11/21/06

Contents

Fall of 1783 - Loyalist in Saint-John, New Brunswick - Horrible Winter

1784 - Fort St. Ann and grant of two acres of land

Key Events of Chronology of the Canadian Postal Service in 1784

Interesting Additional Information

Fall of 1783 - Arrival in Saint-John  - First Winter in Lower Canada

1784 - Philip Long is at Fort St. Ann (Fredericton) - Grant of two acres to members of KAR

There is only one known record for Philip Long in this year and this was discovered by my brother Ghislain Long in 1986.

The record is part of the body of information contained in the British American Corps, 1784, under F1024. The complete record is described as follows:

“ Dated Ft Ann on the River St. John. 15th September, 1784

Approval for a grant of two acres to each memorialists, for the Land they are now actually upon

28 September 1784

….. Phillip Long (signature) ….”

Transcript of a signature of Philip Long on a memorial address to Edmund Fanning, Esq. Lieutenant Colonel of his majesty’s Late King’s American Regiment of Foot, Lieutenant-Governor of his Majesty’s province of Nova Scotia with its dependencies.

That you memorialists were directed by Colonel Hewlett last Autum to settle of Fort Ann Point and were also assured by their Officers They were to hold the Lotts surveyed for them on their arrivals at this Point consisting of two acres each.

Source & Reference: British American Corps 1784, F1024, 9.3.3, L881 p.

This memorial basically leads us to believe that Philip spent the first Winter of 1783-1784 in Fredericton.  It is well documented that this Winter was very difficult and led to many Loyalists losing their lives.  The Old Loyalists burial grounds in Fredericton are a testimony of this event, and we encourage anyone to visit the site if you are interested in those first few years of what must have seemed very miserable lives.

We do not know which two acres Philip received.  It is possible to reconstruct the exact location based on maps of Fredericton at the time but we have not been able to do so at this point.  As well, we don't know how long Philip stayed in Fredericton, and what role he had in this period.  We believe that he would have remained a soldier, and therefore part of the Nova Scotia and then New Brunswick military groups  of the time.  We have not yet uncovered proof of this to this date.

Key Events of 1784

Please refer to the following chronology of the year 1781 for information on the Battles and Campaigns of the Revolution.

http://www.royalprovincial.com/history/chronology/chrono.shtml

Chronology of the Postal Service

• During the American Revolution, postal service between the new British colonies and the 13 colonies to the south is at first disrupted and finally severed. Recognition of American Independence by the Treaty of Versailles in 1783 does not bring about an immediate resumption of postal ties. Hugh Finlay attempts to re-establish former postal routes, and finds that while the United States is prepared to permit mail from Canada to pass over its territory to New York, compensation will be taken in the form of toll charges. The Montréal/Albany/New York route is a natural postal corridor and couriers can make the journey in about 10 days. However, the introduction of mail toll charges by the new United States postal service causes Finlay and others in the British colonies to search for an alternative route. They decide on a route from Québec to Halifax via Lake Temiscouata, a distance of about 827 km (627 miles). The first trip, commencing 11 January, is undertaken by Pierre Durand. He arrives in Halifax on 29 February and returns to Québec on 24 April. The round trip takes 105 days and, aside from being a very long and dangerous journey, it is not a financial success, costing about £120 and realizing only £75 in revenue.

• Hugh Finlay is appointed Deputy Postmaster General of the Province of Canada in North America on 7 July.

Source: Civilization.ca - A Chronology of the Canadian Postal Service

Interesting Additional Information