Loyalist Certificates

For those who believe they have Loyalist ancestry, you have the option of proving that ancestry. Once a member, work with the Branch genealogist to verify that your ancestor was a Loyalist and collect the genealogical proofs between yourself and that Loyalist. The genealogist will provide direction and guidance. However, being a volunteer like the rest of us, the branch genealogist generally is not free to do the research.

The branch genealogist will provide you with a certificate application form and certificate application guidelines. You will submit to and collaborate with the branch genealogist until the documentation is deemed complete and correct. The branch genealogist will then submit the completed certificate application form — with proofs and your fee — to the Dominion Genealogist for review. If all is in order, you will receive a certificate attesting to your Loyalist ancestry.

But what is a certificate application and what does it look like? Several completed applications have been posted in the Loyalist Directory, but note:

1. personal information has been removed for privacy reasons
2. a signature and permissions page would follow the list of proofs page, but has been removed
3. the proofs would be appended to the application; these too have been removed
4. the certificate application form was completely revised in 2016 and implemented towards the end of the year. Much of the content is the same but the look, feel, presentation and sequence have all changed. No applications in this new format have been posted as of 1 Jan 2017.