Settlement in East Flamborough Township dates from the first years following the end of the American Revolutionary War, and began along the north shore of Burlington Bay. The Mississauga Reserve, from the Purchase Line to the Humber River was closed to colonization until 1806, so the first settlers were those who managed to obtain land bordering the water, and were brave enough to travel from Niagara to their property.
All of these properties were either grants for service to England or Reserve Lots for the Clergy. The very earliest maps of East Flamborough were the Patent maps with the names of settlers added as the patents on the land were granted. From such maps, it is apparent that property in the lower concessions of the township were quickly taken up by government officials as payment for their service to the British Crown. The Hon. Peter Russell and the Hon. William Claus received grants that totalled over 900 acres in the first two concessions of East Flamborough, but like all the other officials they never settled here. The distance from Niagara alone made the properties unattractive, and with the additional regulations that governed the land grants, these properties quickly changed hands.
Family records state that David Fonger came to East Flamborough in 1783. He is almost certainly the first person to actually settle in the township. Unfortunately the property, Lot 1, Concession 5 was granted to Lieutenant Alexander Macdonnel, and for several years, David Fonger’s status was that of a squatter until he was able to negotiate a legal purchase. The Fonger’s log home stood just east of the Longo’s Fruit Market, and was demolished for the construction of the White Oak Plaza. The family gave the land for the Methodist Church, that today is East Plains United Church, and there are several Fonger gravestones behind the present church.
David Fonger, like all first settlers prior to 1786, received tools and clothing for three years, as well as food and seed. In return, the settler had to clear five acres of land, build a house 16′ by 20′ and clear half of the road along one end of his property, all within two years.
William Applegarth, direct from England, George Chisholm and Charles King, both from the United States, settled early in 1790s on large tracts extending from the Bay to the Escarpment. Applegarth received his 300 acres of land as a grant, but both Chisholm and King bought their property. Both men had originally been given grants in other locations, but chose to locate along the north shore of Burlington Bay.
In 1793, Charles King bought Lots 1 and 2 in the Broken Front and Concession 1 from Dr. Robert Kerr, Surgeon to the Indian Department, and another government official who received a grant in East Flamborough and quickly sold it. The original document is still held by the King family, and states that Dr. Kerr received 150 pounds for this large tract, extending from west of Francis Road to approximately the creek beside Tim Horton’s Donut Shop.
Charles King, born in Morris County, New Jersey in 1765, stated that he had been in Upper Canada for six years when he petitioned for a land grant. His eventual purchase in East Flamborough was in conjuction with a fellow carpenter that he had met at Fort Erie, George Chisholm, who had recently arrived from New Brunswick, after previously emigrating to the American colonies from Scotland.
© The Waterdown-East Flamborough Heritage Society 1991, 2022.
Editor’s Note:
Recent research on the origins of the Fonger family now reveals that the story of his early arrival — the year of his birth, was almost certainly an oral tradition handed down through several generations of the family, only to have the facts slowly changed over the years. David Fonger was born in New Jersey in 1783, so it was impossible for him to be squatting on land in Flamborough by that date. David actually arrived in the area when he came with his father, grandparents, uncles and siblings to settle in East Flamborough in 1804, when his grandfather John Fonger Sr. purchased 600 acres from the Hon Peter Russell.The Longo’s Fruit Market where the Fonger log cabin was located close to is now occupied by DOT Furniture.
