Chloe Cooley, Adam William Vrooman, and My Family Tree

I've written a few times about my Van Every ancestors ties to slavery.

• The Labors of Hercules
• Myndert Frederickse and Hercules
• The Labors of Jurden, Negro Servant
• Following the Citations

I am back again with their ties to another slave. A historical one, that many Canadian schoolchildren might have been able to tell me about ten years ago if they read my posts.

Who was Chloe Cooley?

Chloe Cooley was a young black woman held as a slave in Fort Erie and Queenston, Upper Canada in the late 1700s, as the area was being settled by Loyalists from the United States. Her owner forced her into a boat to sell her in 1793 across the Niagara River in the United States.

This incident was observed by several witnesses, who petitioned the Executive Council of Upper Canada. Although charges were dropped against Cooley's owner, the incident is believed to have led to passage of the Act Against Slavery, 1793, in Upper Canada. It prevented slaves from being imported into the province and provided for gradual abolition of slavery within a generation among those held there. 

Who was the Loyalist owner? Adam Vrooman. (Some sources give his name as William)

Source (Wikipedia entry)

About 1784 Adam Vrooman and my ancestor, McGregory Van Every likely shared a lot. 

Source: Niagara Historical Society Publication Number 27.

Geo Vanevery is almost certainly McGregory. No known son or close kin of McGregory was named George. McGregory is listed as one of the original 1782 settlers in the First Census of Niagara, 25th of August, 1782. 

In that census there was one male slave, belonging to Thomas McMicken. That slave had been incorrectly assigned to McGregory by some researchers, which I clarified in Following the Citations in 2012. Vrooman isn’t in the original census, so he arrived between 1782 and 1784. 

Why would Adam Vrooman and McGregory Vanevery share a lot?

Good question. I have a couple possible answers. 

1) They were cousins. Or at least the families were close.

Looking at my family tree, it suggested a Sara Meyndertse married a Jacob Vrooman in the early 1700s. There was no specific date, and no source. It's continually frustrating that I wasn't very good at citing sources in early research. 

Sara appears to be the great-granddaughter of Myndert Fredericksen. McGregory was the great-grandson of Myndert, so second cousins with Sara. His children would have been third cousins with any children of Sara and Jacob.

Wikitree says Adam’s parents were Jacob Vrooman and Rachel Van Woert. And that Jacob and Rachel were married in 1743. 

Wikitree has no definite spouse of Sara Meyndertse, but questions whether she married Jacob Vrooman. If you look at the entry, you will see I added her entry in 2011. Since then someone has questioned her spouse. Did I make a mistake? 

FamilySearch agrees with me, as does Ancestry, and they both cite New York Marriages, 1686-1980 for a 1742 marriage. So I have now added that as a source. 

So there is a possibility there was a brief marriage between Sara and Jacob Vrooman, and that Jacob's children, including Adam, were not actually DNA cousins with my ancestors, though the families may have remained close. There is also a possibility there were two Adam Vroomans, marrying separate women.

2) There are also suggestions that Abigail VanEvery, daughter of McGregory married either a Peter Vrooman or an Isaac Vrooman. There are also suggestions that this Vrooman spouse died in 1782 in New York. I am not certain what Abigail and a possible child did at that time, but joining her father in Niagara is certainly a possibility. Possibly along with some Vrooman kin. 

Back to the events of 1793. 

There was growing sentiment in Canada to free slaves, and owners were deciding to sell before being forced to free. Vrooman arranged a sale across the Niagara River in New York. Cooley fought back. 

Vrooman beat Cooley, tied her up and forced her into a small boat, aided by two other men. (Wikipedia entry above)

Who were the two other men? 

Adam’s brother, Isaac, and one of the sons of McGregory Van Every. (Canadian Encyclopedia)

[Another Isaac]

Which son of McGregory? Every source I can find refers to the third individual in the same format. I suspect there is no document that specifically identifies him

Records suggest, when Adam arrived in Niagara, he had another slave named Tom. Even if Adam was the owner, if the lot was a partnership with my ancestor, and they had familial ties, my ancestor likely directly benefitted, and likely approved. McGregory died in 1786, but at least one of his sons was close enough with Adam Vrooman ten years later to provide his assistance in what Canadians call the Chloe Cooley Incident. 

Chloe Cooley received a postage stamp earlier this year. 

Note: There are no known images of Cooley, so all images are artistic renderings.

Other resources:

• Historical Marker Database
• Archives of Ontario
• Recognizing the Legacy of Chloe Cooley, Canada Post Magazine, Jan 30, 2023
• National Program of Historical Commemoration

  

Book Review: Dreams in the Mist

Several months ago I discovered Dreams in the Mist: Loyalist House Season I by Barbara Nattress

The short novel (156 pages) concerns a woman, Marilee, who after retiring from a teaching career opens a Bed and Breakfast in Niagara with her husband. Marilee starts to have dreams, populated by ghosts, through which we learn what happened in the home during the early 19th century.

I discovered the book in a Google Books search for my Van Every ancestors, who happen to be the ghosts. (Actually, the ghosts aren't my ancestors, but close kin.)

Noticing that it was self-published, I decided to save a few dollars with the Kindle version. I knew I was buying a work of fiction. However, I was hoping to enjoy a story set in a time and location of interest, with some characters closely related to my ancestors. I wasn’t disappointed in that regard.

The initial pages where the protagonist is retiring from her career, and seeking to purchase a B&B, go by slowly. However, when the house is purchased, and Marilee starts to have the dreams, the pace picks up.

The point of view switches back and forth between Marilee and the ghosts in her dreams. I was most interested in the dreams, and the description of Marilee’s research into the history of the house. The sections of the novel where Marilee describes the day-to-day business of the bed and breakfast were of less interest, and I found myself skimming those paragraphs for more interesting material.

The author is a retired teacher, who operated a Bed and Breakfast for eight years in Niagara, and is now a realtor. While those sections of the novel are written from experience, perhaps the author put a little too much in. I'd rather she had focused on  Niagaran history. However, someone with a passion for Beds and Breakfasts might feel different. There is a collection of recipes at the end of the book as well, which might interest some.

The author includes a short bibliography, for which I am grateful as well, indicating where she conducted her research on the family, time, and setting. Of the four sources listed, I've  downloaded a free ebook of one, found a copy of another at a local library, and can purchase the third - though it is also searchable via Google Books. The fourth only appears to be available from the Canadian Archives.

While I enjoy reading historical fiction and have dabbled with writing fiction myself, the idea of fictionalizing the lives of my own ancestors troubles me. I don't think I could do it. I don't mind reading it, but I think I would be unable to write it.

Poetry Friday: Niagara Fell (March 1848)

I wrote this poem five years ago.

George Van Every, the first son of my second great grandparents, Samuel and Abigail (Stuart) Van Every, was born eight months after the incident, in Dumfries, Brant County, Ontario - about 125 km from Niagara Falls.

Niagara Fell
©2010 John C Newmark

In 1848, on a day in March
Huge chunks of ice
Pierced Niagara’s head.
Downstream, the falls dried up.

Residents looked down -
The mighty thunder, silenced -
Then up to the sky, fearful.
News traveled slowly.

The churches were filled
as the fish died.
Tourists came from far
To walk across the bed.

When the ice dam cleared
Some must have felt foolish,
While others just waited
for their god’s next missive.

More about Niagara's fall - March 29-30, 1848

Finding Your Roots: Sting, Deepak Chopra and Sally Fields

Last night I watched the latest episode of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. "The British Invasion."

Once again, several of the stories had similarities to my own family. Some of my British Denyer cousins migrated to Australia. I don't know their motivations. I have Loyalists in my tree who settled in Ontario, and while I don't believe any of my ancestors were on the Mayflower in 1620, I do have several who immigrated prior to 1650. (Betts, Chamberlain, Horton, Langton, Hallock, Swayze, Kinge, and possibly Van Every.) Unfortunately, I didn't find the Native American ancestry in my DNA that I expected to be there.

I was disappointed in Sally Field's lack of recognition when she heard her ancestor's name. It's been long enough since American History class for me, that I couldn't have provided too many details, but I instantly recognized the name, and the portrait shown was also familiar. I was worried for much of the episode that they wouldn't be able to provide Deepak Chopra with any ancestors he didn't know already. (Of course, if that were true, he wouldn't have been selected for an episode.) I was very impressed by Sting throughout his portions of the episode.

View the episode below. You can read the transcript here.

A Toast to the First and the Fourth of July (repost)

A Toast to the First and the Fourth of July
for David Van Every (1757-1820)
©July 2009 - John Newmark

For two years my fourth great fought
for the creation of our nation
then in seventeen seventy seven
he deemed his disloyalty a disservice
and joined the other side.
Finally, he and his family fled to Canada.

His motivations are unrecorded.
Beyond his appearance on muster rolls,
a few brief mentions elsewhere,
we have nothing. No inkling
of the wherefores behind his decision
either in seventy five, or seventy seven.

In July’s opening barrage
of national celebrations
I honor both of his decisions -
whatever the reasons, and his willingness
to fight for what he believed
even when those beliefs changed.

***
July 1 is Canada Day
July 4 is Independence Day

This poem was based on information I'd found on the web, citing The Records of the Van Every Family, by Mary Blackadar Piersol, 1947.  After writing this poem, I discovered the muster rolls for David Van Every on Footnote that put the information somewhat in doubt.

The muster rolls suggest he enlisted on July 4, 1775, and deserted on Sept 12 (or Sept / 2) 1775. And re-enlisted on May 23, 1777, and redeserted in June of 1777. So in total it would have been for three months, not two years.

Also, since writing the poem, I obtained a copy of The Records of the Van Every Family, by Mary Blackadar Piersol. She only mentions David joining and deserting in 1777. So she didn't know about the 1775 muster roll. Somebody else must have found documentation that he joined in 1775, and an incorrect interpretation was made that he remained in service between 1775 and 1777.

It's impossible to assign motivation to the enlistments and desertions. David was 18 and 20 years old in 1775 and 1777. He may have just been a very confused young man.

While McGregory Van Every and his children ultimately joined the Loyalist camp, and fled to Canada, there were many Van Everys who fought as Patriots throughout the war.  They just aren't my ancestors.  As one researcher notes concerning David and his brother, Benjamin:

David and Benjamin Van Every perhaps had decided to join the New York Militia, as it was in this Regiment that the cousins of their father, McGregory Van Every had been serving: Martin as a Lieutenant, Cornelius (1730 - 1815) as an Ensign and later as a Lieutenant, and Rynier as a Captain. However, soon after deserting from the New York Militia, both David and Benjamin transferred themselves to Butler's Rangers, within which they fought for the duration of the American Revolution, David as a Sergeant and Benjamin as a regular soldier.

--- "Warner Cemetery: an important piece of Canada's heritage worth preserving," Robert Collins McBride, The Loyalist Gazette, March 22, 2000. 

Following the Citations

On Feb 8, 2011, I discussed the Labors of Jurden

Mary Blackadder Piersol, in her genealogy, The Records of the Van Every Family: United Empire Loyalists, 1947, writes concerning my fifth great grandfather, McGregory Van Every:

The name of McGregory also appears in Col. Butler’s list of “disbanded Rangers” 1784, and in that year a map was published showing his farm to be in Township 1 Lot 10 on the River, where he had cleared eight acres and harvested corn with the help of his slave or Negro servant, Jurden.

One of the strengths of Piersol's genealogy is that she often (unfortunately, not always) cites the sources for her information. In this case, she cites: Niagara Historical Society #27, and Ottawa Archives State Papers, No. 25.

I found that the Niagara Historical Society uploaded their first 44 publications.  (However, they are transcriptions, not scans, so errors may have been introduced. And, of course, the original publications weren't the primary sources, either. Still, I am very pleased with this discovery.)

I was unable to locate an online copy of the Ottawa Archives State Papers, so until I tracked it down the old fashioned way, I decided to see what I could find in the NHS archives and elsewhere.

***
Notes on Niagara – No. 32 – 1759-1860, Niagara Historical Society, 1919.
1782: From the Archives obtained by Capt. Cruikshank:

"24th August, 1782: Col. Butler took the first census of the Settlement of Niagara. There were sixteen families, eighty-four persons, forty-nine horses, sixty cattle, one hundred and three hogs, thirty sheep and two hundred and thirty seven acres cleared. The statement also gives the number of bushels raised that year of wheat, oats, potatoes and Indian corn. 

The names of the settlers given are: Isaac Dolson, Peter Secord, John Secord, Jas.
Secord, Geo. Stuart, Geo. Fields, Jno.Depue, Dan. Rowe, Elijah Phelps, Phil Bender, S.
Lutz, Michael Showers, H. House, T. McMicken, A. Young, McG. VanEvery. One male slave is included in the list. In 1783, among the new names are: Barnard Frey, A. Bradt, B. Pawling, Jacob Ball, Peter Ball, Brant Johnson, J. Chisholm, Jas. Forsythe; and the number of acres cleared was 373.

***
Only one male slave was listed in the 1782 census. Who did the slave belong to?

Not only is my 5th Great Grandfather, McGregory Van Every in the list, so is another 5th Great Grandfather, Michael Showers. I'm also slightly curious about George Stuart. I have a 3rd Great Grandfather named Elihu Stuart. I don't know his parents, however, the marriage of the Stuart and Van Every families occurred not far away in Brant County.

I found a transcription of the census in NHS #27, which is likely one of the documents Piersol was citing.

Names Only But Much More, Janet Carnochan, No. 27 – Niagara Historical Society.

The appearance of "one male slave" at the end of the list is ambiguous. Did the slave belong to the last person on the list, or to any one of the other individuals? There's no way to be certain.

Might Piersol have looked at this list and made a possibly inaccurate assumption?

***
A search through Google Books turned up this item:

The Journal of Negro History, Volume 4, Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, 1919, p. 379.

In the report by Col. John Butler of the Survey of the Settlement at Niagara, August 25, 1782 (Can. Arch., Series B, 169, p. 1), McGregor Van Every is named as the head of a family. He was married, without children, hired men or slaves, had 3 horses, no cows, sheep, or hogs, 8 acres of “clear land” and raised 4 bushels of Indian corn and 40 of potatoes but no wheat or oats. His neighbor, Thomas McMicken, was married, had two young sons, one hired man and one male slave. He had two horses, 1 cow and 20 hogs, and raised ten bushels of Indian corn, 10 of oats and 10 of potatoes (no wheat) on his 8 acres of “clear land.”

***
The Journal of Negro History and NHS #32 both clearly reference the exact same report of Col. Butler the Census above was drawn from.  Without seeing the original document it's not possible to be certain if the JNH was correct in assigning the slave to Thomas McMicken.

***
Having looked through NHS #27, I have to assume that Piersol either retrieved the name of the slave from the Ottawa Archives State Papers, or a source she didn't cite. I found that this source was actually referenced once in NHS #27.

Farms in Township No. 1 on Niagara River and West, copied from Map in Archives, Ottawa, No. 25, State Papers, Sheubel Welton papers, about 1784 or earlier

Township 1 Lot 10 is listed as belonging to Geo. Van Every/A. Vrooman.  McGregory had no apparent sons named George, so Piersol was likely correct in identifying this lot as McGregory's.

The list of Disbanded Rangers, likely matching the list in the Ottawa State Papers, appears in NHS #39, where there is also a list of “Young Settlers, Loyalists and Brant's Volunteers Who Receive Rations” – including someone named Jordan Every.

That could certainly be a coincidence, but so far, it is the only reference to a name similar to ‘Jurden” that I have found outside of Piersol's genealogy, or anyone quoting her.

***
I really needed to find the Ottawa Archives, State Papers #25 to see what else Piersol may have seen as well. To find what the JNR was citing, I conducted a search on: "Canadian Archives" "Series B" 169 and found: Sessional Papers of the Dominion of Canada, Volume 25, Issue 9, 1892. (Published, of course, in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.)

Canadian Archives...Ottawa Archives...Sessional Papers....State Papers. Tomato/Tomahto?  Volume 25.  Of course, this appears to be only Issue 9 out of an unknown number of issues...but it was a start.

Within Issue 9 I found the survey, and it clearly assigns the slave to Thomas McMicken. (click to enlarge)

The publication date of the Sessional Papers is almost 100 years after the original document, and it cites Vol. 169 of the Canadian Archives, the publication date of which I currently don't know.

I still need to do more research and try to uncover where Piersol came up with the name Jurden. It's possible that even if McGregory didn't have a servant or slave in 1782, he later had one. However, for the moment, it appears possible that contrary to reports, McGregory Van Every didn't own a slave. [This doesn't clear my Vanevery line. McGregory's great-grandfather, Myndert, definitely had a slave named Hercules.]

According to WorldCat - the closest library for me with a collection of the Sessional Papers is about 100 miles away, in Columbia, Missouri.  A lot closer than I expected, but far enough away that I'm not likely going to be browsing through them any time soon.

Amanuensis Monday: Tecumseh

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

***

Recently I learned that the Niagara Historical Society has uploaded transcriptions of their first 44 publications.  I have found references to several kin within the documents.

A Toast to the First and the Fourth

A Toast to the First and the Fourth of July
for David Van Every (1757-1820)
©July 2009 - John Newmark

For two years my fourth great fought
for the creation of our nation
then in seventeen seventy seven
he deemed his disloyalty a disservice
and joined the other side.
Finally, he and his family fled to Canada.

His motivations are unrecorded.
Beyond his appearance on muster rolls,
a few brief mentions elsewhere,
we have nothing. No inkling
of the wherefores behind his decision
either in seventy five, or seventy seven.

In July’s opening barrage
of national celebrations
I honor both of his decisions -
whatever the reasons, and his willingness
to fight for what he believed
even when those beliefs changed.

***
July 1 is Canada Day
July 4 is Independence Day

This poem was based on information I'd found on the web, citing The Records of the Van Every Family, by Mary Blackadar Piersol, 1947.  After writing this poem, I discovered the muster rolls for David Van Every on Footnote that put the information somewhat in doubt.

The muster rolls suggest he enlisted on July 4, 1775, and deserted on Sept 12 (or Sept / 2) 1775. And re-enlisted on May 23, 1777, and redeserted in June of 1777. So in total it would have been for three months, not two years.

Also, since writing the poem, I obtained a copy of The Records of the Van Every Family, by Mary Blackadar Piersol. She only mentions David joining and deserting in 1777. So she didn't know about the 1775 muster roll. Somebody else must have found documentation that he joined in 1775, and an incorrect interpretation was made that he remained in service between 1775 and 1777.

It's impossible to assign motivation to the enlistments and desertions. David was 18 and 20 years old in 1775 and 1777. He may have just been a very confused young man.

While McGregory Van Every and his children ultimately joined the Loyalist camp, and fled to Canada, there were many Van Everys who fought as Patriots throughout the war.  They just aren't my ancestors.  As one researcher notes concerning David and his brother, Benjamin:

David and Benjamin Van Every perhaps had decided to join the New York Militia, as it was in this Regiment that the cousins of their father, McGregory Van Every had been serving: Martin as a Lieutenant, Cornelius (1730 - 1815) as an Ensign and later as a Lieutenant, and Rynier as a Captain. However, soon after deserting from the New York Militia, both David and Benjamin transferred themselves to Butler's Rangers, within which they fought for the duration of the American Revolution, David as a Sergeant and Benjamin as a regular soldier.

--- "Warner Cemetery: an important piece of Canada's heritage worth preserving," Robert Collins McBride, The Loyalist Gazette, March 22, 2000. 

The Labors of Jurden, Negro Servant

A year ago I learned my 8th Great Grandfather, Myndert Frederickse (son of Frederick Van Iveren), owned a slave named Hercules.

My research at the time uncovered the possibility of another, more recent, slave owner in the Van Every family tree, however the status of the individual (slave/servant) was uncertain, so I decided to wait and see if I could uncover any additional information.   Unfortunately, I have been unable to clarify the confusion, but I figured the month of February, and African American History Month had returned, and I would post what I know.

McGregory Van Every, my 5th great grandfather, and the great grandson of Myndert Frederickse, was a United Empire Loyalist, and fled the US after the Revolution, settling in Niagara with his sons.

In 1784, a map was published showing his farm to be in Township I [Niagara Township, Lincoln County] Lots 10 and 37 on the [Niagara] River where he had cleared eight acres and harvested corn with the help of his slave or negro servant, Jurden."⁽⁵⁴⁾ McGregory Van Every was age 61 in 1784.

(54.) Niagara Historical Society. Volume 27; and Ottawa Archives State Papers, No. 25.

Source: Warner Cemetery, An Important Piece of Canada's Heritage Worth Preserving, The Loyalist Gazette, Robert Collins McBride, Spring 2000.

Jurden is also mentioned in Mary Blackadar Piersol's, The Records of the Van Every Family, with the same ambiguous definition, and without any additional information.  The original sources don't appear to be online, but obviously they are a bit unclear on Jurden's status.

Our history books tell us that the Canadian territory was a safe-haven for slaves- but while slaves who managed to cross the border may have been guaranteed their freedom upon arrival, apparently slavery wasn't abolished there completely until 1834.

Black slaves lived in the British regions of Canada in the 17th and 18th centuries — 104 were listed in a 1767 census of Nova Scotia, but their numbers were small until the United Empire Loyalist influx after 1783. As white Loyalists fled the new American Republic, they took with them about 2000 black slaves: 1200 to the Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island), 300 to Lower Canada (Quebec), and 500 to Upper Canada (Ontario). The Imperial Act of 1790 assured prospective immigrants that their slaves would remain their property. As under French rule, Loyalist slaves were held in small numbers and were employed as domestic servants, farm hands, and skilled artisans. [source.]

A Toast to the First and the Fourth of July

The poem below was written and posted last year at this time


A Toast to the First and the Fourth of July
for David Van Every (1757-1820)
©July 2009 - John Newmark

For two years my fourth great fought
for the creation of our nation
then in seventeen seventy seven
he deemed his disloyalty a disservice
and joined the other side.
Finally, he and his family fled to Canada.

His motivations are unrecorded.
Beyond his appearance on muster rolls,
a few brief mentions elsewhere,
we have nothing. No inkling
of the wherefores behind his decision
either in seventy five, or seventy seven.

In July’s opening barrage
of national celebrations
I honor both of his decisions -
whatever the reasons, and his willingness
to fight for what he believed
even when those beliefs changed.

---

This poem was based on information I'd found on the web, citing The Records of the Van Every Family, by Mary Blackadar Piersol, 1947.

After writing this poem, I discovered the muster rolls for David Van Every on Footnote.com that put the information somewhat in doubt.

The link above is to the records on Footnote.  Their Revolutionary War records are FREE access through July 7th.

The muster rolls suggest he enlisted on July 4, 1775, and deserted on Sept 12 (or Sept / 2) 1775.  And re-enlisted on May 23, 1777, and redeserted in June of 1777.  So in total it would have been for three months, not two years.

Also, since writing the poem, I obtained a copy of The Records of the Van Every Family, by Mary Blackadar Piersol.  She only mentions David joining and deserting in 1777.  So she didn't know about the 1775 muster roll.  Somebody else must have found documentation that he joined in 1775, and an incorrect interpretation was made that he remained in service between 1775 and 1777.

It's impossible to assign motivation to the enlistments and desertions.  David was 18 and 20 years old in 1775 and 1777.  He may have just been a very confused young man.  The first line of the poem might not be accurate, but the gist of the poem still is.

The Records of the Van Every Family

For the past couple years, in my genealogical travels around the web, and in surname messageboards on various genealogy sites, I’ve seen references to the following Family History:

The records of the Van Every family: United Empire Loyalists, New York State, 1653-1784, Canada, 1784-1947, by Mary Blackadar Piersol, T.H. Best (Toronto), 1947.

It’s been on my list of resources to find, though it’s out of print. I may have been able to retrieve a copy through Inter-Library Loan, but I wanted my own personal copy, and every place I found references to it said there were no copies available.

A week ago, Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings wrote about the GenalogyToday, GenWeekly and LiveRoots trio of sites.

I started browsing around, searching for surnames, and discovered they were selling copies of the book for a reasonable price.

I put an order in immediately. The site said there could be a 6-8 week wait, so I knew not to expect it in my mailbox the next day. I also didn’t expect it to appear in my mailbox 7 days later. But boy was I happy to see it there last night.

I had lots of fun browsing through it. I found some interesting information about the Van Every immigrant forebears, my 8th great grandfather, Myndert Fredericksen, and his brother, Carsten.¹

Some of this information will appear in later entries, but Piersol fortunately included a good number of footnotes, so I am going to see how many of the original sources I can find.

The existence of this reprint got me thinking. The reprint appears to be 'print-on-demand' with 8.5 * 11 pages, softcover, fastback tape binding. I'm interested in the content, so this didn't bother me. However, the publisher, Higginson Books, focuses on reprinting out-of-print local histories and genealogies. I wondered if the book was no longer under copyright. Because if it were still under copyright, I would watch how much of it I quoted in any post I wrote. Otherwise, not so much.

It was published originally (in 1947) in Canada, which became a full signatory to the Berne Convention in the 1920s. Therefore, copyrights in Canada last at least the life of the author, plus fifty years. I'm not sure when (or if) Mary Blackadar Piersol died, but unless it was before 1960, the book is still under copyright . I expect Higginson Books went through official channels to republish the work.

So I won't quote in detail, but as I said, Piersol does include footnotes, so perhaps I'll be able to quote from her sources.

Note 1: There are two traditional Dutch naming patterns, one based on the father’s name, and one based on locality. The former is similar to traditional Hebrew naming patterns in that children only get one name, and their surname is derived from their father’s name. Myndert and Carsten’s surname was Frederickse or Fredericksen, because their father was Frederick Van Iveren. Frederick's surname was derived in the second fashion, from a town, possibly Everinge or Evere. Myndert and Carsten’s descendants reverted to that surname, and it mutated to either Van Every or Van Avery, depending upon the branch.

Poetry: A Toast to the First and the Fourth of July

A Toast to the First and the Fourth of July
for David Van Every (1757-1820)
©July 2009 - John Newmark

For two years my fourth great fought
for the creation of our nation
then in seventeen seventy seven
he deemed his disloyalty a disservice
and joined the other side.
Finally, he and his family fled to Canada.

His motivations are unrecorded.
Beyond his appearance on muster rolls,
a few brief mentions elsewhere,
we have nothing. No inkling
of the wherefores behind his decision
either in seventy five, or seventy seven.

In July’s opening barrage
of national celebrations
I honor both of his decisions -
whatever the reasons, and his willingness
to fight for what he believed
even when those beliefs changed.

---

I've previously blogged that I only have Loyalist direct ancestors and no Revolutionaries. I've learned that's not exactly true. My fourth great grandfather, David Van Every, was a Revolutionary who became a Loyalist. Though I do note he was 18 years old in 1775, and 20 in 1777.

I think about the decisions I was making at that age. My 4th great grandfather left one side of a war, and went to the other; I left one college and went to another. There's a long story behind my actions; I'm sure there's an equally long story behind his.

While there's no certainty, one researcher suggests there may have been a familial reason David (and his brother, Benjamin) initially joined the New York militia.

David and Benjamin Van Every perhaps had decided to join the New York Militia, as it was in this Regiment that the cousins of their father, McGregory Van Every had been serving: Martin as a Lieutenant, Cornelius (1730 - 1815) as an Ensign and later as a Lieutenant, and Rynier as a Captain. However, soon after deserting from the New York Militia, both David and Benjamin transferred themselves to Butler's Rangers, within which they fought for the duration of the American Revolution, David as a Sergeant and Benjamin as a regular soldier.

--- "Warner Cemetery: an important piece of Canada's heritage worth preserving," Robert Collins McBride, The Loyalist Gazette, March 22, 2000.

Not The First

Apparently there are some today celebrating the 225th Anniversary of the "First landing of the United Empire Loyalists."

Like many in attendance at the Adolphustown event, Brock Dittrick can trace his family tree back to one of the first Loyalists to settle in Canada in 1784, Jacob Dittrick, who landed near St. Catharines.

...

More than 300 people took part in a re-enactment of the first landing of the Loyalists at Adolphustown following the American Revolution.

Both of these quotes may be accurate. He may have been the first to land at Adolphustown, and "one of the first" overall. However, throughout the rest of the article the modifier is dropped and it is implied he was the first Loyalist to settle in Canada.

Michael Showers was reported to have settled in Niagara on May 30, 1781. And "A survey of the Settlement at Niagara, 25th Aug. 1782" listed Michael Showers, McGregor Van Every, and both of their families (2 wives and 6 kids) for a total of 10 settlers.

I don't know if Michael Showers and McGregor Van Every were the first, but those dates predate 1784. I am descended from both of them through their children Sarah Showers and David Van Every - who were married in Niagara, Ontario in 1782. (I don't know if that was the first Loyalist marriage in Canada or not.) (see comments)

I could'a been a Canadian?!

Canada today announced a change in their Citizenship Requirements

A new law amending the Citizenship Act will come into effect on April 17, 2009. The new law will give Canadian citizenship to certain people who lost it and to others who will be recognized as citizens for the first time.

Citizenship will be automatic and retroactive to the day the person was born or lost citizenship, depending on the situation. These people will not have to apply for citizenship, but may need to apply for a certificate to prove their citizenship. People who are Canadian citizens when the law comes into effect will keep their citizenship.

The link above, to the Canadian Govt website, goes into detail about the changes in the law, for those who are curious as to whether or not they might be a Canadian.

The part that surprised me was the following:

Under the current rules, it’s possible for Canadians to pass on their citizenship to endless generations born outside Canada. To protect the value of Canadian citizenship for the future, the new law will – with a few exceptions – limit citizenship by descent to one generation born outside Canada.

My second great grandfather, Samuel Van Every, was born in Canada. It appears that before today, it's possible I could'a been a Canadian! But wait, it also says: People who are Canadian citizens when the law comes into effect will keep their citizenship. So was I a citizen when the law went into effect, and I just didn't know it?

Not being 100% clear on the past requirements of Citizenship-by-Descent. I did some further research. The government website lists several scenarios

Here's one scenario:

Second or subsequent generation born abroad after 1977

Fictional case: Maria is a fourth-generation Canadian born abroad:

• Maria was born in Belize in 2001 and has never lived in Canada.
• Maria’s father was born in Belize in 1978 to a Canadian mother (Maria’s grandmother).
• Maria’s grandmother was born out of wedlock in Belize in 1955 to a Canadian mother (Maria’s great-grandmother).
• Maria’s great-grandmother was born in Belize in 1937 to a father who was born in Ontario in 1915 (Maria’s great-great-grandfather). Maria is a citizen today and must take steps and apply to keep her citizenship before she turns 28.

Citizenship status: Under this bill, Maria would remain a citizen and would no longer be required to apply, before her 28^th birthday, to retain her Canadian citizenship.

If Maria has children abroad after the bill comes into force, her children would not be citizens.

I wasn't born after 1977, and I am over the age of 28. If one had to apply before the age of 28 in the past, it appears I missed my opportunity. However, my niece and nephews appear to fall under a scenario similar to the one above, and all three of them have some time to think about whether or not they wish to apply.

Canadian Ancestry

I missed the first edition of the Canadian Genealogy Carnival back in September. My entry for the second edtion will actually be appropriate for both topics.

First Edition: Introduce us to your Canadian ancestors.
Second Edition: Tell us about famous Canadians in your family.

"The first Loyalist settler in Upper Canada may have been Michael Showers. On May 30, 1781, Captain Walter Butler reported from Niagara that 'an old man in the Rangers named Michael Showers' had been permitted, although still fit for service, to build himself a house, and had begun planting and 'Commencing Farmer'" -- From "Loyalist Narratives from Upper Canada", by James J. Talman, 1946, p. xl

Michael Showers' daughter, Sarah, married David Van Every, the son of McGregor Van Every, another early Loyalist settler of Niagara. David and Sarah Van Every were my 4th great grandparents. Their son, Andrew Van Every, lived and died in Canada. Andrew's son, Samuel, returned to America in the mid-19th century, though he had siblings and cousins who remained in Canada.

Does First Loyalist Settler of Upper Canada qualify as a 'famous ancestor?' Some might accept it. Others might ask for some broader name recognition. In that case I need to move away from direct ancestors, and toward the Stoughton Descendants I've blogged about before. If I need a famous cousin, that will always be a good place to start. Through my Stoughton ancestry I am related to the Marquesses of Dufferin. While this is an Irish peerage, it began with Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Earl of Dufferin, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, who served as Governor General of Canada.

Lord Dufferin served as Governor General of Canada during a period of rapid change in Canadian history. During his term, Prince Edward Island was admitted to Confederation, and several well-known Canadian institutions, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Royal Military College of Canada, and the Intercolonial Railway, were established.

I will assume that satisfies any definition.

I am as proud as any American can be of their United Empire Loyalist heritage. As I like to point out, there is nothing wrong with loyalty. It is usually the loyal who are considered patriotic. The Revolutionaries were the ones who committed treason. Of course, when the treasonous are successful, they get to write the history and instantly they become the patriots.

I also have some Newmark ancestors who were in Canada for 3 months in 1907.