“Loyalist Trails” 2006-29 July 16, 2006

In this issue:
Crysler’s Farm Battlefield Revisited…
Fredericton Branch Members
New Book: And Your Petitioner Will Ever Pray, by Linda Corupe
Loyalist Directory has grown again
Americans in Canada on July 4: Francis Asbury in 1811
Chancellor Named Greatest Hamiltonian: Lincoln Alexander
Queries
      + Westchester Refugees (Delanceys) settled on Cobequid Road, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
      + Information about the family of William Carle (Carley)
      + Information about Emanuel Ellerbach
      + Information about Adiel Sherwood
      + Information about Samuel James Boldrick and wife Amy Louise Meneilley
      + Portrait of James Green: Could he be…
      + Response re Film and Queenston Heights

Articles

Crysler’s Farm Battlefield Revisited…

Crysler’s Farm Battlefield and Upper Canada Village in Eastern Ontario once again echoed to the rattle of musketry and signals from fifes and drums, as the invading Americans were once again pushed back from the field last weekend. This year it was 1812 at the site, and on alternate years it is Rev War. More to the point, I had the pleasure of chatting with members of St. Lawrence Branch UELAC who have faithfully set up displays over the years whether it be an 1812 year or a Rev War year. Genealogist Lynn Cook in particular showed me her system for cataloguing information on individual Loyalists to streamline the search project. A great idea!

…Peter W. Johnson UE, President, UELAC

Fredericton Branch Members

I was saddened to hear recently that Fredericton Branch UELAC had voted to surrender its Charter. I know I share that sadness with the rest of the membership.

As Fredericton Branch members are members in good standing with the Association, they can transfer their membership to another Branch, either locally or to one in the area where your ancestor settled, should they differ. New Brunswick Branch has kindly extended an invitation to Fredericton members who wish to join that Branch, paid up for the rest of 2006.

New Brunswick Branch is also considering holding a meeting each year in Fredericton, and with good publicity it might be a way to generate more interest and allow Fredericton to rise again,phoenix-like, and assume its proper place in the UELAC.

…Peter W. Johnson UE, President, UELAC.

New Book: And Your Petitioner Will Ever Pray, by Linda Corupe

This book deals with the records of the first Mecklenburg/Midland District Land Board of Upper Canada (now Ontario) between 1789 and 1794. Roughly covering the counties of Lennox & Addington, Frontenac, Hastings and Prince Edward (plus parts of Leeds Twp. and Sidney Twp.), this publication will help fill in some of the gaps caused by other missing records for the area. These transcribed records, for the first time in print, comprise the minutes of the meetings of the Land Board, in both Kingston and Adolphustown, and contain summaries of each of the petitions presented & the action taken. Also included are the reports of the Land Council on those proceedings. The book is a verbatim transcription of the original records, including maps and reproductions of documents. Also included are the 1790 location registers for the entire district, giving lot and concession numbers for each settler. As well, there are several helpful appendices with maps, and other useful information. Including the index and appendices, this book is over 500 pages.

Visit my website to see more and to view a pair of sample pages from “And Your Petitioner Will Ever Pray”. Priced at $49.00 plus $8.50 shipping.

The title of this publication was taken from a phrase commonly used by applicants of this time period in closing their petitions presented to the Governor in Council, at times through a district land board, for land or other favours from government.

…Linda Corupe, UE

Loyalist Directory has grown again

Another group of Names has been added to the Loyalist Directory. All of the Loyalists named on certificates issued since 1998 until February of this year have been added, along with the Loyalists named on certificates issued to people between 1971 and 1998 and whose surname starts with “A” or “B”. We hope to add another group before the end of summer but it will be challenge to complete the entire set before year’s end, unless we get some more help with the transcriptions. Philip Smart informs us that there were two Loyalists with the name Justus Sealey (Seeley). Some information about both of these has been added. He also provided information about Joshua Booth.

…Doug

Americans in Canada on July 4: Francis Asbury in 1811

Here is another take on Americans in Canada on July 4. This comes from the Journal of Francis Asbury, the noted American (though born in England) Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He made his first and only visit to Canada in 1811. Here are his words recording his 10-day westward ride along the north side of the St. Lawrence:

“We rode through Cornwall in the night, and came to Evan Roys, making forty-four miles for the day’s journey. It is surprising how we make nearly fifty miles a day over such desperate roads as we have lately travelled; we lose no time: Ah! why should we–it is so precious! My strong affection for the people of the United States came with strange power upon me whilst I was crossing the line. … Wednesday: we rode along the banks of the river …We dined with Stephen Bailey, and went from thence with brother Glassford, in his calash [caleche–a two-wheel carriage] … Thursday, on the opposite shore they are firing for the fourth of July. What have I to do with this waste of powder? I pass the pageantry of the day unheeded on the other side: why should I have new feelings in Canada?”

He visited several loyalist families including those of Samuel Heck (son of Paul), David Brackenridge, John Dulmage, Jehoiada Boyce, Ben Mallory, Joel Stone, Elias Dulmage with whom he stayed in Kingston, and Catherine Detlor. From Kingston he took a packet to Sackett’s Harbour, and rode on to his next Conference on July 20 near Utica NY.

[submitted by William Lamb]

Chancellor Named Greatest Hamiltonian: Lincoln Alexander

From U of Guelph News:

University of Guelph Chancellor Lincoln Alexander has been named the “Greatest Hamiltonian of All Time” in a contest sponsored by The Hamilton Spectator newspaper.

The announcement was made over the weekend (July 8-9, 2006) in a special section of The Spectator that commemorated the 160th birthday of the city and newspaper. The newspaper had proposed a list of candidates, both living and deceased, and asked readers to vote for their top choice. Some 2,200 ballots were cast, with Alexander receiving 1,333 votes.

Alexander has served as Chancellor at U of G since 1991, having been reappointed to an unprecedented fifth term in 2003. He serves on the University’s external relations committee, Board of Trustees and Board of Governors, and has been an active public supporter of the University.

Alexander was appointed Ontario Lieutenant Governor in 1985. Prior to that, he was elected to the House of Commons in 1968 as Member of Parliament for Hamilton West and became federal Minister of Labour in 1979. He is the first Black Canadian to hold all three positions.

Born in Toronto to West Indian immigrants, he was the first member of his family to receive a university education. He served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Upon his return to Canada, he entered McMaster University, graduating in 1949. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1953. He has served as a Queen’s representative, a lawyer, cabinet minister, United Nations observer and chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. In 1992, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada and to the Order of Ontario.

[submitted by Betty Ellsworth]

(Note: L. Alexander was our welcoming speaker at the Reception at UELAC Conference 2006 in Toronto. He also heads the Ontario Heritage Trust, from which we rent our Dominion Office in George Brown House.)

Queries

Westchester Refugees (Delanceys) settled on Cobequid Road, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia

I would appreciate any information about the group of Westchester Refugees (Delancey’s) who were settled on the Cobequid Road in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. This was a group of 82 men led by Stephen Seaman who received a tract of 31,450 acres on the road that basically ran from Londonderry to Amherst. Many of these names are not in the Loyalist Directory. They are listed Gerald Vincent’s The Civil Sword, James Delancey’s Westchester Refugees (1997). I would particularly like information on Wright Weeks who shared a 200 acre lot with William Lossee.

…Contact {william DOT lamb AT rogers DOT com}

Information about the family of William Carle (Carley)

The 3 known Carley Loyalists were Abraham, Bartholomew and Elijah Carley – Their parents were Abraham Sr and Susannah Brookins Carley. Abraham Sr., was the son of a sea captain and ship owner, William Carley of Marlborough, MA and his wife, Mary Bowden Carley of Saco, ME. Capt. William had served on the “Province Galley” as well as on ships he owned and sailed for himself along the Eastern Seaboard from Newfoundland to Virgiania, and was the son of Capt. Henry Kerley, an officer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and his second wife, Elizabeth Ward Howe, widow of John Howe, Jr. Capt. Henry was the son of William and Ann White Kerly who were also members of the MBC, arriving from Ashmore, Dorset, England sometime in 1636/7, and who settled the towns of Hingham, Sudbury and Lancaster, MA as farmers, road surveyors and builders.

Abraham Carley, Sr. lived and married in Marlborough, Middlesex, MA, where the family had removed after the Massacre at Lancaster in 1676, and served with the Green Mountain Boys under Col. Ethan Allen. They lived for some time in Vermont where his wife’s brother, Phillip Brookins’ familys had settled, but they were living in Hillsdale, Columbia, NY during the time of the Rev War and for the years prior to his death in 1790 and hers in 1800. Their children who remained in the US also lived in Upstate NY.

The family spelled it’s name with many variations – the earliest was Kerly, then Kerley, then Carley, Carlile, Carlisle, Carly and Carle. In the Southern United States it is spelled Cearley and Kearley, and variations thereof.

We are not certain that Loyalist William Carle is in fact related to the above family but based on the history of the family, we believe that Abraham and Susannah Brookins Carley would also have parented a son named William and we would like to investigate the William Carle of Bay of Quinte as one of their potential sons and brother to the other three Loyalist Carley men. If anyone can add to our knowledge of this man, we’d very much appreciate hearing from them.

(William Carle shows in our Loyalist Directory and a descendant in bay of Quinte Branch proved in 1995 — Doug)

…Judy Schreiber, Valdosta, GA {ajoseph928 AT aol DOT com}

Information about Emanuel Ellerbach

While driving home from Kingsville along Highway #3 in Kent County, I discovered the Ellerbeck Memorial Cemetery 1990. The plaque read as follows:

Donated by Douglas Ellerbeck in the year 1990, in memory of the descendants of Emanuel and Sarah Ellerbeck, Empire Loyalists who landed at Poughkeepsee, New York in 1775, moving to Sorrel, Quebec in 1783, then to Cataraque, Ontario in 1784. Here the land had been surveyed and the Loyalists drew their land grant lot numbers out of a hat. Emanuel had gained the title of Lieutenant and as such was entitled to up to 1,000 acres. His first draw was lot 21, 200 acres. During the draw he gained approximately 600 acres.

The descendants of Emanuel and Sarah came to Kent County in the year of 1869, settling on Lot 13, Concession 10, Raleigh Township and expanding out into many areas of Southwestern Ontario.

The dedication was not mentioned in the Loyalist Gazette. Are there any fellow Ellerbeck descendants out there who can give us more details about this memorial to United Empire Loyalists for the Monuments and Memorial section of our Dominion Website?

…Fred H. Hayward UE, Sr. VP UELAC

Information about Adiel Sherwood

On a return trip from the 2006 Prairie Region Seminar on April 23, we stopped at Indian Head. On the back of a restaurant menu was a description of the Bell Farm, and its round stone barn. The person who owned the barn was Major William Robert Bell.

Major Bell organized a large corporate farm at what is now Indian Head in 1882. The round barn, 64 feet in diameter, was built along with other barns, out buildings and an impressive house. The barn is a historic site and in need of restoration.

I am hoping to contact descendants of Major Bell, and also descendants of those people who worked at the farm, in order to develop another piece of Saskatchewan’s heritage.

However, Major Bell was the grandson of Adiel Sherwood, one of the first settlers of Brockville. I am looking for information about the Loyalist ancestor, I believe to be Adiel [Reid shows Adiel to be a son of Loyalist Thomas Sherwood of Elizabethtown, who married Annah, dau of Samuel Brownson Sr., UE] I am keen to learn more about the Loyalist ancestor(s) of William Bell, where they had been settled in the American colonies, their movements during the rebellion, where they settled afterwards etc.

…Logan Bjarnasson UE, President Regina Branch, {loganue AT sasktel DOT net}

Information about Samuel James Boldrick and wife Amy Louise Meneilley

Am seeking to find Patricia Couch Calnan (married a David Taylor but took back her maiden name after they divorced). She may still live in Picton. She is the daughter of my husband’s aunt – Frances Elinor Boldrick Calnan (deceased) who applied in the 1970’s to UELA. Want to find more information about Samuel James Boldrick 1867-1945, his wife Amy Louise Meneilley 1870-1955, and his father John Boldrick 1839-1914. If you have information please contact me.

…Anne Boldrick {ab33609 AT aol DOT com}

My Loyalist ancestor was Maj. Robert Timpany of the 4th (later 3d) Bn NJ Vols, who in May of 1780 was assigned by Clinton to help Patrick Ferguson in his assignment of Inspector General of Militia for the Carolinas and Georgia (when George Hanger quit his post as “Deputy” to Ferguson, this made Timpany second in command in recruiting, organizing, and training the militia). Of course, since he wasn’t present at King’s Mountain, Capt. Abraham DePeyster is remembered as second in command, in that it fell to his lot to surrender to the Over-Mountain rebels.

Eventually Maj. Robert was one of a number of Loyalists captured at sea by the French fleet off Yorktown, and it was well for some of these prisoners that the French refused to turn them over to the tender mercies of George W’s boys — in particular, Lord Rawdon. I’ve got to get to the Archives in Ottawa as soon as possible, but they have sent me several items re: these prisoners and some of the difficulties involved in getting all of them exchanged. As I recollect, the existence of two rates of exchange meant that Timpany awaited exchange longer than most, BUT was eventually traded along with one Lt. Green(e) of the British Legion and as I recall a number of invalid rank-and-file. So if I’d read that the portrait was that of a former Br. Legion Lt. . . .

…Dave Timpany {timpanyd65 AT hotmail DOT com}

Response re Film and Queenston Heights

As the great granddaughter of George Stephen Benjamin Jarvis I feel compelled to try to help with the research for the above project. Please refer to Chapter 13 entitled The War of 1812 beginning on page 155 of my book, My Eventful Life Stephen Jarvis, U.E. 1756-1840. On page 160 you will find a description of the death of General Brock as reported by my ancestor in Narrative of Volunteer G.B.S. Jarvis, 49th Regiment, (see Documentary History, IV by E. Cruikshank: page 116). A fifteen-year-old soldier, George was the first person to reach the general after he was hit fatally at Queenston Heights. From the same source this dramatic event is also described on page 240 of The Invasion of Canada 1812 – 1813 by Pierre Berton Narrative of Volunteer G.B.S. Jarvis, 49th Regiment can be found in the National Archives of Canada, Ottawa.

…Ann Jarvis Boa