My ancestor in applying for land (& trying not to choke over the sugar melting in his mouth, apparetnly) reassures the council that he is not "affiliated with the Ryerson Faction" & other land petitions of family members refer also to "internal commotions"& "the MacKenzie Rebellion". What were these matters?

[From Suzanne Schaller] -- The MacKenzie Rebellion took place in 1837. See: The 1837 Rebellions and Rebellion of 1837 overview for more information. I'm not sure about the Ryerson Faction, but an online search might tell you something.

[From Leanne] -- The 1837 MacKenzie rebellion was instigated by William Lyon MacKenzie; earlier in his career as a reform politician, he'd been allied with Reverend Egerton Ryerson, a Methodist minister and moderate reformer. As MacKenzie's politics became more radical, he and Ryerson parted ways. Nevertheless, neither would have been greatly appreciated by the corrupt, conservative Tory regime in place at the time. So yes, the ancestor in question was definitely "sucking up" in order to be assured of a land grant LOL (nor do I blame him...that was something too important to fool around with).