UE Loyalist History

Sometimes encouragement to research can come in unexpected ways. After a recent presentation to a local historical society, one of the attendees told me she had an old drawing she would like to present to me.  I was intrigued and we arranged to meet again when she gave me a print that mentioned the Waldeckers who settled in Nova Scotia after the American Revolution.  Waldeckers at Old St. Edward's Church   The Waldeckers who settled in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia had served in the Waldeck Regiment created in the Principality of Waldeck, Germany. In the summer and fall of 1783 these soldiers settled on the  Waldeck Line on lots of land varying between 100 and 300 acres.  This settlement was in the western part of the Township of Clements and neighbouring it was a settlement of Hessian soldiers who had also been disbanded.  The largest group of Germans fighting along with the British in the American Revolution were Hessians, primarily from Hesse - Kassel a...

I attended my first national conference of the United Empire Loyalists' Association in 2015 which was held in Victoria , British Columbia. It was also my first time visiting the west coast of Canada and very memorable.  I am pictured below at left with fellow UELAC member Peter Milliken, a former Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, at top right with then B.C. Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon, and below boarding a bus to tour the beautiful city of Victoria. Victoria 2015 Conference   Attending the 2015 Conference was an opportunity to experience a new place as well as interact with other members of the UELAC and learn from the organized program of presentations, and activities.  The conference included presentations on topics related to Loyalist history and genealogy as well as the Annual General Meeting.  In 2016 the national conference was hosted by the three Atlantic Branches of the UELAC,  being Abeguit,  Nova Scotia,  and New Brunswick....

On July 10, 2006, Lady Dione Digby, DBE, DL, visited the Admiral Digby Museum .  She made a presentation and gave to the Museum copies of Admiral Robert Digby's Naval Order Books. These were books into which his secretary copied each official letter made by him.  Within these records is fascinating information related to the settlement and treatment of the Loyalists who were transported as refugees by ship from New York in 1783 to Nova Scotia.  Lady Dione Digby   In 1991, Lady Dione Digby was appointed a Dame Commander of the order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contributions to the arts and a Deputy Lieutenant (DL).  She was the founder of the Summer Music Society of Dorset and served as president of several organizations including Dorset Opera.  In 2006, she was appointed the Chancellor of Bournemouth University. Admiral Robert Digby was a distant ancestor of Edward Kenholm Digby, the 12th Baron Digby, husband of Lady Dione Digby.  He joined the...

When I made the decision to join the United Empire Loyalists' Association, I became a member of a local branch. I did that, as at the time, in April 2014, branch meetings were all held in person, and I wished to attend and participate. However, the branch I joined,  Nova Scotia , was not in the area settled by my United Empire Loyalist ancestor. Some members join the branch where their ancestor(s) settled.  It may be easier to work with a branch genealogist who is knowledgeable about local Loyalists in order to obtain a Certificate of Loyalist Descent.  Members can also join one branch as their main branch and others for a reduced fee as additional ones.  Nova Scotia Branch of UELAC At this time there are active branches of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada in ten provinces.  The branches with the largest number of members are in Ontario.   These are  Bay of Quinte Branch  and  Colonel John Butler , both of which have f...

The United Empire Loyalists who settled in parts of Canada included many who were Scots and some who had previously fought for Scottish independence. Tartan Day was first established in Nova Scotia on April 6, 1987 to coincide with the day of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 which is widely regarded as Scotland's declaration of independence.  Among the more noteable Scottish Highlanders was Brigadier General Donald McDonald who fought at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 against the English and later as a Loyalist during the American Revolution.  In 1775 he was in North Carolina and appointed by the Royal Governor to lead the Loyalist troops.  At the  Battle of Moore's Creek  in 1776 he was captured and later exchanged. Another key figure present was Captain Alan MacDonald, husband of Flora MacDonald (saviour of Bonnie Prince Charlie after the Battle of Culloden).  He also fought for the Loyalists, was captured, exchanged, and later served w...

In 2022, the oldest substantially unaltered church in Canada built by United Empire Loyalists needed a costly new roof in order to remain open.  Old Holy Trinity Anglican Church  in Middleton was built by several well known Loyalists who had settled in Nova Scotia as refugees after the American Revolution.  They included   Timothy Ruggles ,  Samuel Vetch Bayard  , and  Reverend John Wiswall  .  The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada provided a substantial grant of $12,500 to assist in this vital work. It was the second time the UELAC or one of its' members helped to save the historic site. On 27 July 1998, it became a provincially registered property under the Heritage Property Act of Nova Scotia. Work at Old Holy Trinity Church to Repair Roof I attended the 225th anniversary service of Old Holy Trinity Church in 2016, marking the event when the first service was held in August, 1791.  Later, I was contacted by a member...

In August 1795, Tula led the largest slave rebellion to take place on the island of  Curacao which marked an historic point on their path to emancipation.  Although there were no plantations in what we now know as Canada to erupt in conflict, Africans who came there during 18th century shared a similar experience. Some of them travelled to America on ships that sailed first to islands in the Carribean, including Curacao, and from there the Africans were sent to the American colonies. Tula Tula was a field worker at the Knipp Plantation in Curacao. From the early 17th century, the island was a transcontinental colonial hub for the Dutch in the slave trade.  Approximately 80 per cent of the slaves brought there from Africa were headed for distribution across the Carribbean and South America with the remainder to the American colonies.  Some of the slaves in the American colonies obtained their freedom during the American Revolution and in 1783 sailed to Nova Scotia....