The following is a history, in genealogy format, of the descendants of Thomas METCALF b. 1780 and Mary SANDWICH b. 1784. Thomas and Mary had atleast five children, the eldest son Thomas married Hanna in Yorkshire in 1824 and came to Canada in 1830 (as per the 1901 census).
In 1861 Thomas and Hanna METCALF were living in West Gwillembury Township, Simcoe County and shortly thereafter most of the family, with the exception of a couple of the older boys, relocated to Greenock Township in Bruce County.
The Thomas and Hanna's eldest son Jonathan (1841 - 1897) married Mary Ann
WILSON in Bradford in 1865 and settled on the 14th of Greenock. Their nine children were: Thomas who married first, Mary Jane ELPHICK, second, Elizabeth English
CARR and thirdly Esther
KEYES-REID; John married Sarah Ann
OSBORNE; Mary never married; Christopher married first, Charlotte
McKEEMAN, and second, Maud BROWN; Elizabeth never married; Robert married Christina WARNICK : Hanna Jane "Jennie" married Thomas
McAFEE; Daunt married Louisa
ROUMEY , and Wilson married Catherine
CRUICKSHANK.
Thomas (1843 - ? ) married Rebecca THORPE and remained in West Gwillembury Township and raised a family of four; Mae, Dora, Job and Tess.
John (1845 - 1924) married Mary Ann
BOLTON. They also remained in West Gwillembury and had a family of seven: Hanna Jane; David; William married Lavina ROBERTS ; John married Ida Charlotte TYNDALL ; Ann Elizabeth (Mrs. (George BELL); Elmer married Mamie GREENAWAY , and Herbert married Lillian ROACH.
David (1845 - 1932) lived on the 16th of Greenock Township where he married Susan
WEBB in approx. 1871. They had a family of four: Frank, who died at age 24; John, who married Elizabeth POTTER ; Minnie (Mrs. Chris.
PARKER ) and Alice Marie married William BILL and moved to North Dakota .
Christopher (1850 - 1917) also relocated to Greenock Township where he farmed on the east half of Lot 12, Con 16. Christopher never married.
Robert, Ann and Jane, although they were part of this family, I have been unable to uncover any further information on these children.
This genealogy is by no means complete and ultimately I hope to uncover more information leading to the identification of the parents of Thomas and Hanna, as well as compiling more information on the descendants of Thomas, John, Robert, Ann and Jane. Meanwhile I would be pleased to hear from all of those reading these pages that recognize errors or omissions or have additional information that could be used to update this family history.
Ever wonder where the METCALF(E) name came from? ……. Read on ………..
SIR CHRISTOPHER METCALFE
The following account of the Metcalfe family appeared in the "Local Notes and Queries" in the
"Leeds Mercury Weekly Supplement" of March 2Oth, 1880.The METCALFES OF WENSLEYDALE, of which the house of Nappa was the head, were at one time the most numerous family in England. They were alike ancient and honorable; and many of them were highly distinguished in different capacities. James Metcalfe of Nappa, was a captain in the battle of Agincourt. "Thomas, son of James Metcalfe" as Leland tells us, "bought Nappa of Lord Scrope." There was only a little cottage on it, and he built the house, which, in that historian's time, was commonly called "No Castle." He was the steward-receiver of the lands of Richmond, and grew very rich. When Leland wrote, there were in the vicinity " 300 men in very knowen consanguinitie to them. " In 1556, Sir Christopher Metcalfe, being High Sheriff of Yorkshire, met the Judges of Assize, attended by 300 horsemen, all of his own family and name, mounted on white horses and clad in uniform habits. The last male heir of the senior line was Thomas Metcalfe of Nappa Hall, who died unmarried, April 25th, 1756 , aged 69. Jane Metcalfe, widow of Henry Metcalfe, of Nappa Scarr, near Askrigg, died April 3rd, 1859, in the 100th year of her age. The popular derivation of the name of Metcalfe is amusing. On the time when the country abounded with wild animals, two men, being in the woods together at evenfall, seeing a red four-footed beast coming towards them, could not imagine in the dusk what it was. One said, "Have you heard of lions being in these woods?" The other answered he had, but had never seen such a thing. So they conjectured that what they saw was one. The creature advanced a few paces towards them. One ran away, the other determined to meet it. The animal happened to be a red calf, so he who met it got the name Metcalfe, and he who ran away that of Lightfoot.
This article was contributed by D.J. METCALF (1903 - 1991), formerly of Greenock Twp., Bruce County. 
