Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2013 Archive

In this issue:
- A Loyalist's Proud Daughter – by Stephen Davidson
- William Odber Raymond (1853-1923) by George McNeillie
- "At the Head of Lake Ontario" Highlights: Brock's Monument and Laura Secord Homestead
- The Red Jacket of Loyalist Andres Ten Eyck
- The Hungry Year: Janet Kellough's Blog Post
- Where in the World is Bob McBride?
- Loyalists and War of 1812: Alexander Cameron
- Some Groups Proactive in Commemorating War of 1812 Vets
- Social Media Accolades
- From the Twittersphere and Beyond
- Additions to the Loyalist Directory
- Last Post: Susan Patterson, BA (Hon), MLS, UE
- Queries
      + Is this the William Roe in Question?

A Loyalist's Proud Daughter – by Stephen Davidson

Gertrude Skinner Ogden was born into a family of New Jersey loyalists. Her grandfather, father, and three uncles had all stayed true to their sovereign and his government. Despite the fact that she was born thirteen years after the American Revolution, Gertrude is remembered as a woman who was proud of her loyalist heritage.

In 1824, Miss Ogden was one of the guests at a reception given in honour of Major General Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de LaFayette. When presented to the French hero of the Revolution, Gertrude promptly informed him that her father had been a loyalist and not a patriot. Her frankness and the general's reply are almost all that has survived concerning the life of Gertrude Ogden. This is her story.

Gertrude was born in Shelburne, Nova Scotia on March 10, 1796 to Nicholas Ogden and Hannah Cuyler, a couple who were originally from Newark, New Jersey. Gertrude's grandfather, Judge David Ogden, had been a judge of the Supreme Court and a very wealthy loyalist. His sons Isaac, Peter, and Nicholas shared his loyalist convictions, while sons Samuel and Abraham joined the patriot cause.

Nicholas Ogden, Gertrude's father, had attended King's College in New York, the city where he later was "active in opposing the activities of the rebels". In May of 1775, he risked his own life to warn Dr. Myles Cooper, the college president, of a large and angry mob that was about to attack his home. Cooper escaped unharmed. While the rebel mob wanted to tar and feather Ogden, Dr. Cooper expressed his gratitude to him in a lengthy poem in which he described Ogden as a "heaven-sent youth".

Later in the war, Ogden was tried for conspiring against the life of George Washington, but was discharged for lack of evidence. He served the British in New York throughout the revolution, conducting espionage and rendering service in a loyalist militia. In 1783, Nicholas and Hannah Ogden and their two children settled in Nova Scotia with other loyalists.

Once in Shelburne, Gertrude's father built a house, stables, a windmill and ironwork. He was appointed a justice of the peace and became a vestryman in the local Anglican Church. It was here that Gertrude, her older brother David, and younger siblings, Herman, and Peter, were born.

In July of 1790, Nicholas Ogden went sailing with three soldiers from the 6th regiment. The boat overturned. Two of the men drowned. All that could save the lives of Ogden and Patrick Maxwell, a 19 year-old ensign, was an oar. But it could only provide floatation for one man. When Maxwell discovered that Ogden had a wife and six children, he let go of the oar, as there "was no one depending upon him". Ogden survived. Maxwell drowned.

Ten years after this incident, Ogden and his family returned to Newark, New Jersey. Gertrude was just four years old. Her father died in 1812. Within four year's time, Gertrude's mother was laid to rest next to her father and great-grandfather in Trinity Church Chapel's cemetery.

By now, there were only four Ogden siblings alive. Gertrude was a single woman of 20, living in the family home with her older sister Alida. Henry, the oldest Ogden son, went on to make friends within New York's literary circles. The next-oldest brother, David, moved to Montreal. He died at 46 in 1842.

Although Gertrude had no memories of the revolution and very few of Shelburne, she, nevertheless had a great deal of pride in the loyalist stance of her father, uncles and grandfather.

Gertrude treasured her parents' wartime possessions. She kept her father's Bible which was noteworthy for having "lain in the New York's Sugar House Prison" for some years. In addition to his King's College diploma, Gertrude had Nicholas Ogden's compass. This had once saved his life, helping him to find refuge when Natives were about to capture him. Gertrude's mother had been an acquaintance of one of Queen Charlotte's maids-of-honour. This English woman made Mrs. Ogden a present of a silk sash that had once been worn in the court of King George III. Gertrude's four family treasures later became part of an exhibit of revolutionary relics at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

In her obituary, Gertrude was described as having a "remarkable personality" and that she was "bright and active" even in old age. Yet for some reason, she never married. Did being the daughter of a loyalist family make her undesirable in New York and New Jersey society? It certainly did not prevent her from being invited to the grand reception for LaFayette's birthday – nor did it prevent her from accepting the invitation.

On September 6, 1824, the loyalist's daughter had her fifteen minutes of fame. Although she was 34 at the time, Gertrude was described as "one of a group of young ladies" presented to the French marquis. LaFayette assumed that Gertrude was a patriot's daughter when he spoke to her. Miss Ogden "spiritedly" replied, saying, "My father, sir, was loyal to his king and country". Did a sudden hush of mortification fall upon the gathering? History only records LaFayette's reaction.

Ever the gentleman, the Frenchman complimented Gertrude for having the courage "to stand by the principles of her father". And thus this proud daughter of a loyalist entered the history books.

The story of Gertrude's encounter with LaFayette made up most of her obituary when she died at the age of 84 in Newark, New Jersey. It seems that the rest of her life was quiet and reclusive. At the time of her death, the local newspaper described Gertrude's house as "a seedy, unpretentious house in a decidedly un-aristocratic street". But despite the judgmental description of her home, the obituary writer seems to have had a grudging respect for the late Miss Ogden. He reminded his readers that this was a woman who "always insisted that she was an American citizen, but a British subject."

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

William Odber Raymond (1853-1923) © George McNeillie

I shall make no attempt to write an autobiography, but rest content with mentioning some incidents with dates. When I left St. John in April, 1916, my scrap-books, some twelve in number, were placed in the St. John Public Library. They contain a good many incidents of my life while living in St. John, and some family history, intermixed with matters of more general interest, and may be consulted on application to the Librarian.

My historical books are mostly in the Fisher Memorial Public Library in Woodstock, N.B. my large manuscript historical collections, pamphlets, etc., mostly in the Dominion Archives at Ottawa, where they may be seen,

-- Family Record --

Generations	Name	When and Where Born	When Married	Died
8th	William Odber Raymond Julia Nelson	Feb. 3, 1853 Woodstock May 16, 1846 St. John	June 18, 1879

-- Children --

Generations	Name	When and Where Born	When Married
9th	William Ober Raymond	Nov. 23, 1880  Stanley	Sept, 26, 1907
9th	Alice Winifred Raymond	April 26, 1886 St. John	June 25, 1913

-- Grandchildren --

10ty Generation

A. Born to William Ober and Florence Josephine (nee Gillespie) Raymond

Name	When and Where Born
Eleanor Nelson Raymond	Ann Arbor, Michigan Oct. 13, 1909

B. Born to George Gardiner McNeillie and Alice Winifred McNeillie

10th Generation

Name	When and Where Born
1. James Richardson McNeillie	July 25, 1914 Vancouver BC
2. William Raymond McNeillie	July 25, 1914 Vancouver BC
3. Frances Gardiner McNeillie	July 21, 1916 Vancouver BC
4. Nancy Nelson McNeillie	Apr, 16, 1920; died Apr. 18, 1920 Toronto
5. George Gardiner McNeillie, Jr.	May 22, 1922 Toronto

Incidents in the Life of William Odber

Born at Woodstock, County of Carleton, N.B., February 3, 1853. First school-teacher, my father's cousin, Matilda Beardsley. This school was at the "Lower Corner", so called, about a mile from our house, and was at first held in the "old William Upham House," just below the Houlton Road. I attended there from the summer of 1859 to 1861. The School was then removed to a building a few roads above, that had lately been built for a store. The school was in the lower flat, and over it was a shoe-maker's shop owned by E.R. Parsons. The school here was taught by Arthur Taylor one winter, then by Ellen Beardsley, sister to my first teacher.

While attending Mr. Taylor's school in January, 1862, our schooldays were enlivened by the passing of more than 5,000 British Regulars on successive days through Woodstock on their way to Quebec and other places in Canada, in consequence of trouble with the American Government over the "Trent Affair(1)." Most of the troops came in via St. John, but some were landed at St. Andrews and forwarded via the St. Andrew's Railway to Canterbury Station, and thence by sleds via Woodstock to Quebec.

Col. J.R. Tupper, of Woodstock, had the contract of transporting in sleds the troops, munitions, artillery, etc. from Fredericton to Riviere du Loup. His son, J. Rice Tupper, who now lives in Toronto with his wife (nee Bertha Bull), told me that his father cleared the sum of $10,000 by his contract. The troops travelled in comfortable sleds, each holding eight men and a driver, and proceeded about thirty miles a day in companies of 100 and later of 160 men. The travelling was good and the men were well provided with warm clothing and fur caps. There was a procession of twenty-five or thirty sleds daily, the officers coming in a comfortable sleigh at the rear. When the notes of the bugle rang out in the frosty air the school children would flock to the windows in great excitement to see the troops go by. The winter was cold with some bad snowstorms. My father and many of his neighbours assisted in transporting to the troops to Canada(2) at this time.

NOTES: (1) The Trent Affair was an international diplomatic incident that took place during the American Civil War when the USS San Jacinto intercepted the RMS Trent and removed as contraband of war two Confederate diplomats, James Mason and John Slidell, who were on a mission to press the South's case for diplomatic recognition in Europe. The crisis was resolved when the Lincoln administration released the envoys and disavowed the actions of the San Jacinto's Captain, Charles Wilkes.

(2) 'Canada' before Confederation would have consisted of Upper and Lower Canada (now Ontario and Quebec)

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

...George McNeillie

"At the Head of Lake Ontario" Highlights: Brock's Monument and Laura Secord Homestead

Brock's Monument is four metres taller than the Nelson Monument in Trafalgar Square. Its fluted column contains 235 steps and rises 56 metres to the capital, where there is a winged victory on each face and, at the summit, the statue of Major-General Sir Isaac Brock. If you reach the top, you have access to a small indoor platform underneath Brock's statue. From the platform you can view the heights and the Niagara River through portholes.

Sir Isaac Brock and his aide-de-camp lie buried here. Both died leading a charge in the Battle of Queenston Heights on October 13 1812..

The monument that you will see is the second built in Brock's honour. The first was built in 1823 of Tuscan stone at huge cost, and was reverenced with great pride by the people of Upper Canada. It symbolic significance was responsible for its destruction, for in 1840 a Fenian sympathizer, Benjamin Lett, blew it up. Although it did not fall, the tower was a ruin, cracked on one side and shattered above the gallery.

Immediately a campaign began to replace it with another just as magnificent. Hamilton's Sir Allan MacNabb headed the drive. However, enthusiasm waned and it was not until 1852 that an competition led to the selection of Toronto architect William Thomas to design a monument even grander than the first. It was completed in 1856.

Impressive in a very different way is the Laura Secord Homestead in the village of Queenston Heights. It was lovingly restored and furnished with original furniture by the Laura Second Candy Company in 1971. Costumed interpreters are on hand to explain the history of the house. It was from here that Laura Secord started her perilous 20-mile walk to warn the British of an impending American surprise attack in June 1813.

Please watch for another vignette coming soon. For details and registration for UELAC Conference 2013, visit "Meet us at the Head of Lake Ontario".

...Jean Rae Baxter, UE

The Red Jacket of Loyalist Andres Ten Eyck

The Old United Empire Loyalist List, Appendix B, page 264, provides the name of Andrew Ten Eyck, then residing in Kingston, who is listed as a soldier with the Jersey Volunteers. His actual name was Andres Ten Eyck. From Kingston, Andres settled in Missisquoi County, Quebec, in the 1790s. A red military coat owned by Andres came into the hands of a local descendant, a Mrs. Ellis, and was donated by her in 2011, to the Missisquoi Historical Society. The historical society made a request to have the coat restored by Centre de conservation du Quebec (CCQ). The request was granted, and the coat is undergoing restoration.

The curator at the museum at Missisquoi feels that the coat may have an earlier origin than the Revolutionary War, since it has cuffs which appears to be earlier, and it lacks certain other details.

In my opinion, this jacket could have been worn by Andres Ten Eyck during the Revolutionary War. Sometimes uniforms were provided from stores held over from previous military service.

This jacket is in incredible condition, and is one of the best military artifacts from that era, which I have seen. It is a national treasure and should be held in the National Archives in Ottawa, or at least in UELAC archives somewhere.

Have a look at this jacket and read the discussion which is surrounding this wonderful item of Canadian history, at http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.ca/2011_12_29_archive.html.

...Richard Ripley UE, Loyalist Genealogist

The Hungry Year: Janet Kellough's Blog Post

We got a foot and a half of lake effect snow in the County today, so it only seems appropriate to tell you the story of "The Hungry Year."

The first European settlement in this area was by United Empire Loyalists – refugees from the American Revolution – who had been driven out of the American colonies. In many cases their lands and property had been confiscated and they had been severely persecuted or imprisoned because of their refusal to support the revolution. Although the majority of Loyalists ended up in Nova Scotia, several thousand braved the overland route to Quebec and safety. They were housed in camps near Montreal.

At the end of the war, the British, who had assumed all along that they would win the war and all of these people could then go home, had to find a place for them. In the hope that they would provide some insurance against American incursion into British territory, enough land was purchased from the local natives to settle these refugees along the shore of the St. Lawrence River, with the last settlements reaching into the Bay of Quinte area. Although the land was given out in grants, this was virgin forest, and the first order of business for the Loyalists was to cut down enough of the massive trees to put in an acre or two of crops. The British promised them tools and supplies for the first three years, but there was never enough to go around, and as the Bay of Quinte was at the end of the line, not a lot of this help ever reached this area.

At the end of the third year – just when the settlers were supposed to have achieved self-sufficiency – disaster struck. The weather went crazy. There was heavy frost in June. There was snowfall in July. Crops failed that summer, and the winter that followed was long and severe. Game disappeared into the deep woods, and the settlers had little ammunition to shoot it with anyway. Ice froze two or three feet deep in the lakes and fishing was impossible.

The year spanning 1787 – 88 is known as "The Hungry Year". People ate whatever they could find that would provide any sustenance whatsoever. In one part of Prince Edward County an old soup bone was passed from house to house and boiled over and over again to provide a watery broth. Some settlers gave up and returned to different parts of the States than they had come from, hoping they wouldn't be recognized as Loyalists. Some traded their farms for a few pounds of flour. Others starved to death.

The hardship continued into the spring. People tried to survive on buds and shoots, and even catching something as insubstantial as a robin was a cause for celebration. No one had anything to plant – all of the seed stock had long since been eaten. This was the crucible that the community of Prince Edward was forged in, and the settlers survived because they pulled together.

Conditions gradually improved as the weather returned to normal – but the damage had been done. One historian estimated that it was twenty years before the Loyalists really recovered from The Hungry Year, but the sense of community that was established during that time is still very evident in Prince Edward County.

Want to know more about the Loyalist experience? Take a look at Vicki Delany's book "More Than Sorrow" which tells the tale of two refugees – one from Loyalist days and one that is far more recent.

[Reprinted with permission, Janet Kellough's Blog (see The Hungry Year) www.janetkellough.com]

Where in the World?

Where is UELAC President and Kawartha Branch member, Bob McBride?

To participate, submit a photo of yourself in UELAC promotional gear at a place of some note and tell us where it is. If you are a member of a branch, please indicate that as well – send to Jennifer Childs.

Loyalists and the War of 1812

Thanks to those who have contributed to the slowly growing index of Loyalists and the War of 1812.

We have added a new entry for Alexander Cameron thanks to a submission from Catherine Whiteley.

If you have a family ancestry which qualifies (see the heading of the page with entries), please submit to loyalist.trails@uelac.org. Our rich history continues to emerge through these family histories.

Some Groups Proactive in Commemorating War of 1812 Vets

I have been working on this for a while now and thought that there would have been funding through the Western Corridor group of which Norfolk is a part. However that did not materialize. Glad to see that there is going to be funding (see Govt announcement – Help Required: Government Marker Program to Honour War of 1812 Veterans) but no one seems to know how to apply or to whom!!

We have 360 people who served in the 1812 war from Norfolk County alone some of whom were loyalists. We here in Walsingham and our " Port Rowan South Walsingham Heritage Association"(PRSWHA) just decided to put a plaque with the names of the vets on it at the appropriate cemetery at our own expense. But would like to know where and how to get the plaque that you are talking about in the Trails. If we just did our area covered by the Heritage association it would involved about 59 persons. I have checked these names as ones that served as well as checked to see if they have a tombstone that has been read by the OGS and in our area. So have a double check so far. The rest of Norfolk can do their own! I gathered all the names for Norfolk for the Western Corridor and that is where it ended. I thought that it was a good idea 2 yrs go when we talked about it at the 1812 committee and they even showed the medal replication in one of the publications. It did not give any details about how to attach it to stones or whether it was free standing next to a stone. But we wondered if people would object to putting something on a stone that they had paid for.

As you know we (Grand River Branch) have placed plaques to commemorate the loyalists buried in graveyards throughout our area and thought that we (PRSWHA) might place the plaque with those who served on the same post. I will have to check that out first but I cant imagine that they should object too much since I did the work along with my husband and Marilyn Haslinger putting up the Plaques.

Would appreciate anything that you have on this project before we here go to much further with our plans.

...Cathy Thompson, UE, Grand River and PRSWHA

Social Media Accolades

Fred Hayward puts significant effort into representing the UELAC on Facebook, and Bonnie Schepers does the same with Twitter. Both participate in the spcial space - after all that is what social is all about, connecting, sharing, discussing, engaging.

This comment from one visitor to one of Fred's Posts about a an Irish palatine tour this Sept for eleven days in Ontario.

“I have been doing our genealogy for 5 years now and have many Irish, Scots Irish, and Scottish all in southeast Ontario.. But this is the first time I have heard of Palatine. ALL of the posts on this page are fascinating whether family or not. This is their history and ours. Mr, Hayward does a wonderful job keeping us so very well informed. Thanks!” – Steven J. Wamback

As people interested in Loyalist information - why else would you be reading this newsletter? - check out the social space. You can be "quiet" and just see what there is to learn, but maybe you too have an opinion or piece of information to share. Get engaged, participate. That is what it is all about.

...Editor

From the Twittersphere and Beyond

•  Amazing feats of the 104th regiment - New Brunswick and The #Warof1812
• Who won the #Warof1812? Rick Mercer has the answer!
• "The Bostonians Paying the Excise-man or Tarring & Feathering" by Phillip Dawe, 1774. ow.ly/i/1ubeS
• Obituary: Canadian penny, 1858-2013
• African Nova Scotians: in the Age of Slavery and Abolition; Black Loyalists, 1783-1792

Additions to the Loyalist Directory

As time permits, we add information to the Loyalist Directory. The latest additions and updates are as follows:

- Roys, Evan Sr. – from John McLeod

Please help us build the directory by contributing more information for it. Contact loyalist.trails@uelac.org for instructions and guidance.

Last Post: Susan Patterson, BA (Hon), MLS, UE

Sue passed away after a six-year struggle with cancer on January 31, 2013 at the age of 65, at the Dr. Mel Miller Palliative Hospice in Edmonton, Alberta. Mother of Christopher of Calgary, Alberta, and Jeffrey of Port Carling, Ontario; sister of Jennifer and Alison Smith of Kitchener, Ontario. Predeceased by father, R. Kent Smith and mother Elinor L. Smith.

Born in Woodstock, Ontario, grew up in Kitchener, graduated from Forest Heights Collegiate in 1967, BA (Hon), from the University of Toronto in 1971, married in 1971, MLS from McGill University in 1974. She lived in Montreal, Toronto, Sherwood Park, Alberta, and Port Carling.

Worked as a librarian at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Transportation Development Agency in Montreal, U of T, and Woodbridge Farms Elementary School in Sherwood Park.

Visitation and funeral have been held in Edmonton. A Memorial Service in Kitchener, Ontario will be arranged. To send condolences or to share a memory, tribute or photo, please visit www.glenwoodmemorial.com.

...Heather Traub, Edmonton Branch

Is this the William Roe in Question?

In 1824, a “William Roe” signed a receipt for his horse, harness, wagon and buffalo skins. When the document surfaced at a Amherst Massachusetts auction in 2012, the identities of the individuals involved had long been lost. However, a query William Roe and General Leonard Smith in the 20 January 2013 Loyalist Trails did generate a very interesting possibility as to the history of the signatory. David and Jane Raymont submitted an article from a 1975 publication of Newmarket's The Era. Evidently the Loyalist Roe family stayed on the Detroit side of the river until Jay's Treaty forced them to leave for Sandwich, UC in 1796. The family history moves on to describe William's heroic involvement in the Battle of York and eventual settlement in Newmarket. In addition, the Raymonts have provided a newspaper image of the local 1812 veterans from a 1910 Toronto Telegram.

The present owner of the receipt is looking forward to comparing the signatures with a document held at the Elman W. Campbell Museum in Newmarket. This authentication will add considerable value to the receipt, the Roe family history and the value of placing a query in Loyalist Trails.

...FHH