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2022 UELAC Conference Invitation

Dear Fellow UELAC Members,
The Planning Committee of the 2022 Dominion Conference would like to invite you to our virtual conference, “From Heartbreak to Hope in the Heart of the Continent“.
Our conference runs from Wednesday, May 25th to Sunday, May 29th.It features nine presentations under the title of “Eclectic and Inclusive”. Care was taken to insure a gender balance and a balance of social, political, military, and genealogical topics.
In addition there will be a 75 minute virtual tour of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. whose mission and structure reflect our theme “From Heartbreak to Hope” as the guide ascends from the “darkness” of lower galleries to the “light” of “The Tower of Hope”.
The entire conference is open to all (except for the AGM and the Genealogist and Membership meetings)..
Please check out the conference website at https://uelmanitoba.ca/conference2022. It features biographies and photos of presenters. The Registration process has never been easier.
We will be delighted to have you join us for five days in May. Sincerely yours,
Mary Steinhoff, Chair, On behalf of the 2022 Conference Planning Committee of the Manitoba Branch

Where There’s a (Loyalist) Will
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
When properly read, the probate records of early New Brunswick are anything but dry, legal documents. In addition to identifying heirs, spouses, and friends, they also provide a sense of what the colony’s early settlers considered to be of value. One need only look at the wills of Robert and Dorcas Laskey, a couple who died sixteen years apart and who had a very different sense of what constituted heirlooms.
The Laskeys initially settled in the township of Barrington located in the southwest corner of Nova Scotia. They would have been part of the cohort of New Englanders who were invited to occupy the vacant lands and settlements of the Acadians. Because they refused to swear allegiance to the British crown, these French settlers were expelled from the colony in 1755. The Yankees who moved onto farmlands and fishing villages along the Atlantic and Fundy shores — as well as a number of river valleys—became known as the Planters.
The 1770 census for Barrington reveals that Robert and Dorcas had five sons and one girl — “all Protestant and all American origin”. However, the increasing hostilities of the American Revolution eventually dislodged the family from their home along the Atlantic coast. Privateer vessels from New England repeatedly attacked Nova Scotia’s seaside communities, looting the settlers and sometimes kidnapping the men.
The Planters fought back against the invaders from the sea. Both Robert Laskey and his son Robert Junior are noted to have taken up arms to capture a crew of rebel privateers. So although the Laskey family pre-dated the arrival of Loyalist refugees, they were loyal residents of Nova Scotia and actively fought against Patriot forces during the revolution.
When the British government later delineated six qualifications for a Loyalist, the first two definitions said that a loyal American was “someone who had rendered services to Great Britain” and was “someone who had borne arms against the revolution”. Both Laskey and his son were Loyalists within Nova Scotia, refusing to join with their Patriot cousins in New England.
Those who did not join the rebellious thirteen colonies resented the fact that their loyalty to the crown was not recognized. When comparing themselves to the Loyalist refugees, the Planters said, “We have at least as weighty reasons as they can possibly offer to claim restitution from Government for the value of all the property taken from us, our distress by imprisonment, etc. They had a numerous British army to protect them; we had to combat the sons of darkness alone. In a word, we had much less than they to hope for by unshaken loyalty and incomparably more to fear.“
The privateer raids on Barrington prompted the Laskeys to seek safer prospects. By 1781, the family had pulled up roots and relocated to Gagetown, a settlement along the Long Reach of the St. John River Valley in what is now New Brunswick. By this time there were 8 Laskey children. Robert — now 46 years old– built a two-room log cabin to house his family after buying some cleared land from an earlier settler.
When Loyalist refugees began to flood into what is now New Brunswick, a trio of men were sent up the St. John River to see what lands were available for settlement, to note who had been loyal during the war, and to identify anyone who had once sided with the Patriots. In their report, Robert Laskey and his oldest son were listed as inhabitants of Gagetown; their wartime service of capturing Patriot privateers was also noted.
The Laskey name does not occur again in public records until Robert’s death at age 68 on July 22, 1803. The will that he had written four years earlier was finally “proved” on August 24, 1803. In it, he willed his wife Dorcas all of his land on the east side of the Long Reach and all of his cattle. While the number of livestock is not given, their presence in his will indicates that he had acquired a degree of prosperity over his 22 years as a farmer in New Brunswick.
Robert bequeathed tools to three of his children, but failed to mention his oldest son Robert Junior or any of his daughters. To Nathaniel (1771-1847) and Jacob Laskey, he willed his farming utensils, and to his son William (1785-1852), he gave his broad axe. Robert, it seems, was a man of few words, whose main concern was the farm on which he had laboured for so long to make prosper.
Sixteen years after Robert’s death, Dorcas Laskey died at an undetermined age in the latter part of 1819. Her will had been drawn up 15 years earlier, perhaps prompted by the fact that she served as her husband’s executrix following his death.
The items that Dorcas bequeathed to her children give us more of an insight into how her house was furnished, the possessions that she prized, and the names of her daughters.
Robert Junior, the Laskey’s oldest son, had had his own farm since 1781, so this may explain why 38 years later his mother decided not to grant him any land or possessions from his father’s farm. Instead, Dorcas willed him “one pound”. (An 1808 newspaper article reports the death of Sarah Laskey, wife of Robert. If related to this family, she would have been Robert Junior’s spouse.)
The Loyalist widow was more generous to the last of her sons. Jacob received “the farm where I now live, my cattle … and my carpet coverlid {coverlet} which I use on my bed”.
Her oldest daughter, Hannah was given “my curtains which I use around my bed with the trimmings belonging thereto and my black long gown and my great Coat.” By this time, Hannah was the wife of David Oram.
Mary, the youngest Laskey daughter, received “my feather bed, copper teakettle and “my chimtey {sic} long gown.” Given the names listed in Dorcas’ probate record, it seems that Mary was the wife of a Joseph French.
It then fell to Hannah and Mary to divide up between them their mother’s “clothing and bedding, my two spinning wheels and the household furniture and utensils”. Hopefully, it was not a contentious process. Given that only four of Dorcas’ children are named in her will, it may be that the other four had died during her lifetime.
The Laskey family had come a long way since they had first settled in Gagetown in a two-room log cabin. Robert had acquired land, cattle, and all the utensils required to operate a farm. Dorcas had amassed (or created) goods that added comfort to their home: bed curtains, bedding, warm clothing, and household furniture. She also had two devices essential to woman’s work in the 19th century — spinning wheels.
Thanks to the fact that Dorcas was more detailed-oriented than her husband, we have a better sense of what was in the homes of New Brunswick’s early settlers — as well as the names of those who built a new society on the foundation created by its English pioneers. Where there’s a Loyalist will, there’s a glimpse into life in early 19th century New Brunswick.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

More About John Freel UEL
Last week’s Loyalist Trails (2022-11, Mar 13, 2022) contained a short note about John Freel. Unfortunately there is an error in his service that I believe spawned from his widow’s initial land petition in 1795 and was further compounded by his inclusion in the roll compiled by Lt.-Col. Smy. John Freel (Friel) was not a Butler Ranger. He was an Artificer in the Six Nations Indian Department (6NID) under Col. Guy Johnson. He originally began service under Sir John Johnson with the KRRNY then transferred over to Guy Johnson in the latter half of 1779. John Friel is included in each of the 6NID pay lists at Niagara beginning with the pay period 25 Sep 1779 to 24 Mar 1780 [see Haldimand Papers transcripts B109:27-29]. He was also one of the 6NID men examined in 1782 by Powell and other officers appointed to review of Johnson’s pay accounts [see B102:138-144]. John Friel (Artificer) and his family were also listed as part of the 6NID drawing rations in the 1 Dec 1783 Niagara return [see B105a:395].
The term “Ranger” was applied to both those that were members of Butler’s unit as well as those members of the 6NID. They were from distinct units. To lessen the confusion at Niagara, Guy Johnson later called his men Foresters. When Guy Johnson was ordered down river during the various examinations of Taylor and Forsyth’s merchant accounts, which was quickly followed by a review of his own, Sir John Johnson was placed in charge of the 6NID. However, because he did not relocate to Niagara, John Butler, as the senior Deputy Agent in the 6NID, became the person the men posted there reported to on a routine basis. Since Butler remained entrenched in the 6NID while commanding his own unit (actions we would now call a conflict of commitment), it is understandable why Freel’s widow called him a Butler Ranger. Perhaps this error and lack of an attestation to such service was why the Board rejected her original application read 19 Aug 1795.
The paylists are the means of confirming John Freel’s service in the 6NID. There were two other artificers he worked with in the 6NID, John Ogden and William Steadman. In a Sept 1782 return by Butler, Freel was listed as a tailor and both Ogden and Steadman as carpenters [see B110:90-91]. Another man, Lawrence Flynn, was listed as tailor employed at a Forester’s pay (but he was not an artificer). Freel was likely employed at leatherworking and Flynn making clothing such as breeches.
In case you are wondering why I had this information handy, for a number of years I’ve been researching Joseph Brant’s Volunteers (their roster, service, etc.) and am now in the early stages of writing. Some of the men served with him for the duration of the war, some for the first few years, and a few for the last year or two. As part of this I had to compile a 6NID roster to confirm they weren’t Rangers/Foresters since some were on campaigns together and a few had later joined the 6NID. For instance, eight of Brant Volunteer’s became Rangers in 6NID under Claus the winter of 1780/81. They continued much the same work but with the Mohawks out of Carleton Island and Lachine rather than with Brant out of Niagara.
Steve Bowley UE.

Loyalists in Tusket NS: Brian McConnell UE
Last week I visited Tusket in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia primarily to see an old cemetery which I had learned contained the headstones of several United Empire Loyalists including James Lent (1753 – 1838) and Cornelius Van Norden (1764 – 1844).
They were both from New Jersey and of Dutch ancestry. James Lent, after settling in Nova Scotia, became a Judge and was also elected to the House of Assembly in 1806. He served in it until 1818.
The Tusket Cemetery occupies an imposing location overlooking the Tusket River and was also the site of a Baptist Church built in 1813 which lasted about 130 years. Watch Brian’s video.

JAR: The Last Royal Governors of the American Colonies
by Richard J. Werther 15 March 2022
The last level of British authority at the colony level was the colonial governors. They came in various forms, military and civil, appointed and proprietary, and occasionally elected by the colonists. As British authority started to break down, the colonial governors were some of the most prominent people to be chased from their respective colonies. Did they go quietly, or did they drag their heels all the way? Where did they go and where did they end up? Did they plot their return, stubbornly clinging to power, or did they fade quietly into the sunset?
It’s worth revisiting how each colonial governor reacted to the fast-changing conditions of the 1770s and what eventually happened to them, so I decided to survey all twelve (Delaware was administered by the colonial governors of Pennsylvania as the Lower Counties on Delaware). Here is a capsule story for each: Read more…

The History of the United Baptist Church in Penobsquis, Kings Co., N.B.
By Bea McLeod. Edited with the addition of information and pictures of those who were involved with the Church in its beginnings up to 1913 and submitted by Barb Pearson.
The early church history of the free Christian Baptist body is not confined to the church itself, but is intimately associated with the early history of the denomination. To chronicle in detail the date of its organization, and a short account of the different events transpiring throughout its existence, the names of its members, of the ministers, who during all the years laboured with its members, of the officers who in successive periods performed their several duties, and to give an account of the money spent on various occasions for building, or other purposes, is to bring to us an inadequate idea of the true history of the church.
This church came into being in 1831 and was not founded by any denominational body already settled in the province. Only two churches of like faith existed here at the time. Those at Upper and Lower Brighton established in 1830. No organized body holding their particular set of doctrines had as yet been established in New Brunswick. Nor were they off shoots of any other religious body then existing in the province. Elder Ezekiel McLeod in his report to the General Conference of 1856 says; ” The elements of which our body was composed, had been brought to our shores by pious emigrants from other lands, and had been nourished and fanned by the devoted Henry Alline who visited N.B. many years ago.” Read more…

The Story Behind the Story About the United Baptist Church in Penobsquis
Penobsquis is situated in the upper part of the fertile valley of the Kennbecasis River. In the early days the community was known as Upper Settlement. Its name comes from the Maliseet, meaning “little chub”, the fish that were plentiful in the river in the early days.
On June 29th, 1786 a long formal document from George the Third, King of England, gave out 42 plots of land, each consisting of 200 acres. It was the Crown’s intention to settle the land, giving Grants, free land to immigrants and Loyalist descendants to develop into profitable farm land.
Some of these original grantees gave up their Grants, enabling other families to purchase.
William McLeod, a Highland officer, came from the isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland, to Newfoundland, and thence to Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia. His son, William, came to Penobsquis in 1795. He purchased land along the main Brook, to be later called the McLeod Brook and a road through the settlement, the Post Road. He purchased the land with a Jersey cow and his most prized possession, a Beaver Hat. The Hat was a sign of wealth in that time. It was a unique purchase! The land was a wilderness but slowly developed and the McLeod home grew from a wigwam to a crude cabin, and then a frame house in 1861 that still stands today.
From the family of William McLeod, 14 in all, was born Ezekiel McLeod, who became an ordained minister in 1868 and Rev. Joseph McLeod who were very important men in the Baptist Church of their day. Ministers of Loyalist descent; Rev. Edward Weyman, born in the Millstream; Rev David Oram, and his brother, Rev. Charles James Oram, born in Long Reach, Kingston, assisted in the formation of the early Baptist Church in Penobsquis.
Some Loyalist families who came to Penobsquis from New York in 1783 were the William Hall, (English); Robert Pugsley, (English); William McCready, (Scotch); Walter Stewart, (Scotch); and George Morton (English). These families played important roles in the expansion and culture of the settlement.
Long before there were any Churches in the settlement, services were held in the barns and houses, and later in schools.
In 1823 the Calvinists Baptists organized a Church under the leadership of Rev. Joseph Randell, its first Pastor. Titus Stone was ordained and later became pastor. A church was built a mile above the village on a hill on land given by Rev. Titus Stone.
~The Christian Church~Its Value to the community~ (Credit to the Wesleyan Church at Berwick, Kings Co., NB.”)

“The value of a Christian Church to any community cannot be simply estimated. It is of value not only as a strictly religious force, but it touches and influences all the activities of the community in which it is placed. Its mission is to point men, women, and children to the Saviour, to bring them together in the bonds of a Christian brotherhood, to help and encourage them in their daily lives, to light for them the pathway of life and to help prepare them for the life beyond the grave. It is altogether fitting therefore that at certain times special attention should be called to the founding, development and work of the churches in our communities.”

This then brought visiting ministers many times to Penobsquis to assist in the formation of its Church Community!
With this purpose in mind let us remember “the beginnings” ~
The United Baptist Church of Penobsquis~ “The Weekly Record“~25th Nov 1887~

This article appeared in the” Weekly Record”. “The Free Christian Baptist burying ground at Penobsquis needs fencing very badly, and to raise funds to accomplish that objective a supper will be given Wednesday evening next (30th Nov 1887) in the cheese factory at that place. Oysters, raw and stewed will be served during the evening. Tea will be on the table at 6:30 o’clock.” The sum needed was realized at this event due to the efforts of the church community.

In 1864 the Foreign Missionary Society was organized at the Penobsquis Baptist Church. In 1875, a Woman’s Missionary Society was organized. From the very inception of these societies, the local church showed its interest and bore its share of the costs. The women of the WMS in 1938 supported missionaries to foreign lands through their fundraising efforts. Women were the backbone of fundraising for the church. Other organizations in connection with the church were the B.Y.P.U. , the Sewing Circle, the Busy Bees, the Stitch and Chatter Club, and the Women’s Institute. They quilted, cooked for social affairs and sales, held suppers, and pie socials. The pie social was a favorite fundraiser in all County Church communities.
Bernetta (Flemming) McLeod, known fondly as “Bea“, born in 1894, died in 1965; married Kenneth Raymond McLeod, born 1894 in Penobsquis in the old McLeod homestead, a son of Byron McLeod and Frances Jane Lockhart. He died in 1965 and both rest in Pioneer Cemetery, Kings Co., NB. along with the McLeod families of the past 200 years.
Bea was an ardent member of the United Baptist Church of Penobsquis, and is the author of the Church History that she discovered in 1913 and contributed to this article.
Bea and Kenneth’s daughter, Ella Bernetta McLeod, born in 1931, lives in the 200 year old McLeod brick house at age 91. Ella has hosted many family reunions of the McLeod family at Oak Lawn Farm. The McLeod home is furnished with the priceless treasures from the beginnings with William McLeod’s purchase of the land.
Barb Pearson

“Church and Victoria University in Toronto”: A history
by Callan Murphy 15 March 2022 in The Strand
When Canadian Methodists sought to establish a “Seminary of Learning” in 1830, they probably didn’t think that their legacy would be a Torontonian institution with co-ed residences and secular education. Victoria University may no longer be a symbol of Methodist strength in Upper Canada, but its relationship with the church over the past 186 years has been dynamic, to say the least.
In the British Empire during the early nineteenth century, religion was viewed as a necessary companion to academic learning. The question for grammar schools in Upper Canada was not if there would be Christian teaching, but often which Christian teaching…
By the 1790s, a new player had joined the game: United Empire Loyalists fleeing the United States came by the thousands to spread their Evangelical ways to the Canadian population. These Methodists hoped to prove themselves as a formidable group in the years before Confederation, gaining some popularity as the underdog….
A young Christian leader who had been evicted from his home at 18 for converting to Methodism had unwavering views about access to education; Egerton Ryerson criticized clergy reserves, tuition costs, and the decentralized system of education in Upper Canada. When the Methodist Conference was held in 1829 to discuss congregational plans, education was a top priority. The proposal for a Methodist seminary was drafted and filed, but denied by the Legislative Assembly and Council in an act of religious prejudice…
This was a bold contrast to the sectarian model of Canadian education, which saw the Anglican Bishop’s University founded in 1843, the Presbyterian Queen’s College in 1841, the Roman Catholic Regiopolis College in 1837, and the Baptist Acadia College in 1839. While Upper Canada Academy certainly joined the list as Canada’s standard Methodist institution, its openness to applicants was unusual…
The academy’s willingness to accept Indigenous students and students of any Christian denomination was extremely progressive for the time…In a similar manner, women students were widely accepted into the school, with the 74 women of the student body of 1840 nearly equaling the 96 men. (Admittance of women was later revoked). Read more…

Ben Franklin’s World: New Netherland and Slavery
Andrea Mosterman, an Associate Professor of History at the University of New Orleans and author of Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York, joins us to explore what life was like in New Netherland and early New York, especially for the enslaved people who did much of the work to build this Dutch, and later English, colony.
During our exploration, Andrea reveals information about the establishment of New Netherland, its geographic scope, and its place within the larger Dutch Atlantic World; Dutch involvement in the African slave trade and the origins of slavery in colonial New Netherland and New York; And, myth versus reality when it comes to the history and lived experiences of enslaved New Yorkers during the Dutch and English colonial periods. Listen in…

JAR: Benjamin Franklin’s East Florida Warning
by George Kotlik 16 March 2022
On July 25, 1768, Benjamin Franklin set his friend, Charles-Guillaume-Frédéric Dumas, straight. Dumas, a man of letters who would later serve as an American diplomat in Europe, was interested in settling British East Florida. Franklin informed Dumas that his home in Philadelphia “being near 1000 Miles from Florida” prevented his intimate acquaintance with that region. To better give Dumas an idea of that region, however, Franklin forwarded Dumas a copy of William Stork’s An Account of East-Florida. Stork’s account, one of many, circulated in London, prompting serious interest in the colony.[3] Stork, and others like him, sought to draw attention to the newly-acquired British territory.[4] Franklin cautioned Dumas, advising him to take the published accounts of East Florida with a grain of salt. Read more…

Borealia: Herring, the Moral Economy, and the Liberal Order Framework
By Elizabeth Mancke and Sydney Crain, 14 March 2022
In 1819, New Brunswick’s assembly passed its first legislation regulating just the herring fishery for the “Parishes of West-Isles, Campo-Bello, Pennfield, and Saint George” in Charlotte County; two years later, an amendment added the Island of Grand Manan. Since its first sitting in 1786, the assembly had passed nine statutes to regulate “the Fishery in the different Rivers, Coves and Creeks,” and to prohibit any “incumbrances” that might “obstruct, injure, or hurt the natural course of the fish into any river or place where they usually go.” From 1786 to 1809, the assembly’s emphasis in fisheries legislation was on providing equitable fishing access to people living all along a river. In 1810, the emphasis shifted to “preventing their decay” and “destruction.” Some acts specified a fishery, such as salmon, others applied province-wide.
In 1763, the Nova Scotia assembly had enacted a province-wide act addressing the river fisheries, which were provincial, rather than imperial, jurisdiction. It delegated regulatory powers to county justices of the General Quarter Sessions, who “shall and are hereby impowered and directed to make rules and orders for the regulation of the river fishery in their respective counties, as they from time to time shall find necessary for the preservation thereof.”
Different approaches to fisheries regulation in NS and NB. Read more…

Query and Response: Districts of Early Ontario
I am distantly related to Abijah Chambers, a Loyalist who settled in Ontario. I find him in the Loyalist Directory, along with James Chambers.
I cannot find a definition of what Home District and Eastern District mean. I can guess, but thought I’d ask to be sure.
Response:
Try The Evolution of the District and County System 1788-1899 and similar at Early Districts and Counties 1788-1899

Introducing Newly Elected Branch Presidents:

  • Jo-Ann Leake, Gov. Simcoe Branch in Toronto
  • Phoebe Banbury, Saskatchewan Branch

Note: If any other branches have welcomed new Presidents in the last few months, please send a note to Doug and they will be recognized here.

Loyalist Quarterly Newsletter, March 2022, by Paul J. Bunnell UE
Published since 2004, the March 2022 issue is now available. At twenty-five pages, it features:

  • Teach My Research
  • From Heartbreak to Hope in the Heart of the Continent – Dominion Conference 2022
  • “Family, Friends, and Wild Turkeys: Amelia Ryerse Harris’s Loyalist History”
  • Support Loyalist Trails
  • “I Am Now in an Enemy’s Country”
  • Mob Attacks on Loyalists in Massachusetts 1774
  • The Savages Let Loose, or the Cruel Fate of the Loyalists 1783
  • Loyalists

Vol. 19 Part 1 March 2022 Quarterly Issue “In Publication since 2004”
Editor: Paul J. Bunnell, UE, Author, Koasek Abenaki Chief; BunnellLoyalist@aol.com; 978-337-9085, 49 Pleasant St., #106, Alstead, NH 03602
The Only U.S. Newsletter Devoted to The study of The American Loyalists
Subscription Rate: $22 U.S. $24 Can. $5 each copy — (March, June, September, December issues)

Saint John NB to develop inclusive names for streets, public spaces
A new committee will be tasked with making the names of future city spaces and streets more inclusive.
Several areas of Saint John already commemorate the city’s United Empire Loyalist heritage.
“However, there’s a lot of histories that are to be told,” said Phil Ouellette” Read more…

National Trust: Edelweiss Village an Endangered Place
Edelweiss Village at Golden BC is the historic home base of the legendary Swiss Guides who introduced European-style hiking and mountaineering to the Canadian Rockies in the early 20th century. Steeped in the vibrant mountaineering tradition of the Swiss Alps, the certified guides were brought to CPR hotels in the Rockies, and between 1899 and 1954 they profoundly shaped today’s world-famous mountain culture in Western Canada. Read more…

Who are the People In The Picture? A New Photo
Go to Who’s In The Picture (WitP). Mar. 17, 2022. We know that the couple in this photo (Ref. Code 2-13-11) is Nelson and Dorrine Macnab at the 1989 Royal Convention (May 18-22 at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville QC), but who is the man in the grey suit to their left?
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

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: Two of the above submissions were submitted on the new template which we are testing. We would welcome a few more people to help test – just send a note to me at loyalist.trails@uelac.org – do please include the name of the Loyalist about whom you would like to contribute information and if that person is in the Loyalist Directory already (send ID number too), or is a new entry. …doug

Upcoming Events:

Toronto Branch: Showcasing Your Research. Thurs. 31 March @7:30 ET

“Beyond the Book: Fun Ideas for Showcasing Your Research” with Janice Nickerson. Janice has developed an assortment of creative ways to give your family the gift of genealogy without the slog of writing a 500-page tome. From quick and easy ‘teasers’ to complex projects that really showcase your findings.
Janice is a professional genealogist based in Toronto. Her expertise includes Upper Canadian history, criminal justice records, turning bare bones genealogies into shareable family stories, and using genealogy gifts and games to create a legacy. She is a proud 8th-generation Canadian, with English, German, Irish, Welsh and First Nations ancestry.
To register, contact Sally Gustin, Programme Coordinator at torontouel@gmail.com indicating if you are a UELAC member (which branch) or not. She will send the link prior to the meeting.

Digital Doors Open Ontario by The Ontario Heritage Trust

Discover Digital Doors Open Ontario through the virtual experiences on this page, featuring many of Ontario’s treasured places and the stories behind their doors that draw us together and inspire our strong sense of community – even while we are physically distancing. Virtual experiences for sites on this page include photo tours, virtual tours, videos, searchable collections, and online games and activities. Check out the main page for an overview and then Explore all of the Digital Doors Open sites. Each province may very well have an similar resource

Fort Plain: Councils of War and the Cabinet Mon. 28 March 2022 @7:00 ET

How the Revolutionary War Shaped the Presidency. The Councils of Wars that were held by General Washington and his Officers set precedence with how President Washington interacted with his fellow political leaders and more specifically, his Cabinet. The US Constitution never established a presidential cabinet. By Lindsay M. Chervinsky, historian. Details and registration

Presentation Available On-Demand: “Loyal They Remained”

On 21 February, Jean Rae Baxter UE spoke about “Loyal They Remained” to a virtual audience in an event organized by the St ALban’s Centre (see flyer for more details.) The presentation was recorded; you can watch it.

From the Twittersphere and Beyond

  • 14 March is Commonwealth Day. To mark it, the Royal Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is flown alongside the Canadian Flag on Parliament Hill, from sunrise to sunset.
  • The Bastille main prison key was turned over to the Marquis de Lafayette shortly after the Bastille was stormed on July 14, 1789 by angry citizens rioting in the streets of Paris. Lafayette was optimistic about the fate of the revolution when he prepared to ship the Bastille key to George Washington in March of 1790. Read more…
  • American Revolution Institute: The first episode of Collections Corner is live! This month we look at a powder horn made in 1775 for Massachusetts militia officer Capt. Thomas Kempton. Video, 2 min
  • This week in History
  • Clothing and Related:
  • Townsends:
  • Miscellaneous

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