In this issue:


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CIHE: “American Revolutions and the Origins of Canada” with Alan Taylor and Robert Bothwell Saturday 21 March 10:00 – 12:00
In this 250th anniversary year of the US Declaration of Independence, the Canadian Institute for Historical Education (CIHE) is pleased to welcome to Toronto Professor Alan Taylor, one of the most distinguished historians working in the United States today, and you’re invited to hear him speak on Saturday morning, March 21st about “American Revolutions and the Origins of Canada” either in person or online.
Professor Taylor has written extensively about North America from the colonial period to the latter half of the nineteenth century and has transformed how historians understand the revolutionary era by placing it in a continental context.  Rather than viewing the Revolution solely as the founding of the United States, his work examines the broader forces shaping North America in the late eighteenth century: the rival ambitions of the British, French, and Spanish empires, the role of Indigenous nations, and the profound consequences for regions that would later become Canada.
Taylor’s scholarship has earned him international recognition, including two Pulitzer Prizes for History. In books such as American Revolutions: A Continental History 1750–1804, The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers and the Northern Borderlands of the American Revolution, and The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels & Indian Allies, he demonstrates that the revolutionary upheavals of the era reshaped the entire continent—not just the thirteen colonies that became the United States.
The morning will begin with a short talk by Professor Taylor based on his acclaimed book American Revolutions: A Continental History, following which Professor Taylor will join Robert Bothwell – himself one of Canada’s most distinguished historians, and a longtime friend of Taylor’s – for a conversation exploring the Revolution’s wider implications for North America, including the experiences of Loyalists and the lasting impact on the development of Canada.  The event will conclude with an audience question-and-answer session.
Please plan to join us on Saturday morning, March 21st at Yorkminster Park Church in Midtown Toronto.  The event begins at 10:00 am and everyone is welcome.  There is no charge to attend.  RSVP at the link below to receive a reminder email and, for those not in the Toronto area, a link to watch live online.
Register here…

Another 250th Anniversary: Boston’s Evacuation Day. Part One of Six
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
March of 2026 marks a sombre anniversary in loyalist history. Approximately 1,100 loyal Americans – along with 8,000 British troops–fled Boston, Massachusetts for sanctuary in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was the first mass evacuation of Loyalists, the beginning of the largest migration of political refugees in North American history that eventually culminated in 60,000 displaced persons being scattered over the British Empire.
Surrounded by the Continental Army, the commander of the British forces in Boston, General William Howe, issued an order on March 8, 1776 for his troops, their hundreds of dependents, military stores, and loyal Americans to leave the Massachusetts capital. And they had just 9 days to prepare for their departure.
Howe let it be known that he would not be “burning his bridges” behind him. He told the Patriot forces that as long as his troops were not molested during the embarkation, he would not destroy Boston. Soldiers and loyalists collected their portable worldly goods but almost everything they owned would have to be left behind.
The Rev. Henry Craner would later remember that the evacuation of Boston was so sudden, that he was unable to save his books, furniture, or anything else, except bedding, wearing apparel, and a few stores for his small family during the passage. Added to the panic and confusion was the fact that the Loyalists had not been told where the evacuation fleet would be taking them.
While evacuation vessels were being stocked with food and water, surplus armaments, flour, sugar, wheelbarrows, furniture, and wagons were being thrown into Boston’s harbour to keep them out of rebel hands.
On March 10th, Howe issued another proclamation: ” As linen and woollen goods are articles much wanted by the rebels, and would aid and assist them in their rebellion, the commander-in-chief expects that all good subjects will use their utmost endeavours to have all such articles conveyed from this place.  Any who have not opportunity to convey their goods under their own care, may deliver them on board the Minerva, at Hubbard’s wharf, to Crean Brush, Esq., marked with their names, who will give a certificate of their delivery, and will oblige himself to return them to the owners…If after this notice any person secrets or keeps in his possession such articles, he will be treated as a favorer of the rebels.”
The historian David McCullough notes that while the loyalist evacuees included more than 20 Harvard graduates, professional men from the colonial government and its merchant class, the greater part were “from every walk of life – shopkeepers, clerks, minor customs officials, artisans… and their families“. Just over 380 family heads were ordinary tradesmen, mechanics and farmers. Some refugees were in their 70s; others were parents of families ranging from 3 to 17 members.
There were at least 24 women listed as heads of households that were part of the evacuation. Without husbands or male escorts, the women who were mothers had 50 children within their care. Dorcas Griffith, the owner of a waterfront tavern and a former mistress of John Hancock had two children in her care. Margaret Draper, the widow publisher of Boston’s only loyalist newspaper, travelled with four dependents. At least four female passengers were single.
As ships became available, loyalist refugees boarded them, waiting in crowded cabins. Benjamin Howell, one evacuee, had to share a single room aboard the Hellespont, a victualing vessel.  He later recalled that “men, women, and children; parents, masters and mistresses, obliged to pig together on the floor, there being no berths.”
Not all of the city’s Loyalists were preparing to leave, but stayed in the only homes they had known, expecting “ill usage” when the Patriots recaptured Boston. While General Washington’s forces would not be happy with those who had stayed behind, they appreciated the thousands of bushels of wheat and beans, tons of hay, thousands of feet of wooden planks, and more than a 100 horses that the British were forced to abandon.
After many delays, the evacuation fleet finally set sail at nine o’clock on Sunday morning, March 17th. More than 11,000 passengers had been squeezed into 120 ships. In addition to the 1,100 Loyalists, there were 8,906 troops, 667 women, and 553 children.
The evacuees did not know their destination. Having been forced to live in cramped quarters on board ship for two weeks, one man was so despondent that he jumped overboard and drowned.  Describing the general attitude of the evacuees, one British officer reminded a correspondent of the expression, “Neither hell, hull, nor Halifax can afford worse shelter than Boston“.
It was only on March 27th, ten days after the fleet left the docks of Boston, that the evacuation vessels headed out into the Atlantic.  As the coast of Massachusetts disappeared over the horizon, a Boston merchant named George Erving had no illusions of a British victory. “Gentlemen,” he was remembered as saying, “not one of you will ever see that place again“.
Travelling with his wife and three children, Erving eventually found refuge in England where he died at age 70 in 1806. A reluctant Loyalist, the merchant later regretted his decision to join the fleet that left Boston in March of 1776. When his son – a 5 year-old at the time of the evacuation—turned 21 in 1792, Erving advised him to return to the United States. George W. Erving Jr. did as his father wished, and eventually became a government official in the new republic, serving as a special minister to Denmark, a “minister plenipotentiary” to Spain, and the American Consul at London.
Not all those who had hoped to escape Boston were successful. Five women and their 7 children who travelled without male escorts were passengers on a ship that was “apprehended at Provincetown, Cape Cod in the most miserable condition“.  It may be that they had sailed on the Sally, a private vessel hired by Jolly Allen, a Boston merchant. Delayed by a collision, the Sally lost sight of the main evacuation fleet and eventually ran aground. Rescued by locals, the loyalist passengers had all of their possessions seized and were incarcerated.   Whether they were ever able to find sanctuary outside the thirteen rebellious colonies is not recorded.
Over the next 5 weeks, this series will look at the passengers who sailed to Halifax in March of 1776, revealing their experiences before, during, and after the American Revolution, a conflict most of them considered “an unnatural rebellion”.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

The Loyal- List: Celebrating Global Surveyors’ Day
By Mike Woodcock UE, Victoria Branch
The path to Global Surveyors’ Day begins in ancient Egypt, where early surveying techniques were used to divide land. Throughout history, surveyors have been pioneers of discovery, shaping our world by exploring the unknown on Earth and in space. Among these historic surveyors are United Empire Loyalists (UEL) and their descendants. This article introduces several notable Loyalist and UE descendant surveyors and traces how their work contributed to Canada’s evolution from the eighteenth century to the modern era.

Notable United Empire Loyalists Descendants

Benjamin Marston (1730–1792): Merchant and supercargo who accompanied British forces to Halifax in 1776 and later served as surveyor-general of the king’s woods in New Brunswick; his detailed 1776–1787 diary is an important primary source for the region’s postwar history.
John Jones (1743–1823): Surveyor who laid out the town plat of St. Andrews and adjacent parcels after 1783; his allotment decisions provoked criticism amid competing claims and the rapid influx of Loyalist refugees.
Charles Morris (1759–1831): Military officer turned deputy surveyor who succeeded his father as Surveyor General of Nova Scotia, playing a central role in managing land distribution during the Loyalist influx.
George Keefer (1773–1858): Emigrated from Sussex County to Upper Canada, cleared and farmed land near present-day Thorold, became a deputy provincial land surveyor, and served as first president of the Welland Canal Company, promoting regional infrastructure and development.
Mahlon Burwell (1783–1846): Industrious deputy surveyor in Upper Canada who surveyed dozens of townships north and south of the Thames River, produced thorough field notes, maps, and diaries, and amassed substantial landholdings through surveying contracts.
Roswell Mount (1797–1834): Trained under Mahlon Burwell, this deputy surveyor conducted numerous township and road surveys in the province’s western districts and acquired land through surveying and purchase, reflecting the era’s focus on settlement infrastructure.
Thomas Ridout (1828–1905): Trained at King’s College London, Ridout began in architecture in Toronto then moved into railway engineering; he served as assistant engineer for the Great Western Railway, partnered briefly with Sandford Fleming, and later worked with the Department of Railways and Canals.
Henry Jones Cundall (1833–1916): Trained with family connections and in the Charlottetown office of the Cunard estate, Cundall produced a highly accurate 1851 map of Prince Edward Island, opened his own office by 1863, and later surveyed for the Prince Edward Island Railway.
Charles Macdonald (1837–1928): Educated at Rensselaer Polytechnic and Queen’s University, Macdonald began as a land surveyor for the Grand Trunk Railway, worked extensively on bridge construction (including supervising projects in Australia), and later gifted a clock tower to Gananoque.
James Adams Mahood (1843–1901): CPR engineer and land surveyor who surveyed the Yellowhead Pass route in 1871 and conducted extensive field reconnaissance across British Columbia; Mahood Lake, Mahood Falls, and Mount Mahood are named in his honour.
Charles Henry Keefer (1852–1932): Son of engineer Thomas Keefer, Charles became a pioneering civil engineer and surveyor who worked on major railway, harbour, waterworks and canal projects, including the Canada Central Railway and sections of the C.P.R.
John Stoughton Dennis (1856–1938): Born into a prominent Loyalist family, Dennis trained as a surveyor and topographical engineer, led surveying associations, was admitted to the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, and later became the CPR’s first commissioner for colonization and development.
Richard Birdsall Rogers (1857–1927): McGill-educated civil and mechanical engineer who became Superintending Engineer of the Trent Canal, proposed hydraulic lift locks after studying European examples, and designed the Peterborough Lift Lock.
Allan Davis (1858–1933): McGill-trained civil engineer from Adolphustown who spent two decades as a railway engineer, later served as a government land surveyor in Ontario and Manitoba, authored The Old Loyalists (1908), and advised the United Empire Loyalists’ Association.
Albert Peter Low (1861–1942): McGill-educated surveyor and explorer with the Geological Survey of Canada; he led the 1903–04 Dominion Arctic expedition, authored The Cruise of the Neptune, became director of the GSC and Canada’s first deputy minister of Mines, and has a mineral and school named after him.
Conway Edward Cartwright (1864–1938): Royal Military College graduate and civil engineer who worked on the Pontiac Pacific Railway, surveys in Nova Scotia and the U.S., oversaw construction of the Saint Lawrence bridge at Cornwall, rose to division engineer for the CPR Pacific Division, and later practiced in Vancouver.
George Richardson (1868–1935): Educated at Upper Canada College and the School of Practical Science, Richardson served as leveller and assistant construction engineer on CPR branches, municipal assistant engineer in Ottawa, maintenance engineer for the Crowsnest branch, coal company director, and later municipal engineer in BC.
Frederick Clements (1873–1935): Born in New Brunswick, Clements worked on railway and transit surveys, on the Rumford Falls and Rangely Lake Railway, and in land/mineral surveys in BC; he earned PLS and DLS credentials, partnered in private practice, served as city engineer of Prince Rupert (1918–1921), and retired to the Victoria area.
Sir Edward Oliver Wheeler (1890–1962): Son of Arthur Oliver Wheeler, Edward learned mountaineering and photo-topography surveying, guided Alpine Club of Canada climbs, and contributed to Rockies and transcontinental surveys, including work linked to Siberian expeditionary activities.

Help grow The Loyal-List! Know other United Empire Loyalists and descendents who should be recognized on Global Surveyors’ Day? 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

250th Anniversary Coin & Challenge Coin – 10 March 2026
An important event in the history of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada took place on 21 March 1972.  It received Armorial Bearings which were granted under Royal Authority by a legal instrument known as Letters Patent. On 15 July 2004 they were granted again by the Canadian Heraldic Authority. This year, in January 2026, the UELAC has produced two new collector coins.  The designs were suggested by the Promotions Committee  consisting of Linda Jobe, Chair, and members Ken Montgomery, and Rod Appleby.  One coin recognizes this year as the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution 1776 – 2026. On the other side is the Badge of the UELAC which is part of the Armorial Bearings. Read more… about the request and granting of the Armorial Bearings

St. Patrick’s Day and UE Loyalists – 10 March 2026
It is very fitting that members of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada should celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.  In a newspaper article of 18 March 1939 published in the Times Colonist at Victoria, British Columbia, it reported how descendants of the United Empire Loyalists held an enjoyable St. Patrick’s Day social.
The Irish were one of the largest ethnic groups included in the United Empire Loyalists who settled in what became Canada.  An example of this is the case of Digby, Nova Scotia where my research described in an article entitled The Irish Among the Loyalists who settled Digby, published in 2021,  determined:   Read more… includes names of notable Irish people who settled in NS, NB, Que and Ont.

250 Years Ago: The American Invasion of Canada for the week around 15 March 1776
The stalemate in Quebec City continued with the British under Sir Guy Carleton safely inside the walls of Quebec City. Benedict Arnold worked to maintain a siege but with difficulty due to illness (smallpox was a major disease), departing soldiers whose term had expired, and supply issues due to the weather and distance.

The British 
Governor Guy Carleton continued to strengthen Quebec City’s defenses, relying on his garrison and local militia. On March 14, Jean-Baptiste Chasseur, a local miller, reached the city and informed Carleton that a force of 200 French-Canadian loyalists was assembled on the south side of the St. Lawrence, ready to act against the American besiegers.
On March 11, 1776 the HMS Isis, carrying the 29th Regiment of Infantry under the command of Captain Charles Douglas, set sail from the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England for Quebec.

The Americans
During March 1776, approximately 2,500 additional American troops arrived to bolster Arnold’s dwindling and diseased force.
Arnold continued to move his few remaining cannons around the city’s outskirts to create the illusion of a much larger artillery presence. 

Recording: Revolutionary Richard Montgomery (and Sir Guy Carleton)
This recording is almost 90 minutes (1:28 hr), but provides a fascinating picture of revolutionary Brig-Gen. Richard Montgomery, his 20 years as a British officer before he was converted to the rebel cause, his years as a colonial farmer, his decision to join the Revolution, his marriage, his love for his wife, her total devotion to him during their marriage and for decades after his death, and the story of how his remains were exhumed from Quebec City and carried by water down to New York over 40 years after his death on Dec. 31, 1775 and re-buried in Trinity Chapel in 1818.
The speaker, Art Cohn, also compares Montgomery and Carleton, both of whom are presented as having been brilliant leaders. They may even have known each other personally before the War.
Play the recording on Youtube.
Noted by Robert Wilkins UE, Heritage Branch

Fort Ticonderoga & Henry Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery
by Matthew Keagle March 2026 at Ben Franklin’s World
Dr. Matthew Keagle, Curator at Fort Ticonderoga, joins us to explore the full story. Our exploration includes Fort Ticonderoga’s origins as a French wartime fortification in the 1750s, through its dramatic capture by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold in May 1775. We’ll also explore Henry Knox’s legendary expedition to move nearly 60 tons of artillery across lakes, rivers, and mountain passes in January 1776. Listen in…

Heartbreak on the Colonial Front: Women’s Writing, the Seven Years War, and Humanity in the Archive
By Thomas Lecaque 2 March 2026 at Age4 of Revolutions
Christian Ayne Crouch in her magnificent Nobility Lost: French & Canadian Martial Cultures, Indians & the End of New France made the observation that, “Narratives about war run the danger of becoming overwhelmed by their subject matter, which suffocates by either macabre fascination and the allure of romantic conflict or by the sheer horror and magnitude of pain and suffering.”
Her study looked at French military elites during the Seven Years’ War (also known as the French and Indian War) and gave them three-dimensional existences outside of, around, and alongside the battles they fought and died in. That three-dimensional existence is what all academics strive for when examining people in the past, one that not only contextualizes them in a time and place and society but allows scholars to recreate their worldview and thoughts and feelings if possible. The focus of this piece runs the risk of Crouch’s warning, suffocated by the magnitude of the pain and suffering. Yet the suffering explored here is about a life lived during a war as an observer and one left to deal with the grim realities of the battlefields. It is the diary of Charlotte Brown, kept from November 17, 1754, until August 4, 1757. In these years, she served as the nurse matron of the hospital under the British  Major-General Edward Braddock during the Seven Years’ War, and then with the hospital to encampments in Philadelphia, upstate New York, and finally New Brunswick. There are very few sources on the British side written by women from the front lines of the war itself. But that isn’t all that makes her journal unique.
Brown did not write about battles, and she rarely wrote about her work in the hospital. Those were a blip in the endless sea of her grief. The intimate losses occupied her thoughts more fully than the terror around her.  Read more…

Nicoll’s Regiment of Orange County New York
by Robert J. Walworth 10 March 2026 Journal of the American Revolution
Located along the western coast of the Hudson River just north of New York City, Orange County New York was an active theater of war in the northern department. Large mountain ranges abutting both sides of the river gave the region the name of the Highlands, and provided a strategic barrier between New York City and the interior of the state. Along this stretch of river forts were constructed, massive iron chains were drawn across the river, and Benedict Arnold betrayed his country. The men of Orange County were active throughout the war in the region between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers manning forts, defending frontiers, fighting Tories and Iroquois, and providing men to the Continental army.
The arrival of the British off the shores of Staten Island in late June 1776 sparked a flurry of activity in the county, including raising a regiment to be levied to the Continental army under thirty-five year old Col. Isaac Nicoll. Nicoll had been active since hostilities began the prior year, having commanded forces at the defenses along the Hudson in 1775 through June 1776. Nicoll’s new regiment was drafted from the militia to serve six-month enlistments in a brigade under the command of Gen. George Clinton. The soldiers’ ideals of liberty would be tested by life-altering experiences of war fighting against the professional military might of His Majesty’s world power. From July to December 1776, the regiment faced trials and tribulations as they first protected the Orange County countryside from naval raids, then served at the northern fringe of Washington’s army. The regiment confronted shortages of critical supplies, met the enemy in combat on land and water, and conducted surveillance and espionage operations. The performance of the men varied between the extremes of great heroism and fear-inspired cowardice in the face of battle. Read more…

Atlas of Independence: John Adams and the American Revolution
Author: Chris Mackowski, El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie, LLC, 2026
Review by Kelsey DeFord 8 March 2026 Journal of the American Revolution
Chris Mackowski’s Atlas of Independence positions John Adams as just that, a self-sacrificing man who attempts to direct his “reluctant colleagues” towards America’s independence. Mackowski is pretty plain in his argument that without John Adams, there would be no America.
Set against the backdrop of America’s 250th birthday, the book is the eighth in the Emerging Revolutionary War Series, a collection of reader-friendly overviews of the period. It is the first in the series to focus on a particular person. However, Mackowski is also quick to remember Adams’ own distaste of romancing historical periods. Therefore, attempts are made to not fall into hero worship. Using his creative writing skills, Mackowski uses Adams’ own letters and the letters of others to construct a conversational story.  Read more…

Isaiah Thomas and the Declaration of Independence
by Sherman Lohnes 12 March 2026 Journal of the American Revolution
Worcester, Massachusetts, claims to be the site of the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in New England. A bronze star and plaque on the sidewalk in front of Worcester’s City Hall commemorates the event. The plaque reads:
Here July 14, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was first publicly read in New England by Isaiah Thomas from the western porch of the meeting-house later known as the Old South Church.
Many writers have repeated one or more aspects of this claim. More surely will. None provide a primary source which indicates the Declaration was read to the public outside Worcester’s meeting-house on July 14, 1776, or that it was read by Isaiah Thomas. Read more…

Clothing Fashions in the 1770 Decade 
By Michele Majer and others July 2021 at Fashion History
The 1770s marked a transition in men’s and women’s dress, particularly for daywear. The growing popularity of what had previously been considered informal styles along with the increasing use of wool, cotton, and plain, lightweight silks changed the look of masculine and feminine attire towards greater simplicity. For men, the overall line of the three-piece suit became slimmer with the coat skirts cut well away from the center front, tight-fitting sleeves, and narrow tails. For women, the robe à la française with its characteristic box pleats falling from the back shoulders to the hem gave way to the robe à l’anglaise with a fitted bodice, the robe à la polonaise, and the caraco, or jacket bodice, and petticoat combination.
Womenswear
In this decade, the generously trimmed robe à la française, or sack, ceded its decades-long dominance to other styles and was primarily worn for formal wear (Figs. 1 & 2). At the same time, the hoop, which had given the robe à la française its distinctive shape, “disappeared except for court” and was replaced by “small paniers, or hip pads” (Ribeiro 222). The fitted gown, known in France as the robe à l’anglaise, had been worn in England throughout the century, alongside the sack as a more informal garment, and “in the 1770s, it had a new lease of life with a closed front opening” that obviated the need for a separate stomacher (Ribeiro 222) (Figs. 3 & 4). Read more….
Followed by:

  • Fashion Icon: Marie Antoinette, Queen of France
  • Menswear
  • Children’s Wear

Advertised on 12 Mar.  “AN ORATION, IN MEMORY OF GENERAL MONTGOMERY.“

“AN ORATION, IN MEMORY OF GENERAL MONTGOMERY.”

The March 12, 1776, edition of Dunlap’s Maryland Gazette carried an advertisement for “AN ORATION, IN MEMORY OF GENERAL MONGTOMERY: And of the OFFICERS and SOLDIERS who fell with him before QUEBEC.”  Readers knew well that Major General Richard Montgomery, the commander of the American invasion of Canada, had been killed in action in failed attack on Quebec City on December 31, 1775.  The deaths of Montgomery and Major General Joseph Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, had been the most significant losses during the first year of the Revolutionary War.  After the war, John Trumbull memorialized both patriots in paintings that depicted their sacrifice.
Shortly after Montgomery’s death, the Continental Congress invited William Smith, an Anglican minister and provost of the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania, to preach at a memorial service for Montgomery on February 19, 1776. Read more…

The NorthEast Corner: Rediscovering the Final Resting Place of Concord’s Black Community
By Beth van Duzer, March 2026 at Common Place
Ultimately, the search for Concord’s lost graves is not solely about stones and names; it is about restoring individuals to history, one clue at a time.
Across the United States, communities are actively working to uncover and honor the histories of individuals long excluded from traditional narratives centered on white land-owning males. Such efforts within the Black community have resulted in the rediscovery of African American burial sites. Some were discovered due to construction work, such as the “Negroes Buriel Ground” in New York City. However, in Concord, Massachusetts, no comparable discovery has yet been made, leaving significant gaps in our knowledge about the burial locations of Concord’s Black community.
In my research, every name in a record serves as a potential clue to Concord’s Black community and their final resting places. The Black community in Concord traces its roots to the 17th century, marked by stories of enslavement, self-emancipation, and resilience. Names such as John Jack, Thomas Dugan, Cato Ingraham, and Caesar Robbins stand out in historical records. Some of these men earned freedom through fighting in the American Revolution, while others seized it themselves. Other men like Benjamin Hutchinson and Nathanial Oliver are overlooked by many because their stories and names are less well known. Through generations, their families maintained a presence in Concord. 19th-century censuses confirm that the Black community consistently made up about 1% of the town’s population. While their lives are documented, the location of their graves remains unknown. Read more…


Ann Moore, (imposter) – the fasting woman of Tutbury (c1761-1825)
By Sarah Murden 13 October 2025 at All Things Georgian
Much of this tale is very well known so I won’t go into too much detail about the case as it’s readily available online, but it does raise some curious questions for me, and of course, I do like to find answers if possible.
In 1807 Ann, who was living in the village of Tutbury with at least one of her children, Mary, gained fame by claiming she could survive without food or drink. Her last intake of food was in July 1807 when she ate some blackcurrants. Needless to say, with this lack of subsistence she rapidly began to lose weight and became confined to bed. This curious situation gained public interest in her condition, and of course close scrutiny. Read more…

Loyalist Certificates Issued in February 2026
The publicly available list of certificates issued since 2012 is now updated to end of February 28, 2026.
When a certificate is added there, it is also recorded in the record for the Loyalist Ancestor in the Loyalist Directory.

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

  • Capt. Asher Dunham  b. 15 July 1744, Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey – d. 20 August 1803, Parrsborro, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia after a stay in St. John, New Brunswick. He enlisted in the New Jersey Volunteers in 1776. He served with the 80th Regiment during the 7 Years War (French and Indian War). In 1777, he was taken prisoner by the Rebels. In December 1779, he was again with the New Jersey Volunteers. He was utilized by General Skinner to gather intelligence until the end of the war. With Susannah Pike (1738-1826) they had nine children.
  • Capt. John Watson Wright  b. 7 Dec 1762 Staten Island, New York – d. 15 September 1852, Digby County, Nova Scotia wher4e he resettled after a time in New Brunswick. Twice married 1. Elizabeth Betts (1767-1810), married 4 Oct 1794 (six children) 2. Mary Arnold (1782-1839) (five children)
  • Pvt. Peter Earle  b. 1742, Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey. From Hackensack NJ, in 1777 he enlisted in Lt. Colonel Abraham Buskirk’s Company, New Jersey Volunteers. He resettled at Tusket River, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia. With Rachel Abraham Ackerman (1748-?), married 2 Aug 1767 in Bergen, Genesee County, New York they had eleven children.
  • Jeremiah Dunn b. 20 Nov 1760, Shilo, Cumberland County, New Jersey. From Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey before the war, he became a Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, Charlotte County Militia. He resettled at Beaver Harbour, New Brunswick; then Campobello, NB.
  • Capt. Edward Earle b. 1757 Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey – d.     1825, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York. He enlisted in 1776 Initially Lieut. in Colonel Abraham Buskirk’s Company, 4th Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers (Lieutenant); later Captain in the 3rd Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers. With Sichy van Dine (1765-1833), married 19 June 1784 in Saint John, New Brunswick, they had three children, then moved to Poughkeepsie, New York in 1794 and there has three more children. Edward was brother of
  • Lieut. Justus Earle b. 19 August 1749 in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey – d. 22 September 1826, Queens County, New Brunswick. In 1776 he enlisted in NJ Vol 3d Batt.With Ann Lawrence (1752-1824), married 6 September 1778, New York, New York County, New York.they had four children. They resettled at Waterboro, Grand Lake, Queens County, New Brunswick.
  • Dr. Charles John Earle b. 1751 in Ballantree, Scotland, settled in Virginia, resettled Fredericton NB, d. 23 Jan 1814 in Fredericton. Served 1776-1779: Major John Antil’s Company of Lt. Colonel John Morris’ 2nd Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers and 1780-1783: A surgeon in the 1st Battalion, NJV. M. Elizabeth ‘Eliza’ Baldin (1751-1831) – six children
  • John Hammell b. 1755 Windsor, NJ, resettl4ed St. John, NB. A surgeon, he served Initially 4th Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers. After being part of a prisoner exchange, he served with the 3rd Battalion of the New Jersey Volunteers.
  • Judge Ebenezer Foster b. 1732 in Woodbridge NJ, He was arrested as a sympathizer with the British on 19 July 1776, but given leave on his parole and security of 1,000 pounds.. resettled Kingston NB, d. 10 Dec 1787. With Mary Lois Beach (1731-1817), married in Monmouth County, NJ, – nine children
  • Capt. John Caleff B. 20 August 1725 – IpswichNB, where he was before the war, a Very prominent Loyalist, after the war at St. Andrews Parish, NB. d. 23 October 1812 – St. Andrew’s Parish. Married twice 1. Margaret Rogers (1729-1751), married 7 November 1747 (two children) and 2. Dorothy Jewett (1736-1809), married 18 January 1753, fourteen children, several died as infants or young children. John was     A Surgeon, Captain and Chaplain

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

Events Upcoming

American Revolution Institute: The Killing of Jane McCrea Tues 17 March 6:30

In this Author’s Talk “The Killing of Jane McCrea: An American Tragedy on the Revolutionary Frontier” Paul Staiti, professor of fine arts at Mount Holyoke College undertakes a comprehensive investigation into the life, death, and legacy of Jane McCrea, who was killed by a Native American warrior serving alongside British general John Burgoyne’s 1777 expedition in New York. Using both visual arts and written records, Professor Staiti reassembles the scattered fragments of McCrea’s story to illuminate a historical terrain long since shrouded in misinformation, controversy, and mythology. Registration…

New Brunswick Branch: A New Backyard History Story Thurs 19 March 2:00 AT

The guest speaker Andrew MacLean is the creator of Backyard History a series of books about obscure and forgotten stories from Atlantic Canada’s past, the Backyard History column which appears weekly in 20+ newspapers, the popular Backyard History Podcast and the Backyard History TV Show on Bell Fibe TV. Andrew will be sharing with us a new Loyalist story, based in the Fredericton NB area – we are honoured to be the first to hear it.  Note, the AGM for members will follow the presentation.
To register, contact NB Loyalist Assoc <nbloyalistassoc@gmail.com>

Toronto Branch: Wikitree with Loyalist Focus Wed. 25 March 7:30

Have you heard of Wikitree and wondered what it’s all about? On Wednesday, March 25th @ 7:30 pm via zoom, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Mills UE will speak about Wonderful Wikitree! and why this free genealogical website is uniquely useful for collaboration with a particular emphasis on Loyalist research. The presentation will include a brief overview of Wikitree followed by resources and projects specifically created by and for Loyalist researchers. Non-Toronto Branch members can register with torontouel@gmail.com

Nova Scotia Genealogy Virtual Conference 2026, 2-3 May

Presented by the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia – Registration is now open for this two day conference. This is one of the most affordable – only $69 Cdn – virtual genealogy conferences with a focus on Nova Scotia genealogy. Register by March 18 you can enter into our Brick Wall Buster Session. More information, list of speakers/topics and registration at www.nsgenconference.ca  Recordings will be available for on-demand viewing up to 60 days afterwards!

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • Food and Related: Townsends
  • Apparel
    •  French silk slippers 1790-95
    • A bright and cheery survival of more than two centuries, red broadcloth sculpted into the shape of a 1770s riding habit. The disciplined tailoring is offset with gold spangled buttons and detailing in soldierly rows.
  • This week in History
    • 11 March 1738 in Stoughton (now Sharon), Massachusetts. Benjamin Tupper was born. He served in the French and Indian War, rising to the rank of sergeant. During the Revolutionary War, he became a Continental Army colonel and was promoted to brevet brigadier general. Post-war, he co-founded the Ohio Company of Associates. Read more…
    • 10 March 1769, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After a tentative February accord, the city’s merchants formally adopted and confirmed a binding nonimportation agreement to protest the Townshend Acts’ duties on imports such as glass, paper, lead, paint, and tea. Read more…
    • 14 March 1771, Thomas Hutchinson, a native of Boston, Loyalist, and veteran colonial official (having served as lieutenant governor and acting governor since 1769), received his royal commission as the 12th Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Read more…
    • 12 March 1773. Williamsburg, Virginia.  The Virginia House of Burgesses unanimously adopted a resolution establishing America’s first permanent intercolonial Committee of Correspondence… This network proved instrumental in coordinating colonial responses, paving the way for the First Continental Congress in 1774. Read more…
    • 10 March 10, 1775, Fort Chiswell, Virginia (near modern Wytheville).  Famed frontiersman and hunter Daniel Boone led a party of about 30 ax-wielding woodsmen—hired by Judge Richard Henderson’s Transylvania Company—westward to blaze a trail through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky’s uncharted wilderness. Departing from the Holston River area (often linked to Fort Chiswell as the broader starting point), they cut and marked the primitive path known as Boone’s Trace (later the Wilderness Road), enabling future settlement despite Shawnee attacks along the way. The effort culminated in the establishment of Boonesborough by April, opening Kentucky to American pioneers amid rising tensions with Native tribes and British colonial restrictions. Image
    • 9  March 1776. Nook’s Hill in Dorchester near Boston. As night fell, American troops under General Washington’s orders began fortifying the strategic height to threaten British ships in the harbor. A careless campfire betrayed their position, prompting the British to unleash a furious all-night artillery barrage from Boston. In this intense long-range duel, Continental working parties were forced to withdraw. One cannonball killed four (or five amid over 700 British rounds fired. The next day, the resourceful colonists gathered many spent cannonballs for reuse.  Read more…
    • 9 March 1776. During the Siege of Boston, General George Washington refused to respond to a dispatch from British General William Howe. The letter, delivered by Colonel Ebenezer Learned from a deserter or informant, promised humane treatment if Americans evacuated certain positions but was not properly addressed to “General” Washington and was not obligingly signed by Howe. Washington deemed it unauthentic and unworthy of reply, avoiding any implication of recognizing British authority over the Continental Army or Congress. image
    • 11 March 1776, Headquarters, Continental Army, Cambridge, Massachusetts. During the Siege of Boston, General George Washington issued a general order directing regimental commanders to select four reliable men each—tall, intelligent, sober, and honest—to form his personal escort. Read more…
    • 12 March 1776,  Baltimore, Maryland. After the Second Continental Congress had relocated to Charm City for safety, a public notice appeared in local newspapers (likely the Maryland Journal) acknowledging women’s vital sacrifices to the Revolutionary cause. Read more…
    • 12 March 1776, Cape Fear, North Carolina. British General Henry Clinton arrived offshore with troops from Boston, expecting to link up with Loyalist forces and a naval squadron under Commodore Sir Peter Parker (escorting reinforcements from Ireland) to restore royal control in the South. Read more…
    • 14 March 1776, Philadelphia. Irish-born John Barry (born 1745 in County Wexford) received his formal captain’s commission in the Continental Navy, signed by John Hancock. Later, in 1797, President George Washington appointed him the first commodore (and senior officer) of the rebuilt U.S. Navy, earning the nickname “Father of the U.S. Navy“. Read more…
    • 8 March 1777. At Punk Hill (also called the Battle of Punk Hill or the Bonhamtown skirmish), near Perth Amboy (Amboy), New Jersey, Brigadier General William Maxwell’s American forces—militia and Continentals—attacked a large British foraging expedition of about 3,000 troops. The Patriots harassed and repulsed the British in this minor Forage War skirmish, inflicting several casualties while suffering only three wounded. image
    • 12 March 1777 in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress faced a flood of foreign officers—mostly French—seeking high-ranking commissions in the Continental Army, often with inflated claims and poor English skills, causing friction and inefficiency.  Read more…
    • 7 March 1778. Irish-born Continental Navy Captain John Barry led a small boat party of about 27 men in armed barges and rowboats on the Delaware River near Port Penn/Fort Penn. They surprised and captured the British armed schooner Alert. This bold raid disrupted British supply lines during the Valley Forge winter, aiding Washington’s army. Read more…
      8 March 1778. Lon don.  Lord George Germain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, appointed Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton to succeed Sir William Howe as Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America. Clinton, Howe’s deputy and second-in-command since 1775, received the orders after Howe’s resignation following Saratoga. Clinton assumed active command in Philadelphia in May 1778. image
    • 8 March 1778. London. In response to the Franco-American Treaty of Alliance (signed February 6), British Prime Minister Lord North authorized a strategic shift. He directed Admiral Richard Howe’s North American fleet to conduct raids along the New England coast to disrupt Patriot resources. At the same time, he instructed General Sir Henry Clinton to launch the “Southern Strategy,” prioritizing the conquest of the southern colonies, beginning with plans to attack Charleston, South Carolina, to exploit supposed Loyalist support and isolate rebellious New England. This marked Britain’s pivot amid an escalating global war with France.  image
    • 9 March 1778.  Near Barbados in the West Indies. The Continental Navy’s 30-gun frigate USS Alfred, commanded by Captain Elisha Hinman, was captured by the British warships HMS Ariadne (20 guns) and HMS Ceres (18 guns) after a brief but fierce engagement. Read more…
    • 10 March 1778. The Continental Navy frigate Boston, commanded by Captain Samuel Tucker, sighted and chased the British 14-gun letter-of-marque ship Martha (Captain McIntosh) en route from London to New York with a valuable cargo. Carrying diplomat John Adams (and his son John Quincy) to France as commissioner, the Boston exchanged fire—one British shot split the mizzen yard over Adams’s head—before the superior American frigate forced the prize to strike. Adams, musket in hand among the Marines, was prudently ordered below by Tucker for safety. The capture boosted morale during the perilous transatlantic voyage, though the prize was later retaken by the British. image
    • 13 March 1778. York, Pennsylvania. The Continental Congress officially canceled its ambitious yet unsuccessful plan for an “irruption” into Canada, which was initially approved in January by the Board of War amid the Conway Cabal intrigue. The plan aimed to capitalize on Burgoyne’s defeat and gain support from French-Canadians. It designated Major General Marquis de Lafayette as commander, with Major General Johann de Kalb as second-in-command. Lafayette, who was skeptical from the start due to the lack of troops, supplies, and preparations at Albany, reported that the plan was impractical. Read more…
    • 13 March 1778. Fort Barrington (also known as Fort Howe) on Georgia’s Altamaha River. Lt. Col. Thomas Brown, a notorious Loyalist commander of the East Florida Rangers (King’s Rangers), led about 100 rangers and 10 Native American allies in a daring surprise attack. Crossing the river, they overwhelmed the small Patriot garrison. Loyalist losses were minimal—generally reported as 1 killed—while the Americans suffered 2 killed, 4 wounded, and 23 captured. Brown burned the fort before withdrawing, as reinforcements were denied. This raid increased tensions, prompting Georgia to plan another unsuccessful expedition against East Florida and highlighting Brown’s aggressive frontier tactics. image
    • 13 March 1778. London. France’s ambassador formally notified British Secretary of State Thomas Thynne (Lord Weymouth) that France had concluded the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States—signed on February 6, 1778, in Paris alongside the secret Treaty of Alliance—recognizing American independence and establishing trade relations. Prime Minister Lord North swiftly recalled Britain’s ambassador from Paris, escalating tensions toward open war (declared on March 17). North also alerted General Henry Clinton in America, signaling France’s impending military intervention against Britain in the Revolutionary War, transforming the conflict into a global struggle. image
    • 13 March 1779. A Continental Navy squadron commanded by Captain (often styled Commodore) John B. Hopkins sailed from Boston to patrol and attack British shipping along the Atlantic coast. This cruise was highly successful. Read more…
    • 8 March 1781. Newport, Rhode Island. French Rear Admiral Charles-René-Dominique Sochet, Chevalier Destouches, sailed a squadron of eight vessels (seven ships of the line and one frigate) carrying about 1,200 troops under Baron de Vioménil to reinforce the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia against Benedict Arnold’s forces. British Vice Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot’s fleet pursued and overtook them, reaching the Virginia Capes first, leading to the inconclusive Battle of Cape Henry on March 16.  image
    • 9 March 1781 Pensacola, West Florida. Spanish General Bernardo de Galvez, Governor of Louisiana, sailed from Cuba with a Spanish force of over 40 ships and 3,500 men. They arrived at Santa Rosa Island and began a two-month siege of the 1,600-strong British garrison led by General John Campbell. The British had bolstered the defenses of the Pensacola garrison before the siege. Read more…
    • 14-15 March 1781, Guilford Court House, North Carolina. In the Southern Campaign, after the British defeat at Cowpens (January 1781), Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis burned supplies to quicken his retreat and pursued Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene northward in the “Race to the Dan.” Greene escaped across the flooded Dan River into Virginia, then returned south with reinforcements, increasing his force to about 4,500 soldiers. By mid-March, with Cornwallis’s 2,100 men exhausted and supplies running low, Greene chose Guilford Courthouse for a decisive confrontation to inflict heavy losses. On March 14–15, 1781, Greene arranged his army in three lines at Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina: North Carolina militia in front (firing volleys then retreating), Virginia militia in the second line (holding longer before breaking), and veteran Virginia/Maryland Continentals in the rear (delivering devastating fire and counterattacks). Lt. Cols. Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee’s Legion and William Washington’s dragoons harassed the British flanks. Cornwallis launched an aggressive assault on March 15, ordering bayonet charges that shattered the militia lines but left his troops vulnerable to withering Continental volleys and cavalry counterstrikes. Despite intense fighting in dense woods and fields, Greene withdrew in good order after several hours. The British sustained approximately 25% casualties (93 killed, 413 wounded)—a pyrrhic victory that left Cornwallis too weakened to pursue. He retreated to Wilmington and then marched north to Virginia, paving the way to Yorktown.  image
    • 7-8, March 1782. Gnadenhutten, Ohio. Pennsylvania militia under Lt. Col. David Williamson massacred 96 peaceful Moravian Christian Delaware (Lenape) Indians— pacifists uninvolved in raids by other tribes—in revenge for frontier attacks. Disarmed and imprisoned overnight, the victims (including 39 children) were bludgeoned to death the next morning; the village was burned. Pennsylvania authorities condemned the atrocity as disgraceful to humanity.  image
    • 10 March 1783, off Cape Canaveral, Florida. The last naval action of the American Revolutionary War— Captain John Barry in the 36-gun Continental frigate Alliance escorted the slower French ship Duc de Lauzun (commanded by Captain John Green), carrying about $72,000 in Spanish silver dollars (roughly half a million livres in value) from Havana to Philadelphia. Three British warships—HMS Sybil (28 guns), HMS Alarm, and HMS Tobago—sighted them. Sybil, under Captain James Vashon, pursued and engaged, firing first on the Duc de Lauzun. Barry maneuvered Alliance to rake Sybil with a devastating broadside, forcing her to break off after heavy damage and casualties. The British squadron withdrew; Alliance safely escorted the treasure ship northward, delivering vital funds to the Continental Army. image
    • 10 March 1792. London. John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, longtime advisor and tutor to George III, died at age 78 from complications of an earlier cliff fall while botanizing. As the king’s influential Scottish favorite and brief prime minister (1762–1763), Bute shaped George III’s early reign by promoting assertive royal authority and policies that rejected conciliatory approaches toward the American colonies favored by figures like William Pitt.  Read more…

 

Published by the UELAC
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