John Taylor (paper manufacturer)

[1] By 1834, John Taylor and his brothers, Thomas and George, moved from the village of Vaughan to the Township of York, north-east of the newly created city of Toronto.

[2] The brothers set their sights on the banks of the Don River, an area with an already burgeoning pulp and paper industry.

By this time, Toronto's population had grown to over thirty thousand and this growing community was also becoming more literate, increasing the demand for books and newspapers.

[3] In 1854, London, England offered a reward of £1,000 to anyone who could find a cheaper and more abundant substitute for rags as a raw source for paper.

A talented mechanic with a gift for invention, John Taylor tested several methods making paper out of wood pulp.