William Jarvis (Upper Canada official)

For other people named William Jarvis, see William Jarvis (disambiguation).
William Jarvis
Chairman of the Home District Council
In office
1800–1811
Preceded by ?
Succeeded by Thomas Ridout
Constituency York, Upper Canada
Personal details
Born September 11, 1756
Stamford, Connecticut
Died August 13, 1817(1817-08-13) (aged 60)
York, Upper Canada
Political party Family Compact
Spouse(s) Hanna Owen Peters
Children Samuel Jarvis
Occupation Politician
Religion Church of England

William Jarvis (September 11, 1756 – August 13, 1817) was the American-born head of the famous Jarvis family of Toronto.

Jarvis was born in Stamford, Connecticut to Samuel Jarvis, who was the town's clerk and Martha Seymour. The Jarvis family was forced to flee when his home was seized at the start of the American Revolution. His father fled to Long Island, New York, but William chose to settle further north in Upper Canada. He immigrated to Canada with his brother, Stephen Jarvis. His loyalty to the British during the Revolutionary War saw him appointed Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Upper Canada. He served from 1791 until his death in 1817. Secretary Jarvis was working in Niagara when John Graves Simcoe came to Toronto, known as York, and so he accompanied him to the young city.[1]

Upon arriving in York he purchased a large park lot and built a residence. After his death the property was cut up by his descendants and the home was sold; acquired by a man named Lee who operated an English chop house and billiard room in the home.

Jarvis was married to Hannah Owen Peters, the daughter of Reverend Samuel Peters of Hebron, Connecticut. They had three children. Their son was Samuel Jarvis, who also became a prominent member of the Family Compact. Their two daughters were Maria Lavinia (1788) and Augusta (1790).[2]

References

  1. ↑ Peppiatt, Liam. "Chapter 45: Home of Secretary Jarvis". Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto Revisited.
  2. ↑ Thompson, Austin Seaton (1980). Jarvis Street : a story of triumph and tragedy. Toronto: Personal Library Publishers. p. 6. ISBN 0-920510-15-9.

Bibliography

Preceded by:
?

 Chairman of the Home District Council 1800-1811

Succeeded by:
Thomas Ridout

Preceded by:
none

 Provincial Secretary of Upper Canada 1791-1817

Succeeded by:
Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.