OLD ST. EDWARD'S CHURCH ANNUAL ANNIVERSARY SERVICE

By

On Sunday, August 16th, I attended the annual anniversary service at Old St. Edward's Anglican Church in Clementsport,  Nova Scotia which was constructed by United Empire Loyalists of Dutch ancestry and others in 1795. They settled in the area after arriving from New York at the close of the American Revolution. 


Old St. Edward's Church 

The sign located in front of the church reads:

This Church was built by the United Empire Loyalists when they settled in the area in 1784. It was consecrated by Bishop Inglis, 1st Bishop of Nova Scotia. 

Annual memorial services are held the 3rd Sunday of each August. 

At the service which I attended the sermon was given by the current Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the Right Reverend Sandra Fyfe. The Church was consecrated by Bishop Charle Inglis on September 17, 1797.


With Bishop Sandra Fyfe


During the service an old Dutch Hymn of Thanksgiving was sung and the flag of the Netherlands hangs on a wall in the church recognizing the contribution of the founders, many of whom were of Dutch ancestry.  Their surnames included Ditmars, Vanderbilt, and Vroom.


Flag of Netherlands 


As well as the United Empire Loyalists of Dutch descent who settled in the area there were some Hessians such as Dr. Frederick Boehme (1751 - 1831).  .  A plaque placed on a wall in the Church in August 1931 states he was Physician to the Waldeck and Hessian mercenaries and the country - side and a resident of Clementsport.  As well he was Donar of the Bell and Communion Plate now in use. He is buried in the cemetery adjacent to the Church


Plaque to Dr. Frederick Boehme 


Prior to the start of the service on Sunday and afterwards, musical entertainment was provided by Leslie Langille playing the organ and Jackie Hall with violin.  Below is a video I have prepared which includes some of their performance as well as a portion of the remarks made by Bishop Sandra Fyfe.







Further Reference:

Old St. Edward's Church & the Loyalists book by Brian McConnell, U.E., published in 2021

Old St. Edward's Anglican Church in Historic Places, accessed August 17, 2026



Popular posts from this blog

THE LOYALIST DIRECTORY

By
Image
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...
Read more

DWAYNE 'THE ROCK' JOHNSON

By
Image
Actor and former professional wrestler Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was born on 2 May 1972 in Hayward, California and is a seventh generation descendant of a Black Loyalist mentioned in the Book of Negroes who settled in  Amherst , Nova Scotia. He holds dual American and Canadian citizenship.   'The Rock' The Rock is descended from James Bowles who arrived in Annapolis Royal from New York on board the ship named Joseph on 9 November 1783. His name appears in the Book of Negroes, spelled as James Bowels of age 28 . It was a ledger of approximately 3,000 Black Loyalists made by the British before their evacuation from New York in 1783 which included names, ages, and origins. Record in Book of Negroes   During the American Revolution, James was a member of a unit called the Black Pioneers which served with the British. The force was a crucial, predominantly Black Loyalist military unit, formed in 1776, comprising formerly enslaved people who escaped to British li...
Read more

THE LOYALIST TOWNSHIPS

By
Image
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 childr...
Read more