James Givins
Encyclopedia
Colonel James Givins (circa 1759 – March 5, 1846) was a British Army officer and militiaman who fought in the American Revolution
and the War of 1812
. He was also an Indian agent
of Upper Canada
, rising to Chief Superintendent of the Indian Department. He is the namesake
of Givins Street in Toronto.
Givins place of birth is unknown, but it has been suggested he was born in Ireland
. He may have been related to Henry Hamilton, as John Graves Simcoe
referred to him as having been "bred up" by Hamilton. Givins came to Fort Detroit
with Hamilton when Hamilton was posted there in 1775. Part of a British unit that seized Fort Vincennes, Indiana
in 1778, Givins was captured by American
forces when they retook the fortress in 1779. Givins spent two years as a prisoner of war
.
Givins was released in 1781. No record exists of his activities until he was appointed a lieutenant
with the Queen's Rangers
on November 30, 1791. Knowledgeable in Ojibwe, he served as a courier and interpreter for Lieutenant Governor Simcoe in Simcoe's dealings with the province's Indians. In June 1797 he was appointed the post of Indian Agent for the town of York
by Peter Russell
. Among Givins duties were various official interactions with Indian bands, such as the distribution of annual gifts due from land surrenders. Givins was also charged with the task of keeping the Six Nations
of Upper Canada under Joseph Brant
's leadership from forming a viable alliance with the Mississaugas
of Upper Canada. He married Angelica Andrews on December 29, 1797. In 1802 Givins built a large estate west of Toronto on land he received as a loyalist fighter in the American Revolution. He dubbed the estate Pine Grove. The Queen's Rangers were disbanded in 1803, and Givins was made a captain of the 5th foot regiment on November 19, 1803.
Although Givins had retired from the military, he was recalled to active service at the outbreak of the War of 1812
. He was given the rank of major and appointed Provincial Aide-de-Camp to General Isaac Brock
. Givins fought in several battles, including the Battle of Detroit and on the Niagara Peninsula
. He commanded a band of Mississaugas during the Battle of York
. His performance there was favourably noted by Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe
, when the men under his command where the first to engage the landing American troops. After coming under fire from the Americans, and their relief failing to arrive, he and his men retreated to Pine Grove where his wife Angelica attended to their wounds. Blood from the wounded stained the floors, which remained stained until the house was demolished in 1891.
Givins remained a militia member after the war's end, although his main focus was the Indian Department. He was promoted to Colonel of the 3rd Battalion of York Militia on January 21, 1820, and Colonel of the 1st Battalion of West York in 1821. After the war, the focus of the Indian Department changed, as military alliances with the Indians were no longer valuable. Instead, the Indian Department looked to convert the Indians to the British lifestyle. Givins was heavily involved with the Credit Mission
, working with Mississauga leader Peter Jones to establish the settlement and pioneer it as an example Indian settlement. The success of the Credit Mission was noted in Henry Charles Darling's report on the state of the province's Indians, and the settlement became a model for the reserve system
. Givins was given the job of Chief Superintendent of the Indian Department in Upper Canada in 1830. He retired in 1837, and was replaced by Samuel Jarvis
.
Givins died in 1846 at his estate Pine Grove in Toronto, and was buried in St. James Cemetery.
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. He was also an Indian agent
Indian Agent (Canada)
Indian Agent is the title of a position in Canada mandated by the Indian Act of that country. An Indian Agent was the chief administrator for Indian affairs in their respective districts, although the title now is largely in disuse in preference to Government Agent. The powers of the Indian...
of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, rising to Chief Superintendent of the Indian Department. He is the namesake
Namesake
Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
of Givins Street in Toronto.
Givins place of birth is unknown, but it has been suggested he was born in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He may have been related to Henry Hamilton, as John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
referred to him as having been "bred up" by Hamilton. Givins came to Fort Detroit
Fort Detroit
Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Détroit was a fort established by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701. The location of the former fort is now in the city of Detroit in the U.S...
with Hamilton when Hamilton was posted there in 1775. Part of a British unit that seized Fort Vincennes, Indiana
Forts of Vincennes, Indiana
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the French, British and American nations built and occupied a number of forts at Vincennes, Indiana. These outposts commanded a strategic position on the Wabash River.- Original Trading Post :...
in 1778, Givins was captured by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces when they retook the fortress in 1779. Givins spent two years as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
Givins was released in 1781. No record exists of his activities until he was appointed a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
with the Queen's Rangers
Queen's Rangers
The Queen's Rangers was a military unit who fought on the Loyalist side during the American War of Independence. After the war they moved to Nova Scotia and disbanded, but were reformed again in Upper Canada before disbanding again, in 1802, a decade prior to the War of 1812.-French and Indian...
on November 30, 1791. Knowledgeable in Ojibwe, he served as a courier and interpreter for Lieutenant Governor Simcoe in Simcoe's dealings with the province's Indians. In June 1797 he was appointed the post of Indian Agent for the town of York
York, Upper Canada
York was the name of Old Toronto between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.- History :The town was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the last French 'Fort Toronto'...
by Peter Russell
Peter Russell (politician)
Peter Russell was a gambler, government official, politician and judge in Upper Canada.-Early life:...
. Among Givins duties were various official interactions with Indian bands, such as the distribution of annual gifts due from land surrenders. Givins was also charged with the task of keeping the Six Nations
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
of Upper Canada under Joseph Brant
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant was a Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York, who was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. He was perhaps the most well-known American Indian of his generation...
's leadership from forming a viable alliance with the Mississaugas
Mississaugas
The Mississaugas are a subtribe of the Anishinaabe-speaking First Nations people located in southern Ontario, Canada. They are closely related to the Ojibwa...
of Upper Canada. He married Angelica Andrews on December 29, 1797. In 1802 Givins built a large estate west of Toronto on land he received as a loyalist fighter in the American Revolution. He dubbed the estate Pine Grove. The Queen's Rangers were disbanded in 1803, and Givins was made a captain of the 5th foot regiment on November 19, 1803.
Although Givins had retired from the military, he was recalled to active service at the outbreak of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. He was given the rank of major and appointed Provincial Aide-de-Camp to General Isaac Brock
Isaac Brock
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB was a British Army officer and administrator. Brock was assigned to Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he commanded his regiment in Upper Canada successfully for many years...
. Givins fought in several battles, including the Battle of Detroit and on the Niagara Peninsula
Niagara Peninsula
The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Southern Ontario, Canada lying between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the north shore of Lake Erie. It stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario in the west. The population of the peninsula is roughly 1,000,000 people...
. He commanded a band of Mississaugas during the Battle of York
Battle of York
The Battle of York was a battle of the War of 1812 fought on 27 April 1813, at York, Upper Canada . An American force supported by a naval flotilla landed on the lake shore to the west, defeated the defending British force and captured the town and dockyard...
. His performance there was favourably noted by Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe
Roger Hale Sheaffe
General Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe, 1st Baronet was an American-born General in the British Army in the first part of the 19th century.-Early career:...
, when the men under his command where the first to engage the landing American troops. After coming under fire from the Americans, and their relief failing to arrive, he and his men retreated to Pine Grove where his wife Angelica attended to their wounds. Blood from the wounded stained the floors, which remained stained until the house was demolished in 1891.
Givins remained a militia member after the war's end, although his main focus was the Indian Department. He was promoted to Colonel of the 3rd Battalion of York Militia on January 21, 1820, and Colonel of the 1st Battalion of West York in 1821. After the war, the focus of the Indian Department changed, as military alliances with the Indians were no longer valuable. Instead, the Indian Department looked to convert the Indians to the British lifestyle. Givins was heavily involved with the Credit Mission
Credit Mission
The Credit Mission was an Indian Mission on the Credit River in Upper Canada.Funded with the proceeds from Purchase #22 or #23, building began in 1826 under the leadership of Peter Jones. When construction began, about 200 Indians lived at the settlement in temporary structures. Thirty log cabins...
, working with Mississauga leader Peter Jones to establish the settlement and pioneer it as an example Indian settlement. The success of the Credit Mission was noted in Henry Charles Darling's report on the state of the province's Indians, and the settlement became a model for the reserve system
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
. Givins was given the job of Chief Superintendent of the Indian Department in Upper Canada in 1830. He retired in 1837, and was replaced by Samuel Jarvis
Samuel Jarvis
Samuel Peters Jarvis was a Canadian government official in the nineteenth century. He was the Chief Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Upper Canada , and he was a member of the Family Compact....
.
Givins died in 1846 at his estate Pine Grove in Toronto, and was buried in St. James Cemetery.