# Asa Danforth Jr.

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Asa Danforth Jr. Born (1768-06-29)June 29, 1768 Brookfield, Massachusetts, United States Died c. 1818 or 1821 United States Occupations Early settler, land speculator, highway engineer Spouse Olivia Langdon Children Amanda Danforth Parent(s) Asa Danforth Sr. and Hannah Wheeler

**Asa Danforth Jr.** (June 29, 1768 – c. 1818 to 1821) was one of the first citizens of [Onondaga County, New York](/source/Onondaga_County%2C_New_York), United States, when he arrived there with his father, [Asa Danforth](/source/Asa_Danforth) in 1788.[1] Danforth incurred heavy debts speculating in land in [New York State](/source/New_York_State). Hoping to reverse his fortunes, he invested in the especially risky land titles of nearby [Upper Canada](/source/Upper_Canada) and later was a [highway engineer](/source/Highway_engineering).

In [Toronto](/source/Toronto), [Ontario](/source/Ontario), Canada, [Danforth Road](/source/Danforth_Road), [Danforth Village](/source/Danforth_Village) and [Danforth Avenue](/source/Danforth_Avenue) (built by the *Danforth Plank Road Company*), which is a major east-end thoroughfare in Toronto, are named for him.[2]

## Biography

### Later years

Danforth's Road was extended in 1802 from [Trenton](/source/Trenton%2C_Ontario) to reach the [Bay of Quinte](/source/Bay_of_Quinte) at Stone Mills (now [Glenora](/source/Glenora%2C_Ontario)).[3] From there, a primitive ferry crossing to [Adolphustown](/source/Adolphustown%2C_Ontario)[4] provided access to an early [Loyalist](/source/United_Empire_Loyalist) colonisation road, the [Bath Road](/source/Ontario_Highway_33), built in 1784 from [Bath](/source/Bath%2C_Ontario) to [Kingston](/source/Kingston%2C_Ontario).

In 1817, the [York Road](/source/Ontario_Highway_2) (Kingston Road) bypassed through traffic between Trenton and Kingston away from Danforth's 1802 [Bay of Quinte](/source/Bay_of_Quinte) extension onto an inland route through [Belleville](/source/Belleville%2C_Ontario) and [Napanee](/source/Napanee%2C_Ontario), eliminating a ferry crossing.

He left Upper Canada in 1802, was in hiding in New York City[5] and died in or after 1821.[2]

## Recognition and memorials

Danforth Avenue, a major east-end thoroughfare in Toronto, in turn lends its name to the main east-west [TTC](/source/Toronto_Transit_Commission) [Bloor-Danforth](/source/Bloor-Danforth) subway line (1966). Colonel Danforth Trail is a short residential road beginning south of Highway 2A at Lawson Road to a cul de sac near Meadowvale Road and Lawrence Avenue East.

A Glenora Road which closely follows Danforth's 1802 path to Trenton was designated part of the [Loyalist Parkway](/source/Loyalist_Parkway) (1984). [Asa Danforth](/source/Asa_Danforth) Sr. didn't raise any [Loyalists](/source/United_Empire_Loyalists), but the road connects by ferry to an established 1784 Loyalist colonisation road through Bath to Kingston.

## See also

- [The Danforth](/source/The_Danforth)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-wilderness_1-0)** "Plan to Place More Tablets To Mark Spot Where First White Settler Lived". *[Syracuse Herald](/source/Syracuse_Herald)*. [Syracuse, New York](/source/Syracuse%2C_New_York). September 12, 1915.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-speculator_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-speculator_2-1) James P. P. Horn; Jan Lewis; Peter S. Onuf (17 December 2002). [*The revolution of 1800: democracy, race, and the new republic*](https://books.google.com/books?id=NB20R1QLyjsC&q=asa+danforth+simcoe&pg=PA385). University of Virginia Press, 2002. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8139-2413-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8139-2413-7). Retrieved September 6, 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** William Canniff (1869). [*History of the settlement of upper Canada (Ontario): with special reference to the bay Quinté*](https://archive.org/details/historysettleme01battgoog). Dudley & Burns.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Ron Brown (2010). *From Queenston to Kingston: The Hidden Heritage of Lake Ontario's Shoreline*. Dundurn Press.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Biography – DANFORTH, ASA – Volume VI (1821-1835) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography"](http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/danforth_asa_6E.html).

## Notes

- Gates, Lillian F. (1987). ["Danforth, Asa"](http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/danforth_asa_6E.html). In Halpenny, Francess G. (ed.). *[Dictionary of Canadian Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_Canadian_Biography)*. Vol. VI (1821–1835) (online ed.). [University of Toronto Press](/source/University_of_Toronto_Press).

- [The Dan](https://web.archive.org/web/20110421025419/http://www.lynnparkplace.org/gallery/albums.php?&set_albumListPage=2)

- [Asa Danforth](http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBioPrintable.asp?BioId=36944)

- [photo](https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtbradley/4618137817/) of marker locating the c. 1788 house occupied by Danforth

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Asa Danforth Jr.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asa_Danforth_Jr.) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asa_Danforth_Jr.?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.