In this issue:

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Announcing the 2025 UELAC Scholarship Recipients
2025 UELAC Scholarships have been awarded to two individuals. Congratulations to:

Kaitlyn Carter is a Ph.D. candidate in History at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She received a Master of Arts in History from Western University in 2021 and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History from Brock University in 2020. Alongside her passion for academia and teaching, Kaitlyn has actively worked in public history in the Niagara Region and Middlesex County. She has previously been an interpreter at McFarland House Museum, Fort George NHS, and Fanshawe Pioneer Village, and has worked as the Development Coordinator at The Brown Homestead. Kaitlyn’s dissertation, “Performing Pain: Emotional Experience, Imperial Masculinity, and Medical Encounter in Early Nineteenth-Century British Military, 1793-1815,” explores British cultures of pain, trauma, and masculinity through an examination of the clinical encounters between physicians and various communities related to military service in early nineteenth century, with a focus on the War of 1812 and Napoleonic Wars.

Katherine (Katie) Ritchie is an M.A. history candidate completing her thesis research under the supervision of Dr. Jerry Bannister at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Originally from Belfast, Maine in the United States, Katie decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in secondary education with a concentration in social studies from the University of Maine beginning in 2020. Katie picked up a history double major in 2022 and she earned her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and History with the highest distinction, summa cum laude, in May of 2024.  It was during her first year of university in an American history course that Katie came face-to-face with the “other side” of the story of the American Revolution, a conflict which had been emphasized and celebrated throughout her time moving through the US public educational system in a New England state. Katie was particularly moved by the diary of Massachusatts Loyalist Peter Oliver and the dramatic differences between what she had been taught growing up and the narratives produced by individuals who had decided to stay loyal to the British Crown during the war. Katie’s fascination with the Loyalists culminated in the creation of her fourth-year history capstone paper titled “Revolutionary Pedagogy: The Value of Including Nova Scotia Loyalists’ Perspectives in American Education.” This writing, which was presented at the Atlantic Canada Studies Conference just a week after she graduated from UMaine, combined Katie’s backgrounds in accessible, well-rounded education and source-based historical research to argue for the inclusion of Loyalists’ experiences and primary sources in US public education.

Read more about Kaitlyn and Katie at UELAC Scholarship

Scholarship Challenge 2025
    On behalf of the UELAC Scholarships Committee, I am pleased to announce this year’s Scholarship Challenge 2025.  The Challenge will run between June 1 to September 1, 2025
This year 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American War of Independence and the first of many chapters of our Loyalist story. Our current and past Scholarship recipients are joining others now conducting new research and writing innovative history that challenges the mythology of the American Revolution.
We acknowledge that the plight of the Loyalists has been misrepresented or ignored in some education systems and in popular film production.
The UELAC Scholarship is a very important aspect of our organization.  It is helping to ensure that the story of the Loyalists in the American Revolution and the aftermath of settlement in Canada continues to be researched and interpreted by a new generation of Masters and PhD graduate students who apply and qualify for the scholarship money.
Please continue to give generously to the UELAC Scholarship fund because your contributions really do ‘fund future knowledge’.
See more donation information and how to donate.
Thank you,
….Jayne Leake UE, Scholarships Committee Chair

UELAC AGM: Executive of the Board of Directors
The members of the Board of Directors of UELAC serve one year terms, although in many cases the positions are held for more than one term. Nonetheless each must be elected for each term.
At the UELAC AGM on 24 May 2025, for the year 2025/6, these people were elected to positions in the Board’s Executive Group.

  • President: Bill Russell UE of Kawartha Branch
  • Past President: Carl Stymiest UE of Vancouver Branch
  • Vice President: Kevin Wisener UE of Abegweit Branch
  • Treasurer: Barb Andrew of Assiniboine Branch
  • Secretary: Jo Ann Tuskin of Gov. Simcoe Branch

Of these, Kevin is new to the Board, and Bill and Carl have new positions. Jo Ann and Barb continue in their roles from last year.
Congratulations to each of them.

2025  UELAC Conference:  Much to learn, and enjoy
The conference has lots to offer: learn from expert speakers, visit Loyalist sites, share your Loyalist story — see Conference 2025 details.  Learn more about our Loyalist history.

The Gala Banquet reception & dinner on Saturday evening with the Lt. Gov. Honourable Louise Imbeault in attendance. Loyalist period clothing is encouraged. Dorchester Award and Sue Morris Hines Award winners will be honoured.
Dr. Bonnie Hoskins, a recently appointed UELAC Fellow will speak about “Why Drinking Establishments are Important Sites of Loyalist history: the Exchange Coffee House and the Mallard Tavern in Saint John”
Bonnie is an assistant Professor at UNB at Saint John, and an adjunct Professor, Loyalist Studies Coordinator and Honorary Research Associate at UNB, Fredericton. She teaches courses on the American Revolution and Loyalist history; Canadian history; immigration history; gender and women’s history; British Atlantic World; and pirates and-piracy in world history. Dr. Huskins is a well-published author of books, a passionate Loyalist researcher, producing detailed articles and has conducted many Loyalist-related podcasts and in-person presentations.

Hope to see you at Conference.

Loyalist Physicians: The Famous, The Infamous and The Obscure – Part Two
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
You are on your local loyalist trivia team. To win your game, you must answer one final question: What flower was named for a Loyalist from South Carolina?
Answer: Gardenia jasminioides.
The historian James Folsom explains that consultations with noted botanist Carolus Linnaeus “led to the publication of Gardenia as the generic name for a fragrant-flowered Asian plant said to have been collected from South Africa (and thus known as Cape Jasmine)” in 1760. While it is quite an honour to have a plant named after one, a strange fact of history is that the Loyalist whose name graces the flower never saw a gardenia. The honoured Loyalist was Dr. Alexander Garden –a physician, zoologist, and botanist.  He is considered to be the most important figure in South Carolina’s 18th century natural history investigations. This is his story.
Garden was born into the family of a parish rector in northeastern Scotland in January 1730. Thirteen years later, Alexander became an apprentice to Dr. James Gordon at the University of Aberdeen, learning — among other things– of the medicinal value of plants. The young Scot had practical service as a surgeon’s first mate in the Royal Navy before entering the University of Edinburgh to study as a physician.
Financial difficulties thwarted the completion of Alexander’s studies. Fearing that he had tuberculosis, he became the assistant of Dr. William Rose in Charleston, South Carolina in 1752.  Two years later, Alexander’s life changed forever when he was lent books written by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who was famous for creating a system of plant and animal classification. Botany would become Garden’s lifelong obsession.
On Christmas Day 1755, at age 25, Alexander married Elizabeth Peronneau. His new wife was the daughter of a wine importer and rice planter. Within a few years, the Gardens would have two daughters and one son.
While he may have been happiest when collecting plant specimens in the wilds of South Carolina, Dr. Garden also had important medical responsibilities. The historian Ted McCormack records that when there was an outbreak of smallpox in Charleston in 1760, Garden joined other doctors in inoculating over 2,400 people.
Garden was also employed to care for the enslaved Africans who disembarked at Charleston.  A staggering 40% of all slaves brought into the American colonies came through the South Carolinian port.
Garden wrote that: “There are few slave ships that come here from Africa but have had many of the cargoes thrown overboard. Some ships lost one fourth, some one third, some lost half; and I have seen some that have lost two-thirds of their slaves. I have often gone to visit those Vessels on their first arrival, in order to make a report of their state of health to the Governor and Council, but I have never yet been on board one that did not smell most offensive and noisome, what for filth, putrid air, and putrid dysenteries … it is a wonder any escape with life.”
In 1769, the Gardens sent their son Alexander Jr. to study in England. He would remain there for 13 years.  A year after his son’s departure, Garden had had enough of boarding slave ships. He bought a 1,689-acre plantation that gave him land on which to grow his collection of plant specimens. Named Yeshoe – an Indigenous word for “green water”—the Garden plantation included a house that was built in the 1680s. Still standing, it is the oldest structure in South Carolina.
Elizabeth Garden renamed the plantation Otranto. It became the site for gardens featuring indigenous plants as well as agricultural experiments. A visiting poet described Otranto as “an ideal of southern plantation life – a haven of intellectual contemplation and natural beauty.”
Writing extensively about Garden, Charles Bryan and Weaver Whitehead Jr. note that the doctor “submitted botanical specimens to the British naturalist John Ellis, who read Garden’s papers to the Royal Society and made Garden known to the great Swedish physician-naturalist Carl Linnaeus.”
The historian Albert E. Sanders notes “Garden sent several large shipments of specimens to Linnaeus, consisting primarily of dried fish skins and reptiles preserved in wine. Among them were forty-one new species of fishes, three lizards, thirteen snakes, and one amphibian … Those specimens constituted the largest body of material sent to Linnaeus by anyone in North America.”
According to Bryan and Whitehead, Linnaeus “eventually credited Garden for describing three new genera of plants, two new genera of fish, and 60 new species of serpents, insects, and fish. Garden’s specimens were so well-prepared that many remain on display in London museums.” It was out of appreciation for Alexander Garden’s efforts that a South African flower –that the Scot had never encountered– was named in his honour.
The societal divisions of the American Revolution curtailed Garden’s work as both a doctor and botanist. When Charleston was occupied by the British, Garden tried to remain neutral, but when he signed a memorial congratulating General Cornwallis on his victory of the Continental Army at Camden, South Carolina, it became clear to his neighbours that the botanist was a Loyalist at heart.
The war divided families. Despite his father’s loyalist convictions, Young Alexander Garden Jr. returned to South Carolina and promptly joined the American army.   He eventually became a major and was an aide-de-camp to General Nathaniel Greene.
With the defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown in the fall of 1781, Britain lost its will to continue the war. Garden and 13 other doctors – now labeled “obnoxious persons“—were stripped of their property and banished. Garden, his wife and one of their daughters sailed for England in December of 1782, never to return. The Gardens’ son remained on his family’s estate.
The Gardens made their home in London where Alexander would eventually become the vice-president of the Royal Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Although he did not seek any financial remuneration for his wartime losses, Garden appeared before the compensation board on behalf of other loyalists from South Carolina: Zephaniah Kingsley (a Quaker), Henry Perroneau (presumably his wife’s relative), and for Robert Beard, his former next door neighbour.
The tuberculosis that had plagued Dr. Alexander Garden for most of his life eventually killed him. He died on April 15, 1791 at the age of 61.
In summarizing the Loyalist doctor’s life, Ted McCormack states that although Alexander Garden was “famous for his meticulous medical and scientific endeavours“, he was also said to have been respected for his “benevolence, cheerfulness, and pleasing manners“. And –of course– he is remembered as the man for whom the gardenia is named.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

Ruling Rebels: How the Sons of Liberty Became Colonial Powerbrokers
by Daniel Carrigy 29 May 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
On August 14, 1765, the town of Boston was in turmoil. At the entrance to the city, two large effigies were hanging from a great tree. The first effigy was that of John Stuart, the Earl of Bute, whilst the second was that of Andrew Oliver, a local stamp collector. Their two likenesses had been hung in widespread colonial opposition to the Stamp Act that had recently passed British parliament. The Stamp Act required that all legal and official papers throughout the colonies be taxed, with a stamp on said papers indicating that the tax had been paid. The act impacted a range of documents and goods, including newspapers, court documents, dice and playing cards. Colonial businessmen and merchants felt that the Stamp Act was a flagrant violation of their rights as Englishmen. Thousands of Bostonians gathered around the effigies to protest the unpopular decree.
As the day continued, resentment gradually simmered. Before long, the mob turned violent. Enraged Bostonians destroyed Andrew Oliver’s workplace before ransacking his home. From there, they carried the effigies of both Oliver and Stuart to Fort Hill, burning and beheading them. The royal governor, Francis Bernard, had a full view of the demonstration from nearby Castle William. In a fearful letter to the Board of Trade, Bernard explained that “Whilst I am writing, looking towards Boston, I saw a bonfire burning on Fort Hill: by which I understand the mob is up.” The demonstration was so fierce and widespread that it fundamentally overturned the power dynamics of the city. Bernard, sheltering in Castle William, confessed that the mob had turned him into a simple “nominal governor,” believing that he was a “prisoner at large” to the furious Boston public.
Yet, this widespread civil unrest was by no means a spontaneous outburst. Rather, it was carefully cultivated by just nine men. The men, calling themselves the Loyal Nine, were a collection of Bostonian businessmen. The group consisted of two brass workers, two distillers, a merchant, a painter, a printer, a jeweler, and a shipmaster. Crucially, the Loyal Nine were the precursor group of the Sons of Liberty, the infamous paramilitary group that would engender opposition to British parliament and play a significant role in bringing about the War of Independence. In constructing the effigies of Scott and Oliver, as well as inciting the violence and anger of the Boston mob, the original Loyal Nine demonstrated some of the trademark behaviors that would make the Sons of Liberty so powerful in the years to come. But how did the Loyal Nine become the Sons of Liberty? More importantly, how did the Sons of Liberty become so powerful? The Sons of Liberty cultivated a three-pronged approach of violence, spectacle, and surveillance. Such an approach not only helped them undermine British imperial control in the colonies, in some cases, it even turned them into de facto rulers in their own right.  Read more…

The King’s Birthday: George III born 4 June 1738
He watched America being born and was its last king. On this day in 1738 at Windsor Castle, Frederick, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Princess Augusta had their first son, George William Frederick
In 1751, the Prince of Wales died. That put 12-year-old George in line for the throne, which he ascended as King George III when his grandfather, George II, died in 1760. He would reign for 60 years, and die in misery and madness, but he had seen the British gain an empire by defeating the French in North America during the Seven Years War. They became Europe’s greatest power, defeating Napoleonic France in the early 19th century. But George III’s reign was also marked by disastrous policies that drove the American colonies into rebellion, and ultimately independence during the American Revolution.
In 1775, Georgia Patriots spiked cannons in Savannah so they could not roar to celebrate the birthday of the King born on June 4, 1738, Today in Georgia History.  (From June 4: Today in Georgia History)

The United States Army’s New Exhibit Highlighting the Revolutionary War Soldier Experience
by Adam E. Zielinski 27 May 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
“He is one of those who fought in the Revolutionary War for that Independence which the people of this Country now enjoy. That whilst his country had need of his services . . . he did not remain at home ‘idle in his cabin,’ but went wherever his country call[ed], & his General dared to lead.” The words of Private William Woods of South Carolina speak directly to his quest for receiving a pension. Seeking relief from poverty in elder years, his story is just one of dozens found in the new exhibit, “CALL TO ARMS: The Soldier & the Revolutionary War,” the National Museum of the United States Army’s celebration of the army’s 250th birthday this upcoming June 2025.
The first exhibition of its kind to showcase the Continental Army at its inception, this ambitious exhibit centers enlisted soldiers in the overall scope of the Revolution, with a focus on artifacts that are both original and rare to tell their stories. The 5,000 square foot space has been developed to provide engagement at every corner; from the first shots of Lexington and Concord through the perils of the Southern Theater, the Army is presenting the Revolutionary War in a way that has never been seen before.
Located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the National Museum of the United States Army opened in November 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. ..
…A special treat is that the museum has partnered with international institutions to include artifacts from around the world. These include an original 1773 British redcoat, a 1776 French infantry coat, and artifacts associated with the many German regiments collectively known as Hessians. In addition, while the exhibit does not seek to tell the whole story of the war, it does provide visitors with a sprawling variety of items that touch on American Loyalists, prisoners of war, civilian interactions, and veterans seeking compensation in the nineteenth century. Read more…

The Moses Stacey diary
Moses Stacey sailed out of Marblehead on a privateer in Nov 1776 and was captured the next month. His diary of his voyage & captivity in Plymouth, England, thru Jan 1779 has been digitized by the American Revolution Institute.
The Moses Stacey diary 1776 November 15 to 1779 January 4 recounts his time as a prisoner of war at Old Mill Prison in Plymouth, England. Moses Stacey (-1789) was an American privateer from Marblehead, Massachusetts who was captured by the British on the HMS Raisonnable in 1776 and held as a prisoner in Old Mill Prison. In 1775 Stacey served as a private in Capt. John Glover, Jr’s company, and later in Col. John Glover’s 21st Regiment. Stacey joined the crew of the brigantine Dolton, commanded by Eleazer Johnson, in 1776. Stacey has also been recorded as having served on the schooner Hawke instead.
The three volumes describe the conditions and treatment of prisoners of war including their bedding, clothing, and medical care onboard ships and in Old Mill Prison, the escape attempts from prisoners, illness and disease, rations and allowances, relationships with other prisoners and guards, and news of the events of the war in America and the political climate in England as he learned it from newspapers, correspondence, and conversation. Punishment at Old Mill Prison included half rations and confinement in what is referred to by Stacey and other prisoners as “the Black Hole.” Stacey recorded personal correspondence, including learning of the death of his mother.
Volume 1, 1776 November 15 to 1778 March 7: The diary starts “1776 Massachusetts State, Newbury Port, November 15th, at half past one p.m. got under way with light winds WSW in the Brigg Dolton, Elezer Johnston, Commander, bound for Portsmouth…” The entry for December 24, 1776 is a detailed account of the fighting and capture of the Dolton by the HMS Raisonnable, “at 10 Pm I was transported on board the Enimeys Ship which was his Majesty Ship the Reaisnobel.” The volume describes the conditions on the Raisonnable.
Read more description and read pages…

Hessian Soldiers Travelling to America: POW: In Camp – A Soldier’s Life. August 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 129

In the Month of September 1782
From September 1 on,  all  of  the  captives  from  Cornwallis’s  army  who  had  worked  here and there in the country had to return to their regiments and enter the barracks, by an order of the  Congress  at  Philadelphia.  Also,  all  of  the  captives  from  Burgoyne’s  army  who  were scattered  in  the  land,  were  assembled.  However,  anyone  of  them  who  was  married  to  an American woman was released again for a fixed sum, and could again depart; [the same was] also [true of] many who had sworn allegiance to America. All of us captives  had permission from Congress to swear our allegiance. Also, for thirty pounds, that is, eighty Spanish dollars, it was possible to buy freedom out of captivity, or to allow an inhabitant to buy our freedom, and we could work off the indebtedness. This order was publicly proclaimed, posted, and read in  the  churches.  Also,  the  recruiting  for  the  American  Continentals,  or  regular  troops,  was carried  on  here  in  Frederick,  and  the  recruiters  were  permitted  to  enter  our  barracks.  They promised thirty Spanish dollars  bounty money, of which the recruit received eight dollars as soon as he was engaged and the remainder when he arrived at his regiment.
Permission  to  enlist  was  only  applicable  to  the  German  troops.  The  English  were  not allowed to enlist or engage.
3 September. Two Hessians,  a  quartermaster  sergeant  and  a  cannoneer  of  the  Hereditary Prince Regiment, made the beginning and allowed themselves to be recruited.
4 September. Two privates of the Hessian Bose Regiment took service with the American recruiters.
1 [sic] September. One of our jaegers, named [Franz] Schweizer, and two Hessian jaegers enlisted.
6 September.  Private  Braun,  of  Colonel  von  Seybothen’s  Company  of  our  Bayreuth Regiment, and one Ansbacher enlisted.
At  night  Private  Popp, of Quesnoy’s Company, was wounded  by  a  patrol  because  of  the trouble created in the barracks by the recruiters. He was stabbed in the head with a bayonet.
7 September. During the night Private Grab, of Quesnoy’s Company, left the barracks and enlisted.
8 September. Private [Christoph] Reinecke, of Eyb’s Company, enlisted.
9 September.  Corporal  Leindecker,  of Quesnoy’s  Company,  and  Corporal  Ullrich,  of  the Colonel’s Company, again returned from Virginia. They had been gone since 1 July and said that in Virginia, also, all of the prisoners were being brought in and collected.
14 September. Packmaster Wolf, of the Ansbach Regiment, died here in the field hospital. He was properly buried on

15 September in the evening in an Evangelical cemetery with a sermon.
Today  Private  Holzinger,  of  the  Colonel’s  Company  of  the  Ansbach  Regiment,  had  his freedom and release from captivity purchased by his cousin who lives in Baltimore, for eighty Spanish dollars, that is, thirty pounds.
17 September.  Grenadier  Kielmann  had  his  freedom  purchased.  A  Mr.  Hauer,  a  rich hatmaker and  merchant  in Frederick, had purchased  it for him, of which  he  had  to work off the cost.
18 September.  During  the  night  six  men  enlisted,  including  Privates  Popp  and  Kr?gel  of Quesnoy’s Company, one Ansbacher, and three Hessians.
20 September. Today Private [Johann Paul] Bechmann, of the Colonel’s Company of our regiment, died in the field hospital.
21 September.  The  Ansbach  staff  servant  [Karl]  Nehrlich,  who  was  employed  in  the poorhouse  as  a  sick  attendant,  enlisted.  At  night  Private  [Johann  Peter]  Lochner,  of  the Colonel’s Company, also took service. Today the recruiters left here with a recruit transport and marched to Annapolis. From the four German regiments remaining here, they had already recruited more than  fifty  men. They came  into our  barracks  every  day  with  music,  and  also brought  women  with  them.  Today  a  gentleman  from  Frederick  purchased  freedom  for  an Ansbacher.
29 September. Confession and communion were held for the Ansbach Regiment.
In  the  month  of  September  it  was  dry  and  warm  weather,  and  it  did  not  rain  at  all.  All streams dwindled, and most wells dried up. Many mills could no longer operate.
(to be continued)

Advertised on 27 May 1775: ‘Essays, Articles of News, Advertisements, &c. impartially inserted.’

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

“Essays, Articles of News, Advertisements, &c. are gratefully received and impartially inserted.”

Among newspapers published during the era of the American Revolution, those that included a colophon usually featured it at the bottom of the final page.  A few, including the Pennsylvania Ledger, incorporated the colophon into the masthead.  James Humphreys, Jr., the printer, also used the colophon as a perpetual advertisement for subscriptions and advertisements.  After all, the full title of the newspaper was the Pennsylvania Ledger: Or the Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, & New Jersey Weekly Advertiser.  Accordingly, the colophon gave more than just place of publication and the name of the printer (“Philadelphia: Printed by JAMES HUMPHREYS, junr. in Front-street, at the Corner of Black-horse Alley”); it also informed readers that “Essays, Articles of News, Advertisements, &c. are gratefully received and impartially inserted” and “Subscriptions are taken in for this Paper, at Ten Shillings per Year.”  The enhanced colophon did not, however, give prices for advertising, though Humphreys stated that he set “the same terms as is usual with the other papers in the city” in the subscription proposals he distributed in January 1775.
What did Humphreys mean when he declared that he “impartially inserted” essays (or editorials), news, and advertisements?  Read more…

Podcast: Philadelphia: An Early History
By Paul Kahan June 2025 at Ben Franklon’s World
Paul reveals how Philadelphia’s colonial and revolutionary past made the city the cultural, intellectual, and political capital of early America. Why Philadelphia’s diversity, geography, and economic power made it ideal for convening the Second Continental Congress. And, how William Penn’s plans for a tolerant, organized, and profitable city collided with the realities of urban growth and revolutionary change.
Paul Kahan is a historian with expertise in United States political, economic, and diplomatic history. Listen in…

Mail Delivery in Regency London
By Heather Moll 10 Nov 2024 at HeatherMollAuthor.com
When in Regency London, you might rely on a servant to deliver your notes and invitations to save time and money. But what if you don’t have a footman to spare? Fortunately, there was an efficient postal system that operated in London independent of the national mail delivery.
London had its own local delivery since 1635, when Charles I opened the Royal Mail. The government eventually took over a private penny post in 1682 that covered letters received and sent within ten miles of London, while the General Post Office, established by Charles II in 1660, serviced the rest of the nation.
From 1680 to 1801, mail was conveyed anywhere within the city for a penny. Letters from the General Post for delivery in London were charged 1d on delivery plus the general post charge, and were limited to four oz. The receiver paid the postage on the letter and the rate was based on distance and weight, just like elsewhere in the country. But the sender paid the London penny post in advance. The first prepaid stamp, the Penny Black, didn’t appear until 1840. Read more…


Book:  Battle on the Ice by Jean Rae Baxter UE
Battle on the Ice deals with the political situation in the 1830’s, when the grandsons of the original Loyalists were on the brink of civil war. The battle in the title was fought off the southern tip of Pelee Island [in Lake Erie] on March 3, 1838. In it, a Canadian/British army defeated an illegal  American army and sent the survivors fleeing back to Ohio. This was the end of a five-day occupation that was the last time an armed force from the United States invaded and occupied any part of Canada. Sounds relevant, eh?
Nathan Tidridge  UELAC Fellow and member of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada) gave this endorsement: “Once again, Jean Rae Baxter has brought our history to life. Dory (Theodore) Dickson’s journey revels the tumultuous period of the Upper Canada Rebellion, including the extraordinary history of William Lyon Mackenzie’s ill-fated Republic of Canada and the struggle against the Family compact from Navy Island to Pelee Island.”
The publisher, Crossfield Publishing, like many small publishers, could not survive the double whammy of the Pandemic and Trump’s tariff, with the result that copies are now available only through me. Contact: Jean Rae Baxter <jeanraebaxter@cogeco.ca> for details.

NOTE: My PowerPoint talk, “Winter of Discontent”, is based on the research for Battle on the Ice. I have already presented it to several UELAC Branches, including Governor Simcoe. If any other branch would like to include it in their programming, please contact me.

The Complex Life of Teresia Constantia Phillips
By Sarah Murden  25 Nov 2025 All Things Georgian
Teresia Constantia Phillips, courtesan, bigamist and author of her autobiography, first appeared on the radar whilst researching the duchesses of Bolton.
Teresia, better known as Con, claimed that the Duchess of Bolton was her godmother, in her ‘Apology for the Conduct of Mrs T C Phillips’, written in three parts, the first of which was published in 1748, from her home at Craig’s court, Charing Cross, near Whitehall.
This appeared to be quite a claim with little to substantiate it. Of course, it became necessary to know more about Con and to establish how much of her story was true, especially the connection with the Duchess of Bolton.
Certain sources claim that the reference was to the 4th Duke of Bolton’s wife, Catherine Parry, this could not be feasible – the dates simply didn’t work, Catherine didn’t become the Duchess until 1754, long after Con published her Apology, so it had to be have been Henrietta, the 2nd Duchess of Bolton, wife of Charles Powlett. Read more…   (The title indicates “Part One”; there is a link at the end to Part Two)

King and Queen visit Canada House in London to mark historic anniversary
By Rosemary Thompson 20 May 2025 Canadian Geographic
On May 20, King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited Canada House in London to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom, an enduring symbol of the deep and historic relationship between the two nations.
The celebration was emotional, with more than 300 staff members from Canada House lining the building’s elegant staircase, filling its historic halls and standing outside along the entrance facing Trafalgar Square.
Inside, the King and Queen of Canada paused to explore a giant floor map of the country, a gesture illustrating their deep affection for Canada and, implicitly, rebutting those who would question Canadian sovereignty. Read more…  (+ 1 min video)

Newsletters by Branches – Archived for Members
A number of branches publish newsletters, periodically. These are submitted for a newsletter archives and are available to members, member login required – From the Members’ Section, look for “Newsletters:”
Newsletter added this week:

  • The May issue of the Nova Scotia Branch Loyalist Tidings newsletter by Brian McConnell UE has been added to the Branch Newsletters page. It features:
    • Loyalist Lutheran (Luther) Morris (4 pages detailing the content of a Loyalist Certificate application)
    • Remembering Bishop Charles Inglis, UE

Events in June to Celebrate the Loyalists
Several provinces have noted our Loyalist Heritage with designated days or events. Here are sone planned events, most organized by UELAC Branches.

Thurs. 12 June at Noon  Kingston and District Branch. The UE Loyalist Flag will fly at Confederation Park for the day, after proclamation by the City Council (as annually required) declaring June 12 to be “Loyalist Day” in Kingston. Watch for more…  (below meetings, in events)

Sat. 14 June 9:30.  Niagara-on-the-Lake declared United Empire Loyalist Week, June 14-21 2025. The week begins with special events – see the announcement by Colonel John Butler (Niagara) Branch

Sun, 15 June 2:00 St Alban’s Centre. A Film “The Mary Ruttan Story”, Evenspng United Empire Loyalist Commemorative Service and a Social Tea. See St. Alban’s Centre

Thurs. 19 June 10:00 Sir Guy Carleton Branch and the City of Ottawa at the flagpoles on Marion Dewar Plaza facing Laurier Avenue West, north side of Ottawa City Hall at 110 Laurier Avenue West. Social in the cafeteria afterwards.

Thurs. June 19 Kawartha Branch raising the Queen Ann flag at Peterborugh City hall. We have invited the mayor, county mayor, MPP, MP, chief of police, a singing group (to lead us in God Save the King) along with other folks.

Thurs. 19 June 11:00.  Toronto and Gov Simcoe Branches a Loyalist flag raising and program at Guest Flag Pole, light refreshments and tour at Queen’s Park, Toronto. Security badges after 11:00 at West Entrance (ID required). RSVP to torontouel.office@gmail.com

Thurs. 19 June 11:00.   Hamilton Branch celebrating Loyalists’ Day at the ROCK, Dundurn Castle, York Blvd., Hamilton, at the service entrance off the parking lot.  Neil Switzer and Lee-Ann Hines-Green will discuss the Loyalist Monument at Main and John Streets, and the connection to the MILLS Family.  Wreaths-placin for members recently passed. A light lunch for those who RSVP to Glenna Marriage, gmarriage@rogers.com, and branch members, in the picnic pavilion.

Thurs. 19 June 11:30 Saskatchewan Branch luncheon meeting in Regina followed by a visit to the cairn (if road closures permit) or elsewhere closeby, then social time. (See page 5 of May newsletter)

Thurs. 19 June 7:30 Gov Simcoe Branch virtual meeting “The History of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York” by Stuart Lyall Manson UE. The KRRNY was the largest Loyalist regiment that served out of Canada. It was created on June 19, 1776.  Stuart will provide an overview of the history, interesting specifics, and useful reading and research tips. More details and registration…

Sat. 21 June 11:30. Grand River Branch at Backus Heritage Centre, 1267-2nd Concession Rd., Port Rowan. Raising the flag at noon, then a guided tour of the mill and visit to the Pioneer Cemetery. More…

Sun. 22 June London and Western Ontario Branch is holding a Celebratory Potluck Picnic at Fanshawe Pioneer Village. A flyer will be posted on Facebook.  More details, ask carolmchilds@yahoo.ca

More special events are welcome – send to editor.

Events Upcoming

St. Lawrence Branch Plaque Ceremony ~ Loyalist Burial Site. Sun. 1 June 10:00

The United Empire Loyalists were the first Europeans to settle our region following the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Here they built the foundation of modern Ontario.
Since 2019, the St. Lawrence Branch of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada has been erecting plaques across Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry to identify local sites where Loyalists are buried.
The newest Loyalist Burial Plaque will be unveiled in a ceremony on 1 June 2025, 10:00am
Salem United Church Cemetery, Summerstown, Ontario
For more information, visit our website

Hamilton Branch: Cemetery Plaquing Ceremony Sun 1 June @2:00

Hamilton Branch will hold its’ 15th cemetery plaquing ceremony All are welcome.
Place:   Mount Vernon Pioneer Cemetery, Harvester Rd. across from Appleby GO Station (behind businesses) in Burlington, Ontario.
First-generation Loyalist:    Clement Lucas Jr. UEL
Members please come in historical clothing, if you can.  This is a rain or shine event and you may need a lawnchair, hopefully not an umbrella.
Light refreshments will be available at Appleby United Church hall after the ceremony.
…Pat Blackburn, Past President Hamilton UELAC

Gov. Simcoe Branch: “The Loyalist Who Wasn’t” by Beth Adams Wed 4 June 7:30

While helping a cousin uncover family history through DNA results, “stories” of connection to “the mountain” in Hamilton and a Loyalist ancestor were discovered. This presentation will review the process that led to the discovery of the family Beth’s cousin never knew, as well as investigating the very surprising possibility of indigenous and UEL heritage. Successful and unsuccessful sources will be discussed. As with most of our family trees, this one is a “work in progress”.  More and Registration…

The American Revolution Institute: The British Army in 1775 Thurs 5 June 6:30

Historian Don Hagist, editor of the Journal of the American Revolution, discusses the state of the British Army in North America before and after the opening shots of the Revolution on April 19, 1775. Drawing from his research, Hagist will also discuss the experiences of the British Army during the initial battles of the war; the tactical, strategic, and logistical challenges it encountered; and how its leaders attempted to overcome and adapt to these challenges.  Don Hagist is the managing editor of the Journal of the American Revolution.  Registration…

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • Visit to Van Cortlandt House Museum on Long Island, NY included standing beside two carved wooden eagles that were a gift from Admiral Robert Digby in 1781. Brian McConnell UE
  • Food and Related : Townsends

  • This week in History
    •  28 May 1754 Jumonville Glen, PA. Virginia militia Lieut Col George Washington’s attack on a band of French & Indians in contested British territories (SW PA) left several dead and wounded and began what became the French and Indian (or Seven Years) War. image
    • 29 May 1765 Richmond, Virginia. Patrick Henry denounced the British tax policies and presented the Virginia Resolves to the House of Burgesses. These Resolves argued that, under long-established British law, Virginia could only be taxed by a parliamentary assembly elected by Virginians. Since no colonial representatives were elected to Parliament, the only body legally authorized to levy taxes was the Virginia General Assembly. In a broader context, the key resolves suggest that all colonial legislatures, not Parliament, possess the right to tax Americans—one of the central political disputes that led to resistance, insurrection, and rebellion. image
    • 24 May 1774 Williamsburg, VA. The members of the Virginia House of Burgesses learned of the Order by Parliament to close the port of Boston on June 1st. They resolved: “That a day be set apart by this House as a day of humiliation and prayer, devoutly to implore divine intervention for the heavy calamity that threatens their civil rights.” A resolution was also proposed by Mr. Richard Henry Lee for a General Congress of the Colonies to convene. These two resolutions so angered Royal Governor Dunmore that rumors spread quickly that he was considering disbanding the House of Burgesses. image
    • 25 May 1775, Boston, NY. British reinforcements under Gen. John Burgoyne, Henry Clinton & William Howe arrive, giving Thomas Gage a force of 6.5K regulars & a “dream-team” of lieutenants, but also signals Parliament’s lack of confidence in his leadership.  image
    • 27 May 1775, Boston, MA, Admiral Samuel Graves sends 40 Royal Marines & the schooner HMS Diana to attack Americans on Noodle’s Island. The reinforced rebels fend off the attacks & destroy Diana after she runs aground. Minimal casualties on both sides.  image
    • 29 May 1775, Philadelphia, PA. A declaration penned by John Jay invited Canadians to side with the Americans as the 14th colony. However, the Catholic French-speaking population would ally itself with Great Britain. image
    • 31 May 1775, Philadelphia. The Continental Congress debates abandoning Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point, key northern fortresses in upper New York. The New England and Northern delegates reverse the decision, and Congress votes to hold the forts. image
    • 24 May 1776, George Washington arrives in Philadelphia to confer with  Continental Congress regarding the war. Two new committees are subsequently appointed: one to oversee the ensuing campaign and another to explore the possibility of recruiting Indians. image
    • 26 May 1776 Montreal. Col Benedict Arnold marches to Quinze Chiens & overtakes a force of British & Indians under Capt George Forster with almost 500 American prisoners.  They agree to exchange the Americans without a fight. image
    • 27 May 1776, Deputies of the Six Nations met with Congress. They staged a military parade with Continental troops and soldiers from the local Association. When neutrality was no longer an option, most of the nations would eventually side with the British. image
    • 28 May 1777 Morristown, NJ. Gen Washington’s army, 8,000-strong, leaves winter cantonment and deploys to the Middlebrook Valley to observe & counter possible British movement on Philadelphia.  image
    • 24 May 1778 Newport, RI. British Lt Col John Campbell leads the 22nd Regt to the nearby towns of Warren & Bristol, which they burn before withdrawing. Col William Barton’s militia pelted them with musket fire on their return match. image
    • 24 May 1778, Philadelphia, PA. British Commander-in-Chief Gen. Lord William Howe gives up his command and sails home on the HMS Cerebrus, the ship that carried him to America two years earlier.  image
    • 27 May 1778. The Continental Army became the American Army when the Congress established it as such. At the same time, Congress defined the Army’s structure and finally authorized three companies of Sappers and Miners. image
    • 28 May 1778, Gen George Rogers Clark departs from the falls of the Ohio River (Louisville, KY) with only a small contingent of reinforcements, whom he must pause to train. image
    • 30 May 1778, Cobleskill, NY. Mohawk warriors under Joseph Brant disperse the local militia & burn the town, killing & capturing many settlers. This raid initiates a long series of frontier actions, the only viable British tactic in upper NY after Saratoga.  image
    • 30 May 1778, Benedict Arnold signed an oath of allegiance at Valley Forge, swearing his fidelity to the cause of the United States. He would begin his betrayal less than 1 year later image
    • 28 May 1779 Kingsbridge, NY. A force of 6K British & Hessians assemble for Gen Henry Clinton’s campaign to take the American fortifications at West Point. Some 70 sailboats & 150 scows will transport them up the North (Hudson) River. image
    • 25 May 1780, Morristown, NJ. Two Connecticut Continental Line regiments mutinied over food shortages and back pay. Refusing Col Return Meigs’s attempt to negotiate, they were ultimately suppressed by Pennsylvania troops.  image
    • 25 May 1780 Detroit, Indian Territory. British Capt Henry Bird leads 250 French Canadian militia & Indians against the American garrison at Falls of the Ohio River (Louisville, KY). Along the way, an additional 700 warriors joined him.  image
    • 26 May 1780, St. Louis, MO. Captain Fernando de Leyba & a 310-man Spanish garrison repulse an attack by 300 British soldiers & 900 Indians under Captain Emmanuel Hesse. The Battle of Fort San Carlos was the only battle in MO during the #RevWar image
    • 26 May 1780 Patriot poet & polemicist Phillip Freneau is captured at sea while serving as a crew member aboard a privateer vessel stopped by the British frigate HMS Iris. The amateur privateer spent 6 weeks in a British prison ship prior to release. image
    • 27 May 1780 Lt Col Banastre Tarleton’s British troops under Col Charles Campbell burn the plantation home of retired Col Thomas Sumter along the High Hills of the Santee River. This prompts Sumter to break parole & rejoin the patriot cause. image
    • 29 May 1780, Waxhaw’s Creek, NC. A cavalry charge by Banastre Tarleton’s Loyalists broke a force of 350 men of Col Buford’s 3rd VA Infantry Regt. Tarleton’s Tories proceeded to shoot them after their surrender, spawning the term “Tarleton’s Quarter.” image
    • 26 May 1781.  During a march from York, Pennsylvania, to Virginia, Gen. Anthony Wayne’s troops mutiny, forcing him to quell the uprising and execute seven ring leaders before proceeding on his mission. image
    • 25 May 1787, Philadelphia. George Washington presides over the Constitutional Convention. The convention faced a daunting task: end the new American government as defined by the Articles of Confederation & replace it with a better system.  image
  • Clothing and Related:
    • Footwear Friday! I am a little obsessed with highly embellished ca. 1800 slippers, particularly ones with trim like this, which I’ve seen a few times. Sandwiched between two eras of plainer shoes, they stand out dramatically.
    • Here’s the other pair I was thinking of: off- white satin with dark leather around the toe and sides, rising from the sole.
  • Miscellaneous

    • When the colonists first arrived in Jamestown, they found a “great abundance” of grape vines. John Smith wrote, the vines “climbe the toppes of the highest trees.”
      They made about 20 gallons of wine from the native grapes, claiming it was almost as good as European. He claimed that “properly planted, dressed and ordered by skillful ‘vinearoones’ (experts in growing grapes) we might make a perfect grape and fruitful Vintage in short time.”
      But later attempts to make wine from the native grapes, including scuppernong and muscadine, proved inadequate, and in spite of Acte 12, mentioned in a previous post for Wine Day, wine making in early Virginia was a failure, blamed on poor climate and soil.

 

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