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Canada, the British – and Canadian – Monarchy and First Nations
By Kevin Wisener UE, Vice-President UELAC and President, Abegweit Branch, June 2025 in The PEI Loyalist Beacon, Summer 2025
Recently Canadians witnessed a rather unusual event, that being King Charles reading the Speech from the Throne on behalf of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly elected Liberal government. A treat for many Canadians, and for Ottawans who were equally delighted with King Charles and Queen Camillas’ walk about in downtown Ottawa accompanied by PM Carney and his wife Diana Fox Carney.
Apart from the star power of these two couples there was some not-so-subtle messaging available for those who understood the serious import of this visit and the Speech from the Throne connecting the Royal family to both Canada and the United Empire Loyalists.
The Royal family has long been associated with the Americas due to its many colonies stretching from the Caribbean to Canada. As early as 1701, the Nanfan Treaty, an agreement also known as the Albany Deed, recorded First Nations agreement to sell lands of the Great Lakes to the British in exchange for their protection and the con􀆟tiued right to hunt and fish.
The French and Indian War ended in 1763 giving Britain control over New France which included large parts of present-day Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario and French lands east of the Mississippi River. Subsequently, it was agreed to allow French Canadians to maintain their religion and language, this at a time when only Protestant immigration was permi􀆩ed to the British colonies. France also ceded its peace and friendship agreements with the First Na􀆟ons of its former territories to Great Britain who quickly negotiated new agreements.
King George III issued the “Royal Proclamation in 1763 to officially claim British territory in North America after Britain won the Seven Years War. In the Royal Proclamation, ownership over North America is issued to King George, but it explicitly states that Aboriginal title has existed and continues to exist, and that all land would be considered Aboriginal land until ceded by treaty. The Proclamation forbade settlers from claiming land from the Aboriginal occupants, unless it has been first bought by the Crown and then sold to the settlers. The Royal Proclamation further sets out that only the Crown can buy land from First Nations.
These rules as set out formed the basis for First Nations Treaty rights in Canada and were a major point of contention for those leading revolutionaries of the 13 rebellious colonies determined to push colonial settlement into unceded First Nations lands.
After the Revolutionary War, King George III enabled the settlement of the Loyalists in British colonies in the Caribbean and what is now known as Canada. Loyalists were granted land in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the Canadas (Quebec and Ontario) creating the largest English speaking group in these colonies.

The Ties That Bind
To this day the ties between Canada and the United Kingdom remain strong. Likewise, the ties of the Royal family are highly visible with the highest office in the land Governor General being the King’s representative currently held by Mary Simon, the first person of indigenous descent to hold the office. Similarly, each province has a Lieutenant Governor representing the King.
And so, the importance for many Canadians of these linkages is quite tangible and important for the preservation of their rights as founding peoples of Canada. A reminder of these links is the ever-present images of the reigning monarch on our paper currency and coinage.
Sometimes these important facts are overlooked by those decision-makers in neighbouring jurisdictions whose designs for Canadian territory run counter to the wishes of the Canadian people. And when such misguided thoughts are verbalized some very public reminders are needed to manage expectations. It is in this way that Prime Minister Carney’s first visit as Prime Minister was not to Washington but rather to President Macron in Paris, highlighting Canada’s traditional Francophonie connection, and then to King Charles in England.
Perhaps not so subtly, was the sudden flurry of press announcements that the Prime Minister’s brother Sean Carney serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Kensington Palace, the Household of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, the future King and Queen of England. It was also recently announced that Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, is scheduled to visit Prince Edward Island (PEI) on June 25th to attend celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the Prince Edward Island Regiment. We encourage our members to attend this June 25th event to see Prince Edward, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Prince Edward Regiment.

Canada Day 2025
On July 1, a sea of red and white will spread across the country. Are you ready to dive into the celebrations? From coast to coast to coast, let’s showcase our Canadian identity, let our pride shine and celebrate Canada Day, wherever we are! More…

National Noon Ceremony
The national noon ceremony will launch the national celebrations of a strong, proud and united Canada. With inspiring tributes and featuring great Canadian icons and artists, the ceremony will promote our culture, our identity and, most of all, our pride across the country. Watch online, or in-person. More…

National Evening Show
The Canada Day National Evening Show is a must-see event that embodies our Canadian pride. It features colourful musical performances and an electric atmosphere. As we celebrate our national identity, waves of red and white will flow through LeBreton Flats Park, filling the streets of the capital with excitement that will resonate all across the country.
From the heart of Canada’s capital, with performances from Summerside, Yellowknife and Vancouver, let’s come together through dance, song and the unifying power of music! More…

Loyalists: Have a great Canada Day.
Celebrate the here and now, but do reflect on our Canadian values, and the contribution of those who have come to and contributed to Canada, the immigrants including the first indigenous groups and those since, and note the many groups of refugees, including our Loyalist ancestors.

2025  UELAC Conference: Remembering our Loyalist Ancestors

The conference has lots to offer: learn from expert speakers, visit Loyalist sites, share your Loyalist story — see Conference 2025 details.

Old Loyalist Burial Grounds
    The Old Loyalist Burial Ground in Saint John, New Brunswick, was established on this site shortly after the landing of the United Empire Loyalists in 1783. After its closure as a cemetery in 1848 the site became a memorial garden with tree lined walkways and flower beds.
In 1994 the Irving family undertook a restoration program as a gift to the people of Saint John. They commissioned and carried out a refurbishing of the entire site, including the construction of brick and granite walkways, benches, specially cast memorial gates, railings and light columns. Hundreds of trees and thousands of flowers and shrubs were planted and the magnificent Beaver Fountain was created. Read more and watch a short video by Brian McConnell UE

Honouring the Loyalists at Conference – Sat. 12 July 11:30
    A wreath-laying ceremony honouring the Loyalists at the Old Loyalist Burial Grounds; we will be assisted by re-enactors of Delancy’s Brigade, and the wreath will be laid at the grave site of Carl Stymiest’s Loyalist ancestor, Jasper Stymiest (1751-1826). The Burial Grounds is located up the street from the Hotel, about a 10 minute walk.
After the ceremony there will be a tour of the cemetery, guided by David Goss. The tour is called “I could tell 14,000 stories in this 4-acre patch, but I won’t.” We will tour the grounds, and stop at various points to discuss such things as why Market McLure’s husband’s name is missing from the market; how the Gold Tree got its nickname; why KC Irving’s statue is not front and centre, even though the company paid for the restoration of the grounds in the 1990s; the woman who jumped in the Bay of Fundy, and why she did it; and more. We’ll visit stone carver James Milligan’s slab monument, and discover his connection to Robbie Burns.  Read more…

Hope to see you there…

Five Loyalist Families of Remsheg: Part Three of Three
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
The story of Stephen and Mary Tuttle and how they came to be among the loyalist settlers of Remsheg Harbour covers an amazing amount of North American geography, beginning in Albany, New York, relocating to Quebec, moving on to the Gaspe Peninsula, and finally coming to rest in Wallace, Nova Scotia. It is a story of sacrifice as well as grim determination, of children lost to their parents, and of a fresh start in a new country.
Born in New Jersey, Stephen Tuttle had a farm of 1,800 acres near Fort Edward on the Hudson River outside of Albany, New York. At the beginning of the American Revolution, he was also deputy to the colony’s surveyor general and a justice of the peace. A widower with 5 children, he married Mary Graham in 1765. They would also eventually have five children of their own.
Mary was the cousin of Jane McCrea whose death at the hands of Indigenous allies of the British in July 1777 sent shock waves throughout the rebelling colonies – despite the fact that McCrea was a known loyalist and the fiancée of a loyalist soldier. But the death of a New York woman at the hands of Natives fighting alongside the British was enough to inspire men to join the Patriot side.
As a result, animosity towards the crown and its supporters grew throughout the colonies. The perception that Jane’s loyalist boyfriend had entrusted his fiancée to murderers was a propaganda tool that rebels used to deepen hatred of Loyalists. Some historians have claimed that the rallying cry of Jane McCrea’s death contributed to the defeat of General Burgoyne’s army later that summer which, in turn, led to the French allying themselves with the rebel forces, thus bringing about the victory of the American patriots. Such is the power of a legend.
Stephen Tuttle’s continued refusal to take an oath to the new republic or command a rebel company led to a number of threats against him.  The fact that he sold his Black slaves and cattle to furnish “arms and necessities” to fellow Loyalists “in distress” and aided fugitive British prisoners of war only worsened his reputation. By 1777, General Benedict Arnold felt that he should be hanged as a traitor.  Not surprisingly then, Tuttle joined the British at Lake Champlain in the winter of 1779. Trudging through the snow to sanctuary, Tuttle lost the use of his right arm — which was still paralyzed when he stood before the loyalist compensation board in 1785.
Having found refuge in Canada by May of 1779, Tuttle remained there until the end of the war. Five of his sons, however, served in the British Army.  George, Abraham, and Thomas were the sons of his first wife. Born to Mary Tuttle in 1766, William Tuttle would have been 17 in the last year of the war. His brother John would have been 16.
Stephen’s wife Mary and their “large family of small children” followed later. The youngest of the Tuttle children to go with Mary was Guy who was just two years old. He died before the family settled in Nova Scotia. A newborn daughter named Sarah was left behind with Mary’s relatives in New York, no doubt over concerns of surviving the long and rigorous journey to St. John’s, Quebec. Sarah was never reunited with her family. She grew up and eventually married in New York. In 1781, a roster of Loyalists at St. John’s lists Stephen Tuttle, age 50, and his wife and five children.
As Loyalist refugees flooded into what became Lower Canada following the signing of the peace treaty, Stephen Tuttle was invited to use his surveying skills to prepare Carlisle on the Gaspe Peninsula for refugee settlers. As it turned out, the new high sheriff of Gaspe was Jonath Jones, a former neighbor of the Tuttles in Albany County. Jones testified on Stephen’s behalf at the loyalist compensation hearings. Knowing of his surveying skills, it is possible that Jones recommended Tuttle for the work in Gaspe.
Despite working to help establish a loyalist settlement in eastern Quebec, Stephen Tuttle took his three oldest sons to the Remsheg Grant in 1784 to establish a new home. (The third son, Stephen Jr., would have been 14 at the time.) No reason is given for Tuttle’s decision; it may have to do with the number of Loyalists in Remsheg who had once lived in New York – old friends and neighbours of the Tuttles. After several months of preparing his grant along Wallace Bay, Stephen began his journey through the woods to Quebec to retrieve Mary and his 12 year-old son, Peter.
As he entered what is now New Brunswick’s Westmoreland County, Tuttle met a band of Mi’kmaw men who wanted him to come see a white woman that they had in their camp. Tuttle didn’t really want to delay his trip to Quebec, but finally agreed to go with the men.
In the words of historian Harry R. Brown, “his surprise was great to find his wife and son. Weary with waiting, Mary had induced Peter to accompany her through the woods to Nova Scotia.” After a war that had taken away all of her land and possessions, disabled her husband, made soldiers of her sons, led to the death of a toddler, separated her from a newborn daughter, and had taken her away from all that she had known, Mary Tuttle was ready to start a new life in rural Nova Scotia. Her determination is evident given the fact that she and Peter made a journey of 480 km on foot to be reunited with Stephen and her three oldest sons.
Stephen Tuttle died in Wallace, Nova Scotia in 1818. In addition to his hundreds of descendants in the province and beyond, his name lives on as part of Cumberland County’s geography in Tuttle Brook – a fitting legacy for a loyalist who had once served the crown as a surveyor.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

How a coastal Maine town almost became part of Canada
Castine could have marked our border with the U.S. Here’s what people there think of Trump’s annexation talk
By Jacques Poitras  25 June 2025 CBC News
When U.S. President Donald Trump started talking about annexing Canada to make it the 51st state, people in Castine, Maine, took notice.
The town, after all, was twice occupied by Great Britain two centuries ago.
The British wanted to carve out a new colony that would be part of British North America — in effect doing the opposite of what Trump has been musing about.
“When I do walking tours, I jokingly tell people that this could have been Canada very easily,” said Lisa Lutts, the recently retired executive director of the Castine Historical Society.
“If the War of 1812, if the Treaty of Paris had been different, this would have been Canada. And I always joke and say, well, I would have had better health care. That’s my joke, and people love it.”
Castine’s history of occupation is visible in the historical markers and remnants of British forts that dot its small grid of streets overlooking Penobscot Bay. Read more… 

Trojan Horse on the Water: The 1782 Attack on Beaufort, North Carolina
by Josh Wheeler 24 June 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
The mention of Beaufort, North Carolina, does not typically bring to mind any significant activity of the American Revolution. Only the most serious students of the war are likely to have studied the role Beaufort played. The action there offered no turning point and no clash between well-known commanders or sizable forces, but in the spring of 1782 Beaufort was the victim of a violent attack and occupation by Loyalist forces. It is common for military events after the British surrender at Yorktown to have historiographical shortcomings, but particularly Beaufort. Its story, often confused with a clash in Beaufort, South Carolina around the same time, is consistently inaccurate in secondary sources. The motivation behind the attack, and the narrative of what took place after the Loyalists came ashore, require a historiographical update. We are fortunate that several obscure pieces of scholarship augment the primary sources and make such a task possible.
An aged and out of print work by a local historian and an equally aged and overlooked academic journal article provide key evidence that, when weaved together with primary sources, yields a fresh look at the occupation of Beaufort. The first source, a detailed history of Carteret County, North Carolina, during the Revolution by local historian Jean Bruyere Kell, is the only legitimate narrative of the two-week affair. The second, a seemingly unknown journal article by North Carolina historian Jeffrey J. Crow, fills in the political and operational details the historiography consistently lacks. It provides clear evidence that the attack was not, as many have claimed, planned and carried out by Loyalist Maj. Andrew Deveaux, and that it was not ordered by Maj. Gen. Alexander Leslie, but rather a man named John Cruden, a North Carolina Loyalist who held the position of commissioner of sequestered estates under Gen. Charles Cornwallis. Cruden’s involvement in the attack has been completely missed by most writers and its inclusion reveals a fascinating and complicated story indicative of the bloody and lawless war waged by Loyalists and Patriots in the months following Yorktown. Read more…

Hessian Soldiers Travelling to America: POW: In Camp – A Soldier’s Life. November 1782
From a Hessian Diary of the American Revolution.
This excerpt from the diary of Johan Conrad Dohla (170 pages).

Major Moves during Johan’s deployment:

  • March 1777:   Depart Germany
  • 3 June 1777:   Arrive New York, then Amboy NJ
  • November 1777:  To Philadelphia
  • June 1778: to Long Island
  • July 1778: To Newport RI
  • October 1779: to New York
  • May 1781: to Chesapeake Bay (Yorktown)
  • October 1781: to Williamsburg
  • January 1782: to Frederick MD (about 40 km west of Baltimore)

1783: Continuation of the Notable Occurences in the North American Field Campaign and Especially In the Captivity at Frederick, In Maryland, in the Seventh and Last Year, Page 133

In the Months of January, February and March  1783

January

From 1 to 20 January. Nothing of significance occurred.
20 January. Lieutenant Lindemeyer left from here to go to Lancaster to inquire about our baggage and pay.
25 January.  During  the  morning  he  returned  and  brought  mail  from  Germany  for  the regiment; however, I did not receive any. We had snow and cold weather this month.

February

2 February. The sick and detached personnel, who had until now been left behind, arrived from the New Frederick Barracks at Winchester. Sergeant Rosensch€n and Private [Karl] von Walkenstein, of our Quesnoy’s Company, were among them. Today a  transport of Hessians and  Englanders  arrived  here  from  Virginia. They  had  been  captured  on  14  October  1781  at Thomsen’s  Hill  in  South  Carolina  and  had  been  held  captive  since  then  at  Richmond, Virginia.
3 February. In the evening the Hessian Regimental Quartermaster [Ludwig] Flachshaar, of the Bose Regiment, arrived from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with nine wagons of baggage to be delivered to the four German regiments in captivity here.
7 February. Stockings were distributed, and each man received one pair.
8 February. Those in need received shoe soles. Today the regiment received blankets, and our Quesnoy’s Company received eight large regimental blankets.
10 February. Private G‡rtner, of Quesnoy’s Company, arrived  here again and reported to the company. He had been gone since 30 July,1782.
12 February. Private Sp‡th, of Quesnoy’s Company, came back from Virginia and turned
up in the barracks. He had been gone and missing for almost a year.
24 February.  We  celebrated  the  birthday  of  His  Highness,  the  Margrave,  here  in  our barracks. Our artificers and cannoneers manufactured an illumination and the Prince’s name, Christian  Friedrich  Carl  Alexander,  with  four  large  letters.  The  „C.F.C.A“  in  fire  was beautiful to see at night. The city’s inhabitants, as well as the guard force, came running and were amazed. Perhaps many of them had never seen such a thing in their entire lifetime. Our troops shouted without let up, „Hurrah  for Alexander! Hurrah  for Germany!“ and  it was not curtailed by the guards.
27 February. We received  shirts,  and  each  man received  one.  During  this  month we had considerable rain at first; at the end, however, the weather was cold and dry.

March

6 March.  During  the  night  Private  Sp‡th,  of  Quesnoy’s  Company,  again  deserted. Supposedly, he is married in Virginia and had returned to the regiment only to pick up his pay and belongings.
20 March. We received the first news of peace.
23 March. Our company received twenty-six pairs of shoes for those who were barefoot.
27 March.  An  express,  a  member  of  the  Light  Horse,  came  to  Frederick,  sent  from Philadelphia by Congress, and brought the long-wished-for and happy news of the restoration of peace. We still find it difficult to believe, however.
28 March. The two regimental quartermasters, our [Johann Georg] Daig and Flachshaar of the Hessians, have arrived here again. They brought our remaining baggage in four wagons.
31 March.  The  regiment  received  only  the  large  blankets,  of  which  our  Quesnoy’s Company received seventeen. This month was mostly raw, cold days and dry weather, but no snow and no frost at night. The fields were for the most part ready for planting.
(to be continued)

Hon. Sir Henry Edwyn Stanhope (1754-1814)  British Naval Officer During the American Revolution
by Richard Hiscocks 29 June 2017  at More Than Nelson
As a young and highly intelligent officer, who experienced various adventures in the early stages of the American War of Independence, Stanhope might have expected a long and brilliant career, but he was dogged by ill health, reducing his opportunities for success.
He was born on 21 May 1754, the only son of Hon. Edwin Francis Stanhope and his wife Catherine Brydges, the daughter of the Marquess of Carnarvon . He was a distant cousin of novelist Jane Austen and her two sailor brothers, Francis and Charles Austen.
Stanhope (who also spelled his middle name Edwin) was educated at Winchester College (where he was the head boy) and briefly at Oxford University. In May 1768 at age fourteen, he entered the navy aboard the Rose 20, Captain Benjamin Caldwell, serving on the North American station. After a short spell aboard the Romney 50 flagship of the commander-in-chief, Commodore Samuel Hood, he returned to the Rose and thence to England. There he resumed his studies at Oxford and entered the Royal Naval Academy at Portsmouth. In the summer of 1772, he went out to the Leeward Islands under the flag of Vice-Admiral William Parry aboard the Chatham 50, Captain Charles Thompson, but his spell in the Caribbean was terminated through illness and he returned home to further pursue his academic studies.
In March 1775, at the start of the American Revolutionary War, he sailed for America aboard the Otter 14, Captain Matthew Squire, but a month later was discharged at Boston, apparently due to illness. He did not remain inactive for long, being appointed an acting lieutenant of the Glasgow 20, Captain Tyringham Howe. Placed in command of a division of flatboats landing the army at the Battle of Bunker Hill on 17 June, he advanced unarmed with the British soldiers in the expectation that they would put the rebels to flight. When the enemy put up a fierce resistance, he snatched up a fallen soldier’s weapon to support the attacking troops.
Ordered to take a prize brig into Boston shortly afterwards, on the way he used that vessel to capture a rebel schooner before seizing a sloop and capturing a further two prizes, which he sailed to Newport, Rhode Island. Here he rejoined the Rose, now under Captain James Wallace. Placed in command of her tender, he fought an inconclusive ninety-minute action with the privateer Hancock 14 that saw many of his crew wounded. While at Newport, Captain Howe (his previous commander) ordered him to go ashore in search of deserters, a potentially dangerous assignment. During the search he was attacked and taken prisoner by the Americans. Initially Stanhope was incarcerated at Providence, and he was then taken on parole to Northampton in Massachusetts. His parole conditions were changed, leading him to his make his escape (with Midshipman George Gregory) on 27 April 1776. The two were re-captured at Middleton in Connecticut and again imprisoned at Northampton, but nine months later Stanhope escaped once more, this time with Robert Arnold, the master of the sloop Falcon. After walking some hundred miles and living for weeks in disguise at Marblehead they eventually took a cartel ship to Halifax where Stanhope was appointed an acting lieutenant on the Liverpool 28, Captain Henry Bellew, which frigate returned to England in March 1777.  Read more,,,

Those Deceitful Sages: Pope Pius VI, Rome, and the American Revolution
by Brady J. Crytzer 26 June 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
In December 1775, Pope Pius VI released his famed encyclical entitled Inscrutabilie Divinae Sapientiae. Translated as “The Inscrutable Divine Wisdom,” the Pope used his platform to issue a commentary on the most pressing issues of the time. Among the many topics he touched on were threats to the Catholic Church, the shifting politics of Europe, and the Holy See’s own interpretations of liberty and self-government.
As Pontiff, Pius’s tenure was only ten months old at the time that he released Inscrutabilie Divinae Sapientiae, but he was already making bold pronouncements regarding the waves of revolutionary fervor that were sweeping across the greater Atlantic World. Long before he became the “Successor to St. Peter,” Pius VI was born into an aristocratic family in Cesena in northwestern Italy. Though he committed his life to the Church, he was raised in the splendor of nobility and was a staunch believer in the social order that wealth and status provided.
The years preceding his time as the Holy Father saw revolutions sweep across the continent; some were still mere ideological debates, while bloody peasant uprisings occurred in Eastern Europe and Russia. In America, the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill challenged royal authority in Massachusetts, and the Siege of Ninety Six destabilized the South Carolina backcountry. Read more…

Advertised on 27 June 1775: ‘Warrantee, Quitclaim Deeds &c Sold at the Printing Office’

What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago this week?

“Warrantee and Quitclaim Deeds, Justices Writs, Shipping Papers, Bail Bonds, &c Sold at the Printing Office.”

Daniel Fowle, the printer of the New- Hampshire Gazette, managed to keep publishing his newspaper after the battles of Lexington and Concord, though he warned readers that they could not depend on him doing so.  On April 28, 1775, just over a week after the battles, he asked for those who owed money to settle accounts.  “The Boston News Papers we hear are all stopt, and no more will be printed for the present,” Fowle noted, “and that must be done here unless the Customers attend to this call.”  Two weeks later, he stated, “The publisher of this Paper Designs, if possible, to continue it a while longer, provided the Customers who are in Arrear pay off Immediately, to enable him to purchase Paper.”  Fowle asserted that he had to price paper “at a great Distance and Charge.”  Disruptions in his paper supply and “the disorder’d State of the Continent” (as Fowle descried the aftermath of the battles at Lexington and Concord) led him to reduce the size of many issues to two pages instead of the usual four.
…The printer found one space for a couple of advertisements, including one that described Abraham Parry, an apprentice who ran away from Samuel Joy of Durham on May 22.
…As the very last item on the second (and final) page, Fowle inserted an advertisement, just two lines, for printed blanks: “Warrantee and Quitclaim Deeds, Justices Writs, Shipping Papers, Bail Bonds, &c Sold at the Printing Office.”  Read more…

Robert Newburgh’s Trials: Queerness & Reputation in Revolutionary America
by John McCurdy June 2025 Episode 414 Ben Franklin’s World
Drawing on court records, correspondence, and military archives, John helps us investigate how eighteenth-century Britons understood and policed same-sex behavior. Why Robert Newburgh’s sexuality and character became central to his military service. And, what Robert Newburgh’s story reveals about the British Empire’s treatment of queerness—and about the historical challenges of naming and recovering LGBTQIA+ lives in the past. Listen in…
John McCurdy is a Professor of History and Philosophy at Eastern Michigan University. His research expertise is in the fields of Colonial and Revolutionary America, gender, and LGTBQ+ history.

UELAC Loyalist Directory: New Contributions

    Entries which have been added, or revised, this week.

Thanks to Kevin Wisener UE of Abegweit Branch in PEI who is researching the Loyalists who settled in PEI

  • Samuel Herbert from Johnstown, Albany County, New York  received a 50-acre land grant at Birch Town, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia and a a 340 acre land grant on the Vernon River.
  •  John McNichol was a Loyalist from Penobscot, Maine. He was initially granted land at St. Andrews, Passamaquoddy District, New Brunswick. He received a 100 acre land grant on the Vernon River, PEI. He later moved to Lot 25, of the first 100 in Charlottetown, PEI.
  • James Ramsay resided in New Jersey and in New York City during the last few years of the Revolution. He was employed as an ”Established Mate” at His Majesty’s Hospital in New York City. He received his 340 acre land grant on the Vernon River, Lot 50, Queens County, PEI and resided there until he sold his property on May 29th, 1795.

Events in July to Celebrate the Loyalists
Several provinces have noted our Loyalist Heritage with designated days or events. Here are some planned events, most organized by UELAC Branches.

Sun 20 July. Chilliwack and Vancouver Branches Celebrate BC Loyalist Day in New Westminster
The tradition to celebration BC Loyalist Day (officially on July 22nd) continues, but this year it is a reunion picnic with former members invited to join in and renew friendships and hear the latest UELAC news.
Location is Picnic Shelter #2 in Queen’s Park, New Westminster.  Fun begins just before noon.  Bring your own chairs and picnic lunch.  Christine Manzer and Marlene Dance
For more about BC Loyalist Day, see Calendar of provincial Loyalist Days and annual observances, under July 22

More special events are welcome – send to editor.

Events Upcoming
     See above “Events in June to Celebrate the Loyalists”

Old Holy Trinity Church, in Middleton, N.S.open on Canada Day 1 July 1-4

Old Holy Trinity Church, in Middleton, N.S. , a Provincial Heritage Site, built in 1789 will be open July 1st, Canada Day, from 1 – 4 p.m. Stop in for a tour.   Brian McConnell UE
Read more about the church.

American Revolution Institute: The Comte de Rochambeau’s 300th Birthday Celebration 1 July 5:00 – 7:30

The comte de Rochambeau, the commander in chief of France’s 1780 expeditionary force sent to aid the Continental Army, played a pivotal role in helping to secure American independence. To commemorate the 300th birthday of this important figure of the American Revolutionary War, join us and the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail for a special evening honoring the French commander.   Details… (Note: in-person only)

American Revolution Institute: Author’s Talk—The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution Wed 9 July 6:30

Historian Zara Anishanslin discusses her new book that highlights three remarkable artists devoted to the pursuit of liberty. The American Revolution was not only fought in the colonies with muskets and bayonets. On both sides of the Atlantic, artists armed with paint, canvas, and wax played an integral role in forging revolutionary ideals. Drawing from her new book, Dr. Anishanslin charts the intertwined lives of three such figures. Read more and registration…



From the Social Media and Beyond

  • Food and Related : Townsends

  • This week in History
    • Bunker Hill in Four Objects: Revolutionary Spaces
    • 23 Jun 1765 Lawyer/politician/activist James Otis publishes his famous polemic against the tyranny of taxation without representation in his pamphlet, “The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved.” image
    • 22 Jun 1770, Annapolis, Maryland.  A convention votes to support the growing “nonimportation” movement among the colonies. Response to British restrictions placed on Boston. image
    • 22 Jun 1774 The Quebec Act, one of the Intolerable Acts, was enacted by the British Parliament. It extended the boundaries of the Quebec province down through the Great Lakes to the Ohio River, permitting Canadian Catholics to practice their religion freely. image   
    • 25 Jun 1775 Continental Congress sent a letter to the Provincial Conventions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island that George Washington had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of forces raised for the defense of America. image
    • 25 June 1775: Washington arrives in New York City, inspecting Hamilton’s artillery battery as he passes through on his way to Boston. image
    • 25 Jun 1775 Philadelphia, PA The Continental Congress appoints General Phillip Schuyler as commander of the Northern Department and shortly thereafter grants him the authority to invade Canada. image 
    • 26 Jun 1775, Cambridge, MA. General Washington wrote the New York Legislature before assuming command at “…When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen…” image
    • 27 Jun 1775, the Continental Congress resolves that Gen Philip Schuyler travel to Forts Ticonderoga & Crown Point to inspect the troops, their supplies & ability to navigate Lake Champlain & Lake George, & obtain intelligence on the Canadians & Indians. image 
    • 23 Jun 1776, off the coast of Charleston, SC, British Commodore Sir Peter Parker notifies Gen Henry Clinton that he will land on the SC mainland the next day on the flood tide, if the wind blows from the south. image
    • 24 Jun 1776 Ile aux Noix & Sorel, Can. The British advance guard thwarts the haggard American forces under Gen. John Sullivan and Benedict Arnold. Sullivan finally orders his forces to withdraw to Crown Point, NY. image  
    • 24 June 1776, Congress resolved to imprison Governor William Franklin of New Jersey in Connecticut. Franklin was the son of Benjamin Franklin. He had been the Royal Governor of New Jersey since 1763. image
    • 28 June 1776 NYC Thomas Hickey, Continental Army sergeant & bodyguard to Gen Washington, is hanged for mutiny & sedition. Although the only one hanged, Hickey was part of a much larger British plot by Gov Tryon & Loyalists to assassinate Washington. image
    • 28 Jun 1776 Charleston, SC, Commodore Peter Parker faces strong resistance at Sullivan’s Island from the determined defense. Spongy palmetto logs absorb blow after blow, and rebel gunners inflict heavy casualties, causing the British to withdraw. image
    • 23 Jun 1777 Kassel, Hessen, GE. The Landgrave of Hessen-Kassel orders Gen Leopold von Heister home and replaces him with Gen Wilhelm von Knyphausen.  image
    • 26 June 1777, after succeeding in drawing Washington out of Middlebrook, NJ by luring him toward New Brunswick, Gen William Howe marched out of Perth Amboy & attempted to cut the Americans off from their defensive stronghold. image  
    • 27 Jun 1777 Captain Lambert Wickes’ squadron’s raid in the English Channel concludes when he arrives at Nantes, France. His three ships took 18 prize ships along the way and avoided capture or sinking by the Royal Navy’s 74-gun HMS Burford. image
    • 24 Jun 1778 Hopewell, NJ A council of war rejects Gen Washington’s proposal to attack Gen Clinton’s forces at Allentown, PA. Instead, he authorizes Gen Wm Maxwell & Philemon Dickinson to harass the British rear & flanks. image
    • 26 Jun 1778, Gen. Washington increases the advance to 5K to strike at the British rear guard as they depart Monmouth CH. His second-in-command, Gen. Chas Lee, now insists on commanding Lafayette. image
    • 26 Jun 1778 Col George Rogers Clark and a force of 175 soldiers shot the rapids of the Ohio River in flatboats and then sailed west for the Illinois territory. image
    • 27 June 1778: Gen. Charles Lee commands the 5,000-strong American advance guard to attack the British rearguard. Gen. Washington knew his troops were well-trained and in top form, but Lee, who often disparaged the American troops, had no faith in the men. image
    • 28 Jun 1778, Mary Ludwig Hayes, known as “Molly Pitcher,” aided American patriots. Molly Pitcher is a nickname given to a woman who is said to have fought in the American Battle of Monmouth and is generally believed to have been Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley. image
    • 21 Jun 1779 Madrid, Spain. King Charles III declares war on Great Britain & though eschewing recognition of the US, steps up secret aid to the rebels. His forces are marshaled for an attack on British-held Gibraltar. image
    • 21 Jun 1780, Hillsboro, NC. Gen. Baron de Kalb arrives with 1,400 Continentals, led by Col. William Smallwood and Mordecai Gist of Maryland. Smallwood and Gist are characters in my first novel in the Yankee Doodle Spies series, The Patriot Spy. image
    • 23 June 1780, Springfield, NJ. Gen. Clinton tries to draw out and defeat Washington’s army. British & Hessian troops vs  Continentals & NJ Militia. A surprise victory for the Americans & one of the last battles in the North – ended British ambitions in NJ image
    • 24 June 1782, with Gen. Guy Carleton now commanding all British forces in America. Lt Col Henry Hamilton is appointed Lieutenant Governor of Canada. image 
  • Clothing and Related:
    • Woman’s letter case, France, c1760. Via LACMA.
    • Joséphine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I, was born in June 1763. This red/ pink empire-line dress with an embroidered overdress belonged to Josephine. It is shown worn with a muslin chemisette embellished with a ruff. Musee Malmaison collection.
    • The necklace is c1800 and belonged to Emma, Lady Hamilton. I love the pansy motif!
  • Miscellaneous 

Last Post: NERBAS, Roderick
On January 4, 2025, at 88 years of age, Manitoba Branch member, Roderick (Rod) Nerbas passed away peacefully at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre.
Born in the R.M. of Shellmouth, Manitoba on July 16, 1936, Rod moved in 1940 with his family to a log cabin on a farm in the Blackstone district of Grandview, Manitoba.  He attended school at Blackstone until 1952 when the family moved into the town of Grandview where he received the rest of his schooling. At the age of 18 he became a permit teacher at Ravensworth School in Minitonas, Manitoba, after which he attended Normal School in Winnipeg in 1957. He then taught school in Locksley and Grandview Schools until he married his sweetheart, Dianne, and in 1969 moved to Selkirk, Manitoba where he taught at Daerwood School until his retirement in 1991.
Over the years his quiet, soft-spoken approach made him a well-respected teacher.  He had a wonderful talent for being able to encourage and teach all students, including those experiencing life and learning issues.
Later in life Rod supported Dianne’s interest in her United Empire Loyalist heritage.  As an educator, it is not surprising that he should have so generously given his time to provide a Loyalist presence in events such as the Red River Heritage Fair for junior high students, the Social Studies Teachers annual in-service, and presentations in schools, always clad in his Loyalist period dress including a tri-corn hat, a flouncy shirt and pantaloons. As well, he could be counted on to act as a flag bearer for Church Parades and other occasions when the flag needed to be shown. He was quietly supportive of all our branch activities.
Dianne could not have had a more sturdy rock to lean on over the years.  He was an amazing husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.  He will be missed.
An invitation is extended to honour Rod at his Celebration of Life. It will be held on Saturday, July 5, at 2:00 p.m. in the Gilbart Funeral Home, 309 Eveline Street, Selkirk, Manitoba. More at Gilbart Funeral Home.
Submitted by Robert Campbell,  President, Manitoba Branch

 

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