Mr.
Barzalia Vanloon, a pioneer of Walpole township, died recently within a
few days of celebrating his 85th birthday. He was born at Hartford,
Ont., on St. George's Day, April 23, 182[8], being the first white child
born in that district.
His father was of
Pennsylvania Dutch stock, and first came to Canada with the American
Army of invasion in 1812. On the conclusion of hostilities the elder
Vanloon with his two brothers and their families removed from New York
State into what was then practically a wilderness, the township of
Louth.
Later they removed to Hartford, their nearest nighbors being at
Boston, five miles away.
The erstwhile
Yankees quietly settled down, and soon became good and loyal servants of
the British Crown.
The mother of the late Mr. Vanloon was the first
person to be interred in the cemetery at Hartford, in 1831, and all but
one of his nine brothers and sisters also rest there.
Mr. Vanloon had a
remarkable memory, and could recall incidents of the rebellion in 1837,
although he was then only in his tenth year.
On
one occasion a party of the rebels stayed overnight at his father's
house, and had a narrow escape from capture by a band of Loyalists, who
arrived shortly after the departure of Mackenzie's men in the morning.
The Loyalists were highly indignant with the elder Vanloon for harboring
the rebels, despite the fact that he had not been in Canada long enough
to know very much of political conditions here.
In
after years Mr. Vanloon cast his first vote for William Lyon MacKenzie,
and he remained a consistent Liberal throughout his life. In religion he
was a member of the Baptist church.
Of
his family, two sons and three daughters survive, one of the former
being W. C. Vanloon, Indian agent at Hagersville, and the other, Rev.
[E].
H. Vanloon, a minister in Milwaukee, Ohio. The daughters are: Mrs. I.
VanBuskirk, of Toronto, Mrs. T. J. Lawson of Aurora, and Mrs. Jas.
Roulston, Garnet, Ont.
