Plaques marking the burial sites of Loyalists who resettled in Essex County, Ontario
Bicentennial Branch, UELAC
On January 3, 2026, more than thirty hardy souls gathered amid snowy grounds at three locations near Colchester in southwestern Ontario to dedicate plaques marking the burial sites of Loyalists who resettled in Essex County in the 1790s. This was the inaugural dedication ceremony for the new Loyalist Burial Site Plaque project of Bicentennial Branch. The Loyalists we honoured were Alexander McCormick, Rudolph Huffman and John Snider.
Short biographies of these remarkable men are posted on the Bicentennial Branch website.
As this long-term project continues, more biographies will be posted. Our branch website and the Loyalist biographies are linked to the plaques via a QR code. Conversely, the web pages include GPS information for interested web browsers to seek out the sites and learn more about the long history of Essex County and its early denizens arising from the New Settlement. As we continue our research into the final resting places of the area’s original Loyalists, future honorees will continue in Essex County and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.
Following the four plaque dedications on January 3rd, the group retreated to the warmth of The Fruit Wagon retail store in Oxley, where baked treats and hot cider awaited us. Leslie Balsillie, owner of The Fruit Wagon, is herself a direct descendant of Rudolph Huffman UE, and generously allowed our group to come in from the cold for lively conversation, and even an impromptu cousin’s reunion; some descendants drove over from Michigan to attend. Thus what started as a modest local dedication ceremony morphed into an international event!
Plaque dedication ceremony (January 3, 2026)
As the organizers, we are extremely grateful to Leslie for her hospitality, and we wish to express our appreciation to several other local history-oriented organizations who braved the cold on our behalf. In addition, we acknowledge the wholehearted support of the Town of Essex Council, and the inspiration we derived from other UELAC branches, such as Hamilton, Grand River, and London, who have already undertaken their own Burial Site Plaquing projects. Special mention must go out to Greg and Carol Childs, London Branch, who have enthusiastically coached us throughout our first foray into this ambitious new initiative.
Submitted by Heather Crewe & Susan Hutchins, Bicentennial Branch