Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2007 Archive

In this issue:
- "At The End Of The Trail", UELAC Conference: Did You Know? - more about Windsor Area
- A little more details about "MOY" and who owned what and when...
- Reception for New Exhibit: "St. James' Cathedral; a Living Part of Toronto's History"
- Loyalist Ancestry Envy
- Book: 'The Fantastic Breed' by Leon Phillips
- Queries
      + Information and Contact with Those Researching Dulmage Families
      + UE Mark of Honour Declaration
      + Response re Windsor Area

"At The End Of The Trail", UELAC Conference: Did You Know? - more about Windsor Area

The Battle of Windsor Dec. 4, 1838 began when a force of rebels and Americans crossed the Detroit River, attacking Windsor, killing four militiamen and burning the steamer Thames, before retreating. The Loyalist defenders numbered about 300 men. Reports of the number of rebels and Americans vary wildly from 100 to 400 men. Twenty Five rebels were killed in the fight and many prisoners were captured including Joshua Doan of Sparta (a village near London), who was later hanged for treason.

All American prisoners taken at the Battle of Windsor were shot for the murder and mutilation of Dr. John J. Hume. Dr. Hume is buried in the cemetery at St. John's Church in Sandwich.

It was Col. John Prince who ordered the prisoners shot. This provoked great outcry in the US and particularly in Detroit, against Col. Prince, where an $800 bounty was offered for his body, dead or alive.

American Hiram Walker came to Windsor in 1858 and built a business that is now known internationally as Hiram Walker and Sons.

The major source of a blacksmith's income came from the governor of the jail in early Windsor.

A little more details about "MOY" and who owned what and when...The Hudson Bay Company (probably NWCo.)

There is a brief history of the Detroit area from early European fur trading through the French and then British periods. Angus Mackintosh arrived about 1787. Moy Hall was constructed in the late 1790's after Detroit was handed over to the Americans - see more (about a page) here.

Very Interesting, The Kemlo Clan were also Jacobites who sided with the Mackintosh in the 1745 rebellion. One of my Kemlo's was shipped off to the new colonies as a result of this rebellion. Could never figure out why his was not killed as very few prisoners were taken.

...David Kemlo Kawartha Branch

Reception for New Exhibit: "St. James' Cathedral; a Living Part of Toronto's History"

You are invited to the opening reception for the new exhibit opening in the Archives and Museum in St. James' Cathedral's Parish House at 65 Church Street, at the corner of Adelaide, Toronto, on Wednesday, May 9, 2007 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Formalities will start at 6:00 pm when former mayor David Crombie will speak briefly on the importance of establishing a Museum of Toronto, Ron Williamson will describe the recent archaeological dig of Toronto's first hospital site in November, 2006, and Robert Kearns of the Ireland Park Foundation will outline plans for the opening of a park by the President of Ireland at the foot of Bathurst Street in June to mark the site where 38.000 Irish famine victims arrived in Toronto during the summer of 1847.

Entitled, "St. James' Cathedral; a Living Part of Toronto's History" it will highlight connections between the Cathedral and the history of this city and include the colours of the Third York Militia now almost dust that were buried when the Americans invaded in 1813 and thus saved from capture, findings from the archaeological dig of the first hospital site at King and John Streets, plans for the 19th Century Garden that has recently been renovated and restored in St. James' Park on land that was part of our original land grant, and a sculpture of an Irish immigrant as he arrived in Toronto in 1847.

The exhibit will remain on view and open to the public every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00pm from May 10 until July 5, 2007. Admission by donation.

Special tours of the exhibit can be arranged on any day by appointment, and can include tours of the Cathedral and the adjoining 19th Century Garden in St. James' Park with tea, luch, or even supper! Phone Nancy Mallett at 416-364-7865, Ex. 233 for further information or to book a group tour.

...Nancy Mallett

Loyalist Ancestry Envy

I have never had a problem being proud of my loyalist ancestors . But then I made a mistake. I put "loyalist" and "bahamas" into a Google search. Now I'm suffering "loyalist ancestor envy". While my ancestors were doing their best to survive the chilly winter of 1783, other United Empire Loyalists were establishing settlements along the sandy beaches of the Bahamas! You should only read further if you are sure you won't come down with your own case of "ancestor envy."

The Bahamas consist of 700 islands and 2,500 cays ("keys") that are scattered over 100,000 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico. Eighty islands make up the Bahamian mini-archipelago known as the Abacos which is sometimes called "Cape Cod with Palm Trees". A popular destination for yacht cruises, these Out Islands are where the loyalist refugees founded their first settlements in 1783.

During the American Revolution, the Bahamas were Spanish territories, but by 1783 they came under British control – just in time to provide a refuge for King George III's loyal colonists. The original settlers of the Abacos archipelago were eighty loyalist families. Their names include: Bethel, Sawyer, Lowe, Albury, Malone, Sands, Thompson, Roberts, Pinder, and Macintosh. Today their descendants make up half of the population of these Out Islands. (Ten percent of all Bahamians have loyalist ancestry.)

Great Abaco, the largest island, is shaped like a boomerang, measures 120 miles long, and is home to the world's third largest barrier reef. The Lucayan people, original inhabitants of the island, were killed or kidnapped by Spanish explorers. Loyalists became the island's first permanent European settlers. The displaced colonists founded the town of Carleton Point (named in honour of Sir Guy Carleton) on Treasure Cay Beach, but eventually moved to present day Marsh Harbour.

Many of the loyalists were decorated officers. Some tried to establish the cotton plantations they had in the southern colonies, even to the point of bringing the bricks from their old manors in addition to their African slaves.

The colonial refugees dreamed of recreating a cotton-based economy in the Abaco Islands. Like Shelburne, Nova Scotia, the population rapidly grew, reaching 2,000. The economy boomed. But crops failed due to thin island soil and pests. Most settlers moved away, leaving about 200 white loyalists and 200 black slaves. The fifty-fifty ratio has remained to this day.

Even now,some remnants of loyalist plantations can be found in Great Abaco: magnificent stone walls, "streets", and house foundations. Wrecking--what we would call the salvaging of shipwrecks-- became the source of income.

Interestingly, the Abacos have five times more white residents per capita than the islands of the Bahamas as a whole – a statistic that reveals the loyalist founders of the Out Islands. The descendants of Great Abaco's refugee settlers can still be identified: brilliant blue eyes, blonde hair, and what one tourist guide describes as a "slight Tory accent."

Green Turtle Cay is the hub of the Abacos archipelago. The island is only three miles long and about a mile wide. Following refugees from New York, loyalists from Georgia, Massachusetts, Florida, and the Carolinas eventually settled on this small island. Green Turtle Cay has a village named New Plymouth where clapboard houses reflect the New England background of its first settlers. The island has a population of 600, two tourist resorts, and a lobster fishery.

Man-O-War Cay was settled by the Albury family. Today it is famous for its boat maintenance and repair,but it has a 200 year old tradition of ship construction that goes back to New York and New England loyalists who were boat builders. Besides constructing large schooners in this narrow island's waters, loyalists designed and built the Abaco dingy, the work boat of Bahamian fisherman. Seventy percent of Man-O-War's population traces its ancestry to a loyalist named Albury who at sixteen had the first of thirteen children with his wife who was three years his junior. Not surprisingly, most of Cay's people have similar features.

Sightseeing in the Abacos archipelgo will bring you to many loyalist sites. If you explore the ruins of loyalist settlements on Hawksbill and Warderick Cays, you might see the endangered Bahamian iguana as well as coral formations and caves. At Farquharson's Plantation you can see the ruins of a loyalist plantation that once depended upon slave labour to harvest its crops. A memorial sculpture garden's marble busts bear detailed plaques that celebrate early loyalist settlers. Like the Loyalist House in Saint John, New Brunswick, Harbour Island has the Loyalist Cottage that dates back to 1790.

To learn more about the loyalist story of the Bahamas, check out Robert Wilder's book, Wind from the Carolinas. The best-selling novel tells the story of Ronald Cameron, a loyalist from South Carolina who settles on the island of Exuma with plans to rebuild his plantation, but instead, "he and his descendants are molded by island life through war and peace, love and disaster".

...Stephen Davidson (who is continually amazed by what a loyalist Google search will uncover)

Book: 'The Fantastic Breed' by Leon Phillips

While the book, 'The Fantastic Breed', describes events before Loyalist times it does have a bearing on future events. Written by Leon Phillips and published in 1968 by Doubleday (no ISBN), it is the story of the British and Americans capturing Louisburg in 1745.

It is an easy read with lots of small victories and defeats along the way. After successfully capturing the most powerful bastion in the Americas in 46 days, they subsequently had to return Louisburg to France. This story of the planning and execution of the capture makes for interesting reading.

The reason for capturing Louisburg was to stop Indian raids led by the French into the New England area. While this happens before 'Loyalist Days' it may show the beginning of an American spirit and the cooperation that later led to a much larger battle. I would recommend it.

...Roger Reid, UE

Information and Contact with Those Researching Dulmage Families

I have been on the genealogical path for more than 20 years. I didn't have to search very far. I knew the Dulmage name was German and my grandmother had a list of male ancestors that went back almost to the 1700s to a David Dulmage. As I tried to piece the puzzle together I found out about the book "To My Heirs Forever" that showed the history of about 5/6 families that had left Germany and stuck together through their years of trials and tribulations until they reached the "New Country". These families were the Lorentzes, Imbergers, Sweitzers, Hacks, Dolmetches,etc. and through the years intermarried. They were also Lutherans and followed their faith. I since learned that Johann Adam Dolmetsch (my ancestor) led 3,000 Palatinates(Protestants) out of Germany away from King Louis XIV in 1709.

These families struggled and fought valiantly when they first arrived in Camden Valley New York, After being turned out of their homesduring the Revolution they headed north to fight for Queen Victoria and ended up in the Kingston, Prince Edward County area....

One of my first connections came just from looking in the Burlington phonebook and found one listing. Dulmage is an unusual name.... This person was a descendent of John Dulmage, brother of David, and had started putting his own small book together. He shared his info with me and I was on my way. I made several trips to Prince Edward County and found the original farm and some more pieces of the puzzle at the Rose Museum. I also came across a Don Dulmage (Marysburg) who through various business connections made a trip to Germany(2001) to search out the Dolmetsches and was able to go back in our genealogical tree to 1522.

Through various other connections in the US I have found a descendent who has the original bible in Colorado. Other info came from Stan Broadbridge in Toronto who has helped me immensely and has 30,000 names in his computer.

Just recently I met a descendent of one of the original families (for the first time), the Imbergers, at the Burlington library during Heritage day which was a thrill for me.... At a recent christening in Ancaster St. John's Anglican Church I connected with another arm of the family... I would love to hear from Dulmage descendents in the area to share our heritage......

...Gail Frey {gailfrey AT hotmail DOT com} how do I email her?

UE Mark of Honour Declaration

I would like to obtain help from a historian on who gave the final approvals on some of Lord Dorchester's acts that concern loyalists. I have attached a modernized version of the resolution or proclamation by Lord Dorchester concerning the U.E. honour and the granting of lands to loyalist sons and daughters.

Council Chambers, Quebec City, Monday 9 November 1789

His Lordship intimated to the Council, that it remained a Question, upon the late Regulation for the Disposition of the Waste Lands of the Crown, whether the Boards, constituted for that Purpose, were authorized to make Locations to the Sons of Loyalists, on their coming of full Age and that it was his Wish to put a "Mark of Honor" upon the Families who had adhered to the "Unity of the Empire", and joined the Royal Standard in America before the Treaty of Separation in the year 1783.

The Council concurring with His Lordship, it is accordingly ORDERED,

That the several Land Boards take Course for preserving a Registry of the Names of all Persons, falling under the Description aforementioned, to the End that their Posterity may be discriminated, from future Settles, in the Parish Register and Rolls of the Militia of their respective Districts, and other Public Remembrance's of the Province, as proper objects, by their persevering in the Fidelity and Conduct, to honorable to their Ancestors, for distinguished Benefits and Privilege's.

And it is also Ordered, that the said Land Board may, in every such case, provide not only for the Sons of those Loyalists, as they arrive to full age, but for their Daughters also, of that Age, or on their marriage, assigning to each a Lot of Two Hundred Acres, more or less, provided nevertheless that they respectively comply with the general Regulations, and that it shall satisfactorily appear, that there has been no Default in the due Cultivation and Improvement of the land already assigned to the Head of the Family, of which they are Members.

Accompanying the resolution to London to be presented to the King was attached a :-

"Form of militia roll for the western districts to discriminate the families before mentioned" which included the following…. "N. B. Those Loyalists who have adhered to the unity of the Empire, and joined the Royal Standard before the Treaty of Separation in the year 1783, and all their children and their descendants by either sex, are to be distinguished by the following capitals, affixed to their names: U.E. Alluding to their great principle the unity of the Empire."

This seems to have been a resolution that was passed on to George III for approval.

Did George III approve the mark of honour? Did he approve the granting of loyalist lands to the original loyalists? Did he approve the granting of lands to sons and daughters of original loyalists? If he did, on what dates were the approvals given for each? If he did not, who gave the final approvals of each and when? I keep running into these questions when writing recruiting bulletins and when talking to members and prospective members.

...Alvin Huffman, UE, President, Victoria Branch, {ahuffman AT shaw DOT ca} how do I email him?

Response re Windsor Area

1788, 24 July. Lord Dorchester divides present-day Ontario into four new administrative districts (and land boards) cut out of the district of Montreal: Hesse, Nassau, Mecklenburg, and Lunenburg. A judge and a sheriff are appointed for each district

1792, 15 October. John Graves Simcoe becomes the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada; the first meetings of the Executive Council and Legislative Assembly are held at the capital, Newark (now Niagara-on-the-lake); The four original district names are changed: Hesse becomes the Western District; Lunenburg becomes the Eastern district; Mecklenburg becomes the Midland district and Nassau becomes the Home District; Counties are created; English Civil Law is established (including trial by jury) and English weights and measures are adopted

OLD SETTLEMENT

The first towns in Essex County were Amherstburg and Sandwich, established in 1796 when the British had to give up Detroit by the terms of the Jay Treaty signed in 1794

The early municipal history of Essex County dates back to the 24th of July, 1788 when Governor General Lord Dorchester divided the Province of Quebec into five districts, namely: Gaspe, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nassua and Hesse. The District of Hesse was comprised of all of the residue of the Province in the western or inland parts thereof from the southerly to the northerly boundary of the same, and included Detroit and Mackinaw and the country south of them to the Ohio and Westward to the Mississippi.

Detroit was the goal of various American campaigns during the American Revolution, but logistical difficulties in the North American frontier and American Indian allies of Great Britain would keep any armed rebel force from reaching the Detroit area. In the Treaty of Paris (1783), Great Britain ceded territory that included Detroit to the newly recognized United States, though in reality it remained under British control. Great Britain continued to trade with and defend her native allies in the area, and supplied local nations with weapons to harass American settlers and soldiers.

Based on this information, Detroit was part of Hesse district from 24 July 1788 until 15 October 1792, in practice if not in fact.

...Joyce Stevens

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.