Catharine Parr Traill

Catharine and her siblings lived at Stowe House, near Bungay Castle and grew up in the village of Reydon near Southwold, Suffolk. They had what would be considered a privileged upbringing but after their father died in 1818, the Strickland family was faced with great difficulties and they were forced to find ways to earn money to survive. The children were brought up studying the classics at home and were taught to appreciate literature by their father. Thomas instilled in his daughters the same love of academic work as his sons and this influenced the Strickland sisters when they decided to write and publish their writings in order to earn extra money. Catharine had already published many books before being married and prior to emigrating to Canada. The money earned from writing helped the family get by especially  when the two sons moved away from home in order to earn their own way. Thomas moved to the East Indies and Samuel left for Canada. Elizabeth, the eldest daughter wrote on historical topics; Agnes enjoyed working on biographies of the royals and nobility along with other historical research; Susanna wrote children’s books, poetry, prose. She was considered very attractive while Catharine was known to have a very pleasant temperament and wrote children’s books. (From the "Canadian Pioneers: a series of Biographies of men and women of literary eminence in the era of pioneering, together with an estimate of their poetry and prose compositions in forming intellectual tastes and standards" by Edwin Guillet, M.A. 1948. Manuscript presented to Trent University by the author- 74-003/2/2)

 

Strickland Homestead in full glory
Samuel Strickland's sons in photograph
(74-003/3/3 #109)

Once Thomas (1793–1859) was introduced to Catharine, they married and left for Canada. He had been previously married and had children but decided to leave with his new bride and try his luck in the new country. Upon hearing the many benefits to land grants and opportunities available in the virgin territory, the Traills left with their child. They set out in 1832 and once there, they decided to settle near the Otonabee River in the vicinity of Peterborough and built a loghouse for a dwelling. Their decision to live there was largely due to Samuel Strickland’s presence as he was already established in the area and was in a good position to assist them. Catharine’s pleasant demeanour helped her cope with the difficulties and with accepting the consequences of the move. Life as a pioneer in Canada was difficult. They were often lacking in many basic items. Their diet, like everyone else's, consisted of pork when it was available, potatoes and various other staples when they could find them. Often the pioneers ate the same thing for all meals as nothing else was available. Cooking was difficult but possible and mills were not always available. They obtained flour whenever they could and would bake a type of pancake or bread. Often times special skills where needed to bake in the rudimentary ovens and with so few ingredients not to mention the temperature outside. Catharine’s experience was by no means the worst. Indeed she thought herself not unlike many others who were attempting a life in the bush: struggling but mostly surviving. The Traills decided to avoid financial risk and built a loghouse during the year that followed their arrival instead of making an attempt at farming like her sister Susanna who had lost money on a farm in the Cobourg area. The Traills experienced some rough years at the beginning but they were soon able to adapt and become self-sufficient.

Prior to embarking on the trip to Canada, Catharine had investigated several books on settlers and she wished that more useful advice had been available on how to survive as a settler. She discovered that many inconsistencies and surprises awaited the newcomer who read books filled with how easy it was to live in the new country and make use of the generous land grants program. Catharine also met many a person who felt unhappy to arrive and discover it was more difficult than originally thought to succeed in the new colony.

 

Lt. Thomas Traill (Catharine's
husband) (74-003/3/3 #65)

During that time, Catharine took care to record her days; her daily routine, as well as the lives of the surrounding settlers and Native Peoples in the area. She wrote in journals, letters and literary manuscripts. She thought well of, and expressed affection for many of her neighbours. In her correspondence, she often explained the different customs of those around her. Many of her observations of the Native Peoples showed her admiration towards what she characterized as their straightforward and practical nature. Her literary writing thereafter was influenced by the experiences in the backwoods. She also contributed articles for the "Literary Garland," a Montreal, Que. periodical, as well as for the "Victoria Magazine" published at Belleville, Ont.. Similar to her sister Susanna, she also had several books published in the coming years.

In her writing, she related the exchanges she had with many people of the land. Some of them women like herself who either managed to adapt or missed their home and customs terribly.  She noticed many differences between the two countries such as how the “classes” were intermingled and blurred and how they were defined by the hard-work and usefulness of the person more than the station in life in which they were born. This sharply contrasted with her English upbringing. She believed this hard-working attitude to be a crucial factor in an emigrant’s success. She found great comfort in knowing that her family was not as disadvantaged as one might have previously thought, and that through great sacrifice and effort the young family could aspire to much improvement.

In later years, Catharine devoted more time and attention to her naturalist interests and grew to regret not having studied formally  before coming to Canada. Although she had been interested in nature and botany before arriving in Canada, she collected grasses and mosses which she studied carefully. She took great care to describe any new species of plant or animal life that might have been of interest to her family and friends and professional botanists back in the United Kingdom.  

 

C.P. Traill, on left Katharine, on right Caroline
[S. Michell] both granddaughters (74-003/3/3 #68)

Having been brought up in the Church of England, Catherine kept her strong faith throughout her time in the bush. Her correspondence mentions the Bible and her children were  baptized at St. John’s Anglican Church, even though they did not have any clergy in the near vicinity.

As the years passed, it became clear to Catharine that she was not likely to see her family back in England again. She tried to keep her letters cheerful and interesting and actively encouraged anyone who endeavoured to come to Canada as she had. Her proximity to Samuel and Susanna did, however, console her homesickness and loneliness in the bush as did the fact that her children grew up, became productive citizens, married and had children of their own. Kate, in particular, lived with her mother in later years and was devoted to helping her until her death. Tragedy struck when her son Henry, who worked as a prison guard, was unfortunately murdered in 1870.

Catharine survived her husband Thomas by many years and lived to a very old age. She died in August 1899.