The Cawthra family of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

was famous for its business, social and cultural contributions to the city. It is one of the oldest families in Toronto, and many descendants of the family's founder, Joseph Cawthra, continue to play significant roles in Toronto society.

History

Joseph Cawthra migrated to Canada from

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

in 1803. In 1809, he acquired a large parcel of land along the

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

lakeshore and the

Credit River The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario, which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment near Orangeville and Caledon East to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately . The total le ...

, near the present-day

Port Credit Port Credit is a neighbourhood in the south-central part of the City of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Its main intersection is Hurontario Street and Lakeshore Road ...

. The narrow dirt road that cut through his property is now the Cawthra Road in Mississauga. Sometime later, the Cawthra family moved to the

Town of York A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

, where William Cawthra acquired several properties. One such property on Lot 19 Concession 3 on Yonge Street would later become

Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries. It was opened in November 1876 and is located north of Moore Park, a neighbourhood of Toronto. The cemetery has k ...

Notable members

* Joseph Cawthra - the family's founder in Canada ** William Cawthra - expanded on his inheritance and contributed to the political and civic growth of Toronto; son of Joseph Cawthra ** John Cawthra - soldier in the War of 1812 and first MP for Simcoe County; son of Joseph Cawthra *

Mabel Cawthra Adamson Mabel Cawthra Adamson (1871–1943) was a Canadian painter and decorator, who was active in the Arts and Crafts movement in Toronto. Early years Mabel Cawthra was born in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1871. The Cawthra family were wealthy Canadian m ...

(1871–1943) - painter and decorator; wife of

Agar Adamson Agar Stewart Allan Masterton Adamson (25 December 1865 – 21 November 1929) was a Canadian soldier who married the Toronto heiress Mabel Cawthra. He served with distinction in the Second Boer War and in World War I, and commanded the Princess ...

Agar Rodney Adamson Agar Rodney Adamson (November 8, 1901 – April 8, 1954) was a Canadian politician. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada who represented the riding of York West from 1940-1954. He died in a plane crash in 19 ...

(1901–1954) - mining engineer and Progressive Conservative MP for York West (1940–1954); son of Mabel Cawthra Adamson and Agar Adamson **

Anthony Patrick Cawthra Adamson Anthony Patrick Cawthra Adamson, (October 7, 1906 – May 3, 2002) was a Canadian architect, author, teacher, and municipal politician. He was a descendant of Joseph Cawthra through his mother. Born in Toronto, Ontario to Colonel Agar A ...

(1906–2002) - historian, architect and author; son of Mabel Cawthra Adamson and Agar Adamson *

Latham Cawthra Burns Latham may refer to: Places Australia * Latham, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, Australia * Latham, Western Australia Tanzania * Latham Island United States * Latham, Illinois, a small town * Latham, Kansas, a small town ...

(1930–2015) - honorary chairman of

BMO Nesbitt Burns The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...

; son of Latham Burns Sr. (c. 1906–1936) and grandson of Herbert D. Burns (chairman of the

Bank of Nova Scotia The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...

) **

Cawthra Burns Cawthra is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *John Cawthra (1789–1851), merchant, distiller and political figure in Upper Canada * Joseph Cawthra (1759–1842), Canadian merchant and politician * Joseph Hermon Cawthra (1886–19 ...

- Toronto socialite and equestrienne; daughter of Latham Cawthra Burns

References

{{reflist

External links

A history of the Cawthra family
Canadian families Canadian socialites