolen mills powered by the rivers and streams which at that time flowed across the Township. Eventually, small hamlets sprang up around the mills, and sometimes were named after well-known residents of the time, for example German Mills (the German settlers), Buttonville (John Button), Thornhill (Thorne's Hill named after Benjamin Thorne), Hagerman's Corners (the Hagermann family), Quantztown (after Melchior Quantz) and several others. The Town is bounded by Richmond Hill and Vaughan to the west, Whitchurch-Stouffville to the north, Pickering to the east and Toronto to the south. It is also considered part of the GTA, the Greater Toronto Area. Residents of Markham fought in the War of 1812 and the 1837 MacKenzie Rebellion and some of today's residents live on streets often named after some of these historical figures. For a more in depth look at the modern history of Markham and the Berczy Settlers visit the Town of Markham website. |
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