The 1st Don Log Schoolhouse

I came across this snippet about the 1st Don School today when in the Toronto Historical Society Site:

http://www.torontohistory.net/don-school-i/

I'm posting it because of the information about the 'building bee' lubricated by whisky.  From what I've read no bee would occur without the liberal application of whisky.  But of particular note is the prank played by the students which had to leave the teacher mystified.  Read on.  I hope you'll find it as amusing as I do.  I wish I could find a copy of the Owen Staples painting of the school, but I've had no luck so far.

Boundary History: The school was on part of Farm Lot 9, Concession 3 West of Yonge, and was School Section 9 Don Mills.

Current Use of Property: Apartment buildings.

Historical Description: William Gray owned the Farm Lot and, in 1837, donated a building lot for a school. Construction was described as a “building bee” with local farmers getting together with a jug or two of whisky, cutting the logs, and dragging them to the site to put up the building. The result was a log schoolhouse. An amusing story has surfaced about this building. The children had discovered a loose plank in the floor of the schoolroom. While the teacher was writing on the blackboard, one by one, children would lift the plank and slip under it to hide under the schoolroom. When the teacher turned around, up to half the class might be missing. He would then rush outside to retrieve the miscreants, not one of whom was to be seen. While he was outside, the children would lift the plank and slip back into their seats, ready to greet the teacher when he rushed back inside. How often this prank was played is not known. The log schoolhouse is recorded in a photograph as well as in a painting by Owen Staples. It ended its days as a stock pen on the Hogg Farm on Lot 7, Concession 3. A second school was built in 1853 on the same site and is also recorded on film. After 1825 it was unused because a third school had been built across the road. The second school survived until April 1948. When the third school was opened, among the former students of the first two schools was Thomas Gray, son of William, the donor of the original property. All three schools have vanished.

Relative Importance: The Don School buildings were among the first buildings in the area, and preceded the development of Don Mills as a community.

Planning Implications: A plaque and display are recommended for installation at either Don Mills Collegiate or in front of the apartment building on the site.

Reference Sources: Files of the North York Historical Society; Toronto Reference Library newspaper collection.

Possible Mystery Solved

Who were the 'relations and friends' mentioned in James Grays land grant application, that would help him get outfitted?  

The likelihood of ever knowing for certain is unlikely; however I got thinking about it, and started going through records, looking for the names of the few direct ancestors of James Gray that we know of, but none of those names appeared on the early maps or list of residents of York.  My older brother suggested that maybe it was our United Empire Loyalist ancestors that helped him; but, I knew it wouldn't be them, because they were the family of Phoebe Gray, nee Street, that married James' younger brother William Gray.  

The seed of an idea was planted though, and I went to the Old United Empire Loyalist list and discovered an Alexander Gray, who with his sons settled in York, on Yonge Street in 1799.  Alexander and his sons, Thomas, Alex Jr, and William show on the list of inhabitants 1793 - 1823.  

https://static.torontopubliclibrary.ca/da/pdfs/229901.pdf

Not that it's relevant to our branch of the Gray family, but I thought it was very intriguing to read on Thomas Grays application for a grant of land on Yonge Street in 1798 as the son of a United Empire Loyalist, his father Alexander having been in the Royal Artillery fighting under General Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham; he later joined the Jersey Volunteers in the American Revolutionary War; and once they disbanded, no longer being welcome in the United States and having to forfeit his property, he was granted 200 acres of land in New Brunswick, later relocating to York, Upper Canada in 1799 with another 200 acres on Yonge Street.  

The early settlers were helped by the existing settlers anyway, it was a matter of survival, they all needed help at some time or other, but clan kinship would have been a strong bond, even if they weren't closely related.  Alexander Gray is believed to have come from Berwick upon Tweed, Berwickshire, Scotland, on the Scottish borders, and our James and his brothers came from Paisley, Renfrewshire, quite a distance apart, (207km) but clan loyalty meant a lot, so they'd have been honor bound to help their fellow clan member, and it would have been a matter of pride that they'd helped their relation.

Grist Mills were like a community hub, and taverns were meeting places too, so it's possible that James, who was in all likelihood an outgoing man, or he'd never have been as successful as he was; would have met these 'relations and friends' in either of those places, plus the total population in both the city of York and the township of York in 1816 was only 1678 in 576 households, so it would be highly probable that people would think that James could be related to Alex and his sons who had in various years been poundkeepers, assessors, etc. and it would have been easy for them to meet.  

"The town meetings, to which all inhabitant householders were called, met yearly to nominate a clerk, a collector, assessors, pathmasters, poundkeepers and wardens for the ensuing year. ...According to the act of 1793, town meetings were to be held once a year on the first Monday in March. A special act of the legislature was passed in June, 1797, to allow York to hold its first meeting in July of that year. ... The York Town Meeting was held every year; no minutes were recorded in 1815 or 1820, but the meetings for these years are referred to in the minutes of the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the Home District. Lists of inhabitants were made in only 19 of the 27 years, and the list for one of those years, 1810, is incomplete. The lists were made by eight different town clerks. They are full of inaccuracies in addition and spelling. Much of the spelling is obviously phonetic. Simple variations, such as Wilson and Willson,..." from YORK, UPPER CANADA MINUTES OF TOWN MEETINGS AND LISTS OF INHABITANTS 1797-1823

Regardless who the 'relations and friends' were, James had arrived and had help getting established, so he wouldn't freeze or starve until he could get his log cabin built and 1st crops harvested.