Characters of the War of 1812

by Judi McWilliams

ELIZABETH SIMCOE - DIARIST

She was the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. It is said that Elizabeth was an accomplished artist and, between 1791 and 1796, as she travelled throughout Upper and Lower Canada, produced a large number of sketches and Watercolour depicting Canadian scenes. She was also an avid diarist and wrote about many of her experiences. They say the diaries and paintings combine to create a vivid portrait of both the raw beauty of the untamed landscape and the day-to-day life of a gentlewoman in pioneer times. I recently looked at several of her paintings from sites via the internet. I began wondering how she obtained the paper and paints to accomplish these delicate items. And, I am wondering now, how it is that they have been preserved all these years! Just who was Elizabeth Simcoe?
Elizabeth Simcoe left a diary that provides a valuable impression of life in colonial Ontario. First published in 1934, there was a subsequent transcription published in 1965 and a paperback version issued at the turn of the 21st century, more than 200 years after she wrote it. Lady Elizabeth Simcoe's legacy also includes a series of 595 water-colour paintings that depict the town of York. She was responsible for the naming of Scarborough, an eastern Toronto district, after Scarborough, England. The townships of North, East and West Gwillimbury, just south of Lake Simcoe in central Ontario, are also named for the family. In December 2007, a statue of Elizabeth Simcoe Gwillim was erected in the town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, while commemorating the 150th anniversary of the town's incorporation. The statue is located in parquet in front of the Bradford post office at the corner of John Street West and Barrie Street.
(To Be Continued)