Michael Grass
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Captain Michael Grass (c.1734–1813) was a French-born militia captain who was loyal to the British and led a contingent of
United Empire Loyalists 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 dur ...
to Canada after the American War of Independence. Grass was one of the founders of
Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...
.Osborne 2011, p.29


Early years

He was born in Strasbourg,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, emigrated to America, and settled in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
in 1752. During his years in Philadelphia, he worked as a tanner and saddler. He later moved to New York City and then to
Tryon County, New York Tryon County was a county in the colonial Province of New York in the British American colonies. It was created from Albany County on March 24, 1772, and was named for William Tryon, the last provincial governor of New York. The county's bound ...
where he began farming as well as continued his vocation of saddler.


Seven Years' War and the American Revolution

Grass served in the British regiment in New York during the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
. During this time Grass was apparently captured by French forces and imprisoned at
Fort Frontenac Fort Frontenac was a French trading post and military fort built in July 1673 at the mouth of the Cataraqui River where the St. Lawrence River leaves Lake Ontario (at what is now the western end of the La Salle Causeway), in a location traditio ...
around 1756, where he gained an appreciation for the Cataraqui area.Osborne 2011, p. 27 In 1777, at the beginning of the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
, Grass returned to New York City because Tryon County became too dangerous for Loyalists. While in New York he served as a lieutenant in the New York City Militia.


Loyalist leader

In 1783, Grass and a group of Loyalist families were sent by Sir Guy Carleton to settle on the north shore of Lake Ontario. He was placed in charge of eight companies of Loyalists, consisting of up to a thousand people. From New York City they headed to Sorel, Quebec in the fall of 1783 and were given permission later that year by Governor Frederick Haldimand to settle at the location preferred by Grass - Cataraqui (later named Kingston). Grass arrived with about fifty families in 1784. Grass is considered one of the founders of Kingston, Ontario. He became a leader in the new community, creating one of the first permanent English-speaking towns in Canada. He was appointed a magistrate and performed many of the marriages in Kingston during these early years In Kingston, Ontario, a street is named after Michael Grass. As well, the publishing house Michael Grass House bears his name.


References

*Careless, J.M.S
''Canada: A Story of Challenge''


Ontario Historical Society Papers and Records, Volume 27, Toronto, 1931, pp 5–14. Retrieved 2015-01-13
Moore, Christopher. ''The Loyalists: Revolution Exile Settlement''
McClelland & Stewart.
Turner, Larry. "The Founding of Kingston, Ontario"
''The Loyalist Gazette'', Volume XXII, No. 1. *Osborne, Brian S. and Donald Swainson. ''Kingston, Building on the Past for the Future''. Quarry Heritage Books, 2011. *Mika, Nick and Helma et al. ''Kingston, Historic City''. Belleville: Mika Publishing Co., 1987. . *Armstrong, Alvin. ''Buckskin to Broadloom - Kingston Grows Up''. Kingston Whig-Standard, 1973. No ISBN.


External links



Historical plaque placed by the Ontario Heritage Foundation and the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Communications.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grass, Michael 1734 births 1813 deaths Military personnel from Strasbourg French emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario French emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies United Empire Loyalists Kingston, Ontario Immigrants to the Province of Quebec (1763–1791) Alsatian-German people