Peter Dawson / Jane Benson
Settler of township lots: Lot 1, Conc.1, Stanhope
Location: Map point is the approximate location within this 100 acre lot running north from Hwy 118 east of Little Hindon Lake on the Stanhope/Hindon border.
Land acquisition:
- 1867 Lands Liable to Taxation: Township of Stanhope Patent Register. 102 acres to Peter Dawson.
- 1867 Patent from The Crown. Ontario Land Parcel Register - Stanhope (Image 2).
Other land: Lots 1 & 2, Conc. A, Stanhope. Ontario Land Parcel Register - Stanhope (Images 3 & 7).
Dates of residency: Peter Dawson died in 1873.
- 1839 Death of Son Peter Dawson (1839–1839) boat coming to Canada
- 1853 Birth of Son John Dawson (1853–1899) Gelert
- 1870 Peterborough County Directory, Stanhope: Peter Dawson Lot 1, Conc. 1
- 1871 Census of Canada: Stanhope subdistrict f
- 1873 Death: Stanhope
- 1881 Census of Canada: lists John Dawson, son (b. 1854) with wife Fredrica and children Lewisa (Louisa) (b. 1876), Peter (b. 1878) and Elden (b. 1979). Peter died in 1873.
Interesting facts:
The Dawsons, like most other families who settled in the Bobcaygeon Road area, had first lived for a time in another part of Upper Canada, where they learned the skills which would enable them to survive in the Shield. Emigrating from England in 1839, the Peter Dawson family settled in Millbrook, Cavan Township, near the Sissons. Remaining early records show that by 1867 Peter Dawson owned four 100-acre lots in Stanhope Township, along the Bobcaygeon Road. At least two of the 13 Dawson children remained in Cavan to establish their own farms, while four Dawsons married Sissons and settled in Stanhope with the rest of the Dawson clan. When Peter died in 1874, his sons, John and Stephen, took over the farm. In 1890 Stephen bought out his brother, and sometime after 1900 he and his wife moved to Calgary. Another of Peter's sons, Richard Henry, inherited two lots near Maple Lake which are now surrounded by a large, sturdy stone fence. One descendant of an early settler said it was easier for his ancestors to farm rocks than it was to grow crops. One of the frame barns on Richard's farm has a beautiful wooden silo attached to it. (This was the only wooden silo in the Bobcaygeon Road area). Both of these farms were still owned by Dawsons in 1900, and some of Richard Dawson's descendants continue to live in the Highlands. Source: Discovering the Bobcaygeon Road by John McDonald.
Peterson Post Office - 1862 to 1876: The location of the Post Office moved about as it was housed in the home of the current Postmaster. All offices were within a 1/2 mile radius of the junction of the Bobcaygeon and Peterson Roads. Peter Dawson was the postmaster from Mar 1, 1867 to 1868 - The office reopened at Mr. Dawson's home, somewhere on Lots 1,2,3,4, Conc. 1, Stanhope. A vacancy was created when Mr. Dawson moved to the Maple Lake area. His property was taken over by his sons.
Family land patents, between Hindon Lake and Kushog Lake, north of Hwy 118:
- Lot 1, Conc. 1: Peter Dawson (b. 1800) father
- Lot 2, Conc. 1: Stephen Dawson (b. 1852) son
- Lot 3, Conc. 1: Richard Henry Dawson (b. 1850) son
Preceding landowner: The Crown
Succeeding landowner:
- Lot 1, Conc.1, Stanhope:
- 1873 John Dawson, son. 1881 Census of Canada
- 1891 Stephen Dawson, son
- 1908 Donald A. Ross B&S
- 1925 John Michael Rivers B&S part
- 1926 Clayton McKay part - Lot 1, Conc. A, Stanhope:
- 1872 willed to Jane Dawson, wife, but not recorded as a lot purchased prior to 1872 (recorded in error on this lot ?) - Lot 2, Conc. A, Stanhope:
- 1872 willed to John Dawson, son, but not recorded as a lot purchased prior to 1872. (recorded in error on this lot ?)