. First published in 1950, A Gentlewoman in Upper Canada is a classic work of early pioneering literature. This new, significantly expanded edition includes many of Langton's original illustrations and reveals Langton's views on writing, art, and women's social and familial roles in nineteenth-century Europe and Canada.

The Langton family emigrated from England to the Peterborough, Ontario area in the 1830's.

In The Backwoods of Canada and The Canadian Settler's Guide, Catherine Parr Traill described a pioneer woman's role on the Ontario frontier, presenting an idealized portrait of the Canadian woman pioneer in the mid-nineteenth century. By transposing this figure into fiction, Traill managed to create what was, in effect, a new fictional character type: the pioneer woman.

Ontario was known as "Upper Canada" from 1791 to 1841.

In 1801 a group of Quakers settled at the north end of Yonge Street in what is now Toronto, purposefully separating themselves from mainstream society in order to live out their faith free from the larger society. Yet in 1837, Quakers were among the most active participants in the Upper Canadian Rebellion, for which one of their leaders, Samuel Lount, was hanged.

Arguing that the role of Upper Canadian women in the overall economy of the early colonial period has been greatly undervalued by contemporary historians. Jane Errington illustrates how the work they did, particularly as wives and mothers, played a significant role in the development of the colony.

Tory loyalty, in addition to demanding unquestioning adherence to the imperial connection, was exclusive. It was used both to distinguish Loyalists from the American late-comers and to differentiate supporters of the political status quo from opponents of the administration. Tories and Reformers attached different qualities to loyalty. Although the Tories framed the political debate, a moderate Reform conception developed in response. The importance of loyalty was unchallenged by moderate Reformers, but they wished to redefine it in ways that would legitimize their own political goals. They appealed to British political traditions that emphasized the idea of individual dissent based on constitutional rights and the necessary independence of legislators threatened by the use of prerogative power as well as the corruption of the executive. By the 1830s, the polarization of politics seemed to offer only two choices - loyalty or disloyalty. This transitional period led to the emergence of moderate and accommodative Toryism as a response to the exclusiveness of the Family Compact. Moderate Toryism developed because other groups, who were not prepared to give up their political and social exclusion, had been drawn into the debate. The moderate Reformers survived through the 1840s and entered the administration. Tories also prospered through adoption of the Reform position permitting new groups to enter the High Tory elite. The result was the formation of a conservative consensus which dominated Upper Canada, whose conservatism lay in a new definition of loyalty which had evolved through the initiatives of moderate Reformers.

A treasure trove of incredible lives lived. — RICK MERCER, comedian and author Muir sets out to restore the faces of women who worked and struggled in nineteenth-century Toronto. A fascinating read. — WARREN CLEMENTS, author and publisher Emphasizes the enormously influential role women had in laying the groundwork for life in the city today. — DR. ROSE A. DYSON, author of Mind Abuse: Media Violence and Its Threat to Democracy Women in nineteenth-century Toronto were integral to the life of the growing city. They contributed to the city’s commerce and were owners of stores, factories, brickyards, market gardens, hotels, and taverns; as musicians, painters, and writers, they were a large part of the city’s cultural life; and as nurses, doctors, religious workers, and activists, they strengthened the city’s safety net for those who were most in need. Their stories are told in this wide-ranging collection of biographies, the result of Muir’s research on early street directories and city histories, personal diaries, and other historical works. Muir references over four hundred women, many of whom are discussed in detail, and describes the work they undertook during a period of great change for Toronto.

Follow the Robertson family as they prepare for a Thanksgiving dinner to celebrate the harvest in the fall of 1841.