The Jebb name is a prominent one in Innisfil’s history.
Family members can look back on a proud lineage of hard-working men and women who established farms, played an active role in their communities, and served in two world wars. They can also claim an ancestor who just might have played a role in thwarting the rebellion of William Lyon Mackenzie in 1837.
Thomas Arnold Jebb was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1789, the son of John and Anne Jebb. The family was well-to-do. When they came to Canada in 1800, they brought with them chests of sterling silver and furniture of mahogany and rosewood. They also brought fine-bred horses that would sire a line of fast mounts. More of them later.
Thomas Arnold Jebb grew into an educated and ambitious young man. He married Ellen Martin, a woman 12 years his junior, and brought her to Newmarket, where he opened a general store and traded furs with First Nations people. He treated his First Nations trading partners fairly and they rewarded him with trust and friendship.
Jebb lived in troubled times in Upper Canada (as Ontario was then known). The population was restive. There were growing calls for reform of the existing government and social structure, and when such reforms were slow in coming, there were those who advocated rebellion. William Lyon Mackenzie, a fiery orator and politician, fanned the flames of revolt. His words found a particularly captive audience among the farmers and craftsmen of the Holland Landing and Sharon areas.
On Dec. 3, rebels gathered at Holland Landing and, under the command of Samuel Lount, began the march down Yonge Street. The band was joined by other insurgents on the route to York (Toronto), swelling their numbers. The government — and indeed most citizens — were blissfully unaware of the looming threat.
Somehow, a First Nations man learned of the unfolding rebellion and raced to tell Jebb, who he knew to be a strong loyalist (so much so, in fact, he had named a son Bond Head Jebb to honour Sir Francis Bond Head, lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada). The man implored Jebb to take word to authorities in York. Jebb was only too eager to do so.
He ran to the barn to saddle a mount. The chosen horse, a descendant of the fine pair his parents had brought over from Ireland, was noted for swiftness. It served him well that day. Putting spurs to its side, Jebb urged the horse to race down Yonge Street.
In the early 19th century, there were several toll gates along the length of Yonge Street. Rebels had quietly taken them over to control traffic to and from York. An unsuspecting Jebb came upon one of these rebel-manned gates and was stopped.
The armed men demanded to know his business. Jebb forced a smile and pretended to be a rebel sympathizer to put them at ease. The rebels relaxed a bit. Then Jebb kicked his horse’s flanks and raced past the startled guards. Bending low, Jebb prayed as muskets were fired and bullets flew past. Once again, the horse’s speed was an asset as Jebb was out of rank before the rebels could reload.
Later, Jebb and his lathered horse reached York to spread word of the rebellion.
That’s the oral story passed down through the ages, at any rate. History does record several people rode to York with news of the uprising. There are no documents firmly identifying Jebb as one of them, but oral history says he was, and we have no reason to question it.
Certainly, his loyalties were firmly with the establishment: In 1841, he named a son James Fitzgibbon, after one of the government officers who helped quash the rebellion at the Battle of Montgomery’s Tavern.
After the rebellion, Jebb expanded his holdings with farms and a sawmill near Cookstown. He died April 30, 1854, in Ireland while conducting business.
