Letters from Bruce County
Written by Pioneer Joseph Bacon 1795-1882
by
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England 1835
What was going on in England in 1835 that would cause a family to give up everything
and leave? The Great Reform Bill had been passed which was meant to be the answer to all men''s ills when they were able to vote. It raised up men''s hopes for a better life. Only it didn''t work out like that as there were still restrictions and only a very small additional electorate were able to elect their MPs. This resulted in a lot of anger and discontent amongst those who were poor and who did not have the vote. Because there was a lot of unrest amongst working men the Chartist movement was started where demands included one man one vote and secret ballots. There was also a lot of upheaval in what was to become the Trade Union Movement. There were Combination Laws where individuals and groups endeavoring to form Unions were outlawed until about 1834, so this meant that even if people tried to improve their lot they were unable to do so.
The vast majority of the population lived in the country and there had also been quite a lot of problems for the poorer people who had previously managed to feed themselves from their own rented land. More and more land was enclosed, which was great for the larger landlords, but had the effect of driving the poorer countryman from the countryside (where his ancestors had lived for generations) into towns where living and working conditions were pretty dreadful. Before this time people seemed to "know their place" but with the unrest around the idea of "class" was introduced, and much was made about "class conflict" as a middle class came to be established - thus adding to the unease and unrest amongst the "working class" which would of course have included the Bacon Family since Joseph was a labourer. The problems really arose when a working class man, or a poor man (as he was usually) became unable to work for whatever reason. Way in the past the monasteries had taken care of the poor, then the parishes took over the role, but as the population grew the parishes could not raise enough money. What the parishes used to do was give money to those who needed it whilst they still lived in their own homes. The "poor" included the larger proportion of the population and in 1834 there was the Poor Law Act which said that there was to be no more "outdoor" relief, where men could stay with their families. Instead the families had to go into workhouses where they would be split into sections for males, females and children. There were also problems with raising bread prices due to efforts to maintain the price of home grown corn. And of course, wages were unbelievably low.
Most labourers would have had neither money or property. Very few people owned their own homes and labourers or agricultural labourers would certainly not have been among them. The gentleman farmer or yeoman might have owned his farm, but even he might have rented it from the Lord of the Manor. So, lots of people thought they would be able to have a better life anywhere other than in England.
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About the Book
Letters from Bruce County documents an English family’s 1835 immigration to
Letters is in three parts. Part I has copies of the original letters with printed as written and edited versions annotated to explain what and who Joseph is writing about. Part II is a narrative of the family in England where eight of the eleven children were born, about their immigration and their pioneering in the unsettled Ontario wilderness first in Arthur Township, Waterloo/Wellington Counties and finally in Brant Township, Bruce County. Also included are short synopses of their eleven children. Part III is a three generation modified register genealogy of the family documented with primary source references.
The author is indebted to many cousins who are also descendants of Joseph and Susannah and who have contributed information which makes this book more complete.
About the Author
Letters from Bruce County is Dean’s second family genealogy book. He researched, authored and published (1998) The Wheatons of
Dean was born at
Dean’s knowledge and experience with computers was soon coupled with genealogical skills to make him a popular speaker at many northeastern Ohio genealogical society meetings on topics related to using computers in genealogy, especially encouraging the writing of family histories.
He has several more projects in progress which will result in additional books, a website or two and even a CD or DVD.