Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2008 Archive

In this issue:
- Your Loyalists and Ours -- Generally Speaking, by Stephen Davidson
- Addendum to Stephen Davidson's Ordinary Fellow, Thomas Peters
- Loyalist Day In Ontario
- Passenger List for Ship Cyrus
- Canada Day Celebration with "Robert Land, Esq." Loyalist Soldier and Spy
- The Oriskany Alliance, by James Maracle
- 10th Annual Young Family Reunion Saturday, July 12, 2008
- Loyalist Directory Additions
- Queries
      + Information on the descendants of two Allison brothers, descendants of Casper and Henry Hover/Hoover
      + Responses re Returning Loyalists and Land Rights
- Last Post
      + Helen Kinsley, UE
      + June Currie
      + Marguereite Huggins

Your Loyalists and Ours -- Generally Speaking, by Stephen Davidson

After reading almost 1200 loyalist compensation claims, I have come to an interesting conclusion. Friends in Ontario and Quebec, "your" loyalist ancestors were not just like "ours" in the Martimes.

These differences slowly became apparent as I read through the claims made to the British government by loyalists seeking financial compensation for their losses. These special hearings were held in Halifax, Shelburne, Montreal, Quebec, and Saint John between 1784 and 1787.

Since there were at least 100,000 loyalists who fled the United States, the claims I was able to read provide a glimpse into the circumstances of only about one per cent of King George III's colonial refugees. Nevertheless, some very broad generalizations can be made about how "our” Maritime loyalists differed from "your" ancestors.

Growing up in a family that had deep loyalist roots in southern New Brunswick, I assumed that the refugee experiences of any loyalist who settled in British North America after 1783 would be very similar to what the loyalists of our region endured. I was quite surprised at what I found in the claims of the refugees who settled in your part of Canada.

For example, "your" loyalist ancestors tended to be recent immigrants who had come to North America from Scotland, Ireland and even Germany. They settled along the western frontier of the Thirteen Colonies, especially in the river valleys of New York.

"Our" loyalists tended to be from a number of different American colonies where they had lived for at least a century. Some of the loyalists who settled along the St. John River could trace their family's history in the New World back to the Mayflower's arrival.

Let me be quick to affirm that there is no war experience, no number of years in America, or ethnic background that make anyone's ancestors better or truer loyalists than another's. I just find it fascinating that there are some significant differences between Canada's two major loyalist groups. Rather than being one story, the loyalist saga is actually a combination of "yours" and "ours".

The loyal Americans who settled in the Maritimes sailed here in one of three evacuation fleets during the spring, summer and fall of 1783. "Our" loyalists sailed for two weeks on ships that were crowded with strangers. They forged friendships with refugees from several different colonies.

Over a number of years, "your" loyalists made their way north to Quebec and Ontario by river or by foot – generally travelling with families or with groups led by veterans who had been together in regiments. “Your” ancestors would have had Roman Catholics and Presbyterians among their number, where “ours” were predominantly Anglican with a few Methodists and Baptists thrown into the mix.

Some of the loyalists who settled in the Maritimes made claims for barns, houses, shops, ships, several plots of land, and even personal libraries. While some of these items can be found in a few claims made in Montreal and Quebec, "your" loyalists tended to want compensation for a more recently cleared piece of land and a log cabin. Before the revolution, they traded with members of the First Nations, while Maritime loyalists who engaged in commerce traded with the seaports of the Atlantic seaboard.

Based on the records of the compensation claims, a higher percentage of Quebec and Ontario's loyalists were likely to have served in the army or with bands of loyal Iroquois. While Maritime loyalists who filed for compensation did see action on the battlefield, a good percentage of their numbers were loyalists of conscience who might have been imprisoned or fined for their principles.

"Our" loyalists lived in a society that had no problem with enslaving Africans. Men and women from lands across the ocean were made to work in colonial plantations, on farms, or in homes. These enslaved Africans came to the Maritimes with their loyalist masters.

"Your" loyalists might have declared an enslaved African as lost property in a handful of petitions, but their claims were much more likely to mention suffering losses at the hands of First Nations warriors or fighting alongside members of loyal tribes. Native Americans did not figure largely in the stories of "our" loyalists, but they were guides and fellow combatants with "yours".

Ten per cent of "our" refugee ancestors were Black Loyalists, men and women who won their freedom by serving the British forces for at least a year. The largest group of “your” non-white loyalists were members of the Six Nations Confederacy.

It is interesting to speculate on how these varying experiences of the loyalists began to set the tone for the regional differences of modern day Canada – and for the perennial westward flow of eastern talent. Even in the earliest years of loyalist settlement, Maritime refugees sought their fortunes by heading for the shores of the St. Lawrence River or the Great Lakes.

Stephen Jarvis, a loyalist from Connecticut, initially settled in Fredericton, New Brunswick where he was a merchant and postmaster. However, he eventually moved to York. William Jarvis, a refugee who had fled to England, had two brothers and a sister in New Brunswick, but he, too, chose to take a government position in York rather than in Fredericton. I have found no records of Ontario and Quebec loyalists uprooting their families to move to New Brunswick or Nova Scotia.

So, dear loyalist descendants of Quebec and Ontario, as some of you make your way to the annual UELAC conference in Saint John, New Brunswick this July, be ready to appreciate a heritage that is very similar to your own. But remember, if my extrapolations from just one per cent of the loyalists' experiences are accurate, the loyalist heritage you discover will have a Maritime accent all of its own.

...Stephen Davidson {stephendavids AT gmail DOT com} how do I email him?

[Stephen will generally approve reprints of his articles in other publications, in return for including a bit about him and his books; please feel free to contact him. This applies to most content in Loyalist Trails. -- editor]

Addendum to Stephen Davidson's Ordinary Fellow, Thomas Peters

Folks may be interested to know that Christian Cameron's historical novel, "Washington and Caeser," was based on the experiences of Thomas Peters, his wife Sally, etc... discussed in Two Ordinary (Loyalist) Fellows, by Stephen Davidson. Christian's novel is in the grand tradition of Kenneth Roberts who wrote that superb loyalist novel, "Oliver Wiswell" and has a cameo appearance of John Graves Simcoe as the commander of the renowned Queen's Rangers. Cameron's 2003 novel is still available in trade paperback.

...Gavin Watt, HVP

Loyalist Day In Ontario

June 19th is Loyalist Day in Ontario, and a decade has passed since Harry Danford UE introduced the legislation regarding the day to the Ontario Legislature. Several Branches marked the occasion with ceremonies, and the ones I am aware of included Hamilton Branch, Kawartha Branch, Governor Simcoe and Toronto Branches, and Bay of Quinte Branch. I had the pleasure of attending the event in Toronto, which also featured His Honour, Lt. Governor David Onley. I was back in my own territory later in the day for Bay of Quinte Branch's event in Belleville. Thanks to who were involved in planning and celebrating this special occasion.

...Peter Johnson UE, President, UELAC

Passenger List for Ship Cyrus

In the list of ships that helped carry Loyalists to the Maritime Provinces in Canada, the passenger list for the ship Cyrus which sailed from New York 1783, Aug. 21 and arrived in Saint John in Sept. 1783 has been added. Thanks to Ruth Lesbirel for forwarding.

Canada Day Celebration with "Robert Land, Esq." Loyalist Soldier and Spy

Join us in Campbellville on July 1st for an entertaining and educational afternoon with "Robert Land, Esq." Loyalist Soldier, Spy, and First Settler of the nearby city of Hamilton, Ontario! Historical re-enactor, educator and actor David Morris will once again entertain and educate an appreciative audience.. Be our guest! Bring your family. Bring lawn chairs or blankets and don't forget your camera -- plan to have some fun on Canada Day in Campbellville. Complimentary treats and beverages at Global Genealogy before and after the performance. Click here to read the complete article.

...From Rick Roberts, Global Genealogy

The Oriskany Alliance, by James Maracle

The Oriskany Alliance is a group of educators, historians, Native Americans, Sons and Daughters of the American Revoution, United Empire Loyalists and others. Our purpose is as citizens to support organization providing strong advocacy, as well as financial and volunteer support to Oriskany Battlefield State Historic Site for Historic Preservation. The battle site is located in NY State just east of Rome. The battle took place in 1777, but it wasn’t until the 1850s that the NY State Government erected a monument there.

Since the 2007 ceremony, a committee has been formed that meets once a month. Annual Ausgust-to-August Membership is $10. per person or $15. per family. We seek also to assist in advancing the ongoing cultural relevancy of this facility at Oriskany as a memorial and commemorative park.

Our project for the Fall of 2008 is the World Premier of the Opera titled Molly Of The Mohawks. This program needs funding for it to materialize. Some dates have been confirmed, but unfortunately only in NY State. These Opera dates are as follows:

- Earlville Opera House, Earlville NY Sept. 4th @ 8:00 pm

- Turning Stone Casino Auditorium, Vernon NY Sept. 5th @ 8:00pm

- Dulles State Office Building, Watertown NY Sep 6th @ 8:00pm

- Lowville Academy, Lowville NY Sept.11th 8:00pm

- Hartwick College Music Hall, Oneonta NY Sept 12th @8:00 pm

- Capitol Theatre for Performing Arts, Rome NY Sept 13th @ 8:00pm

The Composer-Librettist, Augusta Cecconi-Bates is also a Committee member. This started originally as a one-woman, one-part opera in Kingston in 2003, but quickly became a full-cast four-act opera. The story line is taken from the history of Molly Brant and the Mohawk people by Sue Bazely. Three scenes of this opera deal with the Battle of Oriskany in 1777. By late 1779 the Mohawk went north, never again to return to the land of their beginnings. Furthermore this opera calls for Native drummers and dancers, particularly in the scenes dealing with the Covenance Chain and the Wedding Scene after the Proclamation of 1763.

For the general public’s consideration, donations (each including a one year membership) are as follows:

- Honour donor: $10.-$49.

- Bronze donor: $50.-$99. (a souvenir booklet, a $10. value)

- Silver donor: $100.-$249. (CD of the opera, a $25. value)

- Gold donor: $250-$499. (CD & booklet, $35. value)

- First Nighter: $500. and up (CD, booklet & 2 tickets to a performance of your choice, $85. value)

In Sept. 2007 we started out with an Executive and two members and we are now over twenty members. Our present Executive consists of:

- James B. Maracle – President

- Christopher Harris – Vice President

- Augusta Cecconi-Bates – Secretary/Treasurer

For more information about this committee and/or the opera shows and schedule contact James Maracle jamesmaracle@hotmail.com (613) 969-7871 or Augustua Cecconi-Bates acecconibates_1999@yahoo.com (315) 654-4854

...

10th Annual Young Family Reunion Saturday, July 12, 2008

For the Descendants of Adam Young (1717-1790) & Catherine Schremling (1720-1798)

There will be a Heritage Designation Ceremony at the Young Monument, Haldimand County Road 54, between York & Cayuga (.8 km. north of Haldimand Indiana Rd. E.) at 11 AM. Bring a lawnchair. All are welcome!

A Potluck Lunch & Reunion will follow at Blackheath-Binbrook Lions Club Hall, 105 Haldibrook Rd., Blackheath mapquest.com/mq/9-dKVN*FvnKhpYDSpD 12-4 PM. A donation of $10 per family at door. Bring food for the potluck lunch; genealogy records, a historical heirloom from Young ancestors AND a 3 minute story to share if you would like! Refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there!

For more information please contact:

- Betty Yundt 905-304-1072 {pyundt AT nas DOT net}

- Shawn Richarz 905-777-8345 {sricharz AT richarzlaw DOT ca}

- Ken Young 519-426-6500 {youngsvalley AT hotmail DOT com}

how do I email them?>

Loyalist Directory Additions

Additional information has been added to the Loyalist directory for the following people. Thanks to those who have provided this additional information. This week information was added for:

- Adams, Samuel - from Ian T. Fraser

- Beardsley, Rev. John - from Ian T. Fraser

- Cook, John - from Clinton Shirley Clark

- Cook, Philip Jr. - from Clinton Shirley Clark

- Cronkhite, Henry - from Ruth Cleghorn Ker

- Hilliker, Abraham & Jeremiah & John - from Clinton Shirley Clark

- Hogle, John - from Clinton Shirley Clark

- Kelly, Martin - from John W. Kelly Sr.

- Lampman, Abraham - from Clinton Shirley Clark

- Scott, Daniel - from Clinton Shirley Clark

- Tompkins, Edmund & Elijah & John & John Roger & Joseph & Obadiah & Roger - from Debra R. Mann

Information on the descendants of two Allison brothers, descendants of Casper and Henry Hover/Hoover

When Henry Hover U.E. 1763-1842 was a teenager in Westchester County, NY, he was captured by rebels and put into jail. When he was finally released, he was permitted to go to New York. In 1777, his father and his younger brothers Jacob and John, enlisted in the Indian Department and later transferred to Butler’s Rangers which had set up a temporary headquarters in Unadilla NY, on the Susquehanna River. Henry set out with a brother and three others to walk from New York to Fort Niagara, the headquarters of the company. One night they were attacked and one was killed. The others were taken prisoners. Henry was in chains for nearly two years. At the close of the war, Henry reported at Niagara and was discharged with the rest of his company. He wanted to see his father, Casper Hoover, a refugee who had settled at Adolphustown, having come in Major VanAlstine’s corps. Henry made his way to Kingston by boat and started back through the woods by foot. Major Samuel Holland’s survey party gave him directions. Henry was able to join the VanAlstine party of settlers, being the only person who did not belong to that company.

His parents were Casper Hover, a native of Holland, and Barbara Monk. Casper died from a falling tree in 1785 or ’86 – one of the first of the newly arrived loyalists to die. Henry’s brother, Jacob, married Millicent Ferguson, a sister of Arra Ferguson, in 1789 but Jacob died within two years. His widow then became the second wife of Conrad VanDusen.

Henry married Jane Huff in 1790, daughter of Solomon Huff and Eva Swade. The Hover home was host to Methodist class meetings and public worship services. They played a major role in the building of the Old Hay Bay Methodist Church. Mrs. Hover nursed many wounded soldiers from the War of 1812. Henry and Jane’s children were:

1. Barberry dy

2. Solomon dy

3. Elizabeth 1795-1870 m Rev David Wright 1792-1872

4. Samuel C 1797-1880 m Marion ?Knapp or ?Day

5. Mary 1799-1889 m Joseph B Allison 1795-1873. He was the adopted son (and nephew) of the loyalist Joseph Allison.

6. Sarah 1802- m Royal C Hicks of Hillier

7. Henry Jr 1804- m 1) Mary McLaughton 2) Susannah Brown

8. Margaret 1807- m Edward Harris Squires

9. Eve 1809-1892 m Rev Cyrus R Allison 1799-1869 (brother of Joseph B)

10. Jane Ann 1812-1866 m Edward Harrison of N Marysburg

11. Millicent E 1816- m Peter Edward VanPatten

Most of the above information is taken from Rev J William Lamb’s book, “The Founders – The twenty-two Persons who Established Old Hay Bay Church in 1792”. The purpose of this account is to draw attention to their fifth child, Mary Hover, who married Joseph B Allison and had the following ten children:

- Amy Matilda Allison 1819-1908 m Joseph E Gonsolus no issue

- David Wright Allison 1821-1906 m Amelia Membery 1853-1940

- John Wesley Allison 1823-1873 m 1) Margaret A Ferguson 2) Mary Sinclair 1834-1913

- Henry Hoover Allison 1825-1902 m Martha E Wright 1838-1913, daughter of Solomon Wrght and Azula Ham.

- Cyrus Richmond Allison 1829-1929 m Catherine “Kate” Murdock 1837-1930 (a descendant of Conrad Vandusen)

- Elizabeth Eve Allison 1831-1918 m 1) Frederick Lord Box 1825-1876 2) Rev Wm H Briden 1827-1895

- Miriam Ann Allison 1834-1903 m Lewis Brown 1840-1896 no issue

- Phoebe Jane Allison 1836-1918 m Nelson W Mallory 1837-1898

- Joseph Benjamin Jr 1839-1936 m Martha M Membery 1842-1881

- Stephen Edward Allison 1843-1929 m Margaret Sinclair 1852-1941

The oldest son, David Wright Allison left home at an early age and made considerable money in timber lots and iron mines in Michigan and Northern Ontario. He retired early, returned to Adolphustown, married and built a fine house. The house is situated in the UEL Adolphustown Park, near the Old UEL burying ground. He also had built an impressive mausoleum in honour of his parents. This mausoleum and surrounding cemetery is on the homestead property and is intended for the use of all Joseph and Mary’s descendants. The mausoleum committee is planning a reunion of these descendants this coming September, but we are unable to locate any living descendants of John Wesley or Stephen Edward. Both men settled in Port Perry, Ontario. Following is the information I do have:

John Wesley Allison and 1. Margaret Ferguson had two daughters and one son.

- Mary Elizabeth “Minnie” Allison m Hugh S Campbell. They had 3 daughters: Effie, Edith and Edna and one son, John Allison Campbell 1874-1916. It is not known if Effie, Edna or John married. Edith m Albert Alfred Rouse and they had at least 2 sons – Romaine Rouse b 1904 and Glen Rouse b 1909.

- Helen “Nellie” F Allison 1856-1922 m William Hiscox b 1851. Perhaps he owned a bakery in Port Perry in the 1870’s. He died before the 1901 census. Their son, Charles A Hiscox 1881-1931 may or may not have married? Their daughter, Islay b 1887, may or may not have married? Mildred M Hiscox m a dentist, Francis Addison Sellery but there was no issue.

John Wesley Allison and 2. Mary Sinclair had a son

- Charles Henry Sinclair Allison 1871-1954. He was a druggist and moved to Quesnel, BC. He married Emma Frances Cane, b 1885. They had 3 or 4 children?

- There was a daughter who died young and possibly more children?

Stephen Edward Allison, known as Ed, and Margaret Sinclair had 3 daughters and 1 son.

- Mary Elizabeth Allison died young

- Amy Josephine, known as “Jo” Allison m William, known as “Will” Edwin Groves. Their 2 daughters were a) Margery Allison Groves b 1898 m Clarence s “Clare” Williams b 1895 but they had no issue; and b) Catherine Allison Groves m Alfred william Grant Farwell b 1898. The Farwells had 3 daughters: Catherine, Mary and Joan but it is not known if or who they married.

- Catherine “Kate” Helen Allison b 1878, single, retired from nursing in Winnona Minnesota and retired in Port Perry.

- Sinclair Edward “Ward” Allison b 1883 m Georgia Sidenslicker. It isn’t known where they settled, nor if there was any issue.

If anyone has further knowledge of the descendants of John Wesley and/or Stephen Edward Allison, would you please contact Lois Davis O’Hara {fohara AT cogeco DOT ca} how do I email her?

Responses re Returning Loyalists and Land Rights

My Loyalist ancestor's brother Johann Conrad Merck/Marks returned to South Carolina. He had settled in Shelburne while in NS. My ancestor Johann Lawrence Marks settled in Ship Harbour, NS.

Conrad's wife still had her dower rights to property which enabled them to return. The "southern" branch of our family is numerous.

...Carolyn Marks

Two families, of which I am familiar, experienced this situation in several different ways.

One Thomas Fairweather of Boston, who was a successful merchant of advanced age, although a Loyalist, did not commit himself politically during the revolution, but did have to turn over his substantial Boston residence to the patriots for a hospital; he managed to purchase property from his Loyalist family and neighbours however, and sold it back to them over the years when the revolution had run its course.

Another Thomas Fairweather of Norwalk, CT, cousin to the above Thomas, walked a finer line, as his sons were active Loyalists of Norwalk, and had their properties confiscated after they went behind the lines during the burning of Norwalk; however their father retained his property, as he apparently did not take an actively loyal position. He did have one Loyalist son, John, who returned from New Brunswick after the war, with a wife and two young children, and took up residence with him; this son died soon thereafter, but his children still lived with their grandfather Thomas in the Census of 1790, and integrated back into the family with inheritance rights no doubt.

In the family of the Loyalist Abel Flewwelling of Newburgh, NY, all property of Abel and his brothers in Newburgh was confiscated, but his eldest son Samuel Flewwelling, born at Newburgh in 1774 and therefore about aged 9 at the time of evacuation to NB, later went back to New York City, and was working in a bank by the year 1815, and accumulated a considerable fortune in that business before he died in 1849. But he had kept contact in some way with the US even before 1815, as he married in 1812, a girl who was born after the war, to the prominent judge, Judson Canfield, of New Milford, CT.

It is curious how Samuel Flewwelling managed to be educated and connected in such a way as to leave Maugerville, NB, perhaps as a ‘20-something’, and gain entrance into a bank job, and the introduction to a prominent NY/CT family, although in fact his mother-in-law, a Ruggles, may have had Loyalist connections.

It is also true that although his father and uncles were active Loyalists and left the US, his mother’s Fowler family was patriotic, and his father’s sisters were married to Patriots and all remained in NY and raised families of cousins who knew each other through correspondence, if nothing else.

Samuel’s father also had a Loyalist cousin, Francis Flewelling, who with his wife and three children, was a refugee to NB in 1783 from North Castle, Westchester County, NY, raised in a Quaker family; one of his brothers was likewise a Loyalist refugee. Francis, having received a grant of land in NB in 1787, nonetheless returned to Fishkill, Dutchess Co., NY, near his relatives, and is found in the Census of 1800, perhaps having financed his return and the purchase of land through the sale of his granted land in NB. In his case, the fact that he was of a Quaker family means he probably never carried ‘arms’ and could have been later considered not so ‘obnoxious’ in the US.

The door swung both ways of course. Samuel Flewwelling and his wife Julia Canfield had no children, and when Julia died in New York in 1868, her fortune went to many of her Canadian nieces and nephews, and one of her nephews received an engineering education in the US prior to the Civil War, perhaps facilitated by her, and other American cousins.

...Eric Langley UE, Courtenay, BC {elangley AT shaw DOT ca} how do I email him?

One of the most difficult aspects of the Loyalist story is tracking those who remained in, or returned to, the United States after the Revolution. It should be remembered that far more loyalists remained in the United States than fled. How they coped, re-established themselves, kept in touch with exiles, and became part of American society in light of their wartime activities is becoming the central focus of my dissertation plans.

Perhaps the most serious obstacles in this study are the layers of social memory that have worked to obscure the history. At the bicentennial of Litchfield Country in north-western Connecticut, (an area that produced a number of loyalists), it was declared that “this county never furnished the enemy with any Tories.”[1] In other cases, records and family histories were doctored by the next generation to hide any evidence of loyalist leanings. In the 1830s, local historians set about making master lists of patriots who had fought in the American Revolution, but, with some exceptions, most followed the style of William Cothren who wrote: “it can serve no useful purpose to drag into light the names of such persons as were Tories in the Revolution, and as many of their descendents are among the most respectable and useful of citizens…it has been deemed appropriate to omit the list.”[2]

Returning loyalists posed a major problem for American authorities after the war. The peace treaty of 1783 stipulated that loyalists should be allowed to return home, and it was recommended that their confiscated estates be returned, though it was left to the individual states to decide. Of course, the estates were never returned, although some were able to buy back their land. One such case was Sylvanus Bishop of Litchfield, Connecticut. Bishop was a Selectman in the local town assembly before he fled as a loyalist. He was able to return and buy back his property, likely because of his political and family connections. Honour and family loyalty often trumped politics.

It seems that the reception returning loyalists received was based very much on their family connections, known activities during the war, and their economic importance. Hartford and New Haven intentionally attracted loyalists, since many New England Tories were merchants and it was thought that their return would help the economy. Smaller centres declared that returning loyalists should be flogged and exiled. There was no uniform response in the 13 states.[3]

Immediately after the Revolution, Loyalists often faced a very bitter populace. By the late 1790s, however, Loyalists could slip back into the states without raising any fuss. There were numerous marriages between New Brunswick loyalists and citizens of Massachusetts, a state which had legally banished loyalists. Some returning loyalists were even officers who continued to draw half-pay from the British crown.[4]

If we hold that there may have been around 500 000 or more Americans that sided with the crown and 80 – 100 000 left, that leaves 400 000 loyalists of whom we know very little. I hope to be able to shed some light on their stories.

[1] Newspaper article from unpublished scrapbook, “Litchfield County Celebration, 1851,” Acc. #:1978-23-116. The Helga J. Ingraham Memorial Library, Litchfield Histori0al Society p.45

[2] William Cothren, History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut,( Baltimore, Geneaological Publishing Co. Inc., 1977, original date, 1854), p.186.

[3] Oscar Zeichner, “The Rehabilitation of Loyalists in Connecticut” from the New England Quarterly, Vol. 11, No.2, (June 1938)

[4] See: Condon, Ann Gorman. The Envy of the American States: The Loyalist Dream for New Brunswick. Fredericton: New Ireland, 1984, and MacKinnon, Neil. This Unfriendly Soil: The Loyalist Experience in Nova Scotia, 1783-1791. Kingston : McGill-Queen's University Press, 1988.

...Tim Compeau

[editor's note: Tim is the 2007 winner of the UELAC Scholarship. He is working on his doctorate at U. of Western Ontario.]

I have had quite a few responses to my query about returning Loyalists and their property and would like to express my thanks to all those who replied. I have concluded that it was quite likely that Captain Isaac Corser/Corsa returned to New York for a time, or that he managed to retain property which then passed to his son Isaac (Jr), who definitely did return. Captain Isaac was drawing an Old Soldiers Pension in Kings County New Brunswick in 1840, so was unlikely to have returned permanently.

The phrase in the Indenture, made in Westchester NY in 1853, that had caught my eye was: "...the said Isaac Corsa is lawfully seized in his own right of a good absolute and indefeasible estate of inheritance in fee simple...". (This was the son, Isaac Jr. and his wife Phoebe.)

...Marian Elder

Helen Kinsley, UE

KINSLEY, Helen Caroline (Ruttan), U.E. Went to be with her Lord on June 14, 2008 in her 67th year. Loving wife of Bill Kinsley for 47 years. Beloved mother of Steve (Marilyn), Brent (Allison) and Craig. Grandmother of many. Survived by sisters Mary (late Milan), Joan (Bruce), Marlene (Jim), Betty, Patricia (John). Predeceased by her parents William John and Jean Elizabeth Ruttan. Online condolences at www.roadhouseandrose.com. Helen was a proud loyalist member of Gov. Simcoe Branch and received her certificate to Captain Peter Ruttan in 1993.

June Currie

CURRIE, June Delores (nee Garrah) - After a courageous battle with cancer June passed away on June 20, 2008. Beloved wife of H. Daryl Currie for 48 years. Predeceased by parents Louis and Theodora Garrah. Mother of Heather (Dennis), Howard (Shelly), Susan (Domenic) and Linda (Gerald). Grandmother to Adam, Noah and Jonah. Loving sister to Clifford (Nancy). Funeral service will take place on Tuesday, June 24th in the Giffen-Mack Chapel at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, a remembrance may be made to June's favourite charity The Terry Fox Foundation, 789 Don Mills Road, Unit 804, North York, Ontario M3C 1T5. Condolences may be made at www.mem.com

June was wife of current Gov. Simcoe Branch President Daryl Currie UE. She was a strong supporter and among many other contributions helped mail innumerable issues of the Simcoe Loyalist.

Marguereite Huggins

HUGGINS, Marguereite - Direct descendent of John Burnham, UEL who was married to Myndert Harris' daughter. Marguereite was brought up in Canton. At Cobourg, Sunday June 15, 2008 in her 72nd year. Marguereite Holdsworth, wife of the late James Michael L. Huggins and Joseph Sylva Poirier. Mother of Paulette (Jacques) St. Cyr, Sheila Elliott (Sanders) Garry and Angela Slater. Step mother of Wendy Coles (Wayde). Sister of William Holdsworth and his late wife Ruth and the late John Holdsworth (1981). Past district president of the Federated Women's Institute of Ontario, and a past president of the St. Gertrudes Catholic women's League. Memorial donations can be received at www.rossfuneralchapel.com 11131444 NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, COBOURG

...Lynne Cook UE