1787 Loyalist Losses Claims ~ and later
John W Meyers, Half Pay Officer, claims for losses
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| Captain John
Walden Meyers Why I am interested in these records. The records of the "Loyalist Claims for Losses" made by loyalists who suffered losses during the American Revolution are a major source of Loyalist information. John W Meyers provided evidence for his claim for his losses in October 1787. By then he had been discharged and given Half Pay as an officer and was residing at the "Bay of Kenty." Below is a transcription of John W Meyer's claim and the resulting payment of £247. Doug Knutson, of Windswept Productions, is making a video on Capt John W Meyers and has done considerable research. He shared the image below of one page of Meyer's claim that he obtained from the National Archives [formerly the Public Records Office] in London, England. Thanks Doug. Claims Process In 1783 the British Gov't appointed Commissioners to hear evidence from Loyalists who had suffered losses of land and other possessions during the Revolution. They started hearing evidence in 1785. Commissioners reports of the evidence (AO 12) and bundles of evidence support documents (AO 13) have been filmed. See section 5 below for more about these records. |
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1. EVIDENCE given by Meyers in his Claim for Losses As recorded in Commission reports in AO 12. 23 New Claim Account of losses sustained by Captain John W Meyers late of the Major Jessup’s Corps known by the name of the Loyal Rangers formerly of the To 200 acres of land 24 of grain? £400 To 7 horses @£11.1s each 78. To 6 cows @£5.11 33 To 1 yoke of oxen 18 To 5 young cattle @£2.2 each 10.10 To 30 hogs amount 27.9 To 24 sheep @14 each 14.8 To farming utensils 21.3 To household furniture 36.11 To 60 bushels of wheat @6/ per bushel 18 To 100 boards 5 24 Evidence in the Claim of John W Meyers late of Albany County New York. Claimant Sworn Says he resided at Is a native of Afterwards came to Had 200 acres in Cohenning's Patent Albany County. Was to have had a lease for ever paying 10th part of produce. Had the Promise, but there were Infants concerned and he could not get the lease. Went upon it in 1771 – cleared 100 acres, built House and barn, planted orchard. 25 Produces an application from one Bat Rossboon to the Commissioners requiring an appraisement of Claimants Farm as being forfeited amongst others offering to deposit 1/3 part of the value, in order it seems to purchase under an Act of the State. Values the Improvements at £400 Lost 7 horses, 4 cows, 5 young cattle, 30 Hogs, 17 sheep, utensils, Furniture, 140 bushels wheat. These things were taken after he joined Burgoyne, most of them in 1777 and 1778. Joseph Smith sworn, Served with claimant as a servant, he joined Burgoyne, he went afterwards to Knew his farm, 100 acres Clear, he was on it 6 years before the War. Knew his stock when he went from home, they left 7 horses and a good stock behind them, 4 cows, 5 young cattle. The Rebels got most of the things. Source: Claims, American Loyalists, Evidence, 1787-88, New York, LAC films of National Archives holdings in England, AO 12, Vol 29, 23-25, film B-1162, Archives of Ontario, diffusion D 12, for index see film C-9821. Back to top |
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2. DECISION by the Commission The decision is recorded in two volumes - 64 and 109. Volume 64 38 John W Meyers, late of Claim Amount of property £357/8/8 Determination The Claimant is a Loyalist and bore arms in support of the British Government Losses Real estate, Improvements on a tenant farm £150 Personal estate various articles of personal property £97 Loss proved £247 Observations The claimant receives half pay as Captain in Jesssup’s Rangers* Resides at Note *: Peter Johnson, Loyalist expert, states "The proper name of the regiment was the Loyal Rangers. I usually refer to them as (Jessup's) Loyal Rangers to cover all bases. Source: Claims, American Loyalists, Decisions, 1787-88, New York, LAC films of National Archives holdings in England, AO 12, Vol 64, film B-1169, Archives of Ontario, diffusion D 12 Volume 109 224/1596 John W Meyers Claim for loss of property £357 Sum originally allowed £247 Total sum £247 Source: Claims, American Loyalists, Various, 1784-89, Reports and Statements, LAC films of National Archives holdings in England, AO 12, Vol 109, film B-1180, Archives of Ontario, diffusion D 12 Back to top |
| 3. Image of the decision Thanks to Doug Knutson for this image. Source: Auditors Office [AO], Records of the Auditors of the Imprest, Commissioners of Audit, Exchequer and Audit Department, National Audit Office and related bodies, American Loyalists Claims, Series I [12], National Archives, Kew, AO 12/64 f20 Lh |
Courtesy of Doug Knutson, Windswept Productions
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4. Evidence Papers in AO 13 437 [front] [The original listing of claims as transcribed by the commission in its report of Evidence - see 23 above. The image is too faint to transcribe.] [reverse] [fold note] No 1374 Jno W Myres New Claim Received Heard Entd 438 Gentlemen Agreeable to your letter I have the Honour to Inform you that I resided at Fort St Johns, Isle aux Noix of River du Chene in this Province from the 15th July 1783 to 25th March following. I have the [smudge] to be Gentlemen Your most Obedient & most Humble Servant John W Meyers To the Honourable The Commissioners for Settling the American Claims Present Source: Claims, American Loyalists, Series 11, New Claims, New York, LAC films of National Archives holdings in England, AO 13, Vol 14, film B-2187, Archives of Ontario, diffusion D 12, for index see film C-9821. Back to top |
| 5. Comments about Claims for Loyalist losses The records for the Loyalist Claims for Losses are a vast and somewhat confusing collection. The original bundles of evidence documents and Commission reports were stored in London's Audit Office. Those that remained in Britain are now housed in the National Archives in London, England and designated AO. In 1874 a major set of 34 original volumes of "rough minutes of the hearings of the various claimants before the Commissioners" were given to the Smithsonian and are now housed at the Library of Congress. Most of the information in these volumes is repeated in volumes in AO 12 and 13, however some rejected claims are unique to these 34 volumes. A major resource and a good starting point In 1904 a transcription of the 34 volumes mentioned above was published; titled the The Second Report of The Bureau of Archives For the Province of Ontario, Subtitle: United Empire Loyalists, Enquiry into the Losses and Services in Consequence of Their Loyalty, Evidence in the Canadian Claims The Library and Archives of Canada (LAC) microfilmed all these holdings and more - AO 03, 12, 13 and T50 and these films are designated MG14 and MG15 at the LAC. The Archives of Ontario has a set of films done by the LAC as Diffusion material designated D 12. They also have films of the original reports held at the Library of Congress under Diffusion D 357. Film C-9821 has the index for AO 12 and 13. See the Loyalists' Claims for Losses finding aid (page 2). The Church of Latter Day Saints library also has the microfilms. Search "American Loyalist Claims" to see their holdings. Lastly, see the book American Migrations 1765-1799 by Peter Wilson Coldham, 2000, Genealogical Pub. Co. All 5,800 individual claims - the entire contents of the papers of the Claims Commission that form record classes AO 12 and AO 13 at the Public Record Office - are abstracted in this new and comprehensive publication. Back to top |
6. False Claim? The full erroneous quote from Cruickshank: "When the militia of the [Hastings] county was organized about 1798, [Capt John W Meyers] was, as a matter of course, appointed captain of the local company and seems to have held that command until the beginning of the war in 1812 as his name appears in an official list of officers and soldiers in service. He was then succeeded by his son, George." Source: E.A. Cruikshank, 'Captain John Walden Meyers, Loyalist Pioneer', OHSPR, Vol. 31, 1936 Ernest Cruickshank is a respected early historian of Upper Canada history and Doug Knutson noted the quote below that John W Meyers was a "Captain of the local company." The J. W. Meyers in the early Militia records are of his son Jacob W Meyers. Half Pay officers such as John W Meyers, were exempt from Militia duty by the Militia Act of 1793 though some did continue to be active in the militia. No record has yet been found to support the claim that John W Meyers was active in the Hastings Militia. Back to top |
| 7. Records about Half Pay Officers c1783 In 1783, after the American Revolution both British Army and Colonial Militia officers were given half-pay. The lists of these officers are kept in the National Archives, Kew. John W Meyers was likely put on Half Pay around 1784. See British/American Half Pay c1782, reference War Office Records WO 65/165 and WO 65/166 at the National Archives, London, England. They are microfilmed. More is said about these Half Pay records on the web site of the Loyalist Collection at the Univ. of New Brunswick. |