George Leslie Sr. | |
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Born | 1804 |
Died | 1893 (aged 88–89) |
Nationality | Canadian |
Occupation | Horticulturist |
George Leslie Sr. (1804–1893) was a gardener in Scotland and Upper Canada, a plant merchant, a magistrate and the namesake of Leslieville (now a neighbourhood of Toronto).
A Scottish immigrant to Upper Canada, he was born in 1804. He arrived with his parents, William and Esther, and his siblings, settling at Streetsville in what is now Mississauga. [1] Sources give the arrival date as either 1824 or 1825. [2] [3] the family lived in log house on land later acquired by John Leslie. [4] The house is now located at 4415 Mississauga Road. [5]
Leslie had worked as a gardener in Scotland and continued working as a gardener in Upper Canada for the province's richer residents, including Bishop John Strachan and Chief Justice William Campbell. [1] He would later found a plant nursery east of the boundaries of Toronto, on land originally granted to John Small. In 1834, Leslie was one of the founders of the Toronto Horticultural Society. [1]
Leslie married in 1836 and opened a store in Toronto, the first to be lit by gas, a novelty that attracted sightseers. [1] His Toronto store had a small nursery, but the nursery that Leslie started in 1845, near the street now named after him ( Leslie Street), grew to 150 acres (61 hectares) and was considered the largest in the country at that time. [1]
Leslieville, the community that grew up around his nursery, acquired a post office, and a railway station. In 1853, Leslie was appointed a magistrate. [1]
Leslie passed the nursery to his children (George Jr., John Knox), who divided the property up into lots. [1]
George Leslie Toronto.
George Leslie Sr. | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | 1804 |
Died | 1893 (aged 88–89) |
Nationality | Canadian |
Occupation | Horticulturist |
George Leslie Sr. (1804–1893) was a gardener in Scotland and Upper Canada, a plant merchant, a magistrate and the namesake of Leslieville (now a neighbourhood of Toronto).
A Scottish immigrant to Upper Canada, he was born in 1804. He arrived with his parents, William and Esther, and his siblings, settling at Streetsville in what is now Mississauga. [1] Sources give the arrival date as either 1824 or 1825. [2] [3] the family lived in log house on land later acquired by John Leslie. [4] The house is now located at 4415 Mississauga Road. [5]
Leslie had worked as a gardener in Scotland and continued working as a gardener in Upper Canada for the province's richer residents, including Bishop John Strachan and Chief Justice William Campbell. [1] He would later found a plant nursery east of the boundaries of Toronto, on land originally granted to John Small. In 1834, Leslie was one of the founders of the Toronto Horticultural Society. [1]
Leslie married in 1836 and opened a store in Toronto, the first to be lit by gas, a novelty that attracted sightseers. [1] His Toronto store had a small nursery, but the nursery that Leslie started in 1845, near the street now named after him ( Leslie Street), grew to 150 acres (61 hectares) and was considered the largest in the country at that time. [1]
Leslieville, the community that grew up around his nursery, acquired a post office, and a railway station. In 1853, Leslie was appointed a magistrate. [1]
Leslie passed the nursery to his children (George Jr., John Knox), who divided the property up into lots. [1]
George Leslie Toronto.