UE Loyalist History

The King’s Orange Rangers were a Royal Provincial (Loyalist) Regiment which was raised in New York in 1775 that saw action there and in New Jersey before being moved to Nova Scotia in 1778.  On 17 November 1778, the King's Orange Rangers arrived at Halifax and were assigned to protect the Eastern Battery . .  A company commanded by Captain John Howard was stationed in  Liverpool  to defend against American privateers. It left the town in August, 1783 and the Regiment was disbanded later that year with the close of the American Revolution. King's Orange Rangers stationed in Nova Scotia from 1778 to 1783 The King's Orange Rangers were founded by William Bayard, a leading merchant in New York City,  who went to England after the conflict ended where he died.  One of his sons,  Samuel Vetch Bayard  served as a Major in the Regiment and  moved to Nova Scotia where he became  Lieutenant - Colonel. of the Royal Nova Scotia 104th Regiment in Hal...

The first monument placed in Nova Scotia to United Empire Loyalists is a cairn with a plaque located in Annapolis County at MacDonald Park in  Middleton  . It was erected in 1965 to the memory of United Empire Loyalists who settled in the area including Timothy Ruggles, Samuel Vetch Bayard, and Thomas H. Barclay, United Empire Loyalist Cairn Annapolis County also contains four of the oldest wooden churches in Canada which were built by United Empire Loyalists under the supervision of Bishop Charles Inglis, UE. These are: Old Holy Trinity , begun in 1789 at Middleton,  Old St. Edward's , completed in 1795 at Clementsport, and  Christ Church , started in 1790, at Karsdale.  A fourth nearby is  St. Mary's Church , constructed in 1789 at Auburn, King’s County . In the town of Annapolis Royal can be viewed several homes constructed or occupied by United Empire Loyalists. On Saint George Street is   Bailey House  , n amed after Elizabeth "Marm" Bailey, ...

A cairn to the 84th Regiment, Second Battalion, is located at  MacPhees Corner  , Hants County, Nova Scotia erected in 1996 by two descendants of members who served.  The Second Battalion was based in Halifax, then at  Fort Edward in Windsor and had companies stationed throughout the Atlantic region including at Fort Anne in Annapolis Royal. Quebec City was the initial headquarters of the First Battalion and it later moved to Sorel . It was the first Highland regiment formed outside of Scotland and drew some of its' recruits from Scottish settlers in North America.  Fort Anne, Nova Scotia The 84th Regiment began as a Provincial Corps,  the Royal Highland Emigrants, in 1775 organized by former Scottish officers in the British army. It was started in response to rebellious actions in the American colonies and became the 84th of Foot Regiment in 1778 when placed on the British regular establishment.  During the American Revolution the First Battalion saw...

My ancestor James Humphrey who served with Jessup's Rangers during the American Revolution was granted land after the conflict to settle in  Edwardsburgh  Township.  There is a monument to him and other United Empire Loyalists at  Johnstown , within the township, which I visited as appears in a YouTube video near the bottom of this page.  Other Rangers received lands in  Augusta  ,  Elizabethtown , and  Ernestown   Townships.  These were four of the initial thirteen Loyalist Townships created in Upper Canada, now Ontario.  The Loyalist townships in Ontario  The original Loyalist townships created in Ontario for Loyalists were established beside the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. The first survey marker was placed on 27 October 1783.  Eight of the townships were along the upper St. Lawrence River and five along the Bay of Quinte. They were given names associated with King George III and his children. Together wit...

The best known United Empire Loyalist site in Canada is the United Empire Loyalist (UEL) Heritage Centre and Park in  Adolphustown  , Ontario  located on the Adolphus Reach of the Bay of Quinte, and now part of the larger town of Greater Napanee in Lennox & Addington County.   It includes a 72 acre park commemorating the arrival of the Loyalists in 1784 and features the first Loyalist landing site, the first Loyalist cemetery, the oldest monument to the Loyalists in Canada, and a museum with an archives.                      U.E.L. Heritage Centre A group of about 250 United Empire Loyalists led by Major Peter Van Alstine landed at Adolphustown on 16 June 1784.  The group first sailed from New York in the fall of 1783 and spent the winter at  Sorel  , Quebec.  In the spring, they continued up the St. Lawrence River to the Bay of Quinte and founded the first permanent white settlement ...

 Three words “Of Loyalist Descent” can be used to describe many people in the Town and County called Digby, Nova Scotia. Communities like  Barton  , Gilbert's Cove  ,  Smiths Cove , and  Tiddville were named after the Loyalists who settled there.   Headstone marked 'Of Loyalist Descent" in Digby The cemeteries and churches trace their origins. Within the Town, the  Old Loyalist Cemetery and  Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery are the oldest places to find United Empire Loyalists buried. Descendants of Loyalists can be found in  Forest Hill Anglican Cemetery  and  Fairview Cemetery  .     Old Loyalist Cemetery in Digby The oldest gravestone is for Mary Getcheus , who died on 17 November 1785, located in Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery.  She was the wife of Captain Jacob Getcheus who transported Black Loyalists to Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.  Trinity Anglican Church  is a national heritage site....

It can take at least two days to drive by car from Nova Scotia to  Fort Ticonderoga  , New York as I have experienced.  During the 18th century the distance took weeks ,however, there are historical connections through prominent Loyalists. The strategic location of Fort Ticonderoga at the head of Lake Champlain led to its' importance during the French Indian War and the American Revolution. It is called  the "Gibraltar of the North". During the French Indian War the Fort ,when occupied by the French, was called Fort Carillon and attacked several times by the British.  On July 8, 1758 John Grant  was serving in the 42nd Regiment (also known as the Black Watch) with the British forces that led an unsuccessful attack on the Fort.  He was a commander in 1776 when New York was captured. At the end of the American Revolution he was granted lands as a United Empire Loyalist at Summerville, Hants County, Nova Scotia.  Major General John Small ,who command...

While I was visiting   Saint Andrews, New Brunswick  last month I felt it could be known as a fine example of a   town settled by Loyalists .  The town was named for the patron saint of Scotland,  Saint Andrew the Apostle, reflecting a common colonial practice to name places after religious figures. It was mapped out at the close of the American Revolution with a gridiron street plan designed for a British colonial town, settled by United Empire Loyalists, and has retained examples of their heritage.  The present population is about 2,000 and has grown in recent years.   Loyalist John Dunn Home A plaque on the outside of the former   Loyalist John Dunn home  at 126 Water Street marking it as a Provincial Heritage Site indicates he was a prominent founder and leader in Saint  Andrews, arriving from New York in 1784 and bringing materials for the town's first two-storey house. He served as Charlotte County's High Sheriff and Comp...

Approximately 30,000 German troops were hired by the British to fight in the American Revolution, some 65 per cent of whom were from the Hessian states of Hesse - Kassel and Hesse - Hanau.  Hence they are often called Hessians. At time of American Revolution Germany didn't exist as a country.  It was a collection of states, republics, and duchies. In Bennington, Vermont stands a  Monument  to a battle fought nearby on 16 August 1777 which was a major defeat to Hessian forces.  The Battle of Bennington was the first time during the conflict that an entire Hessian detachment was killed or captured . An elevator inside the Monument takes you to the top where three states can be viewed, Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts. Unfortunately, when I visited in September it was broken and waiting for a replacement part.                                            ...

I have a jacket which I often wear that has a unique badge on it.  It is the badge of a member of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada (UELAC). Other clothing as well as printed material, books, pins, keychains. rings. and medals include the badge.                                                                                             Loyalist Badge on Jacket & Medal                                                                                             The badge consists of a wreath made up of red m...