Luther Township

East Luther Township

Bibliographies
Chronology
Cemeteries
Deaths Recorded in 1851 Census
Pioneer Families
Villages

History of the township:

1837 - land first partially surveyed by Lewis Burwell
1851 - population was 1803 (number includes the townships of Minto, Arthur, and Luther)
circa 1851 - first settler was William McPherson
1854-55 - survey started in 1837 was completed by William McPhillips
1854 - next settlers in the area were Mrs. George Joyce and her two sons (George and Richard), Richard Ponsford, and Edmund Furze
1860 - township separates from Arthur township, Wellington County
1870 - foundation of the town Grand Valley
1871 - population was 1772
1880 - Luther was divided into East and West
1881 - population was 3347
1897 - Grand Valley becomes incorporated
1901 - population was 1698

Villages of the township:

References are taken from: Carter, Floreen Ellen. Place names of Ontario. London, Ont.: Phelphs Publishing Company, 1984.

Colbeck - rural community located 20 miles northwest of Orangeville. The post office was established on September 1, 1869 and the first postmaster was William Colbeck. The office closed on April 14, 1949.

Grand Valley; also known as Little Toronto (originally called Luther) - village located 29 miles from Guelph. The post office was established on November 1, 1860 and the first postmaster was S. Stuckey. Village changed its name to Grand Valley in 1885 when it became incorporated.

Keldon - rural community located 22 miles northwest of Orangeville. The post office was established in 1884 and the first postmaster was William Bryon. The office closed on December 1, 1914.

Legatt - rural community located 6 miles from Grand Valley. The post office was established on October 20, 1904 and the first postmaster was George Legate. The office closed on December 12, 1912.

Monck - rural community located 35 miles northwest of Guelph. The post office was established on April 1, 1863 and the first postmaster was George Brain. The office closed on October 31, 1959.

Monticello - rural commnity located 22 miles northwest of Orangeville. The post office was established on July 1, 1878 and the first postmaster was Frank L. Holmes. The office closed on November 30, 1967.

Peepabaun - rural community located 16 mlies west of Orangeville. The post office was established in 1867 and the first postmaster was Robert Dickson. The office closed on September 30, 1912. "The post office name is Indian, mearning "Dawn of the Day"." (p.911)

Tarbert - rural community located 17 miles northwest of Orangeville. The post office was established in 1868 and the first postmaster was M. McMurchy. The office closed on September 17, 1912.

Wesley - rural community located 14 km northwest of Grand Valley.

Cemeteries:

Transcriptions have been taken for these cemeteries:

Ebenezer Presbyterian Cemetery - Kohli, Marjorie and Frank. South Luther Ebenezer Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Dufferin County, East Luther Township, C2, lot 21. Kitchener, Ont.: Waterloo Wellington Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, 1989.
Grand Valley Cenotaph Cemetery
Grand Valley Union Cemetery
McDougall Cemetery
Monticello United Cemetery and St. Alban's Anglican Cemetery, Grand Valley - Black, Lois and Wayne Townsend. Gravestone inscription of Monticello United, St. Alban's Anglican, Grand Valley Union. Toronto: L. Black, 1990.

Pioneer Families/Family Inquiries:

under constuction

The families listed below (*) were among the first settlers in the township. If you would like to submit a family query, please fill in the submission form and I will post your inquiry on this page. If you are interested in posting a link to your family tree homepage, please email me the URL.

Queries submitted after August, 2000
Older Surname Queries

*Joice, *Ponsford, *Stuckey

Deaths recorded in the 1851 census for Minto, Arthur and Luther Townships

The following deaths were recorded:

Andrew Mitchell (10 months)
John Luxlow (11 months)
John Blakely (63 years old)
Angus Lamont (85 years old)
Colin McLeod (5 years old)
John McQuram? (3 1/2 years old)
Janet McQuram? (9 months)
Margaret McLachlan (2 years)
Rebecca Gilmore (3 months)
Duncan ---illegible (75 years)
Robert Robertson (7 months)
James Blythe (infant girl 3 weeks)
Mary Martin (56 years old)

Bibliographies on the township:

These items (*) are available through interlibrary loans from the National Library of Canada:

*Dean, David E. East Luther, Grand Valley settlement period. Orangevile, Ont.: Jacques Studios, 1991.

Poole, Evelyn Lavina. History of the MacFarlanes, 1831-1931). Wilton Gove, Ont.: Evelyn Lavina Poole, 1931.

St. Alban's Church, Grand Valley, Ontario (Luther Village, 1880, Grand Valley, 1980): 100th Anniversary Suday June 22nd, 1980. Grand Valley, Ont.: Star and Vidette, 198?.

Townsend, E. Ray. The Townsends: the descendants of Elijah and Jemima Baird Townsend. s.l.: s.n., 1993?

[Top of page] | [Dufferin County GenWeb]