Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2010 Archive

In this issue:
- Loyalists and Heritage Week
- How Bad Was It? -- © Stephen Davidson
- Samuel Jarvis (1698 – 1779) – Third Generation in America. Part 6 of 6 – © 2009 George McNeillie
- Correction: Loyalist Memorial Tiles at St. Alban The Martyr
- The Story of the Five Stones by Stephen Davidson in R.E.A.L.
- The Tech Side: "Picture Editing 101" by Wayne Scott
- Toronto Branch Special Sale For Loyalist Lineages II
- Books: Reprinting of Books about the Widow (Elizabeth) Grant, Hillman Family, and 19th Century St. John Valley Life
- Press Release: Fraunces Tavery NYC
- Queries
      + Background Information for Caledon Living Article
      + Loyalist Sjrt. James Perrigo

Loyalists and Heritage Week

A number of UELAC Branches are actively involved in recognizing Heritage Week in February, competing for attention in their communities against the coverage of the Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler.

- Hamilton Branch will have a static display at the Burlington Public Library during the week and will participate in the 2nd Niagara Heritage Book Fair in Grimsby on February 20 at the Senior Citizen’s Centre.

- Michael Eamer reports that the St. Lawrence Branch will be part of Heritage Day in Cornwall at the Cornwall Public Library on February 20, 2010. The time is from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. The event will be split in two and held in Program Rooms #1 and 2 and the Cornwall History Room.

- Bev Craig wrote that the Col. John Butler (Niagara) Branch display was staffed at Niagara Square in Niagara Falls on the 12th and 13th.

- Fraser Carr of the Col. Edward Jessup Branch has sent a more promotional report for activities in the Prescott area.

Prescott is holding a Heritage Event in the old Train Station in Prescott. The location is 500 Railway, at the end of St. Lawrence St. This is one of the events that is incorporated into Prescott's Bicentennial venue.

It was back in 1810 that Prescott was founded on land that was given to Col. Edward Jessup. Join with the Col. Edward Jessup Branch of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada and The Grenville Historical Society to celebrate the history of Prescott and the families who settled Prescott.

Some members of the two groups will be in costume to help those looking for history and/or genealogy. Come experience the amount of information that is held in the Grenville County Historical Society

Archives. The Society has done remarkable renovations to the old Train Station. Come visit it.

For an added feature, we expect Mark Jodoin, (living in Ottawa, ON), to be present this Sat., Feb. 13th. He is the author of SHADOW SOLDIERS. He has done some research in our area. Mark will be part of one of our Lecture Sessions for our Bicentennial activities, on April 18, 2 pm. This will be an opportunity to meet and talk to him.

We will be pleased to hear from those who live in Prescott, and beyond, especially if you have a connection to the people who had an influence on the early development of Prescott and its surroundings.

We would like to correspond with descendants of the early settlers, and, for some, if they have Loyalist background.

Websites to check:

- Grenville County Historical Society website lists resources and family files they have available.

- Colonel Jessup UE website: One tab shows names of those of JESSUP CORPS that had land in Leeds-Grenville. Also historical items.

- L&G Genealogy website: Have extensive archives in the Brockville Museum

How Bad Was It? -- © Stephen Davidson

At the end of the American Revolution, it became very clear to loyal colonists that they were no longer welcomed in the land that their ancestors had called home for generations. Some loyalists left the Thirteen Colonies of their own free will; others who would have been content to stay were banished by the new state legislatures. Land and property were often viciously seized following threats of imprisonment or execution that forced loyalists to abandon their homes. Although the peace treaty signed in 1783 promised that loyalists would receive compensation for their losses from the thirteen new state governments, they did not receive so much as a single penny. And this was just the tip of the iceberg of the retribution the rebel colonies meted out to their loyalist citizens.

How bad was it? Depending on where your loyalist ancestors lived in the Thirteen Colonies, the treatment they received could vary. Thanks to the historian, Edgerton Ryerson, we have a very clear understanding of what was meted out by each state legislature for "punishments of the adherents to the crown". So dig out the name of your ancestors' home colony, and read along. You will discover what treatment they received treated prior to their departure from the Thirteen Colonies.

If your ancestors fled Massachusetts or South Carolina, they received the harshest penalties for their loyalty. Merely being suspected of "enmity to the Whig cause" could have a loyalist arrested and then banished from Massachusetts. The local town councils could charge a neighbour with "political treachery" if he declined the oath of allegiance to the Sons of Liberty. If a jury convicted the loyalist, he could be summarily banished. By the end of the revolution the state legislature had publicly identified 380 of its high ranking loyalists and threatened that "any one of them who should return,{would be subjected to}apprehension, imprisonment, and transportation to a place possessed by the British; and for a second voluntary return, without leave, death without the benefit of clergy".

South Carolina divided its more well-to-do loyalists into four groups. The persons who had offended the least were allowed to retain their estates, but were forced to pay a twelve per cent tax on the value of their property. A second group of loyalists had publicly sworn their allegiance to the crown after the British recaptured Charleston. This singled them out for retribution when the colony fell back into patriot hands. Sixty-three of them were banished and lost their property. A third group, was comprised of 93 persons. 80 of them were exiled and stripped of their estates, because they held civil or military commissions under the Crown. 13 suffered the same losses for congratulating a British general's success. A fourth group of 14 had everything taken because they were "obnoxious" (they had let it be known that they were loyal).

If loyalists communicated with, piloted armed ships for, or supplied goods to the British they lost their estates in Rhode Island. In Connecticut it was a crime to supply the royal army or navy, provide them with intelligence, or enlist men in their service. A loyalist could be imprisoned for up to 3 years for such crimes. To speak or write against the actions of the Continental Congress could result in disqualification for public office and loss of weapons. Even seeking sanctuary within British lines could result in the confiscation of a loyalist's property.

In New Hampshire, 76 high-ranking loyalists were forbidden to reenter the state at the end of the war, and 28 estates were seized. Virginia also forbade "migrations of certain persons to that commonwealth". It declared some loyalists to be aliens, sold their property, and put the money into the public treasury.

New York was home to the largest number of loyalists. It arrested anyone who was thought to have had "correspondence" with the British, imprisoning that person for up to three months or banishing him forever. After the revolution, loyalists remaining in the state were forbidden to practice law. Parents were taxed if their sons fought for the British, even if the parents were patriots.

Although Pennsylvania had many neutral Quakers, the state's treatment of loyalists was no better than any of the other former Thirteen Colonies. It called on 62 loyalists to either stand trial for treason or automatically be sentenced to death. 36 estates were taken from those charged with treason during the revolution. Georgia treated its "adherents to the enemy" in the same manner. In Maryland anyone who swore allegiance to the British crown had his/her property confiscated. When Delaware took loyalist property, it also required that the offenders pay any past debts owed within the state.

North Carolina not only took the land that belonged to loyalists, but also their slaves, commercial houses, and "other personal property". New Jersey passed laws to "punish traitors and disaffected person" and seized their land.

The Continental Congress recommended invoking martial law and the execution of anyone who gave provisions to the king's troops in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Loyalist soldiers were to be sent "to the States to which they belonged" and dealt with as traitors -- not prisoners of war.

Writing almost a century after these events, Edgarton Ryerson concludes his loyalist history book with these words: "American writers often speak of the havoc committed by the "Tories," but the acts of Legislatures and Committees above quoted furnish ample causes and provocation for retaliation, and the most desperate enterprises and efforts to recover lawful rights and hard-earned property ... It is as easy as it is unfair for American writers to narrate and magnify the murderous acts of the "Tories," and omit those perpetrated by the "Whigs," as well as the cruel laws against the liberties, property, and lives of the "Tories," which gave rise to these barbarous acts."

Click here for a link to freely download all of the text of Ryerson's 1880 book, The Loyalists of America and Their Times.

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

Samuel Jarvis (1698 – 1779) – Third Generation in America. Part 6 of 6 – © 2009 George McNeillie

(See parts one, two, three, four, and five.)

William Munson Jarvis^[1], who is now (1920) living in St. John, N.B. at the age of about 85 years, was a grandson of Munson Jarvis the Loyalist. He was for many years active in Church affairs, particularly in the old “Diocesan Church Society,” and in the “Diocesan Synod,” which he did more than other layman to create. He was also very active at different times as a layman in the parishes St. Paul and St. Mark in St. John. Also in Religious Educating and in Church matters in general.

The following interesting sequence of names^[2] will serve to conclude this article on our Jarvis ancestry:

1. William Jarvis, b. 1756 – first Provincial Secretary of Upper Canada

2. William Dibblee [“Uncle Bill”] born 1766

3. Charles William Raymond, b. 1820

4. William Odber Raymond, b. 1853

5. William O. Raymond, Jr. b. 1880

6. William Raymond McNeillie, b. 1914

[Editor’s note – This brief fragment concludes W.O. Raymond’s history of his line of the Jarvis family leading up to the American Revolution and afterwards in New Brunswick. This segment ends rather peremptorily with my father’s name. Raymond was a scrupulous academic and writer and never intended these family histories to be published – they were simply meant to be a record for his children and grandchildren. For the next few weeks, we will be looking at the family of Polly Jarvis’ husband, Fyler Dibblee.]

Note 1: Wm. Munson Jarvis died at St. John, September, 1921.

Note 2: Elsewhere in his writings Raymond notes that all the ‘Williams’ in his family line are named in honour of William Jarvis (1756 – 1817). [Editor’s note – Although the name William skipped a generation, my son Tim’s two middle names are ‘William Raymond’ – carrying on this family tradition.]

Excerpt from Book of Family History, written by the Ven. William Odber Raymond, LL.D, FRSC. © 2009 George McNeillie, all rights reserved [published here with permission; see footnote]

...George McNeillie {ggm3rd AT sympatico DOT ca} how do I email him?

Correction: Loyalist Memorial Tiles at St. Alban The Martyr

For anyone who attempted to contact Graem Coles about the tiles at St. Alban, the email address in last week's issue of Loyalist Trails was incorrect. Graem Cole's email has a period between his given and surname - If you wish to order photos please email him at this address.

...Editor

The Story of the Five Stones by Stephen Davidson in R.E.A.L.

R.E.A.L. (Read Everything And Learn), "the Canadian Kids Magazine," is carrying a story about black loyalists in its February 2010 issue. It will be released on Monday, the 15th. Written by regular Loyalist Trails contributor, Stephen Davidson, "The Story of the Five Stones" tells how one family remembered its loyalist heritage over the centuries by recounting the stories associated with a handful of treasured rocks. Distributed nationally, R.E.A.L. can also be purchased by writing to their office at 10520 Yonge St., 35B, # 277, Richmond Hill, ON,L4C 3C7. A single issue is $7.95 if delivered by mail within Canada. Click here to visit the magazine's website.

The Tech Side: "Picture Editing 101" by Wayne Scott

Sometimes we want to just make a few adjustments to our photographs. Maybe the picture is a bit too dark, or the colour balance is not just right, or we want to crop or cut some background out of a picture. We might also want to take red eye out a family portrait. You don’t have to go to an expensive application to do these basic adjustments. If you have the Vista operating system on your computer, the program to do this is already on our computer; called Windows Photo Gallery. A Windows XP or Windows 7 version is a free download from the Microsoft website.

Most picture editing programs have a suggested “Work Flow”. This means that there is a suggested series of adjustments in a prescribed order. In the case of Windows Photo Gallery, you can step from Exposure to Colour to Cropping and to Red Eye. There is also an “Auto Adjust” tool.

When first opening the program, you’ll have to navigate to your pictures files. Select one or a bunch. When you have a chosen a picture you will have the opportunity to add one or more “tags”. Tags are useful because they help to find particular photos in a hurry. For instance, if the picture is a family member, identify which family by means of a tag, i.e. Smith, for the immediate Smith family, Smith2 for second generation, etc. You can also rate your photos (1 star to 5), so that when the photos are retrieved at some point, the highest rated photo will be first. The program will sort all of your photos, if you want, by means of the tags you’ve applied.

Let’s say you have a good picture of a cousin but it is too dark. First of all, click the File tab, and click “Make A Copy”. If this was picture 31, call the copy 31B. Using the copy, you could pick the auto adjust tool from the FIX pane and try it. The tool may make all the adjustments you want. If not, go to the tab at the bottom of the FIX Pane and select “Revert”. Then go through the process to make a copy to work on again.

Now you can select tools in order, exposure being the first. You wouldn’t want to adjust the colour if your photo is too dark because you wouldn’t know how much colour to add or take away until the brightness is corrected. Then, select the colour tool. You can play with the sliders to find your optimal colour balance. We will come back to the colour tool in a bit.

Now you are ready to crop the picture to your liking. Again, work with a copy, not the original. Also remember to save your picture changes after each adjustment. After all this is done, you can fix the red eye by clicking the button and following the instructions. Remember, you can revisit any of the editing buttons whenever you like.

One interesting effect you can work with is transforming your colour picture to black and white. Start by making a copy of your photo and move the saturation slider in the colour adjustment tab to the left. You will have a black and white copy of your colour photo. Unlike an original black and white photo, you can undo the colour saturation adjustment.

If you need to resize your picture you will have to go to a different application. Adobe Photoshop Elements works well as does Free Picture Resizer.

This is a basic introduction to Photo Editing. If you want a more in depth approach do a Google search for tutorials that meet your needs. Also look at the Adult Education offerings in your area.

[Wayne Scott can be contacted at: mail4wayne AT cogeco.ca if you have suggestions, comments or questions.]

Toronto Branch Special Sale For Loyalist Lineages II

Toronto Branch is pleased to offer to your Branch and its Membership a special sale price for the two volume sets of Loyalist Lineages II. These sets are hard bound, durable, and printed on acid-free paper. They are an excellent gift, and a valuable research tool. This is your opportunity to obtain sets at a most exceptional price. This sale price offering is valid for the 2010 year. See a description and photo at www.ueltoronto.ca under Publications.

Terms: Set orders only

Taxes as applicable and shipping charges are extra and not included.

Sales Price: One set: $62.50; Three sets or more $31.25/set.

To order, contact Toronto Branch: Phone: (416) 489–1783,

Fax: (416) 489 - 3664; e-mail: TorontoUEL@bellnet.ca

...Toronto Branch, UELAC

Books: Reprinting of Books about the Widow (Elizabeth) Grant, Hillman Family, and 19th Century St. John Valley Life

Between 1967 and 2001 the late Ruth Winona Grant published 4 books about her Loyalist ancestors and the area they settled, which was later flooded in the 1960's. Three books are out of print but her children are now arranging reprinting and invite advance orders (DEADLINE MARCH 15, 2010). Titles are:

- Now and Then, A history of the Southampton area along the Saint John River (105 pages),

- Bel Viso, Hillman History in New Brunswick, from The Hillman Papers and other records (78 pgs.),

- The Grant Connexion, the Loyalist Elizabeth Grant, her family and the area in which they settled (283 pgs with extensive genealogy) ISBN 09-9692242-0-6.

- Still in print is The Historic Present (72 pgs.) ISBN 0-92029-61-0, a summary of first 3 generations of the Grant and Cronkhite families, chronology of local events 1783-1866 to supplement The Grant Connexion, local place names, Indian lore and a settler tale.

For more catalogue information and an order form, please contact reprint editor Mary McCutcheon.

Press Release: Fraunces Tavery NYC

The Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York has responded to recent press articles that the Fraunces Tavern Restaurant is "closing". While the Restaurant is only changing management and may be closed for a very brief time, the Museum is not affected. Further information is included in the SRNY's official press release on the matter.

...FHH

Background Inforation for Caledon Living Article

My husband is a life member UELAC and I am writing an article for Caledon Living magazine and wanted to verify some facts I am including in the article. Does anyone know the answers to the following?

* Is the crown on the provincial license plate (along with motto on older plates “Loyal she remains” in honour of the founding UEL?

* Was Betsy Ross confirmed as a UEL (there is a possible descendant in the area)?

* Many were of German descent (I seem to recall a statistic of 80%!)

* Barbara Amiel is the descendant of Jewish UEL ( also a recollection from a past Gazette issue)

Thank you for any information.

...Diana Janosik-Wronski

Loyalist Sjrt. James Perrigo

I am seeking more information on my Loyalist Ancestor Sjrt. James Perrigo. I have collected information on him from the American side (Boston MA Archives) where he is on several musters and paylists of the Massachusetts Berkshire militia and Continental Army from early 1777 to May 1777 when he is listed as a deserter along with several others from Pownal (then New York and now Vermont).

The History is picked up from the British side in Muster Rolls and his service record is fairly detailed to about 1780-1781. I have searched the LAC in Ottawa, and have muster rolls stating he joined Sir John Johnston etc in 1777, mentions in various musters to 1780 in Chateauguay. He is documented in the following books:

- Kings Royal Regiment of New York, a History ,by Gen. EA Cruikshank;

- Loyalists of Quebec, 1774-1825;

- A Forgotten History, Rolls of the Provincial (Loyalist) Corps Canadian by Fryer.

A James Perrigo (I assume the same one?) is noted in books on the history of Toronto (York) in 1796-1797 and the sale of property there in 1802. He must have died before 1804 as his wife (Ann Graham) remarried in Montreal to a William Brown who both also may have had Loyalist connections. I have been unable to find any vital records on him in Ontario or Quebec such as birth, death, marriage etc.

I would appreciate any further information or suggestions of sources to check on this individual. The Kings Royal Yorkers book suggested that his family settled in "St Martinee" in Quebec in 1828. The descendants of the James Perrigo family of Saint-Martine PQ and my family to Ontario is well documented. Anything that would confirm that the UEL James Perrigo did indeed marry Anna Graham and had family in the Beauharnois region of Quebec would be greatly appreciated.

The name of wife, Ann or Anna Graham was noted on the wedding document (Notre Dame, Montreal) for my ancestor James of Sainte-Martine and his brother Robert. Witness signatures appear on the remarriage and birth documents for Ann Graham but not for her husband Srjt James and no real proof that Srjt James was the husband of Ann.

One document which has eluded me and may indicate a further avenue for investigation is a listing of 'Chaleur Bay Loyalists' that I first found on the internet and have not been able to locate. I have searched in the Archives in Albany New York and Middlesex Vermont with no luck. The New York people say they shipped original documents to Vermont and the Vermont people say they can't locate them but microfilms may be available through New York. Land ownership of the Pownal area was contested until 1780 or so by New York, Vermont and New Hampshire and you get the feeling a trace of hostilities remain.

...Brian Perrigo, Ottawa