PAPERS OF WILLIAM SWORD FROST

These papers contain miscellaneous items collected by Mr. Frost during his lifetime. There are a very few additions added after that time and only for purposes of clarification.
In the Frost files in the Orillia Public Library is correspondence with a number of persons and authorities during the time he was mayor of Orillia.
The Frost family came to Orillia on July 1st, 1867 by the steamer "Emily May" from Bell Ewart in Lake Simcoe.
Orillia, at the time of the settlement, and indeed for many years afterwards was known as "The Narrows Village". The Village itself was not located on the Narrows as we know the same but at the present site of Orillia localized from the waterfront up as far as the Church of England.
The origin of the name Orillia is unknown. It is said to have come from Wellington's veterans of the Peninsular War. The names Rama, Mara, Thora, Mariposa, Orillia and Ora are probably of Spanish origin. This could only be termed a reasonable conjecture.
On some of the early maps, Orillia is shown as Port Borland. This came from Capt. Borland who was a fur trader connected with the firm of Robinson, Borland, and Rowe of Newmarket.
Borland's name is perpetuated in Borland Street.

Page 2

OR 470 OR 472
This page shows the Orillia Lakefront in 1867. It is interesting to note that photography came into wide vogue during the American Civil War. It was a great many years afterwards before technology enabled the reproduction of photographs in printed form.
The Emily May was a very well-known steam vessel operating from the foot of Lake Simcoe at Bell Ewart, which was the railhead to Orillia and Washago.
The Emily May, in the late 1880’s was burned at its moorings in Bell Ewart and the bones of this well-known ship are shown in the snapshot.

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OR 473
This photograph shows the Emily May at the wharf in Orillia. It was then operated by the Midland Railway. Emily May was the daughter of Captain Isaac May who operated the vessel.
As stated on the previous page the vessel operated from Belle Ewart which was the rail terminus and what is now a trans-continental line.
Bell Ewart was named after an individual by that name.
Afterwards this became, by usage, Belle Ewart.
Please see complimentary season's ticket on Page Twenty-Seven.


Pages 5 to 26 inclusive
These pictures are of the sketches by T. H. Ware and were done in Orillia about 1844. Ware was a Barrister of the Middle Temple. Information indicates that he was born in 1810, probably in Cheshire, and came to Canada in 1844. As well be seen he was an artist of some ability. He returned to England and died in 1890.
The Ware sketches are in the Toronto Public Library where there are two sketch books in the Baldwin Room containing thirty-nine sketches by Ware.
They are invaluable in giving to present day some idea of the Orillia community approximate to the time of the settlement.
The Frost family arrived in Orillia in 1867 which was about twenty-three years after these sketches were made. No doubt, there were many resemblance between the Orillia this family saw and the Ware sketches.

Page 5

The residence of the late Capt. St. John,
Orillia, Simcoe, Upper Canada. T.H. Ware 1844
The above sketch was made from approximately the old Payne farmhouse on Bay Street looking North. The island on the right is Chief's Island. Foundations of the fireplace of this cabin are on the south side of the residence now occupied by Mrs. Andrew Wetherwax. (See the snapshot of Bay Street, 1913, in these records.) (The land involved is that which is on the right hand side of the picture.) The Frost property would be approximately where the clump of trees is shown on the left hand side of the sketch.
St. John was an early settler and it is after him that Lake St. John or Cingin was named.