Robert Land (1739–1818)

Robert Land (1739–1818) was a United Empire Loyalist and British spy during the American Revolution, and one of the first British settlers of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Born in Tiverton in Devonshire, England, Land emigrated as a young man to the British Thirteen Colonies in America. He settled near Calkins Creek at what is now Milanville, Pennsylvania and started a farm. In 1757, he married Phoebe Scott. By 1776, Land had been appointed Justice of the Peace.

During the American Revolution, Land carried out many espionage missions for the British Army. He was eventually captured by American revolutionaries, tried and convicted as a traitor. Upon Land's release from, he was wounded and chased by a gang of vigilantes, but managed to escape.

Returning to his Pennsylvania home, Land found that it had been destroyed. Believing that his wife and children were dead, Land decided to leave the colonies. He traveled through New York State to the Niagara River, which he crossed to what was then the British Province of Quebec.

Once in Quebec, Land received a land grant of 312 acres, which now forms part of Hamilton. Several years later, Land was reunited with his family. Phoebe and her children had traveled for sanctuary to New York City, which was still under British occupation. At the end of the war, they and other Loyalists were evacuated by the Royal Navy to the British Colony of New Brunswick. Seven years after arriving in New Brunswick, Phoebe heard a rumor about a man named Land who lived near Lake Ontario. Two years later, Phoebe and her children traveled to Quebec to reunite with Land

...
Wikipedia