UE Loyalist History

The   Loyalist Directory  serves  as a key resource for genealogists and history enthusiasts to research ancestors who remained loyal to the British Crown and settled in Canada after the American Revolutionary War. It is a growing online database maintained by the UELAC. It is built from submissions and historical research.  There are over 7000 entries. I regularly refer to it to assist with my research.  First Page of Loyalist Directory You begin by entering a name you wish  to find. After I proved my ancestor James Humphrey, I submitted his information to  the Loyalist Directory. When his name is entered in the search field it appears. J ames Humphrey in Loyalist Directory   Some of the names in the database include links to copies of the Application for a Certificate of Loyalist Descent. These commonly include birth, death, and marriage dates for them and their families and basic biographical details like places of residence and service in...

Duri ng the American Revolution,the former French Seigneury of  Sorel , in the colony of Quebec, became an important area as a British military post and refugee camp for thousands of United Empire Loyalists.  A town was planned and established for Loyalists and discharged soldiers.   The town was given street names from members of the Royal Family, and later its name changed to William Henry after the son of King George III.  Some of my Humphrey ancestors spent time in the area as I learned from a Return of the Refugee Loyalist Families receiving Provisions at this Post and the Block House on the Yamaska , Sorel, 25 December 1783.  Prince William Henry In 1781,  Baron Friederich Adolf Riedesel zu Eisenbach, a Major General,  was placed in charge of the Sorel district by  Governor Frederick Haldimand , Governor of the British colony of Quebec. The General was born in Lauterbach, Hesse, Germany and served with German regiments during the Seven ...

During the American Revolution, Halifax played a vital role. The location made it important to the British navy and military. Author Thomas H. Raddall called it the Warden of the North .   In the Halifax Regional Municipality, outside a Ferry terminal, is a monument to the United Empire Loyalists who came to the area in 1783.  Monument Outside Dartmouth Ferry Terminal   The monument was placed in 1983 by the Dartmouth Heritage Museum.  It was the bicentennial anniversary of the arrival of United Empire Loyalists who were evacuated from New York in 1783. The  King's College Library   has a fascinating collection of porcelain and pottery which originaly belonging to Loyalists including a dish and plate of Brigadier - General Timothy Ruggles and pitcher of Major Samuel Vetch Bayard. On the waterfront in Halifax is the   Samuel Cunard Statue .  Sir Samuel Cunard was the son of a United Empire Loyalist. His father, Abraham Cunard, ...

On 28 November 1776 HMS Vulture arrived at the head of the Bay of Fundy with British marines aboard to relieve  Fort Cumberland which had been beseiged since earlier in the month. A force of American militia, natives, and some Nova Scotians, led by Jonathan Eddy, tried to capture the Fort as the precursor to the start of a rebellion in the colony and eventual attack on Halifax.  Eddy had settled in Nova Scotia as a New England Planter and was one of a few members of the General Assembly in Halifax sympathetic to the American Revolution. The attack is described in  The Siege of Fort Cumberland, 1776 - An Episode in the American Revolution  authored by Ernest Clarke, UE, a member of the United Empire Loyalists' Association in Nova Scotia.  The book was published by McGill - Queen's University Press in 1995. Book published by Ernest Clarke, UE   In this book Ernest Clarke, UE, "examines the attitudes of the various players in the region - New England Planter...

Are you interested in: 1) the history of Canada; 2) genealogy of United Empire Loyalists; or 3) activities of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada?  If you answered YES to one or more of these subjects you will enjoy reading The Loyalist Gazette . Fall 2025 Loyalist Gazette   The only magazine published in Canada about the role United Empire Loyalists and their descendants played during the American Revolution and afterwards is The Loyalist Gazette . I was honoured in June 2025 to become Chair of the Committee which now creates it, taking over from Bill Russell, UE, who became President of the UELAC.  Other current members of the Committee are Diane Faris, UE, Stephen Davidson, UE, and Amanda Fasken, UE.  The Loyalist Gazette was first published from 1931 to 1933 and then ceased publication until 1967 when it was revived by E. John Chard , UE, during his time as President of the UELAC. He was the Editor until 1987 when he was succeeded by David K. Dor...

Beginning in 1775 and lasting until 1782, actions regularly occurred between American privateers and British ships as well as privateers from Nova Scotia off the coast of Nova Scotia as well as attacks on settlements.  The Second Continental Congress authorized privateers to operated against British shipping in a resolution dated 23 March 1776.  A few days later it made provision for issuing "letters of marque", formal licenses to privateers.  Nova Scotia issued 77 letters of marque during the American Revolution.  American colonies authorize privateering in March 1776 The New England coast was a primary area of activity for American Privateers who operated out of ports such as Boston, Newport, Providence, Rhode Island, New London, Connecticut, Salem and Beverly, Massachusetts.  They targeted the Canadian Maritimes as well as Atlantic Shipping Lanes, the West Indies and even European waters.    Privateering Actions: June 1775 -  Battle of Machias ...

Key events of the American Revolution in 1775 included the opening battles  Lexington   and  Concord  in April, the Second Continental Congress convening in May at  Philadephia  and appointing George Washington as Commander - in - Chief of the Continental Army in June, as well as the Battle of  Bunker Hill in June.  Additionally, colonial forces captured  Fort Ticonderoga  in May, and an American invasion of  Quebec  failed in the winter.  Fort Ticonderoga   The Second Continental Congress met at  Independence Hall in Philadelphia in May 1775 and prepared the Olive Tree Petition which was sent to King George III in July 1775. It expressed loyalty to the Crown while requesting repeal of laws deemed by the Congress to be oppressive. King George III refused to read it and declared the colonies to be in a state of revolt on 23 August 1775 with the Proclamation of Rebellion .  In response to the growing unre...