History Related to Michael O’Connor - (approximate 1800 - 1900)

The following text was written by Marion Cameron / Campbell (1921-1989) daughter of John Hilliard Cameron (1883-1942). Updates and corrections have been made to improve accuracy. Click here to see the original document.

Michael O’Connor came from Ireland and built a hotel on Centre Island. He started the first ferryboat service beginning in 1833. The horseferry was named SIR JOHN OF THE PENINSULA. It was powered by two horses walking on treadmills connected through rods and gears to paddlewheels on each side of the vessel. The ferry service traveled from the foot of Church Street in downtown Toronto to his hotel on the island called 'The Retreat'. O'Connor charged his passengers 7½d (pence) for the trip to and from the Island. The Retreat Hotel catered to people escaping Toronto to fish, dance, skate and socialize. A decade later the area around the hotel became Canada's first amusement park.

Our grandmother Mary O'Connor / Coleman (mother of Jessie Coleman / Watson (1868 - 1955) was the first white baby born on this island so she was given three acres of crown land. Her mother and father and two sisters had pre-mature deaths due to consumption. Mary had servants after her parents died including personal maid, house keeper, cook and butler. Her personal business was taken to her ? friend a lawyer. They became engaged but something happened between them which caused a complete break-up. She took all her business away from him and gave it to another lawyer.

Mary told her daughters in later years that she had always tried to be in the kitchen when the butcher boy delivered the meat. He was a tall handsome young man whose name was Coleman. Having broken up with her fiancée, she felt free to give her affections to Mr. Coleman. He had no money but she did. They were married and then they chose a farm from the registry office and chose Oil Springs. On this farm, there was supposed to be a log cabin and barns, but when they arrived there was nothing.

Mary had no knowledge of cooking so it was the Indian women who saved the situation and Indian men who helped Grandfather Coleman build barns and lent farm implements. The Indians also taught them the use of herbs and medicine.

Aunt Hannah was the first child and weighed one and a half pounds. After the third child Grandpa Coleman decided she get back to Toronto to have the three children baptized Catholic as Mary was Catholic but not Grandpa Coleman. There was not Catholic church in Oil Springs. When she was in Toronto to she went to her lawyer and discovered he had stolen her three acres of crown land by no paying the taxes for her. He let them go and then he paid the taxes in his name.

Grandpa decided that Oil Springs soil was not suitable for farming so he set out to find land that was suitable and he got the farm on the Eau road near Rondeau Bay. When he died he was a wealth man and Helped all his sons get started. The children were Hannah, Kate, Jessie, Emma, George, Henry, Bob and Bill.