Across the waters: Ontario immigrants' experiences, 1820-1850

Across the Waters is an assembly of the first-hand written accounts of 150 individual immigrants, skillfully bridged by authors Frances Hoffman and Ryan Taylor, to tell the fascinating story of what it was like to leave a familiar homeland to pioneer in the virgin forests of early Ontario. By allowing the personal writings of the early settlers to guide us through their experiences, we come to better appreciate the process of settlement. By examining the various stages of emigration, such as preparing for the journey, ocean crossings, obtaining and clearing land, building a shelter - then a house, and living in the clearings, we gain a clearer understanding of nineteenth century emigrant experience.