“Loyalist Trails” 2009-31: August 2, 2009
In this issue:
– An Island Refuge Republished
– A Loyalist Refugee Camp — © Stephen Davidson
– What Happened to the Youngest of the “Women Who Walked”?
– Samuel Raymond, Junior (1697 – 1763) — © George McNeillie
– The Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse Flies a New Flag
– Jacob Sharpstone, Rebel or Loyalist? Seriously?
– Maps at Rutgers University Special Collections
– Additions to the Loyalist Directory
– Fourteen Missing Issues of Loyalist Trails Now Posted
– Last Post: Harry “Lawrence” Cosby
– Queries
+ Names of Those Who Lived at or Were Stationed at Fort Haldimand
Articles
Congratulations to the Abegweit Branch UELAC on the reissue of An Island Refuge, originally published in 1983. David Hunter has submitted the following report with background information and ordering guidelines. — FHH
An Island Refuge: A history of the United Empire Loyalist settlement on the Island, their family histories, the regiments, Muster Rolls and Claimants List. An excellent reference for those researching their UEL ancestors, as it includes many Loyalist lineages, claimant’s lists, and muster rolls for those Loyalists who settled on St. John’s Island (Prince Edward Island). In 1999 it was decided to do another printing of this book. The initial printing of 4000 copies had sold out in the 17 years since it had been printed. The original 1983 printing plates were no longer in existence.
In 2000, the Island Register and a number of its users began transcribing the book into computer format for future printings, and to make it easier to make corrections between printings. A number of corrections and updated lineages were included. This was completed in 2003 and passed on to the Abegweit Branch. Requests for the book continued coming in. For a variety of reasons, the reprint didn’t happen until this year, and it was worth the wait. July 27th, we finally took delivery of two hundred copies, and more copies can be printed on relatively short notice, and allowing for corrections between printings.
This book will be available for $40 CDN plus a $14.70 shipping and handling charge. It will be available from myself, with all proceeds going to the Abegweit Branch, UELAC. Online ordering and online payment for An Island Refuge is now available at http://www.islandregister.com/uel.html.
An Island Refuge
Compiled by: Abegweit Branch, UELAC.
ISBN: 0-9691389-0-3
1983/2009 – 8 1/2 x 11, Soft Cover, 289 pages
Price: $40.00 + $14.70 (S&H) = CDN$54.70 total
To order by mail:
Dave Hunter, UE
873 Brush Wharf Road
Vernon Bridge RR2
P.E.I., Canada C0A 2EO
Dave can also be contacted by email: {dhunter AT islandregister DOT com}
A Loyalist Refugee Camp — © Stephen Davidson
Every day the news is filled with images of desperate refugees fleeing violent conflicts and disaster. Inevitably, they are forced to live in primitive shelters in camps, relying on others for food and water. It was no different for the loyalist refugees of the American Revolution. Having no United Nations organization or Red Cross to see to their needs, the loyalists relied on the support of the British forces. Long Island’s Fort Franklin, became the centre point for the largest of all the American Revolution’s refugee camps.
In September of 1776, the British had secured both New York City and Long Island as their strongholds in the Thirteen Colonies. To guard the outer frontier, the king’s army built garrisons along the northern coast of Long Island. Of all these British outposts, Fort Franklin on Lloyd’s Neck was the largest.
The garrison was located on a high, 126-foot promontory on the western edge of the Lloyd’s Neck peninsula between Huntington Bay on the east and Oyster Bay on the west. Named for William Franklin, the last loyalist governor of New Jersey, the fort was a large square enclosure with a blockhouse at its centre.
By the late 1770s, hundreds of loyalist refugees had fled across Long Island Sound and found sanctuary near the garrison’s protective walls. Living in tents or huts, the loyalists no doubt saw their stay as a temporary situation. They would be safe, they reasoned, until the might of Great Britain utterly defeated the rebels.
The British forces did not provide food for the loyalists; they had to find their own way to earn a living. Some refugees provided for their families by farming crops to feed New York City, while others collected wood to fuel the city’s fireplaces. And of course, there were many opportunities to cross the Sound as members of guerilla raids. Loyalist women tried to make homes out of rude shelters. Nearby Eaton’s Neck had a school for refugee children.
Although the loyalists had gone through a great deal of hardship before arriving at Long Island and had to live in cramped quarters in the refugee settlement, the peninsula that made up Lloyd’s Neck was not a barren, rocky refuge. It was actually a three thousand acre manor belonging to four Lloyd brothers. Their manor was supported by the sale of wheat, timber, corn, pickled pork, bacon, beef, plums, peaches, oysters, and clams.
The American Revolution divided the Lloyds as it did so many other colonial families. When the British seized Lloyd’s Neck, Joseph Lloyd fled across Long Island Sound for the safety of rebel Connecticut. His three brothers were loyalists and remained on the family’s estate.
Some accommodation must have been reached between the Lloyds and the British occupational forces for there is no record of any arguments with the estate owners when army engineers built Fort Franklin on the western shore of their peninsula. Perhaps the Lloyds anticipated that one day all of the inconveniences they suffered on their estate would be recognized by a grateful king. During the seven years of civil war, the three Lloyd families peacefully coexisted with a garrison of British soldiers, surrounded by a refugee community numbering in the hundreds.
Lloyd’s Neck is almost an island, so narrow is its land bridge to the mainland. Livestock roamed the fields. There were thousands of apple, peach and plum trees and fields of corn and wheat. Deer, quail, wild turkeys, and partridge lived in the forests. There were acres of tall timber; the soil had clay deposits that were used in making pottery. The black mud beaches that surrounded the peninsula were home to clams and oysters. The water teemed with bass, perch, black fish, and eels.
Nevertheless, it was a very dangerous place. Throughout the revolution, patriots repeatedly attacked and pillaged the refugee settlements on Lloyd’s Neck, often carrying off loyalists as prisoners of war. Although Fort Franklin was once assaulted by French navy vessels, it was never captured. But its walls could not shelter the loyalists from the hardships of their living conditions. Smallpox, disease, and the harsh winters took their toll, especially among the young. Many refugees were buried in nearby Huntington where their families attended church on Sunday mornings.
While all the loyalists who sought sanctuary at Lloyd’s Neck can never be completely determined, the records of the claims made to the loyalist compensation board reveal the names of some of the refugees. They include: Lyon, Bates, Hoyt, Dibblee, Hubbard, Pickett, Frost, Seely, Raymond, Fowler, Whelpley, Clarke, Whitney, Miles, Ketchum, Dickson, Chace, Roberts, Slocum, Corey, and Caswell. Most were from Connecticut, but there were loyalists from Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts as well.
In the spring and summer of 1783, the refugees of Lloyd’s Neck boarded evacuation ships and sailed north to Nova Scotia. Having created a loyalist community on Long Island, many of them decided to continue living together in the new settlements. Most of the loyalists buried in the graveyard in Kingston, New Brunswick, for example, had once sought refuge at Lloyd’s Neck.
After the dismantling of Fort Franklin and the departure of the loyalist refugees, life eventually returned to its regular rhythms at Lloyd’s Neck. With the passing of the years, nothing was left to indicate that there had ever been a British garrison community on the peninsula. A century after the revolution, some men working at Lloyd’s Neck unearthed a cache of relics. They recovered some musket shot and cannonballs as well as the gravestone of a loyalist soldier in a nearby field — quiet testimony to seven years of conflict on Long Island. Today half of Lloyd’s Neck has been made into Caumsett State Historic Park, while another portion has been turned into a bird sanctuary.
The fact that it was once the site of the American Revolution’s largest loyalist refugee camp is featured in none of the park’s displays.
To view pictures of Caumsett State Park visit http://www.pbase.com/jimrob/caumsett.
To secure permission to reprint this article, contact the author at {stephendavids AT gmail DOT com}
What Happened to the Youngest of the “Women Who Walked”?
In two recently published issues of the Loyalist Newsletter, we have published tales of “walking women” [see The Jacob Bowman Family During the American Revolution and Loyalist Women: The Trek of 5 Women and 31 Children ] In one of those tales, Jacob Bowman, UEL of Pennsylvania and his son Adam were taken prisoner by the patriots at the outbreak of the American Revolution. The patriots left his pregnant wife Elizabeth and five children to fend for themselves in the winter of 1777-78. That very night, Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter she named Eve. The little girl, at age 1, was amongst those who walked to Newark in the fall of 1778.
Research into the life of Eve Bowman led to a curious story. Several well-respected genealogical books: “Annals of the Forty”, “Ancaster’s History”, “The Baumanns/Bowmans of the Mohawk, Susquehanna and Niagara Rivers”, “Imprints in the Sands of Time” and “The Mordens of the Bay of Quinte, Vol. 4”, all claimed that she married Matthias Lampman and lived out her life in Ancaster, U.C. But a petition for land in 1798 stated that she married John Morden and lived out her life in Ameliasburgh, Prince Edward County, U.C.
Are John Morden’s descendants or are Matthias Lampman’s descendants able to claim Loyalist ancestry from Jacob Bowman through his daughter Eve? How can such a problem be resolved?
Click here to read both (A) how this question has been decided and (B) how to go about resolving a genealogical conflict.
…Rod MacDonald {dogonrod AT cogeco DOT ca}
Samuel Raymond, Junior (1697 – 1763) — © George McNeillie
He was the eldest child of Samuel Raymond, Sen., of Norwalk, and was born May 7, 1697. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Hoyt of Norwalk about 1719, by whom he had three sons and three daughters. After the death of his first wife, he married, about 1731, Mary Gitto, who was, it is said, an English-woman and evidently a member of the Church of England. She was certainly extremely loyal both to her native country and to the church in which she was reared.
The children of the first marriage were all small when Samuel Raymond married again, and as they grew up were naturally influenced by their step-mother, who was in many ways a remarkable woman.
By his two marriages Samuel Raymond, jr, had ten children, whose names are here given.
1. Eliakim, b. 20 Feb 1720, m. Hannah Street, 27 Nov 1740, by whom he had seven sons and five daughters.
2. Rebecca, b. 27 April 1722.
3. Samuel, b. 11 Dec. 1724, married Abigail Bates, 21 Feb 1761, by whom he had nine children. He died 29 Jul 1779.
4. Ann, b.? Was of Salem, Mass. and made a will 07 Mar 1779.
5. Elizabeth, b. 09 Jul 1728.
6. Sands, b. 1730. Married Sarah ______ and has six children.
By the second wife, Mary Gitto, were born those who follow:-
7. Ruth, b. about 1732. Married at Norwalk Nathaniel Sears, in 1751.
8. Mary, b. about 1744. Married Jesse Hoyt of Norwalk, 01 Oct 1764.
9. Mercy, b. about 1746. Married Israel Hoyt (brother of Jesse) about 1767.
10. Silas, b. 26 Jun 1748. He will be more fully mentioned hereafter.
The father of this family Samuel died in 1763, before there was any prospect of the Revolution in America, but the widow, Mary, lived through the War to come to New Brunswick with the Loyalists, and after living ten years in Kingston, N.B., passed to her rest in 1793 at the age of more than 96 years. She rests beside her youngest child, Silas, under the shade of the old Kingston parish church.
The first and second families of Samuel Raymond were not exactly united in their politics at the time of the Revolution. Eliakim, the oldest of the sons, was a prominent man in Norwalk and left numerous descendants. He in all probability sided with the colonies in the Revolution, though he was not seemingly very active. He was then considerably passed [sic] middle life. Cousin John Raymond, of Hampton, N.B., once told me he much regretted the loss of a letter received by Silas from Eliakim, which was in existence at Kingston a few years before he (Cousin John) removed from Kingston to Hampton. The letter did not indicate the existence of any ill-will between the brothers consequent upon the war. Several of Eliakim’s sons, however, took an active part against the mother country in the contest. The widow Mary Raymond was a staunch Loyalist and a member of the Church of England, and she seems to have influenced her children and some of her step-children in regard to their politics and their religion. (To be continued)
Excerpt from Book of Family History written by The Ven. William Odber Raymond, LL.D, FRSC – all rights reserved. © 2009 George McNeillie – all rights reserved [published here with permission]
[Note: Raymond wrote by hand at least six family histories: two for his children The Rev. Dr. William Ober Raymond and Alice Winifred McNeillie; one which is in Archives Canada; another in New Brunswick Archives; I have two earlier versions written about the turn of the last century. Each one differs slightly as Raymond became apprised of new facts in his research. This version was written over the winter of 1920-21 when he lived in Toronto. – George McNeillie]
…George McNeillie {ggm3rd AT sympatico DOT ca}
The Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse Flies a New Flag
Just a note to let you know that we have invested in a new 54″ X 108″ Canadian Flag for our school property with the $100.00 award for our Membership. It flies proudly on the 39 ft. pole! Of course there is the Loyalist Flag inside the classroom and we may in the future fly a smaller one on the side of the school building.
[Editor’s Note: For several years the UELAC has sponsored a branch membership challenge with some financial reward for doing well. The Little Forks Branch was the first this year to pass the 110% level of last year’s membership.
Little Forks Branch for some time has had a strong commitment to one particular Branch project – the restoration and operation of The Hyatt One-Room Schoolhouse, with some additions to it each year. They have also undertaken a number of smaller heritage community projects as well.
…Bev Loomis UE, President, Little Forks Branch
Jacob Sharpstone, Rebel or Loyalist? Seriously?
It continues to puzzle me why we stumble over Rev War vets who changed sides. What’s the big deal? What counts is where they ended up militarily. If I guy began as a Loyalist and then switched to the Rebels, the SAR and DAR would naturally embrace him as a ‘Patriot’. If the guy began as a Rebel but became a Loyalist then the UELAC would love him. It’s that simple.
Furthermore, we need not get worked up about if they were on a particular side by choice or compulsion. In almost every case we are never going to know, and it is simply bad policy to second guess their motives. The bottom line is which side they were serving when the dust settled, so to speak.
…Peter W. Johnson UE, Past President UELAC
Maps at Rutgers University Special Collections
For a selection of fantastic maps have a look at Rutgers University Special Collections of maps – these date from the 1700’s through to the modern era and show county boundary changes, towns etc. The files are big but the detail is great even when blown up. Comparing maps over time has helped me understand the demographics for my ancestors, their migrations etc.
…Dave Clark
Additions to the Loyalist Directory
As time permits, we add information to the Loyalist Directory. The latest additions and updates are as follows:
– Empey, Philip – from George Anderson
– Green, George – from David Clarke
– Haines, Adam – from John Haines
Fourteen Missing Issues of Loyalist Trails Now Posted
Offers to provide paper copies of some of the first fourteen issues of Loyalist Trails published between May and September 2004 were received. These were originally published under the name “Loyalist Lines”. When the past issues of Loyalist Trails were posted in 2006, those earlier issues (Nos. 1-14 of 2004) were not included. They were retrieved from our email archive and have now been posted, making the historical record more complete.
All past issues are available for your review from the Loyalist Trails archive index.
Last Post: Harry “Lawrence” Cosby
Lawrence, at home in Grimsby, on Saturday, July 25, 2009, in his 87th year. Beloved husband of the late Helen (1996). Dear father of Sharon, Lawrence (Ruth Lethinoy) and Brad (Julie Dyball). Also remembered by brother Wilfred Cosby & his family. Predeceased by daughter Vallerie (1954), parents Harry and Elizabeth Cosby, and siblings Helen, Laura, Bill and Elmer. Lawrence was a veteran of World War II with the R.C.A.F. reg.# R173784 and wrote a book about his wartime experiences “Target: An Account Of My Life as a R.C.A.F. World War II Lancaster Bomb Aimer”.
Lawrence was very proud of his Loyalist ancestor George Cosby and was a long time member of Col. John Butler (Niagara) Branch UELAC. For more information visit www.smithsfh.com.
Queries
Names of Those Who Lived at or Were Stationed at Fort Haldimand
“We are looking for any records from Fort Haldimand on Carleton Island, located near the juncture of Lake Ontario & the St. Lawrence. This large British fort was manned & active during the Revolutionary War. The Fort was in ruin by 1808, and the island was surrendered to the Americans at the end of the War of 1812, as part of the conditions by which Wolfe Island (which protected Kingston) could be retained by the British. Several Loyalists, whose ancestries we are researching, may have served at Fort Haldimand. Any rosters or detailed service records or names, or any reference to the Fort in any research notes or documents, would be appreciated.
…Richard Ripley UE {nffgfamily AT hotmail DOT com}