UE Loyalist History

Alfred Gilpin Jones, UE , founded the first association for descendants of United Empire Loyalists in Nova Scotia in 1897.  He was born in Weymouth, Nova Scotia and descended from Stephen Jones, UE, formerly of Massachusetts.  He became a member of Parliament representing Halifax, Minister of National Defence,  and later Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.   Alfred Gilpin Jones, UE  His interest in the importance of remembering and recognizing the role of United Empire Loyalists has been shared by five individuals who have been selected as the 2025 Alfred Gilpin Jones Volunteerism Award Winners. Since 2025 is the 250th anniversary of memorable major events during the American Revolution like the invasion of Canada this Award has been established.  It carries with it no special benefit. This is a list of five people who, by their volunteer activities, have encouraged my interest in United Empire Loyalists and participation in the UELAC.  It was prepared...

Delancey Town  is an old neighborhood in Nassau , Bahamas, named after  Stephen DeLancey , a prominent United Empire Loyalist and former Chief Justice of the Bahamas (1790–1797). After the American Revolution, he left New York and first settled in Nova Scotia. Delancey Town (photo about 1890) It is located near the western cemetery and a street in the area, Delancey Street,  retains the name. There is also a community called Delancey  Town on the island of South Eleuthora in the Bahamas.  After the American Revolution,  Loyalists,  both black and white,  arriving in the Bahamas massively boosted the population.  Between 1783 and 1788, it  is estimated 5,000 to 7,000 came. This  doubled the white population and tripled the black. When Stephen DeLancey moved to the Bahamas in 1790 to become Chief Justice, he also managed a 900 acre cotton  plantation on North Caicos and had 18  black slaves.  The plantation was known ...

During the American Revolution  Curacao , a Dutch colony in the Caribbean,  served as a strategic and commercial hub.  It also functioned as a neutral port for the flow of war supplies to the American colonies. Fort Beekenburg   Fort Beekenburg   was built in the early 1700s to guard Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao. It was named after Nicolaas van Beek, the Governor of the island from 1701 to 1704. Curaçao became a Dutch colony in 1634 when the Dutch West Indies Company captured the island from the Spanish. They established it as a key trading post. I have been visiting the island this December and finding connections to the American Revolution. Today I was in Willemstad.   It was named after William II, Prince of Orange (1626  - 1650). At Willemstad   The British on 20 December 1780, angered by the flow of supplies through Dutch Caribbean ports like Curaçao, declared war on the Dutch Republic to cripple their colonial trade network. ...

It has been estimated that between 1783 and 1785 about 14,000 to 15,000 United Empire Loyalists settled in the territory that became New Brunswick. They established communities like Saint John, Fredericton, and Saint Andrews.  It quadrupled the region's population and led to the forming of a new colony separate from Nova Scotia.This influx included approximately 3,500 Black Loyalists. From a map in a brochure entitled The Loyalist Route   -  Facts and Places in the Loyalist Settlement of Lower River Passage, prepared by the Province of New Brunswick several years ago, the historic locations listed below appear. By clicking on the name a link will take you to the location on a map that I have prepared with further information.  1. Fort Howe , Saint John  - offered protection and supplies to United Empire Loyalists arriving in area after 1783. 2. Loyalist House , Saint John - museum and National Historic Site.  Former home of Merritt family who were United ...

It is a testament to the impact on Canada of the life of Charles Inglis   (1734 - 1816), UE, the first Anglican Bishop appointed in North America, that he is mentioned in seven books about United Empire Loyalists that I have authored.   Born at  Glencomcille  in the North of Ireland, of Scottish ancestry, he supported the British Crown during the American Revolution while preaching in New York. When he was later made Bishop based in Halifax he oversaw the establishment of Anglican churches across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as well as the founding of  King's - Edgehill School .  He also farmed at  Clairmont  where he experimented in growing apples suited to Nova Scotia, one of which, the Bishop's Pippin , was named after him.    Plaque to Charles Inglis, UE , St. Mary's Church, Auburn, Nova Scotia Here are links to the seven books: 1.  Canada's Ulster-Scots 2.  Loyalist History of Nova Scotia 3.  Loyalist Cemeteries...

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...