The assessment was transcribed from The Ontario Register Volume III which
originally copied it in September 1938 from a family book recording
genealogical data on the Dafoe family which was compiled in 1917 by
William Allen Dafoe, M.D., of Madoc, Ontario.
The following notation ended the original list. "I do certify that the
above is a true copy of the Assessment of Fredericksburgh for the year
1808, John Jayne and Peter Fredrick, the Assessors; Allen MacLean, Clerk
of Peace, Midland District."
The assessment lists:
1. uncultivated acreage --John Hart had 120 acres
2. acreage cultivated --JH had 30 acres
3. type of buildings; round log buildings (rl), square timber building
(sq) --JH had a round log building
4. horses (h) --JH had 2
5. cattle (c) --JD had 4
6. swine (s)
The Arrival of the Loyalists
Early in the spring of 1784, a fleet of boats traveled westward through
the St. Lawrence River carrying passengers of British and Dutch descent.
These people, from the United States, preserved their loyalty to the
British rule during the American Revolution. They sailed up the river
carrying what few possessions they could. They were supplied with tents
and blankets by the Government of Canada while land was surveyed and
distributed amongst the groups of loyalists. The Township of
Fredericksburgh was chosen by Colonel (Robert)Rogers and the Township of
Adolphustown was chosen by Major VanAlstine. These townships had been
named for the children of George III who had provided homes for the
Loyalists.
Areas north of the Napanee River were soon settled by other families of
Loyalists. The felling of trees and the clearing of land had begun.
Everyone worked from dusk 'till dawn helping one another. After a few
years of good crops and crop failures, the need arose for a grist mill
where grain could be ground into flour. An area by the falls of the
Appanea River was chosen for construction of the mill in 1785.
A small village was soon established south of the river named Clarksville
after Robert Clark, the man who designed and built the mill. The mill was
operated in the early 1800's by a well known local man by the name of
Allan Macpherson. He soon came to believe that there would be better
settlement north of the river. Therefore he built the first house on the
north bank of the river and soon helped in creating the first school and
the first printing press in the area. In 1831, the village of Napanee was
designed and was divided into streets and lots. From this point in
history, Napanee has grown and prospered to what it is today.
Exiled From United States
Loyalist Country.
Today in Lennox and Addington, the Loyalist Parkway hugs the limestone
shores of Lake Ontario, transecting the Townships along the front which
were surveyed for the resettlement of Loyalists, exiled from the American
Colonies by the Revolutionary War. The Loyalist burying ground in
Adolphustown Park is a silent reminder of the exiles from the American
Colonies.
In Great Britain's American colonies, discontent turned to rebellion in
1775. About twenty per cent of the population were Loyalists. They came
from every colony and stratum of society. These loyal Americans supported
Britain's royal cause for a variety of reasons from political or moral
principles to expediency because of partisan pressures or the presence of
opposing armies near their homes.
The political results of the American rebellion were the end of imperial
unity and the creation of the United States. The human outcome was a
large number of fearful, anxious and exhausted refugees. Beginning in
1783, about 40,000 Loyalists were evacuated at government expense to
British North America, mainly through New York State. Others trekked
overland to what is now the Province of Quebec.
These "Loyalists" included fam