Peter Van Alstine
Peter Van Alstine (Vanalstine) (1743–1811) was a farmer, soldier and political figure in Upper Canada.
He was born in
Mecklenburg District in 1788. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada to represent Prince Edward and Adolphustown in a 1793 by-election after his neighbour Philip Dorland was unseated because he could not take the oath of office as a Quaker. Van Alstine later moved to Marysburgh Township in Prince Edward County near the current site of Glenora where he built a gristmill in 1806, which is still known today as Van Alstine's Mill.[1] He operated a ferry
between this location and Adolphustown. A small settlement developed in the area around his mill.
Van Alstine died at Adolphustown in 1811. His mill stayed in the Van Alstine family until the late 1830s. Hugh Macdonald, the father of John A. Macdonald, was the miller there from 1829 until 1836.[1]
References
- ^ a b "Van Alstine's Mill". Loyalist Parkway Asssociation. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- Becoming Prominent: Leadership in Upper Canada, 1791-1841, J.K. Johnson (1989)