Branch Events Archive
See also: Upcoming Events
Heritage Day
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Set-up begins 12:00pm - 2:00pm (EST)
Venue: Ottawa City Hall
The theme this year is “Diversity of heritage – recognizing the past and celebrating the future.”
As Ottawa grows as a city it’s important to recognize the many communities who influence its culture and history. Some histories are just starting to be told, while community members have been carrying these stories for generations. Others are more well known, but can still be approached from different perspectives and through new lenses.
Our local heritage groups work tirelessly to balance truth-telling of untold histories with the celebration and pride of their cultural traditions. From educational programming to festivals, film screenings to exhibitions, these diverse stories have been elevated to their proper place in the cultural history of Ottawa thanks to the perseverance of heritage advocates. We encourage everyone to come ready to celebrate all these achievements and to showcase how Ottawa’s heritage sector is stronger together.
Sir Guy Carleton Branch will have a booth at this event – please come out and support the branch!
Webinar: Finding Canadian Loyalists
Tuesday, November 7, 2023, 7:00-9:00 pm (EST), Zoom only
“Loyalists In The American Revolution: Finding Loyalists in Canadian and Other British Empire Records”
Presented by Rev. Becket Soule.
2023 Fall Meeting and Social
Saturday, October 21, 2022, 2:00-4:00pm (ET)
Venue: Friends Meeting House
(91A Fourth Avenue; on-street parking)
This will be a hybrid meeting. For in-person attendees, there will be light snacks and socialising starting at 1:30
Loyalist Flag Raising
June 19, 2023
June 19 flag raising. Ottawa City Hall, Marion Dewar Plaza. Feel free to wear period dress.
Spring Social and AGM (hybrid Zoom/in person)
Saturday, April 22, 2023
The Sir Guy Carleton Spring Social and AGM will be held 2:00-4:00pm on Saturday, April 22, 2023.
Venue: Room 115 (ground floor), Ottawa City Archives, 100 Tallwood Drive, Ottawa, ON. Free parking on site.
Guest speaker: Rev. Becket Soule
Topic: “Researching Loyalist Ancestors: US Records”
Muster rolls, town records, land records, histories, and other records, can provide a great deal of information about your loyalist ancestors. This first section reviews many U.S. records and published resources that can get you started on your research.
The Rev. Dr. Becket Soule is emeritus Professor of Canon Law at Saint Paul University, Ottawa. He is currently pastor of Saint Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Maggie Valley, high in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Becket is a prolific author in law, history, and genealogy; his latest book is Passengers of the Fortune – 1621. Becket is Deputy Governor and Elder of the Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants, and Governor of the Speedwell (virtual) Colony of the North Carolina Mayflower Society. One of his current projects is documenting the links between Mayflower passengers and Loyalists: his own Loyalist connections are with the Hatfields of Westchester and Dutchess Counties, NY, and Nova Scotia.
Rev. Becket Soule
2022 Fall Social (hybrid Zoom/in person)
Saturday, October 22, 2022, 2:00-4:00pm Eastern Time
Venue: Friends Meeting House
The Sir Guy Carleton Fall Social – a hybrid Zoom/in person event – will be held on Saturday, October 22.
As the Archives aren't currently open to meetings, the venue is being changed to the Ottawa Quakers' Friends Meeting House.
Speaker: Sir Guy Carleton members — Hello everyone, how are you, how have you been? What have you been up to? Let's get reacquainted after so long apart!
2022 Spring Social and Annual General Meeting
Saturday, April 23, 2022
This meeting will be conducted on Zoom. Current members will receive the meeting link automatically. Non-members are welcome. Register at carletonUEL@hotmail.com to receive the link.
The Sir Guy Carleton Spring Social and AGM will be held on Saturday, April 23, 2022, beginning at 2:00pm.
Guest speaker: Stephen Davidson (bio below)
Topic: “The Great and Complicated Business: Sir Guy Carleton's 1783”Stephen Davidson is a prolific author and researcher. He has researched Sir Guy for years and has compiled extensive information on his activities at the end of the Revolutionary War.
Stephen is a frequent contributor to the UELAC's Loyalist Trails e-newsletter.
2021 Fall Social (via Zoom)
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Fall Social
Presentation by Lesley Anderson
Topic
“Search Tips – Researching Women on Ancestry”
This session will provide strategies for searching for women in the Ancestry.ca databases, including methods to uncover females using name variations and other search techniques. Famous or interesting women will be highlighted wherever possible using the new Ancestry databases from around the world, as well as the core record groups. The presentation will appeal to new and experienced researchers alike.
Speaker
Lesley Anderson has worked for Ancestry.ca for more than 14 years as their Canadian Spokesperson and has done numerous presentations for genealogy societies and conferences across Canada as well as TV and Radio appearances.
She has been involved in personal research of her family tree for over 50 years specializing in Canadian, British and Irish records. Her passion for genealogy has branched out to DNA genetic genealogy, teaching classes, speaking at seminars and conferences, consulting and doing research for others. For years she was well known for her computer and genealogy classes offered through the Ottawa Catholic Board Continuing Ed and her "field trips" to various archives and libraries.
She was the Director of Education for BIFHSGO (British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa) for many years and volunteered at the Ottawa Stake - LDS Family History Center. She gets great enjoyment out of helping new and experienced genealogists with their research.
2021 Genealogy Workshop
Genealogy Workshop
Presented by Angela and Peter Johnson
Saturday, August 14, via ZoomThe genealogy workshop by Angela and Peter Johnson was excellent and well attended. The Branch hopes to be able to present another similar workshop in the future.
2021 Spring Social and Annual General Meeting
Sir Guy Carleton Branch
2020 Annual General Meeting
Saturday, April 10, 2021
(via Zoom)
The rescheduled Annual General Meeting (AGM) started just after 2:00 pm, once again by Zoom. There were insufficient members present for a quorum, so election of officers was postponed to a future meeting. An apology was made for the last-minute change in date.
The meeting opened with a prayer by Marg Hall for the late Ed Kipp, acknowledging his contributions to the Branch, and for His Royal Highness, Prince Philip. A moment of silence was held for both.
Before the business of the AGM got underway, Stuart Manson presented "Loyalist Cemeteries in Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry". A summary of his presentation can be viewed here.
The minutes of the 14 Nov 2020 AGM were accepted as presented. Beth Sweetman presented the financial report. The executive is looking for suggestions for future events.
The Heritage Organization Development Grant (HODG), previously provided by the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries is now part of the Small Historical Societies funding group. The Executive is working on applying for a 2021 grant under the new group.
The business of the Branch continues through assistance to members in preparing applications for certificates, purchasing books for the Library to be added once the City of Ottawa Archives re-opens, maintaining the website, preparing newsletters and keeping track of Branch finances.
The Branch currently has 62 members. Volunteers are urgently needed to fill the positions of Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary.
Members were reminded of The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada, Dominion Conference and Annual General Meeting that is coming up: "Join the rEvolution – Come Be Part of the Story" (May 27-31, 2021. It is online only and is hosted by the Bridge Annex.
2020 Annual General Meeting
Sir Guy Carleton Branch
2020 Annual General Meeting
Saturday 14 November 2020
(via Zoom)
An Unusual AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the Sir Guy Carleton Branch of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada was held on Saturday November 14th, 2020. Normally, our AGMs are held in the spring with a luncheon at a restaurant, but this year has been anything but normal. Because of restrictions imposed by the ravages of COVID-19, we were unable to meet in person. This necessitated determining how we would accomplish a meeting. It was decided that we would have a somewhat belated meeting by Zoom in the fall and we proceeded to learn with help, how to use Zoom for a meeting.
The meeting began with prayer, and a welcome from President Rosemarie and continued with a presentation of the usual reports. The first was a report on the fiscal affairs of the Branch, although since we still at that stage had no Treasurer it was not presented with the efficiency and clarity Bob Adair brought to the task. It is obvious however that the Branch is in good shape financially.
This report was followed by that of Genealogist and Membership. Gary Bagley our incumbent genealogist and membership chair has had several personal and technical issues, but we are pleased to report that at least 8 certificates have been issued and the Branch membership is holding steadily with 86 members including 27 family memberships.
Penny produced 3 fine newsletters this year.
Dorothy reported that there were 1097 books in our collection and that 9 new books had been ordered with 7 having been received. Due to COVID-19, the Archives has been closed and will open only by appointment at some time in the New Year.
The website has been quite popular and in 2019, our Conference year, had 5000 visits. It has had 1460 visits this year despite having no meetings, workshops, or other events prior to the AGM due to restrictions.
There was a discussion regarding the state of our Branch, and it was acknowledged that without help we are in dire straits. Thankfully, we have acquired a member Holly Haimerl, who is willing and most capable of doing genealogical work for the Branch and if necessary, will take on the full responsibilities of the position. We may still require the services of a Treasurer depending on a few issues which must be resolved, and it would be most helpful to have a Vice President, a Social Convenor, and a Flag Bearer. Too few people are being asked to carry too many responsibilities. Such a situation is not sustainable
Our President, Rosemarie Pleasant, our Archivist and Librarian Dorothy Meyerhof and Penny Minter our Secretary and Newsletter Editor have been responsible for enabling the business of the Branch to go forward. (Dorothy has also monitored our website and kept in touch with the individual who does the technical work) Had it not been for their efforts, it is unlikely the Sir Guy Carleton Branch would have survived. Now, with the addition of Holly Haimerl with her genealogical expertise and with a Treasurer whom I will not name just yet potentially coming on board, our Branch is looking at a more secure future.
So, neither Covid-19 nor executive shortages have vanquished the Sir Guy Carleton Branch and our 2020 AGM has passed into history.
— Marg Hall, UE
2020 Spring Social and Annual General Meeting
The Sir Guy Carleton Branch Spring Social and Annual General Meeting scheduled for 4 April 2020 was cancelled due to the restrictions associated with the corona virus pandemic.
The Annual General Meeting has been postponed to the November 2020 Fall Social.
Sir Guy Carleton Fall Social
Saturday, November 9, 2019
An afternoon of conversation at the City of Ottawa Archives, with guest speaker Sue Morse-Hines, Dominion President, UELAC.
Topic: “Are the Loyalists & their Contribution to Canada Still Relevant in the 21st Century? What can we as descendants of the Loyalists or those simply interested in Canadian history do to address this question?”
Read a PDF summary of the fall social, with pictures.
2019 UELAC Conference: The Capital Calls
May 30 – June 2, 2019
Details are online:
- Conference Tri-Fold Flyer (Eng) / Flyer (French)
- Schedule
- Presenters
- Venue
- Thank-Yous *NEW*
- Conference Slideshow (PDF) *NEW*
Spring Social / Annual General Meeting
Saturday, April 6, 2019
“Brain Storming” Session and No-Host Buffet Luncheon
Tuesday, September 18, 11:00 am
YangMing Asian Buffet, 1547 Merivale Road (Emerald Plaza)
$13.00 (parking is free)This is planned as a short (30-45 min) round-table discussion to plan the way ahead for the Branch and add interest for members. A social time and buffet luncheon will follow the discussion.
We look forward to getting the views of many members. All Members of the Sir Guy Carleton Branch are welcome (no guests, please). No need to reserve a place; there will be room for all.
Cornwall Post Office Loyalist plaque re-dedication
Sunday, August 12, 1:00-2:00pm
Wood House Museum, 160 Water St. W., CornwallSir Guy Carleton Branch invites members to attend the re-dedication of the original Loyalist plaque (circa 1930s) once displayed on the original Cornwall Post Office.
The event, on August 12, will be hosted by the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Historical Society in conjunction with the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada (UELAC).
See the flyer (JPG) for more details.
Sir Guy Carleton Spring Social and Annual General Meeting
April, 28 2018
Loyalist Clothing Workshop
March 10, 2018
Anne Redish, Kingston Branch, UELAC, gave an informative and entertaining presentation on women's fashions of the Loyalist era. Her emphasis was on creating accurate attire of the period, not dressing in what she called a "Halloween costume."
— Read more, with pictures
Loyalist Flag-Raising at Ottawa City Hall
June 16, 2017
The Ontario Genealogical Society's annual conference for 2017 incorporated the raising of a Loyalist flag at Ottawa City Hall on Friday, June 16th.
— Read more, with pictures
Beechwood Cemetery Tour
September 14, 2014
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the UELAC, the Sir Guy Carleton Branch conducted a tour of Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, to highlight the lives of Loyalists and their descendants who are buried there. This historic cemetery is the final resting place for more than 75,000 Canadians, including Canadian Forces veterans, prime ministers, and everyday Canadians.
— Read more, with pictures
— Descendants of Loyalists in Beechwood Cemetery – celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Dominion Association
The Queen and the United Empire Loyalists
June 2010
Tuesday 29 June began as a pleasant summer day, a great day in fact for gardening in the morning and perhaps a trip to an archive in the afternoon. Then everything changed! Unknown to those of us in Ottawa, Fred Hayward received a telephone call at his home in Oakville from Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General, at 10 am that morning. Would he please provide the names of ten Loyalists who would be guests at the Queen's tree planting ceremony at Rideau Hall the next afternoon, and by noon time no less.
— Read more, with pictures
UEL Mohawk Valley Tour 2006
October 1-4, 2006
Loyalist Bus Tour organizers George Anderson and Edward Kipp conducted Loyalist trip to the Mohawk Valley in October 2006. The tour began in Ottawa and visited twelve sites.
— See pictures by Bill Reid
— Read the description of the destination sites on the UELAC Dominion website
Loyalist Rose presented to The Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa
June 8, 2006
The Sir Guy Carleton Branch United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada held an impromptu Loyalist Rose presentation ceremony at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa. .
— Read more, with pictures