I, like many people, have found more time lately to work on hobbies. Since it has been pouring rain for days, I have had extra time to dig around in genealogy. Over the past couple of days, I have made an interesting discovery. #genealogy #UnitedEmpireLoyalists 1/14
My Mum and grandmother always maintained that a direct line of our family was descended from UELs - United Empire Loyalists - people who fled to Canada after the American War of Independence. But before the internet, it was very difficult to chase down records to prove this. 2/14
I have, honestly, been much more interested in my ancestors who were really nobody significant. There's a lot more detective work involved, a lot more challenge to track the poor, since back in the day, no one took much notice of their comings and goings. 3/14
This is the part of genealogy that I really enjoy. The forensic searches, the figuring out puzzles. No one much was writing down the births and marriages and deaths of poor people, except the church, and depending on where you come from, maybe not even them. 4/14
I am interested in my crofter ancestors from the Isle of Lewis, who lived in "black houses" with their livestock, and had a peat fire going all the time in the main room. I am interested in my Irish ancestors who fled famine to come to Canada... 5/14
I am interested in my seafaring ancestors who wound up here, my farming and small merchant and weaver ancestors from Aberdeenshire. I love the stories of real, ordinary people, and how they lived, who they loved, what their lives were like... 6/14
My Mum was quite obsessed with genealogy, and with one branch of the family, the Hungerfords. They had a castle in England, back in the day. She spent hours writing letters, researching in the LDS library, to no avail. 7/14
Try as she might, she couldn't jump the pond to connect our Hungerfords who came to Ontario via Connecticut, with the landed gentry in the old country. (And no, the Hungerfords are not the proven UEL ancestors, not yet. It was another twig from that branch) 8/14
When I restarted my research a few years ago (I stopped when my Mum died - I was in a graduate program at university and had 3 small children and no time, and too much grief), I hopped the pond in a couple of days. I know how we are connected with Farleigh-Hungerford Castle. 9/14
My Mum would have been so excited. Sometimes I feel like she is watching over my shoulder as I work, teasing out the tangles and mysteries in the branches of our tree. Sometimes, it's almost as though she is whispering in my ear. Some would call it intuition... 10/14
Or educated reasoning (I have taken a fair number of courses in genealogy over the past few years which have equipped me w/ some skills to identify plausible versus stray leads). I like to think I am channeling my Mum. Much as I channel my Dad when arguing about politics. 11/14
So, today I sent an email to the @uelac asking them how to proceed to get our UEL ancestry certified. I am fortunate. Some distant cousin already did the heavy lifting in getting this common ancestor verified as UEL. 12/14
Our branches diverge after reasonably reliable civil record-keeping was established. I am fairly confident I can demonstrate a clear & incontestable lineage. Not that UEL means anything to most people these days. For me, it's more about validating the research I have done. 13/14
So now, it's just a matter of whether or not they get back to me and what hoops I need to go through to get our lineage verified. So, there you go, Mum. I found you your UEL. I wish I could have found it for you while you were alive. Love you and miss you! ❤️14/14
