[jAMKs] SECOND LEGISLATURE OF UPPER CANADA 167 



as was usual in sudi cases. Tie at length esicaped into the British lines, 

 we believe, at Xew York. 



'• He was actively employed in His Majesty's service till the peace 

 of 1783. He aiftenvards came into this part of the country where he 

 has resided ever since. Mr. Swayzie has been frequently chosen as a 

 representative in our Oommons House of Parliament. A number of 

 years ago he was ap'poiinted CioUector of the Internal Duties of the 

 District, which duties he faithfully performed with much forbearance 

 to the people from whom moneys were to be received frequently to 

 his own loss." 



Francis Baby, member of the First Legislative Assembly for Kent 

 (1793-179(3), along with William Macomb, of Detroit, was the ninth 

 child of Hon. Jacques Duperon Baby, the pioneer French Canadian 

 trader at Detroit. He married (9th September, 1795) Frances Abbott, 

 daughter of James Abbott, a Britislh officer, who came to America at 

 the time of the Eevolutionary War. James Abbott was a native of 

 Dublin, who came to America, settled firsit at Albany, and later moved 

 to Detroit where he eniga.ged in ithe fur trade, having branch houses at 

 Vinicennes, Indiana, amd other places. His brother, Edward Abbott, 

 was Grovemor of Vincennes at the time of the Eevolution. Am.iong 

 the children of James Abbott were James, judge at Detroit; Mary, 

 wife of Sheriff Hands, of Sandwich, and mother of Mrs. Jean Baptiste 

 Baby; Frances, wife of Francois or Francis Baby, and Elizabeth, wife 

 of Hon. James Baby, Judge J'ajmes Abbott, just mentioned, married 

 Sarah Whistler, aunt of Whistler, the artist. 



Mr. Duncan Dougall, of Windsor, has kindly seni me the follow- 

 ing notes in regard to his grandfather, Francis Baby: 



" Francois Baby had amongst other lands over 1,000 acres of land 

 in Windsor and Sandwich West, being two farms in width in the 

 present city of Windsor, and running back through three deep conces- 

 sions, according to the French survey. The original deeds from tthe 

 French Crown described tlie lands as running to the centre of the 

 Detroit river, but when the British Patents were issued they were only 

 from the channel bank of the river, Francois Baby was appointed 

 lieutenant of the Western district, which included the counties of 

 Essex, Kent and Lambton, and as such, exercised a sort of governor- 

 ship similar to the lieutenants of the counties of England. 



'' He lived in a feudal sort of way and was very proud and, I might 

 say, arrogant. As I remember him when I was a boy 10 years of age, 

 he was a tall man, over six feet high and very straight, with a deep 

 bass voice. I do not think he was in any business, but lived on his 

 money and what was raised on the cleared portions of his estate. He 

 was M.P.P. and was defeated by Col. John Prince. 



