Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2020 Archive

In this issue:
- The Head of Elk: A Turning Point for Loyalists (Part 5 of 5), by Stephen Davidson
- Life of Susanna Harrington, Wife of Frederick Shelp: Conclusion, by Arden Wade
- Boston Massacre Trial
- The Case of the Missing Revolutionary War Sabre
- JAR: Starting from Scratch: Combating "the Itch"
- JAR: A Moonlighting British Army Surgeon
- Borealia: Call for Papers: Canadian Coastal Histories
- Ben Franklin's World: Elections & Voting in Early America: Native Sovereignty
- National Trust for Canada: Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Awards
- UE Loyalist Certificates Issued Recently
- Where in the World?
- Region and Branch Bits
      + UELAC St. Lawrence Branch publication "Loyalists at Table"
      + Gov. Simcoe Branch Webinar, Nov. 4 : "Creating Toronto" (open to all)
- Additions to the Loyalist Directory
- From the Twittersphere and Beyond
- Last Post
      + Dorothy Evelyn (Lynn) Francis (nee Hammett)
      + Glenn Donald Playter
      + Edward Clifford "Ed" Harris
- Queries
      + Responses re Place in New Brunswick: Block #1; Glencoe Island

The Head of Elk: A Turning Point for Loyalists (Part 5 of 5)

© Stephen Davidson, UE

Although Robert Alexander appeared before the Royal Commission on the Losses and Services of American Loyalists when it convened in London on March 17, 1784, he was there to help a friend rather than to seek compensation for himself. Alexander testified on behalf of the Rev. William Edmiston, an Anglican minister who had a parish that included the Head of Elk in Maryland.

Edmiston had been brought before a rebel Committee of Safety sometime before January 1775. It seems the minister's sermons contained "exhortations" to his congregation warning them that taking oaths of allegiance to the Patriot cause made them guilty of treason to the king. The committee wanted Edmiston to sign a recantation of all that he had said. His friends reworded the agreement so that the minister only had to "desist from holding the language" he had used rather than full recantation.

In September of that year, another oath to the rebels circulated through the community. Friends warned Edmiston that if he did not sign the "association" as it was called, his house would be pulled down. At that point, Edmiston gathered up his family and left for England, finding sanctuary there in November of 1775.

What makes Robert Alexander's testimony supporting Edmiston's loyalty so interesting is the fact that Alexander had sat on the rebel Committee of Safety that had tried the Anglican minister. Although he initially sided with the Patriots, in the end, Alexander committed himself to the Loyalist side following the arrival of 17,000 British troops in his hometown of the Head of Elk. This is his story.

Robert Alexander was born into a well-to-do family around 1740. An Anglican, he trained as a lawyer, and after being admitted to the bar, practiced in Baltimore. No doubt his legal background had something to do with his siding with those colonists who felt they were entitled to the same rights as any British citizen. By 1766, Alexander was a member of the Sons of Liberty when this association urged colonial officials to do business without using "stamped" paper. Within three years, Alexander joined those who wanted to prevent the importation of British goods. As a representative of Baltimore, he attended the Annapolis Convention that debated how best to respond to the 1774 blockade of Boston's harbour.

Alexander continued to build up his résumé of Patriot support. In 1775, he was named as one of Maryland's representatives to the Continental Congress. Over the next few months he was a made a member of the Secret Committee, the Marine Committee and the Committee of Safety. It was while he was on the latter committee that he and others put the Rev. Edmiston on trial for treason.

Despite all of his fervent activity on behalf of the Patriot cause, something started to change Robert Alexander's political stance. In the opening months of 1776, he was still writing about "tyranny", "diabolical lists" and that Americans' only choice was "absolute slavery or independence". But then his fellow representatives began to notice Alexander's absence from convention meetings in Annapolis during June.

A letter written by Alexander late in the month said that a wounded ankle rendered him incapable of walking from one room to another, and so he could not attend meetings. Rumours began to circulate speculating about where Alexander's true loyalties lay.

His last act in support of the American Revolution was hosting George Washington in his home in the Head of Elk on August 27th, 1777. Three days later, the Alexander family entertained General William Howe as 17,000 British troops disembarked from more than 260 ships. When Howe's men headed off for Philadelphia, Robert Alexander went with them, leaving his wife and children behind. It would be the last time that he would see his family's estate in the Head of Elk. The fervent Patriot had become a committed Loyalist. The motives for his change in allegiance have never been revealed, but it may be that the Declaration of Independence on July 4th of that year was simply too drastic a development for the Maryland lawyer.

Alexander left Philadelphia with the royal army in the summer of 1778 and lived for a time in New York City. Two years later, Maryland officially branded him a traitor and seized two thirds of his estate and half of his slaves. His wife was able to hold on to the family home that had been built by Alexander's father in 1735.

At some point during his stay in New York, Alexander asked for permission to send "some necessary articles to Mrs. Alexander and his children" by a flag of truce. The records of the day do not reveal if he was successful in this last gesture to help his family. Between 1779 and 1783, Alexander served on a board with two other men to respond to the petitions for financial aid that inundated the office of General Clinton, the British commander in chief. When Loyalists and the British army evacuated Manhattan in 1783, Alexander was on a ship bound for England.

Alexander became one of the twelve Agents for the American Loyalists, representing fellow refugees from Maryland. These agents worked to help American Loyalists as they adjusted to the new reality of a defeated empire.

In 1786, the agents of the Loyalists presented a petition to Parliament, which said in part: "It is impossible to describe the poignant distress under which many of these persons now labour, and which must daily increase should the justice of Parliament be delayed until all the claims are liquidated and reported; ten years have elapsed since many of them have been deprived of their fortunes, and with their helpless families reduced from independent affluence to poverty and want; some of them now languishing in British jails; others indebted to their creditors, who have lent them money barely to support their existence, and who, unless speedily relieved, must sink more than the value of their claims when received, and be in a worse condition than if they had never made them; others have already sunk under the pressure and severity of their misfortunes; and others must, in all probability, soon meet the same melancholy fate, should the justice due them be longer postponed.

But, on the contrary, should provision be now made for payment of those whose claims have been settled and reported, it will not only relieve them from their distress, but give credit to others whose claims remain to be considered, and enable all of them to provide for their wretched families, and become again useful members of society."

The last historical record of Robert Alexander is when he and his fellow agents signed an address to George III in 1789 in which the king was thanked "for his most gracious and effectual recommendations of their claims to the just and generous consideration of Parliament". The Maryland Loyalist whose life took a dramatic new direction with the arrival of the British at the Head of Elk died at 65 in England on November 20, 1805.

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

Life of Susanna Harrington, Wife of Frederick Shelp: Conclusion, by Arden Wade

Susanna Harrington married Johann Frederick Shelp on 20 August 1790 at the Dutch Reformed Church at Schodack, Rensselaer County New York. In 1790 the services at that church were held in Dutch. Frederick could speak Dutch, Susanna could not and it is doubtful that Frederick could read or write. Susanna's name got recorded as Rosannah which was probably a mistake. The name Susanna had been handed down through her ancestors for many generations, and likewise the name Susanna was carried on by her descendants for many generations, Rosannah was not. Christian Shelp was born there in 1791.

Johann Frederick Shallop (Shelp) had been born in Holland in 1758. His father, Johann Christian Shelp was a Palatine German who had married Maria Elizabeth Bieman in Holland on July 4, 1752. It is believed they landed in New York about 1760 where his youngest brother Johann Christian Shelp Junior was born. There were two older brothers born in Holland, Henry in 1754 and Joseph in 1756, then there were three sisters born in New York, Margaret in 1762 at Fonda, Montgomery County New York, then Elizabeth and Catherine.

Frederick Shelp was 17 years old when the war started. For some reason he got talked into joining the third Regiment, Tryon County New York militia under Col. Frederick Fisher, perhaps it was because his father also joined that unit. The Third Regiment of Tyron County New York militia was made up of the men from the Mohawk Valley. Two of his brothers, Henry and Christian joined the King's Royal Regiment of New York. The fourth brother Joseph, joined the fourth regiment of the New York line. Margaret Shelp married John Gibson, a patriot, on September 4, 1783, just one day after the war ended. He had fought for five and a half years for the New York militia during the war. Elizabeth married Isaac Deline after the war on January 12, 1785 and stayed in the Mohawk Valley of New York, he had also joined the third Regiment under Col. Frederick Fisher. Catherine had married Nicholas Lang, also a descendent of Palatine Germans, at the start of the war, he joined a British military unit sometime after that. Frederick obviously changed his mind and left the militia to join the British military unit.

John McDonnell was born in Scotland came to the Mohawk Valley of New York in 1773 and settled on the estate of Sir William Johnson, near Johnstown with his father, brother and uncles. In 1775 he was commissioned in the Royal Highland Immigrants, and then on August 1, 1778 he was commissioned as a captain in John Butler's Rangers. This is one of the reasons we believe that Frederick and Nicholas Lang joined this unit.

Frederick Shelp and Nicholas Lang, besides being brothers-in-law were close friends, perhaps it was Nicholas who convince Frederick to join the British. They both stayed in New York for several years after the war ended, and moved together to Canada in late 1791 or early 1792. After the war, John McConnell settled along the St. Lawrence River in Upper Canada, he was appointed to the Land Board for the Lunenburg district in 1788 then later for Glengarry and Stormont. He was the representative of Glengarry's Second Riding of the first Parliament in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, from 1792 to 1800. This might have helped with Frederick and Nicholas decision to move there.

They were living in the Cornwall district, when they made the trip on April 14, 1792 to Williamstown, in Glengarry County to have their latest children baptized. It is a distance of 25 km and the fact that there were no roads would make it a very long trip. The Lang's baptized Henry and Catherine, the Shelp's baptized their daughter Christian.(This name was used for both male and female at this time). Despite having qualified for the United Empire Loyalist list, I have not found Frederick Shelp or Nicholas Lang's name on it. The land-grant system in Upper Canada was slow, nonetheless they did receive them. Nicholas Lang received his patent for lot 15, concession 4 of Osnabruck Township on 25 November 1802. Frederick Shelp received his patent for lot 8 concession 6 of Younge Township, Leeds County on June 7, 1803. Frederick and family had been living in Osnabruck Township for about 10 years by this time, he did not want to leave family and friends. The lot in Younge Township was not close and was not suited for farming, it bordered on a lake and there was a bit of marshland. His daughter Christian sold this lot to John Crysler in 1818 for 50 pounds. John Crysler in turn sold it in 1831 for 850 pounds. Frederick's brothers Henry and Christian were on the United Empire Loyalist list for land grants, however they never took advantage of them and returned to the States to their old home.

Christopher Shelp, born in Schodack New York in 1791 was a member of the Stormont County militia in the war of 1812. There is a record from the veterans of the war of 1812 which states that private Christopher Shelp is living in Russell Ontario in 1875, was born in 1790 and is a veteran of the war. The statement is showing the militia men of 1812 to 1815 who have applied to participate in the gratuity voted by Parliament in 1875, gives his age as 75 years old. (The war had been over for 60 years) Up until and including the census of 1871, Christopher and his wife Elizabeth Gallahan were still living in Osnabruck Township. Frederick and Susanna's daughter Elizabeth, born in 1793 married Henry Lang, a son of Nicholas, born in the states in 1790. Mary Shelp born in Osnabruck Township about 1797 married Christopher Lang who had been born in the US in 1781. Sarah Shelp born about 1803 married John Cryderman from a United Empire Loyalist family. Susan Adeline Shelp born about 1808 married Samuel Rombough still another United Empire Loyalist family. Nancy Elizabeth Shelp born 1800 at Osnabruck Center married William Hollister, a son of Elisha Hollister, United Empire Loyalist. They were my third great grandparents. Nicholas Lang died in 1810, a man named John Harrington bought some of the farm from Christopher Lang in 1812. He was a relative of Susanna Harrington, had been born in 1789 in Massachusetts and married Susanna Lang who had been born in 1795.

The area of Russell Ontario, (Duncanville) was starting to be developed around 1840. Several families from Osnabruck moved there for the land grants at that time, including Shelp's, Lang's, Harrington's, Louck's Rombough's, Fetterly's and many others. Frederick Shelp and Roseanna Harrington are thought to have moved there around this time, and died shortly after. They are buried in what is now the North Russell Union Cemetery. The cemetery had been designated as a Protestant Burial Ground in 1854, after Frederick and Susanna were buried, and unfortunately, there is no grave marker.

Susanna was 21 years old when she got married, growing up in the relative sophistication and modernization of New England of the time, with the stone and brick buildings, and the cobblestone streets. She became the epitome of the true pioneer woman. Osnabruck Township at the time she came there was as primitive as anyplace could have been imagined. There were no roads, there were no farms, there were no houses, there were no stores, there were no streets, there were no towns to have streets in. She nonetheless endured, and like the pioneer women that surrounded her, she was a major contributor to the history and to the future of our country. Her spirit lives on in the hundreds, if not thousands of descendants she left on this earth.

She was my fourth great grandmother.

...Arden Wade UE

See the Loyalist Directory entry for Frederick Shelp. This story of Susannah (Harrington) Shelp is there as a PDF.

Boston Massacre Trial

USA National Historic Parks

The crowd strained forward in the Queen Street courtroom on October 17, 1770. Murmurs and rumblings of anger filled the air. Captain Thomas Preston, a British grenadier, shifted his feet nervously and felt the sweat rising to his brow. If the jury found him, and his men, guilty of murder as the indictment suggested, he could only expect death as a penalty. That is what these Bostonians wanted! The only hope for Preston and his men lay with this short, stocky country lawyer – a colonial American after all – John Adams, and his too young assistant Josiah Quincy.

Seven months had passed since the "horrid, bloody massacre" took place on the 5th of March. But the passions of the people remained strong. "Sons of Liberty" such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock had seen to that! They reminded the good citizens that the British soldiers were not welcomed, and that mobs had as much right to carry clubs as the soldiers had to carry loaded muskets! But now the jury was set and the true drama was beginning. Only a fair trial would show the world that Massachusetts, and by association all Americans, deserved their liberty by an appeal to justice and not by the rule of a mob.

Read more.

The Case of the Missing Revolutionary War Sabre

A sabre that saw action in the American Revolution and may have been used as a murder weapon in Nova Scotia has found its way back to the family of its original owner, thanks in part to the curiosity of a 12-year-old boy in Chile.

The rusted cavalry sabre is from around 1780 and belonged to Capt. Joseph Marshall of the Carolina Rangers, a British cavalry regiment sent to help stop the Americans from gaining independence, according to Mark Haynes, vice-president of the Guysborough Historical Society.

But the descendents of Capt. Marshall had no idea the sabre existed until Sam Marshall, who lives in Santiago, became curious about past wars.

So his grandfather Jack Marshall, who lives in Calgary, dredged up an old school report that Sam's father had done on Capt. Marshall when he was a kid and sent it to Sam.

After seeing action in the American Revolution, Capt. Marshall moved to Guysborough as a Loyalist.

He settled into the community, raised a family, and eventually became a judge, according to Marshall family records.

Despite his war days being long behind him, Capt. Marshall's sabre likely saw action again.

Read more.

...Kevin VanKoughnett

JAR: Starting from Scratch: Combating "the Itch"

by Joseph Lee Boyle 21 October 2020

Although it may not have been fatal, scabies brought more patients to British Army hospitals during the Seven Years' War than any other condition, according to British Army surgeon Donald Monro. Its cause was known to be "Little Insects Lodged in the Skin, which Many Authors Affirm They Have Seen in the Pustules by the Help of a Microscope." One German surgeon of the Seven Years War reported that half the soldiers of a regiment at any given time were infected. Few individuals escaped from the disease, "neither officer, nor physician, nor surgeon," a sentiment echoed by an observer of Napoleon's Italian campaign in 1796-1797. Caused by the bites of tiny mites, little red pustules appeared on the body. In severe cases almost the entire torso was covered in a green hairy crust resembling moss. The recommended treatment for the Itch was sulfur applied in either an ointment or a soft soap.

Benjamin Franklin's mother-in-law was selling cures as early as 1731. She:

continues to make and sell her well known Ointment for the ITCH , with which she has cured abundance of People in and about this City for many Years past. It is always effectual for that purpose, and never fails to perform the Cure speedily. It also kills or drives away all Sorts of Lice in once or twice using. It has no offensive Smell; but rather a pleasant one; and may be used without the least Apprehension of Danger, even to a sucking Infant, being perfectly innocent and safe. Price 2 s. a Gallypot containing an Ounce; which is sufficient to remove the most inveterate Itch , and render the Skin clear and smooth.

There was also Hodgsons "excellent tincture for the itch;" Dr. Pike's "Ointment for the Itch;" and Doctor Hill's "much celebrated essence of water dock, and tincture of valerian; the former is said to cure the scurvy, itch , leprosy, and all disorders of the skin proceeding from an impure state of the blood; the latter to remove all kinds of fits lowness of spirits, giddiness, headachs, melancholy, and all hysterick and hypochondriack affections."

Read more.

JAR: A Moonlighting British Army Surgeon

by Gene Procknow 22 October 2020

During the American War of Independence, the British Army officer corps routinely relegated its surgeons and physicians to a secondary status among its ranks. A few regimental surgeons made contributions to medical science, but the vast majority were relatively unknown both in their time and today. American military doctors fared a bit better, but are mostly remembered for their interpersonal squabbles. Dr. Hammond Beaumont, surgeon to the British Army 26th Regiment of Foot, broke the mold and became remarkably well known and respected during the American Revolution. His prominence, however, emanated from extracurricular activities outside of normal military duties.

A career officer, Dr. Hammond joined the 26th Regiment as its surgeon in 1761 and during the summer of 1767 embarked from Ireland for garrison duty in colonial North America. Gen. Thomas Gage first deployed the regiment to three towns in the New Jersey. Dr. Hammond found New Jersey to be agreeable and on December 7, 1768 he married Elizabeth Trotter at the St. John's Church in Essex (now Union) County. Two years later, British commanders repositioned the 26th Regiment to New York City. Soon after, Dr. Beaumont first ventured beyond his regimental duties into a profit-making private medical practice. Venereal disease ran rampant among both soldiers and the general population. Suffering from the afflictions associated with syphilis, Thomas Flackfield, a private in the 26th Regiment, sought medical care from the regimental surgeon as treatments from local physicians failed to alleviate his distress...

...In occupied New York City, Dr. Beaumont's life and career took a "dramatic" turn. British commanders reassigned him to the garrison's hospital as one of the eight attending physicians and surgeons. Beaumont, however, turned most of his attention to the stage, becoming a thespian. Theater enthusiastic British officers organized an acting troupe to entertain the officer corps and to generate funds to be donated to stranded widows and children of British soldiers. The officer troupe appropriated the red-painted John Street Theater and renamed it the Royal Theater. More senior British officers played the male parts with the junior or younger officers playing female roles. Mistresses and professional actresses sometimes became cast members. Joining the 1777 season, Dr. Beaumont performed as the principle "low comedian" engendering raucous laughter from satire, bawdy language, double entendras, and crude jokes. He became a hit during the well-attended, five-month theater season of weekly plays.

Read more.

Borealia: Call for Papers: Canadian Coastal Histories

Deadline for proposals: January 30, 2021

Conference date: September 2021

Dialogues about Canadian coastal cultures, coastal places, and global oceanic connections have taken on a new tenor in a time of climate crisis that will dramatically and disproportionately reshape the future of such conversations. Growing international interest in coasts from a range of disciplines suggests a productive framework for rethinking histories from the land and tidewaters currently known as Canada, the country with the world's longest coastline.

Hosted by the Wilson Institute for Canadian History at McMaster University in September 2021, this workshop will explore histories from the saline shores of this vast ocean-bound territory. Coasts are generative transitional spaces, sites of encounter in a constant state of change. The coast is a place where distinctive cultural and political formations emerge and an ideal setting for historical storytelling with contemporary relevance.

Unique Indigenous and settler cultures have been shaped in intimate relation with particular coastal environments and ecologies. The multi-racial and international social arrangements of urban waterfronts and rural resource ports have engendered distinctive political configurations. Dramatic weather and climate patterns have shaped coastlines and human fortunes alike, just as humans have reshaped coasts through industry, agriculture, fisheries, and leisure. Canadian ports have staged episodes of international law and family narratives in the history of global migrations. Ambiguous, fluid borders have long made coastal regions the objects of international diplomacy. Sea-level rise, melting ice, and coastal erosion are transforming the future of coastal communities, while also threatening irreplaceable sites of cultural heritage. All along the coast, the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic oceans have seeped into all aspects of Canadian history.

Read more.

Ben Franklin's World: Elections & Voting in Early America: Native Sovereignty

Julie Reed, an Assistant Professor of History at the Pennsylvania State University, and Kathleen DuVal, the Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professor of History at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, join us to investigate how the sovereignty of native nations fits within the sovereignty of the United States and its democracy.

During our investigation of if and how Native Americans could participate in early American democracy, Kathleen and Julie reveal Native American ideas about self-government before, during, and after the American Revolution; How the Cherokee people viewed American democracy and American ideas about Native Americans; And information about the Cherokee Constitution of 1827 and the Cherokee Nation election of 1828.

Listen to the podcast.

National Trust for Canada: Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Awards

The National Trust Awards honour contributions to community, identity, and sense of place. We're looking for transformational projects, inspiring communities, and resilient historic places – whether they are landscapes, structures, complexes, districts, First Nations reserves and communities, towns or cities. Our Awards are open to not-for-profits and charities, private enterprises, and governments, including municipalities and First Nations governments – anyone who is bringing historic places to life in ways that benefit people and communities. We are looking for projects and places that are getting local or regional attention, but deserve recognition on the national stage; and great historic places in remote regions that more Canadians should hear about.

Join us in celebrating the 2020 Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award recipients!

Congratulations to the following Transformative Projects:

• B2 Lofts (Lunenburg, Nova Scotia)
• Burrard Bridge Rehabilitation and Restoration Project (Vancouver, British Columbia)
• Montgomery's Inn Museum – Restoration (Toronto, Ontario)
• Senate of Canada Building (Ottawa, Ontario)
• Westinghouse HQ (Hamilton, Ontario)

Congratulations to the following Resilient Historic Places:

• Conception Bay Museum (Customs House) (Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador)
• Garrick Theatre (Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador)
• Gur Sikh Temple National Historic Site (Abbotsford, British Columbia)
• Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (Almonte, Ontario)
• Shingwauk Residential School Site (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario)
• Victoria Jubilee Hall (Walkerton, Ontario)

See the announcement for a video and details...

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.

UELAC St. Lawrence Branch publication "Loyalists at Table"

The book receives more press coverage, in the Morrisburg Leader – read more.

See “St. Lawrence Branch UELAC Launches Loyalists At Table” in Loyalist Trails 2020-38.

Gov. Simcoe Branch Webinar, Nov. 4 : "Creating Toronto" (open to all)

Where did the name Toronto come from? This presentation will take us back in time over thousands of years to learn about the First People to migrate to Southern Ontario. We'll take a look at how these early people developed into separate nations, with their own culture, traditions and importantly, their own languages. We'll learn about the great Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Empire, and the displacement of the Wendat (Huron) people from Southern Ontario. We'll investigate the Carrying Place trail and the first mentions of the name "Toronto". What did the name really mean? This in-depth exploration of about 45 minutes will cover a lot of information on how the name Toronto came to represent Canada's largest city.

Speaker: Richard Fiennes-Clinton is a Toronto-based historian, speaker, author.

Register here (required). Once registered you will receive an email with your link to use when joining the webinar on Nov 4 – everyone's link is unique.

Additions to the Loyalist Directory

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

• Hugh Clark - contributed from Branch records by Jo Ann Tuskin
• Augustus Killcash - contributed by Kevin Wisener
• Frederick Shelp - contributed by Arden Wade
• John Throckmorton - contributed by Kevin Wisener

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

From the Twittersphere and Beyond

• Headstone for General Timothy Ruggles (1711 - 1795), leading Massachusetts Loyalist, and family at rear of Old Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Middleton, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
• At Freeport, Digby County in Hilltop Cemetery, headstones of John Haines (1796 - 1865) & Nicholas Haines (1780 - 1816), sons of Bartholomew Haines, Loyalist from Westchester County, New York.
• Massachusetts chief justice William Cushing's notes about the Quock Walker case, the 1783 decision that rendered slavery unenforceable for inhabitants of the state Read more...
• Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres statue vandalized in downtown Sydney NS. DesBarres, who was born in 1721, was a cartographer who served in the Seven Years' War as the aide-de-camp to General James Wolfe. To accommodate the soon arrival of the United Empire Loyalists, Cape Breton became a separate colony from Nova Scotia and DesBarres served as the lieutenant-governor of Cape Breton from 1784-87. During his time on the Island, he laid out the original plan of Sydney and is considered by many to be the founder of the city in 1785.
• This Week in History
  • 20 Oct 1775 Americans capture Chambly, Quebec; abandon & burn it the following spring.
  • 18 Oct 1776 At Battle of Pellham, 750 Americans fought 4,000 British troops, ending in strategic American retreat.
  • 21 Oct 1776 Congress pleads with Martinique merchants to send much-needed woolen goods for wintering army.
  • 17 Oct 1777 British General Burgoyne surrenders army of 6,200 troops at Saratoga, convincing French to aid America.
  • 22 Oct 1779 New-York legislature seizes property of 60 Loyalists, including Governor Lord Dunham, General Tryon.
  • 19 Oct 1781 British General Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, effectively ending American War of Independence.
  • 23 Oct 1783 Virginia frees slaves who fought for the Americans in the Revolution.
• Townsend's
  • The Simplest Apple Pie Ever
• Clothing and Related:
  • 18th Century dress, an American dress made from British 1730's fabric, worn by Mary Waters, Salem, MA at her marriage to Anthony Sigourney of Boston in 1740. Dress was restyled in 1763 when their daughter wore it at her own wedding
  • Detail of the rear of an 18th Century Court dress adorned with leafy scrolls and vases, quintessential Rococo motifs, are featured with a profusion of realistically rendered flowers, 1740-1745
  • 18th Century fan, incorporating carved ivory sticks inlaid with mica, the leaf painted with figures playing 'Blind Man's Buff' after a painting by Jean-Baptiste Pater (1695-1736) English, ca.1750
  • Men's fashions:  All fine and dandy 1787-style. 1787 was an interesting time for men's fashions. I was rather taken with this print, shown courtesy of the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University, entitled "Such things are : Telles choses sont : that such things are we must allow, but such things never were till now."
  • Stunning detail of an 18th Century men's Court coat & matching waistcoat with floral designs embroidered in silk, c.1800
  • 18th Century waistcoat or vest, silk with images of a water deity, he is shown in the style of those found on Roman mosaics. Italy and its Roman sites were popular stops on a young gentleman's Grand Tour, 1790's
  • 18th Century men's nightgown or banyan, this nightgown is an example of one type of informal clothing worn by men over shirt and breeches, in the privacy of home before noon or late at night, quilted silk for added warmth, 1780-1820
• Miscellaneous
  • Royal Children – Prince George, princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – Ask Sir David Attenborough Questions In Adorable Video
  • Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the "checkerboard" box. I use the scare quotes because although at first one would think "oh that's nice, it must have whiled away a great many hours in Pioneer America" I doubt if this artifact was used as such. (Follow the thread for more pics and comments)
  • 22 October 1797. Frenchman Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute jump from a basket below a hot air balloon at 3,000 feet above Parc Monceau in Paris. He survived a harsh landing. The frameless parachute he used was seven metres across and was his own invention.

Dorothy Evelyn (Lynn) Francis (nee Hammett)

January 31, 1922 - October 11, 2020

Lynn was predeceased by her husband Jimmy, her son Peter, and her sister Muriel. Left to carry on the Hammett tradition of living long, healthy lives are her sisters, Margaret and Jean, and her brother, John. She is survived by her children, Ann (Chai), David (Anne), Kathleen and Jeffrey, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, and foster daughter, Valerie.

Mom was born in Winnipeg and lived her entire life here. She graduated from Glenlawn Collegiate in 1939. In 1942, Mom enlisted in the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (Wrens) where she was a signaler, stationed in Halifax until her discharge in 1945. Everything Navy related stayed with her all her life. Remembrance Day Services, and Battle of Atlantic Day Parade and Service were two events she attended faithfully every year.

Mom married Jimmy in 1945, and settled into married life in St. Vital, moving to south St. Vital (St. Germaine) in 1961. She spent hours in her vegetable garden producing all kinds of vegetables for harvesting and freezing for the winter. Mom grew all the corn for the yearly corn roast and was annoyed if she had to buy some to top it up! She made countless jars of crabapple and plum jams and jellies. Her raspberry patch produced so much she sold to local market gardens, giving away countless basketfuls and of course more jam. All organic, fed from her compost pile and watered from the rain barrels. Mom was known for her baking especially her chocolate cakes, pies and cookies. Never did a store-bought baking item enter our home! Mom spent her evenings knitting everything from hats to scarves to mitts to socks to the beautiful sweaters mom made for all of us. She lived by the three R's – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – nothing was ever wasted in our home.

Mom was affiliated with many organizations over the years including St. Vital Historical Society, Manitoba Genealogy Society, United Empire Loyalists (Manitoba Branch), St. Albans quilters, Toastmistress Club, White Ensign Naval Club (annual corn roasts were legendary), Naval Officers Association, Ex-Wrens Association, Centennial Wrenette Officers Association. Lastly, the St. Vital Fair Ladies Agricultural Society where she won countless ribbons, awards and honorable mentions for her knitting and baking.

The foster parents plan was a cause close to Mom's heart and over the years she sponsored many children from various countries.

The family would like to thank Tuxedo Villa and the staff of Station 2 for their kindness, care, and compassion, with a special thank you to Lindsay.

Flowers are gratefully declined. In lieu of donations, please hug your loved ones, spend time in nature or plant a tree.

As per Mom's request there will be no service. A gathering of family and friends will be held at a later date.

One of our Manitoba Branch stalwart members, Lynn Francis, recently passed away. She never failed to phone to remind me of upcoming meetings. She was always there in a quietly supportive capacity of our branch's work.

Rev. Robert Campbell, Manitoba Branch

Glenn Donald Playter

Thursday, March 25th, 1948 - Saturday, October 17th, 2020

Passed away suddenly of a heart attack, at home at 72 years of age. Glenn Playter, beloved husband of Jackie of 51 years, and dear father of Wesley Playter (Juliana), Allison (Todd Jackson) and Brent Playter (Pam). Loving grandfather of Stella, Charlie, Tommy, Watson and Millicent. Dear brother of Wayne Playter (Marilyn) and Janice (Rick Bondi). He will be lovingly remembered by his many nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbours and friends, particularly his good friends Gerry Bloxam, Brent Peppiatt and Doug Sheppard.

Visitation and funeral service will take place at the Roadhouse & Rose Funeral Home, 157 Main St. S., Newmarket. Due to COVID-19 restrictions all services will be by invite only.

In memory of Glenn, please consider a memorial donation to one of his passions, the Newmarket Historical Society – Archives Restoration Fund

Son Wesley Playter UE, a long-time member of the Gov. Simcoe Branch, proved their Loyalist descent from George Henry Playter UEL in 1993.

See the Loyalist Directory (be sure to go to Playter - George Henry - Captain (Possibly higher to Colonel but after the Rev. War)) where you will find the George Playter Family Story by Robert James Rogers, UE, Edmonton Branch.

Anne Neuman, UE, Gov. Simcoe Branch

Edward Clifford "Ed" Harris

Unexpectedly on September 19, 2020, dearest husband of Janice and dear father of Rory (2017), Clinton (Kris), and Daniel. Lovingly remembered by granddaughters, Mikayla, Ashlynn, and Kaya. Brother of Raymond, David, Donald, Roger and Clark. Brother-in-law of Robert and Ellen Ockenden and Sheilagh and William McKinnie. Ed was a hard worker who was known for his engineering skills, problem solving abilities, quality craftsmanship, and a willingness to help others. He was with the Massey-Ferguson Combine Plant until closure and McMaster University until retirement. Ed lived his entire life close to his birthplace. He was a United Empire Loyalist descendant and through another family line was directly descended from one of the earliest settlers in the Langford-Onondaga area of Brant County. For those who wish, donations in his memory to the Brant SPCA would be sincerely appreciated by the family. Ever Loved, Ever Remembered, Ever Missed.

Responses re Place in New Brunswick: Block #1; Glencoe Island

Glencoe Island:

No one offered information about Glencoe Island. Perhaps it was a temporarily-named (unofficial) island, or just some incorrect information as from a transcription error or whatever.

Location:

This link should show you the location of his land grant.

...Gary Campbell

More detail:

Esther Clark Wright's "The Loyalists of New Brunswick" includes James Carr: He is listed as a Loyalist, but it does not say where he came from or whether he served in a Loyalist Regiment. The only thing next to his name is "Mspc. York County". Mspc stands for Mispec, Saint John County, N.B. That would be the place of his first grant (not in the PANB grants data-base) and York County would be where he settled. York County includes Fredericton and both sides of the St. John River, but Maugerville, Rusagonis are located in Sunbury County.

Block #1:

There were 14 blocks allocated to Loyalists in New Brunswick, often to different regiments. Block # 1 was opposite St. Ann's (Fredericton) on the east side of the St. John River and was allocated to Maryland Loyalists and consisted of a grant of 13,750 acres to Daniel Fukes and others 14 July 1784 (Source: "The Loyalists of New Brunswick" by Esther Clark Wright page 179) P 181 says "Comparisons of Muster rolls of regiments with the provision muster and the grants have shown that less than ten percent of the regiment settled on their block, even when the allotment was near St. Ann's.

On Block 1, across the river from the town, the Maryland Loyalists obtained one of the earliest grants. Of the 52 names on the grant, only 48 are Maryland Loyalists, and 23 of those sold their lots in 1784 and the year following."

The names of the 55 other Loyalists listed on the grant to Fukes can be found on the PANB web-site. It lists the location as Maugerville, Sunbury County which is on the east side of the St. John River 16 km below, not across from, Fredericton. Rusagonis is on the west side of the St. John River, 10 km south west of Oromocto.

James Carr's name is not one of the original grantees in Block #1 and he may have purchased it from one of the 23 original grantees who sold their lots in 1784/85. There is a James Carr listed as a recipient of a 10 Jun 1785 grant along with 72 others "North of the Bay of Fundy (Sunbury County, which basically covered all of what is now south west NB). There is also an 1810 grant to James Carr Sr. at Fredericton.

...John Noble