You Don’t Have To Be Canadian To Be A Certified U.E.

I am applying for my U.E. certification this week, and with Kathryn Lake‘s help, I will have my certificate in September, she is our branch genealogist. I was going to wait until after my visit to Brock University and The Friends Of The Loyalist Collection in July, but I am sure I have enough sources to prove my loyalist ancestry from Joseph Haines Sr. U.E.L. and his son, Nathaniel Haines U.E.L.. Anything I find when I go to the Niagara region in the summer will be for my research. I am going to get more information about my Doan ancestors while I’m there as well as information about my husband’s family in case he wants to get his certification in the future. His 4th great-grandfather, Myndert Bradt U.E.L. fought with Butler’s Rangers in the Revolutionary War and the Lincoln Militia in the War of 1812. I’d like to find out what battle he died in.

The United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada was created to unite all of the different Loyalist organizations in the country almost a century ago. With the emigration of the descendants of United Empire Loyalists to all corners of the earth, and the growing interest in genealogy I am sure that as people discover their loyalist ancestry there will be a rise in the membership of the UELAC and increased certification around the world. If you don’t live in Canada, you can join the branch closest to where your loyalist ancestors settled and you will receive the branch newsletters and the Loyalist Gazette. You can submit articles to share about your ancestors to the branch newsletter, the UELAC weekly e-newsletter, Loyalist Trails, and the Loyalist Gazette magazine. You can subscribe to the Loyalist Trails and Loyalist Gazette worldwide without membership in the UELAC.

The UELAC came into being with a Federal Charter, passed by Parliament on May 27th, 1914.

The one hundred and thirty years since the Treaty of Separation had seen the growth of a nation, from sea to sea, and a great scattering of the Loyalists descendants. The length and breadth of the new country made it difficult to unite the Loyalist descendants in the common cause of keeping the Loyalist history alive and telling it to their countrymen and to the world. In 1913, the various provincial societies met in Toronto to discuss their future. Col. George A.S. Ryerson strongly advised the delegates that the best solution rested in uniting local and provincial societies into a Dominion of Canada association.

The Purpose of the Association as specified under the Charter was stated:

1. to unite together irrespective of creed or political party the descendants of those families who during the American War 1775 to 1783 sacrificed their homes in retaining their loyalty to the British Crown, and to perpetuate their spirit of loyalty to the Empire.
2. to preserve the history and traditions of that important epoch in Canadian history by rescuing from oblivion the history and traditions of the Loyalist families before it is too late.
3. to collect together in a suitable place the portraits, relics and documents relating to the United Empire Loyalists which are now scattered throughout the Dominion.
4. to publish a historical and genealogical journal, or annual transactions.

Any one in the world can become a member of the UELAC, and any descendant of a United Empire Loyalist, regardless of where they are living, can apply for U.E. certification.

For those who believe they have Loyalist ancestry, you have the option of proving that ancestry. Once a member, work with the Branch genealogist to verify that your ancestor was a Loyalist and collect the genealogical proofs between yourself and that Loyalist. The genealogist will provide direction and guidance. However, being a volunteer like the rest of us, the branch genealogist generally is not free to do the research. You can then submit a certificate application form, available from the branch genealogist, with proofs and a fee to our Dominion Genealogist for review. If all is in order, you will receive a certificate attesting to your Loyalist ancestry.
We have members in several countries, with most of those outside Canada residing in the USA. Some of these members have proved their Loyalist ancestry; others have joined because of an interest in all aspects of the Revolutionary War/Loyalist era. It is intriguing that quite a number of members both in Canada and in other countries have proven ancestors who were Loyalists and others who were Patriots. We can’t do anything about the ancestors we have inherited, so why not celebrate them all.

Maybe next year I’ll apply for certification with the DAR!

Ancestral Notes by Earline Hines Bradt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License.

Filed under: UELAC, UELAC certification, UELAC membership

Loyalist Trails: Loyalist Blogs And Websites

The United Empire Loyalist Assn. of Canada is encouraging Canadians to learn more about the men and women who made this country what it is today. Ontario might well have been just another state if it weren’t for the bravery of the United Empire Loyalists who fought in the Revolutionary War, and their descendants, who in the War of 1812, protected what their parents and grandparents had suffered so much to achieve in their new country.

I was reading my weekly newsletter from the UELAC, Loyalist Trails, April 25/10, and the article The Tech Side: Publishing your Research – Websites and Blogs, by Wayne Scott particularly interested me. Since I am interested in the Loyalists, and blogging, I am hoping that this article will get more people with Loyalist heritage blogging about their research about their ancestors and the sacrifices they made. He starts the article with the pros and cons of having your family history published in a book or ebook format as opposed to having a website or blog:

Publishing a hard copy of your research can be quite gratifying, however, there are limitations to this form of publishing. Once information is committed to paper, it requires a re-write to edit or add new information, whereas with publishing electronically, information can be amended quickly. However, the process of updating pdf copies at download sites, or in the hands of relatives, is not instantaneous. Websites and blogs (web logs) can be a viable alternative.

The author then goes on to tell readers the advantages of having a website or blog and he suggests visiting Cindi’s List for information about setting up a free site or blog . He also points out the advantages and disadvantages of having a free site vs a paid site. Wayne Scott winds up his article with advice on setting up a blog and a few of the different blogging platforms. I am hoping that more than a few of the “Loyalist Trails” readers will be encouraged to start their own blogs and share their own Loyalist family history.

To read Loyalist Trails Newsletter Archives
To subscribe to Loyalist Trails Newsletter


Ancestral Notes by Earline Hines Bradt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Canada License.

Filed under: Loyalist blogs, Loyalist Trails newsletter, UELAC