The early Scottish Settlers to Upper Canada and their influence here in Canada - Part 1
Written by Nancy Dupuis
Upon a good read of the resource material listed below,
Imperial Immigrants
Scottish Settlers in the Upper Ottawa Valley, 1815-1840
Michael E. Vance
Narrative of the Rise & Progress of Emigration
From the Counties of Lanark & Renfrew
To the New Settlements in Upper Canada
Robert Lamond
The Lanark Society Settlers
Carol Bennett
In Search of Lanark
Carol Bennett
and, after just a few conversations and visits with curators of local museums in this area providing great insight into just what it would have been like back in 1820-21, I felt compelled to study further the arrival of the Scottish Settlers to Upper Canada, taking into account where they had come from and why, their voyage here, their trek to their new homeland and their subsequent influence especially in Dalhousie, Lanark and Ramsay townships. I myself, live in Lanark County in Almonte, Ontario and have direct links to some of these early pioneers; namely the Aitken family from Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland arriving in Horton Township near Renfrew, Ontario in 1831 a few years after the emigration of the settlers coming over in the years 1820-21 and the Miller family from Ayreshire, Scotland arriving in 1821 to the same area near Renfrew, Ontario.
Please keep in mind, this instalment and ones to follow are my interpretation only of what I have read. I have always been interested in museums and the history of the past, myself deeply intent in preserving and further educating on the rich heritage we have inherited from years gone by.
These were pioneers in a new land acquiring the calm and strength of the rugged trees surrounding them; Military settlers, English and Irish all arriving at the same time.
In 1820-21, (the years I am focusing my writing on) those Scottish settlers that settled in Lanark County were mostly of the Presbyterian faith. Many were buried at Auld Kirk Cemetery on the 8th line of Ramsay, outside of Almonte, Ontario, (the resting place of a great number of my own ancestors). Others were buried at a cemetery near Carleton Place, which is situated on the Beckwith/Ramsay township border.
Certain names listed in the articles published brought memories to my mind; names such as John Andrew Struthers, Appleton, 1948 – a steward of the Appleton United Church I attended as a child in the 1950s.
More familiar names popped out on the pages of books - The Teskeys of Appleton were Peter Robinson settlers of Irish descent, mention of the Snedden house and farm in Blakeney appear in a book I purchased a year or so ago, Almonte – Spirit of Place by John McQuarrie.
Much has been written about the conditions at home and abroad – I hope you find my interpretation bringing you back not only into a time of what appeared to endure a great deal of hardship but also of steadfastness and a determination for a better life.
And so the story begins …
Emigration Societies - roughly 3000 people came to Canada under this settlement scheme. They were actually members of 40 or so Societies formed for the express purpose of obtaining passage, with a goal of travelling to Upper Canada. In the first year lots were drawn for a place on emigrant ships, A lottery often decided their fate when too many families applied. In the second year, relatives to the settlers who had crossed the ocean in 1920, (usually women and children) were considered. Government funds or public subscription subsidized the majority of the families crossing the seas. (Meant to be paid in due course, these debts were quite often forgiven as the settlers could just not raise the cash). They were to receive land, tools, and a year’s rations for their families if settlement duties were fulfilled.
War between Britain and France had ended in 1815 - Britain was now in a depression, the unemployed swelling the ranks. Scottish weavers had been hard hit – there was no longer a demand for army uniforms or blankets.
Emigration was seen as a possible new start (the French revolution a reminder that the working class if provoked, might rise to eliminate the upper class). The British government decided to establish a number of military settlements in Upper Canada in the event that an invasion from the South took place again. Securing the frontier was of strategic concern – the goal being to prevent Upper Canada from falling into the hands of the United States and ensuring that the new settlers would remain loyal to Britain. What would have happened if there had been an invasion? There were no telephones at this time, no airplanes and it could take up to 4 months for the military to arrive by ship from Britain. Thus, the British government decided to establish a number of military settlements in Upper Canada, able to be mustered quickly.
Handicapped individuals were not allowed to join their family members on the ships; women might be considered if it was felt they would be looked after but handicapped men would come at high cost, so not likely even considered.
No furniture was allowed - only bedclothes, pots and pans, personal clothes and books of their personal library.
Children had to be inoculated for smallpox, no animals were allowed on board, no smoking below deck and no candles were to be lit.
Each family’s baggage was shipped over in barrels at a cost of 6 pence per barrel.
Now how to get to Lanark after reaching land; the solution - steam ship after arriving in Quebec to Montreal and from there to Lachine, then by a flotilla of flat-bottomed boats each able to carry three families with their baggage. These flotillas would then arrive at Prescott camping for two weeks or so until all from the ship were assembled; then a five- day trip by wagon. Transport from Quebec to Upper Canada was rudimentary – through bush, trails and swamp.
No domestic animals and very few implements existed in the first settlements. To clear the land, plant and harvest the crops by hand, much of it could be done only if using a co-operative system. ‘Bees’ often took place for chopping and logging, shearing etc.
A notation in the Imperial Immigrants book indicates “the role of the Colonial office in promoting the settlement of the region by examining closely a document associated with the Rideau Purchase -a Native land surrender that ostensibly removed the Upper Ottawa Valley from First Nations control. The chapter explores the further role London played in selecting and surveying the land and emphasizes the importance of imperial military strategy in all aspects of the original planning.”
This to say, an erasure of the Indigenous presence in the upper Ottawa Valley had taken place. A few continued to live in the area, hunting and fishing but by the 1820s there were only a handful of place names, indicating the previous occupation of the land.
Upon arrival in Upper Canada, provisions, seeds, work implements, building materials and bedding would be allotted. Useful arts were put to good use during many a cold winters night, the women spinning wool and linen yarn and the men folk preparing fishing tackle.
In the years to follow, a large number of the people went to Western Ontario and to the United States from Lanark County. Family farms sometimes just could not support the next generation. Some left for Renfrew County assisting to open up some of the newly surveyed townships in that area.
Not all who remained in Lanark County stayed farmers; those who had been weavers in Scotland had set up looms in their own homes, later on feeding into the woollen industry, which this County was to become famous for.
It is of note, a quotation indicating “these Scottish settlers had a reverence for learning and a thirst for information which has been handed down to us in the present day. We are much the richer for that”.
In Search of Lanark, by Carol Bennett provided an interesting look at communities now and then;
Almonte (my place of birth) – mention of a Loyalist Daniel Shipman arriving in Almonte, Ramsay township from the Brockville district where his family had first settled. He built a sawmill in 1921 adding a grist mill later on. Almonte was known for its variety of mills over the years including a carding mill and an early planing mill. Woollen mills were built, with Almonte having the reputation as one of the main wool manufacturing towns in the Ottawa valley. A number of these old mills in the present day have been repurposed into condominiums, some with retail space on their bottom floors.
Appleton (where I grew up as a child) – a native camping ground prior to the first settlers arriving, the village springing to life in the 1820s after a sawmill and grist mill were established by two of the Teskey brothers.
By 1860, the village now boasted a grist mill, two tanneries, three blacksmith shops, two stores, a hotel, a harness shop, a wagon shop as well as a potashery. A mill was also built for the purpose of the woollen trade by the Teskey family. It was certainly the era of small industry – carpenters, tailers, milliners, saddlers, and blacksmiths could all be found in this little village. A milliner by the name of Mary Adamson is mentioned in the article on the Village of Appleton. This sparks my interest further as I have heard stories over the years of one of my Mother’s aunts riding her bicycle each day from Ashton to Appleton to work in a milliner’s shop – hmmmmm?
Appleton is a scenic spot, the home of the Mississippi Golf Club, established in 1915.
Ashton (my great-grandparents lived on a side road near Ashton) is on the Beckwith-Goulbourn township border.
Former soldiers of the 1818 trek from Quebec arrived in this area with many of them settling at the nearby settlement of Richmond, where they were given land grants in recognition of their service.
By 1850, Ashton was a bustling community hosting three general stores, a hotel, a tannery, a harness making shop, a wagon making business and three blacksmith shops. Four shoemakers, two carpenters, and a tailor also took up residence in this small village. A beautiful little pub now exists in this village.
My plan is to continue to highlight other small towns and villages created along the way, in the next few instalments of this story. Stay tuned!
A trip to Glengarry County soon is necessary as well to get a better understanding of that area of Ontario. It is when only through my own eyes can I then imagine the reality of the settler there back in those years and then see how those years transitioned into what is now the Glengarry of today. I hope to speak with those who have a grasp of the oral history of the area, all the while in advance framing the angle of interview I wish to pursue.
Glengarry County by its stats indicate this was a have not county by its standard of living –a compelling story awaits, I am sure. Scots have great pride in abundance, in where they are from and of their values – the backbone of who they are; although they might have taken a back seat at the Kirk, these people were steadfast.
I hope you have enjoyed this 1st instalment – stay tuned for the next one;
Thank you so much for taking the time to have a read, Nancy