Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2009 Archive

In this issue:
- Where Polly Laid Her Head -- © Stephen Davidson
- London Branch Meets 1300 Students at Longwoods
- UELAC Major Grant #4: Little Hyatt One-Room School House [Little Forks Branch]
- Newtown NY Battlefield
- "True Patriot Love" by Michael Ignatieff, and UELAC
- Henry Hudson Exhibit Includes Kierstead/Keirstead Beer Mug
- "The Forgotten War" aka "Seven Years War" aka "French Indian War" Film to Show on PBS
- Queries
      + Response re Proof Needed in Line from Peter Eamer UE
      + Details of Frederick Arnold Family
      + Palatine Research in London England Seeking Origin of Wilhelm Zimmerman
      + Cornelius Thompson Branch of UELAC
      + Stephen Hall and Son Samuel Hall Families

Where Polly Laid Her Head -- © Stephen Davidson

In the quest to find out more about what the loyalists brought with them to their new homes in British North America, one can search through letters -- or even the eyewitness account of a suicide. As part of the evidence brought before a loyalist compensation hearing in London, William Jarvis told the tragic story of his brother-in-law's death, and in so doing inadvertently revealed what one loyalist family had among its furnishings.

The account reads as follows: "...whilst the family were at tea, Mr. Dibblee walked back and forth in the Room seemingly much composed, but unobserved he took a razor from his closet, threw himself on the bed, drew the curtains and cut his own throat."

At first reading, one imagines a deeply distressed man walking into his bedroom, closing the window curtains, going to his bed, and then ending his life. However, to do so would be to forget that this story took place in a log cabin in Parrtown, the future Saint John, New Brunswick. Bedrooms would not be separated from the parlour and kitchen in such a primitive structure. And why bother to close the window curtains to commit suicide? To understand the setting for Fyler Dibblee's death, one must read the testimony in the sequence it was written.

Dibblee was in the same room where his family was having its tea. He then lay down on his bed which must have been close to where his family was eating. To prevent his family from seeing him end his life, Dibblee remained on the bed, but closed the curtains. In other words, we would be wrong to imagine Fyler Dibblee's deathbed as a mattress of hay laid across rope supports tied to a wooden frame. To have curtains to draw around a bed, Dibblee must have had a four-poster bed that was draped with curtains. It is hardly what one would expect a loyalist to bring with him. How did a four-poster bed come to be in the refugee settlement of Parrtown in 1784?

It is at this point that the loyalist historian must play detective and search the records of the revolution to try to discover clues to the mystery of the Dibblee bed.

Fyler Dibblee was a lawyer in Stamford, Connecticut who was forced to flee the town in 1776 because of his neighbours' animosity towards his loyalist principles. His wife Polly and their five children had to abandon their well-appointed home and take refuge in his father's manse.

Six months later, the Dibblees were reunited on British-held Long Island, but they were not able to escape patriot violence. Rebels plundered their new home of "all its effects", even stealing the children's shoes and hats. It was a pattern that would repeat itself over the next seven years as the Dibblees were repeatedly attacked and robbed. Rebels captured Fyler, imprisoning him for six months; Polly gave birth to their last child with no relatives close by to comfort her.

Life changed for the Dibblees when Fyler was appointed the deputy agent for a loyalist evacuation ship, the Union, in the spring of 1783. In the weeks leading up to his ship's departure, Fyler went on a spending spree, no doubt making good use of his new income and the credit he could command as an employee of the British government.

All of the Dibblees' furniture had been destroyed after years of rebel raids. If Fyler did not buy furniture in New York, he would not be able to replace all that was lost once his family settled in the northern wilderness. This must have been when Fyler bought Polly the four-poster bed.

It was costly. A four-poster bed was made of mahogany or maple and had a rectangular headboard. Its posts were over two metres high, and the bed itself was just under two metres long. The curtains (bed-hangings) that hung from "testers" strung between the posts were the most expensive linens in a colonial home, a way to display ones taste and wealth.

Fyler also hired a free black loyalist as a servant for his family and indentured a nine year-old African girl. Perhaps he was trying to give Polly a taste of the prosperity he anticipated they would enjoy in their new colony.

After arriving in Parrtown in May of 1783, Fyler was kept busy as a magistrate and settlement agent. In October, he wrote his father to say they were settled to "their unspeakable satisfaction".

But over the winter there were fewer calls for Fyler's legal expertise and his creditors threatened to put him in prison if he did not repay all of his debts. By May 6th, the stress of being unemployed, in debt, and having to support a family overwhelmed Fyler. The bed that he had bought for Polly became his deathbed. He slit his throat behind its beautiful curtains.

Within a month's time, a catastrophic fire swept through Parrtown. It burned the Dibblees' log cabin and its contents to the ground, including the huge poster bed and its expensive curtains. Countless other family treasures that loyalist refugees had brought with them to Parrtown were also consumed by the fire. Keepsakes rescued from rebel hands were now reduced to ashes. Having let their servants go, Polly and her children put their tragic memories behind them and moved upriver to settle in Kingston, a community of Connecticut loyalists.

When Polly's brother, Seymour Jarvis, visited her in 1787, he came upon "a scene of absolute poverty and distress". The floor was packed earth; a fire was in the middle of the room "surrounded by the family instead of a chimney". It was a far cry from the home Polly must have imagined that she and Fyler would have once they settled with fellow loyalists in British North America.

It was certainly no place for the wonderful four-poster bed that Fyler had so thoughtfully bought for his dear Polly just four years earlier.

To secure permission to reprint this article, contact the author at {stephendavids AT gmail DOT com} how do I email him?

London Branch Meets 1300 Students at Longwoods

On Friday, May 1st more than 1,300 grade seven and eight students attended Education Day at the reenactment of the Battle of Longwoods (1814) near Delaware, Ontario. Carol Talbot and Jan Pennycook UE represented the London and Western Ontario Branch and brought the Loyalist presence and importance in the history of our area to life. Drawing on the experiences of Anna, wife of John Conrad Sills, this first person interpretation talked about leaving a successful homestead on the Susquehanna, enlisting sons with the Kings Royal Regiment of New York (at age 10 the youngest was a drummer boy), spending a difficult winter in the camp at Machiche, Quebec -- true facts to this point-- and finally getting land in Ontario, only to have the Americans come marching across the river at Detroit now some thirty years later. (Sadly, the 'real' Anna did not survive the camp at Machiche, and in reality, John Conrad Sills settled in Quinte.)

It was also at this time that Andrew Westbrook, son of Loyalist Anthony Westbrook, gained a certain notoriety as a traitor and a spy for the Americans in the Delaware area and became the subject of a book by Major John Richardson who is argued to be the first Canadian novelist (see Westbrook, The Outlaw; or The Avenging Wolf available through Davus Publishing).

Funny how those Americans always think it's just a matter of marching: there's a lot to be said for "Peace, Order and Good Government"!

Within this story, Carol spoke about the Black experience, from the promise of freedom for slaves who took up arms on behalf of the British, to Caldwell's Rangers, a company of mostly "men of colour" (Stott, 2001, p. 120) who were part of the Battle of Longwoods. Governor Simcoe frowned on slave owning and Loyalists who arrived with slaves were often pressured to free them. The Upper Canada Act of 1793 freed all slaves at age 25, and the children of such slaves were born free; however, American bounty hunters were still a problem. The log cabin quilt in the picture was a signal to runaway slaves when it was hung out that this was a 'safe' house.

See pictures here. All in all, it was a wonderful opportunity to promote an appreciation for our own unique Canadian history.

...Jan Pennycook

UELAC Major Grant #4: Little Hyatt One-Room School House [Little Forks Branch]

Continued funding for Little Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse Project; UELAC Amount Granted: $2500.00. (See description of the Grants)

Description of Project:

This little restored one-room schoolhouse, built by loyalists and their descendants and which the members of Little Forks Branch have restored, has proven to be the greatest tool to tell the Loyalist history. We have then knocking on our doors! The UELAC must now be aware that the loyalist history is the least known in our province of Quebec, and when brought forth becomes either an argumentative topic or one that many are scared to approach.

Due to this aspect, our Little Forks Branch members are very proud of our accomplishment. We are now listed on the Chemin des Cantons/Township Trails CD, Map, and we are featured in the Eastern Township Tourism Magazine which gives us great publicity. This CD is available in English or French at a cost of $20.00, which tourists plug into their car and listen to the historical notes as they drive along. The visitors fall in love with the restored schoolhouse of this early era. The teacher and student mannequins really bring the classroom alive…at times startling the young children! We feel our mission is accomplished when we show off this structure as being a Loyalist building, an historical piece of history in our part of the Townships, as they all want to learn more.

We made great strides this summer in beautifying our property with the moving and planting of 47 large Fraser Fir & Spruce Trees, 8' to 10' tall, along both sides of our 1 ½ acre perimeter of land, beginning at the two upper corners and continuing half way down the line fence, from whence we shall continue with the reconstruction of a cedar rail fence next spring. Both the trees and the cedar rails were donated, but we did have the transportation costs.

We successfully constructed our much needed Storage Building of vintage design. It is a 12' X 20' structure in which we can now store our Tent, weaving Loom and Accessories along with other donated items and necessary tools. The work has all been done by volunteers without a penny being spent on labour. We even built an "Outhouse" with lumber we had left over, which not only covers up a dripping well pipe, but has certainly become quite a conversation piece! It goes with the era of the schoolhouse, but is for looks only. For all these endeavours, we reached out to the community along with friends in fund-raising and managed to raise almost $5000.00. Our Building cost slightly over $4000. vs one of similar size, a 14' X 20' with vinyl siding and an asphalt roof advertised on sale at Home Depot for $15,600 which did not include the necessary cement foundation and floor. Ours sits on a beautiful cement floor, has a covering of variegated widths of boards resembling those sawed with an up and down saw and a cedar shingle roof that compliments the schoolhouse.

As we need to build up our reserves in our accounts, as a shingle roof will need to be replaced in a few years and the building repainted, we are requesting the sum of $3000.00 from the Major Grant Fund. We certainly appreciate the financial assistance given in the past and hope that our "Mother Association" will continue to support us.

Project Follow-up & Letters of Thanks:

Thank you so much for such delightful news. I am so thrilled! This news could not have come at a better time, as I have been very ill with the abdominal flu. It has been nasty having been brought into the house by our visiting grandchildren. I came down with it on Boxing Day and am just getting back on my feet. This is something for me as I am never ill. The children were all ill over the Christmas period and so it would have been a miracle if I could have missed it.

However, you have given me a breath of fresh air with this great news and I shall pass it on to the Board members who will be equally pleased. Our Annual Meeting will take place in February and we shall begin our other annual Fund-Raising very soon. We grossed $540.00 with our Christmas Drawing which with the $2500.00 is a wonderful start in the new year. It is encouraging! Once again many, many thanks!

...Bev Loomis

On behalf of the Little Forks Branch members, I as President, wish to sincerely thank the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada for the Grant of $2500.00 which will assist us with the annual operating expenses of the "Little Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse." This cheque is greatly appreciated as it goes towards the operational costs, whereas most other monies received through fund-raising is always given for a specific project. This makes for a difficult situation for our Branch to raise the annual $4000 needed.

We are indeed most appreciative of the Association's continued support and will continue to strive to keep our school project a worthy one and one that the UELAC will be proud of.

The making of the large 4' X 10' Interpretation Panel erected on the school grounds will be a drawing card to entice many more visitors to our schoolhouse. There was an incredible increase in numbers last year due to being on the ‘new' Chemins des Cantons/Townships Trail and we feel that as a designated Trail gets better known along with the historical panel, which will include the list of original grantees under the leadership of Loyalist Gilbert Hyatt in 1792, we expect many more visiting tourists this year.

Once again, I sincerely thank the UELAC for their generous Grant and I remain, Loyally,

...Bev Loomis UE, Branch President

Newtown NY Battlefield

While driving on Rte. 17/86 to Manhattan for a family visit over the Easter weekend, I was surprised to see the First Royal Union Flag of 1606 on a short staff near a motel between Elmira and Lowman. With no previous indications of Loyalist heritage along the route, such a familiar symbol was unexpected. A week later, I was able to turn off the highway just past this flag at a sign which indicated an upcoming Civil War re-enactment at Newtown Battlefield Reservation State Park. As the park was closed, I followed the signs on Oneida Road for an information centre which too was closed for the season, but also next door to the operator.

As my new pamphlet explained, before 1779, this area of the Southern Tier of New York State was rarely explored by European settlers and was inhabited by Native Americans, most recently the Iroquois Indians. The Iroquois of the area lived in well-built log cabins among cornfields, vegetable gardens and fruit orchards. On August 29, 1779, the tranquility of the area was broken by the Battle of Newtown. Fought in the Chemung River valley, the battle was part of the Sullivan-Clinton campaign of the American Revolution War.

Newtown Battlefield State Park can provide a good beginning for further research into this site of American Revolution conflict. The Chemung Living History Centre is another good site to find out more information before making a visit to the area. Newtown Battlefield is open from 05/11/2009 - 10/18/2009. You may be equally rewarded for turning off the "beaten path"

...FHH

"True Patriot Love" by Michael Ignatieff, and UELAC

Not long after Michael Ignatieff was declared the interim leader of the Liberal Party, the examination of his Canadian roots began. Much had been made of the more exotic Russian heritage he had described in his historical memoir, The Russian Album (1987) which won a Governor General's Award. For most of our readers, his Canadian heritage was first suggested in our January 18 publication. Noting that "his mother, (Jessie?) Alison Grant (1916 - 1992) had high profile Canadian roots stretching back several generations in the Maritimes", Nancy Conn asked for assistance in linking his grandmother, Annie Connell Fisher Parkin.

True Patriot Love, the latest book by Michael Ignatieff, turns our attention to the Grant side of his mother's family. In the recounting of his great –grandfather George Monro Grant's travels with Sandford Fleming westward as he maps the line for the railroad across Canada in 1872, the author establishes a clear connection of his family to both the physical and intellectual development of our country. He writes, "Patriotism runs in families. Patriotic sentiment—questioning, declaiming, affirming—runs through my family soundtrack like the refrain of an old song" (page 18). It is this concept of patriotism that is the underlying challenge for the next three generations. Following the account of his grandfather William Lawson Grant at the Somme in World War I, the reader will appreciate more fully the position taken by his uncle George Grant in the World War II years. Perhaps it is in the telling of these family experiences that serves as the base for the author's view of the personal relationship he holds with Canada. "Patriotism—enduring, impatient, non-ironic belief in the promise of the land you love—is the single greatest asset of successful societies. Successful societies struggle with their deficiencies and overcome them through collective efforts of will and sacrifice" (p. 176). DUCIT AMOR PATRIAE.

It can be hoped that in his next family memoir, Michael Ignatieff will tell us a bit more about his pre-Loyalist and Loyalist roots in Canada. Until then, we will have to rely on the three replies to the earlier query as published in the January 25 issue of Loyalist Trails.

Ignatieff, Michael; True Patriot Love: Four Generations in Search of Canada, Penguin Group, Toronto, ISBN: 978-0-670-06972-9 - 211 pages.

...FHH

Henry Hudson Exhibit Includes Kierstead/Keirstead Beer Mug

There's a wonderful show at the Museum of the City of New York called "Amsterdam/New Amsterdam; The Worlds of Henry Hudson," running until September 27 of this year. I was there last weekend, and I recommend it highly, so do check it out if you're in New York Town.

The highlight for me was the wonderful silver beer mug by one of our very own Kierstede ancestors (though I don't recall the spelling)! That was the only mention I saw of the family in the show, but I probably missed something amongst the scads of documents in display.

Click here for details about the exhibit.

[By Mike Carroll, submitted by Betty Saunders]

"The Forgotten War" aka "Seven Years War" aka "French Indian War" Film to Show on PBS

On Sunday afternoon, 3 May 2009, at Fort Ticonderoga, I had the opportunity to see the first viewing of an hour long film produced by Mountain Lake, PBS, in Plattsburgh. The film entitled "The Forgotten War" covers the history of the Seven Years War or as it is better known in North America, the French and Indian War (1755-1760). The film will premiere later in May on the PBS network. It is excellent.

...Bill Glidden

Response re Proof Needed in Line from Peter Eamer UE

We think that Peter Eamer was probably the son of John Eamer and Susannah Alguire. He can be found with that family on the attached 1851 CDN Census return. The death notice you mention appears to have been submitted by someone who was guessing, who also did not know the name of Peter's mother.

I have sent separatle the Census page for Jacob Eamer and wife Ann McQuay; notice the only children named in the household are Jacob Jr., Hannah, and Elizabeth.

Even if the father of Peter Eamer is John Eamer, as suggested here, this lineage still provides a Loyalist ancestry for Peter. His father John was born 10 Sep 1809 in Cornwall, a twin to sister Ann Eliza Eamer, children of Peter Eamer and Catherine Kline, who were married 22 Oct 1805 in Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Williamstown, Glengarry, Ontario.

From Sons and Daughters of American Loyalists page 97:

EAMER, Peter of Cornwall, m. Catherine dau. of Michael Gallinger Sr., U.E.L.
Children...
Philip of Cornwall, bapt 11 Feb 1786; m. Mary Cryderman 10 March 1807. OC 20 Nov 1809.
Olive, mar. Philip Empey of Cornwall, OC 16 Feb 1811.
Mary, OC 16 Feb 1811.
Barbara, bapt. 23 June 1793. OC 16 Feb 1811.
Catherine, m. William Nokes of Cornwall, OC 16 Feb 1811.
Peter of Cornwall, mar, Catherine Cline 22 Oct 1805. OC 19 April 1816.
Jacob of Montague, bapt, 7 May 1797. OC 12 Jan 1837.
Daniel of Cornwall. OC 11 April 1833.

I am Project Coordinator of NFFG, Network of Founding Family Genealogies, which is a professional genealogical service for registered members. The family base includes many UE Loyalists, and many other founding families of Canada. The information in this message is provided freely in view of the request for help in Loyalist Trails.

...Richard Ripley UE MA {nffgfamily AT hotmail DOT com} how do I email him?

Details of Frederick Arnold Family

I am trying to determine when Mr. T.S. Arnold of Toronto became a member of the United Empire Loyalist Association? It would have been around 4 Sept., 1902. According to an article in the Chatham Daily Planet on that date, he had constructed a history of the Arnold Family going back to Frederick Arnold (war of 1812-14) [Frederick Arnold in the Loyalist Directory?]. His first and middle name MAY have been Thaddeus Sobieski, who was born in 1841, but there's also the possibility that there is another T.S. Arnold. Here is an excerpt from the item in the newspaper:

Chatham Daily Planet, Thursday, September 4, 1902

HISTORIC KENT CLAN HOLD REMINISCENT REUNION

The Arnold picnic – an annual event which was instituted last year – was again held yesterday in F. Arnold's grove, Kent Bridge. The picnic was considered a huge success last year, but it was even better this year. There were over a thousand people there, fully five hundred of whom were descendants of the Arnolds.

T.S. Arnold, of Toronto, was the first speaker. He spoke at considerable length, dwelling chiefly on the history of the family. Mr. Arnold has been appointed historian of the Arnold family and has in his possession a complete history of the family from the first Arnold who came to this country up to the present time, extending over 136 years. It came about in this way. Mr. Arnold, three years ago desired to join the U. E. Loyalist Society [at] Toronto, and in order to do so he was obliged to show that he was a U. E. Loyalist descendant. He commenced then on his "history," and has just got it completed. Mr. Arnold is justly proud of his work and well he may be, as such a document is certainly very valuable. Mr. Arnold has in his possession even the Lutheran Bible in which the names of Frederick Arnold's family were registered before they left Germany 136 years ago. This is the man from whom all of the Arnolds in Canada are descended. Mr. Arnold's speech was extremely interesting and was eagerly listened to by his audience.

The Pioneer: Frederick Arnold, the first man of the family to land in America, left Germany with his wife and family in 1773. His wife died on the way over and was buried at sea. Mr. Arnold with his family landed at Maryland and lived there for a few months, where he married Susan Rebly, a Pennsylvania girl, and continued to live in Maryland for 14 years. Mr. Arnold was a U. E. Loyalist and after the revolutionary war life was made so uncomfortable for them that they decided to come to Canada. They arrived at Petet Cote, Ont., near Sandwich, on the 17th of November, 1787, and lived there for seven years, and then the family moved up the River Thames in Indian canoes.

Frederick Arnold had three children by his first wife. One son, Lewis, settled on the farm near Louisville, where the family now live. He was born on the first of January, 1770. He built one log house in which he lived for a number of years and then he built a second one, the first one being burned. He lived in this second log house until 1837, when he built the frame house in which the family now live. This second log house was still there on the bank of the Thames until a few years ago, when it was washed down in the river.

Barbara, the oldest of the family, married Jacob Arner, of Essex, from whom a large family sprung up.

John Arnold was 26 years of age when he settled on the farm adjoining Lewis with whom he lived three years before he settled on his own place. He died on his farm, an old man.

After Frederick Arnold's second marriage, he raised four boys and six girls. Of these Christopher Arnold is the best known. He was 13 years of age when he landed in Canada, and held a captain's commission in the war of 1812. He was at the fighting of the Maumee and at St. Stevension, where Proctor was defeated. Tecumseh, the famous Indian chief, stayed at Christopher Arnold's house the night preceeding the battle in which he was killed and ate his last meal at Christopher's table.

Read the full article here.

I'm trying to find a copy of that history that he wrote to see if there is more information on my GGGGgrandfather, Frederick Arnold, contained therein. I understand that you don't have the papers there and that they may be archived in the Chatham Public Library, but if I can find out when he became a member, then it will aid in finding the paper. Any help you can give me on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

...Lillian Buhl {elbyent AT yahoo DOT com} how do I email her?

Palatine Research in London England Seeking Origin of Wilhelm Zimmerman

There was a large number of families in the Palatinate group that was stranded in London in 1764 ... all reported as being from the Palatinate region of Germany, along the Rhein River in what was referred to as Wuttenburg (??) . My Zimmerman/Timmerman ancestral family would be one of these.

They were 'rescued' from starvation and hostage on the river boats from Germany after being abandoned, by the local Lutheran pastor, Anton WACHSEL, of the (now) ancient St. George's German Lutheran Church on Allie street in East London ... n/e of the Tower in a field formerly known as Goodmans Fields ... across the street from the church.

The Pastor pleaded in the papers for help and many donations were received. He realized that the expenditure of the donations might be questioned in the future (which actually materalized), so he and many concerned citizens formed a Committee. In a booklet of the Committee minutes there is reference to a list of the passengers of the 3 ships which left Gravesend for Charles Towne. The passenger list was for the Captains and was to be presented at the other end to the agency.

I have a pdf version of the Committee minutes that lays out day-by-day, week-by-week, of actions up until they left on the ships Union and Dragon in October 1764, from Gravesend, bound for Carolina. The Planters Adventure, with luggage and belongings, and stragglers, left a few days later after some of the stragglers had gotten over their illness they had when the first wave left. The booklet is a copy of the actual booklet compiled and printed in 1765 in London.

The passenger list in Charleston has not been located. Possibly it was destroyed when Charles Towne was overrun by the Loyalist/Royalist troops in the 1779 era; ie 'occupation'. I speculate on this, as stories indicate that some buildings were burned during the battle.

In the last few years, the Church in London was declared a historical site; and all the records and books were given to libraries. Since there were many rare books that Pastor Wachsel, like other pastors, had accumulated, they were presented to the National British Library, and the 'paper's to the Bancroft library.

I would dearly love to find my ancestral village in Germany, the one where Fredrich Wilhelm ZIMMERMAN and family came from, and visit it if possible during my lifetime but Zimmerman appears to have been a very common name in those days, much like Smith and Jones today. I think that the list referenced above might provide some indication of the origin of the people named on it and that would help me find the village of my roots.

I am looking for a way to find the name of that village and any suggestions are welcome. Is there someone in London who could check the church records to see if there is a copy of the passenger list that might help narrow the search? I would appreciate a referral or any other suggestions or advice.

...Chuck Timmerman {doonboggle AT yahoo DOT com} how do I email him?

Cornelius Thompson Branch of UELAC

When I was signing some certificates for the Edmonton Branch, I noticed an attached message from Elizabeth Hancocks, Dominion Genealogist, to Marilyn Lappi, Branch Genealogist. She was asking Marilyn to tell the recipient that at one time there was a Cornelius Thompson Branch. In our Branch Histories there is no mention of such a Branch. I am interested in any information leading to the confirmation that such a Branch existed. It has been suggested that the Branch was organized in the Penetanguishene area of Ontario prior to the 1950's and members tended to be descendants of Cornelius Thompson. Another source suggested the Branch was in existence at the time of President A.D.M. Spohn and that would be in the 1970-1972 time period.

I would appreciate any further information.

...Frederick H. Hayward UE, President, UELAC {fhhayward AT idirect DOT com} how do I email him?

Stephen Hall and Son Samuel Hall Families

I received my Loyalist certificate as a descendant of my ggg Grandfather Lieut. John Howard Sr. K.R.R.N.Y. John's granddaughter married John T. Hall, who was the grandson of Stephen Hall, who also appears to be a Loyalist and now I would like to prove the Hall side as well, if possible.

Stephen Hall b May 13,1751 was in the Revolutionary war somewhere around Washington Maine. I have a document written by Dr. Morton E. Hall, "Capt Stephen Hall had three children. He became involved in the American Revolution in 1780 - 1783 on the side of the British and retreated to Nova Scotia in 1783. He arrived from Nova Scotia to settle at Mohannes near St. Stephen, NB. in 1787 where he was given a grant of land. He and his son Samuel lived and farmed there for sixty years". [Mohannes lies between St. Stephen NB and the Maine border and may well now be part of St. Stephen]. Stephen has been referred to as the mariner of Machias thus could have been a Captain as quoted by Dr. Morton E. Hall. Stephen died at his daughters home in Alexander Maine March 24, 1834. The Index of RWS Pension Abstracts page 1486, has Stephen in 1832 (81 years old) applying for a vet pension in Machias Maine. This request was denied for lack of proof that he served. If he had served, he would have been a Rebel. But if he was a Loyalist, then there certainly would not have been service records for Stephen as a rebel.

There is a proven Loyalist, John Hall (Lot# 143 Mohannas Stream 1784 Vol. A #96). In fact there are three listings for John Hall. This John and Stephen were brothers. Their parents were Abner Hall and Russ.

I have been researching the link between Stephen b.1751 and his son Samuel b. 1778 for about fifteen years. I have proven everything forward from Samuel to my grandson and everything backward from Stephen to John Hall who came to the Colonies in 1630, but I thus far I have been unable to prove Stephen was Samuel's Father.

There is a Samuel Hall in the UEL Executive list, as copied in the UELAC online directory, but he was noted as expunged in 1802, which implies that he had applied for land earlier. As my Samuel was born in 1778, he himself could not have been a Loyalist for Upper Canada land grant purposes. The combination of his age and his reported presence in Nova Scotia and New Bunswick make it unlikely that this is the same Samuel.

Reid's Loyalists of Ontario, Sons and Daughters, does note a Samuel Hall in Sandwich, whose four children received land grants as Loyalist children between 1828 and 1835. However this too would not appear to be my Samuel.

The 1851 census shows Samuel living in the Colony (NB) for 52 years which would make him coming to St. Stephens in 1799 at the age of 21. Samuel married Margaret Campbell, 16 Jan 1805 in St. Stephens.

Samuel Hall's son John T. Hall b 1817 in St. Stephens NB, is the one who came to Marthasville Draper Township Muskoka and died in a logging accident 16 March 1872 at the age of 55. John married Margaret Ann Howard. This is my Loyalist connection to John Howard K.R.R.N.Y.

John T. Halls son, Henry F. Hall my grandfather, was also born in St. Stephens NB,on 21 Sept 1861. After John died, the family moved to Hagersville, Ontario and eventually to Fort Erie Ontario.

Any advice or suggestions about sources I may not have tapped which might show Samuel as the son of Stephen would be most appreciated.

...Donald G. Hall UE {dgh AT cogeco DOT ca} how do I email him?