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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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