marks FREE genealogy records.|
| Your link to the past since February 1996! Search for your ancestors in free Ships' Passenger lists, Naturalization Records, Palatine Genealogy, Canadian Genealogy, American Genealogy, Native American Genealogy, Huguenots, Mennonites, Almshouse Records, Orphan Records, church records, military muster rolls, census records, land records and more. marks FREE genealogy records. |
|
Follow Olive Tree Genealogy
Olive Tree Genealogy was chosen by Family Tree Magazine as one of the 101 Best Genealogy Websites 2017! Check out the Genealogy Books written by Olive Tree Genealogy! |
 
Death Finds a Way: A Janie Riley Mystery by Lorine McGinnis Schulze
Janie Riley is an avid genealogist with a habit of stumbling on to dead bodies. She and her husband head to Salt Lake City Utah to research Janie's elusive 4th great-grandmother. But her search into the past leads her to a dark secret. Can she solve the mysteries of the past and the present before disaster strikes? Available now on Amazon.com and and Amazon.ca |
Organize Your Genealogy in Evernote in 10 Easy Steps is a must have!
|
|
Try an Ancestry.com Free Trial and Ancestry.ca Free Trial Genealogy Mystery Book! Death Finds a Way: A Janie Riley Mystery by Lorine McGinnis Schulze Janie Riley is an avid genealogist with a habit of stumbling on to dead bodies. She and her husband head to Salt Lake City Utah to research Janie's elusive 4th great-grandmother. But her search into the past leads her to a dark secret. Can she solve the mysteries of the past and the present before disaster strikes? Available now on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca Genealogy NewsletterJOIN the FREE Olive Tree Genealogy Newsletter. Be the first to know of genealogy events and freebies. Find out when new genealogy databases are put online. Get tips for finding your elusive brick-wall ancestor.
Share With OthersShare with other genealogists! Tweet this page! Tweet
Search OliveTreeGenealogy
Search Fold3 |
Loyalist Genealogy
Loyalist Overview
When the American Revolution started in 1775, many Loyalists were
harassed socially and politically. Many were expelled from their land and
their property was seized. The first trickle of Loyalists into Canada
was in March 1776 when 1 000 people fled Boston and accompanied the
British Army as it retreated before the American forces. During the next
six years, Loyalists by the thousands crossed the border to
land allocated in Nova Scotia.
In 1782 when the Revolution ended, Canada had two colonies:
Quebec and Nova Scotia. About 10,000 Loyalists went to Quebec, the rest
to Nova Scotia. Those who settled in Quebec ran into problems with the
French feudal system of land ownership and agitated for the creation of an English-speaking province. As a result, the Quebec colony was divided into Upper and Lower Canada in 1791. Loyalists came overland to the Niagara Peninsula in the new area of Upper Canada.
Although there were exceptions, Loyalist settlement in Ontario
in 1784 was mostly by discharged servicemen from Ranger Units who
settled in roughly the following pattern, going from east to west along
the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario:
By 1784, Loyalists could return to the U.S.A. without fear of
persecution or physical assault, and many did. Those who stayed
in Canada were granted land under the following conditions:
Lots were drawn for locations and when the land had been
occupied for a year, the Loyalist received a permanent deed. In 1789, it
was decided that sons would receive 200 acres when they became 21 and
daughters the same, except they would receive the grant upon marriage if
not yet 21. The United Empire Loyalists were the first settlers to take
up land for homes in Lincoln and Welland Counties. There were other
people on the Niagara Peninsula before the Loyalists but they were not
permanent land-holders and only wanted to trade with the Indians.
Butler's Rangers, a company of UE Loyalists, came to Niagara in
1784 and began to build homes on land granted to them by the government.
By 8 May 1784, an official survey showed that 46 families had settled
and built 44 houses and 20 barns. Isaac Van Valkenburg, aka Vollick, my
5th great-grandfather, was one of these settlers under the command of
Colonel Butler. Colonel Arent Schyler DePeyster succeeded in command at
Niagara and received instructions to disband the Rangers in March of
1784. .He was to settle as many of Col. Butler's Rangers as possible "on
the tract of Land opposite to Niagara...and the rest at the Head of Lake
Ontario, towards the Grand River". Lots were to be numbered and drawn
to prevent jealousy, and officers and men had to sign up if they
wished to settle there. Lots were to be given only to those willing to
cultivate them and Rangers were allowed to occupy their barracks until
lots were assigned, with rations provided from the day of being
disbanded. Rations were allotted as one per person over 10 years of age,
and 1/2 for those under 10.
They consisted of:
This was the total per day. Any not wishing to settle at Niagara
were to be sent to Quebec or Cataraqui [now Kingston, Ontario]. Many
settlers were unhappy with the proposal that they become tenants of the
Crown with rented land and signed the list to cultivate Crown Lands
slowly, as indicated in a letter from Col. DePeyster in June of 1784. He
states that there are only about 100 names on the list and that about
70 of the settlers who had refused to sign "went off without leave with
the intent never to return". Thirty went to Montreal with DePeyster's
permission.
On 21 July 1784, a List of Subscribers was sent to Haldimand.
Isaac Vollick's name is on this list, along with his wife and 6 children. By 24 June 1784, the troops were disbanded, and victualling lists were to be kept. Isaac Vollock, his wife and 5 children, Derrick Hayner, wife
[Hannah Vollock] and 2 children, Benjamin Crumb [who later married Sarah Vollock], Christian Bradt and wife [Elizabeth Vollick], and Adrian Bradt and wife [Sophia Vollick] are all listed as victualled at Niagara of
Murray's District, 14 December 1786. Murray's District is believed to be the area now known as St. Catharines, including Grantham and Louth Townships.
During the winters of the American Revolution, Butler, Joseph
Brant and other commanders had wintered at Niagara, from where they
could send many expeditions against the Americans. After the war, land
was first settled along the old French Road leading around Niagara
Falls, then along the shores of Lakes Ontario and Erie and on river
banks. Gradually, as roads were extended inland, settlers took up this
land and made homes. Many of the refugees who settled in Lincoln and
Welland in 1784, endured many hardships. They had to make their way through hundreds of miles of forest. Those who received land erected simple
log homes which took no more than one or two days to build. Many
settlers dressed in buckskin for lack of other clothing. Women
wove cloth to make their clothing. In 1787, due to poor crops,
the settlers endured a year of hunger where they were forced to live on
anything that could be eaten: buds of trees, plants, fish and wheat
bran, made into a tasteless bread.
During the summer of 1787, the Loyalists' evidence for claims of
losses during the Revolution, began to be heard. In August, many
Loyalists who had settled near Niagara went to Montreal to appear before
the Commissioners.
In 1788, Upper or Western Canada was divided into four new
districts. In 1795, Newark (now Niagara on the Lake) was made the capital of Upper Canada. When
Fort Niagara across the river was surrendered to the Americans in 1796, the
capital was shifted to York. In 1798, Upper Canada was again divided into
8 districts of 23 counties and 158 townships. Lincoln County consisted of 4
ridings: the townships in the first were Clinton, Grimsby, Saltfleet, Barton, Ancaster,
Glanford, Binbrook, Gainsborough and Caistor. In the second were Niagara,
Grantham and Louth. In the third were Stamford, Thorold and Pelham. The fourth comprised Bertie, Willoughby, Crowland, Humberstone and Wainfleet.
Cornelius Vollick OIC 25 May 1793
This OIC date provides us with important clues. We can estimate Cornelius' date of birth as 1772 since he would have received his land at age 21. It is more difficult with daughters since we don't know whether the OIC date is a marriage date or a 21st birthday. However the OIC date still provides clues for estimated birth dates.
|
URL: http://olivetreegenealogy.com/
All rights reserved
Copyright © 1996-present
Contact Lorine at |
