George Lount was an important figure in the early development of Bradford West Gwillimbury, and indeed all of Simcoe County. And yet, history largely forgets him.
The name Lount, when remembered at all, is usually associated with George’s ill-fated brother, who was hanged for his role in the doomed 1837 Rebellion centred in Newmarket under William Lyon Mackenzie.
George was the second son of Gabriel Lount, a master land surveyor from Pennsylvania and Loyalist who brought his family to Canada in the aftermath of the American Revolution. George apprenticed under his father and became a skilled surveyor while still a teenager.
Together, George and Samuel acquired land in Holland Landing, where they carved a prosperous farm from the wilderness. Here, George would put his skills as a surveyor to good use; in 1819 and 1820, he was contracted to survey West Gwillimbury, Innisfil, and Tecumseth townships, a necessary precursor to settlement. It was only after Lount’s work was completed that land-hungry settlers began crossing the Holland River to take up lots and begin the process of establishing farms and communities.
Lount was later appointed the first registrar of land deeds for the new County of Simcoe in 1826, a position he was to hold for four decades and in which capacity he helped shape early Bradford. Bradford’s first resident, William Milloy, arrived a few years later.
Older brother Samuel Lount was a bit of a rabble-rouser, an ardent supporter of fiery reformer William Lyon Mackenzie. In early December 1837, he led an army of farmers down Yonge Street to overthrow the colonial government. It was an utter disaster and, as a ringleader, Lount was killed.
George lacked his brother’s zeal and played no part in the rebellion. Nor did his familial connection to a rebel leader seem to hurt his career trajectory: George Lount would go on to become justice of the peace for Simcoe County and a driving force behind the Minesing Road, which linked Lake Simcoe to Nottawasaga Bay and was initially named Lount’s Road in his honour.
George Lount died May 8, 1874. His name soon faded from history, despite the prominent role he played in opening the region to settlement and development.