James Lee ~ American Revolution Soldier

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 41 (TRAVEL)

When looking at records for family members it's often hard to figure out the how & whys of their travel without looking at the big picture.

A perfect example of this is my husband's paternal 5th great grandparents:
James Lee
BIRTH 11 DEC 1757 • Littlay, Buchamshire, England, UK
DEATH 1804 • Saltfleet Tsp, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
and
Anna Hannah Margretha (Hannah) Corman
BIRTH 1760 • Fredrick, Maryland, USA
DEATH 31 JAN 1828 • Saltfleet Township, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada

How exactly did James & Hannah meet when he traveled from England to Canada, and she from the United States to Canada.

It makes a bit more sense when considering their son (Chris' 4th great grandfather) Samuel was born in Fredrick, Maryland, USA.

Even more sense when the 1782 Maryland, USA marriage entry for James & Hanna was found. 

6th great grandparents William & Ann (nee Walker) Lee never left England. The records for James' siblings do not indicate anyone besides James left England. 

Further searching to write this blog it appears that James came over as a soldier to fight in the Revolutionary War. 

That still doesn't explain how they met, although there is a good chance it was via Hannah's brother Isaac - but that is a tale for another time!

6th great grandparents John & Sarah (nee Harrison) Corman were married in Fredrick, Maryland, USA in 1758, and all their children were born there. John was from the Netherlands. I haven't tracked Sarah's family back further than Virginia, USA. 

Both John & Sarah died in Ontario, Canada. 

Exactly how 5th great grandfather traveled to Fredrick where he met his wife Hannah is a mystery. Their first 3 children were born in Fredrick, Maryland, USA, all following children - were born in Ontario. 

In 1792 James & Hannah Lee obtained a land settlement - Lots 21 & 22, Concession 4, Saltfleet Township, Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada.

I was delighted to find this information about 5th great grandpa while searching online. 

"Who Was James Lee?

 James Lee was a British Soldier who served under General Cornwallis during the American Revolution. He married Hannah Corman and they settled down in Maryland after the war and lived there until 1792.

The British Government at that time awarded 200 acres of land in Canada to all disbanded soldiers. James and Hannah immigrated to Upper Canada and settled on lots 21 and 22, Concession 4 in Saltfleet Township. The family consisted of five sons and three daughters. The Lee family has been outstanding in various activities and played a leading role in the political affairs of Saltfleet Township from its early beginnings.

 Their name is also connected with the war of 1812. A story  is told that John Lee, a son of James, fought by the side of  Sir Isaac Brock at the battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812. When Brock was wounded John Lee helped to carry him off the battlefield and later he was a pallbearer at his funeral. The Lee family has also been connected with the Battle of Stoney Creek." 1 

We don't have a photo of James in his uniform, but history (and shows on TV) tells us he would have looked very close to the photo below. 

photo source below

James' profile on WikiTree says that his last battle was on October 19th 1781 at the surrender of Yorktown portrayed in the photo below.  

photo source below

James & Hannah are said to be buried on their homestead property.
Exactly where is unknown due to the loss of the stone markers. 
It appears as though the original homestead is still held by the family. 

4th great grandfather, James & Hannah's son, arrived in Canada at age 6
William Samuel (Samuel) Lee
BIRTH 25 AUG 1786 • Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
DEATH 22 AUG 1848 • Saltfleet, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
he married
Anna Shaver
BIRTH 5 APR 1791 • Oxford, Warren, New Jersey, USA
DEATH 13 DEC 1875 • Saltfleet Township, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
Anna came to Canada as a small child. 

Their 5th (of 17) children is 3rd great grandfather
William Henry Lee
BIRTH 11 AUG 1814 • Stoney Creek, Wentworth Co., Upper Canada (Ontario)
DEATH 22 OCT 1887 • Northfield, Burford Township, Brant, Ontario, Canada
he married
Phoebe Swayze
BIRTH 26 OCT 1818 • Saltfleet, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 21 JAN 1890 • Burford, Brant, Ontario, Canada
This is the line that connects to Patrick Swayze (links to a prior blog post).

Their 3rd (of 12) children is X2 great grandfather
Alexander Burtsel (Birdsell) Lee
BIRTH 6 JAN 1843 • Burford Township, Brant, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 11 NOV 1923 • Northfield, Burford Tp., Brant Co., Ontario
he married
Samantha Burtch
BIRTH 14 MAY 1843 • Burford Township, Brant, Ontario, Canada
DEATH 15 MAR 1902 • Burford Tp., Brant Co., Ontario, Canada

Their 11th (of 12 children) was great grandfather
John Franklin Lee
BIRTH 28 MAY 1883 • Northfield Centre, Brant Co., Ontario, Canada
DEATH 12 MAY 1952 • Burford Township, Ontario, Canada
married to
Martha J Isabel (Mattie) Smith
BIRTH 24 NOV 1873 • Ontario, Canada
DEATH 5 SEP 1902 • Brant, Ontario, Canada

They had one child - grandpa (AKA: Cliff, C.A.)
Clifton Alexander Lee
BIRTH 20 MAY 1902 • Northfield Centre, Brant Co., Ontario, Canada
DEATH 9 SEP 1979 • Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
his 2nd wife was grandma
Eva Alice Aspden
BIRTH 4 SEP 1922 • Simcoe, Norfolk Co., Ontario, Canada
DEATH 23 AUG 2008 • Penticton, British Columbia, Canad

Immigration travel patterns resulted in this Bramble Bush being Canadian!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1  Who Was James Lee? The James Lee Suites. East Hamilton Stoney Creek Health Association. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from: 
https://jamesleesuites.com/who-was-james-lee/

Sources:

James Lee. Geni.com. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://www.geni.com/people/James-Lee/6000000007537694623

James Lee Sr. UE (abt. 1743 - 1804). WikiTree. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lee-1300

Loyalist Trails 2015-32. War of 1812 Plaque for Private Isaac Corman. Paragraph 4. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://uelac.ca/loyalist-trails/loyalist-trails-2015-32/#Plaque

The Ontario Pioneers and Available Genealogies "Leach to Lutes". Lee, James. Paragraph 5. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://sites.google.com/site/niagarasettlers/ontario-pioneers/settlers-l/ontario-pioneers-leach-to-lutes

Who Was James Lee? The James Lee Suites. East Hamilton Stoney Creek Health Association. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from: 
https://jamesleesuites.com/who-was-james-lee/

W.I. hope to preserve founder's home in Stoney Creek. Niagara Peninsula Weekly. The News of Stoney Creek and Saltfleet. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/FWIO/FWIO003218085_0242p.pdf

Photos:

British Soldier. Military Uniforms. Great Britain. England. 1743-1797. New York Public Library. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://picryl.com/media/great-britain-england-1743-97-ad9291

The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown A.D. 1781. Library of Congress. Retrieved October 10th 2023 from
https://picryl.com/media/the-surrender-of-cornwallis-at-yorktown-ad-1781

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

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