Silas James (1834 - 1915)

Born 19 Jun 1834 in York Township, York, Upper Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Jane (Sulley) James — married before 1870 in Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada

Descendants

Died 11 Oct 1915 at age 81 in Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Richard Hill [send private message]

Biography

Silas James has Irish ancestors.

Silas James, son of William James (abt.1801-1874) and Rebecca (Johnson) James (abt.1807-1856), was born June 19, 1834 in York Township, York County, Upper Canada (Ontario). He was educated at schools in Newmarket and in Toronto. In 1856 he settled in Toronto, and studied land surveying in the office of Messrs. Denison & Boulton. About the year 1859 he started life for himself as a surveyor. He worked for York County for seven years, and in 1865 was appointed its road superintendent.^[1] By 1870, he was married to Jane Sulley, with whom he had started a family:^[2] they had two sons, Oscar and Darrell, by 1871,^[3] and a daughter Alma by 1881.^[4] Silas, James and their family lived the rest of their lives in Toronto.^{[5][6][7][8][9] [10]}

He worked from a series of offices in Toronto as a Dominion and Provincial Land Surveyor, Civil Engineer, Draughtsman and Valuator.^[11][12] In the early 1880's, he was Vice-President of the York Farmers Colonization Company,^[13] in which capacity he laid out the new community of York City (later Yorkton) in Saskatchewan.^[14] By the early 1890's, Silas had taken his son Darrell into partnership with him.^{[15][16][17][18][19]}

Silas James was reported to have been "a successful man of business in all that he has turned his hand to". He was a Director of the Land Security Company, when it was known under the name of the Toronto House Building Association. He was a member of the York Pioneer and Historical Society,^[20] a Good Templar, and a member of the Temperance Reformation Society. James joined the Toronto Board of Trade in 1886, and, although originally a Reformer in politics, became an Independent. He was a Director in the Ontario Industrial Loan and Investment Co.

Silas was a widower at the time of his death in Toronto on Oct. 11, 1915.^[21] He is buried in Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery.^{[22] [23]}

Sources

1. ↑ "Newspapers.com", Times and Guide (Weston, Ontario, Canada) Wed, Jan 12, 1921, page 4, Newspapers Clip: 130280316 (accessed 19 August 2023)
2. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Births, 1869-1912", citing Birth, Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada, citing Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,844,885, FamilySearch Record: FM42-N2B (accessed 17 August 2023) FamilySearch Image: S3HY-61K9-3B1 Image number 00556.
3. ↑ "Canada Census, 1871", citing 1871; citing National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, FamilySearch Record: M43T-ZXW (accessed 18 August 2023)

   Oscar S James        M    2    O

   Darrell D James        M    0    O

   Elizabeth O Brien        F    16    O

   Silas James    Married    M    37    O

   Jane S James    Married    F    30    England

4. ↑ "1881 Census of Canada", Year: 1881; Census Place: St James Ward, Toronto City, Ontario; Roll: C_13247; Page: 71; Family No: 355, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 1577 #3101849 (accessed 19 August 2023)

   Silas James    47    Married    M    P. Land Surveyor    Ontario

   Jane James    40    Married    F        England

   Oscar James    12        M    Going To School    Ontario

   Darrell James    10        M    Going To School    Ontario

   Alena [Alma] James    9        F    Going To School    Ontario

   Thos. Spaight    22        M    Land Surveyor    England

5. ↑ "1891 Census of Canada", Year: 1891; Census Place: St Davids Ward, Toronto City, Ontario, Canada; Roll: T-6370; Family No: 1; Page number: 1, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 1274 #4111148 (accessed 19 August 2023)

   Silas James    56    Head    Married    M    Land Surveyor    Ontario

   Jane S James    49    Wife    Married    F        England

   Oscar S James    22    Son    Single    M    Student    Ontario

   Darrill D James    19    Son    Single    M    Land Surveyor    Ontario

   Alma A James    18    Daughter    Single    F        Ontario

   Wesley E James    22    Lodger    Single    M    School Teacher    Ontario

6. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899", citing Digital film/folder number: 008481914; Record number: 2, FamilySearch Record: 6633-YLYZ (accessed 19 August 2023) FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C392-19QD-2 Image number 00506.
7. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899", citing Digital film/folder number: 008481920; Record number: 15, FamilySearch Record: 6826-26VC (accessed 16 August 2023) FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C39L-Q37W-P Image number 00479.
8. ↑ "1901 Census of Canada", Year: 1901; Census Place: Toronto (East/Est) (City/Cité) Ward/Quartier No 2, Toronto (East/Est) (City/Cité), Ontario; Page: 16; Family No: 135, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 8826 #14230663 (accessed 19 August 2023)

   Silas James    M    67    Head    Married    19 Jun 1833    Ontario    Land Surveyor

   Jane S James    F    64    Wife    Married    20 Mar 1836    England    

   Oscar S James    M    32    Son    Single    27 Aug 1868    Ontario    Analyst

   William J Poole    M    23    Boarder    Married    10 May 1877    Ontario    Printer

   Victoria Poole    F    23    Boarder    Married    19 Jun 1877    Ontario    

   Mary Buckley    F    36    Boarder    Single    30 Aug 1864    Ontario    Waitress

   Minnie Buckley    F    25    Boarder    Single    24 May 1875    Ontario    Bottler Perfumer

9. ↑ "Canada Census, 1911", citing Census, Ontario, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm, FamilySearch Record: QVBQ-2DDT (accessed 17 August 2023)

   Silas James    M        Head    Widowed    Jun 1834    Ontario    

   Oscar S James    M        Son    Single    Aug 1868    Ontario    

   Darrell O James    M        Son    Single    May 1871    Ontario    

   Esther Irvine    F        Housekeeper    Married    Jul 1846    London    

   Joseph Hodgson    M        Lodger    Single    Jan 1879    England    

   Elizabeth Wilson    F        Lodger    Single    Mar 1886    Ontario    

   Emily Meridan    F        Lodger    Widowed    Mar 1849    England    

10. ↑ "1911 Census of Canada", Year: 1911; Census Place: 2 - Ward two, Toronto Centre, Ontario; Page: 17; Family No: 96, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 8947 #9086893 (accessed 19 August 2023)

    Silas James    M    48    Head    Married    Jun 1834    Ontario    Income Inc

    Oren S James    M    46    Son    Single    Aug 1868    Ontario    Assayer

    Darrell D James    M    40    Son    Single    May 1871    Ontario    Surveyor

    Lather Irvine    F    64    Housekeeper    Married    Jul 1886    London    Servant

    Joseph Hadgess    M    32    Lodger    Single    Jan 1879    England    Chasseur

    Elizabeth Wilton    F    25    Lodger    Single    Mar 1886    Ontario    Saleslady

    Emily Maidan    F    11    Lodger    Married    Jan 1899    England    None NG

11. ↑ The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project, accessed 29-03-2021
12. ↑ "Canada, City and Area Directories, 1819-1906", Original data: Toronto City Directory, 1890, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 3789 #4094843 (accessed 19 August 2023)
13. ↑ Peel 1308: York Farmers Colonization Company. York Farmers Colonization Company guide and record: Choice homesteads free to the settler. (Toronto: York Farmers Colonization Co, 1884) (accessed 20 Aug 2023)
14. ↑ "Newspapers.com", Manitoba Morning Free Press (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) Sat, Apr 14, 1906, page 39, Newspapers Clip: 130280713 (accessed 19 August 2023)
15. ↑ "Canada, City and Area Directories, 1819-1906", Original data: Toronto City Directory, 1892, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 3789 #3924887 (accessed 20 August 2023)
16. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899", citing Digital film/folder number: 008481915; Record number: 12, FamilySearch Record: 68F7-NJDM (accessed 19 August 2023) FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C392-6L46 Image number 00318.
17. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899", citing Digital film/folder number: 008481921; Record number: 3, FamilySearch Record: 66DQ-KNWL (accessed 18 August 2023) FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C39L-9SQL-8 Image number 00331.
18. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899", citing Digital film/folder number: 008481935; Record number: 8, FamilySearch Record: 68B9-TPX1 (accessed 19 August 2023) FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C39K-Z96P-F Image number 00245.
19. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899", citing Digital film/folder number: 008482734; Record number: 13, FamilySearch Record: 68GZ-M661 (accessed 18 August 2023) FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C39L-Q9XL-8 Image number 00040.
20. ↑ "Newspapers.com", The Winnipeg Tribune (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) Tue, Oct 12, 1915, page 9, Newspapers Clip: 130279975 (accessed 19 August 2023)
21. ↑ "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JD64-DLF : 26 March 2020), William James in entry for Silas James, 11 Oct 1915; citing Toronto, York, Ontario, yr 1915 cn 5790, Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,861,982.
22. ↑ Mount Pleasant Group (accessed 20 Aug 2023)
23. ↑ Find a Grave (has image), Find A Grave: Memorial #258107257 (accessed 20 August 2023), Memorial page for Silas James (19 Jun 1834-11 Oct 1915), citing Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto, Toronto Municipality, Ontario, Canada (plot: plot B, section 14, lot 11); Maintained by Richard Hill (contributor 50436836).

• Toronto Board of Trade: "A Souvenir," 1893, p. 155 (retrieved 7-Jan-2022 from Toronto Public Library)