August 2, 1824

August 2, 1824

Dear Diary,

I haven’t really gotten a lot of news. Well I still have a lot that I wrote down when mama took me to the news stand but…all the ones I have left are the ones mama recorded for me. And to be honest…they are so boring. I mean she wrote down stories about timber wood and discovering the foundations of your community. I mean…did she honestly think I would be interested in those stories? Well to make matters worse, mama never got the chance to read my stories or see how I develop them. So today, she decided to watch me write them in you Diary. And I couldn’t say that I thought her news stories were boring right in front of her. So I wrote the stories in my notebook, that way it would seem like I was writing in you. And since mama never saw me write my stories before, she didn’t know the difference between you and my notebook. It was kind of funny seeing her being tricked so easily…but…I felt really bad about lying to her. So to make myself feel a little bit better about what I did, I will write her stories in you as well.

The first one I will tell you is about timber.

In British North America, the timber industries were higher than ever because England needed timber for many different reasons. (They needed it for paper, for building ships and houses, shoes, eating utensils, furniture, wagons, and jewelry).

*I personally think it would be kind of cool to walk around wearing jewelry made out of wood.

Anyways…I should get back to the story.

So where was I…oh yeah…lumber.

So meanwhile, the lumber industry’s workers were living in isolated camps near the St. Lawrence River, the Saint John River, and the Ottawa River. They were cutting down trees and turning the logs into squares so that they would be easier to pack on ships.

And yeah…that’s pretty much it. I don’t think there was anything else mama wrote down about timber and lumber. (Thank goodness)

Now I will tell you the other story about…about…something to do with our community. (I forget what it’s called).

Here’s the story…well…it’s not really a story. It’s just a bunch of questions mama wanted me to answer because she thought my answers might be interesting. But I’m not going to tell you my answers; I will just tell you some of the questions and my favourite answer I told mama. So the questions were basically asking you what you daydream about and why you want to remember things in the past. So my favourite answer I said was answering the question that asked, “Why do you want to remember people or events from the past?”

And I replied with “sometimes I wish I didn’t remember things from the past; like papa’s death and how it happened, and even how we had to move houses. But I do like some memories, especially the ones that happened only because of the bad times we had as a family. If we didn’t move, I wouldn’t have started to write in you Diary, and I wouldn’t have known about the news stand, then I wouldn’t know how good of a writer I was, and how I was going to write a book. So even though we all have some bad memories…I would just like to state that I would still love to remember them, than try not to at all. After all memories have a part in making us who we are.”

And that’s what I told mama. I think it answered the question but she was staring at me the whole time I was speaking, so whatever came out of my mouth was put on paper.

And that’s all I have for now Diary.

Love,

Samantha Jones

July 4, 1822

July 4, 1822

Dear Diary,

Ever since the war got over, mama has going out to work in the fields again. She seems to be doing alright but now I have to work in the fields with her as well. We normally come in to nap at around 5 pm but I am going to write instead. (And just because I’m writing, doesn’t mean I’m not tired, so I’m going to write some things in point form).

I never got to finish some of the stories from the news stand but I will do my best to get one done today. So when I was at the news stand, I read a story about agriculture and I thought it was quite interesting. So I will tell you that story today and hopefully I will get the chance to tell you the other ones soon. Agriculture was important to Upper Canada and Lower Canada.

[Ok, I’m going to start writing in point form now]

In Upper Canada

• Farms were more developed.
• They planted crops in between tree stumps.
• When the stumps rotted, they could remove them and plant other crops like oats. (I don’t get why they couldn’t remove them in the first place but…whatever…they probably know what’s best.

In Lower Canada

• Many families had been on their farms since New France.
• British settlers farmed around them.
• And I think that’s it.

Ok Diary, I really have to go because I m so tired I can barley keep my head up and write. So I guess I will see you next time.

Bye for now :)

Love,

Samantha Jones

June 30, 1822

June 30, 1822

Dear Diary,

It’s been a very, very long time since I last wrote in you. Ok, ok, it’s been like 26 years (or something like that) since I last wrote in you. But you’re lucky I still have you; mama was about to throw you out!

Anyways…

Like mama promised, she took me to the news stand everyday, and she even wrote down some news she thought I would like.

So…

You better brace yourself for the weeks worth of news you’re about to hear.

I’ll start with telling you about the Fur Trade Competition.

Well I think you’ve heard of the Hudson Bay Company; I call it HBC for short. You know, I always thought that trading was boring. I mean, all you do is give people fur in exchange for something like…I don’t know…food…or tools. Turns out, it’s a lot different than that.

So there are two different systems; one in the north and one in the south. The Montreal based trade is run by partnerships of England and Scots, and they competed against one another and HBC. Then a group of traders from Montreal joined forces and called themselves the North West Company. So my point is that HBC and the North West Company was having a huge fur trade competition and in 1783, the North West Company DOMINATED the fur trade. Since the North West Company was getting top quality furs, HBC was forced to leave Hudson Bay and try to start a new trading post.

But there are still a lot of traders I forgot to mention. There are the Métis people, Alexander Mackenzie, Simon Fraser, and David Thompson.

I will tell you a little about each one of them.

So the Métis people were very successful because their fathers were French coureurs de bois or Scottish traders, and their mothers were First Nations people. That is what gave the Métis people a strong trading advantage.

I didn’t really write about Alexander Mackenzie because I thought his story was kind of boring.

As for Simon Fraser and David Thompson, they went west of the Rocky Mountains and opened a new trading post there.

And you know how I told you that the North West Company dominated the HBC…well…both the companies ended up joining forces and some how the North West Companies went out of business. (I have no idea how that happened).

And that’s all for now Diary. I will get back to you tomorrow.

Love,

Samantha Jones

July 28, 1798

July 28, 1798

Dear Diary,

Remember how I told you about the war that was going to start. Well…I started awhile ago and mama and I are pretty scared. Usually, papa would tell us that everything was going to be ok. Now mama tries…but I can still see the fear in her eyes. She doesn’t even go work in the fields anymore. Now all we do is lock ourselves up in the house while we wait for a brave neighbour to come give us some news. I really hope this war ends soon.

Love,

Samantha Jones

P.S. it is too dangerous to go to the news stand now, so I don’t have any news to tell you. But mama and I agreed that I won’t be writing in you till the war ends, but she did promise that once it ends; we will go to the news stand every day for a week. That means I will have a ton of news to tell you soon.

See you later Diary.

June 17, 1793

June 17, 1793

Dear Diary,

Sorry I never finished my story earlier…but I was kind of busy…and this time it isn’t just chores like animal feeding…it’s taking care of my family. You know how papa was always working in the fields. Well one day he wasn’t feeling well so he came inside early…and as he was about to sit down…he fainted and didn’t wake up till the next day. It was really scary and mama and I thought we lost him. While he was sleeping, mama told me to go in to town and see if anyone knew first aid. When I got someone and came home…they said that papa had smallpox and that he is one of the lucky ones. Smallpox is deadly and can kill you quickly if you are not being treated…well I’m pretty sure that’s how it works…mama won’t tell me anything about it and every time I ask her she just screams at me and tells me to go to my room. A few months after papa got it…he passed away. I can’t get over the fact that he’s gone. But before he passed, I was in his room…with him…and he said “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to raise you and care for you as much as your mother. Don’t be mad at me but the other day I saw you writing in your notebook and while you were sleeping…I went through it. You are an amazing writer and I want you to continue writing your book. Don’t let the chores, the work, and mama get in the way of you. Because we both know how she is sometimes”. Then he told me to finish the book in honor of him. Then papa gave me his cross he had gotten from his father when he was a child and said “Whenever you think of me or get a stuck at a cross road, just hold on to that cross and know that I am always with you.” The next day papa passed. Now mama has to work in the fields all day to pay the taxes, and I have to feed the animals, cook breakfast, lunch and dinner, milk the cows, collect the eggs, clean up in the barn, do the dishes, and clean up in the house. And every time I complain, mama brings up papa and how he worked every day of his life without a word. It’s been hard writing again but I know that I have to finish my stories for papa. I will try my best to find time Diary.

Love,

Samantha Jones

August 26, 1793

Dear Diary,

I think we should catch up where we left off…you know…the story of John Graves Simcoe. Well I think I promised you his story a long time ago, so here it is.

A little while after Simcoe went to York, he had drawn his plans and since he and his wife lived in York, York became the base for the government and the colony’s capital. And remember the time I told you about Sir Guy Carleton; well he didn’t really agree about making York the capital of the colony, he preferred Kingston instead. And yeah that’s it I think.

Oh wait, how could I forget? Simcoe needed settlers for Upper Canada and now they are talking about some war that is about to start. I hope it isn’t another seven years long thing because then it would take me a long time to write back. So until next time…

Love,

Samantha Jones

September 10, 1792

September 10, 1792

Dear Diary,

I have been sneaking out to the news stand almost every day. I feel really bad about lying to mama and papa…but…I have no choice. I know my plan was a one hit wonder but…I can’t help myself. It’s a win win + an extra win. 1: I get great stories for my book. 2: I get sooooo much exercise from walking there and back- hence- it’s HEALTHY for me. 3: I get to meet new people and make new friends.

Oh, and guess what Diary!

The news stand is getting really busy and crowded…so…they…are…making…a…NEWS…STORE!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it?!?!

Now they aren’t just going to sell news papers; they are going to sell postcard, stamps, and handy nick- knacks.

How great is that???

Ok, I’ll tell you…IT’S AMAZING!!!

Well anyways…

To get to the point, I have been taking a notebook to the news stand and writing down all the important news. So I think I should record them in you right now. The first story I got is STILL about Loyalists. And I hope you aren’t the kind of Diary that gets bored easily because Loyalist stories are in right now. Plus I don’t really care because I’m going to write the stories in you anyways…whether you like it or not.

But I will still try to make them more interesting.

Ok Diary, I will start off with the stories that I never got a chance to record. I will do my best with remembering so…bare with me. :)

Ok well…a bunch of Loyalists were upset that they weren’t getting enough attention, so they sent a letter to the British Government and they replied with a yes to the Constitutional Act of 1791. Well I know you hate these stories so to make the long story short; the Constitutional Act divided Quebec into two different parts, Upper Canada and Lower Canada. And then they talked about the different governments and how they work, and a bunch of other stuff like that. But I don’t really listen to it because I don’t know what it means. And I know what you’re thinking Diary…you’re thinking that I should still listen and tell my parents about it so they know how the Government works, and you’re probably thinking that I’m really dumb right now. Well think again because if I told my parents about that, they would say…well sweetie, how do you know that. And then I would be …BUSTED…Dun dun dun. So yeah…end of story.

Anyways…my next story is on John Graves Simcoe.

This one I actually wrote down Diary so it might be a bit long.

So John’s career actually started when he married a wealthy woman named Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim. After he got married, he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. When Simcoe went to the capital of the colony-Newark- he realized that it was very close to the American boarder and that it would be an easy target for war. In other words…he thought that Newark wasn’t the best idea for the capital of the colony. Simcoe had many dreams that he wanted to fulfill. He wanted to build a colony like England and he wanted it to be called London; he even reserved land for it. Another dream Simcoe had was building a military base in York because York was far from the American Boarder.

Well it’s getting kind of late Diary and I have to wake up early to milk the cows. I know I know…EVEN MORE CHORES.

Well I promise I will finish the story tomorrow.

Love,

Samantha Jones

February 4, 1792

February 4, 1792

Dear Diary,

I know it’s been awhile but mama says that the crops are not sprouting as much as they used to, so she has been helping papa 24/7. I barely get to see them now. The only thing I do is make them lemonade, feed the animals and clean up around the house. Life has gotten so boring. And to make matters worse; mama hasn’t been going to the news stand, that means no more stories, and that means no more book dreams. That is why I have decided to go to the news stand myself. Mama and papa would kill me if I even asked to go to the news stand by myself. I don’t know if I can do this but I will do it for the sake of my book. Plus I have it all planned out. It takes one hour to walk to the news stand, then I have to get some great news, then I have to come back home before mama and papa come inside, and before it gets dark. I don’t think they will suspect anything. I will write a note saying I have gone for a walk because I am not feeling well and that I needed some fresh air. Hopefully everything will work out as I planned.

Wish me luck Diary :)

Love,

Bold Samantha Jones

February 4, 1792

Dear Diary,

I kind of got a little side tracked at the news stand. Ok by a little side tracked I mean a lot. And by a lot I mean I came home two hours later than I had planned.

Thankfully, mama and papa where still working in the fields.

Anyways…enough about my scheme.

When I was at the news stand; I heard these great stories. They were about Thomas Peters and the Sierra Leone Company, and Thayendangea.

First I will tell you the story of the Thomas Peters and the Sierra Leone Company.

When the American Revolution ended, Thomas Peters and many other Black Pioneers went to Nova Scotia. In 1971, Black Loyalists were having trouble getting farms because they weren’t getting paid enough. Peters wrote many petitions on behalf of the Black Loyalists; but they were all rejected; even when he went to the Crown in England. When peter was inLondon, he spotted the Sierra Leone Company, which was run by abolitions. After a lot of thought, many Black Loyalists traveled to Sierra Leone and called it the “Province of Freedom.” In 1792, Thomas convinced 1100 people to go to Sierra Leone. The people struggled with many different problems for many years.

And that was all I really heard about Thomas Peters and the Sierra Leone Company.

Let me tell you the story of Thayendanegea.

Thayendanegea traveled in disguise through rebel-controlled countryside to Haudenosaunee territory. He convinced them to support the British during the Seven Years’ War. They assisted the British in successful battles and the British ignored them. In the Peace Treaty of Paris, Britain transferred it’s claimed land as far west as the Mississippi River to the Americans. The First Nations people were upset because they didn’t want to give their land to the United States, so Thayendanegea went to London to petition for his people. Thanks toThayendanegea, Britain agreed to provide land for his allies. On October 25, 1784, Frederick Haldimand granted land to Britains allies. It is now known and called the Haldimand Proclomation. And then Thayendanegea and a lot of First Nations people did something; but I can’t seem to remember what it was. Hopefully I’ll remember; then I can tell you next time I get more news. But for now…I have to go make my parents lemonade…what a life huh Diary :p

Love,

Sneaky Samantha Jones

January 3, 1787

January 3, 1787

Dear Diary,

Remember I was telling you about the Loyalists and how we had to leave our home; well…I did and I didn’t tell you everything…so let me tell you more. Well as you know I got mama to open up (she doesn’t like to talk about the past because my grandfather was forced to fight in the war. He past away a long time ago, and then my grandmother died of depression. It was a really sad time and ever since; there was a part of mama that died too. To know that she can talk to me about anything now; makes me feel like the happiest girl in the world. *it also makes great stories for my book.)

Yesterday she told me more about the Loyalists. Ever since we moved here, mama has been going to the news stands and coming home with amazing stories.

Well anyways… mama told me that the Loyalists in Nova Scotia are having a really tough time surviving. Mama also told me that the British army had to teach them survival skills and supply food. But in Quebec; Loyalists were getting land for free. The British have been supporting the Loyalists for a while now and mama says that the support won’t last very long.

Then mama talked to me about the Black Loyalists. She said they were former slaves from the Thirteen Colonies. Mama said that when the American Revolution ended; 3000 slaves went to Nova Scotia. Since Black Loyalists were the last ones to receive tools and supplies, it was hard for them to build shelters. Most of them had to work for other settlers; that meant living out of town on poor lands. It is very sad and disappointing when you here that Black people aren’t getting the same rites as me. I wish we could all get treated equally, but when I told that to mama she said that there’s nothing we can do about it. Then she told me that all we could do is hope and go to sleep. Then she turned my light off and walked out of my room.

So until next time Diary…

Love,

Samantha Jones