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ОглавлениеCHAPTER ONE
The War of 1812: Were My Ancestors Involved?
Have you ever wondered if you had any ancestors who served with the British forces during the Napoleonic period or were part of the militia that helped defend Canada during the War of 1812? If your family history has its roots in England, Scotland, Ireland, or French or British North America, there is a good chance that somewhere in your genealogy one of your relatives served in the British Army or Navy. After all, from the beginning of the Seven Years’ War in 1756 through the American Revolution, which ended in 1783, to the battle of New Orleans in January 1815, North America was at war.
On 18 June 1812, the war in Europe came to North America. England and France had been locked in war since the end of the eighteenth century. In order to hamper the French war effort, British naval vessels had blockaded French ports hoping to deny Napoleon needed war materials. Indeed, Britain’s control of the seas, blockade of French ports, and the stopping and searching of American naval vessels (that were trying to supply France) seemed to be just the excuse the young United States needed to threaten war.
Expansion of the United States across all of North America, including Canada, became what was to be considered their “manifest destiny.” What better time to declare war and invade Canada? There were only approximately 1,600 British troops in North America and very little likelihood of any more being sent from England. As the American statesman Thomas Jefferson said, “[T]he acquisition of Canada … as far as the neighborhood of Quebec will be a mere matter of marching.”[1] There were probably many individuals in British North America and England who agreed with him. The only thing in Britain’s favour was the fact that the British regulars stationed in Canada were better trained than their American counterparts and England hoped it could depend on two other factors: the Loyalists and the Natives.
To begin your search for possible 1812 ancestors, you should gain some knowledge of Loyalist records. Approximately 50,000 people left the United States either during or shortly following the American Revolution. Their arrival in Canada had a huge impact on our history. The provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and what later became Upper Canada were shaped by their arrival. The Loyalists and their children were entitled to free land. In the years following 1791 a large number of Americans also came north for free land with the only proviso that they swear loyalty to the British Crown. These people were later referred to as the “late Loyalists” and, to some in the colony, their loyalty was always suspect.
To provide land for the Loyalists, the British government surveyed large tracts of land in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Upper Canada into the grid pattern we see today in the province of Ontario: concessions, lots, lines. The Loyalist muster rolls, land grant applications, and other related documents are valuable tools for a family historian. They contain a wealth of information on each of the individuals who applied for free government land.
The Provincial Corps (Loyalists) established by the British during the American Rebellion were assigned to four military districts: Eastern District, Northern District, Central, and Southern Commands. The Eastern and Northern Military Districts were mostly in what was called the “Canadian Establishment.” For instance, if your ancestors served in the following Loyalist Regiments: Loyal Nova Scotia Volunteers, Royal Fencible Americans, Callbeck’s St. John Island Volunteers, or Pringle’s Foot — Royal Newfoundland, they were in the Eastern District. The Royal Highland Emigrants (84th Foot), King’s Royal Regiment of New York (Yorkers), Butler’s Rangers, King’s Rangers (Rogers), Mohawk Corps of Rangers, Queen’s Loyal Rangers (Jessup’s Corps), and the Loyal Rangers (Jessup’s Canadian Rangers) were in the Northern Command.
There were well over thirty Loyalist Corps/Provincial Regiments raised during the American Revolution. The following list will give you some idea of the Provincial Corps records you can search for at LAC
Armed Batteau-men
Armed Boatmen
Arnold’s American Legion
Black Pioneers
British Legion
Buck’s County Light Dragoons
Callbeck’s Company
Carolina King’s Rangers
De Diemar’s Hussars
De Lancey’s Brigade
Emmerick’s Chasseurs
Ferguson’s Corps
Georgia Light Dragoons
Gov’r Wentworth’s Volunteers
Hierlihy’s Corps
Independent Troop of Cavalry
King’s American Dragoons
King’s American Regiment
King’s Orange Rangers
King’s Royal Reg’t of New York
Loyal American Rangers
Loyal American Regiment
Loyal Foresters
Loyal New Englanders
Loyal Nova Scotia Volunteers
Maryland Loyalists
Nassau Blues
New Jersey Volunteers
New York Volunteers
North Carolina Dragoons
North Carolina Highlanders
North Carolina Volunteers
Pennsylvania Loyalists
Philadelphia Light Dragoons
Prince of Wales American Regiment
Provincial Light Infantry
Queen’s Rangers
Roger’s King’s Rangers
Roman Catholic Volunteers
Royal American Reformers
Royal Fencible Americans
Royal Garrison Battalion
Royal Guides and Pioneers
Royal North Carolina Regiment
South Carolina Dragoons
South Carolina Rangers
South Carolina Royalists
Volunteers of New England
Volunteers of Ireland
West Florida Foresters
West Jersey Volunteers
Royal Highland Emigrants[2]
When the revolution started, many of the men who volunteered for service were used as a local police force but, by 1776, the army in New York had received 5,000 green uniforms to be distributed to Loyalist regiments. The early uniforms were “faced” in white, green, or blue. This means that your ancestor’s coat would have been green with white, green, or blue lapels. Later thousands of yards of red cloth were provided by the British authorities and some of the Provincial Corps began to look like regular establishment regiments. As the war progressed almost all Loyalist units began to take on the structure of regular British line regiments with a strict command structure, light and grenadier companies, their own regimental “colours,” regimental bands, and cavalry units.
In 1779 the British authorities, in recognition of the importance of the Provincial Corps, created an “American Establishment”; renamed the Queen’s Rangers to the 1st American Regiment; the Volunteers of Ireland became the 2nd American Regiment; and the New York Volunteers, the 3rd American Regiment. In 1781, the King’s American Regiment became the 4th American Regiment and the British Legion, the 5th American Regiment. These designations were in recognition of each unit’s proficiency. Your Loyalist ancestor may have also chosen to join a colonial militia unit used for scouting or other related activities.
There are a number of military resources available to consult. Your ancestor could have been part of a British regiment, referred to as Regulars; a member of a Loyalist/Provincial Corps, often referred to as Colonials; a member of the Loyalist Militia, who seem to have been predominantly established in the New York command; or a member of one of the corps that formed the American Establishment and thus more closely related to a British Line regiment or even a member of the Native Establishment based out of Fort Niagara. If your family has a German background then they could have seen service with one of the German/Hanoverian Regiments that operated in North America, often referred to as Hessians.
Some men served in more than one corps and, following the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781 and the beginning of peace negotiations in 1782, the muster rolls of the various provincial corps began to dwindle. Many of your ancestors who had served with a Loyalist corps either elected to try to return to their homes or chose to accept the British offer to relocate. Sometimes you may see the word “deserter” beside your ancestor’s name but this may only mean that he elected to take a chance on either travelling north on his own or trying to re-establish himself in the new United States. Little effort seems to have been made by the British authorities to apprehend these men. You really have to appreciate what these men must have felt when they realized that they had lost everything they had struggled to build in the former Thirteen Colonies before the rebellion.[3]
If your ancestor chose to disband in New York, he could have gone to the West Indies, Quebec (then the name for what is now Quebec and Ontario), Nova Scotia, or Saint John, New Brunswick. It appears that the greatest number of disbanded Loyalists settling in one place were those who arrived in Saint John in 1783 under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hewlett of De Lancey’s Brigade. It is estimated that well over 3,000 men, women, and children settled there. This huge influx of settlers resulted in the creation in 1784 of the new colony of New Brunswick with Saint John as its administrative centre. By 1791, the colony of Upper Canada was created from the former colony of Quebec because of the volume of Loyalist settlers.
You can imagine the amount of record keeping that was done by the British authorities as they attempted to settle the displaced Loyalists and their families. You will discover muster rolls and pay lists, lists of individuals receiving rations, land grant records, claims for losses or requests for food rations and tools, petitions for increased acreage, inclusion of names on district records, petitions for title/deed for land, and, later, petitions from family members based on their Loyalist status. You will also discover gratuities granted by early colonial legislatures/Parliaments to ease the financial burden of Loyalist refugees. Many of these acts of Parliament were initiated years after the formation of the colony.
If you want to fully utilize the land-grant records, an excellent resource guide is United Empire Loyalists: A Guide to Tracing Loyalist Ancestors in Upper Canada by Brenda Dougall Merriman.
If you do discover an ancestor on a Loyalist muster roll you will want to check if he or she applied for a land grant. Start by checking the information found at, www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy and following the prompts for Loyalists/land.
So what happens if you do discover a name on a muster roll that you suspect may be an ancestor and someone who may have later served during the War of 1812? Many of the Loyalist regiments raised during the revolution came from specific areas in the thirteen colonies. For instance, the King’s Royal Regiment of New York was originally composed of men from the Mohawk Valley in upper New York State. During the war, they were very active up and down the valley. The regiment was raised and led by Sir John Johnson whose family home was called Johnson Hall.
The Johnson home is maintained by the State of New York and is open to the public. At the end of the war the regiment settled along the St. Lawrence River near present-day Cornwall and Kingston, Ontario. Thus, if you discovered an ancestor who served with this regiment, search records in the former colony of New York’s Mohawk Valley and also in the Cornwall and Kingston area of Upper Canada.
There are some excellent histories available on some of the Loyalist regiments. For example, in 1931 the Ontario Historical Society published a book by Ernest Cruikshank about the King’s Royal Regiment, The History and Master Roll of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, Revised Edition, which was republished in 1984 with the addition of an index, appendices, and a master muster roll prepared by Gavin Watt. As a point of interest, this unit has been recreated by local military enthusiasts and has an excellent web site offering a great deal of information related to the original Provincial Regiment: www.royalyorkers.ca.
It has been suggested by some historians that by 1812 the population in Upper Canada was approximately 70,000+ individuals. Of these, 40 percent were Loyalists and their descendants, former members of British regulars who elected to remain in Canada following their term of service, or immigrants from England.
However, the remainder of the non-Native population was “late Loyalists” or, more specifically, Americans who had come north for free land.[4] So when war was declared, Upper Canada military authorities were a little concerned about the loyalty of these new settlers. For the American military authorities, it certainly made sense to plan any major invasion of the country through Upper Canada.
My own family research in this period began when I received an email from family in England with a copy of an oil painting attached, suggesting that the painting’s subject was a member of my grandmother’s Hinds family. Tradition stated that he had served with the British forces at the battle of Waterloo and before that at the battle of New Orleans. A second reason to research this period was the search for my wife’s ancestor Jean Baptiste Turcott, whom it was believed had served during the War of 1812 and was granted land on Wolfe Island just south of Kingston, Ontario. Two quests necessitated two different approaches to researching War of 1812 records. The first individual would have served in a British regiment — in this case the artillery. I assumed the second was of French Canadian ancestry. Where did I begin?
First establish a historical reference point from which to begin your research. So ask yourself, is it possible that someone could have been involved in the British defeat at New Orleans and later fought at the Battle of Waterloo?
The Battle of Waterloo was fought July 1815 following Emperor Napoleon’s return from his first exile, and the battle of New Orleans occurred January 1815. The incident in New Orleans was a bit of a blunder and certainly an embarrassment for the British. The War of 1812 had actually come to a close with the Treaty of Ghent in December 1814. Word didn’t reach the British forces as they prepared to attack New Orleans and the battle ended in defeat. The Battle of New Orleans, although officially not part of the War of 1812, is still considered a major event in that conflict. To the Americans it was a positive event in a war that had not gone all that well for the United States Army.
Could this individual (Edward or William Hinds) have fought in both battles? The answer is, possibly, “yes.” According to family sources the individual in the picture had served in the Royal Horse Artillery, achieved officer rank, and later died in India. That he may have started in the ranks and become an officer is possible. Rank in corps units (artillery, engineers) was often achieved through ability and not always, as in line regiments, through purchase. If he died in India, he could have achieved officer status while serving with the East India Company’s European Regiments. The company recruited extensively among disbanded soldiers shortly following the war with France.
The second research request offered an interesting all-Canadian element to my research. I would need to access a different set of records to prove a War of 1812 connection. The British Army during this period was divided into line regiments, cavalry regiments, and support corps. Line regiments could be referred to as a regiment of foot (infantry) with grenadier and light companies. Cavalry could be designated as heavy or light while corps units were artillery and engineers. Over the course of history, the artillery could be designated as garrison, horse, or field units. Thus, if your ancestor was in the Royal Horse Artillery you would know that he was part of a gun crew who serviced a field gun (artillery pieces are referred to as guns), drawn by horses. In this period of history the men who “drove” the horses were referred to as members of the Corps of Drivers while those who serviced the gun were recorded as Gunners. Near the end of the war with France, the Corps of Drivers was abolished as a separate unit and amalgamated with gunners as one unit of artillery.
My first suggestion to anyone searching for military ancestors is to start with the medal rolls. Many of the prominent British awards have been indexed and transcribed. This is certainly the case with both the Military General Service and Waterloo Medal Rolls. So what did a preliminary search show? The Waterloo Medal rolls did record a William Hinds, who had served in the Royal Horse Artillery and was entitled to the Waterloo medal with two bars: Badajoz and Vittoria. A search of the British Military General Service Medal rolls showed that he was also entitled to this medal for service with Ross’s Battery of artillery, serving first as a driver and later as a gunner.
The Waterloo Medal was engraved with the recipient’s name and was the first medal issued with a ribbon to general enlisted men. The Military General Service Medal presented for service between 1793 and 1814, was issued with several bars/clasps. Private collection.
Canadians who fought during the War of 1812 were also entitled to the Military General Service Medal. A search of the rolls for this medal did indicate that a Turcott was awarded the medal for service with the Canadian Voltigeurs at the battle of Chateauguay. Further research showed that the Voltigeurs had fought with the 104th Regiment from New Brunswick at the attack on Sackets Harbor. Both the Voltigeurs and New Brunswick Fencibles (104th Regiment) had a Turcott listed in their ranks, although the name on the 104 Muster roll was spelled differently. I already knew the 104th New Brunswick Regiment had recruited extensively in the Province of Quebec before the war. Perhaps they had recruited another Turcott? By consulting a road map, I could see that Sackets Harbor in the United States and Kingston, Ontario, are just across the river from each other. It was possible that Jean Baptiste Turcott had chosen to remain in the Kingston area and settle on Wolfe Island at the end of the war, perhaps applying for a land grant. That he was a member of the militia is indisputable.
The early militia was divided into sedentary units, which were basically farmers or tradesmen who were expected to serve when called upon and then return to their former occupation after hostilities had ended, and fencible units, which were better trained and expected to serve anywhere within their respective colony but not beyond its borders. Many of these better-trained fencible units applied for and were granted line regiment status. Thus, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment served in Upper Canada, as did the former New Brunswick Fencibles when they were granted status as the 104th Regiment of New Brunswick. The 104th regiment won considerable recognition by marching over land from New Brunswick to Upper Canada during the winter without losing a man.
So with this basic information in hand how can I prove if there was a Hinds or even a member of the Cox side of the family at the battle of New Orleans, and also a Turcott connection to the war: the former from either Derbyshire or Warwickshire in England and the latter from Lower Canada in British North America? My grandmother’s family were Hinds — my grandfather’s family Cox — both came from England’s Midlands Region.
You could start your research by spending a few minutes reviewing War of 1812 background information. For instance, www.warof1812.ca/voltigeurs.htm, has some excellent descriptions of the Canadian fencible/militia regiments that were involved in the war. Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_units_of_the_War_of_1812, has information on various British regiments that could provide some historical background to your research. However, the first place to start your search for primary and secondary resources is our own archives. When you visit LAC, the information related to 1812 military records is mostly found in Record Group 9. Nominal rolls are in RG 9, series IB7, vols. 1–39 while discharge certificates and land grant applications are in RG 9, series IB4, vols.18–24. If a militiaman applied for a pension, for whatever reason, these will be found in RG 9, series IB4, vols. 1–17; or RG 9, series IC5, vols. 1, 3–4 and 8–27. You can also order some of this material through interlibrary loan.
In general, War of 1812 records contain two basic types of information: nominal returns for each unit and monthly pay lists, sometimes with lists related to prisoners of war. Nominal rolls will provide you with the name, rank, and remarks about service. These remarks can tell you about an ancestor’s date of enlistment, period of service, if he was killed in battle or died during service, if he deserted the army or was taken prisoner. Muster rolls or monthly pay lists will provide you with name, rank, and period of service for which he received pay. Be aware that the majority of records are organized according to county so if you know in which county your ancestor lived it might make your search a little easier.[5]
In 1875, Parliament offered a gratuity to anyone who had fought in the war. A list of names, age, residence, and corps or division in which they served was printed in 1876 with comment on whether or not the individual qualified for the gratuity. This list provides a reference number for each application and can prove useful when verifying an ancestor’s involvement in the war.
When doing any military research, remember to seek out private collections or visit your local regimental museums and/or archives. For instance, at the Royal Canadian Military Institute, www.rcmi.org, you can find some rare publications that might help in your search. However, while the RCMI is under construction the library is closed. As with any resource, contact the organization by email or phone before you visit.
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WAR OF 1812 BATTLES
1812
• 8 June — War proclaimed by U.S. President James Madison.
• 11 July–11 August — U.S. General Hull invades Upper Canada with a large force; retreats in panic.
• 17 July — Capture of Fort Mackinac (on an island in Lake Michigan, near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario).
• 16 August — Major-General Brock captures Detroit with only 1,300 regulars, militiamen, and Natives.
• 12 October — Battle of Queenston Heights, death of Brock, defeat of U.S. forces under General Van Rensselaer.
• 19–20 October — Action at Lacolle (9 kilometres from the border with New York State).
1813
• 22 January — Battle of Frenchtown (or River Raisin), major victory for British and Native allies, U.S. battle cry becomes “Remember the Raisin.”
• 27 April — Capture, pillaging of York, Upper Canada, by U.S. forces, attacked again 31 July.
• 1 May — Battle of Fort Meigs (Ohio).
• 25–27 May — Assault on Fort George (near Newark, now Niagara-on-the-Lake).
• 29 May — Assault at Sackets Harbor (New York State).
• 6 June — Battle of Stoney Creek.
• 24 June — Battle of Beaver Dams.
• 10 September — Battle of Lake Erie, defeat of British fleet under Captain Barclay, British forces forced to retreat from western province.
• 5 October — U.S. victory at Moraviantown in battle of the Thames, great Native leader Tecumseh dies.
• 26 October — Battle of Châteauguay, Lower Canada.
• 11 November — Battle of Chrysler’s Farm, major victory for the British.
• 10 December — Burning of Newark, Upper Canada, by the retreating U.S. forces.
• 12 December — British capture of Fort Niagara, guerrilla warfare commences on Niagara frontier.
• 29–30 December — burning of Lewiston, Tuscarora, Fort Schlosser, Black Rock, and Buffalo, New York, by British forces in retaliation for U.S. burning of York and Newark.
1814
• 30 March — Action at Lacolle.
• 5 May — Amphibious assault on Oswego, New York.
• May — Abdication of Napoleon — war ends in Europe.
• 3 July — Capture of Fort Erie.
• 5 July — Battle of Chippawa.
• 13–15 September — Bombardment by British of Fort McHenry, writing of “Star Spangled Banner.”
• July–August — Twelve thousand British veterans arrive in Canada because of the end of war with France. Assault on Plattsburg, New York, poorly planned and leads to British withdrawal, over 1,000 British troops desert.
• July–August — Washington captured and burned.
• 24 December — Treaty of Ghent ends the war, all captured territory returned to previous owner.
1815
• 1 January — Battle of New Orleans ends in defeat for the British forces.
Of course, this is only a partial list of the many battles and small actions fought during the course of this war. I have purposely not included all naval engagements fought between Great Britain and the United States on the Great Lakes and the oceans of the world because that is beyond the scope of this guide.
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It will take some research before you can place an ancestor in a specific regiment and ultimately at a specific battle. However, once you have accomplished this it is time to become a historian and commence fitting historical details into your own family narrative. Spend time researching some of the information available on the life of a soldier or militiaman of the period. Uniforms, weapons, equipment, and military tactics all help you understand your ancestor’s military world. Stories about the life of a militiaman or British regular abound. The quantity/quality of food issued, the length of service, the harsh discipline, the horrible wounds sustained in battle, the nature of guerilla warfare all add interest to your narrative.
For instance, if your ancestor fought in this war, he carried a weapon referred to by the ordinary soldier as a “Brown Bess.” The official name for this weapon was the East India Pattern Long Land Musket and it was a muzzle-loading gun. A good, well-trained soldier could load and fire this weapon three to four times in a minute. It should never be referred to as a rifle because it had a smooth bore in the barrel. “Rifling” the barrel was a later invention designed to add accuracy to the shot.
You may also discover that one of your ancestors served with the American forces during the war as a “licensed freebooter.” These were men, many of whom were former “late Loyalists” (families who came up to Canada seeking free land in the years following the American Revolution before the War of 1812), who made the decision to join a band of American-sponsored marauders to terrorize their former neighbours. Men like Abner Chapin, William Markle, and Andrew Westbrook led bands of guerrillas who burned mills, destroyed crops, drove off cattle, and burned the homes of anyone who was a government official or served in the Upper Canada militia. Interestingly, they could often rely upon former neighbours to provide them with information about British troop movements.
As a matter of fact, following the capture of York and the burning of Newark, the whole Niagara frontier settled into a conflict between neighbours. British forces rampaged up and down the American side of the river burning Buffalo, Tuscarora, and Little Rock. In response to the threat from American raiders, the British eventually detached Lieutenant James FitzGibbon from his regular duties and assigned him a group of Mounted Regulars. His job was to intercept communications between American forces and seek out and destroy American freebooters. The American forces called his men the “Green Tigers” because of the green facings on their uniforms. It was FitzGibbon who, with help from his Native allies, was able to take the information provided by Laura Secord and prepare an ambush of a far superior American force at the Battle of Beaver Dams.
Following the war, the civil authorities in Canada initiated court proceedings against former settlers accused of high treason. Angela Files and Tess Rowe compiled a list of these.[6] At Ancestry.com you can access the nominal roll of the men who belonged to the Canadian Corps of Volunteers who fought with the American forces during the war.
Your ancestor may have served with the British Army as a regular and chose to remain in (or return to) Canada following his term of service. Archives Canada has acquired a significant number of microfilm reels concerning the British Army (1713–1940) all of which can be borrowed on interlibrary loan. At present there are 844 microfilm reels. However, the following are British Army regiments that would be of interest to anyone doing family history research related to the War of 1812:
a. Infantry of the Line
1st Regiment of Foot
6th Regiment of Foot
8th Regiment of Foot
9th Regiment of Foot
13th Regiment of Foot
37th Regiment of Foot
41st Regiment of Foot
42nd Regiment of Foot
49th Regiment of Foot
52nd Regiment of Foot
57th Regiment of Foot
60th Regiment of Foot
77th Regiment of Foot
81st Regiment of Foot
82nd Regiment of Foot
89th Regiment of Foot
99th Regiment of Foot
100th Regiment of Foot
103rd Regiment of Foot
104th Regiment of Foot
De Watteville’s Regiment
7th West India Regiment
b. Fencible Regiments
Canadian Fencible Regiment
Glengarry Light Infantry Fencible Regiment
New Brunswick Fencible Regiment
Newfoundland Fencible Regiment
c. Royal Marines
d. Canadian Militia Units
Canadian Voltigeurs
Incorporated Militia Battalion of Upper Canada
e. Native Warriors
Caughnawaga
Huron
Micmac
Oneida
Ottawa
Tuscara
You can find many of the nominal rolls/muster, pay rolls for these units in the LAC manuscript groups. Records for Native Warriors are mostly non-existent. You may, however, discover a Military General Service Medal with the name of a Native Warrior engraved around the rim. These are very scarce.
Those who wish to learn more about the British regiments and Canadian militia should consult Michael Gregory’s book, Compendium of Canadian Regiments (Ottawa: Lorimer Printers Ltd., 2005).
What Has My Own Research Proven?
Is there any truth to the Hind’s story that an ancestor served at the battle of Waterloo and earlier at New Orleans? And did a member of the Turcott family also serve during the War of 1812 and eventually settle on Wolfe Island near Kingston, Ontario?
William Hinds is listed as receiving the Waterloo Medal and Military General Service Medal with two clasps. A search of the Military General Service Medal rolls shows the same individual entitled to this medal as a gunner in Ross’s E Troop Royal Horse Artillery. So this individual must have transferred from the Corps of Drivers to become a gunner in a Troop of Artillery. Ross’s troop, Royal Horse Artillery (R.H.A.) served in the Peninsula and Southern France, (1809–14), from Busaco to Orthes with the Light Division, and at Helder in 1799 and at Waterloo in 1815. A check of the Battery Records of the Royal Artillery, 1716–1859, definitely shows three batteries in service at New Orleans: Carmichael’s Corps, Michell’s Corps, and Munro’s Corps, but not Ross’s Corps. Also, no mention was made of any Royal Artillery officer by this name on any medal rolls. My next step was to search for a will left by William Hinds and any online records of the British East India Company’s European Regiments organized for service in India following the war with Napoleon. I also discovered an Edward Cox, ensign 6th Foot, 17th September 1805, Captain 6th Foot, 18 May 1809, who served in North America, November 1814–February 1815 at Fort Erie and died 27 August 1825 in Bombay, India! Perhaps the Hinds portrait was incorrectly identified. Maybe it was sent by a relative on the Cox side of my family? The 6th Regiment of Foot was a Warwickshire unit and the Coxes are all from the Birmingham region. This could take my research in a new direction. Now I have to research early parish records in Warwickshire/Derbyshire England and check the Indian army records at the National Archives in England.
The Turcott story is a little more interesting. I already knew a Turcott had fought at the battle of Châteauguay and so was entitled to the Military General Service Medal with Châteauguay clasp. Originally this medal was to be issued to senior officers only. However, after some protest, Lord Elgin, the governor general of Canada, was informed on 2 August 1847 that the Military General Service Medal was to be awarded to Canadian militia and Indian warriors as well. There were only three clasps awarded for this medal: Fort Detroit (16 August 1812), Châteauguay (26 October 1813), and Chrysler’s Farm (11 November 1813). At the urging of the Parliament of Canada a request was made for further clasps: Queenston Heights, Lundy’s Lane, Ogdenburg, Lacolle, and Plattsburg. These requests were refused by the authorities in England because it would be too difficult to identify the appropriate recipients. By 1853 the whole matter of additional clasps seems to have been dropped, probably because of the situation developing in the Crimea and the fact that the British Parliament did not want to incur any more expense.[7]
Remember, all British medals were engraved around the edge with the name of the recipient and the regiment in which they served. This practice only stopped with the issue of Second World War medals. Thus, if you discover a British military medal with a “bar” or “clasp” it is relatively easy to trace the individual and acquire knowledge of the military action for which they were awarded the medal.
In 1875 the Parliament of Canada did decide to reward the remaining veterans of the war with a gratuity. Anyone wishing to claim the gratuity had to submit an application proving he had served in the militia during the war. The list of claimants was published in 1876 showing name, age, place of residence, and name of division or corps in which he served. This is an interesting source of information for anyone doing genealogical research because not only does it give some important statistics but also provides two important file numbers: the government file and the case file.
In this record I found the name Jean Baptiste Turcott, age seventy-eight, living on Wolfe Island, Frontenac County, private in the Boucherville Division. I had already traced the family back to this Jean Baptiste, establishing connections through the 1851 census and earlier church records. Because he had provided, on his gratuity request, the name of the division in which he served, I now had a location in Lower Canada (Quebec) in which to conduct further searches. Boucherville, Quebec, is on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, just south of the city of Montreal. It was originally settled in 1660 and is just north of Châteauguay.
A later search of the nominal/subject index to British and Naval Records did provide information that Turcott, Jean Bte., did apply in 1841 for one-hundred acres of land for service during the war.[8] A search of Lower Canada land petitions showed that a Jean Baptiste Turcott had also applied earlier, in 1838.[9] My future searches will attempt to connect the Turcotts who served with the 104th New Brunswick Regiment and the Canadian Volitgeurs. Interestingly, the 1838 land grant application added another piece to the puzzle when it stated that Turcott was living in Sainte-Marie, Beauce, and had been a corporal in the 4th Battalion during the war. His 1838 application had been published in the Quebec Gazette.
Jean Baptiste Turcott’s 1841 application was a group application made on his behalf by an independent applicant. I’ll have to get a translation because it will be interesting to discover if he had requested a further land grant because he had fought with the government forces during the rebellions of 1837.
LAC PRE-1812 RECORDS
• RG 1, L3, Upper Canada land petitions, 1788–1848.
• RG 1, L1, Upper Canada land and state books, 1787–1841.
• RG 5, correspondence of the civil and provincial secretaries.
• RG 8, finding aid 1800, British records, muster rolls of Loyalist Provincial Corps, volumes 1851 to 1908, microfilm C-3873 to C-3874, C-4216–4217 to C-4224.
• Black Loyalist muster rolls can be found at epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/ic/can_digital_collections/blackloyalist/index.html.
• WO 17/24, if your ancestor served in a British or German regiment.
• War Office (WO) 28, volumes 2–10, microfilm reels, B-2862-2867, finding aid 87, British records of many of the Northern Dept. Loyalist units.
• Manuscript Group (MG) 13 and WO 36, the American Rebellion Entry Books (1775–83). These records contain information on the history of the revolution, British Army returns, France and Spain — armed forces, Order Books — Britain plus Prisoners of War and Prisons.
• MG 21 contains five volumes of reference material containing northern command muster rolls, lists of provisions to refugees, and service lists for the Provincial Marines. These are the records most used by researchers, finding aids 599 and 90, indexes on microfilm C-1476.
• MG 23, B1, microfilm M-341 to M-370, the records of Sir Guy Carleton, who was responsible for the evacuation from New York, references to soldiers, ships, refugees, and Loyalists.
WAR OF 1812
This is only a small part of the resources you can use to research your 1812 ancestors.
• MG 13, WO 10, Reel C-12568 contains muster books and pay lists for the Royal Artillery serving in Canada.
• MG 13, WO 12, 1759–1839. British Regiments of the Line who served at Louisburg and Quebec, 1759–67; Fencible Regiments, 1791–98 and 1812–16; Canadian Volunteers 1838–39. On microfilm reel C-9202 you will find the 1795–1816 reference material. The microfilmed originals are on microfilm reels B-110 to B-118 and B-3196.
• MG 13, WO 17 — 1758–1865 — vols. 1489–1569, “Canada,” 1758–1865, vols., 1570–80, “British, Provincial, and German Troops serving in Canada,” 1776–86, microfilm B-1585 and B-1587 to B-1590, vols. 2241–2293, “Newfoundland,” B-1591 and B-1606 to B-1613. These records show the distribution of British forces in North America, records effective strength of all ranks in each regiment with the names of all commissioned officers present and absent. The returns also provide information on the dates of any officers dying since the last return, the rank and file fit for duty, and the number of men discharges for any reason since the last return.
• RG 10, microfilm, C-11120, claims for pensions by veterans, contains a list of Natives who served during the War of 1812.
LAC LAND GRANT RECORDS
• RG 1 - 9, Crown land admin., Subject files. This file contains correspondence regarding requests for land grants for militia service.
• RG 1 - 54, Petitions relating to land received by the Crown Land Department. Here you will find petitions from veterans of the war that may provide some details about military service.
• RG 1 - 100, Patent Plans. The material found in this file may be useful in locating the land granted to your 1812 ancestor.
• RG 1 - 52, Registers of Militia Grants. Gives reference to acreage granted to men of the militia, provincial dragoons, or provincial marine. Name, rank, and unit are provided.
NOVA SCOTIA ARCHIVES
Military Land Grant Map. Nova Scotia Archives, Map Collection, V7/239-1785 Pictou.
• RG 1, Great Britain — Army — Volume 376, 1784, Muster Rolls of Loyalists and military settlers at Annapolis, Digby, and adjacent places in that county, also on the island of St. John (Prince Edward Island) and other settlements on Gulf Shore of Nova Scotia, 28 May to 28 September 1784 (transcribed in 1880 from the muster rolls in possession of J.W. Lawrence of Saint John, NB, formerly among the papers of the late Honourable Ward Chipman, chief justice of New Brunswick). These records contain names with class, numbers in family, and remarks as to where they settled, as well as names of the disbanded corps to which many of them had belonged.
• MG 12 — Headquarters office papers, vol., nos.0-236, 1783–1907, record of regiments and corps that have served in the Nova Scotian Command since October 1783 when the troops arrived from New York after the American Revolutionary War.
If you visit the Nova Scotia Archives in person, these are two useful finding aids:
Marion Gilroy, comp., Halifax, 1937, Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia, is a transcribed list of Loyalist land grants providing name, date, situation, acres, and origin or rank for the nine counties of Nova Scotia. Included are grants, warrants, and escheats. Often the name of the loyalist corps, rank, and status are provided on each individual.
Jean Peterson, assisted by Lynn Murphy and Heather MacDonald, A Detailed List of Archival Resources Available to Researchers, Public Archives of Nova Scotia. Page 85 lists books related to the military in Nova Scotia and available at the archives. Page 239, Chapter 15, Military — offers general correspondence, regiments and “soldiers,” which includes uniforms etc., providing reference numbers for research purposes.
NOVA SCOTIA WEBSITES
The following websites list either original or transcribed nominal rolls of members of the Provincial Corps who settled in one of the eastern provinces.
• The Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia www.chebucto.ns.ca/Recreation/GANS.
• At Genealogy Links www.genealogylinks.net/canada/nova_scotia/nova_scotia_military.htm, Loyalist records and lists of British regiments stationed in Nova Scotia.
• The Nova Scotia Genealogical Network Association. Go to nsgna.ednet.ns.ca, and check Military.
• The Nova Scotia Museum has a surname search function for Black Loyalists at museum.gov.ns.ca/blackloyalists/names/default.htm.
• At Mary’s Genealogy Treasures (Nova Scotia) www3.telus.net/public/mtoll, check Military.
• On Roots Web freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bonsteinandgilpin/gatnc.htm, you can trace your Hessian ancestors.
NEW BRUNSWICK
At the New Brunswick Archives, www.archives.gnb.ca, you can access all the records of the 1839 Act, “An Act for the Relief of Old Soldiers of the Revolutionary War,” granting financial assistance to soldiers or their widows who had fallen on hard times and were applying for government assistance. The petitions and the schedules of payment are available. The petition often includes the number of years the applicant has lived in the colony, his or her economic condition, information about military service, and in the case of widows when and where the couple was married. The payment schedules contain lists of names and in some cases information about the recipient. All the records have been digitized and are available online. At the archives website, check Search then Other to access the records. If you view these records online, check the Help option, especially the “Guidelines for Performing an Effective Search.”If you visit the archives in person, look at the following record sources:
• Record Source (RS) 566 — Provincial Secretary: Old Soldiers and Widower Pension Admin. Records.
• RS 146/148/153/154/157 — County records: Albert, Charlotte, Northumberland, Queens, Sunbury for record of payments.
• RS 9 — Executive Council Meeting Files, contain lists of soldiers and widows, and sometimes include information about individual soldiers.
• RS 24 — Sessional Records of the Legislative Assembly.
• MG 24 8-1, Ref. # 6886-0-2-E, a transcript of a “List of Veterans of 1812–1815” of Upper Canada to whom medals have been granted.
• Similar but not identical to records found 8, vol. 1202, reels C-3519.
Websites
University of New Brunswick Library, www.lib.unb.ca, allows you to browse the collection of military/loyalist records.
Ancestry.com, search.ancestry.ca/search/. Available on this site are a list of volunteers who served with Major Willcocks and a nominal roll of the men belonging to the Corps of Canadian Volunteers in the service of the United States during the war. There are also Loyalist muster rolls online.
Canadian Military Heritage Project, www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canmil.
Cyndi’s List, www.cyndislist.com/milcan.htm, select Military Resources Worldwide then Canadian.
Early Canadiana Online Project, www.canadiana.org/ECO. At this site you can access the books listing the militiamen of the 1812 war wounded or killed in action and entitled to a government pension/gratuity.
Families in British India Society, www.fibis.org, if you suspect your ancestors may have served in India during the Raj.
Family Search, www.familysearch.org, this site will give you access to the records of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). The Library Search tab will provide you with a list of the records held at Salt Lake City. Once you know the microfilm number, the film can be borrowed on inter-centre loan. You do not have to be a member of the church to use the research facilities.
Friends of Fort York, www.fortyork.ca, check the links to re-enactor groups. Many of these groups have done extensive research related to the personnel who served during the war.
General Society of the War of 1812, www.societyofthewarof1812.org/links.html, this is an American site but does provide some good links to Canadian information.
Google Books, www.googlebooks.com. Here I found A Narrative of the Affair at Queenston Heights: in the War of 1812 with a review, published 1836, Van Renssaelaer, John Armstrong. Van Renssaelaer was the American commander at the battle of Queenston Heights who was removed from command following the American defeat. He spent years trying to clear his name.
Imperial War Museum, U.K. www.iwm.org.uk.
Library and Archives Canada, www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet, access the list of research tools, then general inventory, for government of Canada files, land grants, and other archival resources across Canada.
McGill Library, digital.library.mcgill.ca/CountyAtlas. The university has scanned county atlases and provided an index so you can search for ancestors who may have owned land in Canada. The site is titled; “In Search of Your Past: The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project.” Here, I found the Turcott farm in an 1878 atlas of Frontenac County.
National Archives U.K., www.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Olive Tree Genealogy, www.olivetreegenealogy.com/mil/1812, focus on Canadian genealogy, then military.
Rootsweb Freepages hosted by Ancestry, freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~crossroads/regiments/regiments-guards.html, will provide you with information about the British Regiments in Canada.
Ancestry.com has posted U.K. military campaign medals and awards roll, 1793–1949, on their website. Check the right-hand side to browse the collection at search.ancestry.co.uk/search/category.aspx?cat=131.
Books
Loyalists
Cook, S.H. and G.R. Hodges. The Black Loyalists Directory: African Americans in Exile After the American Revolution. New York and London: Garland Publishing, 1996.
Cruikshank, E. The King’s Royal Regiment of New York. With index, appendices, and a master muster roll provided by Gavin Watt. Toronto: Ontario Historical Society, 1931, reprinted 1984.
Dubeau, S. New Brunswick Loyalists, A Bicentennial Tribute. Agincourt, ON: Generation Press, 1983.
Fryer, Mary Beacock. Rolls of the Provincial (Loyalist) Corps, Canadian Command, American Revolution Period. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1981.
Gregory, M. Compendium of Canadian Regiments. Ottawa: Lomor Printers Ltd., 2005.
Hughes, G.W. A Marchpast of the Corps and Regiments of the Canadian Army Past and Present (three Volumes). Calgary: [s.n.], 1993.
Katcher, P. Armies of the American Wars 1753–1815. New York: Hastings House, 1975.
Raymond, W. O. Loyalist Arms, 1775–1783: A Short History of the British American Regiments with the Rolls of Officers. Milton: Global Heritage Press, 2001.
Rees, R. Land of the Loyalists, Their Struggle to Shape the Maritimes. Halifax, NS: Nimbus Publications Ltd., 2000.
Wilson, Barbara. Military General Service Medal, 1793–1814, Egypt Medal, 1882–1889, North West Canada Medal, 1885 (Canadian Recipients). London, U.K.: Spink & Son Ltd., 1975.
War of 1812
Cruikshank, E.A. Record of the Services of Canadian Regiments in the War of 1812: The Militiamen of the Eastern District: Glengarry, Stormont and Dundas. Canadian Military Institute, 1915, reprinted Toronto: Canadiana, 196?.
Gray, W.M. Soldiers of the King: The Upper Canada Militia, 1812–1815: A Reference Guide. Erin, ON: Boston Mills Press, 1995.
Lauber, W.R. An Index of the Land Claim Certificates of Upper Canada Militiamen Who Served in the War of 1812. Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 1995.
MacLean & Rogers. Militiamen of 1812–1815: Showing the Names, Ages and Residence of Militiamen of 1812–15 Who had Applied for the Government Gratuity of 1875. Ottawa: Department of Militia and Defence, 1872.
Merriman, Brenda Dougall. United Empire Loyalists: A Guide to Tracing Loyalist Ancestors in Upper Canada. Milton, ON: Global Heritage Press, 2009.
Books Containing Lists of Names of Medal Recipients or Information About Military Service Medals
Berton, P. Flames Across the Border, 1813–1814. Toronto: Anchor Canada, 2001.
___. The Invasion of Canada, 1812–1813. Toronto: Anchor Canada, 2001.
Blatherwick, Francis, J. Canadian Orders, Decoration & Medals, 4th Ed. Toronto: Unitrade Press, 1994.
Duckers, P. British Campaign Medals, 1815–1914. Botley, Oxford: Shire Books, 2000.
Irving, L.A. Officers of the British Forces in Canada during the War of 1812–1815. Welland, ON: Welland Tribune Press, 1908, reprinted 1992.
Mullen, A.L.T. The Military General Service Medal Roll, 1793–1812. London: London Stamp Exchange, 1990.
N.A. The Waterloo Medal Roll: Compiled from the Muster Rolls. Dallington, East Sussex: Naval and Military Press, 1992.
Vigors, D., and MacFarlane, A.M. The Three Great Retrospective Medals, 1793–1840 Awarded to Artillerymen. Salisbury, U.K.: Vigors & MacFarland, 1986.
RCMI Library
Arkwith, W.N. List of Officers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, 1716–1899, 4th Edition. London, U.K.: William Clowes & Sons, 1900.
Government of Canada. Statement the Names, Age and Residence of Militiamen of 1812–15, Who Have Applied to Participate in the Gratuity Voted by Parliament in 1875, With the Name of the Corps or Division and Rank in Which They Served. Ottawa: Maclean, Rogers & Co., 1876.
Laws, M.E.S. Battery Records of the Royal Artillery, 1776–1859, Woolwich, U.K.: Royal Artillery Publication, 1952. In this book I discovered which batteries of artillery were in action at the battle of New Orleans.
Sutherland, S. His Majesty’s Gentlemen: A Directory of Regular British Army Officers of the War of 1812. Toronto: Iser Publications, 2000.
NOTES
1. Thomas Jefferson to William Duane, 1812.08.04, found in C. Benn, Historic Fort York, 1793–1993 (Toronto: Natural Heritage Press, 1993), 45.
2. LAC, RG 8, series I, finding aid 1800.
3. J.M. Hitsman, The Incredible War of 1812 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1965), 22.
4. W.D. Raymond, Loyalists in Arms, 1775–1783: A Short History of the British American Regiments with Roll of Officers (Milton: Global Heritage Press, 2001), 26.
5. W.R. Lauber, Index of Essex and Kent Militia Records 1812–1815 (Chatham, ON: Kent Branch, OGS, 1995), intro.
6. Angela Files and Tess M. Rowe, comp., Register of Persons Connected with High Treason, War of 1812–14 (Brantford, ON: Brant County Branch OGS, 1985).
7. Canadian Recipients of the Military General Service, Egypt Medal and North West Canada (London: Spink and Son Ltd., 1975), 1–3.
8. LAC, RG 8-1, vol. 1061 B, pg. 39, microfilm C-3369.
9. LAC, RG 1 L 3L, vol. 40, pages 20030–20037, reel C-2508.
