Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2020 Archive

In this issue:
- Loyalist Day in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Edmonton, Alberta
- An Inconvenient Truth, by Stephen Davidson
- Why UELAC Scholarship Matters
- 2020 Scholarship Challenge Update: Week 3
- Decoding the Book of Negroes (Part 1 of 4), by Stephen Davidson
- The Myth of Intolerance of Loyalists
- Beaver Harbour NB Abolishes Slavery
- Fort Erie ON Mayor on Racism
- JAR: Reasons Against the Renewal of the Sugar Act (Part 1)
- Book Review: Sailing Under John Paul Jones: The Memoir of Continental Navy Midshipman Nathaniel Fanning
- Borealia: Introducing Loyalist Migrations
- Enslaved Belinda Sutton's Petition for Reparations
- Slavery and the British Country House
- Robert Outhouse, Tiverton NS and Pleasant Hill Cemetery
- Surveyors
- Resources: Primary Sources Online: JAR Contributor Recommendations
- How Many Hand-sewn Stitches in an 18thc Man's Shirt?
- UE Loyalist Certificates Issued Recently
- Where in the World?
- Region and Branch Bits
      + Webinar: Loyal Then, Loyal Now, Featuring Linda Corupe
      + Loyalist Day in Ontario: Kawartha Branch
      + Webinar: Researching a Loyalist Soldier
- Additions to the Loyalist Directory
- From the Twittersphere and Beyond
- Last Post: Wallace Edmond McLeod, UE

Loyalist Day in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Edmonton, Alberta

June 12: United Empire Loyalist Day in Kingston, Ontario

Significance: "His Majesty approves the plan you have proposed for settling some of the Loyalists at Cataraqui and places adjacent" - Royal Proclamation of George III received by Governor Haldimand at Quebec on the 12th June, 1784.

June 19: United Empire Loyalist Day in Ontario

Observances: Since 1998, United Empire Loyalist Day is observed locally with raising of the Loyalist flag and ceremony as organized by the Ontario Branches either on the date or on the closest weekend.

June 19: United Empire Loyalist Day in Saskatchewan

In 2000, the Regina Branch UELAC applied to the Provincial Government to have June 19th designated as United Empire Loyalist Day in Saskatchewan. Success was secured with the passing of a Private Member's bill. Each year since, the Branch has requested and received the same designation for June 19 from the Provincial Government. The huge Loyalist flag flies proudly from the Premier's balcony each year on that day.

June 19:United Empire Loyalist Day in Edmonton, Alberta

Observances: Since 2011, the Edmonton Branch UELAC has applied to the City of Edmonton to have June 19 declared "United Empire Loyalist Day in Edmonton."

As many of the celebrations have been cancelled or significantly curtailed due to Covid-19, here is a way to take note. Although it specifically focuses on Ontario, he good wishes apply to all.

...

Happy Loyalist Day Wishes from Nova Scotia

As we approach Loyalist Day in Ontario I have been reading about the origin and history. From this I have prepared a short video which I hope you enjoy.

The video includes information about the process to have it made Loyalist Day and photos from the time and subsequent United Empire Loyalists' Days.

Happy Loyalist Day!

...Brian McConnell, UE

An Inconvenient Truth

By Stephen Davidson, UE

When the pandemic first became a reality in Canada, Loyalist history buffs began to write articles about the impact of previous epidemics on the American Revolution and in the years that encompassed the era of Loyalist refugee settlement. You featured quite a few of them in Loyalist Trails. It's only natural that we would look to the past to see if it contains any lessons for the present situation.

However, when the death of George Floyd began a ripple effect of protest and outrage, Loyalist historians were not so quick to submit articles. There is a good reason for that. For white Loyalists, Black lives did not matter. It's an inconvenient truth of the Loyalist era.

First race riot in Canada? Shelburne, Nova Scotia – the largest Loyalist settlement in the British Empire in 1784.

Institutionalized racism? The 1785 charter of incorporation for Saint John, New Brunswick. Canada's "Loyalist City" banned Black workers and residents.

Blacks were bequeathed, bought and sold by Loyalists (even their ministers) during and after the American Revolution throughout the Maritimes and the Canadas right up until the British Parliament outlawed the practice.

Black Loyalist land grants were smaller than those of whites and were distributed much later.

The only white Loyalists who were on the side of the angels were the Quakers who were compelled by Patriot persecution to ally themselves with the British. They forbid their congregants from owning slaves.

So the lessons we have to learn from Loyalist history with regard to racism are matters of what we should not do. But we can learn from our mistakes. For what we don't learn from the mistakes of history, we are doomed to repeat.

Back in 2013, Loyalist Trails published a four-part series on Loyalists and their racist attitudes.

• July 28, 2013: Acknowledging Loyalist Racism

• August 4, 2013: Loyalist Racism: Case Studies

• August 11, 2013: Speaking Out Against Loyalist Racism

• August 18, 2013: Resisting Loyalist Racism in New Brunswick

Why UELAC Scholarship Matters

The UELAC Scholarship Program is one very important means through which the UEL Association can link directly with the academic community in supporting scholarly historical research on the Loyalists of the American Revolution. In 1847, Loyalist biographer Lorenzo Sabine feared that the very names of the Loyalists would "pass from human recollection". And as recently as 1961, Loyalist historian William H. Nelson bemoaned the fact that the Loyalists had "suffered a most abject kind of fate, losing not only their argument, their war, and their place in American society, but even their proper place in history".

Over this past sixty years, much serious research on the Loyalists has been undertaken to remedy this situation, and the UELAC Scholarship Program is proud to have assumed a growing role in helping bring this about by supporting research into various aspects of Loyalist history by a new generation of top-notch students not only in Canada, but in the United States and the United Kingdom as well. Your support will help ensure that the Loyalists will be in significantly less danger of being either forgotten or misrepresented.

...Murray Barkley, UELAC Scholarship Committee

2020 Scholarship Challenge Update: Week 3

The goal for this challenge is $8000 by July 1!

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire

As of June 12 the amount raised in the 2020 Scholarship Challenge is $2040.00. Well done you! This week we add Governor Simcoe Branch and Colonel John Butler (Niagara) Branch to the list. Thank you for your donations! Just a reminder to all UELAC branches there is room for you to jump in at any time.

See how to donate and follow our progress on the 2020 Scholarship Challenge page. Please check out the challenge webpage each week as we build our Thanks to Our Donors section. A twenty-dollar ($20) individual donation puts your name on the list of generous donors. Should you wish to make a memorial gift we will ensure that recognition is given to those you wish to honour through your donation. Please make cheques payable to UELAC and mark your donations 'Scholarship Endowment Fund.' Cheques sent by Canada Post will be picked up at UELAC Dominion Office weekly.

If you choose to use Canada Helps, your donation will qualify for the Great Canadian Giving Challenge. Every $1 donated IN JUNE is an automatic entry for UELAC. Only donations made through Canada Helps will be entered for this prize draw. The grand prize draw is on Canada Day, July 1, 2020 - $20,000 will be donated to the winning charity. Imagine what UELAC scholarship could do with $20,000!

Thank you all for your continued support.

...Bonnie Schepers UE, UELAC Scholarship Chair

Decoding the Book of Negroes (Part 1 of 4)

© Stephen Davidson, UE

The Book of Negroes is a treasure trove of data for both historians and those who have white or Black Loyalist ancestors. This unique record of all of the free and enslaved Blacks who left New York City in the loyalist evacuations of 1783 lists names, ages, physical descriptions, stories of escape, ship names, and destinations. But because the ledger is unique in the annals of North American history, it has some features that can be puzzling when it is first encountered. Over the next four weeks, we'll take some time to decode portions of the Book of Negroes and learn more about this fascinating primary source.

It is ironic that the component of the Loyalist refugee population that has been marginalized and ignored for the past two centuries has one of the richest storehouses of historical data. Black Loyalist descendants and historians can thank the greed of Americans for the creation of the Book of Negroes. It would never have been created had the victorious rebels not wanted to reclaim their slaves who had been emancipated by the British. If the Patriot slave owners had been content to accept the fact that their former slaves were among the losses of the American Revolution, Black Loyalists would have joined the 1783 evacuation of British soldiers and white Loyalists from New York with no need to have their names recorded.

Background

During the course of the war, the British had issued a number of proclamations that promised freedom to all rebel slaves who escaped from their masters and joined the British. The Philipsburg Proclamation of 1779 promised slaves that they would be protected by the British, and that they would receive freedom and land at the conclusion of the revolution. Far from being concerned with abolishing slavery in the rebellious colonies, the British had freed enslaved Africans to boost their own numbers and to destabilize the embryonic American economy.

As it turned out, the British were not the victors in the war. When the two sides sat down to negotiate the terms of the peace treaty, Americans demanded that their property – including slaves – be returned. When the preliminary version of the Treaty of Paris was issued on November 30, 1783, Black Loyalists had every reason to believe that the British would comply with the re-enslavement provision.

But Sir Guy Carleton, the last British commander in chief based in New York, had no intention of returning his African allies to their Patriot masters. Carleton reasoned that any man or woman set at liberty before December 1, 1783 was – by definition – no longer anyone's property. The British government supported Carleton's interpretation and allowed the Black Loyalists to board evacuation ships for sanctuary in other parts of the British Empire.

In an effort to placate the angry slave owners, Carleton announced that he had commissioned the creation of a ledger that would record the names and circumstances of every Black Loyalist, every Black indentured servant, and every Loyalist's slave that left the port of New York. As Carleton put it, the registry would see to it that "the owners might eventually be paid for the slaves who were entitled to their freedom by British Proclamation and promises."

Carleton did not really expect Americans to go to the bother of tracking down their fugitive slaves. The Book of Negroes was simply a public relations exercise designed to assuage a victorious enemy.

As part of the process, Carleton allowed the Americans to select their own team of inspectors to see that the Black Loyalists boarding ships out of New York were the same as the ones listed in the Book of Negroes. The eight inspectors then compiled a certified list that they gave to the captains of the loyalist evacuation vessels with the strict instructions not to allow any Blacks to land in Nova Scotia who were not on the list.

In the end, between two and three thousand free Blacks were able to maintain their freedom thanks to Carleton's tactics. To make their emancipation official, the Black Loyalists received a certificate issued by General Samuel Birch, the British commandant of New York City. Having had their liberty validated twice over, those whose names are recorded in the Book of Negroes became part of the greatest migration of free Blacks up to this point in time

Officials made two copies of the Book of Negroes; one was stored in the United States and one was kept in archives in Britain. It wasn't until the latter half of the 20th century that Canadian scholars were able to access the ledger's data through microfilmed copies.

As stated earlier, the Book of Negroes has no parallel in the documents of colonial history. Ships' manifests of the period typically only contained a person's name, occupation, hometown, and the number of dependents. Because it was supposed to be an aid for slave owners to reclaim their misappropriated property, Carleton's ledger included additional details that would help Americans identify their former slaves. The Book of Negroes, therefore, contains columns to record each Black's age, physical description, former master's name and location, year of escape, evacuation ship's name, captain's name, date of departure, and the name of the person with whom they sailed.

First Puzzle

Because the Book of Negroes is a unique ledger, it contains a category not found in other documents. It is the first component of the ledger that needs some decoding. The 8th column has a heading that is rather confusing to the 21st century reader: "Names of the Persons in whose Possession they now are."

The word "possession" is the stumbling block. On the surface, it sounds as if the person listed in this column is the owner of the Black whose name appeared across the page in an earlier column. But since these were free Blacks who had been certified as such by Carleton's deadline and by Birch's certificate, this interpretation of "possession" makes no sense.

It is important to remember how Carleton was using the ledger that he had commissioned. It was a public relations effort to secure the evacuation of Britain's African allies and to placate American slave owners, holding out the hope that the latter might receive compensation for their lost "property" in the future. To assure Americans that the British were keeping an eye on each and every Black leaving New York, Carleton attached all departing Blacks to a white Loyalist refugee. The "person" was not an owner, but a designated escort for the Black Loyalist. The "now" was the voyage to sanctuary – typically, Nova Scotia.

In addition to the free Blacks, there were many of African descent who were on the evacuation vessels as the slaves of white Loyalists. Thus, the "possession" (escort) column could also include the names of those who had Blacks as their property. Slave owners were, quite naturally, the designated escorts for their enslaved Africans. Whenever a designated escort (possessor) was an enslaved Black's master, it was clearly noted in the Book of Negroes.

In next week's Loyalist Trails, we will look more closely at those named in the column that identified the escorts for the Black Loyalists. Their names, their placement in the Book of Negroes, and sometimes the absence of their names all provide clues as to how the ledger was compiled. As we shall see, it is far more than a dry list of names and statistics.

(Editor's note: see a transcription of the Book of Negroes hosted by the Nova Scotia Archives.)

To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

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

The Myth of Intolerance of Loyalists

By Lynton C. Stewart, B.A, M.A., M.S., Alvaton, Kentucky, USA

It is commonly believed that the vast majority of Loyalists during the American Revolution were oppressed, had their lands and property confiscated' and that they were driven out of the new United States of America. The actuality is far different however.

Various historians estimate that somewhere between 20 and 33 percent of the "White" population of the Colonies were "loyalist" in their outlook, Out of a population of approximately 2.5 million, that would mean that somewhere between 500,000 and 750,000 people tended to support remaining a part of Great Britain.

However, only about 200,000 of those that had Loyalist sympathies, actively worked to support Great Britain, or vocally agitated against the rebels to any significant extent.. Of those, approximately 30,000 actually took up arms to support the Mother Country.

Each of the colonies passed laws allowing the confiscation of the property of loyalists. Each of the colonies did in fact allow the confiscation of loyalist properties. This occurred most frequently in the Hudson Valley of New York and in parts of Massachusetts and other New England colonies. It was most common for the properties of those that were outspoken in their support of Great Britain; and those taking an active role in resisting the rebels, that had their properties confiscated.

The vast majority of the Loyalist population simply stayed out of political and military affairs. They, as well as the majority of the population, just wanted to "get on with their lives". They continued to be farmers, "mechanics" teachers, and simply wished that this whole thing would stop.

At the end of the war, somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 Localists removed from the new United States of America and went to other places. Those from New England and New York primarily went to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or to Canada. Those from the middle and southern states primarily went to Jamaica, Bermuda or to Florida. A very small minority from all of the states went to Great Britain.

By 1787, all states had repealed their "Confiscation Laws". In thousands of cases, the lands were returned to either the property owner; to their wives or to their children. The only state that had widespread ongoing confiscations was New York.

In New York, prior to the Revolution, a small number of families owned vast portions of the colony. They owned virtually all of the Hudson River Valley. Those families were also among the most vocal supporters of the Crown, and most of them raised significant forces to fight against the rebels. New York took the position that those families were traitors, and their lands and property were seldom returned, even in the smallest part.

Many of the less "active" Loyalist families, that remained in the United States, did eventually get some or all their property returned. Sometimes this was returned to the wife (she was not held responsible for her husbands actions), or to the children of the Loyalist. This was most common in the Middle and Southern States.

Those Loyalists that went to Florida, largely returned to the United States, after Spain regained control of Florida. Some of those that had gone to Canada or Nova Scotia/New Brunswick, also returned to the United States. The numbers of those that returned are unknown, but estimates range from 3-10%.

Those Loyalists that never left the United States simply became part of the new country. They did not lose their lands or property. In some areas, they were still called "Tories" but only suffered that type of name calling for about the first 10 years of the new country (if that). In most cases they were simply fellow citizens of the new country. By 1800, virtually no one in the United States cared if you had held Loyalist sympathies or not.

...Lynton Stewart

NOTE: As a descendant of Loyalists from both my paternal and maternal family lines, as well as "Patriots" on my maternal line, I have a great interest in MY Loyalists as well as Loyalists in general. I have corresponded with numbers of my Canadian cousins from those Loyalist families over the past 40 years, as well as many other Canadians. In the process of doing my research, I discovered that my father was an "Illegal Alien" from Canada (he was born and raised in Winnipeg, MB), and that as a result, all 7 of his children are Canadian Citizens.

I even descend from one Loyalist who is documented to have fought against the British, yet he joined the "King's Rangers" in January 1783 (Wait Wright, UE).

I have found a common belief that:

• All Loyalists were treated very badly both before and during the American Revolution.

• That the majority of Loyalists had their land and property confiscated by the rebels.

• That all of the Loyalists were discriminated against after the American Revolution.

• That the majority of Loyalists left the United States following the American Revolution.

Beaver Harbour NB Abolishes Slavery

The first place in Canada to abolish slavery was Beaver Harbour, New Brunswick, settled in 1783 by Quaker Loyalists evacuated from New York

Fort Erie ON Mayor on Racism

Canadians should not be quick to judge people south of the border when it comes to racism, Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop says. He pointed to Canada's treatment of Indigenous people to make the point.

"Fort Erie, in particular, has been a place of refuge and a safe haven for those seeking to escape persecution, slavery and tyranny for 250 years," he said. While the town has been a transition point for many, ranging from United Empire Loyalists escaping the post-Revolutionary war in the United States to today's refugees from "the four corners of the Earth, some of whom who have stayed to create a new home.

Read more.

JAR: Reasons Against the Renewal of the Sugar Act (Part 1)

by Ken Shumate, 4 June 2020

“America will suffer for a time only ... But the Loss to Great Britain will be irretrievable.”

In early 1764, four British colonies in North America protested the enforcement and planned renewal of the about-to-expire Sugar Act of 1733 (also known as the Molasses Act of 1733) – an act that levied duties on foreign sugar, rum and molasses. Each protest was a statement of reasons against the renewal. These protests – lodged before passage of the Sugar Act of 1764 – represent a largely unexplored aspect of the American Revolution. The story begins in the early eighteenth century.

The economy of the northern continental colonies was dependent on imported molasses, there distilled into rum for domestic consumption and – of particular importance – as an export necessary to obtain specie required for the purchase of British manufactured goods. The Americans imported molasses from sugar islands in the West Indies, most often in exchange for fish, beef, lumber, horses and other provisions necessary for the livelihood of the largely single-crop plantations. British sugar planters, in dire competition with French and Dutch islands, resented that their sister colonies provided the foreign sugar islands with these indispensable supplies, and complained to British officials that the trade should be prohibited. The Americans maintained that the trade was necessary since the British islands could not provide sufficient molasses to meet the American needs; nor could the British islands take all the produce that needed to be exported from the northern colonies.

Eventually, British sugar planters petitioned Parliament to put an end to continental trade with "the foreign Sugar-Colonies in America" as being "injurious to the trade of this kingdom." The method for doing so was to prohibit the importation of foreign sugar, rum and molasses into North America. Friends of the sugar planters brought in such a bill "For the better securing and encouraging the trade of his Majesty's Sugar Colonies in America." Friends of the continental colonies argued against the bill.

Read more.

Book Review: Sailing Under John Paul Jones: The Memoir of Continental Navy Midshipman Nathaniel Fanning

Sailing Under John Paul Jones: The Memoir of Continental Navy Midshipman Nathaniel Fanning, by Nathaniel Fannon, edited by Louis Arthur Norton (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2019).

Reviewed by George Kotlik, 8 June 2020.

Contrary to popular narratives, the American Revolution was not restricted to fighting in the Americas. The war was fought on many fronts including India and Europe. Nathaniel Fanning reminds us of this in his memoir which focuses on the European front. Edited by Louis Arthur Norton, professor emeritus from the University of Connecticut, Sailing Under John Paul Jones provides students of early American history with a glimpse of the life of an eighteenth century North American mariner and his adventures in Europe during the American Revolutionary War. The significance of Sailing Under John Paul Jones lies in Norton's ability to provide scholars with a readable version of Nathaniel Fanning's memoir. Thanks to Norton's editorial work, the book is a helpful reference for scholars who would otherwise need to rely on the primary source itself which can be confusing to follow.

The memoir offers students of history many valuable nuggets of information pertaining to eighteenth century life including: how the American Revolutionary War was waged on the sea, how the war was waged in Europe, etc.

Read more.

Borealia: Introducing Loyalist Migrations

By Tim Compeau, 8 June 2020

Loyalist Migrations is a collaboration between Huron University College's Community History Centre, the United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada (UELAC), and Liz Sutherland at the Map and Data Centre at Western University. This will be a multi-year project that draws upon archival sources and family histories to visualize the movement of thousands of migrants, exiles, and refugees, from all walks of life, who were displaced by the American Revolution. By plotting these individual journeys using ArcGIS, we hope to demonstrate the scope and diversity of the migrations for public audiences and, in the years to come, provide new research and analysis based on this collection of data.

Thanks to generous funding from the UELAC, undergraduate students at Huron have begun exploring the journeys found in the Loyalist Directory, a resource of over 9000 entries describing families and individuals who resettled in Canada. The family stories contained in these entries would have remained scattered in land registries, church records, and family bibles had they not been gathered and shared by UELAC members. The Loyalist Directory is a testament to the abilities of family historians and loyalist descendants to preserve their history. We encourage genealogists, historians, and researchers to contribute to the project by submitting a loyalist, refugee, or migrant using this online form.

Read more.

Enslaved Belinda Sutton's Petition for Reparations

Belinda Sutton was enslaved by Medford's (about seven miles from downtown Boston) Royall family in the 18th century. Sutton's eloquent petition of 1783 is seen by some commentators as the first call for reparations for American slavery.

Of all the residents on the Royall estate in the 18th century, free or enslaved, perhaps the best-known today is Belinda Sutton, an African-born woman who was enslaved by the Royalls. We know much more about her than we do about most of those who experienced slavery, but it is still frustratingly little. Most of what we know about her life comes from a remarkable 1783 petition to the Massachusetts General Court, in which she recounted her life story and claimed a pension from the estate of Isaac Royall Jr. Her public assertion of her rights has given her a place in history and public memory.

Slavery and the British Country House

By Madge Dresser and Andrew Hann (eds.)

The British country house has long been regarded as the jewel in the nation's heritage crown. But the country house is also an expression of wealth and power, and as scholars reconsider the nation's colonial past, new questions are being posed about these great houses and their links to Atlantic slavery.

This book, authored by a range of academics and heritage professionals, grew out of a 2009 conference on 'Slavery and the British Country house. It asks what links might be established between the wealth derived from slavery and the British country house and what implications such links should have for the way such properties are represented to the public today.

The full text of the book is available as a PDF.

Robert Outhouse, Tiverton NS and Pleasant Hill Cemetery

Early in June on a beautiful sunny afternoon, I drove down to East Ferry then took the ferry across Petit Passage to Long Island and Tiverton, Nova Scotia to visit a United Empire Loyalist burial site.

I am in Pleasant Hill Cemetery at Tiverton, Nova Scotia, standing beside the Memorial to Robert Outhouse (1750-1849), United Empire Loyalist who founded community in 1788. He was originally from Westchester County, New York.

See the Deed to "Inhabitants of Tiverton" from Israel & Nicholas Outhouse & their wives Mary Ann & Harriet for Pleasant Hill Cemetery.

I made a video of the Memorial for Robert and his wife Sarah Caldwell. View the video Enjoy.

...Brian McConnell, UE

Surveyors

Many of my loyalists ancestors owned land in Kent County, Ontario (District of Hesse) that had been surveyed by Patrick McNiff. Here is a bio article.

...Rick Thackeray, UE, Bicentennial Branch

Resources: Primary Sources Online: JAR Contributor Recommendations

This month JAR asked our contributors: "What is your favorite digitized collection of primary source material?"

There is a treasure trove of resources available to researchers!

See the list.

How Many Hand-sewn Stitches in an 18thc Man's Shirt?

By Susan Holloway Scott 7 June 2020

In the 18thc, a man's linen shirt was perhaps the most democratic of garments. Every male wore one, from the King of England to his lowest subjects in the almshouse, and though the quality of the linen and laundering varied widely, the construction was virtually the same.

Contrary to the modern belief that the people of the past were dirty in their person and dress, Georgian men were fastidious about their shirts. Men were judged by the cleanliness of their linen. From laundry records of the time, it's clear that the majority of men changed their shirts daily, and in the hot summer months, it wasn't unusual to change twice a day. This wasn't just a habit of wealthy gentlemen, either. Tradesmen, shopkeepers, and others of the "middling sort" had a good supply of shirts in their wardrobes, a dozen or so on average.

Read more.

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 between mid-March and May 31 of this year. (You can click on the rightmost column heading, "Date of Approval," to show the most recent entries at the top of the list.)

The same updates have been applied to the Loyalist Directory.

Where in the World?

Where is Brian McConnell, UE of Nova Scotia 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.

Webinar: Loyal Then, Loyal Now, Featuring Linda Corupe

One of the "Ontario Research Lecture Series" fee-based webinars by Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society

United Empire Loyalists are often considered to be the founding fathers of our province. This presentation will discuss the three major groups: original Loyalists, "late" Loyalists, and Treasury Loyalists. From the establishment of refugee camps in the Province of Quebec, to their eventual settlement in Upper Canada, the story continues on with government policies towards the Loyalists, and the creation of the "mark of honour" which entitled them and their children to grants of free land. Historical documents such as claims for losses incurred during the Revolution, Upper Canada Land Petitions, military musters, provision lists, etc., serve to illustrate this exciting time in our history. The presentation finishes off with a discussion and case study of proving descent in order to obtain a certificate from the United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada.

Linda Corupe has been researching family history for over 40 years. She started out with her own family, United Empire Loyalists from the Quinte area of Ontario

For more details and registration visit Ontario Research Lecture Series.

Loyalist Day in Ontario: Kawartha Branch

The annual Kawartha Branch UELAC flag raising ceremony at Peterborough City Hall on Friday, 19 June 2020, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Grietje and Bob will be wearing Loyalist period outfits and invite others to do the same. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, there is a limit of ten people at the flag pole raising, but others may participate by being curb side.

Webinar: Researching a Loyalist Soldier

Legacy Family Tree Webinars, by Craig R. Scott, MA, CG, FUGA

Approximately one-third of the people living in the Colonies at the time of the Revolution were loyal to the King. During the War some fought in Loyalist units. By the end of the war, most were forced to leave, either north to Canada or back across the ocean. Many filed claims with the British government for failing to protect them from the rebels. Learn about the records of their service and records of their times after the War.

Wed July 29, 2020 @2:00pm EDT. Details and registration.

Additions to the Loyalist Directory

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

• Johann Hendrick (Henry) Windecker - contributed by Linda Young
• Jacob Smith Sr. - contributed from Branch records by Jo Ann Tuskin
• Charles Green Sr. - contributed from Branch records by Jo Ann Tuskin

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

From the Twittersphere and Beyond

• It has been one year since Ontario Heritage Trust unveiled a special plaque marking A Council at the Chapel Royal, with text in Anishinaabemowin,French&English, is a tribute to Council & the enduring relationship between the Crown & First Nations people. Read more...
• Clip of the Battle of Bunker Hill reenactment filmed in 1975 for "Three Centuries of Town Life" made by Werner Bundschuh and Oren McCleary
• A plan of the town of Boston, with the intrenchments &c. of His Majestys forces in 1775: From the observations of Lieut. Page of His Majesty's Corps of Engineers; and from the plans of other gentlemen.
• How about some underwater archaeology? In the '80s, objects were recovered from the collier brig Betsy, a British ship that was scuttled at Yorktown.
• The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown has this incredible model of the Continental Congress Frigate Raleigh, one of the finest of the Continental Navy until captured in 1778.
• This Week in History
  • 10 JUne 1760 "Let me keep my chamber, not run abroad. My books, Andrews, Locke, Homer, not fields and groves should be the objects of my attention. Law and not poetry, is to be the business of my life." John Adams chastises himself for enjoying a walk #OTD.
  • 11 June 1769, the Whigs reported a dispute between an apprentice & a sentry. The apprentice was peering over a fence at a dance. The soldier, having felt someone on that hill spit on him, came up behind the apprentice & clonked him on the head.
  • 9 Jun 1772 Angered by Townshend Acts, Colonists board & burn grounded British customs ship Gaspee, off Rhode-Island.
  • 10 Jun 1775 Congress starts the process of organizing the militia besieging Boston as a Continental Army.
  • 12 June 1775, Gov. Thomas Gage offered amnesty for all rebels in Massachusetts – except John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Read the proclamation...
  • 6 Jun 1776 Gen. Clinton proclaims the people of Charleston, SC must "return to their Duty to our common Sovereign."
  • 7 Jun 1776 Richard Henry Lee introduces Independence Resolution in Continental Congress; tabled until 1 July.
  • 8 Jun 1776 Rebels lose 400+ men to British in running battle at Trois-Rivieres, between Quebec City and Montreal.
  • 11 Jun 1776 Committee appointed by Congress to draft Declaration of Independence, incl. Jefferson, Adams, Franklin.
    
  • 12 Jun 1776 Virginia adopts Declaration of Rights, derived from England's "Glorious Revolution" Bill of Rights.
  • June 12, 1784, United Empire Loyalists began arriving on Prince Edward Island and within a couple of years, approximately 1,000 would move there. See the full story on our Facebook page. St Lawrence Branch UELAC
  • 29 May 1935 The Halifax Citadel is formally recognized as a National Historic Site. Though the Citadel was established as a British post in 1749 by Governor Edward Cornwallis, the present fort dates from the 1828-1856 era and is the fourth generation of defence works.
• Townsend's
  • You Eat This Every Day! - 1792 Breakfast Omelette
• Clothing and Related:
  • 18th Century dress, back view, brocade of bright yellow, green and ivory silk satin open robe, ca. 1740s, England.
  • 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
  • Close up of 18th Century stomacher/bodice from a woman's Court dress, 1755-1760, English; striped, figured cream silk, brocaded with floral sprigs, Spitalfields silk
  • 18th Century men's Naval uniform from later half of 18th Century. This uniform, worn by Alexander Hood (1758-98), is a dress coat for a captain over three years seniority. A particular feature is the double row of lace on the cuff.
  • 18th Century men's frock coat, green velvet with floral sprays of metallic threads, spangles, net and multicoloured paste gems, 1770-1780
  • 18th Century men's waistcoat, delightfully embroidered with a selection of birds perched on floral branches, 1790's
• Miscellaneous:
  • The amazing 200 years old secretary cabinet is called The Roentgens' Berlin Secretary Cabinet (more details). It was built for King Frederick William II while the American Revolution was in full swing, over the course of a year starting in 1778 by Abraham and David Roentgen, master cabinet-makers in Europe. Abraham and David were innovators - read more about them. Submitted by Pam Wood Waugh.

Last Post: Wallace Edmond McLeod, UE

Wallace Edmond McLeod UE died peacefully on 3 June 2020, four days after his 89th birthday. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Elizabeth (née Staples); four children, Betsy, John, James, and Angus McLeod; four grandchildren, Aubrey McLeod, Arthur McLeod, Kimberley Favron, and Zara McLeod; and one great grandchild, Percy McLeod.

Wallace was born in East York Township, now part of Toronto. He was raised in Scarborough (now also part of Toronto), and was educated at Scarborough Collegiate Institute, the University of Toronto, and Harvard University. From 1962 to 1996, he taught Ancient Greek Language and Literature at the University of Toronto's Victoria College.

From an early age, Wallace was interested in genealogy, particularly his Loyalist Fulton and Vanderburgh ancestors ,who were among the earliest settlers of Richmond Hill north of Toronto. When he was just 25 years old, he published a note on the Vanderburghs in the New England Historic Genealogical Register, arguably the foremost publication in the field of American genealogy. This was followed in 1962 by a detailed genealogy, The Family of Richard Vanderburgh of Richmond Hill (1797-1869), which to this day is cited by genealogists (for example, in Gary Boyd Roberts's 2009 work Ancestors of American Presidents). Alongside genealogy, one of Wallace's main interests was Masonic history, and he became a world-renowned expert on the subject.

In 1955, Wallace joined the Toronto Branch of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada as a descendant of Judge Henry Vanderburgh UE (1717-1792), although it took him another 56 years (until 2011) to submit the paperwork documenting his descent from Judge Vanderburgh and from Captain James Fulton UE (circa 1755-1829). In 1978-1980 and 1984, he served with the late Dr. Frederic Branscombe on the UELAC's Dominion Historical Committee, and in 1993 the Executive of the Toronto Branch voted to extend him a complimentary membership in the Branch. Two of Wallace's children belong to the Toronto Branch, Betsy McLeod UE and John McLeod UE. So did his late brother-in-law Lawson Staples UE, who subsequently transferred to the Bay of Quinte Branch.

...John McLeod, UE