Initially this area had been settled just after Lt-Governor SIMCOE's arrival when in 1792 a group of surveyors were sent north along the Tanaouate River (which was soon re-named the Humber River after the Humber estuary in Yorkshire). One of the surveyors, John COUNTRYMAN liked the area so much that he built a saw mill north of present-day Lawrence Ave W.

Many people believe that the village was named for the Weston family, and the bakery founded by patriarch George WESTON. However, this is not the case. George WESTON did not start his bakery until 1896. The Village of Weston, meanwhile, was probably named eighty years earlier when about 1815 James FARR, one of the early mill owners in the area, named the village after his place of birth in Hertfordshire, England. [1]

The village grew up on both sides of the Humber River, near the mill, until 1850 when a disastrous flood destroyed the west bank settlement. [2] Ironically, almost one hundred years later Weston again suffered devastation at the hands of Mother Nature when in 1954 Hurricane Hazel caused the Humber River to flood, destroying houses, businesses, and damaging the bridge at Lawrence Avenue.

After the flood of 1850, life continued to prosper on the east side of the river. The main road running through the village was the Weston Plank and Gravel Road. Originally Weston Road began by running north from where Dundas Street W where it meets with Dupont Street. It meandered north and north-west, eventually meeting up with the Albion Road, just north of the present 401 highway. The modern Weston Road begins at St. Clair Ave W, at Keele Street. The remnants of the original path can be seen as Rogers Road and Old Weston Road, just east of there. The portion of Weston Road through the village of Weston was called Main Street.

The Village's life was about to change. In 1856 the Grand Trunk Railway ran their major north-west line just east of, and almost parallel to, Weston Road. Fortunately for the village, the railway included a stop at Weston, providing an economic boom to the town. In 1869 the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway started service through Weston, adding to growth of the village.

One of the major industries to take advantage of the excellent rail service was CCM (Canada Cycle & Motor Co., Ltd.) which in 1917, moved its manufacturing operations to a large facility in Weston. During the second world war CCM's production facilities were declared an essential war service. Their ramped-up production included both bicycles and motorcycles and motorcars. The importance of the bicycle to Weston is obvious when you notice the old-fashioned bicycle on the logo of the Town.

The southern boundary of the village was called Dufferin Street (later changed to Eagle Street, and now known as Lawrence Ave W). Parallel and just east of the tracks was a road called North Station Street (now Rosemount Ave). The northern end of this street was called Wadsworth Cres., named for the WADSWORTH brothers who purchased a flour mill in 1828 (some attribute the name Weston to them, rather than James FARR, suggesting it was named for their ancestral home Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England) [3]

Running east from North Station Street is MacDonald Ave, and then William Street. Next is John Street (once called Elizabeth street), which begins at Weston Rd, and crosses the tracks. Next is Maria Street (now called Queens Drive) which begins at North Station Street. King Street begins at Weston Road, and lies just north of Maria Street (pronounced "Mariah"). The last two streets are Beech Street and Woodward Avenue (which was the northern boundary of the Village).

Joseph Street runs north-east from North Station Street to intersect with Elm and Beech Streets. North of that is Church Street, one of the oldest streets in Weston. Eventually Beech Street was amalgamated into Church Street. North-west from Joseph Street is Grattan Street. Directly north of Church Street is Robert Street (between Grattan and Cypress Streets). The land in this area had once belonged to William TYRELL. His three sons were Joseph (a geologist), Robert (a doctor) and Grattan (a civil engineer), all of whom have streets intersecting one another. [4]

One of the prettiest buildings in Weston is the Public Library. This design is typical of so many built in Ontario (and in fact worldwide) with the help of philanthropist Andrew CARNEGIE (1835-1919). But the roots for this library go back further.

On February 8, 1858 a Mechanic's Institute was opened in the home of librarian James CRUICKSHANK on Main Street (Weston Road). In 1885 the Weston Mechanic's Institute was revitalized and re-organized. The book collection had expanded beyond the librarian's home and had been stored mostly in the drug store of John Hathaway BANKS, also on Main Street. After the re-organization the collection was transferred to two rooms at the rear of "Dufferin Hall" (Weston Town Hall), on the north-east corner of Little Ave and Main Street (Weston Road). In 1912 the library was converted to a Free Library when the Weston Public Library was formed. [5]

With the help of funds from Carnegie, the new Weston Public Library was opened at the north east corner of Main Street and King Street on December 31, 1914. The architects had been Lindsay & Braydon. This building was designated as being of historic and architectural value under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1979. In 1981 the building was renovated and expanded, including restoration of the original main entrance.

A post office was first opened in Weston in 1842 with John A. DONALDSON acting as postmaster until his retirement in 1861. The next postmaster was Robert JOHNSON who acted until his death in 1894. His wife Rebecca JOHNSON took over for a few years until her death in 1903. J.M. PEAREN became postmaster after the 40 year reign of the Johnsons. However, he was replaced in 1906 by A.J. BARKER who remained postmaster until 1939.

Life was often hard in small towns and villages like Weston. 1877 was a particularly bad year: The quiet little village of Weston has gained an unenviable notoriety within the past nine months, as the scene of no less than some five or six inquests on the bodies of persons who have died either by violence or by accident, the painful events being traced in almost every instance to an inordinate use of strong drink. [6]

John Ross ROBERTSON recounts a particularly sad tale from the early years of Weston in Volume 3 of Robertson's Landmarks. [7] It's the case of John WILLIAMS, (c.1827-1877) a Welshman and a brick maker living in a small cottage in Weston with his wife Annie WILLIAMS (1835-1877) and their fourteen children. On September 21, 1877, John became "under the influence of liquor", a state which was apparently the norm. He proceeded to beat his wife Annie (née BENNETT), almost to death. He was arrested and subsequently released at which time he remarked "She's a goner this time." The next morning the poor woman, a mother of fifteen children, was found. [8] Her husband had unfortunately, been a man of his word.

He was re-arrested, this time charged with murder. He was tried at the Fall Assizes before Chief Justice HAGARTY. After a two-day trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to hang, despite a strong recommendation for mercy from the jury. Although the jury may have thought there were mitigating circumstances, not many others agreed. The editors of the Toronto Globe thought mitigation was "...nonsense." They thought the sentence was appropriate as "...wife-beating has become shockingly common", and that "...death, the severest punishment, is not too severe." [9]

He was hanged at the Don Gaol in Toronto at midnight on November 30, 1877, only the second such execution to take place there. [10] Although public executions had been outlawed in Canada in 1869, William's execution was witnessed by about 150 persons, who had received special passes from Sheriff Frederick William JARVIS. Most people try to avoid going INTO a jail, but apparently the seats for the execution must have filled up quickly, as "...four lads were arrested & for having mounted the wall at the gaol-yard to witness the execution. [11]

Not all Westonites were as infamous as John Williams. Other, more notable residents of Weston include two sons of John DENISON, one of the original families of Toronto, George Taylor DENISON (d.1853), who was living in Weston at the time of his marriage to Esther B. LIPPINCOTT, and Thomas DENISON, second son of John. There is a Denison Road and a Lippincott Street, both of which run off Weston Road, just south of Lawrence Ave (this area is between Mount Dennis and Weston).

Thomas SILVERTHORNE, a farmer, and his wife Mary ANDERSON also lived there. Samuel HOLLYWELL and his wife Mary Anne CORD were both living in Weston when they married on July 1st, 1847. [12] Bryan IRVINE and his bride Hannah BELLAS were also from Weston when married in 1851. As were Michael SHANNON, a widower, and his spinster bride Letitia PRIESTLY, who wed on April 8, 1853. Another early couple from Weston was Job SHIP and Jane CROW who married in 1853. More marriages include: William Robert HOLLEY and Mary PARKS (1853), Abraham HILTON and Mary CULLINS (1853), Obadiah NICHOLSON and Margaret HARSHAW (1854), George LONGSTAFF and Isabella ELLIS (1854), Mark HODGSON and Anne O'BRIEN (1855), Thomas SUTTON, widower and Margaret FITZPATRICK (1856), John BALDRICK and Jane STOBBART (1856).

Weston was incorporated as a village in 1881, and then as a town in 1915. It remained independent within York Township until 1967 when it was amalgamated into the former Borough of York. This was in turn amalgamated into the City of Toronto in 1998.