Diffusion Materials D 357

Original loyalist claims evidence books diffusion material

About these records

Title
Original loyalist claims evidence books diffusion material
Dates of Creation
[Microfilmed 19--], (originals, 1783-1792)
Physical Description

4 reels of microfilm (textual records)

Scope and Content

This diffusion material consists of microfilm copies of evidence books held by the Library of Congress, Washington, DC, containing the submissions and depositions of United Empire Loyalists requesting financial assistance from the British Crown. The evidence is arranged chronologically by the date it was submitted; some volumes are missing. The material also includes a report submitted in 1785 by the commissioners appointed by the British Government to adjudicate the claims.

In 1783, the British Government appointed commissioners to hear and adjudicate claims made by Loyalists for compensation for their losses during the American Revolution. Two commissioners, Colonel Thomas Dundas and Jeremy Pemberton, were appointed in 1785 to come to British colonies in North America to hear claims not previously received. The commissioners heard evidence until the end of 1786, but their work continued until 1790.

Restrictions on Access
No restriction on access.
Terms For Use and Reproduction
The Archives of Ontario provides this material for convenience only. It does not make copies of or provide research services for this material. Permission to publish must be obtained from the Library of Congress.
Custodial History

The original evidence books and the related report were kept by Colonel Thomas Dundas, one of the commissioners appointed to adjudicate United Empire Loyalists' claims, and his family. The family donated them to the Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC, in 1861. They were later transferred to the Library of Congress, also in Washington. The Archives of Ontario later acquired a microfilm copy of these records.

Associated Material

D 12 Loyalist claims diffusion material includes the Commissioners' official evidence books, arranged by American state of origin of the claimants, as well as the other records of the commissioners.

Notes

Location of originals: Originals records are located at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. See Records of the Loyalist claims commissioners, MSS 18,667.

Finding Aid
A list of the volumes can be found at the beginning of reel MS 721, reel 1. A partial transcript of this evidence was published in the Second Report of the Bureau of Archives (Toronto: King's Printer, 1904); it does not include evidence for rejected claims. The transcript is indexed in Archives of Ontario Library finding aid L 16 United Empire Loyalists: enquiry into losses index. The remaining evidence is included in W. Bruce Antliff, Loyalist settlements, 1783-1789 (Toronto: Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, 1985).

How to order these records

From our Reading Rooms

To access this material at the Archives of Ontario, use microfilm MS 721, reels 1 to 4, which are available on self-serve in the Reading Room.

Contact the Library of Congress for information on other means of access to this material.

Scroll up to "Finding Aid" for more information about any available finding aids or listings.

By Microfilm Interloan
This material is not available through Interloan.