Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2006 Archive

In this issue:
- New Web Site about Joel Stone UE, founder of Gananoque
- Pictures from UELAC Conference 2006 in Toronto
- Hamilton's Famous Family Takes a Trip
- Additional Info on George Chisholm in Loyalist Directory
- Book: True Stories of New England Captives Carried to Canada During the Old French and Indian Wars
- Note of Appreciation about Book on Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Died This Day
      + 900 Shipwreck Victims, 21 August 1711 (Globe & Mail)
      + Peter Perry, 24 August 1851 (Globe & Mail)
- Queries
      + John Mills and daughter Sarah Mills m. George Boyls
      + John Ham UE
      + Responses re Nicholas Drury

New Web Site about Joel Stone UE, founder of Gananoque

The Loyalist Joel Stone was a Connecticut Tory exiled to Upper Canada. He founded the little town of Gananoque, and left behind a little known and fascinating story. The website "An American Refugee: Joel Stone, United Empire Loyalist," was produced as part of the University of Western Ontario's Public History program, and details the Colonel's life story from the American Revolution to his death in 1833. The story can be found at colonelstone.ca.

I would be very interested to hear what UELAC members and friends think of this work in progress.

...Tim Compeau {t_compeau AT hotmail DOT com} how do I email him?

Pictures from UELAC Conference 2006 in Toronto

Carl Stymiest posts UEL pictures to a web site so we cna share them. He has posted his pictures of the Conference in Toronto and you can access them by clicking here - most of the first 50 pictures are from conference.

...Carl Stymiest {kjoseph AT novuscom DOT net} how do I email him?

Hamilton's Famous Family Takes a Trip

Downtown Hamilton's United Empire Loyalist family is hoisted from its limestone base for a trip to a Toronto studio, where the statue is being rejuvenated.

The city's rugged and brave UEL family received national prominence when the figures were featured on a stamp in 1934.

By Paul Wilson, Special to the Hamilton Spectator, (Aug 21, 2006)

A much-respected family that has been in residence in downtown Hamilton for nearly 80 years has pulled up stakes and headed to Toronto.

These prominent citizens had suffered greatly in the centre of this city. They left town in poor health. But they're now in rehab, and there's every reason to believe they'll make a full recovery. When they do, hopefully just a couple of weeks from now, they'll hop on a flatbed and ride back home to Hamilton.

On Empire Day, May 23, 1929, hundreds gathered in front of the old courthouse on Main Street East. In their midst was something mysterious, hidden beneath a big Union Jack. After the speeches, off it came. The crowd gasped at the powerful image before them, a robust larger-than-life family of United Empire Loyalists -- father, mother, son, daughter. The Loyalists were American colonists still true to the British crown at the time of the American Revolution in the 1770s. When the Revolutionists won, the Loyalists paid dearly. Some were tortured and publicly humiliated. Their property was confiscated or destroyed. Many were banished under penalty of death. Tens of thousands came north and settled this country.

Prominent Hamiltonian Stanley Mills was of UEL stock. It was he who hired renowned sculptor Sydney March. He produced a work that lives, breathes, pushes hard against the cruel winds. The UEL family has just arrived in the new land. We see hope, determination, maybe a little fear. How could there not be? All of Canada got to see the statue in 1934 when the Post Office put it on a 10-cent stamp.

In the late 1950s, the city tore the old courthouse down and built a new one. The statue got a new base, made of the same limestone from Queenston, where many Loyalists fought against invading American forces in the War of 1812. The family sat on that stone for the next half-century or so. Undisturbed, but unloved too. The pigeons and the pollution and the elements gnawed away at the historical skin, just as they did with the other bronze residents in the core, including Queen Victoria and Sir John A. Macdonald.

But Therese Charbonneau, senior conservator with the city, now has the resources for a maintenance plan for all the outdoor public art and monuments around Greater Hamilton -- about three dozen pieces in all. Work has been done on some cenotaphs. Now, on the grassy square that's become home to McMaster's downtown campus, it's the Loyalists' turn.

This job was won by Hamilton's Perdan Limited. Total cost: $42,650. First step was to chip a tiny sample of the lacquer from the statue and send it to Ottawa for analysis. With that information, restorers knew just how to remove that old and damaged coating. There are toxic chemicals involved in the project. Because the statue sits in a very public space, they decided the work was best done indoors. So early on the Tuesday after the Civic Holiday weekend, a crane arrived. The workers tucked straps in around the family and lifted it straight up. There were no bolts to unfasten. That three-tonne piece of art just sits there.

It went down the QEW and now rests in a bronze company's studio near the Don Valley and Eglinton. When that lacquer is all off, the corrosion that's been festering beneath is scrubbed away with a stiff brush. Then they "patinate" the surface. It's heated and a substance is applied that reacts with the metal and forms a stable layer. The statue will be a darker brown when that's finished. Then there's a hot wax, which goes deep into the pores of the metal.

Meanwhile, back here, a team has been cleaning the plaques on the base. Now those words are clear: "Taking up arms for the King, they passed through all the horrors of civil war and bore what was worse than death, the hatred of their fellow countrymen, and, when the battle went against them, sought no compromise, but, forsaking every possession excepting their honour, set their faces toward the wilderness of British North America to begin, amid untold hardships, life anew under the flag they revered."

Our United Empire Loyalists now go on a preventive maintenance program, with an annual wash and cold wax. They need never leave home again.

Additional Info on George Chisholm in Loyalist Directory

Considerable information about Loyalist George Chisholm has been contributed by George Chisholm UE. Here is part of the Biography as posted: Biography for George Chisholm

George Chisholm was born 19 July 1752 in the parish of Croy, Scotland. He was the second youngest of seven children born to John Chisholm and Janet MacGlashan. Croy is situated to the northeast of Inverness very near where the Battle of Culloden was fought on 16 April 1746. The family had lived there for at least two generations but it is not known why they were so far removed from the main clan holdings in the Glen Affric area. Life in the highlands after Culloden was pretty grim and Scotland, as a whole, was suffering from over-population. The Clearances had not yet reached the area but in the summer of 1773 George Chisholm joined some 400 other highlanders on the chartered ship Pearl and set off for the Port of New York. George settled in Kortright Township at the Head of the Delaware River in the Catskill Mountains.

His brother, John, followed in 1774. On 1 May 1777, he and several other loyalists had their property confiscated. That summer Burgoyne brought war into the Province of New York and the two brothers joined the highlanders recruited by Capt John Macdonell and participated in the first skirmishes to be fought against the rebels on this frontier at The Flockey and with St Leger at Oriskany. George did not stay with Macdonell but headed east to join the army of General Burgoyne where he served as a carpenter. He was at work on the defences at Sugar Hill, later Mount Defiance, at Ticonderoga. When they were attacked by Continental Rangers under Captain Ebenezer Allen, he was taken prisoner. He escaped and by 1778 was in New York where he was a member of the Highland Volunteer Militia under Captain Normand Tolmie. In the summer of 1778 he married Barbara, daughter of William McKenzie, a refugee from the Scotch Settlement on Ouleout Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna. Their first two children were born there: Janet, who died in infancy and Mary Christina who later married Ephraim Land, son of Robert Land UE.

In 1783, George and his family joined about 2500 Port Roseway Associates and moved to what became Shelburne, Nova Scotia. During their seven-year stay in Nova Scotia, George and Barbara had four more children: John, who married Sarah Davis; James, who died in infancy; William who married Rebecca Silverthorne and went on to found the town of Oakville, and Barbara, who married George King of Flamborough. By 1790 George was not able to provide for his growing family in Nova Scotia so he sold out and moved to the Niagara Area where his brother, John, had settled after leaving the US. In 1792 he signed the address of welcome to John Graves Simcoe. He found employment working on the construction of Fort Erie and their next child, George Jr, was born there. George Jr, my great-great grandfather, married Eliza McCarter, daughter of Oziah McCarter UE and Abigail Land. For more, see the entry in the Loyalist Directory.

[submitted by George Chisholm UE, Hamilton Branch]

Book: True Stories of New England Captives Carried to Canada During the Old French and Indian Wars

Book by C. Alice Baker. This thoughtfully written book provides the reader with the gripping history of Indian attacks in Maine; New Hampshire; and Massachusetts. Events leading up to the attacks and the attacks themselves are described in considerable detail with an emphasis on how those engagements affected specific people, especially those who were captured and removed to Canada. Click here for more information.

Note of Appreciation about Book on Niagara-on-the-Lake

Thank you for advertising the book on the history of Niagara-on-the-Lake. I was able to order it. That place, by whatever of the many names it has had, is one of the key settlements along the Canadian frontier. Ft. Erie, Chippewa, Niagara Falls Ont., Niagara on the Lake/Fort George etc., St. Catherines, Grimsby (The Forty) I now have books on all but Ft. Erie and St. Catherines. That Niagara area is key to early Upper Canada, in addition to the Long Point Settlement and that along the Grand River and I have books covering the latter two also. Am planning on placing them in the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society Library here in Asheville, NC. They connect to many of the Tory families of North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as the northern part of the country, and it is fantastic to be able to follow trails. People here have written them off because they left, and people in Canada tend to have shut the door behind them. I think it is great to follow their entire careers and learning their origins in Europe. Our library is open to both ends. Canadians visiting the south are invited to visit us in Asheville, NC.

...Doris Ward, NC, {DorisWard AT aol DOT com} how do I email her?

900 Shipwreck Victims, 21 August 1711 (Globe & Mail)

British plans to invade and seize New France went awry when an amphibious force led by Admiral Hovenden Walker was struck by an unusual combination of gales and heavy fog in the St, Lawrence River near what is now Ile-aux-Oeufs, Que. In one of the most significant naval calamities in history, more than one half of the warships in the fleet were lost and close to 1,000 men drowned. The remaining ships returned to Britain, effectively postponing any serious attempt at invasion for four decades.

Peter Perry, 24 August 1851 (Globe & Mail)

Politician and merchant born in Ernestown, Ont., in 1793

The son of Empire loyalists who had fled New York during the U.S. War of Independence, he grew up in the Kingston, Ont. area and fully expected to be a farmer like his father. Although scarcely able to read and write, he took a strong interest in the politics of the colony. By 1824, he was deeply involved in the Reform party and that year won a seat in the Assembly of Upper Canada. He would remain a presence there, on and off, for more than 20 years. Closely associated with Robert Baldwin and George Brown, he vigorously opposed the Family Compact. According to 19th-century historian John Dent, "his speeches were like himself, bold and impetuous, and, notwithstanding the strict party lines of the period, votes were frequently won by sheer force of his oratory."

Meanwhile, he had given up farming and moved to a community called Perry's Corner (now Whitby, Ont.), where he operated a successful general store. After his death, the village of Port Perry was named in his honour, and Whitby every year presents the Peter Perry Award to its citizen of the year.

John Mills and daughter Sarah Mills m. George Boyls

I am descended from Sarah Mills, a daughter of John Mills UE. Sarah Mills married George Boyls and from that marriage Hannah Boyls was born. Hannah Boyls married Matthew Mills and they were my Gr Gr Gr Grandparents.

Although I have land documents for John Mills UE, I am looking for date and place of birth, parents, military service, death date and burial information etc. I believe the most important document I could find, to aid in my family history research, would be a copy of the indictment that caused John Mills all of his miseries. This would hopefully show where the property which was confiscated by the Rebels, and where he was imprisoned.

I am also looking for more information about George Boyls, who I believe either he or his father Simon served in the New Jersey Volunteers and deserted at some point. I understand George's father was Simon Beuel when he came to America, and he appears to have had land at Hardwich, Sussex County, NJ. The sale of this property was by Simon Boyls and his wife Christine. Any information on this family would be appreciated. George had land in Markham, an his Dau Hannah and son-in-law Matthew Mills bought half of George's lot from him.

If there are histories of either of these families that have been written, I would appreciate information about them

...Darrell Mills Barnes, Salt Lake City (As Darrell does not have email, please respond to Doug Grant)

John Ham UE

I am trying to get a chapter ready for a new book to be published by the Grand River Chapter UEL. My Loyalist ancestor is John Ham UE, and I have successfully traced my lineage back to him. However I find that I have no information at all about his life, his exploits, his army service or his place of settlement after the Revolutionary War.

John Ham was b 16 Jul 1754 m to Elizabeth Dunsbaugh (sp many ways) abt 1784, and d 1 Jul 1832. He is buried in Ernestown Cemetery.

For this article I need more info, and was wondering if you could point out any likely avenues. Any help or suggestions that you may have would be appreciated.

...Ransom Vrooman UE, Waterloo ON {rans AT golden DOT net} how do I email him?

Responses re Nicholas Drury

Nicholas Drury probably was born during the 1730s or 40s. By 1766, his house and lot were listed on the Albany assessment roll. In 1767, he married spinster Catherine Smith in the Albany Dutch Church. At that time, he identified himself as an Albany County "skipper." From 1768 on, they were members of St. Peters Anglican church. Their family may have included ten children - with Sara being baptized at St. Peters in 1788.

Drury was a river person - perhaps in league with his brother-in-law, skipper William Pemberton. In 1771, he was made a member of the Albany night watch. At that time, his first ward house included a number of boarders. In 1777, he was paid by the Albany Committee for transporting Tories from Albany to Esopus - implying that his rivercraft still was operational.

In 1790, he was living in a modest house on the southside. A few years later he had moved across town to Pearl Street where his family of four was listed on the census in 1800.

The last recorded reference to Nicholas Drury came in 1802!

NOTES: The life of Nicholas Drury/Druly/De Ruley/Drewry is CAP biography number 7890. This profile is derived chiefly from community-based resources. His origins top the list of unknown particulars regarding his life - although family tradition holds that he came from London, England about 1750. A shipwreck (particulars unknown) claimed all on board except for young Nicholas and his brother Samuel. We are indebted to Asta Bredsdorff for the preceding information. The dearth of information on his work history, involvement in the Revolutionary war, and family record may tell us that much of his adult life was not spent within the Albany orbit. A son, Henry, was born in Sorell, Canada but baptized at St. Peter's in 1785.

Sarah Drury Pemberton by Stefan Bielinski

Sarah Drury probably was born during the 1730s. She probably was the older sister of Nicholas Drury.

In 1752, she married Albany-born skipper William Pemberton at the Albany Dutch church. By 1761, their five children had been baptized in St. Peter's Anglican church where both parents were members.

William Pemberton was a Tory who fled Albany during the latter stages of the Revolutionary War. We presume that Sarah Drury Pemberton accompanied him into exile!

The life of Sarah Drury/Druly Pemberton is CAP biography number 475. This profile is derived chiefly from community-based resources.

--from the Colonial Albany Project, contributed by Bill Glidden

I picked up your enquiry in Loyalist Trails about the Drury family. How odd you have records about baptisms that were performed in Canada that were also recorded in Albany. Perhaps someone else who has discovered this contradiction can explain the reasons for it.

"My direct ancestor Nicholas DRURY and wife Catharina (Schmidt) DRURY are listed in baptisms in St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Albany, in 1785 and 1788, for the baptisms of two of their children, as follows:

"July 3, 1785 at Albany, Baptized by the Rev. Jno Doty ... (illegible) ... In the province of Canada, Henry, born June 30th, 1785 son of Nicholas and Catherine Drury. Sponsors Robert Henson and Phebe Hilton."

Lee Stanton, Archivist and Historian of St. Peter's, says in his/her letter: "This baptism took place during a time when St. Peter's was in a state of flux because of the Revolutionary War. The Rector had fled behind the British lines."

He lists a second baptism: "Baptized in June 1788. 8 Benjamin s. of Nicholas Drury by Catharine his wife. Thomas Ellison, Rector." It seems "8" refers to the day in June. No location is given."

One little note to help the cause a bit. Reverend John Doty had been an Anglican minister to a parish in Schenectady for several years. In late 1777, he had had enough of rebel persecution and obtained a release from the Committee of Correspondence to travel to Canada. I believe he did so by meeting up with General Burgoyne's army and then retiring up its lines of communication until he got to Ticonderoga, from where he and the garrison evacuated after Burgoyne's surrender.

When in Canada, Doty served two regiments as their Chaplain. The first was the 34th Regiment of Foot, a British Regular battalion, and the second was the 1st battalion of Sir John Johnson's King's Royal Regiment of New York, a Provincial or loyalist unit.

In 1782, Doty received permission to visit England, one presumes to attempt to put his affairs in order, but in 1783, he was sent word by Governor Haldimand that he was to return to Canada if he intended to maintain his military posts and pay. Doty did so and took up residence in Sorel where he had a civilian parish after the peace was signed in 1783.

I have a substantial library and I find it very strange that the names Drewery/Drury and Henson/Hanson do not appear in my many lists. I can only assume that they settled in lower Quebec, where complete lists of loyalist settlers were apparently not kept.

The name Schmidt/Schmid/Smith is quite common and would be difficult to track without some more information.

Hilton is a different story. While I could not find a Phebe, there was a Benjamin Hilton of Schenectady, who had quite a story to tell when he applied to the government for redress against his losses at the hands of the rebels. He had brothers, John and William, one presumes also from Schenectady. Perhaps the Hiltons were part of Doty's flock when they lived in that town.

...Gavin K. Watt, H/VP UELAC

I regret that I have no information on DRURY family -- But: Your query includes this line:

"July 3, 1785 at Albany, Baptized by the Rev. Jno Doty ... (illegible) ... In the province of Canada, Henry, born June 30th, 1785 son of Nicholas and Catherine Drury. Sponsors Robert Henson and Phebe Hilton."

The Rev. John Doty was active on both sides of the Canada/Vermont border during the period immediately following the end of the AWI. There is an excellent article: "Refugees on the Last Frontier", by Jean Darrah McCaw, in The Loyalists of the Eastern Townships of Quebec, published by the Sir John Johnson Centennial Branch of UELAC. The article gives us much about Rev. John Doty and the refugee families that he ministered to. After graduation from King's College in NYC, in 1777, he first ministered to settlers in the Schenectady area. After being jailed by the Rebels, he escaped and went to England, where he was ordained. He was sent to serve at Sorel, Quebec in 1874. He performed baptism and burial services in Machiche, Montreal, Caldwell's Manor, Christie's Manor, St. Armand, etc., from summer of 1784 to his retirement in January, 1803.

The book is available from the SJJCB, from President Adelaide Lanktree {adelaidel AT sympatico DOT ca}. How do I email her?

...Lewis Kreger UE

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 sent 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.