In this issue:

 

Twitterhttp:// twitter.com/uelac
Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/groups/2303178326/?ref=share

Fall 2024 Loyalist Gazette: Digital Copy Now Available
The writing, design, layout and editing of the Fall 2024 issue of the Loyalist Gazette is n ow completed. It is in the printer’s hands, but a target date for the printer to deliver to Canada Post for distribution is not yet available, but possibly in the first full week of November.
The digital copy is now posted at uelac.ca where members can log in and access it.
This issue focuses on Upper Canada (present day Ontario). On the uelac.ca homepage you can see the cover which is a photo of Fairfield House in Amherstview Ontario. It was built by Loyalists William and Abigail Fairfield in 1793.
The main topics in this issue include:

  • A look back at 2024 UELAC Conference in Cornwall On
  • A brief history of the UEL Heritage Centre and Park
  • Men of Ernesttown
  • Mutiny at Fort George
  • Scottish Immigrant, Loyalist Refugee George Chisholm
  • The Two Archibald Thomson UELs
  • Nelles Manor: A Loyalist House of Distinction
  • The Loyalists of Adolphustown
  • Robert Land: Head of the Lake Settlement
  • The Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada at The Battle of Lundy’s Lane

along with the standard features.
Whether digital now or your paper copy when it arrives, you will find great reading. Enjoy!
Bill Russell UE, VP UELAC

Nathan Hubbill: A Connecticut Yankee Loyalist – Part Four of Four
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
It is May 1784, and a young Loyalist from Connecticut is standing on a beach along Nova Scotia’s southern coast. In November of 1783, he and other refugees sailed to Port Mouton and founded a new settlement they named Guysborough. Six months later a fire raged through the community, leaving its inhabitants with little more than the clothes on their backs. Discouraged, some of the survivors relocated to other nearby loyalist settlements in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.  Many of Guysborough’s Black Loyalists moved down the coast to Shelburne and Birchtown.
However, Nathan Hubbill and almost 300 others decided to accept the Nova Scotia government’s offer to establish a new settlement on Chedabucto Bay between the Strait of Canso and the Atlantic Ocean. Still appreciative of all that Sir Guy Carleton had done for them, the Loyalists named the principal settlement Guysborough and another Guysborough Intervale – and later the entire county bore this name
On May 1, 1785, Nathan Hubbill and 275 other settlers were included in a land grant of 53,850 acres made out to the Associated Department of the Army and the Navy. Hubbill’s portion of the grant was 700 acres. Finally, at the age of 30, the Connecticut Loyalist was no longer dependent on a life of military service and could pour his energies into farming.   He could also begin to look for a wife.
The circumstances around how he met 20 year-old Honor Hierlihy have been lost to history. Born in Middletown, Connecticut, Honor was one of the 10 children of Timothy and Elizabeth (Wetmore) Hierlihy. Loyal from the beginning of “the troubles”, the Irishman did “not openly declare his sentiments for fear of immediate imprisonment“. He secretly aided such high profile loyalists as New Jersey’s Governor William Franklin and  the Bahamas’ Governor Montfort Browne.
In 1776, Hierlihy was made a lieutenant-colonel in the Prince of Wales Regiment. Rebels immediately seized all of his family deeds. Six years later he was given the same rank with the Nova Scotia Volunteers (NSV). He and his son Timothy raised 72 men for the latter. At the end of the war – after the release of Hierlihy’s family from prison in New York, the NSV were sent to the Island of St. John’s (today’s Prince Edward Island).  Hierlihy acquired land in Nova Scotia and became the founder of the town of Antigonish. Mary, his 27 year-old daughter, was the first person to be buried in the new settlement.
Since Antigonish is about 60 km from Guysborough by land,  and given the fact that both settlements had been colonized by Loyalists, it is not difficult to imagine that Nathan and Honor may have met at some social event or gathering of new settlers.  The two Connecticut Loyalists were married on November 10, 1786.  Over the 19 years of their marriage, the Hubbills contributed a dozen children to the post-war baby boom within loyalist communities.
Ten of the Hubbill children survived to adulthood: Elizabeth Curtiss, James Hubbill, Mary N. Taylor, Sarah Taylor, Jeremiah John, Clarissa Johnson, Horatio Nelson, Nathan William, George Augustus, and Honor Cornelia.
At some point in time before 1805, the Hubbill family returned to Connecticut, establishing a home in Fairfield County. The reasons for why this loyalist family left Nova Scotia are not known. Homesickness? Financial difficulties? A softening of Patriot animosity towards loyalists? Despite his return to the United States, Hubbill continued to draw  a  pension  of  a  crown  a  day from the British government  until  his  death.
Honor Hubbill died at age 41 in Trumbull, the community that would be her husband’s place of residence until his death. A year after his wife died, Nathan married a second time. The 51 year-old widower married 31 year-old Naomi Sherman, the widow of Ephraim McEwen on March 23, 1806.  The couple were married in Monroe, Connecticut –Nathan’s birthplace– so he may have first known his new wife’s family as neighbours or friends.
In addition to Naomi’s 5 children by her first marriage, she would have 7 children by Nathan in the years that followed. Hubbill’s second family of children included: Jane, Anna, Margaret, Adeline, Caroline, Burr, and Susan Rebecca.
In 1824, when he was 69 years old, Nathan Hubbill drew up his will. He began by saying that he “at present laboring under indisposition of body, yet being of sound disposing mind, memory and understanding, through the mercy of God, think best at this time to make and ordain this my last will and testament.”
Hubbill seems to have done well after leaving Nova Scotia to resettle in Connecticut. His will mentioned a house, a barn, and livestock, and he bequeathed dollar sums ranging from $10 to $100.00 to his 10 oldest children. The seven youngest children received portions of his property.
Sometime in late 1825 or early 1826, Nathan contracted typhus fever. His physical sufferings included severe headaches, a high fever, muscle pain, low blood pressure, sensitivity to bright light, and a rash on his upper body.  Mentally, he was confused, living in a stupor that put him out of touch with reality.  Finally, on February 13, 1826, Nathan Hubbill breathed his last. He was laid to rest in the Tashua Burial Ground in Trumbull, Connecticut.
Given the fact that he had a lengthy illness, Nathan Hubbill may have had time to dictate the inscription on his tombstone. In addition to proudly reminding viewers that he had “been in the service of His Britannick Majesty, George the Third“, Hubbill’s epitaph contained this Latin phrase: Mors bono  vita  est  gloria que  perennus. Translated, it reads: The death of a good life is a glory that endures.
Whether chosen by his children, his wife, or himself, the epitaph was certainly a fitting one for this Connecticut Yankee Loyalist.  Nathan Hubbill had served a king, supported Black Loyalists, survived a devastating fire, and had helped to establish a refugee settlement in Nova Scotia. It had been a “good life” with an enduring glory.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

The Terrible Ordeal of Capt. Bezaleel Beebe’s Company of Connecticut State Levies
by Tim Abbott 24 Oct 2024 Journal of the American Revolution
Sergeant Solomon Goodwin of Colonel Philip Burr Bradley’s Regiment of Connecticut Levies kept an orderly book for Capt. Bezaleel Beebe’s Company. On November 16, 1776, he added a poignant, personal note: “This Day was the Day that our friends & fellow Soldiers was either killd or taken who were on York Island. This fatal day was a most dismal day to us. In it fell the Flower & Glory of our Regiment, the chief and the best officers and Soldiers that their was in our Regiment.” Nearly half of Beebe’s company had been present at Fort Washington on Manhattan Island when it was attacked and captured by a large British and Hessian force. Sergeant Goodwin watched helplessly from across the river at Fort Lee, noting, “I came from there on the 14th so I escaped with just the skin of my teeth, &c.”
Col. Philip Burr Bradley commanded one of eight regiments of Connecticut State Levies called into service in May 1776 to strengthen the defenses of New York. Capt. Bezaleel Beebe of Litchfield, Connecticut, commanded one of Bradley’s companies raised primarily in Litchfield and Torrington. Captain Beebe was a veteran of the French and Indian War and served previously during the Revolution in the Northern Army as 1st lieutenant in Col. David Wooster’s 1st Connecticut Regiment and in early 1776 as a militia captain with a company of three-month’s men. That year one of Beebe’s soldiers, Robert Little of Litchfield, recalled marching to Norwalk and then taking a sloop to New York, and being there in the city when independence was declared. Bradley’s Regiment soon crossed over to New Jersey and by the second week of August were part of the force protecting the West side of the Hudson River in Bergen County. During September and October they were in the vicinity of Burdett’s Ferry and Fort Constitution, soon to be renamed Fort Lee. Read more…

Hessian Soldiers Travelling to America: New York A Soldier’s Life July 1781
From a Hessian Diary of the American Revolution.
This excerpt from the diary of Johan Conrad Dohla (170 pages).

Major Moves during Johan’s deployment:

  • March 1777:   Depart Germany
  • 3 June 1777:   Arrive New York, then Amboy NJ
  • November 1777:  To Philadelphia
  • June 1778: to Long Island
  • July 1778: To Newport RI
  • October 1779: to New York
  • May 1781: to Chesapeake Bay.

July, 1781: At Chesapeake Bay. (page 98)

Continuation of Occurences in North America During the Fifth Year, 1781

IN THE MONTH OF JULY [1781]
14 July. We received orders to embark.
15 July.  We  broke  camp  at  five  o’clock  in  the  afternoon.  We  marched  into  New Portsmouth, to a wharf where the troops were to be embarked, but because it was too late, we spent the night lying under the open sky. I went on color guard.
16 July. We were embarked during the morning. I went aboard the ship Pleasant Success, on which there were two companies, Quesnoy’s and the Major’s.
18 July. Our ships left the Portsmouth harbor and sailed to Chesapeake Bay, where we lay
at anchor for ten days. [NOTE: Clinton  had  planned  to  recall  part  of  the  force  in  Virginia  to  New  York,  but  then  changed  his  mind, apparently because he received information that three thousand men were en route to New York, sailing via the north of England from Germany. Mackenzie Diaries, 2:547-48.]
28 July. I returned to Norfolk, on detail, to get water. This was loaded aboard our ship, as we had not been supplied with sufficient fresh water for drinking and cooking.
29 July. About ten o’clock in the morning, our fleet sailed out of the Chesapeake Bay.
31 July.  We  arrived  in  the  sea  harbor  of  the  James  River  near  Yorktown  and  dropped
anchor.
This  Yorktown  —  or  Little,  or  Small,  York  —  is  a  small  city  of  about  three  hundred houses,  but  with  a  large  circumference.  It  lies  close  to  the  water  of  the  James  River,  rather high  up  on  sandy  but  level  ground.  It  has  three  churches,  two  Reformed  and  one  German Lutheran, without steeples, and two Quaker prayerhouses, and a beautiful courthouse or city hall, which, like most of the houses, is built of brick. There are many houses  here that stand ruined and abandoned by their owners. An American occupation force of about three hundred militiamen was stationed here, which, however, on our arrival, pulled back to Williamsburg, sixteen miles from here, without firing a shot.
We  encountered  few  residents  here,  because  most  had  gone  farther  inland  with  all  their belongings; and therefore, no fresh foodstuffs were obtainable.
The harbor at Yorktown is deep and two English miles wide. The James River goes more than twenty miles farther inland, but beyond Yorktown it is navigable only by small ships.
A  small  island,  several  miles  in  circumference,  named  Gloucester,  which  has  a  few beautiful  buildings,  lies  opposite  York.  During  the  past  month  of  July  there  was  such exceptional heat that it was nearly unbearable aboard ship.
(to be continued)

Advertised on 24 October 1774: “This much esteemed Almanack”
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?
October 24
“This much esteemed Almanack will contain … the FIRST CHARTER
granted to the Province of Massachusetts-Bay.”
On October 24, 1774, Nathaniel Mills and John Hicks, the printers of the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy, took to the pages of their own newspaper as well as the Boston Evening-Post to announce that they would publish “Bickerstaff’s Boston ALMANACK, For the Year of our Redemption 1775″ later in the week.  A few weeks earlier, “Isaac Bickerstaff” ran a notice promoting the almanac and requesting that proprietors of “new Houses of Entertainment” submit their names to the printing office “immediately” for inclusion in the list of taverns in the forthcoming almanac.  Although the imaginary Bickerstaff was the purported author, Benjamin West provided the astronomical calculations and the printers compiled the rest of the contents.
Mills and Hicks gave tavernkeepers a few weeks to submit updates before they moved forward with printing the almanac.  As they prepared for publication, they promoted the images that accompanied the pamphlet.  Three woodcuts “Embellished” it: “A fine Representation of a New-Zealand WARRIOR: Two Natives of New Holland (Autrailia) advancing to Combat: [and] The Anatomy of Man’s Body, as governed by the Twelve Constellations.”…
…Yet Mills and Hicks did not focus solely on images depicting people in faraway places to market their almanac.  They also referenced current events and local politics.  “This much esteemed Almanack,” the printers declared, “will contain … a Variety of useful, entertaining historical Matter, and the Substance of the FIRST CHARTER granted to the Province of Massachusetts-Bay.”  That charter, granted by Charles I in 1669, had particular importance in the fall of 1774 because Parliament recently revoked the more recent charter, granted by William and Mary in 1691, via the Massachusetts Government Act, one of the Coercive Acts passed in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party. Read more…

HMS Flamborough and HMS Bideford, outgunned but defiant, 1760
The Dawlish Chronicles
The term “post ship” was applied in the Royal Navy to Sixth-Rate vessels, and referred to the fact that they were the smallest ships that could be commanded by a post-captain. They were in effect miniature frigates, ship-rigged, some hundred feet long and around 500 tons armed with 20 to 26 long guns, typically nine pounders. They tended to be slow and for this reason were often used as convoy escorts. Given competent and determined commanders they could however give a very good account of themselves. One of the most notable instances of this occurred during the Seven Years War, when two such vessels, HMS Bideford and HMS Flamborough, each of 20 guns, fought a spectacular action against two larger and more powerful French frigates.
In April 1760 HMS Flamborough, commanded by a Captain Archibald Kennedy, and the Bideford, commanded by a Captain Skinner, were cruising off the Portuguese coast, close to the mouth of the Tagus. A valuable British convoy, escorted by a single sloop, was in the general area, but apparently out of sight. In the course of the day what appeared to be possibly four enemy ships were seen running before the wind. The two British ships were well to leeward and despite this, and the disparity in numbers, headed for the strangers.
Captain Kennedy’s HMS Flamborough was the better sailer of the two British ships and by mid-afternoon got within distant gunshot range, opening fire on the closest ship – now clearly French. Rather than immediately engaging ship-to-ship, the French vessel signalled for two of her consorts to sail on and the third to join her in an attack on HMS Flamborough. Followed by the French – the frigates la Malicieuse (36 guns) and l’Omphale (32 guns) – Captain Kennedy retreated to join the Bideford. They met at around six o’clock. Despite the firepower advantage being in their favour, the French vessels now attempted to avoid action and ran. Read more…

A Kingly Government? Benjamin Franklin’s Great Fear
by Ray Raphael 21 Oct 2024 Journal of the American Revolution
In the beginning, there was Congress. On May 29, 1787, a Tuesday, with delegates to the Federal Convention seated and rules settled, Virginia’s governor Edmund Randolph introduced his state’s vision for the new nation. Article 1 set the stage: “Resolved that the Articles of Confederation ought to be corrected & enlarged” to provide for “common defence, security of liberty, and general welfare.” A “revolution in favour of government,” as one writer reported in the Pennsylvania Gazette, was under way. Articles 2 through 6 outlined a bicameral legislature, while Article 7 resolved that “a National Executive be instituted, to be chosen by the National Legislature,” with the “general authority to execute the National laws.” Whether this executive would be a single person or several, one thing was clear: he/they would be derivative of Congress, selected by that body and charged with doing its bidding.
That Friday, with Article 7 on the floor, Pennsylvania’s James Wilson moved “that the executive consist of a single person.” This brought the convention, which was just reaching its stride, to a sudden standstill. “A considerable pause ensuing”—that’s how James Madison, in his notes, denoted the uncomfortable silence.[2] Delegates to the “grand federal convention” had been chosen for their ability to communicate and deliberate, but just this once, communication ceased. Wilson’s motion raised a host of contentious issues. Who will choose the chief executive? How long will he serve? What authority will he exercise? Who can check his power? Each question opened a range of possible solutions, and all fields were interconnected. An executive imbued with extensive powers, for instance, might require greater checks or shorter terms.
Madison opened the bidding. Wouldn’t it be “proper,” he asked, “before a choice should be made between a unity and plurality in the Executive, to fix the extent of the Executive authority?” Madison proposed minimal powers: “to carry into execution the national laws” and “to appoint offices in cases not otherwise provided for.” With little dissent, state delegations agreed. Executive authority was subservient to legislative demands, save only for some lesser appointments. Most significantly, he/they would not possess the “powers of war and peace.”   Read more…

Carpenters’ Hall and The First Continental Congress (Podcast)
with Michael Norris at Ben Franklin’s World
A tour of Carpenters’ Hall, the meeting place of the First Continental Congress, and discover more about this historic building and the historic work of the First Continental Congress. Listen in…

Black Section, Riverside Cemetery, Bridgetown, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
This week I visited the Black Section of the Riverside Cemetery in Annapolis County where burials of descendants of Black Loyalists took place.  Recently a sign was added to the Cemetery which marks “Riverside Cemetery’s Black Section” and states in part ” Descendants of Black Loyalists began arriving in the Bridgetown area by the 1850s…Andrew T. Clements was the descendant of Black Loyalist Francis Clements…”
I have prepared a short video of my visit which can be viewed here (2+ min). See photo of signage.
Brian McConnell UE, Past President, NS Branch UELAC

The Morse and Cator Families
by Sarah Murden 21 Oct 2024 in All Things Georgian
I have recently looked the Duff family and this story is one that is extremely closely linked to it and encompasses a large part of the globe, from Jamaica to India.
We begin with a conversation piece painted c1784  in India by Johan Zoffany during his time there,  titled The Morse and Cator Family.
As you can see it depicts 4 people, one of whom was, Robert Morse (1752-1816), playing the cello. He was an Advocate of the Supreme Court, and friend of the memorialist of Anglo-India life, William Hickey. Then we have Robert’s sister, Anne Frances (1753-1823), the wife of Nathaniel Middleton (1750-1807), who was accompanying her brother, on the harpsichord. The other woman in the scene turning the page, was their sister, Sarah (1759-1828) and to the right, her husband, William Cator ( 1753-1800), Factor for the East India Company…
…I wanted to learn more about the two female sitters. Who were they? The answer may be rather surprising. To establish this, we have to leave India and head for Jamaica and travel back in time to the early 1700s.
John Augier, a white planter, fathered several children, one of whom was Susannah, who I have already taken a look in terms of her descendants, in this article I am going to look at Susannah’s sister Mary’s, descendants. Both Susannah and Mary were born into enslavement but were granted their freedom in the will of their late father in 1722. Read more…

Query: Advice about a bookplate about Lt. Col. Simcoe of Wolford Lodge
The plate is in a book which I own. It refers to Lt. Col. Simcoe of Wolford Lodge, so it is likely based on an image made prior to November 1790 when he was promoted to the rank of colonel. See the bookplate.
Was the bookplate created in the 1920s, when Wolford Lodge was sold and Simcoe’s property sold? Or does it date from an earlier time. I understand that in the 1700s, libraries were not marked with bookplates and if someone owned a volume of special interest it was marked with an ink stamp.
Also, the shield does not match images of the Simcoe and Gwillim family shield found online and in other publications.
I look forward to hearing advice from Loyalist Trails readers.
David Raymont raymontdavidjane@gmail.com

Editor’s Note: John Graves Simcoe served in the American Revolution in which he commanded the Queen’s Rangers, one of the best fighting units in that war. Later in 1791, he was named the first Lt. Governor of Upper Canada when the then Province of Quebec was divided into Upper (now Ontario) and Lower Canada (now Quebec).
Wolford Chapel in Devon, England, is the burial place of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada. The building and land are publicly owned by the Canadian province of Ontario, and flies the Flag of Canada despite being in the English countryside.  Read more…
The Gov. Simcoe Branch UELAC is named for him.

Our UELAC Scholars at Work: by Jayne Leake, UELAC Scholarship Committee Chair
    Thank you for the warm introduction and welcome, Christine Manzer, outgoing Chair, UELAC Scholarships Committee, in the last issue of Loyalist Trails..
    I recently had the pleasure to attend three seminars in the Huron University’s Department of History’s Symposium series, “New Directions in Loyalist History”, on October 11, 2024. After introductory remarks by Timothy Compeau, past UELAC scholar, and Assistant Professor, History, and London Branch Executive Greg Childs, two of our current UELAC scholars presented their work:  Erin Isaac, doctoral student, Western University, “Shelburne’s Loyalist Landscapes as Imagined, Designed, Experienced, circa 1783” and Graham Nickerson, also a doctoral student, University of New Brunswick, “The View from Birchtown: Reshaping the Loyalist Narrative”.
These topics offered us glimpses into vastly different Loyalist groups and their adapting to their new environments. Erin’s work introduced the Shelburne Nova Scotia settlers, who tried to recreate a “British” town/landscape, to see how that would transfer and thrive in the new settlement. Graham’s work will focus on Black Loyalists adapting to their newly created community at Birchtown and the need for skilled labour to build that community.  Guest Speaker, Professor Harvey Amani Whitfield, Dalhousie University, in his seminar “From Slavery to Slavery: A Black Woman Navigates the Chaos of Revolution and Loyalism”, introduced us to Statia, an enslaved Black woman from New York who emigrated with her owner to New Brunswick after the American Revolution. Once in New Brunswick, she gained her freedom and spent several years as a free person, but then suffered re-enslavement before unsuccessfully petitioning for the freedom of her son in 1805.
I would encourage Members to consider supporting UELAC scholarships, by attending Scholarship student seminars whenever possible, by inviting these scholars to speak at one of your Branch meetings, or by contributing monetarily to fund the research.  As Christine indicated in the last LT issue, our UELAC Scholarship information can be found via this link: https://uelac.ca/scholarship/ #scholars.

UELAC Loyalist Directory: New Contributions

    Entries which have been added, or revised, this week, with thanks:

  • To Kevin Wisener for for additional information about:
    • Private Henry Seaman  from New York served with the Kings Rangers. He received land grants in both Shelburne NS (a water lot) and Lot 58 on the Pinette River, Queens County, PEI
    • Private Daniel Wood(s)  born c1759, probably from New York served in the Kings Rangers and received a land grant on the Pinette River, Lot 58, Queens County, PEI

If you are willing to submit some information, send a note to  loyalist.trails@uelac.org All help is appreciated. …doug

In the News

Shelburne NS elects first Black Mayor – Stanley Jacklin UE
During this past week, Nova Scotia had municipal elections across the province. Shelburne — once the fifth largest community in all of North America following the arrival of loyalist refugees— elected its first Black mayor.
CBC news quoted Stanley (Tanny) Jacklin as saying,”I’m overwhelmed with what’s happened this evening”. Jacklin said he thinks voters were drawn to his integrity and ability to listen to and bring people together. He said affordable housing was the most common issue people raised with him, followed by safety and the need for more business in the community.
What CBC failed to report is that Jacklin is the descendant of the Black Loyalists who settled in Shelburne and nearby Birchtown in 1783. He once served as the president of the Black Loyalist Heritage Society.
Wikipedia for Shelburne NS notes “On October 19, 2024, Stanley “Tanny” Jacklin was elected mayor, becoming the town’s first mayor of Black descent”
Stephen Davidson UE

Home on the Plains: Indigenous tipis connect land, life, and spirit
by Todd Kristensen and Emily Moffat, 26 Sept 2024 at Canada’s History
A tipi stands on the western prairie, its poles pointing toward the sky, its cover painted with bold designs. The tipi is a material and an architectural object — traditionally made of lodgepole pine and buffalo hides, designed to hold heat and withstand strong winds. It is also a social and a spiritual object — its interior divided into spaces to work, sleep, and pray, the painted designs on its exterior connecting its inhabitants to a celestial world.
The late Allan Pard, an Elder of the Piikani First Nation of the Niitsítapi (Blackfoot) people, believed that tipis embodied the harmony people sought between materials and life. In the past, archaeologists studied tipis mainly as physical objects; but today, multidisciplinary teams are bringing together scientific and traditional knowledge to understand the many aspects of these age-old dwellings.
Indigenous oral history, combined with new archaeological research and imagery, reveals the ingenious construction of tipis, their symbolic and spiritual significance, and how ideally suited they were to a bison-based economy of the North American grasslands.  Read more…
Editor’s Comment: I found this to be a fascinating article, good details. Little to do with Loyalists, but certainly part of life across Canada at that time.

Events Upcoming

Fort Plain Museum: Rebels, Redcoats & Zombies

Sorry, you missed it; it was yesterday – Sat 26 Oct
Celebrate Ham=lloween with us, and bring your own Zombies.
See the flyer at fortplainmuseum.org

American Revolution Institute: “Spanish Louisiana: Contest for Borderlands, 1763-1803” Tues 29 Oct 6:30

    Frances Turnbell, Ph.D. examines the period from 1763 through the American Revolution, when the Mississippi River was a boundary between empires, and how the activity of borderland peoples evolved after the Revolutionary War—when the Lower Mississippi was no longer an imperial boundary—to demonstrate the instability and fluidity of postwar years in Louisiana, American trade and migration, Louisiana’s experience of the Age of Revolutions and Spain’s ultimate political demise in the Mississippi River Valley. Details and registration.

Colonel John Butler (Niagara) Branch, “Loyalist Collection at Brock U” Lunch meeting Sat 2 Nov @11:45

David Sharron will discuss “The Loyalist Collection at Brock University:  Its past, Present, and Future“.  This presentation will highlight the notable efforts to establish a United Empire Loyalist themed collection within the Brock University Archives, its extent and diversity, and how people can access these materials.
David Sharron is the head of the Archives and Special Collections department at Brock University.
At Betty’s Restaurant, 8921 Sodom Road, Niagara Falls at 11:45 am.  Cost of the lunch is $30 (members), $35 (non-members) in cash at the meeting. Please RSVP to 283corvette@gmail.com

Gov. Simcoe Branch: “Loyalists In My Family Tree” by Janet Hodgkins  Wed 6 Nov 7:30

Zachariah Hainer, John Brown, Robert Cook, Jacob Ott, Casper Ramey, Joseph Doan, and of course the notorious outlaw Aaron Doan are the seven proven Loyalist ancestors nesting in Janet’s family tree. Janet will explain how she discovered them, who they were and what happened to them.
Janet is Programme Chair and a Director of Col John Butler (Niagara) Branch. She lives on part of her grandparents’ farm, close to the land grants of all seven of her Loyalist ancestors. Details and registration, https:// www.uelac.org/Gov-Simcoe/meetings.php

Bay of Quinte Branch: A History of the Murray Canal, Sat. 9 Nov @1:30

The Murray Canal is a canal in the municipalities of Quinte West and Brighton, Ontario, Canada, and runs from the western end of the Bay of Quinte to Presqu’ile Bay on Lake Ontario. It is approximately 8 kilometres in length and has a maximum depth of 9 feet.
During the 1790s, Upper Canada’s first lieutenant governor, John Graves Simcoe, promoted the idea of a canal in the area between the Bay of Quinte and Presqu’ile Bay on Lake Ontario, but his idea did not come into fruition until decades later. Why did it take so long?
Meeting: At Frankford United Church Hall, 61 Mill St. Frankford ON
Free to the public; all are welcome to attend

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • It is oldest original church building in Digby. Constructed before confederation of Canada by Methodists. They received land as gift from Ray family who came from New York in 1783 as Loyalists.  Here is video (30 sec) of church highlighting colorful stained glass windows. George Henderson, born in County Fermanagh, N. Ireland was a strong supporter.  He is the subject of my next book now in preparation. One of colourful windows is the Henderson Memorial installed in 1897.  Brian McConnell UE
  • We’re three weeks into the paint restoration project at Old North Church in Boston, and we’re already seeing great results! Check out this video (4 min) with lead conservator Gianfranco Pocobene to see newly revealed colonial-era artwork
  • Townsends, and “anything food”

    • 7 Outstanding American Dishes! (34 min)
      American Cookery is the first American cookbook. Written by Amelia Simmons in 1796, it is truly original in many of its techniques, terminology, and ingredients. In this episode we cook seven wonderful recipes from the book and talk about its importance to the history of America.
  • This week in History 
    • 25 Oct 1760 London. George William Frederick is crowned King George III of Great Britain & Ireland. George’s reign, which was longer than any of his predecessors, was marked by military conflicts involving much of Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. image
    • 26 Oct 1768 Quebec, CAN. Sir Guy Carleton arrives and begins his long service as Governor General of Canada. His governance would be steady, although rocked by colonists to the south. image
    • 20 Oct 1774, the First Continental Congress created Continental Association, which called for a ban on trade between America & Britain in response to the Coercive Acts—or “Intolerable Acts” established by Britain to restore order in MA image
    • 22 Oct 1774, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress proclaimed that December 15 would be a Thanksgiving Day. Traditionally naming holidays was the governor’s prerogative, so this set up a symbolic power struggle. Read more…
    • 23 Oct 1774, Delaware establishes its own Committee of Correspondence, enabling it to communicate and coordinate with other states on common grievances with Britain.  image
    • 25 Oct 1774,  Continental Congress sends a respectful petition to King George III to inform his majesty that if it had not been for the acts of oppression forced upon the colonies by the Parliament, the American people would stand behind British rule. image
    • 24 Oct 1775 The British launch attack on Norfolk VA. With Arrival of Col Wm Woodford’s forces, patriot militia drove back British land & sea forces capturing 2 ships. When British got back to their ships, VA riflemen began picking off British troops  image
    • 22 Oct 1775 Philadelphia, PA. Congress turns down James Hogg’s attempt to get the Colony of Transylvania recognized because it was the King’s property & part of N. Carolina & Virginia. Transylvania included lands of KY, TN, & from NC & VA. image
    • 24 October, 1775 Norfolk, Virginia. The British launched an attack on the port city. Virginia’s last Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore’s squadron of six ships, made their way up the James River and into Hampton Creek, intending to attack the rebels and torch Norfolk.  The six ships entered Hampton Creek, and the bombardment began as British troops splashed ashore to get the rebel troops, whose expert riflemen sniped the redcoats from a distance. Virginia Colonel William Woodford’s force of 100 marched to reinforce the American line, and soon, the patriot militia drove back British land forces. Virginia riflemen began picking off British troops from the decks when the British returned to their ships. The British expedition commander, Royal Navy Captain Squire, ordered a retreat. During this, two British ships ran aground and were captured. In all the mayhem, the Patriots did not suffer a single fatality. image
    • 21 Oct 1777 Col Karl von Donop crosses Delaware R. with 1,000 Hessians and prepares to avenge the humiliating loss at Trenton with an assault on Ft Mercer and its 1,000-strong garrison under Col Christopher Greene. image
    • 23 Oct 1777 Adm Richard Howe orders a squadron to attack Ft Mifflin on Mud Island on the Delaware R. American armed galleys drive 64-gum HMS Merlin & 18-gun HMS Augusta aground on Hog Island, where they are burned. Merlin is largest British ship lost in #RevWar  image
    • 21 Oct 1779 Continental Congress elects former president & congressman Henry Laurens minister to Holland to negotiate an alliance, which he did in 1780. On Laurens’ return voyage in the fall of 1780, his ship was captured by the British & he was imprisoned image
    • 19 Oct 1780 Fort Keyser NY Sir John Johnson leads Loyalists & Iroquois against militia under Col John Brown. They defeat the Americans and devastate the town of Stone Arabia. The Americans counterattack. Johnson holds them off but eventually withdraws. image
    • 20-30 Oct 1781 Combined British, Loyalist, & Iroquois raid in Mohawk Valley, NY, led by Major John Ross fails from lack of Indian interest, muddy roads, and threat of patriot militia under Col Marinus Willett. Last British offensive in Tryon County. image
    • 24 Oct 1781 British fleet of 25 SOL & several frigates under Adm Graves, with a relief force of 7K Regulars, enter Chesapeake Bay. But with news of Cornwallis’s surrender & presence of French fleet blockading the approaches he turns back to NY on the 29th.  image
  • Clothing and Related:

    • In case you need to ease your way gently into the beginning of the week, then the generous folds of this 1720s robe volante should envelop you nicely. The fresh green carries the large cream motifs in a bold brocade.
  • Miscellaneous
    • Miniaturist painter, James Peale, Sr. created a personal souvenir of the Revolutionary War hero and rifleman Brigadier General Daniel Morgan (1736-1802) whose victory for America at the battle of Cowpens, South Carolina Jan. 17, 1781, marked a turning point.
      The artist actually fought for independence in the Continental Army, firstly with William Smallwood’s regiment and later as a captain at Long Island, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth. Thanks to Peale, Morgan’s likeness reflects his military confidence.
    • A century ago, Halloween was about more than candy—it was about seeing the future! Women would gaze into mirrors by candlelight, hoping to catch a glimpse of a future spouse.
      Image: Halloween / Hold Aloft a Candle–Do Not Let It Blow–.n.d. @risd1877.

Last Post: HILDER UE, Kathryn Yvonne (1932 – 2024)
It is with great sadness that the family of Kathryn Yvonne (Johnston) Hilder announces her death on 18 October 2024 at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital, Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Kathryn was born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, on December 24, 1932. After graduating from Saint John High School in 1949, Kathryn entered Mount Allison University (Bachelor of Arts (hons) History; Bachelor of Education) and University of Toronto (Library Science).
While at Mount Allison, Kathryn met Harold Hilder, whom she married on June 9,1956 in Toronto. Harold’s career in the United Church ministry took them to Arden (Ontario), Orangedale (Nova Scotia), Petitcodiac and, Marysville (Fredericton), New Brunswick where the family settled in 1974.
Living in Fredericton provided Kathryn with the opportunity to pursue her chosen career in Library Science. She accepted a position as an Academic Reference Librarian at the UNB Harriet Irving Library in 1974. Her position with the Harriet Irving Library gave Kathryn the chance to pursue her several passions — genealogy, historical research, and most particularly the history of the United Empire Loyalists in Canada, of which her ancestors were members. UNB is home to “The Loyalist Collection“, the largest collection of Loyalist material in Canada. Per the Collections website Kathryn “was the original creator of The Loyalist Collection and original creator and author of the catalogue and inventory… and Librarian in charge of the Collection from 1978 until her retirement in 1998.”
Well into her retirement, Kathryn was pleased to serve as an expert resource on Loyalist historical records, sought out by academics, researchers and genealogists from around the world. She was an active member of many historical and genealogical associations though out her life.  Read more details…

Published by the UELAC
If you do not now receive this free newsletter directly but would like to, you can subscribe here.