Why Fifth Town?

Basically, our location was once known as “Fifth Town” or the fifth town to be settled in newly formed Upper Canada. Here is an excerpt from the Prince Edward County historical atlas:

The original “Ten Towns” of Upper Canada were so called from the number of the order in which they were surveyed, and from the fact that instructions were issued from time to time by the British Government to survey one township, as each in succession became either “located” by grant or actual settlement; or, as the tide of emigration pushed the furthest settlements, as was sometimes the case, beyond the territory last laid out.

Up to the time of the survey of the last of the ten above referred to, they were officially known by their respective numbers “First Town, “Second Town” etc., and for many years after they continued to be so called by the settlers. After the “Tenth Town” was surveyed, however, the authorities adopted the plan of naming instead of numbering them as they were laid out, and at the same time gave names to the Ten Towns as follows:-The first, in honour of the Monarch of Great Britain, was called King’s Town, which afterwards was abbreviated to Kingston; the second was named after the eighth child of the King Ernest Town, afterwards Ernestown; the third Fredericksburg, after the King’s second son; the fourth Adolphustown, in honour of the tenth member of the Royal Family. Then came Marysburgh, Sophiasburgh, and Ameliasburgh, in the order named, and called thus in honour of Mary, Amelia, and Sophia, Princesses of the Royal Household, and the eleventh, twelfth, and fifteenth children respectively of the King.

The fifth, sixth and seventh towns above-named originally comprised the whole of Prince Edward County, which was thus called in honour of the Prince of that name, son of George III, who afterwards became the Duke of Kent and father of Queen Victoria.

Marysburgh was essentially Fifth Town.