Following the War of 1812 a charity called the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada was founded to provide financial support for the families of men who were injured or died serving in the colonial militia. The report that was published in 1817 is absolute gem for genealogists researching early Ontario families. From dry-as-dust financial tables to heart-wrenching stories of pain and sacrifice, this little-known publication has it all.
In her captivating Legacy Family Tree Webinar Short, “An Ontario Genealogist’s Gem: The Report of the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada,” professional genealogist Janice Nickerson introduced researchers to one of the richest yet least-known resources for early 19th-century Ontario ancestors. Centered around the aftermath of the War of 1812, this extraordinary 1817 publication documents the lives of ordinary residents who suffered loss, injury, or hardship during the conflict. Through meticulous storytelling and historical context, Nickerson revealed how this 400-page report—compiled by the colony’s earliest charitable society—captures vivid family relationships, personal tragedies, and acts of resilience otherwise lost to history.
Key Takeaways:
A Unique Window into Ontario’s Early Families: The report provides direct evidence of residents living in Upper Canada during and after the War of 1812, including widows, orphans, and militia families. Each entry details names, relationships, home districts, regiments, causes of death or injury, and even personal circumstances. It’s a rare genealogical source that includes not only soldiers and officers but also ordinary settlers, offering invaluable insights for family historians.
Stories That Humanize History: Nickerson illustrated the report’s depth through cases like Jacob Miller, whose family’s repeated military service and resulting tragedies earned them extraordinary aid, and the Smith family, orphaned after both parents died in the war. She also recounted the dramatic life of Donald MacLean, a government clerk turned volunteer who died defending York—and whose record revealed an unacknowledged second family. These narratives demonstrate how the report helps genealogists connect documentary evidence with human experience.
Locating and Using the Record Today: While few original copies of the report survive, digitized editions are freely available on Archive.org, Canadiana.ca, FamilySearch, HathiTrust, and Brock University’s Digital Archive. Because the text lacks an index and contains inconsistencies in spelling and formatting, Nickerson advised avoiding OCR searches and instead using Fred Blair’s 44-page name index, available through Brock University, to locate ancestors efficiently.
Nickerson’s presentation was both historical and practical—demonstrating how compassion, community, and careful recordkeeping from two centuries ago can enrich modern genealogical research. By revisiting this forgotten publication, she reminded researchers that even the most tragic wartime accounts can preserve the details that link today’s families to their earliest Canadian roots.
For genealogists researching early Ontario or Loyalist-era families, viewing the full webinar offers invaluable context, storytelling, and research techniques in action. Don’t miss the accompanying syllabus, which includes direct links to the digitized report, the online index, and further reading to help uncover your own ancestors among the pages of this remarkable historical record.
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Such a gem! By compiling the reports during the war and soon after, it is a contemporary picture of the thought processes and culture of the time. When money is involved, details are provided to justify the spending. Thank you for showing that family stories can be put together using multiple entries. It’s not given to genealogists in one nice package. The book is more like a jigsaw puzzle waiting to be assembled.