Loyalists

The term "Loyalists" refers to American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown. Many of them served under the British during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Loyalists settled in what are now the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Ontario. The Archives in each of these provinces will have records relating to Loyalists. Note that German Troops under the command of the British Forces were not Loyalists.

Library and Archives Canada holds a variety of sources relating to the United Empire Loyalists who settled in Canada after the American Revolution (1775-1783).

Databases

Audit Office 12 and 13 (MG 14)

Some Loyalists, particularly those who settled in the Maritime Provinces, submitted claims for losses to the British government. The claims contain details about former place of residence, property and details of military service, etc. A nominal index is available on microfilm reel C-9821. These claims have been digitized and indexed by name on www.ancestry.com (subscription required). If you do not have a subscription, Ancestry is available free at most public libraries. On the Ancestry main page, click on the top Search button, then scroll down to the country menu and select Canada, then choose from the list of indexes under Canada Military.

Book of Negroes

The Book of Negroes, contained within the British Headquarters Papers, gives information such as names of the black Loyalists, gender, health, distinguishing marks, status (free or slave), origins, names of their white associates and names of ships used to carry them. Names of Black Loyalists have been indexed in the following database:
Carleton Papers – Book of Negroes, 1783

British Headquarters Papers (MG23 B1)

These records are also known as the Carleton Papers or the American Manuscripts. They contain list of refugees in New York (1776-1783), lists of persons who were evacuated from New York in 1783, list of refugees from Massachusetts and Rhode Island who were evacuated through the port of New York and numerous references to Port Roseway and Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Names of Loyalists and British soldiers have been indexed in the following database:
Carleton Papers – Loyalists and British Soldiers, 1772-1784

British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series)

This series covers the period from the American Revolution to the mid-1800s. It includes a wide range of documents relating to the British Army in Canada, Loyalist regiments, the War of 1812, the Canadian militia, etc. A nominal/subject card index and the actual documents have been digitized and can be viewed online. References located in the index provide a brief description of the document, date, C Series vol. number and a page number.

Read the Introduction and index page to find out about the records, the index and how to use the digitized microfilm.

British military and naval records (RG 8, C Series) - Introduction and index

British military and naval records (RG 8, C Series) – Digitized documents

Land petitions

Many Loyalists and their descendants submitted Petitions for Land.

Loyalist lists

Two lists exist for the province of Ontario.

Sir Frederick Haldimand (MG21)

Some provision lists and muster rolls, relating mostly to Loyalists, disbanded soldiers and their families in the province of Quebec can be found in the Haldimand Papers (MG21, Add. MSS 21765, volumes B105, B166, B167, B168). Those volumes and the nominal index to them, are available on microfilm reel C-1475.

Finding Aid 599 (FA599) includes a paper copy of those volumes and the index. FA599 is available in our 2nd floor Reference Services Room at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa.

The following book contains transcriptions of some of the lists: Loyalist lists: over 2000 Loyalist names and families from the Haldimand papers, by Keith E. Fitzgerald.

War Office 28: Headquarters Records (MG 13 WO28)

This series includes correspondence and nominal returns (volumes 2 to 10, microfilm reels B-2862 to B-2868). Volume 9 contains petitions submitted by officers and men in British, German and Loyalist regiments. Most relate to promotions, leave, appointments or requests for assistance. Consult Finding Aid 87 for the list of contents and Appendix B for the names in Volume 9.

Published sources

  • A Bibliography of Loyalist Source Material in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, by Gregory Palmer. (OCLC 15979439)
  • American loyalist claims/abstracted from the Public Record Office, Audit Office series 13, bundles 1-35 & 37, by Peter Wilson Coldham. (OCLC 226050076)
  • American migrations, 1765-1799: the lives, times, and families of colonial Americans who remained loyal to the British Crown before, during, and after the Revolutionary War, as related in their own words and through their correspondence, by Peter Wilson Coldham. (OCLC 46729308)
  • An annotated nominal roll of Butler's Rangers 1777-1784: with documentary sources, by William A. Smy (OCLC 57282466)
  • The Biographical sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution, by Gregory Palmer. (OCLC 9644591)
  • Biographical sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution, with an historical essay, by Lorenzo Sabine (OCLC 85802780)
  • Early Ontario settlers: a source book, by Norman K. Crowder (OCLC 28416689)
  • The history and master roll of the King's Royal Regiment of New York, by Ernest A. Cruikshank and Gavin K. Watt (OCLC 70574438)
  • Loyalist Children of Upper Canada: A Collection of Names: Source, Ontario Archives, published by Pathfinder Genealogical Services. (OCLC 44673935)
  • Loyalist Lineages of Canada, 1783-1983, Toronto Branch, the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada. (OCLC 11343988)
  • Loyalist Literature: An Annotated Bibliographic Guide to the Writings on the Loyalists of the American Revolution, by Robert S. Allen. (OCLC 9899003)
  • Loyalist Military Settlers of Upper Canada: Registered Warrants and Fiats, volume III, by Barbaranne Wright. (OCLC 52410120)
  • Loyalists and land settlement in Nova Scotia, by Marion Gilroy (OCLC 79255655)
  • The Loyalists in Ontario: The Sons and Daughters of the American Loyalists of Upper Canada, by William D. Reid. (OCLC 2280126)
  • Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War, by Murtie June Clark. (OCLC 7125252)
  • The loyalists of Massachusetts and the other side of the American Revolution, by James Henry Stark (OCLC 1006719341)
  • The loyalists of New Brunswick, by Esther Clark Wright (OCLC 428371354)
  • The Loyalists of Quebec, 1774-1825: A Forgotten History, by the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada, Heritage Branch Montreal. (OCLC 22495472)
  • The Loyalists of the Eastern Townships of Quebec, by the Sir John Johnson Centennial Branch, U.E.L. (OCLC 16063690)
  • The migration of Carolina and Georgia loyalists to Scotia and New Brunswick, by Carole Watterson Troxler (OCLC 1006818390)
  • New Brunswick Loyalists: A Bicentennial Tribute, by Sharon Dubeau. (OCLC 10356476)
  • The new Loyalist index, by Paul J. Bunnell (OCLC 21147630)
  • Ontario people, 1796-1803, by E. Keith Fitzgerald (OCLC 27898202)
  • UE Loyalists & Military Claimants of Upper Canada: Registered Warrants & Fiats, 1798-1865, by Barbaranne Wright. (OCLC 46951462)
  • United Empire Loyalists: A Guide to Tracing Loyalist Ancestors in Upper Canada by Brenda Merriman (OCLC 71030952)

External links to other institutions

Use Collection Search to find other sources on Loyalists.

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