Notes on veterans in War of 1812 (related to historical Whitchurch-Stouffville hamlets) From: Marion Lewis, ed.

, Those who Served (Stouffville, 1999), p. ??

ANF- My reflections

Note that the connected hamlets mentioned are places where next of kin reside, not necessarily hamlets in which war veterans lived when they were called to military service. This list provides three, maybe four, positively identifiable War of 1812 veterans from the area of what is Whitchurch-Stouffville. See brief background on each of those names below:

Undoubtedly from what is today Whitchurch-Stouffville: Ludwig Wideman of Ringwood; arrived with his parents to Ringwood, 1805 (Barkey, Whitchurch Township, 83; not a Mennonite Wideman). Well-known; died fighting for Wllm. Lyon Mackenzies rebels at Montgemorys Tavern (i.e., vs. Family Compacts supported by John Buttons troops). Daniel Yake: a German Catholic immigrant (from Strasbourg area) via Lancaster, Pennsylvania (married an English Protestant); http://www.juliabaird.com/sum/Daniel_Yake.html; Daniel Yake is a well-known name in Stouffvilles history. Interestingly, though not Mennonite, his son Michael was imprisoned for

refusing to bear arms against the Americans (http://www.pada.ca/books/page/?pageid=9655&keywords=township ) Probably from W-S?? Brown, James: There were two Brown families who were early settlers of Stouffville; see: History of Toronto and the County of York, p. 451; the name is noted by Barkey as one of the early settler names (Stouffville, p. 4). William Brown first purchased his property in 1819 on the east side of what is today Stouffville, where flea market sits today; http://www.townofws.com/pdfs/Museum/Brown_House_Article.pdf ; his son James was born in 1813 (see: History of Toronto and the County of York, p. 451). The other Brown family also noted in the History of Toronto and the County of York, p. 451 is that James Brown, b. 1752 (d. 1844 and buried in Dickson Hill), whose son James Brown was born in 1801. At the time of the latters birth, the family was in Niagara; sometime thereafter they moved to MarkhamPickering (see here and here and here). Could elder James Brown be the veteran? He would have been 60 years of age in 1812. When did they move to what is today Stouffville? (they lived in Pickering for a time). The Whitchurch-Stouffville Library apparently has a copy of research done on both Brown families. NB: there is also well-known family from Buttonville (Browns Corners); Woodbine, south of 16th (e.g., see Champion, Markham, 180); also http://www.hpd.mcl.gov.on.ca/scripts/hpdsearch/english/popupSearch.asp?pid=10152 ) Not likely from W-S Kester, Philip. A Kester family is not listed among earliest settlers (Barkey, Stouffville, p. 4); Kester families did settle near the Yakes families on east side of Stouffville later in 18th century, on 19th and south in Markham Township (map here). His full name is likely John Philip Kester ( see here ); and he was a private. His wife and parents are buried in Boyles Cemetery in Mongolia, Markham (south of Stouffville). Were they settled in that area prior to 1812? Even so, their property is technically south of present day Whitchurch-Stouffville (Con 10, Lot 31 on 19th; see map from 1878). Definitely not from W-S Fredrick Helmkey, Berczy settler (from Hamburg Germany, via Pennsylvania, to Markham Township. His father settled in Unionville (see info for half-brother below). He was a resident of Markham Township at least until 1826; next of kin later identified at Musselman Lake, Whitchurch) (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=russmcgillivray&id=I850; see also I. Champion, Markham, p. 135). Francis Helmkay, (half-brother to Frederick above, Berczy settler), b. in Queenston, 1794, raised in Unionville, buried in Markham Township (next of kin identified at Musselman Lake, Whitchurch)

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=russmcgillivray&id=I2926 ; see also I. Champion, Markham, p. 135) Van Nostrand, Cornelius. The Van Nostrand families came to what is now Vandorf in 1855 (see Barkey, Whitchurch, p. 66). Later next of kin in Vandorf; http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/UNITED-EMPIRE-LOYALIST/2001-03/0983897530 Pipher, William. Son of Samuel Pfeiffer (Pipher); the family lived on lot 27, con. 7, Markham from 1810 on (what became Cashel, near Markham Fairgrounds); see I. Champion, Markham, p. 50. Later next of kin in Lemonville.

Re: Cpt. John Button and his Troop of Markham Dragoons, during the War of 1812: he lived around what is today Buttonville. Much later, two of his grandsons came to Ringwood and ran the hotel (see I. Champion, Markham, p. 63). This list provides three, maybe four, positively identifiable War of 1812 veterans from the area of what is Whitchurch-Stouffville. Even if the list is not complete, what we know is very much consistent with Barkey (Stouffville, p. 4) and her summary statement: "Within ten years records show that some fiftyfive families ... settled in this community: Bakers ... Yakes (Yake). Three of these families were of military stock, some were Lutherans, a few were Dunkers, i.e., German Baptists [Brethren in Christ, also a peace church], most were Mennonites." The claim I was making was for the majority experience until the end of the War (my text to council: http://scr.bi/KOL1CR ): "The history of the founding members of the Stouffville area is predominantly pacifist... Stouffville's history for the first decades of the 1800s is overwhelmingly a pacifist story, a history of the ... etc. What would be important for community building in Stouffville is to find and tell stories of how families on military or non-resistor-- helped each other during the war years.

-Arnold Neufeldt-Fast