Jesse Ketchum (March 31, 1782 – September 7, 1867) was a tanner and political figure 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 ...

. He was born in town

Spencertown, New York Spencertown is a hamlet in the town of Austerlitz, Columbia County, New York, United States. Its ZIP code is 12165. The Daniel and Clarissa Baldwin House, Pratt Homestead, Spencertown Academy, and St. Peter's Presbyterian Church and Spencer ...

in 1782 to parents Mollie Robbins Ketchum and Jesse Ketchum Senior. After his mother died, he was taken into a foster home; his foster father was a tanner. He ran away from home in 1799 and joined his brother

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

(1780-1850), who was farming north of York (

York Mills York Mills is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is centred around Yonge Street and York Mills Road located in the district of North York. In 2010, it encompassed the fourth and seventh most affluent postal codes in Canada. It is re ...

, now part 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 ...

) in Upper Canada. At the beginning of 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 ...

, he purchased a tannery from a recent immigrant from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

who had decided to return there after war was declared. Ketchum joined the local militia, but his loyalty was called into question after York was temporarily held by the Americans. After the war, he helped fund the rebuilding of the bridges over the Don River and also contributed to the building of the first common school at York. Ketchum was known for his great and practical interest in schools, a quality that won him the affectionate title, "Father Ketchum." He taught Sunday school at the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

church, which he helped to establish in the area. He opposed the exclusive control of the

clergy reserves Clergy reserves were tracts of land in Upper Canada and Lower Canada reserved for the support of "Protestantism, Protestant clergy" by the Constitutional Act of 1791. One-seventh of all surveyed Crown lands were set aside, totaling and respectivel ...

by the Anglican church and was known as an opponent of the Family Compact. In 1828, he was elected to represent York in the

10th Parliament of Upper Canada The 10th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 8 January 1829. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1828. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada. This parliament was dissolved 8 September 1830 on the announcement of the de ...

; he was reelected in 1830 but did not run again in 1834. Although he had supported

William Lyon Mackenzie William Lyon Mackenzie (March12, 1795 August28, 1861) was a Scottish Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify elite members of Upper Canada. He represented Yor ...

in the assembly, he did not take part in the

Upper Canada Rebellion The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837. While public grievances had existed for years, it was the rebellion in Lower Canada (p ...

. Shortly after the rebellion, he relocated his tannery to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, although he continued to live in

. In 1845, he moved to Buffalo, leaving his property in Toronto to his children from his first wife. He continued to be a generous benefactor to the community there until his death in 1867. Ketchum contributed to churches and schools in Buffalo. Ketchum Hall at Buffalo State College was named in his honour, as is Ketchum Street on the city's Lower West Side. Ketchum is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo. A public school in Toronto was named "The Jesse Ketchum School" and in Buffalo twelve schools were named after him. His brother Seneca remained in Canada and died in

in 1850. Jesse Ketchum's home was a recognized landmark in early York, largely because of its size. It was a large frame building, painted white, and stood at the north west corner of Yonge and Adelaide.

Henry Scadding Henry Scadding (July 29, 1813 – May 6, 1901) was a Canadian writer and Anglican clergyman. Life and career Scadding was born at Dunkeswell in Devon, England, and he immigrated to York, Upper Canada (now Toronto, Ontario) in 1821 with his par ...

described the home as a "dwelling in the American style with a square turret bearing a rail rising out of the ridge of the roof." The date of construction is unknown, but estimated to be around 1813 or 1814.

John Ross Robertson John Ross Robertson (December 28, 1841 – May 31, 1918) was a Canadian newspaper publisher, politician, and philanthropist in Toronto, Ontario. Career Born in 1841, in Toronto, the son of John Robertson, a Scottish wholesale merchant, and ...

claims Jesse Ketchum was one of the first people to bring sidewalks to York after he placed tanned bark outside of his home. The house was ultimately destroyed around 1838 or 1839 to cut up the land for building lots. Ketchum Manufacturing, a company now located in Brockville,

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 ...

, which manufactures agricultural supplies, was founded by Jesse Ketchum's descendants in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Ontario.

Jesse Ketchum Public School, Toronto

Jesse Ketchum School was founded in the Town of York in 1832 in the Yorkville area, two years prior to the founding of the City of Toronto in 1834. The current Jesse Ketchum Junior and Senior Public School building at 161 Davenport Rd dates to 1914. A nearby park, Jesse Ketchum Park, is also named for him as both it and the school were made possible by donations by Ketchum. Famous former students include the Conacher family of sporting fame, Canadian sculptor Emanuel Hahn, actors Keanu Reeves (The Matrix) and Zack Ward (A Christmas Story), Academy Award winning director Domee Shi, noted citizen scientist R. Vishnu Bose.

Temperance Hall

Ketchum donated land to be used to build a Temperance Hall at 21 Temperance Street in 1846-1848.} Used as temporary home to

Toronto Normal School The Toronto Normal School was a teachers college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1847, the Normal School was located at Church and Gould streets in central Toronto (after 1852), and was a predecessor to the current Ontario Institute for St ...

1847 to 1852. Sold 1969 and used by Stone Church until 1986.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ketchum, Jesse 1782 births 1867 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Canadian Methodists