TOWNSHIP OF KING

Places in Ontario, Their Name Origins and History,

Part II, F-M

By Nick and Helma Mika

Mika Publishing Company, Belleville, Ontario 1981

Pages 429-431

Situated in the northwest corner of the geographic county of York, the township of King is bordered on the north by the Holland River, on the west by the County of Peel, on the south by the township of Vaughan, and on the east by Yonge Street. It was probably named after John King, British Undersecretary of State in the Portland administration in the late seventeen and early eighteen hundreds.

The areas was first surveyed in 1800 by Mr. Stegman, although patents had been granted as early as 1797. An attempt in 1799 to settle French émigrés in the area under French Royalist leader Comte de Puisaye was unsuccessful. The first permanent settlers, a group of Quakers from the United States led by Timothy Rogers, arrived in 1800 and founded the settlement of Armitage.

A number of small villages grew up in the township during the 1800’s. In 1831 the township’s first post office was established at Lloydtown with Joseph Watson as postmaster. The community played an important role in the 1837 Rebellion.

Gaining importance, Brownsville (now Schomberg) received a post office in 1862. The coming of the railway in 1853 resulted in the rapid growth of Aurora. Situated on Yonge Street, it was founded in 1804 at Machell’s Corners, and was incorporated as a village in 1863.

The first record of a township meeting is that of 1809. William Haines was town clerk and held that position until 1836. In 1850 when Ontario’s municipalities were organized, George Hughes became the first reeve. The following year, a portion of land from West Gwillimbury was annexed to King, becoming known as North King Township.