Chapter Four Continued: William and Louisa

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

By the time of the 1861 census, William Aberhart Sr. was living on his own, working as a blacksmith's assistant.

Egmondville had continued to grow, with a large Presbyterian church that was described as “a plain but spacious edifice capable of accommodating an audience of 450-500 people." William still listed his faith as Lutheran-Evangelical, but he was living in a Presbyterian home, and with no Lutheran church built yet, it's difficult to say if he practiced any religion at that time.

Constant Van Egmond was the magistrate, and since there was no jail in the village, he had the cellar windows of his house barred and used part of the cellar to incarcerate his prisoners. (1)

After Egmond's father died, the bulk of his land was offered at a sheriff’s sale. Eventually, it came to be owned by Christopher Sparling, who persuaded the Buffalo, Brantford & Goderich Railway (later the Buffalo & Lake Huron) to buy their right-of-way through his property. Shortly after, three lawyers and land speculators from the east, Patton, Bernard and Le Froy, bought land from Sparling and immediately had the whole lot surveyed into a town plot they registered as Seaforth. They also cinched the deal for the location of a railway station in Seaforth, offering land and agreeing to build the station at their cost.(2)

As a result, businesses began moving from Egmondville into Seaforth, and soon the town had retail stores, a doctor, a blacksmith, a post office, several hotels, a wagonmaker, and a number of firms engaged in the building trades and in the buying and selling of grain. (3)

In 1868 salt was discovered, giving a further boost to the area, and William went to work in the salt mines. He would also drive stagecoach, trading off with his brother Charles. His half-brother Henry, who was just a baby when they left Prussia, then worked as a teamster for the brewery in Egmondville.

About 1870 William married Louisa Pepper, daughter of John and Elizabeth Pepper from England. (4) Louisa's mother had died when she was quite young, and her father remarried on February 1, 1858, providing a mother for Caroline, Thomas, Timothy and Louisa.

His new wife was Rebekah Dobson, daughter of John and Ruth Dobson from New Brunswick. She was just 24 at the time, and Louisa's father was 44.(5) The couple would add four more children to the roster: William, Roger, George and Lucy.

Louisa's father was a farmer and classed as a Yeoman, meaning a man who cultivated his own land, with political rights, and he was on the voters list as early as 1851. Since grain was a huge industry at the time, and Seaforth a hub for grain distribution, Louisa may have met William on one of her father's trips to market.

In 1874, the couple were able to purchase a 20-hectare wheat farm at the crossroads of Tuckersmith and Hibbert Townships, about 14 miles from Seaforth. He was very successful and was able to gradually increase his holdings, even buying out his brother Henry's adjoining acreage.

William was described as tall and powerful, his muscles hardened from the salt mines, and it was said that he could toss barrels of salt into his wagons with little effort. Local merchants knew him as a thrifty man who struck hard bargains .

He had penetrating blue eyes and a flowing blond beard, worn in the Mennonite fashion, which blew over his shoulders as he drove his high-spirited horses through the countryside. He took no part in the community life, only occasionally joining his friends for drinks at the local tavern. (6)

By now he stated on census reports that he was a member of the 'free church' and since Louisa's father had suggested that he belonged to no church, this was not part of their lifestyle.

Louisa Pepper Aberhart worked alongside her husband on the farm. She was short and, in later life became quite stout, but strong and strong willed. All but one of her children were born without medical assistance, and she even left her bed shortly after the most difficult birth, to milk an ornery cow. She was described as a solitary person, who believed that a woman's place was in the home. She never voted or became involved in the women's suffrage movement, stating that "if men did not know how to run the country, she did not see how women could be expected to do any better." (6)

A bit of anger over the government for something it would appear.

The couple would have eight children, all born in the two-story, buff-coloured brick farmhouse, that was home until 1886, when they moved into Seaforth. Their son Louis ran a mill and machinery business, John became a blacksmith; Charles went to Pharamcy School and his parents set him up in a business; Wilfred became a barber and Harry a crook. Daughter Augusta moved to the U.S. with her husband, where she ran a rooming house and Nettie married and became the proprietor of a restaurant.

And son William (the tall lad in the middle, back row) would choose two unlikely careers, given the family's position on religion and politicians: A preacher and the Premier of Alberta. But he would play an even more important role, by combining those two things, starting the movement toward a desired federal theocracy in Canada.

Chapter Five: Spiritual Awakenings

Sources:

1. Egmondville and Van Egmond House, Heritage of Huron East, Virtual Tour

2. Seaforth Beginnings, Dean Robinson, Erin: Boston Mills Press, 1987.

3. A Souvenir of Seaforth, Canada. Toronto: The Grip Printing and Publishing Co. for Henderson, Seaforth, c. 1900

4. 1851;Census Place: Fullarton, Perth County, Canada West (Ontario). Schedule: A. Roll: C_11747, Page 57, Line: 10.

5. Huron District Marriage Register, Original Book, R.G. 80-27-1, Vol. 13, Microfilm MS 248 Reel #2, Provincial Archives of Ontario, Toronto.

6. Bible Bill: A Biography of William Aberhart, By: David R. Elliot and Iris Miller, Edmonton: Reidmore Books, 1987, Pg. 3

Chapter Four Continued: Political Climate

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

Vote for no man whose conduct in private and public life is not above suspicion, and inquire with due diligence before you give your suffrages.* William Lyon Mackenzie

Before any European settlers arrived in Upper Canada, there was a well established governing body. In fact the Six Nations Confederacy, has been referred to as the oldest living participatory democracy on earth. Another claim to fame for this country.

Democratic government for the new settlers was a bit slower going, and did not come about without a fight. In 1841 Upper and Lower Canada united, in response to the 1837 Rebellion, with Ontario becoming Canada West and Quebec Canada East.

The Reform Party was established decades before and another protest party, the Clear Grits, under George Brown, also emerged to challenge the status quo. (Eventually becoming the Liberal Party** of Canada)

Over the next several years coalitions were formed and broken, until 1867 when Confederation** brought about the new Dominion of Canada, with Sir John A. MacDonald as it's first Prime Minister.

However, even with suffrage, democracy was not quite as democratic as it sounds, because voting for most people was difficult. Distance to polling stations and poor travel conditions kept many settlements out of the process.

Voting was also oral, resulting in intimidation, blackmail, and even violence. The law stipulated that if no one showed up at a polling station for an hour, they could simply close their doors, so candidates would use hired thugs to prevent would be voters from making it inside, and unlimited free alcohol, usually led to further violence.

One polling station reported the following in the early days:

Passions ran so high that a terrible fight broke out. Punches and every other offensive and defensive tactic were employed. In the blink of an eye table legs were turned into swords and the rest into shields. The combatants unceremoniously went for each other's nose, hair and other handy parts, pulling at them mercilessly ... The faces of many and the bodies of nearly all attested to the doggedness of the fighting.

In fact it was stated that the reason why women weren't given the right to vote, was because these events were far too dangerous. Before 1867, 20 deaths and countless injuries occurred at polling stations as a result of riots, so I guess I can understand the reasoning.

But women were not the only ones left out of the process, since the criteria for the right to vote in Upper Canada was pretty restrictive, and applied only to British subjects with often exclusive definitions of what that meant. You also had to be a land owner and have been paying taxes for at least a year, and many government employees were also barred.

The Heffler-Aberhart family did not appear to be involved in politics, at least not in running for office, though Christopher Heffler did make the voter list beginning in 1877. Whether he exercised his right to vote is not recorded.

However, several years later, his wife's biological grandson would certainly earn his place in Canada's political history, as he too started a protest movement that would culminate in a new Reform Party, eventually forming the federal government in 2006, under Stephen Harper.

Since the party of Sir John A. was disbanded in 2003, ending a 150 year tradition, this new party claimed the title: The Conservative Party of Canada with a neo-Conservative mandate.

Chapter Four Continued: William and Louisa

Footnotes:

*Address to the reformers of Upper Canada Toronto, September 1834

** In 1867, Nova Scotia was greatly apposed to joining Confederation, until a popular scholar and theologian, George Monro Grant stepped in. It is said that without his involvement, there may not have been a Dominion of Canada, at least not at that time. And as a matter of coincidence, his great, great grandson, Michael Ignatieff, is now leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (in opposition to Stephen Harper), though Grant at the time was non-partisan.

Sources:

Elections Canada: A History of the Vote in Canada, British North America, 1758–1866

Chapter Four Continued: Saving His Soul

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

One of the reasons for the 1837 Rebellion was something called the Clergy Reserves, which were established in 1791 by Upper Canada's first lieutenant governor, John Graves Simcoe.

What the act allowed for was the designation of one-seventh of all Crown lands for "a Protestant clergy," though it was implied that would mean the Church of England (Anglican).

However, because it wasn't specific, the Presbyterians challenged the law and in 1824 the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) was added, though all revenues were still controlled by Anglican Bishop Strachan, chair of the Clergy Corporation. Strachan was aligned with the Tory elite as part of what was dubbed the Family Compact. (1)

The settlers had brought with them their own customs and traditions, including diverse religious practices, and soon they were all vying for a piece of the pie.

After the Rebellion, as an appeasement, the profits of the clergy reserves were distributed amongst all leading Protestant groups and in 1854, the lands were finally removed from church ownership and revenues transferred to the government.

All denominations now had the right to self government, though most did not have the resources to build churches, so various ministers would travel about, holding services in school houses, barns or private homes.

There was no census recorded for Tuckersmith in 1851, but in 1861 the Heffler family was listed as belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran denomination. (2) It would be several years before a Lutheran church was build in Egmondville, so they would have been ministered by one of the travelling preachers. Lutherans believe in the infallibility of the Bible, salvation and forgiveness.

These travelling preachers at the time, especially the Lutherans, also brought another element to the lives of some of the German settlers who didn't reside in German communities, including news relating specifically to them. And the fact that they could preach in German brought reminders of home and a sense of belonging.

By the time of that 1861 census, William, then 17, was already working as a blacksmith's assistant, possibly for Francis Angus, a Scotsman and Presbyterian. He may have boarded with him at the time, so it's not likely that he received much religion, at least not in the Lutheran tradition, as noted on the census. (3)

Continue to Political Climate

Sources:

1. The Bishops of the Church of England in Canada and Newfoundland, by Charles Henry Mockridge, 1896

2. 1861; Census Place: Tuckersmith, Huron, Canada West; Roll: C-1037; Page: 5, lines 41-46

3. 1861; Census Place: Tuckersmith, Huron, Canada West; Roll: C-1037; Page: 4, Line 7

Chapter Four: William of Mecklenburg

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

When William Eberhardt arrived in Upper Canada in 1851, he was just seven years old. After being shipwrecked, robbed and bounced along roads that surely must be leading to Hades, the family arrived at their final destination, which actually, would not have done much to convince the young lad that they hadn't indeed landed in Hades.

A settlement in the backwoods of Upper Canada in 1851, was a pretty intimidating place. But to the Heffler-Eberhardt family this would be home.

And that family then included his step-father Christopher Heffler (the original German spelling was Hoeffler) (1), his mother Sophia, brother Charles, who was close to William's age, and a half-brother Henry, who was just a baby; the first child of Sophia and her new husband. At least four more siblings would be born at Tuckersmith, all Hefflers: Loucina, Fresia, John (who appears to have died between 1861 and 1871) and Louis. (2)

Growing Up in Tuckersmith

In many ways the Heffler-Eberhardt family prospered in sync with the hamlet of Egmondville. They never enjoyed the riches of the Egmond family, but their evolution from penniless immigrants to contributing citizens was just as profound.

Most of their time would be spent at the homestead, clearing land, building, making furniture and furnishings, and struggling to survive. But trade and the acquiring of provisions would be done in Egmondville, which had become a thriving little community.

In 1852, Valentine Boehler had established a pottery on land purchased from the Van Egmond family for £20. In 1854, the youngest of Susanne's children, August; started the Van Egmond Woolen Mills and in 1866, two of August's sons, Leopold and William, upgraded the woolen Mill and constructed a three storey brick building.

There were two blacksmith shops, one across from Constant Van Egmond’s house. There was also a wagon and carriage shop, a brewery, a post office and a general store. All of this would have been the backdrop to William's formative years. (3)

There was a schoolhouse at the time as well, but I don't believe he ever attended, since he grew up never learning to read or write. Or at least not being able to read or write English. The family probably spoke only German, at least in the early years, which would have been an impediment in an English speaking school, where the teacher probably knew only that language. And of course, William's help would have been required at home, so schooling was a luxury they couldn't afford.

There was also a large Aboriginal population, members of the Six Nations, who played a significant role in the community. New settlers learned a lot about crop rotation, proper clothing and surviving the elements from people who had been doing it for centuries.

If there was time for play, games were probably based on those played in Prussia, which were not unlike those most children played everywhere. Verstecken (hide and seek) or Fangen (chase or catch). Aboriginal children also shared one of their favourites with young pioneers; follow the leader. This was part of their growing up, since it would always include the necessary skills for travel through the forests. Music and stories were also probably those learned by Sophia and Christopher when they were children.

William's parents may have been stern, since it was a trait passed on to future generations. But they were probably also very hard working, another trait passed on through the years.

Chapter Four Continued: Saving his Soul

Sources:

1. Christopher Heffler - Code: 1823.15 Primary Immigrant: Heffler, Christopher, National Archives of Canada in Ottawa, Index to the 1871 Census of Ontario: Huron. Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, By: Bruce S. Elliot, 1986, Page: 110

2. 1871 Census: Huron South, Tuckersmith, Division: 3 Microfilm Roll: C-9929 Page: 43

3. Egmondville and Van Egmond House, Heritage of Huron East, Virtual Tour

Chapter Three Continued: Family Burdens

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

After burying her husband, the government of Upper Canada seized all the "Colonel's" possessions, with the exception of the home and cleared acres, which had been put in the name of Susanne and her children.

In a patriarchal society the eldest son is generally the heir to all property, but in the case of Constant Louis, the eldest son of Anthony, he was forced to become a surety, assuming his father's massive debts*.

But Susanne had learned to accept the highs and lows of a grifter's life, and was determined not to let this setback ruin the prestige their name, or at least someones name; had lent to the region. With eight grown children, all able-bodied, she put everyone to work. Their family clung to the story that the "Colonel" had been wronged and they were working to honour him in death by restoring his reputation. Susanne insisted that everyone call her 'Madam'; a self-appointed, not inherited, title.

In 1845, Constant officially registered the hamlet of Egmondville and in 1847, built a large brick house on his property, which still stands today, and is open to the public as a museum. Claiming that the reason Tucker-Smith was so slow to develop, was because the Canada Company had fallen behind in its obligation to build roads and bridges, churches and schools; he made a pledge to change that.
In 1849, he donated land for a church and burial ground. The church was built entirely by volunteer labour and with donated materials, and was open for business on July 21, 1850. He then had his father's body moved to the adjoining cemetery. (1)

When the Heffler family arrived in 1851, the area was bustling with activity, much of it guided by the Van Egmond family, under the direction of the family matriarch.

Ironically, Susanna and Sophia Heffler would have a lot in common; yet they would spend their remaining years in near solitude. "Madam", who had moved into her son's new home, had become increasingly paranoid, and in fact would spend the last fifteen years of her life in bed. The burden of the "secret" had overwhelmed her.**

Sophia's solitude on the other hand, would not be self inflicted, but the result of having to raise her children in the backwoods, where she too drove her family, out of necessity, to work hard and make the most of their unplanned circumstances. Arriving with nothing, they no doubt had accumulated debts that had to be paid off.

Her first home was probably little more than a log shanty, built from the trees her family had to fell themselves. At the time, there was very little assistance offered from the government of Upper Canada. They believed that their only duty was to make sure that roads were built that would enable settlements in the vast wilderness. The rest was to be handled by the private enterprise of the Canada Company, and since their only motivation was profit, most families were left to their own devices.

Also the barrier of distance, aggravated by the condition of most of the roads at the time, did not make it easy for a social life. But two communities would grow up around them: Egmondville and Seaforth, and the Aberhart name would be linked to both.

Continue to Chapter Four: William of Mecklenburg

Footnotes:

* Estate of Anthony Jacob William Gilbert Van Egmond, Huron County, File 290, MFNO: 1156, March 20, 1838.

** In 2009, a well known psychic, Annette Sullivan, visited the Egmond home, and confirmed that it was haunted. “Egmondville is a storehouse for psychic energy - you’ve got generations connected to the Van Egmond House and a family that was done wrong by the Canadian government. They never got paid - that’s why they’re still there.”

Of course they were not wronged by the government, but had perpetrated a hoax. However, this confirms that Susanne and her children did an excellent job of continuing a lie that began with Antonij's fake identity. Sullivan also states: “This lady will not rest until the items that belong to the family are tagged with the Van Egmond crest...” If Susanna is having trouble resting in the after life, it has nothing to do with a crest that did not belong to her, but a fabricated life and a "lie" that she thought she took to her grave.

Sources:

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, 1836-1850 (Volume VII), By: W. J. Van Veen

Egmondville and Van Egmond House, Heritage of Huron East, Virtual Tour

The Canada Company and The Huron Tract, 1826-1853, By: Robert C. Lee, Natural Heritage Books, 2004, ISBN: 1-896219-94-2

Chapter Three: Secret Moves

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

The hamlet of Egmondville, in the Township of Tucker-Smith, Huron County; was just finding it's feet when the Heffler family arrived in 1851. Leaving a country embroiled in rebellion they may not have realized that Tucker-Smith also had a rebellious history, or at least one of their most famous settlers did.

Anthony Van Egmond had been in his grave for 13 years by then, but his name would be seen often by the family on a fingerboard nailed to a post, that directed the way to Egmondville. There's no escaping a legend.

But little did they know that the real legend had escaped everyone.

Madam Marie Susanne Elizabeth Dietz Van Egmond

Quite a title for a women living in Tucker-Smith, Huron County in the mid nineteenth century. And reading her name you just know that there is a long and interesting story of affluence and gentility, who should be receiving only the finest members of society.

So what was she doing in Tucker-Smith?

Hiding I suspect.

Because Madam Marie Susanne Elizabeth Dietz Van Egmond, was actually Susanne Gijbena (nee: Dietz?) from Mainz Germany, and the man she married was not Anthony Van Egmond, but was born Antonij Jacobi Willem Gijbena (aka Gysbert) from Groesbeek, Netherlands. And he was not a descendant of the Dutch royal family as he claimed, but the son of the local sheriff, Johannes Arnoldus Gijbena and his wife Maria Bloem. He was born on March 10, 1775 and baptized two days later in the Reform Church.

His father was murdered when he was 12 and Antonij chose a life of crime. It caught up with him when he was about 20, and he was forced to flee to Germany.

The story that the 'Colonel' liked to tell was that he was a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars. He claimed to have been among the soldiers in Napoleon’s march to Moscow and that he was wounded at Waterloo. However, official records make no mention of him as an officer or a soldier, but rather as part of the army service, " ... probably involved in merchandising, supplies, and transportation." He was never wounded unless it was a paper cut.

Meanwhile, on January 8, 1802; an extradition order had been drawn up, that cited the record of the Gijben murder case in Groesbeek, and the authorities complained that they were having a lot of trouble tracking Antonij down. This meant that the crime he was running from had to have been pretty serious for them to go to so much trouble to find him.

What may have tipped them off was the fact that about six months prior, someone identified as a “prominent businessman” had requested a copy of Gijben’s baptismal certificate from the Groesbeek registers. This document was then used to fabricate a lineage to Van Egmond, despite the fact that the last count of that family had died childless in 1707.

From there the records stopped, until he turned up in Mainz where he would meet Susanne. Their first child, Constant, was born there on April 9, 1808; and the family would spend the next few years on the run, before turning up in Pennsylvania. By then they had five boys and three girls, and had bought some land; but in 1826 their property was seized and sold at auction for back taxes.

This was when Antonij, now calling himself Colonel Anthony Van Egmond, would try his luck in Upper Canada. Because he could speak German, and seemed to have a knack for organization, John Galt hired him to build a road through Huron county, to aid further settlement. He was to be paid one third in cash and the remainder in land. Apparently he never received the money, or at least not all of it, though he did manage to acquire 13,000 acres.

He and his sons would clear 100 of them and he built a home with a tavern attached, which became the local watering hole.

Soon his regulars began telling him tales of corruption involving the Canada Company, that had the contract for settlement, and told stories of how settlers were being driven off their lands if someone was willing to pay a higher price for it.

Antonij joined the Reform Party and even ran for office twice. During the 1835 campaign his lineage was questioned, with rumours that he came from the slums of New York. They were right to question his lineage, but had his roots all wrong.

Realizing that a political career was not in the cards, he began to write to William Lyon MacKenzie, the editor of the Colonial Advocate. MacKenzie had published a lot of stories exposing the corruption of both the the Tory government and the Canada Company, so they soon became allies.

On December 7, 1837, he made his way to Montgomery Tavern in Toronto to join the Rebellion. It failed and the fraudster hid out in a farmhouse until discovered and put in the Toronto Jail. There he became quite ill and was transferred to the Toronto General Hospital, where he died of a stroke on January 5, 1838. Just before his death he gave one of his descendants a piece of paper. It was his original baptismal certificate, and for many years it remained in the family, with future generations unsure of what it was.

Susanne and her sons would bring her husband's body back in a wagon. He would be waked at the house that he built and buried in the backyard. But his secrets would not be buried with him.

Chapter Three Continued: Family Burdens

Sources:

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, 1836-1850 (Volume VII), By: W. J. Van Veen

The Canada Company and The Huron Tract, 1826-1853, By: Robert C. Lee, Natural Heritage Books, 2004, ISBN: 1-896219-94-2

Chapter Two: Bolder Moves

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

Before 1871, the Duchy of Mecklenberg, was not part of Germany. For centuries it had operated under a system of "Inherited Serfdom", where nobles had complete authority and the only rights of the peasants was the right to pay taxes. They couldn't marry without permission and could even be bought and sold.

In 1806, when Napoleon conquered the area, many of the men of Mecklenberg were conscripted for military service, and almost 2000 lost their lives fighting in Russia for the emperor. During the seven years of French occupation, Mecklenberg suffered poverty and destruction; much of the destruction coming about as a result of the poverty.

In 1820 serfdom was abolished there, meaning that the peasants were freed from their obligations to land owners, but it also meant that land owners were freed from their obligations to the peasants, and many were forced into even greater poverty, hiring themselves out as day labourers, travelling the countryside, plowing, planting or harvesting crops. (1)

This was the Mecklenberg of Sophia's birth.

She would later marry William Eberhardt and in February of 1844, would give birth to a son, who would be given his father's name.

At the time, there were different classes of peasants, with some owning land, but it was still difficult for anyone not of noble birth, as the duchy had not yet caught up with the rest of Europe, where there was a growing middle class.

German Women and German Song

German women, German loyalty, German wine and German song
Shall retain in the world
Their old beautiful chime;
And inspire us to noble deeds
During all of our life.
German women, German loyalty,
German wine and German song!

By the time of William Jr.'s birth, there was a swelling grassroots movement across the German states against the tyranny of the noble landowners, and by 1848, many secret meetings of reform societies were being held, making plans for a political revolution.

Fuelling the passions was the promise of a new pan-German union to challenge the status quo. Tired of high taxes, censorship and the lack of basic human rights, the movement quickly gained momentum.

A banner was created with the colors that would eventually form the present German flag: black, red, and gold; and an official anthem written to the music of Joseph Haydn, was sung by the rebels as they protested in what has been called the March Revolution.

Forced to concede, the ruling elite drew up a new constitution on March 23, 1848, recognizing the need for reform. However, the victors were not fully prepared to share governing, and in Prussia the nobles sued for their 'rights' and the new constitution was annulled in September of 1850. (2)

By that time William Sr. was deceased, possibly killed during the revolution, and Sophia would remarry; a widower 20 years her senior, by the name of Christopher Heffler.

Not long after the hard fought for constitution was annulled, Sophia and Christopher would leave Mecklenberg, to become part of a mass emigration of what came to be known as the Forty-Eighters (3). Ranging from doctors, lawyers, musicians and painters; to tailors, farmers, cap makers and labourers; all gave up their fight to find their place in their homeland and would now just seek a new one.

In some cases, money was actually put up by noble landowners, believing that the best way to get rid of the peasant problem, was simply to get rid of the peasants.

Rough Seas and New Battles

This increase in emigration naturally brought about an increase in the need for emigrant ships, and for those not fortunate enough to be able to afford higher priced tickets, they were often left at the mercy of unscrupulous ship owners and agents.

There were constant complaints of overcrowding, poor food, abuse, and of course disease; prompting the cartoon above, showing children being stuffed into barrels (4).

We can only imagine the conditions for Sophia and her family. Obviously not part of the upper class, since her son William would grow up never being able to read or write, the voyage was probably spent in steerage, which wouldn't have not been much better than being stuffed into a barrel.

However, things would get worse when they became shipwrecked off the coast of Newfoundland, and before the crew would allow them into the lifeboats, they would have to hand over all of their money and possessions. (5)

Thus the Heffler family would arrive penniless as they made their way up the St. Lawrence to Hamilton. Given their circumstances, they were offered settlement in Tucker-Smith township, an area that had been very slow developing, mainly due to the horrendous travel conditions.

The family would then continue their journey, along those horrible roads in an oxcart, where a seven year old boy, who had seen enough adventure to last a lifetime, would no doubt wonder what life now had in store.

Continue to Chapter Three: Secret moves

Sources:

1. History of Mecklenberg, By: Ros Davies

2. Germans and the Revolution of 1848-1849, By: Justine D Randers-Pehrson , 1999, ISBN: 082044118X

3. German Corner, by Klaus Wurst and Norbert Muehlen, Davitt Publications, 1996

4. From Die Reform, Nr. 46, 1848, S. 184 (Hamburg)

5. Bible Bill: A Biography of William Aberhart, By: David R. Elliot and Iris Miller, Edmonton: Reidmore Books, 1987, Pg. 2

Chapter One: Bold Moves

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

In 1825 the British Parliament incorporated the Canada Company, a private enterprise; to handle future settlement in the province of Upper Canada.

Whereas in and by a certain Act of Parliament made and passed in the sixth year of our reign, entitled, " An Act to enable His Majesty to grant to a Company, to be incorporated by Charter, to be called 'The Canada Company,' certain Lands in the Province of Upper Canada, and to invest the said Company with certain Powers and Privileges, and for other Purposes relating thereto: After reciting, amongst other things that divers persons had united together to establish a company for purchasing, improving, settling, and disposing of certain lands in the province of Upper Canada .... (1)

Their mandate included making necessary travel arrangements for emigrants; land distribution and the provision of the necessary tools required to carve out a life in the vast wilderness of the region. What this amounted to was the private purchase of about 2.5 million acres of land for $295,000. And since this endeavour was the brainchild of the Scottish novelist John Galt, he would act as superintendent.

In 1824, Galt dispatched a provisional committee to the province, to get the lay of the land, so to speak. The plan was to divide the province into tracts, that could be sold to wealthy investors; who in turn would further divide and sell the land again.

One of these tracts was a pie-shaped piece that stretched from present day Guelph to Goderich, which became known as the Huron Tract.

One of the members of this committee, was Martin Tucker-Smith, a London banker, who would become one of the directors of the Canada Company. When the Huron Tract was sub-divided into townships, approximately 40,850 acres would be sectioned off as Tucker-Smith, in his honour. The land was described as " ... rolling and considered by the early settlers to be one of the most fertile in the County".

However, by 1835, the official census revealed that there were only 61 souls residing in Tucker-Smith: 17 boys and 10 girls under the age of sixteen; 18 adult males and 16 adult females. (3) Hardly thriving when compared to most others.

Taverns and Mud Holes

In 1827, a new arrival, calling himself Anthony Van Egmond; would be hired to build a passable road through the bush, from Wilmot in Wellington County to Goderich; a distance of about 40 miles. His contract stipulated that he had three years to complete such a road, that must include three inns at various intervals, for the convenience of future travellers. He would receive one third of his payment in cash and the rest in land.

However, he and his son Constant completed the task in about a year and he was granted 13,000 acres in Tucker-Smith, making him the largest private landholder in the Huron Tract.

How good the road was is open for debate, but generally most in Upper Canada at the time were barely passable. In 1836, when Anna Jameson was summoned to Canada by her husband, Robert; who had been appointed chief justice of Upper Canada, she had to travel from New York to Toronto on her own, and described the conditions in her book Winter Studies and Summer Rambles in Canada:

" ... The roads were throughout so execrably bad that no words can give an idea of them. We often sank into mud-holes above the axle trees; then over trunks of trees laid across swamps, called here corduroy roads, where my poor bones dislocated. A wheel here and there, or a broken shaft lying by the wayside, told of former wrecks and disasters. In some places they had, in desperation, flung huge boughs of oak into the mud abyss, and covered them with clay and sod, the rich green foliage projecting on either side. This sort of illusive contrivance would sometimes give way, and we were nearly precipitated in the midst. By the time we arrived at the township of Blanford, my hands were swelled and blistered by continually grasping with all my strength an iron bar in front of my vehicle to keep myself from being flung out, and my limbs ached woefully."

Regardless; Van Egmond cleared about a hundred acres of land, planted the first wheat in the township and built a sturdy home, complete with the obligatory tavern.

"The erection of a church or chapel generally precedes that of a schoolhouse in Upper Canada, but the mill and tavern invariably precede both." Anna Jameson (3)

The Colonel was now open for business, with 20, four-horse wagon teams to assist the arriving emigrants.

Chapter One Continued: Family Affairs and Armed Citizens

Sources:

1. History of the colonies of the British Empire ... from the official records of the Colonial Office, By Robert Montgomery Martin, H. Allen and Co. and George Routledge, 1843, Pg. 76

2. The Canada Company and the Huron Tract, 1826-1853: Personalities, Profits and Politics, By Robert C. Lee, Natural Heritage Books, 2004, ISBN-13: 978-1896219943, Pg, 232

3. Bits and Pieces of Brantford's History, By: Gary Muir, 1913