Area & Genealogical Resources ONLINE

The resources on this page can be accessed online from your computer.

United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada

An obvious place to begin learning about Loyalists and how to research them is with the organization that promotes learning about them. At the UELAC National site at uelac.ca/research-resources you will find links to much information about Loyalists, particularly an EXTENSIVE and growing list of “Online Loyalist Resources”.

Examples include

  • the Ward Chipman Papers from the Atlantic region;
  • The Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies with Regiment Rolls that have been discovered;
  • Loyalists of Chaleur Bay;
  • Black Loyalist resources;
  • Teachers will appreciate the Loyalist book list for young readers.

Family Tree Knots Blog:

An answer to the basic question, Am I descended from a Loyalist?, may be found in this posting from Ken McKinlay’s blog at Family Tree Knots. This website has an extensive lists of resources and links.

How to Begin Your Genealogy Research – Online Guide

If you’re just starting family history, Library and Archives Canada have a webpage on Genealogy and Family History. Within it, there’s a section How to begin your genealogy research which is a great starting point.

Digital Kingston Online: The Kingston Frontenac Public Library also offers access to Digital Kingston, an on-going project to digitize early newspapers and other Kingston-related materials. The Historic Kingston journal is indexed there.

The index to the St Mary’s Cathedral and Railton Parish registers have also been scanned and transcribed into a database by KFPL staff and are available on Digital Kingston.

Research Guide to Loyalist Records – Archives of Ontario

The Archives of Ontario website includes an excellent Research Guide to Loyalist records available in their collection: PDF Research Guide: The Loyalists

Online Genealogy Guide – Queen’s University

The Queen’s library offers a guide to its genealogical resources, at guides.library.queensu.ca/genealogy.

OMNI Library Catalogue at Queen’s

Anyone can search the OMNI library catalogue at library.queensu.ca/search-tools/omni to find resources to use onsite. Note that on-line or borrowing access to some materials requires an Alumni, Queen’s staff or student ID. Members of the public living in the Kingston area may obtain a library card that gives borrowing privileges, for a fee.

Loyalist Collection Catalogue – Brock University Library

Brock’s Loyalist Collection catalogue is now available to search at www.uelac.org/Friends-Loyalist-Collection-BrockU/index.html. If you can’t find your information in the Kingston area, consider a visit to St. Catharines. For up-to-date information about open hours and location, check the Brock University Library home page.

Journal of the American Revolution

An article posted January 28, 2015 in the Journal of the American Revolution on what life was really like for the Loyalists: allthingsliberty.com/2015/01/the-loyalist-refugee-experience-in-canada.

Canada/Ontario GenWeb Genealogy Resources – Frontenac County

Canada GenWeb at canadagenweb.org is a network of pages maintained by genealogists as a free repository of Canada’s genealogy resources. The Ontario GenWeb at on.canadagenweb.org has specific entries for each county, including Frontenac County. These pages contain many items of preliminary information for the beginning genealogist, or someone returning to it after time away.

Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet

A good broad source for genealogical research is always Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet. Some of the links may be broken, but others are well worth keeping this list.

Ontario Long Form Birth Certificate

If you are completing an application for certification as descendant of a Loyalist, you will need to include a copy of your own birth documentation showing the names of your parents. For Ontario residents, this means a copy of the Long Form Birth Certificate, NOT the small card you probably carry in your wallet which does not provide parental information. To order Ontario Long Form Birth records, you can download the form from: https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-or-replace-ontario-birth-certificate

An alternative for some situations might be ordering a marriage certificate as it can be cheaper and faster. In Ontario a Marriage document has the following information in the indicated years:

“MARRIAGES (July 1869 and after): There is information about each person and about the marriage. About each person: Name, age, place of residence and birth, marital status (bachelor/ widower, spinster / widow), occupation, father’s name, mother’s maiden name, and religious denomination. About the marriage: Location and date marriage occurred, witnesses’ names and residences, name of clergy conducting the marriage, whether marriage was by issuance of a marriage license or publication of banns and registration date.“

(From: www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/tracing/vsmain.aspx)

TO OUR ANCESTORS (Ernestown Loyalists Research)

Research performed by Richard Parry, UE, for our Canada Day event:

  1. Ernestown Map .. which shows approximately what our display looked like.
  2. 1783 Ernestown Surname List

Ernestown Landowners Map A at https://kingston.uelac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ERNESTOWN-Landowners-Map-A.pdf

Ernestown Township 1783 Surname List at https://kingston.uelac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Ernestown-Township-1783-Surname-list.pdf

NOTE: The Links to the Pre-Confederation maps that were on ONTARIO HERITAGE Property Index have been deleted but not relocated yet. We have been waiting years for them to reappear. If you have time PLEASE email the Ontario Archives reference desk (reference@ontario.ca) and ask them for the specific map(s). Our hope is that they will get enough requests that someone who is responsible for AIMS (The new Ontario site) will get their act together and put those high quality images back on the site. But we are not holding our breath.

THE LOYALIST DIRECTORY

The Loyalist Directory is hosted at the UELAC National site. It is a listing of all known United Empire Loyalist settlers in Ontario. It is an important tool for UEL genealogical researchers.

All Ontario Branch’s Proven Ancestors Lists are funneled into this list on a periodic basis.