Survey of Warner Nelles Tract

Title searcher, Penny Plunket Dmyterko, describing the 1844 Warner Nelles Tract to the York Grand River Historical Society. Conveyed from the Crown in 1836, the Warner Nelles Tract was then surveyed and sold off in parcels.

Tomorrow: The strange story of the historic map that was missing for generations.

Photo: Courtesy Neil Dring, The Grand River Sachem, Caledonia, Ontario.

(The Village of York is located between Caledonia and Cayuga ~ on the Grand River)

Clearing the Land ~ Pioneer Haldimand

Dense bush or forest was all the pioneers in Haldimand had to work with when they arrived. John A. Turnbull describes a stump fence that defined his Grandfather's farm property-line.
"I remember one fence made of the biggest pines I ever saw. Some of the roots stood in the air all of twelve feet and were fully as wide. The underside was cut off close to the stump so it rested flat on the ground. It stayed there without much repair for all of seventy or eighty years.

"I know little about stumping but a green stump of some of the large trees must have presented a problem to those old country men who for the most part were factory employees before coming to the new country. Bees ~ gatherings of neighbours working together ~ were common.

"The stumping machines were of a three-legged variety. The legs made of pine trees. The lower end rested on a large slide made from half a log fitted to the foot of the pole or leg. The top end of the three legs was capped with a large cast iron header through which a large screw -- probably three inches in diameter -- and a large hardwood pole which reached the ground outside the legs was mounted. Men dug the hard earth away from the roots. A horse hitched to the end of the pole circled the stumper thus raising and pulling the stump."
John A. Turnbull (1890 - 1975) third generation Seneca Twp., Haldimand

Early Canadian Settlement Seneca Township

"In the early days of this district, bees* were common, as the pioneers were rather inexperienced. When they came to the new country, the work that faced them was so unusual compared to what they were used to at home. Most were factory workers. With the bush and starvation on one side and their wives and young families on the other, they buckled right in to the task ahead of them and relying on each other they learned many things. Things that we of this generation have long ago forgotten if we ever knew them.

"Think of this country as it was around 1840 as a dense bush -- no roads, no cleared land, then think of it as it was about 1890. We wonder how men did so much in fifty short years. Roads had to be chopped out and fixed. That was it. They were just chopped out and of necessity followed the course of least resistance and so were bad for many years until a township road system put roads along surveyed lines."

Exerpts from writings of John A. Turnbull (1890 - 1975), third generation rural Seneca Twp., Haldimand County.

Tomorrow: *Stumping Bees, gatherings of neighbours

Haldimand Land History

R.L.Moore, United Empire Loyalist, looking for his century farm on the Warner Nelles Tract in Seneca Township, Haldimand County. Land surveyed and conveyed in 1835."Every property has a history," Penny Plunkett-Dmyterko, of P.L.P. Titles Ltd., explains to the York Grand River Historical Society.

Since the 1980s, Penny has spent much of her time in the Registry Office in the village of Cayuga.
Recently, she has focused on historical research for anyone interested in knowing how many times their property has changed ownership and acquiring a copy of their Crown Patent -- the first document (or deed) granted by the British King or Queen.

Penny can be contacted at info@pinprints.ca or P.O. Box 582, Cayuga, ON, N0A 1E0

For more information visit http://www.pinprints.ca/

Photos: courtesy York Grand River Historical Society

Canadiana

The make, model and owner of this vintage vehicle are unknown to us.

We imagine that the owner felt at home parking in front of the 1800's Cayuga Post Office on Cayuga Street ~ currently the new home of Grand River Chiropractic.

Photo: taken last summer by Lorna. Click on photo for larger image.

Kindness

Your Smile for Today:

"Imagine what would happen if there were an outbreak of kindness in the world, if everybody did one kind thing on a daily basis."

Random Acts of Kindness, Conari Press, 1993

Loss of a Friend

Today we have lost someone dear in our circle of friends. Someone who lightened our hearts, made us laugh and who leaves us with many treasured memories. Day to day, we have jobs and responsibilities that consume our time; however, the moments spent with family and friends is truly all there is. Treasure that friend.

Photo:  Banks of The Grand ~ lbwalker