Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2004 Archive

In this issue:
- Manitoba Branch: Battle of Chateauguay
- Manitoba Branch Outreach and Events
- Hamilton Branch Newsletter Posted
- Fredericton Branch Project - Contributes to Harriet Irving Library
- Banishing Loyalist Man from Saint John
- Marksmanship, or just luck
- Possibility of an Ontario Veteran's Memorial
- Ontario Cemeteries at Risk
- Travelling Exhibit on Loyalists being developed by Haldimand Museums
- Loyalist day trip to historic Glengarry
- "Loyalist Trails" on the web
- Queries
      + Loyalists: Mathias Buchner or Jacob Glover
      + Unbiased Books for Students (Cont'd)

Manitoba Branch - Battle of Chateauguay

"We held a successful luncheon on Oct 26th to celebrate the Battle of Chateauguay which took place on Oct. 26, 1813, at which time Canada became Canada, so to speak."

The event was described in Frances Russell's column in the Free Press on 5 Nov 2004: "On Oct. 26, the same day Ottawa announced plans to give American airlines open access to Canadian skies, no reciprocity required, the Manitoba Branch of the United Empire Loyalists gathered to celebrate a pivotal battle key to Canada's survival as an independent nation. Like mnay of the great moments of our past, it has been ignored, pooh-poohed or forgotten. Under Lt. Col. Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry, some 350 citizen soldiers - Canadians all, French, Scottish and Mohawk - repulsed an invading army of over 4,000 US infantrymen at the Battle of Chateauguay, south of Montreal on Oct. 26, 1813.

De Salaberry, cxommander of the Voltigeurs, a regiment still in existence today, was the son of an officer who served under Louis-Joseph, Marquis de Montcalm, at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. A brilliant military strategist, de Salaberry employed several ruses that outwitted and unnerved his far stronger adversary. Retired University of Manitoba professor Allan R. Kear recalled them to the UEL gathering........

...Is Ottawa afraid of Washington, Alberta, business or all three? De Salaberry and his citizen army would be disheartened and disgusted.

"That humble group of labourers and settlers seems to have had a better sense of national unity and citizenship responsibility than many of our current parliamentarians and journalists," says [Manitoba Branch] UEL president Harold Cook."

...Harold Cook UE

Manitoba Branch Outreach and Events

Costumed Members of the Manitoba Branch Education Committee, have recently visited a grade nine class at Ashern, Manitoba and two grade six classes at Brandon, Manitoba. After the presentations in Brandon, students were treated to Johnny Cake and syrup which met with a mixed review.

Sunday, Nov. 28, members of the Manitoba Branch held their second annual Cookie exchange in Winnipeg. Members gathered and shared a lovely pot luck luncheon before participating in a "Christmas Baking Exchange".

...Barb Andrew

Hamilton Branch Newsletter Posted

The December issue of the Hamilton Branch Newsletter has been posted to the Publications Folder of the Hamilton Branch website. This month the Special Feature focuses on Loyalist Heritage and Travel with submissions by Gloria Howard, Rod and Bev Craig, Douglas W. Grant and Carolyn Heald.. Kathie Orr has also submitted information regarding the Archives of Ontario, a matter of concern for all Association members.

The Newsletter can be viewed here or by going to the Branches Folder of the Dominion website

...Fred Hayward UE

Fredericton Branch Project - Contributes to Harriet Irving Library

The Branch Projects (2014) Committee recently approved a grant of $450.00 to the Fredericton Branch in their support of the Loyalist Collection in the Harriet Irving Library at the University of New Brunswick. This grant plus funds contributed by the Fredericton Branch will go toward the purchase of additional microfilms to be added to the Loyalist Collection there.

All branches are encouraged to develop projects that will promote the Loyalist contributions. If you need some financial support to get started, please contact the Branch Projects (2014) Committee. Application Forms are available from Bill Terry, Committee Chair

Banishing Loyalist Man from Saint John

Thoughts of banishing Loyalist Man stir up emotions in Saint John. Globe and Mail, Dec 3, 204. Page A3

SAINT JOHN -- Loyalist Man has stood splendidly, albeit a bit goofily, along the highway near the city's famous Reversing Falls since the sixties. The painted plywood United Empire Loyalist, seven metres tall with a tricorn hat, blue frock coat, stockings and gay grin, looms like an 18th-century superhero and has long served as a tourism logo for the port city.

But Loyalist Man also stands in the way of the city's high-profile Harbour Passage waterfront project, and the developer wants to move it elsewhere to accommodate an elaborate fountain and pretty park space. The mere thought of relocating Loyalist Man has touched off a minor panic among many Saint John residents, including the outspoken Elsie Wayne, who says the suggestion is an offence to the rich Loyalist heritage that gave the city its start when boatloads of those fleeing the newly independent United States landed in 1783......Saint John boasted barely a thousand residents and was part of Nova Scotia when the 10,000 or so Loyalists arrived in 1783. A year later it became the first incorporated city in Canada and a separate colony.

Many residents feel an emotional and genealogical kinship with Loyalist Man. The Telegraph-Journal, Saint John's daily newspaper, has been deluged with letters to the editor on the subject. "To deface the Loyalist Man is to slight history itself," wrote Larry Fyffe. "Leave Loyalist Man alone," said Avis Dempster. And Frances Morrisey [Vice President Atlantic Region, UELAC] declared that as "the most recognizable icon of Saint John" Loyalist Man must stay put. The New Brunswick Historical Society agrees. So does Jim McKenzie, president of the local United Empire Loyalist Association branch, who said a fountain is a poor substitute for Loyalist Man. "Saint John should be making a big thing of this," he said. "There's no other city in the country that has such a rich history. It's unique, and it's ours. Any seaport can put up a fountain. That's not unique.

"We want him in a visible place where the public and tourists go. It makes sense. It shouldn't be uptown or anywhere else. It should stay where it is. The Loyalist heritage is unique to Saint John, and we don't want that lost. When Elsie Wayne was mayor, there was a lot more interest taken in the city with the Loyalists than there is today."

...Frances Morrisey UE

Marksmanship, or just luck (good, or bad)

Too often we read only large numbers in contemporary reports of military deaths. Sometimes when there are names, only the officers are recorded. When the other ranks are mentioned, one has to search through muster rolls individually for the casualties. Single incidents are sometimes documented concerning specific individuals. An example of this is the killing of a sentry in 1812.

Along the Niagara frontier before the Battle of Queenston Heights, there was mainly fitful nuisance activity. Snipers occasionally loosed off a few rounds from the U.S. side. They had a better chance of striking a target with their "Kentucky" rifles than soldiers on the King's side could have with their "Brown Bess" muskets. Even so, at certain points along the river wind currents were so strong and unpredictable that any shot was chancy. So on 18th September 1812, nearly a month before the Battle, when a rifle ball struck down and killed a Loyalist sentry at his post by the great Whirlpool on the lower Niagara, it was against the greatest odds. That man was Private John Hendershot of the 5th Lincolns. Long confused by local people with namesakes, such as John S.U.E. (in records about 1830 he is still living, a sergeant of militia). The sentry has only recently been singled out as the son of a "late" Loyalist Christopher Hendershot a brother of Peter U.E. of Pelham who settled in Peel.

It is interesting to read the comments of two Loyalist military experts on the subject of marksmanship. Lieutenant Colonel Bill Smy, UE says: The regular British infantryman was trained to deliver by word of command one shot every fifteen seconds. The musket was not accurate at any great distance, inducing Colonel George Hanger, a Revolutionary veteran, commenting on the performance of the Brown Bess during the Revolution, to write: "A soldier's musket, if not exceedingly ill-bored...will strike the figure of a man at eighty yards; it may even at 100; but a soldier must be very unfortunate indeed who shall be wounded...at 150 yards, provided that his antagonist aims at him...I do maintain...that no man was ever killed at 200 yards by a common soldier's musket by the person who aimed at him."

Major Don Holmes, UE has been a champion black-powder marksman himself. He said the shot that killed John Hendershot had "one in a million odds" against it. (Incidentally, John was one of three sons of Christopher Hendershot who served in this war:Daniel L. who survived, and Jacob S. who later deserted to the other side.)

...John Ruch, Sir Guy Carleton Branch

Possibility of an Ontario Veteran's Memorial

I'm on a special committee at Queen's Park, being chaired by the Hon. Gerry Phillips, Management Board of Cabinet, concerning a Veterans' Memorial at the Ontario Legislature. My input so far has been that it should start at the beginning by remembering the Loyalist veterans of the ARW, and then carry-on through the various wars and peacekeeping operations since then. I'm on the committee representing my regiment, The Grey & Simcoe Foresters.

Is there such a thing as a Loyalist War Memorial/Cenotaph in anywhere in >Ontario, let alone Toronto? I trust that my approach is ok with UELAC, and if you'd like I could represent UELAC as well, if the Minister and UELAC approves.

....R. Fisher, Major. Staff Officer 2, Canadian Forces College, Toronto

(Assuming that our letter to the minister is accepted, Major Fisher will represent UELAC in these deliberations)

Ontario Cemeteries at Risk

Bill 60 - An Act to amend the Ontario Heritage Act

The existing Ontario Heritage Act, passed in 1975, completely ignores the existence of over 4,500 inactive historical cemeteries across Ontario. Bill 60 is currently before the Legislative Assembly. It is the first serious attempt in almost 30 years to strengthen the law to protect Ontario's heritage. However, despite many promises, Bill 60 again fails to offer any protection whatsoever to Ontario's threatened and vulnerable cemeteries.

Concerned citizens across Ontario want the McGuinty Government to send Bill 60 to public hearings. They are also supporting the attached amendment. How is it possible that our Legislative Assembly could even consider passing an Ontario Heritage Act without recognizing and protecting our cemeteries? If you believe that our cemeteries are a vital part of Ontario's historical, cultural and natural heritage, please write or email immediately the people listed below and talk to your own MPP especially if they are a cabinet minister.

- There are in excess of over 5000 known cemeteries in Ontario

- 90% of the above mentioned cemeteries are inactive and are not protected. Cemeteries are not protected under the Ontario Heritage Act

- 30 years since the last review of the Ontario Heritage Act.

- Mention why this issue is important to you and your family.

- Environmental importance (green spaces).

- It is in the public interest to preserve our cemeteries in their original locations in order to protect the authentic history of Ontario.

- Respect for our sacred places. Dignity of the deceased.

- Genealogists often travel to the place where their ancestors lived and died and as such bring tourists dollars to local communities across Ontario.

- The absence of any legal protection in our Heritage Act encourages by its silence on this issue disrespect and vandalism.

Please stress that it is the public interest to preserve, protect and maintain our cemeteries in their original locations.

Write or contact:

- Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, Room 281, Legislative Building, Queen's Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A1

tel: (416) 325-1941 email: dalton.mcguinty@premier.gov.on.ca

- Minister of Culture, Hon. Madeleine Meilleur, Room 4320, 99 Wellesley, St. West, Whitney Block, Toronto, ON, M7A 1W3

tel: (416) 325-1660 e-mail: mmeilleur.mpp@liberal.ola.org

- Rosario Marchese, NDP Culture Critic, Room 156, Legislative Building, Queen's Park, Toronto, ON M7A 1A5

tel: (416) 325-9092 email: marchese-qp@ndp.on.ca

- John Tory, Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, Room 200, North Wing, Legislative Building, Queen's Park, Toronto, M7A 1A8

email: john.tory@pc.ola.org

We would be pleased if you sent us a blind copy of your letter. If you have a problem contacting your MPP or need an address for another Cabinet Minister please call me or e-mail me. Thank you for your consideration and help in this matter.

...Marjorie Stuart, Suite 814, 80 Front Street East, Toronto, ON, M5E 1T4, 416-594-9497, {marjstuart AT sympatico DOT ca} how do I email her?

Travelling Exhibit on Loyalists being developed by Haldimand Museums

My name is Katharine Quinton. I am the Project Coordinator, Travelling Exhibits for the Haldimand Museums. We are currently developing three exhibits that, when produced, will travel to museums across Canada. One of the exhibits is entitled "A Many-Jewelled Crown: Early Canada and the Loyalist Mosaic." It will examine the story of the Loyalists, emphasizing the diversity of the people involved in the mass migration of Loyalists to early Canada. Since this will be a small exhibit, it will serve mainly as an introduction to the story of the Loyalists and their diversity. We are seeking comments on the exhibit as it has been developed so far and would request that you read the attached text and reply with your comments and insight. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, either by phone or by e-mail. Thank you very much for your help with this project.

...Katharine Quinton

Dear Katharine: I have had time to think about your project. It is truly wonderful! And I think the UEL Association should stand behind you 100%. Do you know that June 19 has been proclaimed by the Province of Ontario as "Loyalists Day"? This happened in 1998. Branches across Ontario celebrate with flag raisings at city halls, cemetery decorations, etc.. It would be a splendid plan if we knew - in advance - which centres will host the display.

We can provide costumed participants. Loyalist research book displays. Banners. Flags, items for sale with Loyalist logo. etc., etc.. From Nova Scotia to Victoria - 29 Branches. We have 29 Branch newsletters. Have you seen our Dominion publication - The Loyalist Gazette? Items for the spring issue must be presented by Jan 15, 2005. You might consider a notice for this next issue. Since your museum falls within territory served by the Grand River Branch, we will be happy to do whatever we can to ensure this project is successfull. We would also co-ordinate with the other Branches to ensure support in other cities. And, if you are planning a 'launch' or 'introduction' or whatever, we would love to participate - in costume - and assist with press coverage.

...Doris Lemon UE

Thank you very much for your feedback on the text of our exhibit. We are so glad to know that you are excited about the exhibit and are interested in helping out. We appreciate very much your offer to promote the exhibit as well. I would like to let you know what the general timeline for the rest of the project is: Phase I, the development phase, of which I am the project coordinator, is just wrapping up. Phase II, the production of the exhibits, will begin sometime next year, with the opening of the exhibit late in 2006 or possibly in early 2007. The exhibit will be displayed here at the Haldimand County Museum & Archives for a period of time, before it travels to other museums. We will certainly keep you on our contact list and will look forward to your input on the next phase of the project. Thank you again for your wonderful support of this project.

...Katharine Quinton

Loyalist day trip to historic Glengarry

Sir Guy Carleton and St. Lawrence Branches Loyalist day trip to historic Glengarry in Eastern Ontario on Saturday, September 17, 2005.

Glengarry was first settled by Loyalist Scottish soldiers from The King’s Royal Regiment of New York and the Royal Highland Emigrants. Many of these Loyalists or their sons joined the Nor’wester Fur Company as fur traders. Others such Alexander MacKenzie became famous explorers. From 1786 onwards other Scots emigrated to Glengarry from Scotland.

George Anderson and Edward Kipp have planned a day trip to Glengarry to explore historic sites on behalf of Sir Guy Carleton Branch and St. Lawrence Branch. The trip will travel along the St. Lawrence River from Cornwall to Lancaster. Then it will travel to Williamstown, St. Raphael’s and Martintown. There will be time to stop and explore Historic Williamstown. This village has the Sir John Manor House, historic St. Andrews Church and Cemetery, the Bethune-Thompson House and the Nor’westers and Loyalist Museum. The Blue Chapel Ruins at St. Raphaels will be another stop. Three stops will also made in Stormont at the Wood House (Cornwall Community) Museum, the SD& G Armoury and Museum in Cornwall, and at the Old Stone Church and Pioneer Cemetery at St. Andrew’s West. The tour will pass Loyalist farms and historic cemeteries, churches and other historic sites.

The registration fee for this bus tour is $50.00 per person. In addition each person will pay for a pre-arranged lunch. The registration fee for the trip is due upon registration. Cheques are payable to Sir Guy Carleton Branch. Registrations must be received by 1 June 2005. If there is not enough interest, all deposits will be refunded. The bus will pick up people in Ottawa and Cornwall. You can register by contacting George Anderson, 64 Saginaw Cres, Ottawa, ON K2E 5N7; (613) 226-6348; {andrew1 AT magma DOT ca} or Edward Kipp, 6242 Paddler Way, Orleans, K1C 2E7; (613) 824-1942; ekipp@magma.ca {ekipp AT magma DOT ca} how do I email them?

"Loyalist Trails" on the web

A couple of you have asked for a directory or index of "Loyalist Trails". To help address that wish and to create an accessible library of the past issues, "Loyalist Trails" is now being posted on the web. The three immediately past issues have already been added. New issues will be will be posted regularly and the back issues, will also be added.

...Doug Grant

Loyalists: Mathias Buchner or Jacob Glover

I have written to the Ottawa Branch about membership and while I am waiting for their answer, could I please ask if anyone else has joined as being a descendant of Mathias Buchner/son Alexander Boughner or Jacob Glover/daughter Gertrude Glover?

Here is my problem: I am currently working on finding a marriage to prove that the daughter of Alexander and Gertrude (above), Catherine (Christina) Buchner/Boughner of Aylmer, is indeed the wife of my great-grandfather, Jonas Roberts, who was named as Christina Roberts in her Loyalist father's will (Alexander Boughner, son of Mathias Buchner of N.J.). It is proving difficult to find their marriage record. My great-grandmother, Annie Gertrude Roberts, listed her mother's name as Christina Broodiner on her marriage certificate but I know she was illiterate and that name is not a local name in the Vienna Village area. I am now trying to find all their children's marriage certificates to see if any of them give her maiden name. Results are not good so far. So I was wondering if anyone had previously submitted the marriage information I am looking for.

...Lynne Webb {Hathaway-2000 AT comnet DOT ca}

Unbiased Books for Students (Cont'd)

It turns out that I already have the main book that was recommended (The Loyal Refugees) which I bought one time when we were in Vancouver. I have used it every year with my students. I have the kids read the official textbook (written from the U.S. point of view) about the incidents leading up to the war, such as the Boston massacre. Then I read descriptions of the same incidents from The Loyal Refugees. It is surprising how much of a different impression the kids get from each version.

...Ruth Roy

To protect the people who send in queries from unwanted spam email, the online edition of Loyalist Trails no longer uses direct hyperlinks for their email addresses. Simply rewrite "name AT website DOT net" as name@website.net and send your email to that address. For example, "doug DOT grant AT insurance-canada DOT ca" is doug.grant@insurance-canada.ca. Contact Doug with questions, or to be put in touch with someone whose email address is not listed.