Anthony Van Egmond
Encyclopedia
Anthony Van Egmond, born Antonij Jacobi Willem Gijben (10 March 1778 – 5 January 1838) before coming to North America, was purportedly a Dutch
Napoleonic War veteran. He became one of the first settlers and business people in the Huron Tract
, located in present day southwestern Ontario
Canada
.Van Egmond became an early contractor employed by the Canada Company
to construct the original 74 kilometres (46 mi) in length road into the new settlement, allowing the entry of settlers for the purchase of company lands and further economic development.He eventually became a supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie
, and led a force of armed rebels in their unsuccessful skirmish at Montgomery's Tavern near Toronto, Ontario on December 7, 1837 during the Upper Canada Rebellion
.
in the Netherlands
, the son of Johannes Arnoldus Gijben and his wife Maria Bloem. When he was twelve years old his father was murdered. Alleged criminal activity forced him to flee to Germany around 1795 where he assumed another identity, which included adoption of a false claim of descent from the Van Egmond's, an aristocratic family of the Netherlands. In 1819, attracted by the prospect of purchasing land from the Holland Land Company
, he travelled, via Amsterdam
, Liverpool
, and Philadelphia, to Indiana, Pennsylvania
. The land, which he purchased in 1826, was eventually seized and sold at auction to cover unpaid taxes.
In 1828 he emigrated to Oxford Township East, in Upper Canada
, where he purchased 200 acres (809,000 m²) of land from the Canada Company. Because of the establishment of a personal friendship with local company official John Galt, Van Egmond came to the attention of other Canada Company executives and was subsequently employed by the company as the initial primary contractor for road construction in the Huron Tract. Van Egmond was also charged with establishing a series of inns ,to be positioned at twenty mile (32 km) intervals along the Huron Road, which were to act as nightly stopping and resupplying points for the arriving settlers.
Although Van Egmond continued to complete his contractual obligations to the Canada Company, he continually resented that the Company insisted on paying all fees in the form of one-third cash and two-thirds company 'land credits', redeemable in exchange for parcels of land already owned by the company. Van Egmond found himself having to expend his own funds in order to achieve Canada Company development goals. At that time, the land credits he was paid with were only immediately redeemable in cash for a fraction of their stated value, because of the undeveloped
condition of the lands involved. Because of this arrangement, by the early 1830s, Van Egmond had personally accumulated 13000 acres (52.6 km²) of land in the Huron Tract, including 700 acres (2.8 km²) located in the central area of what is today the city of Stratford, Ontario
. In August 1830, Van Egmond's wife, Marie Susanne Elizabeth Dietz Van Egmond, ceremonially cut and bound the first sheaf of wheat harvested in the Huron Tract, at a gathering on their family farm on the Huron Road, which included local Canada Company officials and other regional businessmen.
Van Egmond became increasingly disgruntled at what he perceived as the Canada Company's failure to expend obligated amounts of money from the Huron Tract Improvement Fund for the development of local roads and other infrastructure, as well as at what he believed was the company's disregard for the general well-being of the arriving settlers. It's interesting to note that Van Egmond's views appear to be at least partially vindicated by an uncompleted judicial review conducted by Justice Jonas T.W. Jones in 1840. In his report Jones upheld Van Egmond's position that the Canada Company's practice of paying debts, partially in cash and partially in 'land credits', did not abide with the terms of the company's original purchase agreement, when they acquired the lands from the Crown
.
Van Egmond began to voice his concerns by corresponding with William Lyon Mackenzie
, a radical reformer who published a newspaper, the Colonial Advocate, in Upper Canada's capital York
. In January 1835, Van Egmond organized the Huron Union Society which met in the homes of recent settlers in the region. Its purpose was primarily to agitate for changes to Canada Company's policies and business practices in the Huron District, however their stated aims also included demands for a more responsible government in the province, where control of public revenues would be in the hands of elected, rather than appointed officials. The Society also called for the immediate sale of all remaining Clergy reserves and an end to what they saw as government sponsored monopolies, such as the Canada Company itself. It was also in 1835, that Van Egmond was nominated in the recently created District of Huron as the Reform candidate in an election to be held in 1836 for a seat in the 13th Parliament of Upper Canada
in Toronto. He was defeated in that election by Robert Graham Dunlop
from Goderich, Ontario, the brother of William "Tiger" Dunlop .
Frustrated by what he saw as a failure to address important issues on the part of both the Canada Company and the so called Family Compact
he began a period of much more involvement with William Lyon McKenzie and participation in more extreme forms of politics. It's possible that McKenzie based his appointment of Van Egmond as military leader for a planned open rebellion to begin at Montgomery's Tavern near Toronto in December 1837, on Van Egmond's possibly exaggerated past claims of having gained actual combat experience in the Napoleonic wars
in Europe. It's indicated in sources that on the day of the actual engagement at Montgomery's, Van Egmond advised William Lyon McKenzie that their military cause was "hopeless" and advised him to retreat from the situation. McKenzie is purported to have threatened Van Egmond's life if he failed to proceed with their plan. After being routed in the engagement by government armed forces, Van Egmond was arrested and confined to a small prison cell in Toronto. Suffering from a possible combination of malnutrition, pneumonia and exposure, Van Egmond became seriously ill in confinement and was transferred to a nearby hospital where he died on January 5, 1838. Subsequent to his death, Van Egmond's substantial real estate holdings, apart from the original family farm, were seized by the colonial government, purportedly as punishment for his participation in the uprising.
The community of Egmondville
, now incorporated within the community of Seaforth
in the Municipality of Huron East
was founded in Van Egmond's honour in 1845, by his eldest son Constant.
Coleman, Thelma, (1978). The Canada Company, County of Perth, Stratford On. ISBN 88988-029.8, pgs.63,82-83,100,102-105,170,172-173
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online Entry For Anthony Van Egmond
Canadian Biography Online Entry for William Lyon McKenzie commenting on Van Egmonds involvement in the Rebellion
Location of Original Van Egmond Family Farm, historically described as "Lot 4. Concession 1, Hullett Township
Location of Egmondville, Ontario
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Napoleonic War veteran. He became one of the first settlers and business people in the Huron Tract
Huron Tract
The Huron Tract Purchase also known as the Huron Block, registered as Crown Treaty Number 29, is a large area of land in southwestern Ontario bordering on Lake Huron to the west and Lake Erie to the east...
, located in present day southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.Van Egmond became an early contractor employed by the Canada Company
Canada Company
The Canada Company was a large private chartered British land development company, incorporated by an act of British parliament on July 27, 1825, to aid the colonization of Upper Canada. Canada Company assisted emigrants by providing good ships, low fares, implements and tools,and inexpensive land....
to construct the original 74 kilometres (46 mi) in length road into the new settlement, allowing the entry of settlers for the purchase of company lands and further economic development.He eventually became a supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie was a Scottish born American and Canadian journalist, politician, and rebellion leader. He served as the first mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada and was an important leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.-Background and early years in Scotland, 1795–1820:Mackenzie was...
, and led a force of armed rebels in their unsuccessful skirmish at Montgomery's Tavern near Toronto, Ontario on December 7, 1837 during the Upper Canada Rebellion
Upper Canada Rebellion
The Upper Canada Rebellion was, along with the Lower Canada Rebellion in Lower Canada, a rebellion against the British colonial government in 1837 and 1838. Collectively they are also known as the Rebellions of 1837.-Issues:...
.
Life
Anthony van Egmond was born in GroesbeekGroesbeek
Groesbeek is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.-Description:Groesbeek is named after a small stream called the Groesbeek, which in its original form doesn't exist anymore...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the son of Johannes Arnoldus Gijben and his wife Maria Bloem. When he was twelve years old his father was murdered. Alleged criminal activity forced him to flee to Germany around 1795 where he assumed another identity, which included adoption of a false claim of descent from the Van Egmond's, an aristocratic family of the Netherlands. In 1819, attracted by the prospect of purchasing land from the Holland Land Company
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was a purchaser of the western two-thirds of the western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. This tract was known thereafter as The Holland Purchase...
, he travelled, via Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and Philadelphia, to Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Indiana is a borough in and the county seat of Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 14,895 at the 2000 census.The borough and the region as a whole promotes itself as the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" because the national Christmas Tree Grower's Association was...
. The land, which he purchased in 1826, was eventually seized and sold at auction to cover unpaid taxes.
In 1828 he emigrated to Oxford Township East, in Upper Canada
Upper 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...
, where he purchased 200 acres (809,000 m²) of land from the Canada Company. Because of the establishment of a personal friendship with local company official John Galt, Van Egmond came to the attention of other Canada Company executives and was subsequently employed by the company as the initial primary contractor for road construction in the Huron Tract. Van Egmond was also charged with establishing a series of inns ,to be positioned at twenty mile (32 km) intervals along the Huron Road, which were to act as nightly stopping and resupplying points for the arriving settlers.
Although Van Egmond continued to complete his contractual obligations to the Canada Company, he continually resented that the Company insisted on paying all fees in the form of one-third cash and two-thirds company 'land credits', redeemable in exchange for parcels of land already owned by the company. Van Egmond found himself having to expend his own funds in order to achieve Canada Company development goals. At that time, the land credits he was paid with were only immediately redeemable in cash for a fraction of their stated value, because of the undeveloped
condition of the lands involved. Because of this arrangement, by the early 1830s, Van Egmond had personally accumulated 13000 acres (52.6 km²) of land in the Huron Tract, including 700 acres (2.8 km²) located in the central area of what is today the city of Stratford, Ontario
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
. In August 1830, Van Egmond's wife, Marie Susanne Elizabeth Dietz Van Egmond, ceremonially cut and bound the first sheaf of wheat harvested in the Huron Tract, at a gathering on their family farm on the Huron Road, which included local Canada Company officials and other regional businessmen.
Van Egmond became increasingly disgruntled at what he perceived as the Canada Company's failure to expend obligated amounts of money from the Huron Tract Improvement Fund for the development of local roads and other infrastructure, as well as at what he believed was the company's disregard for the general well-being of the arriving settlers. It's interesting to note that Van Egmond's views appear to be at least partially vindicated by an uncompleted judicial review conducted by Justice Jonas T.W. Jones in 1840. In his report Jones upheld Van Egmond's position that the Canada Company's practice of paying debts, partially in cash and partially in 'land credits', did not abide with the terms of the company's original purchase agreement, when they acquired the lands from the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
.
Van Egmond began to voice his concerns by corresponding with William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie was a Scottish born American and Canadian journalist, politician, and rebellion leader. He served as the first mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada and was an important leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.-Background and early years in Scotland, 1795–1820:Mackenzie was...
, a radical reformer who published a newspaper, the Colonial Advocate, in Upper Canada's capital 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'...
. In January 1835, Van Egmond organized the Huron Union Society which met in the homes of recent settlers in the region. Its purpose was primarily to agitate for changes to Canada Company's policies and business practices in the Huron District, however their stated aims also included demands for a more responsible government in the province, where control of public revenues would be in the hands of elected, rather than appointed officials. The Society also called for the immediate sale of all remaining Clergy reserves and an end to what they saw as government sponsored monopolies, such as the Canada Company itself. It was also in 1835, that Van Egmond was nominated in the recently created District of Huron as the Reform candidate in an election to be held in 1836 for a seat in the 13th Parliament of Upper Canada
13th Parliament of Upper Canada
The 13th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 8 November 1836. Elections in Upper Canada had been held 20 June 1836. All sessions were held at Toronto.The House of Assembly had five sessions 8 November 1836 to 10 February 1840....
in Toronto. He was defeated in that election by Robert Graham Dunlop
Robert Graham Dunlop
Robert Graham Dunlop was a ship's captain and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in Keppoch, Scotland in 1790 and joined the Royal Navy at the age of 13. He became a lieutenant while serving during the Napoleonic Wars; he later reached the rank of captain...
from Goderich, Ontario, the brother of William "Tiger" Dunlop .
Frustrated by what he saw as a failure to address important issues on the part of both the Canada Company and the so called Family Compact
Family Compact
Fully developed after the War of 1812, the Compact lasted until Upper and Lower Canada were united in 1841. In Lower Canada, its equivalent was the Château Clique. The influence of the Family Compact on the government administration at different levels lasted to the 1880s...
he began a period of much more involvement with William Lyon McKenzie and participation in more extreme forms of politics. It's possible that McKenzie based his appointment of Van Egmond as military leader for a planned open rebellion to begin at Montgomery's Tavern near Toronto in December 1837, on Van Egmond's possibly exaggerated past claims of having gained actual combat experience in the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
in Europe. It's indicated in sources that on the day of the actual engagement at Montgomery's, Van Egmond advised William Lyon McKenzie that their military cause was "hopeless" and advised him to retreat from the situation. McKenzie is purported to have threatened Van Egmond's life if he failed to proceed with their plan. After being routed in the engagement by government armed forces, Van Egmond was arrested and confined to a small prison cell in Toronto. Suffering from a possible combination of malnutrition, pneumonia and exposure, Van Egmond became seriously ill in confinement and was transferred to a nearby hospital where he died on January 5, 1838. Subsequent to his death, Van Egmond's substantial real estate holdings, apart from the original family farm, were seized by the colonial government, purportedly as punishment for his participation in the uprising.
The community of Egmondville
Egmondville, Ontario
Egmondville is an historic former village now part of the community of Seaforth in the municipality of Huron East, in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. The community was founded in 1845 by Constant Van Egmond, the eldest son of Anthony Van Egmond and named in honour of his father.-Sources:Lee, Robert...
, now incorporated within the community of Seaforth
Seaforth, Ontario
Seaforth is a Southern Ontario community in the municipality of Huron East, in Huron County, Ontario, Canada.-History:...
in the Municipality of Huron East
Huron East, Ontario
The Municipality of Huron East is located in Huron County, Ontario. It was formed in 2001 as an amalgamation of the former Grey, McKillop and Tuckersmith townships with the town of Seaforth and village of Brussels due to an Ontario-wide local government restructuring imposed by the government of...
was founded in Van Egmond's honour in 1845, by his eldest son Constant.
Sources
Lee, Robert C., (2004). The Canada Company and The Huron Tract, 1826-1853. Natural Heritage Books, Toronto On. ISBN 1-896219-94-2, pgs. 80,84,129,154-155,257Coleman, Thelma, (1978). The Canada Company, County of Perth, Stratford On. ISBN 88988-029.8, pgs.63,82-83,100,102-105,170,172-173
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online Entry For Anthony Van Egmond
Canadian Biography Online Entry for William Lyon McKenzie commenting on Van Egmonds involvement in the Rebellion
Further reference
Information regarding EgmondvilleLocation of Original Van Egmond Family Farm, historically described as "Lot 4. Concession 1, Hullett Township
Location of Egmondville, Ontario