Leeds County, Ontario, Canada was first surveyed in 1792 in preparation for the United Empire Loyalists settlers. In 1850, Leeds County merged with Grenville to create the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.
John Wiltsewas born on March 31, 1748 in Dutchess County, New York.,
He married Anna Cary. She was the daughter of David Cary and Ann Cornell.
Ruth Wiltse (1772, married Thomas How),
Solomon Wiltse ( 1773),
Cornelius Wiltse (1775, married Patience Mott),
Rhoda Wiltse (1780, married James Brown),
Sarah Wiltse (1783, married Oliver Brown),
Mary
Wiltse (1785, married Wing Walker), and
Anne
Wiltse (1788, married Lemule Cornell).
His second wife was Mary Conley.
John Wiltse, Jr. (1778, married Mary Wiltse),
Elizabeth Wiltse (1790, married Richard Jacqua),
Catherine
Wiltse (1792, married Samuel Slack),
Phoebe Wiltse (1794, married Thomas How),
Abigail
Wiltse (1796),
Henry
Wiltse (1799),
Mathilda
Wiltse (1801, married John Robinson).
The first European settlements in Ontario were after the American Revolution when 5,000 loyalists left the new United States.
Dutchess County, New York patriots forced colonists loyal to the British government to flee north into what became Ontario.
Benoni Wiltse was born on July 2, 1758 in Dutchess County, New York. His parents were Jeremiah Wiltse and Mary Smith.
He married Rachel Marks. Their children may have included:
Benoni Wiltse, Jr. (1777, married Mary Slack),
Joseph Wiltse (1782),
Susannah Wiltse (1782, married John Wiltse, Jr.),
Elizabeth Wiltse (1784, married John Conley),
James Wiltse (1786, married Christina Coleman).
Rachel Wiltse (1789),
Comfort Martin Wiltse (1790, married Hester Coleman),
Mary Wiltse (1790, married Daniel Brown),
Hannah Wiltse (1792, married Samuel Kelsay), and
Sarah Wiltse (1794, married William Howland).
During the American Revolution, he remained loyal to the Crown.
In 1784 the family moved to Canada.
In 1784 Benoni appeared on the provisioning list for disbanded troops as a member of the Loyal Rangers. He was mustered in Augusta. James was listed as a refugee.
United Empire Loyalists were Americans who remained loyal to King George III and the British Empire. They moved to Canada after the American Revolution.
James Wiltse was born on March 10,
1764 in Dutchess County, New York. He was the son of Jeremiah Wiltse.
He married Jane Lake.
Henry Wiltse (married Elizabeth Slack)
Samuel Wiltse (married Roxana Bocker),
Leonard Wiltse (married Hannah Herrington).
Cornelius Wiltse (married Susan Sixbee),
Truman Wiltse (married Elenor Smyth),
William Wiltse (married Margaret Slack),
Mary Wiltse (1795, married
John W. Wiltse, Jr. and Captain Joseph Wiltse),
Sarah Wiltse (married Joseph Bingham),
Nancy Wiltse (married David Derbyshire),
Elizabeth Wiltse (married Ezrie Hays), and
Pamelia Wiltse (married Abner Case).
He was a captain in Jessup's Rangers and moved to Leeds County, Canada in 1784 with the discharged Loyalist soldiers of St. Johns.
In 1802 they settled in Wiltse Town in Yonge Township.
... James Wiltse, brother of Captain Benoni Wiltse, who, with William Parish, located the first land and built the first log cabins in Yonge and Escott Rear ... (from History of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario
In April, 1812, Mary petitioned for the 200 acres of land in Yonge that she was entitled to as the wife of John Wiltse and daughter of James Wiltsey of Yonge.
John Wiltse, Jr. was born December 01, 1778. He was the son of John Wiltse and Anna Cary.
He married Susannah Wiltse. Susannah was born April 17, 1782 in Hopewell, Dutchess County, New York.
John and Susannah's children probably included:
Elizabeth Wiltse (1798, married William White),
David Wiltse (1801, married Thankful Smith),
Nancy Wiltse (1803, married John White), and
Anna Wiltse (1807, married Jacob Palmer).
