In this issue:


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

The Black Loyalists of Otnabog: Their Paper Trail . Part Two of Four
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
The primary sources that record the history of New Brunswick in the years following the arrival of the Loyalists demonstrate that Black settlers were members of refugee communities from the mouth of the St. John River to Fredericton and beyond. Despite the early failures of Black settlements along the river, the largest Black Loyalist community would be founded in the opening decades of the 19th century.
The documents of the era show that there were Blacks of varying status living near Otnabog Lake in the villages of Greenwich, Hampstead, Sheffield, and Waterborough in the 1780s and 1790s — but they had not yet established a settlement of their own. After seven years in New Brunswick, the colony’s Black Loyalists had yet to found any sort of settlement comparable to those successfully established at Birchtown, Brindley Town, Preston, or Tracadie in Nova Scotia.
While the majority of Blacks who lived in what was known as the Gage Township were free, there were also Blacks who had been enslaved by the white Loyalist settlers who established villages in the area. James Mayes, a New York Loyalist, is among the first enslavers noted to have brought Blacks to Otnabog Lake.
One example of slavery within the township concerns a 21 year-old man. In May of 1786, Captain John Whitlock of Grimross Neck posted a detailed ad for the return of his slave, Pompey. Whitlock described Pompey as “about 5 feet 10 or 11 inches high, he is a stout well-made fellow“. Whoever captured Pompey on his flight to freedom would receive “two guineas reward and all reasonable charges“.
James Peters, a well-to-do Loyalist from New York, settled in Gagetown with two female slaves — 20 year-old slave, Cairo and 14 year-old Bella. Cairo was married to a free Black man named Pompey Rumsey. Rumsey sailed to New Brunswick with his enslaved wife in 1783. Twenty-three years later, the Rumseys were still married. Cairo’s status as a slave to the Peters family had not changed, and her devoted Pompey was still a free man.
Sarah Cory of Gagetown is an example of a Gagetown slave owner who demonstrated a degree of compassion for her slave and her children. Upon Cory’s death, her will stipulated that a woman known simply as Dorothy was to be set free “with her bed and bedding and wearing clothes without any demands of my children.”
Thirteen Black Loyalists came to New Brunswick as indentured servants – a form of employment into which one could only enter if one were a free person. Although these servants were free men and women, they were bound to their employer for a set period of years, an arrangement that limited their mobility and freedom.
One such indentured servant was Jack Patterson who worked in a Gagetown inn owned and operated by Charles Loosley. At the end of his indenture, Patterson would go to become a farmer in the Fredericton area. He would later gain fame for capturing the colony’s most wanted criminal.
If we pause for a moment at the year 1791, a picture emerges of the situation for New Brunswick’s Black Loyalists, a community that had yet to establish a settlement at Otnabog Lake.  Due to racist policies and poor land grants, Black Loyalists saw settlements rise and fall at Carleton, the Nerepis River, Milkish Creek, and Belleisle Bay.  People were still suffering from government inaction. In a petition made that year to colony’s lieutenant governor, a hundred Black families described themselves as “destitute and helpless” while waiting for the land the British government had promised them.  Something had to change, and soon.
The injustices they had endured at the hands of New Brunswick’s colonial government prompted Thomas Peters, a Revolutionary War veteran, to act. Frustrated with how Black Loyalists had been treated in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County, Peters had led at least 15 Black veterans and their families to New Brunswick in 1785.
Over the next five years, Peters petitioned the New Brunswick government half a dozen times for land grants. After sending a failed petition to the colonial government for a school, 100 of New Brunswick’s Black Loyalist families appointed Peters as their spokesman.  He would no longer appeal to a colonial authority; instead, Peters set sail for England to seek justice for his people.
When he returned in October of 1791, Peters brought news of a fresh start for New Brunswick’s beleaguered Blacks — the opportunity to found a colony of their own in Sierra Leone. Within two months’ time, over 200 Black Loyalists had boarded ships in Saint John and bid farewell to New Brunswick.
While the Sierra Leone exodus included many from the failed Black communities established along the St. John River, it could not include everyone. To qualify for settlement in the West African colony applicants had to be debt-free, law-abiding free Blacks. Indentured servants and slaves need not apply. They would have to remain in New Brunswick. The strategy that had provided indentured servants with shelter, food and clothing following their flight from the United States now prevented them from taking advantage of a fresh start in Africa.
However, even free Blacks encountered obstacles to sailing for Sierra Leone. The agent appointed to oversee the departure of the colony’s Black Loyalists did all he could to obstruct their exodus from New Brunswick. Faced with the prospect of losing a source of inexpensive labour, the agent fabricated reasons to detain worthy Black Loyalists. He demanded to see their 1783 emancipation certificates, warned that Black Loyalists would be sold as slaves when they reached Sierra Leone, and accepted as legitimate the indenture contracts that had been forged to prevent Blacks from leaving New Brunswick. Others refused to pay Black Loyalists their wages, thinking that a lack of money would prevent them from leaving the colony.
Despite all of these obstructions, 222 of New Brunswick’s Black Loyalists successfully boarded ships bound for Halifax that December. Those who had been denied permission to leave the colony returned to their homes to face an uncertain future. Four of those thwarted by white officials decided to make a 15-day trek overland on foot to Halifax, arriving in time to sail to Africa with others from New Brunswick. The fleet of 15 vessels left Halifax for Sierra Leone on January 15, 1792.
The documents of the era are silent concerning what happened to the Black Loyalists who still lived in the Gagetown Township during the decade that followed the departure of 222 of their fellows for Sierra Leone. Those who remained would include those who had been servants whose indenture contracts had not yet been fulfilled, those with debts, those who feared crossing the ocean, those who had been prevented from leaving by unprincipled government agents  — or by those who could not make it to Saint John’s port in time. The Black Loyalists who made up this remnant would go on to become the founders of the Otnabog Lake settlement.
The third installment in this series, found in next week’s Loyalist Trails, will outline what the “paper trail” reveals about the names and ancestors of those who founded the Otnabog Lake settlement.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

The Loyal- List: Celebrating UEL Descendents and the Winter Olympics
By Mike Woodcock UE, Victoria Branch
As the 2026 Winter Olympics wind down, this article focuses on United Empire Loyalist (UEL) descendants who participated and won medals at past Winter Olympics. If you know of other Loyalist links to the Winter Olympics, please share them.

Notable UEL descendant medalists 

William Frederick Logan (1907–1955), Saint John, New Brunswick — Canadian speed skater; two bronze medals at the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics (1500m and 5000m).
Allan Ruggles Purvis (1929–2009), Trochu, Alberta — Ice hockey player with the Edmonton Mercurys; part of the team that won gold at the 1950 World Championships and the 1952 Winter Olympics.
Frances Helen Dafoe (1929–2016), Toronto, Ontario — Pairs skater with Norris Bowden; four Canadian titles, two World Championships, and Olympic silver (1956).
Barbara Ann Scott (1928–2012) — Figure skater known as “Canada’s Sweetheart”; 1948 Olympic champion, two-time World champion (1947–48), four-time Canadian national champion, and the only Canadian to win the European Championship (1947–48).
Douglas Thomas Anakin (1930–2020), Chatham, Ontario — Bobsleigh competitor and member of Canada’s gold medal four-man bobsleigh team at the 1964 Winter Olympics; key promoter of the Canadian luge program; inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.
Ross Patterson Alger — Alderman on Calgary City Council (1971–74); elected mayor (1977–80). Notable for the city’s bid planning for the XV Olympic Winter Games and Olympic coliseum planning.

Invitation to Contribute
Help grow The Loyal-List! Know other Loyalist links to the Winter Olympics? Please contribute information about Loyalists or their descendants, suggest edits to existing profiles, or provide feedback via email at membership.vic.uelac@gmail.com or on the UELAC homepage.
The Loyal-List is a project of the United Empire Loyalists (UEL) Association of Canada, compiled from reputable sources, including the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Wikipedia, and various published works. Learn more about this inspiring project on the national UELAC website.

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

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – 18 February 2026

Actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was born on 2 May 1972 in Hayward, California and is a seventh generation descendant of a Black Loyalist mentioned in the Book of Negroes who settled in Amherst, Nova Scotia. He holds dual American and Canadian citizenship.  The Rock is descended from James Bowles who arrived in Annapolis Royal from New York on board the ship named Joseph on 9 November 1783. His name appears in the Book of Negroes, spelled as James Bowels of age 28. Read more…

Measha Brueggergosman-Lee – 19 February 2026

Born on 28 June 1977 in Fredericton,  New Brunswick, award winning soprano Measha Brueggergosman – Lee is a descendant of a Black Loyalist mentioned in the Book of Negroes.  In 2017 she was awarded the Order of New Brunswick following upon several other recognitions. She was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2009 Jeunesses Musicales Montreal International Musical Competition and won First Prize at the International Vocal Competition’s – Hertogenbosch in 2002.  She performed the Olympic Hymn at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. Read more…

Thomas Peters Descendant – 20 February 2026

Some may be of the mistaken belief that the United Empire Loyalists’ Association is only open to  membership by descendants of white United Empire Loyalists.
As we are in Black History Month in Canada, I am sharing this photo of David Peters and myself.  We were both attending a Christmas celebration in Saint John, New Brunswick of the New Brunswick Branch of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association (UELAC) in December 2019. He, as a member of that Branch and I from Nova Scotia, were both elected to serve on the Dominion Council of the UELAC  earlier that year. David had as his 7th great grandfather Thomas Peters,  prominent Black Loyalist. Thomas Peters was born in Nigeria sometime around 1738. Read more…

A lost chapter of Black history on Prince Edward Island: birds flying free
By Stella Shepard 21 February 2026 at the Guardian from PEI
(Editor’s Note 1: This is the second of two parts written by Stella Shepard exclusively for The Guardian in recognition of Black History Month. The first part was published Feb. 14. Read here… )
(Editor’s note 2:  Part 1 was openly available. I had to create a free account to read part 2)
An enslaved old woman sat outside the rough shack where she had been born and forced to work her entire life. The day had been long, the sun merciless, the fields tearing her hands as she pulled weeds and gathered stones from the rocky soil.
She had already endured the sale of her children and her husband, a family broken apart by men who claimed the right to own them. Now, as she watched a circle of birds flying above, tears smeared on her face. A small child, too young to grasp the cruelty around him, asked why she was crying. The woman whispered the only truth she could manage: Birds fly free.
The woman in that story could have been any one of the ancestors, including my own, trafficked to Prince Edward Island during the slavery era. Their suffering shaped Island communities. Learning this history is not about guilt; it is about understanding the foundations of our province and recognizing the people who helped build it. Read more…

Christ Church, Parish of Shelburne
By the Rev’d Taunya J. Dawson, Diocese of Nova Scotia and P.E.I. Feb 2026
Fifty-five years ago, on 14 February 1971 (St. Valentine’s Day), Christ Church in Shelburne — the first Anglican Church to be consecrated in British North America — was destroyed by fire.
The long history of the Anglican Church in the Shelburne community, which has been sustained for nearly 243 years. The arrival of the Loyalist refugees in Shelburne harbour in the spring of 1783 brought to the lands of the Mi’kma’ki a significant number of Anglicans, as well as members of other “dissenting” faiths.
Governor John Parr had approved a survey including the designation of Anglican glebe lands and the creation of the three parishes of St. George’s, St. Andrew’s and St. Patrick’s
Ultimately, it took the Anglican Loyalists of Shelburne six years to come together and build a suitable church for all! The name “Christ Church” was perhaps chosen as a symbol of this unity.
On Christmas Day in 1789, the first service of worship was held at Christ Church and, in spite of a steady decline in Shelburne’s population, was reportedly well-attended. Read more…  (a pdf, Feb 2026 issue, page 7 of 16)
Noted by Brian McConnell UE

250 Years Ago: The Americans Occupying Montreal in February 1776
The Americans captured Montreal on 13 November 1775. Richard Montgomery entered the city through the Recollet Gate, where he was welcomed by some citizens. He established the occupiers headquarters in the Château Ramezay which still stands today as a museum and historic building on Notre-Dame Street in Old Montreal, opposite Montreal City Hall. It remained the headquarters until the Americans retreated in June 1776. When Montgomery left for Quebec City two weeks later on 18 November, he left  Brigadier General David Wooster in command of the American forces remaining in Montreal.
In February 1776, a few hundred American troops occupied Montreal. These forces were primarily billeted in private homes and public buildings within the city.
As invaders of Canada, the Continental Army was struggling with a lack of resources, supplies, and money. Troops were often cold and poorly equipped. A major source of friction with the citizens was the American attempt to buy supplies from local merchants using Continental paper currency, which was distrusted and despised by the local French-Canadian merchant class.
David Wooster was unpopular. He was accused of alienating local citizens through strict, sometimes blunt, administrative actions, including searching homes for weapons and threatening deportation for criticism of the Continental Congress.
Smallpox was a significant problem especially among the American troops, but it spread into the local population as well. This smallpox epidemic of 1775 to 1782 was the third in the 18th century, after 1721-1722 and 1750-1753 (the seven years war)

Montreal Citizens
While some inhabitants initially favored the Americans, by February 1776, many citizens had grown tired of the military occupation. The majority of French-speaking inhabitants were Catholic and, while not necessarily loyal to British rule, distrusted the Protestant, American “Bostonnais”.
The military presence and the rejection of paper money severely impacted the local economy.
While most of the population remained neutral, some local supporters of the Americans were forced to choose sides as the American position grew more desperate.

Richard Cranch, Boston Colonial Watchmaker 
by Andrew H. Dervan 15 February 2026 Journal of the American Revolution
Richard Cranch was born on October 26, 1726, in Kingsbridge, Devon, England, the youngest of seven children. The Cranch family had lived in Devon for centuries and had been involved in woolen manufacture for many years. Cranch was apprenticed as a wool-card maker, and emigrated to Boston on the ship Wilmington, arriving on November 2, 1746. Accompanying him were his sister Mary (1720-1790) and her husband Joseph Palmer (1716–1788), who had married on April 4 just before the voyage to Boston. Palmer was ten years old than Richard and had some wealth, so he may have paid for Richard’s passage.
Cranch was a voracious reader and a self-taught amateur scholar who was eager to share his knowledge with friends. He read widely, particularly religion, and was regarded as an authority on biblical prophecies and the Antichrist. In 1752, Cranch left Boston due to smallpox outbreak sweeping the city and settled in the North Parish of Braintree (current-day Quincy), eight miles southeast of Boston.
In 1752, Cranch and Joseph Palmer, his brother-in-law purchased seventeen lots of property in Braintree in shed-neck area, now called German-town, and constructed buildings for four businesses: chocolate milling, processing spermaceti whale oil and candle making, glassmaking, and stock weaving. Only information on the candle and glassmaking businesses is known, and both enterprises were only modestly successful as they had difficulty raising capital, finding trained employees, and distributing their products. It was difficult establishing colonial industries, as the English crown strongly opposed them and wanted the colonies to supply England with raw materials and sell them finished goods in return.  Read more…

The Sieges of Fort Morris, Georgia
by Douglas R. Dorney, Jr. 19 February 2026 Journal of the American Revolution
The two sieges of Fort Morris have remained comparatively obscure events in the historiography of the 1778 British invasion of Georgia. Overshadowed by the larger-scale capture of Savannah, the sieges were nonetheless impactful events in the intensifying war in the southern states. With the eventual surrender of the fort, the British army and navy consolidated their control of coastal Georgia from Savannah to East Florida. More importantly, the surrender proved to be a considerable blow to American men and material with over 200 prisoners, dozens of artillery pieces, and hundreds of small arms and gunpowder captured. The action brought about the effective end of the Georgia Continental Line as a regimental force.
What would become Fort Morris was closely tied to the adjacent town of Sunbury. Founded in 1758 on the Medway River, the town was situated about thirty miles south of Savannah and ten miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean. The plan of the town was likely influenced by the Savannah grid and featured three main public squares with 496 lots. It was estimated that town’s inhabitants numbered between 800 and 1,000 free and enslaved people before the Revolutionary War. The small port at the time was said to rival that of Savannah.
At the same time that Georgia was authorizing its Continental battalions, the Congressional Congress advised the construction of two forts in Georgia, one at Savannah and the other at Sunbury. Read more…

Advertised on 15 Feb.  “The Association:… I declined signing it.”

“When the Association was once and upon a sudden offered to me to sign, I declined signing it.”

Joseph Lyon, a farmer “living at the White Plains in Westchester County” in New York, wanted to get back into the good graces of his community.  He had offended many people when he refused to sign “the Association,” most likely the “General Association, agreed to, and subscribed by the Freeholders, Freemen, and Inhabitants” of New York.  The New York Provincial Congress devised the General Association upon learning of the battles at Lexington and Concord in April 1775.  Delegates then disseminated the General Association throughout the colony, expecting supporters of the American cause to sign it.  In doing so, subscribers pledged to “adopt and endeavour to carry into Execution, whatever Measures may be recommended by the Continental Congress; or resolved upon by our Provincial Convention, for the Purpose of preserving our Constitution, and opposing he Execution of the several arbitrary, and oppressive Acts of the British Parliament; until a Reconciliation between Great-Britain and America, on Constitutional Principles … can be obtained.”
Lyon did not sign and apparently others in White Plains made their displeasure with that decision known to him. Read more…

Advertised on 14 Feb. “The Devil drives Lord North, and Lord North drives the People.”

“The Devil drives Lord North, and Lord North drives the People.”

In the February 14, 1776, edition of the Constitutional Gazette, William Green, a bookbinder, advertised “three political Prints” for sale for one shilling each at his shop in Maiden Lane in New York.  He listed the titles, but he did not describe them to prospective customers.  Perhaps he did not wish to pay for the additional space in the newspaper.  Perhaps he thought the titles provided sufficient description.  Perhaps he considered the titles evocative enough to spark curiosity among readers, prompting them to visit his shop to discover for themselves what exactly each print depicted.  After all, titles like “The Ministerial Robbers, or the Americans virtually represented in England” and “The Devil drives Lord North, and Lord North drives the People” simultaneously told a story and expressed support for the American cause.  Notably, the purveyor of these “political Prints” was the first person to advertise Thomas Paine’s Common Sense outside of Philadelphia, doing so just eleven days after Robert Bell, the publisher of the first edition, announced its publication.
Readers may have been familiar with some of the political cartoons that Green advertised. Read more…

Battle of Ridgefield Archaeology Project Update
Reflectance Transformation Imaging by Dr. David Leslie15 February 2026, at Ridgefield Historical Society
    This winter, archaeologists are using advanced imaging technology to reveal new details from metallic artifacts recovered during the Battle of Ridgefield investigations, offering fresh insight into what happened on April 27, 1777. 
Now that winter is upon us, laboratory staff at Heritage Consultants, LLC have been working to identify the metallic artifacts recovered over the past year as part of the investigation into the Battle of Ridgefield.  Many of these artifacts are lead musket balls that were impacted or dropped, and the identification of such artifacts entails measuring the diameter (to estimate the caliber of the weapon) or weight of the artifact, if it was impacted.  Such measurements can provide crucial information to the analyst about the type of weapon used to fire the musket balls, and potentially inform us if the ammunition was carried or fired by American or British forces
Many metallic artifacts, however, may have undergone significant corrosion prior to discovery by our metal detectorists and archaeologists.  Heavily corroded artifacts can be incredibly challenging to identify, such as buttons or coins. Read more… (with photos and examples)
Noted by Ken MacCallum UE

The Thistle and the Cross
The obituary of a Scottish nun in New France opens a trail that leads to King Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots
by Mairi Cowan — 23 October 2025
On November 14, 1687, Marie Hiroüin de la Conception died at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Quebec. She had served there as an Augustinian nun and nurse for thirty years. According to the obituary preserved in manuscripts at the Hôtel-Dieu’s archive, her sisters at the convent admired her simple obedience, her respectful deference toward her superiors, her mildness, her patience, and her equanimity.
If these qualities match what you are expecting to find as praise for a seventeenth-century nun, you are understanding the obituary as its authors intended. Then as now, an obituary is not simply an account of a person’s life. It tells a story that is meant to honour the deceased individual and support her community. The authors of this obituary were writing in a monastic context, so it is not surprising that they chose to emphasize virtues of humility. The writers also included less conventional details, and these hint at ties that extended beyond the cloister to political and religious developments stretching across the Atlantic.
The obituary of Marie Hiroüin takes us into questions of what it meant to be Scottish in the seventeenth century, of how religious reformation shaped political allegiances in both Europe and North America, and of why missionaries were so important to colonial efforts in New France. It illustrates how the life path of a single individual can be shaped by the whims of kings and by sweeping geopolitical movements. And it hints at an ancestral connection between a humble nursing sister in Canada and the highest noble houses of Europe.  Read more…

Note for an Abandoned Child
by Mathieu Drouin 15 February 2023 at Canada’s History
Infants born out of wedlock were often left to the care of nuns
“You must call him James,” says this note, which accompanied a child abandoned to the care of the Augustinian nuns of the Hôtel-Dieu de Quebec, on September 7, 1815. The infant was placed in the “tower,” a pivoting half-cylinder that allowed a person outside of a cloistered nunnery to deposit property — or, in this case, a child — for the nuns.
The fate of James — he was indeed baptized James Corneille — was neither unique nor rare in the first half of the nineteenth century. Between 1800 and 1845, the Augustinians of the Hôtel-Dieu took in nearly 1,400 children at the request of the government of Lower Canada. Many of them were born out of wedlock. Read more… (brief)

Smuggler Lawrence Kelly on the Salish Sea
by Paul Lindholdt February 2026 at Common Place
Separating fact from folklore in Kelly’s life is no easy task. Secondhand reminiscences and nautical gossip layer much of the available information.
In the half-century that spanned the end of the U.S. Civil War and the first rumblings of the Great War, the inland waterways of the Salish Sea were less a sleepy backwater than a busy highway that attracted legal commerce and crooked opportunists. Schooners and steamers moved lumber, fish, coal, and people between the growing ports of Victoria, Bellingham, Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia. But beneath this lawful traffic flowed a darker undercurrent that accommodated the smuggling of opium, liquor, and grimmer human cargo. Few sailors became as caught up in that shadow trade as Lawrence Kelly, a man who evolved in legends that variously characterize him as scruffy seadog, smuggler, varlet, desperado, and thief.
From roughly 1872 until his compulsory retirement from crime some forty years later, Kelly cut a swath through the maritime underworld of the Pacific Northwest. Local lore has it that he knew every inlet and back channel between Olympia, Washington, and Vancouver Island. Accounts pair him with the equally infamous Ben Ure, who is alleged to have combined cunning seamanship with outright brutality. Kelly’s story intersects also with the turbulent transformation of the region. That transformation contributed to the displacement of Indigenous peoples, the boomtown rise of Seattle, the tightening web of U.S. and Canadian law enforcement, and the cross-border networks of Chinese labor migration and the narcotics trade.  Read more…

UELAC Loyalist Directory: New Contributions
Entries which have been added, or revised, this week – much appreciation to those contributing:

From Lynton “Bill” Stewart, a number of entries

  • Pvt. Abraham Brooks  b. 1760 in Passaic, Passaic County, NJ – d. 1830 in Weymouth, Digby County, NS where he resettled. He served with the New Jersey Volunteers. With Susannah Sabin/Sabean (1774-1849), married 2 July 1792, they had three children. Abraham is brother to Timothy Brooks.
  •  Pvt. Timothy Brooks b. 1765 in Passaic, Passaic County, NJ – d. June 1823 in Granville, Annapolis County, NS. He served with the Duke of Cumberland Regiment, Captain Gideon White’s Company and resettled in Manchester Township. With Joanna Crocker Chute (1772-1836), married 1799 in Annapolis NS, they had six children.
  • Pvt. John Bruce  b. 11 June 1757 – Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland – d. 27 June 1827 – Shelburne, Shelburne County, NS where he resettled. From Campcoy, Bergen County, New Jersey (arrived at Philadelphia in 1774), he enlisted in 1776 with the 3rd Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers. With Deborah Kelley (1758-1840) they had 12 children between 1780 and shortly after 1800.
  • Colin Campbell b. 30 July 1752 – Inveraray, Argyll, Scotland – d. 20 July 1832 Weymounth North, Weymouth Cty, NS. From new York, resettled in Shelburne NS. Married twice 1. Alice Hogg Campbell (d. bef. 1796); 2. Elizabeth Hardy. At least one child. n 1802, he was appointed as a Judge of Probate. He was also Collector of Customs in Weymouth and was also Registrar of Deeds for Digby County. He was elected as a representative of Digby in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1793 till 1818. From 1818 until he retired in 1823 he was appointed as Collector of Customs, then Supervisor of Customs for the Maritime Provinces and Commissioner of Crown Lands under King George IV.

From Bill Russell,

  • Pvt. John Munroe b. June 1760 – Indian Island, MA – d. 10 July 1846 – Pennfield, Charlotte, NB. From Athol, MA, he served with the Queen’s Rangers. After the war he first setled at Saint John, NB in 1783. With Hannah Wood Cross, born 14 Mar 1768 (in Newburyport, MA), married 27 July 1791 (at Maugerville, Sunbury City, NB), d. Sept 1866 (in Calais, Washington, Maine), buried in Pennfield, Charlotte, NB, they had 11 children.

From a certificate application by Paul Preece

  • John Alguire b. 22 July 1714 at Ittlingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany  d. 1807 at Johnstown, Fulton Cty, NY. Deemed a Loyaist upon Petition of his Son Martin Alguire read 15th December 1832; Order in Council 1834/December/15. Resettled at Cornwall Township, Stormont City, Province of Quebec, in 1785. With  Catherine Margaretha Muller (7 July 1726 – 7 Apr 1803), married 16 July 1745 at Philadelphia. four children.

From a Loyalist Certificate application,

Casper Ramey a wee bit of information was added to a very comprehenisve entry. B. 9 Feb 1757 Catiwassa, Columbia County, Pennsylvania – d. 29 Aug 1848 at Ramey’s Bend, Humberstone Township , Welland, Canada West where he had resettled.  His Property in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania confiscated; Imprisoned until 1788. Married 2 October 1785 (in Pennsylvania) to Catherine Jemima VanBlaracom / Jemima Van Blaricum (1767-1834). They had thirteen children.

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

Events Upcoming

Kingston Branch: “Birchtown’s People and Stories” by Stephen Davidson Sat 28 Feb @1:00 ET

A hybrid meeting, 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.).  tephen, a retired teacher, researcher and author, shares the story of a Black Loyalist community in Nova Scotia.  At its founding in 1783 after the American Revolution, Birchtown was the largest community of free Blacks outside of Africa.  There, newly freed slaves who had supported the British Army faced new challenges. More information and the Zoom link at kingston.uelac.ca.  All are welcome!

American Revolution Institute: Loyalists & Liberty: Savannah in the American Revolution Tues 3 Mar 6:30

Historian Catherine Duffy, chief curator for the Coastal Heritage Society in Savannah, Ga., discusses the unexpected discovery of nineteen Revolutionary War cannons found in the Savannah River in 2021. Catherine will highlight the exciting discovery, conservation efforts, research surrounding the artifacts, and the exhibit where they’ll end up next. Register…

Gov. Simcoe Branch: “The Servos Family Journey: A Story of Bravery, Loyalty and Determination” by David Servos UE Wed 4 March 7:30

The AGM will be followed by the presentation which will traces the remarkable journey of the Servos family, from their origins during the Serbian-Ottoman conflicts in the 1400s through centuries of migration across Europe, ultimately settling in North America. Their story is defined by bravery, loyalty to monarchies, and perseverance through upheaval—from military service in Germany to Loyalist trials during the American Revolution. The family’s story spans wars, migration, economic enterprise, and contributions to Canadian heritage, culture, and preservation. Register…

Col. John Butler Branch: Steve Tors. “The Battle of Queenston Heights” Sat 7 March 11:45 

The presentation gives a comprehensive overview of the flow of the famous battle, complete with animated maps.  It also relates what happened to what can be seen on the ground data.  It is based on Steve Tors’ recently published book, “My Bones Are Not Bleaching on the Awful Heights”:  The Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812.
Meetomg at Betty’s Restaurant, 8921 Sodom Road, Chippawa (Niagara Falls), at 11:45 for a lunch meeting.  This meeting will be both in person and by ZOOM. The cost of the lunch is $35 for UELAC members and $40 for guests attending in-person.  Cash only, payable at the meeting.  No credit cards.
Please register with 283corvette@gmail.com

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • Food and Related: Townsends
  • Apparel
  • This week in History
    • 20 February 1726, Groton, Massachusetts (Province of Massachusetts Bay). Colonel William Prescott was born. A veteran of King George’s War (1745) and the French and Indian War (1755, including Fort Beauséjour), he declined a British commission to return to farming in Pepperell, MA. In the Revolutionary War, he commanded the Massachusetts militia at Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775), famously ordering troops not to fire “until you see the whites of their eyes.” Read more…
    • 15 February 1776, Nova Scotia’s Governor Francis Legge reported to British authorities in London that disloyal (“traitorous”) elements in Cumberland County had contacted General George Washington. Residents there, led by figures like Jonathan Eddy, sent a petition and letter dated February 8, 1776, expressing sympathy for the American cause and urging an invasion to bring Nova Scotia into the patriot fold. Washington referred the request to Congress, which briefly considered but rejected an expedition. The recent American failure at Quebec (Montgomery’s defeat in December 1775 and the collapse of the siege by early 1776) eliminated any serious interest in northern campaigns, as resources were focused elsewhere and British naval dominance posed risks. image
    • 15 February 1776, Cross Creek (modern Fayetteville), North Carolina. Loyalist forces—predominantly recent Scottish Highland immigrants—mustered about 1,500–1,600 men (initial reports cited up to 3,500, but many dispersed). Only about one-third were armed with firearms. Most carried broadswords, dirks, or improvised weapons. In North Carolina politics, deep divisions existed: coastal planters and merchants (often of English/Scots-Irish descent) dominated Patriot committees, pushing rebellion through the Provincial Congress and militia.  Read more…
    • 15  February 1776, the First Virginia Regiment—originally raised in 1775 under Patrick Henry as Virginia’s provincial defense force—was formally accepted into the Continental Line by Congress image
    • 16 February 1776. Cambridge, Massachusetts. During a Council of War, General George Washington, eager to exploit the frozen Back Bay/Charles River for an assault on Boston with ~16,000 troops (estimates varied; ~8,800–9,000 fit for duty plus reinforcements), proposed a direct attack across the ice to end the siege decisively.  His generals—citing powder shortages, the risk of heavy casualties, British defenses, and potential failure—strongly advised against it, “disabusing” him of the plan. Instead, they endorsed fortifying Dorchester Heights with Henry Knox’s newly arrived Ticonderoga artillery to dominate Boston and the harbor, forcing British General William Howe to act.  Preparations followed, culminating in the successful overnight occupation on March 4, 1776. image
    • 17 February 1776, Delaware Capes. The Continental Navy’s first Atlantic cruise under Commodore Esek Hopkins included eight refitted merchant ships, which became the frigates Alfred and Columbus; the brigs Cabot and Andrew Doria; the sloops Providence and Hornet; and the schooners Fly and Wasp. The modest fleet had an imposing mission: drive Lord Dunmore’s fleet from Chesapeake Bay and control the Atlantic. Its ordnance totaled only 110 guns, about the same as two mid-rate ships of the line in the Royal Navy. The Continental Navy would never grow large enough to defeat the Royal Navy, but it punched above its weight. Its officers and sailors were aggressive, resourceful, and courageous in taking on the larger, better-armed British men-of-war. Their exploits would cause much consternation among British naval planners, inspire the American people, and provide propaganda in Europe. image
    • February, 17, 1776, is the date printed on many Continental bank notes from early in the war, based on the Continental Congress’s authorization.  example 1  and example 2
    • 18 February 1776, in Norfolk, Virginia. Governor John Murray (4th Earl of Dunmore) sent a letter of “inexpressible mortification” to William Legge (2nd Earl of Dartmouth), lamenting that British Gen. Sir Henry Clinton had been ordered to the “insignificant province” of North Carolina rather than to aid Virginia. Overwhelmed by rebels and isolated after defeats such as Great Bridge, Dunmore desperately sought military reinforcement to restore royal control. image
    • 18 February 1776. Loyalist Brig. Gen. Donald MacDonald led 1,500–1,600 men—mostly Scottish Highlanders—from Cross Creek toward the North Carolina coast to join British forces. Patriots under Col. James Moore blocked the direct route Read more…
    • 19 February 1777. Philadelphia.  The Continental Congress promoted Thomas Mifflin, Arthur St. Clair, William Alexander (Lord Stirling), Adam Stephen, and Benjamin Lincoln to major general. Despite seniority and valorous service (e.g., in Canada and at Valcour Island), Brigadier General Benedict Arnold felt deeply slighted as five juniors advanced ahead Read more…
    • 21 February 1777.  Colonel George Weedon of the 3rd Virginia Regiment was promoted to brigadier general in the Continental Army (Congressional resolution dated Feb. 21, effective immediately). He had served as an ensign in the Virginia Regiment during the French and Indian War under Washington.  read more…
    • 16 February 1778. Two future U.S. presidents await favorable weather to sail to France. On 13 February, John Adams and his 10-year-old son, John Quincy Adams, boarded the Continental frigate Boston near Braintree, Massachusetts, and soon anchored in Marblehead Harbor amid wintry gales. They finally reached open sea on the 17th. Adams sailed to France to join Benjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee, replacing Silas Deane on the commission to secure a vital treaty of alliance with France against Britain. image
    • 14 February 1779, Oyster Bay, New York.  British Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe, commander of the Queen’s Rangers and quartered at the Townsend family home (now Raynham Hall) in presented Sarah “Sally” Townsend (c. 1760–1842, about 18–19) with a romantic valentine: a lengthy handwritten poem (often called North America’s first documented valentine) adorned with a drawing of two bleeding hearts pierced by Cupid’s arrow, initialed “J.G.S.” and “S.T.” The poem professed his love while acknowledging the impossibility due to wartime enmity. Sally, daughter of Patriot Samuel Townsend, is widely believed by historians to have served as an informant for her brother Robert Townsend (alias “Samuel Culper Jr.”), a key operative in Gen. George Washington’s Culper Spy Ring, directed by Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge. She likely gleaned intelligence from Simcoe and other British officers through flirtations, aiding Patriot efforts. Sally kept the valentine until her death; it survives at Raynham Hall Museum.  image
    • 14 February 1779, Kettle Creek, Georgia. A Patriot militia force of 440, led by Colonel Andrew Pickens of South Carolina, along with Colonels John Dooly and Elijah Clarke of Georgia, defeats 700 Loyalist militia commanded by Colonel James Boyd. Pickens advances in three columns. read more…
    • 15 February 1779, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Debates over borders and treaties that began in early 1779 intensified in February.
      French Minister Conrad Alexandre Gérard urged the Continental Congress to define firm peace terms with Britain, including boundaries and concessions regarding Florida and navigation rights on the Mississippi River. This was a diplomatic maneuver to accommodate Spain’s interests. Read more…
    • 18 February 1779. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
      The Continental Congress formally chartered the Office of Inspector General, solidifying its structure and duties—including regulations for maneuvers, discipline, troop inspections, and reporting—with Prussian-born Maj. Gen. Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben as its inaugural chief.  This built on his May 5, 1778, appointment as Inspector General (major general rank) on Washington’s recommendation after Valley Forge reforms.  His influential “Blue Book” drill manual (Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States) received congressional approval on March 29, 1779, standardizing training for decades.  image
    • 18 February 1779.  Pluckemin, New Jersey. General George Washington and approximately 400 guests—including Martha Washington, General Henry Knox, and over 70 prominent ladies—attended the lavish Grand Alliance Ball on the grounds of the Boylan House. Hosted to celebrate the first anniversary of the Franco-American alliance Read more…
    • 18–22 February 1779,  Colonel George Rogers Clark’s starving 170-man army—after weeks of brutal marching through flooded Illinois prairies—finally reached the swollen Wabash River. They hastily refitted with canoes, mustered their waning spirits amid hunger and cold, and pressed the final 10 miles through bitterly icy, chest-deep floods toward Fort Vincennes. image
    • 20 February 1779, during his grueling winter march from Kaskaskia (departed Feb. 5–6), Lt. Col. George Rogers Clark’s small force (~170 men) captured a hunting party of five hunters from Vincennes while they traveled by boat. Interrogation revealed that the British at Fort Sackville remained unaware of the American approach Read more…
    • 14 February 1780 British forces under Lt. Gen. Sir Henry Clinton—including jaegers and light infantry—advanced through challenging swampy terrain toward Stono Ferry on Johns Island. After American troops withdrew without resistance the previous night, the British secured and fortified positions at the ferry, enabling their unopposed crossing of the Stono River to James Island (southwest of Charleston) by late February.  image
    • 19 February 1780 (and nearby dates like Feb 8/13), The British hauled a massive 24-pounder cannon (about three tons with its carriage) across the thick ice from New York to reinforce their garrison at Paulus Hook (now Jersey City), New Jersey. Revolutionary War winters, especially in 1780, brought bitter cold, deep snow, and prolonged freezes that locked rivers, enabling crossings by foot, horse, sleigh, and even heavy wagons and guns—unusual feats that shaped military movements and hardships for both sides. image
    • 14 February 1781. During the “Race to the Dan,” Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene’s Continental Army, after a strategic retreat from Cowpens, skillfully crossed the swollen Dan River into Virginia at Boyd’s and Irwin’s Ferries, using pre-collected boats to evade Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis’s pursuing British forces. The last American troops crossed late on the 14th; the British vanguard arrived hours later on the 15th, lacking boats to cross the high river. Cornwallis temporarily dominated the Carolinas but faced overextended supply lines, exhausted troops (after burning baggage to speed pursuit), and growing threats from partisan militia. This masterful escape preserved Greene’s army, enabled reinforcements, and led to the decisive Battle of Guilford Courthouse. image
    • 15–16 February 1781, At headquarters in New Windsor, NY, Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s aide-de-camp, was briefly delayed after Washington summoned him. Meeting at the top of the stairs, Washington accused Hamilton of disrespect for keeping him waiting ten minutes. Hamilton replied decisively that they must part, resigning immediately. The rift lingered, though he later received a field command at Yorktown. When earlier requests for line duty were denied, he formally left staff duties in April.  image
    • 19 February 19, 1781, Brigadier General Thomas Sumter (the “Gamecock”) assaulted and then besieged Fort Granby (aka Fort Congaree), a British post on the Congaree River near modern Cayce, South Carolina, held by Major Andrew Maxwell’s garrison of about 300 Loyalists (including troops of the Prince of Wales Regiment). Sumter, with roughly 280 men, used “Quaker guns” Read more…
    • 20 February 1781. The Continental Congress unanimously elected Philadelphia merchant and financier Robert Morris as Superintendent of Finance (often called the Department of Finance), a new executive office created to address the Revolutionary War’s rampant inflation, currency collapse, and supply shortages.  Read more..
    • 20 February 1806, Scottish-born American Revolutionary leader Lachlan McIntosh (b. 1725) died in Savannah, Georgia. A key Continental brigadier general from Georgia, he fatally shot Declaration signer Button Gwinnett in a 1777 duel over political rivalry and command disputes. McIntosh was acquitted and wounded himself.  image

 

 

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