James McNab was the first settler in Norval,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, originally called "McNab's Mills" McNab was an acting Lance Sergeant at the

Battle of Queenston Heights The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812. Resulting in a British victory, it took place on 13 October 1812 near Queenston, Upper Canada (now Ontario). The battle was fought between United States regulars wit ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. He transferred to Captain John Powell's Provincial Artillery and had the rank of "Gunner" which was equivalent to the rank of Lieutenant. This matches his self-reported rank and history in the military as given in his Upper Canada Land Grant application. McNab was not a

United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...

, since they were veterans of the American Revolution, but as a veteran of the War of 1812, he was similarly entitled to a grant of land. He was born in

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) * Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; an ...

Caledonia County, Vermont Caledonia County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,233. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of St. Johnsbury. The county was created in 1792 and organ ...

on 9 July 1787. He arrived from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

about 1805 and from 1812 to 1819 lived in Toronto where he later married his wife, Sarah Marsh. In 1812, he enlisted in the Lincoln Militia and fought on the Niagara front. When the area around Esquesing (later Norval) was opened for settlement in 1819, he obtained a land grant and moved his family there. He set up a

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

and

saw mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ( dimens ...

on the

Credit River The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario, which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment near Orangeville and Caledon East to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately . The total le ...

. In 1829, he lost a leg in a mill accident. He later sold the mills and moved to

Owen Sound Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist attract ...

with his wife and family. He is referred to as "Colonel James McNab" in later years due to a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel on retirement. In 1837 he raised a troop of men during the 1837 Rebellion. It is said that he was unable to claim his expenses from the government and had to sell his mills to pay for the cost. He died in Owen Sound on 24 September 1866 and is buried in the Greenwood cemetery there.City of Owen Sound Genealogical List All Cemeteries In 1991, a historic plaque was unveiled in McNab Park in Norval, Ontario in his honour.

References

Sources

Norval History 1820-1950 by Joan (Browne) Carter
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McNab, James 1787 births 1866 deaths People from Barnet, Vermont People from Halton Hills Millers Canadian people of the War of 1812 Upper Canada Rebellion people American emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Immigrants to Upper Canada