Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2019 Archive

In this issue:
- UELAC Conference – The Capital Calls: Ottawa/Gatineau and Area Attractions
- Loyalists Who Could Not See: Part 2 of 3, by Stephen Davidson
- A Project to Digitize the Loyalist Claims Records Held at Kew
- St. Alban's Church in Adolphustown ON to be De-consecrated
- JAR: Brothers Mourn the Death of Captain Thomas Moultrie
- Captain Septimus Noel: Ordnance Fleet Commodore
- Ben Franklin's World: First Martyr of Liberty
- Where in the World ... are the Photos?
- Region and Branch Bits
      + Hamilton Branch March 28th Meeting
      + Nova Scotia Branch Meeting 13 April
      + Quebec This Summer? Little Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse
- From the Twittersphere and Beyond
- Last Post
      + Arthur "Art" Francis Dorland, UE
      + Donald (Donnie) Eugene Outhouse, UE

UELAC Conference – The Capital Calls: Ottawa/Gatineau and Area Attractions

Join fellow Loyalists and friends at UELAC Conference 2019 "The Capital Calls" – May 30 - June 2, 2019, at DoubleTree by Hilton Gatineau-Ottawa, 1170 chemin Aylmer, Gatineau, Quebec, hosted by Sir Guy Carleton Branch.

by Roy Lewis

Those attending The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada's Conference 2019 in Ottawa this year may want to extend their stay and visit some of over 200 attractions the National Capital Region has to offer.

Museums, art galleries and much more featuring such diverse topics as history, technology, nature, aviation, beer production and space can be discovered in Ottawa, Gatineau and the surrounding area. Some attractions are featured in tours offered during Conference 2019. See details at the UELAC.org website. Each of the following attractions have their own website with more information including hours of operation and admission fees.

Located near the Parliament buildings, the Bytown Museum explores the stories of an evolving community and its residents from the early days of the Bytown settlement to present-day Ottawa. The museum is at the Ottawa Locks on the Rideau Canal, a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With its exhibits of prehistoric dinosaurs, skeleton of the world's largest animal -- the blue whale -- and colourful rocks and minerals, the Canadian Museum of Nature is designed to delight visitors by the power and beauty of the planet.

After undergoing an $80.5-million upgrade of its entire building, the Canada Science and Technology Museum now features over 80,000 square feet of redesigned exhibit space of accomplishments in science. But the museum also includes long-time visitor favourites such as massive steam locomotives and the popular Crazy Kitchen.

Highlights of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum include the largest surviving pieces of the famous Avro Arrow, the original Canadarm used on the Endeavour space shuttle, a Lancaster bomber from the Second World War and Life in Orbit: The International Space Station exhibition. The museum on a former military air base also consists of more than 130 aircraft and artifacts from both civil and military service.

The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum boasts it is the world's only working farm in the heart of a capital city. Visitors see the diverse breeds of farm animals important to the past and present Canadian agriculture as well as learn about the food they eat.

Through its exhibitions, the Bank of Canada Museum has a mandate to provide Canadians with a space where they can gain an understanding of the bank's role in guiding the Canadian economy as well as featuring centuries worth of economic artifacts from shells once used as money to bank notes made from tree bark.

The Diefenbunker Cold War Museum was commissioned by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in 1959 as part of his government's reaction to escalating tensions in the Cold War. Built on a farm in Carp west of Ottawa and now a National Historic Site, the bunker, in operation from 1961 to 1994, was intended to safely house key members of government and military in the event of a nuclear attack.

Ottawa boasts several art galleries including the National Gallery of Canada established in 1880 and now containing over 75,000 works of art including one of the finest collections of Canadian and Indigenous art in the world. The Ottawa Art Gallery, an independent, not-for-profit, charitable organization has a permanent collection of more than 1,000 works including paintings, sculptures, graphic arts, photographs and new media.

Among other attractions is the Royal Canadian Mint. Open daily, visitors can tour the Mint's Ottawa manufacturing facility where coin-making is demonstrated and an on-site boutique features a large selection of unique gifts, collectibles and souvenirs.

Library and Archives Canada combines the holdings, services and staff of both the former National Library of Canada and the National Archives of Canada. Included in its mandate is to preserve the documentary heritage of Canada for the benefit of present and future generations and be a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, contributing to the cultural, social and economic advancement of Canada as a free and democratic society.

Things to see and do in and near Gatineau include the Symmes Inn built in 1831 by Charles Symmes, the founder of Aylmer which is now part of Gatineau. A National Historic Site of Canada, this heritage building houses the Symmes Inn Museum and its permanent exhibition recounting how the adjacent river was a busy waterway, a hive of industrial activity, a passage for steamboats and a leisure attraction.

Offering round-the-clock activities, the Casino du Lac-Leamy features live entertainment at the Theatre du Casino, gaming tables, slot machines and a nightclub. The casino's LeBaccara, one of five restaurants at the site, offers haute cuisine dining.

Production of beer and spirits have been an important industrial activity in the Outaouais region's history. Visitors can take a stroll along Brewery Creek and visit a century-old former brewery that now houses the Les Brasseurs du Temps microbrewery and brewing heritage museum. Other microbreweries are located in the Collines-de-l'Outaouasi and the Petit-Nation and a new distillery in Gatineau is producing vodka made with local ingredients.

Gatineau Park, a 10-minute drive from downtown Gatineau, consists of over 350-square-kilometres of hills and forest making it a superb location for outdoor activities. The park features such attractions as the Nordik Spa-Nature, Champlain Lookout, Pink Lake, Lusk Cave and the Mackenzie King Estate where guide-interpreters inform visitors of the history of the site.

See more details, including a flyer, the schedule, speakers, venue, directions, and the registration form. Registration is now open!

Loyalists Who Could Not See: Part 2 of 3

© Stephen Davidson, UE

Robert McLelland immigrated to South Carolina from his home in Ireland in 1767. He had no way of knowing that in less than 15 years he would lose his land, his community, and his eyesight.

McLelland would have settled in Craven County with high expectations. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, South Carolina was one of the richest British colonies in North America. However, the colony would also become the site of more battles between Loyalist and Patriot forces than any other. Its backcountry was witness to a bloody civil war between Americans and immigrants divided in their loyalties. 25,000 Africans enslaved in South Carolina escaped to freedom during the revolution, hundreds of whom settled in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

By the end of the War of Independence, Robert McLelland had joined Loyalist refugees who decided to seek sanctuary in Great Britain. In February of 1784, he stood alone before the Loyalist compensation board to tell his story.

Seventeen years earlier the Irishman had established a farm in the county that stretched inland from the Atlantic Ocean along the border with North Carolina. During the first five years of the war, McLelland had been able to remain neutral, but he eventually succumbed to Patriot pressure to take an oath of allegiance to the new republic. Had he not done so, he would have been banished from South Carolina. McLelland confessed that had "mustered with the rebels, but never took arms against the British".

When British forces gained control of Charleston, McLelland enlisted with Colonel Turnbull's troops. Later he served as a lieutenant under Major Doyle in the South Carolina Rangers. This corps fought in battles at Fort Watson, Hobrick's Hill, and Shubrick's Plantation, suffering numerous casualties.

During one of these battles, McLelland was making cartridges. Something set off the gunpowder he was handling, and the explosion cost him his eyes. Following the account of his accident, McLelland testified that he "acted as a commissary in driving in cattle". It is hard to determine if he did this following his accident or whether he meant that he had once served the crown in this capacity before he went blind.

Since large numbers of Loyalists fled South Carolina in the fall of 1782, it would seem reasonable that this is when McLelland sailed for Britain. How he and his family managed before he sought compensation in 1784 is not recorded.

Despite have once taken a Patriot oath of allegiance, McLelland was recognized as a Loyalist who bore arms and was compensated for his wartime service and property losses.

Lieutenant Ann (also Andrew) Gordon, a native of Dalpholly, Scotland was living in St. Sulpice 40 miles below Montreal when the Revolution broke out. No doubt he thought that all of his fighting days were behind him. Gordon had been wounded in the hand and leg in 1758 at the Battle of Ticonderoga, in the leg (again) at the siege of Niagara, and in his neck and shoulder while fighting Indigenous warriors in 1763. Yet none of these wounds were the cause of his eventual blindness.

Gordon owned built both a gristmill and a sawmill on the land he bought in New York's Albany County and also operated two farms in Canada to support his wife and five children. Well regarded in St. Sulpice, the old soldier became its Justice of Peace.

In 1774, he "was attacked by cancer in the face". Six years of treatment was "all to no purpose". During his battle with cancer, Patriots seized his New York property.

On the advice of his doctors, Gordon sought treatment in England. To make the transatlantic journey, he had to mortgage his Quebec farm. A shipwreck in the St. Lawrence in which he lost all his money, forced Gordon to return home.

A list of 1780 correspondence to Quebec's governor, General Haldimand, notes that Gordon sent a letter "asking for assistance on the grounds of being an old soldier suffering from wounds". A year later, he wrote another letter to Haldimand offering his services in fighting the rebels. Whatever the governor's response was, McLelland changed his plans to enlist and sailed to England in 1781, leaving behind a destitute family.

For four years, Gordon remained in London where he was treated for his cancer. In 1786, he again applied to the Loyalist claims commissioners for assistance. Certified as blind by his British doctors, Gordon's deteriorating health so moved the commissioners that their notes described him as being "a shocking spectacle." Gordon died on August 22, 1787. The commissioners decided to award a pension of £20 per annum to his widow and children. One of the Gordon children was sent over to Scotland, another was brought up by a neighbour and friend, and Gordon's widow received assistance in the working of the farm.

This series concludes in next week's Loyalist Trails with the story of a blind Loyalist who became a member of a colonial legislature.

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

A Project to Digitize the Loyalist Claims Records Held at Kew

The Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture at the College of William & Mary has awarded Benjamin Bankhurst, assistant professor of history at Shepherd University, and Kyle Roberts, associate professor of public history and new media and director of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities at Loyola University Chicago, with a $5,000 Lapidus Digital Collections Fellowship for "The Maryland Loyalist Project." The project is a collaboration between Bankhurst and Roberts, aiming to make the letters and petitions of British loyalists who fled the American Revolution housed in the British National Archives available in a digital archive.

The grant will provide undergraduate students at Shepherd and Loyola the opportunity to develop in-demand skills in the digital humanities, such as web design, transcription, mapping and visualization, while they help create a website that will provide scholars and the public with online access to rare manuscript records from the Parliamentary Loyalist Claims Commission held by the National Archives at Kew, England.

Read more.

...Ron Adkins, Marc Gallop and Martha Hemphill

St. Alban's Church in Adolphustown ON to be De-consecrated

Seventh Town Historical Society

Sad news – St. Alban's Church in Adolphustown was built in 1884 as a monument and commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 1784 arrival of the United Empire Loyalists (UEL).

The Anglican Diocese will be de-consecrating St Alban's in June of 2019, after which time the destiny of the church and the rectory becomes very uncertain. The walls inside of the church hold sixty-four tiles which represent some of the original UEL families. The community group Friends of St Alban's has until June to come up with a proposal for consideration.

UELAC helped develop and hosts a website about St. Alban the Martyr UEL Memorial Church, its history, the tiles, the cemetery.

See a related article from CBC: “From sacred to secular: Canada set to lose 9,000 churches, warns national heritage group.”

JAR: Brothers Mourn the Death of Captain Thomas Moultrie

by George Kotlik 19 March 2019

Thomas Moultrie was one of five sons of a successful South Carolina planter. He served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War as a captain of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment. He was killed on April 24, 1780, during a dramatic dawn sortie from the besieged city of Charleston. His heroic death was in vain, for the American garrison surrendered the city fifteen days later, one of the Continental army's worst defeats.

The most famous of Thomas Moultrie's brothers was William, who played an important role in defending Charleston the first time it was attacked, in 1776, and later became a governor of South Carolina. Another brother, John, took a very different path when war broke out in America, choosing to oppose the rebellion and support the British government. He became a loyalist government official in British-held St. Augustine, Florida. After John learned of Thomas's death, he penned an emotional letter on July 8, 1780, to his Patriot brother Alexander. His words shed light on the sentiments of siblings separated by political oaths of allegiance between the two warring nations.

Read more.

Captain Septimus Noel: Ordnance Fleet Commodore

by William W. Reynolds 21 March 2019

History occasionally provides a pleasant surprise by revealing the record of an ordinary person who, thrust into a unique role, performed extraordinary services for his country. In researching the movement of American ordinance from the Hudson River and Philadelphia to Yorktown in 1781, this author discovered that the commodore appointed to lead the ordnance fleet, Capt. Septimus Noel, was such a man. An unheralded, though experienced, Chesapeake Bay ship captain, he was quite unexpectedly placed in command of a disparate collection of vessels and tasked with transporting down the Chesapeake Bay the only siege guns and related supplies possessed by the Continental Army, and he completed that assignment promptly and efficiently. The circumstances that resulted in that contribution are worth exploring.

Read more.

Ben Franklin's World: First Martyr of Liberty

Mitch Kachun joins us to investigate the memory and legacy of Crispus Attucks and the Boston Massacre. Mitch is a Professor of History at Western Michigan University and he's the author of First Martyr of Liberty: Crispus Attucks in American Memory.

During our investigation, Mitch reveals who Crispus Attucks was and the facts and mythologies about his life; Why Attucks disappeared from the historical record after March 5, 1770; And, why Attucks and the Boston Massacre reappeared in Americans' historical memory after the 1840s.

Listen to the podcast.

Where in the World?

For want of a photo ...

All it takes is you, with a bit of Loyalist gear or period clothing, and a historic site (where you live or elsewhere) – and, of course, someone with a camera.

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:

Hamilton Branch March 28th Meeting

Adam Shoalts, PhD, Canadian Explorer and Historian, talks on "A History of Canada in 10 Maps." Adam has just finished a 4,000 km solo journey across the Arctic. St. Matthew on-the-Plain Church, 126 Plains Rd. E., Burlington, Ontario at 7:30, March 28. Free admission and no need for registration. Parking in the church lot is limited as we share the premises. All are welcome. Hamilton Branch.

Nova Scotia Branch Meeting 13 April

Spring Meeting of UELAC Nova Scotia Branch to be held April 13, 2019 in historic St. George's Round Church in Halifax.

Quebec This Summer? Little Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse

If you are in Quebec this summer, in the Eastern Townships, take the opportunity to visit the Little Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse. The saving, restoration and development of this historically recognized site since the beginning has been a project of the Little Forks Branch UELAC, under the leadership of Bev. Loomis UE, President.

From the Twittersphere and Beyond

• Cornwallis's Refitment at Winnsborough and the Start of the Winter Campaign, November 1780 - January 1781, by Ian Saberton 18 March 2019. Note: This is very detailed, so quite good for those into some level of the military minutiae. Read more...
• The gravestone of McGregory Van Every, a Loyalist and member of Butler's Rangers who "Departed this life Sept ye 25th 1786". Now set into a wall of stones for the family at Warner Cemetery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, it's acknowledged as one of the oldest gravestones in Ontario.
• Today in History: Lars D.H. Hedbor @LarsDHHedbor (see his page for associated photos):
  • 22 Mar 1765 Parliament passes Stamp Act, initiating violent American protests that eventually lead to Revolution.
  • Mar 22, 1770, Massachusetts's high court was set to adjourn, "Two of the Judges being sick," but a committee led by Samuel Adams demanded "proceeding to the trial of the Criminals this Term, particularly those concerned in the late bloody Massacre."
  • 21 Mar 1778 British forces massacre Continentals at Hancock's Bridge, NJ, bayonetting them in their sleep.
  • Mar 21, 1776, Gen. George Washington issued a proclamation on how his Continental troops would occupy Boston: "Whereas the Ministerial Army have abandoned the Town of Boston..."
  • 20 Mar 1782 Prime Minister North becomes only the second British PM in history drummed out of office, over loss of American Revolution.
  • 19 Mar 1781 Spanish General Bernardo de Gálvez's armada follows him into Pensacola Bay despite heavy British fire.
  • 18 Mar 1766 Parliament accedes to American resolve and repeals Stamp Act, but later goes on to pass Townshend Acts.
  • 17 Mar 1776 British forced out of Boston following Washington's fortification of Dorchester Heights over city.
  • 16 Mar 1776 British naval commanders learn that Americans are loading military supplies at three Spanish ports.
• Townsends
  • 19th Century Apple Brandy at Historic Locust Grove
  • Live History on Your Terms
• 18th Century sack back silk dress, 1775-1780, French; altered 1870-1910
• 18th Century dress & accessories, yellow was the colour of the Chinese Emperor, 18th Century fashion for "chinoiserie" made it popular in Europe, 1760's
• 18th Century Purple silk brocade dress with lace cuffs. Worn by Sophia Maskelyne (nee Rose), wife of fifth Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne. Possibly worn on her wedding day on 21 August 1784
• 18th Century dress, Robe à la Polonaise, c.1780
• 18th Century dress, Robe a l'anglaise, 1780-1785
• 18th Century men's Court coat, beautifully embroidered silk, c. 1760's
• 18th Century men's silk suit and waistcoat, c.1790
• 18th Century men's court coat and waistcoat ensemble, silk with detachable cuffs, c.1765, French
• 18th Century 3 piece suit of matching blue wool, British, c.1780
• the story of Catherine Haven [Dexter] & her red ribbed wedding shoes worn for her 1756 nuptials.

Arthur "Art" Francis Dorland, UE

Nov 26, 1927 - Mar. 8, 2019

Art passed away in Trenton, ON at the age of ninety-one. He was survived by three daughters and two sons, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a brother Douglas and sister Doreen Frederick. He was predeceased by his wives Dorothy Way and Marjorie Morgan, one daughter and one grandson. He was the son of the late W. Aylmer Dorland and Mildred Jean Arthur.

Art was active in the United Church of Canada, Order of the Eastern Star and a seventy-year member of the Masonic Lodge in Frankford, ON. He was also a member of the Bay of Quinte Branch UELAC for a long time. He likely had several Loyalist ancestors, but he is best known for being a double descendant of Capt. Abraham Maybee UE - Loyalist Certificate received in 1987 . Elsewhere in this ancestry he had numerous ancestors in the Quaker community. A service was held at Wooler United Church on March 15th with interment at McPhail's Cemetery at a later date. I had the pleasure of knowing Art over several years and I can do no better than quote from the official Obituary, We will miss his humourus stories, his wise counsel and his deep concern for all of us.

...Peter W. Johnson, UE

Donald (Donnie) Eugene Outhouse, UE

Age 87, of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on March 18, 2019. A son of the late Ronald and Evelyn (Titus) Outhouse, Donnie was born and raised on Tiverton, Long Island, Digby County. Don's working life was spent in various aspects of the fishing industry, education and construction. Retiring in 1988 after 27 years with the Department of Fisheries, Don began researching the history of his family and island home, publishing two books, walking tours and articles on the subject. He shared his vast knowledge of the Outhouse family and island's history to assist others with their research through his membership with the Descendants of Robert and Sarah Outhouse Society, the Argyle Historical Society and the Nova Scotia Branch of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada.

He was a direct descendant of United Empire Loyalist Robert Outhouse who with his wife Sarah (Caldwell) were settlers of Tiverton, Nova Scotia in 1785. Robert and his father Nicholas Outhouse came to Nova Scotia from Westchester County, New York after the American Revolution, however, his father later returned and then moved to Ontario with other family members. The ancestors of Robert Outhouse originally came from Holland.

A lifelong sports enthusiast, Donnie walked miles around the streets of Yarmouth, played hockey, badminton and baseball. He celebrated his 75th birthday watching his beloved New York Yankees, sitting just off the third base line, in Yankee Stadium. Though he didn't leave Long Island, Nova Scotia until he was 16, in later life he travelled to Singapore, Malaysia, his ancestral village of Uithuizen in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Bermuda and more, with Lorna by his side. Donnie received his 55- year jewel from the IOOF, was a participant in the VON Walkathon for 44 years and a member of their board. Don served as a deacon, trustee and in various other capacities in Yarmouth North Baptist Church where he was a member.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Lorna (Malloy) Outhouse; his daughters and their husbands, Donna and Denis LeBlanc, Moncton; Colleen and Tan Suan Hoe, Singapore; Mary and Mitchell Saulnier, Melbourne; grandchildren and numerous other relatives. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by brothers, Melbourne, Sheldon and Clyde. A service in Sweeny's Funeral Home, Yarmouth, on Saturday, March 23rd at 2 p.m. and a second service in Tiverton Baptist Church, Tiverton, Sunday, March 24th at 2 p.m. with commital in Pleasant Hill Cemetery thereafter. Donations may be made to the Victorian Order of Nurses (Tri-County Branch), Yarmouth North Baptist Church, Tiverton Baptist Church or Tiverton Christian Church. Online condolences may be sent to: sweenysfh@eastlink.ca or you may sign the guestbook online at www.sweenysfuneralhome.net.

...Brian McConnell, UE