The Loyalists

Source

A description of the Loyalists from The centennial of the settlement of Upper Canada by the United Empire Loyalists, 1784-1884:


"WHEN the American Colonies revolted in 1776, and declared their Independence, there was a very
large number of the Colonists who vehemently opposed the movement, and aided the Imperial troops in the war that ensued. Those who took up arms for the Crown, fought for a United Empire, that was their rallying cry, they wished to see the English race united under a common flag and under the same sovereign. They deplored the dismemberment of the Empire, and during the long struggle maintained a sturdy adherence to their principles. They were known as the United Empire Loyalists or as has become a familiar phrase on this continent, the U. E. Loyalists."

"On the conclusion of the war, and the severance of the old Colonies from the Mother Country, these U. E. Loyalists abandoning all they possessed, moved into what is now New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, in 1783, and in 1784 a large number of them moved up the St. Lawrence and settled in the then unbroken wilderness of Upper Canada. Many also moved from the United States through the wilderness, to the Niagara River, where they crossed into British Territory and made the first settlement in that district in the same year. A very large proportion of the present population of Upper Canada can trace their descent from these early pioneers, who settled this Province by reason of their unyielding loyalty to a great principle."