Pioneer Life on the Bay of Quinte, 1904

Pioneer Life on the Bay of Quinte

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Records of the Bay of Quinte

No book is more widely known by Quinte researchers than the Pioneer Life on the Bay of Quinte (PLBQ), published in 1904.

The other book that I love is the History of the Settlement of Upper Canada with Special Reference to the Bay of Quinte by William Canniff, 1869. Canniff wrote 3 books, all found at Our Roots.

Both books contain errors but their positive value overshadows any criticism. They are rich in genealogical information and stories of emigration, pioneering challenges and the politics of the day. A great help in imagining life at that time.

PLBQ was a subscription book. Individuals paid to have their family story and lineage entered in the book and someone in the family collected the information and wrote the section. This accounts for the errors in lineage and the sometimes inflated stories. Especially common is the claim of "loyalist" to settlers who by official standards do not meet the criteria.		plbq

These online books are searchable.
Two other books that I have found very helpful in understanding the social norms and tensions in early Upper Canada.
  • 'Union is Strength': W.L. Mackenzie, The Children of Peace, and the Emergence of Joint Stock Democracy in Upper Canada, Albert Schrauwers, Univ. of Toronto press, 2009, p. 144
  • Plunder, Profit, and Paroles, A Social History of the War of 1812 in Upper Canada, George Sheppard, McGill, Queen's Univ. Press, 1994

Go here for links to online microfilm.

A sample of other sites I visit