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2022 UELAC Conference Tour: “ the Canadian Museum for Human Rights”
Conference: “From Heartbreak to Hope in the Heart of the Continent”
May 25th to 29th, 2022. Hosted by Manitoba Branch, UELAC. Mark the dates.
The 2022 Dominion Conference Presentations: “Eclectic and Inclusive”.

The Conference will include a 75 minute virtual tour of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on Friday, May 27th, 2022 at 1:30 Central time.
The CMHR is situated at The Forks on land donated by the Forks Renewal Corporation. The inspiration for the museum came from Israel Asper, a Winnipeg lawyer, politician, and businessman. His inspiration was the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC.
The purpose of the Museum is to both commemorate and educate. Thus it has a three-fold purpose: to explore the development of the concept of human rights; to examine human rights in a Canadian and international context, and to promote respect for the human rights of all people.
Funding for the Museum came from three sources: the federal, provincial, and city governments, the Asper Family Foundation, and the Friends of the Museum for Human Rights.
An architectural competition awarded the design to Antoine Predack and Chris Beccome of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Construction began in 2008. In 2010 the Queen brought a corner stone from Runnymede, site of the signing of Magna Carta. The Museum was officially opened in 2014.
In terms of design the building moves from “earth” to “sky” as visitors ascend the concrete ramps from floor to floor, finally arriving at “The Tower of Hope”.
There are ten galleries with permanent displays, beginning with an exhibition on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose articulation in 1948 had notable Canadian involvement.
Thereafter galleries focus on such issues as Indigenous rights, women’s rights, and particular event such as the Winnipeg General Strike. There is an in-depth Holocaust gallery.
In addition to the permanent galleries there are several galleries which host temporary exhibitions. At present there are three temporary exhibitions:

  1. Activism. April 30, 2021-April 30, 2022.
  2. Witness Blanket: Preserving the Legacy: April 30, 2021-May 1, 2022.
  3. Articulating our Rights: July 30, 2021-June 30, 2022.

Visit Explore From Home for visual tours:

  • Amazing Architecture (5 min)
  • A View from the Top (10 min)
  • A Canadian Journey (20 min)

and more, such as “Human Rights Stories” and “Who said it?”, a quiz to match quotations with famous human rights defenders.
Mary Steinhoff, Chair, 2022 Conference Planning Committee, Manitoba Branch

The Distressed Families of Fort Niagara
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
Be careful what you wish for.
In the summer of 1778, Col. John Butler issued a declaration to the Loyalist families in New York’s Tryon County “desiring all the friends to Government to join him and to bring in all their cattle together with their wives and families, and they should be kindly received…”
It did not take long for those persecuted by their Patriot neighbours to seek sanctuary at Fort Niagara, the headquarters for Butler’s Rangers. Hundreds of refugees made their way to the garrison that was situated on the east side of the Niagara River. What was intended to be a trading post, a military base, and a point of contact with Indigenous allies became the westernmost refugee camp in the American Revolution. The official correspondence of the era gives us a sense of the experiences of those Loyalist refugees.
Thanks to the limitless reach of the internet, historians and genealogists can now view primary documents that were once only accessible by making a personal visit to distant archives. One such resource is the collection of period documents in the British Library, which were curated by William A. Smy. In addition to reports to British headquarters in Quebec City, this collection also contains private journals that shed light on life at Fort Niagara.
Persecution at the hands of Patriots was just one reason that Loyalists became refugees. Later in 1778, Richard Cartwright’s journal included an entry described how a party of Butler’s Rangers “and several families of Loyalists” were headed away from rebel territory, “flocking in from different parts of the frontiers to avoid serving in the militia”.
By the fall of 1778, the ability of Fort Niagara to double as a refugee camp was being severely tested. Captain John Johnson wrote to John Butler, “Understanding that there are a number of helpless friends to Government on the road for Niagara, I must therefore recommend it to you to use some means for their relief before they can possibly arrive … as you are sensible that hardly any provisions can be purchased for money or good…. I should think that if a party could be sent with provisions … from Niagara and horses sent from this place, that it would be a means to relieve these distressed families.”
Within a month of Johnson’s letter, Lt. Mason Bolton wrote to Frederick Haldimand, the British commander in Quebec. Given the insufficient shelter and provisions for the Loyalist refugees, their relocation seemed to be a viable option: “I have sent down to Montreal a considerable number of families who have suffered a great deal of distress on account of their attachment to Government. Many of them have not only been driven from their lands, but plundered of everything they had in the world and came in here in a ragged, starving condition. I have ordered some blankets, &c, to be bought for sufficient to serve them to Canada and thought it best to remove them from this post where provisions are of so much consequence.”
However, the refugees continued to make Fort Niagara their destination for sanctuary. By February 1779, despite the removal of earlier Loyalists, there were 64 “distressed families” receiving provisions from the garrison’s commissary. On March 4th, Bolton once again wrote Haldimand. Perhaps having the refugees raise their own food was a more reasonable solution.
“An opportunity now offers to make a beginning by encouraging some of the distressed Loyalists lately arrived at this post for His Majesty’s protection. With the little stock they have brought, the second year they may possibly support themselves and families; the third they might be useful to this post.”
Four days later, Butler wrote to Haldimand with a plan to build barracks for his men “and distressed families”. As this flurry of correspondence demonstrates, the civilian refugee problem would not go away, and it was an ongoing challenge for Fort Niagara’s military staff. Other Loyalist refugee camps that were within British lines were much closer to well-stocked British commissaries. Far off in the west as Fort Niagara was, it was much more difficult to avoid a humanitarian crisis.
The refugee community that was growing up around Fort Niagara was unique in that among those receiving provisions from the commissary were Patriot families who had been captured in the various raids that Butler’s Rangers conducted along the western frontier. It seems counter-intuitive to accumulate more mouths to feed, but these rebel prisoners could be exchanged for the families of Loyalists held by the Patriots — Col. Butler’s wife and children being a prime example of those held captive by rebels.
But although the numbers of destitute people at Fort Niagara declined with prisoner exchanges, keeping everyone fed was an ongoing challenge. Lt. Col. Bolton wrote to headquarters in Quebec City: “If the vessels had not arrived so soon with provisions, I was determined to put the garrison to short allowance, however, by issuing less than usual to the Indians and distressed families, buying up some flour and pork … I have made a shift to carry on matters tolerably well.”
A June 1779 letter of John Butler’s reveals that nine German soldiers came to Fort Niagara with one of the Rangers’ captains. The men belonged “to some of the Regiments that were taken with General Burgoyne. I would be glad to know in what manner to act in regard to them and whether you think it will be necessary for them to be sent in that they may go to Canada.” After two years of being prisoners of war, these Hessian veterans of the Battle of Saratoga had escaped confinement, fortuitously meeting Loyalist Rangers as they headed north to cross British lines into Canada.
Following the Patriot victory at the Battle of Newtown in August of 1779, the Continental Army under General Sullivan pressed its way westward. The rebels torched Indigenous villages, slaughtered Native livestock, and destroyed First Nations crops. These actions generated a second wave of refugees who sought shelter at Fort Niagara. In September, Joseph Brant, the Iroquois leader, informed Lt. Col. Bolton, “that a considerable number of Indians with their families are coming in tomorrow.”
Fearful that Fort Niagara would not be able to shelter or feed the hundreds of Indigenous People arriving at their gates, in early October, John Butler was encouraged “to try his utmost to prevail on the Indians whose villages have been destroyed to go down to Montreal for the winter.”
Battles along New York’s western frontier subsided, and with the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in the fall of 1782, the hope that Fort Niagara’s Loyalist refugees could return to their former homes evaporated. British headquarters in Quebec City held out an alternative.
In September of 1783, Haldimand wrote: “You may rest assured that such deserving men of your corps as are in the predicament of other Loyalists and entitled to His Majesty’s bounty shall have every justice done to them. … I have determined that the strictest impartiality shall be observed in the distribution of such lands as shall be granted to refugee Loyalists … I enclose, for your information, instructions which I have given out … the rule of his conduct in laying out the settlements at Cataraqui. These will be followed in all other parts of the province where Loyalists shall be settled.”
The Loyalists of New York were no longer refugees at Fort Niagara. They were about to become the first white settlers of a colony that would be known as Upper Canada.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

JAR: Women of the Revolutionary Era Who Should be better known
We’ve asked our contributors to tell us about a woman associated with the 1765-1805 era who does not have a Wikipedia entry, but who should.

  • Hannah Thomas (1730-1819) was the first woman lighthouse keeper in what was about to become the United States.
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Lynsen Smith lived in Haverstraw, New York. Her family was divided on the Revolution.
  • Nearly all the names of Native American Women—except for Molly Brant (Konwatsi’tsiaienn), the Mohawk leader who has a Wikipedia page—are lost.
  • Mary Brownson Allen, Ethan Allen’s first wife
  • Fenda Lawrence was an African in the slave trade with fiscal and physical partner Irishman Stephen Deane.
  • There were hundreds of women in both armies at Saratoga, most of them anonymous and now all but forgotten.
  • Lady Mary Watts Johnson was put under rebel guard in May 1776 at Johnson Hall, New York after her Loyalist husband, Sir John Johnson, escaped Continental authorities.
  • Sarah Matthew Reed Osborn Benjamin well represents the thousands of women who followed the Continental army, as she spent three years cooking, washing, and mending for soldiers.
  • Mary Morris, the wife of Robert Morris the “financier” of the American Revolution
  • Jane Ames (1765–1849) authored two books of religious verse and essays.
  • The activities of the Hon. Caroline Howe are largely eclipsed by those of her famous brothers: George Augustus Howe, a rising military star killed early in his career during the French and Indian War; Richard Howe, admiral in the Royal Navy who commanded British naval forces for part of the American Revolution; and William Howe, for three years commander-in-chief of the British army in North America.
  • Mary Jones Dunbar Minot (1748-1830). She led a remarkable life as a leading member of a striking Loyalist family—the Joneses of Weston.
  • An Oneida woman named Tyonajanegen and sometimes called “Two Kettles Together,” deserves recognition. She was married to the great Oneida warrior Han Yerry, and the two of them, along with their son Cornelius, fought alongside their patriot allies at the bloody Battle of Oriskany.

Read more about each…

JAR: Jonathan Trumbull: the Sixteenth “Pope” of Connecticut
by Scott M. Smith 8 March 2022
In 1817, as popular sentiment finally forced Connecticut to adopt a new constitution separating church and state, Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Adams: “I join you therefore in sincere congratulations that this den of the priesthood [Connecticut] is at length broken up, and that a Protestant popedom is no longer to disgrace the American history and character.” Jonathan Trumbull (1710-1785) ascended to this “popedom” in 1769, becoming Connecticut’s sixteenth governor.
As the only colonial chief executive to assume office prior to the Revolution and remain in power past its conclusion, Trumbull mobilized his fellow Connecticuters to deliver more than half of all the Continental Army’s critical supplies and munitions over the course of the war.[2] The governor’s unwavering support of a central, national authority, first George Washington himself and later the Congress, contributed significantly both to the patriot victory and the formation of a national government; it also earned Trumbull the ire of his constituents, prompting his retirement in 1784.
Puritans migrating from Massachusetts founded the Connecticut colony in 1635. The Puritan (soon to become Congregationalist) ethic preached individual conformity but also community independence. After fleeing persecution in England, the founders were not about to submit meekly to the rule of the Crown in their new home in the wilderness. Of course, the Puritans were perfectly comfortable discriminating against other religious groups, driving Indigenous Peoples from their homelands, and enslaving Blacks.
To ensure its freedoms, Connecticut adopted the “Fundamental Orders” in 1639, possibly the world’s first written constitution. Read more…

A Tailor with Butler’s Rangers
By Toni Cummings and Stephen Davidson
I read with interest your [Stephen Davidson’s] article about provisions for Butler’s Rangers “Checking Over a Loyalist Fort’s Shopping List” and all the cloth, etc.
My ancestor John Freel was a member of the Indian Dept of the Rangers. He could have been one of those tailors as he was brought from Kilkenny, Ireland, to be a tailor at Johnson Hall, Johnstown, New York. He is mentioned many times in the records of Johnson Hall buying cloth, etc. and making various items of clothes.
He received crown deed land in Niagara-on-the-Lake. (I have visited the “homestead” several times.) I wish there would be a way to prove he did some of this sewing. He died in 1784, and is believed to be buried on the grounds of present Fort George….Toni
Hi Toni,
I’m glad to hear that my article on Butler’s Rangers had a connection to your family’s history.
I went back to the source (https://dr.library.brocku.ca/bitstream/handle/10464/9246/Volume4Edited.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y) that gave me the list of provisions that Butler ordered and found this:

EXTRACTS FROM UPPER CANADA LAND BOOK “B” PETITIONS FOR LAND
Deborah Freel, widow of a soldier in Butler’s Rangers, praying for lands for herself and sons. Ordered 200 in addition to her lands under a Land Board certificate.
Ontario. Nineteenth Report of the Department of Public Records and Archives of Ontario (Toronto, 1930), pp 103-104.
Newark
17 March 1797

I also found A List of Reduced Officers and Privates of Different Corps Settled in the District of Nassau, Specifying the Number of Acres of Land Entitled to, the Number of Acres Received and what Remains Due, Inclusive of Their Family Lands, &c., and John Freel is listed as a private in the Royal Regiment of New York . It said that he was entitled to 450 acres for himself and his family.
It is amazing that you know he was a tailor. …Stephen
Hi Stephen
 Thank you for your quick reply. Deborah, indeed, was John’s wife. She has quite a story of her own. She had to hide her family during the attack of the Americans during the War of 1812. She is buried in Butler’s Burial Ground in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Crown Deed land was in family hands until just a few years ago. …Toni

“The White House” – 1793 (Home of the Fairfield Family at Bath Ontario)
An Interview with Alice Fairfield, 1923
(From an unsourced clipping in the Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives.)
On the shores of the Bay of Quinte, about ten miles from Kingston, stands “The White House”, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Fairfield, and their daughter, Miss Alice Fairfield, who represents the fifth generation to live within these walls. This landmark was built in 1793 on land drawn from the crown and deeded by George III to William Fairfield, gentleman, for his services and those of his sons, with the British arms in the Revolutionary War.
The Fairfields, who came from England to Vermont, and settled near Salem in 1630, were wealthy landowners when the war of the Revolution broke out. When the American arms were victorious, they looked about them for a home elsewhere under the British flag. Capt. Michael Grass, who had been taken prisoner at Kingston during the French and Indian wars, had kindly memories of the great forests and fertile lands on the shores of Lake Ontario. He gathered a band of United Empire Loyalists, who with him as their leader, ventured forth from the rich farmlands of Vermont to the rigors and dangers of the Canadian forest.
Mr. and Mrs. William Fairfield and their sons were given most of the land along the shores of the Bay of Quinte from the site of “The White House” to Bath. They gave the land on which St. John’s church, one of the oldest places of worship now standing in Ontario, was built in which three seats were reserved for the Fairfield family for all time.
For a few years after coming to Canada, Mr. Fairfield, with his six sons and his six daughters, and the Negro slaves who followed their beloved master into exile, lived in log huts built in a clearing near-the little bay below the present house. But used to every comfort in their New England home, these ambitious pioneers determined to build a more substantial dwelling place. Read more…
Submitted by Elsie Schneider

At the Fairfield-Gutzeit House (Lafarge 1812 Discovery Centre) website see a photo of the house and down the page a photo of Mabel Fairfield-Gutzeit along with an image of the UELAC membership certificate (equivalent of today’s Loyalist Certificate) dated 21 January 1933 and signed by Major Vaughan MacLean Howard, President and E. J. Christie, Secretary, with a UEL pin/medal and ribbon attached. Explore the site for more information.

Sophia Matilda (Mercer) Weyman-“The Lady in the Locket!”
Sophia Matilda Mercer Weyman was born 23 December 1850, the oldest child of William Baxter Mercer and Margaret Asbell of Norton, Kings Co., N.B. Her parents had gone to Norfolk, Mass., USA where they were married about 1850. By 1853 William, Margaret, and family were back in Apohaqui, Kings Co., N.B. where eleven more children were born. William was one of the first shoemakers in Apohaqui and his shop was near the present day Jones’ brothers’ warehouse.
Sophia’s father, William, was a son of Joseph Jr. and Frances (Baxter) Mercer of Norton parish. Joseph Jr. Mercer was a son of Loyalist Captain Joseph Mercer, who came to New Brunswick with his family in 1783. Frances was a granddaughter of Captain Simon Baxter, a pre-Loyalist of 1782 who settled with his family at Bloomfield, Kings County. William and my g.g. grandfather, Joshua Mercer, were brothers. A cousin, Florence Langtry, of Ontario, had inherited a locket from her grandmother, Juanita Victoria Weyman, Sophia’s daughter. This locket contained a portrait, although min­iature, of Sophia Matilda (Mercer) Weyman. Although we have pictures of Joshua’s family, Sophia’s portrait is the first to be found in William B. Mercer’s family.
Sophia Matilda married Robert Colpitts Weyman, a son of Rev. Edward and Mary (Colpitts) Weyman of Lower Millstream, Kings Co., N.B. on 28 November 1867 in Apohaqui, by Rev. Edward Weyman, Robert’s father, with witnesses William B. Mercer and Samuel H. Weyman. The marriage was reported in the Religious Intellingencer of Saint John. Sophia and Robert had a family of nine children, six girls and 3 boys. The family lived in Apohaqui, where Robert also worked as a shoemaker. Then they moved to Moncton, and later Saint John, as he was a finished carpenter for the railroad. A daughter, Juanita Victoria, attended Normal School in Fred­ericton, graduating in 1895. In 1901 Robert and Sophia moved to Alsask, Saskatchewan with some of their family. The government was offering land to farm, 200 acres to develop for a registration fee of $10.00 to males over 18 years.
Life was filled with hardship on the prairies in the 1900’s. This family shows the courage of the hardy pioneers who were not afraid to move on to a better life as is told by Flo Langtry in her story. Read more…

Behind the story
The story explains how Florence found me and how I was able to help her with the gaps in her family history. I submitted the story to Generations with the addition of Florence’s pictures. The Mercers and the Baxters are my ancestors on my father’s family line. Florence had placed a query in Ruby Cusack’s column in the Telegraph Journal in 2010. I answered her query. Florence’s story travels from Norton, Kings Co., NB. To Alsask, Saskatchewan and further West.
There are many family names and connections that readers may recognize. We never know.
Both Ruby Cusack and Florence have passed away.
Barb Pearson UE

A Monument to United Empire Loyalists in Tusket, Yarmouth County, NS
By Brian McConnell UE President, NS Branch, UELAC
This week I was somewhat shocked but very pleasantly surprised to discover a monument to United Empire Loyalists in Tusket, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. It is located in a small park at the corner of Highway No. 3 ( Lighthouse Route) and Highway No. 308 (Fisherman’s Memorial Highway). Although I have been to Tusket before for a Branch meeting of the UELAC held in the historic Court House including a presentation by the local Archivist I was unaware of this monument. None of the descendants of Loyalists from the area, the Archivist, nor anyone else mentioned it.
The monument is quite impressive. I was also disappointed not to find any information on the internet about it. However, I have taken several photos to include in an article I am preparing about the Loyalists of Tusket, The plaque reads:

GIIIR
IN PROUD MEMORY
OF THOSE
UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS
THE MAJORITY
OF THEM OF DUTCH ORIGIN
WHO
DEFEATED AND DESPOILED
WERE COMPELLED TO FIND
REFUGE HERE FOLLOWING THE
AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
ARRIVING HERE, THE FIRST
IN 1784,
THEY ESTABLISHED NEW HOMES
IN THE WILDERNESS
AND HAVE MADE A MOST
NOTEWORTHY CONTRIBUTION TO
THE PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT
OF THE PROVINCE AND NATION
“THEY SACRIFICED ALL—
SAVE HONOUR”
EIIR
Erected by the Yarmouth County Historical Society 1964

Watch a short video about it.
and read his tweet with photo
Brian McConnell 🇨🇦@brianm564At monument to #UnitedEmpireLoyalists in #Tusket, #YarmouthCounty , #NovaScotia. The plaque on monument was prepared by the Yarmouth County Historical Society in 1964. It recognizes the mostly Dutch Loyalists who settled area in 1784.

Loyalist Monuments, Memorials and Commemoratives
Over the years the contributions of the United Empire Loyalists have been recognized by the Association, governments, community groups and individuals in the form of monuments, memorials, and plaques, and commemorative stamps, plates, and more
Information about these has been gathered through research and contributions, organized and posted to our website – see Loyalist Monuments, Memorials and Commemoratives. Thanks to Fred Hayward who had done most of this.
Contributions such as this Tusket Monument by Brian McConnell are welcome and appreciated

A Visit to the Dentist
from JYF Museums @jyfmuseums
In 1617 John Woodall published “The Surgions Mate,” saying “being wearied with writing for every Shippe the same instructions a new, I held it my best course to put them in print.”
There were some differences, and even new tools. Shown here, an improved root elevator (left) and a tooth key (centre). Developed by Germans, refined by French surgeon Croissant de Garengeot, and perfected by English surgeon John Aitkin, the key used leverage to generate torque.
Interchangeable heads allowed the English key (as it came to be known) to be used on a variety of teeth and patients. The hook grabs the tooth, and the bar serves as a fulcrum.
The moral of the story is that you should brush and floss daily, because yikes!

The Calash Bonnet: Its History in the 18th Century
By Geri Walton 16 May 2018
The calash bonnet (known in France as the thérèse or caleche) was a popular and intriguing millinery item in the mid-1700s and was worn through the early 1800s. It came about because it protected the towering hairstyles from inclement weather and allowed for decency. Because it tied under the chin, it was considered more of bonnet than a hat. On the tall calash versions, ribbons were attached to the brim to allow wearers to draw it up as required. Thus, it operated similar to the collapsible top found on the carriage by the same name. One description of how the calash bonnet operated was provided by Englishman Thomas Wright:
“[The] calash was formed like the hood of a carriage, and was strengthened with whalebone hoops [or cane hoops] … so that by means of a string in front, connected with the hoops, it could be either be drawn forwards over the face, or it might be thrown backwards over the hair.”
The unusual looking bonnet became popular because it offered certain advantages that other millinery did not. For instance, it could easily collapse or raise as the wearer required. Read more…

Heritage home preserves craftsmanship of old
By Carolyn Ireland in Globe & Mail 10 March 2022
The red-brick Victorian farmhouse on Percy Street is a local landmark in the small town of Colborne, Ont., says Shannon Hamilton, who has grown up in the house her parents purchased 21 years ago.
“It’s a true historical home but it’s one that people know about locally,” Ms. Hamilton says of the property with a rustic barn and period coach house.
The township heritage association, Heritage Cramahe, describes the house as one of the finest examples of the Gothic revival cottage in the area. The group points to the steep gable on the front façade and the tall and graceful Regency-style windows in a three bay layout.
Colborne is located on the shore of Lake Ontario in Northumberland County. For many thousands of years, Indigenous peoples were stewards of the land. Northumberland County is located on the Mississauga Anishinaabek territory and is the traditional territory of the Mississauga.
Many of the first European settlers in the area were United Empire Loyalists who received land grants from the British Crown.
During the early 1800s, the vacant land known today as 51 Percy St. passed through several owners.
Local records do not pinpoint the year the house was built, but Heritage Cramahe says it likely dates to the period between 1862 and 1871. Read more…

Where in the World is Malcolm Newman UE?

“Perpetual Light” … Where in the world is Malcolm Newman of New Brunswick Branch? Note: Macolm lives in England…
Be sure to check out the “link” to the RCAF.

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.

Who are the People In The Picture? A New Photo; Some Identified
Go to Who’s In The Picture (WitP). Mar. 4, 2022. This photo (Ref. Code 2-13-5) just needs two people identified. It shows Lt. Col. A.F. Cooper (at centre with medals), Liliane M. Stewart, Dr. Hugh Scott, and an unnamed 78th Fraser Highlander; it was taken on May 20, 1989 during the 1989 Royal Convention. The question is which gentleman is Dr. Scott — the leftmost or rightmost individual – and who is the other man? The Highlander is probably a reenactor and getting his name would be an even longer shot.
Can you help resolve the questions?
If so, please send an email to Carl Stymiest, Leader of the Library and Archives Committee at communications@uelac.org — please note the date and reference number of the photo. Any additional relevant comments are welcome, and appreciated.
Carl Stymiest

We Know – A Second Person – Who’s In This Picture! (Feb 16)
The Man in glasses (to the right of the lady in the pick jacket, looking to the right) is Arnold Nethercott, UE. Arnold was a long-time member and executive of the London and Western Ontario Branch, and served as Branch President from 1981-1983. He also served on the Dominion Council and Executive — he was UELAC President 1990-1992. Arnold proved his descent from David Springer UEL, a Butler’s Ranger, in 1976 and from from Josiah Lockwood UEL in 1989.
— Bob McBride, UE; Kawartha Branch

We know – Two People – Who’s in This Picture! (Feb 25)
At the left are Harold (UE) and Betty Lampman, of Hamilton Branch. Harold was President of the Hamilton Branch in 1976-1977; Betty was born in England but served as the Hamilton Branch genealogist for a number of years. Both were still very active in the branch in the mid 1980s.
— John Hamill, UE; Hamilton Branch

UELAC Loyalist Directory: New Entries
The reworked version of the Loyalist Directory is now active and people looking for it are directed there. The data brought over from the older version is the same. So what is new?
Entries which have been added, or revised, this week, with thanks:

NOTE: Over the last few months, a number of people have offered to provide new information for the Loyalist Directory. We are getting close to being ready to start. BUT, I lost about 45 email messages this past week and those who have already offered were among those. Could you resend please. For those who would like to but have not yet offered, hold tight for the moment please.

Upcoming Events:

UELAC Scholarship recipient will speak on Loyalists 15 March

The Andrew Hook Centre for American Studies is Scotland’s only centre for American Studies. The Centre sponsors the most extensive American Studies lecture and seminar series in Scotland, free for academics, students and the public.
Our current UELAC Scholarship recipient, PhD Candidate, Benjamin Anderson, researching Vermont and the Northern Borderland Loyalists, 1749-179n will present on March 15, 2022. He is delighted to be sharing his research on Ethan Allen, Vermont, and Allegiance in his first research seminar presentation. It is a Zoom event and all are welcome. Seminars begin at 4pm GMT. That is 11am EST here in Canada. Check the time zone conversion for your area.
The Centre created an Eventbrite page where people can register and get the zoom link:
Christine Manzer, UE, Co-chair UELAC Scholarship Committee

York Sunbury Historical Society: “Rebels on the River” Thurs. 17 Mar @7:00 AT (6:00 ET)

“Rebels on the River: The American Revolution and New Brunswick” by Major (Ret’d) Gary Campbell PhD

The presentation will be about the American Revolution and Sunbury County, Nova Scotia (present day New Brunswick). This is the only area that I am aware of that rebelled against British rule and where the rebellion was successfully suppressed. It will discuss the two rebel invasions that occurred and will examine the interactions between the Indigenous people, the New England Planters, the New Englanders of the District of Maine and the British forces. This is an interesting period of history and one that is not generally known about.
Gary Campbell is a retired CAF officer who is interested in the military history of New Brunswick. He became interested in the story of the American Revolution in New Brunswick when he was researching his first book “The Road to Canada“, a military history of the St. John River.
To register send an email to frmoperations@gmail.com

From the Twittersphere and Beyond

Last Post: PUTNAM, Robert Thomas
With heavy hearts, the family announces his passing on March 5, 2022. He was in his 94th year.
Robert was born in Vancouver,B.C. on November 14, 1928. He was the eldest of four sons born to Margaret (Neilson) Putnam and E. Earl Putnam, and was a descendant of United Empire Loyalist lineage.
Beloved husband, best friend and soulmate of the late Marie (Wagner) Putnam. Loving father to his cherished daughters, Mary Rebecca Beckley (Thomas), Margaret Fitzpatrick (Stephen), Melissa Burnett King (Montgomery).
He was a true “Waterloo Boy”, spending most of his life in Waterloo. He attended Alexandra, Elizabeth Ziegler and Central schools, where many of his friendships began. His later school years were spent at St. Andrews College, where he distinguished himself in athletics.
His life-long hobby was genealogy; he worked at it for over 70 years and wrote several manuscripts. He travelled to England, Scotland, Ireland and the United States, and communicated with people from all over the world, to gather information in support of his research. He volunteered with the Ontario Genealogical Society, transcribing cemeteries to preserve records. Read more…

Published by the UELAC
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