A Few Plain Directions for Settlers to Upper Canada migrant guide

A Few Plain Directions for Persons Intending to Proceed as Settlers

Imagining Upper Canada

An unembellished narration of facts”[1]

Courtesy of Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

The book’s cover.

There is much to consider when making the decision to settle abroad, more than I had ever considered and certainly more than can be contained in this small, 100 page migrant guide: A Few Plain Directions for Settlers to Upper Canada. Published in London, England in 1820, this guide for British immigrants contains six brief chapters; covering where to settle, the environment, food, climate and locals of the colony, as well as routes and a map of Upper Canada.[2] This small piece of material culture was produced in an effort to attract English migrants to the new colony, and prepare them for their journey and resettlement in British North America.

This guide was written at the beginning of a period of increased migration, when Upper Canada did not yet have the infrastructure to support an influx of newcomers.[3] There was no government body to assess how many immigrants were arriving in the capital city of York (modern day Toronto), and no officials to monitor how recent immigrants were faring.[4] Nevertheless, the guide concludes that Upper Canada “affords the means of subsistence for every person. Common industry, exerted on its rich and exuberant soil, will enable everyone to acquire not only the necessaries of life in profusion, but also many of the luxuries of it.”[5] Despite these reassurances, there was little Canadian interest in migrants and very few resources available to assist them.

Realities of Upper Canada

“Defective best endeavors”[6]

Courtesy of Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Title and Copyright page with map of Upper and Lower Canada’s subdivisions and townships.

Historic accounts from this period, like those featured in Emigrant Worlds and Transatlantic Communities discuss the difficulty caused by this lack of resources. Travel delays due to illness and poverty were common. With no system for tracking migrants in Canada, families were frequently separated for months or indefinitely.[7] Over the next fifty years Canada would improve infrastructure and resources for new migrants by creating travel documentation and appointing resident immigration agents to welcome newcomers and provide information on resettlement and employment.[8] Canada would also produce its own newcomer guides, which would include information on the governance system and provide additional information for newcomers.[9]

Today, migrant guides still exist in the form of Canada’s Immigration and Citizenship website. Their downloadable pdf guide, Welcome to Canada; What You Should Know,[10] contains much of the same practical information A Few Plain Directions included, such as where to settle and what to expect in winter.[11] This contemporary guide has been expanded to include chapters on healthcare, housing, community connections, bilingualism, as well as rights and freedoms in Canada.[12] This reflects both the increase in resources available for new migrants and the contemporary Canadian values of equal rights and access to healthcare. Through studying the material history of orientation guides for new Canadians, I have gained a better understanding of the knowledge and decisions required to immigrate to Canada.

BIO
Meagan Fillmore is a student of U of T’s Masters of Museum Studies program, with a BA in anthropology. Previously, Meagan worked as a Visitor Experience Assistant at London’s Museum of Ontario Archaeology, assisting in hosting a number of high quality exhibits, while lending her skills to bring educational programs about the archaeological record of Ontario and its local history to the public. Her major interests include collections management and exhibition design, and issues of repatriation.

[1](1820). A few plain directions for persons intending to proceed as settlers to his majesty’s province of Upper Canada in North America. London: Baldwin Cradock and Joy 47, Paternoster-Row. pp iv.

[2]Hall, R. History Upper Canada. (2015). Historica Canada. Retrieved December 10, 2016, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/upper-canada/

[3]Chilton, L. (2011). Managing Migrants: Toronto 1820-1880. The Canadian Historical Review. 92(2) pp 232.

[4]Chilton, L. (2011). Managing Migrants: Toronto 1820-1880. The Canadian Historical Review. 92(2) pp232.

[5](1820). A few plain directions for persons intending to proceed as settlers to his majesty’s province of Upper Canada in North America. London: Baldwin Cradock and Joy 47, Paternoster-Row. pp 99.

[6](1820). A few plain directions for persons intending to proceed as settlers to his majesty’s province of Upper Canada in North America. London: Baldwin Cradock and Joy 47, Paternoster-Row. pp iv.

[7]Emigrant worlds and transatlantic communities: Migration to Upper Canada in the first half of the nineteenth century. Montréal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

[8] Chilton, L. (2011). Managing Migrants: Toronto 1820-1880. The Canadian Historical Review. 92(2) pp 233.

[9]Canada: a hand-book of information for intending emigrants. Ottawa: The Department of Agriculture. pp 6.

[10]Welcome to Canada: What You Should Know. (2013). Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Retrieved from http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/welcome.pdf

[11]Welcome to Canada: What You Should Know. (2013). Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Retrieved from http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/welcome.pdf pp 17

[12]Welcome to Canada: What You Should Know. (2013). Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Retrieved from http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/welcome.pdf pp 3