Genealogy Forum NEWS
December, 1998
NEW BRUNSWICK SIG
New Brunswick Chat News
This is a periodic publication. Check with GFS Joe for details of an e-mail subscription to this newsletter.
Friends and those I hope will be friends; The New Brunswick Genealogical chat is held weekly on Sunday evening at 8 PM EST. Please feel free to join us.
Webmaster's Note: Chat schedules are presented for historical information only. The Genealogy Forum no longer hosts chats.
New Brunswick SIG, N.B. Chat room: Hosts GFS Acadian, GFS Joe, GFS Chuck. Directions; KEYWORD Roots > Resource Center > Regions of the World > Canadian Resources > New Brunswick > Chat Room.
RESEARCHERS
Recently I had the opportunity to read an article presented at the beginners chat by GFS NanC. It came to mind that many of us in NB, especially Frenchmen like myself could use a quick course on Loyalists and how they affected our ancestors lives( No offense to you Loyalists):-) So with her permission here it is:
Hi everybody! :) I'm GFS NanC, the Loyalist host....just ignore the weird spelling of my screen name...
The two questions I hear most often in my Loyalist chat are..."What the heck is a Loyalist?" and then, if they haven't run screaming from the room... "So, how do I know if my ancestor was one?" ;-)
Loyalist is the term that is used for the residents of the British North America who sided with the English during the American Revolution. If you're a US citizen, they were (yikes!)....the enemy! Not exactly the kind of thing that you want to run right out and tell Uncle Bud, the ex-marine, that you've discovered about the family!
Nevertheless, it's estimated by some historians that as much as one-third of the population of the Colonies openly supported the British during the Revolution, and there are literally millions of Loyalist descendants in the US and Canada today, not to mention other areas of the world. Benjamin Franklin's son, William, was a Loyalist who spent several years in prison for his beliefs, and George Washington's mother was sympathetic to the British cause. Loyalists were both the rich and the poor, and the white, black and red people of the time. They came from as far north as Nova Scotia and Maine, from as far south as Georgia and Florida and from every colony in between.
There were lots of reasons why people chose to support the English, but whatever their reasons, at the end of the war, many of these people found themselves and their families exiled politically, emotionally and physically from their former friends and neighbors. Often, the land and possessions they had managed to accumulate in the former British colonies were gone, confiscated or plundered by the Americans, and many were lucky to escape with their lives. A large number managed to stay in the newly formed United States of America, but many thousands started their lives anew, clearing the wilderness and becoming the pioneers of the country that today we call Canada, or relocating to England, east or west Florida or the Crown Colonies of Jamaica or the Bahamas.
Researching Loyalist ancestors can be difficult, in part because the records of Colonial times are not as plentiful and complete as we might like. Among the clues to look for that might indicate that your ancestor was a Loyalist are:
Have you heard family stories that your relatives were early pioneers in Canada?
Have you located your relative in pre-Revolutionary records, but then he suddenly seems to "disappear" about the time of the war?
Do you have a child born in the late 1700's to early 1800's in what are now the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island?
Are you aware of a migration pattern within your family that includes Colonial America to Canada, England or the Caribbean and perhaps back to the United States?
Here in the Genealogy Forum, we have some of the best resources available anywhere online to help you in your search for Loyalist ancestors. The Canadian Resource Area (Keyword: roots, then Resources > Regions of the World > Canadian Resource Area) includes a large collection of reference materials to guide you. We also have a weekly Loyalist chat on Monday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern where you can get additional help. And we publish a newsletter twice a month that contains tips, websites to check and other material of interest to anyone researching Loyalist lines.
RuthAnn, thanks for inviting me here this evening!! :D I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone has, either now, or in the future, if you want to email me.
Congres Mondail Acadien: Louisiane 1999
Just a quick reminder to keep this gathering in mind, the website is http://www.cma-la99.com. They may also be reached toll free at (888)526 1999. That is toll free from US and Canada.
It has been a while so let us review a few names being researched
JBRO66 McANIRLIN/McNERLIN, SLOAN(E)
CHINIQUY BOURGEOIS (What else? )
Azor1924 SMITH MITTON KEITH STEEVES RICKERS SOMERS MCKENZIE
Alidgnw COSMAN FRAZEE THORNE GOLDING SCHECK/SHECK
RogerMac98 MCCULLY LEEMAN WILSON
GenKeaton THIBODEAU SAVOIE CYR AYOTTE GELBERT DESROSIER
VAILLANCOURT DUBE NADEAU ALBERT MICHAUD OEUELLET MORNEAU
LANDRY BERGERON PARADIS DIONNE MORNEAU LEBLANC DUGAS
MEBOMBARD McSHANE STEWART REID ROSS
Shwkrp HOWLAND TYLER GRASS PINEO WILLIAMSON NESBITT LARNER
SBBvt LAWLOR MCGOVERN
GGal105792 COMEAU/COMMEAUX
MRS HAS MCLEOD EAGERS STEVENSON
GFS Donna RIVERS FLANNERY SHOREY
JHayden8659 HAYDEN ROGERS
Minikioe DUBE RIOUX GENDRON DESFOSSES BOURQUE
WDKeir KIERSTED/GREY/HATFIELD/SHAW
Where is New Brunswick?
The Province of New Brunswick is located on the east coast of Canada. The province's narrow land border to the east is shared with the Province of Nova Scotia. The Province of Prince Edward Island lies a few kilometers across Northumberland Strait to the east . The Bay of Chaleur and the Province of Québec are located northward, while the international boundary with the state of Maine forms the western border. The Bay of Fundy and Nova Scotia are found south of the province. The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador lies northeast across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Click here to learn more about New Brunswick geography.
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County Time line Coordinator
Albert Bob Sweet Est.1845 from Westmorland Co.
Carleton Olwyn Whitehouse Est.1832 from York Co.
Charlotte Rick Doucette Est.1785, original county
Gloucester Irene Doyle Est.1826 from Northumberland Co.
Kent Bill Morris Est.1826 from Northumberland Co.
Kings Nancy Adams Est.1785, original county
Madawaska Ron Bottomly Est.1873 from Victoria Co.
Northumberland Richard Olsen Est.1785, original county
Queens Cleadie B. Barnett Est.1785, original county
Restigouche Irene Doyle Est.1837 from Gloucester Co.
St. John Adopt Me! Est.1785, original county
Sunbury Cleadie B. Barnett Est.1785, original county
Victoria Ron Bottomly Est.1844 from York Co.
Westmorland Adopt Me! Est.1785, original county
York Judy Stevens Est.1785, original county
NBGenWeb, part of the Canada GenWeb Project, provides Internet genealogy resources to New Brunswickers and others with roots in the province. We run on 100% volunteer power. Please email me if you are interested in volunteering. -- Rick Doucette
EDITORS CLOSING NOTES
I would like to thank all the participants in the New Brunswick chat. It is your attendance and participation that make the chats work, and fun, at the same time. The old timers who have been attending on a regular basis add their expertise and knowledge to that of the hosts and the newcomers add new names that someone will hopefully be looking for. Keep up the good work and for those who have been missing come-on back the water is fine.
I will repeat the invitation for you all to visit the new Canadian resource page. You can get lost in there for weeks and never see the same information twice. A good place to start in the NB GenWeb page at http://www.rootsweb.com/~cannb/
(Link updated 6/19/04)
Have a very good month till you hear from me again.
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Content © 1998 - 2004 GFNEWS, a monthly publication of Golden Gate Services, Inc. of Armada, MI The Editors welcome your ideas and articles, success stories, favorite genealogy research tips, comments and suggestions. The Genealogy Forum is a proud member of the FGS - Federation of Genealogical Societies