In this issue:

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UELAC 2025 Conference: Details, Registration and Accommodations
The 2025 UELAC Conference Committee is pleased to announce that the 2025 UELAC Conference will be held in Saint John NB, July 10th-13th, 2025. The conference will be hosted at the Delta Hotel in downtown Saint John beside the harbour.
Saint John, then called Parrtown, was located at the mouth of the Saint John River in Western Nova Scotia, a British Colony. Western Nova Scotia had a population of some 6,000. Parrtown in 1783 welcomed 14,000 Loyalist refugees. It was renamed Saint John in 1785 when the new British Colony of New Brunswick was created out of Western NS. Saint John is the entrance point of New Brunswick’s Loyalist story.
The highlights of the conference include guest speakers Dr. Leah Grandy and Loyalist Trails contributor Stephen Davidson. There will be tours of Trinity Anglican Loyalist church, the Old Loyalist cemetery, The Black Loyalist History Centre, and the Loyalist House. The Gala Dinner will feature speaker and newly appointed honorary fellow Dr. Bonnie Hoskins. We will cap off the Conference with a Drumhead church service at Trinity Church with DeLancey’s Brigade.
There will be free time to tour downtown Saint John to take in the stores, restaurants, markets, the container village of artisans on the newly renovated harbour-front.
Mark your calendars now and join us for a great summer conference!
For more details, registration and accommodation information, visit 2025 UELAC Conference
– Conference Committee: Bill Russell UE, Trish Groom UE and Barb Andrew UE

Johnny Burgoyne and the Loyalists, Part One of Six: A Tax Upon Time and Patience
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
The defeat of British Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne’s troops at the Battle of Saratoga on October 7, 1777 was a turning point in the American Revolution. Despite having 7,500 men under his command, Burgoyne failed to gain his objective of controlling the Hudson River Valley. Although his troops included almost 2,500 British soldiers, more than 2,000 German soldiers, numerous Indigenous warriors, over a 1,000 Canadians, and an unknown number of loyal Americans within his ranks, Burgoyne’s forces were no match for the Continental Army.
Not only did the British general fail to achieve his strategic objective of dividing the rebellious New England colonies from the more moderate middle colonies, his defeat at the hands of American colonists prompted France to side with the Patriot cause. Burgoyne’s defeat would have repercussions for the remainder of the American Revolution.
Rather than officially surrendering to the Continental Army, Burgoyne negotiated an agreement or “convention” whereby his British, German and Loyalist soldiers would lay down their arms, be given safe passage to Europe or Canada, and agree not to fight in North America for the remainder of the war.
While the British and German soldiers would be treated as prisoners of war, Burgoyne had heard enough stories of persecution and execution to know that his loyalist volunteers would in all likelihood be hanged as traitors to America. He was able to save many Loyalists by calling them Canadians. Others took advantage of the negotiation period to slip into the woods under cover of darkness and begin their journey northward to safety.
By October 17th –the date of Lt. General Burgoyne’s official surrender to the Continental Army— a number of the loyalist soldiers had made it as far as the British garrison south of Lake George.
Using data found in the transcripts of the hearings of the Royal Commission on the Losses and Services of American Loyalists and Lt.-General Burgoyne’s orderly book, it is possible to identify close to 200 of the Loyalists who had joined the British forces. Both primary sources allow one to see the role that Loyalists – both men and women—played in a military operation that for all intents and purposes should have been a major victory in Britain’s attempt to suppress colonial rebels.
In testimony given at the enquiry into Burgoyne’s defeat, it was stated that 83 provincials had joined the British expedition as it left Montreal on June 1, 1777. By the first of September, this increased to 680 – presumably swelled by Loyalists living in New York and neighbouring colonies who joined the campaign as the troops headed south.
When giving accounts of their soldiers, the British differentiated Provincials from Canadians. Provincials were “inhabitants of the country assembled under officers who were to have had different commissions provided they had ever amounted to certain numbers.” Some were employed as road builders. At the hearing into Burgoyne’s defeat it was revealed that “not all provincials were armed as they {the British} did not have enough arms for them.”
Burgoyne’s orderly book contains each day’s orders to officers and soldiers within the army. It also contains references to desertions, executions, and battle statistics. While it is known that “provincial” or Loyalist corps were part of Burgoyne’s army, only Jessup’s King’s Loyal Rangers, Lt. Colonel John Peter’s Queen’s Loyal Rangers, John McAlpine’s American Volunteers, and Captain Samuel McKay’s Corps are mentioned in the orderly book. One of those not referenced is the bateau company of Peter Van Alstine of Kinderhook, New York that joined Burgoyne’s expedition. Burgoyne only mentioned Lt. Col. Francis Pfister’s Loyal Americans in the testimony that he later gave in England.
Before considering the men who are known to have been part of these companies, it is worthwhile to see Lt. General Burgoyne’s opinion of his Loyalist allies. Here is what he wrote as part of his defense for his loss of the 1777 campaign.
The Provincial Corps… and several detached parties were yet a heavier tax upon time and patience. They were composed of professed Loyalists, many of whom had taken refuge in Canada the preceding winter, and others had joined as we advanced. The various interests which influenced their actions rendered all arrangement of them impracticable. One man’s views went to the profit which be was to enjoy when His corps should be complete; another’s, to the protection of the district in which he resided; a third was, wholly intent upon revenge against his personal enemies; and all of them were repugnant even to an idea of subordination.”
(Ouch!)
Burgoyne went on to say that Loyalists squabbled about what rank they ought to be given, and that when he made such decisions, they resulted in “dissatisfaction, increase of confusion, and generally a loss of such services as they were really fit for, viz. searching for cattle, ascertaining the practicability of routes, clearing roads, and guiding detachments or columns upon the march.
And: “I … doubt the sincerity of the resolution of the professing loyalists. I have about 400 but not half of them are armed who may be depended upon; the rest are trimmers merely actuated by interest“.
Despite being unhappy with the bulk of his loyalist companies, Burgoyne did qualify his remarks by saying, “I would not be understood to infer, that none of the Provincials with me were sincere in their loyalty; perhaps many were so. A few were of distinguished bravery.
Burgoyne went on to cite Lt. Col. Francis Pfister and Captain Justus Sherwood as two examples of Loyalist bravery. Pfister had been mortally wounded as he led 318 men at the Battle of Bennington in August of 1777. A Vermont land owner, Sherwood directed “secret service” operations and later assumed command of the Loyal Americans following Pfister’s death.
Were the Loyalist participants in Burgoyne’s ill-fated campaign truly only good for searching for cattle, evaluating routes, clearing roads and guiding detachments? The stories of some of the men who served the British commander will be told in the next five issues of Loyalist Trails.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.


Loyalists in the Old Burying Ground at Halifax

By Brian McConnell UE
It was opened in June 1749 and became a place of burial for St. Paul’s, the oldest Protestant place of worship in Canada, and the outpost of the Church of England in British North America. Its’ first Bishop was Loyalist Charles Inglis. So, it should not be surprising to find Loyalists in the Old Burying Ground at Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Located on the corner of Barrington Street and Spring Garden, across from Government House, the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, the Old Burying Ground in Halifax has a busy location. The government of Canada recognized it as a National Historic Site on March 1, 1991 in part because “it bears witness to the complex cultural traditions of early British North America.” …
…Many notable Loyalists are buried in the cemetery including John Howe, father of Nova Scotia Premier Joseph Howe. He arrived in Halifax in 1776 along with others evacuated from Boston as a result of conflict during the American Revolution. Read more… (a pdf)

Robert Rogers, Ranger
by C P Stacey, Dictionary of Canadian Biography
ROGERS, ROBERT (early in his career he may have signed Rodgers), army officer and author; b. 8 Nov. 1731 (n.s.) at Methuen, Massachusetts, son of James and Mary Rogers; m. 30 June 1761 Elizabeth Browne at Portsmouth, New Hampshire; d. 18 May 1795 in London, England.
While Robert Rogers was quite young his family moved to the Great Meadow district of New Hampshire, near present Concord, and he grew up on a frontier of settlement where there was constant contact with Indians and which was exposed to raids in time of war. He got his education in village schools; somewhere he learned to write English which was direct and effective, if ill spelled. When still a boy he saw service, but no action, in the New Hampshire militia during the War of the Austrian Succession. He says in his Journals that from 1743 to 1755 his pursuits (which he does not specify) made him acquainted with both the British and the French colonies. It is interesting that he could speak French. In 1754 he became involved with a gang of counterfeiters; he was indicted but the case never came to trial.
In 1755 his military career proper began. He recruited men for the New England force being raised to serve under John Winslow, but when a New Hampshire regiment was authorized he took them into it, and was appointed captain and given command of a company. The regiment was sent to the upper Hudson and came under Major-General William Johnson. Rogers was recommended to Johnson as a good man for scouting duty, and he carried out a series of reconnaissances with small parties against the French in the area of forts Saint-Frédéric (near Crown Point, N.Y.) and Carillon (Ticonderoga). When his regiment was disbanded in the autumn he remained on duty, and through the bitter winter of 1755–56 he continued to lead scouting operations. In March 1756 William Shirley, acting commander-in-chief, instructed him to raise a company of rangers for scouting and intelligence duties in the Lake Champlain region. Rogers did not invent this type of unit (a ranger company under John Gorham* was serving in Nova Scotia as early as 1744) but he became particularly identified with the rangers of the army. Three other ranger companies were formed in 1756, one of them commanded by Rogers’ brother Richard (who died the following year).
Robert Rogers won an increasing reputation for daring leadership, though it can be argued that his expeditions sometimes produced misleading information. Read more…


Book: Robert Rogers, Ranger: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon

by Martin Klotz (Westholme Publishing, 25 October 2024)
Robert Rogers, commander of Rogers’ Rangers during the French and Indian War, was the war’s best-known colonial military hero and, in the ensuing peace, one of the best-known Americans of any description, rivaling Benjamin Franklin in popularity. He was revered in the colonies as an example of the self-made man based on merit, in contrast to the hide-bound, hierarchical British military establishment. Yet this American icon ultimately alienated his peers,fought as a loyalist in the Revolutionary War, ruined himself financially, and died in obscurity in London, estranged from the country of his birth. Rogers is known today for his role in developing the mystique of the modern Ranger, but what explains his meteoric rise and his long, depressing fall?
This is a fresh look at the life of this famous, yet highly flawed man. Rogers undeniably had great personal strengths. He was brave nearly to the point of fearlessness. He was physically robust, always the one to cover the retreat, carry the wounded, or go for help when no one else could carry on. He was an intrepid explorer who wrote with eloquence about the splendors of the American frontier. He was bold and unconventional, good at thinking outside the box. He was an outstanding scout and intelligence gatherer who provided invaluable service to a British army inexperienced in woodland warfare. At the same time Rogers had enormous weaknesses that undermined his ability to lead effectively. His boldness was never tempered by judgment, and he was prone to grandiose schemes that came to nothing or, worse, to disaster. His constant self-promotion—including embellishing and lying about his battlefield successes—contributed to his popularity but damaged his reputation with peers and superiors. He succumbed to alcoholism and gambling, was profligate, especially with money—his debts were enormous—and routinely skirted the edges of the law. Rogers never found a comfortable place in America. Instead, his aristocratic patrons in London, who knew him mostly from his own self-description, gave him his most valuable opportunities, including commanding an important military and trading center on the colonial frontier and establishing the Queen’s Rangers to fight alongside Crown forces during the Revolution. But when the British cause failed in America, Rogers became an anathema on both sides of the Atlantic. A fascinating inquiry into an eighteenth-century life, Robert Rogers, Ranger presents this American legend as he lived, crossing the line between fame and misfortune. (from Amazon)

Morgan’s Victory at the Cowpens: Brilliant Tactics or Fortunate Volley?
by Conner Runyan and C. Leon Harris 16 Jan 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
Gen. Daniel Morgan’s defeat of Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton at the Cowpens is generally attributed to his arrangement of troops into three lines, with two lines of militia in front to wear down the advancing enemy. Morgan, however, mentioned only a single line, and he attributed his victory to a “fortunate volley.” Did Morgan not understand his own victory
Of all the events said to have been turning points in the Revolutionary War, the Battle of the Cowpens in South Carolina on January 17, 1781, may be the most deserving of that accolade and of repeated study. Gen. Charles, Earl Cornwallis stated that it “almost broke my heart,” and five days after the battle he marched after Morgan to recapture six hundred British prisoners, ending up at Yorktown. It is generally thought that Morgan’s victory was the result of an innovative tactic of arranging his troops in three lines with the weakest in front. According to this view, Tarleton’s troops had to skirmish with a first line of militia riflemen and then fight their way through a second line of militiamen before confronting the main line. The first two lines were volunteer refugees from the Carolinas and Georgia under Col. Andrew Pickens, and the main line consisted of Maryland and Delaware Continentals who were hardened survivors of the Battle of Camden on August 16, 1780, under Lt. Col. John Eager Howard, together with Virginia militiamen under Maj. Francis Triplett. Lawrence E. Babits in his meticulously researched book A Devil of a Whipping notes that deploying troops in three lines was not unusual, but that Morgan’s “genius lay in reversing the strength of his linear formations and creating progressively stronger defensive lines . . . The depth of the American lines soaked up the shock of British thrusts.” The primary sources of information about the battle are not entirely clear or consistent with each other, however, so it should not be surprising that there can be a different interpretation. Read more…

Hessian Soldiers Travelling to America: Yorktown Surrender 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 (Yorktown).

October, 1781: Battle at Yorktown – Surrender. (page 110)

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

IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER [1781]
page 110

19 Oct cont’d
From these four German regiments the enemy took eighteen beautiful flags and eight cannon.
Under the terms of the capitulation our commanding general, Cornwallis, was allowed two safe ships, that is, ships that could not be searched and were allowed free, unhindered passage to New York; and on those he was allowed to send out many members of the Light Infantry, Light Horse, Rangers, loyalists, and many sailors and ships’ crew members, as well as many deserters who had gone over to the English from the French and Americans during the siege. General Cornwallis and Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton also went aboard these ships and on the next day, following the surrender of the remaining troops, immediately sailed for New York.
During the afternoon of 19 October, between three and four o’clock, all the troops, with all their belongings, weapons, and side arms, with covered colors but with drums and fifes, marched out of our lines and the camp. Brigadier General O’Hara led us out and surrendered us.
We marched along Williams Street, or on the road that leads to Williamsburg, in columns, with shouldered arms, through the entire enemy army, while our drummers beat a march. The entire army of the combined powers, France ‘and America, stood under arms, by regiment, with dressed ranks. In front of each regiment stood the generals and staff officers, who in part, among the French (who composed the right wing as we marched through), had splendidly dressed orderlies by their sides. All the French generals, namely, Comte de Rochambeau, Marquis de Lafayette, the Prince of Saarbr†cken-Zweibr†cken, and the Prince of Lucerne, wore large stars and French military decorations.
On the right of each French regiment a white silk flag, decorated with three silver embroideried lilies, was paraded. Behind the flag stood drummers and fifers, and before the flag, the hautboists, who played splendid music. On the whole, the French troops made an excellent appearance. They were smart, tall, and well-built men, all wearing white gaiters, and some regiments wearing red uniforms, but most in white and a few in green. The German Alsace Regiment, however, wore blue uniforms. On our march, the Americans were on our left, or on the left wing, and lined up with Generals Washington, Gates, Greene, and Wayne. They stood in three ranks. First, the regulars, who also had hautboists and musicians making beautiful music and who presented a decent appearance. Next came the militia of Virginia and Maryland, who, however, made a poor appearance, ragged and tattered.
We, now captives, looked with wonder and astonishment at all these troops, which formed a line three men deep and extending for more than an English mile, because such a force had besieged us and could have eaten us up, and by comparison we appeared to be no more than a guard mount. The line from both armies was stretched out for nearly two miles. It is understandable how much space an army of forty thousand men requires, even when standing in two lines of men, three ranks deep. As we marched through, the enemy was amazed at our small force, as they had considered us to be more numerous.
After we had passed through the two lines, we came to a level place, or a great heath, on our right, where a squadron of French Hussars had formed a closed circle. One regiment after the other marched into this circle, stacked arms, and laid down all weapons. When our Colonel von Seybothen led his regiment in the middle therefore, he formed us in line facing front, took a position in the middle, and commanded, „Present arms!!” Then, „Ground your weapons and lay down cartridge boxes and sabers!” at which we executed the command, but not without his and our tears. All officers of Cornwallis’s army, English as well as German, were allowed to keep their swords, as an honor from the French, which is a custom of war with them. All of the high enemy generals were present in the circle and showed their goodwill and best wishes toward the captured troops. Our two regiments were especially well received by them.
When all this was over, we marched back between both armies, but in silence, into our lines and camp, with nothing more than a bit of our remaining equipment in the knapsacks on our backs. All courage and bravery that animates soldiers at times had left us. As we marched back through the armies, the Americans, as victors, made sport of us. We reentered our lines and tents and had complete freedom to go into the city, or the lines, or wherever we wished.
(to be continued)

Podcast: Clocks, Watches, and Life in Early America
By Bob Frishman Jan 2024 at Ben Franklin’s World
Do you know what time it is?
In early America, this question wasn’t as simple to answer as it is today. Urban dwellers in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston often wondered about the time—but few owned their own watches or clocks. So, how did they keep track of the hours?
In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of early American timekeeping. Bob Frishman, a horologist—a specialist in clocks and watches—and a scholar of horology, joins us to explore how timepieces and their makers shaped community life and craftsmanship in the 18th century. Along the way, we’ll uncover the remarkable story of Edward Duffield, a Philadelphia clockmaker who wasn’t just a master craftsman but also a close friend and neighbor of Benjamin Franklin. Listen in…

George Washington as Parent
by Chaim M. Rosenberg 13 Jan 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
George Washington was a colonel in the Virginia militia, master of Mount Vernon, founding father, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, first president of the United States, and Father of his Country. The nation’s capital, many other towns and thousands of streets carry the Washington name. Yet, George Washington “was far less powerful in the tiny emotional domain of his nuclear family.”
On January 6, 1759, twenty-six-year-old George Washington married Martha Dandridge, the widow of Daniel Parke Custis. She brought into the marriage great wealth in land, slaves and money as well as two children, daughter Martha, known at Patsy, age two years and son John Park Custis, known as Jacky, age four years. (Two other of Martha’s children, Daniel and Frances, died in infancy). Washington had no children of his own. Instead, he readily assumed responsibility for the care and education of Martha’s children, and later, her grandchildren and her niece, the children of his deceased brother Samuel, as well as helping other young relatives.
In 1761, Washington spent £48 for the passage from Britain to Virginia of Walter Magowan, a Scot, to serve as live-in tutor for Patsy and Jacky Custis. For the wage of £35 a year, Magowan schooled the children in the English language together with arithmetic, Latin and Greek. Magowan remained at Mount Vernon until 1767. The following year Washington contacted the Englishman Jonathan Boucher who operated a small school for boys at his home near Fredericksburg, Virginia, to ask him to take Jacky as a pupil. Read more…

Advertised on 17 January 1775: “Happy Birthday, Benjamin Franklin! 17 Jan 1775.”
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago this week?

January 17, 1775

“Happy Birthday, Benjamin Franklin! 17 Jan 1775.”

Today is an important day for specialists in early American print culture, for Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 (January 6, 1705, Old Style), in Boston. Among his many other accomplishments, Franklin is known as the “Father of American Advertising.” Although I have argued elsewhere that this title should more accurately be bestowed upon Mathew Carey (in my view more prolific and innovative in the realm of advertising as a printer, publisher, and advocate of marketing), I recognize that Franklin deserves credit as well. Franklin is often known as “The First American,” so it not surprising that others should rank him first among the founders of advertising in America.
Franklin purchased the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1729. In the wake of becoming printer, he experimented with the visual layout of advertisements that appeared in the weekly newspaper, incorporating significantly more white space and varying font sizes in order to better attract readers’ and potential customers’ attention. Advertising flourished in the Pennsylvania Gazette, which expanded from two to four pages in part to accommodate the greater number of commercial notices.
Many historians of the press and print culture in early America have noted that Franklin became wealthy and retired as a printer in favor of a multitude of other pursuits in part because of the revenue he collected from advertising. Others, especially David Waldstreicher, have underscored that this wealth was amassed through participation in the colonial slave trade. The advertisements for goods and services featured in the Pennsylvania Gazette included announcements about buying and selling enslaved men, women, and children as well as notices offering rewards for those who escaped from bondage.
In 1741 Franklin published one of colonial America’s first magazines, The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle, for all the British Plantations in America (which barely missed out on being the first American magazine, a distinction earned by Franklin’s competitor, Andrew Bradford, with The American Magazine or Monthly View of the Political State of the British Colonies). Read mpre…

Query: Missing Muster Rolls – American Revolutionary War
I appeal to anyone knowing the location of Muster Rolls for the 84th Regiment, 2nd Battalion, (Royal Highland Emigrants), for the period 1 Jan 1779 to 24 June 1782. It is extremely important to locate these Musters. Many of the usual and most likely repositories have been checked with negative results. Copies of the documents cannot, as yet, be found! The 2nd Battalion served during the Revolutionary War, (1775-1783), at various locations in Atlantic Canada, and during 1779-1782 five Companies served in NY and “the Carolinas” – Charleston, Wilmington, Monck’s Corner, Eutaw Springs, etc. They recruited men at various locations. The five Companies in the South, were often attached to other larger British Regiments or Units.
‘Musters’ for the other years of the War have been found & copied. I would greatly appreciate if you would review your records, Sources and Contacts, (Historians/ Researchers/ Records’ Custodians, etc.in an effort to locate the missing documents.). The finder of the missing Musters will certainly be “Mentioned in Dispatches” and will be a friend of mine forever! I will most willingly reciprocate data which I have accumulated regarding the 84th and Loyalist Settlers over the past 45 years.
I earnestly appeal to you or anyone knowledgeable on the subject, to contact me if they have any clues or key information that could lead to positive results.
Sincerely: Calvin Lee CRAIG, UE, Certified Genealogist (Canada),
St. George/Bonny River, New Brunswick, Canada. 506-755-6800. email: calbarb@xplornet.com

A Dead Captain and a Sunken Ship: The Fates of Sir Jacob Wheate and HMS Cerberus in Bermuda
Guest post by Judy Pearson 13 Jan 2025 in ASll Things Georgian
In 2008, archaeologists from the Bermuda National Trust, St George’s Archaeological Research Project, and Boston University spent six weeks excavating the foundations of the historic St Peter’s Church in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of St George’s parish, Bermuda. The church was commissioned in 1612 and most of the present structure dates to 1713. Since it was first constructed, the church has seen numerous expansions and renovations.
Reverend David Raths and his church council had invited the archaeological team, led by Dr. Brent Fortenberry, to explore the archaeological and architectural history of the church. The purpose was to gather information about the structure and architectural details of the original foundation and to document the memorials in the surrounding churchyard. Digging under the floorboards near the altar, the researchers were astonished to find human remains! The researchers found the skeletal remains of two individuals, along with bits of wood and coffin nails, indicating that these two bodies had been encased in coffins that had long since deteriorated. No records of any interments under the floorboards existed. However, two metal coffin plates identified the remains.
One coffin plate identified Governor George James Bruere Sr, Bermuda’s longest serving governor, appointed by the Crown, who served from 1764 until his death from yellow fever in 1780.
Bruere was a controversial figure in his day because his tenure took place during the American War of Independence, when political and economic tensions on the island ran high and Bermuda was caught up in the crossfire between two warring nations. Perhaps for this reason, Bruere’s body was interred in secret, under St Peter’s church. Read more…

The Surat Trade in Cotton Textiles – A Swedish East India Company ship: 1750-1752
by Viveka Hansen 23 Feb 2023 at ikfoundation.org
This essay is the first in a two-part case study, which aims to give an in-depth analyse of trading in textiles via the Swedish East India Company ship Götha Leijon – which sailed from Göteborg in 1750 towards Surat and Canton. The ship reached its home harbour more than two years later – fully loaded with tea, porcelain, cotton textiles, silks and other desired goods. Particularly for this voyage is the number of preserved primary sources; including the ship’s chaplain and naturalist Olof Torén’s diary, in the form of letters to Carl Linnaeus, a reference book regarding various ongoing financial matters kept onboard along the route, a journal by the ship’s assistant Christoffer Henrik Braad and detailed sales catalogues of all goods and buyers. Additionally, to be compared with samples of Indian pieces of cotton brought back to Sweden via the Company ships around the same period.
Olof Torén (1718-1753) went on a long journey after his studies, and for a newly qualified priest, one possible option was to earn one’s living as a ship’s chaplain on the Swedish East India Company’s ships. These were extremely sought-after positions, so a recommendation and a testimonial from Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) were frequently decisive for the travel prospects. Torén was awarded the post and sailed on the ship Hoppet from Göteborg in January 1748 and the ship returned successfully via St Helena to Göteborg with its valuable cargo in July 1749. This essay, however, will focus on the ship Torén sailed with on his second voyage as a ship’s chaplain, in February 1750 he signed on the ship Götha Leijon for another voyage to Canton (today Guangzhou), that time with a stopover in Surat. Due to bad weather that winter the ship did not set sail until 1 April. During the voyage, he busied himself with collecting botanical rarities and sending plants and seeds to Linnaeus and seems on the whole to have had more contact with his master during that voyage. Read more…

Loyalist Certificates Issued
The publicly available list of certificates issued since 2012 is now updated to end of December 2024.
When a certificate is added there, it is also recorded in the record for the Loyalist Ancestor in the Loyalist Directory.

War of 1812 Video Field Guide
At Canada’s History
From the Battle of Queenston Heights to the burning of Washington to the little-known role of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, this 11-part series of videos hosted by Tim Compeau brings to life the major events of the conflict. Each short video in the order of 3 to 6 minutes gives a snippet of the history. The topics are:

  • The Battle of Queenston Heights
  • The Battle of Frenchman’s Creek
  • Capture of York
  • Battle of the Thames
  • The Battle of Lundy’s Lane
  • The Burning of Washington
  • Long Lost War of 1812 Hospital Found
  • Food in the War of 1812
  • Brown Bess Musket in the War of 1812
  • Fort Erie: Bloodiest Battle in the War of 1812
  • Royal Newfoundland Regiment in the War of 1812

Watch the videos …

UELAC Loyalist Directory: New Contributions

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

  • to Anne Robertson-Dunec who contributed information about Joseph Hicks UEL who settled in Marysburgh, Prince Edward County, Ontaio. He married Elizabeth Harrison and they had eight children born between 1791 and 1897. Joseph was the son of Edward Hicks UEL
  • to Kevin Wisener who contributed information about Lt Kenneth MacDonald who was a Lieutenant in Captain Alexander MacDonald’s Company, 2nd Battalion, His Majesty’s Young Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment of Foot. He enlisted in June 1775 and came to PEI to claim land available for disbanded soldiers after the American Revolution.

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

Events Upcoming

New Brunswick Branch: “Proving your Loyalist Ancestor” by Angela Donovan Wed 22 Jan 2:00 AT

Angela Donovan UE, NB Branch Genealogist will give a short presentation and answer questions on what is required, and the process for those of you excited to find your Loyalist roots! As well, if any member would like to share a Summary about their Loyalist Research/ Ancestor or Ancestor’s we would love for you to have the opportunity to share with the group. Respond to this email if you would like to share.
Bill Russell – UELAC VP will be sharing an update on the “2025 UELAC Conference” being held in Saint John NB July 10th-13th.
Register by emailing nbloyalistassoc@gmail.com and a link will be returned

American Revolution Institute: Black Soldiers in America’s Wars: 1754-1865 29 Jan 6:30

Historian John Rees discusses his recent collaboration with historical artist Don Troiani highlighting the participation of African American soldiers in America’s early wars that combines Troiani’s dramatic art with Rees’ heavily researched text. Drawing from his research and written contributions, along with Troiani’s battle paintings, figure studies, artifact collection and artist notes, Rees focuses on the Black soldiers who fought in the American Revolution to highlight the significance of this under-recognized aspect of the war. Registration…

Col. John Butler Branch. “Most of My Loyalist Ancestors Were Military Men” Sat 1 Feb 11:45

Our new President Bruce Wallace UE is a long time Niagara resident and a descendant of ten United Empire Loyalists, many of whom were officers in Butler’s Rangers or officers in the British Indian Department. Bruce descends from Colonel John Butler, his son Thomas Butler, and from Adam Crysler, Lewis Cobes Clement and his son James Clement, as well as George Caughell Senior and Junior, and from George Upper, Petrus Ten Broeck and his son Jacob Ten Broeck. In his presentation he will speak about his ancestors, how some families were split over whether to be loyal to King George or to follow George Washington’s rebels, and how some of these Loyalists became officers in the War of 1812.
At Betty’s Restaurant, 8921 Sodom Road, Chippawa (Niagara Falls), at 11:45 for a lunch meeting. This meeting will be both in person and by ZOOM.
For those attending in person, the cost of the lunch is $30 for UELAC members and $35 for guests. Cash only, payable at the meeting. No credit cards.
If you plan to attend either in person or by ZOOM, please let us know in advance. RSVP to 283corvette@gmail.com

Gov. Simcoe Branch: Potluck Luncheon, “AHA” Moments Sat 1 Feb 11:30

Our annual potluck luncheon on Saturday 1 Feb. at St. David’s Church, pour usual meeting place In addition to social opportunities, the event will feature good food, an auction, short presentations, and more. Branch members, other branch members and guests are welcome. More details and registration.

American Revolution Institute: Exhibit: Revolutionary Beginnings: War and Remembrance in the First Year of America’s Fight for Independence 1 Mar 2025 – 4 Jan 2026

The War for American Independence began on April 19, 1775 — 250 years ago this spring — with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. These initial engagements gave way to the Patriots’ Siege of Boston, a nearly year-long effort to drive the British from the city. But the fighting during the first year of the Revolution did not just take place in Massachusetts. From April 1775 to June 1776, Patriot, Loyalist, and British forces clashed in most of the thirteen American colonies, as well as Canada and the Caribbean. This exhibition explores three of those conflicts — the Battle of Bunker Hill outside Boston (June 1775), the Siege of Quebec in Canada (December 1775), and the Battle of Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina (June 1776), which took place just days before the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Read more…

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • After arriving in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, in his first letter dated October 14, 1782 the Reverend Jacob Bailey, a Loyalist preacher who had been forced to flee from Maine, noted to the secretary of the S.P.G. that the Town contained a population of 160 persons, all except four belonging to the Church of England. At Granville he estimated there were about 50 church families. (Source: “Bicentenary Sketches and Early Days of the Church in Nova Scotia” by C.W. Vernon, published 1910) Brian McConnell UE @brianm564
  • Food and Related
  • This week in History
    • 14 January 1741 Norwich, Connecticut. Benedict Arnold is born. He would become a successful merchant, merchant seaman, military leader, naval leader, traitor, and all-around reviled and tragic figure. But in the beginning, he was a great patriot and combat leader. A successful merchant and ship owner, Arnold rose from modest beginnings to comfortable prosperity before the war. The Rev War brought him a chance for fame and advancement. He was at the center of many critical events in the early part of the war, such as seizing Fort Ticonderoga, invading Canada, defending Lake Champlain, and defeating General Burgoyne’s 1777 invasion. But grievances against the politicians (some justified), a sense of unfair treatment, a spurious court-martial, and a second marriage into a Tory family led him to ignominy. image
    • 11 January 1755 –Charlestown, St Kitts & Nevis, West Indies. Alexander Hamilton, American general, economist & politician, 1st US Secretary of Treasury, was born. Rising from an indigent orphan, he would become a “founding father” of the US. image
    • 17 Jan 1766 London merchants petition Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act. William Pitt & other leading Whigs support them on the basis of no taxation without representation. image
    • Quotes of the Day – Jan 1775
      • 11 Jan 1775, Woburn assessed its property taxes for that year. Instead of sending that revenue to the colonial government, however, officials would send it to Henry Gardner, receiver-general for the Massachusetts Provincial Congress.
      • 12 Jan 1775, men from Concord signed on to form a minute company. Other towns already had militia men equipping themselves and doing extra drill, but for Concord—a large, relatively conservative shire town—to take this step was significant.
      • 14 Jan 1775, Ipswich’s minute company formed, the men pledging “we will immediately, each of us, provide for & equip himself, with an effective arm, Bayonet, Pouch, Knapsack, & Thirty rounds of Cartridges ready made.”
      • 17 Jan 1775 Massachusetts’s agents in London announced the publication of the Continental Congress’s petition to the king, and also decried that a leaked copy had been published the day before:
      • 18 Jan 1775 Rev250 quote of the day — “I find, by accounts from several parts of the country,…that the people’s minds are greatly cooled, and many begin to want courts of justice, and that the friends of Government have shown themselves openly.” —Gov. Thomas Gage
    • 13 Jan 1776, British forces raid Prudence Island, Rhode Island, to steal sheep. But, upon landing on the island’s southern beaches, the British were ambushed by fifteen Minutemen from Rhode Island’s Second Company led by Captain Joseph Knight image
    • 13 Jan 1776 Albany NY Gen Phillip Schuyler wrote to Gen Washington from Albany “The gallant Montgomery, is no more; the brave Arnold is wounded; and we have met with a severe check in an unsuccessful attempt on Quebec…I tremble for our people in Canada.” image
    • 15 Jan 1776 Newbury, MA. Rebel volunteers jump into three whaleboats and seize a British provision ship as the winter war for victuals swirls around occupied Boston. image
    • 16 January 1776 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Continental Congress approved General George Washington’s order to enlist free black men into the army. About 9,000 served the patriot cause, with most serving as combat troops. Some 5% of all Militia & Continentals were black, but many Continental Regiments ran at 10 -15%. Black soldiers fought gallantly in every battle, from Concord to Fort Ticonderoga to Trenton to Yorktown. Some historians deem the Continental Army the most integrated American army until the Korean War. On the other side, most freed slaves who joined the British were used as support troops—digging trenches and hauling equipment. It was not lost on many Patriot leaders the irony and tragedy of black men fighting for the Cause while slavery was still practiced in almost all colonies. In the years following the war, many states rectified this, but sadly, not all. It would take another war to resolve the issue. image
    • 17 Jan 1776 Gen Philip Schuyler leads NY militia on Johnson Hall, home of Loyalist Indian Administrator Sir John Johnson. Johnson’s force Loyalists & Indians surrendered without a shot fired, eliminating Loyalist resistance around Albany, NY. image
    • 17 Jan 1776 Philadelphia PA. Commodore Esek Hopkins sails with a fleet of 8 warships, but the ice-jammed Delaware River prevents him from getting to sea. image
    • 12 January 1777 Scotland-born General Hugh Mercer died from wounds received at the Battle of Princeton. British soldiers mistook Mercer for General Washington and bayonetted him numerous times. A physician in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Mercer was a friend of George Washington since their French and Indian War service. Mercer was an excellent and reliable senior officer (the two don’t always come as a package), and his death denied the American cause invaluable leadership. image
    • 15 Jan 1777 New Connecticut (Vermont) declared independence from the crown of Great Britain AND the states of NY/NH. A convention declared the region independent as the Republic of New Connecticut, but on June 2, it was officially changed to “Vermont” image
    • 15 Jan 1777 American naval Capt. Lambert Wickes, commanding the 18-gun brig Reprisal, sets off on a month-long cruise along the coast of France & Spain, taking five prizes. image
    • 8 January 1777 Kingsbridge (Bronx) New York. General William Heath invests Fort Independence and its Hessian garrison with the divisions of Benjamin Lincoln, Charles Scott, David Wooster, and Samuel Parsons. The Hessians do not surrender, and a siege commences. On the 19th, Heath plans an attack across a frozen creek, but sudden warming makes that too risky. Skirmishing went on for several days. On the 25th, British relief forces began attacking and scattering some of Heath’s outposts, but he maintained his siege until the 29th when bitterly cold weather swept through Westchester. A gathering of his officers decided to withdraw. Although never able to win a decisive or important victory, Heath’s small army played an important role in “observing” and harassing the British New York garrison. image
    • 13 Jan 1778 Valley Forge PA With the Continental Army withering from malnutrition and exposure to the elements, a desperate Gen Washington appeals to Congress for supplies of food and clothing. Sadly, he would have to do this throughout the struggle. image
    • 14 Jan 1779 Philadelphia, PA Continental Congress assures the French minister that the US remains bound to observe all treaty commitments with France and will not seek a separate peace without consultation. image
    • 12 Jan 1780 Morristown Encampment, NJ Gen Washington writes to Brig Gen William Irvine, commander of the 1st Penn Brigade at “Cranes Mills” (Cranford NJ): “We will attack the British troops on Staten Island on Friday night. Have your troops ready!” image
    • 15 Jan 1780 Elizabeth Point, New Jersey Despite suffering one of the most brutal winters of the war, General Washington authorizes an attack on Staten Island. On 13 January, several detachments gathered under secrecy to ensure surprise. Braving frigid weather, General William Alexander (Lord Stirling) takes 2,500 men on sleighs across the ice channel to attack Port Richmond. Marching waist-deep snow, they split their forces on the 14th, hoping to surprise the Loyalist Brigade being recruited by Cortland Skinner. But Loyalist spies warned the British, who retired to their defense works and summoned reinforcements from New York. Without the artillery needed to press the fortifications, Alexander withdrew after some plundering and taking 17 prisoners while losing three killed. image
    • 16 Jan 1780 Cape St Vincent Spain. Adm George Rodney’s 22 SOL & 14 frigates intercept a Spanish squadron o under Adm Juande Langara. Rodney signals chase. “Moonlight Battle” routs the Spanish. British capture five ships and sink 1. image
    • 11 January 1781 Princeton, New Jersey. British agent John Mason is hung as a spy for his role in trying to get the mutinous Pennsylvania Line to join General Henry Clinton’s army. The Continental Army suffered several mutinies and near-mutinies during the latter part of the eight-year struggle for independence. Throughout the war, the states and Congress failed to provide the basics needed for the soldiers. Food, uniforms, and other necessities were often in short supply. The conditions of service were trying, and most served regardless. But pay and service bonuses became the driver of this mutiny. But the British were aware and had Loyalist agents reporting to the high command. This one broke out after a New Year’s celebration and lasted several days, during which at least one officer was killed. As Washington, Congress, and the Pennsylvania state government scrambled to address the mutineers’ grievances, General Henry Clinton misjudged them, thinking their allegiance had flagged. On 7 January, he dispatched his agent, John Mason, along with a guide, James Ogden, to lead him through New Jersey. Mason carried a letter from the British high command offering the mutineers their back pay from British coffers if they gave up the rebel cause. But the Pennsylvanians would have none of it and seized Mason and Gibbs, who they also hung. The mutiny was eventually resolved, most grievances addressed, and those who wished were allowed to leave the army. Many of those later re-enlisted. image
    • 14 Jan 1781 Waccamaw Neck, SC. Col. Peter Horry’s militia skirmishes with Lt Col. William Campbell’s Queen’s Rangers. The Americans lost one killed, and the Loyalists 3 killed & 2 prisoners. image
    • 17 January 1781 Cowpens, South Carolina. General Daniel Morgan inspires his militia regiments to hold the line long enough for two volleys and then unleashes his Continentals and cavalry to crush the British Legion under notorious Colonel Banastre Tarleton. Tarleton was in hot pursuit of Morgan and launched head-on at the three lines of rebels arrayed across the open field. American fire took a toll, but vicious up-close fighting ensued. The attack by Colonel William Washington’s dragoons slammed into the unsuspecting regulars. Even a final charge by the 71st Highlanders was stopped in its tracks by American volleys and then dispersed by a counter thrust by John Edgar Howard’s men. This victory was a significant blow to General Charles Cornwallis and his southern campaign. But the morale factor was even more critical. Cornwallis was in disbelief when informed that the rebel pack destroyed Tarelton’s crack troops. The British lost 110 killed, 229 wounded, and 600 prisoners – significant numbers for a battle of its size. image
    • 15 Jan 1783 William Alexander, Lord Stirling, American general, dies at 57. Stirling was controversial, claiming a Scottish peerage. He is most known for his gallant stand at the Battle of Long Island, leading furious attacks against the British. image
    • 16 Jan 1786 the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. During the American Revolution, dissenters like the Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists began petitioning for religious liberty and the separation of church and state.
      Thomas Jefferson wrote the statute which encapsulated those ideas and proclaimed that people have freedom of thought and individuals are free to worship as they choose without discrimination. Religious freedom became a fundamental right in the young United States.
  • Clothing and Related:
    • There is great subtlety to the design of this 18th century kosode. The creamy ground has been hand painted by the artist Ogata Kōrin with the quiet swish of autumn grasses in muted shades, foreshadowing the paler hues of winter
  • Miscellaneous
    • Fishwives, or ‘oyster lasses’, were common figures in the streets of 1700s Edinburgh. Oysters were so plentiful that they were considered to be cheap snack food. The shells themselves, when ground up, were taken to relieve heartburn


Last Post: MACHAN UE, Edith Claire Emery 1927 – 2024

Claire died in the early morning of Christmas Eve at Belleville General Hospital, departing peacefully in her sleep. She was 97 and ready to move on.
She leaves behind sisters Betsy Eydt and Mary Campbell, daughter Christine Gillespie (Jamie Coatsworth) and son George Emery (Krystina Contini) as well as stepdaughters Janice Willwerth (Andy van der Velden) and Dr. Carolyn Machan (Don Rudolph).
Claire was born on June 19, 1927, to Mildred and Bertram Dickson in Hamilton, where she grew up and graduated from McMaster University with a BA in English. She raised her own family in Burlington where she was a reporter/columnist for the Burlington Gazette and worked at the Burlington Public Library in programs and public relations.
Following the death of first husband Glenn, Claire was swept off her feet and easily persuaded to move to Waterloo by second husband Glen. She worked with the Rotary Children’s Centre, the KW Symphony Orchestra and the Volunteer Action Centre.
Claire was a proud United Empire Loyalist, a founding member of KW Probus, an active member of her church and a lover of the Bruce Peninsula. She was also an author, a Paul Harris Fellow, an amateur historian and an all-round good sport. Read more at Erb & Good…
Claire was a past president of the Grand River Branch UELAC. Both she and her husband, Glenn were wonderful supporters of all the activities of the GR Branch. She was a dear friend and will most certainly be missed.
She proved her descent from Loyalist Capt. John Hatfield in March 2000
Bill Terry UE

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