Loyalist Trails UELAC Newsletter, 2009 Archive

In this issue:
- Our Hearts Are Well Inclined -- © Stephen Davidson
- Gaspesian British Heritage Village, New Richmond, Needs Your Voice
- Help Preserve Ontario Cemeteries
- Connecting Canadians to UELAC Charitable Trust
- Loyalist Cups and Trophy
- Victoria Branch Rose Garden
- Golfer Links to Loyalists
- 175th Anniversary of the Toronto Becoming a City
- Molly of the Mohawks
- March 16: New Movie about Irish Famine on History TV
- Queries
      + Responses re Samuel Willson
      + John Moore of New Jersey and Grimsby
      + Col. James Hewetson and his Militia
      + Proof that Hezekiah Ingraham was a Loyalist

Our Hearts Are Well Inclined -- © Stephen Davidson

The stories of the 209 passengers who sailed aboard the Union are fascinating for the glimpse they give us into the loyalist experience. They were the first loyal Americans to arrive in New Brunswick, sailing into the mouth of the St. John River on May 11, 1783. While the August/September 2008 issue of The Beaver Magazine recounted the stories of some of these refugee passengers, there are still more to be told. Here is the first of two articles about the loyalists who sailed for safety aboard the Union.

It is hard to know if was the anticipation of the journey ahead or the Union's appearance that inspired the only description of the ship. Walter Bates, a 23-year-old from Stamford, Connecticut, was thrilled when he caught sight of the ship sailing into Huntington Bay. In his memoir of its voyage, he recorded that the Union was "the best ship in the British fleet". Beyond this description all that we know of the ship is the name of its captain, Con Wilson.

Bates escaped death at the hands of patriots in his hometown by fleeing to the refugee camp at Lloyd's Neck on Long Island. For several years, he taught loyalist children who lived near Fort Franklin, the largest British garrison on the island. At night, Bates joined others in whaleboat raids on patriot communities across Long Island Sound. The school teacher survived smallpox, torture at the hands of patriots and the difficult life of a refugee.

Little wonder, then, that he enthusiastically supported the British plan to relocate loyalists to peaceful Nova Scotia. He even composed a poem to encourage his fellow refugees. It contained these lines:

God is too wise to be unjust,
Too good to be unkind,
While subject to his sovereign will
Our hearts are well inclined.

The Connecticut teacher and poet was also a bit of a Cupid. When the Union's refugee passengers stopped in New York City for supplies, Bates came to the aid of an engaged couple who wanted to be married before the ship left the United States. Somehow, despite the hustle and bustle of a city being evacuated by British forces, Bates found a fellow Connecticut refugee, Rev. J. Leaming, to marry the young couple.

These newlyweds were not the only young lovers aboard ship. Just a week before the Union left Long Island with its loyalist passengers, Martin Trecartin, a volunteer in Delancey's regiment, married his sixteen-year-old sweetheart, Rebecca. Their voyage to Nova Scotia was a most remarkable honeymoon cruise.

Trecartin was one of the dozen men among the Union's 61 male passengers known to have served in loyalist regiments; five others served in noncombatant roles or as guerrillas. Another in that dozen was a Massachusetts blacksmith named Joseph Caswell. After being imprisoned by patriots in Rhode Island, Caswell escaped, prompting the posting of a wanted notice.

In an era in which the only people who could afford portraits were the rich, it is a rare treasure to have a physical description of an "average" loyalist -- a man from the trades. The wanted notice for Joseph Caswell provides the only physical description of a Union passenger. While it is not as detailed as a portrait or charcoal sketch, the notice is nevertheless quite detailed. Caswell was "about 40 years old, 5 feet 7 or 8 inches high, full faced, well set, very dark complectioned, has a remarkable black bushy beard, wears his hair short and was clothed with a blue coat and a waistcoat, and a dark brown breeches."

Caswell's incarceration in prison was just one instance of how Rhode Island treated loyalists. Union passenger Ebenezer Slocum was a native of the smallest of the Thirteen Colonies. Rebels had killed his father for supplying the British with provisions and military information. Patriots forced the Slocum family to move ten miles inland to prevent any further communication with British ships. Later, Ebenezer's mother had her cheeks branded and her earlobes cut off because of trumped-up charges that she passed counterfeit money. Interestingly, Ebenezer Slocum and his wife only brought four of their children with them on the Union; two others stayed in Rhode Island to be raised by their patriot uncle.

At least one Union passenger had had an unpleasant encounter with the British forces that were supposed to protect loyalists during the Revolution. David Pickett was a prosperous weaver from Connecticut. Forced from his home and business, he had to support his family by farming near the refugee camp at Lloyd's Neck, Long Island. When British sailors plundered the loyalist's livestock to add to their ship's rations, Pickett and two other loyalists complained to the admiral of the fleet. Their quest for justice so angered one officer that he threatened to tie the three refugees to a ship's cannon and have them whipped. The loyalists escaped the enraged captain unharmed, but Pickett's sense of justice guided him the rest of his life. Thirty years later, he became a judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Kings County, New Brunswick.

It is clear from the few passengers' stories related here that the refugee experiences of the Union's passengers were ones of violence and tragedy. But the loss of property, possessions, and status were minor compared to the loss of husbands. Three of the ship's 209 passengers were widows, women who had lost their husbands in battle. Their stories and those of others who sailed on the first loyalist ship to New Brunswick will be told in next week's Loyalist Trails.

To secure permission to reprint this article contact the author at {stephendavids AT gmail DOT com} how do I email him?

Gaspesian British Heritage Village, New Richmond, Needs Your Voice

Founded 20 years ago to commemorate the bicentennial of the arrival of British Loyalist to the coast of the Gaspé Peninsula, and the only English cultural institution east of the capital, its mission is to, “foster mutual understanding among the many Québec communities, especially the Mi’gmaq, French and English, by showcasing the history and culture of Gaspesians of British ancestry and their contribution to the development of the Gaspé Coast.”

The 20 or so buildings constitute a rare bank of architectural heritage for the region. Six months ago the Town of New Richmond proposed a plan that would abandon 10 to 16 of these historical buildings, as well the commercialization of the site, which are significant both environmentally and historically.

In response, the village’s board of directors hired Gestion Cap-Noir to create a more positive future for the Village. “Team Britville,” as they’ve become known, took over five months ago, and were faced with the daunting task of reversing accumulated negative perceptions, and rectifying the extremely precarious funding situation.

While the perception has been turned around, and the community is excited with the direction it is taking, at this time the biggest obstacle is the need for an immediate injection of money to upgrade the site. Its revitalization will form the basis from which a viable future with realistic plans can be set in motion.

The figure the team has determined it needs is at least $250,000, to be used for a “shopping list” of items ranging from paint, roof repairs and infrastructure work to a fund raising drive, and the development of a coherent five-year financial plan.

However, confirmation that money is earmarked for the village to undertake the initiative, but action on behalf of the Quebec government is needed to activate the process. Essentially, all that’s needed is political will.

This is a call to - everyone who loves the Village, everyone who understands the importance of preserving our architectural heritage, everyone who values the historical and cultural contribution of the English settlers during their long cohabitation with the Mi’gmaq and French communities, and everyone who believes that the entire site is worth preserving.

Visit the official website for details on how to send a letter of support to Quebec’s Premier Jean Charest, the MNA for Bonaventure, Nathalie Normandeau (which includes the village), the Minister of Culture, Communications and Status of Women, Christine St-Pierre.

Support messages can also be sent to {heritagevillage AT globetrotter DOT net} how do I email them?. This site has importance historically, linguistically, culturally and environmentally; is seriously underfunded compared with the significance the village holds in its core communities; and, is a symbol of cross-cultural outreach.

HeritageLine is an electronic newsletter designed to keep our members and others up-to-date on historical and heritage news, events and activities around the province. For more information, visit the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network, Sherbrooke, QC.

...Bev Loomis UE, President Little Forks Branch

Help Preserve Ontario Cemeteries

The Ontario Genealogical Society and The Ontario Historical Society have worked for years to close the loop hole in the Cemeteries Act. We are quite excited about Jim Brownell's Bill and want to be certain that as many MPPs as possible get the message that the citizens of Ontario really do care what happens to our cemeteries.

The cemeteries that are risk are the inactive, often small and sometimes unmarked. These are often not registered with Cemeteries Regulation Branch. The Registrar of Cemeteries may declare a cemetery closed if he/she feels it is in the public interest. Public interest is not defined in the Act. What is also not in the Act is that a cemetery that is declared closed must be moved!. In the case of unregistered cemeteries these can be closed with a minimum of fanfare unless the general public catches wind of it. If there are protests to the Registrar there is the right to a Government Tribunal. This is lengthy and costly both to the challengers and the public. Having been through three Government Tribunals I can tell you it is not a level playing field.

These inactive cemeteries are located all across the province. Very close in Toronto there is the burial ground surrounding St James Cathedral. There are records starting in 1807 that indicate 3094 burials. There are gaps of many years in these records so the exact number of burials will never be known particularly during the cholera epidemics. There are records of a very few removals that occurred when the "new" St James Cemetery opened on Parliament Street c1842. Archaeological digs in 2004 revealed human remains. The title to the St James Cathedral burial ground has been tested in the courts. We have already been through one attempt to close and remove the burials from this historic burial ground. The Cathedral has announced plans for a $14 million Cathedral Centre. We have not seen the plans but it is to be hoped they will not intrude on this well-known and well documented burial ground.

Bill 149 will have 2nd reading and a vote on 12 March. I hope that you will write or e-mail your MPP and ask them to support this Bill. Please feel free to send this to your friends. We need all the support we can get for this Bill.

Thank you for your support!

...Marjorie Stuart

On the 19th February 2009, Bill 149, Inactive Cemeteries Protection Act, 2009 passed 1st Reading in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. It was introduced by Mr. Jim Brownell, MPP for Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry, jbrownell.mpp@liberal.ola.org. The Bill prohibits the relocation of inactive cemeteries despite anything to the contrary in another Act or regulation dealing with cemeteries.

The preamble to the Act states that:

Ontario's cemeteries are unique repositories of human history and the resting places of human remains and associated artifacts like grave markers, tombstones and monuments. They are important elements of our collective heritage, a priceless authentic historical record of the past and witnesses to the continuity of life in Ontario. Many of Ontario's cemeteries also contain significant ecological features invaluable to the natural heritage of Ontario.

In order to support this valuable piece of legislation and help bring it in to force, we encourage OGS members anfd others to contact their local MPP and encourage them to support Bill 149 when it comes before the Legislative Assembly for its 2nd Reading on the 12th March 2009. You can contact them in person, by telephone or by electronic means. Tell them that this legislation is important to the heritage of Ontario and it is essential that it be passed so that our cemeteries are properly protected.

If you are unsure of how to contact your local MPP you can look at MPP Addresses and Contact Information. If you need additional assistance, Find Your Electoral District will assist you in finding your local MPP.

...Nancy Conn UE, Gov. Simcoe Branch

Connecting Canadians to UELAC Charitable Trust

The UELAC Finance Committee has been steadily working and seeking to expand our donor base since the Spring 2008 Report on fundraising and donations from the UELAC Trustees to Dominion Council. The committee initiated a Donations Page on our own website and placed an “ad” in the Loyalist Gazette; the first which will appear in the Spring 2009 issue. This new process will make it easier for UELAC to benefit from the generosity of others.

Recognizing the Internet as a successful communication tool, the UELAC has joined services with CanadaHelps.org, which was founded with a view to make it easier to make donations to charities, provide detailed information about registered Canadian charities and promote socially responsible businesses. CanadaHelps connects donors to our Association and makes giving effortless, fast, secure, private and convenient. Your donation helps support the society you care most about. A search link at CanadaHelps responds to key words such as United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, UELAC, or UEL.

...Carl Stymiest UE, Senior Vice President, UELAC

Loyalist Cups and Trophy

As indicated in the Black Powder Club query in the Loyalist Trails newsletter, the images and research for the query would be posted to the Monuments and Commemoratives section at a later date. That date has arrived - see DCRA Loyalist and Ranger Cups. Special notice should be made of the United Empire Trophy donated in 1913 by Lieutenant Colonel William Hamilton Merritt, one of the petitioners for the formation of UELAC and an honourary secretary-treasurer of the earlier United Empire Loyalists' Association. Thanks to Betty Ann Ferguson of DCRA, Maj. Don Holmes of Sir Guy Carleton Branch and Corcoran Conn-Grant of Gov. Simcoe Branch, the full resource is now available.

...FHH

Victoria Branch Rose Garden

On a recent family visit to the Victoria area, Central West Regional VP, Bonnie Schepers, captured images of the Victoria Branch Rose Garden, which have been added to the webpage. She regretted the roses were not photogenic but were in good health for a blooming summer tourist season.

Golfer Links to Loyalists

You can never tell where you will find that United Empire Loyalist link. Today’s source was discovered in the Sports Section of the Globe and Mail (20090304) by our Office Administrator, Mette Griffin. The story of Erik Compton and his golf career will be of interest to many of our members but it is the Loyalist connection that merits mention in Loyalist Trails. As it was written in the Globe and Mail, "Compton is probably golf's most inspirational story these days, given his two heart transplants. But what about his Canadian connection? Six generations ago, there's speculation his ancestors were United Empire Loyalists who fled New Jersey after the American Revolution ended in 1783, choosing to remain faithful to the Crown. They came to Eastern Canada. Later descendants ended up in Sacramento, Calif., where Compton's father grew up."

Readers who are inspired by courage and determination will enjoy the article. Readers who like to solve mysteries may be able to add further information about Erik Compton’s New Jersey Loyalist ancestors role in the American Revolution and the path to “Eastern Canada”. Be sure to read "Compton's comeback touches the heart" by Lorne Rubenstein.

...FHH

175th Anniversary of the Toronto Becoming a City

Bruce Bell, local historian of of Toronto, is hosting on CP24 (Channel 24 on Rogers) four -1 hour long shows on the history of Toronto to celebrate our city’s 175th birthday. Episodes air Thursday evenings 9pm and feature a half-hour of pre-tape of Bruce on location talking about the various historical buildings followed by a half hour live phone-in.

Episode 1: Thurs., March 5 @ 9pm - Architecture. A history of 19th/20th century architecture in Toronto

Episode 2: Thurs., March 12 @ 9pm – History Of Arts/Theatre. We’ll talk Vaudeville, moving pictures, film…all the way up to Toronto International Film Festival

Episode 3: Thurs., March 19 @ 9pm - The story of Toronto’s Waterfront, Trains And Hotels. The story of Toronto great hotels including the King Edward and the Royal York as well as Union Station

Episode 4: Thurs., March 26 @ 9pm - Food And Immigration. The story of Toronto’s great tides of immigration and the history of St. Lawrence Market and Kensington Market.

Bruce intends to include the Loyalists in the fourth episode live discussion.

...KarenWindover UE, Toronto Branch

Molly of the Mohawks

Freshly nominated for a Native American Music Award, composer Augusta Cecconi-Bates has announced that the CD of Molly of the Mohawks will be available within the next month. While details of the summer 2008 performance schedule can be found in the 22 June 2008 issue of Loyalist Trails, here is a brief reminder of the content.

Molly of the Mohawks originally as a one-woman, one-part opera (Molly Brant) in Kingston in 2003, but quickly became a full-cast, four-act 1 ½ hour opera complete with chorus and orchestra. The story line is taken from the history of Molly Brant and the Mohawk people by Sue Bazely. Three scenes of this opera deal with the Battle of Oriskany in 1777. By late 1779 the Mohawk went north, never again to return to the land of their beginnings. Furthermore this opera calls for Native drummers and dancers, particularly in the scenes dealing with the Covenance Chain and the Wedding Scene after the Proclamation of 1763.

Proceeds from the sale of the CD support The Oriskany Alliance in its promotion of the historic aspects of the Battle of Oriskany in the American Revolution. Members travel to schools and clubs giving talks and raising funds to sponsor our website, support group meetings at the Battlefield and to assist with tours of the site and tracing lineage of the various descendants involved in the battle.

If ordering from Canada: please make cheque payable to T.W.O. MUSIC for C$30 for the CD PLUS $3 POSTAGE or C$40 for the Booklet/CD PLUS $3 POSTAGE. Please allow 3 - 4 weeks for delivery.

Be sure to include your name and address for delivery

IN CANADA, Mail your order and money to: T.W.O. Music, %Harris, 3-35 Rideau, Kingston ON K7K 2Z5

IN U.S., Mail your order and money to: The Oriskany Alliance, Inc., %A.Cecconi-Bates, Scy, 33014 Mason Road, Cape Vincent NY 13618

March 16: New Movie about Irish Famine on History TV

The movie, "Death or Canada", will air on Monday, March 16, at 8 p.m. on History TV.

Nominated for an Irish Film and Television Academy Award for Best Documentary Series, this powerful docudrama reveals a forgotten chapter of the great Irish Famine, and how the fledging City of Toronto was brought to its knees by the greatest humanitarian crisis of the 19th century. Visit the official website for more information.

...Bev Loomis UE, President Little Forks Branch

Responses re Samuel Willson: Loyalist or Not?

I read with interest your article on Samuel WILSON in the recent "Loyalist Trails". I am not related to him, but my reaction is that he would probably be UE Loyalist.

It is claimed he served with BARTON and MOODY. This rather places him in or almost in not a British Regiment, but a Loyalist Regiment- the New Jersey Volunteers. I am not saying WILSON ever joined the NJV, but there seems to have been the intent, and certainly suggests loyalty.

I suggest you google the website, Online Institute For Advanced Loyalist Studies, and I am sure if WILSON does appear on a NJV Muster Roll, it could be provided in transcription. Worth checking out.

It is also worth remembering that the NJV were not disbanded in what's now Ontario, but rather in what is now New Brunswick. Those NJV veterans who did drift to Upper Canada are not always on the Loyalists Lists here, because they were considered to have been compensated in NB - double dipping not encouraged. In short, some of the NJV men who settled in "Ontario" tend to fall through the cracks. Of course in WILSON's case, he likely remained in the US until removing to Canada.

Finally if you are interested in more on MOODY, check out the biography by Susan Burgess SHENSTONE titled "So Obstinately Loyal, James Moody 1744-1809". Good book.

...Peter Johnson UE, Bay of Quinte Branch

My 4th great grand uncle was Adoram Dell. Adoram enlisted 2 Feb 1777 in the 1st Battalion, NJ Volunteers under Col. Joseph Barton (Loyalists). (Welland Co. History, 1887.) In August 1777 he was recruiting in Sussex County NJ. Recruiting was a very dangerous activity - getting caught by the rebels could mean the rope for the recruiter. Adoram was not caught. Have internet copy of Muster Roll (maybe March 1776) of Captain Silas Hopkin's Company, showing Doram Dell and Henry Dill/Dell.

Adoram and his brother Henry were both soldiers in the same Battalion. Adoram died on Staten Island in May 1778 (probably either killed or died of wounds) and was buried on Staten Island, according to records filed by brother Henry in his petition for a Crown Grant of land as a discharged soldier.

In addition, Lydia Dell, a 2nd cousin 4 times removed and a granddaughter of Adoram's and Henry's father, married a John Irish Willson, probably in Welland County and before 1856. They named a daughter Sarah born about 1861. Although I have NO other information about John Irish Willson, could he be related to your Samuel?

...Harry Dell, Boerne, TX USA

John Moore of New Jersey and Grimsby

This is the story of the joys, the tragedies, the triumphs and the failures of a United Empire Loyalist family – the story of the John Moore; primary source being Langsford Robinson’s “History of the Moore Family of Grimsby”. John Moore was the son of Edward Moore and Mary Nelles. Edward Moore was born in N. Ireland, and came to the New World circa 1720’s. His father Denis Moore was one of the apprentices who held the Bridge at Derry until King William of Orange came to break the siege at Londonderry, defeating the French forces of James the Second.

John Moore was born in New Jersey in 1738 and married Dinah Pettit, born in 1746, of Elizabeth, N.J. by whom he had 10 children. He owned land on Jenny Jump Mountain and according to “Pioneer families of Northwestern New Jersey” there were three lots there – John Moore’s lot, Samuel Green’s lot and Edward Oatley’s lot.” John was a hatter by trade, manufacturing and selling felt hats wholesale. His innovative and entrepreneurial spirit is revealed by his use of barges which conveyed his product by canal to stores and other territories. They lived in a large stone house, in an area which was the centre of Revolutionary activity in 1776 - 1777 and 1779 – 1780. General Washington encamped there and many clashes caused a number of houses to be burned to the ground. “Pathway of the Moores” by Angela Files, gives greater detail of these war-torn days.

During the outbreak of American War of Independence they were living in Sussex, N.J. and John Moore and family suffered intensely. >From his petition to John Graves Simcoe, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief over the Province of Upper Canada (1795). “ I gave great assistance in sending into the British Lines Recruits for His Majesty’s New Raised Corps; Also sent 14 men into Niagara, at great expense and trouble, with Allan McDaniel who was then on the frontier; and at that time exercised valuable and numerous family; and that on account of his attachment to the British Constitution he became suspect, lost business and suffered fines and imprisonment….. besides supporting for a considerable time a Company of 36 men, which by his exertions, the greater part of them arrived safely in New York : Was also deprived of comfortable subsistence for himself and Family.

In other words he was actively involved in defending British rights by hiding British supporters, and sending troops to front-line battles. In addition he was a member of the N.J. Colonial Guards and later joined Butlers Rangers where he served with great bravery and leadership [communications with Gavin Watt raises the question whether he actually joined Butler's Ranger - see query below].

You will have heard of the sufferings of those imprisoned at Log Gaol – for that was where John Moore was held. The Moore family left for Canada in company with his cousin, Robert Land. They travelled north, through the Mohawk Valley: however John Moore decided to stop at the Mill Seat Tract and it was from there that they hired a bateau to convey the family and goods to Niagara. As Langsford Robinson recounts in “History of the Moore Family of Grimsby”, “the family and part chattels were conveyed by water to Niagara …. But when Captain Moore returned he found not only his wagons, cattle and goods gone, but the slaves as well.” Having stayed in Niagara for a while, the Moore family made the trek to Grimsby, settling near the lakeshore.

C.M. Nelles in his book “Niagara”, vol 2, says that Robert Nelles, who later married Elizabeth Moore, “ left the road to follow a track through the pines and soon he came to their camp. It was much like his own, a lean-to with possessions stacked around it under the trees beside a widening in the creek..” Then the Year of Great Want struck – famine hit the area. John Moore’s signature is amongst those who petitioned Col. Hunter at Niagara, pleading for food, seed, pigs etc. in order to survive the extreme life threatening circumstances in which they found themselves.

“Annals of the Forty” tell us that John was a founding member of the First Township Council in Canada, in 1790, meeting at John Green’s house. Back in New Jersey “continental congress had authorized the formation of local government" in 1776. Is it possible that John Moore had been involved in setting up a local government in his community in New Jersey. John was Clerk of Town Council for three years and also 1792 joint overseer of the roads. In 1793 he was Warden of the Town, which office he held until 1796. His name headed “the subscription list for the building of a plank church in 1800.” – St Andrews Episcopal Church. John Moore died in 1803 and was buried “at the lake on the west side of the creek”, then later interred in St Andrews Churchyard.

Although unable to make his previous enterprise of hat-making profitable, and finding himself “unsuited to farming” John still helped make a place in the history of Canada. Grimsby was the first Municipal Council in April 1790, and was followed in May 1790 by the Council at Sidney, then Adolphustown two years later in March 1792. Mabel Burkholder stated ”we may safely assume that Grimsby Township was the cradle of Municipal Government in Ontario.”

Moore Family History notes that John Moore was made Captain when in Butlers Rangers. A "Capt. Caldwell, who was 2nd I.C. to Col Butler contacted him (John Moore) and brought him into Butlers Rangers." Langsford Robinson also states that "Information confirming this was obtained from a book owned by W.A. Hamilton of this city (Hamilton, On.) of James St. S., which gives lists of many officers as they changed from time to time. We find Capt. Moore's name in later lists." In 1914 Langsford Robinson met a Col. Caldwell, who was Chief of Staff at Ottawa at that time, who confirmed that the John Moore buried at Grimsby was definitely the Capt. Moore who distinguished himself in Butler's Rangers." That said, these are secondary sources.

Can anyone suggest how and where I can find more specific details about where John served to verify or change what is written in our family history?

...Judith Nuttall {mapletops AT hotmail DOT com} how do I email her?

Col. James Hewetson and his Militia

It is unknown in which militia my thrice great grandfather, Adam Heins (also spelt Hanes and Haines) served during the Revolution. Near the end of the Revolution he was at Fort Niagara with Butler's Rangers, but never appeared on any of the surviving rolls of Butler's Rangers. He received a Crown land grant as a U.E.L. in 1784, which according to family tradition, he traded for Lots #21 and 22 in Concession VII of Township #3 (later Grantham Township, and eventually St. Catharines, Ontario), where he had the previous summer begun clearing land and had built a shanty. (There was a lot of trading of location tickets in Niagara for land on which one already was "squatting" or to be closer to family and friends).

In an 1816 land petition, one of Adam's sons stated that in 1777 Adam was enlisted in the Loyalist cause "by Colonel James Hewetson, before Hewetson was hanged by the rebels." The only information I have been able to gather on James Hewetson (also spelt Howetson and Huston) was that he recruited in Lunenburg, Greene County, New York Province and that he seemed to be working under the auspices of the Indian Department in the North. He was arrested with 20 other men and hanged sometime in 1777.

1) Who was Colonel James Hewetson (or Howetson or Huston) who recruited in Greene County, New York prior to his execution in 1777?

2) For which militia did he recruit in in Lunenburg (now Athens) Greene County, New York?

3) What became of that militia?

...John C. Haynes, Colonel Butler Branch {johnhaynes1964 AT hotmail DOT com} how do I email him?

Proof that Hezekiah Ingraham was a Loyalist

Hezekiah Ingraham, b. 1755 Derby, CT, d. 1826 Margaree Valley, Cape Breton Island, N.S. Arrived in the Margaree Valley about 1791 according to a land petition of 1816. Settled at Baddeck, Cape Breton Is. where he initiated the first school in a room in his home, and hired a teacher for his children and those of his neighbours. (History of Baddeck, Victoria Co, Capr Breton Is. by Mary Pinaud). Family legend says he had first stopped in Halifax for a short time, and may have come with the Spring Fleet to Shelburne, N.S. Was he on the muster roll of the KAR?Any help most appreciated.

...Joan Lucas, {jflucas AT sympatico DOT ca} how do I email her?