Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2011 Archive

In this issue:
- Thirteen Letters to Sir Guy Carleton -- by Stephen Davidson
- Remembrance Day
- Elizabeth Winter Married Which Peter Rupert, Osnabruck, by Guylaine Petrin
- Give UELAC for Christmas
- Loyalists: Mark of Honour
- Oldest Loyalist - More Entries Please
- The War of 1812 Through Art and Artefacts
- Video Resource for War of 1812 Commemoration
- OGS Conference 2012 on June 1-3 at Kingston ON
- The Tech Side: That Syncing Feeling – by Wayne Scott, UE
- Queries
      + Back to Hutchinson, Ellis and Barton Families

Thirteen Letters to Sir Guy Carleton -- by Stephen Davidson

If you haven't discovered many details about your loyalist forefather, perhaps it's time to browse through a source for loyalist history that has often been neglected -- the letters that were written to Sir Guy Carleton in the spring, summer and fall of 1783. Ordered to oversee the evacuation of both the British troops and loyal colonists through the port of New York, Carleton had to deal with a mountain of correspondence that dealt with matters ranging from the petty to the fate of thousands of lives. The letters that the commander-in-chief received from loyalists shed a much-needed light on their circumstances just before they left the former Thirteen Colonies forever.

On April 3, 1783, the Rev. Samuel Peters wrote to Carleton from England asking that the son he had left behind in Connecticut "may be sent to New York with his nurse or alone, to get a passage to England." The loyalist clergyman begged Carleton to make sure his letter got through to his father-in-law and that his son would be protected.

The next day Major Thomas Millidge of the First New Jersey Volunteers asked Carleton to recommend his appointment as the Deputy Surveyor of Nova Scotia "on account of his loyalty and sufferings, and has a wife and five children". The twin themes of protection and future employment dominated the hundreds of letters that loyalists sent the British commander-in-chief throughout 1783.

Elias Cooper of Hackensack, New Jersey asked Carleton to recognize his father, a Dutch Reformed Church's pastor, as a loyalist and grant him a "share in the bounty of Government." Maj. William Anstruther, a loyalist in Bermuda, wrote asking Carleton to "continue his benevolence to an unfortunate and old officer as from 1755, by appointing his two boys to any corps he may think fit, so that they may be in the line at a future time to be of use to their country and to revenge the misfortunes that the rebellion has drawn upon their father (having lost three brothers in the service since the commencement of it besides great property in lands)."

George Tetty Place, a sergeant with the Maryland Loyalists begged "some consideration owing to his total loss of sight." Wessel Bowen was another loyalist who was given rations and an allowance owing to his "wounds and loss of eyesight". John Chatterton had to leave his home "on account of his loyalty". After joining the Loyal Refugees at Morrisinia, he was wounded in battle and lost his arm. He hoped to go to Nova Scotia with his wife and three small children, but was "extremely destitute" and needed some relief.

Benjamin Ogden certainly had his share of troubles. Five years earlier, the Westchester loyalist had raised a troop of horse under Colonel Emmerick. He was wounded in battle and lost the use of his right arm. At the end of the Revolution, having had all of his property confiscated, Ogden organized a company of loyalists to sail for Nova Scotia. However, his wound broke out afresh, and his family with three children had to remain behind in New York. Ogden now hoped to go to England, but he needed Carleton to put him back on the list of "suffering loyalists" so that he could maintain his family until their departure.

Adam Graves, John George Graves and Nicholas Andrews were three loyalists from Maryland who hoped to sail for England, but needed a little help with some of their debts. Their letter to Carleton was filled with stories of their service to the crown, losses and sufferings. After they recruited troops for the British, they were seized and put in prison, "part of the time in irons and with their coffins in the place of confinement". Instead of being executed, the three were to be banished to France. After boarding the Romulus in Virginia's York River, Andrews and the Graves brothers made their escape to the British lines. Carleton approved their request.

John Monier, the former Postmaster and contractor's agent at Albany, lost his property and "a genteel and easy living". The loyalist planned to take his family to England, and wanted Carleton to give him a "recommendation to Government. If no provision can be made for him in England would ask some employment in Canada or elsewhere." Barnardus La Grange, a loyalist from New Jersey, asked Carleton for money to cover the costs of a transatlantic passage to England for himself, his daughter and his son. All three would one day be buried in St. Margaret's Church on the grounds of Westminster Abbey, the only loyalists to be so honoured.

In early November of 1783, Joseph and Richard Hayden were more interested in getting out of jail than getting out of New York. There were being "confined on suspicion of stealing a horse and chaise" and had been "in the dungeon" for the past three days. They hoped that Carleton could arrange legal matters for them and allow them to see their friends. Whether they were released in time for the last loyalist evacuation is not known.

James Kyle hoped that Carleton would help him secure a berth on His Majesty's sloop, the Hornet as he wished to go to London. Among other people, the Philadelphia printer had worked for James Rivington, the publisher of New York's Royal Gazette and could show "good character" if Carleton required more information on him.

These are just thirteen of the letters that Sir Guy Carleton received from loyalists during the greatest evacuation of refugees in North American history. Watch for future issues of Loyalist Trails to learn more of the stories that have been long-hidden in the commander-in-chief's correspondence of 1783.

To secure permission to reprint this article, email Stephen Davidson.

Remembrance Day

Kawartha Branch took part in the Remembrance Day Parade at the City of Peterborough Cenotaph on Friday November 11, 2011. A fairly new initiative of the Branch, we like to call attention to those taking time to remember that the United Empire Loyalists defended our border from very real threat almost two hundred years ago and that they were the first large group of refugees choosing Canada as their refuge and homeland. Standing out in our Loyalist attire (PDF) we answered questions and participated in sharing the Loyalist story.

Gov. Simcoe Branch participated at the Queen's Park ceremony at the War Memorial. Daryl Currie, UE, and Jo Ann Tuskin, UE, dressed in period clothing, placed a wreath during the service, and are shown here subsequently.

Thanks to many other people from various branches who also participated and by so doing, reiterated the point that we remember all those who have fallen, suffered or fought for Canada, including the Loyalists.

Give UELAC for Christmas

There still is time to order that special Christmas Gift from Promotions and have it in time for Christmas.

UEL Flag: Why not a Flag? The flag is 3 feet by 5 feet. The cost is $ 22.00 tax included. We'll even ship the flag free of charge as a Special Christmas Gift from Promotions UELAC.

UEL Clothing: We have many styles, colours and sizes in stock for you to choose from and there is still time to get it to you for Christmas. We have a nice selection of Bucket Hats for Ladies as well as Ball Caps for Men. Wear the UEL colours with Pride in 2012.

Men: If you are looking for the right gift for that person who is hard to buy for (also known as the Mrs.) then why not consider the following: UEL Blue Pin, UEL White Pin, Crossed Flag Pin, UEL Blue Pendant, or a pair of UEL Blue Pendant Earrings. And if you really want to please her, go that extra mile and purchase a Red, White and Blue Ribbon for 0.50 cents or purchase 2 Ribbons for $ 1.00 and we will include 1 additional Ribbon free. Now that`s what you call getting into the Christmas spirit.

Ladies: Having trouble trying to decide what to buy the "Old Boy" for Christmas. Why not consider a UEL Licence Plate Frame? With a Licence Plate Frame on his car he will be able to find the car easier when he comes out of Tim's or Canadian Tire, his two favourite stores. The Licence Plate Frame costs $ 5.00 each plus shipping. If you purchase 2 Licence Plate Frames between now and Christmas, Promotions UELAC will ship them free anywhere in Canada. (Tax is included)!

Black Valise: With the UEL Flag embroidered on the front. The valise comes with a carrying handle and a shoulder strap. It has a clear plastic window for your name or business card. Cost is $ 24.00 all taxes included, shipping is additional.

When you are thinking of Gifts for Christmas consider Promotions UELAC. Check out the listed items – and many others – in the Promotions on-line Catalogue.

Trying to make Santa's job a bit easier.

...Noreen Stapley, UE, Promotions Chair

Loyalists: Mark of Honour

The October 30th issue of Loyalist Trails contained the second in a series of blogs by Brenda Dougall Merriman, author of United Empire Loyalists: A Guide to Tracing Loyalist Ancestors in Upper Canada. Initially the series began with Loyalists: Call the Cops and subsequently continued with Loyalists: 'O Give Me Land, Lotsa Land. . .'. Both articles were also posted to the UELAC and Saskatchewan UELAC Facebook pages as well as to our Twitter account. After taking time off for completely different kind of vacation, her third blog on the Loyalist theme was shared with her Facebook friends this week. Loyalists: Mark of Honour will give readers a greater understanding of the development of Lord Dorchester's proclamation. The additional posting to our Twitter and Facebook resources will greatly expand our outreach.

...FHH

Oldest Loyalist - More Entries Please

In the August 14, 2011, issue of Loyalist Trails, I posted the following query:

We have had some articles in Loyalist Trails which noted Loyalists who lived to a ripe old age. Just for a little bit of fun, please send in your submission of a loyalist who lived a long life.

We would like a couple of sentences with some details where you have them: name, birth date, death date, age at death, where settled before the war, what loyalist service (regiment joined or other loyalist activity), where lived after the war, your name (you do not have to be a descendant), sources so others could find the details if they wished to do so - especially the loyalist's age at death. Even if you don't have a good source, please send anyway.)

Other than for Stephen Davidson who submitted a list, only a few people responded. The resulting list, with about 29 entries, can be found at Oldest Loyalists.

The oldest one so far is Daniel Weekes who dies at age 117 in Nova Scotia.

That said, almost all the entries (2 of 29) are from New Brunswick.

I would like to add more from other provinces, PEI, NS, QC, ON etc. (not one entry thus far from either QC or PEI!)

If you have a loyalist ancestor who was older than 85 at time of death (older than 95 if dies in NB), please send in an entry for this list.

...Doug

The War of 1812 Through Art and Artefacts

On Saturday, November 19, 2011, my wife, Grietje, and I visited the Woodlands Cultural Centre in Brantford. The Museum features aboriginal exhibits. It agreed to host the official launching of the PATHWAYS TO PEACE Touring Exhibit of Art Studies and History of the War of 1812. Truly a team effort, this Western Corridor Alliance project collected the work of many artists and was assisted by all levels of government as well as individual donations and volunteer help. The Western Corridor, including Hamilton, Burlington, London and Brantford, was added to the six identified regions of Historic significance to the War of 1812.

The most important outcome of this initiative is the fact that many untold stories have come to light and artefacts handed down through generations have been shared. As the Mayor of Brantford wrote on the commemorative plaque given to the Producer of the Canadian Art Cards, Linda Stanley, "The Aim of Art is to represent not the outward appearance of things but their inward significance." (Aristotle). At the Reception and High Tea the enthusiasm and spirit generated by the response to plans to commemorate the 200 years of peace between the once warring nations indeed shows how teamwork encourages active members! More information on this Bicentennial Project can be found here.

...Robert McBride UE, UELAC Dominion President

Video Resource for War of 1812 Commemoration

As part of the planning for the the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, there are seven regional planning groups in Ontario. While a number of them have also created websites that include additional information about their current planning and development activities related to the Bicentennial, there also is a considerable wealth of other resources produced to assist UELAC branches with further local involvement. One such source re-Tweeted to our UELAC account earlier this month "1812 And All That" is definitely worth the viewing.

Anne Martin of World Life Video Productions has produced the series for television and is now including them in her website re-cut in lengths varying from two and a half minutes to slightly over four minutes. While the first episode was posted to her website in March, there are now several more brief videos to check out and share.

- Part 1: The War Begins

- Part 2: The Story of Laura Secord

- Part 3: The Story of Billy Green

- Part 4: The Battle of York

- Part 5: Rebuilding Fort York

- Part 6: Settlement in South Western Ontario

- Part 7: Battle of Lake Erie

- Part 8: British Retreat and the Death of Tecumseh

- Part 9: War and the Settlers

- Part 10: The Relief of Fort Michilimackinac

- Part 11: The Sinking of HMS Nancy

View the videos here.

It is also recommended that you discover what led to the development of this series. Click on Anne Martin for her in-depth and personal response to the inquiry. As she said, "Hopefully with the Bi-Centennial on the horizon I will have helped to tweak the interest of families to go out and explore those graveyards, investigate their genealogy, visit the museums, get involved in the re-enactments, travel the back roads and view the villages with a different eye, and understand why we have special days to celebrate our history."

...FHH

OGS Conference 2012 on June 1-3 at Kingston ON

Region VIII of the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) will host the Society's annual Conference from June 1st to 3rd 2012, at St Lawrence College, Kingston, Ontario. The Ontario Genealogical Society is a not-for profit organization with more than 4,000 members worldwide. Region VIII includes the Kingston, Leeds & Grenville and Ottawa Branches of the Society. This event brings together the thirty Branches and three Special Interest Groups of OGS plus the members of Genealogical and Historical Societies across North America. Normal attendance is between 400 and 700. In the course of three days, we provide a variety of speakers and workshops where genealogists and historians have the opportunity to discover new ways of researching and networking. See program and other seminar details here.

Sales Tables can be ordered for a fee; contact Mike More at pastchair@ogsottawa.on.ca.

The Tech Side: That Syncing Feeling – by Wayne Scott, UE

A laptop computer is a must-have in this electronic age. This is true particularly for the genealogist. Even though we have our main database on a desktop at home, we carry the laptop with us on vacations, trips, conferences, etc. Sometimes we are lucky enough to find some resources along the way and store them on the laptop. How do we go about getting this newly discovered information, documents, pictures, etc. into the right program on our desktop?

The tedious way would be to copy everything from one computer to another manually. Why would we want to do everything twice? Some genealogy programs such as Family Tree Maker will allow you to upload your data file to an online server, (TreeSync). Usually your desktop will be the one computer that will be allowed to sync to the online site. However, you can download a data file to another computer running Family Tree Maker for viewing and editing. Unfortunately, your laptop will not sync to the online site or the desktop.

A service called AncestorSync will allow computers with the same software to sync. At present, only Ancestral Quest, Legacy Family Tree, Personal Ancestral File, RootsMagic and GEDCOM are supported. It will soon support The Master Genealogist and MacFamilyTree. It appears that negotiations are underway to also support Ancestry.com. This service is family friendly and costs a mere $15.00 a year.

Maybe it is time to revisit an old favourite, Dropbox. For many of us, using Dropbox to synchronize our data is the best solution. Dropbox can be set up to sync any number of computers. To get started, a free version that allows 2GB of storage is available. In many cases, this is all the space we need. You can upgrade to 50GB of storage for only $10.00 a month. I don't know of anyone who has this many ancestors.

If you were out and about with your laptop and added some documents or pictures to your genealogy database, these will automatically sync with the other computers on your network as soon as your laptop is connected to the network. Maybe you are visiting a relative and want to show the latest information you have. Log on to your Dropbox site and supply a password, and all of the information can be downloaded to the visitor's computer. If they have information to add to your database, this can be added to the Dropbox site. All of this is possible if both computers are using the same genealogy software.

Another way to get copies of information is to have a flash drive set up with Dropbox mounted on it. If you are using a U3 compatible drive , Dropbox will be kept inside a protected partition on the drive. Make sure to use the UE antivirus software to scan the drive before inserting it into a USB drive on your computer.

One complication arises under the following scenario. Sometimes laptops aren't used all that often. While working with your desktop, a number of genealogy updates might be added to Dropbox. When the laptop is turned on, Dropbox will want to sync the genealogy files and it won't know which file to use for updating. In this case, it is advisable to update the files manually.

There are Dropbox apps available for a number of devices. These include Windows and Mac computers, Ipad, Ipod, Android devices, and the list seems to grow longer each week. Dropbox apps are free and are a necessity for exchanging files from an Ipad and other computers and electronic devices.

Another contender is Evernote. Although designed as a note taking platform, it does have some powerful syncing features, that can be made use of by a number of devices.

I mention quite often the need to back up your data. The data that is backed up needs to be most complete. It stands to reason that these backup files need to be added to the list of sync locations if possible. Obviously data stored on a cd at a cousin's house cannot be synced to. However, by syncing to a master file, copies can easily be made on a regular basis. Blank CDs are quite inexpensive and easy to get.

You can email Wayne Scott to get in touch with questions or comments.

Elizabeth Winter Married Which Peter Rupert of Osnabruck?

I started researching the Rupert families of Osnabruck to answer a seemingly simple question. Who was the husband of Elizabeth Winter, daughter of Henry Winter UE.

I say this seemed to be a simple question since in her 1807 petition, Elizabeth Winter states that she is the wife of Peter Rupert of Osnabruck. As it turns out, figuring out exactly which Peter Rupert of Osnabruck was her husband took a lot more work and research than anticipated. Since there is a lot of misinformation on the Internet and even in some books about the Rupert families of Osnabruck, I decided to publish the result of my research.

The main question after separating the two Peter Rupert of Osnabruck is which one married Elizabeth Helmer and which one married Elizabeth Winter. This is not as obvious as it seems, and I would welcome any extra information that would prove or disprove this theory.

At this point, the evidence points to Pader the Elder being the husband of Elizabeth Winter. Here are the arguments in favour of this.

- Elizabeth Winter daughter of Henry and Catharine was baptized in 1770, so quite in line with the age of Elizabeth Rupert on the 1851 census where she resides with her son Adam in Osnabruck.

- Daughter Mary born circa 1788, so the missing marriage of Elizabeth Winter is probably a very early one. Elizabeth would be 18-20 at the time.

- Son Peter Rupert, son of Petrus and Elizabeth is baptized BEFORE the marriage of Peter Rupert and Elizabeth Helmer. One of the sponsor is actually Peter Rupert.

- Pader Rupert and Elizabeth named a son Henry and a daughter Catherine. Those are the names of Elizabeth Winter's parents. Henry is an unusual name for the Rupert.

- Peter Rupert the Elder and Elizabeth Winter petitioned the government for land on the same date in January 1807.

- Interestingly enough, the lots that Peter Rupert and Elizabeth Winter Rupert were given in 1807 were patented, but both of them were sold for taxes in the 1840s. The lots were not mentioned in their wills, and were probably forgotten.

I would welcome more evidence regarding the marriage of Elizabeth Winter and Peter Rupert. Very little is known about Elizabeth Helmer, including her age and date of death, so it is difficult to judge whether those things would apply to her.

Excerpt from Disentengling a Loyalist family tree: The Rupert of Osnabruck Township, Ontario, by Guylaine Petrin. The article is in the Fall 2011 issue of the Loyalist Gazette. It can also be read along with a timeline of events in the Loyalist Directory, in the details of the record for Adam Rupert.

...Guylaine Petrin

Back to Hutchinson, Ellis and Barton Families

I recently read a letter (written by an elderly aunt of my father's thirty years ago, many years after he died) mentioning the UEL connection. It was so interesting I immediately looked up UEL on the internet and from there found you. It indicates that relatives on my father's side were United Empire Loyalists, who perhaps settled in Renfrew County, Ontario.

I remember my dad telling me that same story many years ago, but since my dear brothers sometimes roll their eyes and think I make this stuff up, I'd love the proof! (I am the only one interested in family history.)

- My father was Cyril John Hutchinson, born in Morden, Manitoba, 1910.

- his father -- Arthur Wesley Hutchinson (married Alice Marjorie Lloyd)

- Arthur's parents were John Thomas Hutchinson and Anna Ellis. Looks like they both had several siblings. They too lived lived in Morden, and he is buried there. She moved to live with her sister in North Dakota, and died in 1938, over 90. That would bring her birth to about 1848.

- John Thomas's parents, M. Hutchinson and ? Borman.

- M. Hutchinson's parents, (Samuel?) Marm. Hutchinson (Penn) and Martha Leigh.

- Anna Marie(a) Ellis's father Ellis, mother Barton.

- Anna's grandparents Geo. Ellis and Han ?, and Isaac Barton. I have an undated photo of him. "D. Dingman, Photographer, Picton, C.W." is printed on the back, although I suppose the picture need not have been taken at Picton, C.W. Anna's handwriting on the back of Isaac Barton's picture says, "He was a good man. I can remember him but not very well". He's elderly in the photo, so if she was, say, 10 when he died, he could have been born around the time the Loyalists arrived in Canada, possibly an SUE.

Any advice or help would be much appreciated.

...Ruth (Hutchinson) Alsemgeest