Diary of a Loyalist's Daughter

Amelia Underhill Ryerse (1798-1882)

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.  You can read it in it's entirety here, but 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 cleared 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 Royal 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.  Following is the marriage certificate of Amelia and John:

Marriage Certificate Number 37 John Harris With Amelia Ryerse

Whereas John Harris of His Majesty's Ship Prince Regent on the Lakes and Amelia Ryerse of Woodhouse were desirous of intermarrying with each other and there being no Parson or M inister of the Church of England being within Eighteen miles of them or either of them, they have applied to me for that purpose. Now these are to certify that in pursuance of the powers granted by an Act of the Legislature of the Province passed in the Thirty-third Year of His Majesty's Reign, I Joseph Ryerson one of His Majesty's Justices of Peace having cause thro previous Notice by the Statute required to be given have this day married the said John Harris and Amelia Ryerse together and they are become legally contracted to each other in Marriage. Woodhouse June the Twenty eighth 1 815 Witnesses (signed) Jos Ryerson J.P, (signed) Thos Cummings, John Harris ( " ) George I Ryerse ( " ) Amelia Harris ( " ) Jno Aldersley Registered this 1st day of July 1815 (signed) Jos R William Dease Clk. P.

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.

The Next Generation

William Edward Ryerse Harris - Was born in 1817 and died at the age of 5, after falling from a horse-drawn carriage.

Amelia Ellen Ryerse Harris - Born in 1819, but died from croup at the age of 2.

Sarah Bushby Harris - was born on 7 October 1821 in Port Ryerse.  She married Robert Dalzell, who was in the military at the time, on August 27, 1846 in London . Robert was born on August 19,  1816 in England and died there on the October 19, 1878. They returned to England in 1847.  The couple had five children: Robert Harris Carnwath Dalzell (b:1 July 1847 d: 15 August 1910) ; Amelia Andalusia Dalzell (b: 1848 d: 15 Aug 1850); Mary Isabella Dalzell (b: 22 July 1850 d: 5 Feb 1936); Arthur Edward Dalzell (b: 25 Dec 1851 d: 9 March 1941); and Charlotte Emma Maude Dalzel l (b: 1859 d: 1949). Sarah died on 29 May 1916 in England.

Amelia Andrini Harris - was born on 10 October 1824 in Port Ryerse.  She married Gilbert Griffin the London Postal Inspector in London on 27 June 1855. Gilbert was born on 20 August 1821 in Corfu and died on 17 February 1892 in Toronto. They had four children together including a set of twins. George Griffin (6 January 1864, died as an infant); Edward Scott Griffin (4 July 1866 - 9 January 1943); Helen Teresa Amelia Griffin (4 July 1866 - 3 January 1869 of Scarlet Fever); Teresa Helen Griffin (12 March 1869 - 18 October 1875 of Scarlet Fever). Amelia died on 20 January 1918 in Kirkfield, Ontario.

Mary Henvy Ryerse Harris - Was born on October 4, 1825 (twin).  She married George Shuldham Peard on Augsut 25, 1850.  John was born on June 29, 1829 at Devon England and died December 5, 1918.  The couple had three children:  Helen Charlotte, George Charles and Arthur Shuldham.  Mary died January 1, 1898.

Eliza Bayfield Ryerse Harris - Was born on October 4, 1825 (twin).  She married George Charles Crutchley on October 16, 1851.  George was born in 1811 at Berkshire, England and died there in 1898.  The couple had six children:  Julia, Caroline, Percy Edward, Charles, Helen and Alice Mary.  Eliza died in 1910.

Charlotte Owen Harris - called Chasse was born 22 January 1828 in Port Ryerse.   She followed in her mother's footsteps and began a diary on 22 October 1848, which she kept until 24 January 1851. On 12 June 1851 she married Edward Knight who was also in the military. Edward was born in England in 1880. Charlotte was killed on 24 April 1, 1854 in the sinking of the Ercolano in the Mediterranean near Nice. Also killed were thei  two children Edward John Allanson Knight who was 26 months old and Robert Winn Knight who was 9 months old. Edward later remarried

John Fitzjohn Harris -  was born 15 March 1830 in Port Ryerse, the first son to survive to adulthood, he completed his legal studies in 1854 and established a law practice in London, Ontario. He was often ill and in 1857 spent three months in England seeking medical treatment. It was while he was there that his mother Amelia started writing down daily events to send to him, which eventually grew into her diary. He married Elizabeth Loring on 9 November 1859 in Toronto. They had no children, and John died 14 June 1861. Elizabeth later remarried.

Edward William Harris - was born 16 March 1832 in Port Ryerse. He was also a lawyer and in 1857 became partners with his elder brother in a firm based in London. Edward also took a great interest in Port Ryerse and owned a mill and a brick yard there. He suffered from deafness and went to England for medical attention at least once. He married Sophia Howard Ryerson on 7 July 1860. Sophia was born 29 December 1836, in Kingston,  and was a member of the prominent Ryerson family (cousins of her mother). It was a tumultuous marriage during which they separated for a brief time. They lived with Amelia in Eldon House, and Edward inherited the house after her death . Sophia, like her mother-in-law, kept a diary. They had no children. Sophia died 20 March 1898 and Edward died 1 October, 1925.

Helen Vidal Harris - was born 25 July 1834 in Port Ryerse. On 4 June 1856 she married Hon. Maurice Berkeley Portman, the 3rd son of Baron (later Viscount) Portman of Dorset, England. Maurice was born in England in 1833 and died in 1888. He owned a cotton plantation in the American south and was later elected to parliament. Helen and Maurice had three children: Berkeley P ortman (8 April 1857 - 7 August 1918), Maurice William Portman (10 October 1858 - 15 May 1915 ) and Maurice Vidal Portman (21 March 1860 - 14 February 1935). Helen died following complications in childbirth 30 March 1860, and Maurice later remarried.

George Beecher Harris - was born 29 July 1836, the first child born in Eldon House. Like his elder brothers he became a lawyer, and joined their practice. He married Mary Elizabeth Lucy Ronalds on 5 September 1867.  Lucy was born 17 November 1845 and died 16 August 1901 at Eldon House. Like her mother-in -law, she also kept a diary. George and Lucy had five children: Amelia Archange 'Milly' Harris (15 June 1868 - 21 December 1959), Charlotte Adelaide Harris (28 June 1870 - 1 August 1886) , George Henry Ronalds Harris (11 June 1873 - 24 March 1942), George Edward Harris (24 February 1877 - 26 February 1877), and Edward Montgomery 'Ted' Harris (18 September 1880 - 15 May 1952).

Theresa Newcomen Julia Eveleigh Harris - was born 12 August 1839 at Eldon House. She married William John Scott 18 August 1859 in London. He was born 1825 in Scotland, and died in 1875. Theresa then married Lieut. St. George Littledale in 1876. He was an explorer and Theresa traveled with him, including being the first female to ever enter the forbidden Tibetian monastery of Lhassa (for which she received a gold metal) Neither of Theresa's marriages produced any children, and she died in 1928 in Hertfordshire, England.

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