William was born December 13, 1759 in Sussex County, New Jersey,[1] the oldest son of Anthony Ribble and Maria Seborn.[2] He spent the first fifty years of his life farming in Knowlton township along the Delaware River in New Jersey.[3]
William, along with his brother Henry, brought their families to Upper Canada some time before the War of 1812. Although Henry settled near Niagara Falls before moving to Bayham Township after the war, William and his family went directly to Trafalgar Township, near modern day Oakville, where he purchased a farm. Many subsequent records place this move in 1810.[4] And according to the Land Registry Records, William purchased all 136 acres of Lot 25 Con 4SDS in Trafalgar Township on January 18, 1811. The purchase was registered on July 11, 1811. The seller's name was Mathias Simmerman.[5] Matthias had just been granted this land in February of 1807.[6] The farm was right on Lake Ontario, not far from Bronte Harbour. William's uncle, George Ribble Sr., died in New Jersey in 1822. In his will George makes note that he bequeaths to his eldest son William the small strip of land along the river hill which I bought from my brother Anthony Ribble & William Ribble, Anthony's son.[7] This sale of William's land in New Jersey on the Delaware River probably occurred in 1810 and financed the move to Canada.
During the War of 1812, William's farm was apparently used as a campsite by Indian allies of the Canadian forces. In 1815, after the war, William provided the government with a statement of losses sustained by himself, "occasioned by the Indians while they were stationed at the head of Lake Ontario from the month of October 1813 until the month of June 1814."[8]
He stated that five swine, twenty bushels of potatoes and a canoe were taken from his property and claimed £28.15.[9] His neighbour, James Hinton, certified his claim.[10] The 1816 Assessment for Trafalgar showed William Ribble in a framed house under 2 stories 111 acres uncultivated; 25 pasture/meadow; 2 milk cows & 4 cattle.[11]The government had no money to pay his war claim in 1815, and he had to resubmit the claim in 1823. At that time he obtained payment for less than half of his losses, receiving £11.15. The following year, on May 12, 1824, he petitioned for a land grant from the government, stating that he was a native of the United States, and that he came to Upper Canada in 1810 and purchased the farm which he and his family still occupied.[12] Caleb Hopkins, a local Nelson Township innkeeper from a Loyalist family, declared that he had known William for fourteen years and knew him to be a "most industrious honest man" with a family of eight children.[13] And the former MLA, Phillip Sovereign reported that he had known William for twelve years and considered him "an honest wholesome inhabitant of our country."[14] He was granted 200 acres on providing proof of his service in the late war.[15] On May 15, 1824, Lt. Daniel O'Reilly of the 2nd York Militia wrote from Nelson Township that "William Ribble, a native of the state of New Jersey, has resided in this Province about fourteen years, that in 1812 when the Flank Companies were called out, he came forward, took the Oath of Allegiance and stood his draft, but was cleared, and on all occasions where his conduct came within my knowledge, he has evinced a (iiligible ) position to do his duty in the defence of the country, but owing to bad health was unfit for actual service the greater part of the time during the late war, that he has a numerous family, and bears the character of an honest and industrious man."[16] This was accepted by the council and his grant was issued on May 26.[17] The following year, on the 1825 tax assessment for Trafalgar, William is shown on Lot 25, Con. 4 SDS where he had 56 acres cultivated and 100 not.[18] This was the original lot which he had purchased in 1811. There were six persons living on the property at the time. Along with William and Elizabeth, this possibly included David and his wife, as well as two unmarried sons. Charles would likely have been the male listed under sixteen, with possibly the soon to be married William Jr. as the male over sixteen.[19] William's sons Anthony and John also had farms listed in the township.[18]
The 1828 Assessment listed William with his wife on Lot 25, Concession 4 SDS. William Jr. was living with them, along with his wife and a daughter, under sixteen and a son, also under sixteen.[20] William remained in Trafalgar for the rest of his long life. The 1840 Trafalgar census shows that he continued to live on his lakefront lot, with neighbours Daniel English on one side, and James Hinton on the other. Now an octogenarian, the census shows another couple living with William and his wife Elizabeth. This was undoubtedly his son John, along with John's second wife Ann House and their combined six children. His sons William Jr. and David are shown on their own farms nearby.[21] William's son John and his family are also shown on the same property with William and his wife in the subsequent 1851 census.[22] William still appears in the 1861 census at the age of one hundred. There is a forty year old Nancy Ribble staying with him. I suspect that this is his son Anthony's wife, but if so, they have her age wrong by about twenty years.[23] William passed away in 1862 at the age of one hundred and two.[24]
WILL OF WILLIAM RIBBALD
registered Oct 7th, 1862, Trafalgar Twp, Halton Co., Yeoman; revokes all former wills; direction to pay just debts, etc.; gives 4th Conc; Lot 25, Trafalgar Twp to two sons, Anthony Ribbald and John Ribbald; personal estate to same; Son, Anthony Ribbald to pay daughter Phoebe, wife of John Hinton of Trafalgar Twp, yeoman, the sum of £125; Son, John Ribbald to pay daughter Mary, wife of William Ribbald of Bayham Twp, yeoman, the sum of £125; Anthony and John appointed as executors; will dated 29 Sept, 1850; witnesses - Jesse Belyea of Brantford Twp, farmer, and Robert Wilson of Oakville.[25]
A Note on the Ribble's Use of the Clinton Name
In 1810, prior to their departure for Canada, Henry Ribble and his brother William both had sons baptized in New Jersey. William named his son George Clinton Ribble, while Henry named his son Clinton Dewitt Ribble. This would seem to have been something of a political statement by the soon to emigrate brothers. George Clinton was one of the Founding Fathers of the American Republic. After serving as governor of New York, he had served as Vice President under Thomas Jefferson. In 1808, he ran against James Madison and lost, but became Madison's Vice President. His nephew DeWitt Clinton was Mayor of New York in 1810 and after the death in April 1812 of his uncle George, Dewitt ran for President as an anti-war candidate, losing narrowly to the sitting President Madison. In later years, he was considered the "Father of the Erie Canal".
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