Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2019 Archive

In this issue:
- Savannah Farewell, Part 3: Hello, Great Britain!, by Stephen Davidson
- Parcel of NS Land: From Slave-Owning Loyalist's Son to the African Baptist Church, by Brian McConnell, UE
- The "Hynson Business": Story of a Double Agent
- Valentine Jones, British Army Officer, Quebec, Boston, New York
- JAR: Caught Between the Lines: Eastchester, New York, During the American Revolution
- Washington's Quill: Mount Vernon and the Papers of George Washington: A Partnership Since 1968
- The Junto: Announcing the Launch of Freedom on the Move
- Ben Franklin's World: The Poison Plot: Adultery & Murder In Colonial Newport
- Book: Threads in the Tapestry of Canada: Some Loyalist Descendants Buried in Beechwood Cemetery
- Book Review by Marg Hall, UE
- The Contortionist
- St. Lawrence Branch website
- Hamilton Branch Speaker Natasha Henry for Black History Month
- UE Loyalist Certificates Issued Recently
- Where in the World?
- Region and Branch Bits
- From the Twittersphere and Beyond
- Additions to the Loyalist Directory
- Queries
      + Relationship of John Faddle & Sarah Buck to David, Hiram & Peter Ferrel
      + Donald Daniel McCrimmon

Savannah Farewell, Part 3: Hello, Great Britain!

© Stephen Davidson, UE

Being born in the British Isles, many of the loyalists who had settled in Georgia before the American Revolution decided to return to the land of their birth in the aftermath of the war.

Stephen Haven was just a teenager (perhaps an indentured servant?) when he went to America. At the outbreak of the War of Independence, Haven was living with a Loyalist named Young in Savannah. Despite his tender years, Haven held an office at the city’s port, signing all papers that the collector, comptroller and searcher signed. A dutiful son, Haven sent the money that he received from this job back to his mother in Ireland.

In February of 1777, when just seventeen, Haven demonstrated his loyalty to the crown by seeking out Captain Squire of the sloop of war, Otter. He had information about a rebel galley, information that led to the ship’s destruction by the Otter’s crew.

Once he returned to the United Kingdom, Haven served as a witness for other British immigrants who had once lived in Georgia. By speaking on behalf of a loyalist’s widow named Janet Russell, Haven had the satisfaction of seeing her being granted an annual allowance. He also testified for John Lightenstone.

A Russian immigrant, Lightenstone (or Lichtenstein), was "the mate of a vessel" when he arrived in America in 1755. Initially, he was given the command of a ship based in New York City, but by 1768, he had found work in Georgia. His sea-faring experience gave Lightenstone the necessary credentials to become a scout-boat pilot for the colonial government. His responsibilities included transporting public officers, protecting remote families from Indigenous attacks, and enforcing quarantine regulations by confining incoming slave ships suspected of smallpox to Tybee Island. With the patronage of the royal governor (a regular passenger on his boat) and his father-in-law, Lightenstone became a prosperous member of Georgian society.

By the time the revolution had begun, Lightenstone had a plantation on Skidaway Island in Georgia. It was large enough to require the labour of ten African slaves to care for horses, cattle, hogs, and sheep as well as the raising of potatoes, corn, peas and indigo.

However, local Patriots soon determined that Lightenstone was a dangerous loyalist. His knowledge of the coast and its rivers could prove a threat to rebel activities. Early one January morning while partially dressed and half way through his daily shave, Lightenstone discovered that Patriots soldiers were advancing on his home. Fortunately for the loyalist, one of his servants (described by Lightenstone’s daughter as a "sensible, plausible black man, who had been brought up as a pet in my grandfather’s house") stalled the Patriots by telling them stories and jokes, giving his master tine to hop into a boat and make his way to the HMS Scarborough, a British war ship.

Over the next few years, Lightenstone drifted from the British command post in Halifax to British headquarters in New York, waiting for the outcome of the royal offensive in the south. When Georgia reverted to British rule in 1778, Lightenstone returned to Savannah, confident that the crown would soon be victorious.

Sir James Wright, the last royal governor of Georgia, put Lightenstone in command of a troop of dragoons, a post he held until the evacuation of Savannah. After initially settling in Florida, Lightenstone went to London. There, a friend testified that "no man is more Loyal, has a better character or is more deserving than Mr. Lightenstone."

Peter Dean, another outstanding loyalist from Savannah, was prepared to let bygones be bygones at the close of the American Revolution. He had hoped to return to his home in Georgia after the peace, but the colony refused to admit him. Making lemonade out of lemons, Dean sought compensation for his wartime losses in January of 1784 – and in the process told an amazing story worthy of a ballad. But being the losers in the war, the adventures of Loyalists did not become the legends that surrounded Patriots such as George Washington, Betsey Ross or Paul Revere.

When Dean emigrated from England to the American south, a potential rebellion was just the stuff of rumours. Following the Declaration of Independence, Dean joined in a protest against local Patriots. Some of them had spiked the guns at the fort in Charleston, South Carolina so that the soldiers could not fire a salute in honour of King George III’s birthday. Dean was one of the resident Loyalists who saw to it that the guns were restored to working order.

He then joined 100 other armed loyalists to protect the royal governor’s house. Dean later took up arms to come to the rescue of local monarchists who were about to be tarred and feathered. When South Carolina’s royal governor fled Charleston, Dean decided to go "into the country" to hide from "the resentment of the people" rather than seeking sanctuary on a British ship. Fleeing under the cover of darkness, Dean was arrested by Patriots. They put him in jail for two weeks and then demanded that he sign an oath of "abjuration and allegiance" to the rebel cause. His refusal brought about an order to leave South Carolina within sixty days. Patriots banished Dean in October of 1777, but allowed him to sell his property. He could retain half of the money he got through the sale on the condition that he would not bear arms for the crown.

By March of 1778, Patriots declared Dean guilty of high treason against America. He found sanctuary in the West Indies, remaining there until British control of the south was secured in December. Dean settled in Savannah, and was in the city during the Continental Army’s siege in October of 1779. A member of the local militia, he was (of course) "in the hottest part of the engagement", successfully repulsing the rebels and French forces. During the years that Georgia was once again a loyal colony, Dean served as a member of the colonial assembly and did all that he could to further British control. When the colony joined the new republic, Patriots banished Dean and seized what property he had left.

Other Savannah Loyalists made their way to Great Britain following the evacuation of their beloved city, but their stories will be told at a later date. It is time for the men to step aside and let a Loyalist woman have her say. The story of Savannah’s Elizabeth (Lightenstone) Johnston will be featured in next week’s Loyalist Trails.

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

Parcel of NS Land: From Slave-Owning Loyalist's Son to the African Baptist Church, by Brian McConnell, UE

By Brian McConnell, UE

While researching land records in Nova Scotia I came across an interesting story of how a parcel of land was transferred from the son of a prominent Loyalist who owned slaves to the African Baptist Church. This is the story of that land, in recognition of African Heritage Month.

A short distance along the main road outside the Town of Digby, Nova Scotia is an area now known as Joggin Bridge and nearby Digby Joggin. The area was settled by Black Loyalists and their descendants who arrived after the American Revolution. The Acaciaville Baptist Church which is only a few miles from Joggin Bridge traces its history back to this area and its people. It was also one of the founding members of the African United Baptist Association of Nova Scotia in 1854.

The African Baptist Church was conveyed lands in Digby County in 1875 which had previously been part of a larger property purchased from David Rutherford, Executor of the Estate of his father Henry. Henry Rutherford came to Digby in 1783 from New York as a United Empire Loyalist.

Within Digby County there were also several Loyalists with military experience during the American Revolution who owned Black slaves in 1807.

In subsequent years members of the congregation of the African Baptist Church established their church where the Acaciaville Baptist Church is now located. It is now one of 19 churches throughout Nova Scotia which are members of the African United Baptist Association.

Read more.

The "Hynson Business": Story of a Double Agent

by Richard J. Werther, 12 February 2019

Wars have a way of creating strange alliances, and the American Revolution was no exception. I encountered one such unusual relationship while researching my article on American naval officer Lambert Wickes, who completed many daring privateering captures in European waters in 1776-77 before relinquishing the stage to John Paul Jones. By all accounts, Wickes was an upright and trustworthy man – with a mission to drive the French to support the American cause by fomenting conflict between the British and the French.

Lambert Wickes’s half-brother, Joseph Hynson, was another story entirely: an American sea captain, like Wickes, but one who turned double agent. He accomplished one of the more notorious and least-known sleights of hand in early American diplomatic history.

Joseph Hynson, born in 1750, was one of eighteen children in the extended Wickes-Hynson family. It is difficult to ascertain how close he was to his half-brother Lambert, as the written record reveals little formal correspondence between the two. The only such correspondence I found provides no hint of familiarity or informality you would expect when dealing with a family member. Both were sea captains, though only Wickes received a commission in the Continental Navy.

If France provided the decisive edge to America in the Revolution, that edge was won through the diplomatic and intelligence work that swirled around and through the American commissioners to France. That group consisted of Silas Deane, the first on the scene to start supply chain activities, Benjamin Franklin (delivered to France by Wickes), and Arthur Lee, as well as a staff of secretaries and assistants.

Valentine Jones, British Army Officer, Quebec, Boston, New York

Although a general in the army, colonel of the regiment, and commandant of the City of New York in 1778, surprisingly little is known of Valentine Jones. Jones's career as an officer in the British army began on 26 March 1744 when he was commissioned as ensign in the 33rd Regiment of Foot.

After lengthy garrison duties in Ireland throughout the 1760s, the 52nd Regiment was transferred to the Province of Canada, where it remained in the City of Québec. In the spring of 1774, Jones and two regiments under his care (the 10th Regiment and his own 52nd), were ordered to be transferred elsewhere.

The destination of Jones and the two regiments was Boston in support of Lieutenant-General, the Hon. Thomas Gage, during the period of growing unrest in that city.

As commander of the 3rd Brigade of General Sir William Howe's army, Valentine Jones and his regiments participated throughout the lengthy campaign of 1776, assisting in the subjugation of Long Island, Manhattan, lower New York, and New Jersey.

As is with much of his service, Jones's whereabouts during the period of the Northern Campaign of 1777 are difficult to determine.

By 1778, General Jones was stationed in or about the City of New York.

Due to failing health, Valentine Jones returned home and was in England by early November 1778.

Read about Valentine Jones; while stationed in Quebec, he was apparently much liked.

JAR: Caught Between the Lines: Eastchester, New York, During the American Revolution

by Edna Gabler 14 February 2019

When one thinks of the American Revolution, the places that most quickly come to mind are Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, Yorktown. Yet during the War for Independence, Eastchester, New York, located only a few miles north of Manhattan, experienced with few exceptions calamitous depredations more constant and severe than any other area of the United States.

At the time of the American Revolution, Eastchester’s borders were the Bronx River on the west, New Rochelle and Pelham on the east, Scarsdale on the north, and what is today the northeast Bronx on the south. The Bronx did not exist as a borough of New York City; it was part of Westchester County. In fact, Westchester County at the beginning of the Revolution covered all the territory north of the Harlem and East rivers, which formed its southern boundary, to what is now Putnam County to the north. The county was bordered by the Hudson River on the west and Long Island Sound on the east.

Eastchester, in the southernmost part of Westchester County, as well as the rest of the county, was largely a farm-based economy. Westchester County consisted of a few villages with a small number of inhabitants and farms scattered over large tracts of land. Other than gristmills and sawmills, there was no manufacturing.

Most pre-Revolution residents of Eastchester were apolitical and remained indifferent to early rumblings of discontent from the Sons of Liberty and other more rebellious factions in New England.

Westchester was finally pushed over the edge into full-fledged involvement in the war by the convergence of the American and British military forcesin the county in the fall of 1776. Strategists from both countries had calculated that the Hudson River Valley was key to control of communications between the New England and southern colonies. They further determined that the region, especially Westchester County and Long Island, with abundant supplies of livestock and foodstuffs, was essential to adequately feed their armies. The die was cast, thus commencing seven years of constant terror from which the inhabitants of Eastchester and the rest of the county emerged changed.

Read more.

Washington's Quill: Mount Vernon and the Papers of George Washington: A Partnership Since 1968

By Kevin Butterfield 15 February 2019

The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA) has protected and preserved George Washington’s home since before the Civil War. And their mission has always gone beyond one of simple architectural conservation. The MVLA understands that some of the most important ways of fulfilling its mission involve reaching far outside the boundaries of the estate, and Mount Vernon’s commitment specifically to preserving and disseminating the written historical record of Washington’s life and public service goes back more than a century. Just over fifty years ago, they made an especially transformative decision to partner with the University of Virginia (UVA) on the Papers of George Washington.

Read more, for an interesting history of this project's formation.

The Junto: Announcing the Launch of Freedom on the Move

Thousands of enslaved African Americans emancipated themselves by taking flight and escaping their enslavers. One way that this form of resistance to slavery can be studied is through the advertisements that enslavers and jailers placed in newspapers in hopes of turning those who had run away back into "property." The ads allow us a glimpse of both enslavers’ desires and the defiance of the enslaved. In them, it is possible to read pain and suffering in the record of scars and maimed bodies. The ads hold both the grief of separation from kin left behind and the relief of family mentioned at possible destinations. Historians have long used advertisements for fugitives from slavery to study the institution of slavery and the lives of enslaved people. But it can be difficult for the public to access them because the ads exist in multiple formats across multiple archives.

Freedom on the Move (FOTM), an online project devoted to fugitives from slavery in North America, launches today, February 14, 2019. FOTM asks the public to help in creating a database that makes the stories and lives of fugitives from slavery in North America accessible.

Read more.

Ben Franklin's World: The Poison Plot: Adultery & Murder In Colonial Newport

Elaine Forman Crane, a Distinguished Professor of History at Fordham University, takes us through the divorce proceedings of Benedict and Mary Ward Arnold with details from her book, The Poison Plot: A Tale of Adultery and Murder in Colonial Newport.

As we investigate this story, Elaine reveals what we know about Benedict and Mary Ward Arnold and the circumstances of their marriage; Why and how Mary may have attempted to poison Benedict; And what the story of Mary Ward and Benedict Arnold reveals about early American history.

Listen to the podcast.

Book: Threads in the Tapestry of Canada: Some Loyalist Descendants Buried in Beechwood Cemetery

by Dorothy Meyerhof, UE, Sur Guy Carleton Branch UELAC

The Sir Guy Carleton Branch, UELAC, announces the sale of a new book, Threads in the Tapestry of Canada: Some Loyalist Descendants Buried in Beechwood Cemetery. The book highlights the lives of eighteen United Empire Loyalist descendants buried in Beechwood, Canada’s National Cemetery in Ottawa, and their Loyalist ancestors. These Loyalist descendants have enriched and enhanced the lives of their fellow citizens and contributed to the success and vibrancy of Ottawa and of Canada. The stories of their ancestors demonstrate the difficulties and suffering overcome in order to create a peaceful life in a new land under the British Crown. See book description and ordering details at the Sir Guy Carleton Branch website.

Book Review of Threads in the Tapestry of Canada by Marg Hall, UE

Reviewed by Marg Hall, UE

Threads in the Tapestry of Canada: Some Loyalist Descendants Buried in Beechwood Cemetery is not a particularly large nor a long book, but the degree of scholarship which has gone into its production is impressive indeed. The author is Dorothy Meyerhof. Dorothy, the archivist and librarian for the Sir Guy Carleton Branch of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, has produced a most interesting and informative book. For each of the individuals or families involved she has done a thorough background research study with a complete bibliography of the resources used. At least one of the bibliographies runs to nine pages, so one can appreciate the work involved creating the meticulously investigated context of each Loyalist descendant. The information in the book also includes a condensed biography of the Loyalist ancestor of each of the case studies presented.

This book is a glimpse into the lives of 18 Loyalists, whose descendants and families have their final resting place in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. Beechwood is the National Cemetery of Canada, and the official National burial place of the R.C.M.P. It is the cemetery of Governor General Ray Hatyshyn, of premiers, a Prime Minister, and at least 2 Fathers of Confederation. Therein also lie judges, doctors, lawyers, soldiers, sports heroes, poets, and prelates, and thousands of very ordinary people. It is 160 acres of gardens, ponds and tree-shaded areas, and has been declared a National Historic site.

It is in this hallowed place that the individuals, whose ancestors were Loyalists, and who are the subjects of the 18 studies, were laid to rest. As Dorothy has indicated in her introduction, this is but a random sampling of the many individuals buried at Beechwood, whose ancestors, because of their support of the British cause in the Revolutionary war, were known as Loyalists.

The entities and their kinfolk showcased in this work provide an examination of the society of their times and cover a period of burials from the late 19th to the early 21st century. To quote from the book’s introduction, "These are men and women; judges and messengers; engineers and hotel keepers; a visionary and an educator...all contributed to the rich social, business, legal, religious, structural, and military life of Ottawa and Canada."

Threads in the Tapestry of Canada is an absorbing and worthwhile addition to the body of scholarship portraying Loyalist lives.

The Contortionist

One of our Ferrell ancestors living in Dundas county, Ontario had a neighbour girl ( might have been Ruth Stewart ) working as "servant". As the family was about to sit down for the evening meal, Ruth was nowhere to be found. Finally Mr. Ferrell sent one of his sons out to the root cellar for butter etc. On arrival the boy discovered Ruth sitting on the floor looking very sheepish. She sat there with one leg wrapped behind her head....

He set her free as she related her story. She had been to the circus the day before and was impressed with how the contortionist could so easily wrap her legs behind her head. She found this secluded spot to give it a try. After getting her one leg in place she found she was unable to get it down....

Hoping you enjoyed this little story as many of us have over the years.

...Josephine H. Edwards / Ross

St. Lawrence Branch website

St. Lawrence Branch has added rich historical content, teeming with primary sources, to our website. The branch covers the Eastern Ontario counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry.

We have a page with information on the wartime experiences and the post-war settlement of the two main Loyalist regiments who came here in 1784 (the 1st battalion of the King's Royal Regiment of New York, and the 1st battalion of the Royal Highland Emigrants, a.k.a. 84th Regiment of Foot). Those pages feature stunning illustrations from the Canadian War Museum and elsewhere.

Check it out at uelac.org/st-lawrence/?page_id=267.

...Stuart Manson, UE; Branch Webmaster and Newsletter Editor

Hamilton Branch Speaker Natasha Henry for Black History Month

The speaker on Feb. 28 for Black History Month is Natasha Henry: "Brought in Bondage: the Africans Enslaved by UELs in early Canada." Everyone welcome (St. Matthew on-the-Plain, 126 Plains Rd. E., Burlington at 7:30 pm).

Natasha Henry is president of the Ontario Black History Society, a historian and an educator for 19 years. She is also an award-winning curriculum developer focusing on Black Canadian experiences. Natasha is a 2018 Vanier Scholar and is currently completing a PhD in History at York University researching Black enslavement in early Ontario.

Notice at Hamilton Branch Website.

UE Loyalist Certificates Issued Recently

The list of UE Certificates issued since late in 2012 – showing the Loyalist ancestor, name of descendant (when permission is granted), branch and date – has been updated with the certificates issued in November and December of last year. The same updates have been applied to the Loyalist Directory.

Where in the World?

Where is Jack Twells of Calgary Branch?

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 your submission to the editor at loyalist.trails@uelac.org.

Region and Branch Bits

From the UELAC branches, news and events of interest to others.

• St. Lawrence Branch has added rich historical content, teeming with primary sources, to our website. The branch covers the Eastern Ontario counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry. We have a page with information on the wartime experiences and the post-war settlement of the two main Loyalist regiments who came here in 1784 (the 1st battalion of the King's Royal Regiment of New York, and the 1st battalion of the Royal Highland Emigrants, a.k.a. 84th Regiment of Foot). Those pages feature stunning illustrations from the Canadian War Museum and elsewhere. Check it out here – Stuart Manson, UE (Branch Webmaster and Newsletter Editor)
• Hamilton Br. speaker Natasha Henry for Black History Month – The speaker on Feb. 28 for Black History Month is Natasha Henry: "Brought in Bondage: the Africans Enslaved by UELs in early Canada".  Everyone welcome. St. Matthew on-the-Plain, 126 Plains Rd. E., Burlington at 7:30 p.m. Natasha Henry is president of the Ontario Black History Society, a historian and an educator for 19 years. She is also an award-winning curriculum developer focusing on Black Canadian experiences.  Natasha is a 2018 Vanier Scholar and is currently completing a PhD in History at York University researching Black enslavement in early Ontario. Notice at Hamilton Branch Website.
  

From the Twittersphere and Beyond

• Gravestone in Old Burying Ground at Halifax of Reverend William Furmage, Huntingdonian Missionary to the Black Loyalists who established school for Black students in 1786
• American Revolution Museum at Yorktown historical interpreter wears the uniform of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Gaskins Jr's Virginia Battalion, whose ranks included free blacks serving alongside white soldiers.
• In those days, life took the same sorts of twists and turns that it does today.
  • On 11 Feb 1784, Abigail Adams was preparing to join her husband John in Europe after years apart. She wrote to John about hiring household staff: John Brisler a a virtuous Steady frugal fellow, with a mind much above the vulgar, very handy and attentive. For a maidservant, Abigail hoped to hire John Briesler’s sister but she ended up taking Esther Field, a neighbor’s daughter. Esther had been born on 7 Oct 1764, meaning she was nineteen. In Europe, Abigail reported "her [Esther} general state of Health is very bad." Read details...
  • In Britain, Adams, knew, the thirty-one-year-old Briesler had developed a relationship with another of the family servants: Esther Field, still only twenty-three. But a few days before a 10 Feb. 1788 letter by Abigail to her sister, Field had broken the news that she was several months pregnant. Read more...
  • By 1789, John Adams, The newly elected Vice President had Briesler accompany him to New York and then Philadelphia during the Washington administration. It looks like Briesler’s wife Esther stayed with Abigail Adams in Braintree (or its 1792 spin-off, Quincy). Adams won the election of 1796. In January 1797 Abigail told John, "Mrs Brisler will go to Philadelphia when I do and make part of our Family." On 1 February Abigail repeated the same assurance to John Briesler. Read more...
• Today in History: Lars D.H. Hedbor @LarsDHHedbor (see his page for associated photos):
  • 16 Feb 1775, government ministers in London decided to offer a pardon to all Massachusetts men who had been involved in treason as long as they took a loyalty oath to obey parliamentary law from then on.
  • 15 Feb 1776 Governor of Nova Scotia warns Crown that corruption crackdown may spur Patriot sympathizers to rebel.
  • 14 Feb 1778 the United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
  • 14 Feb 1779 Patriots defeat Loyalists at Kettle Creek, GA, after mortally wounding Colonel Boyd, leading to a rout.
  • 13 Feb 1776 occupying British forces made their last offensive push out of Boston, crossing the ice to Dorchester Neck, where they took a handful of prisoners and burned some houses. The leader of this raid, Maj. Thomas Musgrave of the 64th, was known to other British army officers as the best skater in Boston.
  • 13 Feb 1776 Patrick Henry is placed in command of defense of Virginia's gunpowder supply.
  • 12 Feb 1789 Ethan Allen, of Green Mt. Boys, dies of stroke, possibly following a night of drinking & carousing.
  • 12 Feb 1776 "pict. up the Regulars bullets fired towards lechmor on the Ice . One man got 80, another 60, & many others got large Numbers." – Continental military engineer Jeduthan Baldwin, diary entry
  • 11 Feb 1776 Sir James Wright, Royal governor of Georgia, escapes Patriot house arrest; returns to office 1779-1782.
  • 10 Feb 1779 Americans outfight Loyalists at Carr's Fort, GA, turning away to rout enemy at Battle of Kettle Creek.
  • 9 Feb 1776 Gen. Lee asks Congress to send a battalion to NYC to build fortifications against newly-arrived British.
• Townsends: The Perfect Beginner Recipe - Boiled Dumplings
• 18th Century rear detail of a court mantua of embroidered silk with coloured silk & metal threads, England, 1740-45
• 18th Century dress, robe à l'anglaise, c1770-80's
• 18th Century Pierrot jacket & linen skirt: French 1780-90
• 18th Century dress, Robe à la Polonaise, American 1780's
• 18th Century day dress, 1790's - by this time the more structured dresses were transitioning into the relaxed style of the Regency period
• 18th Century men's 3 piece suit, 1770's England
• 18th Century men's frock coat and waistcoat, French, c.1775
• 18th Century mens waistcoat, yellow silk, patterned with a knotted net of stripes in brown, peach & cream, c.1795
• Silk Brocade Shoes "For Exportation". Made in London, exported to North America, the uppers feature brocaded silk which is visually appealing with pinks, pale green and raspberry tones on an ivory ground. C1789s.
• While I didn't attend the Burnaby South all-candidates meeting on Monday night, I saw it on YouTube and I found parts of it quite disturbing. I was born in Canada and my family trace back to the United Empire Loyalists. All of my life I have been upset with racism, narrow-mindedness, bigotry and people treating others disrespectfully based on ethnicity, skin pigment or any other superficial reason. Read more...

Additions to the Loyalist Directory

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

• McDonald, Alexander - from Fran Rose, Victoria Branch

Relationship of John Faddle & Sarah Buck to David, Hiram & Peter Ferrel

My ggg-grandmother Cynthia b Guernsey ( parents Daniel Guernsey and Rachael Jones) married Samuel Faddle/Farrell/Ferrell, son of John Faddle/Farrell/Ferrell and Sarah/Sally Buck.

This conundrum concerns 3 Ferrel men: David married Philomena Bowen, Hiram married Nancy Bowen, and Peter married Martha Bull. Through years of searching we have not been able to find the parents of these boys. Nor have we discovered the relationship between the three boys and John and Sarah Faddle.

We have found land transfers from John and Sarah Faddle to their son Samuel, perfectly logical.

Strangely though we have also found land transfers from John and Sarah to these three Ferrel boys.

What is the connection between John and Sarah and the three lads? Many have gone to their graves without finding the answer and the rest of us are in our seventies/eighties due to depart any time now.

If you have any connection or information on these boys it would be most welcome.

...Josephine H. Edwards / Ross

Donald Daniel McCrimmon

My daughter Carol and I are working through our genealogy files and trying to sort out our ancestor Donald Daniel McCrimmon born March 10, 1745 in Borreraig, Isle of Skye. He came to North America and joined the 84th Regiment of Foot, later called the Royal Highland Emigrants. I am looking for documentation of his being a member of this regiment. I recall a book written about the 84th Regiment but do not recall the author ... might you?

Where might Carol access details of his army career? eg. enlisting etc. There is some discussion as to Donald Daniel McCrimmon being part of this regiment so we are looking for confirmation of his existence and army records. All suggestions, assistance, pointers are appreciated.

...Irene MacCrimmon and Carol MacCrimmon