The St. Lawrence Branch of the UELAC has formed an exciting partnership with Terrestres Servo Coronas, an organization that has agreed to fund the costs of our “Loyalist Burial Site” plaque project for a period of five years.

Terrestres Servo Coronas, whose Latin name translates to “Serving Earthly Crowns,” is a British organization that supports historical and other projects, with particular emphasis on those that solidify the ancient links between the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. It was founded by its chairman, Paul Borrow-Longain, in 2016.Since 2018, the UELAC St. Lawrence Branch has undertaken this special project to commemorate burial sites that contain the mortal remains of Loyalists. Recognition of these sacred sites first entails historical and genealogical research to identify and confirm the locations as Loyalist burial sites. The information collected is disseminated through our branch website. The project also involves raising a professionally-installed metal plaque at each site, with the cooperation of the landowner, to inform visitors about its special importance. Each plaque is unveiled in a special ceremony.

We are quite pleased to receive this generous support from Terrestres Servo Coronas, for a project dear to our hearts, which also promotes the important history of the Loyalists and the enduring connection between Canada and the United Kingdom. We are especially honoured that our project is their first to be carried out in Canada.

For more information about the Loyalist Burial Site Project, please consult the project page on the website of the UELAC St. Lawrence Branch. Please also visit the website of Terrestres Servo Coronas to learn more about their other projects.

Huzzah!

June 2, 2019 (1:30 p.m.):

Our annual meeting was originally to take place at our new digs in the Dundas County Archives (5 College Street, Iroquois, ON).

Due to temporary problems with weekend-access to the archives building, however, we will instead meet at the Civic Center in Iroquois, located at 10 Dundas Street.

July 14, 2019 (12:00):

Our annual potluck picnic. It will take place at the the base of the Crysler Farm mound, near Upper Canada Village. Bring food for yourself and/or to share, and relax with your Loyalist colleagues. Bring a chair, as there are no picnic tables or benches in the immediate area.

Also, don’t forget our two Loyalist Burial Plaque unveilings, upcoming on June 11 and 12, 2019. Click here for all the details!

Please be advised that the Loyalist Resource Centre will be closed for the time being, as we complete the move from Morrisburg to our new location in Iroquois (Dundas County Archives). Watch this space for more news!

UPDATE, May 15, 2019: Photographic evidence of the moving taking place!

We are pleased to announce the dates and times of our “Loyalist Burial Site” plaque unveilings:

Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery – June 11^th, 2019. 7:00-8:00 p.m. Address: 105 Second St. West, Cornwall, ON.

St. Andrew’s United Church – June 12^th, 2019. 10:00-11:00 a.m. Address: 21102 Second Con. Road, Bainsville, ON.

The Bainsville location is a bit tricky to find. It’s between Highway 401’s Lancaster and Curry Hill exits. Here are some specific directions, from Highway 401:

• If you’re coming from east of Curry Hill, travelling westbound on the 401:
  • Exit the 401 at Curry Hill.
  • Take two rights.
  • You’re now travelling west on Highway No. 2.
  • Turn right onto “Second Line Road” (where they are currently re-building the highway overpass).
  • This road will immediately bank to the left, and come to a “T”.
  • Turn right at this “T”.
  • You’re now going north on “Second Line Road,” a.k.a. County Road 26.
  • You’ll come to another “T”. Turn right onto Concession Road 2 (it’s a gravel road).
  • The church and cemetery are on your right (can’t miss it).
• If your coming from west of Lancaster, travelling eastbound on the 401:
  • Exit the 401 at Lancaster.
  • Turn left at the first traffic lights and right at the second traffic lights.
  • You’re now going east on Highway 2, which is a service road north of and parallel to Hwy 401.
  • Turn left onto “Second Line Road” (where they are currently re-building the highway overpass).
  • This road will immediately bank to the left, and come to a “T”.
  • Turn right at this “T”.
  • You’re now going north on “Second Line Road,” a.k.a. County Road 26.
  • You’ll come to another “T”. Turn right onto Concession Road 2 (it’s a gravel road).
  • The church and cemetery are on your right (can’t miss it).

Click here to view an advertising sheet for the unveilings.

The St. Lawrence Branch launched this project, in 2018, to formally recognize local cemeteries containing the mortal remains of Loyalists. Its mandate: To identify and confirm the locations, and to erect enduring plaques to signify the special importance of these sites.

Please consult our special Loyalist Cemeteries page for more information on this project. You can also contact the project lead, Stuart Manson, by email at manson1763@gmail.com.

Membership deal! Become a member of the UELAC St. Lawrence Branch at the Cornwall Square Heritage Fair on February 23, 2019, and receive a FREE Loyalist-related history book! Here’s a list of the fine volumes available:

1. Rebellion in the Mohawk Valley:The St. Leger Expedition of 1777 (Gavin Watt and James F. Morrison).
2. The Burning of the Valleys: Daring Raids from Canada Against the New York Frontier in the Fall of 1780 (Gavin Watt and James F. Morrison).
3. The Idea of Loyalty in Upper Canada, 1784-1850 (David Mills).
4. The Lion, the Eagle, and Upper Canada: A Developing Colonial Ideology (Jane Errington).
5. George III: A Personal History (Christopher Hibbert).
6. Medicine Maid: The Life Story of a Canadian Pioneer (Elizabeth L. Hoople).

The fine print: The book deal is applicable for both new memberships and renewals, for the 2019 calendar year, paid between February 10 and 23. The book must be picked up at the heritage fair. If you pay for your membership before the heritage fair, send confirmation of payment to Stuart Manson (manson1763@gmail.com) along with a ranking of the book you want (e.g. 3,4,2,1,6,5). Books will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Come see our display at the Cornwall Heritage Fair. Details below!

Do you have primary-source documentation on individual Loyalist burials in SD&G? Perhaps relating to your Loyalist ancestor? If you’d like to share that info with us, we’d love to receive it!

By “primary-source documentation,” we mean burial records and related documents. We’re also interested in tombstone transcriptions. By “Loyalists,” we mean the original Loyalists; not sons, daughters, or other descendants.

We’d like to incorporate this info into our existing research on Loyalist cemeteries in SD&G, which supports our branch’s ongoing plaquing program.

Please contact project lead Stuart Manson at manson1763@gmail.com.

The first Christmas tree in Canada takes its origins from the American Revolutionary War.

During that conflict, Major-General Friedrich Adolphus Riedesel commanded troops from the German state of Brunswick. Britain hired these troops to help quell the American rebellion, and Riedesel spent time in Canada. In December 1781, he and his wife Friederike introduced to the Canadian scene the German tradition of the Christmas tree.

That year marked a turning point for the Riedesels. They had arrived in Canada four years earlier, in the spring of 1777. At that time, the Major-General immediately joined a British offensive led by John Burgoyne. Its objective was to drive south from Canada to Albany, New York, in an attempt to cut the Thirteen Colonies in two. Friederike joined him on this campaign. After some initial success, Burgoyne’s army surrendered on October 17, 1777 after a series of battles near Saratoga, 40 kilometres short of Albany.

Riedesel and his wife became prisoners of war. For two years they were detained in Massachusetts, and later Virginia, before being paroled in British-held New York City in 1779. They were finally released in 1780.

The family arrived back in Canada in 1781. Friederike was eager to normalize her family’s life after so many years to hardship. They became housed in what is now known as the Maison des Gouverneurs in Sorel, Quebec (pictured below). That Christmas, she procured a balsam fir tree, erected it in a prominent spot in the home, and decorated it with fruit. As a final touch, she added white candles, which she lit to make the tree illuminated. It was the first Christmas tree in Canada.

On the 200^th anniversary of the Riedesel tree in 1981, Canada Post issued a commemorative 15-cent stamp. Designed by German-Canadian Anita Kunz, it depicts the likely appearance of the decorated tree. Approximately 66 million examples of the stamp were produced.

The St. Lawrence Branch of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada offers wishes, to you and yours, a very Merry Christmas!

Please may we present our first Loyalist crossword puzzle, “Settlement of SD&G.”

Put on your thinking caps, and give it a try. If you’re stumped, peruse the pages of this website, as most of the answers are there!

We plan to create more of these Loyalist crossword puzzles, on specific themes and always with a local flair. Future puzzles will appear in our quarterly newsletter, The Royal Yorker, which is a benefit of membership. Renew your membership today!

Click the image below, save it, and print it onto a letter-size page

Please see our newest website page, Loyalist Cemeteries, for information on our plaque project!