Introduction

The 18th century was an immensely transformative period for the region presently known as Ontario Canada. Up until the end of the American Revolution in 1783, Southern Ontario (at the time part of the British Province of Quebec) had remained largely untouched by European settlers in spite of widespread colonial expansion. By 1791, however, an estimated 7,500 Loyalists had come to Ontario after fleeing persecution in the United States. 1  In these eight short years, the region's landscape - both geographical and political - was completely transformed as Loyalist colonists rapidly carved out Indigenous lands for settlement. This Storymap provides a brief, chronological overview of Loyalist settlement from the end of the American Revolution in 1783 to the formation of Upper Canada in 1791.


1783

By the time the American Revolution officially came to an end when the Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3rd, 1783, a mass Loyalist exodus to Canada was already underway. Before the war had even ended, it had become apparent to many Loyalists that the thirteen colonies that comprised the United States would soon no longer be under British rule, and many chose to flee. For Loyalists living in Northern colonies like New York and New Hampshire, their proximity to the British Province of Quebec (which encompassed all of present-day Southern Ontario) was an obvious choice for relocation. Moreover, many Loyalist men who served in the Militia were already familiar with the area after spending time at forts and camps along Lake Ontario. 2 

In anticipation of the war's end, the British Government had already begun devising plans for resettlement and in July of 1783, Loyalists were reassured that free land would be granted in the British Province of Quebec. 3  According to this decree, the amount of land allotted to each man would depend on his rank, with privates receiving 100 acres, non-commissioned officers 200 acres, and civilian men 50 acres. 4  An additional 50 acres were also added for each additional member of a man's family. 5  In August of 1783, supplementary instructions were provided for commissioned officers, with warrant officers receiving 500 acres, captains receiving 700 acres, and field officers receiving 1,000 acres. 6  A year later, these numbers would be further increased.

Quite quickly, however, it was decided that the amount of land in the British Province of Quebec available for settlement was unsuitable for the number of Loyalists in need of relocation. As such, negotiations with the Indigenous nations bordering Lake Ontario commenced and in October of 1783, a large swath of land spanning from Cataraqui (Kingston) to the Trent River was purchased from the Mississaugas in what has come to be known as the Crawford Purchase. 7 


1784

Following the Crawford Purchase, surveys to examine the state of this newly ceded land commenced in the spring of 1784. 8   Then, under the direction of Sir Frederick Haldimand, two swaths of land were selected for settlement, known as the Royal and Cataraqui Townships. Following this, Loyalist families quickly began being transported in large groups from the refugee camps at Sorel, Machiche, and St Johns. 9  By July of 1794, a staggering 3,686 Loyalists (including women and children) had already moved to these newly formed townships. 10  

Meanwhile, to the Southwest, a number of Loyalists began to settle in the Niagara region, part of which had already been ceded to the British during prior treaties made in 1764 and 1781. 11  In May of 1784, however, a much larger treaty that encompassed nearly 2,500,000 acres of land was signed, thus significantly expanding the amount of land available for settlement. 12  Of the Loyalists who chose to settle here, the vast majority were men who had served with Butler's Rangers, which was officially disbanded in the area in June of 1784. 13  Upon the disbandment, the approximately 470 remaining soldiers were encouraged to take up residence with their families on the surrounding crown land, and many did. 14 

At the same time settlement in Royal, Cataraqui, and Niagara was underway, the British Government was in the midst of deciding how they would handle the settlement of the Mowhawk who had remained loyal to the British, and whose land was now on hostile American territory. And, after some dispute, it was decided that two settlements would be formed. The first settlement, spearheaded by Captain John Deserontyon, was to be located in Tyendinaga. 15  The second settlement, led by Captain Joseph Brant, was located along the Grand River, just outside of modern Brantford. 16 

Major Loyalist settlements along Lake Ontario, 1784


1785

By 1785, it was clear that life in the new Loyalist settlements was not as idyllic as many had hoped, largely due to the lack of supplies necessary to necessary for building houses, tending farms, and other essential tasks. For many Loyalists, this lack of supplies was particularly embittering since the British Government had promised to supply them with such provisions in recognition of the hardships caused by their loyalty. 17  So, in January of 1785, officials set to work and by the end of that year, a number of supplies including saws, hammers, and twine had been distributed among settlers. 18  This, however, only went so far as to ease the burden imposed by the harsh Canadian wilderness.


1786

1786 was a year marked by both strife and progress for the Loyalist settlements that dotted the Great Lakes. With supplies from the British government having finally arrived, the number of buildings in the settlements began to grow, and proper infrastructure began to take form. Loyalist John Burch, for example, built one of the first saw and grist mills in the Niagara settlement in this year. 19  Meanwhile, in the nearby settlement of New Oswego, Captain Brant had erected both a church and schoolhouse after procuring provisions from the British government. 20    To the dismay of Loyalist settlers, however, the generosity of the British government seemed to come to an abrupt end when it was announced that no further provisions would be supplied as of June 1st, 1786. 21  Given that this stoppage would have left settlers without a store of grain for the winter, however, it was subsequently pushed back another three months. 22  Following this postponement, further appeals were made though no further extensions were granted. 23  


1787

In June of 1787, it was announced that every head of family who had already successfully cultivated the land that they were given would receive at least 200 additional acres. 24  Then, later that same year, the desire to expand the amount of land available for Loyalist settlement resulted in the signing of another major treaty known as the "Johnson-Butler Purchase" or the "Gunshot Treaty". 25  This treaty, which was negotiated between the Loyalists and the Mississauga, resulted in a tract of land stretching from the north shores of Lake Ontario as far back as a gunshot could be heard being ceded to the Crown. 26  As a result, the large swath of land that separated the Cataraqui townships from the Niagara settlement all fell under British control. In total, this represented nearly half the shoreline land of Lake Ontario and stretched over 300 km. Following the signing of this treaty, Loyalists began settling around the area of York (present-day Toronto) although contestations regarding ownership of the land were raised repeatedly. 27 

Loyalist settlement and land ceded during the 1787 Gunshot Treaty


1788

In July of 1788, it was announced that the area surrounding the Great Lakes region would be split into four districts: Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nassau, and Hesse. In accordance with the demands of the Loyalists, the four districts were granted more atonomy and each was able to establish its own court of common pleas. 28  In addtion to this, each district also had its own Land Board to expidiate the process of handling settlement claims. 29  Despite such progress, however, 1788 was a difficult year for many Loyalist families. As the result of a large-scale crop failure the previous year, food was scarce to the point where it was dubbed ''the hungery year" among Loyalist settlers. 30  Hunger, however, was not from the only source of discontent among settlers. With several years having passed since the war's end, many Loyalists had also become increasingly frustrated over the lack of compensation from the British government. 31  Many of them had, after all, lost their land, personal property, and occupations as a result of their loyalty. 32  As such, a number of Loyalists made the difficult decision to return to the United States around this time, believing that a better fate awaited them in the country they were forced to flee years prior. 33 

Four districts formed in 1788


1789

For the Loyalists who remained in the newly formed settlements, the following year of 1789 only brought more hardship. After another failed crop harvest, hunger was still rampant and as small numbers of more settlers continued to arrive, provisions were stretched dangerously thin. 34  During this time, the fish of Lake Ontario served as the primary source of sustenance for many Loyalist families whose farming endeavours proved fruitless. 35  In further attempts to utilize the water, several mills were built during this year, including a sawmill erected by Samuel Street, and two grist mills erected by Peter Secord and John Green, all of Niagra. 36  


1790

By 1790, the number of Loyalists continuing to arrive in the settlements around Lake Ontario began to dwindle although small numbers continued to arrive through the 1790's. In addition to the arrival of the so-called "late Loyalists', a number of Loyalists who had initially settled in New Brunswick also began arriving in the region around this time after finding the land they had initially settled on unsuitable. 37 


1791

By 1791, the Loyalists who had settled along Lake Ontario had become increasingly discontent with the existing governmental system. 38  This was due in large part to the fact that the Quebec Act of 1774 provided them with no representation and petitions to form a representative assembly had failed to result in change. 39 

As news of this discontent made its way back to England, negotiations soon commenced and King George III announced that he intended to divide the province of Quebec as soon as a suitable constitutional framework was established. 40  Then, on the 19th of June 1791, a Constitutional Act drawn up by Baron William Grenville received royal assent and on December 26th, 1791, the province of Quebec was officially separated into Upper and Lower Canada. 41  The land designated as Upper Canada under this act would later serve as the basis for present-day Ontario.

Land designated as Upper Canada, 1791


Footnotes: 1. Bruce G. Wilson, Colonial Identities : Canada from 1760 to 1815, (Ottawa, Canada: National Archives of Canada). IV. 2. Gerald M. Craig, Upper Canada : The Formative Years 1784-1841, (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart), 3-4.  3. Craig, Upper Canada, 5. 4. Craig, Upper Canada, 5. 5. Craig, Upper Canada, 5. 6. Craig, Upper Canada, 5. 7. Craig, Upper Canada, 5. 8. Craig, Upper Canada, 6. 9. George Athan Billias, The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada by the United Empire Loyalists, 1784-1884 : The Celebrations at Adolphustown, Toronto, and Niagara, with an Appendix Containing a Copy of the U.E. List, Preserved in the Crown Lands Department at Toronto, (Boston: Greg Press), 99. 10. Craig, Upper Canada, 6. 11. James Rodger Miller, Compact, Contract, Covenant : Aboriginal Treaty-Making in Canada, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press) 75-76, 86. 12. Wilbur Henry Siebert, The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians in the Niagara Peninsula, (Ottawa: Printed for the Royal Society of Canada), 95. 13. Ernest Alexander Cruikshank, The Story of Butler’s Rangers and the Settlement of Niagara (Welland: Lundy’s Lane Historical Society), 113. 14. Cruikshank, The Story of Butler’s Rangers, 113. 15. Miller, Compact, Contract, Covenant, 80. 16. Miller, Compact, Contract, Covenant, 80. 17. Craig, Upper Canada, 7. 18. Craig, Upper Canada, 7-8.

19. Siebert, The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians, 103-104. 20. Siebert, The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians, 118. 21. Siebert, The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians, 97. 22. Siebert, The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians, 97. 23. Siebert, The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians 97. 24. Craig, Upper Canada, 12. 25. Miller, Compact, Contract, Covenant, 224. 26. Miller, Compact, Contract, Covenant, 224. 27. Miller, Compact, Contract, Covenant, 88-89 84. 28. Craig, Upper Canada, 12. 29. Craig, Upper Canada, 12. 30. Billias, The Centennial, 106. 31. Billias, The Centennial, 112-113. 32. Billias, The Centennial, 112-113. 33. Billias, The Centennial, 112. 34. Siebert, The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians, 102-121. 35. Siebert, The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians, 102-121. 36. Siebert, The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians, 103-104. 37. Billias, The Centennial, 85. 38. Billias, The Centennial, 121. 39. Billias, The Centennial, 121. 40. Craig, Upper Canada, 15. 41. Craig, Upper Canada, 17, 22.

Refrences

Billias, George Athan. 1972. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada by the United Empire Loyalists, 1784-1884 : The Celebrations at Adolphustown, Toronto, and Niagara, with an Appendix Containing a Copy of the U.E. List, Preserved in the Crown Lands Department at Toronto. Boston: Gregg Press.

Craig, Gerald M. 1963. Upper Canada : The Formative Years, 1784-1841. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.

Cruikshank, Ernest Alexander. 1893. The Story of Butler’s Rangers and the Settlement of Niagara. Welland, Ont: Lundy’s Lane Historical Society.

Miller, James Rodger. 2009. Compact, Contract, Covenant : Aboriginal Treaty-Making in Canada. Toronto, [Ontario] ; University of Toronto Press.

Siebert, Wilbur Henry. 1915. The Loyalists and Six Nation Indians in the Niagara Peninsula. Ottawa: Printed for the Royal Society of Canada.

Wilson, Bruce G. 1988. Colonial Identities : Canada from 1760 to 1815. Ottawa, Canada: National Archives of Canada.