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PREFATORY.
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)
The followini,r paper is published by rcciucst of officials of ou
local Historical Societies, and of friends interested in early pionee
history. It was originally read before historical and other societie
of tlie District of Jk-dford durin-- the past year. In the desire t(
obtain brevity, many local references to Missisqiioi were omitted be-
fore Shefford audiences, just as those relalin^,^ to Shefford were
omitted before Missisquoi audiences. An effort is made to combine
them in the followin-^r paper. Many thinn^s deemed necessary to
interest the different audiences, as well as expressions peculiar to
platform delivery, have been omitted. But the substance of the
paper, and the historical facts and comments are the same as tie-
livered. This statement is deemed prudent to allay the zeal of the
captious local critic. The real object of the pai)er is to stimulate
interest in the laudable designs of the County Historical Societies of
the District of Bedford.
Co\\.\.\>\ iLI.i,, Au-ust K
jxo. i\ ^■o^•I•:s.
)00.
ITbc Canadian Xov^alists
an^
Earl^ Settlers in the iDistiict of
Bc(^for^.
The early settle iiunt ..f a country, the hahits, hanlshij.s and eN])erienees ui its
pK'iic-ers, have a ehann lor those i;erliai;s a seleet few-^uh.) delight in the i.ivesti-
j^ation ..I a snhject whieh exa.ts a certain amount of researcli in order to attain a
fair measure of acvuracy. Tlu re is a eomniendable ten.len.-v ..f late to regard with
favor the econ,;mic. or political value <.f historv, apart tn.m'its interest as a narra
tive of events, which shonhl assist and stimulate investiKati<.n. There are obvious
reasons tor this, and it is ,|uite dear, as well, that surh value depends not onh
U]u,n the truth ot the narrative, hut upon the lair appreciation of the facts.
The fitful, and, .it limes, acrimonious conlroversv ofthe past, as to the early sc-lf
lersot the District of He.llonl respcrtiUK h.yaltv. has obscured rather than eu'li^ht-
ened the subject. Tlure is no Lick of tnulitions of historical rese.irchand investi-a-
lion m the true .sense-in the historical sense, tlure has been pn.cticallv none. ( me
result IS. that the zeal of uninformed partisans has led lo the l,i];el"linK "s T F
Lc.yalists, many uho came ;,fter the fever of lovallv had been replace.l bv tlu
iactorol sc-lf-intcrest. ami even of tho.se whose arrival was lo.iK subsequent to the
necessities of loyal expressicjn. The result has been to create a feelin.i,^ of doubt or
skej,ticism, astor. I'.. I.cjyali.sts akin to that expresse.l bv the irreve'rc nt i.il^rim
"1 Koine. "Ihese new .saints make one doul,t the .,ld." It is r.ot therefore a
"latter ol surprise that the unwarranted as.sertions of such ill-informe.l a.lvocates
have caused a Kc-neraticn. not keenly interested in the r. !■;. I.ovali.sts, to surmise
that these loyalists are an historical mystery, and as utterlv discredited, so far as
relates to location, as the .lescendants of the lost tribes of Israel. It is fortunate
tor those of another turn ..f mind, uho .lesirc. historical accuracy, that the zeal and
TIM'. CANADIAN I." >VAI,ISTS.
iiiiUistrv of (nir Caii.nli.m Arrlii\i>t liavi". within tlu- past tVw years, j)rncurf»l a
i'<>ii^i(Kral>lc i|uai'tit\ of thr <»tli«'ial tiionls ol the tarly sitlliiiuiit ot the rdiintry,
hy tncaiis «»f which the trivial iiaifleiits of criihilniis or interested news j^atlierers.
so zealously t'Nploiteil heretofore as liist(»r\ , an- sliow II to In- valueless. The idle
tales ri'sultin>^ tr<«ni the creative fatiey of iti.iii, cilhil tradition, nul which have
nneonseionsl\ a tenacious liold ii]M>n evrti inlvllij;ent jieople, thotij^h the t'tnes are
rei"iMil, .and writtc-n records availahle. are. liy means of these ricords. in a way to
he dis|pilUd. C.irlylc c.dls history " the letter of instruction^ from llu- old ,i;ener-
atioiistothc new." \ci-e]»tin.i; that ilelMiition. it is the duty of tin- jireseiit ;;ener-
ation to iNauiiiii' its letter of iiistiuctious, as containi'd in tlie ntlicial records, so
as to ])lace the ])iouier> of ilii- histrict in their proper class. This involves an ex-
amination of their credentials, .is well as the cousiileralion of their aiitecidents, and
of the causes and events which le<l to theii coming', as well a> thiir situation on
arrival here.
It will siarci'ly he clisputed that the e.irly Canadian Loyalists s])ranj; from an
aflveiiturous stock, whose escape from allej,(ed olil world persecntious to secure reli-
j^ious and political freidom in tlie new, in no w.i\ i|iiencheil their love of coullict.
or dislike of any antl!i>rit\ which they did. not dominate. Apart from the otiicial
an<l inleri sted classes, the mass of .\merican C(»lonisis on the eve of the American
KivolulioM, were practically united in op]»()sin>( the mother country. The leaders
of the pojiular cause were ahle, tai'tful and darinj.;. I'ul candi 1 American hi--
toriaiis admit that they were leaders of a minority when it camo to a tlnal rnjiture.
It was unfortunate for the royal cause- that the loy;il majoritv had, from anioiiLi
themselves, no leaders. The Colonial officials who, hy nature of their ])ositions.
assumed to K^i'l*-'- 'f ""'^ ^*^ lead, wxre not in touch with the )(ei>])le. and were to
some extent discredited ])y the anta}.;oni^ms of loiij.r years of dispute hetween them
as to Crown rij.;hts. Tlu- dei-laratioii of inde])endence was the act of a Couj^ress
without )ej.(al authority. Bancroft, an .\merican historian, .sail 1 it w.is " unthin;.;
more solid than the unformecl opinion of an unformed peo])le."
The Colonists enrolled as soldiers ( lU the side- of the Crown ixceeiK-tl 25, mx)
and, durin^f the war, their homes i\ere destroyeil, their property confiscatt'd and
their families hitterlv ]>erseiaited. Justice re(iuireslhe admission that, in this, as in
other civil wars, llu-rewere rejirisals in whii-h the Loyalists iniitatiMl the deplorahle
eNam])le of their .adversaries. lu'eliui^s of intense hitteruess and mutual hatred
were created which, when the conflict etule<l, could not l)e dispelled, nor the desire
for revenge allayed. The coiKiuerors easily hecame ])ersecutors. 1 >espit(.' llu' pro-
visions of the treatv of peace. s])eciall\' ,i;nar.inteeing the proti-ction of the j);()])erty
anil rii.;hts of the Loy.ilists, uii'iv of the State Le,u;islatures ordered conli'-cation <>\
their property. Persecution was encouraged ind u]>held.
This persecution drove the loyal Colonists into exile. There was a tn-meudous
rush into Can.ida and Nova Scotia, taxing severelx the resnurces of those volouies
to meet the urgent necessities of those destitute and sutTering exiles. .\nd it is
through the elTorts of the government to aid those exiles, and to give tluni a per-
manent settlement, ih.at one tnids from the ol'I'u'ial records a recognition of dilTereiit
titles — titles which design.ate a divisii'ti into three fairly marked classes. These
classes seem ;it times to he fused or bU-niled, hut a little coiisider.ition will show a
i
Tiri': C AN API \N I,()V\I,ISTS.
i
I
Dinrkul flilTi riiuf in tn-Mttiicut, aipl a ilistiiu'tioii to which jtrai'liiMl i-fTi-i I was
^ivin hy ;4u\t'rmiii'iit.il .iction. II will \>v niiilirslcxHl ihiit jitior to I7<)i Ihi" I'roviiici'
roiii])ris«il rpjiiT ami I.nwir (.".mail.i, in whii'h. ipatt frnm the si i^^iinirii-s. tht-
iiiiiiiL-ii^c art'.i fit" \va^U' laiitl In l(iii);ril t<> the Ciowii. As th»'\ ha<l no ni irktt vahu*.
a KT'iiit «>r laml was an fas\ tdrni <i| coinpt-nsalion. To locatt- lh» j^toninis ami
allot tlu- sfttU rs, a |irt'liinijiar\ snr\t y was ihr first stiji, anil for many n-asoiis ihe
first Infants wirt' on thf I'.ay i\v CliaUiirs, iinl "U tlu- north lianks ot tlir St.
I.awrtiu'c ami the laki's, the loyalists liciiij; .issi-niliUil at (Jmlni*. Son! ami
Moiitrcal tor transportation.
I,
'I'JK.' I'irst cl.i-s to In- ciiiisidfrt'd was i'oni|iosi'(l ot I'.in^lish otlii-i.ils, .ind Colonial
iion-conihat.ints who k-ft thi- ri'hrl tolonirs .it tin- lu-i^inninj.; of. or (hiriM)^ tlu- war.
Tlusc int'ii dill n<it dfpnciali- thiir nu-rils or niisrrit'S. Tlu-y had tlu- ,irt of
so cNposin).; thfir '^rifts and st-rvirt-s as to nutl, from a ^i-iurons y^' <\ irntncnt, a fair
nuasnrc of ri-ward lor fiij^itivc loyalty. I!arly in 17SJ an invcstij^alioii showed that
n]iwards of ^joo.tifx) had hciii ])aid for ill snjiport of ^i;; rifui;i'i' Loyalists, in
[.ondoii alone. 'I'liis was aji.irt from olticcs, pi nsions, ami land j.;rants li stowed.
It was further shown as an instance of loyal thrift, that after the death <>f 2>, ,,\ the
nnmlier, their deniisi' had hieti eoneeah • and the Mrit.sh ('.overnnKut hail con-
tinued its j.ii'mrous relief to necessitous loyalty by j avini.; for their sn])iiort Wluii
th. ;fiitish j)arliainent met in 17S;,, afli-r the cl >se of the war I lis M,ijest\ in the
s])eech from the throne said : " That a ilue .md L;ener(»us attention on.L;ht to lie
"shown to those wlio lia\i' relin(|uishe<l tip 'r ])ro|)erties or possessions from
" motives of loyally to jue, or atla(hnui;t to tlu- mother country." .\s a rt sidt of
this snL;,uestion a commission was issued to receive claims for losse^ from all clas.'-es
of sutferiiij.; Loyalists, which i-otilinued its work until 17SS, Cl.iims for the sum
'•'f >,S<»,. 110,9.^1 were fyled. on which was allowc.l an<l ])aid ^iS,c;i2,2() |, which was
repudiated l>y indefensihU' prelixls li\ the .\inerit.in ( lovernnient, thoiii;h the
lossi'S were shown to Si- in violation of the 'l'ri'at\ of re.ice. The niotlu'r country
was nenerous to all that class of sulTerers. The old Colonial olVice holders .ippear
to have heen .1 ^.^reedy lot. -ind dilticult to satisfy. Their names cut a l>i,L; lij^ure in
the ollicial records t'or frei- i^MTuits of land. ( )nt' sampU- will illustrate their
character, selectdt hecause his covetous e_\t-. ha\iny heen last ui)on our Townships.
j;ives his L,M'eed a local color.
.\lir.iliam Cu\Urw,is I'ostm.'istir at \lh,iu\'. when the revolution. iry stru;,^le
l)e,i.;.iu, ;ind luin^ a Postmaster w.is natur.dly and otlicially loy.il. lie I<.>t his
otlici', and took the mad of forced exile. lie came to Canada, and later went to
Cape I'.reton, and secured olTu'es at ditfereul tinu-s. r,inj.,'in^ frotn a modest Inspec-
torship to .1 Judj.^eship ; li.id a])]ilied for ,1 Customs appointment, a;id .ictid .is
I,ieulenaut-( loviriior, whilst ki i]iiun oii f\le sundry cl.iiins for land .and com])en-
satioii. He did not ,!.;et on well with the luc.il jiow'ers, so he resij^Mied from the
r.ench. and. the war Ijeini; o\er, he ])Ushed his claims for com])ensalioii in Ni'W
\'ork. as well as in London. I'lom the latti-r j)kn'e he wroti- tlu- Canailiaii .lulhori
ties for ,1 i^rant of tlie whole Townshi]) of Hemminvilord, which not biintj con-
ceded, lu' pointed out lands in Dunham, Staiilirid.L;e. L'.irnh.im, Shefford ,nid Stai;-
.stead, for which lu- desired a j^rant. Then lu turned up with a cla,i;) for ;i part of
8
Till' CANADIAN LOYALISTS.
MoiilrcaL 1)Ul as this had l:i'.ii rc-^raiiUd to a clnirch, liis family was ,L;ivL'ii 3,6rxD
acns of hind elsewhere, .'is an t(Hii\a]int for the ehnreli ])r(.])erty. Later, as hi-
a])])earcd to want a farm of his own to carry C)n, ami the land ot'licials s(.eminj.( hy
that time to liavi- tired of his imjiortunity, it was ordered that <-)Ut (;f the dis])os.ihle
hinds in I'arnh.am, a j^rant shonid hi- j^jiven to IMessrs. Cuxler and Allso|)j). Ik'
and two of his sons, hecame AssociaUs of the To", nship of l"arnhani, and rereived
the nsnal allotments of }.irants as siuli. Hut ;is 'Sly. .\ll>o])]) had received ]irior
grants, and Judj^e (iale had to take a mountain, and liis wif .'s relations, swam])s
and led^res, towards tlu'ir considirahle shares therein, it may he fairly presumecL
that the dis])osahle Crown Lands in I'arnham were exh;uisleil before Judge Cuyler
got into tlie precinct. What finally 1)eca!.ie of him I do not know, hut one cannot
hel]) sadly reflecting, what an adililional glor\- il would have heeii for I'arnham,
had judge Cuyler heen entoml)ed within its borders, to exi'ite, in Liter years, the
grief and curiosity of searchers for jo!) l(*ts of L. L. Loyalists.
It is submitted, that the whole of this class, just considered, wire not I'. H.
Lo} ists. The Colonists were not inrolled as soldiers in the war, and the native
hon I'.ngHshnien were bound b\- the ties of birth and allegiance to lie loyal with-
out exacting C(jm])ensatioii for tidelil\- to such ties,
II
The second class of Loyalists com])rised tlu Colonial soldiers enrolkil in the
army prior to tlu' Treaty of Peace in 17.S3, and w luj came at oiicc. with their fami-
lies {() Canada at the close of the w ar.
'I'luse men ai)pear to havi' left i>\. once w ithout slojjping to l)arter their alle-
giance. Large as their numlier was, the Crow n was generous in granting thviii land,
in conveying them to the jilaci-s allotted for location, and in granting them teni])o-
rary aid and subsistence. And to estal)lish their identity, and to distinguish tlu-m
from the Refugee L(\valists, for all time to come, the (lovernment on the 9th
Novemlier, 1 7S(), by a minute of Council ordered, that : " .All Loyalists who joined
" ihe Standard bi'fore tl:e Treaty of I'eace in 17^;-,, and all children, and descen-
" dants of either sex, are to be distinguished 'n\- the Utters ' l". I'..' allixed to their
" names, alluding to tlu' great ]irinci]ile oi the unity of the Lm])ire." It was fur-
ther ordered, at the same time, that a Register should be kept so that their jjoster-
it\- might be discriminated from future settlers. It is reasonably certain that al^
did not register. The Ontario list, containing many I. astern Townsh)i)s names, is
ju'ocurable, but there is no special list lor (juebec, because Loyalists wen- ex-
chuled from seltUinent on Crown Lands south of the St. Lawrence,
n\- the Order of Council we have a clear and authoritative delinition of tlu-
Loyalists. It is not a courtesy title, nor gained by common re])Ute. l!y it we find
the distinguishing conditions of a \' . I'.. Lovalist to be ; 1. An i-nrollment as a
Colonial soldier in the ann\' during the u.ir ; or 2. A desec nd.mt of such soldier.
The ilescent from such soldier is not dilTicult to establish where there was an en-
rollment in the Register. The absence of registration creates a ])resum])tion
against the claim to be a l'. I',. Loyalist, which cannot be (nercome by a bare state-
ment of such claim. Through ignorance of the ( )rder in Council many have as"
sumed that an earlv land Ljrant mu'-l ha\(.- been the rewanl of lo-^altv, ami there
Till'. CANADIAN I.OVAl.USTS.
9
sceli-
llieir
i'ur-
ICT-
it all
(-•s, is
fnre. an effertive title to tliu distinction of lieitii,' a \'. I!. I,<>; alist. Hut all those
early land j^rants were not j^jiven on aeconnt of loyalty, The ollicial definition
should, however, determine the matter. The true l", I",. Loyalist, as just jiointcd
out, was a Colonial soldier who, us such, had suffereil the hardshi})S of actual war,
and had been ex])osed toits perils and risks, during which he had been conscious
of the ])erseciitions and sufferin,^s of famil\ and friends at home. He had under-
t^one the trials and. miseries of de])ortation when the war closed, and had emlured
}.{reat ])rivations for years thereafter through want of means, and hv reason of re-
moteness from markets and livili/.ation. It is manh'estly unfair to class such men
with those who had not l)orne arms, liowever nuu'h the latter may have suffepMl
through jersecutioii or otherwise'. ( )ne cannot read witliont interest, to say the
least, the jiainful records of those exiled Loyalists. Their primitive makeshifts
may, today, excite a smile, hut they do. not lessen respect. Matiy instances of
such makeshifts are recorded in local history, or have been handed dow!i from
gcni-ration to .plication. Mr I'.dward Harris, a descendant of a l'. !•",. I.ovalist,
in a |iai)er re,-.d before the Canadian Inslilute at Toronto in 1897, related one of
those incidents, common to most of the early settlements in some resi)ects, result-
ing from ])ioneer makeshifts, which deserves re])roduct;()n. He sai<l that in 1794
his grandfather became tlu' first settler in the Long I'oint country on the north
shore of Lake I'.rii-, having remoMil tliere from New Brunswick, where he had
settled in 17S3. "In the absence of all other clothing ami snpplits," he writes,
" the le^s fortunate .settlers, and as a rule, all the men, used the skins of animals.
" The girls, in mild weather, usu.ally wore a buckskin slip. ' White goods,' we:e
" not known in lliosi' davs. .Miss Sallv Sprague, a fine girt of i.\ or 15 years, had
" been in my mother's kitchen with her ])arents and noticed washing going on in
" ihe usual wa\- l)v boiling in soap and watei. .\ few days after, vSally took ad\ant-
" age of her pariiits absence lo wasli her only garment, the sli]). This she did, by
" boiling it. We all know the action of water ami heat on leather, and Sally had
" lo retreat into the jiotato hole inider the ilot)r. When her ])arents returned thev
"soon found the shrunken slip, and thi'ti the girl. She was brought down to my
" mother's house in a barrel, on an ox-team four miles, and temporarily clothed
" until inori' buckskin could be found. This Miss Sprague's gratid-daughter is
"now l.ady b. in I'.ngland." This incident i> also related in Dr. Ryerson's his-
tory of the r. I-",. Loyalists, with considerable dilTerence as to j)articulars, although
b )th he and Mr. Harris obt.'iiiu'il their information! from the same per.son.
III.
the
find
as a
lier.
en-
ition
Late-
as"
ere
The third class of I.ovalists comjirised those Colonial non-combatants who, with
their families, left aftei* the Treaty n( I'eace, at the I'onclusioii of the Revolutionary
war, through the fierce persecut:t)n which for a time followed.
'I'hat this clas!^ came to Canada ; a result of the merciless pensecutioii before
niiMitioned, is recordeil iu the histories of that jteriod, is treasured caniong the
annals of tlie ])eo]iIe, and is borne out and fully verified 1)\ the official documents of
that day. It is the i)iimi|.al, if not the .sole groutid n])on which that large number
of refugee Loyalists based their persistent claims for provisions, com])ensation and
lo
TirrC CANADIAN F,( )VAI.IS'1'S.
1.111(1 grants. Thuv were (jiiick to see the strength of the cry of persecuted lovaUy,
with a well (lisjjosed, and not severely critical Ilxecutive. Hut, as the Provincial
authorities could not at once coinjily with all their urgent demands, theiC was
grave dissatisfaction, fc>llowe<l by strong complaints. It was impossible for them
to be patient, or to make any show of self-reliance, seeing that they had lost every-
thing, and were in sore distress, They were not in a position of isolated inde{)en-
deiice, with suiTicient means of support, which warranted their taking the stand of
those early Connecticut settlers, who proclaimed that they would be governed by
the laws of (iod — until they ha<l time to make better. The olTicial reports stated
that those earh- Canadian settlers would make malignant representations against
an angel ; that some of them would not carry the chain to mark out their own
lands, without exorbitant i)ay from the (lovernment ; that there was trickery in
dis]H)sing of their lands and seeking further coni])en9ation ; that there were laml
speculators and jobbers ; that there were clamors, jealousies and grasping greed ;
that there was sedition, led b}- an uidioly combination of a lawyer ami an apothe-
cary ; that they had " to nu^ke magistrates out of men whom (jod Almighty never
"intended for the office, but it was Ilobson's choice;" that there were many
worthless characters among the arrivals, and that some of the settlers were indif-
ferent. His I'^xcellency, the (lOvernor-C.eneral. finding that despite ell efforts to
satisfy everybody, the dissatisfaction and artifices continued, ordered the immedi-
a'e discontinuance of i)rovisions and aid to those who, from fickleness or languor,
threw obstacles in the way of the general good. The history of those (|uarrels, \>v-
twcen exiles and blxecutive, is not now really essential. !t is mentioned to show
the character of a class, which, coming so closely on the heels of the W ]'.. Loyal-
ists, and like them receiving land grants, has found iu our day peo]>le who rank
them with those ancient worthies. The claims have even been extended to cover,
as r. l\. Loyalists, th»" calm and ])eaceful (Juakers, forced into exile. The droll
effect of placing the unwarlike <juaker in line with the esscntiall\ wiirlike \' . \\.
Loyalist, because both recei^-ed Crown Ijounties, does not seem to have occurred
to them.
h<l
Ci
te
.An invident of that time, which the Ca.uadiau archivist says he luis never seen
referre<l to by an American historian, and which is recalled by allusit)n to (Jnakers,
is interesting, as showing a peculiarity of those early Lo\alists, though not other-
wise in line with my subject. The small Lslaud of Nantucket, off the coast < if
the Massachusetts coast, is said to have been iidudnted in 17S5 by Ouakers con-
nected with the whale fisheries. In that year they gravel\- ])roposed to separate
from Massachusetts, and become a neutral state, or, failing in this, to become an
ajipendage of C.reat Ikitain. 'i'he newly arrived Loyalists in Nova Scotia success
fully c)pp()sed the scheme 011 the ground " That in that case all the whale oil from
" the Northern States would pass throught Nantucket, as the product of the in-
" ilustry of British subjects, and be admitted into (ireat Britain free of duty, to tlie
" ruin of the same^trade carried on from Nova Scotia." The thrifty and sagacious
(Uiakers may have had in view the advantages of their position, as a point for
smuggling rather than any possible benefit lo the I'",mj)ire, bv adding their island
thereto. If so, they were checkmated by the foresight of the Loyalists. This,
I
TIIIv CANADIAN I. OVA LISTS.
1 1
however, seems to be the first record of the ailoptioii of the National l*olie\ iii
ChikkUi, and should set at rest all recent claims as to its paternity.
.After these digressions we come back to tliis third Loyalist class, wlio have
themselves ])ri])ared the record which excludes them from the slightest considera-
tion as r. \'., Loyalists. The only reason they gave, at the time for coming to
Canada, and the only rea.son ever given on their behalf is, that after the Treaty of
Peace, they were grievously persecuted and driven into exile. What those refuijee
Loyalists, in effect, said, was this : " We desired to stay in our old homes and re-
" tain our ])r()])erty ; to do this we were willing to change our allegiance, to sur-
'• render the jiosition of British subjects and become citizens of the Republic ; but
" our i.iclinations atid good will were rejected ; they persecuted us, confiscated our
" })ro])crl\- and drove us into unwilling exile ; therefore we come to vou and ask
" for a land tyrant, on the score of loyalty, -and comi)ensation for losses suffered,
'• because not allowed to change our allegiance." It is clear they would have re-
maintd, if alli^wed to do so. Hence, their loyalty was not spt)ntaneous, or disin-
terested. (ii> they must and go they did, aiul naturally made the best of a bad
bargain, by getting as much compensation as possible, out of the Crown.
Whilst it is essential to the truth of history that the facts should be stated, it is
not necessary to harshly judge those unfortunate aiul impoverished exiles. The
i-oloniis were their homes. There they were born and reared. There were ties of
race, kindred, laws, institutions and religion common between them and the suc-
cessful Co:oi:isi> in the war. Together they had worshi]>i)ed at the same altar,
shared the vicissitudes and jierils of Colonial existence, and borne the burdens and
enjo\ed the comforts and jileasures of civil and social life in their several com-
munities. Tile change to them from a colony to an independent nation, accu.s-
tonud as tl'.e\ had been to a con.siderable measure of local .self-government, would
not 1 e so sudden or distinct as it would have been, had not the.se iditions
existed, or li.id they been con<|uered by an alien race. It is evident, as well, that
the british (Mjvernment had contemj)late(l their so reitiaining, inasmuch as the
treaty of ])eace expressly ])rovided for the protection of their ])ro])erty and rights.
The subse(|uent evasion of the treaty could not have been foreseen. Nevertheless,
we nnist be careful not to unduly magnify the passive position of neutrals in a
ci\ il war, into ihe hightest kin<l of patriotism and loyalty, by shouldering them
into the raiik^ of those who risked their lives, as \vell as their fortunes, as loval
soldiers (jf their Sovereign, as did the gemiine V. l\. Loyalist.
A fertile source of error respecting the old Loyalists conies from the long,
ali)habetically arrangecL and frecjuently repeated lists of applicants for lands, con-
tained in several years reports of the Dominion Archives. These are apt to mis-
lead, and, in fact, have misled many, as to the (piality of those therein naniecL A
very little investigation, and com])ari.son of (kites, will show that tho.se lists com.
prise the old .\ssociates, who were the jiioneers and actual settlers of the Kastern
Townshii'S, an<l who obtained their lands long after the r. \\. and other Loyalists
had been definitely located elsewhere. They were, on the whole, an absoluteK-
ililTerent class from the (-Id Loyalists, or any other, or later class of settlers. The
enor as to the .Associates has been greatly helped along by the ])ersi.stent claims of
12
TIIK CANADIAN LOVAMSTS.
recent partisans, hy the luloj^ies of loial hiogra])hers exalting the ikad, to ])r<)-
])itiate the livinj^, and l)y taking' early residence, lo\ alt\ , hind j^raiils and l'. I-",.
I.oyahsts as synonymons or convi-rtihle terms. The j)lacinj4 of the associates in the
old Loyalist I'lass which j^receded them, does them an injustice, for the .Associates,
bein.n more self-reliant, jiosse.ssed of .some me.ins, and not de])endent u])on (rO\eni-
metit 1)()unty, witc a better class of settlers to develoj) a new coinitry than the ohl
Loyalists could have been, had they .settled here, as a little consideration will show.
b'or several years after the treat\ of ])eai'e in 17S;, our ijovernment positively
refused jiertnission to settle aloni; the bordir. After 1791, when the Province was
divided into r])]H:r and I.ower Canada, the ])olic\' was chan}.;ed so as to induce
i'.nj^lish s])eakinj^ settlers t<i locate, and settle on the Crown lands in tlu- Ivasti-rn
To\vnshi])S, then unsnrve\ed, and a sur\e\ was the first ]iri-liuiinar\ to a !L;rant.
The intentions of the ^^overnment were \\idel\ dissi-minated in Ni \v l'"u.i;l;ind -
where over 150 years of settlement had exhausted the market for farm lauds iii
ordir to attract, as settlers, those desirini,^ lo secure ^ood lauds for settlement, on
e:isy conditions. So early as 1 7SS the advanta}.;cs had iieen nri^td (f .l,( Itini; fnui
New b'n.^land a i-lass of settlers, who had r<.]ient(.d of tlieir h(jstilit\ \': tlu- british
Ciovernment. 'I"hc new j)olicy com])riscd an or_nani/atiou, (/r ccm] any, called As-
sociates, to whom the new Townshi]) was j^ranted. The at^ent of the .Associates,
called the Under, was r.sually a man with ,s(,n'.e miaus and int]u(r.i('. lie bicniH'
lesjjonsible for the fidlillmtnt of the conditions, the oidv one ot the many nally
])re.s.sed beinj.^ the cost of tlu- ] rimitiM- snrvew whiih had to be m: de as a jireli-
min;Mv to tlu- erection of the Townslii]i, and the u, ra n t i n ,n of tl.c lauds. Tlie
.\s.sociates, with nmarkalik' uuifoimitv, alleged jirior .ittacliuicnt, <.r le] eut.anre of
hostility, which, as they had ("ri^inidly bieii liritish subjicls, ir.\('".\i 1 no st vi u-
moral stiain. besides, tlu' war in N« w I'lnt^land, frc m whtnce tl.c \ mostly lame
had been on its outskirts, so that those li\ iu,u inlaml in the 'i/)'s h;.d ])r()b,abl\ ne\er
l)orne anus on cither side, 'i'hc (loxcrumcnt took no scntimer.ta! view of the
m.atter, and accejitcd means ;ind character as conditions, more than j)rolcssed ])rior
allegiance, or sorrow for hostilitv. The fact is, the (io\frmnent wanted settlers;
the settlers wanted lands. Inder such conditions, no tec-hnical or sentimental con-
siderations were likely to be an ol)stacle in the wav of an agreement between the
parties. vSome of the leaders and .Associates were business mei!, who went into the
undertaking.;' for s]iec-ulative motixcs. or to tmike u]) the rc(|uircil uund)er, aud who
disjKJsed of their interests and ue\er came, nor intended to come, at all. .\fter the
survey, the Townshi]) was erected, j^ivc-n a namc\ ;iud the lands allotted to tlu-
Associates by grant. Thus Dunham was created in 179^), Potton, I'.oltoh, and
i?rome in I7cj7, I'artiham in 1 7c>S, Stanbridgc in iSoi, ;ind so on up to 1S07, when a
h;dt was called. St. Armand, St. (icorge de Claiemeville and St. 'l"homas wcrc-
created Seigniories ])ric)r to the com|uest — and not being Crown laiuls, could not be-
granted or made Townshi])S. Governor I'restutt, a few years after the adoption of
the policy in (picsticm. divided the .\ssocialts into three clas.'"s; 1. l'eoi)le who
had always been attached to the british cause; 2. People who have been led
astra\ ; and 3. Mere .speculators, whose .ijijilications he said were inuiuTous. He-
comi)lained bitterly to the honu' (lovernmeut of the attem])ts of the specidators t<
obtain large grants in order to create a nic)no])oly ; of straw men being put up as
TIIH CANADIAN LOYALISTS.
I ;
;i])])lic{ints to evade the rej^ulatioiis ; of the i oiiijiliiity of iiieinl;eis of his own
cfviincil in the sehcnies; of colhisive tiii-ks with ImikI surveyors to firther their
jilatis, and the dissatisfaction of these hmd johliers, as Chief Jn:-tiee ?tIonk lalled
tlicni, when their jilaiis were thwarted. In the I'l-l-er I'rovinre th(. y wen- havinjf
their troul)ks. f<jr, in iSos, an ( fiieial elai-sified \hv latir refrs^te settlets from the
r. S. as : I. '1 Ik i^e enticed hy a j^iatuituoiis ( ITt r of land wilh.ont any ]in(lilection
for tlie liritish constitution ; 2. 'lliose \\h<; liad lied fr« ni tlie r. S. for crimes or
to escape their creditors ; and ;,. Kijuhhcans who came as settlers, lo jilot
a.nainst Great Britain. 'J'he Associates were of a bitter class of n:en than these, ])i!t
were not of the Loyalist class nitntii;ned, wliich came at tlie chsc- of tlu- war, as a
little consideration will show. .-\ ])erio(l of about 13 \ ears interxeiud between the
treaty of ])eace and tl;e j^rant of the fiist Tow nshij) to the .\ssoci;',tt s. Th.e bitter,
and .general persecution followinj.^- the close of tl:e war, as before nitntic ntd, drove
into e.xile every man snsjiected of attaidnnent to the mother countr\ . This l<>nj4
period is ccnclusive that tliose Associates wh.o came (n the creation of the Town-
shijjs must, during their rtsidtnce ft r so ni;;n\ yti'.is in tl.iir old lun.ts, have
satisfied the local authorities there, of tluir satisfaction with, an<l alles^iani'e to, the
new order of things. Had the\ not dune so, it is certain that tlH'\- could not thus
have remained among a peoj)le on the aleit \\>v Hiitish s\ ni] athi/.c rs, .".nd agains'.
whom that people were violently enragi'd.
This long residencee, where the authorities exacted active and open, and
Wduld n(jt tolerate ])assive allegiance to the new nation, ilispels ;iny p' ssible illu-
sion ;is to lo\alt\- to the Crown. Its tardv nianifeslatiDii, until stimubitcd b\ self-
interest, is iiicom])atible with lo\al sincerit\-, or consistent with theactive vigiLuue
of .\mericans towards suspected bo\alisls. .\ lo\ally which is doimant, or linger-
ing, until spurred into action by the pros] fit (A material advancement is not gen-
eralJN- thought to be of the highest order, or to contain the elements from which
true ]:atri(itisni s])rings. liut whatever face tb.e I'K.vincial autlK-rities ma\ have
])Ut u])on formal professions, it is ixidiut, from tlie (I'lici.d dicr.mcnls, that ll.c\-
looked ujion them ,is a g( od natured contrivann.-, ami were n(.l lUceivcd as to their
value. They were (juile content tit leceivi- a g( od class (-f setlkrs, < n their own
rating, without minutely scanning nmiivL's.
l\unning over the list of .\ssociatos, a similaritv if well kmuu names, ci m-
biuid \\ ith ])arit\' of objec'ts, create s a pn ^uui])liou that someiif tl:e old I'lasses o'
lo\alists had gone astray, or had I crn belated in iecei\ing grants, aiul had joined
the Assen'iates, as their last chance. Their ren gni/ed Io\al (juality, throu,L;h early
arrival, would tend to aid, materially, the .Associates in obtaining Tow ushi]' charters
and alU,tment of lands, but there- weie not many of them at the best.
There also a].]Kar, n( w and ll'.en, isolatei! ^jeeimens (f the old Coh.ni.il
Lnglish ( ffiCials wl;o may liaxe- east in tl.eir lot with the- .\sM»ciates, for tlu- reason
before maintained. .\ case in ]:oiut, and close- at hand, is th.it of the l.ite Samuel
Gale, whose hscal title of Judge- Gale, it will do no harm to accejjt. 'I'ln- ilec.iy of
his tombstone in ICast I'arnham seems, at irregular intervals of lime, to e.M'ite the
grief e»f the c .sual and curieais visitnf, and as the trembling fingers ],ush aside the
moss from the e])it.ij)h commemorating lU-iiarted \irtues and grc.ilnes--, a new rule
of historical interjtretation d.iwiis u],on tlu maddened mind, and jndgt- G.ile- is ].ro-
14
Till", CANADIAN I.OVAMSTS.
iiiotril to the r. K. Loyalist class, to which he has no more rit^hl than to that of
Ju(i,L;e. 'I'here are iiisunnomitahle objections to his bein,t( so cf)nsi<lere(l. The true
r. Iv. Loyalist was a native born Colonial soMier, or the descendant of one. Ju'U;e
(rale was i;eilher. He was an I-'.nglish Colonial olTicial of the non-combatant ty])e,
then a refu,t,'ee, and later an Associate. Horn, reared and educated in Ivnj^dan d-
he came to the Colonies in i 770, secured a public oiTice and was married. When
the revolution came, his remarks were not api)reciated ; they raised a prejudice
aj.,'ainst him. One of his bio.ifrai)hers says : "He may have f)verste])ped the bounds
of a calculatinj.^ ])rudence."' After release on ])arole from imj)risonment, he joined
the Hritish Army near New Vf)rk in 1776, and for several years ])erfornied clerical
duties as cashier and itinerant paymaster for the army, and came to Canada a few
years after the close of the war. In a memorial to the British authorities in 17S7.
he refers to these things : to his loss of olTice and its profits, to the confiscation
of his ])roperty, and prayed therein, " for such relief as may ;ip])ear proportioiiate
" to what may have been granted to other suffering Loyalists, wiio likewise served
"in dcfyartinents of trust iu the civil hranclh's of the ixrniyy The civil branch is
not the fighting branch of an anny. I'or himself. Judge dale never claitned to
have been a s<jldier, or a U. K. Loyalist. Had he borne arms, it would have been
mentioned in his memorial. After his arrival he was given an olhce, and in 1798
he became leader of the Associates of the Township of l-'arnham, receiving a land
grant. His kind solicitude for his wife's collateral kin — and there wee ten in the
family — procured each of them considerable grants. lie had lofty i eas, atncjng
them being the desire to establish in I'arnham a family estate, after the I^nglish
pattern, with tenants, dogs and all the baronial fixtures. But in a new country
where salts was the leading iiuUistry, neat cattle current money, and the hospitable
stimulant for lordly revelry was distilled from the succulent potato, lie had to con-
tent himself with a coat of arms, and a local title conferred by neighbors,
jirudently anxious to projjiti'te the only man in the settlement who had a grind-
stone. Having starte<l early in life as a jmblic otTicer, and followed in that line for
many years, he hankered in his rural retirement for public position, and as he
could not be a Duke, he was ai)])ointed a notary jjublic, then, as now, an oflTice of
mystery, honor and emoluments. With this ofilce, and the op])ortunity of render-
ing valuable services to the early settlers, he closed an eventful life. But, after all,
is it a surprising thing that, in a time of i)eril, Judge (rale remained true to his
Sovereign rather than become an ally of the rebels? Had he followed aiicien
jirecedent in preferring ]X)ttage to I)irtliright, and cast in his lot with the rebel
Colonists, he would justly be held up to scorn, as a traitor to his sovereign. Being
an iMiglishman he was loyal, and those who now claim a special distinction for
him on that score, do his memory a gross injustice, and dis])lay ignorance of the
ICnglish character. It is an indirect way of saying that Ivnglish loyalty is a subject
of dicker, and barter, fidelity to allegiance an unusual incident, and an Ljiglish-
man's patriotism l)ased upon expectation of rewanL The end of the (|uestion is,
however, that he does not come within the terms of the Order in Council as to V . V,.
Loyalists.
In studying tlie ([uestioii of early settlement one may well kee]) in mind that
it was about 13 years after the location of the Loyalists before the first Township
TIIIv CANADIAN LOYALISTS.
15
was created, and j^raiitfd to tlie Associates : that a survey was an essential ])rior
condition to a j^^rant : that the want of such survey is conchisive against a ^ranl ;
tlial the Government had forbidden settli nietit on the border ; that the uims at.d
conditions of the t^'rants to the T. K. Loyalists ditTered frotn those to the Associates,
and that the Order in Council absolutely settles the matter.
Whilst it is perfectly clear that the first settlers in the Townships, as a whole,
were not the old Loyalists, but the Associates, as before stated, yet it would seem
that a few stubborn men pitched their tents in the Seij.(niories wuen and wlure
there were no owners on the s]X)t to warn them olT, and frotn thence imjiortuned
the Government for jjermissioii to settle tlierein, on and about Missiscpioi Hay.
This was firmly, and at times ani^aily refused, the (iovernment offerin,!.; them lands
elsewhere, wh.ere the Crown owned the lands ; and on refusal they were ofluially
warned that their provision allowances woidd be cut lAl — a more serious matter
about the liay in 17.S4 than in 1900. iMually, the (iovernor General ordered their
houses to be destroyed, and the settlers sent for location to St, Johns, which, even
then, was called " a curseil ])lace."
Dr. I?rymner, the Dominion Archivist, has kindly furnished me with extracts
from the ofticial orders, on fyle in his Dejiartment, relatinjf to the discontinuance
of His Majesty's bounty of provisions for the winter, at Missis(|Uoi Bay, as well as
a memorial from the settlers there, to the Government in reference to the same
subject, whereby it is shown that effect was given Ui the apj)arently harsh orders.
The memorial is (juoted in full, among other things, because it shows the action
of the I'^xecutive, as well as the prior condition, and the then pressing needs of the
settlers, and, in addition, has a f|uaint flavor, which gives it a peculiar interest.
The lavish use of capital letters and ])eculiarities of spelling and punctuation
therein cannot be justly attribute*! to 'lisrespect or disloyalty. The Ivnglish lacks
the finish and perfection which are considered indispensable by the best writers of
our day, but then there is no doubt as to the object. The charges of fraud and
underhand dealing are ambiguous only as to identity of the parties whose names
are .su])pressed. In our day, Ragged l'hiloso])her would solve the dithcidty by
in.serting the familiar names of "Willie," or "Dickey," or "Joey," or other
symbolic terms, by which he playfully represents certain phases of human deprav-
ity in the criminal exercise of political functions.
The ^Memorial is as follows :
' To //is /ixcellencc Henry / laumicltou, /Isqy.. Hox'ernor /// ati over the /'ror-
" iuee of Ouehee and 7)'rri(orys //lereunto he/oiii^iiti;, c--(., e~'r. , <!-(-.
" T/ie /'eti/ioii 0/ l/ie Siihserihers /tinnh/y s/ieartli
" That tile fift day of Octr. in the N'ear u'. our Lord, 17S;, we, with many
" otheres Petitioned His Kxcellency I'ridrick I laldemaml, Ks(|r., the then Gover-
" nor, and Commander in Chief, for a tract of land Hast of Missis(|uie Hay, for i'.ach
" (jf us there to recive his Portion of land, a]l(<wed by Government for services but
" not Reciveing an Answer to our Petition untill late in the Winter I'allowing, and
"we being Desireous, to Gil in .some way of Liveing again, and to retrive a little
"of our Losses (by Cultivation 1 which we sntTered During the unhajjpy troubles
"in North America which losses were \ery considerable with some of us, and \'erv
" Sorelv Feel'd bv I-'verv ( )ne of us and Your huud)le Petitioners, would not be
i6
Till", CANADIAN I,( )VA LISTS.
" uii(kr the neccssety of Irouhk-iutj you, li;ul they at j)resent what they have lost,
" aii<l were n])lei(e(l to leave in tlie h.iiuls of the I",iieiii\ , since they from the he,L,Mii-
" \u^ of the late troultles in America, adheared to I'ritish ( i<nernment, and joined
''the I'.ritish I'orces in the War 1777, but since, as above mentioned, were de-
" sirous to <;it into some way of livein,i(, we bouj^^ht a tract of land of Mr. Kobert-
" sun of vSt. Johns, and some of us settled thereon Ijefore Ivver his Kxcellence
" iM'idrick Ilaldemand, Ivscjr,, the late Commander in Chief had (iiveii Crders or
" I'ointed out Places for the setlin.t,^ of Loyalists, but so it was, that since soni'j of
"us had setled at the Ikiy of Missiscjuie, and ( )theres Could not move, when the
" orders came out for to setle at the ajjointed Places, by Heasson of Sickness, and
"()tlKre hindrence in their l'"amilies, and all of us ho])eint,r that we should \'et (Vid
" the land in the I'arts we Petitioned for, l)ut .so it was, since we dit not Go, to the
' Place or Places ])ointed at, we were struck off the Provisions list, j)art of us since
"the 24th of May last, the Otheres at Different times After, but all of us since the
" 24th Octr. last. Wherefore we most Humbly be;,' your Kxcellence in your Clem-
" en("y, and love to N'our P'eflow Men, who have sorely sr.lTered During the late
"Rebellion both in body and I'.state. and Order that the Provision and Othere
" Donations Allowed to Loyalists, by Government, Should be (liven to us from the
"time that IC\ ery one of us, and I'amilics were .struck ofT the Provision list. .\nd
"we humbly bej^ \'our Ivxcellence will Please t(j Conde.send, to favour us with an
" .\nswvr, Withere we Shall ha\e Provision, Or no, for it is our Opinion that all
"loyalists, vSettlin.ii; in the Province of Quebec, are Alowed Provision wethere (jn
" kin.<.,'s land or, not. if within the Province line. Moreover, we humbly be^ to
"inform N'our P.xcellence, that we little Kx])ected, Nithere do we think, that it
" is (".ovenimcnts intention or any Order, from our ^b)st Gracious Kin^, atul his
" Perliment, that all such of his true and faithful! Subjects as Your Petitioners.
" vShould I)e struc off of all beniiefits from Government, as Donation of Provs. and
" Otlu re Tilings, allowed by Govert. Hxcept such and only such, who setle in
" them Perticuhir Places, which Perhapes through the Indication of Selfe intersted
" Gentlemen, has been Put into the head of the late Conmiander in Chief, to Point
"out for Setlin,!.^ of the Loyalists in the province of Ouebec, Furthere more, we
"doubt. Yea we are most sure, that there is some underhanded rJealin,sr with the
" kint^s Provs, by them who have the posts for (riveing Orders for the loyali.sts
" Provs. as for instance at St. Johns. lS:c,, ]•'( r we sent a Petition to Your Excel-
" lence Deer, last, and Never hear'd thereof, Wherefore we l)eir Your I'.xcellence
"will Please to Coiulesend to Derect Your Answer to Chn. \Vehr Lieut Late Royl.
" \'orkers at Missiscjuie Bay. and to the care of 3Ir. .\lexr. Taylor at St. Johns, and
"if Your Lxcellence will most Graciously Please to Grant us our Petition. Your
" Petitit)ners as in Duty Ijound vShall F.ver Pray.
(sd) Christian W'l'.iiK, (sd) Jo.s.xmixi) DRt)\v,
" CoNR.vni; I'iiisT, LonwiK Strit, Junr,
'* Christian .'M.wi'.R. J.vcon Tiiom.xs,
" JOHN RriTi:R. i'Hir.ii' Riithr.
Adam I )i:ai.,
John Com:,
LiDwu; Stki;it,
Gi:oRf'.i'; Fkij.i:r.
]Missisc]uie ISay, F'eb. 7th, 17S5.
John \'an \'orst,
JaMIIS Hl-NHI'RSiiN,
Ai,i:xr. Tavi.or,
Till-: CANADIAN LOYALISTS. 17
The naiiifs of •iK)st of the sillers of this i)athetioally iiitli,L;uaiit iiii'iiiorial hear
the earmark of Teutonic origin, althouj^'h some of the expressions have a ilistitic-
tively Hil)eriiian flavor. Dr. JJrymiier says, that anions all the documents relatin)^
to Missi.s(|uoi Hay, that memorial is the(»nly one which contaitisa list of namesand
adds : " Nearly all of whom, I am aware, fought diirinj^f the war as loyalists."
The pressinj^ ini])ortance of the matters referred to in the memorial is sufVicieiil to
warrant the presum])tion, that all the ])eo])le there at that time, atlixid their sii,nia-
tures. The untenable possession of these Loyalists, as shown by their memorial,
does not justify a claim at this time of a t'eneral sfille!;!<.!'.t , !'.or W!r5:i;;l the |He-
tension that their temj)or;iry sojourn in a seij.,'niory, l)y itself, estahlislus an earlv
settlements as \'. I",. J.oyali.^ts in the Townshijjs of this District.
Of the si.ijners of that memorial a few Ciin he found amon,if the Assoi"'-.'.cs, for
instance, Adam Deal, I.udwij.,' Streit and I'hili]) Kuiter in Dunhr.m in 1796; the
same Adam Deal and also .Mexandtr Taylor and Christian Wehr in Sutton in 1797,
and in the sami" year, Thili]) Ruiter in Totton. 'i'here were other Ruitirs of the
same stock and class amonf.j the Associates in Dunham, I'otton and Stanhrid^^n-, as
well as six children of John Ruiter in Roxlon. The Ruitirs seem to have ])ros-
pered despite the drawback of havin,ij owned lands in Roxton.
The early settlements in .Missiscpioi and Hrome Counties ran alonj.; in-arl\ the
same lines, at about the same dates, and an;c::t^ nuich the same class of settlers,
but it was different in the County of Shetford.
The Townshij) of I'arnham, east and west ])arts, and the Townshi]) (jf liroue
were within the limits of vShefford County until disconnected in the '50's on the
formation of I'ronie Count)- at the ex])ense of Stanstead, ShefTord .and }.Iissis(iuoi
Counties. After prior survey, the Townshii)s of the County of Shetford were
created as follows : Stukely in iS;x); ShefTord in iSoi, Kly in iSc)2, and draubv,
Milton and Roxton in 1S03. The leader of the Associstes in Stukely was Samuel
Willard, an Intluential man in his day, who has still man\- descendants in the
Townships and in the Company of Associates are the well known names of Knowl-
ton, Lawrence, Sargent and I'a.i^e, also well re])resenteil by local de>ceiidants.
The lonjr period which had elapsed between the clo.ie of the war aiui their arrival
indicates that they did not deliberate in haste, nor should the coincidence of a
land ,i;rant be construed as a motive for (|uickened loyalty. The leader iA tlie
Associates of the Township of '-"ly was Amos Lay, jr., a land sur\eyor, who was
i^ranted one-fourth of the Township, much of which passed to his sou, the late Dr.
AmosW. La\, who resided there for many years i)rior to his death. Cov. I'rescott.
in a letter to the home authorities in 179'^, <letailinjf at some length the fraudrdent
schemes to obtain Crown Lands, ai)pears to ai)prove of a moveuu'ut, of which he
,i(ives the copy of an advertisement ])ublished in \'ermont an<l other States, in\ ilin;.^
apjilications for lands in the Townshi|)s. This advertisement was ^iven b\- .\n.os
W. La\-, jr., co-operatinj.; with Capt. Ruiter of Missiscjuoi, to obtain members for
Companies of .Associates. Shortlx jirior to the first settlement in b'.Iy, .1 land sur-
ve\or l'\- the name of Trenholme met a tragic death near what is is now known as
Dalliiij;, in the north ])art of the Townshiji, wlure he was surve\inti- witli a party.
A fire they had kindled in the forest burnt <{i the roots of a tree, which, during
IS
Till-: CANAIMAX I,(»\A LISTS.
llu- nij^lil ftll iipiiii Mild instantly killi'(l Mr. TrtMiholnie. !Ii- was llu- ^r.mdt'ather
of Dr. N. W. Tiviiholnif, of .Montreal, and of Kev. Mrs. I'lsscndtii, of Ilaiuilton,
whose zealons work in creating i;ni])ire l)ay has ^'aine<l well deserved reco>{niti«)n.
There are some indications jiointin^ to a ineniber of the Kuiter family as the
leader of the Associates of tlie 'J'ownshij) of Roxton. There has been no rush to
oht.iin rri'dit for the jiositioii. No one h.is clamored for the honor, or even f(jr
that of first settler, thoiij.jh it has usually been the home of slatesmen. Half a
cintury aj.;o or th.c reahouts, all the jioor land was owned liy the British .\merican
Land Conii)any, from which it niij^hl he inferred that it was ])ractically sole pm-
])rietor. The first settlements were made about 1S34.
Ciranby and Milton were lars^ely {.granted to discharmd soldiers and militia-
men, aliout one hundred of the latter local in j.( in Craiiby, which ni.iy account for
its martial spirit ever since. The descendants of the orij^inal ^iiaiitees of .Milton,
which was not much, if any, settled until about 1S3U. nave disappeared from its
limits.
More local history ])ervades the early settlement of Shefford at the commence-
ment of the century, at least more available local history, than of the other Town-
shi])s of the County.
The leader of the .Vssociates of SheiTord Townshi]) was Cu])i. John Sa\a^e
from the- Iludson or Mohawk \'allc\ of New \'ork, with ^\llonl. as .\ssociates, were
two other b)lin Sava<.jes and a I'eler Sava,i,a', relatives, and the well known names
of Wood, Hayes, Ket/back, Lawrence, Lewis, I!ell, MotTatt, and Mcl'arlamL
b)lin Sava.ue. leader, made his first \isit to Sheff(ird in 1792, ha\in,ir come to
Canada by way of Lake Champlain in 17.S3. Capt. Savajj;e and his Ass(tciates
had a narrow escape from the wiles of land j.rrabbers and ofticials who, by im])os-
\n\f severi' conditions, and coiis])irin,u; with survcxors, usually forced money or land
from Associates or so discoura:.;ed them thai they threw ii]) their a])])lications.
Simon Z. Watson, land surveyor, employed to make the ])rimili\e survey, dis-
covered the attempts to rob Ca])t. .Savaj^e and his .\ssociates without their knowl-
edj^e, and Lhereu])on threw up his job, and made a deposition (.xjjosinjr the tricks,
which he forwarded \.o the ( iovernor-( lem-ral, who, in communicating; it to the
Eni^lish Colonial authorities said : "■ The imbecility sIkiwii in the ])ractical workini^
" of the ])lans of the monojjolists does not lessen the existence of the j)lans them-
" selves." I lad tliese ])lotlers succeeded the settlement of Shefford would ]iroba-
bly havi' bci-ii as long deferred as Hly and Roxton. Whilst the official records
s])eak of Ca])t. Savage and S(|uire .Savage, it is prol)able that both titles belonged
to the same man, one for warlike, and the other for civil distinction. In his
]>etitioii to the (ioverniiieiit in 171^2 for compensation for losses, hv alleged his ser-
vices as an olhcer in a New \'ork Colonial corjxs during the Revolution. His
(luality was acce])ted by the ( Vovernment. Ijut the grant to him later was as an
.\ssociate. In 1 7S3 a rejiort from a fronlier ])ost says : " Wright has returned with
" two brothers .Savage, who have come to look for an asylum for a great number
" of U)yalists, who are determined to leave a country wholly under the direction of
" the op])re.ssors." Cajit. Savage went on from that border jjost to St. Johns. An
ofllcial report from that ])ost on the frmtier said, that the ])eo])le on the American
side ware \ery insulting in their remarks, ])ut in a i)road sjjirit of magnaminity,
ih
\\
tl
b
in
mi
be
int
im
Hi
WC'
ill
Tin, CANAhl AN I.( »\' AI.ISTS.
'9
the <itlic'ial> sjiiil lluy ir^^iiK'ad ii ;■•< iiu nly " tlif mail .'•allits of \ iilj^ar fcols."
whiili iiiiiy iKt have hn-n loo n.\*.rf. 'I'lu m iiu' ( llirial rfporl as to S.iva^'e statts
that MisMs. Ci'Jii])l)tll and Ihiiitiiij^tiii, two luimd lo\ali>ls l.ail arrixiil, t'olli wtd
by a Mr. Wirt, \\l:o <kiiiain'nl ll.cir riliini to I'osion. Mr. Hr,iitiiij,;toii utiiaiiu-d
ill Canada, hut a littlf hittr Cainpliill \\i iit hack with S ivaj^^i- and Ira .\1U-ii to \\r-
monl, to aid in seltlin.n loyalists thin-. ])ursuant to a sidu-nu- of AlKn's, It soon
hfca'iic dear that this was a dod^c of AlKn's to inciti- Con.tjriss to admit W-rnioiit
into thi- I nion. ami lherfUi>on llii-y ahaiiilout d tht- crafty .\lUn, Thr Mr. Hunt-
inijtoii rc'fcrrcMl to was ]irohahly ;i relative, or ancestor, of iIk- late lion. Lucius vSeth
lluntinj.'ton, who reprcsfiittMl ;'litft'ord for so many yt-ars in rarlianuiit. It was
wi'll known that he was of T. I-",. I oyalist stocl;, thonjdi it liad not hecome a hal)it
in his day to hoast oi it osteiit.tt'i)Usly.
The early histo; y of SliilTord Townsliij) is the history of the Sa\a;,'e familv.
It was the dominant family in its e.irly settU'menl. and e\en u]> to the middle of
the century, hut (jidy a few are now left there. Tluy wert' of Hutch descent,
Ihougli the name creates a difticuU\ . it may have heeii .\niericani/.e<l and toned
down from a Dutch name, as have the Churches and I'ickels of I)unham, who in
the Dutch dialeit were resj)ecti\ely Schnrz and I'uyckel, or sonu-thin.i.; like. It h.is
als(. been said that in an early day an Irisliman named Savage married a Dutch
.nirl in the Dutch settlements of New N'ork, and hence the name, 'i'liis does m^^
seem unreasonable when we consider tlu' not unremarkable ]»ro])i'nsity of Irisiniien
to coiinnil matrimony, and the facility with which the Dutch absorb the assimi-
lated races. I'.ut all this may be left to a future historian of Shel'ford or of the Sav-
age family.
In the uf'e c,i the leim. " Marly Seltkrs." in this pa])er. its meanin.y is]<ro]ierly
restricted to tliost.' who receixed free grants of land from the Crown, llowevi-r
commendable may lia\e bi en tb.e enter] iHse and virtues of those who " bouj..;lit in," so
tos])eak, thex' ha\e no s])ei'ial claim for consideration on the score of loyah\ bevd'.d
earlier, or even later settlers. Nor can it reas(jnably lie assumed tliat. because a
few Lo\alists strayed from tlie ]»lace where the C.overnment had located them, and
subse(juentl\- ac(|uired lands in tlie 'i'ownshi]is as Associates, or by ])urc]iasi-. a
claim of j^eneral settlement by I'. I',. Loyalists in any loi-ality can be justified or
su])]M)rte(L It is not, however, disireditable t<j those old I'. 1',. Loyalists that so
man\' in our dav are eager to idaim desi'enl from tliiin. It is an «. xcellent testi-
monial of their worth. It a])]iears to be akin to tlie claim of Puritan descent in
New I'',nj.(land. (<r Xormau descent in ( )M I',n;.;land. and exposed to the same scofTs
and sus])icions on the part of tho.se not oi the Idood.
but when one casts a retros])ective 5.;lance over tin- history of the settlement
and develo],nu nt of this District, anil of its first settlers and their .successors, one
readily sees that a fair ami moderate view is esstutial, and that to discriminate is
impolitic and unjust. The old .Xsscjciates were the true jiioneers, who bej^an the
forest clearinjf e](jch witlunit rel_\ iiij^ ujion (rOVLrnmenl bount\ for provisions (jr
aid. .\nd after tluni, in the 2o's. or about that time there came from New L'.ii.Ldand its
surplus of skilleil mechanics and tradesmen, and even jjrofessional men. wl.o.
2t)
Till'. CANADIAN I,()\A LISTS.
with their triiiiu <! skill ami lai^rr tiu-aiis, plaiHMl thiir httk' sh«)])S ami ttiills an<l
hir.inlJrii N ami taiim rifs oii t-vi-rs roiuiniciit watir pnvvrr am! tl\iTi'hy aidiil in i'\.
irii(liii),' Ihr l;(i()i1 work hi-^aii hy thoM' ohl Assoi-iatis. Is it imt larLii'ly from llu-
(U'sc'iinlaiits of that lati-r class that have coiiu' tlu- men whosi- hiisim-ss fiij)aiMty
aiifl tiitirprisi- have done so mmh to Itiiihl n]» thtsf Masti-rn Townships. Norwil]
il hi- for^^ottcn that throiii^h all tlu- years, pcopk' of othiT races, and ]ico])h' fidni
the ohi worM have lilterifl into lluse Townships, assiniilateil with tlu- older stocks,
•iml aided in ad\ancin.u its pmsjierily. Ili-nct', the wisdom or exjiediency of nn-
dnly e\altini,r (Hie (-lass more than another is (piestioiiahle, thon^h, as an abstract
historical (|m'siion there ma\ he. and ari-, j^ood reasons for jndicions investij^ation.
I'.ut, ho\\e\er, lhisnia\ he, we cannot honesiI\ fcirL^el that it is from the fct hli-, re-
mote .m<l siattiTcd ^ettletnents wldi-h those hanh pioneers created ahout a ct'iiliiry
I'^o, I'.i.it have come material ])ros])erit\ . and the comforts of civilization, whicli
we, (
)f thi
s lieneratton. so
fnll
\ ])ossess and eiiji
We should treasnre with honest
a])preciation tin- mi'morii-s of those rohnst mi-n of the olden time, who diij so much
nuiler adverse conditions .and tr\ iny; circumstances to huild up oin country s> i tli.il
life for us is iiiou' tolerahle, ami the future full of emdin;iu;eiiient. It is to he re-
j.;retted that the i>id\ ])hase of thi- personal life of those early pioneers can onl\- he
j.;athen.d from di\ oflii'ial records, di'.dini.; with the wants .and conditions of
materi.d esistt'iice. No historian recorded their .ids. nor jxiet portrayed tlieir
.sentiments in verse.