Manuscript Collection MS COLL 00321 - Milne Family Papers

The Milne family was a Scottish family that settled in Ontario following the initial emigration of Peter Milne to New York in 1797. His brothers David, William and Alexander as well as their mother Helen joined him in New York. Alexander emigrated to Canada in 1817 and started a woolen mill and saw mill in Markham. Alexander and Peter Milne became partners in the operation of the mills in Markham ca. 1824. In 1827, Peter married and the brothers dissolved their partnership. Alexander moved to North York and established a mill at Don Mills and Lawrence (the site of Edwards' Gardens). He acquired the property along Lawrence from this site over to what is now Woodbine, where he moved his milling operations in 1832. Alexander operated it with his son William into the 1860s.
After Alexander's death, William Milne continued to operate the mill with his son Alexander W. Milne. In 1878, a new mill was erected after bad floods had damaged the previous one. After William Milne's death in 1880, Alexander W. Milne took over the operation of the mills. Either he or his son, Charles S. Milne, closed the mills in the early 1900s.
Charles S. Milne (b. 1877) married Edna Shepard Johnson in 1909. Edna (b. 1880) was the daughter of Abram S. Johnson and Saida A. Shepard, of North York.