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

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

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, 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 Province of Queb ...

(later

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

Life and career

He was born in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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

and the town of

York, Upper Canada York was a town and the 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 fo ...

, 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 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, 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 best-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, ...

neighborhood of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. 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 Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Han ...

. 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 eas ...

Bloor Street Bloor Street is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River (Ontario), Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East ...

, and east from Lippincott Street to Augusta Avenue. Belle Vue (where the Kiever Synagogue 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

Canadian Militia The Canadian Militia is a historical title for military units raised for the defence of Canada. The term has been used to describe sedentary militia units raised from local communities in Canada; as well as the regular army for the Province of Ca ...

in the

and, from 1822 to 1837, organized and financed a volunteer militia cavalry troop the York Dragoons, which he commanded during the

Rebellions of 1837 Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

. The troop would later evolve into

The Governor General's Body Guard The Governor General's Body Guard was a royal guard regiment of the Canadian Militia that formed part of the country's Household Division, household troops. The Body Guard was the senior regiment of the Non-Permanent Active Militia and the equival ...

(today The Governor General's Horse Guards). 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.

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 the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. 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 C ...

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: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

British emigrants to Canada

Life and career

Legacy

See also

References

External links