Loyalists in the American Revolution

Loyalists in the American Revolution were colonists who adhered to the British cause. They were referred to as "Tories" by the patriots. While Loyalists came from all social classes and occupations, a great number of them were involved in commerce or were officeholders under the British Crown. John Adams estimated that one-third of the colonists were Loyalists. The Loyalist cause was strongest in the southern colonies (Georgia and the Carolinas) and in the Mid-Atlantic colonies (especially New York and Pennsylvania). Opinions on the Declaration of Independence created a sharp dividing line between supporters and opponents of independence. Feelings against the Loyalists led patriots to enact harsh laws against them, and their lands and estates were often confiscated. Many of the books in this data set deal with the identification of Loyalist ancestors through records dealing with the confiscation of land or property.

Books in this Data Set

Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia
This work encompasses all surviving information on the nearly 10,000 Loyalists who were eligible for land in Nova Scotia. Each Loyalist is identified by name, date and site of grant, acreage, and, in some cases, the individual's military rank.

Loyalists in North Carolina During the Revolution
An unprecedented compilation of source material, this was the first book to recognize North Carolina's great contribution to the Loyalist cause. To the genealogist, the Appendices in the back of the book will probably hold the greatest interest. Within the Appendices you can find lists of soldiers and civilians who supported the Crown throughout the Revolution; lists of Loyalists who suffered land confiscation; lists of Loyalists who submitted applications to Great Britain for compensation for loss of office or property; and lists of North Carolina Loyalists who received pensions from Great Britain.

Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War (3 volumes)
Based on the author's wide-ranging investigations into military records in the archives of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, this three volume set contains a vast amount of previously undiscovered data pertaining to the identification of Loyalist soldiers and their dependents. The author has abstracted all existing muster rolls, pay rolls, vouchers, certificates, petitions, and various other documents relating to the Loyalists who were recruited for duty in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. In addition, the author sought to collect documents relating to Loyalist dependents, prisoners, refugees, and sympathizers. Since this data has been derived entirely from original records, much of it has never before been available for research.

In the preparation of this work the author surveyed the manuscript holdings of various archives, libraries, and private collections, ultimately producing this definitive collection of official rolls which document the service of approximately 35,000 Loyalists. While the information available on each person varies according to the nature of the record, generally, soldiers are listed by rank, with dates of service (enlistment, discharge, etc.), place of service, company and regiment, and remarks pertaining to their status (i.e. on active duty, missing, deserted, killed, died, or sick). Other documents abstracted (for example, petitions for back pay, widows' and orphans' claims, and lists of refugees) contain a variety of equally useful information.

Official Rolls of Loyalists Recruited from North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana (Volume 1)
This volume pertains mainly to Loyalists recruited in the South for duty in the South (exclusive of Maryland and Virginia Loyalists, who are dealt with in Volume II, as are the Pennsylvania Loyalists who were merged with the Maryland Loyalists toward the end of the war).

Official Rolls of Loyalists Recruited from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Those Recruited from Other Colonies for the British Legion, Guides and Pioneers, Loyal Foresters, and Queen's Rangers (Volume 2)
The second volume deals with the Loyalist regiments from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It also includes the British Legion, Guides and Pioneers, Loyal Foresters, and Queen's Rangers. In addition, as the rolls for the Virginia regiments mustered by Lord Dunmore have not been located, it contains a list of Virginia Loyalists compiled from treasury records, claims and other original sources.

Official Rolls of Loyalists Recruited from the Middle Atlantic Colonies, with Lists of Refugees from Other Colonies (Volume 3)
This third volume contains abstracts of the muster rolls of the Loyalist regiments raised primarily in New York and New Jersey (i.e., De Lancey's Brigade, King's American Regiment, New Jersey Volunteers, Prince of Wales American Regiment, Provincial Light Infantry, Volunteers of Ireland, and the Loyal American Regiment). Other lists of Loyalists included in this volume derive from records concerning the half-pay status of officers whose regiments were disbanded and from records concerning civilian refugees and evacuated soldiers. This volume also includes rosters for the British Legion Infantry and the South Carolina Royalists, as well as other regiments not covered in the first two volumes of the work.

Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution (2 Volumes)
This standard biographical dictionary of the Loyalists consists of three distinct parts: a historical essay; biographical sketches; and "Fragments" (brief notices of approximately 1,500 Loyalists not covered in the biographies). Several thousand biographical sketches are included containing references to dates and places of birth and death, residence, occupation, military service, wives, children and other family members, an indication as to whether the subject was banished or proscribed, or had land confiscated, and miscellaneous references to incidents and events of biographical significance.

The Loyalists of Massachusetts, Their Memorials, Petitions and Claims
This work contains the memorials, petitions, and claims of 501 Massachusetts Loyalists who removed to Canada as a result of the Revolutionary War. Information given includes date and circumstances of leaving Massachusetts, account of loss of property, certificates in reference to service, amount of claim, acreage and sums awarded, family relationships, and the place of settlement after removal. Many of these exiled Loyalists were among the founders of the Canadian province of New Brunswick.

Orderly Book of the Maryland Loyalists Regiment, June 18, 1778, to October 12, 1778, Including General Orders Issued by Sir Henry Clinton, Baron Wilhelm von Kuyphausen, Sir William Erskine, Charles, Lord Cornwallis, General William Tryon and General Oliver De Lancey
The military diary of this Maryland Loyalist Regiment follows its career from June 18, 1778, to October 12, 1778. It begins with the evacuation to Philadelphia and covers the march across the Jerseys and the foraging tour and cantonment on Long Island. Most of the entries are concerned with day-to-day soldier assignments or troop movements.

Orderly Book of the Three Battalions of Loyalists Commanded by Brigadier-General Oliver De Lancey, 1776-1778. To Which is Appended a List of New York Loyalists in the City of New York During the War of the Revolution
This military diary relates information on the three battalions of Loyalists raised for the defense of Long Island and commanded by General Oliver De Lancey. It is followed by a valuable list of 1,500 New York Loyalists compiled from contemporary manuscripts and newspapers covering the period 1776-1784. It should be noted that all three battalions disbanded in Nova Scotia.

United Empire Loyalists: Enquiry into the Losses and Services in Consequence of Their Loyalty. Evidence in Canadian Claims. Second Report of the Bureau of Archives for the Province of Ontario (2 Volumes)
This extensive work of more than 1400 pages contains records of the claims for losses of over twelve hundred persons who fled to Canada during and immediately after the Revolutionary War. While it does not contain documents supporting claims for compensation, it does consist of the extensive notes taken by the Commissioners who heard the claimants from 1783 to 1790. These notes contain a wealth of biographical, historical, and genealogical data. In general, these volumes provide the claimant's name, his country or place of origin, reason for emigration, date of migration, place of residence in America, occupation, names of family members and friends, location and value of confiscated property, war service rendered, losses sustained, evidence of character, statements of witnesses, notes of deeds and wills, and highlights of the claimant's experiences during the war.

The Old United Empire Loyalists List
This list contains the names of over 7,000 Loyalists of the American Revolution, giving residence, military service, and family relationships. It also includes an extensive historical section. This is the official list of United Empire Loyalists.