Peter Teeple [37679]

  General Notes:

Captain Peter Teeple was born near Trenton, New Jersey, July
14th, 1762. Bordentown is believed to be the locality. His
parents were settlers from Holland in New Jersey and he was the
youngest son of a well-to-do and fairly numerous family. He had
at least three brothers - John, James and George - all of whom
were in the Continental Army under George Washington in the War
of Independence which raged from 1776 to 1783. After the close
of the war some of John's descendants came to Norfolk and Elgin
counties, the late Lyman Teeple, barrister of St. Thomas, being
of that line. About the year 1779 Peter was still lving at the
old home and then in his 18th year. Being possessed of a very
handsome horse, he kept it carefully hidden from view of the
contending armies, rightfully fearing it might be confiscated
for war purposes. One day, however whilst leading it to water,
he was surprised by the Patriot cavalry and forced to give it
up. He afterwards stated that, being at that time unable to
speak English (his family, as mentioned before, being
Hollanders,) he was taken at a great disadvantage. The
occurrence so angered the boy who prided himself on the
possession of so handsome a horse that he immediately tied up a
bundle of clothing and started on foot for New York, then
occupied by the British, which he reached safely, and there
joined the British cavalry. Having a good education and being
naturally bright and intelligent, he soon acquired a fluent use
of the English language, and being of tall and commanding
presence and a good soldier, he rapidly rose to the rank of
captain, and placed in command of a troop of cavalry of the
body known as "The New Jersey Volunteers".

He took part in several notable engagements, and many times had
an opportunity to forage for supplies for his troop among the
supporters of the Patriot army which had deprived him of his
beloved steed. On one occasion, while scouting in Virginia, a
bullet from the rifle of an American sharpshooter killed the
charger upon which he was mounted.

At the close of the war in 1783, Capt. Teeple's cavalry troop
was disbanded at Halifax, and, owing to his fine physique,
being six feet four inches in height, he was offered great
inducements to proceed with the British army to England and
accept a commission in His Majesty's Life Guards. He declined
the offer and later expressed his misgivings as to the wisdom
of his choice. He then left Halifax; proceeding with a large
number of other disbanded soldiers, and many refugees, to New
Brunswick, where Loyalist settlements had been established at
Saint John and other points.

From being a captain of horse, he now became captain of a
trading vessel plying between Saint John and New York. At Saint
John he met and married, in 1785, Lydia Mabee, one of the five
daughters of Frederick Mabee, a prominent Loyalist, whose
father, Simon, a Hollander, and mother, Marie Landrine, a
French lady, had settled near Sing Sing in the State of New
York.

Capt. Peter Teeple and his brothers-in-law Capt. David Secord
and John Stone, were the first young married men that settled
in the Town of Charlotteville, as Turkey Point afterwards came
to be officially named; and when the settlement was surveyed,
Peter Teeple was granted lot 8 in the broken forest near
Forestville. His wife, Lydia, was also granted 106 1/4 acres by
the Crown, being part of lot 9, lakefront, Charlotteville.
Nearby still stands an old tree known as the "Aunt Lydia Apple
Tree," which yet bears fruit. It was the favorite apple tree of
Lydia Teeple. There are trees in this orchard 100 years old,
and near the old house is still standing a walnut tree which
must be very ancient indeed. It measures nearly twelve feet in
diameter and is an interesting relic in itself with its immense
spread of branches.

Peter Teeple was one of the first five justices appointed,
having that honor conferred upon him by virtue of the first
General Commission of the Peace to the newly organized District
of London, dated at York, now City of Toronto, January 1, 1800.
He was also one of the original men appointed at the same time
to act as commissioners for administering oaths, prescribed by
law to the officers of the Government of Upper Canada. On the
2nd of April following, he was sworn into office by Samuel
Ryerse, Esq., at the home of Lieut. Munroe at Turkey Point,
which house is still standing (1899), and is now known as Fort
Munroe. On the 8th of April, 1800, when the first session of
Court was held that day, "District of London" was convened at
Fort Munroe. Simon Mabee was sworn in open court as High
Constable for Walsingham, and Squire Teeple was one of the
sitting Justices. At a later date the famous Col. Talbot sat
with him as an Associate Justice. His position then was
equivalent to that of a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas
now, and he came to be regarded as a thorough jurist. In
addition to the above mentioned offices he was also appointed
on 12th April 1800, a Justice of the Court of Requests and
Commissioner of Highways for that Division of the District of
London, comprising the townships of Charlotteville, Walsingham,
Houghton and Middleton.

He left a very large library, and a complete register of the
hundreds of civil marriages performed. An amusing incident was
related by his youngest son, Pellum, in connection with one
marriage ceremony he presided at about 1825. The laws of
customs of that place required that where no regular license
had been procured, the ceremony might be carried out at some
public crossroads at the hour of midnight, the contracting
parties appearing in night clothes the justice and one of more
others acting as witnesses. In company with his son, Pellum,
the Squire repaired o the spot, a lonely crossroad, on a very
dark night. Presently two groups approached from opposite
directions, one with the bride, the other with the groom. Upon
meeting, and the two principals clad in white robes, stepping
forward, at the hour of twelve, they were duly married
according to law. Pellum, then a young man of sixteen, said it
made a lasting and weird impression on his memory.

But a few years had elapsed after the Squire, as he was then
called by virtue of his legal office, settled at Turkey Point,
when the war of 1812-15 broke out. He had attained a good
degree of prosperity, and he and his sons donned their swords
to defend their new-made homes. The settlers formed volunteer
companies and in recognition of his previous military rank and
experience, he was chosen a Captain of militia, being then
about fifty years of age. With his command he met the invading
American troops at Queenston Heights and Lundy's Lane. His
valuable flour mill was burned during this war by a party of
Americans.

Squire Teeple and his wife were two of the constituent members
of the old pioneer church organized at Vittoria by Elder Titus
Finch, in 1804, and when the acre of land was purchased for 2
pounds, "New York Currency", from Deacon Oliver Mabee in 1807
upon which to erect a meeting house, Mr. Teeple became one of
the first trustees, the other being Lawrence Johnson. The
church was a commodious edifice for those times, and superseded
the old log structure, and it was furnished with a three-sided
gallery. The young people who used to attend the singing
schools in that old meeting house have long since passed away,
but they were full of rugged piety and simple faith.

In January 1851, a new church was built near the same site, and
among the records of the members of the construction committee,
we find the now locally historic names of Mabee, Teeple, Young
and Ryerse, sons of the original pioneers.

A few years before his death in 1847, and pen and ink portrait
of the Squire was obtained under peculiar circumstances. There
came into that community (Centreville, Oxford County), a
quadroon who had been a slave in the United States, and who had
a talent for drawing, which his mistress allowed him to
cultivate and even procured for him some instruction in the
art. The squire's son, Pellum, learning this, brought the
escaped slave home one day, and got him to execute a portrait
of his father. It was drawn upon the flyleaf of a book, and he
portrayed sitting with Pellum's son, Charles, an infant, on his
lap. The original is still in the possession of the grandson,
Charles, who lives at Marengo, Illinois. The drawing is quaint
but well executed, and is said by those who remember the old
squire to be a faithful likeness, the only exception taken
being that the chin is too pointed. He resided at Centreville,
Oxford County, during the later years of his life, and was
finally laid to rest in the old Baptist cemetery near there by
his son Pellum. He was methodical, dignified in bearing, of a
commanding aspect, a strong advocate of temperance and was
erect and soldierly to the last.

His wife Lydia was a very worthy woman, and they both lived
long, she dying in 1845 at the age of 75, and he in 1847, aged
85. It is related of her that whenever she lost her temper and
spoke sharply to anyone, she would soon after be found alone,
pacing to and fro with clasped hands murmuring to herself for a
time, "Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy."

Squire Teeple had thirteen children, of whom nine were sons,
namely William Bullard, Luke, Edward Manning, Frederick
Stephen, Henry, Oliver Mabee, Lemuel Covel, Simon Peter, and
Pellum Cartwright; and four daughters, namely, Louvina,
Susannah, Mary and Phebe. One of Frederick's daughters, Ellen,
married the late David Sutherland, for so many years the
leading merchant at Orwell.

Some of Capt. Peter Teeple's other children met with very
stirring adventures during the war of 1812-15, and the Canadian
Rebellion of 1837. A few details of these will be given here as
follows.

Of the other children of Peter Teeple, little or nothing is
known of special note to the writer, except the dates of their
birth, and death, and also that Oliver Mabee Teeple was also a
captain at Lundy's Lane, but it is hoped that if any survivors,
should read these lines, will as speedily as possible
contribute their quota to the history of their ancestors before
it is too late, and above all, that they will prove worthy
successors of those sturdy "Pilgrim Fathers of Canada", who for
the sake of what they believed, rightly or wrongly, to be their
duty, were willing to undertake, not only the perils of war,
but also the hardships and privations of hewing out for
themselves, and for their children, in the wild forests of
Norfolk, Oxford and Elgin, new homes and habitations, destined
after one hundred years to become an important part of a great
and mighty state.

Note - Three of the direct descendants of this pioneer Teeple
family reside in Aylmer, grandsons and granddaughter of George
Teeple, who was a brother of Captain Peter Teeple, the subject
of this article. They are D.J. Teeple, John M.Hale, and Mrs.
(Dr.) Cline, George Teeple's son, John, married Eliza Johnson
and they cleared land and settled north of Kingsmill. John's
son, Stephen, the father of D.J. Teeple married Eliza Corporon,
and they went to Iowa in the early days, along with the family
of William Teeple, also a son of George Teeple, Stephen fought
in the American war of 1860-65, and was killed in battle. He is
buried in Savannah, Georgia. John Teeple, D.J. Teeple's
grandfather was one of the first to be buried in the cemetery
at Rogers' Corners, one of the historic landmarks of this
district. William Teeple, another son of George Teeple, built
the house, a half-mile east of Orwell, now owned by Stanley
Snelgrove, deputy-reeve of Malahide township.

Phoebe Teeple, a daughter of George Teeple, married Charles
Tozer, John M.Hale, and Mrs. (Dr.) Cline are son and daughter
of Mary Tozer, daughter of Phoebe Teeple, and are therefore
great grandchildren of George Teeple, brother of Captain Peter
Teeple.

John Teeple, grandfather of D.J. Teeple, of Aylmer, is buried
at Rogers' Corners Cemetery. He died in 1851, aged 47 years.
Deacon W.L. Teeple, grandfather of the late Jennie Teeple, of
Aylmer, is buried at Orwell. He died in 1859, aged 72 years.

During the progress of the war of 1812, McArthur's army made a
raid through this county, and halted at the home of Deacon
William Davis, where they secured his red coat and a large
quantity of maple sugar which he had in barrels. He was
conducted to the farm of Deacon William Teeple adjoining, a
half-mile east of Orwell. This farm is now owned by Stanley
Snelgrove and it is said that the house was put up by barter,
only $2 in actual cash having changed hands in the whole
transaction.

Deacon Teeple was divested of his red coat and while this was
being done he retained a belt which he wore around him, in
which he carried a sheath knife, etc. An Indian noticing this
became possessed of envy and desired to see it and try it on.
He refused to return in and the Deacon who was slight, but
wiry, dashed the Indian to the ground and gave him a severe
choking. An officer standing by ordered the Deacon to stop, but
made the Indian return the belt. Deacon Teeple and Deacon Davis
were taken prisoners, later being allowed to go on parole.MABEE
and TEEPLE FAMILIES

Other settlers on Talbot street about that time were Samuel
Harper, Onesimus G. Bradley, John VanPatter, who owned the land
in Aylmer now known as Walkertown; Summers, Cascadden, and
Laurs.

Deacon William Teeple, before Deacon became coupled with his
name, had a cousin named William Teeple living near where
Kingsmill now stands. The Deacon was a lithe, active little
man, and his cousin, a big, stout man, so to distinguish them,
one was called little Teeple, and other big Teeple.

As before intimated, the Baptist Church at Aylmer dates back to
1810, when the few settlers congregated at Deacon William
Teeple's or Deacon William Davis'. The settlement grew as new
settlers arrived and it became imperative that more suitable
accommodation must be provided. Isaac Ostrander provided the
land at Rogers' Corners and Deacon Teeple and Deacon Davis
provided the lumber. The church was also used as a school and
continued there for 28 years. In 1844 a large frame church was
erected in Aylmer on the site of the present fine brick
edifice, which was constructed in 1871."

From the Maybee Society files. Not all data is verified. Say dates are estimates and are probably within 20 years. The Maybee Society keeps its data on The Master Genealogist�, and has been modified by Gary Hester?s WIT2NOTE� to form the GedCom file. This information is also available in a TMG file. ⁴¹¹⁹

  Noted events in his life were:

• MilService, 1776. ²⁰⁹ During the American Revolution, Peter was a Captain in the New
Jersey Volunteers, a Loyalist Regiment. At the end of the war,
his company boarded ship for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada,
where they were disbanded. He then proceeded to Waterborough,
New Brunswick and captained a trading vessel which plied
between St. John and New York City. In the fall of 1792, he
joined his wife's parents in their move to Upper Canada,
arriving at Turkey Point, Norfolk County in 1793 after
wintering in Quebec.

• No Name, 1792. ⁴¹¹⁶ The Mabee party, it is said, started for Upper Canada in the
fall of 1792, but they wintered in Quebec and did not reach
Turkey Point until some time in 1793. They drove twelve cows,
rode horses, and employed an Indian guide to pilot the way
through the wilderness
Some members of the family claim that the settlement was made
as early as 1791, while others say it was not made before 1794;
but Mrs. Mabee and her family were living there in a
comfortable log-house at the time of Governor Simcoe's visit in
1795. The grave of Frederick Mabee was there also, and a piece
of ground known as the "Indian fields" had been cleared of its
light growth of timber and cropped; all of which makes it
appear quite reasonable that the family may have settled there,
at least as early as 1793.
The Mabee party consisted of Frederick Mabee and wife; Oliver
Mabee, their eldest son, aged about nineteen; Simeon, the
second son, aged about seventeen; Pellum, the youngest son,
aged about twelve - at least, these were the ages of the sons
at the time of the Governor's visit; two single daughters -
Polly and Sally; and two married daughters - Nancy and Lydia,
with their respective husbands - John Stone and Peter Teeple.
It is said that Peter Secord, also, came with the Mabee family

• No Name, 1793, Turkey Point, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. ⁴¹¹⁹ Peter Teeple immigrated with Frederick Mabee and Lavinia Pelham
1793 Turkey Point, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada

• Land, 2 Jun 1793, Saint John River, Island Rights, York County, New Brunswick, Canada. ¹⁰⁵⁷¹ granted one lot containing 4 Acres & 3 Roods

• Occupation: was appointed one of the first five Justices of the Peace for, 1 Jan 1800, London District, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. ²⁰⁹
the London District on 1 Jan. 1800. At the same time he was
appointed one of the five commissioners for administering oaths
to public office as prescribed by law for the officers of the
Crown. He was sworn in himself at the house of Lieutenant
James Monroe on 2 Apr 1800 and was a sitting Justice at the
first session of the first court held in Norfolk County at
Fort Monroe

• Religion: Lydia and Peter were founding members of the first Baptist, 1804, First Baptist Church, , Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. ²⁰⁹
Church there in 1804. Peter was a trustee of the meeting house
in 1807

• Immigration, 1814, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada. ²⁰⁹ After the War of 1812-1814, the Teeples moved to Oxford County,
Ontario where they received a Loyalist Land Grant

• No Name, 30 Oct 1821, Charlotteville Township, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. ⁴¹²⁴ Peter Teeple was mentioned when John Gustin 's will was
probated 30 Oct 1821 Charlotteville Township, Norfolk County,
Ontario, Canada. "Will of John Gustin, Farmer, mentions wife,
Abigail, sons Charles and Eliphalet Gustin, daughters, Sophia,
Jemima, Rachel, Katy and Frulove Gustin, and daughter, Abigail
Mabee. Executors were Sophia Gustin, Samuel Smith, and Peter
Teeple
Witnesses to Will were William Pitt Gilbert, Sophia Gustin, and
Charles Gustin. The will was not dated (apparently made out
around September 1800)
Petitioners: Elizabeth Gustin, widow of John Gustin; Peter
Teeple; Samuel Smith - petition not dated
Affidavit by Sophia Gustin Wood, dated September 26, 1821stated
that John Gustin did not name all his children in the will.
Charles Gustin did not remember witnessing the will.
Inventory of estate completed October 22, 1821 by James Smith
and Jacob Potts Junior"

Peter married Lydia Mabee [38728] [MRIN: 551604419], daughter of Frederick Mabee [39223] and Lavinia Pelham [38726], on 8 Jan 1785 in Saint John, , New Brunswick, Canada.³² (Lydia Mabee [38728] was born on 6 Jun 1770 in Dutchess County, New York and died on 16 Feb 1845 in Oxford, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada ²⁰⁹.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Land, 1797, Turkey Point, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada. ²⁰⁹ They were the first settlers at Turkey Point. After the survey
of 1797, he was granted lot 8, Broken Front, Charlotte Twp. on
the northern shoreline of Lake Erie. He quickly rose to
prominence in the district