Grenville County, Ontario

It fronted on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, between the towns of Kingston and Cornwall.

[1] It consisted of five townships, which were settled primarily by United Empire Loyalists in the late 1700s after the Revolutionary War.

The emphasis of the Crown government was on military defense, economic growth and political stability.

The strategy was to increase the population, maintain efficient military districts, and develop political counties and townships to be dotted with agricultural hamlets and towns and commercially-oriented cities.

Shortly after the Loyalist refugee arrivals, Irish and Scottish immigrants began to settle in the area as well.

These communities were established out of necessity, as roads in the area were not well-established during nineteenth century and people were travelling on foot or via horse and buggy.

[3] Every few kilometres, a village or hamlet was usually present; these villages usually each had their own churches, schools, cemeteries and temperance halls, as well as pioneer businesses such as cheese factories, saw and grist mills, blacksmiths, limekilns, post offices, general stores or asheries.