Narrative of a Voyage to Quebec and the Journey from Thence to New Lanark in Upper Canada 1821

By  John McDonald, A Lanark Society Settler of 1821

During the spring of 1820 and 1821, ship loads of Scots emigrated to the New Lanark Settlement in Upper Canada (Ontario) under the auspices of the British government. These people were awarded land grants in the townships of Dalhousie, Lanark, North Sherbrooke and Ramsay in what became Lanark County.

John McDonald arrived during the second year of the that assisted emigration scheme which became known as The Lanark Society Settlers. By providing free land, assisted transportation and settlement goods, the government of the day and prosperous Scots saw an opportunity to provide a better future for participating families. It was also a way to reduce ever-growing social-support cost in Scotland, quiet social discontent, and quickly settle unpopulated areas of Upper Canada in an effort to discourage American expansionism after the War of 1812.

John McDonald's account provides first person insight into what early settlers encountered during their journey to a better life for themselves and their families. Though tinged with the negativity of his own experience, McDonald breathes life into our understanding of the obstacles that our ancestors overcame. Most of The Lanark Society Settlers stayed, weathered the discomfort of pioneering, and found a way to succeed in their new land.

“There, it was all dependence… Here, it is a fair prospect of independence” - A. Boag, Lot 11 Con 6, Lanark Township

Pioneering in Upper Canada wasn't for everyone. John McDonald returned to Scotland soon after his arrival in the back woods of Upper Canada. He published this account in Edinburgh in 1823, "detailing the hardships and difficulties which an emigrant has to encounter, before and after his settlement"

Review: 

"a wonderful insight into the settlement scheme which allowed Scots to have land - something that never would have been a possibility had they remained in Scotland. The settlement itself was very successful and the book shows us the obstacles that the new settlers faced when they arrived in Ontario (then Upper Canada)". Christine Woodcock, Scottish Genealogy & Tidbits, President Ontario Genealogical Society (2024- )

Details
44 Pages
6 X 9"
Softcover - folded, saddle-stitched
Originally published by author, Edinburgh, 1823
This edition by Global Heritage Press, Ottawa, 2018
ISBN 978-1-772400-44-1