Robert Land (1739–1818) was a

United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalist (UEL; or simply Loyalist) 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 Ameri ...

and British spy during the American Revolution, and one of the first British settlers of

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, Canada.

Early life

Born in Tiverton in

Devonshire, England Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, Land emigrated as a young man to the British

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America. The Thirteen C ...

in America. He settled near Calkins Creek at what is now Milanville, Pennsylvania and started a farm. In 1756, he married Phoebe Scott. By 1776, Land had been appointed Justice of the Peace.

Work during American Revolutionary War

During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, Land carried out many

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...

missions for the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. He was eventually captured by American revolutionaries, tried and convicted as a traitor. His conviction was overturned by

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

on the grounds that as a citizen of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, he could not be tried in a military court. He was released on bail while awaiting a new trial. Upon Land's release, he was wounded and chased by a gang of

vigilantes Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

whilst travelling to Niagara with a group of

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

, but managed to escape.

Settlement of Hamilton, Ontario

Returning to his Pennsylvania home, Land found that it had been destroyed. Believing that his wife and children were dead, Land decided to leave the colonies. He traveled through

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

to the

Niagara River The Niagara River ( ) flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, forming part of the border between Ontario, Canada, to the west, and New York, United States, to the east. The origin of the river's name is debated. Iroquoian scholar Bruce T ...

, which he crossed to what was then the British Province of Quebec, but was later to be Upper Canada, and then Ontario. Once in Canada, Land received a land grant of 312 acres, which now forms part of Hamilton. Several years later, Land was reunited with his family. Phoebe and her children had traveled for sanctuary to New York City, which was still under British occupation. At the end of the war, they and other Loyalists were evacuated by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

to the British Colony of

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. Seven years after arriving in New Brunswick, Phoebe heard a rumor about a man named Land who lived near

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...

. Two years later, Phoebe and her children traveled to what was by then Upper Canada to reunite with Land.

Later life

When Land died in July 1818 aged 79, Hamilton was developing into a village. Phoebe died in 1826 aged 93. Pheobe's youngest brother's son was the American general

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

who led a military incursion into

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Robert and Phoebe's son, Colonel Robert Land (1772–1867), served in the

Battle of Queenston Heights The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major engagement of the War of 1812. The battle took place on 13 October 1812 at Queenston in Upper Canada (now Ontario) and was a decisive British victory. United States regulars and New York (state ...

and the

Battle of Stoney Creek The Battle of Stoney Creek was a British victory over an American force fought on 6 June 1813, during the War of 1812 near what is now Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada. British units made a night attack on the American encampment, and due in larg ...

in Upper Canada.Hamilton Spectator (July 21, 2012 updated Feb. 28, 2020)https://www.thespec.com/life/travel/2012/07/21/hamilton-cemetery-vault-tells-a-tale-of-intrigue-heroism-and-war-of-1812-history.html

Family Relationships

Robert and Phoebe Land are the third great-grandparents of

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...

References

*Wentworth Bygones. From the Papers and Records of The Head of the Lake Historical Society Hamilton, Ontario. Vol.1 Walsh Printing Service, Hamilton, Ontario. 1958 ** Extracts online a
The Story of the Land Family
an
The Story of the Land Family at Charles Lindbergh
* Dorothy I. Brown. A loyalist's legacy: the family of Robert Land 1985 * James Elliott. If Ponies Rode Men: The Journeys Of Robert Land, 1777-1791 1995 * Lois C. Hamilton Evans: The story of a city. Toronto: Ryerson Press, 1970 https://sites.google.com/site/niagarasettlers/1787-census {{DEFAULTSORT:Land, Robert 1739 births 1818 deaths British emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies History of Hamilton, Ontario