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1820s

Fashion in the 1820s

Fashion in the 1820s is, in many ways, reminiscent of the 1910s: Empire waists, short sleeves, cleavage.  After the 1820s, clothing became more constrictive and skirts more voluminous.  The trends in this post applied only to the wealthy.  Working-class women wore practical garments, and in Colonial Canada it was not uncommon for women of any social class to wear clothing …

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A section of the nineteenth century living history museum, Kings Landing, in early winter garb, northwest of Fredericton, New Brunswick. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Life in the 1820s

If you lived in 1820s Colonial Canada, your life would be a constant and ever-present struggle for survival.   The land was still wilderness.  There were few roads, and those that existed were choked by roots and rocks.  Medical care was rudimentary.  Goods were expensive.  It took months for news to travel from community to community, and years for fashions to …

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Fredericton, New Brunswick

Claire’s Birthplace: Fredericton and New Brunswick

Claire was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in 1810.  At the time, it was a sleepy village of less than 200 houses, farms and cottages surrounded by forest.  The Mi’Kmaq, a First Nations people, lived in a village outside the colonial settlement. Fredericton was the colonial capital city.  The elite members of society’s lives revolved around the government, balls and …

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War of 1812 British line of soldiers preparing to fire. This picture is from the re-enactment at Fort Erie, Ontario. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license

Canada and the War of 1812

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain from 1812 to 1815.  The conflict ended in a stalemate, but was a battle for commerce and territorial expansion.  Colonial Canada, unable to decide its own foreign policy, involuntarily was drawn into the war. Although many Americans thought the war would bring about the annexation of Canada, …

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Annual Battersea Revolutionary War Reenactment. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Canada and the American Revolution

In the United States, Loyalists during the American Revolution often are painted in pop culture as villains.  As with many things in life, it depends which side of the issue you fall. Claire, the heroine in Journey of Hope, is the great-granddaughter of Loyalists who fled to New Brunswick.  This fact is mentioned in three books:  Journey of Hope, Rose’s …

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