In this issue:

 

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

2025  UELAC Conference:
The conference has lots to offer; learn more about the Loyalist era — see Conference 2025 details.

“Developments at Johnson Hall”
By Wade Wells

This presentation will focus on recently completed restoration projects at Johnson Hall, a New York State Historic Site, and discuss new research and programming initiatives along with the importance of Johnson Hall in telling the Loyalist story during the 250th anniversary commemorations.

Wade Wells is the Historic Site Manager of Johnson Hall State Historic Site, the 1763 home of Sir William Johnson and Molly Brant. He has served in several interpretive, operational and managerial positions at Johnson Hall and the Saratoga Region during his thirty-four-year career with New York State Parks.

Hear Wade on Thursday July 10 at at the reception which begins at 6:30.

Hotel Rooms in Saint John NB for UELAC 2025 Conference
The Conference room allotment at the Delta Marriott Hotel is now fully booked for the Conference. Other hotels and suites within a short walking distance of the Delta are:

  • Chipman Hill Suites, these suites are owned by NB branch member Susan Fullerton and are located in renovated historical houses in downtown Saint John.
    • Please call 1-877-859-3919 for reservations.
  • The Hilton Hotel is located across the road from the Delta hotel. It is a modern hotel with pool etc. please call 506-693-8484 for reservations.
  • Two hotels that are located within a short drive are:
    • Holiday Inn Express 506-642-2622.
    • Crown Plaza Hotel 506-657-7328, newly renovated with pool.

Saint John is a very busy tourist location in the summer and we recommend that you book as soon as possible.
Conference Committee

Hope to see you there…

The L’Abondance and its Loyalist Evacuees. Part One of Three
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
Between June and November of 1783, the British troop transport ship, L’Abondance, sailed out of New York City’s harbour to take hundreds of white and Black Loyalists to sanctuary in Nova Scotia. The passenger lists for most evacuation vessels have been lost or destroyed over time, but in the case of the L’Abondance, partial manifests that list the passengers on the 3 voyages to Nova Scotia can be reconstructed thanks to the data found in the Book of Negroes. Commissioned by Sir Guy Carleton, this ledger listed the names and circumstances of all of the free and enslaved Blacks who left New York City in 1783 – including the names of their evacuation ships.
However, the L’Abondance also carried white loyalist refugees north to safety. In September of 1783, the names of six white Loyalists are recorded in the Book of Negroes because they either served as escorts for seven Black Loyalists or were the masters of two enslaved Black passengers.
For those who have ancestors that settled in Shelburne and other parts of Nova Scotia – or for loyalist historians interested in the larger story of these refugees— there is good news regarding the passengers of the L’Abondance. Thanks to the diligent research of genealogist Cheryl Anderson, a manifest containing the names of the crewmembers and passengers for the transport ship has been found in the collections of British archives. Both white and Black Loyalists’ names are included in the manifest. While not as detailed as the entries found in the Book of Negroes, this recent discovery sheds more light on the voyages — and the experiences — of its refugee passengers.
Before examining the manifest, it is important to get a better sense of the L’Abondance. Launched in France in September of 1780, the ship was a “baleine-class” – a cargo vessel in the French navy. When the Royal Navy captured the ship on December 11, 1781, it could carry 248 soldiers as well as stores and ammunition.
After being taken to Plymouth, England, the L’Abondance was rated as a 28-gun sixth rate vessel. (Sixth rate ships were the smallest of ships that could be commanded by a captain.) Commissioned in April of 1783, the L’Abondance was sent to North America on the 23rd of the following month. Under the command of Lieutenant Nathaniel Phillips, her mission was to evacuate British troops and loyal Americans from New York City following the signing of the peace treaty that ended the American Revolution.
After arriving in New York, Phillips had to see that his ship was stocked with enough supplies to feed his refugee passengers during their two-week journey to Nova Scotia.  On June 30, 1783, the British Commodore Sir Edmund Affleck responded to a problem aboard the L’Abondance.
Lt. Phillips had written the commodore to complain that there was “a large quantity of Cheese on board the said ship which is rotten, decayed and unfit for men to eat.” The commodore ordered that the cheese in question be inspected by a third party, “and if you find the same rotten and as represented you are to condemn it accordingly and see that it be thrown overboard.” It was a strange bit of correspondence, but demonstrates that cheese was part of the menu served aboard the armed transport.
The L’Abondance‘s first mission as an evacuation vessel began on July 31, 1783. She had a crew of 81 men that included ordinary seamen, able-bodied seamen, a gunner, a carpenter, a carpenter’s mate, a cook, a clerk, and a surgeon. The passengers on that first voyage were all Black Loyalists, comprised of 179 men, 147 women, and 84 children, indicating that in addition to quarters for the crew, the L’Abondance had room for at least 410 passengers.
There are no records of the types of accommodations found aboard the transport ship, but immigrant vessels that crossed the Atlantic in the same era provide an idea of what might have passed for living quarters. If the passengers did not sleep on hay mattresses on the floor or in hammocks, they would have had crudely constructed bunk beds. Curtains rather than walls would have provided the minimum amount of privacy.
At least 3 other evacuation vessels left New York City on the same day as the L’Abondance. The Clinton and the Grand Dutchess of Russia were bound for Annapolis Royal; the Cyclops was headed for Shelburne, Nova Scotia (formerly known as Port Roseway). It was customary for evacuation ships to have a military escort to protect them from Patriot privateers.
The average length of a journey from New York City to Shelburne was about two weeks. Arriving in August, the 410 Black Loyalist passengers who disembarked from the L’Abondance had time to build shelters for themselves – a task that would be more difficult for those who arrived in October and December. Some of the Black passengers settled in Shelburne; others preferred to make their homes in Birchtown, a village comprised of those who had received emancipation papers from General Samuel Birch.
Having safely delivered its refugee passengers to Port Roseway, the L’Abondance returned to New York City to prepare for its second evacuation of Loyalists. Meanwhile, Sir Guy Carleton, the British commander in chief who oversaw the evacuation of troops and Loyalists, was receiving frantic letters at his headquarters.
One letter reveals that some Loyalists took matters into their own hands when it came to seeking refuge in Nova Scotia. Nehemiah Hayden “with several other Loyalists connected with him” planned to go to Shelburne “in a vessel of their own“. He and his friends were “chiefly ship carpenters“.
Mrs. Christian Baker begged Carleton for “one extra quarterly payment to enable her to pay debts and join her husband in Nova Scotia.” Jacob Heart, a 75 year-old Loyalist, was “embarking for Nova Scotia without a shilling to support him” and begged for “his former subsistence“. Mary McArthur asked the commander in chief for help, as she was to “go to Nova Scotia at a minute’s warning.” Such were the dire situations in which Loyalists found themselves as they anxiously waited for transportation to Nova Scotia.
The L’Abondance‘s next trip to Shelburne left New York on September 22, 1783. The stories revealed in the ship’s manifest will be told in next week’s Loyalist Trails.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.


‘The British are coming’ and the outbreak of hostilities during the American Revolutionary War
by Ralph Thompson 16 Apr 2025 Britain’s National Archives

250 years ago this month the American War of Independence broke out amidst the sleepy farmlands of eastern Massachusetts, which had followed the resistance to the infamous Tea Act of May 1773, and the imposition of the coercive ‘Intolerable Acts’ less than two years previously.
The Massachusetts Colonial Congress formed a patriot provisional government late in 1774. By February 1775, the British authorities declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion and resolved to punish the colony, and Boston in particular for its continuing opposition to the Crown.
Our records, of orders from King George III, military despatches, and newspaper reports, give a unique perspective into this opening phase of the revolutionary war.

Starting with defence
While it took eight long years to end the conflict, British colonial objectives were initially defensive and limited in scope. Patriot Americans fought to protect their liberty and to preserve their autonomy. For 18 months they struggled to contain British Crown forces while debating what their ultimate goal should be.
During the summer of 1776, they defined their objective as total separation and declared independence. Yet declaring independence was very different to actually achieving it. King George III’s government, under Prime Minister Frederick, Lord North regarded their actions as no more than insurrection and remained determined to crush them.

Lexington and Concord
The first phase of the war was relatively short. News of the opening actions at Lexington and Concord (both fought on 19 April 1775) spread so rapidly that the middle Atlantic colonies had heard news of it within a week, the Carolinas and Georgia were printing accounts of it by the end of May.  Read more…
Thanks to Ivy Trumpour UE, Calgary Branch, UELAC for noting this

Who really fired the shot that started the American Revolution?
by David Kindy 19 April 2025 at MSB
In 1887, Josiah Bushnell Grinnell spoke to a packed house at the Congregational Church in New Haven, Vermont. The U.S. congressman from Iowa and radical abolitionist in the lead-up to the Civil War had returned to his tiny hometown to be the keynote speaker at a Historical Day commemoration.
Grinnell’s address, reprinted in the book “New Haven, A Rural Historical Town of Vermont,” included this intriguing passage:
“Solomon Brown also lived and died here fifty years ago. To him belongs the honor of having fired the first effective shot at the red coats in the revolutionary war. I attended his funeral, at which his memorable shot was mentioned, and I just remember the story from his own lips.”
For 250 years, historians have argued over who fired first at the Battle of Lexington, when Massachusetts militiamen faced British soldiers about 11 miles west of Boston. A musket blast caused red-coated regulars to shoot at colonists, officially marking the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Is Brown the one who pulled the trigger? Read more…
Thanks to Kevin Wisener UE, Abegweit Branch, UELAC

What does 1776 mean for 2025?
Katty Kay and Rick Atkinson, 16 April 2025 British Bradcasting Corp. (BBC)
As a Brit, I didn’t learn about the American Revolution in school. But my children all grew up in the US – and they did. And I noticed that while the Civil War is often portrayed in all its violence and gruesomeness, stories from the revolution focus on heroism.
When I think of the American Revolution, my mind conjures images of impassioned colonists dumping tea into Boston Harbour. Paul Revere’s midnight ride through Massachusetts. George Washington crossing the Delaware River. America united, alone and in the right.
But 250 years since the war began, it’s time for a different, more complex look at America’s origin story. I recently spoke with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson about the realities of the Revolutionary War that often go overlooked. His latest book on the conflict, The Fate of the Day, comes out later this month on 29 April.
It was an eye-opening discussion that taught me a lot – you can watch or read our conversation here:

It wasn’t until recently that I really became aware just of how gruesome the Revolutionary War was. One in 10 Americans who fought in it died, as you recount in your book. Read more… (or listen in…)

Hessian Soldiers Travelling to America: POW: In Camp – A Soldier’s Life. March 1782
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: to Williamsburg
  • January 1782: to Frederick MD (about 40 km west of Baltimore)

1782: Continuation of the Noteworthy Occurences in Our North American Campaign, and Especially the Captivity in the Sixth Year. Or the Year of our Lord 1782.  Page 124

In the Month of March 1782

1 March. Private [Jacob] Gr†b, of Quesnoy’s Company, was put  in  detention  because he lost a camp kettle on the march from Virginia.
2 March. Lieutenant Lindemeyer was sent to Lancaster to the English paymaster to inquire about our pay and baggage.
4 March. We again received flour. The company again received three hundred pounds.
6 March. Private [Joseph] Kl†gel, of Quesnoy’s Company, was put in the jail and received thirty-five  lashes  with  a  stick  for  drunkenness.  He  wanted  to  steal,  for  a  few  pence,  small chickens from Corporal Frank, sutler of the Colonel’s Company. During the discussion he hit Corporal Frank, of Quesnoy’s Company, in the face.

13 March. From the New Frederick Barracks at Winchester we received the report that, of the  sick  left  behind  there,  the  following  had  died:  from  the  Bayreuth  Regiment,  Corporal Hering,  Private  [Johann  Matthias]  Totschinder,  pack  servant  [Johann]  Geissler;  of  the Grenadier  Company,  Corporal  [Christian]  Jenemann,  of  Eyb’s  Company,  Private  [Peter] Scheerer,  of  the  Major’s  Company;  and  seven  men  of  the  Ansbach  Regiment,  including Sergeant  [Ludwig  Friedrich]  Schwedt.  This  evening  also,  Lieutenant  Lindemeyer  returned from  Lancaster  and  brought  some  money  for  the  officers,  but  no  certain  news  about  our baggage.
14 March. We received some money; each private one Spanish dollar, in partial payment, from the officers’ monies.
15 March. We had  the  opportunity  at  Quesnoy’s  Company  to  meet  with  Lieutenant  von Ciriacy concerning  Private  [Johann]  Haas,  of Quesnoy’s Company,  because  Sergeant Major St€lzel,  of  Eyb’s  Company,  as  the  initiator,  together  with  Sergeant  Major  [Georg] Kniewasser, had made false reports.
18 March. We had a roll call today. Today an affair occurred with our Captain Quesnoy, as six  of  our  men,  because  of  the  meeting  with  Lieutenant  von  Ciriacy,  were  to  be  sent  to  the jail; but the entire Quesnoy Company was opposed to this and so  it remained unresolved  for the time being.

22 March. Major Beust sent Lieutenant Lindemeyer to examine us, from early morning to afternoon.  Then  we  five  men,  Privates  D€hla,  [Georg]  Kiefhaber  I,  Schindler  II,  [Johann] Groh, and Haiden, all of Quesnoy’s Company, voluntarily entered the jail at three o’clock  in the  afternoon.  Our  sergeant  major  led  us  in,  because  Lieutenant  Lindemeyer  had  promised, with hand and mouth, that we would not be kept therein more than  forty-eight hours. So we voluntarily  went  into  this  captivity  to  satisfy  our  Captain  von  Quesnoy  and  Lieutenant Ciriacy.     The promise made, however, was word not kept, because we had to remain in this jail fourteen days.
This well-guarded prison, in the middle of the city, is surrounded by a wall with iron doors and  bars  before  the windows. One  hundred  people  can  easily  be  kept  in  it,  and  it  would  be difficult to escape. Outside, there is a guard day and night. The jailer’s residence is built at the entrance.
31 March. This was the holy Easter Day. This holiday was spent in our prison, very angry and  discontented,  even  though  we  had  many  freedoms  and  were  not  considered  like  other prisoners nor locked in our rooms at night. The jail keeper was Master Monsgrove. This past month generally had raw air and dry weather.
(to be continued)

America’s Forgotten Founder: Comte Charles Gravier de Vergennes
by John Ferling 17 Apr 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
Historians generally agree on who were America’s principal Founders, but the roll call invariably omits the name of one individual without whose steadfast assistance the United States would have been unlikely to have gained independence. Comte Charles Gravier de Vergennes, France’s foreign minister throughout the long, desperate war, was a crucial player in America’s victory and realization of independence.
France had suffered a devastating defeat in 1763 at the hands of Great Britain in the Seven Years’ War. The French navy had been laid waste and France lost Nova Scotia, Acadia, Quebec, all the territory it had claimed east of the Mississippi River, some West Indian colonies, its commanding share of the Newfoundland fisheries, and Senegal and assorted African slave-trading posts. Spain, France’s Bourbon ally, also sustained shocking losses in the peace settlement of 1763. Both countries soon began rebuilding their navies, aiming to eventually possess numerical superiority, but it was a time-consuming process that could not be achieved overnight.[1]
France’s long-term goals were redemption and retaliation against Great Britain. As it was axiomatic at Versailles that British hegemony stemmed from the wealth it derived from its colonial possessions in America, France twice dispatched secret agents to the colonies after 1765 when protests erupted against Britain’s new colonial policies. Read more…

Advertised on 19 April 1775: ‘WANTED, at the AMERICAN MANUFACTORY …’

What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago this week?

19 April 1775

“WANTED, at the AMERICAN MANUFACTORY … A Quantity of WOOL, COTTON, FLAX, and HEMP.”

In the middle of March 1775, supporters of a “FUND for establishing and carrying on an AMERICAN MANUFACTORY, of LINEN, WOOLLEN,” and textiles made of other items met at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia to learn more about the undertaking.  They pledged their support by signing their names to “Subscription Papers” or “general Proposals,” either at the meeting or at the London Coffee House in advance.  The organizers and the “Subscribers” sought to encourage “domestic manufactures” (products made in the colonies) as alternatives to imported goods.  Entrepreneurs had been pursuing that goal for more than a decade during the imperial crisis, though many devoted more effort during the times that colonizers adopted nonimportation agreements as political leverage.  In the spring of 1775, those involved with the “AMERICAN MANUFACTORY” did so as part of the Continental Association.  Its eighth article called for “encourage[ing] Frugality, Economy, and Industry; and promot[ing] Agriculture, Arts, and the Manufacturers of this Country.”
A month later, advertisements concerning the venture simultaneously appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette and the Pennsylvania Journal on April 19.  “WANTED, At the AMERICAN MANUFACTORY,” the notices advised, “A Quantity of WOOL, COTTON, FLAX, and HEMP.”  Readers could demonstrate their commitment to the cause by supplying the resources necessary to produce textiles in the colony.  The advertisement also noted that “a number of spinners and flax dressers may meet with employment” at the manufactory, contributing to the success of the Continental Association while earning their livelihoods.
When the printers of the Pennsylvania Gazette and the Pennsylvania Journal distributed the weekly issue of their newspapers on April 19, they were not yet aware of the momentous events that happened at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts that morning, though it would not take long for word to spread to Philadelphia and throughout the colonies. Read more…

Early Medical Education and the Revolutionary War
by Chaim M. Rosenberg, 15 Apr 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
Until 1765, there were no medical schools in the American colonies. In the words of one historian, a man aspiring to the medical profession was

obliged to acquire his training as an apprentice to an older doctor. Beginning usually at fifteen years of age, he took care of the physician’s office and his horse, and made himself generally useful. Little by little he was taught how to prepare prescriptions, to assist at blood-letting and, as he progressed, was allowed to accompany his master on his daily rounds. He was encouraged to study his mentor’s books.

A few Americans went abroad for their medical training, especially to the medical school of Edinburgh University. Returning home, they launched the independence of the teaching and practice of medicine in the American colonies.
William Shippen Jr. was a member of Philadelphia’s distinguished Shippen family. (Margaret “Peggy” Shippen, wife of America’s most infamous traitor general Benedict Arnold, was a relative.) John Morgan (born 1735) and William Shippen Jr. (born 1736), departed Philadelphia for Great Britain to study medicine. Morgan studied “under the most celebrated masters of every branch of medicine.” Both men attended the anatomy demonstrations of John and William Hunter in London. Describing Shippen as a “sober and discrete young man,” and holding Morgan “in great esteem,” Benjamin Franklin—Philadelphia’s leading citizen—recommended them for acceptance into the University of Edinburgh medical school; the premier medical school in the English-speaking world. While abroad, Morgan and Shippen, “two zealous and enthusiastic young men [developed] the plan of establishing a medical school” in Philadelphia. Franklin wished Morgan “a prosperous completion of your studies, and in due time, a happy return to your native country.” Morgan and Shippen “wanted to bring medical education to America, so others would not have to . . . travel half a world away to receive an education.” Read more…

Book Review: The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America
Author: Kostya Kennedy (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2025)
Review by Jim Piecuch 14 Apr 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
The story of Paul Revere’s ride through the Massachusetts countryside on the night of April 18-19, 1775, to warn that British troops were on the march, is so familiar that people might believe there is little more to learn about it. However, the well-known outline of the story, as Kostya Kennedy demonstrates, only scratches the surface of an undertaking that Kennedy argues was essential to the success of the American Revolution.
Kennedy begins his book by posing an intriguing question: What might have happened if Massachusetts militia had not been present at either Lexington or Concord when British troops arrived on April 19? He speculates that John Hancock and Samuel Adams could have been captured or killed, that the munitions at Concord could have been seized, and that such events might have put the American Revolution on a completely different, perhaps even unsuccessful, course. In Kennedy’s view, the question that gives rise to this hypothetical scenario can also be stated as: What might have happened had Paul Revere not made his ride to warn the inhabitants of towns outside Boston that British regulars were coming? While it is impossible to answer such a question, Kennedy uses it to underscore the importance of Revere’s ride, declaring that “Perhaps no night was more critical to [America’s] fate”. Read more...


The American experiment launched with the sound of gunshots
by  Rick Atkinson, 18 April 2025 The Washington Post
Rick Atkinson, a former reporter and editor at The Post, is author of the forthcoming “The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780.”
It began just after dawn on April 19, 250 years ago, with an abrupt spatter of gunfire in rural Massachusetts that left eight Americans dead on Lexington Common, a bucolic crossroads of 750 people and 400 cows. For the next eight years, an obscure squabble on the edge of the world metastasized into both a civil war of internecine fury and a global conflict fought on four continents and the seven seas. By the end, after 1,300 battlefield actions, plus 241 naval engagements, the British Empire was badly diminished and the new United States of America was ascendant, a fledgling republic with its own imperial ambitions.
The American semiquincentennial begins now, marking the 250th anniversary of this country’s founding. Like the bicentennial five decades ago, it’s an opportunity for both celebration and reflection on who we are, where we came from, what our forebears believed and — perhaps the most fearsome question any people can ask themselves — what they were willing to die for.
Today, the revolution that midwifed a nation seems an ancient, arcane quarrel over taxes, trade policy and self-rule. But even now, certain truths can be discerned across the centuries: that this nation was born from violence, with bitter discord part of that birthright; that high-minded leaders worthy of esteem can rise to the occasion with pluck, wisdom and equanimity; and that regardless of the trials bedeviling us in 2025, when national unity is elusive and when partisan rancor seems ever more venomous, we have surmounted greater perils, existential perils, throughout our history.
Much about the American Revolution has been forgotten or distorted. The nation’s founders often are either embalmed in reverence or condemned for their manifest flaws. Certainly 18th-century revolutionary rhetoric tended to be aspirational, if not delusional. The galvanic assertion that “all men are created equal” hardly held true for half a million enslaved Black people — 1 in 5 of all Americans occupying the 13 colonies when those words were written in 1776. Nor was it valid for women, Native Americans or poor people. Read more…

How did the Georgians socialise at Easter?
By Sarah Murden 13 April 2017 in All Things Georgians
With Easter almost here, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter and share with you some snippets about the way Georgians spent their Easter with some extracts from the newspapers of the day – ‘partying’ being the most obvious!
Let’s begin with a letter of complaint, clearly, from someone who didn’t appreciate many of the celebrations that took place during the year and felt it appropriate to vent his/her annoyance to the editor of the Whitehall Evening Post, I’m only focusing on a snippet from it about Easter though. Read more…

The Memory of 1776 (Podcast)
by Michael Hattem, April 2025, Ben Franklin’s World
Michael Hattem is a scholar of the American Revolution and historical memory. In this episode, we join Michael to investigate the history of our memories of the Revolution drawing on details from his new book, The Memory of ’76: The Revolution in American History.
During our investigation, Michael reveals why the American Revolution has long been a source of both unity and division in American life. How figures like Thomas Jefferson have actively shaped the public’s memories of the Revolution for personal gain. And, how different Americans— from Civil War-era Confederates to 1970s bicentennial activists— have reinterpreted 1776 to reflect their own needs, identities, and aspirations.  Listen in…

Reaching for the Beaufort Sea: Long-standing Canada-US Dispute
By Rob Huebert 11 April 2025, Canadian Geographic
As relations heat up between Canada and the U.S., where does that leave the icy Beaufort Sea?
The long-standing dispute between Canada and the United States over the Beaufort Sea can be seen as a metaphor for Canada-U.S. relations.
In the Beaufort Sea, which lies north of Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, there’s a wedge of ocean that has been in question for two centuries. As the border between Canada and America reaches the coastline, the two countries disagree as to which direction that boundary line proceeds into the tides. Canada says it should follow the 141st meridian west, extending the border between Alaska and Yukon. The U.S. asserts the line should instead be equidistant from the two nations.
Despite their differences, Canada and the U.S. have been able to resolve a wide range of practical issues, from the pursuit of oil and gas to commercial fishing in the region. The boundary disagreement hasn’t prevented the two countries from developing a seamless defence relationship to protect the region: the two coast guards operate on such a close basis, it’s hard to tell there even is a border. All of this is based on shared values and interests that have made the boundary issue seem almost irrelevant. But this may be about to change.
The re-election of Donald Trump has turned this relationship on its head — and is threatening to undermine it entirely. Read more…

UELAC Loyalist Directory: New Contributions

    Entries which have been added, or revised, this week.

Thanks to Michael Mallery who is providing information about Loyalists who served with the Prince of Wales American Volunteers.

  • Pvt. John Beevins served in the 2nd Battalion Prince of Wales American Volunteers. never fully formed, it was often called Hierlihy’s Corps or Independent Companies. John Beevins first appears in McMullan’s Company August 31, 1777 Muster Roll. On July 21, 1784 a report on the men who have settled or preparing to settle at Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He had already drawn 12 months provisions. He was 45 years old, and that he was granted 100 acres and that he died at Beaver Harbour; however, he was still shown on October 18, 1784 as granted 100 acres in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
  • Cpl Elijah Bennet first appears on ship Marlin muster as part of the Expedition against Fairfield March 1, 1777. He was taken Prisoner at the battle of Hanging Rock, South Carolina on 6th August 1780. Before his death he was in possession of the East half lot 13 on Hammond River. His will dated 1st November 1788 and proved 15th June 1789 in the parish of Sussex, Kings County, New Brunswick. His estate was willed to his friend William Marsh, who owned the adjacent lot.
  • Pvt. Isaac Benson first appears in Captain Andrew Maxwell’s grenadier company on August 1777 Muster Roll. Land grants in Saint Mary’s Parish, York County, New Brunswick, then Cleoncore IslandNB, and then petitioned for land on an island in the Saint John River, 4 miles from St. Anne, New Brunswick. He was settled in the district between Nashwaak and Madam Keyswick, New Brunswick on 29th July 1785. His wife was named Catharine.
  • Sgt. Jared Betts possibly from Connecticut, first appears in Captain James Holden’s company on August 1777 Muster Roll. He was a Master Mason in the Masonic Lodge No. 535 held in the Prince of Wales American Volunteers; in August 1783 the lodge room was on Long Island, New York. He lived in Fredericton and then Saint John, NB. He and Susanna had eight children.
  • Sgt. James Birmingham was an Upholsterer from New York. He first appears in Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Pattinson’s company on August 1777 Muster Roll. In 1785 he petitioned for land on Mahogany Cove,NB and was granted Town Lot 834 Duke Street, Parr Town (Saint John). Later he was granted a town lot in Shelburn, Nova Scotia; however, wanted to relinquish that lot for a town lot in Preston, Nova Scotia. He was Constable of Queens Ward in the City of Saint John, New Brunswick.

 

Events Upcoming

Kingston Branch: “Redcoats, Loyalists, a Privateer and… a Patriot?” Sat 26 Apr 1:00

Kingston and District Branch, United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada (UELAC) will meet on Saturday, April 26th at 1:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Anglican Church Hall, 137 Queen Street (doors open at noon); or if you prefer on Zoom (starting 12:30 p.m.).  Cheryl Levy, PCGLS, speaks on “Redcoats, Loyalists, a Privateer and… a Patriot?” A graduate of the International Institute of Genealogical Studies, Cheryl’s research uncovered intriguing, forgotten family connections to the American Revolution.  She aims to help others research their own family histories.  For the Zoom link, visit Kingston-Branch.  All with an interest in Canadian history are welcome!

St Albans at Adolphustown: Concert, Dance Music from 50’s to 80’s Sat 26 Apr 7:30

By The Reasons, formed in 1980 and are based in Prince Edward County.  Dance music from the 50s/60s/70s/80s, from Elvis, Dion,The Beatles, CCR to Trooper and Bryan Adams, there are songs for everyone.YAt St. Alban’s Centre. Buy tickets $25 (at the door $30)

American Revolution Institute: Panel: The Battles of Lexington and Concord 29 Apr @ 6:30

To kick off our eight-year-long 250th anniversary celebrations of the American Revolution, join us for a panel discussion highlighting the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Panelists will discuss the prelude of the two events of April 19, 1775, the engagements through the perspectives of the battles’ participants and civilian eyewitnesses; and recent archaeological studies and findings and how they have impacted or enhanced the interpretation of the battles. Register…

Sir Guy Carleton Branch:  AGM and luncheon, Sat 3 May

The venue is the Villa Marconi at Baseline Road and Farlane (2016 Baseline Road) in Ottawa. The cost is for the luncheon is $35.00/per person. To register and make arrangements for an e-transfer,  email carletonuel@hotmail.com
Rosemarie Pleasant, President

Glengarry Rambles Charlottenburgh Bus Tour May 24, 25, 31 & June 1 (June 1 is sold out)

The tour runs from 1:00 – 3:30.
– Glengarry’s only two covered bridges back in the day
– One of the 100 most influential Canadians of the 20th century
– One of Ontario’s 14 bicentennial farms
– The solar energy center of Glengarry
– Grant’s Folly: home of Glengarry’s longest running general store
More details and tickets…

The Fort Plain Museum’s American Revolutionary War Conference 250, May 29-June 1, 2025

Speakers and Topics Include:
Pulitzer Prize Winner Rick Atkinson – The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
Bus Tour – We Stood Our Ground: Battles of Lexington & Concord, April 19, 1775 – Led by Alexander R. Cain – Thursday, May 29, 2025
Read more…

 

From the Social Media and Beyond

  •  Formed in Orange County, New York by William Bayard in 1776  the King’s Orange Rangers were sent to Nova Scotia in November 1778 and a Company commanded by Capt. John Howard stationed at Liverpool. Watch video. (1:30 min)…
    Fun afternoon in Liverpool for presentation on King’s Orange Rangers for Queens County Historical Society –
    A good resource on the King’s Orange Rangers by John G. Leefe,   a UE Loyalist descendant born in Saint John who was also a teacher, political figure in Nova Scotia, and author.
  • Food and Related : Twonsends

  • This week in History
    •  17 April 1492: King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of #Spain agree to finance Christopher Columbus’ voyage as he seeks a westward passage to the Indies. He instead found America for the Europeans. image
    • 16 Apr 1738, Newfoundland, CA.  Henry Clinton, a future commander of British forces in N. America, is born. His father was the royal governor of Newfoundland & later royal governor of NY, where Henry spent 8 years before going to England to join the Army. image
    • 14 Apr 1775, Boston, MA. Royal Governor General Thomas Gage received orders from the Secretary for the Colonies, William Legge (Lord Dartmouth), permitting the use of any necessary force to quell the insurrectionists and enforce the Coercive Acts. image
    • 14 Apr 1775 Philadelphia Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush organized “The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage.” This was the first abolitionist organization in America. image
    • 15 Apr 1775, Boston. Gen. Thomas Gage orders the formation of a strike force of 700 hand-picked men from the elite light & grenadier companies. & decides on a preemptive raid against colonial stores of ammunition and other supplies at Concord and Wooster.  image
    • 16 Apr 1775 Dr. Joseph Warren dispatches Paul Revere to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Sam Adams of potential British activity. Upon completing his mission, he arranges for lanterns in the steeple of Boston’s Old Church to signal British movements.  image
    • 18 April 1775, Boston, Massachusetts.  British General Thomas Gage orders the elite flying column under Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith, along with Major John Pitcairn’s marines, on a raid to seize an arms cache at Concord. Dr. Joseph Warren gets wind of it through his spies and launches three nightriders to warn patriot leaders. John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Paul Revere, William Dawes & Samuel Prescott began their midnight ride to warn of approaching British forces – an elite flying column targeting patriot leaders and munitions/weaponry at Lexington and Concord. Paul Revere did not yell the celebrated “The British are coming” but rather “The regulars are coming out,” as the British soldiers were known as “regular troops.” At the time, all Americans felt they were British. image1   image 2
    • 6 April 1776, Philadelphia. The Continental Congress passed a significant trade act that opened American ports to trade with all nations except Great Britain. This resolution effectively declared economic independence from Britain by allowing American merchants to engage in commerce with countries like France, Spain, and the Netherlands while prohibiting trade with British entities. It was a bold move aimed at weakening British economic dominance over the colonies and fostering alliances with other nations, particularly given the escalating American Revolutionary War. This act marked a pivotal step toward establishing the colonies as a sovereign entity capable of managing their own international trade relations. The act was driven by economic, political, and strategic factors amid the growing conflict with Great Britain. Some key causes included the Navigation Act and other restrictions imposed by mercantilist British policies; the British blockade and other punitive measures since Lexington and Concord; the growing sense of independence; the need to build alliances; and the pursuit of economic self-sufficiency.  image
    • 13 April 1776 New York City. General George Washington arrives from Boston to assess and prepare the city’s defenses. He recognized the strategic value of the city’s location, viewing it as a crucial link between the northern and southern states, and he would remain focused on this throughout the war. However, controlling the area required naval power, which the Americans lacked against the world’s most powerful navy. The British assessment of New York was similar, and they would launch a significant invasion to seize control of the strategic port. image
    • 18 Apr 1776 Cape Fear, NC. The vanguard of a fleet led by Commodore Peter Parker arrives off the North Carolina coast.  image
    • 13 Apr 1777, Bound Brook, NJ General Benjamin Lincoln’s brigade of 500 is completely taken by surprise in camp during a sudden attack by 2,000 British forces under General Charles Cornwallis. Lincoln puts up a stout defense but withdraws. image
    • 17 April 1777, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Continental Congress reorganized the Committee of Secret Correspondence, transforming it into the Committee of Foreign Affairs, and appointed pamphleteer Thomas Paine as secretary. This marked a maturation of America’s approach to diplomacy and intelligence, serving as the predecessor to what would later become the Department of State. The Second Continental Congress established the Committee of Secret Correspondence, which was active from 1775 to 1776. The Committee played a significant role in securing French aid and alliance during the American Revolution. image
    • 12 Apr 1779 France & Spain formalize the Convention of Aranjuez, an alliance against Great Britain aimed at regaining lost territories for both. Spain will not recognize American independence as it sees it as a threat to its holdings in Louisiana & Mexico. image
    • 10 Apr 1780 Charleston, SC. American Gen Benjamin Lincoln decides not to slip his forces from the noose tightening around the city. When the 1st series of parallels (trenches) is complete, British Gen Henry Clinton calls for surrender. He refuses. image
    • 13 Apr 1780, Charleston, SC- British artillery and naval batteries begin bombarding the city’s defenses, starting a month-long siege. image
    • 14 Apr 1780 Monks Corner, SC/ Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton &  Maj. Patrick Ferguson lead 1,400 infantry and cavalry against the last American outpost near Charleston. The surprise raid routed Gen. Isaac Huger’s 500-man garrison, inflicting heavy casualties.  image
    • 15 Apr 1780 New Bridge, NJ. Some 312 British, Loyalist, & German infantry attack & overwhelm an American outpost under the command of Lieut. Bryson. image
    • 17 Apr 1780 Dominica, W. Indies, Adm. Rodney’s squadron encounters a French fleet under Adm. Luc d’Urbain. A battle ensues, but it’s a bloody yet indecisive confrontation, with both sides withdrawing and suffering almost 1300 casualties. image
    • 15 Apr 1781 Delaware Capes. Seth Harding’s 32-gun frigate, the USS Confederacy, is captured by the 32-gun British frigate, Orpheus & 44-gun frigate, Roebuck. The British renamed the ship HMS Confederate. image
    • 16 Apr 1781 Augusta, GA. American militia under Colonel Andrew Pickens and Elijah Clarke surrounded the Loyalist garrison. However, the garrison commander, Colonel Thomas Brown, decides to resist. image
    • 18 Apr 1781 Portsmouth, VA. American traitor & British general Benedict Arnold launches his raid through Virginia with some 2,500 men. It will devastate the land but have little strategic effect. image
    • 12 Apr 1782 Ceylon.  Sir Edward Hughes & a French fleet, led by the Bailli de Suffren, clashed off the coast of India. It proves inconclusive, & an evening storm disrupts what is known as the Battle of Providien. image
    • 15 Apr 1783 Philadelphia. The Confederation Congress ratified a provisional draft of the Treaty of Paris and ordered the release of all naval prisoners. This is a significant huzzah after eight long years of struggle. image
    • 17 Apr 1783 Ft Carlos, Arkansas (Sp) Cap James Colbert attacks with 150 Loyalists & Indians. A garrison of 40 under Capt Rayundo Du Breuil defends the fort with the help of Quapaw Indian allies. Du Breuil orders a sortie&  forces Colbert’s retreat. image
  • Clothing and Related:
    •  Truly one of the loveliest 18th- century samplers we’ve ever seen, made by Ann Astles in 1769. This sampler retains outstanding original colour and condition
    • As women’s hairstyles reached new heights in the 1770s, caricaturists had fun imagining how the ladies coped day-to-day with their enormous hair, including the tricky business of fitting into a carriage!
  • Miscellaneous

 

Last Post: BONNELL UE, Paul Ritchie 15 Sept 1927 – 26 Mar 2025
Paul grew up in Chateauguay where he enjoyed many activities including paddling, water polo, and swimming. His appetite for a good book was an ongoing and consistent passion throughout his life.
Graduating from Sir George Williams University (Concordia) with a BA Science in 1952, his career in pharmaceuticals with Merck Frosst spanned 42 years until his retirement as Director of Systems.
FA kind and generous person, he was awarded the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award in 2000 in recognition of what he gave of himself to his fellow citizens.
Paul is now reunited with his loving wife Ruby, with whom he enjoyed 63 years of marriage before her passing in 2013. Paul is survived by his son Peter (late Dena).
The funeral will take place at St. Barnabas Church on Saturday May 17. More…

Paul was a long-time member of Heritage Branch in Montreal. President Robert Wilkins notes that Paul may have been a founding member of the branch.
Paul received Loyalist Certificates in 2007 as a descendant of Benjamin Bonnell UEL and Andrew Ritchie UEL

Last Post: ABLETT UE, Maxine “Marie” (née Loyst)
On March 12, 2025, (Maxine) Marie Ablett (née Loyst) passed away. Born in 1936, the first child of Ross and Lena Loyst, she is survived by her three siblings: Mel (Jean), Frank (Joyce) and Pat (Wayne), all of Kelowna. Marie was predeceased by her husband of more than 60 years, Doug Ablett, who passed in 2019. They had four children, Todd (Stella) of West Vancouver, BC; Stuart (Emiko) of Tokyo, Japan; Linda of Port Coquitlam, BC; and Karen (1969-1979.)
Throughout her life, Marie was a very active member of many local groups, including the Kelowna and District Genealogical Society, the Okanagan Historical Society, the Okanagan Valley Quilters Guild and the Thompson-Okanagan Branch, UELC. She believed in giving back to her community and was always happy to help others. In 2012, Marie was named Woman of the Year for the city of Kelowna.
More details at Springfield Funeral Home

Marie was the long-time Genealogist for the Thompson-Okanagan Branch, UELAC. She received her Loyalist certificate as a descendant of Andrew Loyst UEL in 1985,
Noted by Darlene Jones.

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