They sacrificed their lands, and suffered great privations. The Detlors have ever been universally esteemed, not alone in the Midland District, but in all parts of Canada, and have been found worthy occupants of many responsible positions.
Isaac Fraser.—“Among the prominent men who resided in Ernesttown, near the Bay of Quinté, was Isaac Fraser, Esq., for many years M.P.P. for the Counties of Lennox and Addington. Mr. Fraser was a man of great decision of character, and during the active part of his life, probably wielded a great influence, and his opinions always commanded great respect. In his political opinions, he was identified with the Conservative or Tory party; and when he arrived at a conclusion on any particular point, he adhered to it with all the tenacity which a clear conviction of its justice could inspire. With him there was no wavering, no vacillation. He was always reliable, and his friends always knew where to find him. There is no doubt, he acted from conscientious motives, and from a clear conviction of duty; and, so far as I know, no man ever charged him with acting corruptly. In his religious views, Mr. Fraser sympathized with the Presbyterians, and, if I mistake not, was a member of the church organized, and watched over by the late Rev. Robert McDowall, of Fredericksburgh.”
Finkle.—The late Geo. Finkle, of Ernesttown, says, “My grandfather, Dr. Geo. Finkle, left Germany when a young man; and bought two estates, one at Great, and one at Little Nine Partners. In adhering to the British, he had all his estates, which were valuable at Nine Partners, Duchess Co., confiscated to the Rebel Government. My father, Henry, made his way to Quebec shortly after the war began, being sixteen years old. Entered the Engineer’s Department, where he learned the use of carpenter’s tools. In settling, this knowledge was of great use to him, and he became the builder of the first framed building in Upper Canada. His wife was a sister of Capt. John Bleeker. He settled on the front of Ernesttown, lot six.” Finkle’s Point is well known.
The First court held in Upper Canada, it is said, was at Finkle’s house, which being larger than any at Kingston, or elsewhere on the Bay, afforded the most convenience. Mr. Finkle records the trial of a negro for stealing a loaf of bread, who, being found guilty, received thirty-nine lashes. The basswood tree, to which he was tied, is still standing; Mr. Finkle had slaves and was the first to give them freedom. One of the brothers, of which there were three, John, George, and Henry, served seven years in Johnson’s regiment.
Mr. Finkle wrote us, Dec. 11, 1865; he says, “Being in my 74th year, and in impaired health, I am unable to write more.” The kind man soon thereafter was called away, at a good old age, like his father and grandfather.
Geo. Finkle, son of Henry, had three sons, Gordon William, Roland Robinson, and Henry. The Finkle’s, as we have seen elsewhere, were actively engaged in the construction of the first steamboats the ‘Frontenac’ and ‘Charlotte,’ having had an interest in the ‘Charlotte,’ and his eldest son, Gordon, is now one of the oldest captains upon the Bay, being attached to the steamer ‘Bay Quinté.’ The old place granted to the grandfather, still belongs to the family, Roland R. still residing there, and the youngest, Henry, is Postmaster at Bath.
Fisher.—Judge Alexander Fisher, a name well known in the Midland District, was a native of Perthshire, Scotland, from whence his parents, with a numerous family, emigrated to New York, then a British province. At the time of the rebellion they had accumulated a considerable amount of both real and personal property; but at the defeat of Burgoyne, near the place of whose defeat they lived, the Fisher family, who would not abandon their loyalty, left their all, and endured great hardships in finding their way to Montreal. Alexander was subsequently employed in the Commissariat, under McLean, at Carleton Island; while his twin-brother obtained the charge of the High School at Montreal, which situation he held until his death, in the year 1819. At the close of the war the family obtained their grants of land as U. E. Loyalists.
Alex. Fisher was appointed the first District Judge and Chairman of Quarter Sessions for the Midland District, to the last of which he was elected by his brother magistrates. He was also for many years a Captain of Militia, which post he held during the war of 1812. The family took up their abode in Adolphustown, upon the shores of Hay Bay. A sister of Judge Fisher was married to Mr. Hagerman, and another to Mr. Stocker, who, for a time, lived on the front of Sidney. He was related, by marriage, to McDonnell, of Marysburgh. His parents lived with him at the farm in Adolphustown. They were buried here in the family vault, with a brother, and the Judge’s only son.
Judge Fisher was short in stature, and somewhat stout, with a prominent nose. He was, as a judge, and as a private individual, universally esteemed. “He was a man of great discernment, and moral honesty governed his decisions.”—(Allison.) He died in the year 1830, and was buried in the family vault. As an evidence of the high esteem in which he was held, there was scarcely a lawyer or magistrate in the whole District, from the Carrying Place to Gananoque, who did not attend his funeral, together with a great concourse of the settlers throughout the counties.
Fairfield.—The Kingston Gazette tells the following: