Anonymous Pioneer Memories of Oxford County, Ontario, Canada

Loyalists - who in the rebellion of the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain - now the United States in 1776 The greater part of the first settlers of this Province were more or less composed of the old United Empire who rebelled against the authorities of Great Britain. The reason for this rebellion was taxation without representation. But  there is no doubt but the inspiration of this rebellion commenced away back with Pilgrim fathers who left England on account of religious persecution years before.  These United Empire Loyalists embraced the Cause of Great Britain - and opposed  the dismemberment of the British Empire - and hence were called United Empire  Loyalists - after the war of 1776 was ended and the colonies gain their independence - and are now called the United States - These U. E. Loyalists had to retreat to    Canada - At that time Canada was a dense forrest and howling wilderness without  settlers of any kind except a few French Habatans and Voyagers settled along the principal lakes and rivers. These United Empire Loyalists had to indure all sorts of privations and hardships for their loyalty to Great Britain. Notwithstanding all their privations and hardships, they were intensely loyal to the Crown of Great Britain and  were willing to shed their last drop of blood for to maintain a British connection and a United Empire. 

Time has shown since that time that they were right - notwithstanding the great  hardships they had to indure. They believed in the principle of loyalty to Great Britain and staid with their principles. They were honest and true in their purpose. Their willingness to indure all sorts of hardships for their loyalty showest them to be men of Sterling worth. And it is now generally admitted by all hands that it was better that   the United States gained their independence and better for Canada that she  remained with Great Britain. For there is plenty of room for two Anglo-Saxon Nations on this continent.  

And as Providence has decreed our lot as a dependency of Great Britain. The  problem of the future destiny of Canada has got to be worked out by future  generations. We have got a great country loaded with mineral wealth of every description and our agricultural resources are great. All that is wanted is interprise and energy to develope the country and build up a nation. And it does not appear yet   what we shall be whether we shall be independent or annex a portion of the United States. [be annexed as? Ed.]  

The hardships and privation that the old pioneer had to indure inspired him and trained him for the work they had to do in subduing and conquering the mighty forrest of Canada and bringing the country from its primaeval state into fruitful and productive farms as they are now seen.  

My father being one of these old U. E. Loyalist pioneers who married and moved into the Township of Nissouri from the eastern part of this province about the year 1821. There was at that time very few settlers in the back Townships at that time. Most of the settlers who had settled in the County were settled along what was then called the Old Stage Road - which was said to be an old Indian trail running through the country from Hamilton Dundass Ancaster Brantford Ingersoll and to what was then called the Forks, now London. Woodstock was then called the Town plot without inhabitance at that time. As the Old Stage Road run three or four miles southe of Woodstock consequently Woodstock was not so early settled as some of the other towns on the Old Stage Road.  

Although we have passed through a great many crisis and many have been the ups and downs of this Country during the three quarters of a century of its existance - our  progress has been good but steady and permanent. There is no doubt but the  progress made in Arts and Science has been greater than any other seventy five years of the world's history. Especially in this Country which was reclaimed from a dense forrest and brought to its present state of improvement in seventy or eighty years, which has taken other countries hundreds of years to come to the same condition that we are at present. Seventy or eighty years ago we had no roads.  Nothing but a trail through the woods following blazed trees on the highest land on the way we wanted to go. And when the roads parted the tree was blazed on both sides to show the traveller which way to go north or south or any other direction. It is wonderful to contemplate the different conditions of the roads during the last three quarters of century. There was at first the old bush road running through the woods on the highest land around swamps and mudholes. Small streams were   crossed by making a bridge of small poles. The larger streams were forded when any  part of this road became bad with mud holes. We first cut another road around the   mud hole. The roads that were laid out by government surveyors were cleared up after a time. And what was called corduroy roads constructed with round logs laid  across the swamps and low land. At first there was no earth of any kind put on the  logs. A ride over one of these corduroy roads in a big lumber waggon would make   one's heart ache. There was an old song we used to sing "Wait for the waggon and we will all take a ride." Those who ride in fine carriages nowadays do not know what  it was to ride on one of these corduroy roads. Later on there was some earth put on  the logs which made their ride much easier. Now these old curduroy roads have  disappeared altogether and good gravel and macadamized roads have taken their place. And instead of the Old Stage Road and stage coach we have railroads going  through the country in every direction. Telegraphs and telephones and all other  modern improvements in every branch of industry. Certainly history does not record any other age equal to the last seventy or eighty years for progress in Arts Science   education agricultural implements machinery of all kinds. Time and space has been nearly annihilated with steam and electricity and electricity is now rapidly taking the place of steam and animal power in propelling coaches and cars over roads. The   greatest of modern inventions to my mind is the telephone.  

I have often thought that if I had been a good novellist or a good ready writer what a  story I could tell about the early settlement and pioneers of this country. And  especially one born as I was in the primative states of this country. And probably one of the first white children born in the Township of Nissouri. I can truly say that I have  seen this country from the stump and buck up to the present. My first recollection of this country was a small clearing in the midst of the woods. A log cabin in the midst  of the clearing and the clearing surrounded by a brush fence which was generally the first fence of the early settler. And if not brush it was logs - generally three logs high - one large log in the bottom and two smaller one on the top. When the proper time  came these fences were burnt up and a rail fence put in the place. This new clearing  would be full of stumps which took about six or eight years to get the stumps out of  the land after being cleared. The wolves were very plentiful at that time and used to  come up nearly every night and howl over the brush fence and my father would get up out of his bed and haul down the old flint lock musket which always hung on the  beams of the old log cabin ready for emergencies of any kind. Some times it would go off at first pull of the trigger but other times the old musket hung fire and would  have to be reprimed or the flint would have to be pecked or sharpened so that it would strike fire and ignite the powder. But after the old musket went off with a tremendous  noise. It would produce great consternation among the wolves. We heard no more of the wolves that night.

It was necessary for the early settler to have sheep at that time in preference to any other animal. For there was no other way he could be clothed but by making his own cloth for his family. The sheep would have to be kept at that time close to the house and shut up in a pen closed in top bottom and sides to keep the wolves out of the pen. But if the wolves chanced to get at the sheep they made such havoc among the  flock I have seen us have thirty six sheep and lambs killed in one night. And strange  to say when the wolves get among a flock of sheep they never thrived well afterwards they seemed to be so badly frightened that they never got over it.  

And also the early settler had trouble with his hogs if they got out in the woods they  were in danger of being attacked by bears. The bears would clench the hog in their forepaws and commence eating the hog alive. I have often seen us have to run to the woods when we heard the hog making a terrific sqalling with the dog and gun and  release the hog from the bear. Sometimes the hog would have great mouthfulls of flesh bitten out of his neck. The foxes at that time were hard on the poultry. The would come up in the middle of the day and grab a hen or goose and run away with  it. These were some of the troubles and trials that the early settlers had to contend  withe. The government at that time give bounties for these distructive animals, and it  had the desired effect they soon disappeared altogether.  

When I take a retrospective view of the old pioneer settlers of this country I can't help  coming to the conclusion that they were a wonderful class of men and women. They  seemed to have been made for the occasion. For energy pluck physical endurance  they could not be surpassed in any age of this country's history. There is no such  men and women now and they are not needed as the hard work of this country is all  done. There was among those settlers many strong and quaint specimens of humanity who always lead the advance in pioneer work in primitive civilization in a  new country. Many of these would rival those characters discribed by Dickens. Many of these old Pioneer Settlers only served their day when they cleared up the land and cropped it a few times. And their land became exhausted by consecutive cropping.  The did not know how to farm and keep their land in good condition and consequently  they had sell their farms and improvements and move farther back and go through the  same process of clearing up a new farm for some one else. When I think of the hardships these early settlers had to indure and the great amount of hard work they  had to perform and very often with scant food and clothing - Not properly clad nor  enough to keep them warm - And many disadvantages the poor poverty stricken  pioneer had to contend with - and it was not so much the hard work as it was the difficulties they had to encounter. Scarcity of food and clothing - bad houses to live in - bad roads to travel - and when they had anything to sell there was no price for it - and what they to buy they had to pay three or four times as much as we do now.    Wheat brought three York Shilling to fifty cents per bushel and oats from ten to  twelve cents per bushel. Cotton twenty five to fifty cents per yard. Tea one dollar per  pound. Sugar twenty five per pound and all things were high in demand withe these  prices.  

Notwithstanding the lack of proper food and clothing and all the necessaries of life.    The grand old pioneer toiled on with determined courage and perseverance. Hewed a  home out of the mighty forrest for his family and eventually made themselves a  comfortable home after years of toil and struggle. Notwithstanding all these   hardships, they had one great blessing they did not want much and very little  satisfied them. I have often thought of that old saying where ignorance is bliss it is  folly to be wise. We did not know much of the world at that time except hard labour and we thought we had to do it and there was no other way of making a living but by  hard work. We had land to clear and fence, house and barns to build, and roads to  make. All these things had to be done in order that we might secure for ourselves  and family comfortable homes. And it took us all our time summer and winter. In the winter the chopping was done. In the summer it was logged up and burned off ready for the seed and the land after being cleared had to be fenced and rails split for that   purpose. The first crop was harrowed in without plowing - with a three cornered harrow - and usually gave a splendid crop.  

When I look at the graves of those old pioneers I feel like saying with Will Carlton the  American poet sleep on old pioneer - you have done a great work - you richly deserve your rest - peace be to your ashes - you have served your day and generation well.  There was no reasonable obstacle to hard for him to overcome - no privations or  hardships that he could not endure - no emergency that he could not surmount. He  toiled on day and night with determined energy and perseverance. The mighty forrest  was conquered by him and brought into its present state of cultivation - and he   seemed to be made for that special purpose. The fine cultivated farms - palacial residences - fine orchards - good roads and bridges - railroads going through every  section of the country - all these vast improvements in the country were  accomplished within this period of sixty or seventy years which took countries  several centuries to build. All can be attributed to the hard work and industry of the  old pioneer who opened up the country and paved the way for a higher state of civilization and education which grew up with the country. We can now safely say  that we have one of the best educational systems in the world. The people of this  generation have nothing to do but to enjoy and live at ease on the fruits of the labour  of the old pioneer. They do not know nor have they any idea of the hardships the first  settler had to endure. And no one can know except those who have been there and  seen the country in its primitive state. The inhabitants of this present generation owe a great debt of gratitude to those old pioneers for the great work they have done for the country and future generations. They do not know they owe it and probably never will know it, but one who has done his share of the work knows it.  

               The above ends the work as is was discovered.

Notes from the librarian who found this bit of history: This document is an unsurpassed original. It is the memoir, undated and unnamed, of an early pioneer of Oxford County. It was found where a former County Clerk and amateur historian had left it, in a file labelled County History Materials (along with two  inducements from a paper antiquarian addressed to municipal Clerks to abandon themselves of their burden of old "useless" records).

 The memoir speaks for itself, and is transcribed letter by letter, along with a graphics image file to witness the original. Spelling and capitalization errors are reproduced as  found; one extrapolation of meaning is permitted where it is evident that the author's  thoughts ran ahead of his pen. "Habatans" and "Voyagers" are his rendering of the  French "habitants" and "voyageurs", being the earliest European explorers of the land. 

 Where it does not speak for itself is in its own place and dating, and here inference is  required. The author's father moved to Nissouri in northwest Oxford about 1821. At the   time there was no division between East and West Nissouri. It was so early in the Township's development that it was probably eastern Nissouri (now part of Zorra Township). This is because the hamlet of Ingersoll just to the south was only founded  in the years following 1795. Ingersoll is on a major river with two creeks joining it, an obvious source of water power for the inhabitants. Upstream was Beachville, founded  shortly afterwards. It would be many years before settlement expanded beyond these  river-based communities, and thence to the west and north; even as late as 1815 the  mapping indicates the Nissouri area as "Indian Lands". On the other hand, east or      west hardly matters, for the author's focus is on the country as a whole.  

There are some clues as to the date of the document. The author mentions variously  60, 70, 75, and 80 years. The reference date is never mentioned; presumably it is his own, or that of his family's, arrival. His central focus is the United Empire Loyalists who fled persecution after the American revolution against the Crown. He does not   mention the Great War. He mentions macadamized roads, carriages and cars, but  not the "horseless carriage" or "motor car"; probably therefore these are rail cars. He repeatedly mentions the telephone, and regards it as the height of technological advance.  

              This evidence places the memoir in the 1890's, not earlier, not later.