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July 22, 2020

L is For Loyalist Ancestors

Olive Tree Genealogy is continuing a new Alphabet Genealogy series of blog posts. I'm not following the usual way of going A-Z surnames. Instead I will create a one word "tag". Then I will share an ancestor (mine, my husband's, an inlaw's or one of my children's) who fits the tag

Today's letter is L for Loyalists.

A Loyalist is any person who is loyal to their allegiance (especially in times of revolt). During the American Revolution in what was to become the United States of America, a Loyalist (also called UEL - United Empire Loyalist) was anyone who remained loyal to the King of England. They were called Tories in their own country but Loyalists elsewhere. Most fled to Canada and helped settle that country, particularly Ontario and Nova Scotia

I have 3 Loyalist ancestors - Isaac Van Valkenburg aka Vollick, his son Cornelis Vollick and Jacob Larroway, the father-in-law of Cornelis Vollick. All of them fought in Butler's Rangers and settled in the Niagara area of what is now Ontario.

If anyone else is a descendant of Isaac the Loyalist, or his sons Cornelis Vollick and Storm Follick, I wrote a 3 volume set of books on this family for genealogists.


 From Van Valkenburg to Vollick: V.1 The Loyalist Isaac Van Valkenburg aka Vollick and his Vollick & Follick Children by Lorine McGinnis Schulze


Available on Amazon.com or Amazon.ca or e-book version V. 1 From Van Valkenburg to Vollick

 





I've also written a guide for researchers who are seeking a Loyalist ancestor in Ontario. 


 

Guide to Finding a Loyalist Ancestor in Upper Canada (Ontario) is available in paperback or as an e-book on Amazon.com and on Amazon.ca

 

7 comments:

Joe Creamer said...

My loyalist was Daniel Van Velsor, who left Long Island for Nova Scotia and then returned to Maine in the early 1800's.

Unknown said...

Among my Loyalist ancestors were Elizabeth Holland who married 2nd John Stinson. I also have Ebenezer Ward who went to N.S. and then PEI where he married 2nd Peggy Clark, the daughter of John Clark who worked with Samuel Holland to survey PEI. Without doubt there are more that I haven't discovered yet. Documentation during the Revolution is not easy to find. And then to be sure you are following the same person all the time is another challenge.

Linda said...

I have David and McGregory Van Every, and also Michael Showers. All settled in Flamboro, Ontario, later relocating to Brant County with land grants.

Lorna Cole said...

My Loyalist ancestor is Simon Isaac Cole. Unfortunately the land allotted to Simon when he reached Canada was totally rock, not useable by af farmer! He returned the land asking for a replacement, but that never happened. He eventually settled on Big Island in Prince Edward Co. Only recently I have found that he and his son Isaac lived on Lots 36 and 37 on the north shore. For years I have been searching for where these ancestors were buried and last year I had a breakthrough. When I talked to the current owner of these lots, indicating that I was a Cole, his eyes lit up. Amazingly, there was a headstone that he had saved from lot 34. When he showed it to me, there was a puzzle to be solved! There was no name on the headstone, only beautiful scripture and that the person died at 19 years of age. At long last, I discovered that indeed, a cousin of mine had died at such an early age. Her name was Christina Wiman (Wyman), daughter of Chauncey and Christina Cole (she was the daughter of Peter Cole and granddaughter of Simon Isaac Cole). Last Saturday, July 18, 2020, her headstone was installed in Big Island Cemetery beside her aunt Elizabeth Fox Cole (husband was Hiram Thompson). A wonderful volunteer name Hugh Heal was the person who helped me through this. He donated a large piece of marble, had Christina’s information Inscribed on it and worked with some of my dear cousins to install the wonderful new headstone into its new forever home. On the 1832 Atlas of Big Island, I note that Chauncey Wiman lived on Lots 36 & 37, which was very interesting news to the current owner because part of his existing house is the original farmhouse that Simon Isaac and his son build! The Cole family celebrated their 135 consecutive Cole picnic last Sunday via Zoom and so all of the support given to me over the years by the existing family members had finally paid off! Lornapcole@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

My Loyalist Ancestors arrived in the area of current day Bath ,Ontario ,on barges .Van Alstine was the leader( ancestor)..another were Allison. Most settled in Prince Edward County.
Dale C. Jones

Sunday said...

My Loyalist Ancestors in the Niagara area are Wintermute- 5 brothers -different spellings; Sypes (Sipes) and Anthony. In the Frontenac area I have Amos Martin married Susannah Ball (Tanner from Rhode Island) moved to Lennox and Addington, William Lewis; Elizabeth Babcock; Johannes Walroth married Sarah Lewis their daughter in 1792.

Sunday Thompson

sundaythompson@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

My Loyalist ancestors were David Embury, his son John Edward Embury, Valentine Detlor and Captain Peter Ruttan, all settling in the Hay Bay area (Adolphustown).