Hannah Doan (alternatively spelled Doane) was born 13 April 1812 near York, Ontario, and died 6 February 1901. Her parents, Ebenezer Doan and Elizabeth Paxson, emigrated from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to Upper Canada in 1808 where they joined the Yonge Street Monthly Meeting.[1]
Hannah married Jacob Lundy, a farmer, in 1833. Both Hannah and Jacob were raised in the Children of Peace sect, a group that broke away from the Yonge Street Monthly Meeting over doctrinal disagreements in 1812.
Photo of Jacob Lundy (left) and Hannah Doan Lundy (right) in 1864. Photos courtesy of Gordon K. Doan at https://www.wikitree.com/photo.php/4/4f/Doan-1093.pdf
Born in East Gwillimbury, Jacob (1809-1878) was the son of Israel Lundy and Rachel Hughes. According to Robynne Rogers Healey, Rachel Hughes Lundy was instrumental in encouraging David Willson, leader of the Children of Peace, in his prophetic visions. Rachel and her mother Eleanor Hughes became Willson’s ardent supporters and joined the Children of Peace after the 1812 schism.[2]
The families of Hannah and Jacob were already intertwined at the time of their marriage. Hannah’s aunt, Mary Doan, married Samuel Hughes, Jacob’s uncle, in 1819. After the death of Mary Doan in 1827, Samuel Hughes married Anna Armitage in 1829. Anna was the daughter of Amos Armitage and Martha Doan, making her Hannah’s cousin and the niece of Samuel’s late wife, Mary.
Photo of Hannah’s father, Ebenezer Doan. Photo from the Sharon Temple Museum Archives.
The Doan family also generally sided with the Children of Peace. Healey notes that Ebenezer Doan, the father of Hannah, was a key member of the Children of Peace and an active reformer. As an architect, he served as the master builder for the ornate Sharon Temple that the group used for meetings. However, he returned to the Society of Friends after disagreements over members engaging in military service during the 1837 Rebellion, including his son-in-law.[3]
Jacob Lundy took part in the Rebellion of 1837. He was taken prisoner at the Gallows Hill ambush and later pardoned by the lieutenant governor.[4] At the time of Jacob’s imprisonment, Hannah and Jacob had two young children, Oliver and Elizabeth. They had five children altogether, Oliver (1834), Elizabeth Paxson (1837), Rachel (1842), Charles Ezra (1846), and Sarah Doane (1850).
A photo of homespun fabric made by Hannah Doan Lundy, 1833. The fabric is held by the Forge and Anvil Museum, photo from the Elgin County Archives and Museum.
Hannah was apparently quite skilled at making homespun fabric. Held at the Forge and Anvil Museum in Sparta, this photo shows three textiles made by Hannah around 1833. Hannah hand-spun, dyed, and wove the fabric.
Along with most members of the Children of Peace, both Hannah and Jacob were buried at the Sharon Burying Ground in East Gwillimbury. Inscribed on their gravestone is Psalm 40: 1, “I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined unto me and heard me cry.”
[1] History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario, vol II (Toronto: B. Blackett Robinson, Publisher, 1885), 492.
[2]Robynne Rogers Healey, From Quaker to Upper Canadian: Faith and Community Among Yonge Street Friends, 1801-1850 (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2006), 71.
[3] Healey, 149.
[4] Albert Schrauwers, Awaiting the Millennium : The Children of Peace and the Village of Hope, 1812- 1889 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993), 224.
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