United Empire Loyalists

Our speaker this week was Rick Wood, who spent the past several months gathering information and records to prove his connection to an ancestor who was a United Empire Loyalist. Loyalists were people who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War. 

Rick presented a timeline of events surrounding the war. He spoke about several leaders of the Loyalists, including Butler and his Rangers and Brant and his Volunteers. We also learned about when many of the Loyalists left the colonies and where they went.

Rick discussed the certificate application process and provided examples of the primary sources that he used for his proof, including probate and land records. Several websites were suggested for anyone who might want to attempt a similar project.

Thanks, Rick, for an educational as well as entertaining presentation!