Pioneer and Historical Association of the Province of Ontario: Report of Special Meeting Held in Toronto on March 30th, 1898

1898, 18 pages

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Constitution and By-laws of The Ontario Historical Society

1898, 7 pages

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

1898 Annual Report of The Ontario Historical Society

1898, 41 pages

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Heritage Festival Haileybury Recipes

by The OHS, 1989, 12 pages

This short booklet contains the recipes that were used during the four workshops presented by the OHS at the Heritage Festival held in Haileybury, June 1989. Workshops highlighted the food traditions of the First Nations, and the French Canadian, English and Scottish settlers.

Recipes include candied sweet potatoes with maple syrup, sugar pie, bannock, and more.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Hands on History Holiday Cook Book

by The OHS, 1990, 6 pages

A short cookbook produced in association with the OHS “Hands on History Holiday” workshop held in July and August 1990 at Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto.

Recipes include lettuce salad, potato soup, potatoe pie, force meat balls, farci or stuffed cabbage, short-cake (blackberry), and pie plant pie.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Ghostly Gourmet: A Book of Receipts

by The OHS, 1998, 13 pages

A cookbook containing special recipes to help celebrate Halloween, an over 2000-year-old tradition going back to the ancient Romans.

Recipes include grand salad of fruit and nuts, boxty bread, colcannon, deviled eggs, honey and figs glaze, cranberry chutney, barm brack, soul cakes, and apple charlotte.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Excavations at the John McKenzie House Site 1994

by Elise Marla Sherman and Gregory Steven Purmal, 1994, 146 pages

During the summer and early autumn of 1994, archaeological excavations were conducted on the grounds of the John McKenzie House in the City of North York, Ontario.

This publication and the excavation serve as an ideal educational opportunity to generate public awareness of both the area’s local history and archaeology in general.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Effective Management of Volunteer Committees

by Colin Graham, 1985, 18 pages

A talk on harnessing volunteers’ talents, delivered by Colin Graham on April 20, 1985, for the OHS at Black Creek Visitors’ Centre.

Includes a profile of effective voluntary operations, responsibilities of the volunteer coordinator, and guidelines and resources for boards of directors.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Découvre ta communauté: Activités et suggestions pour développer des projets de patrimoine de notre histoire locale à l’intention de la jeunesse

by The OHS and Le Regroupement des organismes du patrimoine francoontarien (ROPFO), 1992, 164 pages, ISBN 0919352367

Le Regroupement des organismes du patrimoine francoontarien (ROPFO) est heureux d’offrir à la communauté franco-ontarienne “Découvre ta communauté.”

Ce projet est une traduction et une adaptation de Discovering Your Community, préparé par la Société historique de l’Ontario (OHS). C’est grace a une collaboration étroite de la Société historique de l’Ontario que “Découvre ta communauté” est rendu accessible à l’Ontario français.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

What’s for Lunch?

by Mary Ellen Perkins and Janice Gibbins, 1994, 19 pages, ISBN 0919352219

An illustrated booklet for children featuring recipes including veggies cooked and raw, sandwiches, beverages, and handy food … plus puzzles!

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Thoreau MacDonald’s Sketches of Rural Ontario

by George W.J. Duncan and Thoreau MacDonald, 2004, 54 pages, ISBN 0919352456

This publication, written by George W.J. Duncan, interprets and expands upon a selection of Thoreau MacDonald’s drawings to illustrate common themes in the cultural heritage landscape of rural Ontario.

Excerpts taken from Thoreau MacDonald’s own journals, as well as renowned writers of Ontario’s history, enhance our understanding of the drawings.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

This Little Piggy Went to Market and Came Home with a Full Basket: Fundraising for Historical and Heritage Organizations and Institutions

by Alison Norman, 2000, 29 pages, ISBN 0919352359

Most of the heritage organizations and institutions in Ontario are already involved in some aspect of fund raising, or realize that they soon will be, and the OHS has prepared this book containing tips, suggestions, and ideas as an introduction to the task.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

St. Patrick’s Supper: A Book of Receipts

by Judith Cummings, 1999, 14 pages

An introduction to the Celebration of St. Patrick (March 17), and recipes including fish pie, Guinness beef stew, brown soda bread, apple pratie, pudding with Irish mist sauce, oatcakes, and barm brack.

Prepared for the OHS by Judith Cummings from Omagh, Northern Ireland, who participated in a work placement with the OHS, sponsored by the Irish Canadian Development Institute, in 1999.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Serve it Forth! Festive Desserts from the Nineteenth Century Adapted for Modern Times

by Dorothy Duncan, 2000, 29 pages, ISBN 0919352324

This booklet contains authentic recipes for many desserts, sweetmeats and beverages prepared in nineteenth-century Canadian homes for the enjoyment of family and guests during the Christmas season.

Recipes include beverages, confections, desserts, steamed puddings, mince pies, fruit cakes, and more.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Rush-Bagot Agreement: Paper Read Before The Ontario Historical Society, at the Annual Meeting held in Ottawa, June 3rd, 1914

by E.H. Scammell, 1914, 12 pages

A discussion by E.H. Scammell, organizing secretary of the Canadian Peace Centenary Association, of a treaty between the United States and the United Kingdom limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, following the War of 1812.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Researching Local Craftsmen and Industries

by Elizabeth Quance, 1984, 21 pages

There are many reasons for studying local crafts and industries. Probably the most important is to understand your own community better: how it began, how it grew, and why it is what it is today.

This publication provides practical advice on how to approach the history of local craftsmen and industries.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Rainy Day Detective Series, Book 2: Searching for Your Family’s Past

by Janice Gibbins, 1988, 21 pages

An illustrated publication for children to learn about family history and genealogy.

“To discover from whom and from where you have come, questions have to be asked. You become a detective of sorts, solving the mystery of your family’s past.”

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Rainy Day Detective Series, Book 3: Breaking the Fast: All About Breakfast

by Janice Gibbins, 1989, 20 pages, ISBN 0919352057

An illustrated publication for children featuring breakfast recipes, including scrambled eggs, surprise muffins, pancakes, and quick and easy jam.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Rainy Day Detective Series, Book 1: Rainy Day Detectives

by Dorothy Duncan and Mary Ellen Perkins, 1984, 14 pages

An illustrated story for children exploring the history of a beloved teddy bear. Includes advice and activities for becoming a Rainy Day Detective, such as how to find a mystery and what to do with your discoveries.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Promoting the Past: A Handbook of Suggestions for Effective Historical Programming in Your Community

by Janice Gibbins, Robert Harris, and Susan Hughes, 1990, 61 pages, ISBN 091935226X

This booklet offers some ideas on how to plan historical programs for your community. It gives instructions, warns of pitfalls, and offers examples, many coming from historical organizations and institutions in Ontario.

Sections include laying the groundwork, planning checklist, publicity, using the media, some successful programs, programing for young people, celebrating special days, and planning a heritage showcase.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Preserve the Pudding! A Book of Receipts

by The OHS, 1993, 20 pages

For our Canadian ancestors, whether they were First Nations or newcomers, puddings were an important part of the daily diet. Puddings could be savoury or sweet, baked, steamed or boiled, hot or cold, part of the meal, or the whole meal.

This booklet presents recipes to try including Mrs. Lord’s rice pudding, tipsy parson pudding, hard times pudding, various accompanying sauces, and more.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Past Reflections: Museum Clippings (The Ontario Historical Society’s Museums Committee 1954-1994 Selected Articles)

by The OHS, 1994, 82 pages, ISBN 0919352154

A timeless collection of essays providing practical advice and assistance to museums everywhere as they face the challenges of the future. A publication of the OHS Museums Committee.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Museums as a Business: The Business of Museums

by John Carter, 1990, 17 pages, ISBN 091935209X

A booklet written by Dr. John Carter, Museums Development Officer, Ontario Ministry of Culture and Communications, and published by the OHS Museums Committee.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

My Cultural Handbook

by The OHS, 1995, 84 pages, ISBN 0919352197

A handbook exploring and promoting the rich cultural diversity of the many celebrations of the people of Ontario.

The inspiration for “My Cultural Handbook” came from an OHS seminar, “Canadian Holidays and Holy Days,” presented at Black Creek Pioneer Village in August 1993. Many of the papers presented at that two-day seminar are reproduced here.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire: Culinary Traditions of the Period 1750 to 1850

by The OHS, 1996, 19 pages

A booklet of recipes brought by newcomers to Ontario in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, including grog, sauerkraut, jerky, and “nice cookies that will keep good three months.”

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Let’s Get Organized! Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Operating An Historical Museum But Were Afraid to Ask

by The OHS, 1985, 43 pages

A package of information containing the basics of museum administration, from a workshop delivered by the OHS Museums Committee in Brantford, Ontario, in June 1985.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Let’s Bake Bread: A Book of Receipts

by The OHS, 1992, 24 pages

This booklet is an introduction to the many variations of bread that have evolved from the first crude cake of flour and water that was baked in the sun centuries ago. Recipes include bannock, Welsh cakes, soda bread, hot cross buns, babka, and more.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Kaashnaa Ki – Our Earth, Our Survival, Our Daily Life, Recipes

by The OHS, 1994, 42 pages

This booklet presents recipes shared by participants at the workshop “Kaashnaa Ki – Our Earth, Our Survival, Our Daily Life,” co-sponsored by the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, the Kagawong Historical Society, and the OHS, which was held in West Bay and Kagawong on Manitoulin Island in June 1993.

Recipes include hawberry and sumac punch, venison stew, kasha, dal, elderberry pie, and more.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Hometown History: Highlighting your Heritage

by The OHS, 1992, 130 pages

A guidebook for local historical societies across the province of Ontario and all organizations and institutions that are interested in preserving and promoting the heritage of their communities.

Hometown History begins with the basics, outlining the strategy for starting a new local historical society and becoming incorporated as a non-profit corporation, and continues with ideas for publicity, programs, and projects concerned with the research and interpretation of Ontario’s history.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Heritage Day! Heritage Week! Let’s Celebrate! A Handbook of Suggestions and Activities for Heritage Celebrations

by Janice Gibbins, 1989, 42 pages

This booklet has been developed by Janice Gibbins for the OHS as a handbook of ideas and suggestions to assist individuals, organizations and institutions in planning a wide variety of activities that will arouse and sustain public interest in the rich history of the Province of Ontario.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Gerald Killan Presidential Address, Ontario Historical Society, Niagara-on-the-Lake, 13 June 1981

by Gerald Killan, 1981, 9 pages

A “State of the Society” message from the President of the Ontario Historical Society.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

From the Garden: Suggestions on How to Use Your Garden for Programming and Fundraising in Your Community

by Jean Harding, 1992, 16 pages

Includes language of the plants, some superstitions surrounding various plants, folklore of herbs, harvesting and preserving herbs, and herb recipes.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Foods of the African Diaspora

by Ontario Black History Society and OHS, 1993, 9 pages

This short cookbook, produced to celebrate Black History Month in 1993, contains recipes for quick and easy corn bread, spinach/green stew, banana jam (East Africa), sweet potato pudding (East Africa), and yemarina yewotet dabo / honey bread (Ethiopia).

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Discovering Your Community: Activities and Suggestions for Developing Local History Projects for Young People

by The OHS, 1992, 141 pages, ISBN 0919352367

Discovering Your Community was developed originally by the Young Ontario Committee of the OHS in 1984 in honour of the Bicentennial of the Province of Ontario, with funding from the Ontario Heritage Foundation. This resource book for teachers, youth leaders, parents, and all those working with young people has proven to be so popular that it has been revised, updated, and reprinted in English and French.

The purpose of the projects and activities suggested here is two-fold: to interest young people in exploring the history of their community and to illustrate how they are contributing to its continuing heritage.

Sections address family history, natural environment, structures, food, clothing, artifacts, transportation and communications, and crafts and industries.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Approaching Ontario’s Past: The Card-File System of Note-Taking

by Jacques Goutor, 1980, 38 pages

This publication has been prepared by Jacques Goutor, following upon the lines he found to be so successful in the series of workshops he conducted for the OHS. Now this material is available to a wider audience.

Anyone embarking on a research project in history for the first time will welcome the advice he offers, and many who have painfully devised some system for themselves will find ideas for improving it, at the same time as they regret that such a manual was not available before.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Celebrating Together: A Guide to Celebrating Ontario’s Bicentennial in 1984

by Margot Beech, 1983, 31 pages

The OHS provided this guide for groups to help in their planning for Ontario’s Bicentennial.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Deck the Halls: Celebrating a Traditional Canadian Christmas

by Dorothy Duncan, Dorothy Johnstone, and Joyce Lewis, 2000, 25 pages, ISBN 0919352340

This booklet, developed in conjunction with the workshop “Deck the Halls: Celebrating a Traditional Canadian Christmas,” takes us back to an earlier time when life moved more slowly and Christmas was celebrated quietly, in the good fellowship of family and close friends.

The activities, decorations, gifts and food discussed here have been drawn from Canadian sources — unpublished letters and diaries, as well as catalogues, books, travel journals and newspapers housed in libraries and archives throughout Ontario.

These simple observances and customs are an important aspect of our history, and this booklet will serve as an introduction to an area of research that we can all explore together and share with one another.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Consuming Passions Recipes: Eating and Drinking Traditions in Ontario

by The OHS, 1989, 11 pages

This booklet contains a selection of recipes for some of the dishes (from pemmican to peppermint pastilles) that were consumed by the delegates to the OHS’s “Consuming Passions: Eating and Drinking Traditions in Ontario” conference, held at the Radisson Hotel, Ottawa, in May 1989.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Blueberry Cook Book 2003

by The OHS, Voyageur Heritage Network, and City of Greater Sudbury Heritage Museum, 2003, 28 pages

A cooperative project of the Voyageur Heritage Network and the OHS, this cookbook contains 24 recipes for blueberries, from cakes and pies to chicken breast with wild blueberry sauce.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Blueberry Bounty: A Book of Receipts

by The OHS and Anderson Farm Museum, 1992, 19 pages

This booklet, highlighting the importance of the blueberry to First Nations and containing 13 traditional recipes, is a co-production of Anderson Farm Museum in Sudbury and OHS.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Bear Fare

by The OHS, 1989, 12 pages

A collection of recipes (“to please teddy bears everywhere and their owners of all ages”) produced in association with The Festival of Teddy Bears held at White River in August 1989, co-sponsored by The White River District Historical Society, the Municipality of White River, and the OHS.

The Festival celebrated the 75th anniversary of the purchase of the bear cub from White River that became the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Approaching Ontario’s Past: Writing History

by Jacques Goutor, 2000, 37 pages, ISBN 0919352243

A comprehensive guide and basic introduction to writing a historical essay, or even a book.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Approaching Ontario’s Past: The Artifact: What Can it Tell us About the Past?

by Dorothy Duncan, 1990, 38 pages, ISBN 0919352200

A practical guide for collectors, curators of community museums, and all those who wish to initiate research on artifacts in Ontario.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Approaching Ontario’s Past: Conducting an Oral History Interview

by Celia Hitch and Jay Norris, 2003, 29 pages, ISBN 0919352413

A guide to conducting oral history interviews.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Approaching Ontario’s Past: How to Produce Your Own Audio-Visual Show

by Roberta M. Styran and Robert R. Taylor, 1983, 43 pages

A practical guide to the production and use of audio-visual materials for a specific purpose, by any individuals or groups, in promoting a project, heritage oriented or otherwise.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Approaching Ontario’s Past: Organizing for Preservation

by F.H. Armstrong, 1978, 44 pages

A lively and useful compendium of ideas to assist people interested in organizing a successful Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) to preserve buildings of architectural and historical importance in their communities.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

Approaching Ontario’s Past

by Gerald E. Boyce, 1978, 32 pages

A discussion of the local historical society and the schools.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

An Edwardian Experience: Ontario in the Early 1900’s Cook Book

by The OHS, 1989, 10 pages

A cookbook produced for an OHS workshop held at Muskoka Pioneer Village in Huntsville in July 1989. Recipes include salads, cookies, main courses, and confections.

This publication is available to OHS members only. Please log in.

A Few Old Barns

by George W. J. Duncan, published by The Ontario Historical Society
Reviewed in February 2020

George Duncan is Senior Heritage Planner for the City of Markham, which means he works on the northern frontier of the Greater Toronto Area’s ever-expanding urban and suburban development where it continues to overflow into Southern Ontario’s beleaguered farmland.

In the second edition of A Few Old Barns (italics his) that was first published in 2007, Duncan is unashamed in his “Nostalgia for Barns.” That’s the title of his first chapter, which presents the Musical Barn in the village of Coldwater. Sadly, like too many of the barns he described in 2007, that barn is now gone. All that remains as a relic in a local park is its elegant cupola, “that provided a place for young Eby Sallows to practice his violin.”

That loss was hard for Duncan. It still is. In loving but meticulously descriptive words and exquisite pen and ink drawings he presents “The Barn as Art,” “Barns with a Story to Tell,” “The Barn Roof,” “The Red Barn,” and “The Evolution of Barns.” In those brief chapters we learn about barn hardware (that was once forged by local blacksmiths), and barns with histories (one originally a church, another a blacksmith shop, and another a match factory which somehow managed to survive the most dangerous use for a barn imaginable where its bigger brother did not.)

In “The Barn Roof as a Distinguishing Feature,” we learn how to recognize hip roofs, gambrel roofs, gable roofs, saltbox roofs, and monitor roofs (with their illuminating, heat-venting clerestories).

From classification, Duncan moves on to the technical. In “Posts, Beams, Mortises & Tenons,” he describes how to raise a barn using nails only to attach planks to a massive jointed skeleton. He also tells us how to age a barn, approximately, pre- or post-Confederation, by noting how its timbers were cut: with a muley or with a circular saw. And how to recognize a bank barn built into a slope with a raised foundation at the low end that creates a space beneath the granary floor where farm animals can be sheltered.

In A Few Old Barns, we learn a lot about these remarkably beautiful pieces of architectural technology. We also learn that these mostly unpainted structures are wonderfully durable, provided they are not allowed to die of neglect. However, in too many cases that has happened and it continues to happen. Ontario’s barns that used to dot the rural landscape are disappearing. It’s a sad fate that Duncan wants to reverse by giving ancient barns new uses that might include antique shops, markets, residences, a winery (his favourite example), and any use that might be conjured by a barn-educated imagination.

Duncan closes A Few Old Barns by providing a link to Ontario Barn Preservation, an affiliate of The Ontario Historical Society that’s dedicated to the saving of endangered barns. On its website we learn it can be scary rehabilitating a “structure with the threat of dry rot, roof decay and crumbling foundations lurking around every dark corner.” But by all measures worth it.

If Ontario history intrigues you, A Few Old Barns by George Duncan might be the most fascinating 32 pages you have ever read.

Richard Longley, Former President
Architectural Conservancy Ontario

And All Their Glory Past: Fort Erie, Plattsburgh and the Final Battles in the North, 1814

Donald E. Graves. Robin Brass Studio. 440 pages.
Reviewed in April 2014 OHS Bulletin no. 191

Donald Graves has dedicated his research to uncovering the complexity of causes, events and outcomes that constituted the War of 1812. And All Their Glory Past is the long-awaited final volume of his acclaimed “Forgotten Soldiers” trilogy. Here Graves considers the last major northern battles, effectively taking up the story where Feltoe leaves off and carrying it through the watershed summer and autumn of 1814. His discussion of the bloody 53-day siege of Fort Erie shows how American success in withstanding the British was ultimately undermined by anxiety about the oncoming winter, prompting the strategic decision to remove the troops from the Canadian side of the Niagara River – effectively marking the end of fighting on Canadian territory. The land and naval battle at Plattsburgh, New York, is similarly examined in careful and thorough detail, and with due attention to its effects on the war’s final outcome. Graves is particularly adept at illuminating the military leadership on both sides, astutely allowing for both the expertise and also the weaknesses of British and Americans alike as they fought toward a high-stakes victory that only one could claim.

Through Water, Ice & Fire: Schooner Nancy of the War of 1812

Barry Gough, Dundurn, 213 pages.
Reviewed in April 2007 OHS Bulletin no. 159

“Heroic History” Naval historian Barry Gough spins a grand tale of the War of 1812. From the outset, the Northwest was a crucial battleground, economically vital to the British, politically indispensable to the Americans, and home to dozens of Native nations. Supply routes important to the fur-trading North West Company ran through the Great Lakes to Montreal. Enter the Nancy , a nimble little NWC schooner, built for speed and maneuverability, but with an ample hold for carrying goods west and furs east. When hostilities broke out, it was soon requisitioned. Her young master, Alexander MacKintosh, has a deep sense of obligation to king and country and daringly commanded his ship through countless battles and storms to keep strategic supplies and troops on the move as needed. Finally cornered, MacKintosh set fire to his ship rather than have it fall into enemy hands.

Fix Bayonets! A Royal Welch Fusiliers at War, 1796-1815

Donald E. Graves, Robin Brass Studio, 488 pages.
Reviewed in September 2007 OHS Bulletin no. 161

“Men of War” The career of British officer Thomas Pearson spanned the Napoleonic Wars–with major battles fought in Portugal, Spain and North Africa–as well as service in Canada in the War of 1812 (including Chippewa and Lundy’s Lane). Once again historian Donald Graves and publisher Robin Brass have combined their considerable talents to produce a volume that is exhaustively researched, eminently readable, copiously illustrated and handsomely designed. A must for military buffs.

In the Midst of Alarms: The Untold Story of Women and the War of 1812

Dianne Graves, Robin Brass Studio, 496 pages.
Reviewed in April 2008 OHS Bulletin no. 164

This splendidly thorough and thoroughly splendid book looks at the life – or more accurately, the many and varied lives – of women during the War of 1812. Canadians tend to glorify their role in what was in reality a war that nobody won, but Dianne Graves presents a more truthful picture. Wives, mothers, daughters, lovers, the women on both sides of the border found themselves caught up in a war not of their choosing, coping with its “privations, depredations and unpredictability.” Nevertheless, as in other conflicts, they did all they could to support the war effort, sometimes in the midst of the fighting itself. Based upon her study of letters, diaries, memoirs and records, Graves presents a detailed review of life in early 19th century North America, often very different from what had been enjoyed in the “old country.” There are many illustrations with detailed captions, providing a further picture of the times.

Capital in Flames: The American Attack on York, 1813

Robert Malcomson, Robin Brass Studio, 489 pages.
Reviewed in Summer 2008 OHS Bulletin no. 165

This brilliant, beautifully designed book challenges you, the reader, to re-consider everything you thought you knew about the American invasion of Upper Canada’s capital in April, 1813. The story, the whole story, is related in exhaustive detail, yet War of 1812 historian Malcomson never loses sight of his central narrative. He follows the flow of events from both American and a British/Canadian perspectives, intermingling characters, incidents and military facts. The result is a work that clarifies confusions, challenges prejudices and shatters myths as it tells the tale clearly, cleverly and comprehensively. Undoubtedly a book destined to become the definitive study of the battle of York, an event well dubbed “the most traumatic day in the history of Toronto.”

Norfolk, Haldimand and the War of 1812 including the Six Nations

Bob Blakeley and Cheryl MacDonald, Heronwood Enterprises, 100 pages.
Reviewed in February 2009 OHS Bulletin no. 168

Imagine you are a settler in the Norfolk Haldimand area two centuries ago as a war was unfolding near and around you; and imagine you are regularly reading a locally published newspaper. Here, in chronological, almost daily order are the news stories you might read. Here is “popular” history at its best, a narration of events and personalities that makes the War of 1812 alive and immediate. The authors are journalists and re-enactors, but their citing of scholarly sources testifies to their thorough familiarity with historical fact. A bright idea, delightfully executed.

Four Years on the Great Lakes, 1813-1816: The Journal of Lieutenant David Wingfield, Royal Navy

Don Bamford and Raul Carroll, Dundurn (Natural Heritage), 280 pages.
Reviewed in October 2009 OHS Bulletin no. 171

David Wingfield was no great hero. He fought in no decisive battles – indeed, the War of 1812 itself was indecisive. But for four years he kept a descriptive diary which he entitled: Four Years on the Lakes of Canada 1813, 1814, 1815 and 1816 by a Naval Officer Under the Command of the Late Sir James Lucas Yeo, Kt. Commodore and Commander-in-Chief of H.M. Ships and Vessels of War Employed on the Lakes – Also Nine Months as Prisoner of War in the United States of America. Preserved by the family for several generations, the manuscript was presented to the National Archives in 1932. Carefully transcribed and thoroughly annotated, it is now available to all who cherish the details, delights and disappointments of personal accounts of military life. The volume is peppered with archival images, maps, documents – including a section of marvelous colour pictures. Don Bamford was 89 when this labour of much of his lifetime was finally published, thanks to the assistance of Paul Carroll, the encouragement of historian Barry Gough, and the publishing efforts of Natural Heritage.

Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813

James E. Elliot, Robin Brass Studio, 312 pages.
Reviewed in October 2009 OHS Bulletin no. 171

For the last several years the Robin Brass Studio has been publishing a laudable series of books, each focused on a particular battle or aspect of the War of 1812. This latest volume deals with a minor battle (in terms of its size and devastation) that had major consequences, for Stoney Creek stopped the momentum of the American invasions of 1813 – successful at York and at Fort George – and, as events evolved afterwards, prevented an American takeover of much of Upper Canada that year. Here the specifics of the battle – the participants, the maneuvers, the mistakes, the fortunes – are well described. One can smell the gun smoke and feel the fear. Here also are myths demolished (such as the tale of Billy Green) and results measured. An added appendix tells a story which may amuse (or appall) historical societies throughout the province: A second battle of Stoney Creek was fought nearly a century later over the location and erection of a memorial monument. The Wentworth Historical Society clashed with the Women’s Wentworth Historical Society for twenty years! Needless the say, the women won.

The Lake Captain, 1812

Ron Burgess, Borealis Press, 313 pages.
Reviewed in October 2010 OHS Bulletin no. 176

The schooner Nancy played a vital role in the Upper Great Lakes during the War of 1812. This is a highly fictionalized account of the ship and her captain, Alex Macintosh. The Americans are all aggressive, the Indians are all admirable, the British officers are mostly arrogant, but the captain and his crew are crafty, colourful and courageous. Author Ron Burgess’s excitement with history, experience as a teacher, and expertise in sailing Lake Huron combine to weave a lively yarn. Esteemed historian Barry Gough expertly presented the Nancy ’s full factual history in Through Water, Ice & Fire: Schooner Nancy of the War of 1812 (see below). Readers looking for a rollicking re-telling of the tale will also enjoy Burgess’s version.

Laura Ingersoll Secord: A Heroine and Her Family

David F. Hemmings, Bygones Publishing, 167 pages.
Reviewed in March 2011 OHS Bulletin no. 178

We all know the story of plucky Laura Secord who in June of 1813 brought the news from Queenston to Beaver Dams that the Americans were planning a surprise attack. Much of what we know is, of course, doubtful. She surely didn’t wear her nightie or drive a cow (and there were no chocolates). Fortunately, Hemmings’ account is well researched and his suppositions are based on historical fact. American officers were indeed billeted in the Secords’ farmhouse and were overheard discussing plans to attack the British outpost at Beaver Dams. Laura’s husband, James Secord, had been wounded in an earlier battle and certainly could not walk the distance (about 20 miles), so it fell to her to make the trip. Two days later the Americans, ambushed at Beaver Dams, surrendered to Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon (Laura’s part was later confirmed by him). Hemming’s account of Laura’s heroic journey is followed by details of the Secords’ post-war years, including their financial difficulties – James received a small pension for his wartime services, but Laura’s petitions for financial recognition of her heroism were ignored. (Not until 1861 and a gift of £100 from the Prince of Wales did she receive any monetary reward.) Hemmings includes much additional material: “Petitions, Publicity and Plaques”, “Some Belongings of Laura Secord”, and a splendidly comprehensive list of “Direct Descendants and Ancestors”.

Stanley Barracks: Toronto’s Military Legacy

Aldona Sendzikas, Dundurn (Natural Heritage), 216 pages.
Listed in Summer 2011 OHS Bulletin no. 179

The story of the now nearly-forgotten garrison that served Toronto for over a century–a period when the city was a very military town.

A Matter of Honour: The Life, Campaigns, and Generalship of Isaac Brock

Jonathon Riley, Robin Brass Studio, 336 pages.
Reviewed in October 2011 OHS Bulletin no. 180

There is no shortage of books about General Isaac Brock – and there are, no doubt, more coming as we approach next year’s 200th anniversary of his untimely death. This new biography will appeal especially to military history buffs, for Brock is portrayed by a distinguished modern British Lieutenant-General. Thus Brock is envisioned through the eyes of a soldier – indeed one, as Canadian historian Donald Graves notes in his introduction, who “may have more military experience than his subject.” Like all Robin Brass Studio books, the volume is attractive in its design and enhanced by excellent illustrations. Readers must themselves determine whether General Riley answers the question of why General Brock died “doing the job of a captain.”

The House of McFarland: A Master Shipwright’s Legacy

David F. Hemmings, Bygones Publishing. 213 pages.
Reviewed in December 2011 OHS Bulletin, no. 181

If you have travelled the Niagara Parkway, you may well have visited McFarland House, an elegant Georgian mansion, one of the very few surviving structures that predate the War of 1812. This book is the story of its builder, John McFarland, who rose from Scottish carpenter to British North American shipbuilder to Niagara entrepreneur and prominent landowner. Fortunately his extensive business and family archives were donated some years ago to the Niagara Historical Society. In addition, many McFarland petitions, deeds and other papers are at the Ontario Archives. Along with McFarland’s story, the book includes transcriptions of many of these archival documents. Niagara-on-the-Lake social historian David Hemmings has once again produced an informative volume on a prominent personality in Niagara’s past.

Billy Green and Balderdash: A Presentation of the Facts

David B. Clark, Douglas A. Green and M. Lubell, Stoney Creek H. S., 30 pages.
Reviewed in December 2011 OHS Bulletin no. 181

Familiar stories, family stories, about earlier times and people may or may not be factually correct. One such tale recounts the heroism of Billy Green at the Battle of Stoney Creek in 1813. Two years ago, historian James E. Elliott, in Strange Fatality, a volume detailing many aspects of that battle’s history (noted here in October 2009), discounted and dismissed the Green story. Frankly and firmly, Elliott’s arguments are here rebutted, while at Stoney Creek the monument to Billy still stands.

The Astonishing General: The Live and Legacy of Sir Isaac Brock

Wesley B. Turner, Dundurn, 369 pages.
Reviewed in December 2011 OHS Bulletin no. 181

As we are about to immerse ourselves in War of 1812 celebrations, re-enactments, commentaries, and, no doubt, arguments, General Isaac Brock will most surely be a central figure. This biography of Brock was written by a Canadian for Canadians. Surely no one knows the general – his trials and triumphs and ultimate tragedy – better than retired Brock University professor, Wesley B. Turner. This distillation of his life-long researches and reflections is comprehensive and concise, reliable and readable. With clarity and insight he describes Brock in the context of his time and of our history. If you have never read a Brock biography, or if you have read a dozen of them, read this book.

The Glengarry Light Infantry, 1812-1816: Who were they and what did they do in the war?

Winston Johnston
Reviewed in February 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 182

This second edition (with added details and records) focuses on the Glengarry Light Infantry, recounting the experiences of some 1,400 men who served in the regiment from embodiment in 1812 to disbandment in 1816.

The War of 1812: A Guide to Battlefields and Historic Sites

John Grant and Ray Jones, Turner Publishing, 192 pages.
Reviewed in February 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 182

Published as a companion volume for the War of 1812 television (PBS) special produced by WNED-TV Buffalo/Toronto. If you saw and appreciated the program (it will certainly be repeated) you will value this fine volume with its many archival images and its clear text. The book takes you to the sites of the battles – many, perhaps most, here in Ontario – sketching what happened at each of them and describing what you can see today. Here is one of very few works about that war which draws deeply on both Canadian and American sources.

Captain Fitz: Fitzgibbon, Green Tiger of the War of 1812

Enid Mallory, Dundurn (Natural Heritage Books), 176 pages.
Reviewed in February 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 182

The story of James Fitzgibbon (of Stoney Creek and Laura Secord fame), a well known chapter in the history of the War of 1812, is here imaginatively and dramatically related. It is a chapter in Fitzgibbon’s full life story, with its political as well as military involvements. He rose in rank and importance as a loyal supporter of the British colonial government and servant of the Family Compact.

Brock’s Agent

Tom Taylor, Hancock and Dean, 346 pages.
Reviewed in February 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 182

The historic period of the first phase of the War of 1812 is the stage for this historical novel. If you like your history dramatized with ingenious twists and animated characters, you will enjoy this clearly written and attractively produced book. No need to think history dull!

Taken and Destroyed: The War of 1812 Losses Claims, London and Western Districts Upper Canada

Glenn Stott and Carol Hall, Global Heritage Press, 223 pages.
Reviewed in February 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 182

When the War of 1812 ended, another kind of conflict began. Hundreds of Canadian settlers had had their lives disrupted, and had suffered serious damages to person and property inflicted by both American and British armies. When the military forces withdrew, the authors point out, “residents often were literally defenceless…they had no real allies, but everyone was their enemy to some degree.” Seeking retribution, or rather reimbursement, for the damages suffered, formal claims were submitted to the government. In time these claims were compiled, evaluated and filed – some successfully settled, others denied or ignored. These many records were filed and, more recently, microfilmed. Thanks to the authors of these volumes, they have been sorted, recorded in tables, and fully indexed – a delight to genealogists and a treasure to anyone researching the impact of the War on the ordinary folk caught in the middle of it all. Hardly an evocative volume to read, but an extensive compilation to research. (The publishers have also published Canadians at War 1914-1919: A Research Guide to World War One Service Records).

Redcoated Ploughboys: The Volunteer Battallion of Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada, 1813-1815

Richard Feltoe, Dundurn, 432 pages.
Reviewed in May 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 183

Richard Feltoe, a museum curator and a living history re-enactor, is a stickler for details. His context is the War of 1812, but his specific focus is on one regiment of volunteer militia. He follows the War through their eyes and their experiences. Nineteen maps explain specifics of separate battles. Eight appendices present biographies of selected individuals and provide information on clothing, on weapons, on food, on living conditions, on families, on sicknesses, even on crimes and punishments. There are endnotes, a bibliography and a full index. Written as a narrative history, this almost encyclopedic volume will be treasured by all re-enactors and by all who find fascination in the minutiae of military campaigns.

Laura Secord: Heroine of the War of 1812

Peggy Dymond Leavey, Dundurn (Quest Biography). 224 pages.
Reviewed in Summer 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 184

Leavey, an award winning author of young adult fiction, has used her considerable skills to interweave two strands of history. One is Laura Secord herself, whose walk of many miles warned a British outpost commanded by Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon of an impending American attack. We are told not only this tale of courage which became the stuff of Canadian legend, but also the story of her whole life. The other is the drama of the War of 1812, especially as played out in southern Ontario – British troops, American invaders, Canadian militia, Native allies. The history did not end with the end of hostilities – Laura Secord was eventually to receive recognition and reward, and to become, even in our time a figure of controversy. Similarly, perhaps, as we mark the bicentennial of the War of 1812, its significance continues to be the subject of both celebration and debate. Plaudits to Dundurn Press for this addition to its fine Quest series of Canadian biography.

Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst: Everyday Life in Upper Canada, 1812-1814

Dorothy Duncan, Dundurn. 248 pages.
Reviewed in Summer 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 184

Duncan sets the scene by looking back to the end of the American Revolution and the Treaty of Versailles in 1783. Among those who considered the treaty a disaster were the tens of thousands who streamed north to the remaining British colonies. Upper Canada was a land in transition, says Duncan, as Loyalists joined those already there: “First Nations, explorers, fishermen, fur traders, entrepreneurs, missionaries, military, government officials, merchants, and settlers.” She draws extensively on contemporary accounts, letters and journals to describe for us this frontier society, as the newcomers settled down to their “everyday life,” building homes and roads, planting crops, erecting mills, opening shops and other businesses, and learning skills from their Native neighbours. As she points out, “Life in the settlements was not for the faint-hearted. To survive and prosper took a combination of experience, skill and knowledge” – and, no doubt, dogged perseverance. All was threatened by the declaration of war in June 1812. Upper Canadians responded with bravery, perseverance, and loyalty. Dorothy Duncan, for many years Executive Director of the OHS, here presents an engaging view of life on the “home front.”

Acts of Courage: Laura Secord and the War of 1812

Connie Brummel Crook. Pajama Press. 272 pages.
Reviewed in October 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 185

History enthusiasts like nothing better than to pass a few leisurely hours with a work of fiction steeped in historical circumstance or featuring historical characters. Connie Brummel Crook’s Acts of Courage imaginatively retells the familiar Laura Secord legend for a young audience. Geared to 12-year-olds and up, this book takes readers back to Secord’s Massachusetts childhood in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, the family’s move to Upper Canada to homestead in the Niagara Peninsula, her courtship and marriage to James Secord. The incidents that secured Secord’s place on the historical record, her rescue of her wounded husband from the Queenston Heights battleground and her dangerous journey to warn Colonel Fitzgibbon about the imminent American attack, are related in a way that is sure to intrigue young readers, as well as adults reading to them.

Great Battles of the War of 1812: Fire Along the Frontier

Alastair Sweeny. Dundurn. 272 pages.
Reviewed in October 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 185

Finally, in Fire Along the Frontier, seasoned historian Alistair Sweeny, a self-confessed “fan” of the conflict, covers familiar ground in an engaging synthesis of leading figures, strategies and battles. Sweeny also brings forward the lesser-known but contributory behind-the-scenes commercial activities. Particularly interesting are American dealings with Napoleon and their richest entrepreneur and war financier, John Jacob Astor. The author provides a compendium of additional resources about the war on his personal webpage at www.alastairsweeny.com.

Four Wars of 1812

D. Peter Macleod. Douglas & McIntyre. 96 pages.
Reviewed in October 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 185

Four Wars of 1812 , produced by D. Peter Macleod with a research team from the Canadian War Museum, is the accompanying text to the current exhibit (until January 2013) by the same title at the museum. Richly illustrated with photographs of paintings, portraits, sketches, grave markers, maps and artifacts from the exhibit, the story is here told from the perspective of the four combatant groups, American, Canadian, British and Indigenous peoples.

Colonel Christopher Myers, 1774-1817: His Life and Family

Michael J. Jaques. Archives Lanark. 84 pages.
Reviewed in October 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 185

Michael J. Jaques, research coordinator at Archives Lanark (OHS affiliated society), has written a compelling biographical sketch of Colonel Christopher Myers, allowing readers an entry into the epochal war years through the life and military career of a pivotal actor in the Battle of Cook’s Mills. Taking place in October 1814, Cook’s Mills was a key engagement for the British and American troops; under Myers, the Americans were forced to retreat to Fort Erie in a heavy skirmish.

Searching for the Forgotten War – 1812, Canada vol. 1

Patrick Richard Carstens and Timothy L. Sanford. Xlibris. 571 pages.
Reviewed in October 2012 OHS Bulletin no. 185

This year’s (2012) enthusiastic bicentenary commemorations have meant an abundance of studies on the War of 1812, from a number of intriguing perspectives and approaches, for history buffs to explore. OHS member Patrick Richard Carstens and Timothy L. Sanford brought their considerable historical sleuthing skills together to retrace the war’s unfolding, quite literally, by taking to the road to locate obscure markers, plaques, and gravestones as well as the more well-known forts and battlefields. This comprehensive first volume (the second volume will focus on the American side) provides a detailed “pathway” through the war from by means of historical geography and material culture study.

The Call to Arms: The 1812 Invasions of Upper Canada & The Pendulum of War: The Fight for Upper Canada, January-June 1813

Richard Feltoe. Dundurn. 158 pages/160 pages.
Reviewed in May 2013 OHS Bulletin no. 187

These handsome books are the ‘opening’ publications in a six-book series, Upper Canada Preserved—War of 1812, produced by the venerable house of Dundurn to commemorate the war’s centennial. In these two volumes, Feltoe, whose own accomplishments include curatorial and archival work as well as participation in ‘living history re-enactment’ as an 1812 militia soldier, has produced an effective introduction to the battlefields of Upper Canada. With a deft hand, he provides just enough historic detail, including maps and illustrations, to establish a firm basis for understanding how and why the action developed, as well as the major actors involved, and the repercussions for Upper Canadian society. The author is clearly well-versed in the key elements of early nineteenth-century warfare: troops, arms, strategies, positions, and battles are expertly laid out. He also pays due attention to the variables represented by geography and personality. He draws carefully from official and personal documents, historic and contemporary maps and photographs: a number of the latter are reproduced to good effect in showing the same visual perspective “then and now.” The Call to Arms begins by establishing the social and spatial context of the Niagara Region. Feltoe then sketches the path to war and outlines the “opening round,” from June to August 1812, takes readers through the Battle of Queenston Heights in October, and concludes with “The Frenchman’s Creek Fiasco” of 29 November.

The Pendulum of War follows the critical first six months of the 1813 campaigns. The first chapter includes a helpful timeline, while the second and third chapters lay out the principal actions of such “pre-emptive strikes” as the Battle of the River Raisin [22 January 1813] and the Ogdensburg raid [22 February], then follow “the pendulum in motion” to the Battle of York [27 April]. Chapters 4 to 6 cover Fort George, Fort Meigs, Sackets Harbor, and Stoney Creek. The remaining chapters, 7 through 8, consider the dramatic developments during the month of June, closing with the “tightened noose” represented by the siege of Fort George. These books are indexed for quick reference, and the author has also included a bibliography of selected sources for the reader’s continued engagement with this important chapter of the historical formation of Ontario and of Canada.

The Flames of War: The Fight for Upper Canada, July – December 1813

Richard Feltoe. Dundurn. 168 pages.
Reviewed in Summer 2013 OHS Bulletin no. 188

The third volume in the six-part Dundurn series, Upper Canada Preserved , continues Feltoe’s lively chronicle of key battles in the War of 1812 (see below for reviews of the first two volumes). Flames of War covers the second half of the middle year, a tense and literally pivotal six months during which each side advanced toward apparent victory, only to fall back. The escalation of American and British forces in this “back and forth” campaign also intensified the losses suffered by armies and civilians on both sides. This volume, as the others published in the series, is effectively illustrated with numerous reproductions of historic etchings and paintings alongside contemporary photographs of artifacts and locations, as well as maps detailing battles and tracing troop movements.

1812: A Guide to the War and Its Legacy

Terry Copp, Matt Symes, Caitlin McWilliams, Nick Lachance, Geoff Keelan, Jeffrey W. Mott
Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies (WLU Press). 264 pages.
Reviewed in Summer 2013 OHS Bulletin no. 188

Acclaimed military historian Terry Copp, founder and director of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, has led a team of enthusiastic students and Centre workers to produce 1812: A Guide to the War and Its Legacy. In the manner of the Centre’s very popular battlefield guides to European sites that saw Canadian troop engagement during the world wars, this richly illustrated book packs a great deal of historical and geographical context between its covers. More than simply a guide to historic sites, although the Tour section does that admirably, this project begins with History, a concise but comprehensive overview of the Anglo-American conflict’s roots in the Treaty of 1783, as well as the strategies and operations of both sides, with close attention to First Nations involvement. There is a summary of the events surrounding the Treaty of Ghent that ended the war in the summer of 1814, as well as an interesting foray into its immediate aftermath, the negotiated “peace” that is often neglected in histories of the war. The carefully-detailed “Tour” section emphasizes the war’s legacy, not only in the obvious sense of preserving the colonies for the British, but also in terms of how it has been remembered, commemorated, and memorialized – in short, how it has been “shaped and reshaped” according to “the changing tides of memory.” As well as providing an impressive historical overview, this book is an excellent roadmap for summertime historical excursions.

The Tide of War: The 1814 Invasions of Upper Canada

Richard Feltoe. Dundurn. 159 pages.
Reviewed in April 2014 OHS Bulletin no. 191

The latest in Richard Feltoe’s concise but comprehensive series for Dundurn, The Tide of War takes readers to the first half of 1814 and thus toward the war’s culmination. At this point, the costs in personnel, property and machinery were mounting terribly, and both sides were intent to bring about decisive victory by intensifying their commitment of troops and armaments, “upping the ante,” as Feltoe describes it in his second chapter. Deftly, he takes us through that “winter of discontent,” with the battle at Oswego (May 5-6), and the American invasion at Fort Erie, leaving the story at the Chippewa River in July – where, as the author writes, “a nasty surprise” awaited the confident American Major General Brown (to be taken up in the final vol., The Crucible of War).As always, there are vital charts and maps to indicate battalion movements, and a clear narrative of events and circumstances for a very complicated stage of the war.