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Carl Stymiest UE: New UELAC President’s Address and Call to Action
At Gala Banquet Saturday 03 June 2023 at Richmond BC
Mr. Guest Speaker, The Honourable Steven Point OBC, Distinguished Guests, Members of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, Heritage Friends and finally, Family.
I am honoured to address you this evening as your newly elected UELAC Dominion President. As I step into this role, to fill big shoes of the many who have proceeded before me, I wish first to express my gratitude for the trust and confidence you have placed in me to lead this association. It is a responsibility that I take seriously and pledge to fulfill to the best of my ability.
Before I review my vision and priorities, I would like to reflect on the rich history of our membership. We have come a long way since 1914, when our founding UELAC Charter was presented. Together, we have worked tirelessly to uphold our mission:

“To enrich the lives of Canadians through fostering public awareness of our national history, and, in particular, of the United Empire Loyalists and their contributions to Canada, while also celebrating their memory and perpetuating their heritage as an integral part of the Canadian identity.“

It is here we wish to create an environment in which ALL members feel included, valued, and supported. That is why under the leadership of the former and Late Dominion President, Suzanne Morse-Hines, the UELAC Board of Directors instituted the UELAC Code of Conduct for the Board of Directors and the local branches across Canada. It was Sue’s leadership whom we also honour this evening with the presentation of the first UELAC Suzanne Morse-Hines UE Memorial Genealogy-Family History Award.
As your new President, it is time for us to build upon this solid foundation and chart a course towards an even brighter future. To conduct this, I believe we must prioritize FOUR KEY areas: Community, Growth, Advocacy, and Innovation.
Primarily, we must strengthen our sense of Community within this organization. This means fostering meaningful connections among partnerships and connections among members across this nation; creating opportunities for members to engage with one another in meaningful and impactful ways. Whether it be through ‘in-person’ events or virtual meetings, we must come together to share our ideas, experiences, and knowledge, and to support one another in our shared mission.
Second, we must focus on Growth. This means expanding our membership base and reaching out to our youth through new partnership and communities who share our values and goals. To do this, we must capitalize on our existing strengths and unique offerings, while also being open to innovative approaches and ideas. In 2022, we accomplished this by entering an historical partnership with the Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Historical Society by moving, Dominion Office and UELAC Library and Archives from Toronto to the Cornwall Community Museum, and most recently, under the leadership of Dominion Past President Trish Groom and the Board of Directors Committee by hiring a new part-time Office Administrator for our Cornwall site.
Thirdly, Advocacy must be centrepiece of our efforts. Our membership has always been vocal and active in promoting the heritage and history of our Loyalist Ancestors during the American Revolution, its causes, and issues we care about. I believe we, as a not-for-profit association, must continue to do so. By advocating on behalf of our members, we can have a greater impact within our loyalist community.
Finally, we must embrace Innovation. As we navigate the rapidly changing landscape within the wider society, we cannot be afraid to adapt and evolve. This means exploring modern technologies, methods, and solutions that can help us better serve our membership and achieve our UELAC goals.
I strongly believe that by focusing on these FOUR areas, we can create a stronger, more vibrant, and a more impactful organization. BUT I cannot do this alone. It will take the collective efforts of each Board member and every Branch member to make this vision a reality.
I would be amiss, if I did not sincerely thank my Primary Branch of Vancouver and the other 12 branches I belong to across the country; the Pacific Region for their long-standing support over the years; the entire UELAC Board of Directors and in particular, the guidance and leadership of Past Dominion President Trish Groom; the direction of long-standing UEL friend, UELAC Treasurer, and Prairie Region Vice President, Barb Andrew, and last, but certainly, not least, the late Dominion Past President Sue Morse-Hines, for her advice and council, and who reached out to me several years ago to serve on the Board.
In closing, I want to reiterate my sincere appreciation for the opportunity to serve as your President. I look forward to working with each one of you; to build our legacy and create a brighter future for all members of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada.
Thank you.
Carl Stymiest UE, President, UELAC
(printable version)

Funding Future Knowledge – 2023 Scholarship Challenge, June 1 – August 1, 2023
The 2023 UELAC Scholarship challenge is in week 3 of our 8 week push to encourage donations to support the Masters and PhD students who apply and are awarded scholarship money.
Today I want to remind us all that we have two funds for you to choose from when on the Scholarship Challenge page – https://uelac.ca/scholarship/challenge-2023/

They are the Loyalist Scholarship Fund or the Scholarship Endowment Fund.
An Endowment Fund is a fund that is restricted. Only the interest from the fund can be spent, not the principal that anchors the endowment. The principal value of the endowment fund is kept intact, while the investment earnings can be used. The UELAC Scholarship Endowment Fund still needs to grow. It is known within the charitable giving community that endowment funds are often neglected and do not reach their potential. If you choose to direct your donation to the Scholarship Endowment Fund it helps ensure that our mission – to preserve, promote and celebrate the history and traditions of the United Empire Loyalists receives your support forever.
Thank you for the donations that are on their way to the office or via the CanadaHelps form. Updates to the chart will happen in a few weeks.
With appreciation from Christine Manzer UE Chair of the Scholarship Committee.

Sir Guy Johnson, 8th Baronet of New York and Lady Marie Celebrate Loyalist Day
By Major David Moore UE, Officer Commanding, King’s Royal Regiment of New York

June saw the return of Sir Guy Johnson, 8th Baronet of New York and Lady Marie to Canada to visit and inspect the Royal Regiment of New York. Fifty-one members of the unit were present to witness the visit during the Loyalist Landing Event at Adolphustown June 16 – 18, 2023.
The event was held at Adolphustown Ontario, just west of Kingston. The extensive camp was under mature trees along the shores of Lake Ontario. Members of the “Senior Service”, the 8th, 24th, 84th, Queen’s Rangers, Butler’s Rangers, and various others took part in the encampment. Sjt Mjr Smith worked for days to lay out the camp, then host the event including the roasting of the pigs.
On the Friday evening the camp was attacked by a “rebel” flotilla just before dusk. The Loyalist boats fought them off with some supporting fire from the infantry and field artillery. Afterwards, to remove the taste of powder from the troops’ mouths, the local brewery provided some exceptionally fine beer, which was gratefully accepted.
Saturday morning Sir Guy and Lady Johnson arrived. A brisk tactical demonstration involving the guns and all the various units was put on for Sir Guy and the public. Sir Guy and Lady Johnson then inspected the troops on parade and were introduced to a number of the officers and men.
The Johnsons then toured the United Empire Loyalist Heritage Centre & Park. A tour of the tent encampment followed giving a chance for various members to speak to the Baronet and his wife.
Sir Guy, like his father Sir Peter, is an avid sailor so he quickly took up the opportunity to take part in the Loyalist Landing. He and Lady Johnson boarded one of the vessels in the flotilla and sailed out into Lake Ontario. After a brief journey upstream, the Loyalists came ashore before a large crowd of tourists. Sir Guy and Lady Johnson leapt onto the beach as our Loyalist ancestors did over two centuries ago. The “refugees” then lined up to draw lots in a “land lottery” to see which land grant they would receive from the Crown. Originally this was done to ensure that the land was distributed equitably with no favouritism shown to anyone.
To finish the day two roasted pigs were expertly carved and served to the troops. A little excitement and impromptu fireworks display while cooking was presented by Sjt Finnegan. Once dinner was completed, the troops once again visited the tavern for more free ale from Riverhead Brewery! The Johnsons took part in the party until they retired to their hotel.
Sunday was a day of ceremony with church parade in the morning where Sir Guy read the lesson. The singing of “God Save the King” and the message from Chief Maracle of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Nation were most memorable. After lunch the UEL flag was raised, anhd a cereminy held at cemetery. At that ceremony Sir Guy spoke briefly thanking all the participants not only for their warm welcome but also for their dedicated hard work to maintain UEL history. In return Sir Guy was asked to accept from all of us a promotion from Honorary Colonel to Honorary Brigadier General, therefore becoming the same rank as Sir John Johnson, the 2nd Baronet of New York. Sir Guy graciously accepted the promotion.
After the conclusion of the ceremony, I had the privilege of driving the Johnsons to their hotel in Watertown NY. We returned their rental car in Kingston and went to the city hall where we got out and photographed the plaque to the “King’s Royal Regiment of New York”. Crossing over the dramatic bridges at the 1000 Islands they passed uneventfully into New York and we got to the hotel where they kindly treated me to dinner. In the five hours our journey took I got a chance to chat with them.
I pointed out how many times people came up to me and asked if they could speak to the Johnsons. I would introduce the person and they would chat away often of former visits or just thanking the Johnsons for coming. Sir Guy and Lady Johnson both said it was quite moving the dedication of everyone to keep this history alive. He also said how thrilled and surprised he was to be asked to be the Honorary Brigadier.
Back in England the UEL history is never mentioned. In fact, their title is never really used. I asked if it was true that while his grandfather wrote books on the family history that his father really had not been that interested. Sir Guy confirmed this saying that it wasn’t until his father, Sir Peter, met Gavin Watt that he became interested and even visited New York and the Yorkers. He quoted his father as saying he only used his title in England when he wanted a good table at a restaurant. At his father’s funeral one of his father’s oldest friends said that he hadn’t even known Sir Peter was a Baronet until he read the obituary. He’d assumed Sir Peter had been granted a knighthood for his contributions to the sport of sailing.
Sir Guy and Lady Johnson therefore live quite low-key lives in England and it is only when they come here they get treated like minor members of the Royal Family. A role that everyone who was at the event in Adolphustown would agree that they most graciously fill. I left them around 8pm and drove around Lake Ontario getting home around 1:30 am before going to school the next day.

The Johnsons continued their tour to Johnson Hall in Johnstown NY before travelling on to New York City and their flight home. I later heard that when they were at Johnson Hall they kept saying how well they were treated and how welcomed they felt during the visit to Adolphustown.

A Black Loyalist’s Story In His Own Words: Part Three of Four
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
In the fall of 1783, Boston King and his wife Violet were among the founders of Birchtown, which at that time was the largest settlement of free Black people outside of Africa.
That winter saw the Kings join Moses Wilkinson’s Methodist congregation. Violet’s conversion coincided with what appears to have been a severe depression that rendered her bed ridden for a year and a half. After her recovery, Violet “exhorted and urged others to seek and enjoy the same blessing, she was not a little opposed by some of our Black brethren. But these trials she endured with the meekness and patience becoming a Christian; and when Mr. Freeborn Garrettson came to Birch Town to regulate the society and form them into classes, he encouraged her to hold fast her confidence.”
A Methodist missionary, Garrettson came to Nova Scotia from the United States in 1784. When he had inherited his family’s plantation, he freed all of its slaves and began to preach against slavery. In 1780, his abolitionist views led to his being thrown in jail in his native Maryland. Gartettson preached in almost every settlement in Nova Scotia over the next three years before returning to New York state.
Boston sought spiritual guidance for himself following his wife’s conversion. By March of 1785, he had become a committed Christian. King wanted to share his new found faith with other Black Loyalists, and “began to exhort both in families and prayer-meetings, and the Lord graciously afforded me his assisting presence… nevertheless I found great reluctance to officiate as an exhorter… because I was conscious of my great ignorance and insufficiency for a work of such importance… I laboured in Birchtown and Shelburne two years, and the word was blessed to the conversion of many.”
These spiritual awakenings may have helped give Nova Scotia’s Black Loyalists the resilience necessary to cope with a famine that ravaged the colony from Halifax to the Bay of Fundy. King’s memoir notes, “Many of the poor people were compelled to sell their best gowns for five pounds of flour, in order to support life. When they had parted with all their clothes, even to their blankets, several of them fell down dead in the streets, through hunger. Some killed and eat their dogs and cats; and poverty and distress prevailed on every side; so that to my great grief I was obliged to leave Birchtown, because I could get no employment. I traveled from place to place, to procure the necessaries of life, but in vain.”
Turning to the skills that he had learned as the apprentice of a South Carolinian carpenter, King made a chest for a Shelburne Loyalist in exchange for some Indian corn. Word of his building skills came to another Loyalist who had King build three flat-bottomed boats for the salmon fishery.
“Thus did the kind hand of Providence interpose in my preservation; which appeared still greater, upon viewing the wretched circumstances of many of my black brethren at the time, who were obliged to sell themselves to the merchants, some for two or three years; and others for five or six years.”
King built additional boats for his Loyalist employer, and then journeyed with him to Chebucto (perhaps today’s Sambro, Nova Scotia) to build a house. Upon arriving at the site of his future home, King’s employer realized that he did not have enough crewmembers for his fishing vessels. He invited King to join him. In early June, the Black Loyalist set sail for Chaleur Bay off the coast of New Brunswick.
From mid-July to mid-August, King learned how to fish Atlantic salmon, a species that is only found north of the Hudson River. When the crew sailed home, “my master thanked me for my fidelity and diligence, and said, “I believe if you had not been with me, I should not have made half a voyage this season.”
Upon returning to Chebucto, King was then employed in his employer’s herring fishery. In late October, “we were paid off, each man receiving £15 for his wages; and my master gave me two barrels of fish agreeable to his promise. When I returned home, I was enabled to clothe my wife and myself; and my Winter’s store consisted of one barrel of flour, three bushels of corn, nine gallons of treacle, 20 bushels of potatoes which my wife had set in my absence, and the two barrels of fish; so that this was the best Winter I ever saw in Birchtown.”
Having survived the famine, Boston and Violet made the decision to move to Preston, a community about four miles east of modern-day Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. King had been appointed the pastor of the local Methodist Church. Settled by Black Loyalists who had boarded British evacuation vessels in Charleston in December of 1782, Preston’s people must have appealed to King, given that he was a fellow South Carolinian.
“We were in all 34 persons, 24 of whom professed faith in Christ. …”The Blacks attended the preaching regularly; but when any of the White inhabitants were present, I was greatly embarrassed because I had no learning, and I knew that they had. But one day … several other gentlemen came to hear me the Lord graciously assisted me, and gave me much liberty in speaking the Truth in my simple manner. The gentlemen afterwards told our Preachers, that they liked my discourse very well and the preachers encouraged me to use the talent which the Lord had entrusted me with.”
No doubt Boston and Violet would have remained in Preston for the remainder of their lives were it not for the amazing news that came to the Maritimes from England in the fall of 1791. Thomas Peters, a Black Loyalist leader based in New Brunswick had travelled to Great Britain to seek justice for the free Blacks. He returned with the news that Britain was prepared to pay for the transportation and resettlement of any Black Loyalists who wished to found a colony in Sierra Leone.
Given that Boston King’s memoir lost the page that described how he and Violet came to join the exodus to West Africa, we must turn to the diary of John Clarkson for further details. The young Englishman was put in charge of recruiting Black Loyalists, gathering provisions, and hiring ships for the Sierra Leone venture.
On October 12, 1791, Clarkson’s diary records his first visit to Preston where he “called at the huts of several of the inhabitants and stated to them the offers of the Sierra Leone Company. Their situation seemed extremely bad from the poorness of the soil and from their having nothing to subsist upon but the produce of it.”
A week later, he wrote, “I have every reason to be satisfied with the whole of the Preston people for he says there are not better working men, or more honest and sober than those of the town of Preston.”
Enthusiasm for the Sierra Leone venture increased over the next month. On November 28th, Clarkson wrote, “I have read a petition from the inhabitants of Preston, desiring to be settled together on their arrival in the new colony… I can assure you without the least enthusiasm, that the majority of the men are better than any people in the labouring line of life in England: I would match them for strong sense, quick apprehension, clear reasoning, gratitude, affection for their wives and children, and friendship and good-will towards their neighbours. If I speak more favourably of these men than the rest, it may be because I have seen more of them, as they live in this neighbourhood, but I have good grounds for having formed a favorable opinion of the whole.”
Though never mentioned by name, Boston and Violet King were among the Preston people so admired by Clarkson. How they fared in Sierra Leone will be told in next week’s Loyalist Trails.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

Slavery & Freedom in Massachusetts
By Kyera Singleton June 2023 Ben Fraklin’s World, Podcast
Kyera is the Executive Director of the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, Massachusetts. She’s also a historian who is finishing her doctoral degree in American Culture at the University of Michigan. Kyera and her colleagues have spent years researching the lives of the enslaved people who lived and worked on the Royall Plantation, and the significant contributions they made to ending slavery in Massachusetts, which was the first state in the United States to legally abolish slavery in 1783.
During our investigation, Kyera reveals the story of the Royall House and Slave Quarters and why this is a unique historic site; Details about the Royall Plantation and how it operated; And, what we know about the enslaved people who lived and worked on the Royall Plantation and the important roles they played in creating and seeking freedom in Revolutionary Massachusetts. Listen in…

Summer of ’74 in Boston
by Bob Ruppert 20 June 2023 Journal of the American Revolution
Parliament responded to the Boston Tea Party by imposing on the colony of Massachusetts a series of Acts, collectively called the Coercive Acts. The four Acts were the Boston Port Bill, the Quartering Act, the Impartial Administration Act and the Massachusetts Government Act. The first one, the Boston Port Bill, received King George III’s royal assent on March 31, 1774 and would go into effect on June 1, 1774. The first sentence of the Bill made its purpose clear: “An act to discontinue . . . the landing and discharging, lading or shipping, of goods, wares, and merchandise, at the town, and within the harbour, of Boston.” Parliament had hoped that the Bill would not only isolate the Massachusetts’ radicals but also bring the other colonies back under its authority. This backfired—the Act instead promoted sympathy for Boston and brought about a sense of colonial solidarity. This is the story about how that came about.
News of the Port Act reached Boston on May 11. The next day William Cooper, the clerk of the town of Boston, under the direction of the Committee of Correspondence, wrote to some nearby towns informing them of Boston’s impending plight. Read more…

British Thoughts on American Independence
By Todd W. Braisted June 2023 in American Battlefield Trust
When the “embattled farmers” stood up against the British troops early on the morning of April 19, 1775, what were they fighting for? Those men may have given many answers that day, probably centered around righting wrongs with Parliament and the King’s ministers. One word they probably did not say was independence. Indeed, even after fighting had broken out, the Continental Congress in July 1775 sent what became known as the Olive Branch Petition directly to King George, seeking a peaceful end to the conflict. This petition was never acted upon, and the war continued. No less a person than Benedict Arnold said as much after he joined the British, reflecting on what made him take up arms first against them: “A redress of grievances was my only object and aim.”
Did the British themselves believe independence was the aim in 1775, long before it was declared in July 1776? Many did. One early observer of this had been engaged in battle against them at Bunker Hill, Captain Francis Lord Rawdon. Writing from Boston to his uncle, the Earl of Huntingdon, at home in December 1775, Rawdon complained: “Let the Rebels declare as much as they will that they have no thoughts of independency on Great Britain, their actions so palpably contradict that assertion, that every person of sense must see that it is only meant to prevent the reinforcements which we hope, & they fear…” Read more…

Book Review: In Dependence: Women in the Patriarchal State in Revolutionary America
Author: Jacqueline Beatty (New York University Press, 2023)
Review by Nichole Louise 19 June 2023 Journal of the American Revolutionary
When we think of the American Revolution, we think of colonists swept away by ideals of freedom and independence. Yet, the paradox we also know is that those ideals in action were reserved for a select few. Jacqueline Beatty’s In Dependence essentially argues that despite the ideals of the American Revolution, women had to operate within the framework of a Patriarchal State (trading a monarchy for a democracy), regardless of the war’s outcome.
An important aspect of this discussion is that the bulk of cases and analysis within In Dependence apply to white women of middling to high wealth. That said, there are documented cases of poor white women and black women of both free and enslaved status who submitted petitions to state legislatures, although they are few are far between given obvious societal obstacles. Enslaved women had no rights or resources, and poor white women “could not meet the expectations of white womanhood because these gendered standards implied a level of financial privilege to which these women did not have access,” Beatty writes. Read more…

Tracking Elizabeth Bull’s Wedding Dress Across Time and Place: Atlantic Crossings, 1731-1910
By Dr. Kimberly Sayre-Alexander in The Costume Society
In our Sunday Guest Blog, Dr. Kimberly Sayre-Alexander offers an insight into her research on Elizabeth Bull’s wedding dress and the process of recovering erased voices.
Historians have described Elizabeth Bull’s Boston as a somewhat parochial world, but the remnants of her life suggest something else: a global consciousness, mediated through Atlantic filters. Bull was the only daughter of the successful Atlantic merchant, John Bull, whose tavern and wharf on Boston’s bustling waterfront marked her own station. Her mother came from a similarly endowed family and augmented the family’s social network and financial resources. John Bull died in 1729, leaving Elizabeth a twelve-year-old orphan, but one with promising prospects. Some two years later, as was the custom for adolescent females of ‘the quality’, she began a needlework project; perhaps less customary, it was for her wedding dress. At this time, she was not betrothed nor was a suitor on the horizon. When she married Reverend Roger Price (c. 1694-1764) on a cool damp April day in 1735 at age 19, the dress was not yet complete. Read more…

Georgian Hair and Clothing – Fashionable but Fatal
By Sarah Murden 15 July 2015 in ALl Things Georgian
Georgian fashion dictated that women wore ‘big dresses’ accompanied by the even bigger hair so with all that fabric and ‘high hair’ fashion it should come as no surprise that accidents happened. With that in mind, we thought we would take a peek at the fires caused by the fashions of the day. Read more…

Mikak’s Improbable Journey: An Inuit Woman Goes to London in 1768
by Dave Baxter 5 March 2020 in Canada’s History
It’s the remarkable and unlikely story of an Inuk woman in the eighteenth century who travelled to England against her will and became an essential figure in diplomatic relations between European traders and Indigenous peoples.

The Beaver tells the story of Mikak, one of the first Inuit women to appear in colonial archival documents and one of the earliest Indigenous figures in Canadian history whose life is documented.
Mikak’s story of European contact begins with “violent and tragic events” in November 1767, when she and eight other Inuit were attacked by British marines near Chateau Bay in Labrador. The attack was carried out as retribution after a different group of Inuit had waged an earlier attack at a British whaling post in the area, resulting in the death of three Englishmen.
Some of the Inuit in Mikak’s group were killed, while others, including Mikak and her son, were kidnapped. While detained, Mikak began to learn basic English from an English commander, and she, in turn, taught the commander some words in the Inuktitut language.
In 1768, while Mikak was still imprisoned, she was introduced to Commodore Hugh Palliser, the governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. Palliser was working to improve relations between Labrador Inuit and European traders, and he found Mikak to be “very intelligent.” He arranged for Mikak and her son to sail to England and hoped that by showing her the “power, splendor and generosity of the English nation” it would help to improve those relations.
While in London Mikak learned to speak fluent English. She met and even dined with members of the aristocracy and the royal family, who “were taken by her beauty and charm.”A portrait of her and her son was commissioned while she was in London and painted by English artist John Russell.
Mikak returned to Labrador in 1769, where she played a major role in the Inuit allowing Moravian missionaries to establish a permanent settlement in the region.
See her portrait.
Read the articles. Part 1 Winter 1983 and Part 2 Spring 1984.

In the News

Strength and resilience: Untold stories of Loyalist women who settled in N.B.
By Nipun Tiwari 24 June 2023 on CBC
UNB professor marking the 240th anniversary of the landing of the Loyalists in Saint John
A University of New Brunswick historian hopes her research into Loyalist women will inspire others to learn about the “important and integral” role they played in the province.
Bonnie Lynn Huskins says history has been written from a perspective of the hardships they endured, and she wants New Brunswickers to instead see their strength and resilience.
“We have to be alert to silences in the historical record,” she said. “We have to be aware that even though we might not hear as much about Loyalist women, that doesn’t mean that the history is any less important.” Read more…
Submitted by Marc Smith and Mark Gallop

Bicentennial of Sandhill ON commemorated at Caledon Day
By Zachary Roman 21 June 2023 in Caledon Citizen
The 200th anniversary of the settlement of Sanhdill in 1819 was celebrated recently.
On June 17, a procession featured Caledon’s Town Crier and the Sandhill Pipes and Drums.
The parade through Caledon marked the bicentennial of Sandhill, one of Caledon’s many unique villages. Sandhill was once a prosperous 19th century crossroads settlement.
Caledon’s Town Crier, Andrew Welch, read an official proclamation to mark Sandhill’s 200th anniversary. Due to the pandemic and other factors, Sandhill’s bicentennial had to be celebrated a few years after its official date.
Sandhill is located on tableland in the central part of the Peel Plain. Its first known settlers were Timothy Terry, the son of a United Empire Loyalist; George and John Robinson, brothers who came from Ireland; and Loyalist Edward Freeman.
Sandhill soon became a prime agricultural area. Read more…

Upcoming Events

The American Revolution Institute: Washington’s Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution, 1775-1777

June 27, 2023 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
By Maj. Gen. Jason Q. Bohm a Marine with more than thirty years of service.
In the early days of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress rushed to form an army but soon realized that, to win its freedom, America would need men who could fight both on land and sea. Enter the Marines. More description and registration…

From the Twittersphere and Beyond

  • Happy United Empire Loyalists’ Day today, June 19th, Ontario! A photo which hangs in my home reminds me of my maternal 5th great grandfather, James Humphrey UEL, a Private in Jessup’s Rangers during American Revolution & afterwards settled near present day Prescott, Ontario. …Brian McConnell UE
    • Read an article I authored which was published about him several years ago that also describes the photo.
  • And here is a video (4 min) I prepared which explains background and photos from the first few celebrations by branches of United Empire Loyalists’ Day in Ontario
  • Massachusetts Pine Tree penny. The Massachusetts 1776 Pine Tree Copper Penny was virtually unknown until a grocer discovered this unique pattern piece while excavating near Hull or Charter Street in Boston’s North End. Boston collector Jeremiah Colburn acquired the coin about 1852 and several years later published an account of it. Read more…
  • Townsends
  • This week in History
    • 21 June 1773, NEWPORT: The Gaspée commission issue their final report. It essentially places all blame on the Gaspée herself for creating the conditions that led a band of locals to rebel by taking and burning the ship:
    • 22 June 1773, BOSTON: The House of Representatives orders the pamphlet containing the Hutchinson–Oliver letters circulated to the committees of correspondence in every province.
    • 23 June 1773, BOSTON: The House of Representatives approves a petition to the King requesting the removal of Governor Thomas Hutchinson and Lieutenant Governor Andrew Oliver due to the contents of the Hutchinson–Oliver letters.
    • 22 June 1774 – On This Day in Michigan History. Britain passed the Quebec Act, expanding the Province of Quebec to add present-day Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. American opposition to the act became one of the causes of the Am Rev.
    • 18 June 1776, the Continental Congress resolved that no accused Tory should “be injured in his person or property,” except on orders from the Congress. Or a colonial legislature. Or a local committee. Or in the process of apprehending him.
  • Clothing and Related:
    • How many textiles attributed to white women, in fact, document the work of Black seamstresses? This 19th century quilt was made by enslaved sisters Ellen Morton Littlejohn and her sister Margaret. It is currently on view in the exhibition “What That Quilt Knows About Me.”
    • Unpicking threads might seem like a strange pastime. 200 years ago ‘drizzling’ occupied elegant fingers. Gold from precious silks was reused or sold to be melted down, like the threads on this 1720-40 fragment.
    • The stylish Huldah Bradley, painted by Ralph Earl, 1794. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Bradley family lived in Fairfield CT in 1794. More details.
    • Today’s “outfit of the day” is this 1760 robe a la francaise. It is made of a silk brocade with a lovely floral pattern on a beige background.
    • It remains a dress history fallacy that women winched themselves into unforgiving stays all day every day. Surviving garments tell more complete stories, pieces like these quilted & embroidered #1730s jumps, the soft waistcoat for wearing at home. Those colours!
    • 18th Century cream-coloured silk dress with woven stripes, floral scrolls, chain motif and multi-colored embroidered with bouquets and garlands, c.1760-1780’s
    • 18th Century half-mourning dress, black and white patterned, consisting of current and jacket sleeves, c.1790-1800
    • 18th Century waistcoat, highlighting the embroidery of exotic plants and animals, c.1790
    • 18th Century three piece Court suit of pink silk and metallic embellishments, 1770-1790 currently on display at Kensington Palace Crown to Couture exhibition
  • Miscellaneous

Last Post: SMITH, George A. of the Bahamas
A State Funeral for the late Honourable George A. Smith, Signatory to the Constitution, Former Cabinet Minister, Parliamentarian and Diplomat aged 82 will be held on Friday 23rd June, 2023
He will be lovingly and fondly remembered. Missed tremendously by family and friends.
George was a dedicated nationalist, who was deeply committed to the progressive advancement of The Bahamas and empowering Bahamians to do extraordinary things. More details…

We have lost one of our strong Monarchists in The Bahamas -The Hon. George Smith.
George was a longtime M.P. for Exuma Island and served as a Cabinet Minister for years in P.M.Sir Lynden Pindling’s Cabinet. He was one of the few persons who supported the Progressive Liberal Party during those years. He was very proud of his U.E.L. roots .

His Loyalist ancestor family fled the mainland for Nassau and secured a land grant in Exuma.
His brother Philip was an M.P. for fifteen years and upon his retirement became The Bahamas High Commissioner to Canada. He is very fond of Canada and loves the Ottawa area.
I came to know George in Church circles. He regaled us with stories of The Queen’s and other Royal visits.
We still await word whether King Charles III will be coming for the 50th Anniversary of Independence on July 10th. As Prince of Wales he came in 1973 for Independence. He promised our P.M. Philip Davis K C. last year to come but no word as yet for some reason.
Thomas A Wardle

Published by the UELAC
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