I am a descendent of United Empire Loyalists (UEL) and active on the Executive of the Victoria, B.C. United Empire Loyalist of Canada (UELAC) Branch. Essentially, United Empire Loyalists were members of the thirteen North American colonies who remained loyal to the Crown during the American Revolution. When the conflict was over, UEL were the first political refugees to come to the northern colonies (Quebec, Nova Scotia) that eventually became Canada.
While most UEL descendants live in the Loyalist heartlands of Ontario and the Maritimes, I have focused on finding those descendant families who made their way west. I have developed a website https://uelvictoria.ca/ that attempts to profile all of the early UEL descendants on Vancouver Island. I am now working on the rest of B.C. and the Yukon.
The highest profile UEL descendant from the Yukon is Canadian icon Pierre Berton. Another well-known UEL descendent was George Black who The Canadian Encyclopedia describes as an outspoken Conservative politician and a staunch defender of Yukon interests for almost half a century. Wikipedia notes that “As Speaker (of the House of Commons of Canada), he kept a .22 caliber pistol in his chambers which he used to shoot rabbits on Parliament Hill.”
I have started a preliminary list of UELAC descendants from the Yukon at https://wordpress.com/page/uelvictoria.ca/9573. If you are interested in adding other Loyalist descendants or have any questions/comments related to the UELAC, please submit the information in the feedback form or email me at membership.vic.uelac@gmail.com.
Yours loyally,
Mike Woodcock, UE
UELAC Victoria
