Verifying a Loyalist Ancestor

Sandy asked "Looking for anyone related to Peter Wyckoff (1765-1797) who married Catherine Plato (1769-1856). Her second marriage was to John Clendenning (1760-). Want to prove Loyalist ties for these two. Their son Peter (1794-1881) married Abigail Gilbert (1790-1834) daughter of Isaac Gilbert UE (1742-1822)."

My answer:

 There are 8 results for John Clendenning (and variant spellings) in the Upper Canada Land Petitions online database. 

To find out how to use the index information to view the actual petition(s) online, see Searching Ontario Canada Land Records, eh? 

You will also want to obtain the petition for Catherine Clendennan to see if it is Catherine Plato.

Confusion About Canadian Loyalists Answered

Jim asked an interesting question about an Irish ancestor being a Loyalist

I have Canadian roots in 1850-1869 area of Kingston Ontario Canada, and I am
wondering if they were survivors on a coffin ship, (mine were on the ill
fated Hannah that struck a ice reef and sank) and they have lived in the
Brewers Mills area of Rideau Canal.  MY question is "did they have to become
loyalists" when they got off the ship?  Seeing they were catholic, survived
the "Potatoe Famine" and more than likely hated England? Being a loyalist
did they have a better time of it in Canada than the regular people that
lived there?

OLIVE TREE GENEALOGY ANSWER: Jim - to be a Loyalist a person had to meet certain criteria including:

* Reside in the American Colonies before the American Revolution
* Joined the British Forces before 1783
* Suffered loss of property, goods or life

As you can see, your man did not fit any of these. Besides, no individual "had" to become a Loyalist. A loyalist was someone living in the American Colonies who remained loyal to the King of England and did not participate in the Rebellion on the American side.

If what you are really asking is "Did he have to become a citizen of Canada" the answer is -  Canada was not "Canada" at that time. It was still a British colony until 1867.  

The Canadian Citizenship Act began on 1 January 1947. From 1763 to that date, people born in the provinces and colonies of British North America were all British subjects. Taking the oath of allegiance meant becoming a British subject. Thus immigrants from Great Britain and the Commonwealth (England, Ireland, Wales or Scotland) did not have to be naturalized. 

It is most likely that, being Catholic and Irish, your ancestors had a rough time of it. There was a great deal of discrimination against the Irish at that time, and being Irish Catholic was in a sense a double whammy. 

But you could find some details by consulting the census to see what kind of home they had - a shanty, a log cabin, a stone house, including how many storeys. You could also consult land records to see if they owned land. There are ways to flesh out the bare bones of names and dates. 

Write a Good Query and Check All Genealogy Resources!

Carney asked about genealogical information in various Upper Canada records:

i have an ancestor, hill carney, yeoman, from, oxford , sussex county, new jersey, he was a member of upper hardwick presbyterian church, and a loyalist, he arrived upper canada, 1794, was granted E.U. L., status, 1797, and acrown land patent of 400 acres. hill carney was a family member of john rosbrugh's family, but may have preceeded him to upper canada. i wish to know if any genealogical information is usually contained in these records, as i believe he died in upper canada.

ASK OLIVE TREE GENEALOGY RESPONSE: Hello Carney - Before I answer your question, I hope you will take a couple of suggestions about writing a query. You've used commas extensively in your query but they aren't necessary and they interfere with reading your question. It's a good idea to proof-read your query before you send it and make sure it's easy on the eyes of the person you are asking for help. You also neglected to put any spaces after all your periods and commas. That made reading your query more difficult.

Now for your question. I'm a believer in "leave no genealogical stone unturned" That means I find and read every single genealogical record I can get my hands on. I urge you to do the same. You have no way of knowing what genealogical information might be found in one record. For example the Upper Canada Land Petitions can hold a wealth of genealogical detail, or they can hold very little. Since your ancestor was a Loyalist he is almost sure to be found in these records.

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has an online database, Index to Upper Canada Land Petitions (1763-1865). Why not have a look to see if your ancestor is found, then check the full record. Before you search this index, how sure are you that your ancestor's name was Hill Carney? I ask because there is a record for a Will Carney in the UCLP Index. Perhaps the index is incorrect? I suspect these are the same individual.

There are many genealogy records for Upper Canada and Loyalists that you can (and should!) check.

Was Your Ancestor a Loyalist?

Diane asked a question about possible Loyalist ancestors

James Wheeler, born in Upper Canada c.1782. He married Mary Slingerland (Daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Slingerland) born c. 1790, bapt. 24 Apr 1803. On 28 Jun 1820, Mary Wheeler of Charlotteville Twp., Norfolk Co. received an Order in Council for a grant of 200 acres of land as the daughter of Richard Slingerland, UE. In 1822, they lived at Grantham Twp., Lincoln Co. In 1844, they lived at Rainham Twp., Haldimand Co. then returned to Norfolk County and settled on Lot 12, Concession 2, Walsingham Twp., northwest of Port Rowan. In the 1852 Census of Walsingham Twp. p.7 , James Wheeler was listed aged 74 with his wife Mary 60, and son Isaac 20. All were born in Upper Canada, Wesleyan Methodist. This information is from Robert Mutrie of A Long Point Settlers Genealogy.



We are trying to find out who James Wheeler's parents were. It says that Richard's father was reported born in France (sic) and his mother in Canada. It says in this information though, that James Wheeler, was born in Upper Canada. Whether the France means New France in Quebec, we do not know.


Someone suggested and I saw a list, that a Samuel Wheeler could possibly be James father, as their names were both listed together as being in the Butler's Rangers of the British Infantry. But I don't know if that is so or not. Is there any help you can give me in this?

ASK OLIVE TREE RESPONSE: Dear Diane - Let's tackle the question of your James being a Loyalist. With a birth year of circa 1782 he was not old enough to be one. The American Revolution ended in 1783 when he was one year old.

Second problem - James does not appear on any lists of Butler's Rangers that I have found. I have 3 ancestors who fought in Butler's Rangers and was able to have a look on your behalf in my resources.

I checked "Early Settlers in Niagara including the First "Census" 1782,1783, 1784, 1786, 1787" published in 1992 by the Niagara Peninsula Branch of the OGS. This is basically a list of disbanded Butler's Rangers, their units, the victualling lists (for rations to the men and their families) and other assorted census substitutes. There is *no* James Wheeler or Weeler listed. There is a Samuel Wheeler on a list of those disbanded rangers receiving rations and willing to settle on Crown Lands at Niagara. The date is 20 July 1784 and he is alone - no wife, no children. He received 1 ration for one person daily.

He appears on a second list as Samuel Weeler as being in Cpt Lewis Genevay's Co. of the Corps of Rangers (Butler's) dated 30 Nov. 1783 - no family of any kind listed with him.

I checked the Old UEL List (there is a James Wheeler listed there but he was a Treasury Loyalist who settled in New Brunswick) Samuel Wheeler is on the Old UEL list and it is noted he was a soldier in the Kings Rangers.

Samuel does not appear in Reid's book "The Loyalists in Ontario: The Sons & Daughters of the American Loyalists...." but don't be misled! Reid's book on Loyalists was never intended to be the Bible of Loyalist families. Reid simply organized index cards into what he thought were family groups. *Many* if not most families are incomplete. Some individuals are incorrectly placed.

Reid's book is a wonderful resource, and a great starting point for your Loyalist research, but you should verify independently that a child he places in a family group does belong there (by looking up ALL petitions for that family),and never never assume that because an individual isn't in the family group he/she doesn't exist or isn't a Loyalist.

No one list of Loyalists can be considered "the" List. There is no simple definitive and accurate list. You must consult them all, from the Old UEL list to Reid's book to all the variant lists made.

After 1796 the Executive Council kept a list of Loyalists based on District Rolls. This became the Executive Council UE List and contains about 3,500 names. It is not considered a complete list, but it is considered more accurate than the Crown Lands (Old UEL) list.

The Crown Lands Dept. created a second list, based on other records. This became the Old UEL List and contains approximately 6,000 names, but not all qualified.

When searching Loyalists you also need to consult pay lists, muster rolls, and the land records. For a good reference to what is
available, see Brenda Dougall Merriman's book Genealogy in Ontario: Searching the records Look under Brenda's chapter on Loyalists.


You would be wise to consult the Upper Canada Land Petitions (UCLP) because Loyalists and their families petitioned in order to receive their allowed land grants. One thing that isvery important is to recognize that the Petitions of Loyalists for land are not uniform. You may find one small petition, giving just enough facts to
persuade the Crown to give that person a free grant as a Loyalist. You may find page after page of affidavits,testimonies, and so on, all documentation to prove the petitioner's claim.

Also see this article on steps to take researching a Loyalist

So the bottom line is that your James could not be a Loyalist but he could have been the son of Loyalist. However Samuel Wheeler in Butler's Rangers does not appear to have been married or have children. Having said that my recommendation is that you start from scratch. Begin with James. Note every fact and every source.

Search the sources you have not yet looked at. Don't jump to conclusions that Man A might be his father unless you have some solid evidence to support that theory. Don't rely on others checking sources and giving you information unless they copy it accurately from the resource and provide the full source notation.

Once someone paraphrases what is found, there is tremendous opportunity for error. Sometimes other researchers, trying to be helpful, will give you their interpretation of a record, not the exact wording. That can be very wrong and lead you down an incorrect path.

Be prepared to find out that your James wasn't the son of a Loyalist. If he was, he should have filed a petition for his land claim (a free grant). But keep searching all the records so that you can eliminate possibilities and correct any errors you might have in your previous research

Searching for a Loyalist Ancestor

Rosemary asked about her Loyalist ancestor:

I am looking for the connection in the US for William Osterhout, who was my 4th ggfather. He was a private in Butler's Rangers. When he arrived in Niagara after the Revolutionary war, he married Elizabeth Pickard, whose father and uncle were also in Butler's Rangers. They had 10 children! I have found lots of info on the Pickards, but I am not sure where William came from. I am assuming New York State but there are many Osterhouts and many Williams or Wilhelms.

ASK OLIVE TREE RESPONSE: Dear Rosemary


I'm happy you sent this to me because three of my ancestors were Loyalists who fought in Butler's Rangers. So I have a pretty good idea of how I can direct you to find out more details about William Osterhout.

Searching for more on a Loyalist ancestor is complicated and can be a lengthy process. The early Ontario records are held in different locations and are sparse. But don't despair, just keep digging!

The very first thing you should do is obtain all the Upper Canada Land Petitions for William. Be careful to search under spellings such as OOSTERHOUT, OOSTERHAUT and so on.Obtain them all, because you have no way of knowing what tidbits of information will be found in those petitions.

For example my Isaac Vollick's petition contained an affidavit from his commanding officer in Butler's Rangers telling how Isaac's wife Mary and 10 small chldren had been forced from their home in northern New York by those opposed to the British. The detail was of course fascinating to me but best of all it gave a precise location for where the family lived before 1796! I also found mention that Isaac had been jailed in Albany several times during the first years of the American Revolution - another plus having that location which led me to his baptism record

For help with the UCLP (Upper Canada Land Petitions) have a look at the information and instructions found at this link.

Something to keep in mind is that Loyalist units were almost always mustered in one geographic location and the men in them knew each other well, being friends and neighbours. Butler's Rangers was mustered by Col. John Butler in New York and consisting of Mohawk Indians and men from New York. So almost certainly your William was originally from New York.

You should also have a look at the advice and information on Loyalists found at this link. When seeking details of a loyalist ancestor it's very important to understand the process they went through to become a Loyalist and find all records that might exist documenting their hardships. These records often contain gems of genealogical information such as origins.

How to Find a Loyalist Ancestor

Colleen's question:

My husband's grandmother Elizabeth Jane CUNNINGHAM was born in Rainham, Haldimand, Ontario, Canada in 1835. Her father was George B., CUNNIGHAM , b.1802. in Selkirk. His father was George CUNNINGHAM; mother unknown.

1. Is George (the first ) married to Mary SITTS?
2. Were the CUNNINGHAM's loyalists?

I have consulted members of the family; "The Story of Mary Sitts.,"Frontiersmen of New York, Volume 2","the Original Settlers of Haldimand", census sheets, and "United Empire Loyalists". among others. Everyone who writesseems to indicate that Mary Sitts is the ancestoress. That doesn't seem to fit.

.
Olive Tree Answer: Hello Colleen - Let's tackle Question #2 - where the Cunningham's Loyalists? There is no one list of Loyalists, and it is a
misconception to think that there is.

There were lists of approved Loyalists, but there was more than one, they are all different in varying ways, and no one list is considered the final word.

For example the Crown Lands Department created lists of Loyalists based on various sources. This is the Crown Lands (aka Old UEL List). It contains approximately 6,000 names but only about half are qualified UEL.

The Executive Council devised a different list from various district rolls. This lists is called the Executive Council UE List. This list, considered more accurate than the Old UEL List, contains about 3,000 names but is *not* complete.

*Both* these lists, which were first drawn up in the 1790s, have been altered since they were written. The important thing to remember is that when/if you consult
these lists, a negative result (your ancestor's name doesnot appear) does not necessarily mean he is not a qualified Loyalist!

That is why you must search ALL records. The first place I look for a possible Loyalist ancestor is in the land records, for Loyalists and their families were granted land in accordance with their military rank and dependants.

CLRI (aka Ontario Land Record Index) summarizes land grants from sales of Crown Land, from Canada Company sales or leases and from Peter Robinson settlers' grants.

UCLP are the actual Petitions for land which were submitted in Upper Canada (Ontario) . They frequently contain information about the petitioner and his or her family. Loyalists and discharged soldiers often mentioned the regiment in which they served.

Land Books are basically a summary of land grants. They
rarely contain more info than name, date and location. Sometimes they have little gems in the comment section. But they're helpful because if you can't find a petition in the UCLP it may be in the Land Book so at least you have some
record of the event.

I took a quick look on your behalf and I see that George Cunningham is recorded in Land Book "C" on June 17, 1797 as living on Lot 10, Concession 1 in Haldimand Township. You can check Abstract Indexes to Deeds to find out how George obtained the land - was it a grant? Did he purchase it?

I always start with the UCLP because it is indexed (UCLP Index) *and* if your ancestor is found, you may be lucky enough to find a wealth of genealogical information in his/her petition(s) for land grants.

After thoroughly searching the UCLP (and being very creative with spellling!!), I move on to the other sources,leaving no stone unturned.

You can also consult the following offline sources

- Haldimand Papers - papers and correspondence of Haldimand, Sir Frederick from 1758-1784

- Loyalist Claims and Conversion List, 1790-1837 - Audit Office 12 and 13

- The Loyalists in Ontario: The Sons & Daughters of the American Loyalists (Caveat: Reid's work must not be considered the final say - it isn't.But it's a great place to look for clues, and he does include that all important OC date if there is one )

- District Loyalist Rolls

- United Empire Loyalist Lists

All of these sources are fully explained on Finding a Loyalist Ancestor You will also find the microfilm reel numbers (if applicable) and location of each source.

How to Find an Early Ontario Ancestor

Janice writes to ask

I am stumped. I cannot find the origin (poss. USA) or father of myancestor John Knapp b. abt 1784 and d. 1851.Kingston twp, ONT
He married Mary Knight d/o Mahlon Knight U.E.L. of Kingston, ON.Marriage date of John and Mary was July 15, 1807 Kingston.Their children were Mahlon, Rachel, Peter, Rhoda, John.

John Knapp Sr. apparently had a sister Mary Knapp b. 1788 who marriedMary Knight's brother Jonathan Knight Feb 22, 1809.DNA testing indicates that these Knapp's are from the Nicholas Knappline, but parentage and place of birth of John has eluded many
searchers for years.Connecting this Ontario Knapp to other Ontario Knapp's has also eluded us.Any suggestions

?Olive Tree Answer:

Janice, My suggestion is you go back to Mary Knight and John Knapp and dig deeply. For example, do you have Mary's OIC (Orders in Council)? Have you looked to see if she submitted a petition for her rightful land claims as DUE (Daughter of a Loyalist)? Petitions often contain a wealth of genealogical information. Have you checked the various Loyalist resources to find out if John was a Loyalist? What about UCLP (Upper Canada Land Petitions) - did John submit a petition for land? Have you looked in the CLRI to see if he was a first time purchaser of Crown Land? Have you checked Abstract Indexes to Deeds for John (or Mary's) land? You need an exact location - Lot, Concession, Township and County to check the AItoD.

What about Township papers? Upper Canada Sundries? I would personally check all these records carefully for both John and Mary. You may also want to have a look at early tax or assessment records for the area.

I'd also check on John's possible sister Mary who married Mary Knight's brother Jonathan. Find out everything you can on them! If Mary is a sister, this is a perfect time to follow the earlier advice on Olive Tree Genealogy blog about searching siblings to find out more information about family and ancestors of a direct ancestor!

What's the Difference Between a Loyalist and a Tory?

Sheri asked "What's the difference between a Loyalist and a Tory? My ggggrandpa was called a Tory in New York but recently someone told me that meant he was a Loyalist in Canada. is that true?"
Olive Tree Answer: Hi Sheri. In the strictest sense, a Loyalist is someone who is loyal to their allegiance, especially during troubled times. If your ancestor was on the British side (that is, loyal to the King of England) during the American Revolution, he was a Loyalist. Tory was another name used in the Colonies for a Loyalist. They were only referred to as Loyalists in Canada.

See Loyalist Genealogy & History for more information

Searching Upper Canada Sundries & Land Records

Neil asked:

My 3rd great-grandfather John Percy (Piercy) was born in 1753 according to a muster roll of the Loyal rangers, a Loyalist regiment. This roll was dated at Vercheres, Quebec, January 1, 1782, and states John was 28 years of age, born in Ireland, and five feet nine inches in height. He had previously served in Col. Hazen's Regiment in 1778.He was at the two blockhouses on the Yamaska River, Quebec, in January 1783 to April 1784. He ascended the St. Lawrence River to become one of the first settlers of Ernesttown Township in the summer of 1784 on the property described as the West Half of Lot 3. 2nd Concession, and was given a Crown Deed to Lot 10, 7th Concession about 1802. He lived in Camden at Lot 29, 3rd Concession when he died in 1811. I have been trying to find when and how he came from Ireland and if he went to America or Canada. Any information about him would be gratefully accepted.

Olive Tree Answer: Neil, you have done a lot of research and found some very good information on your great great grandfather. What I don't see is any mention of land petitions for him. Since he was a Loyalist there should be land petitions, perhaps in both the Upper Canada Land Petitions and the Lower Canada Land Petitions (the index is searchable online). Land petitions often contain a great deal of genealogical information such as where an individual lived, the hardships he endured, time in prison for his Loyalist sympathies and so on. Also look for land petitions for any of his children for they were entitled to free grants on the basis of being SUE (Son of a United Empire Loyalist) or DUE (Daughter of a United Empire Loyalist)

Have you checked the Township Papers to see what is filed for the precise locations where your ancestor lived? These are a miscellaneous collection of documents relating to early transactions and correspondence about specific lots of land.

How about the Upper Canada Sundries? These are miscellaneous genealogy documents about individuals in Upper Canada (present day Ontario). They may contain absolutely nothing or they may hold a valuable genealogical clue. A quick peek at the online index shows John Piercy listed.

Looking for a Loyalist Connection

Willow wrote:

My loose end is Johnathan STEVENS Snr UEL, whose daughter Elizabeth was married to Lt Frederick DACHSTADER or DOCKSTEADER (of Butlers Rangers during the American Revolution) She wound up in Ontario on UEL lands, but what happened to her Dad? When did he die? and who was her mother? Because Johnathan Snr was raised partly at Mohawk Castle (Canojaharie in the Mohawk Valley) I suspect she was probably Mohawk, but can't find confirmation yet.

Hello Willow,

Have you looked into the family of Jonathan Stevens and Lea Van Slyke in New York in the early 1700s? Lea was the d/o Cornelis Van Slyke and his Mohawk wife Ots- Toch. I have written 2 books on the Van Slyke family which included the descendants of Jonathan and Lea but stopped in the mid to late 1700s. There is a Jonathan Stevens who fought during the American Revolution, who was a descendant but I have no other info on him.

Have you hunted for the land petitions for these individuals? Loyalist land petitions often contain a wealth of genealogical. See the Loyalist section of Olive Tree Genealogy website for more help with Loyalist Research, also The Loyalist Institute has an incredible amount of free Loyalist data

Jonathan Stevens Sr was in Butler's Rangers (or Forrester's Interpreters) and is noted on the Old UEL list as having a wife and 4 children in 1786 so it is almost certain there is a petition or petitions on file for him. There should also be one for each of his children, including Elizabeth, if they sought land grants as sons or daughtersof a Loyalist (SUE or DUE)

I'd also get the petitions of each of his children as you never know if one might contain their mother's name. I think you'll find that Aaron Stevens, also a Loyalist in the Home District (which is where Butler's Rangers former men for the most part settled) was probably a son, and this fits very nicely with the names found in the Jonathan Stevens – Lea Van Slyke family. (Arent=Aaron and they had a son Arent bpt 26 Jul 1702 in Schenectady)

I see from Reid's book on Loyalists that John (your Jonathan) had a dau. Mary whose OIC date is 23 Nov 1816 so you can look for a petition filed for her around that time, also Elizabeth's OIC is Aug. 1796. Reid's book should not be considered the final answer to Loyalist families though, so be cautious using it - just use it for clues to help you along in your research

Here's a very nice candidate for your Jonathan, especially if he went by the name "John" - Nicholas' brother Johannes Stephens (Johannes=John) bpt 21 Jul 1736 in Schenectady. Johannes/John's parents were Arent Stevens and Maritje (Mary) Hall. Since your John/Jonathan named a daughter Mary this is a nice theory for you to prove or disprove.

Daniel Dodge & Elizabeth Sternberg LIncoln & Oxford Counties Ontario

Adrienne asked:

Q: Still looking for the parents of Daniel Dodge, born probably around 1775 He married Elizabeth Sternberg who was from the Mohawk Valley.The family emigrated to Ontario, Canada around 1800 and settled first in Lincoln county and then Oxford county. Children's names were Sarah, Adam. Jesse (male), Joseph, Lydia, Mary, Jane, Permilia. Adam and probably Sarah were born in the US.

A:
Have you looked at the Caughnawaga Montgomery County New York area? There is a Daniel Dodge found there in the 1790 census

1st No.-Free white males over 16 years
2nd No.-Free white males under 16 years
3rd No.-Free white females
4th No.-All other free persons

Dodge, Daniel--1-3-5-0-
Dodge, Richard--1-0-1-0-
Dodge, Richard--1-1-2-0-

I found your Daniel's wife (Elizabeth Sternberg) in the Church records of Caughnawaga New York. Her baptism is found as Elizabeth born 16 Oct 1772, baptised 2 Nov. 1772 to Adam Sternberger and Maragriet Printup.

Her parents' marriage is also found in 1768 in the Records of the reformed Dutch Church of Stone Arabia as:

Sternberger, Adam (son of Adam) Sternberger married Anna Margreth Brentop [sic] (no date but after 10 April 1768)

There are several DODGE individuals found in Caughnawaga Church records:

Daniel Dodge & Mary Sikkels had the following child baptised there:

Daniel Dodge born 9 May 1782 bpt 19 July 1782. Is there any chance this could be your Daniel, born 10 years later than you thought?

Johnstown is another nearby area where DODGE families lived - in fact a Daniel Dodge died and is buried in Johnstown. He died 25 Feb 1805, age 60.

Many of these New York families ended up as Loyalists in Upper Canada (present day Ontario). Did you check Loyalist land petitions or Loyalist lists for Daniel? For more info on these petitions and how to obtain them on microfilm, see How to Find your Loyalist Ancestor