Ontario Roots

As some of you know, I was recently in southern Ontario to visit the Ontario roots of our BC Schisler clan. My host and tour guide was our distant cousin, Doug Frame, whose Mom is a Shisler. His great-great grandpa is Peter Shisler. Our great-great-great grandpa is Peter Shisler so we are related. Doug’s sister Margaret drove five hours to join us. 

Our day of adventure was Wednesday, August 15th and it was very eventful. A brief (?) history that puts everything into perspective:

• original Schissler was Conrad Schissler/Shisler/Schißler in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the 1850s
• one of his sons, John Shisler, made it to Buffalo, New York and then came across the border to homestead on free land provided by the British North America government around 1800
• the land was on the northern side of Lake Erie and not too far from Niagara Falls - basically as far south as you can go in what was to become Canada
• one of John’s sons was Peter Shisler who started as a farmer in the area and then other careers
• one of Peter Shisler’s sons was our George Schisler (it continues to be a mystery why he changed the spelling as he was the only one to adapt it to Schisler although this spelling is truer to our German heritage)
• George Schisler’s son James George Currie Schisler left southern Ontario before turn of the 20th Century with his Irish wife and children plus his only brother Hiram to join the Gold Rush in British Columbia
• our grandpa George Ivan Schisler was born in Princeton in 1905 as that is where Currie Schisler settled and the rest is history
• Currie’s brother Hiram returned to southern Ontario and his grandson Merritt Clyde Schisler was the last of the ‘Schisler’ line in Ontario

I have photos below which help to highlight the Schisler/Shisler history trip in and around Welland, Ontario. We visited a number of graveyards, sites where Shislers/Schislers lived and some battlegrounds from the 1800s. I really enjoyed seeing and feeling where our ancestors lived and felt a connection to the area. Doug and his sister Margaret were awesome hosts and I could not have done this without them!

George Schisler’s tombstone located at Doan’s Ridge Cemetery in Crowland Townshop which in now Welland, Ontario. His son Hiram and grandson Merritt are near his grave. Plus, five of his children died of diptheria in 1882 and are buried beside him. Our grandpa George never met his grandparents nor any of his Ontario relatives.

My host and tour guides: Doug and his sister Margaret

Yes, there is a Schisler Crescent located in what is now the municipality of Welland. I am doing some research on why “Schisler” when 90% of the family was Shisler. We discovered during our day that every Shisler in this area are all related. We are all related through the original immigrant John Shisler. Pretty cool to see our name on a sign and indeed related to one of our forefathers.

Gravestone of Peter Shisler who is one of our great grandfathers and a very accomplished man of his generation. He lived mostly in Bertie Township which is now part of Welland. This area is now Safari Niagara Zoo and super busy with tourists.

OK, this is the tombstone of the original Canadian immigrant being our John Shisler. All Shislers and Schislers in this area of southern Ontario and British Columbia can trace our roots through John.

We dropped in on this huge property to inquire about how we are related? We spoke at length with Joanne Shisler the wife of Ken Shisler (part-owner). They trace their history to John Shisler through one of his sons Abram/Abraham Shisler. 

There is a Shisler’s Point https://roadsidethoughts.com/on/shisler-point-nearby.htm

that we visited and now primarily a tourist/camping destination spot for Canadians and Americans. We visited the Shisler Cemetery which has Abram’s gravestone.

If you have any questions or thoughts or comments, please email reply and I will do my best to answer/comment. I have made contact with Welland sources to try and determine which of our ancestors were the name for Schisler Road and Schisler Crescent, but not sure if they keep those records? The area where our family lived is still very rural. 

Shisler Point, Schisler Crescent, Schisler Road
Further information received from the Welland Museum on August 28, 2018:

The most likely namesake is George Schisler (1842-1915)
An 1872 map of the Crowland Township a George Schisler (1842-1915) is occupying a lot along where the Road currently is. This appears to be the only Schisler in the immediate area and since it seems that he came from another township (Bertie) sometime after 1871, it is safe to assume he is the first Schisler to live in this area. There is a strong possibility that the Schisler name was chosen due to a long history between the family and the area but also might have more specifically or formally referred to George as he was the first of the Schisler family to live in that area.

Not as likely but worth noting, a Peter Shisler (1810-1880) (father of George?) lived in Bertie township (just north of Crowland) and seemed to be moderately wealthy for the time. While he never lived in the immediate area he seemed to be well known in the county, Bertie township council, justice of peace etc, however what is noteworthy is that he was a path-master on his road division for 22 years and with his road division having been noted to be the best in the county. It would make sense that a man who named and plotted roads got a road named after himself.