United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada
The United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada (UELAC) is an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians through knowledge of the past, in particular the history of the United Empire Loyalists and their contribution to the development of Canada.
We are the Hamilton, Ontario branch of that association.
News
Our news page is where you can find the latest articles of interest. Here are some recent ones:
| HIs Majesty King Charles III Commemorates Our Flag’s 60th Anniversary | Posted February 15, 2025 |
| Our Genealogist Michele Lewis Has Been Awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal | Posted January 13, 2025 |
| Three Rivers Called Home — A book by Vicki Holmes | Posted December 3, 2024 |
| A Tribute to David Hill Kanowakeron Morrison UE (1954 – 2024) | Posted November 29, 2024 |
| Hamilton Branch Newsletters Are Now Online | Posted February 9, 2024 |
| Read the Stories of Our Loyalist Ancestors | Posted December 15, 2023 |
Monthly Meetings
| WHERE | All Hamilton Branch monthly meetings (excluding the Christmas luncheon) are held at St. Matthew on-the-Plains Anglican Church 126 Plains Road East Burlington |
| WHEN | The third Thursday of February, March, April, October, and November Monthly meetings start at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome! |
| HOW | We conduct meetings in-person and hybrid for remote attendance. |
| SPEAKERS | See the complete list of upcoming speakers |
Upcoming Meetings
Monthly Meeting — February 20, 2025
Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Jane Errington
Topic: Loyalist Women Grappling with the Revolution
Dr. Elizabeth Jane Errington teaches the history of colonial North America at Queens University. Dr. Errington explores issues of identity and the creation and development of colonial societies. She has written 3 award winning books and is currently working on two projects: a study of church and charity in the first half of the 19th century; and a study of the making of the Royal Military College. Dr. Errington is also professor emeriti at the Royal Military College of Canada.
Dr. Errington will be joining us virtually by Zoom.
Past Meetings
Christmas Luncheon — December 14, 2024 at 11:30 am
St. Andrew’s Anglican Church Parish Hall
7 St. Andrew’s Avenue
Grimsby
Please join us for lunch at 12 noon. This is a catered, buffet, roast turkey meal.The cost is $30.00 per person.
After lunch, we can wander the church’s cemetery where thirteen Loyalists rest or we can tour the interior of the church. Catharine Bingle-Gonnsen, co-president and chair of this event has prepared a list of the names of the Loyalists in the cemetery. She also has a book called “St. Andrews from Generation to Generation” for sale for $10.00; on Amazon it is $149.95.
After that, we’ll visit the the “Stone Shop,” the Allan Nixon Jr. UE Blacksmith Shop, for a tour with owner, Brent Saigeon. This is now a private museum and is located at 269 Main Street West in Grimsby.
Monthly Meeting — November 21, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Zig Misiak
Topic: Polish Patriots at Niagara-on-the-Lake During the World Wars
Zig Misiak is a highly respected, multi award-winning Canadian author. He is the creator of grass-roots, trusted, and enriched First Nations, Métis, and Inuit educational resources, supporting school curriculum. Through Canadian Author Education, Zig provides teacher and student workshops,
online presentations, public speaking, and one-on-one mentoring for schools across Canada.
Bio credit: https://www.canadianauthoreducation.com/
Photo credit: https://www.canadianauthoreducation.com/contactzig
Monthly Meeting — Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Jean Rae Baxter
Topic: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic — Early Schools
Jean Rae Baxter was born in Toronto and grew up in Hamilton, but “down home” was the region of Essex and Kent Counties on the north shore of Lake Erie where her ancestors had settled. There were many family stories to awaken her interest in Canada’s past, and frequently, in these stories, the lives of settlers were interwoven with those of First Nations people.
After earning her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Toronto and a B.Ed degree from Queen’s, she lived for many years in the Kingston area, where her interest in Loyalist history led her to find out more about such figures as the Rev’d John Stuart, Sir William Johnson, and Molly Brant. Her career as a teacher began in Lennox & Addington County, Loyalist country twenty miles west of Kingston. While teaching at Napanee District Secondary School, she helped to develop Language Arts Curriculum in liaison with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (O.I.S.E.).
Following her career in education, she returned to Hamilton and became a full-time author. As well as writing novels and short stories, she was a member of the committee that organizes Hamilton’s Lit Live Reading Series and also served as Co-chair of the Literary Advisory Committee, Hamilton Arts Council. In 2016 she returned to Kingston, where she now lives and writes.
Bio credit: http://www.jeanraebaxter.ca
Photo credit: http://www.jeanraebaxter.ca/start_files/DSC_5785.jpg
United Empire Loyalist Day — Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at 11:00 am
Speaker: Robin McKee
Topic: The Debate — Who was first to the area, the Beasleys, the Lands or the Mills?
Robin McKee is passionate about Canadian history, and especially Hamilton’s history. He is a graduate of both McMaster University, with a BA in History, and Mohawk College, with a certificate in Broadcast Television. He has also completed the Ontario Museum Association certificate courses and is a qualified museum worker. Robin has lived in Hamilton since 1971 and has worked at CHCH-TV as an on-air audio man.
Robin began his active journey in history at Ruthven Park, Cayuga. In 1992, he was a founding member of the Lower Grand River Land Trust, Inc., which was successful in acquiring the property. He set up the archives, researched the Thompson family, and sat on the board for 7 years. He was Haldimand’s LACAC Chairman for 6 years and serves on Hamilton’s LACAC (the Municipal Heritage Committee). He is also President of the Hamilton Mountain Heritage Society. Robin is a member of the Head of the Lake Historical Society, the Mountain Heritage Society, the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO-Hamilton), and the Beach Lighthouse Group. He also serves on the Hamilton Historical Board, Doors Open Hamilton, and Community Heritage Ontario (CHO).
Bio and photo credit: https://hamiltonhistory.ca/meet-robin-mckee/
Monthly Meeting — Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Mike McDonnell
Topic: Canadians in the American Civil War
Mike McDonnell, a retired police officer and published historian, was born and raised in Burlington but has lived in Norfolk County most of his life. His interest in the American Civil War goes back to the age of ten or twelve when he read an article in National Geographic magazine about the Battle of Gettysburg. After seeing the classic fold-out maps accompanying that article, Mike was hooked. He still has that same magazine.
Besides being a member of the Toronto Civil War Round Table, he belongs to the Friends of Gettysburg (a group dedicated to preserving that battlefield) and does volunteer work there with the National Park Service.
Monthly Meeting — Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Nathan Tidridge MSM FRCGS
Topic: Canada’s King — Charles III and Reconciliation
Nathan Tidridge is a teacher at Waterdown District High School teaching Civics, Treaty Studies, as well as Canadian and World History.
Nathan has authored six books, chapters, and many articles exploring the Crown in Canada, including its relationships with Indigenous Peoples, as well as Canadian identity and local history. He has been published in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Maclean’s Magazine, The Public Policy & Governance Review and appeared on a number of television and radio programs.
Nathan is vice president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada, advisor to the Prince’s Charities Canada/Prince’s Trust Canada and a Keeper of the Chapel Royal Tobacco Beds. You can learn more here.
Annual General Meeting — Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Speaker: Paul Warner UE
Topic: The Life of a Loyalist in Vermont
Did you know that Vermont was a self-declared independent republic from 1777 to 1791, that it was not part of the so-called United States of America? Did you know that there were negotiations that, had they been successful, would have made Vermont our eleventh province?
The life of a Loyalist in Vermont was unlike that of a Loyalist anywhere else in the colonies. We’re going to hear the story of Colonel Samuel Wells and his family, as a starting point for understanding what it was like to be a Loyalist in the Vermont Republic.
In an earlier life, Paul was a mining company executive and consultant whose career took him to live in seven countries and to work in many more. Now, in retirement, much of his work is as a family historian, and he’s been blessed with some interesting history to work with. His paternal ancestors played a central role in building what is now the Beaches district of Toronto. His maternal ancestors include both Loyalists and so-called “Patriots,” and he’s related by marriage to the famous feuding Hatfields and McCoys.
Please join us in person or by the Zoom link that will be sent out closer to the date of our meeting. Please contact Pat Blackburn if you don’t receive it.