In this issue:

 


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Happy Mother’s Day
Thanks to all you Mothers, for lots of things. At the most basic level, without you, none of us would be here. That point aside, yes thanks for the countless things you have done, are doing and will do.
Have a wonderful day.
from everyone.

Loyalist Gazette Update – Printed Copy in the Mail
An update from Bill Russell who heads the team which has done all the hard work for a great Spring 2024 issue of the Loyalist Gazette.
Word  has come from the printer that the printing is complete and they expected the Spring issue to be delivered to Canada Post last Monday, 6 May.  Depending on where you are located relative to Toronto and if you are international, it could arrive in the mailbox of those who requested a paper copy by mid-April when the mailing list was pulled in the next few days, couple of weeks or even a bit longer.  Magazines do take longer and have lower priority than first class letter post.
Bill Russell UE
(Note: My copy has not arrived yet to our home in downtown Toronto   ….doug)

“The Story Continues…” at the UELAC 2024 Conference
June 6-9, 2024 at Cornwall, Ontario
The conference has three main groupings of events:

  • Pre-Conference day-tours: Tues June 4 to Thurs June 6
  • UELAC Conference: Evening Thurs June 6 through Sunday June 9
  • 240th Anniversary of New Johnstown & The Royal Townships: Fri June 7 through Sun June 9
    • UELAC has scheduled Sat daytime for conference attendees to visit and learn.

And so “The [Loyalist] Story Continues….”

Thursday 6 June, Reception
President Carl Stymiest UE will “open” the conference with welcome remarks.
Time to enjoy finger foods, reconnect with old friends and make new ones.

Saturday 8 June. Plan to spend the day at the 1784 program (see below) and then the gala banquet in the evening.

  • Gala Banquet at host hotel  – start gathering from 5:00
    • (Period Clothing/Regalia Requested)
  • Guest Speaker: Brent Whitford,
    • Senior Curator and Administrator at the Cornwall Community Museum and Archives. PhD Candidate, University at Buffalo SUNY. Prehistoric Archaeologist. Brent is from Cornwall, ON, born and raised. What he appreciates most is the direct impact on the community as regards the importance of history and heritage.
  • “History v. Heritage: Blending the Past and the Present”
    • History is history. What I mean to say is that history is nothing more than an amalgamation of tangible artifacts and facts that together make a coherent narrative about that which is said to have happened once upon a time. Heritage, on the other hand, is that which we choose to emphasize and remember about our history. Heritage is our history preserved. In other words, heritage is what we believe matters about the past in the present. As such, we don’t preserve history simply because it is history, but rather because it is our history and it continues to hold meaning in the present. But how do we communicate the meaning of history to new and younger audiences? How do we ensure that our history continues to hold heritage-value in the present and into the future? These and other matters will be discussed in the context of the UELAC at this year’s keynote address.

Sunday 9 June. Morning church service followed by lunch

Visit the UELAC Library & Archives at the Cornwall Community Museum
We are delighted to invite you to visit the UELAC Library & Archives during your time at the UELAC Conference. Our collection is housed within the Cornwall Community Museum, located at Lamoureux Park, 160 Water Street West, Cornwall.
The UELAC Library & Archives Tour will be available for scheduled 30-minute appointments from Tuesday, June 4 through Saturday, June 8 between the hours of 9:30 AM and 4:30 PM. We look forward to welcoming you to our new home and sharing the historical resources that illuminate our Loyalist past.
To arrange your visit and tour, please contact our Office Administrator, Rodney Appleby, at your earliest convenience to book your appointment. Rodney can be reached by email at <uelac.office@gmail.com> or by phone at our office cell number: 416-591-1783.
Please note that while the Cornwall Community Museum tours are separate, you can book a tour through their online portal.

1784 Event: 240th Anniversary by SD&G Historical Society at Lamoureux Park
240th Anniversary of New Johnstown & The Royal Townships
See the full event website  1784.ca
There will be activities all day at the 1784 event (buses will run frequently from the hotel to the event). These include:

  • Housing the settlers and their families: brush shelter and habitat construction
  • Sustenance in the post-war era: fishing, foraging, and hunting
  • Midwifery and nursing: demonstrations on women’s’ roles in sustaining life in the new world
  • Means and ways: merchants and the vendors of the military and the post-war settlements
  • Naval life and the frontier: the trades and duties of those operating on the water

There are also numerous presentations throughout the three day event, including these on Saturday:

Exploring 18th Century Apothecaries; Women’s Healthcare and Midwifery, by Anne-Marie Russel 9:00 to 10:00 AM

The Loyalist Appearance: Clothing and Grooming, by Trisha da Cunha 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM
A professional tailor by training, and a renowned historian on matters of colonial fashion, beauty, and culture, Trisha da Cunha (owner and operator of Timbrell Cockburn Cunha – Bespoke Tailoring) will lead us on an examination of loyalist and 1770s-1780s fashions, beauty trends, and methods as would have been made use by loyalist men, and women.

After Saratoga: The Agonizing Odyssey of Burgoyne’s Royalist Corps, by Todd Braisted 3:30 to 4:30 PM
and much more – don’t miss this


UELAC Conference: For more details and to Register now:
For more, see “The Story Continues…”

All UELAC Members: The Annual General Meeting Reports

The UELAC AGM was yesterday, Saturday 11 May
To provide members with an appreciation for the effort undertaken by those on the Executive Committee and the bigger Board of Directors, and by all those who are chairs and members of the many committees, the AGM Reports Package and other AGM material will remain available in the Members’ Section of uelac.ca – log in required.

Wounded and Disabled Loyalists. Part One of Two
copyright Stephen Davidson UE
    Established in 1783, the Royal Commission on the Losses and Services of American Loyalists (RCLSAL) was mandated with the task of compensating Britain’s loyal American colonists for all that they had had taken from them during the American Revolution. But the losses of the Loyalists included far more than homes, lands, and possessions. They had lost income, friends and relatives, a sense of personal security and –in some cases—the ability to function as effective breadwinners.
A number of the Loyalists who stood before the RCLSAL commissioners would have limped into the room – or walked with the aid of crutches. They had lost the use of their limbs, their sight, hearing, or mental faculties. Because transcripts were made of the compensation board hearings, 21st century readers can gain an appreciation for the physical trauma that Loyalists endured.
John Pew had been a merchant in Norfolk, Virginia at the beginning of the American Revolution. During the course of the war, he suffered a far too common casualty. During a battle, the Loyalist had been “wounded by a musket ball between the bones of his foot“.  Incapable of supporting his family, Pew went before the RCLSAL with a doctor’s certificate, hoping that it would convince the commissioners to give him an annual allowance.
Although a 21st century reader may be familiar with bullet wounds, it is hard for that same person to comprehend the damage a musket ball could inflict. Bullets are small and pointed; they had enough propulsion to go through a body. Musket balls, on the other hand, are round and rough. They are the size of large marbles and usually become lodged in a body upon entry. In a number of compensation claims, Loyalists made mention of the fact that they still carried musket balls within their bodies.
Hailing from Portsmouth, Virginia, William Walker was another Loyalist merchant.  While he was out on an “excursion” in a boat, rebels surrounded him and “shot him through the body” (an indication of how close the Patriot forces must have been). Walker was left for dead while the rest of his party were taken away as captives.  Despite the severity of the wound, he recovered, and later sailed for Britain to regain his health. But the musket ball’s passage through his body had a lingering impact. His wound had broken open three times and “small splinters of bone” had come away.
John Muirhead knew from personal experience that a musket ball did not need to remain in a body or go through it to leave lasting health concerns. The shoemaker from Norfolk, Virginia went into battle against rebel forces after first finding sanctuary in New York City. During the fight, his “left hand was torn to pieces and left eye destroyed.” Despite these injuries, he later was among those fighting rebels at sea in 1781, when he once again sustained a wound.
Deel Hamm of Albany County, New York “lost a thumb and part of his right hand” at the Battle of Camden on August 16, 1780.  At least he could claim that he had been part of a major British victory in the southern campaign. Hamm lived to find sanctuary with his wife in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
John Hustice/Hustis of Sussex County, New Jersey served six years with the New Jersey Volunteers. While engaged in a battle, he lost his left leg when he was struck by a cannon ball. He survived the revolution, and was among the Volunteer veterans who settled in New Brunswick.
Not all Loyalist casualties were a result of being struck by musket or cannon balls.
John Platt of Saratoga, New York had been a member of Burgoyne’s army; after the British general’s surrender, rebels imprisoned Platt and two Blacks. When questioned by rebels, he was “struck over the head several times with a club, and kicked repeatedly in the side, breaking 3 of his ribs”.  As late as 1786, Platt testified that he still “carried the marks” of these assaults. (Since he made a claim to be compensated for the loss of two slaves, they may be the ones with whom he was taken prisoner.)
William Ring of Savannah Georgia was just 16 when he joined with other Loyalists to fight for his king. (His oldest brother had joined the Patriot forces.)  William went with his regiment to East Florida, and then to Nova Scotia Unable to make a living, he became a sailor on a British naval vessel. After a year and a half, he left his ship and was admitted to the Haslar Hospital in Gosport, England.  Built as a hospital for the Royal Navy in 1745, it was the largest brick building in all of Europe. William Ring became one of its patients to be “cured of {a} disease in {the} legs contracted while serving in damp open fields.”
Henry Hameon of Bergen County, New York had served in 3rd Battalion of the New Jersey Volunteers, but after six months, he was unfit because of “rumities” and lameness. He found work in the forage yard before joining the Loyalist refugees who settled in Shelburne, Nova Scotia.
Thomas Harris of Westchester, New York had been with British army since 1779. Four years later, he was a passenger on board the Cyrus as a member of Captain Nathaniel Merritt’s company.  The unmarried Loyalist worked as a carpenter, but within three years’ time he testified that “through fatigue, {he} lost use of {his} eyes and is now useless”.
John Cochran of Portsmouth, New Hampshire was another Loyalist veteran who made New Brunswick his home after the revolution. He had served with the British Army at Halifax, Rhode Island, and New York. He settled in Nova Scotia “with {his} understanding almost lost and in a paralytic state, having had a stroke nine months before and a second one since his arrival.” He testified that he could “scarcely be understood by strangers” and described himself as  “totally unfit for business”.  A second stroke completely disabled him for eight months, and he was only kept alive “by medicine and broths”.
The Loyalist veteran lived for only four more years after making a claim for compensation. As the administratrix of Cochran’s estate, his wife Sarah filed an inventory of his estate. Besides household goods, it included a large Bible and two board games that must have kept the stroke victim amused in his final years: backgammon and cribbage.
Another Loyalist’s wife who helped to care for her wounded husband was Ellen Hatton. A native of Accomack, Virginia, her husband Walter had been imprisoned by rebels as early as 1775. He escaped by concealing himself in an open, wet marsh where he lay “exposed to all weathers”. As a result, he became sick and was unable to leave his room.
Walter, Ellen and the Hatton children sought refuge in England in 1777. Four years later, Walter returned to Virginia, leaving Ellen and the children behind in England. Being “far advanced in pregnancy”, Ellen was in no shape to make a transatlantic journey.  Walter left the colonies for England on January 25, 1782 on the Hope, but his ship was “lost and all on board perished”.
This two-part series on wounded and disabled Loyalists concludes in next week’s Loyalist Trails.
To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at stephendavids@gmail.com.

The Quest for the Fourteenth State [Canada, of course]
by Richard J. Werther 9 May 2024 Journal of the American Revolution
Many followers of the history of the American Revolution are aware of the attempted invasion of Canada by Colonial forces in late 1775. The attack failed, and American designs on Canada were thwarted, for a time anyway. This was not the end of their pursuit to incorporate Canada into the Revolution on the American side. The desire, and planning, to join Canada with the thirteen colonies would ebb and flow throughout the war, peaking several times.
Before the ill-fated 1775 invasion of Quebec, the Continental Congress issued two letters to the inhabitants of Canada; they sent a third in 1776. These letters were for purposes of propaganda to persuade the inhabitants to join the cause. A diplomatic mission to Montreal in early 1776 failed. Even though these efforts were fruitless, the Continental Congress remained so open to incorporating Canada to the new American nation that the Articles of Confederation, drafted in 1777, contained a clause allowing for Canada to join the confederation. Article XI read, “Canada acceding to this confederation, and joining in the measures of the united states, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this union: but no other colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine states.” On November 29 Congress appointed a committee to translate the Articles into French.  Though this was done, there is no evidence that the translated Articles were ever distributed among Canadians.
In January 1778, The Board of War of the Continental Congress decided to step beyond mere propaganda campaigns. It assembled a plan directing that “an irruption be made into Canada, and that the Board of War be authorized to take every necessary measure for the execution of the business.” Read more…

Hessian Soldiers Travelling to America: New York – A Soldier’s Life January 1780
From a Hessian Diary of the American Revolution.
This excerpt from the diary of Johan Conrad Dohla (170 pages).

Major Moves during Johan’s deployment:

  • March 1777:   Depart Germany
  • 3 June 1777:   Arrive New York, then Amboy NJ
  • November 1777:  To Philadelphia
  • June 1778: to Long Island
  • July 1778: To Newport RI
  • October 1779: to New York

January 1780: At New York (page 76)
Continuation of Occurences in North America During the Fourth Year, 1780 (page 76)

1 January. As it is New Year’s Day, I participated in the church parade in the city.
3  January.  I  went  on  the  main  guard.  The  cold  was  so  great  that  all  watches  had  to  be relieved at their posts every half hour. Most of the ships in the port are frozen in at the ferry wharves, and the North River is completely frozen over.
7  January.  At  seven  o’clock  this  evening  Private  K†fner,  of  Eyb’s  Company,  deserted from his post. [see 19 January below]
9 January. I was bled from the foot.
12 January. Private [Georg Michael] Lauterbach, of the Colonel’s Company, had to run a gauntlet of two hundred men eight times because of much indebtedness.
13 January. An English boat, crossing from Paulus Hook to New York, sank in the North River. A sergeant of the Royal Rangers, one soldier, and one officer’s servant, as well as five sailors, were on board. They cried pitifully to be rescued, but before a boat could bring them help, they had already sunk.
15 January. I went to cut wood from a ship. There were many old ships at the ferry slip in the  harbor. These  were  chopped  up  when  the  heavy  ice,  which  covered  the  East  River, prevented  bringing  any wood over  from Long Island  and  the  stock  of  wood  in  the  city  had been consumed. Often a small piece of wood or board is bought from a resident of the city for six to eight English pence, or even more.
During  the  evening  a  command  was  to  go  to  Staten  Island,  in  the  greatest  haste,  but because the river was frozen over, the command could not cross. The rebels, more than  four thousand  strong,  under the command of  Generals  Sullivan  and  Wayne, had  attacked  near Amboy, had plundered many residents who were under royal  protection,  and  had  driven  the Ranger detachment that was there back to the water.
17 January. Eleven regiments now lie here  in New York in  winter  quarters,  namely, two from Ansbach, three Hessian,  four  English,  and two Scottish,  as  well  as  three companies of English cannoneers and two squadrons of dragoons, who are called light horse.
18 January. Cannoneer [Johann Heinrich] S€llner, of our Artillery, deserted and left many debts behind. Today some rebels who had deserted came here from Staten Island. They were from  the  corps  that  recently  attacked  the  island.  They  said  that  there  were  great  shortages among them; also that because of the paper money, everything was very expensive; and that General Washington was in Morristown.
19 January. K†fner, who had deserted on the seventh, was found. He had stayed in the city of New York during this time and frozen both feet, which will have to be amputated because of gangrene. Therefore, he was taken to our regimental hospital under guard.
24 January.  I  attended  the  punishment  of  Drummer  Meyer.  He  had  to  run  a  gauntlet  of three hundred men sixteen times for having planned to desert; and Private [Johann] Riedel, of Quesnoy’s  Company,  six  times  for  being  drunk  on  watch.  During  the  evening  I  helped transport wood from the ships.
25 January. During the night a command from all  regiments  departed to  Paulus Hook. It was  set  over  to  Jersey,  passed  through  Bergen,  which  is  a  large  settlement  and  nicely developed,  and  in  the  village  of Newark captured  an enemy picket of  one  officer  and  thirty rebels. The Hessian  Lieutenant  Colonel  von  Elbing,  of  the  Hereditary  Prince  Regiment,  led this  command,  which  consisted  of  three  hundred  men.  They  returned  with  some  cattle  and sheep as booty.
26 January. I went on regimental watch. Five American deserters crossed over the  ice on the  Hudson  River  today.  They  had  been  on  a  picket  not  far  from  Elizabethtown  during  the night.
30 January.  I  went  on  watch  at  the  Sugar  House,  where  rebel  prisoners  are  guarded. Throughout the  previous  month  it  was  constantly  raw  and  cold.  The  North  and  East  rivers were  frozen  solid. The  ice was checked  and  found  to  be  eighteen  feet thick.  All  ships  were frozen in, and it was possible to cross over the North River on foot, riding, or driving, without fear.
  (to be continued)

Albigence Waldo: Surgeon, Soldier, Diarist, Poet
by David Price 7 May 2024 Journal of the American Revolution
Albigence Waldo was a man of various talents but, in a Revolutionary context, is best known for the diary he kept before and during the Valley Forge encampment in the winter of 1777-1778. This article reflects the value of that work while also seeking to convey an appreciation of his life and accomplishments, as well as placing his commentary on camp life within the context of the impressions reported by those who were there.
Before Valley Forge
Albigence Waldo was born on February 27, 1750, in Pomfret, Connecticut, the son of Zachariah and Abigail (Griffin) Waldo. He received his early education in Pomfret, which included instruction in Latin, from the parish minister, Rev. Aaron Putnam. The youth studied medicine under the guidance of Dr. John Spaulding in the neighboring town of Canterbury and, after this apprenticeship, settled in Pomfret, where he took the place of Dr. John Hall, who had moved to Vermont. Waldo married Lydia Hurlburt on November 11, 1772 (they would have four sons and three daughters); when the revolutionary conflict began, he left his family and medical practice to join the cause.
The young physician first served as a clerk in Capt. Samuel McClelland’s militia company from Woodstock, Connecticut, in the period immediately following the outbreak of hostilities at Lexington and Concord. On July 6, 1775, Waldo was commissioned surgeon’s mate of the 8th Connecticut Regiment under Col. Jedediah Huntington, but was discharged that September because of ill health.  Read more…

Advertised on 9 May 1774: “Universal Satisfaction to their Customers”
What was advertised in a colonial American newspaper 250 years ago today?

“Cannot fail to give universal Satisfaction to their Customers.“

I originally selected this advertisement to further demonstrate that even though advertisers usually wrote the copy but left the format and other aspects of graphic design to compositors who worked in printing offices they sometimes gave instructions about how they wanted specific elements of how their notices to appear.  In this instance, John Barrett and Sons ran a lengthy advertisement enclosed within a border of decorative type in three newspapers simultaneously.  Their notice appeared in the Boston Evening-Post, the Boston-Gazette, and the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy on May 9, 1774.  On closer examination, however, I discovered that this advertisement presents further evidence that printing offices in Boston sometimes shared type already set for advertisements.  A week ago, I documented this with Joseph Peirce’s advertisement.
As was the case with that notice, the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy operated independently.  Among other newspapers, Barrett and Sons’ advertisement apparently originated in the Boston-Gazette before being reprinted in the Boston Evening-Post.  Notably, it ran next to Peirce’s advertisement in the May 9 edition, that type having made its way back to the printing office for the Boston-Gazette.  The visual evidence makes it difficult to dispute that some printers transferred type from one newspaper to another.  The printing ornaments that formed the border around the advertisement make that clear. Read the proof…

Was the Portrait of John Wilmot Destroyed in a Fire?
Mark McCarthy. May 2024  Common Place
I was shocked to find that British newspapers in early August 1863 described the Portrait being “entirely destroyed” by fire on a railway train.
What do you do when you find that a significant painting of early American history, in the collection of a major American gallery, was reported in nineteenth-century British newspapers to have been destroyed in a fire? To be specific: Portrait of John Wilmot by Benjamin West, exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1812, sold at auction in 1970 to an American collector, was reported as “totally destroyed” in 1863 on a train bringing the Wilmot family’s possessions from Bristol to London.
The picture, in the collection at the Yale Center for British Art, is well known to scholars of early American history. Historian Mary Beth Norton’s graduate work was on the experiences of the American loyalists in the War of Independence––colonials who remained loyal to the British government and were exiled from America by the revolutionaries. In a short paper in 1973, she described Wilmot’s life and focused on the “second” painting behind the figure of Wilmot, which is an allegory of Britain’s beneficence to the loyalists. Since then, books by Simon Schama and Maya Jasanoff, respectively on experiences of Black exiles and of loyalists across the British Empire, also comment on the allegorical “second” painting within the Portrait and the diversity of people shown in it.
With a prior interest in the Wilmot family from my local history work, I was researching from a different perspective: how did the picture come about? The Portrait was painted in London, in the troubled times of Britain’s war with Napoleonic France and continued conflict with the United States about the boundaries with Canada. Wilmot, a member of Parliament and lawyer in Georgian Britain, had led a commission adjudicating compensation for the American loyalists who lost their property or position through the revolution. West came to Britain in 1763 from the American colonies, became the most-favored painter of King George III, and rose to be president of the Royal Academy. During and after the American Revolution, he assisted returning loyalists yet also maintained patriot friends. He saw himself as the “father” of schools of painting in both Britain and America, received students from America, and maintained his links with Philadelphia. Read more…

Book: The Unexpected Abigail Adams A Woman “Not Apt to Be Intimidated”
By John L. Smith, Jr.
Get to know Abigail Adams like never before—through her own words and colorful correspondence—in this revealing portrait of America’s beloved Female Founder, First Lady, and Early Political Power
“If any young woman wants to have a nice, quiet life, I advise her not to marry an Adams,” wrote Abigail Smith Adams’s granddaughter-in-law. Abigail Adams—wife to President John Adams, family matriarch, proto feminist, and first presidential advisor in early America—certainly did not have “a nice, quiet life.” She was an eyewitness to America’s founding, and could be said to have helped guide the new nation through her observations and advice to her famously prickly husband. Later in life, Abigail looked back and firmly stated, “no man ever prospered in the world without the consent and cooperation of his wife.”
Abigail’s unique contributions easily make her one of the Founders of the United States of America. Abigail met almost every important figure of the revolutionary period: George Washington and his wife Martha (whom she loved), Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemings, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Knox, Samuel and Elizabeth Adams, John Hancock, John and Sarah Jay, Marquis and Adrienne de Lafayette, John Paul Jones, Alexander Hamilton (whom she hated), James Monroe, artist Patience Wright, and even King George III and Queen Charlotte of England, as well as King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette of France.
In The Unexpected Abigail Adams: A Woman “Not Apt to Be Intimidated”, writer and researcher John L. Smith, Jr., draws on more than two thousand letters of Abigail’s (most of which were preserved), spanning from the 1760s to her death in 1818. In this priceless documentation of one of the most important periods of world history she comments on the varied personalities she encountered—personal and historic snapshots of the time.
While John Adams was away from home, for months and sometimes years at a time serving in the Continental Congresses and as a diplomatic envoy in Europe for the fledgling United States, she wrote him frequently about their home in Massachusetts, their family, and, during the early years of the war, crucial information concerning revolutionary activities around Boston.
The Unexpected Abigail Adams presents sides of Abigail’s life that are not covered by the standard, retold biographies. The author interweaves Abigail’s colorful correspondence—some of which has not appeared in print before—with a contextual narrative. The result is a revealing portrait of a remarkable woman that modern readers will find very relatable. Having read and studied nearly her entire correspondence, the author has selected humorous moments, poignant reflections, and unique historical descriptions. The result is an unexpected Abigail Adams, one that transforms how she is perceived and recognizes her sagacious counsel during the formation of the United States.
In the USA, purchase from Ft Plain to help them. Otherwise check out book stores.

Accidently digging up skeletons
by Sarah Murden 6 May 2024 at All Things Georgian
Whilst researching something completely different about Chiswick, I came across this newspaper report and whilst I was unable to identify the family concerned, it would be interesting know the outcome.
London Packet and New Lloyd’s Evening Post, 8 February 1809

“A few days since, the skeleton of a human body was discovered at Chiswick, in Middlesex, which has excited a very interesting inquiry in that neighbourhood. A new tenant taking possession of a farm, belonging to his Grace the Duke of Devonshire, in that parish, in stubbing up roots of some poplar trees, he discovered a skeleton, buried only 18 inches under them, with a fracture in the skull, and without any appearance of a coffin or other usual covering of interment. …”

This article made me wonder whether other skeletons had been discovered during that period  and was surprised by the number that were, especially given that it was usual practice to bury bodies at least six feet below ground, but of course it’s not clear how long the skeletons had been buried. These first two skeletons also appeared to have been accompanied by chains which I found a little curious. Read more…

Loyalist Certificates Issued to end of April
The publicly available list of certificates issued since 2012 is now updated to end of April 30, 2024.
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, with thanks to:

  • Patricia Noble who contributed information about Jacob Corbman who married Jean (Jinney) Fox – Richmond, County of Lenox – on Feb 17, 1793 by John Langhorn, Episcopal Missionary. Jacob lived in Sophiasburgh & Ameliasburgh in Prince Edward County, Upper Canada.

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

Events Upcoming

New Maryland NB. Loyalist Day Flag Raising   Wed 16 May 6:30

The Village of New Maryland will be commemorating Loyalist Day for the first time this year. The Loyalist Flag will be raised at Victoria Hall (466 New Maryland Hwy) at 6:30 pm on May 15th.  Following this, Gary Campbell will make a presentation to the Village Council about the Loyalist history of New Maryland. According to tradition, New Maryland was named by Loyalists in memory of their old home in the colony of Maryland. It is hoped that this will become an annual event.    …Gary Campbell

New Brunswick Loyalist Day Events, Thurs 16 May and Sat 18 May 

  • Loyalist Flag Raising – Thursday May 16th – 10:00am – in front of Saint John City Hall
  • Loyalist Flag Raising – Saturday May 18th – in front of N.B. Legislature, Fredericton
  • Loyalist Day – Saturday, May 18, 2024 Activities – Saint John
    • 10:00 am – Musketry Salute From Portland Point
      • Join the soldiers of DeLancey’s Brigade as they fire a welcoming volley from Place Fort La Tour.
    • 10:30 am – 12:00 pm – The History Of Fort Howe
      • Hear how Fort Howe came to be and learn about its connection to Portland Point with local historian Don LeBlanc. Hosted & presented by Place Fort La Tour.
    • 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – A Loyalist Home
      • Visit Loyalist House, Saint John’s oldest home, and experience a taste of life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries with historical re-enactors from DeLancey’s Brigade. Hosted by the NB Historical Society,120 Union St. (Free Admission / Donations Accepted)
  • and many more activities through the day and into early evening. See event schedule…

American Revolution Institute: A Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution, 16 May 6:30

Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the marquis de Lafayette. For over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic as a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist and abolitionist. As a teenager, Lafayette ran away from France to join the American Revolution. Returning home a national hero, he helped launch the French Revolution, eventually spending five years locked in an Austrian prison. Historian/author Mike Duncan discusses the remarkable life of the marquis de Lafayette. More and registration…

American Revolution Institute: Freedom for Slaves Escaping in British Ships  Tues 21 May 6:30

Author’s Talk — The Promise of Freedom for Slaves Escaping in British Ships: The Emancipation Revolution, 1740-1807
To Blacks, Britain’s Emancipation Revolution rang out louder than the Declaration of Independence. Drawing from his recent book, historian Theodore Corbett traces the emerging path of freedom for Africans and African Americans in the late-eighteenth century by discussing major social shifts and political events in Great Britain and her American colonies—the Great Awakening, Lord Dunmore’s proclamation and the American Revolution—to demonstrate how they all led to Parliament’s abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire in 1807.
Theodore Corbett is a scholar of the American Revolutionary War and an award-winning author. Details and registration…

Toronto Branch: Confiscation of Loyalist Personal Property – One Family’s Experience May 23 7:30

Sarah Beth Gable, who was the 2022 recipient of the UELAC Scholarship. Her talk is titled Confiscation of Loyalist Personal Property – One Family’s Experience.
Sarah Beth is a PhD candidate at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Her forthcoming dissertation, “Policing the Revolution: Massachusetts Communities and The Committees of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety, 1773-1783,” examines the process of identifying, prosecuting, and banishing loyalists and suspected loyalists in Massachusetts communities, a process she argues that involved a shifting definition of loyalist, adapting to the shifting needs of the Revolution rather than reacting to legitimate military threats.
Sarah Beth was born in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and raised surrounded by Revolutionary history. She initially came to her program wanting to study the concept of neutrality during the American Revolution but quickly became fascinated with the Loyalists.
Register with Toronto Branch UEL <torontouel@gmail.com>

Victoria Branch: Spring Fleet Luncheon – May 25, 2024 – 11.30 a.m.

At The Lakes, Saanich – an in-person event only. Period Dress appreciated
A presentation by Gwendoline Gold, UE “The Button Blanket at Government House”
Created by Chief Tony Hunt and Gwendoline Gold
Please reply to membership.vic.uelac@gmail.com

The Revolutionary War Conference 250 in the Mohawk Valley – June 14-16, 2024

Johnstown, NY
Bus Tour – “1774: The Rising Tide”  Friday 14 June. (only a few seats remaining)
In 1774, the politics of the Revolution had arrived in the Mohawk Valley with a vengeance. At the eastern end of the Mohawk another violent Liberty Pole riot was having a detrimental effect on the local citizens of Schenectady. Meanwhile further west along the Mohawk River, in Johnstown, events took a turn when Sir William Johnson passed away in July, thus starting a new chapter in political unrest.
Speakers include:

  • Nancy Bradeen Spannaus – Alexander Hamilton’s War for American Economic Independence
  • Mark Edward Lender – “Liberty or Death!” – Some Revolutionary Statistics and Existential Warfare

The Bus Tour will include several stops in both Schenectady and Johnstown, such as the Schenectady Stockade, Johnson Hall and more. Details and Registration.

Col. John Butler Branch, Loyalist Day (Ontario) Sat 15 June

On Saturday, June 15, 2024 the Colonel John Butler (Niagara) Branch will celebrate our annual United Empire Loyalist Flag Raising at 10 am at the Cenotaph in Niagara-0n-the-Lake  in recognition of United Empire Loyalist Day on June 19th.  The Lord Mayor will proclaim the following week as Loyalist week during which time the Loyalist Flag will be flown.  The Fort George Fife and Drum Corps will perform at the Flag Raising ceremony.  Everyone is invited to come.  Those who have period clothing are encouraged to wear it.  Questions to 283corvette@gmail.com

From the Social Media and Beyond

  • A George III wooden tea caddy with a concealed tray to hide a silver spoon (c. 1780). Plus a pair of George III (just!) tea tongs by Henry Plumpton, circa 1760.
  • In the 18th century, many wives followed the troops, doing laundry and mending. Similarly, Navy wives often lived in port towns and took on similar jobs. Military spouses today have expanded their occupations but still struggle with the fear of losing a deployed loved one.
  • Townsends
  • This week in History
    • 9 May 1754 1st newspaper cartoon in America, a divided snake, “Join or die,” appeared in The Pennsylvania Gazette. Cut and printed by Benjamin Franklin. The image was created to rally the colonies for the war with the French &Indians but revived during the #RevWar image
    • 10 May 1755, Virginia. George Washington was appointed volunteer aide-de-camp to Major General Edward Braddock, a career soldier who had recently arrived in America from England and given the mission of taking France’s Ohio River bastion, Fort Duquesne. image
    • 7 May 1763 Ottawa chief Pontiac led a confederation of Native warriors in attacking Fort Detroit, marking the start of Pontiac’s Rebellion. The siege and subsequent battles signified a major Native uprising against British rule. Pontiac later signed a peace treaty in 1766.  image
    • 7 May 1763 Maj Henry Gladwin, British commander of Ft Detroit, foils Ottawa Chief Pontiac’s attempt at a surprise attack. Pontiac laid siege to the fort & his allies seized 10 British forts in the Great Lakes & Ohio Valley regions. image
    • 8 May 1768 London. Benjamin Franklin publishes a British edition of John Dickinson’s “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania,” which acquires a large readership & is ultimately published in French. image
    • 11 May 1771 New Bern, NC. Royal Gov William Tryon marches for Hillsborough with a force of 1,200 militia & some artillery pieces. image
    • 7 May 1773 Rhode Island establishes a committee of correspondence. COCs were used by the colonies to coordinate political resistance to British policies both within the colony and to begin outreach to neighboring colonies. image
    • 10 May 1773 London. Lord North’s Tea Act was passed by parliament & approved by the king. Meant to buttress the East India Company with a monopoly on tea sales in America & cheaper tea for colonists backfired as it undercut local businesses & smugglers.  image
    • 4 May 1775 Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin appointed a member of the 2nd Continental Congress as a rep from Pennsylvania. The elder statesman’s hand would guide some of the critical first & last steps in American diplomacy. image
    • 4 May 1775 Mount Vernon, VA. Virginia Col George Washington rides north to take his place as a VA delegate to the 2nd Continental Congress. Neither he nor Martha had any way of knowing he would return to his beloved home just once during the next 8 years. image
    • 5 May 1775 Caleb Haskell began recording his diary. First entry would read “May 5th, 1775 – At Newburyport, enlisted in the American Army under the command of Capt. Ezra Lunt.” Haskell would keep his journal through 30 May 1776. – Boston & Quebec campaigns image
    • 5 May 1775 Martha’s Vineyard, MA British 16-gun sloop HMS Falmouth captures an American sloop but is driven off by 2 American sloops when she tries to seize another vessel at Dartmouth. Falcon loses both prizes & 15 casualties. image
    • 6 May 1775 Benjamin Franklin’s son, NJ Royal Gov William Franklin, wrote William Legge, Secretary of State for Colonies, that the violence at Lexington and Concord greatly diminished the chances of reconciliation between Britain & North American colonies. image
    • 8 May 1775 Castleton, VT. Ethan Allen & the Green Mountain Boys depart for a rendezvous with Benedict Arnold, whom Allen reluctantly agrees to coordinate with in the planned attack on Ft Ticonderoga in NY. image
    • 8 May 1775 Providence, RI. Book purveyor and militia officer Nathanael Greene was appointed Brigadier General of the Rhode Island Army of Observation. He would go on to be one of the best generals in the Continental Army. image
    • 9 May 1775 Skenesboro, NY Patriot forces capture the town in an early Revolutionary War action in New York State. The town’s trading schooner was taken to Crown Point armed & deployed under the leadership of (then Colonel) Benedict Arnold. image
    • 9 May 1775 Philadelphia, PA.  Colonel George Washington of Virginia arrives at the 2nd Continental Congress. image
    • 10 May 1775 Ft Ticonderoga, NY. Col Benedict Arnold & Ethan Allen’s detachment of 80 men cross Lake Champlain in darkness & surprise the lackluster sentries. British Capt William de la Place surrenders his 48 men & 78 cannons & supplies without resistance. image
    • 10 May 1775 Philadelphia. 2nd Continental Congress convened & John Hancock was elected president. The new congress begins organizing formal resistance to Britain while concurrently pursuing reconciliation.  Image  
    • 4 May 1776 Rhode Island dissolves allegiances to King George III declaring itself the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation. Ironically, RI would be the last state to ratify the new American Constitution more than 14 years later, on May 29, 1790 image
    • 5 May 1776 Wilmington NC Gen Henry Clinton issues a proclamation denouncing the “wicked rebellion” & recommending inhabitants of NC return their allegiance to the king. He offered full pardon to all except American Gen Robert Howe & NC’s Cornelius Harnett.  image
    • 6 May 1776, Quebec Gov Guy Carleton dispatches a 900-strong reconnaissance-in-force to scout the American camp. The Americans panic and flee, despite Gen John Thomas’s efforts to stop them. Wounded and supplies are abandoned to the British. image
    • 6 May 1776, Edmund Pendleton met with the VA House of Burgesses & voted to end that body. Later in the morning, he was elected Pres. of the 5th Virginia Revolutionary Convention, which replaced the longest sitting representative body in the colonies. image
    • 5 May 1777 Morristown, NJ Continental Army grows to 9K with arms & equipment from France. Gen Washington organizes it into 5 divisions under generals Nathanael Greene, Adam Stephan, John Sullivan, Benjamin Lincoln & William Alexander. image
    • 7 May 1777 To bolster the defense of the Delaware, several men in Capt. Jonathan Clark’s company 8th VA transferred to service on “row gallies,” large rowboats, each with a cannon mounted in the front. Oars made them more maneuverable than British ships.  image
    • 4 May 1778 York, PA. Continental Congress ratifies the Treaty of Alliance and Amity with France. One month later, war between Britain and France formally began when a British squadron fired on two French ships. image
    • 9 May 1779 Portsmouth, VA. Ft Nelson was stormed by 1,800 British under Commodore George Collier & Gen Edward Matthews. American Maj Thomas Matthews’s 100 defenders are driven out & the British march on Gosport & Norfolk, which they torch. image
    • 6 May 1780 Lenud’s Ferry SC. British Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton’s troopers surprised militia under Col. Abraham Buford & Col. William Washington. The militia scatters but the British inflict 40 casualties & take 65 prisoners. image
    • 8 May 1781 Gen Francis Marion’s partisan rangers surround Rebecca Motte’s mansion, now a fortified Loyalist stronghold. 4 days of gunfire ensues. image
    • 7 May 1782 New Providence, Bahamas British Gov John Maxwell surrenders 600 regulars, 300 militia & 800 sailors to a Spanish force under Gov Juan Manuel de Caxigal. But shortly afterward, he learns of the French defeat at Saintes & returns to Havana. image
  • Clothing and Related:
    • Lovely Spitalfields silk taffeta robe a l’anglaise, 1775-1780. Note the small scale pattern –silk designs in the last quarter of the 18thc took cues fr cottons. Not only were the patterns smaller, the ground featured lighter palettes as well. Via @HistDeerfield
    • a quilt believed to be made of fabrics from Martha Washington’s dresses,
    • from my research @RevSpaces. Beautiful spring palette for these brocaded #silk shoes w/ linen lining & paper labels Catalog info notes they were worn by Mrs. Dorr, c1760s-1770s—poss in #Boston.
      • The label is atypical in that the shoes are noted as made by an unidentified ‘English Workman’ My research into 18thc shoemakers indicates if a label was used the name of the shoemaker was included They are lovely & in very good condition
    • Continuing with the research of our 18th century today I came across with this beautiful silk panels which depict an incredible beautiful flower motifs embroidered with a delicate handcrafted technique. I could have been looking at the stitches for hours
    • This 18th-century embroidered scene could not be more charming! A shepherd sits in a field and plays a pipe while accompanied by a shepherdess. Alongside them are a sleeping dog and a flock of sheep. In the background is their cosy home, with smoke billowing from its chimney
    • sample some 18th-century gorgeousness at the @V_and_A. The miniature 1760s suit is particularly lovely!
    • Georgian Jewelry: Cameos are carved designs that stand out in relief against a background. They were carved from things like gems, agate, coral, and shell. These 18th century shell cameos are of a male and female god and goddess.
    • The quantity of fabric falling from the shoulder of a 1720s robe volante gives the impression of sharply folded origami. The tight pleats give way to deep valleys of fabric as they loose themselves around the body. There is a great capacity for hiding things here
    • This week’s shoes for Tuesday. Stencilled kid leather, London (maker Hoppe), 1790-1805. More here @ROMtoronto  collections
  • Miscellaneous
    • May 9, 1774, people woke up to discover that the previous day’s conjunction of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and the Moon had NOT knocked Earth out of orbit and into the Sun, as a newspaper essay in Holland had predicted.
    • Herbs grown in VA gardens in the 18th century were used medicinally by both free and enslaved people. Horehound, which originated in North Africa, Europe and Central Asia treated respiratory ailments. Echinacea, native to North America, was often used for stomach problems.

Last Post: SHERREN, Robert Louis “Robbie”, 23 November 1983 – 7 May 2024
On  Tuesday, 7 May 2024 we lost our beloved son Robbie. He died in the hospital where he was born, Kingston General Hospital, from complications of a brain aneurism. He leaves behind his grieving parents, Derk and Lorraine (Ripley) Sherren, older brother Jamie, his Uncle Claude, Aunt Jill and cousins Matthew and David (Kaitlynn).
Robbie was diagnosed at an early age as developmentally challenged.  He functioned at a high level, and managed to excel in some aspects of the Life Skills program of the Ontario public school system. He had shown a talent for computers and was enrolled, with an Educational Assistant, in the computer class at Midland Secondary School. These skills continued to grow as he acquired and conquered his FitBit, iPhone, Tablet and Laptop. Robbie was also a representative on the Student Council and was responsible for playing the music in the school cafetorium during lunch period (a budding DJ).  In January 2003 he was chosen as “Student of the Month” by the Midland Rotary Club, the first time this award had ever been presented to a Life Skills student.
Robbie lived at home, in Kingston, Ontario, and was part-owner of a Community Living Co-Operative, under contract with the Ministry of Transportation for Ontario (MTO).
Robbie loved music and Star Trek. He was an avid Ottawa Senators fan, and wore his Senators Jersey proudly ever since he purchased it last Fall.
Robbie was a skilled and avid bowler. He belonged to the Special Olympics Ontario Bowling League, playing at CFB Kingston, Ontario. In February 2020 he attended the SOO National Games in Thunder Bay, Ontario and came home with an Individual Gold Medal for his Division. In February 2024 he again qualified and attended the SOO Special Olympics National Games in Calgary, Alberta, and returned home with a Team Silver Medal. This would be his last event.
A memorial visitation in celebration of Robbie’s life on Sunday May 19th between the hours of 1-4 p.m.  More details…
We love you Robbie, and will forever hold you in our hearts.

Last Post: Supley, Paul A
Age 60, Paul, historian and reenactor, died on Monday, April 1st, 2024 after recent cancer diagnosis.
After graduating from Burnt Hills Ballston Lake High School with the Class of 1981, Paul attended Norwich University and served with the Army Reserve, in Schenectady, NY.  He worked his way up to becoming the devoted and esteemed owner of Historic Medicine, located in Ballston Lake. In addition, Paul was the enthusiastic owner at Eighteenth Century Historic Agriculture and Van Wycke’s Chocolate Haus. His pure love and admiration for history carried on as he worked at the Herkimer Home State Historic Site, the Old Fort Johnson National Historic Landmark, SUNY Schenectady County Community College, and as the Director of Operations and Programming at the Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands.  Many hours were spent at the Mabee Farm Historic Site, where he and  fellow historians, shared in passionate re-enactments and educational activities.  See obit…

NOTE:  He was listed in May 5 issue of Loyalist Trails in “The Story Continues…” as part of the 1784 program:

Breakfast service, and Coffee Culture – Paul Supley, of Van Wyckes Chocolate Haus

A highly respected historian, presenter and researcher of colonial culture, medical practices and agrarian life, Paul Supley of the Van Wyckes Chocolate Haus will both nourish the forces of the British army, while discussing and demonstrating the coffee culture of 18th century colonial North America. With years of knowledge and experience, Mr. Supply will be present to meet with all inquiring minds to discuss, and demonstrate the practices and significance of the coffee house, in the lives of the people of early North America.

 

Published by the UELAC
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