snacktime

for chipmunk and squirrel

the Algoma

still docked at the harbour

winter and summer

view from Sam Lawrence Park

Robert Land

As a continuation of last week's post, this is the family plot of Colonel Robert Land whose father (also a Robert) was helped by Ralph Morden. Land was shot and his pursuers followed a trail of blood until they finally gave up thinking he was probably dead.  But Robert I, now 43 years of age in 1778, had survived and received a grant of land in Niagara Falls where he lived for three years in a miserable state without his family before moving farther west (apparently to get away from the sound of the Falls). Meanwhile, his wife Phoebe and about 6 of his 7 children (one stayed in the Delaware Valley where they were living when the Revolutionary War broke out), thinking him to be dead had moved on to safety in New Brunswick but made their way to to Niagara for better prospects. After a few years they heard about a lone white settler named Land. Barely believing it could be true but hoping, Phoebe and her son Robert made the 50 mile trek and found him at this cabin. By now the family had been separated for 11 years. The reunited family stayed and settled and in 1794 Robert I and four of his sons were granted a total of 1112 adjoining acres. The younger Robert became a Freemason and would join the militia in the War of 1812 where he attained the title of Lt Col for his duties as well as receiving a land grant of a further 220 acres. He was also involved in the 1837 Rebellion. Though he retired soon after from poor health, he would live another 30 years and die at age 95. There is an interesting and informative story of the Land family history you can read here. The Lands are considered the founders of what is now Hamilton.

This family vault is unusual in that it is an underground vault and has no windows. He is buried with 20 members of his family within including his father, the first Robert Land (1736-1818). 

Col Robert Land 1772-1867 along with his wife Hannah Horning 1777-1870. They had eight children.

for a Taphophile Tragics

steel

and leaves

grooming

trillium

Ontario's provincial flower

for a Floral Friday

a touch

of red

on James Street North

receiving

information on rooftops

Thayendanegea

at Hamilton Port Authority

Grove Cemetery

The Grove Cemetery was established in 1852 to help out when the Union Cemetery in Dundas became full. It is located on land that was sold to William Hare in 1808. The Hares died of cholera during the epidemic of 1832 and were buried on their land. Before the Hares, the land was granted to Ann Morden and her family, who were the first settlers in the area, in 1787. United Empire Loyalists, her husband had been found guilty of treason and hanged in Philadelphia for trying to help a friend escape to Canada. Three of her sons had joined Loyalist armies and by chance met together after the war in Niagara where they then connected with Robert Land, the man who their father had helped. By then the best land around Lake Ontario had already been taken so when they brought their mother and remaining siblings to join them, they were granted land in the Dundas Valley.

for a Taphophile Tragics

bike rack

small house

for sale

in Kirkendall

orchid

for Floral Friday

a bench

on Bay Street

a corner

in the renovated Lister Block

remembering

Shelby

Carroll Shelby 1923-2012

dates

There was no other identifying information near this headstone. I was struck at first by the simplicity and then by the dates that left out the month and day. The birth and death of both Mother and Father occurring in the same years and Margaret, presumably the daughter, born in the year of Confederation and dying in the last year of WWII. 

All three made it into their 70s. 

from the Hamilton Cemetery for a Taphophile Tragics

for lease

corner lot, big windows 

on Locke Street

fireplace

in Kenilworth Library

chickens

in steel

detail from yesterday's mosaic

steel quilt

art installation 

at 270 Sherman

reclaimed metal

Steeltown Pickers

collectables 

on Ottawa Street

1954

fire hydrant

Corey

Although his headstone says Long Island, it seems Morris Corey was actually from Cortlandt Manor, which is in Westchester County. He did leave for Canada from Long Island and maybe that is where his son, who erected this headstone, had the idea of his birthplace. Morris' father, Griffin Corey, was a prosperous farmer with considerable personal property. But with his loyalty to the British side and with two of Morris' brothers in the New York Volunteers, a loyalist regiment, the family's downfall was almost inevitable. Westchester County saw the worst of the fighting and suffering being sandwiched between the two headquarters of the British and American sides. Griffin was imprisoned for several months until he took an oath of allegiance in order to be released. He apparently suffered greatly from the imprisonment and in 1778 he fled and took refuge with the British on Long Island. The Americans stripped the family of all their holdings and the Corey family were left destitute.  With the family reunited in Long Island, Griffin (and some of the children) had become ill and he died in 1780, which further exacerbated the situation for his family.  With the help of British officers, by 1783 Sarah Corey and her children were evacuated and granted land in New Brunswick. Morris would have been around 7 or 8 years of age. In spite of all her hardships, Sarah managed to accumulate enough to leave each of her surviving children something in her will. Morris got the family farm in Gagetown. He had married Sarah, (known as Sally, born in 1785)  in 1804 and they had 12 children, the first eight being born in Gagetown. By 1822 the family had moved to Saltfleet, though why or how the family made the long trek from New Brunswick to Ontario is a mystery.

Our dear parents have gone

to mansions beyond yonder sky

to gaze on the bountiful throne

of him who is seated on high

for a Taphophile Tragics

heat and light

on the Osler House porch

singer

sewing machine 

still in use

what is old

is new again

two styles of police cars on Cannon Street

waking up

under the awning

community garden

first of May...

bitten

a cupcake bakery 

on Locke St S

sadly, closed....

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants