David Willson (1778-1866)
Encyclopedia
David Willson was a religious leader and mystic
who was instrumental in founding the breakaway sect of Quakers, 'The Children of Peace' or 'Davidites' based at Sharon (formerly Hope) in York County, Upper Canada
in 1812. A prolific writer and sympathizer with the movement for political reform in Upper Canada
Willson and his followers became, at least, partially embroiled in the Rebellion of 1837.
, Willson was the son of Irish immigrant John Willson (died circa 1794) and his second wife Catherine (1754-1840). The senior Willson was a native of Carrickfergus
, County Antrim
, born into family of linen merchants whose fortunes suffered during the course of the Seven Years' War
. David Willson would later describe his parents as having been 'poor but pious Presbyterians'. Following his father's death David Willson lived for a time in New York City and sailed on the Farmer a sloop
in which his family had invested. He married to Phebe Titus (1777-1866), a member of the Society of Friends, for which she was initially disowned. Willson and his wife later joined the society together. In 1801 following the example of his elder half brother, Hugh (1768-1828), David Willson and other members of his family, including his widowed mother, younger brother, John (b.1781), and sisters Anne (1786-1824)and Mary (c.1792-1858), emigrated to Upper Canada and settled in East Gwillimbury Township in York County.
of Toronto. In the early years, however, the presence of Willson's well-connected—and unrelated—stepfather John Willson (1739-1829) helped cushion the worst of the antipathy. However, as several members of Willson's sect, including two of his sons, participated in the armed rebellion in 1837, there was some discussion of destroying the community's meeting houses and its iconic Sharon Temple
. Having weathered these storms the sect continued although changing demographics, the establishment of other religious denominations and other factors led to the sect's gradual decline. Following Willson's death in 1866 the sect continued until ceasing to function by the end of the 1880s.
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
who was instrumental in founding the breakaway sect of Quakers, 'The Children of Peace' or 'Davidites' based at Sharon (formerly Hope) in York County, Upper Canada
Sharon, Ontario
Sharon is a former village which has been incorporated into the municipality of the Town of East Gwillimbury, Ontario, Canada, formerly the Township of East Gwillimbury...
in 1812. A prolific writer and sympathizer with the movement for political reform 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...
Willson and his followers became, at least, partially embroiled in the Rebellion of 1837.
Early life
Born in on his parents' rented farm on the Nine Partners' Grant in Dutchess County, New YorkDutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
, Willson was the son of Irish immigrant John Willson (died circa 1794) and his second wife Catherine (1754-1840). The senior Willson was a native of Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, born into family of linen merchants whose fortunes suffered during the course of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
. David Willson would later describe his parents as having been 'poor but pious Presbyterians'. Following his father's death David Willson lived for a time in New York City and sailed on the Farmer a sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
in which his family had invested. He married to Phebe Titus (1777-1866), a member of the Society of Friends, for which she was initially disowned. Willson and his wife later joined the society together. In 1801 following the example of his elder half brother, Hugh (1768-1828), David Willson and other members of his family, including his widowed mother, younger brother, John (b.1781), and sisters Anne (1786-1824)and Mary (c.1792-1858), emigrated to Upper Canada and settled in East Gwillimbury Township in York County.
The Children of Peace
Increasingly active in the Yonge Street Meeting Willson underwent a spiritual transformation that led to he and several of his sympathizers being expelled in 1812. Meeting at his farm he established the 'The Children of Peace' which espoused ideas and doctrines at odds with orthodox Quaker beliefs. The sect was centred upon the Willson farm and Willson increasingly became the main spiritual and community leader. Involvement in Reform politics brought Willson and his community into direct conflict with the political establishment of the province, in particular Bishop John StrachanJohn Strachan
John Strachan was an influential figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto.-Early life:Strachan was the youngest of six children born to a quarry worker in Aberdeen, Scotland. He graduated from King's College, Aberdeen in 1797...
of Toronto. In the early years, however, the presence of Willson's well-connected—and unrelated—stepfather John Willson (1739-1829) helped cushion the worst of the antipathy. However, as several members of Willson's sect, including two of his sons, participated in the armed rebellion in 1837, there was some discussion of destroying the community's meeting houses and its iconic Sharon Temple
Sharon Temple
The Temple of the Children of Peace is located in the village of Sharon, Ontario. Generally it is known as the Sharon Temple. It was constructed between 1825 and 1831 by a schismatic Quaker sect led by David Willson on whose property it was built...
. Having weathered these storms the sect continued although changing demographics, the establishment of other religious denominations and other factors led to the sect's gradual decline. Following Willson's death in 1866 the sect continued until ceasing to function by the end of the 1880s.
Sources
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography
- McIntyre, William John; Children of Peace (Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press, 1994).
- Schrauwers, Albert; Awaiting the millennium: the Children of Peace and the Village of Hope, 1812-1889 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993)