There are some men whose stories don’t arrive with fanfare or legend, but instead with the steady rhythm of an axe biting into maple and beech. Men who carved their place in the world one swing at a time, trusting that the land; though wild, though unyielding, would eventually soften under their persistence. Robert Fraser was one of them.

Andrew recited his story as John dictated, as Andrew spoke, Linton imagined those faraway Scottish hills, the patchwork fields, stone walls, and heathered slopes now traded for maples, black oak, and the relentless hum of mosquitos. The tone of Andrew’s voice suggested neither regret nor longing, only the clarity of a man who understood the weight of choices. A man who new big risks could bring big rewards.

John had a good idea what it was going to take, when he first stepped onto Lot 15, it was not a farm. It was a wilderness so thick that daylight barely touched the ground. “I commenced to improve on my land (it being then a perfect wilderness, travelled only by the Indian) late fall of 1834. The snow was on the trees then I recollect well, for, on beginning to chop down some trees to build my small ‘shanty’ with the snow at the stroke of the axe would be falling down upon me.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looks off into the distance as if he sees the place he speaks of. “I came from Berwickshire, in Scotland, from near the town of Lauder. I settled in this township in the summer of 1832, when this and the adjoining township began to be settled.” Referring to North and South Easthope townships.

This series will begins with the tale of John J.E. Linton, an influential pioneer and the transcriber of the original documents I read. The following stories will focus on the details provided by the pioneers he interviewed. These pioneers include Andrew Riddell Jr., Timothy Wallace, James Hastings, Andrew Riddell (son), John Crerar, Robert Fraser, John Stewart Sr., George Wood, and William Dunn. Residents of North Easthope, South Easthope and Downie Township. I hope you enjo