Genealogy

Most people who join a Branch of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada do so to confirm their direct lineage to a Loyalist.

Very simply, a Loyalist is someone who:

• Either male or female, as of 19 April 1775, was a resident of the American colonies, and joined the Royal Standard prior to the Treaty of Separation of 1783, or otherwise demonstrated loyalty to the Crown, and settled in territory remaining under the rule of the Crown; or
• a soldier who served in an American Loyalist Regiment and was disbanded in Canada; or
• a member of the Six Nations of either the Grand River or the Bay of Quinte Reserve who is descended from one whose migration was similar to that of other Loyalists.

Many members use the post-nominal letters “UE” after their name, in consequence of Lord Dorchester’s Order in Council in 1789 which states “These Loyalists … and all their children, and their Descendants by either sex, are to be distinguished by the following Capitals affixed to their names U.E., Alluding to their great principle ‘The Unity of the Empire’.”

Some of the Loyalists identified as direct descendants of our members include:

• Appleby, John (Delancy’s Cowboys, New Jersey Volunteers) (Story-Appleby)
• Anguish, Henry (Butler’s Rangers)
• Anguish, Jacob (Indian Department, Butler’s Rangers) (Story-Anguish)
• Boone, William
• Brotherton, Alexander
• Dell, Basnet (Story-DellB)
• Dell, Henry (New Jersey Volunteers) (Story-DellH)
• Eady/Edy, Daniel (King’s Royal Rangers)
• Fairchild, John
• Fountain, Stephen (Queen’s Rangers) (Story-Fountain)
• Haviland, John
• Heney, Archibald (Soldier at Fort Pownall) (Story-HeneyA)
• Heney, Josiah (Story-HeneyJ)
• Keirstead, Isaaih
• Kennedy, William (Queen’s Own Loyal Virginia Regt, Prince of Wales Regt)
• Lawless, John (Story-Lawless)
• Lloyd, Andrew (Royal Fencible American Regiment) (Story-Lloyd)
• Manning, Jacob (Captain Hagamen NY Line)
• Maybee/Mabee, Abraham (Orange County Rangers, Associated Loyalists)
• Maybee/Mabee, Lewis (Butler’s Rangers)
• McGinnis, George
• McGinnis, Sarah (nee Kast)
• McKim, James
• Pendleton, Stephen (King’s Rangers) (Story-Pendleton)
• Perrin, Thomas (5th Regt, Lincoln Militia)
• Perry, Samuel
• Petrie, Joseph (Butler’s Rangers)
• Riselay, Christian
• Secord, Daniel (Indian Department, Butler’s Rangers)
• Sipes, Jacob (Butler’s Rangers)
• Sleighter, John (Barton’s Regiment)
• Stover, Jonathan (Story-Stover)
• Stuart, William (Story-Stuart)
• Swayze Sr., Caleb
• Windecker, Henry/Hendrick (Butler’s Rangers)
• Wintermute, Philip (Butler’s Rangers)
• Weaver, Francis
• Wright, Robert
• Young, Adam (Butler’s Rangers) (Story-Young)
• Young, Daniel (Indian Department, Butler’s Rangers)

You can view the entire directory of Loyalist names at the UELAC.org website here.

Our Branch Genealogist and other members would be pleased to assist in detailing your family history, and we have a number of books and resources that you can use to further your research into your family tree.