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In Mixed Company: Taverns and Public Life in Upper Canada
In Mixed Company Taverns and Public Life in Upper Canada Author:Julia Roberts "In Mixed Company" is a history of taverns as colonial public space, and of the women and men of varied backgrounds who found a place for themselves within it. These are the stories of three labourers who 'amused themselves with drinking in good fellowship'; of Captain Thomas, a wealthy Native trader, who 'called for a small bowl of punch' to tr... more »eat a Scotsman; and of an 'English lady with her two small children...very gentle and respectable' in a country tavern. They speak of white soldiers frequenting LeDuc's tavern, of Abraham Rex and William Murdoch, both black, celebrating Emancipation Day there, and of the keeper of the North American Hotel who promised 'Ladies and Gentlemen' accommodation 'any time they may wish to tarry.'Reconstructed from tavern-keepers' accounts, court records, diaries, travelogues, and letters, "In Mixed Company" tells of time spent in mixed company and the myriad, unequal ways of finding room in tavern culture. It also challenges comfortable certainties about who belonged where in colonial society. It is recommended reading for tavern aficionados, general readers, and historians of gender, race, and culture.« less