In another edition of Small Town Canada Spotlight, we’ll be learning about something very near and dear to my heart: the Backhouse Grist Mill in Norfolk County, Ontario. The Early Years Born in Yorkshire, England, John Backhouse emigrated to the United States in 1791 before relocating with his family to Upper Canada, where he acquired 600 acres of land in Norfolk County, Ontario by 1796. He quickly established himself as a pillar of the community, serving as a Major in the 1st Norfolk Militia during the War of 1812 and as chairman of the Quarter Sessions, then the chief instrument of local government. Just two years after settling in Norfolk…