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In the Bleak Midwinter: December 1784: Part Two of Three
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
After a year of hearing the stories of all that loyal colonists lost during the War of Independence, the Royal Commission on the Losses and Services of American Loyalists (RCLSAL) left England to conduct hearings in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the winter of 1784.  On Monday, December 6, two Loyalists stood before the commissioners to tell their stories.
In 1771, an Englishman named Philip Marchington had established himself as a merchant in Philadelphia. Within four years, Patriots asked him to serve in their militia, a role he filled for three months. Uncomfortable with this, Marchington “asked to be excused and was excused“. He was able to “remain quiet” regarding his opposition to the revolution, but showed his true convictions by meeting the British Army as it marched for Philadelphia in September of 1777.
By the following June, he and his wife Elizabeth and their two children were among the loyal evacuees who left Philadelphia for New York City as the British Army withdrew.  In April of 1779, Marchington discovered his name (often spelled “Marchinton“) in the city’s loyalist newspaper. It had reprinted a list of Philadelphia Loyalists who just had their estates forfeited by the rebel government.
Correspondence with Sir Guy Carleton, the British commander in chief, indicates that Marchington eventually established himself as a merchant in New York City, selling shoes, hose, cloth, stockings, combs, thimbles, and mittens (among other items) to the British Army. Marchington’s name appeared in Rivington’s Gazette for the last time on August 20, 1783 when a notice from his home at 22 Queen Street announced that he would be leaving New York City.
However, the Marchington family did not leave New York until early November 1783.  They had the misfortune to board one of the evacuation ships that were driven to Bermuda by hurricane winds. Whether it was the William or the Henry, the unlucky loyalist passengers only finally completed their journey to Nova Scotia in April of 1784.
When Marchington petitioned the loyalist compensation board, he had only been in Nova Scotia for eight months, and was only able to find one Pennsylvanian witness who could corroborate the validity of his claims.
Despite such a difficult beginning for his life in Nova Scotia, his newly established export-import business was successful enough that he was soon able to buy a substantial area of Halifax’s waterfront.
Marchington was an ardent Methodist, and by the spring of 1786, he had accumulated enough wealth to pay for the construction of a church on Argyle Street that could hold up to 1,000 worshippers. The loyalist merchant also preached, welcomed itinerate missionaries, and helped support the resettlement of Black Loyalists in Sierra Leone.  The Rev. David George, a Baptist minister who was instrumental in the exodus to West Africa, gave his farewell sermon at Marchington’s meetinghouse in December of 1791.
Marchington’s relationship with Halifax’s Methodist congregation was souring throughout 1791, resulting in his expulsion from the church. The historian D. A. Sutherland felt this stemmed in part from Marchington refusal to abstain from alcohol.
The merchant may have sought comfort in liquor to drown his sorrows at the death of his young wife Elizabeth on November 24, 1788. The historian W.M. Brown provides details that may have given Marchington’s congregation further reasons to question his judgment. The loyalist merchant had put his wife’s remains in a coffin with a glass cover and made daily visits to see her. But in time her appearance “made him sick“, and he had her buried.
Whatever the reasoning for his expulsion from the Methodist congregation, Marchington responded by turning out all those who had been presumptuous enough to discipline their benefactor. For a year, he had an English Methodist preacher named John Burton fill the pulpit on Sunday mornings. But when Burton returned to Halifax after a year of travelling in the United States, Marchington was shocked to discover that the Englishman had become a Baptist.
By 1806, Marchington’s meetinghouse had acquired enough of a reputation that Haligonians had begun to refer to it as “Sodom”. The loyalist merchant finally sold the building to the city’s Presbyterians for £500.
Two years after he sold his meetinghouse, Philip Marchington died at age 72 on November 1808, 20 years after the death of his much beloved wife. The couple had two children. Joseph Marchington fought in the Napoleonic Wars with the Nova Scotia Fencibles. Mary Marchington married John Welsford, a lieutenant colonel with the 101st Foot.
The second Loyalist to stand before the compensation board on December 6, 1783 was William Hill of Boston – a far less eccentric man than Philip Marchington. Hall told the commissioners that after the British Army’ 14th regiment arrived in Boston in October 1768, he had supplied it with bread for six weeks without charge.
In 1770, Hill had the unenviable luck to be among the jurors who heard the case against Captain Thomas Preston, the British captain charged with instigating the Boston Massacre. (Given the fact that Hall had shown himself to be friendly toward a British regiment, he may have been selected for jury duty with the expectation that he would be in support of the arguments of Preston’s defense lawyer.) The jury acquitted Preston of murder, a verdict that angered Boston’s rebels.
Following Preston’s acquittal, Patriots threatened William Hill’s life, tarred his house, and “frequently insulted” the loyalist baker. When he fled Boston, rebels seized his furniture and one of his houses.
The historian Lorenzo Sabine fleshed out more of Hill’s story, noting that the loyalist baker left Boston for Halifax in March of 1776 with a “family of 16 persons“.  Hill then went to Long, Island, New York with the British Army. In 1783, he joined a committee of seven Loyalists who were part of the Port Roseway Associates. Their mandate was to contact government officials to secure land in Nova Scotia.
In April of 1783, Hill, who by this time had a “family of 18 persons“, boarded the ship Ann with 8 free Blacks bound for Port Roseway. By name, the Black Loyalists who were part of the Hill party were John and Judah Pell and their son John, Caesar Nicholls, Peter and Effie Warner with their 2 year-old son, and Dick Gray.
Over time, William Hill filled a number of positions within his new community. He was one of Shelburne’s 10 constables, and was one of the directors of the town’s chimney sweeps.
Although his death date goes unrecorded, one date for William Hill of which history is certain is his appearance in Halifax on December 6, 1784 – the bleak midwinter day on which he shared his story as a loyalist refugee.
This series on the loyalists who sought compensation in December of 1784 concludes in next week’s Loyalist Trails.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

The Loyal- List: Celebrating Loyalist Descendants on UN International Solidarity Day
By Mike Woodcock UE, Victoria Branch
This edition of The Loyal-List highlights Loyalist descendants who embody the spirit of UN International Solidarity Day, an annual celebration of unity in diversity. This day reminds us of our shared responsibility to assist those in need, including the poor and those with physical or mental disabilities, while encouraging governments to address poverty and other social barriers. If you know of other UEL descendants who embody the solidarity spirit, let me know.
Among those noteworthy descendants is Margaret Ruttan Boucher, whose 45 years of community service in Winnipeg until her passing in 1931 exemplified solidarity. Known as the “Angel of Poverty Row” and “Winnipeg’s Angel of Mercy,” Margaret organized religious services for men and established a weekly mothers’ meeting group, offering spiritual and material support. She dedicated her nights to nursing female prisoners, and upon her death, flags in the city flew at half-mast, with her funeral attended by the mayor, council members, and many whose lives she touched.
Another remarkable figure is Mary Riter Hamilton, renowned as Canada’s first female battlefield artist. Her painting “Market among the Ruins at Ypres” captures the devastation of war and the resilience of reconstruction in Ypres. Hamilton’s empathetic portrayal of the war’s destruction served as a reminder of the immense loss caused by the Great War, prompting her to donate her collection to The Public Archives of Canada, now Library and Archives Canada, to ensure that future generations remember this critical chapter in history. “It’s for Canada I painted them, and Canada will have them,” she remarked about her sacred artistic mission.
Archibald Lampman, a poet of loyalist lineage from both parents, expressed a profound humanism in his work. Having lost faith in Christian dogma, he focused on the glory of the human soul’s journey toward peace, justice, and a transcendent connection with nature. The following two stanzas from his poem “The Largest Life” reminds us of the beauty of solidarity and shared humanity:

Nay, never once to feel we are alone,
While the great human heart around us lies:
To make the smile on other lips our own,
To live upon the light in others’ eyes.

There is a beauty at the goal of life,
A beauty growing since the world began,
Through every age and race, through lapse and strife,
Till the great human soul complete her span.

Invitation to Contribute
We invite you to help expand The Loyal-List! If you wish to add Loyalists or descendants, suggest edits to existing profiles, or provide feedback, please email us at membership.vic.uelac@gmail.com or use the feedback portal on the uelcanada.ca homepage.
The Loyal-List is a dedicated project of the United Empire Loyalists (UEL) Association of Canada, drawing from reputable sources including the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Wikipedia, and various published works. It is officially recognized as one of the official UELAC initiatives.

Blog: About UE Loyalist History by Brian McConnell UE at UE Loyalist History

Seven Loyalist Books – 15 December 2025
It is a testament to the impact on Canada of the life of Charles Inglis  (1734 – 1816), UE, the first Anglican Bishop appointed in North America, that he is mentioned in seven books about United Empire Loyalists that I have authored.   Born at Glencomcille in the North of Ireland, of Scottish ancestry, he supported the British Crown during the American Revolution while preaching in New York. When he was later made Bishop based in Halifax he oversaw the establishment of Anglican churches across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as well as the founding of King’s – Edgehill School.  He also farmed at Clairmont where he experimented in growing apples suited to Nova Scotia, one of which, the Bishop’s Pippin, was named after him.  Read more…

The Loyalist Route in New Brunswick – 17 December 2025
It has been estimated that between 1783 and 1785 about 14,000 to 15,000 United Empire Loyalists settled in the territory that became New Brunswick. They established communities like Saint John, Fredericton, and Saint Andrews.  It quadrupled the region’s population and led to the forming of a new colony separate from Nova Scotia.This influx included approximately 3,500 Black Loyalists. Read more…

250 Years Ago: The Invasion of Canada: Events between Dec 17 and Dec 24, 1775

During the period of December 17 to December 24, 1775, the American forces under General Richard Montgomery and Colonel Benedict Arnold were engaged in a static but increasingly desperate siege of Quebec City, which was defended by British Governor Guy Carleton.

British Forces

  • Garrison Readiness: Governor Carleton remained steadfast, refusing all American demands for surrender. The British garrison consisted of approximately 1,800 men, including British regulars, Royal Highland Emigrants, and local French- and English-speaking militia.
  • Defensive Strategy: The British used this period to further fortify the city’s Lower Town and ramparts. They held a significant advantage in artillery and supplies, having prepared for a siege that could last until the spring thaw.
  • Surveillance: British defenders maintained a constant watch from the city’s high walls, easily observing American movements on the open Plains of Abraham and in the suburbs.

American Forces

  • Enlistment Crisis: General Montgomery faced a critical timeline because many of his soldiers’ one-year enlistments were set to expire on December 31, 1775. This forced him to plan an immediate assault despite the unfavorable conditions.
  • Logistical Failures: The Americans were unable to dig traditional trenches or earthworks because the ground was frozen solid. Instead, they attempted to build fortifications out of blocks of snow and ice, which proved structurally inadequate.
  • Smallpox Outbreak: A major smallpox epidemic began to ravage the American camps during this week, significantly weakening their troop strength.
  • Failed Bombardment: Throughout this week, American artillery batteries located on the Plains of Abraham and in the suburb of St. Roch continued to fire on the city with little effect on its massive stone walls.

Strategic Deadlock

    By December 24, Montgomery had decided that a direct assault was the only remaining option to take the city before his army disintegrated due to disease and expiring contracts. He resolved to wait for a heavy snowstorm to mask his army’s movements.

Books: The Loyalist’s Wife by Elaine Cougler
When American colonists resort to war against Britain and her colonial attitudes, a young couple caught in the crossfire must find a way to survive. Pioneers in the wilds of New York State, John and Lucy face a bitter separation and the fear of losing everything, even their lives, when he joins Butler’s Rangers to fight for the King and leaves her to care for their isolated farm.
As the war in the Americas ramps up, ruffians roam the colonies looking to snap up Loyalist land. Alone, pregnant, and fearing John is dead, Lucy must fight with every weapon she has.
With vivid scenes of desperation, heroism, and personal angst, Elaine Cougler takes us back to the beginnings of one great country and the planting of Loyalist seeds for another. The Loyalist’s Wife transcends the fighting between nations to show us the individual cost of such battles.
A Loyalist Trilogy:

  • The Loyalist’s Wife
  • The Loyalist’s Luck
  • The Loyalist’s Legacy

plus The Loyalist’s Daughter, a prequel
Available at Amazon and other book sellers. Also signed copies from Elaine in London ON – see Elaine Cougler’s Books

The Deadliest Seconds of the War
by Douglas R. Dorney, Jr. 16 Dec. 2025 Journal of the american Rvolution
On March 7, 1778, one of the deadliest naval battles of the Revolutionary War occurred off the coast of Barbados between the British ship Yarmouth and an American squadron led by the Continental frigate Randolph. The five-ship American contingent which sailed from Charlestown, South Carolina, led by Capt. Nicholas Biddle, was the largest joint Continental and state navy operation from that place during the war. Despite the relatively large assemblage of ships, the battle was brief and ended with the explosion of the Randolph and the deadliest seconds of the war.
The naval squadron which left Charlestown in February 1778 was a diverse mixture of ships and men. Of the four South Carolina vessels only one, the Notre Dame (eighteen 4-pound guns), was formally part of the state navy. Three ships, the Fair American (fourteen 4- and sixteen 6-pounders), General Moultrie (eighteen 4- and 12-pounders), and Polly (fourteen 4- pounders), had been privateer vessels until late 1777 when they were taken into state service. As diverse as the ships were the men who manned them, consisting of seasoned naval officers and crewmen, former prisoners, and men who had never been to sea before. Read more…

The Evolution of the American Declaration of Independence 
by Jane Sinden Spiegel 16 Dec. 2025 Journal of the American Revolution
The American Declaration of Independence boldly proclaims “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” These words encouraged Americans to fight for freedom and have inspired disadvantaged groups though out the world. Historian Joseph Ellis called the phrase “the most potent and consequential words in American history, perhaps in modern history.” This essay examines the origin, meaning and impact of these remarkable words.
John Adams, the Continental Congress’s leading proponent for independence, introduced a resolution on May 15, 1776 that each colony adopt their own government and constitution. Adam’s resolution stated that “authority under the said Crown should be totally suppressed, and all the powers of government exerted under the authority of the people . . . for the defense of their lives, liberties and properties.” After its approval, Adams wrote that “Congress has passed the most important Resolution, that ever was taken in America.” It was a “compleat Separation from her [Britain], a total absolute Independence.” Years later Adams believed the May 15 Resolution was the real declaration of independence and other documents were “Dress and ornament rather than Body, Soul and Substance.” He told Benjamin Rush that the Declaration of Independence was a “Theatrical Show [and] Jefferson ran away with . . . all the Glory of it”. Read more…

Book Review: Entangled Alliances: Racialized Freedom and Atlantic Diplomacy During the American Revolution
Author: Ronald Angelo Johnson (Ithica, NY: Cornell University Press, 2025)
The years between the two well-known peace treaties that ended conflicts in North America were a time of significant social upheaval. Two places in particular, the thirteen British colonies and the Caribbean French colony of Saint-Dominque (present-day Haiti) wrestled with issues regarding independence and liberty. Ronald Angelo Johnson’s new book Entangled Alliances: Racialized Freedom and Atlantic Diplomacy During the American Revolution examines the shared destinies of the British colonies and the Caribbean slave colony, along with the feats of international diplomacy surrounding the Treaties of Paris of 1763 and 1783.
The first part of the book, “In the Shadow of the Treaty of Paris 1763-1775,” Johnson describes how the first Treaty of Paris, which ended the French and Indian War, influenced events on Saint-Dominque, a highly stratified hierarchical slave society. Read more…

Advertised on 17 Dec. 1775 “THE Subscriber having entered into the American Army…”

“THE Subscriber having entered into the American Army, desires all Persons indebted to him to make immediate Payment to his Wife.”

When William Barton, a hatter in Providence, “entered into the American Army” in 1775, he ran a newspaper advertisement that delegated responsibilities to his wife and a business associate.  He requested that “all Persons to indebted to him … make immediate Payment to his Wife, … who is legally impowered to give proper Acquittances, that he may be enabled to discharge his just Debts.”  It may not have been the first time that his unnamed wife oversaw accounts for the Barton household and her husband’s shop.  Like many other wives of shopkeepers and artisans, she could have had experience assisting her husband by tending to customers while he was busy or away from the shop.  She did not, however, assume responsibility for making sales during her husband’s extended absence while he served in the Continental Army, at least not initially.
Instead, Barton “inform[ed] his good Customers, and the Public in general, that he still continues to carry on the Hatter’s Business, at his Shop … where Mr. SETH LATHROP will supply all Person … with every Kind of Beaver, Felt and Castor Hats.”  Barton did not indicate whether Lathrop previously played a role in the business.  Read more…

Podcast: Coffee in Early America: Why Americans Really Drink Coffee
by Michelle McDonald at Ben Franklin’s World
Michelle, the Librarian/Director of the Library & Museum at the American Philosophical Society and author of Coffee Nation: How One Commodity Transformed the Early United States, explains how coffee shaped American identity long before the Revolution.
You’ll hear how Revolutionary-era women stormed a Boston warehouse to seize hoarded coffee and sell it at regulated prices. You’ll discover why Parliament protected coffee while taxing tea. And you’ll learn how enslaved Caribbean laborers made America’s favorite beverage possible.
From colonial coffee houses to debates about caffeine addiction in the early republic, discover how one imported commodity became distinctly American. Listen in…

Loyalist Quarterly Newsletter December 2025, by Paul J. Bunnell UE
Published since 2004, the December 2025 issue is now available. Fourteen pages, it features:

  • Loyalist New Year 1783, and each year until 1790
  • Loyalists Relations with Maine 1786
  • Loyalist Relations with New England 1786
  • Loyalist Relations with Ontario 1786
  • Attacks on Canada before 1820
  • Loyalists Happy New Year 1784
  • Black Loyalist Heritage Centre’s Post Celebrated Christmas Gathering
  • Merry Loyalist Christmas and Happy Loyalist New Year 2025-2026

Vol. 22 Part 4 December 2025 Quarterly Issue “In Publication since 2004”
Editor: Paul J. Bunnell, UE, Author, Koasek Abenaki Chief; BunnellLoyalist@aol.com; 978-337-9085, 49 Pleasant St., #106, Alstead, NH 03602
The Only U.S. Newsletter Devoted to The study of The American Loyalists
Subscription Rate: $22 U.S. $24 Can. $5 each copy — (March, June, September, December issues)

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

Many thanks to Lynton “Bill” Stewart who has previously provided and has now submitted new or additional information about numerous entries in the Loyalist Directory:

  • Ens. John Lampson 1743-1831 from Pitts Town, Albany County, New York served in McAlpines Corps, Married ca. 1770 Sarah Houghton, 1750 – 1842 Yhey had five children and resettled at Sorrell, Quebec, then Edwardsville, Leeds & Grenville, Upper Canada (Eastern District)
  • Abel Irish  from Danby, Rutland Co., Vermont, brother to William Irish  and David Irish
  • George Mitchell 1742 – 1777 from Arlington, Bennington Co., Vermont died 27 August at  Crown Point, Essex Co., New York. In 1765 he married Lois Sherwood (1745-1789) and they had fuve children. Following the end of the war, his wife filed a claim, in his name for some 67 pounds in lost property. She had remarried, and remained in the USA.
  • William Moffatt  from White Creek, Charlotte County, Vermont. He was sent on Secret Service, Captured & held prisoner until Jan 1778. Escaped into Canada, joined a Corps of Loyalists and served till the peace. He resettled in Uper Canada
  • Sgt. Elihu Northrup 1747 – 1786, born in Newtown CT, he was in Stratford, Orange, Vermontbefore the war. Married in 1767 to Keziah Seely (1747-1841), they had seven children. He served in the Queen’s Loyal Rangers, then settled at Sorel, Quebec where he died.
  • Col. Hendrick (Henry) Ruiter 1739 – 1819 from Pitts Town, Albany Co., New York, joind Rogers Rangers in 1777 and resettled at Dukin, Brome-Missisquoi, Quebec. He sfathered 15 children between two wives #1 Rebecca Dooth Statts (1746-1781), married 16 Aug 1763, Hessick, Albany Co., New York and #2 Catherine Friott (1760-1819), married Ca 1782 St. Jean, Quebec
  • Lieut. Johannes (John) Ruiter 1743 un Hoosick NY – 1797 in Phillipsburg, Estrie Region, Quebec. Served woth Jessup’s Loyal American Rangers. Married  Elizabeth Best (1749 – 1820), married 14 Nov 1764, Hoosick NY, they had seven children.
  • Lieut. Samuel Sherwood 1754 Newtown VT – abt. 1824 Murray Township, Northumberland Co, Upper Canada but had resettled first at Thurlow, Fredericksburg Township, Midland District, Upper Canada. With wife Eunice Harris thery had three children. Brother of Captain Justus Sherwood.
  • Thomas Sumner 1734 in Hebron VT – 1820 in York (Toronto) UC. Before the war at Thetford, Orange County, Vermont and resettled first at Kingston NS, then Saint John, New Brunswick where his wife died in 1803 then York, Upper Canada. With Rebecca Downer (1739-1803), married 7 June 1761, they had nine children. In 1776, he was imprisoned as a Tory. He escaped to New York in 1777.

From a Loyalist Certificate Application by  Lori Lee Johnston-Quinn, information about Christian Dillenbach II  born in Stone Arabia, New York 1742 – ? He m. 9 Aug 1770 to Anna Margaretha Wormuth and they had seven children. They resettled at     Concession 10, lot 2, Cornwall Township, Stormont County, Ontario c1789
If you are willing to submit some information, send a note to  loyalist.trails@uelac.org All help is appreciated.   …doug


Branch Project: Digitization of An Island Refuge
Abegweit (PEI) Branch Project
Launched in 2024, Target completion April 2026
The project currently underway to digitize “An Island Refuge” also updates dozens of family histories and substantially increases the list of documented Loyalists who came to Prince Edward Island both during and after the American Revolution. This project has a projected completion date of April 2026.
— Kevin Wisener, UE; President, Abegweit Branch
The back story: Read more about the book “An Island Refuge“…
and check out other People, Branch and UELAC Projects…

Events Upcoming

Gov. Simcoe Branch: “Matriarchs of the Hoople Creek Loyalists” by John Sliter Wed 7 Jan 7:30 ET

John will speak about his book “Matriarchs of the Hoople Creek Loyalists”, a series of historical fiction stories about seventeen women and their families who helped to settle Upper Canada along a small creek in eastern Ontario.Their stories reflect their struggle to survive hunger, disease, and even war as they married and raised their children in a new, heavily forested and seeming impenetrable land. Read more and register…

Victoria Genealogical Society and Victoria UELAC Branch: Affirmations of Black Loyalists.  Thurs 12 Feb 7:00 Pacific Time

A free, online Black History Month presentation.
Allister Barton presents an illustrative narrative that explores the journey of General Henry Clinton’s Company of Black Pioneer soldiers—formerly enslaved men, women, and children, who escaped bondage during the American Revolution in pursuit of freedom. This presentation traces their migration to Digby, Nova Scotia, where they sought land, community, and a new beginning. Through intimate and complex accounts of their experiences, Allister sheds light on a vital yet often overlooked chapter in Nova Scotia’s history. These affirmations offer a compelling lens into the legacy of African Nova Scotians and their enduring contributions to the province. Register here.

Land before time: Exploring the many layers of Anticosti Island
A visit to Canada’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to ancient fossils, storied shipwrecks — and more deer than people
By Darcy Rhyno and Christian Fleury 17 Dec 2025
I’m splashing through the shallows of the Vauréal River on Quebec’s Anticosti Island, navigating a rugged trail to the island’s most impressive waterfall. Boulders have tumbled from the canyon walls above into gargantuan piles, forcing me into the water. Squelching over to the riverbank for a closer look at the rubble, I discover a slab of shale cracked open like a popup storybook.
The rock inside looks like concrete made with a shovelful of shells no bigger than a fingernail, some as delicate as feathers, others hard as thumbtacks. These are the fossilized remains of unfathomably ancient animals, most of which disappeared nearly half a billion years ago when Earth underwent the first of five mass extinctions.
Anticosti, a remote, sparsely-inhabited island in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, is like a slice of cake tipped onto a plate, exposing all of its layers at once. On the north coast, the Vauréal slices through this geological confection like a knife, plunging from a stunted tangle of boreal forest to the canyon below before draining into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Fossils here and at other sites have lured paleontologists for a century. Read more…

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • Clothing and apparel
    • Belated Happy 250th Birthday to a lady who thankfully has created an abundance of jobs and opportunities for costume professionals like us and delights with wit and sharp observations of human folly to this day-Jane Austen! We could easily picture our dress from circa 1800 on one of her heroines!
    •  This brown/gold silk pelisse, with a pattern of oak leaves, is believed to have been owned by Austen. Dating from around 1814, the pelisse is edged with yellow cord. Hampshire Cultural Trust. #JaneAusten250
    • A festive undergarment to brighten your day. Brocaded silk, 1740-60, via Museu del Disseny.
    • Mary Delany (1700-1788), English Bluestocking artist, used decoupage to make botanical ‘Paper Mosaiks’. Mistletoe, in pagan folklore signifies fertility and has since been associated with #Christmas kisses
  • Food and Related: Townsends

  • This week in History
    • 20 Dec 1606 The Virginia Company’s ships Godspeed, Susan Constant, and Discovery set sail from England to establish Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent colony in America. image
    • 16 Dec 1769, NYC: Sons of Liberty member & merchant Alexander McDougall publishes a broadside that gets him imprisoned for libel. He would later serve as a Major General during the Revolutionary War and as Secretary of the Navy.  image
    • 16 Dec 1773 Boston, MA Three British East India Company ships enter the harbor, brimming with chests of tea. To protest the British tax on tea imports, colonists disguised as Mohawks stormed the ships & hurled the tea into the harbor—the Boston Tea Party. image
    • 13 Dec 1774 Boston, MA. Paul Revere leaves his wife & newborn, mounts his horse, and rides furiously over icy roads to warn the Portsmouth Committee of Correspondence in New Hampshire of a British plan to seize their arms and munitions. image
    • 14 Dec 1774 Portsmouth, NH. The Committee responded to Paul Revere’s warning. By mid-day, 400 militia assembled & attacked Ft William and Mary before the British Regulars arrived. It fell quickly, & the rebels retrieved 100 barrels of gunpowder.
    • image  13 Dec 1776 Basking Ridge, NJ. Gen Charles Lee overnights at White’s Tavern. Loyalists inform the British, who dispatch a troop of 16th Light Dragoons led by Col Harcourt & Capt. Tarleton, who seized the former British officer after a short scuffle. image
    • 14 Dec 1776 Gen William Howe stops the pursuit of Gen. Washington and sends the British army into winter quarters. Most return to NYC, while the Hessians under Karl von Donop have detachments at Amboy, Brunswick, Princeton & Trenton. image
    • 15 Dec 1776 British agents approach Benjamin Franklin in Paris with offers of reconciliation, but stop short of recognizing independence. But despite bleak prospects for most of the #AmRev, the Americans resisted the temptation. image
    • 15 Dec 1776 To avoid panic, Gen George Washington is forced to issue a proclamation denying any intention of burning Philadelphia to prevent capture by the British. Anxiety caused by the actual burning of NYC by persons unknown. image
    • 15 Dec 1776   American Gen William Heath and Gen George Clinton raid Hackensack, NJ, capturing several British regulars & arresting over 500 Loyalists as well as needed supplies. image
    • 19 Dec 1776 Capt. William Hallock and the 16-gun brig Lexington were captured by the British frigate HMS Pearl under Capt. Thomas Wilkinson, but the Lexington’s crew under Master’s Mate Richard Dale re-take it and sailed to Baltimore. image
    • 19 Dec 1776, Thomas Paine sent “The American Crisis” to the publisher. A powerful follow-up to Common Sense, it had a great deal of impact in motivating people to support the cause of Liberty when victories were few and the cause seemed lost. image
    • 20 Dec 1776 Baltimore, MD Continental Congress reconvenes after fleeing Philadelphia at the word of Lord Cornwallis’s forces reaching the Delaware River. image
    • 12 Dec 1777 Paris, France Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, the Foreign Minister, informs the American Commissioners that France’s entry into the war is contingent on Spain’s approval and would require three more weeks for a reply from Madrid. image
    • 17 Dec 1777 France’s foreign minister, Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, officially acknowledged the American colonies as an independent nation, the US. The victory at Saratoga was the tipping point for the French to openly support the Americans. image
    • 18 Dec 1777 The United States, in Congress, issued the nation’s first Thanksgiving Proclamation as an independent country, signed by President of Congress Henry Laurens. The proclamation was issued to express thanks for the recent victory at Saratoga. image
    • 19 Dec 1777 A fatigued Continental Army struggles into winter quarters at Valley Forge, PA. The location protected Gen Washington’s communications & posed a threat to the British in Phila. But the harsh winter would reduce the force by almost one-third. image
    • 13 Dec 1778 Newport, RI. Adm John Byron’s fleet sails off for the West Indies, where they will search for the French fleet. image
    • 17 Dec 1778 Lt Col Henry Hamilton’s force of 500 British & Indians recaptures Vincennes, Indiana from Virginia Capt. Leonard Helm. Hamilton then releases his militia & Indians for the winter. image
    • 18 Dec 1778 Liverpool, NS.  A force of New Jersey and New York Loyalists, the King’s Orange Rangers, traveled to help defend it against patriot privateers, who were threatening commerce.  image
    • 18 Dec 1778 St Lucia, West Indies.  A French fleet under comte d’Estaing lands 9000 men on La Vigie peninsula & attacks British forces under Gen James Grant. They are repulsed & retreat, losing 1400 killed & wounded. British casualties are fewer than 200.  image
    • 12 Dec 1780 Halfway Swamp, SC. Gen Francis Marion intercepts a party of 200 recruits under Maj Robert McLeroth, who parleys but flees that night before final terms are in place. Marion pursues & skirmishes follow before the Americans withdraw. image
    • 14 Dec 1780 Alexander Hamilton & Gen Philip Schuyler’s daughter, Elizabeth, married. The ceremony took place in the Schuyler family home in Albany, and their marriage was officially recorded in the local Dutch Reformed Church. image
    • 16 Dec 1780 Charlottetown, NC. Gen Nathanael Greene separated his forces in the face of Gen Cornwallis’s superior army. He directed Gen. Dan Morgan and Col. Washington to combine forces with the local militia west of the Catawba River. image
    • 17 Dec 1780 Continental Congress appoints Francis Dana minister to Russia. Although unfamiliar with the language, he works hard to establish good relations between the two countries. image
    • 19 Dec 1780 Southern Dept. Commander Gen Nathanael Greene adopts a risky strategy, splitting his army in two in the face of a superior British force by sending Gen Dan Morgan’s command on a thrust through SC to draw out British forces. image

Happy Holiday Season

Wishing you and yours a safe, happy and healthy festive season as the year 2025 moves to a close. ….doug

Published by the UELAC
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