Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

George Taylor Denison (December 29, 1783 – December 18, 1853) was a British-born landowner, military officer and community leader in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

(later

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

Life and career

He was born in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the son of Captain John Denison and Sophia Taylor. He traveled to

and the town of

York, Upper Canada York was a town and second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the Old Toronto, old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location for th ...

, in 1796 with his parents and two brothers. He inherited the bulk of his family's property and, after the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, purchased and acquired land through marriage around what is now the

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canad ...

neighborhood 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 ancho ...

. At the end of his life, he held in York and was one of the wealthiest landowners in

. He married four times and fathered thirteen children; he wed Esther Borden Lippincott (daughter of Richard Lippincott) in 1806, Maria Taylor in 1828, Elizabeth Eleanor Caldwell in 1835, and Mary Priscilla Coates in 1850. In 1815, he built an estate named Belle Vue (including an orchard and farm) on the south side of Russell Creek, which followed the style of

Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

. The property on which he built his new home, lot 17 and the eastern portion of lot 18 ran north from present day

Queen Street West Queen Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original east-w ...

Bloor Street Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...

, and west from Lippincott Street to Augusta Avenue. Belle Vue (where the

Kiever Synagogue The First Russian Congregation of Rodfei Sholem Anshei Kiev, known as the Kiever Synagogue or Kiever Shul, is a Modern Orthodox Judaism, Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by Jewish immigrants fro ...

now stands across from Denison Square) stood at the head of a mile-long carriage path, which is now Denison Avenue. He served with the British militia in the

and, from 1822 to 1837, organized and financed a voluntary cavalry troop, which he commanded during the

Rebellions of 1837 Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

. The troop later became the

Governor General's Horse Guards The Governor General's Horse Guards is an armoured reconnaissance regiment in the Primary Reserve of the Canadian Army. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group and is based in Toronto, Ontario. It is the most se ...

. In 1846, he was given command of the 4th Battalion of the Toronto militia, a post he held until his death at Toronto in 1853. Denison is buried at St. John's Cemetery on the Humber in

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

, Ontario.Saint John's Cemetery on the Humber
/ref>

Legacy

As a result of Denison's vast land holdings and the large number of children that he fathered, the Denison family featured prominently in the early history of Upper Canada and

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 Ca ...

. Denison family names abound in the area, including the present-day names of Denison Square, Denison Avenue, Bellevue Avenue, as well as Major, Robert, Borden and Lippincott streets. His grandson

George Taylor Denison III Lieutenant-Colonel George Taylor Denison III, FRSC (31 August 1839 – 6 June 1925) was a Canadian lawyer, military officer and writer. Life and career He was born in Toronto to Colonel George Taylor Denison II, and educated at Upper Can ...

was an officer in the army of the new Dominion of Canada and later served as a

city councillor.

References

External links

Denison Family of Toronto
– family website {{DEFAULTSORT:Denison, George Taylor 1783 births 1853 deaths British people of the War of 1812 Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

British emigrants to Canada

Life and career

Legacy

See also

References

External links