The History of Long Branch, Ontario 1791-1883
Queen's Ranger Col. Sam Smith & the First Military Tract, Etobicoke
Aug 21, 2009
On December 26 1791, the British Parliament passed the Consitiutional Act, establishing the provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Colonel John Graves Simcoe became the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada that same year.
Brief History of the First Military Tract in Etobicoke
The First Military Tract in Etobicoke consisted of about 4150 acres, bounded by Lake Ontario in the south, Etobicoke Creek in the west, and the Streets now known as Bloor in the north and Royal York in the east.
Simcoe had planned to settle his new territory with veterans and retired soldiers from his old command. They would develop the land and also provide defence for the town of York. One of the men to receive some of this property was Colonel Samuel Smith.
Samuel Smith and the Queen's Rangers
According to the book Villages of Etobicoke, Smith was born at Hempstead, Long Island, New York. His father, James Smith, was a strong supporter of the King. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, Samuel Smith joined the Queen's Rangers.
Ensign Smith fought in several battles and was severely wounded in the Battle of Brandywine. Soon after, he was promoted to captain.
After the surrender at Yorktown in 1781, Smith went on half-pay. In 1783, he settled in New Brunswick before proceeding to England for a few years. Back in England, he learned that the Constitutional Act had been signed and set out for York in 1792.
The Colonel Smith Tract in Upper Canada
Captain Smith joined the new regiment of Queen's Rangers for Upper Canada. He was made captain-commandant and later, major-commandant.
Smith received 1600 acres of land in Etobicoke in 1793. He also owned 400 acres in York, from an earlier grant. He exchanged 1000 acres in Flamboro for 1000 acres in Etobicoke, for a total of 2600 acres in Etobicoke.
In 1795, Smith requested a survey of his part of the military lands. This portion was bound by Lake Ontario on the south, Bloor street on the north, Etobicoke Creek on the west and Kipling Avenue in the east.
This was the first survey in Etobicoke and to this day it is known as the Colonel Smith Tract. Smith settled in the south-west corner of his property and built a log cabin near the intersection now known as 41st Street and Lakeshore Blvd. West.
In 1796, Simcoe returned to England. The command passed to Smith, now a colonel, who led the Queen's Rangers from 1796 to 1798, when he left the military.
The Family Life of Colonel Sam Smith
On October 22, 1799, 43-year-old Smith married Jane Isabella Clarke, daughter of Doctor Joseph Clark. She was twenty years old.
The Smith's log cabin was extended and covered in clapboard to accommodate a growing family. According to an 1805 census, 84 people lived in Etobicoke. It showed Smith as married, with two sons and two daughters under the age of sixteen plus three servants. The Smiths eventually had seven more daughters.
On October 7, 1815, Col. Smith was appointed member of the Executive Council. Upon the retirement of Lieutenant-Governor Francis Gore, Smith became Administrator of the Province from June 11, 1817 until August 12, 1818 when Sir Peregrine Maitland took over. The colonel was also an administrator for a short time in 1820.
Col. Smith's Overwhelming Obligations
Smith's responsibilites were overwhelming. In his book Statistical Account of Upper Canada, Robert Gourlay described the deplorable conditions of the Lakeshore Indian Trail in 1818. Gourlay lost his way in the woods when the road disappeared a short distance from Smith's house.
Gourlay says, "The very gravel bed which caused me so much turmoil might have been a turnpike, but what can be done by a single hand? Col. Smith could do little with the axe or wheelbarrow himself, and half-pay could but employ few labourers at three shillings, sixpence per day."
Colonel Smith's Death Leaves Family Destitute
On October 20, 1826, the Honourable Col. Samuel Smith passed away from a stroke, exactly one month after the death of his wife.Their ten surviving children, ranging in age from about eight to 25 years, were left without provision.
Anne, the eldest, wrote to Maitland in 1826 pleading for financial assistance for herself and her younger siblings. She pointed out the service rendered by her late father, noting that they could not participate in the army's orphans' fund because Smith sold his commission after the regiment disbanded. Her appeal to the House of Assembly was untimately denied.
Development of Long Branch Park
The Smith's homestead stayed in the family after the Colonel's death. HIs son, Samuel Boies Smith, sold the house and 500 acres to James Eastwood in 1871.
In 1883, Eastwood sold approximately 75 acres of the eastern portion of his land. The next year, the same property was registered for development as Long Branch Park.
Source:
Long Branch Public Library Archives.
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