“Loyalist Trails” 2018-07: February 18, 2018
In this issue:
– The Claimants of February 1788 (Part Three of Four), by Stephen Davidson
– Bus Tour: In The Footsteps of Our Irish Palatine Ancestors
– Book of Negroes; Joe and Daniel Odell
– Smallpox Vaccination
– Atlantic Loyalist Connections: “De Iure” – Latin Legalese in New Brunswick Court Records
– JAR: JAR: Visiting Philip Schuyler’s House of Dreams
– JAR: JAR: From Watchung to the Hudson: Sergeant Simon Giffin’s Summer of 1777
– Ben Franklin’s World: Colonial Port Cities and Slavery
– Compensation for Loyalist Land Lost in 1799
– Love and Friendship in Peace and War: Jacob Schieffelin, Loyalist
– Canada and the German Mercenaries of the American Revolution
– Museum of the American Revolution: Camping with Honest George
– Canadian Research: Resources on Facebook, by Gail Dever
– Where in the World?
– From the Twittersphere and Beyond
– Additions to the Loyalist Directory
– Last Post
+ Robert Maxwell Morrow, UE
+ Bill Tye
Articles
The Claimants of February 1788 (Part Three of Four)
© Stephen Davidson, UE
After Valentine’s Day, the February 1778 hearings of the Royal Commission on the Losses and Services of American Loyalists (RCLSAL) in Montreal suddenly saw a spike in loyalist applicants for compensation from the British government. Fifteen separate petitions supported by eight witnesses made up the docket for Friday, February 15th. We will consider just nine of the stories from that day.
John Pickell/Pickle had lived near Fort Edward in Albany County, New York. Declaring his allegiance to the crown”from the first” brought about imprisonment and then the burden of a bond. Undeterred, Pickle, his son-in-law and his own three sons joined the British army in 1777, serving in different regiments. After his discharge from Roger’s Rangers, the New York born loyalist settled in Caldwell’s Manor (Clarenceville, Quebec).
Daniel Beagh (Beagle, Begal or Beedle) testified on Pickle’s behalf and made his own claim for compensation that Friday. Immigrating from Germany with his family when he was very young, Beedle had settled in New Town, New York until the revolution forced him to flee and join the British in 1777. After the war was over, he spent some time in the loyalist refugee camp at Yamachiche before joining other loyalists at Caldwell’s Manor.
Jacob Streets grew up in Germany, arriving in the colonies in 1740. Thirty-five years later, he had a farm in Johnstown, New York, but within four years’ time had to flee to Canada. One poignant detail from his RCLSAL transcript is that rebels seized Streets’ new wagon which he had never used. Streets enlisted with the Kings’s Rangers of New York, and settled near the Long Sault after the peace.
Jacob’s witness was Michael Carman who also submitted a claim that day. A former soldier with the First Battalion of the King’s Rangers, Carmen sought compensation for his father, Michael senior. Too old and weak to attend the hearings, the older Carman had immigrated from Germany thirty years earlier and leased an 81 acre farm on Sir John Johnson’s lands. The family sought refuge in Canada in 1780 and settled in New Johnstown. Jacob Streets testified to being imprisoned with Michael Carman Jr. and affirmed that his cellmate’s father was “a loyal man”.
Michael Carman then acted as a witness for the petition of Luke Bowen, a member of the First Battalion who had once lived in Philadelphia Bush, New York. Like so many others in the area, Bowen joined the British in 1777, serving as a carpenter at Isle au Noix in “the king’s works” until the fall of 1783.Described by the commissioner as “a fair man”, Bowen settled in the Fifth Township.
Jacob Van Allin (sic) had tried to keep “himself quiet” at the beginning of the revolution and paid fines for not serving with the rebels. Finally, in 1780 he had to leave the Mohawk River Valley for refuge in Canada. He joined the First Battalion, serving till the end of the revolution at which time he was dischareged as a corporal.The American settled with other loyalists in the Fifth Township.
Another settler of the Fifth Township, Mary Waldec, went before the RCLSAL to speak on behalf of her German husband, Martin Waldec. Martin was “confined to his bed; he broke his leg terribly in several places and is now unable to move”. Michael Carman, serving as a witness, said that he though Waldec’s “terrible accident” might “prove fatal”.Mary recounted how her husband had served with the First Battalion throughout the revolution after joining the British in 1777. At first, Mary stayed on their farm, enduring rebel persecution and plundering for three years. She joined Martin in 1780. Nothing is said in the transcript of the couple’s children.
Alexander Munro and his wife Nancy (Macleod) had made Montreal their home since the end of the revolution. Originally from Scotland, Munro’s first home in the Americas was on Larie Street in New York City. Used as a tavern, the house belonged to Nancy before the couple were married. A witness for the loyalist commented on the “exceedingly good furniture” in the house, saying that “no person in their station of life had better”. The house and all its contents were lost in the first fire that swept through the city on September 20, 1776.
For the fourth time that day, Michael Carman spoke on behalf of a fellow loyalist. John Cook Senior, a German immigrant, had arrived in New York in 1754, settling in Johnstown. Always loyal, Cook had two sons and son-in-law Jacob Ross—who fought for the British. John served in the First Battalion and like so many others of his comrades in arms, settled in New Johnstown at the end of the war.
Other claimants on this particular Friday included Peter Miller, Peter Prous, John McArthy, Michael Cline,Peter Crous, and William Cameron.
On Saturday, February 16th, seven petitions for compensation were brought to the RCLSAL. We will consider the stories of four of those petitioners.
John Ault’s testimony was very similar to what the compensation board had already heard from other loyalists: German born, more than three decades in America, moved from Johnstown to the Fifth Township, and fought for the crown as did three of his sons.However, in addition to having rebels plunder his goods, Ault was also robbed by Indigenous warriors.
Philip Empey Jr. had lived along the Mohawk River until he joined the British in 1777 at Fort Stanwix. Both he and his father submitted claims to the British government.Philip settled at New Johnstown after being discharged.
Henry Clow was another of the unfortunate Scots who immigrated to the colonies just as the clouds of rebellion were darkening the skies. Three years after his arrival, he was put in jail at Albany, New York and then joined General Burgoyne near Saratoga. Following that epic defeat, Clow served with Captain McAlpine’s Corps until he was discharged at Yamaska where he decided to settle down. Among the items Clow remembered losing because of his loyalty was a silver watch.
Jacob Rombogh was a New Jersey native who had been imprisoned in 1776 for his refusal to join the rebel cause. After breaking out of jail and attempting to flee to Canada, he was recaptured and put on trial for his life. However, he managed to find sanctuary in 1781 and enlisted in the Second Battalion. Three of his sons served in the same regiment. As he settled into a second life in New Johnstown, did Rombogh ever complain about the fact that his son-in-law, James Hannah, had taken possession of his Tryon County land?
~*~
Discover the more of the stories of those who sought compensation in Montreal during February 1788 in next week’s Loyalist Trails.
To secure permission to reprint this article, email Stephen Davidson.
Bus Tour: In The Footsteps of Our Irish Palatine Ancestors
Sept 13-23, 2018.
To shadow the experiences of the Irish Palatine Loyalists, discovering their urban beginnings in 18th-century New York City, exploring their rural paradise in the Camden Valley, learning about the history of the battles they fought, and ultimately following their route as they fled to Québec during the American Revolution. Beginning and ending in Montreal.
Read a quick overview of the tour. For more details read the brochure. Major stops in NYC, Camden Valley, Quebec City.
Organized by the Irish Palatine Special Interest Group, OGS.
Book of Negroes; Joe and Daniel Odell
I read with interest, this entry in the February 11th issue of Loyalist Trails regarding “Canada’s History: Behind The Book of Negroes” by Lawrence Hill:
“For example, the July 3, 1792, issue of The Royal Gazette and the Nova Scotia Advertiser caries a crude sketch of runaway slaves with the advertisement: “Run Away, Joseph Odel and Peter Lawrence (Negroes) from their Masters, ans left Digby last evening…Whoever will seure said Negroes so that their masters may have them again, shall receive TEN DOLLARS Reward, and all reasonable Charges paid. Daniel Odel, Philip Earl.”
Daniel Odell (sometimes spelled Odel or Odele) was born in 1733 in Westerly, Rhode Island and died December 6, 1816 in Digby, Nova Scotia. He is my great times five grandfather.He was a farmer living in the Town of Beekman, Dutchess County, New York prior to the Revolutionary War.He married Mary Spalding about 1753 and together they had five children: Uriah, born 1775, Phebe, born 1758, Abijah, born 1758, Daniel Jr. born 1760 and Mary, born 1764. Because Daniel was a Loyalist he forfeited his position as rent collector for the wealthy Livingston family, who were prominent rebels, and his farm was confiscated by New York State.Once he reached Nova Scotia in 1783 he pursued a claim for the lost 160 acre farm, a cider mill, carpenter’s tools, blacksmith’s tools, and cattle, with a total value of 1,810 pounds.His claims were rejected.He is buried in the Thomas Cemetery in Smith’s Cove, Nova Scotia.
There is a listing on page 111 in the Book of Negroes, about three quarters of the way down the page, that reads as follows:
Vessel:Caron
Commander:David Balmanne
Where bound:Annapolis Royal
Negroes Name:Joe
Age: 14
Description:Fine boy
Name of person in whose possession they are now:Daniel Odel
This would likely be the Joseph Odel described as a runaway in the referenced newspaper. I had always wondered what became of Joe.It appears that after evacuating New York City for Nova Scotia with Daniel and family in 1783, he made his break for freedom in the company of a companion some nine years later.
In the photo I am standing by Daniel Odell’s headstone in the Thomas Cemetery in Smith’s Cove, about 8 km outside Digby.
…Dan Odell, Cohoes, NY
Concerning a previous item “Atlantic Loyalist Connections: Smallpox and Fear of Inoculation“
One small nitpick about the article.
When one gives an immunity building procedure for smallpox, he vaccinates. The name of the procedure derives from Vaccinia, the name of the Cowpox virus first used to protect against Variola, the Smallpox virus.
For any other disease he inoculates.
…Howard Browne MD, UE
Atlantic Loyalist Connections: “De Iure” – Latin Legalese in New Brunswick Court Records
by Cora Jackson 14 February 2014
Legal terms are often difficult enough to understand as it is; when they appear in a dead ancient language, though, it becomes a whole different story. As one of the oldest legal traditions in the history of civilization, the law codes of Ancient Rome have greatly influenced many modern legal systems around the world. At first its laws were founded in custom and religion, governed by edicts of Kings. It was only the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.E, when the Kings were overthrown and Rome became a Republic, that a codified legal system was even needed. The first Roman law code—the Twelve Tables (duodecem tabluae, in Latin) was published c. 450 B.C.E., and was of extreme importance for several reasons: first and foremost, it let everyone (everyone who could read, that is!) know what the laws actually were—previously, they had not been common knowledge.
There are many Latin terms in legal jargon. Even in nineteenth-century New Brunswick, some of them were so common that they simply became English words themselves! For example, the term “subpoena”. Subpoena is defined as “a writ ordering a person to attend a court”. In Latin, though, it literally defines as “under” (sub) “penalty” (poena), and only originated when Roman magistrates became required to ensure the presence of witnesses and defendant at court: they would therefore implement heavy fines for non-attendance.
Another common Latin term that has worked its way into the the Court Records of New Brunswick is “versus” (pronounced wersus, in Latin, but means the same thing in English: against).
JAR: JAR: Visiting Philip Schuyler’s House of Dreams
by Kevin Philbin, 13 February 2018
In October 2016 my wife and I went to visit the Schuyler Mansion in Albany, New York. We went because of Susan’s interest in Alexander Hamilton who, as many know, married Gen. Philip Schuyler’s daughter Elizabeth, and then went on to help change the world only to perish in a duel with Aaron Burr. As part of the Schuyler family, Hamilton spent considerable time at this estate known as The Pastures, which at one time stretched some twenty-four acres from the Schuylers front door to the western banks of the Hudson River.
The weekend before, we visited Schuyler’s country estate, the Schuyler House in Schuylerville, about thirty miles north of Albany on the Hudson River and ten or so miles east of Saratoga Springs. In Philip Schuyler’s day, it was known as the Saratoga Patent tens of thousands of acres amassed by generations of Schuylers that would be added to by his marriage to Patroon Johannes VanRensselaer’s daughter Catherine, or “Sweet Kitty VR” as Philip called her. We were curious to see what they had to offer about Hamilton’s visits to the farm.
By the time Schuyler was finished with the Saratoga Patent, he had created what he considered a colony of artisans and craftsman who greased the wheels of his many lucrative enterprises like lumber mills and fisheries, and churned out goods that were shipped not just around the colonies but internationally as well.
JAR: JAR: From Watchung to the Hudson: Sergeant Simon Giffin’s Summer of 1777
by Phillip R. Giffin 14 February 2018
On June 28, 1777 elements of the 9th Connecticut Regiment that had been fighting with General Washington’s army in New Jersey departed Lincoln Gap in the Watchung Mountains for the return to Morristown and Peekskill. In his journal, Sgt. Simon Giffin of Capt. Caleb Bull’s Company recorded the events of their march “June 28, 1777 marched to Morristown and lodged in tents.” The men were exhausted from the long march deep into New Jersey, long days of maneuvering in cold rain and mud, and tense nights in tents waiting for the battle to envelope them. Now they had another hundred-mile hike to the Hudson. Giffin reported crossing to the east bank of the Hudson River on July 2, and then camping on the plain outside Fort Independence, one of the three forts built near the King’s Ferry river crossing.
The regiment’s commander, Col. Samuel Blachley Webb, noted in his journal that his adjutant, Major Huntington, had arrived at Peekskill with the balance of the new recruits from Wethersfield. The Regiment was temporarily “barracked” in private homes rather than tents because of the miserable weather. Webb noted receiving troubling news from the north that American forces had withdrawn from Fort Ticonderoga without a fight.
Ben Franklin’s World: Colonial Port Cities and Slavery
Marisa Fuentes, an associate professor of history and women and gender studies at Rutgers University and author of Dispossessed Lives: Enslaved Women, Violence, and the Archive, joins us to explore some of the connections mainland North America and the British Caribbean shared in their practices of slavery in urban towns.
During our conversation, Marisa reveals details about Bridgetown, Barbados during the 18th century; Differences between urban slavery and plantation slavery; And, information about the historical records historians use to recover and reconstruct the lives of people from the past.
Compensation for Loyalist Land Lost in 1799
A group representing black residents in the rural Nova Scotia community of Lincolnville wants the provincial government to compensate them for land that was granted to Black Loyalists in the late-1700s but was later handed over to Acadians.
James Desmond chairs the Lincolnville Reserve Land Voice Council. In the 1990s, when Desmond worked as a development officer, he did some research with the Nova Scotia Museum about the arrival and settlement of Black Loyalists in Guysborough County following the American Revolution.
Documents showed that in 1787, 1,200 hectares of land was granted to Thomas Brownspriggs, a teacher and lay preacher, and 73 other black men who arrived in the area with 50 women and 51 children.
Twelve years later, Desmond said, more than 1,100 hectares of the land was “regranted” to Acadians.
“The excuse by the government was that, at the time, was that they didn’t know that the land had already been granted to the Black Loyalists,” Desmond said.
Love and Friendship in Peace and War: Jacob Schieffelin, Loyalist
Fort Ticonderoa
Let us begin with a heart. The image of a heart is a common symbol of love and affection. Modern connotations of love are by no means implied by its use in 18th century artifacts, where hearts can be found from the silver hilts of swords to the skirts of soldiers’ uniforms. This particular heart motif is mounted to the terminal of a handle on a silver tankard. Although made in London in 1762, this tankard was later engraved with the date 1800 and the initials “AH” for its owner: Alexander Hamilton.
Hamilton has his own love story, one filled with passion, infidelity, and reconciliation. The tankard was acquired by the Fort Ticonderoga Museum in 1943, purchased from Hamilton’s great-great-Nephew, Schuyler Hamilton. Within two years of acquiring this tankard, Hamilton moved into the Grange, his Federal style home located in what was at the time the countryside far from the city of New York (today roughly 143rd St.). Across the street, Hamilton had an unlikely neighbor and friend with his own remarkable love story that connects back to Fort Ticonderoga’s collections.
The scarlet uniform coat of Lieutenant Jacob Schieffelin would not be the place to look for a love story, nor a connection to Alexander Hamilton, but love has its own trajectory that often defies logic. Schieffelin’s parents emigrated to Philadelphia from Germany, where he was born in 1757. At the age of three, they moved to the newly conquered colony of Canada. They settled in Montreal, but in his late teens, Schieffelin moved west to Detroit. As the American Revolution unfolded, he became an officer of a loyalist militia known as the Detroit Volunteers. In 1778, he was deployed even further west to Fort Sackville in Vincennes, Indiana. A strange tale unfolds …
Canada and the German Mercenaries of the American Revolution
LAC: By Anik Laflèche, 18 January 2018
If your last name is Schneider, Sigman, Henry, or André, or it has “von” in it, you may be of German descent.
In 1776, the Thirteen Colonies declared the United States of America to be independent from Great Britain. Many reasons were behind this declaration, including excessive taxation and lack of representation in Parliament. Civil war broke out in central North America, pitting George Washington against Benedict Arnold, and John Adams against Samuel Adams. This brutal civil war finally ended in 1783 when Great Britain accepted the independence of its old colonies. The United States would become a country and Great Britain would keep the northern colonies, now Canada. This started a massive wave of migration (almost 70,000 people including British citizens, First Nations and freed slaves) to what are now the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
While numerous families arrived during this massive wave of settlement, many Canadians are descendants of a smaller, less noticeable population migration that happened simultaneously—not First Nations, French, American or English immigrants, but surprisingly—German mercenaries, also known as Hessians.
Museum of the American Revolution: Camping with Honest George
The New York Review of Books
The American Revolution has returned to Philadelphia. After almost two decades of planning and fund-raising, the Museum of the American Revolution opened its doors last April 19, the anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord. Its thousands of artifacts, with the support of the latest interactive digital technology, recount a provocative story of how ordinary men and women of different races and ethnicities experienced military conflict and then, having achieved independence from Great Britain, created a republic that has survived for more than two centuries.
As one might expect, the museum celebrates the courage and vision of the country’s leaders, such as George Washington, but it does much more. It gives visitors a far greater sense of the personal sacrifice and frustrated aspirations of those who saw the Revolution as an opportunity to achieve personal liberty. By depicting the full complexity of nation-building—a contentious process that brought people of very different regions and cultures under a stable constitutional government—the museum encourages a candid reassessment of the origins of our shared political culture.
Gone from this interpretation of the Revolution is the smooth, comforting narrative of a liberty-loving people who moved effortlessly from resisting colonial oppression to creating a new federal republic. There were many false starts, accusations of betrayal, and enduring disappointments. Freedom and liberty were goals, not accomplishments. As a museum film entitled Authors of Independence observes, the promise of the Declaration of Independence “will be fulfilled only when all people have equal rights and an equal voice in government.”
Canadian Research: Resources on Facebook, by Gail Dever
Facebook has become a place where genealogists come together in an enormous virtual genealogy society to share, learn, and discuss brick walls.
Gail Dever – gaildever@genealogyalacarte.ca; at genealogyalacarte.ca you will find a list of Canadian genealogy and historical pages and groups on Facebook, in English and French, that may help with our research. The list also includes archival centres and museums that offer genealogical and historical resources.The list.
…Deborah Glover
Where is Nova Scotia Branch member Dianne Hancock?
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.
From the Twittersphere and Beyond
- By Deed dated 30 January 1787 Loyalist Joseph Totten of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia conveyed lands and referred to Bill of Sale which transferred other assets including Black Slaves.
- Today in History: Lars D.H. Hedbor @LarsDHHedbor (see his page for associated photos):
- 17 Feb 1776 Congress authorized printing money totaling $4,000,000 payable in Spanish milled dollars, or the equivalent in gold or silver. The designs of the notes were created by Benjamin Franklin.
- 16 Feb 1776 Congress debates re-opening ports declared closed by Parliament, in an act of outright defiance.
- 15 Feb 1776 Cross Creek, NC Lieut Col Donald MacDonald musters 1,400 Loyalist Highlanders for a march towards the coast & link up with British forces expected there. Only one third of his men had arms but they marched on, determined. The march would end at Moores Creek.
- 15 Feb 1776 Governor of Nova Scotia warns Crown that corruption crackdown may spur Patriot sympathizers to rebel.
- 14 Feb 1779 Patriots defeat Loyalists at Kettle Creek, GA, after mortally wounding Colonel Boyd, leading to a rout.
- 13 Feb 1776 Patrick Henry is placed in command of defense of Virginia’s gunpowder supply.
- 12 Feb 1789 Ethan Allen, of Green Mt. Boys, dies of stroke, possibly following a night of drinking & carousing.
- 11 Feb 1776 Sir James Wright, Royal governor of Georgia, escapes Patriot house arrest; returns to office 1779-1782.
- From the Massachusetts Historical Society – Fashioning the New England Family
- This opulently decorated and painted folding pleated fan belonged to poet Frances Sargent (Locke) Osgood
- These machine-knit white silk stockings were lavishly hand-embroidered for the 1834 wedding of Harriet B. Nelson to Thomas H. Leverett of Keene, New Hampshire.
- Originally embroidered for a muff, this was instead made into a silk drawstring purse for Sarah Leverett by her Aunt Harriet Leverett in 1840.
- This silk wedding dress of Spitalfields [London] was worn by Rebecca Tailer at her 1747 Boston marriage to Rev. Mather Byles.
- a gold consular pair case watch with outer case that belonged to Reverend Mather Byles, minister of Hollis Street Church, Boston.
- This simple vernacular blue checked square is connected to the Dawes family. The first assumption was that it was a piece of linen homespun created around the time of the Revolution.
- Townsends:Turning Beets into Pancakes – A Recipe from 1803. Pink Pancakes featuring last week’s candied lime peel!
- Good Old Days: Rural Life in Vintage Postcards. Whether on a farm, a fishing village or in the forest, rural folk have always had to put their bodies and souls into their labours to eke out a living. As these vintage postcards from the eastern parts of Canada attest they at least did so amidst beautiful settings. Not so long ago…
- Mystery Man at Massachusetts’s Supreme Judicial Court. The court is asking the public to help identify a judge whose portrait remains outside the chambers of the John Adams Courthouse in Boston, whose name has apparently been lost to time. Cliff Allen, director of education and public programs, says officials recently attempted to identify and document every now-retired justice that worked since the court’s founding in 1692. Only a single portrait — and oil painting by an unknown artist — remains unidentified. Read more…
- Scrumptious trio of gentlemen’s silk waistcoats from Colonial Williamsburg, mid-late 18th century. Note lavish embroidery, attention to pocket slashes and buttons.
- On 12 Oct 1756, Catherine Dexter, of Dedham, Massachusetts, married Rev Jason Haven. For her nuptials, the bride selected cherry red ribbed silk shoes w/ costly metallic braid running up the vamp & heels. Bata Shoe Museum
- The East India Company at Home, 1757-1857 explores how empire in Asia shaped British country houses, their interiors and the lives of their residents. It includes chapters from researchers based in a wide range of settings such as archives and libraries, museums, heritage organisations, the community of family historians and universities. It moves beyond conventional academic narratives and makes an important contribution to ongoing debates around how empire impacted Britain. (free pdf download)
- A Newgate Prison door from around 1780, on display at the @MuseumofLondon. Wouldn’t like to be stuck behind that.
- 18th Century sack back robe la francaise, 1750-1760. Green silk with white floral motif
- 18th Century blue silk petticoat & overdress: loose fitting bodice & full skirt; sack back, worn over trimmed corset, 1730’s
Additions to the Loyalist Directory
As time permits, we add information to the Loyalist Directory. The latest additions and updates are as follows:
- Chisholm, John – from Brooke Skelton
- Corwin, Joseph – from Brooke Skelton
- Silverthorn Sr., Thomas – from Brooke Skelton
Last Post
At St. Joseph’s Hospital on Sunday, February 4, 2018 Robert Maxwell Morrow passed away at the age of 71. Predeceased by his parents George and Eleanor, he is survived by his sons George and Kerr, sister Ruth (Robert) and brother Alan (Julia) and several nieces and nephews. Visitations are scheduled at the Christ’s Church Cathedral Sanctuary, 252 James St. N., on February 15th from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., February 16th from 2:00 – 4:00 and 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. A Memorial Service is scheduled for February 17th at 1:00 p.m. at Christ’s Church Cathedral. A private family burial will follow at a later date. Please consider donations in memory of Robert to either St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church or Christ’s Church Cathedral.
He was a proven descendant of Henry BUCHNER. He was the longest serving mayor of the City of Hamilton, a member of Hamilton Branch UEL and a great supporter of all our events,including playing the piano at our annual Loyalist Day on June 19.
…Gloria Oakes, Hamilton Branch
[Editor’s Note: This replaces the details from last week’s issue which confused this Robert Maxwell Morrow and Robert Smith Morrow … Doug]
William “Bill” Howard Tye (1925 – 2018) passed away peacefully on February 1, leaving June, his devoted wife of 65 years, daughter Janice Tye, her husband Murray Hanna and their two daughters Claire Hanna and Gillian Hanna. Bill was predeceased by son Howard Tye, who died in 1975 of a brain tumor, and by his sister Madeleine Pierson. Bill is survived by his sister Ruth Tye McKenzie of Thunder Bay, cousin Kathleen Bietz and sisters-in-law, Delia Lamont, Marion Stonell, Joyce Detlefsen and Lois Francis and many nephews and nieces.
Bill was raised in Edmonton where he attended the University of Alberta and was the Commerce ’54 class president. Bill and June lived in Calgary from 1957 with the exception of a wonderful sojourn of seven years in Wexford, Ireland where they developed new friendships, explored new interests and traveled extensively on the continent. They enjoyed family times at the Harvie Heights cabin and many winters of golf and sunshine in Sun City West.
Bill worked for The Northern Alberta Railway and Hudson Bay Oil and Gas during his early career. He later worked for Pacific Petroleums and Bow Valley Industries.
Bill contributed his intelligence and energy to many community organizations during his career: the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Calgary chapter of the Winston Churchill Society, the Calgary Family Services Bureau, the Calgary Chapter of the Financial Executives Institute, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, Calgary Chapter of Junior Achievement, the Parks Foundation and the Museum of the Regiments. Bill was active at Christ Church Elbow Park in Calgary. He was a member of the Calgary Golf and Country Club, the Ranchmen’s Club, the Glencoe Club and the Probus Club of both Wexford, Ireland and Calgary. He was a long time active member of the Historical Society of Alberta.
In retirement Bill and June decided to explore the world. In the early 90’s, Bill, with June, served with Canadian Executive Services Overseas (CESO) for two terms with managements of three large factories near Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. They visited more than 60 countries, motivated by a desire to learn about different cultures and peoples. They rafted the Nahanni, the Tatshenshini and the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon; travelled down the Amazon and made three canal voyages in France. Bill and June established relationships with Tye relatives as they toured Australia and New Zealand. They visited the Falkland Islands, toured the Balkans, all 16 countries of the Soviet bloc and saw Mount Etna erupt during a visit to Sicily. Bill visited Cuba twice, in 1948 and again 62 years later. At the age of 88, Bill went to Churchill, Manitoba to see the polar bears.
Bill loved to connect with people at every opportunity. Bill’s wonderful sense of humor, his thoughtful generosity and the twinkle in his eyes will be missed by all who knew him. Memorial donations may be made to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. Celebration service at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, March 17, 2018 at Christ Church Elbow Park (3602 – 8 St SW, Calgary) with reception following at the Calgary Golf and Country Club. Venue dress code in effect. (No denim wear, please).
Condolences may be left at www.bowriverfuneral.com.
Bill was a long time member of the Calgary Branch. UELAC. He was a descendant of John Moore and his wife Dianna Pettit who settled in the Grimsby area. A proof between John’s daughter Rachel (Moore) Hixon and her daughter Elizabeth (Hixon) Young has yet to be discovered, so Bill was not able to get a Loyalist Certificate.
… Suzanne Davidson, Calgary Branch