U.E. Loyalist History

The first country to recognize the independence of the United States was not France. It was the island of St. Eustatius, also called Statia, a Dutch colony in the West Indies. During the 18th century it became a booming, ultra wealthy,  trading hub, and was given the nickname Golden Rock. St. Eustatius   While the defeat of the British at Saratoga in 1777 encouraged French recognition of US independence, the Dutch had been supporting American rebel activity for years.  Merchants on the island of St. Eustatius were enabling goods and materials to pass to them which were required.  Even George Washington routed his mail through the island. Since the British Royal Navy blockaded North American ports, the free trade port of St. Eustatius became an important trans shipment point for European goods. Up to half of the military supplies used by American Revolutionary forces passed through St. Eustatius.  Dutch,  English, and Jewish merchant families ran the bustlin...

Nova Scarcity was what some  disillusioned American Loyalists,  both white and black, who arrived in Nova Scotia in the late 18th century following the American Revolution, called it.  Some of the conditions that led to the name being used are described in Neil MacKinnon's book This Unfriendly Soil - The Loyalist Experience in Nova Scotia  1783 - 1791 .  It came about due to the harsh realities the refugees faced upon arrival.  In 1783, roughly 30,000 Loyalists arrived in Nova Scotia which tripled the population and overwhelmed the provinces meager resources.  After, in 1782,  Sir Guy Carleton received the appointment in New York with responsibility for evacuation of Loyalists he wrote to Governor John Parr of Nova Scotia asking if he might be able to grant lands and supplies to some of them.  Parr sought to be of assistance, however, responded that there was at present a housing crisis even in Halifax and some of the soldiers garrisone...

Among the thousands of United Empire Loyalists who arrived in Nova Scotia were ones who became politicians, justices of the peace, and lawyers. They had an impact on the future province. The Royal Arms of King George III can be seen on Province House, the Nova Scotia Legislative Building in Halifax, pictured below. It was built between 1811 and 1818 and is the oldest Legislative Building in Canada.  On April 4, 1818, they were carved on the sediment by David Kinnear.  Province House in Halifax  The Nova Scotia House of Assembly that meets in Province House is the oldest elected legislature in Canada. It first met on October 2, 1758. Before  Province House was completed, it met at several locations in Halifax.  The United Empire Loyalists who became legislators, judges, and lawyers in Nova Scotia included:  Annapolis County Joseph Aplin (1740 - 1804).  Born in Rhode Island.  Colonial lawyer who fled to Nova Scotia as Loyalist in 1783. He moved to ...

While researching the grave locations of United Empire Loyalists in Hants County, Nova Scotia, I discovered an interesting one that led me to learn about the so - called Death Penny ,  given to the parents of a relative of mine.  The Death Penny was  a circular bronze commemorative disk issued to the families of British and Commonwealth service personnel who died as a result of service during the First World War.   Over one million of these were produced, including 600 to women.  Headstone for Private Arthur E. Brison The headstone had a space at the top on which it appeared something had been removed.  It was the memorial to  Private Arthur E. Brison located in the Center Burlington Cemetery in Hants County.  He was a descendant of Christopher Wilson, a United Empire Loyalist, who received a land grant in Annapolis County in 1784.   The petition for the land was submitted by Major John Milledge, formerly a prominent officer i...

One of the largest cemeteries with surviving gravestones of Loyalists in Canada is  Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery   in Digby, Nova Scotia.   The oldest viewable stone there is dated from 1785.   There are over 200 marked graves of United Empire Loyalists, and descendants,  who arrived in 1783, or shortly later, as refugees at the close of the American Revolution. In 1990, the Cemetery and adjacent Church were designated a National Historic Site for the deep ties to Loyalist settlement of Digby County.  Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery in Digby, NS Among those buried there with gravestones and an interesting story are: George Armstrong , born in Digby about 1789, died February  2, 1863.  His father was United Empire Loyalist Francis Armstrong, who was contracted to build first roads about Digby. Dr. Azor Betts ,  died September 15, 1811, who was locked up by General Israel Putnam in an action supported by George Washington for in...