Asa Danforth Jr.
| Asa Danforth Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 29, 1768 Brookfield, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | c. 1821 |
| Occupation | Early settler, land speculator, highway engineer |
| Spouse(s) | Olive Langdon |
| Parent(s) | Asa Danforth Sr. and Hannah Wheeler |
Asa Danforth Jr. (June 29, 1768 – c. 1821) was one of the first citizens of Onondaga County, New York, when he arrived there with his father, Asa Danforth in 1788. Danforth incurred heavy debts speculating in land in New York State. Hoping to reverse his fortunes, he invested in the especially risky land titles of nearby Upper Canada and later was a highway engineer.
In Toronto, Ontario; Danforth Road, Danforth Village and Danforth Avenue (built by the Danforth Plank Road Company), which is a major east-end thoroughfare in Toronto are named for him.
Danforth was born in Brookfield, Massachusetts, to Asa Danforth Sr. (1746–1818) and Hannah Wheeler. His father was considered by John Graves Simcoe, Upper Canada’s first lieutenant governor, as an enemy of Great Britain, as he was an American Revolutionary War veteran. Danforth Sr. moved his family to Onondaga County in 1788.
Danforth Jr. married Olive Langdon in 1789 and had three daughters. After his marriage, he began a salt business in at Salt Point (later Salina), near Syracuse, New York.
Danforth and his wife were the parents of the first white child born in the county on October 14, 1789.
Danforth came to Onondaga County in the spring of 1788 after his father, Asa Danforth Sr. settled there and built his home and barn on the highway leading from Onondaga Castle to LaFayette, New York, in Salt Point (later named Salina). Danforth Sr. was enticed to relocate to Onondaga by Ephraim Webster who stopped at his house in Mayfield, New York, located in Montgomery County, in February, 1788, while on a hunting trip. Webster persuaded Danforth to come to Onondaga to settle, offering to ask permission of the United States Government.
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