Abraham Stouffer
Encyclopedia
Abraham Stouffer is the founder of the town of Stouffville, Ontario
.
Abraham Stouffer was born January 8, 1781 near Chambersburg
, Lancaster County
, Pennsylvania
to Abraham Stauffer
(1747–1809) and Barbara Hershey (1750–1795). Abraham is a descendant of Christian Stauffer (1579–1671), a fugitive
"obstinate" Anabaptist
preacher in Switzerland
.
from Pennsylvania with his wife's family, the Reesors
. Their entourage of five Conestoga wagons reached Markham Township after a six-week journey. The information on Stouffer's Affirmation of Allegiance states: "farmer, hazel eyes, brown hair, six feet one inch high, born in Pennsylvania, 28 years old, a Menonist." Abraham and his wife Elizabeth initially settled north of Cedar Grove
on the Little Rouge River
, but soon acquired 400 acres of land on the Markham-Whitchurch Township Line. In 1805, Stouffer purchased Lots 1 and 2, Concession 9, on the Whitchurch side of the township line, and soon after he acquired lot 35 on the Markham side. Stouffer, who had learned milling from his father, built a saw and a grist mills on Duffin's Creek (near what is today Mill and Main Streets), and a village soon developed around the mills. In 1832, when a post office was established, the name of the village was shortened from "Stoufferville" to Stouffville.
Abraham Stouffer was a leading figure in the larger community. In 1825, he became a director of the Farmers' Storehouse Company, an enterprise of millers formed to counter the power of the York
merchants. Stouffer was also one of the first trustees of the Altona
Mennonite
Meeting House, where he is also buried.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Abraham Stouffer was born January 8, 1781 near Chambersburg
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg is a borough in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is miles north of Maryland and the Mason-Dixon line and southwest of Harrisburg in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley. Chambersburg is the county seat of Franklin County...
, Lancaster County
Lancaster County
Lancaster County is the name of four counties in the United States:* Lancaster County, Nebraska* Lancaster County, Pennsylvania* Lancaster County, South Carolina* Lancaster County, Virginia...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
to Abraham Stauffer
Stauffer
Stauffer is a German surname whose origin is the occupational name for a maker or seller of beakers or mugsStauffer may refer to:* Stauffer Chemical, a chemical company of the United States which manufactured herbicides...
(1747–1809) and Barbara Hershey (1750–1795). Abraham is a descendant of Christian Stauffer (1579–1671), a fugitive
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
"obstinate" Anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
preacher in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Founding Stouffville
In October 1804, Abraham Stouffer emigrated to Upper CanadaUpper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
from Pennsylvania with his wife's family, the Reesors
Peter Reesor
Peter Reesor is the founder of Markham, Ontario.Peter Reesor was born December 25 1775, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to Christian Reesor and Veronica Reiff .- Peter's First Visit to Canada :...
. Their entourage of five Conestoga wagons reached Markham Township after a six-week journey. The information on Stouffer's Affirmation of Allegiance states: "farmer, hazel eyes, brown hair, six feet one inch high, born in Pennsylvania, 28 years old, a Menonist." Abraham and his wife Elizabeth initially settled north of Cedar Grove
Cedar Grove, Ontario
Cedar Grove is a community in Markham, Ontario on the Little Rouge River. It is centred around 14th Avenue and Reesor Road and within the boundaries of the future national Rouge Park.-History:...
on the Little Rouge River
Rouge River (Ontario)
The Rouge River is a two river system. Little Rouge and Rouge River are in the east and the northeast parts of Toronto and begin in the Oak Ridges Moraine in Richmond Hill and Whitchurch-Stouffville...
, but soon acquired 400 acres of land on the Markham-Whitchurch Township Line. In 1805, Stouffer purchased Lots 1 and 2, Concession 9, on the Whitchurch side of the township line, and soon after he acquired lot 35 on the Markham side. Stouffer, who had learned milling from his father, built a saw and a grist mills on Duffin's Creek (near what is today Mill and Main Streets), and a village soon developed around the mills. In 1832, when a post office was established, the name of the village was shortened from "Stoufferville" to Stouffville.
Abraham Stouffer was a leading figure in the larger community. In 1825, he became a director of the Farmers' Storehouse Company, an enterprise of millers formed to counter the power of the York
York, Upper Canada
York was the name of Old Toronto between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.- History :The town was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the last French 'Fort Toronto'...
merchants. Stouffer was also one of the first trustees of the Altona
Altona, Ontario
Altona is a ghost town located in Pickering, Ontario, at Sideline 30 and the Pickering-Uxbridge Town Line. It is just east of Whitchurch-Stouffville, and was named after Altona, now a borough of Hamburg, Germany....
Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
Meeting House, where he is also buried.