In this issue:

 

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

Christmas Message from the President of the UELAC
02 December 2024

Dear Members and Friends of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada,
As we approach the joyous season of Christmas and the beginning of a new year, I wish to extend warm greetings and heartfelt wishes to all our branches, members, and their families. May this festive season bring you peace, joy, and cherished moments with your loved ones.
Reflecting on the past year, I am filled with gratitude and pride for the accomplishments of our Association. Together, we have:

  • Successfully hosted the UELAC National Conference in Cornwall, Ontario, in June 2024, which celebrated the theme “The Story Continues,” emphasizing our shared heritage and vibrant community. This gathering strengthened bonds and highlighted the importance of preserving Loyalist history and heritage.
  • Expanded the Loyalist Directory, adding numerous records of Loyalist ancestors, thanks to the contributions of resolute members and researchers. This work continues to honour our ancestors and educate future generations.
  • Awarded the 2024 Loyalist Scholarships to two deserving students, Blake McGready and Graham Nickerson, supporting their academic pursuits and furthering our mission of promoting historical loyalist research.
  • Published perceptive editions of the Loyalist Gazette, offering members rich historical content and updates on association activities.
  • UELAC Committee’s report progress at all levels of accomplishments, i.e., Library & Archives, 2025 UELAC Conference, UELAC-Family Search Project (Genealogists), Scholarship, Education & Outreach, Volunteer Recognition, and our Website <uelac.ca>.

These achievements reflect the unwavering dedication of our members and the strength of our shared mission. As we look forward to 2025, let us continue to celebrate and preserve the remarkable legacy of the United Empire Loyalists.
On behalf of the National Board of Directors, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. May the coming year bring health, happiness, and success to each of you. (Read as a pdf...)

Warm regards,
Carl Stymiest, UE, National President
United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada

New and Renewal Memberships for 2025
We’re thrilled to feature a message from Daniel Curylo UE, Membership Chair of the UELAC Vancouver Branch, as he highlights the importance of membership in keeping our Loyalist legacy alive.
Daniel, your enthusiasm is contagious! The dedication you bring to preserving our shared history and encouraging others to stay connected with their Loyalist roots is exactly what keeps our branches thriving.
To all our readers, Daniel’s rallying cry is a timely reminder: whether you’re renewing your membership or joining us for the first time, your support is the lifeblood of our mission. From hosting vibrant events to funding vital programs, your contributions ensure that the sacrifices and stories of our ancestors are honored and remembered.
Daniel, we’re excited to see the energy and passion you’ll bring to our community as we continue to grow and strengthen the Vancouver Branch. Together, we can make sure our Loyalist story remains front and centre for future generations.
Sincerely, Carl Stymiest UE, President, UELAC

Daniel’s request.

Don’t Let Your UEL Lapse — Time to Renew!

Hello fellow Loyalists! Let’s cut to the chase— YOU are the backbone of the Vancouver Branch of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada.  Your membership dues are more than just a tradition—they keep our historical mission alive and well!   Without you, we’re just a group of history nerds arguing over which wig style was the most flattering (spoiler: none of them).
From preserving Loyalist heritage to hosting events that keep history alive, your support ensures we don’t fade into the annals of history like a poorly maintained parchment.  We are a small but feisty group and your membership is important to all of us to preserve the legacy of our past as a lesson for our future generations.

So why renew your membership?

  • Your ancestors didn’t cross enemy lines for you to skip out now!
  • The world is a crazy place right now and you need friends with a history of Loyalty!
  • Stay connected with your Loyalist family—it’s like a royal reunion, but without the awkward throne drama.
  • Help fund archives, events, and programs that keep Loyalist history front and center (we have bills!)
  • Your ancestors stood firm for the Crown—don’t be the one to break the chain!

Re-signing is easier than convincing a Revolutionary that tea taxes are a good thing. All you have to do is:

Don’t wait! Renew now – seriously, right now – …do it!

Still on the fence? Remember, the Loyalist legacy isn’t about sitting back and waiting—it’s about action (like our ancestors!). So act now, or they might just haunt you in a powdered wig.

Thank you for your continued support, we’re so lucky to have you as part of our Loyalist family and we need your patronage to continue the legacy!

START OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY CLICKING at uelac.ca!!!!

Daniel Curylo UE, Membership Chair, UELAC Vancouver Branch

Loyalist: A Six-Fold Definition – Part Two of Two
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
Because the British government –rather than the victorious Patriot government— paid out compensation to loyal colonists for their losses during the American Revolution, it fell to the crown to define who Loyalists were. This resulted in the creation of six categories based on service and allegiance throughout the war.
In the 18th century, women were not thought to have political opinions of their own. Most Blacks within the British Empire were enslaved. And some Americans belonged to denominations that held pacifist beliefs. Did the British government consider women, Blacks, and Quakers as Loyalists?
That question is answered by examining the transcript notes of the Royal Commission on the Losses and Services of American Loyalists (RCLSAL) taken by Daniel Parker Coke between 1783 and 1785.
Single women, widows, and married women appeared before the RCLSAL. Some received compensation for their family’s losses because of their husband or male relative’s service, but more than 14 women were described as being “A Loyalist and her husband likewise“.  It is noteworthy to see that this phrase found in the transcripts cites the woman first and then her husband despite the fact that the man was considered the head of the household in that era.
Included in the list of women who were recognized for their loyalty are:  Margaret Reynolds, Ann McLeod, Elizabeth Thompson, Jane Gibbs, Penelope D’Ende, Isabella Logan, Isabella MacDonald, Mrs. Poynton, Jane Constable, Mary Loring, Mary Swords, Mrs. Kearsley, and Susannah Marshall. In testimony given for her husband, George Derbage’s wife was described as “a very confidential person & used to carry letters from Mrs. Skynner to General Skynner. She was looked upon as a Loyalist and an active woman.” This testimony was given my none other than William Franklin, the last royal governor of New Jersey.
This small sampling from just one source of claims demonstrates that the British government included women in its definition of a Loyalist. Writing more than half a century later, Lorenzo Sabine also included women in his biographical dictionary of American loyalists.  In addition to citing better known names such as Margaret Arnold, Margaret Draper, and Lady Agnes Frankland, he also included 27 women who left Boston in March of 1776. And they were just the tip of the iceberg that included women from a variety of colonies. Mary Eason of Virginia is noted as “having behaved before {the local rebel committee} in a very insolent, scandalous, and indecent manner when under examination on the charge of conveying information to Lord Dunmore.”
So the historical records and historians from both the 18th and 19th centuries recognized that women fit the definition of Loyalists.
The same collection of transcripts for the Royal Commission on the Losses and Services of American Loyalists also awarded loyalist status to colonists of African descent. As early as June 11, 1784, Benjamin Whitecuff of Long Island, New York stood before the RCLSAL. He had joined the British troops on Staten Island early in the revolution and served as a spy for two years. Had British soldiers not quickly cut him down, he would have died by hanging at the hands of rebels in New Jersey.
On September 13, 1784, Samuel Burke a Black man of Charleston, South Carolina was affirmed as a Loyalist. Two days later, John Twine of Petersburgh, Virginia was described as “a loyalist since he joined the British“. Three days later David King of New York was designated as a “Loyalist who did not bear arms“.
So the records affirm that the British crown did not limit its definition of Loyalist to those of European descent. (And as the examples of Moses Hart of Rhode Island and Moses Nanes of Georgia demonstrate, one could be Jewish and a Loyalist, as well.)
The last source of the debate around the definition of a Loyalist has to do with the Quakers – members of the Religious Society of Friends. Largely centered in Pennsylvania, these Christians were pacifists. Because they wished to remain neutral during the American Revolution, they were often imprisoned or persecuted by the Patriots. They became refugees for their religious principles, but did that make them Loyalists – supporters of the crown?
Although pacifism was a core belief of the Quakers, the persecution that they endured at the hands of rebels compelled a number of them to abandon their principles and to join the British side during the revolution. Consequently, many Friends were “disowned” by their fellow Quakers for having “gone into the British army”, “going into military service” or for “military training”.
On February 27, 1784, the RCLSAL’s commissioners recognized Zephaniah Kingsley as a “zealous Loyalist”.  A witness who had known the Quaker for 15 years testified, “He looks upon him to be a very steady Loyalist and was very kind to the Loyal Prisoners. That conduct rendered him very obnoxious to the Rebels. He knows that he subscribed to raise a Corps for the use of government in the Year 1781 or 1782.”
In December of 1784, Samuel Shoemaker of Philadelphia – another Quaker– was described as “a zealous and meritorious Loyalist {who} by his early and uniform conduct rendered services to the crown“.
When the compensation board held hearings in British North America beginning in 1785, it recognized that a number of Quaker men had served the crown. Among those who had abandoned their pacifist principles and became recognized as Loyalists were John Gill, Caleb Powell, John Rankin, and John Horner who had settled in New Brunswick, as well as John Jackson and Samuel Smith who had settled in Nova Scotia.
While these men had gone against their denominational teachings with regard to the war, all them nevertheless made “affirmations” when giving testimony to the compensation board. Quakers, on principle, do not swear oaths. In becoming Loyalists, they had not stopped being Quakers.
So, although these men by their religious principles should not have taken sides during the American Revolution, some did join the British forces and were recognized by its appreciative government as being Loyalists – even “zealous” ones.
Through the Royal Commission on the Losses and Services of American Loyalists, the British government recognized six classifications of what it took for an American colonist to qualify as a Loyalist. As the commission heard testimony from thousands of refugees, it included Blacks, women, Jews, and Quakers within that six-fold definition of a Loyalist. It is important for 21st century historians to remember the variety of Loyalists within this definition as they continue to explore this chapter in Canada’s story.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

The Forgotten Hungarian Origins of the Pułaski banner
by László Örlős and Anna Smith Lacey 3 Dec 2024 Journal of the American Revolution
The origins of the famous Pułaski Legion’s banner, a rare relic from the American Revolutionary War, reveal a significant yet overlooked Hungarian contribution to the fight for U.S. independence. Created under the guidance of Karcag, Hungary-born Colonel Michael Kováts, this flag not only symbolized the strength of an important cavalry unit of the American Revolution, but also carried deep Hungarian cultural ties, making it a testament to the small nation’s influence on the revolutionary cause.
The first Hungarian soldier to sacrifice his life for the independence of the United States and the only one ever to meet Gen. George Washington was Michael Kováts de Fabriczy, founding father of the U.S. cavalry. His short American life as a soldier, recruiter, trainer and colonel commandant of the Pulaski Legion was deeply intertwined with the city of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Moravian Lutheran Sisters, known as the Protestant “nuns” of the Moravian Brethren who settled in Bethlehem, are credited with creating the small flag carried by the Pulaski Legion, which is now preserved in Baltimore, Maryland, at the Maryland Historical Society. The Pułaski flag, one of the very few military flags left from the Revolutionary War, is Hungarian-inspired and was made under the direct instructions of Colonel Kováts. Long forgotten and recently rediscovered research conducted by Hungarian American émigrés sheds light on this little known cultural-historical connection. Read more…

Hessian Soldiers Travelling to America: Chesapeake Bay – A Soldier’s Life October 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.

Octber, 1781: At Chesapeake Bay. (page 102)

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

IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER [1781]
1 October.  The  enemy  began  entrenching  operations  on  our  front  and  worked  day  and night, continuously, on batteries and communication trenches. We fired at them day and night. However, they  did  not  reply  and,  as  we  learned,  they  still  had  all  their  artillery  at  the  rear, which, because of the swampy region and bad roads, could not easily be brought forward.
In the morning I was in the communication trenches at the defenses; during the afternoon, again, and also at night — therefore, three times in twenty-four hours. Two thousand men of our  troops  had  to  work  continuously,  day  and  night,  on  the  defenses,  and  every  four  hours such a command was relieved at the defenses.
2 October.  Our  side  cannonaded  the  enemy  heavily  because  they  were  entrenching themselves and throwing up batteries about two English miles from York. Also, they occupied two  defensive  positions  that we had  previously  vacated  and  destroyed,  with  large  forces,  in order to restore their use.
3 October.  This  morning  I  went  to  the  defenses  with  a  work  detail,  and  this  afternoon again.
4 October. During the morning I was at the defenses and in the evening with the reserve.
5 October. At night I went on duty at a detached picket, which was outside our lines. This picket post was a dangerous position. During the two hours on post it was necessary to sit or lie down so that the enemy outposts, which were often hardly five or six hundred yards from us, could not see us against the starlit heaven. When it was quiet, all reliefs and patrols could be heard, and first the French, then the English or the German called out, „Who goes there?” „Friend!”  This  picket  therefore  went  to  its  assigned  place  at  twilight  and  pulled  back  at daybreak and every night the location of the post was changed to prevent the enemy becoming aware  of  it.  Everything  connected  therewith  was  done  in  silence;  neither  relief  nor  patrols were  challenged,  but  only  a  previously  agreed-upon  sign  was  given.  Smoking  was  also forbidden, and no fire could be made. It was called, and rightly so, “the lost post.”
7 October. At the  defenses  in  the  morning and  in  the  reserve  in  the  evening, which each evening drew one hundred men from our regiment, plus a captain and a  lieutenant. The first was posted at the wall in front of our line, with sixty men in order to be ready at a moment’s notice should an alarm be raised. The latter, with forty men, went into the redoubt assigned to us  with  the  object  of  providing  support to our  forward  picket  should  the enemy  attack.  The rest of  the  regiment  had  to remain  dressed  throughout  the  night  and  be  vigilant,  because  of constant  small-arms  fire  against  the  outposts  and  pickets  of  both  sides,  and  the  enemy’s constant harassment of our outposts.
The riflemen,  or American  jaegers, approached so  close  at  night  that the  balls  from  their long, rifled weapons flew in over our lines, but [they] did no damage.
This night Private [Johann] R€ssler  from Wunsiedel, of the Colonel’s Company, deserted from his post with the Ansbach regimental picket.
(to be continued)

A Rhode Island Officer’s Recollections Lead to New Information on Battle of Red Bank
by Christian McBurney 9 Dec 2024 Journal of the American Revolution
I recently came across the recollections of Simeon Thayer, who served from 1777 to 1781 as a major in Rhode Island Continental Army regiments. He was one of the outstanding military figures from Rhode Island during the war.
His recollections start with him as a teenager during the French and Indian War serving in Maj. Robert Roger’s ranger corps, engaging in battles in the forests with Indian enemies. He barely survived becoming a prisoner at the infamous surrender of the British garrison at Fort William Henry. He moved from Mendon, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island, where he apprenticed as a wigmaker. Prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, he was selected as an officer of an independent regiment in Providence and the Rhode Island General Assembly later appointed him as a captain in a Rhode Island regiment. He served in that capacity on Benedict Arnold’s expedition to Quebec, enduring the incredible hardships of the wilderness crossing of Maine forests. After the failed attempt to seize Quebec, he became a prisoner of the British. His journal is one of the key original sources for the remarkable expedition.
After being exchanged in 1777, Thayer was appointed major in the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment. He served at the defense of Fort Mercer at Red Bank in New Jersey. Immediately afterwards, he assumed command of Fort Mifflin, which stood on the opposite side of the Delaware River from Fort Mercer. In 1778 at Barren Hill outside Valley Forge, he commanded a rear guard protecting the main division under the Marquis de Lafayette; Thayer was also able to bring his rear guard to safety, escaping great danger from a larger enemy force. Thayer was wounded at the Battle of Monmouth after a cannonball rushed so close to his left eye that it made it bleed; the wound adversely affected his health for the remainder of his life. Thayer also served at the Battle of Springfield in 1780, when the 2nd Rhode Island made a courageous stand defending a bridge against superior enemy forces. Read more…

Advertised on 6 December 1774: “WATCH-MAKER … proposes the fair Terms, No Cure, No Pay.”
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?

December 6

“WATCH-MAKER … proposes the fair Terms, No Cure, No Pay.”

When he moved to Charleston, one of the largest port cities in the colonies, M. Shepherd, a watchmaker, took to the pages of the South-Carolina Gazette and Country Journal to introduce himself to his prospective customers.  Like many artisans who crossed the Atlantic, he emphasized his connections to London, suggesting the level of skill he obtained while employed there.  In addition to stating that he “Just arrived from LONDON,” Shepherd also asserted that he “REPAIRS and CLEANS all Sorts of plain, horizontal and repeating WATCHES, in as compleat a Manner as possibly can be done in London.”  That was possible, in part, because he had “Materials of the best Kind for that Purpose.”  Shepherd’s competitors could make claims about doing work that rivaled that of their counterparts in London, but he was in a much better position to deliver on those promises. Read more…

Book Review: Thomas Jefferson and the Fight Against Slavery
Author: Cara Rogers Stevens (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2024.)
Review by Timothy Symington 2 Dec. 2024 Journal of the American Revolution
Thomas Jefferson, although a mind-bogglingly prolific writer, strangely published only one book during his lifetime: Notes on the State of Virginia. From this reviewer’s experience, every mention of this book has been about a brief section that covers Jefferson’s racist beliefs concerning the physical attributes of African American slaves compared to those of the Caucasian race. The section confirms what most people know: that Jefferson, the writer who included the idea that “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence, was a hypocrite who not only owned slaves but justified their condition based on his “bunk” science. Cara Rogers Stevens, however, has published a book that completely changes the narrative regarding Notes on the State of Virginia. In her Thomas Jefferson and the Fight Against Slavery, Stevens maintains that Jefferson’s book was a contribution to the antislavery cause. Although best known for its white-supremacist attitudes on racial differences, careful study of Notes “demonstrates that over a period of several years Jefferson became increasingly determined to clarify his views in order to strengthen his condemnation of slavery”.  Read more…

Denmark Vesey’s Bible
By Jeremy Schipper, Dec 2024 at Ben Franklin’s World
Denmark Vesey’s failed revolt in 1822 could have been the largest insurrection of enslaved people against their enslavers in United States history. Not only was Vesey’s plan large in scale, but Charleston officials arrested well over one hundred rumored participants.
Jeremy Schipper, a Professor in the departments for the Study or Religion and Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Toronto and the author of Denmark Vesey’s Bible: The Thwarted Revolt that Put Scripture and Slavery on Trial, joins us to investigate Vesey’s planned rebellion and the different ways Vesey used the Bible and biblical texts to justify his revolt and the violence it would have wrought.  Listen in…

Resuscitation in the Eighteenth Century
by Sarah Murden 7 March 2019 in All Things Georgian
The Royal Humane Society was founded in London in 1774 by two eminent medical men, Dr William Hawes (shown in the header picture at the bedside) and Dr Thomas Cogan, who were keen to promote techniques of resuscitation.
We think of resuscitation as something relatively modern, however, in 1775, The Royal Humane Society produced a booklet entitled ‘Address for extending the benefits of a practice for recovery from accidental death’.
It would appear that after several fatal drownings they felt it beneficial to write a booklet to advise people how to assist someone who appeared to be dead and a variety of techniques that could be used to revive them. We thought we would share some with you. Read more…

Recognizing UELAC Volunteers – The Dorchester Award
The Volunteer Recognition Committee is actively seeking nominations for the Dorchester Award (past recipients). Do you know a UELAC member who has gone the extra mile in volunteering for the Association? If so, consider nominating them for the annual Dorchester Award.
For more information and to download a nomination form and instructions, members only go to https:// uelac.ca/members/ (under Dorchester Award). The deadline for nominations is February 28, 2025.
Diane Faris UE, Vice-President Pacific Region, Chair – Volunteer Recognition Committee

UELAC Loyalist Directory: New Contributions
    Entries which have been added, or revised, this week, with thanks:

  • To Vanessa Warner UE for additional information about:
    • (Albert) Oliver Campbell from Clarkstown, Tappan, Orange, NY who served in the Associated Loyalists under Michael Grass & Peter VanAlstine; Cptn Daniel McGuyn’s Company. He and Catherine Van Houten parented seven children in Adolphustown and Cramahe Twp. ON.
    • Pvt. Nicholas Hoffman Jr. born in Virginia but settled in New York. He served in Butler’s Rangers. Nicholas Jr did n ot marry.  His father was Nicholas Sr. who did not serve and is not a UEL. Successful UCLPs were made by Anna Maria “Mary” Neher/Near (b. 1754) and Elizabeth Beach (b. 1767), claiming they were daughters of Nicholas Hoffman, and they were, but of Nicholas Sr. and were actually sisters to Nicholas, Jr. As Nicholas Sr was not a UEL, Anna and Eliozabeth were erroneously granted land.
    • Casper Ramey from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania had his Property confiscated and was Imprisoned until 1788, He and Catherine Jemima VanBlaracom had thirteen children and settled in     Humberstone, Lincoln, Upper Canada

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

Did you know?  Bright Idea
25 October 2024 at Canada’s History, Science & Technology
American inventor Thomas Edison is usually credited with inventing the electric light bulb, but in fact Edison based his creation on a patent he purchased from a couple of Canadians.
Medical student Henry Woodward and hotel keeper Matthew Evans were neighbours in Toronto who spent winter evenings in 1873 experimenting with batteries and induction coils. Noticing that light was created by a spark at the conduction post, they found a way to contain the light inside a glass tube with a carbon-filament rod connected to two wires. Their prototype proved more effective than any form of electric light that had previously been developed.
Woodward and Evans patented the invention but were unable to find investors, so in 1879 they sold the patent to Edison for $5,000. Edison then applied his own improvements to their prototype to make it longer-lasting and more commercially viable.

Events Upcoming

St Alban’s Centre: A Christmas Songfest. Thurs  12 Dec @2:00

Our third annual Christmas Songfest, a chance to sit and sing all those familiar holiday songs with a song sheet in your hand so you don’t have to mumble or hum when you don’t quite know all the words.
No fee; There will be Refreshments.
10419 Loyalist Parkway (Hwy 33), Adolphustown ON

American Revolution Institute: Transatlantic Abolitionism in the Age of Revolution, Fri 13 Dec. 12:00

Throughout his life, the marquis de Lafayette fought vehemently for personal freedoms. He advocated for women’s rights in America and civil rights for Protestants in France, and promoted respect for the identity and sovereignty of American Indians. His most extensive efforts in support of human liberty were his work to end slavery and the African slave trade. While Lafayette respectfully nudged his slave-owning friends to embrace emancipation, he became increasingly disturbed by the contradiction of the American republic, a beacon of liberty for the world, continuing to endorse the practice of enslaving other human beings.
By John Oldfield, Ph.D., emeritus professor of slavery and emancipation at the University of Hull (UK), Details and registration…

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.
    Old card from United Empire Loyalists  Bicentennial 1783 – 1983/4 with quotes from Premiers Richard Hatfield of New Brunswick & William Davis of Ontario on bottom left & Gov. – Gen. Edward Schreyer & Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau on top right.
  • The Viets Memorial Windows in Trinity Anglican Church at Digby dedicated to 1st Rector Rev.  Roger Viets, a Connecticut born Loyalist  & son Roger Moore Viets who succeeded him.  The church & cemetery dating back to the creation of Parish in 1785 are a National Historic Site.
  • On Dec. 9, 1824 William Jones, a United Empire Loyalist from New York who settled in Clements Township died aged 68. His gravestone here pictured is in Old St. Edward’s Church Cemetery with his wife Catherine at Clementsport, Nova Scotia.
    Her mother Maratie was the daughter of Douwe Ditmars, another prominent UE Loyalist.  Further information with photos are included about other settlers and the historic Church in “Old  St. Edward’s Church & the Loyalists” by Brian McConnell UE – available at Amazon
  • Townsends, and “anything food”

    • Mince Pie From 1773 (8:47 min)
      Mince Pie became a very popular holiday treat after the 18th century, but it didn’t start out that way. In this time period, it seems to have been a dish that folks ate at their convenience, and something that would keep for a long time in food stores. In 2024, it’s a delicious holiday pie the whole family will enjoy!
    • JYF Museums: There was no “pye” in North America before the British colonists. Many pies contained meat, but the fillings changed with time, sources of trade and the surrounding landscape.   At our Revolution-era farmhouse at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown we make plenty of them. If you want to know more about pie-making, or our personal favorites, be sure to stop by and ask!
  • This week in History 
    • 5 Dec 1770 Boston, MA The Boston Massacre trial ends with six Accused British soldiers acquitted & 2 found guilty of manslaughter. Privates Matthew Kilroy & Hugh Montgomery are branded on the thumb & released. Their defense attorney was John Adams. image
    • 1 Dec 1774  The Continental Association boycotted trade with Britain to pressure it to redress colonial grievances & repeal Parliament’s Intolerable Acts. England’s response was the New England Restraining Act banning trade except with England. image
    • 5 Dec 1775, Henry Knox began moving artillery from Ticonderoga to Cambridge MA. Artillery was key to dislodge the British from Boston. Moving cannons & mortars through frozen swamps & slush mud roads was an incredible endeavor the British didn’t expect. image
    • 6 Dec 1775 Continental Congress responds to King George IIIs rejection of Olive Branch Petition, repeating vows of allegiance and protesting Parliament’s unconstitutional actions. Independence is not mentioned. image
    • 7 Dec 1775 Gen Richard Montgomery was promoted to Maj General, although he would be killed in action at Quebec before the effective date of rank. image
    • 30 Nov 1776 NYC Adm Richard Howe & Gen William Howe offered a “free and general pardon, to anyone who would “come forth and take an oath of allegiance” to the King, assuring the “preservation of their property.” by rejecting”Treasonable Actings and Doings.” image
    • 2 Dec 1776 After much dissembling and delay, Gen Charles Lee leads his division across the North (Hudson) River into New Jersey, where he is expected to march southwest to join the main Continental Army under Gen Washington. image
    • 3 Dec 1776 The Continental Army struggles into Trenton, NJ & prepares boats to carry them across the roiling waters of the Delaware to the safety of PA. Gen. Washington ordered every boat along the river seized to halt the British pursuit of his troops.  image
    • 3 December 1776 Washington writes Congress from Trenton, NJ—much of the Continental Army’s stores and baggage across the Delaware to PA. He also directed the confiscating and burning of all the boats along the Delaware to prevent British troops from pursuing his beleaguered forces across the river. The British pursuit strategy seemed to be working—the rebel army seemed to melt away as it ran. British and Hessian troops ravaged New Jersey while the rump of the Continental Army cowered across the Delaware River. Many of the most ardent of patriots felt the Cause was finished and that capitulation was not far off.  image
    • 2 Dec 1777 Captain John Paul Jones arrives at Nantes, France, with the sloop USS Ranger. He would soon shake Europe with his naval exploits and daring. image
    • 4 Dec 1776 Benjamin Franklin & Arthur Lee reach the port of St Nazaire, France and continue by coach to Paris to assume duties as Continental Congress’s representatives to the French government. image
    • 4 Dec 1777 Philadelphia, PA. Wanting one more chance to crush the Continental Army before winter, Gen William Howe, with a force of approximately 10K men, marched out of Philadelphia just before midnight.  image
    • 5 Dec 1777 Gen Howe’s columns are closing on White Marsh, but Americans are tipped off by spy Lydia Darragh & British are detected by Capt. Allan McLane’s cavalry. Skirmishing begins along Chestnut Hill & PA militia Gen James Irvine & 17 men are captured. image
    • 6 Dec 1777 White Marsh, PA Gen Washington receives a letter from Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane, offering Baron von Steuben‘s services as a volunteer officer. Steuben plays a key role in training the Continental Army to European standards. image
    • 30 Nov 1779 – Gen Washington decides on Jockey Hollow for the s 1779-80 winter encampment. This  2nd Morristown Encampment (first in the winter of 1777)  would prove far more bitter than the 1st &  more terrible than the winter camp at Valley Forge. image
    • 3 Dec 1780 Charlotte, NC. Gen Nathanael Greene arrives & assumes command of the Southern Department from the discredited Gen Horatio Gates. Greene, with only 2.5K Continentals & militia, decides to take the offensive over vastly superior British forces. image
    • 4 Dec 1780 Rugesley’s Mill, SC. Col. William Washington employs a pine log, a so-called “Quaker Gun,” to deceive Col. Henry Rugesley to surrender his 115 Loyalists. image
    • 1 Dec 1781 British Maj John Doyle with 850 men at Dorchester (15 miles N/W of Charleston SC) abandons guns, equipt. & the fort to the advancing forces of Gen Nathanael Greene, who unbeknownst to Doyle, number only 400. image
    • 30 Nov 1782, Preliminary Treaty of Paris signed, bringing hostilities #RevWar to a close. The British government made peace with the Americans after the surrender of Gen Charles Cornwallis & the loss of several possessions to France and Spain. image
    • 6 Dec 1782 An action fought between 64-gun HMS Ruby & 64-gun French ship Solitaire off Martinique. After 40 minutes the Solitaire had mizzenmast shot away, rigging & sails in tatters & struck her colors. Solitaire 35 killed & 55 wounded. Ruby 2 wounded. image
    • 4 Dec 1783, George Washington gathers with his officers at New York’s Fraunces Tavern, feasts upon turtles and then bids his comrades farewell. “I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable.” image
    • 3 December 1815 Baltimore. John Carroll died. American-born, French-educated Jesuit & American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first bishop & archbishop in the US.  Worked with Ben Franklin to win over French Catholics to the cause.  image
  • Clothing and Related:

    • Tiny little red roses were created to decorate the green and cream stripes of this #1760s gown. Part of the fly fringe style of embellishments, they are delicately frayed stems and blossoms that seem to float on the surface of the silk @V_and_A
    • France.  Robe à la française, c.1770.  Cotton and linen plain weave, block-printed and dye-painted, with silk passementerie.
    • Probably French. Silk Redingote, c.1787.
    • Pinch Punch! Wishing all of my followers a happy & healthy December! Print from set of twelve fashion plates, 1749 via @britishmuseum
    • Candles are already lit at my home on this gloomy December day. Extra layers, reading and card games by the fire, December 1781. Print from a set of 12 from @britishmuseum
    • Wedding dress in two parts, of white satin; bodice (a) fitted, slightly pointed at front of waistline, hooked down center back, bodice front trimmed with self folds curving together to form point in center front, short sleeves with upper part smocked and lower part trimmed with elaborate self folds; (b) skirt fullness smocked into waistband, band of self twisting pleating from waistband at right front of dress to hemline around hemline entire width of skirt to left front seam where it twists and returns to waistband. c 1840
  • Miscellaneous
    • This shop in Dean Street in Soho is one of the few remaining examples in London of a Georgian shopfront, which are usually characterised by bay windows. It dates from 1791, was tastefully refurbished in 2011, and is Grade II listed.
    • Lara Maiklem FSA – The London Mudlark
      C – COMBS
      Contrary to popular belief, people in the past did their best to stay clean, but parasites were unavoidable and lice, fleas and worms were common. In an attempt to control the lice most people owned a comb, which were imported in vast numbers from the continent
      The combs were ‘H’ shaped with fine teeth on one side for removing lice and wider teeth on the other for untangling and styling hair. Large numbers of combs were found within the wreck of the Tudor war ship the Mary Rose, some even had lice still caught between the teeth.
      Many of the combs I have found on the Thames foreshore are identical to those found on the Mary Rose, but the style changed little over the centuries: I’ve seen a similarly styled piece of Viking comb, picked up by a mudlark, and even modern plastic nit combs look very similar
      Some of these are made of ivory and the larger ones of boxwood, a slow-growing, tight-grained wood that is exceptionally hard and ideal for carving the fine teeth of combs.

 

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