Revolutionary War Loyalist Records
An estimated one-third of the people of the American colonies remained loyal to Great Britain during the Revolutionary War. As many as 50,000 fled their homes and moved to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and England. Records of these individuals include name lists, muster rolls, and histories. Many filed claims and petitions to the British government for compensation for losses of real and personal property.
To find records of Loyalists do a Subject Searchin the FamilySearch Catalog for:
- American Loyalists
- United Empire Loyalists
Or, do a search at Place Search in the FamilySearch Catalog for:
- Place where ancestor lived
- On the Topic List, choose:
- Other subject headings which look feasible
- On the Topic List, choose:
See the Wiki articles for the states and provinces where your Loyalist ancestor lived. The outlines often list published works concerning Loyalists of that state.
- The National Archives of Canada (395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A ON3)
- The Archives of Ontario (77 Grenville Street, Queens Park, Toronto, ON, Canada M7A 2R9)
• An excellent guide to information on Loyalists is A Bibliography of Loyalist Source Material in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. (FHL book 973 F23bL.)
- A website (still under construction) that gives loyalist land petitions, postwar settlements, muster rolls, documents about regiments, and muster rolls can be found at www.royalprovincial.com.
Information from: Family History Library Consultants. Q & A, LAD Database, RELEASE 4.1, Jan. 2004 MJM.
The On-line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies site has a few of the Order Books on their site. Presumably all of the regiments kept Order Books however not all have been found.
British Colonies Loyal to Britain
Several other British colonies existed on the North American continent, but remained loyal to the King. They were: Upper Canada (now Ontario) Lower Canada (now Quebec) Nova Scotia (which included present-day New Brunswick) Rupert's Land (Hudson Bay drainage basin) East Florida West Florida (captured by Spain (ally of the United States) in 1781)
Many Loyalists migrated from the thirteen colonies and settled in Canadian colonies during and after the Revolution, or in British (later Spanish) Florida, or Jamaica.
Other Nations Involved in the Revolutionary War
Many people of different nationalities were involved in the Revolutionary War. The following sources may be helpful:
|Ethnic Group||Source||FHL Call Number|
|English||A Comprehensive Guide to Locating British Regiments and Their Records (1640-WWI) In Search of the "Forlorn Hope" (regiments and where stationed)||BRITISH 942 M2kj (2 vols.)|
|French||List of French soldiers: Les Combattants Français de la Guerre Américaine, 1778-1783 (has names)|| INTL 944 M2cf (Ref & reg stacks)|
US Q 944 M2cf (High Density)
|Hessians||Index: Hessische Truppen im Amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg (HETRINA)...(has names, birthdates, places, etc.)|| |
US book 943 M2mg, 6 vol.
v. 1-2, US Film 1320516 Items 6-7
v. 3-5, US Film 1320542 Items 5-6
For more information also see: