Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2007 Archive

In this issue:
- Moore House Update
- Col. Edward Jessup Branch UELAC at International Plowing Match
- Offer of Issues of Palatine Genealogy Magazines
- TV Documentary "Famous Last Words" about the Death of Sir Isaac Brock
- Dept. of Canadian Heritage Supports Additions - Women, and African Americans - to UNB's "Loyalist Perspectives"
- Charlotte, by Janet Lunn (1999, Tundra Books, 32 Pages, ISBN 0887763839) $17.99
- Our Canadian Capital: Conflict and Compromise: An engaging lecture series!
- Paul Bunnell's Loyalist Quarterly
- Evening Literary Series: Reading Ontario’s Past – “Going Down to the Great Lakes in Ships”: Ontario Historical Society
- Launch of Queen and Consort, Elizabeth and Philip: 60 Years of Marriage
- Queries
      + Cameron Cemetery Lot 6 Concession 4 Cornwall Township, Stormont County
      + Responses re Christopher Rupert
      + Response re Loyalist Foods and Cookbooks

Moore House Update

From Donna Moore on Sept 19:

As many of you know, the Municipal Council of Central Elgin voted 4-3 in favour of demolishing the Moore house at their meeting last night. The demolition permit will be issued on Mon. Sept. 24.

We’ve been advised to get a letter writing campaign directed toward the Minister of Culture. If you could possibly write a note of protest to this effect and contact her today or tomorrow.

The following are some key messages, but if you could phrase this in your own words, that would be good.

The last-ditch campaign resulted in a "stop order" as reported in the Port Stanely News:

At 8:54 a.m. on September 24, 2007 Central Elgin received the faxed copy of the Stop Order on the John Moore house in Sparta issued by Ontario Culture Minister Caroline Di Cocco on September 22, 2007 pursuant to section 35.2 of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.18, as amended.

"This Stop Order prohibits any demolition or removal of Moore House for a period of sixty (6) days from the date of this Stop Order." [Source: see copy of order below] Mayor Hofhuis said that now the Ministry of Culture will investigate the suitability for heritage designation of Moore House over the next sixty days. She said the Minister can either choose to directly designate the house herself or send it back to the municipality for re-consideration. If Moore House is designated, then the Vandenbrinks can appeal the designation to the Ontario Heritage Trust. Once again, if designation does not occur there is no avenue of appeal.

Sept 28. We so appreciate your asking if there is anything else the Loyalists can do! Could you communicate the following three things to the group:

(1) The reference to the stop order and how grateful we are for this.

(2) A BIG thank you to all the Loyalists who have supported this issue--it has been very helpful. I know that many, many Loyalists have written letters, signed petitions, and a letter to the editor appeared in the London Free Press written by Bernice Flett, Past Dominion President. (FYI, I'll be giving a presentation to the London Branch on Oct. 9 about the efforts to preserve the home)

(3) Encourage people to continue to write to support preservation of the Moore house. We need to keep this message going strong so that the Ministry of Culture hears that many, many people feel this way.

Letters can be written to:

The Honourable Caroline DiCocco, Minister of Culture
Queen's Park, 900 Bay Street, Mowat Block, 5th Floor
Toronto ON, M7A 1L2, fax: 416-325-1726
email: cdicocco.mpp@liberal.ola.org or cdicocco.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Also to:

Don Leitch, Chief Administrative Office
and Members of the Municipal Council of Central Elgin
450 Sunset Drive, St. Thomas, ON, N5R 5V1, fax: 519-631-4036
email: dleitch@centralelgin.org

Thank you. Although some articles have referred to me as a descendant of John Moore; I'm actually a descendant of John's father, Samuel Moore, UE.

[submitted by Donna Moore]

Col. Edward Jessup Branch UELAC at International Plowing Match

The Colonel Edward Jessup Branch UELAC teamed with the Leeds & Grenville Branch OGS to man display booths at the International Plowing Match held in Leeds County at Crosby. An estimated 89,000 people attended the five day event. While all did not pass through the Heritage Tent where we were located, a great many did. Brochures were produced with the assistance of monies from the branch projects funds. Twenty-two very colourful display boards told the story of the Loyalist coming, their contributions to our area and branch projects. Activities for children included Loyalist flags to colour and word searches. School classes had been given passports which included a question which necessitated a visit to our booth. Videos which ran continuously included two on the Loyalists. It was a wonderful opportunity to publicize the Loyalists, the UELAC and our Branch.

...Myrtle Johnston UE, President

Offer of Issues of Palatine Genealogy Magazines

John [Ruch] had a lot of subscriptions to genealogy magazines some of which were German, Swiss and French. I would like to give/donate them to anyone who has an interest in them. Other UEL members might, as John did, want to explore further into their families' background. As so many Loyalists originated in the Palatinate these journals would be a good resource for them. Please note that many are in German.

- THE PALATINE IMMIGRANT - Palatines to America 1976 to 1983

- BULLETIN - Cercle Généalogique d’Alsace - 1996 to 2005 (This Swiss publication is tri-lingual (Fr.,Germ, Ital))

- BULLETIN d’ INFORMATION - Société Suisse d’ Etudes Généalogiques

- MITTEILUNGSBLATT - Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Familienforschung, July 1999 to July 2007

- PFALZISCH-RHEINISCHE FAMILIENKUNDE - 2002 to 2005

- MITTEILUNGEN (NEWS) - der Westdeutschen Gesellschaft für Familienkunde, 2001 to 2007

- MITTELDEUTSCHE FAMILIENKUNDE - 1979

These items are available, free of charge, provided the requestor will cover any shipping costs.

...Sherry Ruch {ruchj AT magma DOT ca} how do I email her?

TV Documentary "Famous Last Words" about the Death of Sir Isaac Brock

A documentary about the death, on October 13, 1812, of General Isaac Brock at Queenston Heights, entitled Famous Last Words, will be aired on the History Channel on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. Some will be interested in this story of a child of the American Revolution and how he witnessed and recorded the demise of one of our greatest Canadian heroes.

George Stephen Benjamin Jarvis, son of Loyalist, Stephen Jarvis, was a young soldier of fifteen at the time of the battle, and one of the participants in the drama. As George was my great grandfather, I was invited to participate in the making of this production, the locales of which included Montreal, Queenston Heights and the War Museum in Ottawa. It was a fascinating experience.

YAP Films Inc. of Toronto made this documentary as part of a series which includes Who Shot General Wolfe?, aired recently, and one about Louis Riel. I am looking forward to receiving DVDs of all three shows. Robin Waite of YAP also has promised to send promotional material.

...Ann Jarvis Boa UE, Heritage Branch

Dept. of Canadian Heritage Supports Additions - Women, and African Americans - to UNB's "Loyalist Perspectives"

Lisa Charlong, Assistant Director of the University of New Brunswick’s Electronic Text Centre, and Margaret Conrad, Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Studies, are pleased to announce the receipt of $99,950 from the Canadian Culture Online Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage for the Loyalist Perspectives project. Established in 1996, the Electronic Text Centre is a vital part of the University of New Brunswick's commitment to enriching advanced technologies in scholarly communications, and to the long-term preservation of our digital heritage.

This project is designed to build a rich bilingual learning environment for K-12 and other learners around a virtual archives of primary documents relating to two groups who figure prominently in the Loyalist settlement of New Brunswick (1782-85), but whose voices are often muted: African Americans and women.

For the purposes of this project, two collections – petitions by African Americans relating to land grants and the letters of the women in the Winslow family – will become centre-pieces for exploring the experiences of African Americans and women in Loyalist New Brunswick. The collection of petitions from African Americans relating to land grants is an invaluable resource made available to the project by the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. The letters of the women of the Winslow Family are part of the larger Winslow Family Papers, a much-prized holding of the Special Collections Division of the Harriet Irving Library at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. Both collections will be transcribed, digitized, and posted on the Atlantic Canada Virtual Archives (ACVA) website.

Loyalist Perspectives will add two new collections to the Atlantic Canada Virtual Archives which currently showcases the letters of Loyalist Edward Winslow, 1783-1785, and the Pictou County McQueen Family, 1866-1930, and soon will include the correspondence between eighteenth-century Prince Edward Island proprietor Captain John MacDonald and his sister Nellie MacDonald, 1779-1801.

The Canada that we know today is rooted in the difficult adjustments made among various peoples in British North America in the second half of the eighteenth century. In the Maritimes, the expulsion of the Acadians, the arrival of Loyalist refugees from the American Revolution, and the marginalization of Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, and Passamaquoddy can be counted among the most dramatic and painful events of an extraordinary period in our nation’s past.

While the Loyalists are often mentioned in Canadian history texts, little attention has been paid until recently to the fact that African Americans, both slave and free, comprised a significant proportion of the Loyalist migration to the Maritimes or that women and children made up over half of those counted as Loyalists. A particularly noteworthy feature of this project is the close attention to the experience of enslaved people (at least 1500 individuals) in the Loyalist migration, who are often overshadowed by a focus on the free Black Loyalists.

By making these documents freely available online, we hope to reach a wide audience, including people outside of Canada, who share an interest in this dramatic period of our past.

The projected launch date is scheduled for Spring 2008. Look for us on the Atlantic Canada Virtual Archives website.

[submitted by Stephen Davidson]

Charlotte, by Janet Lunn (1999, Tundra Books, 32 Pages, ISBN 0887763839) $17.99

In this illustrated true tale of the American Revolution, Janet Lunn tells the story of Charlotte Haines, a young girl who must face one of the cruel realities of war - family division. Tensions mount in the aftermath of the rebel victory in New York. Charlotte's father supports the rebel Patriots and has broken all ties with the Empire. He even shuns his own brother, a Loyalist. Forbidden to see her cousins who are only hours away from their departure for what would become Canada, Charlotte must make a difficult decision. Source: Tundra Books

Review: Gr. 4-6, younger for reading aloud. Based on a true story, this unusual picture book takes readers back to New York City in 1783. Ten-year-old Charlotte has a dilemma. Her father, who supported the colonists during the Revolution, feuds with his brother, a Loyalist. He has forbidden Charlotte to speak with her uncle, aunt, and cousins. Now that the war is over, Loyalists are being transported to Nova Scotia. Charlotte slips away from the slave who escorts her to school and runs off to say goodbye to her beloved relatives. When she returns home, her father bars her way at the gate, saying, "You have made your choice. I never wish to see your traitorous face again."

Shaken, Charlotte returns to her aunt and uncle, who take her to live with them in Canada. An afterword briefly tells what happened to Charlotte Haines, who never saw her father, mother, or brother again. Illustrated with luminous paintings of dramatic scenes, this book looks accessible to young children, but that age group may be frightened by the fact that a child could be banished from her home and country for a single act of disobedience. The book will be more meaningful to middle-graders, who may find Charlotte's punishment a shock, but will at least know something about the period. They will certainly learn more here.

Slaves in the North? Loyalists shipped off to Canada? Banishment of children? This dramatic story is a far cry from the usual Revolutionary War tale in which children perform small, quiet acts of bravery in the patriotic cause. Intriguing and emotionally wrenching, this provides clear-cut depictions of good and evil. And if the American patriot is the villain for a change, that in itself is a matter for discussion.

...Carolyn Phelan

Our Canadian Capital: Conflict and Compromise: An engaging lecture series!

In 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada. As part of the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of that historic choice, the National Capital Commission

(NCC) presents an engaging lecture series by six leading historians, discussing the choice of the capital, its founding communities and their stories. one evening and the following.

- Three French speakers, October 16, 2007, Canadian Museum of Civilization, 7:30 pm

- Three English, October 17, 2007, National Gallery of Canada, 7:30 pm In English

Free admission. For more information, visit www.1857.gc.ca. Choose English or French and then at the bottom of the page is a short video. Immediately above the video screen click on the image with words "Conflict and Compromise ...." for details.

Paul Bunnell's Loyalist Quarterly

The September issue of Paul Bunnell's "Loyalist Quarterly" is now available, with contents including:

- Life Before The Loyalists,

- Loyalist Monuments,

- Sierra Leone Loyalist History,

- Loyalist Book Reviews: "The Burdens of Loyalty" and "Letter For Elly"

- Tryon County,

- New York Loyalist Petitions By Women,

- Buck County, Pennsylvania Volunteers,

- Jonas Larroway A Butler’s Rangerr’s Loyalist History & Genealogy, and more

Click here for more details and to buy a subscription.

Evening Literary Series: Reading Ontario’s Past – “Going Down to the Great Lakes in Ships”: Ontario Historical Society

This fall, the Ontario Historical Society (in partnership with The Dundurn Group) is pleased to announce its new Evening Literary Series, entitled Reading Ontario’s Past. Each of the series will explore a different theme in Ontario’s rich heritage and will feature acclaimed authors introducing and reading passages from their recently published works.

The first of this exciting series, Going Down to the Great Lakes in Ships, focuses on new books dealing with the history of shipping and the Great Lakes. Presenting their recent works will be Scott Cameron, Paul Carroll, Gavin Watt, and Mary Beacock Fryer.

October 4th, 2007, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

John McKenzie House, 34 Parkview Avenue, Willowdale, ON M2N 3Y2

Book tickets online at www.ontariohistoricalsociety.ca or call (416) 226-9011

$7 for non-members, $5 for members

Launch of Queen and Consort, Elizabeth and Philip: 60 Years of Marriage

by Lynne Bell, Arthur Bousfield and Garry Toffoli (Trustees of the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust), the latest royal book from Dundurn Press.

The launch will also mark the Fiftieth Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II opening the Canadian Parliament, on 14th October 1957, the first Royal Opening of the Parliament.

The Canadian Royal Heritage Society (Friends of the CRHT) Greater Toronto Area Branch hosts the celebration

Saturday 13th October 2007, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Lecture Hall, St Michael’s College School, 1515 Bathurst Street, Toronto

(at St Clair Avenue West, and near St Clair West Subway Station)

Author autographed copies of the book available at $30 (no gst), Trust exhibit on the 1957 royal opening, Video of the 1957 royal opening and Refreshments.

Admission is free but RSVP by 9th October necessary 416-482-4909; garry.toffoli@rogers.com CANADIAN ROYAL HERITAGE TRUST, Tel: 416-482-4909; Email: execdir@crht.ca; Website: www.crht.ca

Cameron Cemetery Lot 6 Concession 4 Cornwall Township, Stormont County

I am looking for advise and support in preserving the Cameron Cemetery and the grave markers of John and Mary Cameron, a UEL family who were also responsible for bringing the "Loyalist Rose" to the continent. A committee should be formed to decide how we want to preserve the cemetery. Anyone interested in helping please contact me.

...Michelle Walczak, {m DOT walczak AT sympatico DOT ca} how do I email her?

Responses re Christopher Rupert

Christopher Rupert served with my ancestor in South Carolina. Heinrich Ruppert, Friedrich Ruppert, Christoph (Christopher) and Anna Maria (Barbara) Ruppert were Palatine Germans and they came to South Carolina in 1765. Christopher was at the first battle of Ninety Six, S.C in 1775 fighting as a Loyalist. In 1776 Freidrich and Christoph joined Patriot and Loyalist forces under General Williamson to fight the Cherokees. This was the only time loyalists and patriots fought a common enemy.

Heinrich joined the South Carolina Royalists ( a Provincial regiment) and was killed by shrapnel from a French ship on October 2, 1779 at the battle of Savannah, Georgia. Freidrich and his son Henry were in the fort defending it from an attack by American Dragoons. 760 French & 312 Americans were killed at the redoubt. It would be the SC Royalists finest hour. Christopher served with my ancestor Chambers Blakely & his brother David at the final battle of Ninety Six at the Star Fort in June 1781.

Shortly after this the families of Loyalists were forced to leave their homes and farms and go to Charleston. Barbara, sick and pregnant, stumbled on with the mass of humanity. A few days out of Dorchester she stumbled for the last time and died of fever.

In 1783 Friedrich was a Loyalist on the list of confiscated estates in SC.

On November 21, 1782 the Ruperts arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia with my ancestor, his brother & their families. David Blakely (Bleakney) left with his family for Saint John, New Brunswick. David and Christopher Rupert and other South Carolinians made a petition to the government on January 20, 1785 that they were destitute and needed food and clothing. Christopher is listed as having a wife and two children. The Governor refused their petition.

David got a grant of land in the city but moved to Petitcodiac, New Brunswick. Christopher was granted lot 770 in the town of Saint John. I don't know what became of Christopher after this although I suspect he made a claim for his losses in the American Revolution.The New Brunswick Archives in Fredericton will have the information you seek. I believe he settled in Sunbury County.

I have published a book entitled My Help Comes From Above. It gives the history of my own family but over half the book is about the American Revolution in the South, especially South Carolina and lists the struggles of the Loyalists including a history of the Palatine Gemrans and their amazing story of how they came to South Carolina. Anyone interested in purchasing the book can email me.

...Ray Blakeney, UE {charis AT accesswave DOT ca} how do I email him?

I did not find C.Rupert but here is a link to South Carolina Militia history you may find of interest.

...Richard Shaw

Response re Loyalist Foods and Cookbooks

[For previous responses to this query see issues 35, 36, and 37.]

For The History of the Book in Canada volume 1, Beginnings to 1840, (University of Toronto Press, 2004), I contributed an essay on "Recipe and household literature". I looked at dozens of recipe manuscripts, cookbooks, newspapers and almanacs, many of them connected with the loyalists in the Maritime provinces, Quebec and Upper Canada. Some are sourced in the bibliography.

In her Canadians at table: a culinary history of Canada (Dundurn Press, 2006), Dorothy Duncan writes about the loyalists and their food in the chapter "We greatly missed our tea."

A genuine loyalist recipe manuscript that has been edited into a published collection is Every Comfort in the Wilderness: a personal journal, with excerpts from the housewifery book, diaries and letters of Hannah Jarvis, Upper Canada 1792-1845, edited by Gloria Troyer. Toronto: Green Dragon Press, 1994. Almost all of the content is recipes, authentic to their time.

There are cookbooks that feature a loyalist connection although most are somewhat removed from the loyalists themselves. The most impressive is Loyalist foods in today's recipes, by Eleanor Robertson Smith. Hantsport, NS. 1983. This book is well researched, calling in manuscript sources and early and later, mostly American, cookbooks. But also a good deal of lore pulled from local 18th century newspapers.

Catherine Parr Traill's The Female Emigrant's Guide / The Canadian Settler's Guide (1855) is a good source because Traill -- although English -- had neighbours who were of American origin, and she learned from them how to bake breads and cakes, and use squash and local fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately copies of the 1969 reprint edition are almost impossible to find.

...Mary F. Williamson, UE

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