WILLIAM ROADHOUSE OF CANADA
. William Roadhouse, b. Jan. 23, 1774, son of William Roadhouse and Sarah Sykes,sailed with his wife and eight children from Liverpool, England, May 26, 1819,in the ship Evergreen, Capt. Rathburn, for New York. They traveled to Albany, N.Y., and arrived at York, Upper Canada (now Toronto), August 12, 1819.
Apparently he lost no time in applying for a grant of land and he may have been in special consideration, for his “Ticket of Location” reads “Pursuant to an Especial Order In Council of the 25th August 1819” and he was assigned 200 acres, an unusual grant, in Albion Township, then in the “Home District” (now Peel County), Lot 23, Con. 9. The order was signed by the Lt. Governor Oct. 20,1819. But it was too late to establish his family there that year, partly because of difficulty in finding his grant before winter set in. So the family wintered at Aurora and went into their new log cabin in April 1820. On performance of settlement duties and payment of fees of 5 pounds, 5 shillings,5 pence, the final grant was made Jan. 17 1828. His son, William, acquired a grant of 100 acres on Lot 22, Con. 9.
William Roadhouse was 45 years old, in the prime of life, when he came to Canada, where he was to spend another 38 years as a pioneer in the new land. Although information about his is fragmentary, it reveals him as a man of strong character,firm and uncompromising in his convictions, but tolerant of human frailties. His family life was exemplary and his religious faith was deep. As a young man he had been converted to Methodism and he was a member of the Wesleyan Church for 62 years. He died Nov. 11, 1857, at the age of 83, at the home of his son,William.
This information is from our original family tree which was completed in 1953 by O. B Briggs, a professional tracer.