Alderville was founded in 1837, but had been influenced by the English long before that. Kakawaquonabe had previously converted to Methodism in 1823 under the influence of Peter Jones. It was three years later that John Sunday converted as well and the Grape Island Mission was formed. The Grampe Island and Rice Lake missions would merge in 1836 just prior to the founding of Alderville. Peter Jones An Indian missionary this man played a large part in the conversion of the Rice Lake natives. He was born in 1802 in what was Upper Canada. His father was a Welshman, and was for several years King’s Deputy Provincial Surveyor in Upper Canada. His mother was Tuhkenahneequay, daughter of a chief of the Mississauga tribe of the Ojibways. Due to the nature of his father’s work he was raised primarily by his mother, therefore learning the customs and beliefs of her people. He was well versed in his Indian heritage and apparently concerned about the effects of alcohol on his people. His grandfather Wahbanosay bestowed upon him the guardian care of his people according to their custom and he was given the name Kahkewaquonaby “Sacred Waving Feathers”. Living amongst his mother’s people made him well versed in the ways of the native American. He suffered greatly during many of those years and it was after witnessing the devastation of the Battle of Stoney Creek that he, on the 5th day of june 1823 converted to Christianity. At the age of 23 he was given a Christian Baptism, by request of his father. In the summer of 1824 he began teaching school and attending worship at Davisville, assisting in the Sunday School. Thus began his public oration and preaching the gospel. In 1835 alongside Rev. A. Tarrey he began his first missionary journey. Feeling this was his mission he continued to preach to bands of Indians all over what would become the province of Ontario. Advising them not only in the Christian religion but also about the importance of settlements, he was instrumental in choosing sites for them. He showed them how to farm and how to procure seed and implements to aid in farming. According to his journal there is an entry that displays how well converted he became. When inspecting a native Americans home on Grape Island he reported the following "Joseph Skunk, floor clean - cupboards poor - table good but dusty - beds tolerably good. A woman was making light bread like a white woman." Jones was indeed instrumental in the missionary work by translating into the Ojibway language a large numer of hymns, and considerable portions of the Bible. John Sunday (Shawundais) John Sunday was a Mississauga Ojibwa chief of the Indian nation and a Methodist minister born in 1795. As early as 1827 Sunday was involved with the spiritual well-being of his people. Blessed with a knack for storytelling made him an important figure when it came to converting his people to Christianity. He was intelligent and quick witted and was touted by Dr. John Carroll who said of Sunday that: "No Indian preacher, and few English ones, could equal him for original methods of sermonizing, readiness of illustrations, and power to deal with the conscience. His wit, humor, downright drollery and readiness at repartee, joined to his broken English, make him irresistible." By 1835 John Sunday became a missionary. He was ordained with the Methodist Church in 1836 and at the Conference of 1837 in the Bay of Quinte district he was assigned the missionary station of Alderville along with William Case. John Sunday died 1875. He is buried at Alderville and a monument to his name and Christian service (including that of Rev. Williams Case and Philip Sparling) can be seen in the Alderville cemetery to this day. The Alderville Residential School In 1848 The Alnwick Residential School was completed at a cost of $6328. It was to be attended by children from the Chippewas of Lake Huron and Simcoe, Saugeen and Owen Sound; and the Mississaugas of Alnwick, and those of Rice, Mud and Scugog Lakes; a few children from Garden River were also admitted although they had no funds to contribute to the support of the School. The management of this School having been entrusted to the Wesleyan Methodist Society. It was agreed that $64 per child would be used for the betterment of the education, board and clothing of the children attending. It was closed after seven years due to unsurmountable obstacles. The original school was used by the Council House until 1880 when it became to run down and was unfit for use. SOME OF MY OSTROMS (A WORK IN PROGRESS) The Ostrom family was one of the early families to settle in Canada. First settling in the Belleville area. The large United Empire Loyalist family is well documented. Unfortunately some of the branch can be sketchy and hard to find. I have been researching this branch for many years and every once in a while I come up with a little gem that opens a new door.
The family name has varied over the years. The original name was Oosteroom or van Oosteroom and variations of that as well. A family that originated from Ultrecht, Netherlands who settled in what is now New York. I will be working backwards in my line to my first documented Oosteroom or Ostrom, Hendricks Jansen born between 1625 and 1630 in Schalckwyck , Utrecht, Netherlands. He would be the first to come to America. I have decided to work back from those I know and discover what may along my travels. This blog with deal with Gideon Turner Ostrom and his wife Emma Turner where he eventually settled.
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Stephanie Bell-Boissonneault"When researching Family never leave a stone unturned, not even a pebble." Archives
July 2023
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