Rymal Family Heritage

Rymal Family Heritage. . , William Rymal (1759-1852), his wife Barbara and his younger brother along with their family members obtained, through crown grants and purchases, 800 acres of land on either side of Upper Paradise Road from the escarpment to Rymal Road. Arriving as United Empire Loyalists of German descent from Pennsylvania, they were amongst the first settlers on Hamilton Mountain., William's homestead was built in 1789 on the north side of Mohawk Road to the west of what is now Westcliffe Mall. St. Peter's Cemetery to the east of the mall began as the Rymal family burial ground where they built the first church on the mountain (1811-1844). It was a two-storey, wooden, universal meeting house called the Union Church., William's son, Jacob (1790-1858), married Christine Horning and became the Wentworth County representative in the Upper Canada Legislative Assembly. His large wooden frame home once stood behind St. Thomas More High School on Upper Paradise Road. A reformer, Jacob was known to have sheltered a rebel associate, William Lyon Mackenzie, providing him with a fresh horse as he fled from military authorities during the Rebellion of 1837, part of the struggle for Responsible Government in Canada., Jacob's son, Joseph (1821-1900), was the longest serving Liberal Member of Parliament for the federal riding of South Wentworth (1857-1882). He participated in the Canadian Confederation debates. Well-known for his integrity and lucid debating skills with a penchant for barn-door humour, he was called "Honest Joe". He married Lydia Terryberry and, although their farm on the site of William Rymal's original homestead was sold to the Sanatorium, their house still stands at 700 Mohawk Road West.