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MARY SITTS (1772 - 1859) Canadian Pioneer

© Mary M. Alward

Mary Sitts was the first European woman to live in the area of Ontario that is now known as Brant County. She came to the area during the American Revolution. At the time, the Grand River Valley was the territory of the Mississauga and the Tutela Indians. Mary remained in the region and saw the migration of the Iroquois, under the leadership of Joseph Brant, from New York State. Later, Mary watched as United Empire Loyalists poured into the Grand River Valley. Then came the incorporation of towns and villages such as Brantford, (originally called Brant's Ford) Hamilton and Boston in the mid 1800's.

Mary Sitts was born to German immigrant settlers in 1772, in the state of New York. When the American War of Independence began in 1775, her family joined the Rebels. In 1780, while most men were at war, Mississauga Indians attacked. Eight-year-old Mary watched as the natives killed her baby sister. Mary was taken captive.

At the Mississauga village in the Niagara Region, Mary was adopted by a chief and his wife, who were childless. Mary's adopted mother was a medicine woman. She taught Mary the art of natural healing.

The Mississauga Indians were migratory hunters. The village was moved frequently. Mary spent time in the Niagara Region, but the majority of her eight years of captivity were spent in the Grand River Valley. Since there were no European settlers in the region, Mary was the first woman to live in what is now Brant County.

In 1784, Butler's Rangers offered gifts to the Mississauga tribes in exchange for land rights in the Grand River Valley and to the west. The land was purchased for the settlement of the Six Nations tribes under the leadership of Joseph Brant. The Mississauga tribes moved to Grand River lands where present day Elora and Fergus stand.

In 1787, Mary and her adopted family was trading at Richard Beasley's store in present day Hamilton, Ontario. She was noticed by Henry Nelles, who made a deal with the chief. Mary would live with the Nelles, south of what is now Brantford, Ontario. The Mississaugas could visit her whenever they chose.

Henry Nelles and his son, William, had been commissioned by the Governor to distribute supplies to the Indian Allies. He lived on a farm that had been granted to him by Joseph Brant for his loyalty during the Revolution. This is where Mary lived with the Nelles family.

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