Lansing United Church
Beecroft Rd & Poyntz Ave Toronto
ON M2N 1K4
Living in Interesting Times: Two Loyalist Families in York Township, Upper Canada
While building out his family tree, Rick Hill was surprised to discover a 3rd great-grandmother who could have boasted that three of her four grandparents were United Empire Loyalists—and she had a Loyalist great-grandfather, too! During the American Revolutionary War, these UEL ancestors—Henry Dennis, his son John, John’s wife Martha (née Brown), and Lawrence Johnson—all fled Pennsylvania. Three of the four made it out of the future USA, first to Nova Scotia, and ultimately to York Township and the Town of York in Upper Canada. Their stories include the Battle of St. Lucia, the Quaker religion, losing a husband at sea, founding a settlement that banned slave masters, shipbuilding in Kingston, ill-starred actions in the War of 1812, a house at the corner of King & Yonge, a Methodist bishop, and the first customer of a new burial ground.
Speaker: Born, raised and educated in Toronto, Rick Hill has lived in Brighton for over forty years. The births of his three sons during the 80s inspired him to begin mapping their family tree. The arrival of two granddaughters over the last decade, and the bandwidth offered by retirement, combined with the explosion of genealogical resources available online, all came together to prompt him to double down on this project. Besides being a member of the Quinte Branch of OGS, Rick is also a member of the Brighton Public Library Board, and a director of the Marie Dressler Foundation. He chairs the committee which presents the Foundation’s annual Vintage Film Festival in Port Hope.
MINI-PRESENTATION:
From No Story to a Life Story—Breaking Down a Brick Wall.
When Carol started working on her family history she only knew her great grandmother’s name—and that turned out to be wrong! Carol will tell the story how, over a thirty-year time span, she managed to break down that brick wall and fill in her great grandmother’s life story.
Speaker: Carol Ufford is a retired librarian and has been researching her family history for over 30 years. Her family has deep roots in Ontario, and she loves to dig deeper and find the stories behind her ancestors’ names and dates. Carol is currently Chair of Toronto Branch.
If the weather cooperates, this will be a hybrid meeting. You are welcome to join us in person at Lansing United Church. Masks are encouraged. (We’ll know you are smiling.)
Or watch the presentation live online. Click here to register for your Zoom link.