UEL - Your Experience

[arrakchrome]

I just found out that if I can prove a relation from my 4th great grandfather to his father I (and a bunch of other people) can apply to be a United Empire Loyalist(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Empire_Loyalist and http://www.uelac.org/).  Now I am curious about how tough they are with their requirements - I have read their requirements online, but personal experiences are always different than what they portray on their site.

We know Arthur Youmans (sometimes spells Yeomans) is on their list and we can prove every connection from himself down to me, except for 1.

Arthur Youmans (1729-1800)
Eleazor Youmans (1764-Dec 20 1844)
Arthur Youmans Sr (1791-1881)
Arthur Youmans Jr (March 1834-July 24 1904)
Silas Youmans (May 11 1855-Dec 14 1948)
Olivia Youmans (June 21 1882-Sept 21 1970)

Olivia is my Great Great Grandmother and is easy enough to prove.  The problem is between Arthur Jr and Sr, I am having a hard time finding and proof of kinship.  Everything else it already proved.  Olivia to Silas is we have Census' and Birth Records, we may even have their marriage certificate with their name on it.  Silas to Arthur Jr again we have solid proof.  Arthur Sr has already been proven to be the grandson of Arthur, so that is no contest.  So the 2nd part of my post is how can I prove Arthur Sr and Jr were father/son?  I am havinga hard time finding Census and Certificates for them for some reason.

[aghadowey]

If I've read this correctly it's just for these 2 you need proof of the relationship-
Arthur Youmans Sr (1791-1881)
Arthur Youmans Jr (March 1834-July 24 1904)

Can think of a few places to try-
Census records for each? newspaper obituaries? gravestone inscriptions? local hisotries (often contain details of early inhabitants)? marriage registration for Arthur Jr.? death registration for Arthur Jr. and Sr.?

Perhaps if you can give us details of where they actually lived in Canada we might be able to help.

[DonM]

My maternal side are UEL I have been through the proces it is not difficult although somewhat time consuming if you don't live close to the local chapter (it is a requirement to join).  Each has a "genealogist" or researcher that will help assemble the material in the order to which they will accept your application.

Good luck

DonM

[arrakchrome]

My maternal side are UEL I have been through the proces it is not difficult although somewhat time consuming if you don't live close to the local chapter (it is a requirement to join).  Each has a "genealogist" or researcher that will help assemble the material in the order to which they will accept your application.

That is good to know that they have someone who knows how to look at this information and can piece it together as well as we can, if not better.

In reply to Aghadowey: You are right, I just need proof of the relationship between Jr and Sr.  As much as we know it we can't prove it with documentation.  How do we know that they are relation beyond Arthur Jr?  Letters of little consiquence and oral history.  Not enough for the UEL I think.

Census I have seen any of them in show Arthur Jr with his family and Arthur Sr with one his his other children in the same year, and I can't find anything before that.  That is the 1871 Census, which shows Silas as Arthur Jr's eldest son as well.  Arthur Sr is shown as living with his son Daniel.  So a round about way of proving Arthur Jr and Sr are father and son is to show that Arthur and Daniel are brothers.  Clunky but it will do the job.

As to where they lived it is hard to tell, I know that Jr was born and raised in Ontario (Belmont was his birth place), he moved back to the USA (I believe in 1887) and died in Detroit in 1904(ish).

Sr is a different story, I do not know if he was born in the US or Canada.  My records show Canada (Lennox) but the 1871 census says the USA, so I don't know.  And I have no place of death.

Sr married Jane Kelly (1789 – 1881) in 1813
Jr married Clarissa Badgley (1838 – 1918) I believe in the early 1850s (first son was born in 1855)

Hope that helps.

[sword]

My first cousin successfully  completed the UEL application for our ancestors a few years ago. They settled in Lennox and Addington Co., ON in 1783 and I have Kelly relatives in that region that I will look at, to see if I can add to what you have. There is a lot of information that could be easily searched if it is known what the religion was and the occupation can sometimes be a help. Any other know family surnames closely related to Jr., born 1834, could help narrow the search field. Knowing Arthur Jr.'s birth date can usually allow a search of the Social security information to find the date and place of death, making obituary newspaper records easy to find, possibly leading to cemetery information and the name of his parents. In the roughly fifty-three years before Arthur left Canada there may well have been children born and details could pinpoint the location of library and newspaper records.

[aghadowey]

"Knowing Arthur Jr.'s birth date can usually allow a search of the Social security information to find the date and place of death,"
Arthur died in 1904- years before U.S. Social Security system began so there will be no records to look up there.

[sword]

I am closely related, through Babcock and Kelly,  to the Yeomans/Youmans family mentioned and I will send a personal message with some details.
Cheers, sword