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George Frederick Hanning Wernecke was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark in 1764. He was the third son of a very wealthy family. At eighteen years of age George left Denmark to travel the world, visiting many countries like Spain, Portugal and tropical countries. After four years of traveling he returned to Denmark for a few more years at which time his mother passed away. George again took to traveling the globe and it is said that he had seen three quarters of the world by the time he was forty. By this time his finances were running low and he decided to settle down in the Philadelphia area about 1804. He invested some funds in a horse, wagon and merchandise to try and make a living as a merchant but his easy life had ill prepared him for the working world. George finally settled in Manlius New York where he bought a house and later married a widow Catherine Myers (nee Wolff) in 1806. Catherine Wolff was born near the Mohawk River valley New York, of German parents. About 1782 , Catherine at two years of age and her grandmother (Mrs. Henry Wetherstone who was scalped but lived many years) survived a Mohawk massacre which destroyed their village and inhabitants including Augustina Hess who was shot as he entered the refuge of Fort Herkimer. Catherine had two older sisters who also survived the massacre. One sister was Maria Wolff who married a Helmer who owned a grocery store in 1829 in the Salina area. The other sister, believed to be Margaret Wolff, married a magistrate named Kinney. Their son owned a grocery store in 1829 near Liverpool NY.
George and Catherine had four children, John Christian Warnick, George Frederick Warnica, Joseph Gottlieb Warnica and William Daniel Warnica. With the attraction of land in Upper Canada in 1815, George, Catherine, their four sons and one of Catherine's three sons, David Myers, moved from New York State to Markham Ontario. In Markham , John Stamm was a neighbour, fellow countryman (John was born in Copenhagen Denmark) & friend of George. John was getting tired of the long hazardous treck to his land that was given to him for his services in the York Militia. On one occasion John was concerned about the rough weather on their return from his land in Innisfil. A storm blew up and George Jr. had to jump out of the boat to stabilize it in the waves. This was enough to convince John Stamm to sell the land to the Warnicas for the sum of 10 pounds.
George and his family moved from Markham to this new bush farm known as lot 13 con. 12 township of Innisfil. This trip was not an easy one, being made in March of 1825 by taking Yonge St. North to Roaches Point, then across the ice to Big Bay Point where they rested with their nearest new neighbour David Soules. The second leg of their journey was to take them further West on Kempenfeldt Bay to what is now known as Tollendal. Part of their load had to be left at the shore because the snow on the land was too deep for the oxen to pull through in one load. The first small log cabin was built at the northwest corner of their lot, not far from Tollendal Creek. That first summer was spent clearing land and raising a crop of wheat. At harvest time the wheat had to be taken to the nearest mill in Holland Landing by boat, a thirty mile voyage down Kempenfeldt Bay and south to the end of Lake Simcoe. At this time the main traffic route was Yonge St. North to Lake Simcoe, by boat to the West end of Kempenfeldt Bay where Barrie now stands. From there travelers took a nine-mile portage to Willow Creek that connected them with Georgian Bay. The Warnica boys found income helping move cargo across the nine-mile portage with their team of oxen. John and George also contracted to build a road through Innisfil connecting the head of Kempenfeldt Bay to Churchill, a distance of 11 miles. They were paid fifty five dollars (or $5.00 Per mile) to complete this road, now known as Yonge St. John and George completed the road so quickly compared to the persons making the road north to Churchill, that they got the contract also to complete the road south through West Gwillimbury Township. The opening of the road through Innisfil brought travelers many of whom spent time at the small Warnica home now converted into a tavern to accommodate them.
The second oldest son George Frederick Warnica, married Phoebe Lyon of Thornhill on Dec. 10, 1829 and worked on his mother-in-law's farm for about two years. They moved back to Innisfil and later built one of the the first brick houses in 1852. This landmark was destroyed for future residential development Nothing stands as a memory but a clump of bushes that surrounded the home. The remains of the sight can be seen on the east side of highway 11 a quarter mile north of the flashing light at Mapleview.
George was the area's first councilor and later magistrate for twenty six years.
John Christian Warnick was the first assessor of Innisfil from the 1830s through the 40s. He bought the neighbouring farm , N ½ of lot 14 con. 12 and married Ellen Johnson. Around 1850 he was attracted by land offers in Wisconsin and moved his family there. He returned once for a visit in 1881 and returned to Wisconsin where he died in 1882.
Joseph Gottlieb Warnica, the third son, married Melvina Denure of Bell Ewart and worked as a carpenter in the Innisfil / Barrie area. They cleared and lived on their 100 acre farm on the SW corner of Highway 11 and Innisfil Beach Road and later moved to Barrie. Four of their children died from 1843 to 1845 and are interred with George and Catherine. In 1857 Joseph moved his family to Grand Rapids Michigan. During the American Civil war both Joseph Sr. and his son Joseph G. joined the northern Army and were engaged in the building of bridges. At the end of his duty Joseph Jr. returned to his family. Joseph Sr. went missing from a Nashville hospital where he had been recovering from an unknown illness. He was last seen on two different occasions near Cincinnati Ohio.
Joseph and William Daniel were constables in the Innisfil area and as such attended some of the earliest courts in the county town. They were large, fearless and resolute men not easily overcome in their efforts to keep the peace. Joseph was one of the constables at the famous Steele-Robinson election of 1841.
William Daniel Warnica, a carpenter and farmer, purchased the North 1/2 of lot 19 con. 10 Innisfil . Here along with his wife, Sarah Orchard , built a farm house that is still standing some 140+ years later.
George Frederick Hanning Wernecke passed away in 1847 and was buried next to his wife Catherine Wolfe at the Trinity Episcopal Church (picture) on the North East corner of Poyntz St and Worsley St. (27 Poyntz St.) Barrie Ont. In 1947 they were reinterred in the Barrie Union Cemetery and the Trinity land was sold for residential use. There will soon be a headstone for George and Catherine at Barrie Union Cemetery and it is now being prepared.
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