From Ulster to Canada : the life and times of Wilson Benson 1821-1911 / Cecil J. Houston, William J. Smyth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Houston, Cecil J., 1943-

Contributor:

Smyth, William J., 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Benson, Wilson, 1821-1911.

Benson, Wilson.

Immigrants.

History.

Northern Irish.

Emigration and immigration.

Canada--Emigration and immigration--History--19th century.

Canada.

Ulster (Northern Ireland and Ireland)--Emigration and immigration--History--19th century.

Ulster (Northern Ireland and Ireland).

Northern Irish--Canada--History--19th century.

Immigrants--Canada--History--19th century.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xxii, 138 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Belfast : Ulster Historical Foundation, 2015.

Summary:

"No country contributed more to the establishment of Canada than Ireland. And of the 500,000 souls who arrived there in a constant stream in the generation before the Great Famine, the vast majority originated in Ulster. Canadian identity continues to be characterised by this significant Ulster cultural contribution. In Ontario particularly, the Ulster presence was evident throughout a broad swathe of land stretching almost 1,000 kilometres from the Quebec border to the USA frontier at Detroit. These two great stories, of Ulster migration to and settlement in Canada, unfold intriguingly in this scholarly and accessible book. Recently-married Wilson Benson emigrated from Co. Armagh in 1841, lived for another 70 years in Ontario and left behind a detailed autobiography. It recalls, firstly, his youth in Ulster and goes on to narrate in engaging detail his varied and indomitable attempts to establish himself in his New World, an absorbing tale that amply informs our understanding of the nineteenth-century migration experience. Wilson Benson's perceptive life history is of value not only to emigrant and family historians but is also a near-unique account of both Ulster society on the cusp of the trauma of the Famine and the emergence of early modern Canada" -- Publisher's description.

Contents:

Wilson Benson's Irish world: population, economy and society in pre-famine Ireland

Making the transatlantic connection

Settling in: Wilson Benson and the Canadian frontier, 1840-70

Rural stability and the urban experience

Conclusion

Index

Part two. Life and adventures of Wilson Benson (written by himself).

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Includes facsimile reprint of : Benson, Wilson. Life and adventures of Wilson Benson / written by himself. Toronto : Hunter, Rose & Co., 1876.

Contains:

Benson, Wilson, 1821-1911. Life and adventures of Wilson Benson.

ISBN:

1909556335

9781909556331

OCLC:

913195245