Epilogue

And so, this is the end.  I see it as the beginning.  This story is over, but mine has just begun.  Oh, how cruel time can be.  Years and years apart, what seemed like an eternity but was a mere matter of years.  The shadow that has befallen me has now been lifted; it now should be a joyous celebration, but something doesn't feel right with all the losses I had along the way.






George's Poem




Many of my hopes and dreams
were just a mere trick of the light.
I yearned for something that wasn't there,
I reached for something I couldn't have,
I looked for something out of sight.
When I thought I had it, it was just
A mere trick of the light.
When oh so sour sorrow befalls me,
And skies of blue turn grey,
I strain to hear my name called out,
But just a mere trick of the light,
A fool I thought I was to call out for you,
Just to hear a hollow echo.
I tried to follow what was lost,
Just to gain more pain and sorrow,
And when the search was done,
And when I finally found you,
Oh, what a fool I was to think
That you were a trick of the light.
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And so I guess this is the end of my story, yet it is just the beginning.




Farewell,

December 30, 1814

Dear Sarah,

The war has ended, and peace has returned to our village.  A treaty has been made, and Britain has dropped its goal of a nation for the first nations.  They have also agreed never to use the First Nations people in war.  The Alien Act was passed on March 14th, and makes it illegal for people with strong connections to the States to have gone to the United States after the war had begun.  I have a very strong feeling that you are nearby, and with the information I have gathered, I will probably find you soon.  When I find you, writing letters will be pointless, so this may be the last letter I write.  For many years I had false hope that I was going to find you the next day.  This time I know it, I will find you.  If I don't, then there is nothing to believe in anymore.  Ma and Pa have passed away.  It is only  me and you left.

So long,

George Davis Lanott

July 26, 1814

Dear Sarah,

Yesterday there was a terrible war.  Hundreds of people died on both sides.  Everyone was confused because of the battle taking place in complete darkness.  Both British and Americans accidentally killed their own men.  The intense pounding of Niagara Falls constantly added to the confusion.  The war only lasted five hours, and devastated many people.  Today the British are claiming victory, but I also heard that the Americans are also celebrating victory.  I really have no idea who actually won, or if they were so confused that they couldn't tell who won.


Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

P.S.  We still haven't  given up the search

July 4, 1813

Dear Sarah,

Many American leaders think that taking over British North America would be  simple.  Thomas Jefferson puts it as "a mere matter of marching."  They believe this because the population is greater than ours in British North America.  Also because Britain was busy with the war against Napoleon, so they can't give many troops.  People aren't even sure that the settlers will fight off the Americans.  I think that Thomas and the others are wrong.  This war has already lasted a year and most likely continue on into the next year, and maybe even the year after that.  The British are strong and we will not give up!  Even if that means most of us fall in war, so be it.  We will do as much as it takes to stop them and protect our beloved country.

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott 

June 17, 1813

Dear Sarah,

Did you hear what our dear friend Laura did?  She bravely set off to warn the British of an attack, after she overheard men discussing plans to attack Beaver Dams. She walked 32 km through a dense forest, and met a group of Haundenosaunee people allied with Britain.  They took her to General Fitzgibbon.  The British fought off all the Americans attacking.  Laura saved the Niagara Peninsula.  I heard that a  fortune teller told her that her future was in chocolate?  I have no idea what that means.  I hope that Laura Secord gets what she deserves.

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott 

July 30, 1812

Dear Sarah,

On the 12th, William Hull invaded Canada.  He is stationed in Sandwich and is telling people not to oppose his invasion.  The nerve!  He has come to our country to kill people, yet he tells them to just sit back while he runs around Canada, invading our land.  Isaac Brock is ready to defend our colony.  He has made a response to Hull's proclamation.  From what I heard, some people are starting to desert the British forces and join the Americans.  This makes the general mood negative around here.

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott 

June 20, 1812

Dear Sarah,

After the American Revolution, Britain decided to let the western First Nations to keep a large territory.  The territory kept the Americans from expanding.  The Americans think that the British want the First Nations to be hostile towards them.  They also believe that Britain is supporting the First Nations leader Tecumseh's effort to protect First Nations land.  A group of American politicians called the War Hawks wants to expand the borders of the United States.  The War Hawks feel that they should just take over British North America, and First Nations in the Ohio Valley.  Just yesterday president James Madison declared war on Britain.  And so it begins again.

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott 

January 5, 1812

Dear Sarah,

I am afraid that another war might begin.  In Britain, their priority is defending the English Channel.  They think that Napoleon might invade England through the English Channel.  I hear that the conditions on the British ships are so bad that many sailors left, and joined the American merchant navy.  Britain started stopping American ships to find the people that abandoned them.  Sometimes the British would impress American soldiers into serving the British. The people in the United States got really angry with that  (no kidding).  Britain has a war strategy to try to hurt Napoleon's effort.  They use it's navy to blockade Europe, and prevent countries from trading with France.  That hurt the American economy though.


Your brother,

George Davis Lanott 

October 10, 1810

Dear Sarah,

The timber industry is really blooming!  Ever since the supply of timber from Britain was cut off because of the war there, North America stepped in.  I have taken a part time job in the timber industry, because in the winter I can't really do much with my farm that I told you about in my previous letter.  In the lumber industry, we frequently use the rivers.  We cut logs into square logs to make them easier to pack into ships.  Then we make huge rafts to move the logs downstream.  I hope you are doing well, wherever you are.

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

May 2, 1810

Dear Sarah,

I can no longer depend on the fur trade to make a living.  I have turned to agriculture.  It is very hard work.  Ma says to stop working out in the sun too long.  The people in Upper Canada have it easy.  Some of the farms there were already established since the days of New France.  Towns there also offer lots of services to the surrounding areas.  Here in Upper Canada there is so much work to be done.  Even to start a farm is excruciating work.  My lot is completely covered in forest!  First I had to chop down trees in a section of my plot.  Then I had to plant wheat in between the stumps.  It may take several years for the stumps to rot, and then I would have to remove them.  I don't have much room for my crops, but I will try to make do with the amount of free space I already have.


Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

November 6, 1793

Dear Sarah,

I find all this talk about the fur trade very interesting, so I will share some of this information with you.  Back in 1776, a bunch of traders from Montreal joined together to create a company called the North West Company.  The North West Company decided to compete with the Hudson's Bay Company.  A while later the North West Company did very well.  They had access to Lake Athabasca, which had top quality furs.  This forced the Hudson's Bay Company to open up trading posts in the west.  The North West Company had another advantage.  They had Metis people work for them because the Metis are very successful in fur trade.  Simon Fraser and David Thompson opened fur trade territories west of the Rocky Mountains.  I hope that this has interested you, and made you want to find out more, like me.

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

September 28, 1793

Dear Sarah,

This night I have received more news from York.  Simcoe needs more settlers for Upper Canada.  He has been searching for a while, and he found that the United States would be a great source for settlers.  Even though the United States might create lots of settlement in Upper Canada, Simcoe does not trust the people in the United States.  Simcoe has already created different lots for different classes of people, much like the society in England.  He has given large grants to wealthy and educated people, and he has set aside 100-acre lots for government officials moving from Newark.  Simcoe is also allowing Late Loyalists to receive lots as long as they swear an oath of loyalty.  Simcoe's wife, Elizabeth, makes it seem not so bad to move.  Our family might consider moving.


Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

August 10, 1793

Dear Sarah,

Mr. Simcoe has arrived in York.  He has plans to make York the new capital because it is further from the border, but Newark is closer.  Mr. Simcoe believes that York will be a strong military stronghold.  When he arrived, he already had town plans drawn.  He is currently living in a canvas house due to the lack of shelter.  Sir Guy Carlton is opposing Mr. Simcoe, and will not give any financial support for Simcoe's plans.  Sir Guy would have to move if York was the capital and...  he doesn't want to?  He probably preferred Kingston as the capital.  The Queen's Rangers helped Simcoe defeat lots of the challenges, like defending the city, building buildings, and making some roads like Yonge and Dundas.  All this activity is fascinating and exciting.


Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

April 7, 1791

Dear Sarah,

The Loyalists have received a response from Britain.  Britain has passed the Constitutional Act which has created many new laws.  These laws have included the freehold system of land ownership, and now the farmers can actually own their land instead of just having a tenure.  The act also separated Quebec into Upper Canada and Lower Canada.  Lower Canada was allowed to keep the seigneurial system of land ownership.  I wonder how that's going to work out with the Loyalists in Quebec. Lots of people in the British government believe that the Revolution resulted from an excessive democracy.  They think that the governors received too much power, and consider it a "runaway democracy".  Loyalists demanded to have an elected assembly.  The Constitutional Act made it, so that the elected assembly was given little influence.  I hope that you have good health.

Your brother,


George Davis Lanott

P.S.  Ma wants you to remember to eat your vegetables every day

Febuary 5, 1787

Dear Sarah,

We are starving.  The winters were really rough, but its nothing compared to this.  Just recently the British just decided to stop supporting the loyalists.  Now, we are not supplied with tools, clothes, or even food.  We are starving.  We are all weak, and struggle to do many basic things.  Food is scarce, and the crops we have planted haven't grown much due to the bad weather.  We will survive, but we have to find a better way to get food.  Loyalists that have settled in Quebec are not happy.  They believe that they should have the same rights as other British citizens because the Quebec Act is still in place there.  The Loyalists think that the land system is offensive towards them because farmers only had tenure and did not actually own the land.  They sent a petition to the king of England in 1785.  I hope that we will make it through these rough times.

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

P.S.  We are still searching for you and will find you.

October 28, 1784

Dear Sarah,

It has been a completely rough time for us here.  We finally found some other loyalists and we have formed a small community.  We have barely any resources or tools around here.  We have to make do with what is here.  Ma even had to find a log to roll out the little dough we had to make bread.   Ma and Pa keep on telling me that I am old enough to go out on my own for a long time.  I need to stay with them to make sure they survive and so we can find you together.  On our way here, we came upon the ruins of a village.  Houses were burned, smashed and it was completely deserted.  I get chills even thinking about it.  Anyways, as we were walking I came across a locket.  I picked it up in disbelief.  It was the exact same locket I gave you a long time ago.  You must have been in that village before it was destroyed.  We had to completely clear out our land grant before it was useable.  It was very hard work, and took days and days.   We are basically living in complete wilderness.  The land that belonged to the First Nations people that supported Britain during the war was transferred to the Americans through the Treaty of Paris.  The First Nations felt betrayed, and one man traveled to London to petition for the First Nations people.  Recently, the governor of Quebec granted land to them on either side of the grand river.  They are happy now.  The nights have been sleepless without you.  Every night I can hear the wolves howling fiercely in a grinding discord.  It is very disturbing combined with those terrible images of our house burning down, and my nightmares of that one day...  

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

June 21, 1783

Dear Sarah,

It was as I feared.  Yesterday our dear house burned down to the ground.  They burned most of our belongings and food along with it.  Our neighbors houses were burned down as well.  Our whole family had tears in our eyes.  So many memories from that house destroyed.  If Grandma was still here, she would try to comfort us and tell us that everything is alright.  What those men have done is awful.   I will have to keep this letter short.  We are now fleeing away to... We are actually not sure where we are fleeing to, or what we might find.  But we have to keep moving forward.  We can't dwell on the past.  I am now searching for you.  I know that I will find you.  I have this certain feeling, I can't explain it, but I am sure that we will be able to find you.  I will always love you.


Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

May 14, 1782

Dear Sarah,

The war was terrible.  The Thirteen Colonies broke out into a war with Britain.  The Patriots were horrid towards anyone who supported Britain.  Even people who didn't want to take part in the war and stayed neutral would get accused and abused.  Many innocent people were killed.  Mr.Langley died also.  Ma and Pa are safe though.  The British lost the war, and people are flooding out of the Thirteen Colonies.  Lots of them are Loyalists that were harassed by their neighbors, forced to leave or were forced to fight in the war.  Even First Nations people migrated because they allied with Brittian in exchange for land.  I'm afraid that our family might have to leave too. 

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

March 20, 1775

Dear Sarah,


Ever since the Act of Quebec was put in place, there are lots of problems around here.  When Quebec got the Ohio Valley,  the people in the Thirteen Colonies grew angry, because they had wanted that land for decades.  And it gets even worse.  To try to keep the Thirteen Colonies under control after they declared independence, Britain passed many laws that affected the colonies.  A few years ago, there was a "Stamp Act" that started a tax on every piece of printed paper.  This caused an outrage, and many colonists organized a boycott of British goods.  Later, there was a tax on tea, and lots of colonists boarded British ships, and dumped crates of tea into the harbor!  What a waste of tea!  If we wasted Ma's tea like that.... Lets just say that our ears wouldn't be there the next moment.  Now the Thirteen Colonies might revolt against Brittan.  I hear that they are now holding meetings called the Continental Congress.  I am worried for you, and hope you are safe, wherever you are.

Best Wishes,

George Davis Lanott

P.S. Soon I will try to come and find you.

P.P.S. I hope that the lack of tea in 1773 did not affect you.

October 12, 1774

Dear Sarah,

It has been a while since I have written to you.  I really hope you are okay.  I want you to know that Ma, Pa, and I miss you a lot.  A few letters ago, I mentioned the governor Sir Guy Carleton.  Carleton was worried about the increasing dissatisfaction and rebellion in the Thirteen Colonies.  He believes that he can make allies with the French in Quebec just in case Britain needs to fight the Thirteen Colonies.  The Quebec Act that he passed let the French keep their language, law and religion to help keep them happy.  Carleton passed a Quebec Act on the 7th and it will also extend the borders of Quebec south, into the Ohio Valley.  This might cause some problems in the Thirteen Colonies.  I'm scared.  


Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

April 24, 1766

Dear Sarah,

It has been tough here.  Grandma has gotten sick, and she hasn't been out of bed for a while.  The doctor comes to visit once and a while, but there's nothing he can do.  Ma and Pa are very concerned, and try to stay with Gran as much as possible.  On top of that,  due to the Royal Proclamation the Ohio valley is closed to expansion, and with Quebec being inhabited by French people, people in Virginia and North Carolina are becoming very unhappy with the British laws and rules.  Also, colonists in Quebec where unhappy, and thought that Governor James Murray preferred the French and was unfair by giving them rights.  Governor Murray was sent back to England and now a new governor came.  His name is Sir Guy Carleton.  I really hope this Carleton guy helps things get sorted out. It is very lonely without you.  I wish that you could be here with me.

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott

October 14, 1763

Dear Sarah,

 It is a busy day in the Thirteen Colonies as ever.  Ma and Pa have been working hard around the house.  Today Mr.Langley came over to drop off some of his bread he had been making earlier this morning.  His family seems to be doing well.  Ma and Pa are also doing well.  Anyways, recently there has been some conflict between the British and the First Nations, so Britain came out with a "Royal Proclamation" that will make new laws.  The new laws will put British laws in all of the colonies.  They also included laws to try to make the French happy so they could be allies.  Pfft! Like that will ever happen!  I hope the best for you and safe travels.

Your brother,

George Davis Lanott