1796–1868
Toronto Necropolis
Section N Lot 56
John Cummer holds a notable place in Toronto’s early history as one of the first settler children born north of the Town of York. His parents, Jacob and Elizabeth Cummer, United Empire Loyalists, were travelling from Pennsylvania to Upper Canada when John was born in a log cabin near present-day Eglinton during the winter of 1796–97.
As a young adult, Cummer acquired a 200-acre farm near today’s Yonge and Finch, in what would become Newtonbrook. Over time, he expanded his landholdings to approximately 700 acres, much of it forming the centre of what became known as Cummer’s Settlement in present-day Willowdale.
Cummer also helped operate the family’s sawmill along the Middle Don River, later expanding operations to include a grist mill and woollen factory. The area became known as Reading Mills, reflecting the family’s origins in Pennsylvania.
A committed reformer, Cummer was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada in 1834. His political stance led to his arrest after the failed 1837 Rebellion, when government troops tied his wrists and marched him nine miles to Toronto jail. Thanks to influential Tory friends, he was released the next day, a dramatic episode in an energetic life devoted to progress. John Cummer died on September 11, 1868, at the age of 71. He found his final resting place in the welcome grounds of Toronto Necropolis.
Photo: Willowdale Cemetery aka Cummer Burial Grounds c/a 1900. Courtesy of City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1568, f1568, it0040
Source:
• Mount Pleasant Group – John Cummer
• Toronto History Association – Cummer/Reading Mills
