Somehow Related: United Empire Loyalist

Monday, January 11, 2021

Family Legend ~ Buchner Family's United Empire Loyalists History

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2021: Week 2 (FAMILY LEGEND)

I remember learning about the United Empire Loyalists (UEL), the Battle of 1812, and the Underground Railroad as a youngster in school. As a Canadian I was proud of the role my country played in bettering the lives of American people seeking a different way of life.

When looking for someone who fit the prompt FAMILY LEGEND I decided to write about Sergeant Jacob Buchner who acted as a guide for the British Army during the War of 1812.

The events that took place during that time definitely fit the prompt for me because there is a FAMILY connection to the larger than life story passed down (definition of LEGEND).

Jacob Buchner
BIRTH 31 MAY 1763 • Hardwick Twp., Sussex, New Jersey, USA
DEATH 11 AUG 1841 • Woodhouse, Norfolk County, Ontario

Jacob was married to:
Catherine Shular
(alternative spellings include: Shelar, Sheelar, Schulyer)
BIRTH 20 SEP 1767 • Sussex County, New Jersey
DEATH 8 FEB 1855 • Woodhouse, Norfolk County, Ontario

Jacob & Catherine are my husband's 4th AND 5th great grandparents via two different family lines.

Jacob's parents were:
Johannes Theis (John) Buchner
BIRTH 18 SEP 1729 • Unnau, Westerwald, Hessen, Germany
DEATH 11 SEP 1791 • Hardwick Twp, Sussex, New Jersey, USA
and
Catharine
BIRTH ABT. 1730 • Germany
DEATH UNKNOWN • Sussex, Sussex, New Jersey, United States
*** Catherine's maiden name may have been Mueller, but I have not yet finished a reasonable exhaustive search to confirm the surname. ***

Jacob's father John's UEL status has been proven. I haven't found proof that Jacob's has been proven. He did receive land grants as a Loyalist noting his father was a Loyalist, and Jacob was in his own right.

It had been many years since I learned about the United Empire Loyalists so I decided I should research them.

This has been an added side benefit of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - my desire to know more about the life & times of the people who make up our Bramble Bush. Every time I choose an ancestor to feature the ensuing research is informative.

This time was no exception. I discovered:
"... It was pressure from the UEL's that led to the Canada Act of 1791. They wanted to ensure that they had free title to their lands - the freehold system of land tenure ..." 1

I was wondering why it was that this obscure fact resonated with me while I was researching. I perseverated on it so much that I missed quite a bit of other information that was more relevant to our Bramble Bush folks' story. Then I realized it's because we are currently looking at real estate listings, and the first thing we check is if the property is FREEHOLD or LEASE.

It is 100% true that we view through our own lens. The information we process first goes through a series of checks. What we currently have going on in our personal lives effects how we perceive the information we process.

I wonder how many times I have skimmed over information about our ancestors, and missed the entire point that was being made. This was never more clearly observed than in today's fixation on the establishment of freehold while I missed so much more important information about the achievements on the United Empire Loyalists.

With that in mind I think it's time to look back at X5 & X6 great grandmother Catherine to ensure her story can be told.

Looking back over previous research with fresh eyes!

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 United Empire Loyalists, the Canada Act, Canada History Project. Retrieved January 10th 2021 from
http://www.canadahistoryproject.ca/1791/1791-04-loyalists.html

Sources:

Buchner-Boughner Family Origins, The Niagara Settlers, by R. Robert Mutrie. Retrieved January 10th 2021 from
https://sites.google.com/site/niagarasettlers/pioneer-lives-2/buchner-Boughner-Familty-Origins

Canada Immigration, United Empire Loyalists (National Institute), Family Search, Retrieved January 10th 2021 from
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Canada_Immigration,_United_Empire_Loyalists_(National_Institute)

Loyalists in Canada, The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 10th 2021 from
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/loyalists

Mutrie, R. Robert. The Long Point Settlers, Log Cabin Publishing,1992, P 33

Soldiers and Supporters "B", The Niagara Settlers, by R. Robert Mutrie. Retrieved January 10th 2021 from
https://sites.google.com/site/niagarasettlers/soldiers-and/soldiers-b

UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS VERSUS LATE LOYALISTS, Retrieved January 10th 2021 from
https://grandriversaga.com/journal/the-american-parents-of-upper-canada/

Upper Canada Land Petitions, The Niagara Settlers, by R. Robert Mutrie. Retrieved January 10th 2021 from
https://sites.google.com/site/niagarasettlers/upper-canada-land-petitions

Links:

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

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

Please & Thank you!

________________________________________________________________

Sunday, July 7, 2019

Canada Burned the White House ~ Buchners Were Likely There

**** full disclosure -- I was out of town for most of the past week so this blog is short & sweet for the deadline to meet ****

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 27 (INDEPENDENT)

I almost wrote about the Buchner family's role in the Burning of Washington for last week's prompt LEGEND, but decided to delay until this week's Independence Day.

When I first met my husband he told me that his ancestors had been a part of Canada burning the White House. At the time I hadn't heard about Canada burning the White House so did a bit of research. What I discovered was that Britain burned the White House toward the end of the War of 1812 with the assistance of Canada's Loyalists. The Buchner family had extensive Loyalist ties in Canada.

I decided that focusing on the Canadian side of the American Independence Day week's blog was a perfect topic for this week's blog.

My research indicates that there is a very good possibility that my husband's ancestors were part of Britain's Burning of Washington on August 24th 1814. I haven't found the actual records to indicate the Buchners were there, but I have found many records of the Buchner family's involvement in the Battle of 1812.

My husband shares his name with an ancestor whose land was the location of the 1814 Battle of Lundy's Lane. There is minimal chance the Buchners were not loyal to the Crown with their torches bright.

Finding the truth in the family stories!

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***

Sources:

United States Senate, Art & History, Retrieved July 5th 2019 from

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/August_Burning_Washington.htm

The Canadian Encyclopedia, The Burning of Washington, Retrieved July 5th 2019 from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-burning-of-washington

Canada's Historic Places, Buchner House, Retrieved July 7th 2019 from
https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9749

Links:

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