CONTENTS—Individuals—Anderson—Bethune—Burwell—Butler—Canliff—Claus—
Coffin—Doune—Jarvis—Jones—McDonald—McGill—McGilles—Merrit—Munday—
Peters—Robinson—Singleton—Ross—McNab—Allen—Allison—Ashley—Bell—
Burritt—Casey—Carscallion—Church—Clark—Crawford—Dame—Daly—Diamond.
INDIVIDUAL COMBATANTS.
The immediately following notices of the combatants who settled in Upper
Canada are extracted from Sabine.
“At the beginning of the revolution, Samuel Anderson, of New York, went
to Canada. He soon entered the service of the Crown, and was a captain
under Sir John Johnson. In 1783 he settled near Cornwall, in Upper
Canada, and received half-pay. He held several civil offices: those of
Magistrate, Judge of a district court, and associate Justice of the
Court of King’s Bench, were among them. He continued to reside upon his
estate near Cornwall, in Upper Canada, until his decease in 1836, at the
age of one hundred and one. His property in New York was abandoned and
lost.”
“Joseph Anderson, lieutenant in the King’s regiment, New York. At the
peace he retired to Canada. He died near Cornwall, Canada West, in 1853,
aged ninety. He drew half pay for a period of about seventy years. One
of the last survivors of the United Empire Loyalists.”
“John Bethune, of North Carolina, chaplain in the Loyal Militia. Taken
prisoner in the battle at Cross Creek in 1776. Confined in Halifax gaol,
but ordered finally to Philadelphia. After his release, his continued
loyalty reduced him to great distress. He was appointed chaplain to the
84th regiment, and restored to comfort. At the peace he settled in Upper
Canada, and died at Williamstown in that colony, in 1815, in his
sixty-fifth year.”
“James Burwell, of New Jersey, born at Rockaway, January 18, 1754. Our
loyalist enlisted in his Majesty’s service in the year 1776, at the age
of twenty-two, and served seven years, and was present at the battle of
Yorktown, when Lord Cornwallis surrendered, and was there slightly
wounded.”
“Came to Upper Canada in the year 1796, too late to obtain the King’s
bounty of family land, but was placed on the United Empire list, and
received two hundred acres for himself and each of his children. He
removed to the Talbot settlement in the year 1810. He died in the County
of Elgin, Canada, July, 1853, aged ninety-nine years and five months.”
“John Butler, of Tyron, now Montgomery county, New York. Before the war,
Colonel Butler was in close official connection with Sir William, Sir
John, and Colonel Guy Johnson, and followed their political fortunes. At
the breaking out of hostilities he commanded a regiment of New York
Militia, and entered at once into the military service of the Crown.
During the war his wife was taken prisoner, and exchanged for the wife
of the whig colonel, Campbell. Colonel John Butler was richly rewarded
for his services. Succeeding (in part) to the agency of Indian affairs,
long held by the Johnsons, he enjoyed, about the year 1796, a salary of
£500 stg. per annum, and a pension, as a military officer, of £200 more.
Previously, he had received a grant of 500 acres of land, and a similar
provision for his children. His home, after the war, was in Upper
Canada. He was attainted during the contest, and his property
confiscated. He lived, before the revolution, in the present town of
Mohawk.”
“Joseph Canliff, in 1781 a lieutenant in the first battalion New Jersey
Volunteers.” This person is probably of the same lineage as the writer
of this work, great confusion often existing with regard to the spelling
of names in the early days of America.
“Daniel Claus. He married a daughter of Sir William Johnson, and served
for a considerable time in the Indian Department of Canada, under his
brother-in-law, Colonel Guy Johnson.”
“William Claus, Deputy Superintendent General of Indian affairs, was his
son.”
Coffin—There were several of this name who took part in the war against
the rebellion. Of these, the following are connected with Canadian
history:
“Sir Thomas Aston Coffin, baronet, of Boston, son of William Coffin. He
graduated at Harvard University in 1772. At one period of the rebellion
he was private secretary to Sir Guy Carleton. In 1804 he was Secretary
and Comptroller of Lower Canada.” Afterwards Commissary General in the
British army.
“Nathaniel Coffin, of Boston. After the revolution he settled in Upper
Canada.” Served in the war of 1812. “For a number of years was
Adjutant-General of the Militia of Upper Canada. Died at Toronto in
1846, aged 80.”
“John Coffin: was Assistant Commissary General in the British army, and
died at Quebec in 1837, aged 78.”
“Doane, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Of this family there were five
brothers, namely: Moses, Joseph, Israel, Abraham, Mahlon. They were men
of fine figures and address, elegant horsemen, great runners and
leapers, and excellent at stratagems and escapes. Their father was
respectable, and possessed a good estate. The sons themselves, prior to
the war, were men of reputation, and proposed to remain neutral: but,
harassed personally, their property sold by the whigs because they would
not submit to the exactions of the time, the above-mentioned determined
to wage a predatory warfare upon their persecutors, and to live in the
open air, as they best could do. This plan they executed, to the terror
of the country around, acting as spies to the royal army, and robbing
and plundering continually; yet they spared the weak, the poor and the
peaceful. They aimed at public property and at public men. Generally,
their expeditions were on horseback. Sometimes the five went together,
at others separately, with accomplices. Whoever of them was apprehended
broke jail; whoever of them was assailed escaped. In a word, such was
their course, that a reward of £300 was offered for the head of each.
“Ultimately, three were slain. Moses, after a desperate fight, was shot
by his captor; and Abraham and Mahlon were hung at Philadelphia.
“Joseph, before the revolution, taught school. During the war, while on
a marauding expedition, he was shot through the cheeks, fell from his
horse, and was taken prisoner. He was committed to jail to await his
trial, but escaped to New Jersey. A reward of $800 was offered for his
apprehension, but without success. He resumed his former employment in
New Jersey, and lived there, under an assumed name, nearly a year, but
finally fled to Canada. Several years after the peace he returned to
Pennsylvania, ‘a poor, degraded, broken-down old man,’ to claim a legacy
of about £40, which he was allowed to recover, and to depart. In his
youth he was distinguished for great physical activity.”
The only separate mention of Israel is, that “in February, 1783, he was
in jail; that he appealed to the Council of Pennsylvania to be released,
on account of his own sufferings and the destitute condition of his
family, and that his petition was dismissed.”
“Stephen Jarvis, in 1782 was a lieutenant of cavalry in the South
Carolina Royalists. He was in New Brunswick after the revolution, but
went to Upper Canada, and died at Toronto, at the residence of the Rev.
Dr. Phillips, 1840, aged eighty-four. During his service in the
revolution he was in several actions.”
“William Jarvis, an officer of cavalry in the Queen’s Rangers. Wounded
at the siege of Yorktown. At the peace he settled in Upper Canada, and
became Secretary of that Province. He died at York in 1817. His widow,
Hannah, a daughter of the Rev. Dr. Peters, of Hebron, Connecticut, died
at Queenston, Upper Canada, 1845, aged eighty-three.”
“David Jones was a captain in the royal service, and is supposed to
‘have married the beautiful and good Jane McCrea, whose cruel death, in
1777, by the Indians, is universally known and lamented.’ According to
Lossing, he lived in Canada to an old age, having never married. Jane
McCrea was the daughter of the Rev. James McCrea, of New Jersey,
loyalist.”
“Jonathan Jones, of New York, brother of Jane McCrea’s lover. Late in
1776 he assisted in raising a company in Canada, and joined the British,
in garrison, at Crown Point. Later in the war he was a captain, and
served under General Frazer.”
McDonald—There were a good many of this name who took part as
combatants, of whom several settled in Canada.
Alexander McDonald was a major in a North Carolina regiment. “His wife
was the celebrated Flora McDonald, who was so true and so devoted to the
unfortunate Prince Charles Edward, the last Stuart, who sought the
throne of England. They had emigrated to North Carolina, and when the
rebellion broke out, he, with two sons, took up arms for the Crown.”
Those who settled in Canada were “Donald McDonald, of New York. He
served under Sir John Johnson for seven years, and died at the Wolfe
Island, Upper Canada, in 1839, aged 97.”
“Allan McDonald, of Tryon, New York,” was associated with Sir John
Johnson in 1776. “He died at Three Rivers, Lower Canada, in 1822, quite
aged.”
“John McGill.—In 1782 he was an officer of infantry in the Queen’s
Rangers, and, at the close of the war, went to New Brunswick. He removed
to Upper Canada, and became a person of note. He died at Toronto, in
1834, at the age of eighty-three. At the time of his decease he was a
member of the Legislative Council of the Colony.”
“Donald McGillis resided, at the beginning of the revolution, on the
Mohawk river, New York. Embracing the royal side in the contest, he
formed one of a ‘determined band of young men’ who attacked a whig post
and, in the face of a superior force, cut down the flag-staff, and tore
in strips the stars and stripes attached to it. Subsequently, he joined
a grenadier company, called the Royal Yorkers, and performed efficient
service throughout the war. He settled in Canada at the peace; and,
entering the British service again in 1812, was commissioned as a
captain in the Colonial corps, by Sir Isaac Brock. He died at River
Raisin, Canada, in 1844, aged eighty years.”
“Thomas Merrit, of New York, in 1782 was cornet of cavalry in the
Queen’s Rangers. He settled in Upper Canada, and held the offices of
Sheriff of the District of Niagara and Surveyor of the King’s Forests.
He received half pay as a retired military officer. He died at St.
Catharines, May, 1842, aged eighty-two.”
“Nathaniel Munday, in 1782 was an officer in the Queen’s Rangers. He was
in New Brunswick after the revolution, and received half pay; but left
that colony and, it is believed, went to Canada.”
“John Peters, of Hebron, Connecticut; born in 1740. A most devoted
loyalist. He went to Canada finally, and raised a corps, called the
Queen’s Loyal Rangers, of which Lord Dorchester gave him command, with
the rank of lieutenant-colonel.”
“Christopher Robinson, of Virginia, kinsman of Beverley. Entered William
and Mary College with his cousin Robert; escaped with him to New York,
and received a commission in the Loyal American regiment. Served at the
South, and was wounded. At the peace he went to Nova Scotia, and
received a grant of land at Wilmot. He soon removed to Canada, where
Governor Simcoe gave him the appointment of Deputy Surveyor-General of
Crown Lands. His salary, half pay, and an estate of two thousand acres,
placed him in circumstances of comfort. He was the father of several
children, some of whom were educated in the mother-country. He died in
Canada. His widow, Esther, daughter of Rev. John Sayre, of New
Brunswick, died in 1827. His son, Beverley Robinson, who was born in
1791, was appointed Attorney-General of Upper Canada in 1818; Chief
Justice in 1829; created a Baronet in 1854; and died in 1863.”
“Singleton—A lieutenant in the ‘Royal Greens,’ was wounded in 1777,
during the investment of Fort Stanwix.” Probably Captain Singleton, who
settled in Thurlow, Upper Canada, was the same person.
“Finley Ross, of New York, was a follower of Sir John Johnson to Canada
in 1776. After the revolution he served in Europe, and was at Minden and
Jena. He settled at Charlotteburgh, Upper Canada, where he died, in
1830, aged ninety.”
“Allan McNab, a Lieutenant of cavalry in the Queen’s Rangers, under
Colonel Simcoe. During the war he received thirteen wounds. He
accompanied his commander to Upper Canada, then a dense, unpeopled
wilderness, where he settled. He was appointed Sergeant-at-arms of the
House of Assembly of that Province, and held the office many years. His
son, the late Sir Allan McNab, was a gentleman who filled many important
offices in Upper Canada.”
The Hamilton _Spectator_, speaking of the death of Sir A. N. McNab,
says: “The Hon. Colonel Sir Allan Napier McNab, Bart., M.L.C., A. D. C.,
was born at Niagara in the year 1798, of Scotch extraction,”—his
grandfather, Major Robert McNab, of the 22nd regiment, or Black Watch,
was Royal Forester in Scotland, and resided on a small property called
Dundurn, at the head of Loch Earn. His father entered the army in her
Majesty’s 7th regiment, and was subsequently promoted to a dragoon
regiment. He was attached to the staff of General Simcoe during the
revolutionary war; after its close he accompanied General Simcoe to this
country. When the Americans attacked Toronto, Sir Allan, then a boy at
school, was one of a number of boys selected as able to carry a musket;
and after the authorities surrendered the city, he retreated with the
army to Kingston, when through the instrumentality of Sir Roger Sheaffe,
a friend of his father’s, he was rated as mid-shipman on board Sir James
Yeo’s ship, and accompanied the expeditions to Sackett’s Harbor,
Genesee, and other places on the American side of the lake. Finding
promotions rather slow, he left the navy and joined the 100th regiment
under Colonel Murray, and was with them when they re-occupied the
Niagara frontier. He crossed with the advanced guard at the storming and
taking of Fort Niagara. For his conduct in this affair he was honored
with an ensigncy in the 49th regiment. He was with General Ryall at
Erie, and crossed the river with him when Black Rock and Buffalo were
burned, in retaliation for the destruction of Niagara, a few months
previous. After the termination of this campaign, Sir Allan joined his
regiment in Montreal, and shortly after marched with them to the attack
of Plattsburgh. On the morning of the attack he had the honor of
commanding the advanced guard at the Saranac Bridge. At the reduction of
the army in 1816 or 1817, he was placed on half-pay.
It is impossible at this time to give anything like a history of the
disbanded soldiers who settled on the shores of the Bay and the St.
Lawrence. There could not be allowed the space necessary to do justice
to the character of each. But even if such were possible we are wanting
in the essential matter of information. We propose, however, to insert
the names of every one known to have been a loyal combatant, whether an
officer or private, with such statements relative to his history as we
possess. We shall not confine ourselves to this particular region of the
Province, but include those who settled at Niagara, and in Lower Canada.
And while we may not supply a complete account of any one, it is trusted
that the instalment will not be unacceptable to the descendants of those
to whom we refer. We shall arrange them alphabetically without reference
to rank or station.
Captain Joseph Allen, formerly Captain Allen of New Jersey, held a
commission in the British Army at New York for some time during the war.
He owned extensive mill property, and was regarded as a very wealthy
person. All his possessions were confiscated, and he in 1783, found his
way, among other refugees, first to Sorel, where he stayed a winter, and
finally to Upper Canada. His family consisted of two sons, John and
Jonathan, and three daughters, Rachel, Ursula, and Elizabeth. Captain
Allen was one of the first settlers in Adolphustown, and his descendants
still live in the township, among whom are Parker Allen, Esq., J. D.
Watson, Esq., and David McWherter, Esq. Captain Allen had extensive
grants of land in Adolphustown, and in Marysburgh, and elsewhere; as
well as his children. Jonathan Allen, succeeded his father upon the
homestead, and was for many years an acceptable Justice of the Peace.
His brother, Joseph Allen, moved to Marysburgh, and was a Captain of
militia during the war of 1812. Captain Allen brought with him several
slaves, “who followed his fortunes with peculiar attachment, even after
their liberation.”
We have seen that the rebellion led to the divisions of families. It was
so with the Allison family of Haverstraw, New York. There were seven
brothers; two sided with the rebels. One Benjamin, being a boy, was at
home, while the other four took part with loyalists. One settled in New
Brunswick, probably the Edward Allison Sabine speaks of, who had been
captain in De Lancey’s third battalion, and who received half-pay, and
after whom _Mount Allison_ is called.
Joseph Allison was living at Haverstraw, New York. He was for a time
engaged in the navy yard at New York. At one time he and another entered
the rebel camp, and after remaining a few days availed themselves of a
dark night and carried off five excellent horses belonging to a troop of
cavalry. They were pursued and barely escaped. Allison took these horses
in return for the loss of his house and other property which the rebels
had ruthlessly burned. He was at the battle of White Plains, and had
narrow escapes, his comrade beside him was shot down, and his canteen
belt cut in two by a ball. As he could not carry the canteen, h$1 $2
took time to empty that vessel of the rum which it contained.
His neighbors at Haverstraw were exceedingly vindictive against him.
After several years, he visited there to see his aged mother, when a mob
attempted to tar and feather him, and he had to hide in the woods all
night. Allison came to Canada with Van Alstine, and drew lot 17, in
Adolphustown. A strong, healthy and vigorous man, he contributed no
little to the early settlement. Died upon his farm, aged eighty-eight.
His wife’s name was Mary Richmond, of a well-known Quaker family. His
descendants still occupy the old homestead, a most worthy family.
Benjamin Allison, the youngest, came to Adolphustown in 1795.
William Ashley, sen., was born in the city of London, England, in the
year 1749, and joined the army at an early age.
During the American Revolutionary war, he came out under General Howe,
serving in all his campaigns until the close of the struggle. He had two
brothers also in the army with him, one of whom returned to England, and
the other settled somewhere in the United States, the exact locality not
now being known. General J. M. Ashley, Republican member of Congress
from Ohio, is, so far as can be ascertained, a descendant of this
brother.
After the termination of the war, William Ashley came to Canada, and
first settled in the township of Loborough, county of Frontenac, where
he married Margaret Buck, the daughter of a U. E. L., and one of the
first settlers in this part of Canada. He resided here until about 1790,
when he removed to Kingston, where he followed the employment of a
butcher, and was the first butcher in Kingston, a fact he often
mentioned in his old age. He built a house of red cedar logs, cut from
the spot, which continued to stand until 1858, when it was taken down
and a small brick building, the “Victoria Hotel,” built on the site.
When removed the logs were found in a perfectly sound condition, they
having been covered with clapboards many years ago, which preserved them
from the weather.
This house stood on Brock street, near the corner of Bagot street. At
the time of its erection there were scarcely twenty residences in the
place, and that part of the city now lying west of the City Hall was
then covered with a dense forest of pine, cedar and ash. William Ashley
lived to see this pass away and a flourishing city spring up. He died in
1835, leaving a family of ten children—Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth,
William, John, James, Thomas, Henry, Adam and George: all of whom are
now dead excepting Thomas, who resides near Toronto.
James also died in 1835, and Henry, who was the first gaoler in Picton,
died in 1836, at the early age of thirty-one.
William Ashley, Jun., married Ann Gerollamy, daughter of an officer in
the British army, serving through the Revolutionary War, and acting as
Orderly in the war of 1812. He left Kingston in 1830, and resided until
1842 near the mouth of Black River, in the township of Marysburgh, and
then returned, and continued to reside there, teaching, and filling
various offices until his death, August 16, 1867.
The _British Whig_ newspaper when recording his death, remarked, “Mr.
Ashley was one of our oldest citizens, and has lived to witness many
changes in his native place. He was born on the very spot where the
_British Whig_ office now stands.” The last sentence is a mistake, he
was not born in the city, but in the township of Loborough; although the
building containing the _British Whig_ office still belongs to the
‘Ashley property’ on Bagot Street.
John Ashley was gaoler in Kingston for a number of years when the gaol
stood near the site of the present Post Office, and filled public
situations from the time he was nineteen years of age until his death in
1858. He was a prominent member of the County Council for nearly twenty
years, and was Colonel of the militia at the time of his death.
Adam and George Ashley both died in 1847.
William Bell—We shall have occasion to speak of William Bell in
different places in these pages. He was born August 12, 1758, in County
of Tyrone, Ireland.
At the time of the Revolutionary War he was a sergeant in the 53rd
regiment of the line. Some time after the close of the war, he succeeded
in procuring his discharge from the service, at Lachine, and came to
Cataraqui, sometime in 1789. He was on intimate terms with John
Ferguson, and, we believe, related by marriage. It was at Ferguson’s
solicitation that Bell came to the Bay. We have before us an old account
book, by which we learn that Ferguson and Bell commenced trading on the
front of Sidney in the latter part of 1789. They remained here in
business until 1792. Subsequently Bell became school teacher to the
Mohawks, and seems to have done business there in the way of trading, in
1799. In 1803 we find him settled in Thurlow. Ferguson, who was living
at Kingston, had been appointed Colonel of the Hastings Militia, and
Bell was selected by him to assist in organizing the body. He was
commissioned captain in December 1798, Major in August 1800; and in 1809
Lieutenant-Colonel. Colonel Bell was well known as a public man in
Thurlow. He was appointed to several offices—Magistrate, Coroner, and
finally Colonel of the Hastings Battalion. As magistrate he took an
active part in the doings of Thurlow and Belleville for many years. He
was also an active person in connection with the agricultural societies,
until a few years before his death, 1833. The papers left by Colonel
Bell have been of great service to us. His wife’s name was Rachel Hare,
who died 1853, aged eighty-one.
Colonel Stephen Burritt took part in the war against the rebels, being
seven years in the army, in Roger’s Rangers. He settled upon the Rideau,
the 9th of April, 1793. In the same year was born Colonel E. Burritt,
who was the first child born of white parents north of the Rideau. This
interesting fact was given to the writer by Colonel E. Burritt in 1867.
Colonel Burritt is a cousin of the celebrated Learned Blacksmith.
Willet Casey was born in Rhode Island. His father was killed in battle
during the war. At the close of the war he settled near Lake Champlain,
upon what he supposed to be British territory, but finding such was not
the case, and although he had made considerable clearing, he removed
again. Turning his steps toward Upper Canada with his aged mother and
wife, he reached in due time, the 4th township. The family, upon
arriving, found shelter in a blacksmith’s shop until a log hut could be
built. Three months afterwards the old mother died. Willet Casey had a
brother in a company of horsemen, who fought for the British. He
remained in the States and went South. It is probably the descendants of
this Casey, who took an active part in the late civil war in the United
States.
The writer has seen the fine, erect old couple that came to Canada, when
on the verge of eighty, and two nobler specimens of nature’s nobility
could not be imagined.
Luke Carscallian was an Irishman by birth, and had served in the British
army; he had retired and emigrated to the American colonies prior to the
rebellion. He desired to remain neutral, and take no part in the
contest. The rebels, however, said to him that inasmuch as he was
acquainted with military tactics he must come and assist them, or be
regarded as a King’s man. His reply was that he had fought for the king,
and he would do it again, consequently an order was issued to arrest
him; but when they came to take him he had secreted himself. The escape
was a hurried one, and all his possessions were at the mercy of the
rebels—land to the amount of 12,000 acres. They, disappointed in not
catching him, took his young and tender son, and threatened to hang him
if he would not reveal his father’s place of concealment. The brave
little fellow replied, hang away! and the cruel men under the name of
liberty carried out their threat, and three times was he suspended until
almost dead, yet he would not tell, and then when taken down one of the
monsters actually kicked him.
Oliver Church was Lieutenant in the 84th regiment. He settled with the
many other half-pay officers, on the front of Fredericksburgh, three
miles west of Bath. He had three sons, and three daughters, who settled
upon the Bay, but are now dead except one daughter. Lieutenant Church
died in 1812, and his wife some years later. They were both very old
when they died.
A grand-child of the old veteran, Mrs. H. of Belleville informs us that
she has often heard about her grandfather having to crush grain by hand,
and spending a week going to the Kingston mill.
Robert Clark, late of the Township of Ernest town, in the County of
Addington, was born March 15, 1744 on Quaker Hill, Duchess County,
Province of New York. He learned the trade of carpenter and millwright,
of a Mr. Woolly. He left his family and joined the British standard in
the revolutionary war, was in General Burgoyne’s army, and was requested
by the General that he and other Provincial volunteers, should leave the
army and go to Canada, which place, he reached after some weeks of great
suffering and privation. The day after he left (October 17, 1777,)
General Burgoyne capitulated, and surrendered his arms to the American
Generals Gates and Arnold. Robert Clark subsequently served two years in
his Majesty’s Provincial Regiment, called the Loyal Rangers, commanded
by Major Edward Jessup, and in Captain Sabastian Jones’ company, and was
discharged on the 24th December, 1783. He owned two farms in Duchess
County, one of 100, the other of 150 acres, both of which were
confiscated. He was employed by the government in 1782–3 to erect the
Kingston mills, (then Cataraqui) preparatory to the settlement of the
loyalists in that section of Upper Canada, at which time his family,
consisting of his wife and three sons, arrived at Sorel in Lower Canada,
where they all were afflicted with the small pox, and being entirely
among strangers they were compelled to endure more than the usual amount
of suffering incident to that disease, their natural protector being at
a distance, and in the employ of the government, could not leave to
administer to their necessity. In 1784, his family joined him at the
mills, after having been separated by the vicissitudes of war for a
space of seven years. In 1785 he removed with his family to lot No. 74,
1st concession Ernest town, in which year he was again employed by
government to erect the Napanee mills. He was appointed Justice of the
Peace for the district of Mecklenburgh, in July 1788, and a captain in
the militia in 1809, and died 17th December, 1823.
John C. Clark was married to Rachel Storer, and had a family of ten sons
and three daughters.
Captain Crawford, of the Rogers corps, settled on lot No. 1 of
Fredericksburgh. Became a magistrate, and lived to be an old man, was
also colonel of militia.
George Dame was the son of Theophilus Dame, evidently a veteran soldier,
from the copy of his will now before us. He gave to his “son, George
Dame, the one-half of my (his) real estate in Dover, England, to hold to
him forever,” also his wearing apparel, books, gold watch, gilt-headed
cane, horses, sleigh and harness, and one hundred dollars. He bequeathed
to his grandson, John Frederick Dame, his camp bedstead, and curtains
and valence for carriage of camp bedstead, and his silver-mounted
hanger. To his grandson Augustus Dame, his fusee, gorget, and small seal
skin trunk. To another grandson he left his double-barrelled pistol. By
reference to these items we learn that Theophilus Dame must have been a
British officer of some standing.
His son, George Dame, followed in the footsteps of his father in
pursuing the profession of arms. We have before us a document, dated
1765, which declares that “Ensign George Dame of the 8th or King’s Own
Regiment of foot, was admitted burgess of the Burgh of Dumfries, with
liberty to him to exercise and enjoy the whole immunities and privileges
thereof, &c.” For some reason this commission in the 8th regiment was
relinquished; but ten years later we find he has a commission from
General Carleton, Major-General and Commander-in-chief of His Majesty’s
forces in the Province of Quebec, and upon the frontier thereof,
appointing him “Ensign in the Royal Regiment of Highland Emigrants
commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Commandant Allan McLean.” “Given under
my hand and seal at the Castle of Saint Lewis, in the city of Quebec,
21st of November, 1775.” In 1779 he received a commission from Frederick
Haldimand, Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief, &c., appointing him
“Captain in a corps of Rangers raised to serve with the Indians during
the rebellion, whereof John Butler, Esq., is Major Commandant”.
After the close of the war, Captain Dame lived at Three Rivers, Lower
Canada, where we find him acting as Returning Officer in 1792, Mured
Clarke being Lieutenant Governor. He died at Three Rivers, April 16th,
1807.
An official paper before us sets forth that “Guy, Lord Dorchester,
authorizes Frederick Dame, ‘by beat of drum or otherwise,’ forthwith to
raise from amongst the inhabitants of Upper and Lower Canada, as many
able-bodied men as will assist the completing of a company, to be
commanded by Captain Richard Wilkinson. This company to be mainly
provincial, and for the service of Canada, and to serve for the space of
three years, or during the war. This order shall continue in force for
twelve months.” Dated at the Castle of St. Lewis, Quebec, 21st June,
1796. This is signed “DORCHESTER.”
The same year, bearing date the 17th December, is a commission from
Robert Prescott, Esq., Lieutenant-Governor, appointing Frederick Dame
ensign to the second battalion Royal Canadian Volunteers.
In the year 1802 John Frederick Dame received his commission as Surveyor
of Lands in Upper and Lower Canada, from Robert Shore Milnes,
Lieutenant-Governor, upon the certificate of Joseph Bouchette, Esq.,
Deputy Surveyor-General. Up to this time it would seem he had been
living at Three Rivers.
Allan Dame, a son of the aforementioned, is now residing in Marysburgh,
not far from McDonald’s Cove. He is now in the neighborhood of sixty:
this is his native place. He is a fine specimen of an English Canadian
farmer; and well he may be, being a descendant of a worthy stock, of
English growth. He is married to the granddaughter of Colonel McDonald.
Daly—P. K. Daly, Esq., of Thurlow, has kindly furnished us with the
following interesting account:
Captain Peter Daly, my grandfather, was the son of Capt. Daly, of an
Irish regiment, that was stationed in New York for some years before the
outbreak of the old revolutionary war, but was called home to Ireland
before the commencement of hostilities; and finally fell a victim to
that cruel code of honor which obliged a man to fight a duel.
At the earnest solicitation of a bachelor friend, of the name of Vroman,
he had been induced to leave his son Peter behind. Vroman resided upon
the banks of the Mohawk, where the city of Amsterdam now stands. He was
a man of considerable wealth, all of which he promised to bestow upon
his son, Peter Daly; a promise he would, in all probability, have kept,
had circumstances permitted; but he was prevented by the stern realities
of the times—those stern realities that tried men’s souls, and called
upon every man to declare himself. The subject of this sketch could not
dishonor the blood that flowed in his veins, and, although but 16 years
of age, he clung firmly to the old flag that, for “a thousand years had
braved the battle and the breeze.” He joined a company, and followed the
destiny of his flag along the shores of Lake Champlain, where, in one
night, he assisted in scaling three forts. He assisted in taking Fort
Tyconderoga, and gradually fought or worked his way into Canada. The war
closing, he, in company with other loyalists, came up the Bay of Quinté,
and subsequently married and settled in the second concession of Ernest
town, in the vicinity of the village of Bath, where, by cultivating his
farm, and by industry, he secured a comfortable living.
He was remarked through life for his strictly honorable dealing, and his
adherence to “the old flag.” In religion he was a firm Presbyterian.
From his old protector, Vroman, he never heard anything definite. He
cared but little for the land that had driven him into exile, to dwell
among the wild beasts of the unbroken forest.
It is supposed that Vroman, in his declining years, gave his property to
some other favorite. Be that as it may, Peter Daly saw none of it, but
came into this country naked, as it were; carved out of the forest his
own fortune, and left a numerous and respected family. There are now
only two of his sons living, Thomas and Charles, who live on the old
farm, near Bath. His eldest daughter, Mrs. Aikens, is still living, in
Sidney. My father, Philip, was the eldest. He died at Oak Shade, in
Ernest town, in 1861, in the 71st year of his age. David, the next son,
lived and died at Waterloo, near Kingston; and Lewis lived and died at
Storrington. The first wife of Asal Rockwell, of Ernest town was a
daughter of his. Jacob Shibly, Esq., ex M.P.P., married another
daughter; and the late Joshua Boatte another. Their descendants are
numerous.
John Diamond was born in Albany, with several brothers. An elder brother
was drafted, but he tried to escape from a service that was distasteful
to him; was concealed for some time, and upon a sick bed. The visits of
the doctor led to suspicion, and the house was visited by rebels.
Although he had been placed in a bed, and the clothes so arranged that,
as was thought, his presence would not be detected, his breathing
betrayed him. They at once required his father to give a bond for
$1,200, that his son should not be removed while sick. He got well, and,
some time after, again sought to escape, but was caught, and handcuffed
to another. Being removed from one place to another, the two prisoners
managed to knock their guard on the head, and ran for life through the
woods, united together. One would sometimes run on one side of a
sapling, and the other on the opposite side. At night they managed to
rub their handcuffs off, and finally escaped to Canada. Of the other
brothers, two were carried off by the rebels, and never more heard of.
John was taken to the rebel army when old enough to do service; but he
also escaped to Canada, and enlisted in Rogers’ Battalion, with which he
did service until the close of the war, when he settled with the company
at Fredericksburgh.
John Diamond married Miss Loyst, a native of Philadelphia, whose
ancestors were German. She acted no inferior part, for a woman, during
the exciting times of the rebellion. They married in Lower Canada. They
spent their first summer in Upper Canada, in clearing a little spot of
land, and in the fall got a little grain in the ground. They slept,
during the summer, under a tree, but erected a small hut before winter
set in.