Chapter 1

Robert Boyd and Betsy Inglis

1797 – 1880

“Auld Kyle I’ll never see again”Robert Boyd

ne of the very few incontrovertible facts about the early life of Robert Boyd is that he was born in Ayrshire in 1797. 1 Every biographical source repeats this basic information. Establishing a more precise location within Ayrshire has, however, been difficult to determine because both

Robert Boyd and his biographers in various publications do not offer any additional information. In fact, the only clue that can be found is in a single line of one of the several poems that Robert Boyd wrote during his years in Canada.2

OBut oh! I fear sic hopes are vain;

Auld Kyle I’ll never see again;Weel, since its sae, I’ll here remain

Anither year yet,I may be blessed, for a’ that’s gane

Wi’ routh o’ gear yet.3

Kyle is the middle district of Ayrshire and is forever associated with Robbie Burns as the first line of his poem Rantin, Rovin, Robin … “there was a lad born in Kyle.”

The District Of Kyle

Today Kyle forms part of East and South Ayrshire bordered by the districts of Cunninghame and Clydesdale and to the south by the county of Carrick while to the west is located the Firth of Clyde. In medieval times the districts of Cunninghame, Kyle and Carrick were brought together to form Ayrshire. HRH Prince Charles holds the title “Lord of Kyle” which was passed down to him through the Stewart Kings of Scotland. In the 19th century there were 21 parishes in Kyle the largest of which in 1801 was Ayr the shire town with a population of 5492 and the smallest Dalrymple with a population of 380. The district of Kyle was described by the General Report of Scotland4 as consisting of 380 sq. miles with a population of 75 inhabitants to the square mile..

A search of the Old Parish Records for Kyle did not uncover any information that could be convincingly advanced as a birth record for our Robert Boyd.5 The name Boyd is common and the full name of Robert

1 Historical Atlas of Wellington County 1906. Historical Atlas Publishing Company, Toronto. Reprinted 1972 by Mika Silk Screening, Belleville, Ontario. 16.2 A collection of Robert Boyd’s poems can be found in The Poems of Robert Boyd 1791-1880 edited with an introduction by Robert W White. This is an unpublished manuscript but a copy is held by the Guelph Public Library and another by the Wellington County Archives and Museum.3 Robert W White ed. The Poems of Robert Boyd 1797-1880. The Bachelor in his Shanty, p. 45.4 General Report of Scotland, Appendix, Volume 1. Edinburgh, 1814.5 Official Government Source for Scottish Genealogy, Census and Family Research – Scotland’s People. 23 Jan. 2008 http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/.

Ayrshirewww.railscot.co.uk/newmaps/ayrshire.htm

District of Kyle

Boyd just as common. The Parish of Ochiltree located in Kyle had a possible candidate born on the 22nd November 1796 to John Boyd and a Margaret Howat.6 The year of birth is, of course, incorrect but it would not be unrealistic, given the month of November in 1796, for Boyd to state his year of birth as 1797. Robert Boyd’s only son was named John and this is in keeping with Scottish naming practices whereby the first son is named for the paternal grandfather. The eldest daughter was Margaret born in 1841 and presumably named for her maternal grandmother, Margaret Lockie. This is not an unreasonable supposition although it should also be taken into account that many births were not registered with the parish authorities and, given this fact, there may be no record of the birth of Robert Boyd.7

Ayrshire in the Early 19th Century

The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, Volume III published in London in 1833 offers an interesting although unflattering description of Ayrshire.

Till about the middle of the last century the agriculture of Ayrshire was in a wretched condition. There was scarcely a practicable road; the farmer’s houses were mere hovels; the lands were overrun with weeds and rushes. The arable farms were small, for the tenants had not stock for larger occupations; the tenure was bad and the tenant harassed by a multitude of vexatious services to the landlord . The land, divided into the croft or infield and outfield, was either neglected or worn out by successive crops of oats, as long as they would pay for seed and labour, or by an ill managed rotation of two or three successive crops of oats, one of bear (or four-rowed barley), followed by a year of rest. The wretched condition of the country may be judged by the fact, that little butchers’ meat was used by farmers, except a portion salted at Martinmas for winter stock; porridge, oatmeal cakes, and some milk or cheese, constituted the chief of their diet.8

The entry does not go on to suggest that agricultural conditions had improved a great deal by the time of the publication of The Penny Cyclopaedia . It is indicated that manufacturing was of considerable importance in Ayrshire with fuel and building materials being readily obtainable. “The vicinity of Glasgow and Paisley seems to have given impulse to improvement. The woolen manufacture has long been established; and bonnets and serges [sic] were made early in Kilmarnock.”9 The entry also mentions the manufacture of linen and cotton goods and states that roads by the early 19th century were considerably improved reaching “in almost every direction in which they are wanted.” The Penny Cyclopaedia speaks well of the inhabitants of Ayrshire.

The character of the people at the present day indicates their descent from zealous Presbyterians. They are remarkable for their regard for religion, their

6 Extract of entries, Parish of Ochiltree, County of Ayr, Register of Births and Baptisms, 27 November 1796, 143068, General Register Office, New Register House, Edinburgh, 22 March 2006.7 See Appendix A for the details regarding John Boyd and Margaret Howat in the Old Parish Records for Ochiltree.8 The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, Volume III, London, 1833, p. 195.9 Ibid., 196.

decency, and good conduct. Burn’s Cotters Saturday Night may be regarded as descriptive of the manners of many of those in humble life.10

The Early Life of Robert Boyd

Little is known of the early life of Robert Boyd or of the particular motivations that caused him to leave his beloved Scotland at the age of 33 years. He was certainly old enough to have had some considerable experience of life in his native land and a good understanding of his future prospects. The Ayrshire described by the Penny Cyclopaedia offered little future to a landless single man if in fact he had not already been married and perhaps lost his wife. In spite of poor conditions in the early 19th century Ayrshire it is difficult to conjure up an image of Robert Boyd as a destitute and homeless man who was unwillingly forced into a leaky ship to cross the Atlantic into the wilds of Canada. This emigration was probably an act of free will and quite possibly a great adventure. It must be assumed that by 1830 there were no longer family ties to hold him back in that there are no references in any of his poems to mother, father or siblings dear left behind. We shall see later in this chapter that he could not have been destitute as it was required that he pay for his passage as well as for the land he purchased from the Canada Company.

That he came from a rural agricultural background is expressed in his poem The Herd Laddie where he states in the first stanza:

When I was a wee boy and herded the cows,And row’d in my plaid on the bonny green knowes,

Listening the laverock’s sang mang the cluds,And the sweet gush o’ music that rang through the woods,

Whiles catching trouts, bauldly harrying bikes,And seeking birds’ nests ‘mang the whins and the dykes,

Amidst all my sports light-hearted and glad aye,And few were the cares o’ the wee herd laddie.11

It seems unlikely that he was still herding sheep at the age of 33 and more likely that he was faced by the stark reality that he was never going to own sufficient land in a rapidly changing agricultural economy to make a decent living. The alternative, equally unpalatable, was taking employment in the manufacturing sector of his native Ayrshire where working and living conditions were, at best, miserable. He was single, apparently educated and with sufficient means to opt for the prospect of a new and better life in Canada. Because he was literate he had, no doubt, studied the literature put forward by various emigration schemes including that of the Canada Company. In the post Napoleonic world of early 19th century Britain emigration was increasingly viewed by government as a necessary and practical solution to difficult economic times so there would have been little official discouragement. There were already many Scots who had settled on the land in Upper Canada and many would have passed on favourable comments about this experience. Potential emigrants, and particularly men like Robert Boyd, who were literate relied on letters sent back to Scotland by relatives and friends already in Canada, as well as on a variety of guidebooks and pamphlets offering advice.

10 Ibid., 197.11 The Poems of Robert Boyd, p. 24.

The reasons for leaving one’s homeland for foreign lands12 were never clear cut and it is difficult to generalize. The dream of owning land with the possibility of bettering oneself financially, not to mention socially, was a powerful incentive. In 19th century Scotland this was difficult to achieve but in Upper Canada it was possible. In Scotland in the 1830s displacement from traditional employment was part of the industrial and agricultural revolution which had begun in the 1750s and was reaching its zenith by the middle of the 19th century. It mattered not if a man was a weaver, tenant farmer or a farm hand there was increasing unemployment. The Scottish Diaspora of this period is not, however, to be confused with the terrible famine of the 1840s which impacted the Irish population so severely and resulted in a large number of impoverished and illiterate Irish immigrants to Canada.

Robert Boyd and the Scottish Educational System

In the brief biographical statements that are provided for Robert Boyd it is usually stated that he received a 'liberal education' in Scotland. This term implies that he was the beneficiary of a well

rounded education that included a great deal more than basic literacy. We do not know how many years of education he had or where this took place but his poetry speaks for itself. It suggests an inquiring mind and a solid grounding in the use of the English language albeit expressed in very Scottish dialect. Robert Boyd's connection with, Henry Scott Riddell13, the Scottish clergyman who shared with Boyd a common interest in the poetic talents of Scotland's greatest bard, Robert Burns, offers another small piece of evidence that both men shared a common educational background possibly at St Andrews College or at Edinburgh University where Riddell14 had been educated.

The advances in education in Scotland can be attributed in part to the Scottish Enlightenment which began in the 18th century. One of the most important aspects of this intellectual renaissance was that by the end of the century most of the population of Scotland were literate and the educational system was superior to that of England and most European countries. The impact of the enlightenment on the world cannot be understated as the Scottish Diaspora carried educated Scots to the far corners of the British Empire and beyond into many other countries around the world. Canada was a particular

12 Canada was probably viewed as less foreign than many other areas because there was such a long history of Scottish immigration to this part of British North America.13 Henry Scott Riddell (September 23, 1798 - 1870) was a Scottish poet and songwriter. In the "Scottish Orpheus" a collection of songs of Scotland by Adam Hamilton he is credited with writing "Scotland Yet" and "The Dowie Dens O' Yarrow". He is of particular interest to us because of his friendship with Robert Boyd. The evidence of this friendship is in the form of a letter written to Boyd in 1859 and carried by hand of Thomas Laidlaw to Canada. This letter on its original paper was preserved in the family and passed from generation to generation. It is currently in the Wellington County Archives where it was donated so that it could be preserved. The letter from Riddell was a response to a letter written by Robert Boyd and carried to Scotland by Laidlaw. It is clear from the context of Riddell’s letter that the two men were great friends and shared a common interest in Scottish songs and poems. Riddell was educated at Biggar, St Andrews College and at Edinburgh University where he prepared to be a clergyman.14 See Appendix B – Letter from Henry Scott Riddell to Robert Boyd.

beneficiary of the Scottish educational system as many of the 19th century leaders in politics, business and education not to mention medicine and science were displaced Scots.

By the end of the 18th century it was a legal requirement that there was to be a school in very Scottish parish. The onus for provision of school as well as schoolmaster was on the landowners of the area. Fees were to be paid by the parents of all students to the schoolmaster but those who could not afford the fee were not turned away but rather depended on the kirk session15 which was responsible for poor relief. An important feature of the parish school was the fact that for the most part the children of the landowners mixed with those of the poorest tenant farmer. The historian Lawrence Stone stated that "for a brief period in the late 18th century Scotland enjoyed the largest elementary system, one of the best classical systems,

and the best university system in Europe, all catering for an unusually wide range of social classes.”16

The first function of the school was religious instruction but this requirement easily translated itself into basic literacy without which it would have been difficult to achieve this goal.

A typical Scottish child entered the system at the age of five although this varied from parish to parish as well as from family to family. School days could be as long as twelve hours and school was often carried on six days a week. In many of the larger and more prosperous parishes the schoolmaster was able to respond to a demand for an expanded curriculum which might include Latin, Greek and mathematics. An expanded curriculum worked to the advantage of the schoolmaster who could demand higher fees and to the student of any social class who could obtain entrance to a Scottish university sometimes by the age of fifteen or even younger. This provision, while by no means universal, provided a means whereby the social ladder could be scaled by children that did not have the advantage of wealth or social status. It also worked to the advantage of the Scottish church through the creation of a pool of clergymen, there being few other occupations available to a well educated young Scot.

The Canada Company

The Canada Company was established in 1825 by, John Galt, a Scottish novelist who passionately believed in a system of settlement that would meet both the needs of the investors of the company and the immigrant. Galt was originally hired by a group of Upper Canadian farmers who had suffered losses during the war of 1812. He was asked to plead their case for compensation to the British Parliament but had not managed to make much headway. It was from this experience that he came up with the idea of a land company that would buy and sell land with the profits used to compensate Canadian Claimants ofthe 1812 war. The stated aim of the Canada Company was to acquire and settle land in Canada and to this end it purchased over a million acres between Lake Huron and Lake Ontario an area which became known as the Huron tract.

15 The Kirk Session was an ecclesiastical court in Scotland composed of the minister and elders of a parish, subject to the Presbytery of the district.16 Robert David Anderson, Education and the Scottish People, 1750-1918, ( Oxford University Press, 1995), 1.

John Galtwww.nndb.com/people/

599/000104287/

Memorandum of Canada Company Sale for 100 Acre Lot in the Huron Tract, 1838E.W. Banting Collection – Toronto Public Library

Ontario History Quest - http://ohq.tpl.toronto.on.ca/

The condition of sale of this vast tract of land to the company was contingent on bringing out settlers who would remain and develop the land. There was nothing particularly new about this concept but in this instance the Canada Company was looking for men of some means as it intended to sell the land at fair market value. It was left unsaid, but it was the plan, that the cost of this land would be increased over time as the company built roads and provided infrastructure to support rural communities that grew up around small towns.

The Canada Company purchased 1,000,000 acres of the Huron Tract, all land that was designated Crown Reserve, at 3s 6p per acre at a total cost of £2,484,413 to be paid back over a period of twenty years.17 The Canada Company’s first major project was to settle the Township of Guelph. This township comprised one of the largest vacant blocks of land remaining within trading distance of York.18 Galt established sales offices in York and was quickly overwhelmed by offers to purchase land. By 1827 a road was under construction to the site where he proposed to establish the town of Guelph. The project was followed by the construction of buildings within the town site for the use of blacksmiths, bakers, wagon makers and other small support businesses. By August of 1827 thirty lots had been sold although progress after that point was slow. In keeping with Galt’s plan the price of land rose steadily between 1827 and 1828 as improvements were made to the township. These prices quickly increased even further when it was found that income was insufficient to cover company expenses. The issue of expenses soon cost Galt his job as the company directors did not all share his enthusiasm for the provision of roads, saw mills, grist mills brick kilns and other support services.

A company circular released in February, 1828 stated that “an agriculturist of industrious habits may in all cases, and more especially if he have some capital wherewith to begin, look forward to the possession, in a few years, of comfort and independence as a landed proprietor.”19 To make clear the company’s desire for immigrants of some means the circular goes on to state that “The company will not defray, or contribute towards defraying, the expense of embarking emigrants from the United Kingdom, or of conveying them to their place of location in Canada.”20 This is not to suggest that deals and arrangements were not made to allow early settlers to pay back some of their debt to the company by working on projects such as roads and buildings. Many emigrants did, however, have sufficient means to establish themselves but this did not make life that much easier. Adam Fergusson, an early occupant of township land stated that in his first year his costs were:

Chopping or clearing land, ready for sowing, [will cost] sometimes 12 dollars, or £3 per acre; the first return will be 15 or 20 bushels of wheat, worth at present 5s. [$1.20] per bushel. The usual mode of clearing timbered land is to cut down

17 In 1791, the Colonial Office and the Government of Upper Canada made the decision to set aside one-seventh of all unoccupied land as “Clergy Reserve” and an additional one-seventh as “Crown Reserve”. It was the intent that these lands would be leased rather than sold. The revenue from the Clergy Reserves was intended to support a “Protestant Clergy”, which for all practical purposes, was the Church of England. The revenue from the Crown Reserve was to finance government expenditures. In those areas of Upper Canada where settlement had not begun, the reserve lands were laid out in a checkerboard pattern so that their value would be representative of the average value in the township. Obviously, this pattern could not be followed in areas already settled and to compensate, entire townships had to be set-aside in new areas to make up for the lack of reserves in settled areas.18 York later became the city of Toronto.19 Canada Company Circular, February 1, 1827, copy in the archives of the Guelph Historical Society.20 Ibid.

Canada Company Advertisement – 1847Http://ohq.tpl.toronto.on.ca/

Gore Gazette Published at Ancaster In 1827 Carried Information Concerning Requirements of Canada Company – Foodstuffs Sold at Low prices and Whisky Quoted at

One Shilling and Sixpence per Gallon

The following are the terms on which the Canada Company will sell lands in the Township of Guelph, from this date until notice to the contrary is give by public advertisement.

1st. Town Lots, 40 dollars in cash. Purchasers are required to commence preparations for building, within three months, and to have their homes finished within 12 months of the date of purchase.

2nd. Farm Lots of 25, or 50 100 acres, paid in cash, 2 dollars per acre. On credit (that is, one fifth in advance, and the remainder in four equal annual installments, with interest), Two and one half dollars per acre.

3rd. Farm Lots from 100 to 200 acres, two dollars and a half per acre; one third in advance, and the remainder in two years with interest; or two dollars and a quarter cash.

4th. Persons purchasing Farm Lots are not required to purchase Town Lots. Nor are purchasers of Town Lots required to purchase Farm Lots.

5th. Purchasers of Farm Lots are required to commence improvements thereon within 12 months from the date of purchase. Those who have purchased Town Lots are not required to build houses on their farms, but they must, where lots front the road, enclose them with a complete fence. Those who have not purchased Town Lots are required to commence preparations for building houses on their farms, within three months, and to have them finished and inhabited within 12 months from the date of purchase.

Guelph, 25th Sept. 1827THOMAS BLAIR HUSBAND

The Guelph Evening and Advertiser, Wednesday, July 20, 1927

LATEST PRICES CURRENT

Ancaster, Dundas, Hamilton and Flamboro’

The Canadian £ was worth about four dollars

£ s. d.

Wheat, cash, per bushel 2 9 ¾do Goods, cr on acct… 3 1 ½Corn…………………………. 2 2 ¼Oats…………………………. 1 3Barley………………………. 2 6Rye…………………………… 2 2 ¼Black Salys, per cwt…. 12 6Pot Ashes, per ton…… 22 10 0Pearl, do. ………………… 22 10 0Flour Sprf. Per bbl. …. 18 9Do fine……………………. 16 3Pork, Pr’m per bbl. …. 2 10 0Beef, do. ……………….. 2 10 0Butter. p., lb. …………. 7 ½Whiskey, per gallon.. 1 6Tallow……………………. 7 ½Bees Wax………………. 1 3Feathers………………… 2 2 ¼Honey……………………. 6Hay, p. ton…………….. 2 10Firewood, per cord 5 7 ½

The Guelph Evening Mercury and Advertiser, Wednesday, July 20, 1927

Stump Puller

Shanty

and burn all the wood of one foot in diameter, and under that. The larger trees were only girdled. Clearing, in this way, costs about 8 dollars, or 40s. per acre. When this is done, a crop of wheat can be harrowed in, to be followed by two or three years of pasture or hay, when the plough may be used, and, during which time, the girdled trees are either cut into fencing stuff or burnt.21

Robert Boyd was among the early settlers to take up land in the third concession, Division B of Guelph Township part of which came to be known as the Paisley Block; Paisley being the place of origin of many of the new inhabitants. He purchased 100 acres consisting of lot 14, concession 3 on the 3rd of November 1830.22 The deed to this property was granted on full payment by the company in September of 1845.23 The land record states that this was transaction No. 25 and the purchaser was Rob Boyd.24 He made a down payment of £1525 and the remainder of the purchase price of £75 was to be paid annually. The record suggests that the company anticipated an annual payment of £12 for five years although actual payments varied from year to year.26 There does not appear to be any payment made between 1836 and 1844 but a final payment of £4 2s. 10d, probably of interest on the loan, was made on the 29th of August 1845.27 By 1833 most of the land in Guelph Township had been sold and the population had increased to nearly 1000. The price of land had risen from 1s. 3d. to nearly 15s. an acre and the Canada Company was making large profits.

Galt had no illusions about the difficulties involved in establishing a viable farm in an environment that could be unspeakably harsh. He made it clear that this life was for the young and, he hoped, an educated class of immigrant. He believed that it was important that settlers were as fully informed as possible about the conditions that they were to encounter. He pointed out that there was no official source of information on lands open for settlement, no maps, and no consistent policy of support and back-up. New arrivals were often dependent on anecdote and happenstance for information. Galt advised that they should always seek out those with local knowledge and experience. The system wasn’t perfect and there were those who were disappointed as well as those who were unsuited to the task but “Galt probably genuinely believed he could combine profit with benevolence.”28

John Kenneth Galbraith, the noted Canadian economist, pays tribute to the resourcefulness of the Scots immigrant in his book The Non-potable Scotch (1967). Although his comments relate to settlers from the Scottish Highlands they were equally applicable to most Scots who arrived to settle in the Huron Tract.

21 Adam Fergusson, Tour in Canada…in 1831 (London, 1833), pp. 281-3. Leo A. Johnson. History of Guelph (Guelph Historical Society, 1977), p. 30. 22 Canada Company Land Papers, RG CC, 028 031, Archives of Ontario.23 Ibid.24 Canada Company Land Papers, No. 25, 3 November 1830, Rob Boyd, MS 729, Archives of Ontario.25 The use of money in Upper Canada at this time is confusing because of the overlap between the British pound and Spanish dollars. A scarcity of British coinage led to the use of Spanish dollars. The value of these was roughly converted into pounds, shillings and pence. The York rating of 1 Spanish dollar = 8 shillings was used in Upper Canada, officially until its outlawing in 1796, and unofficially well into the 19th century. On notes issued by the chartered banks, denominations were given in dollars as well as in pounds and shillings, with 1 dollar = 5 shillings. Many banks issued notes, starting with the Bank of Montreal in 1817. In 1841, the Province of Canada adopted the gold standard. Under this system the pound was equal to 4 U.S. dollars (92.88 grains gold), with the gold sovereign equal to 1 pound 4 shillings 4 pence. Thus, the Canadian pound was worth 16 shillings 5.3 pence sterling.26 Canada Company Land Papers.27 Ibid.28 Jenni Calder, Scots in Canada, (Edinburgh, Luath Press Ltd., 2003), 60.

… the Scotch must have displayed a phenomenal capacity for innovation and adaptation in their farming methods. The transition from the spare, wet, and treeless crofts of the Highlands and the Western Isles to the lush forests, deep soil and strong seasons of the land by the Lake could scarcely have been more dramatic. It is true that they had always lived in intimate association with their cattle and sheep; to understand these in Scotland was to understand them in Ontario. But the soils, crops, crop rotation, the insects and plant diseases, the problems of farm architecture, machinery and drainage, even the wagon that went to town, were all different. Within a matter of a few months men made the transition from an agricultural system in which they were guided by the experience of centuries to one where a very great deal depended on a man's capacity to figure things out for himself or imitate with discrimination those who could.29

Susanna Moodie, the wife of a pioneer in Hastings County, wrote of her experiences in two books30 that are still read today and are considered to be excellent accounts of life in early 19th century Upper Canada. In her opinion settlement in Upper Canada was for “the poor, [but] industrious working man” and “not for the poor gentleman.”

The former works hard, puts up with coarse, scanty fare, and submits, with a good grace, to hardships that would kill a domesticated animal at home. Thus he becomes independent, inasmuch as the land that he has cleared finds him in the common necessaries of life; but it seldom, if ever, in remote situations, accomplishes more than this. The gentleman can neither work so hard, live so coarsely, nor endure so many privations as his poorer but more fortunate neighbour. Unaccustomed to manual labour, his services are not of a nature to secure for him a profitable return. The task is new to him, he knows not how to perform it well; and, conscious of his deficiency, he expends his little means in hiring labour, which his bush-farm can never repay. Difficulties increase, debts grow upon him, he struggles in vain to extricate himself, and finally sees his family sink into hopeless ruin.

In her terms Robert Boyd was probably not a gentleman but neither was a poor working man. He echoes some of her sentiments in his best known poem The Bachelor in His Shanty.

‘Tis something strange a chiel like meShould frae his native country flee,And leave his freens o’ social glee-

And loves sae dear,And cross the braid Atlantic sea

In quest o’ gear.31

In a subsequent verse in the same poem he states.

A farmer too I’m called by name,Nay-even a Laird – so much for fame,

29 As quoted in, Scots in Canada, 66.30 Roughing it in the Bush (1852) and Life in the Clearings versus the Bush (1853).31 The Poetry of Robert Boyd, p. 40.

Which makes me blush with shameThe truth to tell,

For a’ my craps scarce fill my wameAnd nane to sell.32

Some, if not most, of the new settlers to the Huron Tract were not farmers in the traditional sense although they may have had some experience in an Ayrshire context but this would not have been easily translatable to Upper Canada. Farming could not, however begin until the new settler had built a home and cleared land. Primitive tools combined with little skill in their use made land clearance an almost overwhelming task. Home construction and land clearance would be followed by the construction of a barn and the acquisition of livestock. Robert Boyd makes all this clear in more lines from his poem, The Bachelor in his Shanty.

Twa-three bits o' potato hills,For stumps are sworn foes to drills

Some pumpkins big as cadger's creels,Is a' my crop;

For aught I raise, markets and millsMight a' gie up.

I hear o' farmers bien and braw,Who're proud their horse and kye to shaw,

And servants ready at their ca',And this and that;

As for my stock I've only twa--A dog and cat.

But if there's breed my collie has 't--My cat's the real Muskovy cast;But if the future's like the past,

I fear and dreadWe'll soon a' sleep in quiet rest

Among the dead.33

His crops are not for market or mill and his stock consists of a dog and cat, although, we are assured that they are well bred..

Galt found himself increasingly at odds with the directors of the Canada Company regarding the creation of a viable town with services for the surrounding farmers. The shareholders and directors wanted the sale of land at the best price obtainable thereby driving up the value of the company’s shares on the London stock market. This conflict evolved into a bitter quarrel and eventually led to Galt’s dismissal from his position as manager He died April 11, 1839.

The Marriage and Family of Robert Boyd

32 Ibid.33 Ibid.

Robert Boyd entered a marriage bond with Elizabeth (Betsy) Ingles34 on the 8th of August 1840.35 In Upper Canada the groom was required obtain the assurance of one or two people who were well known to him and who were prepared to guarantee to the Crown that no legal impediment to the marriage existed. Once a bond was obtained a license could be issued and the marriage would follow a few days later.

Elizabeth or Betsy Inglis was the daughter of Robert Boyd’s neighbour John Inglis and his wife Margaret Lockie.36 Betsy was born on the 6th of October 1811 in Bowden, Roxburghshire.37 Robert Boyd was now 43 years of age and his bride to be 29 an age most young women would already have been married. As for Rob Boyd he had, no doubt, been searching for a wife for some time without much luck. A further verse or two from his poem A Bachelor in His Shanty covers this point.

Last week my humble suit I paidTo bonnie, smirking Maggie Shade;

She seem'd to list to what I said,But mark, ye fates,

Straightway wi' guessing Sam she fledAff to the States.

Anither lass wi' witchin e'e,I tauld my love forth frank and free,

She pointed to my shanty weeAnd bauld and crouse,

Said, "Ere ye get the like o' me,Get a new house.38

He is certainly depressed by his failure to find a suitable mate and longs for his home in Scotland.

To me it seems there's nae reliefFrae ills that bring me muckle grief,

A sma' respite, however brief,Would raise my spirit;

But mischief following mischief---'Tis hard to bear it.

Oh! were I on my native hills,'Mong speaking rocks and prattling rills,

34 Betsy’s last name is more frequently spelled Inglis. This family will be discussed in more detail in a subsequent chapter.35 Upper Canada Marriage Bonds, Guelph Township, Wellington District, RG 5 B9, Vol. 40, 7646, 1840-08-08, C-6790, Library and Archives of Canada. 36 The Inglis/Lockie families will be discussed in more detail in a subsequent chapter.37 Old Parish Registers of Scotland, A daughter Betsy was born to John Inglis/Margaret Lockie FR184 06/10/1811 in Bowden (783/000001). Scotland’s People, http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.38 The Poems of Robert Boyd, p. 44.

Robert and Betsy Boyd

Where sweet remembrace, painting, fillsThe mind and eye

With early scenes that touching thrillsThe heart with joy.39

He believes that his fortunes in the matrimonial sphere would be much improved back in Scotland.

There 'mang those scenes where maids are rife,I'd choose myself a virtuous wife,And live contented, foes to strife,

Aye crouse and canty;But ne'er again would trust my life

In any shanty.

In Per Contra a sequel to The Bachelor in His Shanty he presents a much improved outlook on life presumably after 1840 and his marriage to Betsy Inglis.

Now, my good frien's, these tidings hear:Of all my ills I'm maistley clear;

I've got a wife whom I lo'e dear--A thrifty quean.

She mends my claes, and guides the gear,And keeps me clean.

Now, I haud up my head fu' crouse,My shanty down, I've got a house;

I lead a happy life and douceAnd weel respecit,

And hae nae fear o' thievin' mouseOr yelpin cricket.

I've sheep and oxen, horse and kye,And fat pigs gruntin' in the stye,And mony ither things forbye,

That lighten cares;Nae langer noo the wolves come nigh,

Or hungry bears.

All you in this Dominion wideWith puirtith's ills are sorely tried,

Haud up your heads in manfu prideAnd dreams o' plenty;

And think on me, your freen', Rab Boyd,And his wee shanty.40

39 Ibid.40 Ibid.

Three children were born to this marriage, Margaret about 184141, Helen about 184342, and John Inglis, 2 December 184643. The 1871 Census for Guelph Township shows all three children still at home with their father but Betsy Boyd passed away in 1870.44 There is also a servant as well as a labourer. Neither Margaret nor Helen45 married. Helen who predeceased both her mother and father was described as “deaf and dumb” in the 1861 Census for Canada West, Guelph.46 This, of course, is an archaic term but there is no other information. She died in Guelph Township at the young age of 36 years. The death record does not indicate the cause of death.47

The passing of Betsy Boyd in 1870 must have been a cruel blow and unanticipated given her age of 59. There is no indication of the cause of death. The following verses provide some insight into the desolation felt by her loss.

Thoughts Suggested On Visiting The Grave Of My Departed Wife

_______

Inclosed within this narrow swoundLies here one fondly loved and dearTo me tis sacred hallowed ground

And claims the habit of a tear.

How sad to think this turf beneathLies one I've clasped within my arms

Now in the cold embrace of deathWhom no kind feeling ever warms.

How does she know that here I bendAbove this lowly piece of earth

One she confessed her dearest friendWho knew and own'd her peerless worth.

She cares not know for winters coldNor does she feel the summers heatNo sun illumes death's dreary foldNo friends in social converse meet.

41 Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1934. MS 935, 496 reels. Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ancestry.com. Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data: Margaret Boyd.42 Ibid. Helen Boyd.43 Ancestry.com. 1906 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Library and Archives Canada. Census of the Northwest Provinces, 1906. Ottawa, Canada: Library and Archives Canada. RG31, T-18353 to T-18363. Town of Medicine Hat, sub district 37, p. 16.44 Ontario, Canada Census Index, 1871, [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: Ontario, Canada. 1871 Canada Census. Ottawa, Canada: Library and Archives Canada. Microfilm, Division 3, C-9945, p. D. 45 Some references show her name as Ellen but this must be an error.46 1861 Canada West Census, Guelph, C-1083. 47 Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1934. MS 935. Helen Boyd.

7 London Road, Guelph, Ontario – The Home Owned by Robert Boyd

In Memory of Robert BoydWho Died

January 31, 1880Aged

80 Years

Also his wife

Betsy InglisWho Died

August 30, 1870Aged

59 Years

Natives of Scotland

In Memory of MargaretWho died

June 16, 1894Aged

54 Years

Also

HelenWho died

April 16, 1878Aged

36 Years

Daughters ofRobert and Betsy Boyd

The spring again with joy shall comeAnd flowers will bloom and birds will singNo vernal warmth doth cheer the tombHere comes no loving voice of spring.

Her friends, her neighbors lie aroundBut not a word by them is said

No tales are told beneath this groundNo kindly visits here are paid.

They laugh not neither do they weepNo one at crosses here repines

Their rest is one unbroken sleepThey wake not when the morning shines.48

Margaret Boyd died in Guelph in 1894 of “cancer of the womb.”49 leaving her brother John who was her heir and executor of her will.

The Poetry of Robert Boyd

The original manuscript for many of these poems was written on foolscap and passed through four generations of the family before the general state of the paper required that it be donated to an archives.50 Many of these poems were later found published in a small anthology titled Selections From Scottish Canadian Poets published by the Caledonian Society of Toronto in 1900 edited by Dr. Daniel Clarke. This book was discovered by chance in the Vancouver Public Library. It is interesting that there were no original manuscripts for any of the poems collected by the Caledonian Society. It is possible that they were submitted to the publishers and never returned. The poetry of Robert Boyd was also from time to time quoted in local newspapers in the Guelph area. The poem which was most frequently reproduced, at least in part, was The Bachelor In His Shanty. The Guelph Daily Mercury of June 19, 1906 quotes much of this poem. This poem was again reproduced in The Guelph Evening Mercury and Advertiser on Wednesday, July 20, 1927. One of Robert Boyd's poems, Song For The Backwoodsman, was discovered in an anthology called The Poetry of the Canadian People 1720-1920, Two Hundred Years of Hard Work edited by N. Brian Davis. It is not certain where Mr. Davis located this particular poem but he tells us that many of the works in his anthology were gleaned from old Canadian newspapers.

For the most part, Robert Boyd wrote with a fine legible hand notable for bold and rounded strokes of the pen. Some of the sheets of poetry were quite faded and these presented problems but the greatest difficulty encountered was reading and correctly recopying some of the Scots dialect. Robert Burns wrote in the Ayrshire dialect of Scots with some English mixed in and this seems to be the dialect favoured by Robert Boyd and many other poets of the Paisley Block area. Today, as well as in Robert Boyd’s day, common speech in lowland Scotland varied from speaker to speaker and in the case of the poet probably depended on the audience. It is not clear when the manuscripts were written or if they

48 Ibid., p. 26.49 Registrations of deaths, 1869-1934, Archives of Ontario, MS 935, Margaret Boyd.50 The manuscripts are held by the Wellington County Museum Archives not far from the city of Guelph.

represented an attempt to recopy poems written over the course of Robert Boyd's life. In several places there are deletions and corrections which would suggest that at the time of writing he was still refining his work.

A reading of the poetry suggests that Robert Boyd was a poet of considerable talent but it is doubtful that this work represents a new Canadian literary discovery. There are places where the poetry clearly does not work very well but there are also lines which were a considerable source of delight. Robert Boyd was representative of his times and of the immigrant group which settled the farms of Upper Canada in the early to mid 19th century. He expressed the trials and tribulations encountered by a homesick immigrant in a new and often difficult land

A few of the poems make very specific reference to other pioneers who lived in the Paisley Block or the township of Guelph. One which caused some difficulty was titled Verses Suggested on the Death of an Old Friend J.C. It is probable that J.C. was John Cleghorn who lived on lot 15, concession III, division B of the Paisley Block. The poem offers little in the way of genealogical insight but speaks very eloquently about the inevitable passage of time. A similar poem is the Epitaph on Mr John Black. There is no reference to John Black in the records consulted but the poem is a sympathetic portrait of a man obviously much loved and sadly missed. A more cheerful poem but no less heartfelt is To Mrs. John Davidson. One of the best poems of this group is, however, Epistle to Thomas Laidlaw. This is a delightful work which effectively employs repetition of the phrase “my frien Tammy” and reflects on life, death and the bonds of friendship. Thomas Laidlaw was himself a poet and is particularly remembered for his work The Old Concession Road. Laidlaw was born in Roxburghshire, Scotland in 1825 and came as a child to Canada in 1831. He and Robert Boyd had much in common and it is not surprising that the letter from Henry Scott Riddell refers to Thomas Laidlaw as the bearer.

Robert Boyd was obviously an observer of the political scene and makes his Whig views known in A Rhyme for the Times. “Chieften Mac” (John A. MacDonald), Dr Tupper and others are taken to task for their failings. The other names mentioned in the poem are all prominent local men who either leaned politically in the direction of Sir John A. and the Tories or to the Whigs. As a mill owner James Goldie was concerned about the monopoly of the Grand Trunk Railway and looked to the Conservatives for relief. Acton Burrows is singled out as a Tory 'scribbler' and a man to be watched with caution. Donald Guthrie a businessman appears to be more favored and it is to the Whigs that Boyd lends his support and places his hopes for the future. The only other poem which allows some political insight and possibly provides us with a time frame is A Welcome to the Marquis of Lorne and His Beloved Princess. The Governor-General and his wife Princess Louise visited Guelph in September of 1879. The visit which was to help Guelph celebrate its establishment as a city had been delayed a year at the urging some local businessmen because of the depressed state of the economy. It was hoped that a year would allow the National Policy of Sir John A. Macdonald's government to rebuild the economic circumstances of the community. The visit would then be well received by the citizens and help to vindicate Conservative policies. Robert Boyd does not go into the politics of this visit but his poem is a hymn of praise to the Governor-General and his wife

As fond as he is of Canada and all of its natural beauty many of Robert Boyd's poems reflect a strong sense of nostalgia for Auld Scotia. This feeling is particularly powerful in a poem named very simply Song. The first three verses express his yearning for the land that is far awa but as the poem goes on it is to Canada that the focus shifts and the hope that some bard will arise to sing praises to this dear land. It is not surprising that a similar sentiment can be found in a poem called Verses Spoken at a Meeting of the Sons of St Andrew 9th Dec. 1878. In verse six he states “Lov'd Caledonia dear is thy name” but as the poem progresses it is from his “lov'd forest home” in Canada that his prayer will rise for the future and security of Scotland. Two other poems continue with the theme of yearning for a homeland he never expects to see again. The first was also written in 1878 and is called The Scottish Gathering 1 October 1878. The second which is a very short poem is called To Mr. John Anderson on Receiving From Him Two Sprigs of Heather. This poem has a lilting quality to the use of language and an effective rhyme scheme. In four short verses it touches on Boyd's love of nature, his attachment to old friends and, of course, the nostalgia for “dear auld Scotland's hills.”

… even those who felt most positively about their new lives in Canada did not necessarily want to lose their Scottishness, nor did it seem that becoming Canadian required that. Indeed, as the many Scottish societies suggest, the more deep-rooted the transplantation, the more important it became not just to preserve a Scottish identity (which might not have much to do with an individual's personal origins), but to maintain links with other Scots. An important part of the role of Scottish societies in Canada was to look after their own, in a way that might not have seemed appropriate or necessary in the old country.51

The poem which appears to have been most frequently quoted is The Bachelor in His Shanty. This is a poem of twenty-eight verses followed by another six in Additional Verses to the Shanty and a conclusion, Per Contra. This poem covers all of the evils which are likely to befall the struggling pioneer in a new and hostile land. These are not easy times for Rab Boyd but better times are also very much a part of the process of putting down roots in Canada. In Per Contra he tells us that he is free of most of his problems. He has found a wife, “a thrifty quean” and now has house and livestock. We are left with the impression that when all is said and done the experience has been worth the suffering. Life has not been easy but along the way there has been much for which to be thankful. He has established himself as a respected member of the community and raised three children. Although his wife has predeceased him he is comforted in his last years by his faith in an afterlife and his God.

The Growth and Development of the Boyd Farm

Using data gleaned from census and assessment records for Guelph Township It is possible to follow Robert Boyd’s progress as he clears the land and begins to turn his property into a working farm. By 1832 he has 96 acres of uncultivated land but has managed to cultivate 4 acres.52 He is alone on the property. He has no livestock and appears not to be living there as no dwelling is indicated. The following year he is assessed by the Township of Guelph and has put under cultivation 10 acres. In addition he has acquired 2 oxen. His property is valued at £38. He does not appear again in the 51 Jenni Calder, Scots in Canada, 147.52 #14 Guelph TWP Census and Assessment 1832, MS 700 (2), Gore District, Guelph TWP to Southfleet & Benbrook TWPS #18.

assessment rolls until 1837and is still alone on the property. He now has 28 acres under cultivation, 2 oxen and 2 cows. The 1838 assessment shows the same acreage under cultivation but he has been joined by a female over the age of 16. We know he was not married until 1840 so this is a little confusing given the times and mores. He is assessed at £40.

The 1839 Guelph Township Assessment is more detailed and breaks the assessment down by the value of both property and livestock. The 70 acres of uncultivated land was assessed a 4s whereas the 30 acres of cultivated land were deserving of £1. The horse – 3 years old – was assessed £8, the two oxen at £4 and three milk cows £1 each for a total assessment of £138. This is a considerable increase in property value in a single year. At this time it is indicated that he is once again alone, the mysterious female having disappeared. Robert Boyd’s religion is mentioned for the first time and not surprisingly he is Church of Scotland. The last of the early assessments was made in 1840 on essentially the same land and livestock but it is only for £63. There is no explanation for this significant reduction in the assessed value of lot 14, concession 3.

It is not until 1861 some 20 years later that another personal and agricultural census was taken.53 By this time Robert Boyd is 63 years of age and his wife Elizabeth (Betsy) is 50. They live in a stone house on the 100 acre lot. There are the three children still at home with the youngest, John, attending school. The amount of acreage under cultivation has increased to 85 of which 55 acres were in crops in 1860 with the remaining cultivated land designated as pasture aside from ½ an acre described as orchard. The value of the farm is set at $1000 which seems very low. John Laidlaw and Thomas Laidlaw both have 200 acre farms which are valued at $10,000. Thomas Cleghorn has 50 acres under cultivation which are valued at $2000. The cash value of Robert Boyd’s implements and machinery are $200 which appears to be about average for the area. Crops grown on the Boyd farm include 12 acres of fall wheat and 10 acres of spring wheat producing 420 and 500 bushels respectively. He has an acre of land in peas and 7 acres in oats and his vegetable garden produces 300 bushels of potatoes and 3600 bushels of turnips. Additionally the farm produces 80 lbs of wool, 100 lbs of butter and 100 lbs of cheese. The orchard earns $10 and the sale of pork and eggs $80. By 1861 he has 3 oxen, 4 heifers, 5 milk cows, 2 horses (over 5 years of age), 10 sheep and 9 pigs. The value of the livestock is $734. It is clear from this agricultural census that Robert Boyd, while not perhaps as prosperous as some of his neighbours, is comfortable.

A decade later In 1871 Robert Boyd is still on his farm and 73 years of age.54 His wife, Betsy, has passed on but all three children are still at home.55 Margaret is 29, Helen (Ellen) 27 and John 25. There is one servant Elizabeth Klinger age 18 and one laborer Rudolf Lettin also age 18. They are both immigrants from Prussia and they are Lutherans. The Boyd family religion is now described as Canadian Presbyterian. The agricultural inventory is relatively unchanged.

Robert Boyd’s Contributions to the Community

According to the Historical Atlas of Wellington County, 1906 Robert Boyd “from an early date took a prominent part in the affairs of the community.” In January of 1851 he became a member of the township council although we do not know how many years that he served in this capacity.56 He was

53 Canada West Census for Guelph 1861, C-1083.54 Province of Ontario Census, Guelph Township, District No. 33, Province of Ontario, household 94, p. 26.55 A.E. Byerly, One Hundred Years at Knox Presbyterian Church 1844-1944, (Guelph, Ontario, 1944), 50.56 C. A. Burrows, The Annals of the town of Guelph, 1827-1877. (Guelph, Ontario: Herald Steam Printing House, 1877), p. 67.

also involved in the establishment of a school and engaged in this activity well before he was married and had children of his own.

It was not until the summer of 1832 that even the humblest effort was made in the cause of education, Mr. Robt. Boyd having met with Mr. John Craw, an individual who had no continuing city or place of abode, but drifted on the waves of accident or as chance directed him. He (Craw) called upon some of the settlers the day following when it was arranged that he should open a school in a small house, owned by Mr. Robert Laidlaw.57

He was one of the original members of Knox Presbyterian Church and occupied the honourary position of Bard of the St Andrew and Caledonian Societies.

Because he was a “great reader” with a keen interest in public affairs it is not surprising that politicians of day felt the thrust of his wit and pen. In two of the stanzas of the following poem John A. MacDonald is taken to task for accepting bribes from Sir Hugh Allen.58

A Rhyme For The Times__________________

Chieftan Mac, Chieftan Mac how crowsley ye crackWhen the other great chieftan's away

But to your disgrace when brought face to faceThe frent a word ye can say.

Nae mair, nae mair rich pickings you shareTo what great depths you have fallen

Not a cent now ye get from your old favorite petThe wealthy, the mighty Hugh Allan.59

Robert Boyd Moves to the Town of Guelph

Robert Boyd sold lot No. 14, Division B, in the 3rd concession to James Cleghorn on the 8th of January 1876.60 He was now nearly 80 years of age and probably unable to continue to manage his farm. It appears that his son John was not interested in the property or unable to raise the necessary cash to purchase it. A mortgage was registered against this property in the amount of $4000.61 On or about the same date he purchased a house at 7 London Road inside the city limits of Guelph. The house was located on 1/5 of an acre of land and was valued at $700 on the 1877 City of Guelph tax assessment

57 A.E. Byerly, The Beginning of Things in Wellington and Waterloo Counties, (Guelph, Guelph Publishing Company, 1935), p. 69.58 In April of 1873 the government of Sir John A. Macdonald was charged with accepting bribes from Sir Hugh Allan. In return for these payments, Allan was to be given the lucrative contract to construct the Canadian Pacific Railway. When evidence of the agreement was made public by the Opposition and published in newspapers across Canada, the episode became known as the "Pacific Scandal."59 The Poems of Robert Boyd, p. 11.60 Township of Guelph Land Records, Lot No. 14 Div. B in the third Concession. No. of Instrument – 1375, 8 January 1876, Grantor – Robert Boyd, Grantee- James Cleghorn.61 Ibid., No. of Instrument – 1376.

roll.62 He lived in this house with his daughter Margaret and one other person, possibly, a lodger. When Robert Boyd died in 1880 he left the house, its contents and $2500 to Margaret.63 His son John received the remainder of his estate. No inventory was located.

I GIVE, DEVISE, and BEQUEATH unto my beloved daughter MARGARET BOYD the house and lot on the London Road in which I now reside, to her and for her, her heirs and assigns forever. I also give and bequeath unto my said daughter, Margaret, all my household furniture and effects, books, pictures, china and glassware to and for her own use and benefit absolutely. I also give and bequeath unto my said daughter, Margaret, the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars to be paid to her out of my personal estate within one year after my decease. UPON my beloved son JOHN INGLIS BOYD I GIVE DEVISE AND BEQUEATH the rest and residue of my estate both real and personal to and for his own use and benefit absolutely, subject however to the payment by him of all my just debts, funeral and testamentary expenses.64

Margaret had no other means of support and would accordingly receive what amounted to a life estate in the house and some of the remaining capital. John, on the other hand, could earn a living and probably did not receive an equal share of the estate at that time. When Margaret died in 1894 her will stipulated that everything was to be passed on to John. Margaret died on the 16th of June 1894 and the will was dated the 15th of June and obviously made in extremis as Margaret died the following day.

This is the last Will and Testament of me Margaret Boyd of the City of Guelph Spinster. I give and bequeath all of my property real and personal unto my brother John I Boyd subject to the payment of my debts, funeral and testamentary expenses and subject to the payment of one hundred dollars to the Home Mission fund of the Presbyterian church, one hundred dollars to Mrs. Odowiski [sic], one hundred dollars to Arthur F Hicks, twenty-five dollars to my friend, Mrs. Walter Ceran, ten dollars to Mary Boulton and one hundred dollars to be paid for a monument to be placed in my lot in the cemetery all of which I direct to be paid within one year after my decease. The share of Arthur Hicks I direct the same to be paid to his father whose release therefore shall be valid and sufficient and I appoint my brother to be Executor.65

The witnesses to the will were Hugh McMillan and Louise Hicks. John Boyd petitioned for probate on the 19th of June 1894 and stated his address as Clifton, (Niagara Falls) in the County of Welland.66 The total value of the estate is $3200 which was a not an unreasonable sum of money for the times. The real estate, which was probably the London St. house in Guelph, was valued at $1000. Household goods amounted to $200, promissory notes, $400, moneys secured by mortgage, $750 and $140 cash in the bank. The will was drawn by the law firm of Field and McMillan. The very impressive monument in Woodlawn Cemetery appears to have been erected at the time of her death in 1894 as a sum of $100 was indicated for this purpose. The actual lot had been purchased by Robert Boyd on 30 August 1870 at the time of the death of Betsy Boyd although her name on the invoice is incorrectly recorded as Bertha.67

62 City of Guelph Tax Assessment Roll, 7 London Road, Robert Boyd, Guelph Public Library.63 Will of Robert Boyd, 3 July 1879, G.S. Ont. 1-499, Wellington County, Guelph, Wills #493, Archives of Ontario.64 The Will of Robert Boyd. MS 638, GS 1, Reel 500, Archives of Ontario.65 The Will of Margaret Boyd. GS Cont. 1-521, Wellington County Wills, 3447-1894, Archives of Ontario.66 This is a little confusing as it was understood that by this time John was living in Manitoba.67 Guelph Woodlawn Cemetery Lot Record, Robert Boyd, Block G, Lot 39, Area 184, 30 August 1870.

The Death of Robert Boyd

Robert Boyd died on the 31st of January 1880 at the age of 83 years.68 The record of his death states that he died of old age which is as accurate a medical judgment as might be expected under the circumstances. His son John Inglis registered the death. The notice was recorded briefly in The Guelph Daily Mercury and Advertiser:

BOYD– In Guelph on the 31st ult., Robert Boyd formerly of Paisley Block, Guelph Township, age 82 years. The funeral will take place from his late residence, London Road, tomorrow (Tuesday) at two o’clock p.m. Friends and acquaintances are requested to attend.

A more detailed obituary was carried in the same paper:

The Death of Mr. Robert Boyd

Death is gradually but steadily thinning the ranks of the early settlers in this District. Scarcely a week passes but we have to announce the departure of some well known old resident or some pioneer, who in the early days of the history of this section was well known to all his neighbours, and became closely identified with its everyday life. It is our sad duty today to record the death of Mr. Robert Boyd, a very old and honoured resident of the Paisley Block, Guelph Township, and who was known far and wide not only as a successful farmer but as a man of rare intelligence, and of considerable poetic talent. The deceased who attained the ripe age of eighty-three years never recovered the shock he received last summer when having gone to the Preston Baths in company with the late Dr. Barrie, he fainted while in the bath. His life then for a while hung on the balance, but his fine constitution for a time overcame the trouble. – only, however, to prolong his life for a few months. Some two weeks ago his strength began to give way and gradually but surely disease gained the mastery until Saturday night when he calmly breathed his last.

Mr. Boyd was a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, and came to Canada in 1830, and found his way to the Paisley Block, which became his future home. Along with the other early settlers in that section he experienced the hardships and vicissitudes of the early settlers life and yet these were intermingled with so much genuine happiness and friendly intercourse of neighbours that the trials and troubles of a pioneer life were to a great extent forgotten. Mr. Boyd from an early date took a prominent position among the pioneers of the Paisley Block and his poetic talent was more than once laid under tribute to illustrate the primitive life of those days. To this mainly we owe the production of “The Shanty” one of the ablest and best known productions which was a truthful and humorous picture of these unsophisticated times.

Some four years ago, the infirmities of age led the deceased to give up farming in the Paisley Block, and he came into Guelph. Previous to his leaving the old homestead his old friends and neighbours, as an evidence of the high esteem in which he was held, presented him with a handsome easy chair which he highly prized. After his removal to Guelph, he continued to take the same interest in public affairs as he had done in his most vigorous days, and was always a

68 Ancestry.com. Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data: (523223/GK – Office of the Registrar General, Toronto ON)

welcome visitor at the St Andrews and Caledonian Societies’ gatherings having been appointed to the honorary position of Bard of these Societies.

Mr. Boyd was possessed of more than ordinary intelligence. He was a great reader and to the last kept himself fully informed on all of the great questions of the day. The poetic fervour which he brought from his native Ayr to Canada in all its power and purity he cherished to the last. The pages of the “Mercury” have during the past few years often been made more interesting by his contributions which always breathed a pure and elevated spirit. Among his friends and acquaintances there was no one more agreeable, or more open to all sociable and innocent recreation. He was liked by old and young and now that he has gone his memory will be held in fond remembrance by all who knew him, and in profound respect by those who knew him best and loved him most. He leaves a son and daughter to mourn their loss.69

It is appropriate to end this chapter on the life of Robert Boyd with verses from one of his last poems.

On The Near Approach Of Death______________________

I've been a pilgrim long on earthAn I have Travers'd far and wide

And now in all my wandering forthHave reached dark Jordan's swelling tide.

And how to cross its turbid streamMy courage fails, I'm sore afraidFor should I sink an fail to swim

There's no one near can give me aid.

Kind friends are standing on the sideAbsorb'd in sad dismay and griefFor should I sink beneath the tideTheir not the power to give relief.

I see the billows foaming highThe stream looks dreary, lone and wide

And no kind pilot standing nighTo hand one safe on Canaan's side.

But there is One it's waves can stillThough wild and boisterous they be

And we his kind words will fulfillThat they shall not come nigh to me.

O then lov'd Father kindly comeAnd safely me conduct and guide

That I may reach your blissful homeAnd with you ever there reside.70

69 The Guelph Daily Mercury and Advertiser, Vol. X111, No. 176, City of Guelph Monday Evening, February 2, 1880.70 The Poetry of Robert Boyd, p. 48.

The life of Robert Boyd in Canada underscores the success of the Canada Company as well as the determination and hard work of Scottish settlers in Upper Canada. He did not return to his beloved Scotland but rather lived out his days on the land he worked for fifty years in his new homeland.

All you in this Dominion wideWith puirtih’s ills are sorely tried

Haud up your heads in manful prideAnd dreams o’ plenty

And think of me, your freen, Rab Boyd,And his wee shanty.71

71 Ibid., p. 48.