The Austin Family

In the month of June, 1794, there arrived at the Niagara frontier nine families that had been expelled from their homes and property in North Carolina on account of their loyalty to the British Crown. At the head of one of those families was the before-mentioned Solomon Austin, accompanied by his wife and nine children (four sons and five daughters). He was kindly received by his former Colonel, now Governor Simcoe, and was offered a home in the house he had lately occupied (before removing from Newark to York) until he could make a selection of land for himself. For his faithful defence of British connection he was rewarded by a grant of six hundred acres of land in any unselected part of the province. He was directed to inspect the country, locate his lots, and the patents would be given him; accordingly, after traversing Western Canada on foot from Niagara to Detroit, the whole country being one vast unbroken forest -- no roads except the Indian trails -- he finally chose a home on Patterson's Creek, now called the river Lynn, about three miles southeast of Simcoe, in the County of Norfolk, which proved to be a very pleasant, fertile valley, and which is now known as Lynn Valley, a station on the Port Dover and Lake Huron R. R.

Thither he moved with his family early in the spring of 1795, and by hard labor, a portion of the forest was cleared away, a log cabin erected, and a pioneer home established. There was no mill nearer than Fort Erie, a distance of eighty miles, and the only way of procuring flour or meal was either to row in an open boat that distance to mill or else pound their corn with a rough pestle in a hollow stump. The latter was the most common method.

The forests abounded with game, and streams with abundance of choice fish. Thus began the settlement in this part of the County. A few years had passed away when the war of 1812 broke out, and the peace of their new homes was again disturbed.  The father, with his four sons, named respectively Solomon, Jonathan, Philip, and Moses, shouldered their muskets and went forth again to defend their homes and firesides. They did service under General Brock, and were engaged at Malden, Malcom's and  Lundy's Lane. Colonel Nichol and Major Salomon had command of the Norfolk militia, and under them the four sons were promoted to the rank of Captain.

And thus, from one family sprang, as it were, a whole colony of brave, sturdy and energetic men and women.

1st. -- Mary, the eldest daughter, married Henry Walker, father of the late James Walker (who was the first white child born in the County), also of Solomon Walker, Esq., of Woodhouse. The sons of both the latter gentlemen, in the persons of Dr. N. O. Walker, of Port Dover, Capt. D. M. Walker, of Manitoba, and the late Dr. Robert Walker, of Woodhouse, have manifested, by carrying off honors at our highest literary institutions, that they were the worthy sons of noble sires.

2nd.-- Solomon, the oldest son, married Miss Sarah Slaght, from a large and influential family of that name in Townsend, by whom he became the father of ten children.
    Philip and David are successful farmers in their native township. John S. and Jonathan were for a quarter of a century the leading carriage manufacturers in this County, but, disposing of their carriage works, then still reside in Simcoe, engaged in other business.
    Abraham, fifth son, is a Baptist minister in Woodhouse.
    The four daughters, named Susan, Julia Ann, Mary Ann, and Elizabeth, married respectively Alfred Farnam, Nathan Pegg, William Shand and Henry Paskins, and each had large and interesting families.

3rd. -- Amy, second daughter, married Selah Styles.

4th. -- Jonathan, second son, married Hannah Potts, and had two sons and five daughters. He and his son John built Austin's mills, near the Lynn Valley station.
   His daughters, Joanna, Charlotte, Rebecca and Elizabeth, married respectively, John Hinds, John Wheeler, Robert Laning and Thomas M. England, the latter being the present Clerk of the Township of Woodhouse.

5th. -- Esther, third daughter, married Raynard Potts, and their numerous descendants living south-east of Simcoe evince that they kept up the old style of good large families.

6th. -- Philip, third son, married Mary Slaght (a sister of Solomon's wife), and while we may think that the other children had large families, Philip's was [un]usually so, they having no less than sixteen children.
    Aaron, Isaac, and Joseph and Oliver are progressive farmers in Woodhouse. Isaac has served several terms as Reeve for the Township, and is at present the leader of the Grangers in the Township. Oliver resides on the old homestead, and takes a very great interest in all matters pertaining to the development and public improvement of his native land. In agriculture, in education, in politics, in temperance and religious movements, he is a zealous and energetic worker.
    Joshua, another son, is one of the most successful merchants of Simcoe, in partnership with Mr. George Werrett, who married his sister, Emily.
    The other children are scattered -- some in Missouri, Kansas, California, etc.

7th. -- Elizabeth, fourth daughter, married Mr. John Pegg, father of Nathan Pegg, the present high constable of the the County. Philip, another son, is a farmer in Townsend.

8th. -- Anna, fifth daughter, married Mr. David Marr, of Woodhouse, and they had nine children -- Joseph, farmer, Woodhouse Gore, Edward, Solomon and Hiram, farmers in Iowa, Duncan D., cabinet maker and joiner, Simcoe; Esther and Jane married William Brooks and W. F. Nickerson respectively.

9th. -- Moses, youngest son, married Mary Misner, of Townsend, and had seven children, many of their descendants living in the vicinity of Tyrrel.
    Father, mother, sons and daughters of this family have all passed away. The last one called was Philip, who died Oct. 17th, 1876, in his 87th year. having lived to a greater age than his father [or] of any of his brothers or sisters; several having died at the age of 82. Having passed away, they have left marks of their usefulness and worth while here, and their names will long be cherished and fondly remembered by loved ones. For many years previous to Philip's death an annual gathering of children and connections was held at the homestead on the anniversary of his birth, and on the last gathering his descendants to the third and fourth generation numbered one hundred and thirty-seven, and the direct descendants of the original Solomon Austin numbered over seven hundred.