Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1762 - 1791 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
10 folders of textual material (12.5 cm)
Context area
Name of creator
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The “Background material on Canada” sub-series consists of correspondence, reports, copies of treaties, and other documents arranged in chronological order. Simcoe collected these after his appointment to the Lieutenant-Governorship of Upper Canada. Simcoe likely acquired this material to provide himself with a source of reference material on conditions in Upper Canada. For the most part, the documents are copies of material sent to England and Quebec as part of the official administration. Correspondents include Sir William Johnson, Joseph Brant, Colonel John Butler and deal with settlement, relations with the United States and Indigenous nations, and Loyalist claims. The material from 1790-1791 includes correspondence to and from Simcoe reflecting his active efforts to obtain information on the province.