Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2007 Archive

In this issue:
- June 19 Loyalist Day, in Saskatchewan and Ontario
- The UELAC Loyalist Scholarship Awarded to Tim Compeau
- Do you have Dutch ancestors? Workshop on Dutch Family History
- Rebel Revolutionary War Pension Files
- UELAC Website Updates: Loyalist Directory
- Queries
      + Response re Loyalist Coins
      + Script for Play "The Regimental Hammer"
      + Information on the Martindale Family of the Eastern Townships Quebec
      + Information on the LeBar Family of the Eastern Townships

June 19 Loyalist Day, in Saskatchewan and Ontario

The Hamilton Branch of the United Empire Loyalists' Association will present its Loyalist Day celebrations in Prince's Square, 50 Main St. E. in Hamilton, on June 19.

Loyalist Day in Ontario was established through a private member's bill in 1997. Since that time, the Hamilton Branch of the United Empire Loyalists' Association has been holding a public ceremony each year.

"In this our 10th observance of the recognition of our local history, we are emphasizing the contributions made by the black loyalists during that period when our ancestors were forced out of the newly-formed republic to the south to seek freedom in British North America," explained event organizer Gloria Oakes.

Executive members of the Hamilton Branch from Flamborough and Ancaster will be taking part in the program, as well as Major Colin M. Brown CD UE of Ancaster who will be in the colour party. The public is welcome. The program begins at 11 a.m.

...Gloria Oakes UE

The Toronto Branch has invited its members, those of Gov. Simcoe Branch and any others interested to gather at Queen's Park at 11:30 am for the raising of the Loyalist Flag. Following one may take a tour of Queen's Park or visit the Veteran's Memorial.

...Karen Windover

The UELAC Loyalist Scholarship Awarded to Tim Compeau

At the UELAC Annual General Meeting, Irene MacCrimmon, Chair of the Scholarship Committee, announced that the scholarship had been awarded to Tim Compeau.

Timothy Compeau is originally from Gananoque, Ontario and has always been interested in history. He received an Honours BA in History from Queen's University in 2004, and an MA in Public History from the University of Western Ontario in 2006. Tim's interests during that period have ranged from the classical to the early modern periods, but his main focus for the last few years has been on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially the period of the American Revolution through the War of 1812. His initial interest in the Loyalist story began in 2000 while working at the Gananoque Museum. There he came across a number of letters from the Loyalist founder of the town, Colonel Joel Stone. He returned to the topic during his MA, where he produced the website "An American Refugee: The Story of Joel Stone, United Empire Loyalist" (www.colonelstone.ca).

Tim is currently working as the curator of the Arthur Child Heritage Museum of the 1000 Islands, focusing mainly on the restoring and presenting the collections belonging to the now-closed Gananoque Museum. You can follow his progress at www.collectionresurrection.blogspot.com.

Beginning his PhD in the fall, Tim will be returning to the University of Western Ontario where his main area of study will continue to be the Loyalist Diaspora. For his thesis, he plans to explore the extent to which exiled Loyalists (or those who stayed within the United States) were able to affect the development of the early American Republic. This will include a study of family, political and merchant networks that remained intact after the Revolution, with a particular focus on smaller communities.

Congratulations to Tim.

...Irene MacCrimmon UE

Do you have Dutch ancestors? Workshop on Dutch Family History

The Ontario Genealogical Society is sponsoring a workshop on Dutch Family History.

Date: Saturday, August 11th

Location: North York Central Library, Toronto

Registration: 9:15

Programme: 10:00 - 4:30

Rob van Drie, deputy director of the Central Genealogy Bureau in The Hague, is the featured speaker.

Early registration fee - $30. For more information, please check this site.

...[submitted by Nancy Conn UE]

Rebel Revolutionary War Pension Files

Dick Eastman has announced news of a cooperative arrangement between FamilySearch and Footnote.com respecting digital images of Revolutionary War Pension Files: click here.

One sentence in the announcement may interest patrons of LDS Family History Centres : "As a part of this agreement, Footnote.com will be accessible for free in all FamilySearch operated centers worldwide." The website of Footnote is www.footnote.com. So begins the process of building a new inventory of databases freely available through the FHCs, and hence breathing new life into patronage of the FHCs.

...James Thompson (submitted by Nancy Conn)

UELAC Website Updates: Loyalist Directory

Loyalist Directory: information about these Loyalists has been added to the directory this week:
- Asa Landen (Landon) Jr. from Sandy Wunder
- Ezekiel Parish from Sandy Wunder
- Enos Flewelling from Eric Langley - check this one out as it has much interesting detail

Response re Loyalist Coins

The Belleville & District Chamber of Commerce in 1984 commissioned a dollar coin. On one side is a picture of a log cabin with pine tree, much like the little log cabin statue in downtown Belleville. The words are "Belleville and District Chamber of Commerce Ontario Canada". The opposite side is the UELAC Armorial Bearings and the words "United Empire Loyalist Bicentennial Dollar 1784-1984"

Kawartha Branch has them for sale for $5.00, plus postage. You can contact Branch President Chuck Ross at {cgross_uel AT cogeco DOT ca} how do I email him?

...Michael Eamer, CD, UE, St. Lawrence Branch

Script for Play "The Regimental Hammer"

At the UELAC conference which was held 24 years ago in 1983 in the Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia combined, a short play entitled "A Regimental Hammer" was presented at King's Landing.

The playwright was the noted author and Loyalist expert, Esther Clark Wright.

If I remember correctly, every member of the audience received a copy of the script. I would like to get a copy for a possible production of the play at the UELAC Conference to be held next July 2008 in Saint John.

...Andrew Gunter {acgunter AT nbnet DOT nb DOT ca} how do I email him?

Information on the Martindale Family of the Eastern Townships Quebec

I greatly enjoy these newsletters, and the wonderful stories of those families loyal to the crown. My own mother's side was loyal that way in a sense also, with a mercenary from Hesse in the von Huyn Regiment serving in New York, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. Loyalty for a fee paid to ones ruler counts in some sense I guess.

But my real interest lies in my wife's family, who were persuaded to "leave" Westfield, Massachusetts, and resettled in the Eastern Townships. Can you address something about the Eastern Townships in future editions of the newsletter? The family was Martindale.

...Steve and Ann (Lavallee) Schar, Columbia, South Carolina, {Whywally AT aol DOT com} how do I email them?

Information on the LeBar Family of the Eastern Townships

The LeBar family lived in Dunham Township, Quebec , between Stanbridge East and Freligsburg. The location was known as LaGrange. The LaGrange family were Huguenot and came from the Albany/Rensalaer area of New York. The senior LeBars lived on this property and a son was employed at the LaGrange mill. My ggggrandparents stayed in Quebec but it would seem that most of the sons went to Vermont, New York, Eastern Ontario and Prince Edward County. My family came to Whitby Township about 1840/50.

Through my research, I discovered that my greatgrandmother was Elizabeth Demeray. This family is well researched and documented. Her antecedent, David deMarets is said to be the founder of the French colony in New Jersey. Their migration through New York State to the Eastern Townships can be found in many sources. Interestingly, their European history is probably parallel to the LeBar story. Elizabeth's Mother was a Lampman: her Grandfather Abram was a member of Henry Ruiter's regiment.

The largest group of LeBars in the U.S. is thought to have originated when three brothers, about 1730, settled near Stroudsburg, in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. Nobody has been able to document exactly when they immigrated to the U.S. but everyone has the same oral history of Alsace/Lorraine being the original European home. I believe the family came to New Jersey and from there, some migrated to Pennsylvania and others came north. There were some LeBars from Pennsylvania, who initiated land claims in 1790. They settled in the Hamilton area There was a Joseph LeBar, a Loyalist who was taken prisoner during the Revolution.

Quebec genealogical and historical organizations have advised that this is not a Quebec name. The closest would be LaBarre and that would be a "dit"name. There are many spelling variations of the name but researchers agree that it is one family. Census data shows that several LaBars were born in Lower Canada/Canada East between 1790 and 1810. A marriage document shows that Charles, my gggrand father was born in Pointe Levis about 1812 but he was married in Brome County.

Charles Labare b. c1792 ? Canada appears on the 1825 census of Dunham Twp.

Charles Labare b. c1812 Levis

Any information would be most appreciated.

...Lorraine LeBar {lorraine DOT lebar AT sympatico DOT ca} how do I email her?

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.