The interesting connection from Sleepy Hollow to Mississauga

Gravestone of Peter Covenhoven, veteran of the War of 1812, Palermo Cemetery, Trafalgar

As we welcome October, our thoughts often turn from Thanksgiving gatherings to Pumpkins, Hallowe’en, shorter days and cooler weather. In that, we see a proliferation of Hallowe’en costumes and decorations in stores, and, of course, tv shows and movies with a more macabre feel. One popular Hallowe’en movie from the not-so-distant past is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and the story of the Headless Horseman. There have been many versions created for the screen based on author Washington Irving’s 1819 published work. The fictional “gothic horror” story is set in a small Dutch village called Sleepy Hollow, near Tarry Town (Tarrytown), New York. While the tale might be fictional, Sleepy Hollow the place is real.

Some years ago, while looking into the history of a local family, we unexpectedly stumbled onto a connection to Sleepy Hollow, and a bit of a mystery around the family name. But let’s step back first, before we bring the story home, as it were.

Wolphert Gerretse Van Kouwenhoven, a Dutch immigrant, arrived in New Jersey around 1615. Various spellings of the family surname have been used over time. Wolphert’s son, Gerret Williamse, used the surname spelling of Counover, while a third generation used Couenhoven and Covenhoven. Wolphert’s great-grandson, Edward Couenhoven (also spelt Covenhoven) came to operate a renowned hotel in New Amsterdam (later New York City) and is reputed to have been high in the confidences of General George Washington. Washington is noted to have resided at this hotel during his stays in New York, and the hotel became home to many revolutionary meetings. However, things may not have always been as they seemed, as published histories on the American Revolution indicate that Edward Couenhoven kept tabs on the conversations and plans of General Washington by means of a large flume that connected the General’s meeting room and the basement kitchen, and suspicion suggests that Edward conveyed what he learned to others that opposed the revolution. Edward died in Sleepy Hollow, New York, in 1786. There are several generations of the Couenhoven / Covenhovan family buried in the Old Dutch Burying Ground in Sleepy Hollow.

One branch of the family, descended from Edward’s sister (or cousin), Anna, achieved great fame and success in Canada: Anna Covenhoven married Abraham Van Horne. Their son, Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne, together with his wife Elizabeth Veeder settled in Montreal, where their son, Sir William Cornelius Van Horne (1843-1915) reached lofty heights as a railway magnate and executive, and one of the most influential Canadian businessmen of his time. He built a large summer estate near St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick, which he dubbed “Covenhoven”, and which is now a National Historic Site in Canada.

But back to our Covenhoven, Sleepy Hollow and Mississauga story.

Conover House, Frogmore, c1900

After Edward’s death in Sleepy Hollow in 1786, the journey of the family is somewhat elusive to trace. In the late 1790s, Edward’s sons Peter and James Covenhoven are found near St. David’s in the Niagara area of Upper Canada petitioning for land as Loyalists. James received land in Trafalgar Township (now Oakville), while Peter’s land was nearby in Toronto Township (Mississauga). James and his wife Julia Lambert had at least four children: Ann (1807-1881), Samuel (1807-1865), James (1813-1871), and Peter Nelson (1822-1896). Descendants of this branch of the family include Lt. Col. James Harvey Conover (1895-1961) and Col. Reginald VanEvery Conover (1891-1969), amongst others.

As for the Mississauga link, Peter Covenhoven received his land, consisting of 200 acres (Lot 33, Concession 1, SDS), on December 26, 1807. In modern terms, this property is largely part of the Sheridan Homelands area of Mississauga today.

From local history references, it appears that Peter was engaged in activities other than farming, with references that he kept a hotel and operated a brewery. One of Peter’s sons, John, was listed as a tavern keeper. Peter served with the 2nd Regiment of York Militia during the War of 1812, and pay lists place him on service during the Battle of Queenston Heights (which took place on October 13, 1812 – 209 years ago today!).

In 1808 Peter sold the southern half of his property, consisting of 100 acres fronting onto the Middle Road (modern QEW) to Levi Lewis. Peter maintained the northern 100 acres of the property, which passed to his son Garret Covenhoven (1780-1866) on February 8, 1823. Peter Covenhoven died in 1828 and is buried in the Palermo Cemetery in Trafalgar Township. Garret and his wife Anne had seven children: Samuel (1809-1906), John (1815-1835), James (1815), David (1819), Lucinda (1820), Peter (1822-1907) and Garrett (1829).

Garret sold 4 acres of his land to his son Samuel in 1835. Sometime around 1836 Samuel changed the spelling of his surname from Covenhoven to Conover, although the reason for doing so is uncertain. Other branches of the family seem to have used the names interchangeably for many years. There is some indication that the impetus for the change may have been the trouble brewing with the Reform party leading up to the Rebellion of 1837, in that a vocal Reform advocate in Niagara was named Covenhoven and that there may have been a desire to separate the local family from any possible connection of Reform support.

Samuel and Sarah Conover, 1938

Samuel was born in Canada in 1809, and is listed as a brewer by profession. He married Sarah (Sally) Taylor in 1833, and the couple had at least nine children: Charles Alfred (born 1836), Jeane (born 1838), Emma (born 1842), Clarence John (born 1845), Sarah (born 1847), George Samuel (born 1853), William Wallace (born 1857), and twins Ferdinand Garrett and Mary Charlotte (born 1860). Also living with the family was James Harding and Christopher Boyes, who were employed by Samuel Conover as a brewer and merchant respectively.

In the 1860s Samuel built a substantial brick house for his family, which stood just to the west of modern Liruma Road, south of Dundas Street. Born on the family farm in 1809, Samuel spent 97 years on the farm, passing away in 1906. He is buried in the Anglican Cemetery at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Erindale. Over his lifetime Samuel established himself as a man of honest character, where he attained the important community positions of Fenceviewer and Constable, and served as a Master of both the local Orange Lodge and the Masonic Lodge.

By 1877 most of the 100 acre property was owned by Samuel Conover, a grandson of Samuel Conover (the elder). This Samuel (the younger) sold the property in 1901 to Thomas Curran, ending the Covenhoven / Conover association with the property … and our link to Sleepy Hollow.