Mr. James H. Wilson,
of this town [Simcoe], has in his possession the Collector's Roll for the Township
of Windham, for the year 1809. It was made out by Richard William Dease,
Clerk of the Peace, who lived in Charlotteville.
From this old and
interesting document, we learn that only twenty-five persons were
assessed. Their names we have given below. Among them they hold 4096 acres
of land, only 579 of which were cultivated.
The largest
landowners were John Davis and John Tisdale, who had each 750 acres, the
smallest, John Pettit, who had 63 acres. In the township there were only ten houses, 7 of round logs and 3 frame, one storey high.
The owners of the log houses were Jabez Collver 2nd., John Boughner,
William Dell, Samuel Horton, James Derricks and Gabriel Collver, the
latter having two. Peter Boughner,
Matthias Boughner, Sr., and Jacob Glover had frame houses, the latter's
had 3 additional fireplaces. John Davis had a
grist mill with 1 run of stones and a saw mill.
The livestock was 28
horses over 3 years old, one of them a stallion; 57 milch cows, 46 oxen
over 4 years old; 27 horned cattle between 2 and 4 years old, and 51 hogs.
The assessed value of
the property was £2257.2 or about nine thousand dollars and the
taxes were £9.10.7 2-0 or thirty-eight dollars and twelve cents.
The assessment was
headed "Assessment of the Township of Windham for the year 1809,
commencing the 6th day of March, 1809, and ending the first Monday in
March, 1810." It was addressed "To the Collector of Windham, for
the year 1809" and dated "Charlotteville, January 20th,
1810."
The descendants of
some of the parties assessed are still numerous in the township, and most
of them have representatives in some portion of the county.
A perusal of the
information contained in this relic of the past will show the vast
improvements in the township between then and now. Round log homes have
disappeared and been superseded by handsome frame, brick or stone
dwellings, that to the people of that day would have seemed palaces.
The uncultivated
acres will now number but few more than the cultivated ones did then. Live
stock will take tens of thousands to count them, and the assessment and
taxation have kept pace with the other improvements.
Glimpses of the past
like those afforded by the old record, show how greatly and rapidly this
country progresses, although the changes are but little marked as they are
from day to day made. Parties assessed were:
| Jabez Collver 2nd |
Gabriel Collver |
| John Boughner |
Samuel Horton |
| William Dell |
James Derricks |
| John Davis |
Samuel McAllester |
| John Tisdale |
Jacob Glover |
| Benjamin Collver |
John Winegarden |
| John Pettit |
John Walker |
| Alex'nd'r Boughner |
Benjamin Young |
| Martin Boughner |
Jonathan Wade |
| Matthias Boughner Senior |
Matthias Boughner Junior |
| Peter Boughner |
David Hunter |
| Eunice Bacon |
John Snider |
| Samuel Matthews |
|
