Land, Power, and Economics on the Frontier of the Upper CanadaThe prevailing ideology in Ontario at the time was a conservative culture that rejected everything American and attempted to preserve the best of the British world in the new Eden. Those building the state believed that a social and political hierarchy composed of those possessing a “natural virtue” would serve society best. In consequence, a few individuals at the top of the hierarchy, through their access to power, came to control the bulk of the land, the basis of the economy. At the other end of the spectrum from the elite were those transforming the land and themselves through their own labour. How did the physical environment and government land policy affect the pattern of settlement and the choice of land for a viable farm? What was the price of land, and how common was credit? Did the presence of reserved lands hinder or promote development? How extensive was land speculation and how did it operate? Clark brings these issues and more to the forefront, integrating concepts and substantive issues through a problem-oriented approach. Blending qualitative and quantitative approaches, he weaves together surveyors' records, personal and government correspondence, assessment rolls, and land records to measure the pulse of this pre-industrial society. |
Contents
The Physical Background | 3 |
Acquiring Indian Land in the | 94 |
European Land Acquisition after the First | 155 |
Sales in Essex | 208 |
The Upper Canadian | 264 |
Who Were the Speculators and How Extensive | 295 |
The Strategies of Speculators | 336 |
The Corporate Sector | 424 |
Context and Conclusion | 443 |
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Abstract Index acquired acquisition acreage Alexander Grant Amherstburg Anderdon Township average Berczy British Caldwell Canada Company Canadian cent confidence level Clarke clergy reserves cluster Colchester Colchester Township concession Crown land D.W. Smith Detroit District of Hesse Essex County Executive Council Figure Gagan Gates Gosfield Gosfield townships Haldimand held Huron Ibid included Index to Deeds Indian individuals Iredell James Baby John Askin King’s Land Board Land Policies land prices land speculators Lieutenant Governor lots Loyalist Mahlon Burwell Maidstone Malden Township Matthew Elliott McGill McKee ment merchant Mersea Mersea Township militia mortgages number of transactions Ontario patent Patrick McNiff Pattinson pence per acre period political province purchase Quebec records reported Rochester Sandwich Schiefflin settlers Simcoe society sold Source statistics survey surveyor Table Talbot Thomas Tilbury tion Upper Canada Western District William Dummer Powell William Robertson