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History
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The Coming of the Loyalists
(From Walter S.
Herrington, History of the County of
Lennox and Addington
[Toronto: The
Macmillan Company of Canada, Limited, 1913], 25-29.)
"The incidents in connection with the emigration of many of the first
Loyalists who settled in this country have fortunately been preserved
in an interview with the late John Grass, of the township of Kingston,
son of the Michael Grass before referred to. His statement is as
follows: "My father had been a prisoner at Frontenace (now Kingston) in
the old French war, and at the commencement of the American Revolution
he resided on a farm on the borders of the North River, about thirty
miles from New York. Being solicited by General Herkimer to take a
captain's commission in the American service he replied sternly and
promptly that he had sworn allegiance to our King, meaning George the
Third, and could not violate his oath and serve against him.
"'For this he was obliged to fly from his home and take refuge within
New York, under British protection. His family had soon to follow him,
being driven from their home, which by the enemy was dilapidated and
broken up. They continued in that city till the close of the war,
living on their resources as best they could. On the return of peace,
the Americans having gained their independence, there was no longer any
home for the fugitive Loyalists of which the city was full; and the
British Governor was much at a loss for a place to settle them. Many
had retreated to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick; but this was a desperate
resort, and their immense numbers made it difficult to find a home for
them all even then. In the meantime, the Governor, in his perplexity,
having heard that my father had been a prisoner among the French at
Frontenac, sent for him and said; 'Mr. Grass, I understand that you
have been at Frontenac, in Canada. Pray tell me what sort of a country
it is? Can people live there?' My father replied; 'Yes, your
Excellency, I was there a prisoner of war, and from what I saw I think
it is a fine country and that people might live very well.' 'Oh! Mr.
Grass,' exclaims the governor, 'how glad I am to hear that, for the
sake of these poor Loyalists. As they cannot all go to Nova Scotia, and
I am at a loss how to provide for the, will you, Mr. Grass, undertake
to lead thither as many as may choose to accompany you? If so, I will
furnish a conveyance by Quebec, and rations for you all until such time
as you may be able to provide for yourselves.' My father requested his
Excellency to allow him three days to make up his mind. This was
granted, and accordingly at the expiration of the three days, my father
went to the Governor and said he would undertake it. Notices were then
posted up through the city, calling for all that would go to Frontenac
to enroll their names with Mr. Grass; so in a short tie, the company of
men, women, and children was completed, a ship provided and furnished,
and off they started for the unknown and far distant regions, leaving
the homes and friends of their youth, with all their endearing
recollections behind them.
"'The first season they got no further than Sorel, in Lower Canada,
where they were obliged to erect log huts for the winter. Next spring
they took boats, and proceeding up the St. Lawrence, at length reached
Frontenac and pitched their tents on Indian Point, where the marine
docks of Kingston now stand. Here they awaited the surveying of the
lands, which was not accomplished so as to be ready for location before
July. In the meantime several other companies had arrived by different
routes under their respective leaders, who were all awaiting the
completing of the surveys. The Governor also, who by this time had
himself come to Quebec, paid them a visit, and riding a few miles along
the lake shore on a fine day, exclaimed to my father: Why, Mr. Grass,
you have indeed got a fine country! I am really glad to find it so.'
While the several companies were together waiting for the survey some
would say to my father: 'The Governor will not give you the first
choice of the townships but will prefer Sir John Johnson and his
company because he is a great man.' But my father replied that he did
not believe that, for if the Governor should do so he should feel
himself injured and would leave the country, as he was the first man to
mention it to the Governor in New York and to proceed thither with his
company for settlement.
"At length the time came, in July, for the townships to be given out.
The Governor having assembled the companies before him, called for Mr.
Grass, and said: 'Now, you were the first person to mention this fine
country and have been here formerly as a prisoner of war. You must have
the first choice. The townships are numbered first, second, third,
fourth, and fifth. Which do you choose?' My father says; 'The first
township (Kingston).' The the Governor says to Sir John Johnson: 'Which
do you choose for your company?' He replies: 'The second township
(Ernesttown).' To Colonel Rogers: 'Which do you choose?' He says: 'The
third township (Fredericksburgh).' To Major Vanalstine: 'Which do you
choose?' He replies: 'The fourth township (Adolphustown).' Then Colonel
McDonnell, with his company, got the fifth township (Marysburgh). So
after this manner the first settlement of Loyalists in Canada was made.
"'But before leaving, the Governor very considerately remarked to my
father: 'Now, Mr. Grass, it is too late in the season to put in any
crops. What can you do for food?' My father replied: 'If they were
furnished with turnip seed they might raise some turnips.' 'Very well,
' said the Governor, 'that you shall have.' Accordingly from Montreal
he sent some seed, and each man taking a handful thereof, they cleared
a spot of ground in the center of where the town of Kingston now stands
and raised a fine crop of turnips which served for food the ensuing
winter with the Government rations.'*
"'The point of embarkation upon the last stage of the journey was from
Lachine, where flat-bottomed boats were constructed for the purpose.
They were heavy and clumsy affairs capable of holding four or five
families with their effects, and when ascending the rapids or against a
swift current, the boatmen, sometimes wading up to their waists in
water, hauled them along by means of a rope attached to the bow.
Although the Surveyor-general had received instructions in 1783 to lay
out the townships for the reception of the settlers, they arrived some
weeks before they could be located. On June 16th, 1784, a memorable day
in this county, Major Vanalstine with his band of refugees landed at
Adolphustown near the site of the present U.E.L. Monument. Each family
had been provided with a tent capable of accommodating eight or ten
persons. Sufficient clothing for three years, of a coarse but suitable
quality, had been given to each. To each two families was given one
cow, and the Government had been liberal in the distribution of seed
grain and tools, but of the latter the axe was ill-suited for the
purpose of felling trees, being the short-handled ship axe intended for
quite a different purpose. As the survey was not complete at the time
of their landing, they pitched their tents upon the shore in groups
until the allotments were made, when they dispersed to their several
locations and the battle with the forest began. The concessions were
laid out in lots of 200 acres each; four lots covered a mile in
frontage, and every two or three miles a strip forty feet in width was
reserved for a cross-road. The surveyors did their work so hurriedly
that in later years there were found to be many inaccuracies which led
to confusion and litigation and were the cause of a great deal of
trouble and bad feeling.
"As early as the month of July 1783, the King, declaring himself
desirous of encouraging his loyal subjects in the United States of
America to take up and improve lands in the then Province of Quebec,
and of testifying his appreciation of the bravery and loyalty of the
royal forces in the Province, issued instructions to the
Governor-in-chief to direct the Surveyor-general to admeasure and lay
out such a quantity of land as he deemed necessary for that purpose,
and to allot such parts thereof as might be applied for by any of his
loyal subjects, non-commissioned officers, and private men in the
following proportions, that is to say:
"To every master of a family, one hundred acres, and fifty acres for
each person of which his family shall consist.
"To every single man, fifty acres.
"To every non-commissioned officer in Quebec, two hundred acres.
"To every private man of the force, one hundred acres and every person
in his family, fifty acres.
"The same instructions contained a notification of the purchase of the
Seigniory of Sorel with a request that all undisposed-of lands be laid
out into small allotments and distributed among the reduced members of
the forces and other loyal subjects, as might by the Governor be judged
the most conducive to their interests and the more speedy settlement of
the Seigniory. These instructions account for the general muster of the
refugees at Sorel before ascending the St. Lawrence for the Western
townships.
"The townships having been assigned to the several companies, as
described by Mr. Grass, the first 'drawings' took place in 1784. The
Surveyor superintended the process, which was impartially conducted by
placing in a hat small pieces of paper, upon which were written the
numbers of the lots to be distributed. Each applicant 'drew' out a
piece of paper, the Surveyor, with a map of the township spread out
before hi, wrote the name of the person drawing the number upon the
corresponding number upon the map, and the locatee was given a
certificate or 'location ticket' as it was commonly called, entitling
him to a patent of the lot or part of lot so drawn by him. As provided
in the King's instructions, a record of every allotment and subsequent
alienation was kept in the office of the Receiver-general, which was
the only land registry office in Canada at the time. It was under this
system that the drawings took place in 1784, with the result that 434
of Jessup's Corps received their location tickets for Ernesttown, 310
of the King's Royal Regiment of New York and Colonel Rogers with 229
men located in Fredericksburgh, and Major Vanalstine and his party and
some of Roger's men, about 400 in all, became the first settlers in
Adolphustown. In addition to the plan of allotment referred to in the
instructions of 1783, every Loyalist field officer was to receive 1,000
acres, every chaplain 700, and every subaltern, staff, or warrant
officer, 500 acres. The excess over the ordinary allotment was not to
be in one block, and not more than 200 acres were to be drawn by one
person in a front concession. These regulations prevailed until
superseded by instructions of a similar character issued in 1786
authorizing an additional grant of 200 acres, as a sort of bonus for
good behaviour, to each settler who, by his conduct, had given such
proof of his loyalty, decent deportment, and thrift in improving the
land already received by him, as to warrant the presumption that he
would become a good and profitable subject."
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*The late William
Kingsford, in his "History of Canada, " Vol. VII, page 218-90, attempts
to disprove this story, but his reasoning is quite inconclusive, and
there is no reason to doubt the correctness of the story given by
Captain Grass. Kingsford's note at most proves that a certain amount of
friction arose between Captain Grass and Governor Sir Frederick
Haldimand.
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