Peter Van Alstine
Encyclopedia
Peter Van Alstine (1743-1811) was a farmer, soldier and political figure in Upper Canada
.
He was born in Kinderhook, New York in 1743. He served as a major in a Loyalist regiment during the American Revolution
. He helped settle a group of Quaker
s and a number of former Loyalist soldiers in the Bay of Quinte
area. Van Alstine first settled in Adolphustown Township
in Upper Canada. He was made a justice of the peace in Montreal District in 1785 and became a justice of the peace in the Mecklenburg District in 1788. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
to represent Prince Edward
and Adolphustown in a 1793 by-election after his neighbour Philip Dorland
was unseated because he could not take the oath of office as a Quaker. Van Alstine later moved to Marysburgh Township in Prince Edward County near the current site of Glenora
where he built a gristmill
. He operated a ferry
between this location and Adolphustown. A small settlement developed in the area around his mill. The old stone building that was Van Alstine's mill still stands at Glenora.
Van Alstine died at Adolphustown in 1811.
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
.
He was born in Kinderhook, New York in 1743. He served as a major in a Loyalist regiment during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. He helped settle a group of Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
s and a number of former Loyalist soldiers in the Bay of Quinte
Bay of Quinte
The Bay of Quinte is a long, narrow bay shaped like the letter "Z" on the northern shore of Lake Ontario in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is just west of the head of the Saint Lawrence River that drains the Great Lakes into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
area. Van Alstine first settled in Adolphustown Township
Adolphustown, Ontario
Adolphustown is a geographic area located in Greater Napanee, Ontario, Canada, at on the Adolphus Reach of the Bay of Quinte in Lake Ontario. It was founded in 1784 by United Empire Loyalists. The original Loyalist Landing site is now the U.E.L...
in Upper Canada. He was made a justice of the peace in Montreal District in 1785 and became a justice of the peace in the Mecklenburg District in 1788. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada...
to represent Prince Edward
Prince Edward County, Ontario
Prince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...
and Adolphustown in a 1793 by-election after his neighbour Philip Dorland
Philip Dorland
Philip Dorland was a farmer and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born in 1755 in Dutchess County, New York and settled in Adolphustown Township in Upper Canada. He was elected to the 1st Parliament of Upper Canada representing Prince Edward and Adolphustown but refused to take the oath of...
was unseated because he could not take the oath of office as a Quaker. Van Alstine later moved to Marysburgh Township in Prince Edward County near the current site of Glenora
Glenora, Ontario
Glenora is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, on the north shore of the Bay of Quinte.The Bay of Quinte is a long narrow inlet on the north shore of Lake Ontario.A ferry connects the two shores between Glenora and Adolphustown....
where he built a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
. He operated a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
between this location and Adolphustown. A small settlement developed in the area around his mill. The old stone building that was Van Alstine's mill still stands at Glenora.
Van Alstine died at Adolphustown in 1811.