Canadian Heritage

[Bushape]

I just wanted all you good people in Canada to know about my Canadian roots. Here is a story about one of my early Grandfathers adventures. Bear with me, it is actually a quite informative. I have spent a lot of time on my family tree and I am mainly English and Scottish Descent, with a few inbreeds thrown in from the early days, when Kings would have arranged marriages between their children in order to control more land.

 

The Story of Two Loyal Brothers - Duncan and Hugh Robertson
 
 These brothers lived during one of the most difficult periods of American history. Duncan was born about 1755. His birth and parents are unknown. Some believe he was born in Scotland, others believe he was born in the colonies of America, but so far no records can be found. This reflects the bitterness of the period which turned neighbor against neighbor, and since Duncan was on the losing side the American colonists wished to forget these Loyalists rather than remember this bitter conflict.
 The British Colonies were just recovering from another bitter conflict of the French and Indian War. The British Government needed to replenish her treasury after the great expense the war had drained from it. Britain imposed high taxes on her colonies. The American colonists thought they were being asked to pay an unfair portion of these losses. Their brethren in the homeland were not asked to bare the same burden. They had no representation in parliament who could voice their concerns. They felt they were being treated as second class citizens.
 To quell this distention the government dispatched troops to the colonies and declared Marshall law. The colonists rebelled and the government took even harsher action. Finally the leaders of the opposition felt they had taken enough and on the 4th of July 1776, declared their independence from their former homeland.
 Not all of the colonists agreed with their position. Some were in areas not affected by the taxation or military rule. Others had served in the former war and did not wish to participate in another. Some did not feel it was right to fight against ones country no matter how unfair the government was. These citizens who remained loyal to the crown were Royalists or Loyalists by those who agreed with them and Tories by those that opposed the government, after the political party blamed for the high taxation and punitive military action.
 Those loyalists faced harsh treatment from their neighbors in the days following the signing of the Declaration of Independence. They were labelled Tory spies, their homes were burned, their property confiscated. Some were forced to flee for their lives, others remained behind were imprisoned without trial.
 Duncan Robertson was one of these loyalists. he stated in two depositions that he had come from Scotland (or was of Scottish ancestry) and resided in the colonies and that he was imprisoned for his loyalty in Albany, NY. He escaped from prison and went to Canada where on August 7, 1777 he enlisted in Capt. Hugh Munrow's Co., of Loyal American Volunteers. This company joined the forces of General Burgoyne in an ambitious plan to split the warring colonies in two by driving his forces down the Hudson Valley to link up with General Gage driving his forces up from New York City. Once divided the colonists would have been easily conquered. Gen. Burgoyne's Army met heavy opposition near Saratoga, NY, their supply lines were cut behind them. After a disastrous battle at Saratoga, word came that Gen. Gage had never left New York City. With no expected relief nor anyway to retreat their only option was to surrender.
 On October 14th 1777 Duncan was made Sgt, under the command of Capt. Peter Drummond's company of Loyal Rangers, following the death of Capt. Hugh Munrow. On the morning of the 17th, just three days later, Gen. Burgoyne surrendered his forces in front of Old Fort Hardy near Fishkill, NY.
 Duncan was imprisoned again. Under the terms of surrender "All Canadians & persons belonging to the Canadian establishments...are to be permitted to return there; they are to be bound under condition of not serving during the present contest in North America".
 We can assume that this was the way that Duncan returned to Quebec. Duncan became Sgt.-Conductor at the refugee camp at Yammamichi, just below Three Rivers, PQ. while still under the command of Capt. Peter Drummond's Co. which was part of Major Edward Jessup's Loyal Rangers.
 Conditions at the camp were harsh. Most lived in tents and cooked over open fire. Food had to be rationed. Some didn't even have a tent, just a blanket stretched over a pole. Duncan and most of the other refugees lived at the camp for over five years.
 The crown Government, in hopes of resettling the thousands of refugees offered undeveloped lands to the Loyalists who had lost their homes in the Colonies. Capt. George Law, superintendent of the Loyalists and Lt. Governor Cox set up a drawing of lots along the coastline of the Bay of Chaleur on the south coast of Gaspe Peninsular. Duncan was given a double size lot of 500 acres in the 1st range and on June 9, 1784, he and a group of settlers sailed on the brig St. Peter arriving on July 28, 1784, after a stormy voyage, at Black Cape. From there they traveled the short distance to their new homesteads between the mouths of the Grand and Little Cascapedia Rivers.
 The first year of their arrival was a difficult one. The whole venture was poorly organized. They arrived too late to plant crops or start gardens. They asked for provisions from the government but they hardly received enough to see them safely through the winter months.
 By spring, with the arrival of the first ship, nearly all of the settlers left to find a better homestead. Only Duncan and two others remained but soon they were joined by other settlers so that by the turn of the century the area was a thriving community again.
 The area rises steeply out of the sea with a narrow beach backed up by 30 to 40 foot cliffs, followed by a ten mile strip of flat habitable plateau backed up by the mountain that forms the spine of the Peninsular.
 During the years before the turn of the century, the settlers in what was to become the town of New Richmond had a difficult life. Spring was the time for planting crops in the rocky soil. The short summer was a time for lumbering and for fishing. Salmon fishing has always been a major source of revenue for the community and Duncan was deeply involved in it. Duncan signed a petition concerning the areas set aside for fishing by the settlers and the Mic Mac Indians. The lumbering and fishing industries in New Richmond are still the main stay of the area today. The long cold winters were the time the settlers used for hunting and trapping. The women worked at home crafts, which were sold throughout the year, as many still do today.
 Duncan did not have a family when he first settled in New Richmond, but he was joined by his brother Hugh who had been born about 1775 possibly in New York and had probably grown up on one of the refugee camps. On February 13, 1797 Duncan married in St. Andrew's church in Montreal the widow Anne (_____) Murray of the Parish of Quebec. They were married by Rev. Alexander Sparks, the minister of this Presbyterian Church under license issued by His Excellency Gen. Prescott, Military Governor of Quebec. The parish of Quebec covered a large portion of the Provence so it is not known exactly where Anne was living.
 The rocky soil of the area produced few crops and the settlers were repeatedly asking for more land to support their families. On August 3, 1784 Duncan obtained a grant for 100 acres consisting of Lot 7 on the Restigouche River and on November 25, 1795 he received an additional grant of 200 acres in the twp. of Hichinbrook near the NY border, consisting of Lot #3 in the First Concession. He then applied for 450 acres on the NE side of the Cascapedia River in 1802.
 Hugh managed this land grant in Grand Cascapedia. These grants had been given in "free tenure" which means that they could have the land while they lived on it, but if they died or moved away the land would revert to the crown. This was an unsatisfactory arrangement and in 1820 the Gaspe Land Commission came to New Richmond and Hugh & Duncan registered their claims.
 Hugh married Elizabeth McCormick, the daughter of Laughlin & Jean (Lindsay) McCormick who had come to Bonaventure Co. from Scotland in 1812. Elizabeth gave birth to eight children.
 Duncan and Anne had no children by this union. When Duncan died June 7, 1826 at the age of 71 his property was divided between the children of his brother Hugh, except Hugh's son Duncan who managed the property in Grand Cascapedia.
 Hugh died after 1849 in his late 60's or early 70's. Their graves are unknown. The wooden crosses have long since turned to dust, but the memory of their trails haved shaped the lives of their descendants ever since.

By: David T. Robertson

David is now one of the top historians in Mass.

 

My mothers maiden name was Robertson. So I am a direct descendant of Hugh. I also have direct relatives that served on the American side. Almost like brother againest brother. My cousin is a member of "The Sons of the Revolution", I guess that I could too if I took the initiative to do it. I probably should for my descendants sake.

When Johnny Dos put in his story of the Candaian Thanksgiving, that got me thinking. Thanks Johnny.

I have another story about Hugh being the first Postmaster in New Richmond. I will save it for another time. But it is quite interesting, being north of Maine, New Ricmond had some pretty severe winters, but he got the mail through, barely. Pretty rough to do 200 years ago.

 

Thanks for putting up with me. I love XI and all of you idiots. Being a member here means a lot. I depend upon you guys every day. Just for moral support if for nothing else.

 

 

[JohnnyDos]

WOW BushApe you got quite an interesting history story there about your family.Actually I was born in Italy and came over to Canada 6months after I was born.I was born on Dec.20/1951 and got here in June 1952.I landed in Halifax,Nova Scotia and my mother took the train here to Windsor ,Ontario to meet her husband.At that time you had to have a sponsor to come to Canada and my dad came here 1st while my mother had to wait for me to be born.And I am glad we came to this country best thing that could of happened for our family.

[Bushape]

Thanks Johnny. Your story sounds pretty cool too. You landed not to far from New Richmond.

 I am glad somebody read it. The story about the postmaster was pretty cool, but I couldn't find it. He really fought off a lot of shit, bears, moose, blizzards. I gave a copy to my brother and I will have to get it back so I can copy it.

I know the story was pretty long, some people probably got bored with it. But what the hell.

You know where we came from really doesn't matter much in todays world, but it is still interesting.

[dollardogg]

keep me updated

[Dark Asylumn]

i thought it was interesting

[Blackbart]

I also thought it was interesting...

[DEEJAYKEG]

Bush', I am always amazed at the apparent ready access to detailed information that dates back to the 18th Century.  From our previous discussions, you'll know I have an interest in genealogy though I haven't devoted immense amounts of time to it for various reasons.  One is cost - research over here and provision of copies of documents can be expensive over time.  Another is that there was no national registration of births, marriages or deaths till the early 19th Century - everything was recorded at parish level, so, though more records are being digitised as time goes on, it is often difficult/impossible to go back pre-1830s.

 

Your ancestors' lives were adventurous indeed.  If I could probe back beyond our Industrial Revolution, I suspect I would find lowly farm labourers in East Anglia - so the uncorroborated information suggests to date.

 

How long did your research take or is it still ongoing?

 

[Bushape]

Thank you guys for reading that. I know a lot of you are from Canada so I was just adding my 2 cents.

About 5 - 8 years ago I would spend a couple of hours a day doing the family tree thing. I got clear back to Julius Caeser.

There were a lot of Kings of England, Lady Godiva (Queen of England about 1,000 years ago). It was pretty interesting work.

DJ have you tried purchasing a family tree program? I did and also paid to do research on the internet and I also bought a lot of CD's of family trees. After about 5,000 sets of grandparents, I figured that was enough. I kept running into dead ends, so I quit doing that.