A Bit of Background

After several earlier skirmishes around the Great Lakes and the Mississippi valley, the British declared war against the French in 1756 to determine who would control North America. This war was called the French and Indian War. There were several inconclusive battles until the British laid siege to Quebec from June 27th until September 18th 1759.  Wolfe defeated Montcalm at the Plains of Abraham and the French surrendered their garrison in the city. This was the turning point of the war, with an eventual British victory all but certain. If you are interested, a summary of the French & Indian War see: http://www.philaprintshop.com/frchintx.html

After the French and Indian War, the French military was gone from most of North America and the British controlled all of what is now Canada and the east coast of what is now the United States. Almost all the non-military residents of Canada were French-speaking.

In 1776 the American Revolution began. It ended when the treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed forcing the British out of the United States. Canada was a French-speaking country which the British desperately wanted to populate with English-speaking people.

The most convenient source of English-speaking people was the large group of people in the United States who wished to remain under British rule. Many came to Canada during the Revolution but many remained in the United States under arrest for being British sympathizers at the least or for treason at the worst because of their loyalty to the British Crown. Eventually many of these were released or escaped and made their way to several countries under British rule, including Canada.

What is a United Empire Loyalist?

The British Governor in Canada, Sir Guy Carleton, wished to recognize former British military men who had remained loyal to the Crown and who had come to Canada. He decided to establish a "Loyalist List" and to reward each man, and his immediate descendants, with at least 200 acres of land. As 40,000 to 50,000 people emigrated to Canada from the U.S.A. after the revolution, this greatly increased the number of English-speaking people in Canada.

The people whose names appeared on Carleton's List were denoted "United Empire Loyalists". Today, they can be identified by being named on one of several of the lists that survive or by having had their land petition granted and being noted as "U.E.L." on their grant document or by receiving their land at no cost. All of the land grant documents survive.

I have discovered that I have four direct ancestors who are either (or both) on a list or have received a land grant containing the "U.E.L." notation. They are: Joseph Hanes (b. 1726), Benjamin Kilborn (b. 1728), Asahel Wright (b. 1754), and Joseph White (b. 1734).

The U.E. Certificates for each are can be seen from these links: Joseph Hanes, Benjamin Kilborn, Asahel Wright, Joseph White

Follow the links below to see some biographical info about each UEL ancestor and the lines of descent over 7 or 8 generations: