The enquirer into the beginnings of settlement at the Head of Lake Ontario quickly finds that the first four Britishers to settle on the south shore of the Bay, now Hamilton Harbour, on land now part of the City of Hamilton, were: Richard Beasley, Robert Land, Charles Depew and George Stuart. That was within a few years, more or less, of 1782. In point of interest the romantic story of Robert Land and his family is outstanding, and the purpose of this review is to relate briefly some of the main traditions and associations that concern them.

Robert Land, the progenitor of the family, was born in 1739 at Tiverton, Devonshire, England. He appears to have come to America in his youth, possibly with a twin brother John, and settled near Calkins Creek at what is now Milansville, in the Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania. There he built a log cabin. He was short, stout and fair, and was naturally attracted to a girl who was tall and dark, in the person of Phoebe Scott, three years older than himself, whom he married about 1757.

As a settler and farmer he succeeded, and by 1776, when the American Revolution broke out, he was well established, at the age of forty, as a Justice of the Peace, with a house and family of seven girls and boys, ranging from a baby of a few months to John, aged 19. About this time, his loyalty caused him to take service with the British Forces. Because of his knowledge of the country he was selected to carry dispatches. Meanwhile his family and others like them suffered abuse for their fidelity, and when the father was away a raid on his household was made by hostile neighbours and Indians. One of the sons, Abel, was taken away by the latter. His brother John found where the Indians had gone and persuaded them to release Abel, but not until the captive had been made to run the gauntlet of their blows, an ordeal that was lessened by his fleetness. Persecution continued, and soon after this John himself was put in prison by the rebel authorities, and the mother and the rest were left to carry on the work of the farm short-handed.

One night in the autumn of 1778, when the family had retired, a daughter Rebecca, or perhaps Kate, was roused from her sleep by the hand and voice of a friendly Indian, who urged her to go at once to the Kanes, their Loyalist neighbour across the river. Without disturbing the others she dressed, crossed the water alone in a canoe, and entered their darkened house. Here she stumbled over the bodies of the Kanes, who had all been foully murdered. As the courageous girl returned home, the same Indian's voice warned her that her house would soon be burned and that the others should be got out at once.

Hastily but quietly the girl awakened her mother and the rest. They all escaped to the fields, and just in time, for presently on looking back they beheld their house and barn in flames. For some days the family hid in the woods, then under much physical hardship they made their way to New York and came under the protection of the British authorities. They stayed there until the army evacuated the city, and with many other Loyalists in similar plight they were taken to what is now New Brunswick, where they remained for seven years. hThe Story of the Land Family d Daughters Daughters aThe Story of the Land Family h k Daughters