With Lake Erie now completely frozen over, I am reminded of the story of my great-great-great-great-great grandfather, a chap by the name of Frederick Onstine. According to legend, Grandpa Fred and his family fled Canada during the War of 1812 by crossing over the ice of Lake Erie via Pelee Island. Fred was actually born in Pennsylvania in 1760, but for uncertain reasons (maybe he was a loyalist or pacifist in the American Revolution), left the Keystone state for Long Point, Ontario in 1793. There, he was personally granted a large tract of land along the northern Lake Erie shore by the legendary (in Canada) Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe. Two decades later -- and for reasons that are again lost to history -- Fred and his seven sons left their farm and no doubt countless possessions and made the great ice crossing to Ohio. Back in the states, Fred and several of his sons joined U.S. forces and participated in several raids and battles of the War of 1812. In recognition of their service, the U.S. Congress later awarded Grandpa Fred and his family a large chunk of land in northern Ohio. As evidenced by this poster, the British authorities were somewhat less impressed. archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/1812/big/big_087_treason.aspx
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 15:45:13 +0000
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