1799 ~ Follow-up
Settlement Report
The Council sent Agustus Jones to verify the 1797 report of Danforth and Greeley, only to find many inconsistencies. The document that follows is Mr. Jones counter report followed by harsh words by Peter Russell regarding the actions of the two original land agents.
It reads as follows:
1st July 1799
Read Mr. Jones’s return of settlers in the Townships of Hope, Hamilton, Haldimand, Cramahe, & Percy with their several improvements.
Percy
- Thomas Gastin Lot No17 1st Concession; about three acres partly cleard, said to be gone to the States to bring in his family.
- Gardner Cleaverland Lot No18 1st Concession; no improvements; said that his illness prevented him improving - also said that he is gone to the States to bring in his family and settle.
- Elias Turner Lot No20 1st Concession; about two acres partly cleard, said to be in the States.
- Justus Spalding Lot No14 2nd Concession; about ten acres cleard.
- Resolved Cleverland Lot No19 2nd Concession; about eight acres cleard, occupied by a Tennant.
- Barnabas Brunson Lot No24 2nd Concession; about ten acres cleard.
- Abner Silver Lot No14 3rd Concession; about three acres cleard - not settled.
- Jacob Dingman Lot No12 3rd Concession; about seven acres cleard.
- Roger Merrle Lot No24 3rd Concession; about four acres cleard.
- Ezra Woodworth Lot No14 4th Concession; a very trifling improvement - gone to the States some time now.
- Richard Sharp Lot No12 4th Concession; a small House & a trifling clearing.
- Elihu Lincoln Lot No12 5th Concession; about ten acres cleard.
- Rufus Well Lot No13 4th Concession; about two acres cleard, living in Cramahe.
- Amos Brunson Lot No23 4th Concession; about three acres cleard.
Signed A. Jones D.P.S.
1st July, 1799
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
T 24
The Board took into consideration the Reports made by Mr. Jones on the state of the Townships of Hope, Haldimand, Hamilton, Cramahe and Percy, together with the Counter-Reports of Mr. Rogers, Mr. Greeley & ca - In perusing these Reports and Counter-Reports, the Board meets with hardly anything but additional proofs of the fraud, duplicity & unprincipled selfishness of the original Nominees of those Townships, who undertook to settle them with new Inhabitants but appear to have brought into them persons already settled in the Province; and in many instances have only borrowed their names. - The Board therefore earnestly Recommends that the order of the President & Council, by which the Returns of the Persons said to be settled in those Townships are confirmed, be suspended, and that no Warrants issue for any of those Lots until the 1st July 1800, at which time if an improvement of a house & five acres be made, a Warrant shall issue to the person equitably entitled thereto, which Warrant must be taken out within three months from that date or the Lot will be declared open. Those who have already exceeded that quantity, and are settled on the Lots, may have their Warrants immediately.
Confirmed
Signed, P. R.
(Peter Russell)
Source: Upper Canada Land Books, (RG, L1), Land Book D pp. 388, 398-400
Microfilm Reel C-101, National Archives of Canada
Last Updated March 21, 2007