Genealogy : Jabez Lynde ________________________________________ Born: 12 FEB 1773 at: Brookfield, Massachusetts Married: 1796 at: Died: 28 JUL 1856 at: Whitby, Ontario Father:John Lynde Mother:Sarah Warner Other Spouses: Susannah McCausland ________________________________________ Wife: Clarissa Woodruff ________________________________________ Born: 24 MAR 1774 at: Winchester, Connecticut Died: 31 DEC 1830 at: Whitby, Ontario Father:Hawkins Woodruff Mother:Lois Hills Other Spouses: ________________________________________ CHILDREN ________________________________________ Name: Sylvester Bernard Lynde Born: 1800 at: Brookfield, Massachusetts Married: 1822 at: Whitby, Ontario Died: 1883 at: Spouses: Louisa (Louey) Smith Frances Phillips ________________________________________ Name: Hawkins Woodruff Lynde Born: 1803 at: Pickering? Married: at: Died: 1854 at: Spouses: ? ________________________________________ Name: Clarissa Lynde Born: 13 FEB 1805 at: Whitby Married: at: Died: 17 JAN 1900 at: Spouses: William Warren ________________________________________ Name: Louisa Lynde Born: 7 DEC 1807 at: Whitby Married: at: Died: 4 OCT 1870 at: Spouses: John Borlase Warren ________________________________________ Name: Carlton Lynde Born: 1808 at: Married: at: Died: at: Spouses: Mary Louisa Kent Mary Anne Hortson ________________________________________ Name: Araminta Bulah Lynde Born: 2 FEB 1811 at: Married: at: Died: 12 JAN 1847 at: 35 yrs 11 mo 10 days Spouses: ________________________________________ Name: Warner Lynde Born: 18 JUL 1812 at: Married: at: Died: 13 AUG 1889 at: 77yrs Spouses: ________________________________________ Name: Elmina Lynde Born: JUL 1815 at: Married: at: Died: 12 JUN 1893 at: age 77 yrs 11 mo ________________________________________ Husband: William Warren ________________________________________ Born: 1800 at: Kinsale Ireland Married: at: Died: 1887 at: Father: Mother: Other Spouses: ________________________________________ Wife: Clarissa Lynde ________________________________________ Born: 13 FEB 1805 at: Whitby Died: 17 JAN 1900 at: Father:Jabez Lynde Mother:Clarissa Woodruff Other Spouses: ________________________________________ CHILDREN ________________________________________ Name: William Warren Born: at: Married: at: Died: at: Spouses: ________________________________________ Name: Edward Warren Born: 1833 at: Married: at: Died: at: Spouses: ________________________________________ Name: Maria Warren Born: 1835 at: Married: at: Died: at: Spouses: ________________________________________ Name: Margaret Warren Born: 1836 at: Married: at: Died: at: Spouses:
The Jabez Lynde House
From -Ontario Heritage Properties Database Property Name:(relocated) Street Address: 300 Taunton Rd W Municipality: Whitby County or Regional Municipality: Durham Location Description: part of Cullen Gardens Date of Ontario Heritage Act Designation: 2/5/1992 Construction Date: 1812 (Actual) Building Type: Residential Building Protection Designator: Ontario Heritage Act designation - Part 4 Reason for Designation: HISTORICAL
The Lynde House was built in 1812-1814 by
Jabez Lynde, one of the Whitby's earliest settlers. It was considered the finest house between Toronto and Kingston.
Mr. Lynde was a pathmaster for Whitby, in charge of roads, in 1806 and 1807, and he was a constable in 1822.
Other noted owners of the house were Lawrence and Barbara Heyden who owned large tracts of land in Whitby, including the frontage on the lakeshore now called Heydenshore Park.
ARCHITECTURAL 1. The Lynde House is a well-preserved and intact example of the late Georgian or Loyalist style. 2. It is an exceptional and rare example of the earliest period of residential construction in the Province. 3. It is the only known remaining balloon-frame structure in the area.
4. The main front facade porch, doorway and second storey central window are outstanding examples of simple elegance, harmony and proportion, and symmetry. 5. The level newel and caged staircase, window and door casings, doors throughout the house, baseboards, fireplace mouldings depict exceptional craftsmanship in fabrication. 6. The valuted hearths, seldom found in the Province, emphasize the level of detail exercised in the construction of this project.
SCHEDULE 'B' DESIGNATION REPORT - Compiled by Brian Winter, Archivist, Whitby Historical Society - May 19, 1988 THE JABEZ LYNDE HOUSE - C. 1812 - 1814 Original Site: South half of Lot 31, Concession 2, Whitby Township, 960 Dundas Street West. Present site: Since August 22, 1986: South half of Lot 28, 4th concession, Whitby. (Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village, 300 Taunton Road West)
There has probably been more written about the Jabez Lynde house than any other building in Whitby. Despite the considerable amount of research undertaken, the exact date of construction remains uncertain, it has been placed at anywhere from 1810 to 1820, but was most likely built during the period of 1812 to 1814.
It therefore can be classified as Whitby's oldest house. The Crawford-Polley house, now also located at Cullen Gardens, was originally estimated to have been built between 1804 and 1807, but there is some evidence that it may date from 1832. More research is required on this.
The best source of information on the early history of the Lynde house and the family that occupied it is a report prepared by Donald MacLeod and Neil Wick for the Whitby Historical Society and published in a limited edition in December 1983. Much of the information in this designation report comes from this work. There is some discrepancy as to when Jabez Lynde settled on lot 31, concession 2 of Whitby Township, but it can reasonably be assumed from the various published sources that it was in 1804 or 1805.
There is evidence that he came with his family from New York State to Pickering Township in 1803 and stayed there for one year. There are references to Jabez living in a log tavern up until at least 1811, so the Lynde house we know today would have to be built after that date. One issue of confusion is the spelling and pronunciation of the name "Lynde." It has been written as Lynde, Lynd, Linde, Hinds, Lyon, Lyons, and even Lion. The correct pronunciation is "Linde" with a long "I" and not with a short "I" as has been used in recent years.
Sometimes it is difficult to identify in early writings because of the various spellings according to sound. Most published sources, the Ontario County Atlas of 1877, Col. J. E. Farewell's Short Notes on the History and Progress of Ontario County, etc. state that Jabez Lynde settled on lot 31, concession 2 of Whitby in 1804.
His name first appears on the census record of 1805. There is some confusion in the name of the creek which runs beside the original site of the Lynde house because before 1805 it was called Lloyd's Creek, after David Lloyd, a settler at the mouth of the creek. The name Lynde, sounds much like Lloyd so in the early records the name is interchanged with Lloyd.
The south half of lot 31, concession 2 was patented to Elizabeth Russell, of York (Toronto) on December 15, 1796. Although Jabez Lynde is settled on the lot as early as 1804, he did not purchase the lot from Elizabeth Russell until October 10, 1811. The south half of lot 31 consisted of 100 acres and about the same time, Lynde also purchased the north 100 acres of lot 31. In her will, dated a few months before Lynde's purchase of her land, Elizabeth Russell made provision that the land be sold to Jabez Lynde once he provided the money for it. She did not need to worry about her executors carrying out that instruction, for the land was sold to Lynde before she died. The first documented proof that Jabez Lynde is living on lot 31 is an advertisement for the sale of some land in Whitby Township which appeared in the York Gazette on July 25, 1807. The ad states that particulars about the land can be obtained from "Jabez Hinds at the 29 mile tree, Whitby." Allowing for the misspelling of his name, the site is clearly identified. Lot 31, Whitby Township is exactly 29 miles east of the centre of York, now downtown Toronto, and the four corners of Whitby at Brock and Dundas Streets is at the 30-mile mark. The 29 mile tree was the way the distance was identified in the years after the Danforth (Kingston) Road was opened in 1799-1808. Early township records show that the yearly meeting of the Council of the townships of Whitby and Pickering was held at Jabez Lynde's home in 1808. Other members of Jabez Lynde's family accompanied him from New York State to Canada. One was his father, John Lynde, born at New York State in 1745 and died in Whitby Township, August 1817. There is a record of a John Lynde applying for a town lot in the village of York (Toronto) in September, 1793 and the petition is granted. It is not certain that this is John Lynde, Jabez's father, but the name is not that common. He may have already been in Canada as early as 1793 although there is no record of Jabez arriving until 1803 when it is said he spent a year in Pickering Township before coming to Whitby.
A grave stone for John Lynde is in the pioneer section of Groveside Cemetery and was placed there in 1926 with many other stones gathered from abandoned cemeteries by Dr. T.E. Kaiser, of Oshawa. A photograph exists of the John Lynde stone lying flat in cement at a different location with the date "1917" in the cement. It is likely that John Lynde was buried on the Lynde farm in 1817 as there were no grave yards in Whitby at that time, and a marble stone was placed on the grave in the 1850s when marble stones became available. The exact site of the original grave is not known. Also likely accompanying Jabez Lynde to Canada were members of his wife's family, the Woodruffs. The Woodruff family settled in Pickering Township probably earlier than 1804. One source says Jabez Lynde spent the year 1803 with the Woodruffs in Pickering before settling in Whitby Township in 1804. Historical accounts state that the Township of Whitby was not well settled at the time Jabez Lynde and his family arrived in 1804. Settlers called Whitby "The nine-mile woods on the way to Toronto, then called York," It was common for wolves to chase deer up to the front door of the Lynde's log cabin. Salmon were so plentiful in Lynde Creek that Jabez and his sons would spear them with pitchforks and toss them into barrels. Col. J. E. Farewell's Short Notes on the History and Progress of Ontario County (1907) said the residence of Jabez Lynde in 1804 was claimed to be the only house at that time between Toronto and Port Hope on the Kingston Road. Proof of Jabez Lynde living at lot 31, concession 2 is found in an application to lease in adjoining lot, dated July 1, 1810. In the petition are the words referring to Lot 31 "on which he now resides with his family." There are several references which indicate that Jabez Lynde kept a log tavern until at least the winter of 1811-12.
His daughter Clarissa, who married William Warren, states in her reminiscences published in the Whiby Chronicle on January 8, 1897 that during the War of 1812: "In summer, troops on march demanded no house room, but in the depth of winter, sometimes with wife and children, the soldier slept on the floor of the log tavern and wherever else shelter could be found." Early records show that Jabez Lynde was first issued a tavern licence on February 20, 1811 and received one every year up to 1816. There is no record of a tavern at the Lynde house after 1820. He was fined in 1814 for selling liquor without a licence and was levied 20 pounds, a large sum in those day.
Clarissa Warren states that General Isaac Brock, the military commander of Upper Canada visited the Lynde home shortly before the War of 1812 broke out. Two references in her account, that the home was "a wayside log inn" and that it was winter time, would probably place the visit as the winter of 1811-12. There is no mention of the Lynde house we know today.
The following is Clarissa Warren's account of General Brock's visit: "For some time before the declaration of war by the United States, there were rumours of impending hostilities. At this stage, General Brock, westward bound, drove up at the house of Mr. Lynde, on Lynde's Creek and desired immediate conveyance to Toronto. He and his aide-de-camp were clad in long plaid coats lined with fur. The suavity of the commander-in-chief was manifest even in the wayside log inn, and won the heart of the little Canadian girl of the house, who for four score years has not ceased to sorrow for his untimely end. Col. Drummond, his companion, paced the floor. 'The King's business required haste.' Mr. Jabez Lynde, a horseman of no mean skill, drove over the snow, through the serpentine forest road down and up the dangerous Rouge Hills, and entered in three hours and five minutes later, the yard of the Government House, Toronto."
