If you’ve driven past the intersection of highways 89 and 11, you’ve undoubtedly taken note of the beautiful farm fields on the north-west side. Gently sloping down from the roadside, these fields come alive with rustic colours this time of year and, quite clearly, sustain a successful farm.
While the farm is the product of numerous hands – man and woman alike – over the past two centuries of cultivation, the individual most responsible for transforming the land into a thriving and enduring agricultural property is Thomas Sawyer.
Thomas was one of 14 children born to Robert and Monica Sawyer, who met on board ship immigrating from Britain in 1829. Robert began life as a haberdasher (a seller of buttons, ribbons, and zippers) but remade himself into a successful farmer in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Thomas was born March 4, 1839. Raised on a farm where he was expected to pull his weight from a young age, he was instilled with the virtues of hard work and dedication.
On Feb 20, 1866, Thomas’ large family gathered to celebrate his wedding to Maria Hill. Little is known of Maria’s early life other than a date of birth – March 6, 1842 – and place of upbringing – Toronto – but she proved to be an excellent partner for Thomas. Maria bore and raised 8 children, beginning with Robert a year after their nuptials, cared for the household, and took on her share of farm duties when they settled on the property at Fennell’s Corners.
Ontario was a net exporter of wheat at the time, its farms growing vast seas of grain to sustain the insatiable appetites of Britain and the rapidly growing United States. Thomas initially devoted most of his land to this cash crop, shipping it to market from the Gilford rail station.
Sawyer and other Ontario farmers faced a crossroads starting around 1890 when Prairie grown wheat began to take over the market. Sawyer must have looked on in dismay as his profits began to erode. He was far from alone. The average acreage devoted to wheat cultivation on Ontario farms fell from 143 per 1,000 acres in 1886 to less than 50 just three decades later as.
Like many farmers across Ontario, Sawyer made the switch to mixed farming and dairy cattle. It was a successful model – the Sawyer farm thrived anew.
In addition to farming and raising a large family, Thomas and Maria Sawyer were active members of the Methodist church. They likely drew on their faith when facing tough times, such as the uncertainty that came with switching from one type of agriculture to another. But they were equally well served by their inclination for hard work.
Unfortunately, Thomas Sawyer took ill with chronic bronchial and heart issues in his mid-60s and was forced to retire. He and Maria handed over the farm to a new generation and retired to Bradford, where he died July 24, 1907. Maria died two decades later, on March 22, 1926. Both are buried in Zion Cemetery, Innisfil.
