The First Comers
The government had promised to grant land in Inverness and other townships to former loyalist soldiers as payment for their services, such as the defense of the garrison of Quebec in 1775-1776. Land was also granted to a few members of the militia as payment for their work during the construction of Craig road in 1810. The soldiers who were given land in the Inverness Township did not all settle there immediately, and some never settled there at all. In 1809, of the 61 600 acres in the Inverness Township, 32 000 acres still remain to be allocated.
Certain loyalists, American colonists that remained loyal to Great Britain during the American War of Independence (1774-1783), immigrated to Canada in 1783 or shortly thereafter. Other American pioneers, looking for good quality land at a fair price, settled in the Eastern Townships between 1790-1820.
In 1816, American Moses Aldrich and his son Arnold, settled on rural route 2 in the Inverness Township. They were considered the first true colonists of Inverness. As for the Irishman William Bennet, he arrived in 1819. Four years later, a former Irish soldier by the name of John Hasket along with his wife Jane Collins also settle in Inverness. By 1824, a few American loyalists and a few British and Irish now reside in the Inverness Township. At that time, the population totaled about eighty-one people making up sixteen families.
By 1825, it becomes apparent that the government’s efforts to fully colonize the Inverness Township have failed. The government then decides to sell the land in lots of one and two hundred acres. The retired officers and soldiers could still receive land for free in exchange for their services and according to their military rank. Others could buy land from the Commissioner of Crown lands of Lower Canada (Quebec) and, those who lacked the necessary funds, could make payment arrangements subject to interest.
