Branch Genealogist

.

Cathy Thompson

 

All inquiries related to establishing a relationship to a United Empire Loyalist ancestor should be channelled to Cathy Thompson.

Cathy has an extensive background in researching genealogy and had a long association with the Eva Brook Donly Museum in Simcoe.

 

 

Cathy Thompson

Grand River Branch Genealogist
P.O. Box 174, 13 Backus Drive
Port Rowan,  Ontario       N0E 1M0

Phone (519) 586·3325

Cathy the Quilter

Cathy enjoys quilting as a hobby in addition to her role as Branch Genealogist.

To view photos of her quilting, click here .

     
 

A Half a Century of Service

Ontario Genealogical Society : 50th Anniversary

1961  -  2011

    The United Empire Loyalists' Association and, by extension, Grand River Branch UELAC, is an organisation which relies primarily on genealogical data to determine eligibility for U.E. Status.  Quite often, the task of researching and documenting one's ancestral lineage can be a time consuming and arduous undertaking made even more challenging by the lack of access to reliable resources.

    Many people are familiar with their own family's genealogy yet lack the verified documentation needed to prove their Loyalist heritage.  Others may not have the first clue of how or where to start their search.

    Enter the Ontario Genealogical Society.  This dedicated organisation has been assisting hundreds of thousands of people in determining and documenting the families of Ontario for fifty years.

    Books, meetings, conferences, publications, maps, informed speakers, presentations and displays, gathering and sharing information are all part of the OGS experience.

    But the most impressive aspect of the OGS are its members who compose the strength and resilience of this well-respected group.  Attention to detail, dogged determination and a willingness to spend vast amounts of research time are traits shared by OGS members.

    An assembly of volunteers and professionals, the OGS has been an irreplaceable and admired friend of the UELAC for decades.  In particular, Grand River Branch UELAC membership includes OGS members and is an OGS member itself.

    It's hard to imagine not turning to the OGS, either in part or in whole, when proving Loyalist ancestry within Ontario.

   In this Golden Anniversary Year of the OGS, Grand River Branch would like to pause and reflect on the immeasurable assistance of its OGS friends and members.

   We'd also like to express our deepest appreciation to the Ontario Genealogical Society and its members, as well as our most heartfelt congratulations on their organisation's Fiftieth Anniversary.

   Together, the UELAC and the OGS are protecting and preserving the legacy and heritage of one of Canada's truly greatest provinces.

 From Grand River Branch UELAC, Happy Fiftieth, OGS !F

·    Genealogical Report    ·

Cathy Thompson - Grand River Branch Genealogist

Name

  

Ancestor

Terence Walton      *   

 Joseph Brant
F.V. Elaine Moore   * Martinus Dillebach (Dillabaugh or Tillabaug)
Emily Louise Woods James Crawford
Hazel Juanita Russel Karr Abraham Smith
Marilyn Frances Haslinger Daniel Servos
Fred D.H. Cook Samuel Birdsell
Marilyn McDonald Jacob Smith
Gerald Alfred Tree Benjamin Fairchild
Mary Eleanor Summers Peter Wyckoff
Robert Grant Wyckoff Peter Wyckoff
Emma Lee Branch Timothy Culver Sr.
Tussa Lee Branch Timothy Culver Sr.
Nichole Marie Branch Timothy Culver Sr.
Ryan Jeffrey Branch Timothy Culver Sr.

* corrections from last newsletter

November 2003

Associate Members :

Monica McCarey and Dora Mae Blayney

Many Grand River Branch members are descendants of the Loyalist settlers of the area to the north of Long Point, which is a rather imposing 32 kilometre (19.8 mile) sand spit extending into Lake Erie.  Along the shoreline of the mainland, communities grew aided by the rich farmlands which enjoyed a more temperate climate.  The proximity of a large body of water would warm the lands in the winter and provide a refreshing breeze during the heat of summer; Long Point Bay offered a relatively safe harbour as well as easy access to the resources of fish in Lake Erie.

More or less simultaneously, these settlements spread out and inland from around the areas of Port Rowan to Port Ryerse to Port Dover. 

Eventually, they would occupy the most southerly tier of concessions in Walsingham, probably all of Charlotteville and Woodhouse and well into the area east and west of the boundary between Windham and Townsend, basically the great part of both townships (probably more densely in Townsend) at least as far north as in and about Round Plains.

Despite the hardship and privation, the Long Point area must have held great potential to the original Loyalist settlers who escaped their homelands which held such little promise after the revolution.

Click on the map below for a list of the Loyalist families of the Long Point Settlement, with a brief background on each.