Background
Peter Reesor was born December 25, 1775, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to Christian Reesor (1747-1806) and Veronica (Fanny) Reiff (1751-1818).
Peter Reesor was born December 25, 1775, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to Christian Reesor (1747-1806) and Veronica (Fanny) Reiff (1751-1818).
In 1798, Peter Reesor was appointed by his family and community to travel to Upper Canada and explore newly opened lands for settlement. He saddled up a horse and packed a few things for his seven week, 500 mile journey to York (Toronto). Upon arrival Peter was directed to travel up the Rouge River trail to an area which later became known as Cedar Grove.
There was ample amount of good timberland.
On his short stay here he met a mercenary German army officer, Frederic Baron de Hoen. The officer apparently offered Peter roughly 500 acres of land around a kettle lake in Whitchurch Township (Reesor Lake, later Preston Lake) in exchange for his horse and saddle.
Reesor took the offer. However, when the officer wanted the bridle as well, Reesor—always a shrewd business man—stated it was not part of the original deal.
According to family tradition, Peter Reesor walked back to Pennsylvania carrying the bridle on his shoulder.
Peter had chosen Lot 4, on Concession 9 (five acres of land) on the Little Rouge River for his own homestead. The first task of the pioneer families was to clear large numbers of trees in preparation for farming. At the time, pioneers only had axes and hand saws to cut down the three to four foot diameter maple and pine trees.
This was very dangerous work.
In 1806, shortly after arriving in Canada, Christian Reesor (Peter"s father) was killed by a falling tree. After a few years of tree clearing there was enough land to start farming wheat.
Initially they would take their wheat and travel miles to a grist mill to be turned into flour. The settlement between Peter Reesor"s farm and mill and his brother"s farms became known as Reesorville.
In 1825, Reesorville was renamed the Village of Markham to coincide with the Township of Markham.
Peter Reesor died November 16, 1854 at his home in Markham, Ontario at the age of 78. Peter Reesor is buried in Cedar Grove, Ontario.