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Amelia Underhill Ryerse was born on February 02, 1798 at Port Ryerse in Norfolk County, then part of Upper Canada; the daughter of Samuel Vanderhoff Ryerse; the founder of the settlement on Lake Erie, and his wife Sarah Underhill (The Widow Davenport)
Originally from New Jersey, her father was forced from his home after the American Revolution,,and relocated to New Brunswick. Like other Loyalists he found the soil there unsuitable for farming, and after petitoning British General John Graves Simcoe, then Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada; for better land, was given a grant on the north shore of Lake Erie, where he founded Port Ryerse.
Throughout the War of 1812; Amelia kept a diary, which was later published by her cousin, Egerton Ryerson; which provides us with an excellent insight into the lives and thoughts of women during this time in Canadian history. Amelia would continue the diary for many years, recording the changes in her life and the country. Following is her account of an attack by American forces on her home in 1814. She was just 16 and her mother, a widow.
"In May of 1814 we had several days of heavy fog. On the 18th, I think, the fog lifted. We saw seven or eight ships under the American flag anchored off Ryerse with a small number of small Boats floating by the side of each ship. As the fog clered away they hoisted sail and dropped down three miles below us, opposite Port Dover.
On the following morning, the 25th of May, as my Mother and myself were at breakfast, the Dogs made an unusual barking. I went to the door to discover the cause. When I looked up I saw the hillside and the fields as the eye could reach covered with American soldiers. They had landed at Patterson's Creek. Burnt the Mills and village of Port Dover and then marched to Ryerse.
Two men stepped from the ranks, selected some large chips, came into the room where we were standing and took coals from the hearth, without speaking. My mother knew instinctively what they were going to do. She went out and asked to see the commanding officer, a gentleman rode up to her and said he was the person she asked for. She entreated him to spare her property and said that she was a widow with a young family. He answered her civilly & respectfully and regretted that his orders were to Burn, but that He would spare the house, which he did, & said in justification that the Buildings were used as barracks and the mill furnished flour for British Troops.
Very soon we saw a column of dark smoke arise from every Building and what at early morn had been a prosperous homestead, at noon there remained only smouldering ruins. The following day Col. Talbot and the Militia under his command marched to Fort Norfolk. The Americans were then safe on board their own ships & well on their way to their own shores.
My Father had been dead less than two years, & little remained of all his labours, excepting the orchards and cultivated fields. It would not be easy to describe my mother's feelings as she looked at the desolation around her."
In April of 1815, Amelia met Captain John Harris, and they were married on June 28, 1815. John was born on June 21, 1782; in Devonshire, England, the son of the local curate. At the age of 12 he ran away to sea and eventually joined the Royl Navy. He served in England and South America, before being sent to Kingston in March of 1813; and later participated in the battle of Crysler's Farm. After the war, he remained in Upper Canada, where he joined a team that was surveying the Thousand Islands and Great Lakes.
Amelia and John first settled in Kingston, where she assisted her husband with his survey work. On September 1, 1817; John retired from the Navy and the Harrises moved back to Port Ryerse, where they tried farming; while John continued his work as a surveyor. He was an advocate of the advancement of scientific study and belonged to several academic societies.
In 1832, the Harris family purchased land in London, Ontario, where they built Eldon House, moving there in 1834. John became active in local and provincial politics, and served as Treasurer of London District for thirty years. He died on August 25, 1850, two days after his daughter Mary' s wedding. Amelia died at Eldon House on March 24, 1882; but her diaries live on as a reminder of life in Canada as it was more than a century ago; through the eyes of a Canadian woman.
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Rainham Builders
1798 - 1882 (84 years)