This is the autobiography of Samuel Thompson, a pioneer farmer and settler to the Canadian frontier. He was born in London, England in 1810. And after an apprenticeship with a printer, he moved to Upper Canada in 1833 with his two brothers and settled on farms there. In 1837, he went to Toronto in search of work where he joined the city guards during the Upper Canada Rebellion. He subsequently worked in newspaper and insurance business ventures. It was while in his final position as manager of the city library that he wrote his autobiography.