Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2008 Archive

In this issue:
- Rich Man, Poor Man, by Stephen Davidson
- Video: Birchtown and Black Loyalists
- Saratoga Battlefield's First Visitor, Richard Cartwright
- To Stand and Fight Together, Richard Pierpoint — by Steve Pitt
- Leading Myths of the War of 1812, By Don Hickey, Wayne State College
- Special Edition of Farmers & Honest Men by Horst Dresler
- Queries
      + Information on John and Phoebe Schooley
      + Response re Information on William Beaumont MD
      + Responses re Help to Prove Johannes Vanderburg was a Loyalist

Rich Man, Poor Man, by Stephen Davidson

Once upon a time children chanted a simple rhyme as they counted buttons on their shirts, thinking that it would tell them what they would be when they grew up. It began with "Rich man, poor man, beggarman, thief”.

We do not know if loyalist children recited this rhyme, but what is certain is that their parents did come from a variety of economic circumstances. Take, for example, the stories of Uzal Ward and Jabez Rundle, two loyalists who settled in the Maritimes.

Uzal Ward was a stonecutter from Newark, New Jersey who as a tombstone carver had been successful enough to acquire property in the community. His holdings in Newark began with three acres of land -- and a £700 stone house which his father had given him in 1745.

Ward was later able to provide his own son with a house that was conveniently situated near the church and its cemetery. Ward later built a cider mill next to his son's house to process the apples he grew in an enclosed orchard that was near another of his houses which was near the courthouse.

In addition to 30 acres of timberland, Ward had 40 acres of meadowland where he grew flax, wheat, rye, corn and hay. The stonecutter also had shares in a dock and store. Given his trade, it is not surprising to find that Ward owned two quarries that provided him with the stones he needed to mark the graves of Newark's recently departed citizens. In 1776, Ward rented out part of a house for 8 shillings a week.

Given his many sources of income, the stonecutter of Newark enjoyed a lifestyle that was the envy of his neighbours. Among his "moveable" possessions Uzal Ward had four horses, a pleasure sleigh, five feather beds, a single-horse carriage, and a dozen cattle. His wife had an enslaved African woman and child to work in the Ward kitchen.

The stonecutter's prosperity evaporated with the beginning of the revolution. He and his adult children declared themselves to be loyal to the king as early as 1775. After the British forces seized the lower part of New York colony, Uzal Ward provided them with timber and supplies from his properties. However, such loyal support could only be sustained for a year. In 1776, Ward and his family were forced to seek sanctuary when the British army marched through New Jersey. Everything that the stonecutter had once called his own was lost to his patriot neighbours.

Ward's mother stayed behind in Newark, while the stonecutter, his wife, and their younger children made New York City their home until the revolution's end. Because Ward knew so much about the area around Newark and was familiar with its waterways, he volunteered to serve as a guide for the British army and as a pilot along the Hudson River.

Losses of property and stature were not the only hardships borne by Uzal Ward. In 1780 his wife died, leaving him to care for their children. When the peace was signed three years later, the stonecutter visited his mother in Newark and for unspecified reasons was allowed to remain among his patriot neighbours until December of 1785.

At the time Ward testified before a loyalist compensation hearing in Halifax in early 1776, he was making plans to settle in either Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. If required, he would return to New Jersey for one last time to secure £700 that his children had been promised in an inheritance. After presenting deeds and letters to back his claims, Uzal Ward, the stonecutter of Newark, New Jersey asked the British government to recognize his loyalty with a compensation of over £1000.

Other loyalists came from far humbler circumstances. Jabez Rundle was a native of New York City who joined the British in 1779. He had served his king as a private throughout the course of the revolution, and after 1783 had settled near present day Sackville, New Brunswick. Rundle also appeared before a compensation hearing board, but he asked for far less than Uzal Ward.

Although the war had been over for three years when Rundle stood before the commissioners in Saint John, the memory of one piece of lost property was still uppermost in the loyalist's mind -- a horse he had bought in New York with his own money. At some point in a battle with the rebels, Rundle lost his prized steed. It was captured by the patriots and later sold to a scout.

A determined Rundle sailed the length of the Bay of Fundy from Cumberland to Saint John to seek compensation for his horse and nothing else -- not lands, not furniture, not years of lost income. He simply wanted to be compensated for his horse -- an animal that might only be worth £15.

Whether the "rich man" or the "poor man" ever received his claim is not recorded in the minutes of the compensation hearings. However, those records do provide an amazing snapshot of how varied the circumstances of two loyalists could be.

Video: Birchtown and Black Loyalists

There is an interesting video on the weather network site about Birchtown and the Black Loyalists. It won the Radio-Television News Directors Association Award and is shown in two parts on this site.

...Bonnie Schepers UE, Bicentennial Branch

Saratoga Battlefield's First Visitor, Richard Cartwright

In the Spring 2008 issue of The Battlements, Eric Schnitzer, Park Ranger/Historian at the Saratoga Battlefield, published an article titled "The Battlefield's First Visitor".

In October 1777 18 year-old Richard Cartwright, an Albany conservative who opposed the American Revolution on moral and religious grounds, had had enough. Fearful of further persecution by rebel subverters of "proper government", Cartwright was granted permission to leave his parents and friends and move to Canada. Cartwright, along with his 9 year-old niece, servants, and some recently exchanged British officers, set out from Albany on a journey north to an unfamiliar land in order to begin life anew.

Cartwright recorded traveling through the battleground area at Saratoga; that the whole way from Stillwater to the upper Hudson was marked with devastation; and of the many pleasant habitations formerly within that distance, some were burnt, others torn to pieces, and rendered unfit for use, and but a few of the meanest occupied. At times their journey was not without danger. While the party was on Lake George and attempting to land for dinnertime, he further recorded his niece tumbling headlong into the lake.

Thankfully, the entire group got to Canada safely; they made the Albany to Montreal journey by horse and boat in twelve days. ( In the 1950s this was a day trip and now a matter of hours). Cartwright flourished in Canada. He died in 1815 after having worked in private business and government (judiciary and legislature). Unfortunately, nothing is known of his niece's or servants' further experiences.

Soon after reaching the safety of British Canada, Cartwright recorded a memorial of his travel titled "A Journey To Canada". If you are interested in reading the full unedited version of Richard Cartwright's c1777 A Journey to Canada, the version can be obtained by contacting Eric Schnitzer at Saratoga National Historical Park: eric_schnitzer@nps.gov or (518) 664-9821x218).

[submitted by Bill Glidden]

To Stand and Fight Together, Richard Pierpoint — by Steve Pitt

Just in time for the March Break, Dundurn Press has released the latest book by Steve Pitt. To Stand and Fight Together gives further indication of its content in its subtitle: Richard Pierpoint and the Coloured Corps of Upper Canada.

In 1812, a 68-year-old Black United Empire Loyalist Richard Pierpoint helped raise “ a Corps of Coloured Men to stand and fight together” against the Americans who were threatening to invade the tiny British colony of Upper Canada. Pierpoint’s unique fighting unit would not only see service throughout the War of 1812, it would also be the first colonial military unit reactivated to quash the Rebellion of 1837. The corps would go on to serve as a police force, keeping the peace among competing Irish immigrant crews during the construction of the Welland Canal. To Stand and Fight Together also features intriguing vocabulary explanations and sidebars that highlight fascinating facts about slavery in North America, and the complex relationships between First Nations, African Canadians, and White Canadians.

Eric Walters, bestselling author of The Bully Boys wrote that the book is “a vivid, fact-filled journey crossing continents, oceans, and time to shine a light upon a little-known part of Canada’s history. Steve Pitt has made history come alive!”

Steve Pitt’s first children’s book, Rain Tonight: Tale of Hurricane Hazel, was nominated for the Silver Birch, Red Cedar and Rocky Mountain awards. He has been published in many magazines and newspapers, including Toronto Life, Canadian Family, Canadian Living, The Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. He currently lives in Toronto.

Pitt, Steve; To Stand and Fight Together, ISBN 978-1-55002-731-0 / 144 pages/ $19.99 /paperback. To Stand and Fight Together will definitely be a good addition to your family library.

...Fred H. Hayward UE, Senior Vice President UELAC

Leading Myths of the War of 1812, By Don Hickey, Wayne State College

Like so many wars, the War of 1812 has long been encrusted in myth. There are a great many notions about the war that are widely believed and often repeated but are untrue. These myths, or perhaps more properly, misconceptions, have colored our view of the war for many years, in some cases since the beginning of the war itself.

Where do these myths come from? Many originated with the participants themselves, who misunderstood, misstated, or misremembered what had actually happened. Writers who followed in their wake relied on these sources and sometimes added their own embellishments. Mythmaking flourished in the nineteenth century because legend and lore were widely accepted as a substitute for verifiable history. On the American side, patriotism and chauvinism coupled with the desire to establish a national identity shaped the mythmaking process. On the Canadian side, an interest in fostering imperial connections and a desire to establish a Canadian identity drove the process. By demonstrating that they had faithfully supported Great Britain during the War of 1812, Canadians could show their imperial loyalty and at the same time establish an identity for themselves. Even in Great Britain, where the war was quickly forgotten, there was a widespread willingness to embrace myths to preserve the reputation of the Royal Navy. In all three nations, history was made to serve broader national purposes.

Although the number of people directly responsible for inventing or propagating myths about the War of 1812 runs into the thousands, three nineteenth-century writers played a special role: William James, Benson J. Lossing, and Henry Adams. All three were superb historians in their day, and all three did much to foster an understanding of the war. But they also did more than anyone else to promote, popularize, and legitimatize many myths associated with the conflict.

What follows is a brief discussion of ten leading myths associated with the War of 1812. Click here for more.

[submitted by Richard Shaw]

Special Edition of Farmers & Honest Men by Horst Dresler

A Special Edition - hard cover – 50 numbered copies only of Farmers & Honest Men by Horst Dresler is now available. The cost is $34.95 plus shipping (Cdn or US). For ordering information, email {anythingprinted AT comcast DOT net}. How do I email them?

A 2nd Printing of the soft cover is scheduled for April.

This book was reviewed by Gavin K. Watt and that review appeared in the Fall 2007 Loyalist Gazette. This review is now posted in the UELAC web site's book review section.

Information on John and Phoebe Schooley

I have currently discovered another potential loyalist line in my family history. I am descended from John and Phoebe Schooley ( both born in New Jersey in 1788 and 1793 respectively). The exact date of their emigration to Canada is not known but being staunch Quakers it is assumed that they may have come in the wake of the other Quaker immigrants to areas such as the Monthly Meeting in Pelham, Ontario in the “late Loyalist” period of the 1790s.

John and Phoebe would eventually raise a family in Binbrook, Ontario including children Emily (my ancestor), Margaret, John, and Elijah Case Schooley. I would appreciate hearing from anyone with information on or researching this family.

...William Reid, UE {bilyreid AT yahoo DOT com} how do I email him?

Response re Information on William Beaumont MD

There are two famous doctors in North American history named William Beaumont -- one born in Connecticut, the other in England. Both were medical innovators, and each served in a border war. I learned this on the excellent family history web site of the American one's family, which I quote:

"William Beaumont (also spelled Beamon, Beamond, or Beaman) and his younger brother John Beaumont (also spelled Bement) left England in April 1635 on the ship "Elizabeth", and settled in Salem, Massachusetts. William Beaumont later moved to Saybrook Colony, Connecticut, in 1640; his brother John Bement remained in Massachusetts."

"The William Beaumont family has several notable members. Perhaps the most notable is Dr. William Beaumont (1785-1853), U.S. Army surgeon and author of "Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice and the Physiology of Digestion" (1833, Plattsburgh: F.P. Allen). The book details his work with Alexis St. Martin, a Canadian voyageur who had a gunshot wound that resulted in a permanent hole in his stomach. Through this hole, Dr. Beaumont inserted bits of food into St. Martin's stomach, observed the chemical process of digestion, and siphoned samples of gastric juice. This occurred during the "primitive" days of medicine, when doctors didn't realize the importance of cleanliness, patients were often treated with opium and by bleeding, and measles could kill. The American Medical Association didn't even exist until 1847." (...)

On another interesting page, we learn that "In the War of 1812, Beaumont saw action along the Canadian border. Upon the war's termination in 1815, he entered private medical practice in Plattsburgh, New York, but he soon returned to military service in 1820." Alexis St. Martin (1794-1880) regained and kept his health, and he outlived the doctor by many years. After his army career, Beaumont settled in St. Louis, Missouri, where he continued to practice medicine until his death from pneumonia on April 25, 1853 at the age of 68.

Then here: "Coincidentally enough, there are two "Dr. William Beaumonts" who are both significant in medical history. Our family is related to the American Dr. William Beaumont (1785-1853), who researched the human digestive system; however, in the interest of sharing information with fellow Internet users, we are including this page on the Canadian Dr. William Rawlins Beaumont (1803-1875), surgeon and inventor. At present, we do not know if the two Dr. Beaumonts are related."

"The Canadian Dr. Beaumont was born on Beaumont Street in Marylebone in London's west end, England, in September 1803 to Edward and Charlotte Beaumont, whose ancestors probably emigrated from France to England at the start of the 14th century. William was baptized in the Anglican Church of St. Marylebone in the parish of St. Mary's. William remained close to his elder brother Edward Beaumont (born 1801) even after William moved away to Canada; their sister Ann died in infancy (about 1797)." (...)

"Beaumont emigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1841, where he became known to his friends as "Beaumont of Canada." At the time, Toronto's population of about 15,000 was served by about 20 physicians. Beaumont obtained by Canadian physician's license on November 12, 1842. Two weeks later, Beaumont and his wife Mary Catherine had a daughter, Charlotte Beaumont (born November 26, 1842)." In 1843, William Rawlins Beaumont was appointed professor of surgery at the medical department of King's College (now known as the University of Toronto). (...)

In June 1866, William Rawlins Beaumont volunteered his medical services to the Canadian Army during the Fenian Raids (footnote 4); for about two weeks, he and another doctor were in charge of military hospital at Port Colborne, Ontario. Beaumont returned home to Toronto in mid-June; shortly after, his wife died of consumption.

INTERESTING CASES

"A few of William Rawlins Beaumont's more interesting cases:"

"Mary Ann Marshall, age 16, had lost a lip due to a caustic substance intended to remove a wart; as such, she had trouble eating and speaking intelligibly, and saliva dribbled from her mouth. Two previous surgeries failed to correct the problem. Beaumont saw her for the first time in 1846, and operated on her that very day."

"He began by cutting a semicircular flap of skin away from both sides of the mouth and dissecting away the scar tissue between them. The two flaps of skin were then rotated until they met. Beaumont then fastened them together 'by two or three hare-lip pins. Union by adhesion took place between all the cut surfaces which were held together,' he wrote." (footnote 5)

In less than a month, Mary Ann had a new lip."

"Hannah Shea, age 25, had been burned in the face, and the scar tissue reduced her mouth opening to less than one inch in diameter. A previous surgery failed to correct the problem.

"(Beaumont) enlarged the hold with a slit on each side, but he went a step further by connecting 'the mucous membrane of the mouth (along the incision) with the skin of the cheek, by means of two points of interrupted suture.' Four days later the sutures were removed. . .the artificial mouth was working." (footnote 6)

"Beaumont later performed a second surgery to make the mouth appear more attractive. It is interesting to note that Beaumont took such excellent care with her, as Hannah was then a patient at the Provincial Lunatic Asylum; in those days, asylum "inmates" were often kept in chains."

...Charles Bury, Little Forks Branch, Susan Henry and Bob Jarvis

Responses re Help to Prove Johannes Vanderburg was a Loyalist

Sorry to bring a bit of bad news, but I don't believe John/Johannes Vanderburg served in the King's Royal Regiment of New York (Royal Yorkers.)

The soldier with the closest spelling to John's name who served in the First battalion, KRR, was Garret/Gerrett/Garrit Vandenburgh/VandenBargh/VandenBergh/Vanderburack/Vanderburgh /VanDebariach/VanDeBerg /VandeBerg/Vandeberich. All those spellings appear in various military and settlement documents. Garret may very well have been a close relative of John's and I'm supplying some details of his service, etc.. in that they may be of value to you.

Military documents suggest that Garret was born circa 1754 in America. Family research agrees with the place of birth, but suggests 1741.

He joined the regiment on 01Feb1780 and served as a Private in Captain John Munro's Company until disbandment on 24Dec1783. During that month, there was some disagreement about whether Garret should be transferred to another corps, but an adjudication committee determined that his wish was to remain in the Royal Yorkers and this was permitted.

He is noted as having come from the Albany area, in Albany County.

An entry of Jan1784 (the month after disbandment) lists Garret as a soldier of the Second battalion, KRR in lower Quebec with two girls less than six years of age who were noted to be "distressed orphans," probably children of a relative. Why this entry placed Garret in the Second battalion is a mystery.

Garret was married in Montreal in Feb1784 to Barbara Kimmerly, said to be the mother of Andrew. This suggests she was a widow, but as Andrew, who served in the Second battalion, KRR was born in 1765, the ages don't compute. Of course, his father may also have been named Andrew.

On the other hand, if the family information on Garret's birthdate is correct, that would make him 43 in 1784. If Barbara was approx his age, then she could easily have a 19-year-old son Andrew.

In 1786, Garret was at the Mohawk settlement above Cataraqui (Kingston) with a woman and three girls under 10 years of age. Whether two of these were the orphans noted above is unknown. Likely the woman was his wife Barbara.

------

Back to your possible ancestor, John. Is there more information in his petition, but I see nothing in what you have transcribed that suggests his service in the Royal Yorkers. Captain Peter Ten Broeck was an officer of Butler's Rangers. Very few Royal Yorkers settled in the Niagara region.

James Hewson was a recruiting officer for Sir John Johnson, and Johnson was the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Yorkers, but that's a most tenuous thread. As noted in John's petition, when Hewson was taken up by the rebels, his men joined Butler's Rangers. I wish we had their names, because Butler's Rangers didn't exist when James Hewson was arrested by the rebels, so quite how they made their way to Niagara and joined with John Butler is a mystery. They may have gone in that direction, through Indian Country, to avoid the likelihood of being taken up like their recruiting officer, but...

It appears to me that John came to Niagara after the peace.

...Gavin K Watt, H/VP UELA

I have acquired more information from the Ontario Archives. A Family tree re: The Family of Richard Vanderburgh of Richmond Hill (1797 -1869) MS 871 Reel 21.

In October 1783 Henry Vanderburgh sailed from New York in a ship-load of Loyalists to what is now New Brunswick. . . . Besides Henry Vanderburgh and his four sons, there were three other individuals named Vanderburgh who came to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. They were brothers Garrett, John and Gilbert, who came from the Helderberg Hills, near the city of Albany, New York.

Garrett (Gerrit) born about 1742; served as a soldier in the Royal Regiment of New York. Married Barbara *Campbell* in Montreal February 1784. Settled in Richmond township, Lennox and Addington County. Died 14 April 1835. He left two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, and at least one other child, whose name is unknown.

John (Johannes): joined the Royal Army at Albany in 1777, under the command of Sir James Hewson. Subsequently he was ordered to join Butler's Rangers, but "was prevented from joining the said Corps, as his family could not be left safely behind: . . . (he) was always ready to furnish arms and ammunition to the Royalists." After the War in 1785 he came to Upper Canada, and was granted 700 acres in Thorold township, Welland County, at the town of Allanburg. His wife was Eva van Alstyn (baptized at Albany 4 July 1754) they had at least six sons and four daughters:

Judging by their ages it is possible that these three brothers were nephews of Henry Vanderburgh. Probably however they are no relation to the VANDERBURGH family of Poughkeepsie, but are rather descended from the VANDENBERG family of Albany, a completely different stock.

Then in the SUPPLEMENT TO VANDERBURGH FAMILY TREE:

Page 10, line 3: The minutes of the New York Committee of Safety record that on 25 October 1776 and again on October 28 the Committee interrogated John Vandenbergh, a known Tory sympathizer who resided at Niskishaw (or Neskitaw) in the county of Albany, near Helleburgh. He stated that he had not chosen to march with the militia because his wife was ready to lie in.

Page 10, lines 29-32: Several correspondents suggest that Garrett, John and Gilbert Vanderburgh are in fact sons of *Andrew van* *den Berg,* who was baptized at Albany 1 January 1701. At any rate, among the children of this Andrew and his wife Maritie (Margarita) Vinhagel (Pinhaarn) are:

- Johannes, baptized at Albany 19 May 1734;

- Gerrit, baptized at Albany 25 April 1742.

...Roxsane Rysdae UE (Charles Green, Thomas Silverthorn Sr.), Colonel John Butler's Branch Niagara