Dear friend,
I hope you’re having a great week!
In preparation for the upcoming #ExperienceTO: Long Branch Historical Tour on July 11, I’ve been researching the story of Captain Samuel Smith, the very first landowner of the area we now call Long Branch.
On paper, Captain Smith had the ultimate high-achieving backstory. Born in Long Island, New York, to a family fiercely loyal to the King, he threw himself into military life and joined the Queen’s Rangers at the very outbreak of the American Revolution. He was a dedicated soldier who fought in several major battles and was even severely wounded at the Battle of Brandywine, earning a swift promotion to Captain for his sacrifice. After the war, he spent years bouncing from New Brunswick to England, but when a new regiment reformed in 1791, he crossed the Atlantic to serve in Upper Canada under Captain John Graves Simcoe.
Because he was a favorite of Simcoe’s, Smith was rewarded for his lifetime of service with 3,000 acres of land, including a 2,600-acre tract in Etobicoke that stretched all the way from Lake Ontario up to Bloor Street, and from Etobicoke Creek to Kipling Avenue. He eventually rose to the rank of Colonel, sat on Upper Canada’s Executive Council, and even served twice as the temporary Administrator (effectively the acting Governor) of the entire province.
If you looked at his resume today, you'd think he completely had it made.
But behind the impressive titles and the massive property lines, the reality of his day-to-day life was shockingly different.
Even though he owned a large amount of prime waterfront real estate, Smith was living on a meager half-pay officer's pension that wasn't nearly enough to actually develop his land. On top of that, historical records show that he didn't have any practical skill at farming. When a traveler named Robert Gourlay visited the area in 1818, he noted that the nearby roads were an unnavigable mess because Smith couldn't afford to hire help, writing:
"What can be done by a single hand? Col. Smith could do little with the axe or wheelbarrow himself, and half-pay could but employ few labourers..."
The real tragedy happened in the fall of 1826. Within just one month, both the Colonel and his wife passed away, leaving behind ten surviving children between the ages of 8 and 25. Despite technically inheriting a massive, valuable estate, the children were left completely broke and destitute. They had to abandon their home to live in a log house provided by a charitable neighbor, while their family's massive tract of land sat completely idle and overrun by squatters for decades.
The Simple Lesson for Us Today
Captain Samuel Smith’s life gives us a really down-to-earth reality check: An impressive title and big plans don't mean much if we don't have the daily skills or the cash flow to back them up.
It’s easy to focus on "vanity metrics" such as having a fancy job title, a big social media following, or a long list of great business ideas. But if we aren’t managing our day-to-day finances, or if we lack the practical skills to actually execute those big ideas, we can easily end up stressed out and empty-handed.
In short: Let's not build a giant vision that we don't have the practical, daily tools to maintain.
3 Quick Actions We Can Take
To make sure we aren't letting our own "plots of land" sit idle, here are three simple steps we can take based on the Colonel's story:
- Focus on Cash Flow over "Potential": Let's look at our personal or business finances this week. Are we tracking the actual money coming in and going out, or are we relying too much on future promises and "paper value"? Let's fix one cash-flow leak today.
- Learn One Practical "Farming" Skill: Let's not just collect ideas. Let's identify a basic, everyday skill we've been avoiding, be it learning how to budget, mastering a new piece of software, or practicing sales. Let's spend 30 minutes actually practicing it.
- Join Me on July 11: History is way more fun when we can see it in person. Attend the Long Branch Historical Tour to walk the actual land Colonel Smith owned, check out Long Branch's historic architecture, and meet other great people who are interested in Toronto's history. I’d love to see you out there!
Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect.
Until next time,
Alex Rășcanu
P.S. If you'd like to read the past life lessons-focused e-newsletters, you can find them here.
P.P.S. See you at one of the upcoming monthly #ExperienceTO historical tours.
