Lost Loyalists: Volume 1

Hi Annabelle, Here is an article about the Snider brothers that I wrote for Loyalist Trails back in 2008. Get back to me if you want citations for any of the data that is new to you. Stephen Davidson (loyalistsed@gmail.com) "Loyalist Trails" July 6, 2008   Brothers Who Bore Arms Together © Stephen Davidson   In the history of warfare it is not uncommon to read stories of brothers who decide to go off to battle together. The American Revolution was no different. Here are the stories of two sets of brothers who left their colonial homes and fought for a united empire. The four Snider brothers were loyalists who lived near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the summer of 1777, Peter and Elias Snider joined 160 others who were making their way to join the king's forces on Staten Island. On the journey through New Jersey, the loyalist volunteers were intercepted. The two Snider brothers were among the 60 who were taken prisoner. The leaders of the loyalist party were singled out and executed. It seemed that many others would share their fate. Peter Snider was imprisoned for six months to await his hanging. Elias also faced execution, but for reasons unknown was kept in jail for 18 months. While Elias Snider was in prison, his wife Mary did her best to maintain their rented farm in Pennsylvania. She was forced to sell their horses, cows and an ox along with three tons of hay to put food on the table. Elias and Peter's father sold 175 acres of land to pay the fees required to provide for his sons while they were incarcerated. Elias was finally released on the condition that he would join the rebel army. His time in prison had taken a severe toll on Elias' health. Seeing that he was in no condition to fight, the patriots permitted Elias to go home "on furlough". He never quite made it. He evaded the patriots by hiding in the woods for a year, and eventually made his way to the British garrison on Staten Island. Peter Snider was also offered a pardon if he would serve in the Continental Army and pay his jail fees; an offer he willingly accepted. After only three months in the rebel army, Peter deserted, hid for 30 days, and then fled to Philadelphia to join with other loyalists. Elias and Peter along with two more of their brothers joined the New Jersey Brigade and served in the corps for the remainder of the war. Peter sailed from New York to New Brunswick with Col. Allen's Regiment in October 1783, settling his family along the St. John River near present day Fredericton. Within four years' time, he had settled near his brothers Elias and Baltus in Sussex along the Kennebecasis. River. When Baltus Snider died in 1808, he willed his farm to his six children James, Mary, Betsey, Henry, Jacob and Kezia. Elias Snider died in 1811, leaving his estate to his sons Peter and Elias. The last of the Snider brothers, Peter, died in 1830. His homestead was divided among his children: Elizabeth (Byram), Magdalen (Dole), Charlotte, Jacob, Peter, Elias, George, and Leveritt. Little else is known of the brothers who fought side by side during the revolution. When they made their claims for compensation in 1787, each of the Sniders mentioned the loss of a prized mare. More than houses and land, what these two loyalists may have missed the most in their first years in New Brunswick was a good horse. Before Israel, Richard and Farrington Ferguson settled along the Bay of Quinte, they had lived on Cameron's Neck near Albany, New York. Their father Richard had already distinguished himself in the king's service by carrying "dispatches of consequence" that told of the rebel army's advance on Quebec. Israel joined the British army in 1777 when he was 25. Two younger Fergusons wanted to fight against the rebels, but Richard Junior and Farrington were only boys when their older brother enlisted. After Israel went off to war, his five sisters, one of his three brothers, and his mother Charlotte were all put in jail in Albany. As soon as they were released, Mrs. Ferguson took her children north to Canada. Her husband, either delayed by imprisonment or military service, did not join his family until 1778. The records of the day do not indicate if Nancy Singleton, Israel's wife of five years, fled with her in-laws or stayed in her home. Richard Jr. Ferguson finally joined the British forces when he turned 16, and Farrington managed to enlist at the tender age of 14. All three brothers were with the King's Rangers until the end of the revolution. Israel was discharged as a lieutenant; Richard as an ensign. The records of the loyalist compensation board note that the Fergusons were "good people" and a Lt. Walter Sutherland gave testimony that "the whole Family were Loyal" so it would seem that the suffering borne over six years of war received some form of recognition from the British crown. Richard Ferguson Jr. married Frederica Grant after the revolution. Following her death, he married Clarissa Sherwood around 1800. The names of his children are not known. Israel Ferguson was claimed by disease at the age of 39. He had settled in a community called Carrying Place where he had established a trading post. Whether he and Nancy had any children to survive them is not recorded. Farrington Ferguson, the youngest loyalist soldier, married Elizabeth Cole in 1789. Over the next 29 years the couple had 16 children: Mary, Israel, Patience, Rachel, Elizabeth, Hulduh, Eleanor, Farrington, Barent, Daniel, Sarah, Arra, James, Charlotte, Esther, and Catherine. The War of Independence was in fact the first American civil war, bitterly pitting brother against brother. It is heartening to see that in the case of the Snider and Ferguson families, these brothers who were loyal together, stayed together -- and helped to found a new nation despite hardship and tragedy.   The Story Behind the Story   As I was researching this piece about brothers who were loyalist soldiers, it suddenly dawned on me that I had a student in my grade three class whose last name was Snider. I couldn't resist asking her father if his family was from Sussex, New Brunswick. He chuckled and said that they were -- and that many local landmarks bore the Snider name. He was a descendant of one of the Snider brothers, either Elias, Peter, or Baltus! Unbeknownst to me when I started researching this article, I was actually piecing together the story of the loyalist ancestors of one of my own students. A story which began near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 1770s was connecting people who lived just outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia in the 21st century.

 

 

 

I was wondering if there was any information on the Baltus family or the Perdue From mcadam NB.

We have come to a block in our research as we know our ancestors from New York were Loyalists. With a common name like Taylor it has been difficult and especially since our ancestor was S. Henry Taylor (first name unknown)b. 7-04-1840 in New York. They would have come to the US prior to 1840. Our Ayers UEL ancestor is Ephraim Eyres from Leeds, Ontario, Canada.

He disappears from the records after his claim for war losses in Westchester County, NY was disapproved. He was accompanied by a daughter Rachel and another unnamed child. Rachel definitely remained in New Brunswick, marrying William Bull. What became of Adiah and the other child?

My ancestor Zachariah Storey was B: 1732 at James Island, Berkeley, South Carolina, United States. He was "condemned" a Loyalist and had his land in South Carolina confiscated. The family, with wife, Susanna (nee Hobby), relocated to Dutchess Cty. IN 1780, he mustered as corporal, Captain Allen Cameron's Company, New York Volunteers, Lt. Col. George Turnbull, commanding./Savanah, Georgia. During the evacuation of NY, he went with his regiment to the upper Keswick River in New Brunswick. I know his land grant was shared with a Grant Spry (I have mailed for a copy of the document). For me the interesting piece is that he returned to the US in 1788 to live at the Nine Partners near his sister, Elizabeth and her husband, Ephraim Moshier. He died in April 1811 at Stanfordville, Dutchess, New York. His grandson Caleb Storey finally moved to Canada (Ameliasburgh, Prince Edward Cty - Ontario) in 1804. There is very little information about him prior to the revolutionary war and even less after his return to the US. He does not appear in the UEL Directory - would this be because he returned to the US? In which case I would have thought he would be there but expunged? I know I may never know why he returned to the US but I wonder if there were others, and if anyone knows why they returned...likely there are similarities. I have many good records of my UEL ancestors who arrived with Peter VanAlstyne in Upper Canada and I hope to discover more about Zachariah. Any suggestions?Tx in advance.