Ontario history
Ontario Historical Society
Volume 1
William Briggs
1899

BEGIN

REV. JOHN LANGHORN.

Rev. John Langhorn was the first regularly sent Church of England Missionary
to Upper Canada. He was a native of Wales, educated at St. Bees College,
Cumberland, England, and was Curate of Hartwell, Eng. He was selected
as Missionary to Upper Canada by the Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel, in England. He reached Kingston in 1786, and at once proceeded
to his mission-field on the Bay of Quinte, making his headquarters at
Ernesttown, now Bath. He was never married. He remained in this country
until 1813, when he left Canada, intending to return to his native land. It
is said the vessel on which he was returning was lost, and no tidings were
ever heard of the passengers. His real mission-field was Ernesttown and
Fredericksburgh, but he is said to have made frequent trips in all other
directions, especially in Prince Edward and those parts of Hastings county
then settled. He divided Lennox into parishes. He was the first minister
west of Kingston authorized to solemnize marriages, but insisted that all
must come to one of his churches for that purpose and before 12 o'clock
in the day. His churches were St. John's at Bath, built in 1793 and still
in use, though several times renovated and repaired; and St. Paul's in
Fredericksburgh, built as early as 1791. The latter was a log building
and was burned on Christmas morning, 1816. A third one now occupies its
place. His record of marriages and baptisms is preserved in Kingston,
from which the following extracts have been taken, January, 1899.

Thomas W. Casey.

.
.
.

48. John Longwill, second; Margaret Lake, same 15 Sept., 1790 Matthew Clark,
Samuel McCoy, Jas. Languil, Abrhm. Lake.

50. John Lake, Ernest Town; Sarah Stover, same 29 July, 1810 James Lake,
Laurence Stover, Peter Benn, Elizabeth Stover.


        MARRIAGE REGISTER OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, ERNEST TOWN
                       BOOK NUMBER 3

68. Laurence Stover, Ernest.; Elizabeth Madden, same. .6 Feby., 1812 James
Lake, L. Vanalstine, Thomas Madden, John Lasher.

74. Andrew Bartles, Ernest.; Elizabeth Lake, same ... .23 April, 1812 Justus
Bartles, Manning Goodwin, Solomon Smith, Jonathan Parrott.

77. Nathan Fellows, Ernest Town; Mary Lake, same. .6 August, 1812 James Lake,
John Lake, Benj. Lake, James Hicks.

81. "Banns of Marriage between James Lake, of St Thomas's, Ernes town,
in the United Counties of Lennox and Addington; and Elizabeth Storms, of
the Township and Counties aforesaid, were published of February 7th, 14th
and 21st, 1813, by me.
                        John Langhorn, Episcopal Missionary.
James Lake, of Ernest Town, in the United Counties of Lennox and Addington,
Upper Canada, Bachelor; and Elizabeth Storms, of the Township and Counties
aforesaid, Spinster, were married in this church by Banns this eighteenth
day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirteen
by Me.

                                             John Lanohorn, Missionary.

"This Marriage was solemnized the Presence of us:
Francis Latimore,
Jasper Hogle,
John Whittink,
John Storms." 

"This Marriage was solemnized between us:
James Lake,
Elizabeth Storms."


REV. JOHN LANGHORN REGISTER OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, FREDERICKSBURGH.


REV. ROBERT McDOWALL'S REGISTER

Note.-Rev. Robert McDowall was the first regularly sent Presbyterian
Missionary to Upper Canada. He was a native of Saratoga County, New York,
educated at Williams' College, Schenectady, N.Y., and sent by the Synod of
the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany as a Missionary to the U. E. L. refugees
of the Bay of Quinte District, numbers of whom came from near Albany and
points on the Hudson River, and were members of that denomination before
leaving. He reached Kingston early in the spring of 1798, and soon went
to Bath and Fredericksburgh, and settled in the latter township, where
he remained until his death in 1841. During the first two years he worked
as a missionary at large, and then organized congregations at Bath and in
Fredericksburgh and Ernest Town, three miles north of Bath. He became the
regular minister of these, and had churches built. He continued his regular
mission visitations to Kingston and Prince Edward County, sometimes going
as far west as where London now stands. He married probably more persons
than any other minister in Upper Canada. His register was given to Queen's
College, Kingston, since his death, by R. J. McDowall, his grandson, now
residing in Kingston, and is kept in the vault of Queen's. The following
are extracts from that register. Some pages are so dim from years that it
is difficult to decipher them. In July, 1898, a centennial was held at the
McDowall Memorial Church, Sandhurst, Fredericksburgh, where he died, and
where his remains and those of most members of his family lie buried. It
was attended by thousands. T.W.C.

Simon Atthouse, Sarah Lake Ernesttown, 17 Aug., 1818

END