THE UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS' ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

STORY OF THE COLONEL EDWARD JESSUP BRANCH

By Lieutenant-Colonel Sterling LeR. Spicer, M.D.

When Mr. E. J. Chard was President of the Dominion Council he remarked to me that he was surprised that there was no branch of The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada in the Prescott and Brockville area where so much of the historic activities of our U. E. L. ancestors had been evident since 1784. So in the year 1966 our Colonel Edward Jessup Branch really had its beginning.

1 agreed that I had often wondered concerning this and earnestly wished that a branch could be founded to commemorate and help perpetuate our local U. E. L. history and also be a social centre for uniting all descendants of our U. E. L. ancestors for entertainment and neighbourly meetings.

Thereupon Mr. Chard suggested that I endeavour to contact U.E. L. descendants with the idea of forming a branch of the Association in Prescott area, representing U. E. L. settlers from Cornwall and including the settlements throughout the area and Gananoque, and offering to personally refer all interested persons whose ancestors had been U. E. L. pioneers of the Cornwall to Gananoque districts to our branch for membership.

Thus stimulated I decided to investigate the possibility of obtaining members amongst my neighbours and relatives.

The first prospective person I interviewed was Mr. John Melville Robinson, U. E., our nearest Loyalist neighbour, also U.E. L. on both sides, representing the well-known Robinson and historic Dulmage families and related to the Spicers. He was so enthusiastic that he signed immediately October 3, 1967 and our branch was on its way.

All applicants that were not already members of The U. E. L. Association had their applications properly accepted by the Sir Guy Carleton Branch, with the understanding that they were to belong to the intended Colonel Edward Jessup Branch.

Mr. John M. Robinson, Robinson Farms, R R 2, Prescott, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch
Florence M. Rowsome, R. R 1, Jellyby, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch
Mr. Herman C. Moulton, 27 Empress St., Smiths Falls, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch
Mrs. Ethel Ruby Bass, Apt. 3,24 Pembroke St.. Pembroke, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch
Mrs. Ruby Lake Webb, Box 113, Prescott, Ontario Toronto Branch
Dr. Sterling LeRoy Spicer, U.E. Lodge, R R 2 Prescott, Ontario Toronto Branch Past Pres.
Mr. Hubert Preston Buell, 313 Pearl St. West, Brockville, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch 
Master Mikael Gordon Buell, 313 Pearl St. West, Brockville, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton. Branch
Mr. Howard Willard Warner, 154 Waller Street. Ottawa, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch (Vice-President, Dominion)
Mr. Norman Mansell Hough, R R 2, Prescott, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch
Mr. Gerald Hough, R R 2, Prescott, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch 
Mr. Edgar John Chard, President of Dominion Council, Headquarters Mr. E. Murray Billings, Brockville, Ontario

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ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Mrs. Pansy M. Spicer Lane, U.E. Lodge, R R 2 Prescott, Ont. Sir Guy Carleton Branch
Mr. Harvey Rowsome, R. R 1 Jellyby, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch 
Mrs. F. Mildred Spicer, U. E. Lodge, R R. 2 Prescott, Ontario Toronto Branch
Mrs. Katherine Pearl Buell, 313 Pearl St. West, Brockville, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch
Mrs. Nellie Hough, R R 2, Prescott, Ontario Sir Guy Carleton Branch
Mrs. Walter Webb, Box 113, Prescott, Ont.

Now that we had obtained enough members to acquire a charter, we made a proper application to the Dominion Council for one and were delighted to receive notification that a charter would be granted and presented at our first regular meeting to be held in May.

Knowing this we immediately appointed the necessary officers so that business could be conducted efficiently by our new branch and fixed the date of May 11th, 1968 for our first Regular Meeting to be held at old U.E. Lodge in the old Hamlet of Maynard, Ont., i.e. R. R. 2, Prescott, Ontario. 

The hamlet was first named Brundage's Corner after the first U. E. L. settlers who possessed a stove, later called Chippenhook and finally Maynard, after Sir John Maynard. As this was an outstanding meeting, I cannot do better than copy the photo story as written by Mr. J. A. Morris, Publisher of the Prescott Journal of May 15th, 1968. 

"Saturday, May 11, was an historic day for Prescott and district as the Charter was presented to the new "Colonel Edward Jessup Branch of The United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada." 

Mr. John M. Robinson of Maynard-the Charter President, received the charter from Mr. E. J. Chard of Pickering, retiring President of the Dominion Council and co-founder with Lt. -Col. S. L. Spicer, M.D., of the new branch. The presentation was at the home of Colonel and Mrs. Spicer, 'U. E. Lodge', built by their U. E. L. forebears on Chippenhook Creek, Maynard. Two descendants of Lt. Col. Jessup, the founder of Prescott, were present for the charter presentation and are honorary members of the branch. Major Winston Maxwell Jessup, U. E., of Brynhyfryd, Kirks Ferry, Que., is Honorary President and Mr. Edward Jessup, U.E., of Ottawa is Honorary Mace Bearer. 

Other officers of the new U.E. L. Branch are:

President, John M. Robinson, U.E., descend- ant of one of the first settlers of the Community which became Brundage's Corners, then Chippenhook and finally Maynard; Hon. Vice-President, the Hon. J.A.C. Auld, Minister of Tourism and Information, of Brockville; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. Walter G. Webb, U. E " lOth generation descended from John Lake, who married Ann Spicer in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1649. Her U. E. L. ancestor James Lake made his way to Canada after serving in the Loyalist forces during the American Revolutionary War; Treasurer, Hubert Preston Buell, U. E. , Brockville, a descendant of the founders of that city; Herald, Mikael Gordon Buell, U. E., son of the treasurer and youngest member of the branch; Genealogical Committee-Lt. -Col. Sterling LeRoy Spicer, M.D., U. E., Howard W. Warner, U. E., co-founder of the branch, Past President of the Sir Guy Carleton Branch, Ottawa and Vice-President of the Dominion Council; Hubert Preston Buell, U. E., Brockville; Standard Bearer, Mansell Hough, U. E.; Lt. -Col. Herbert C. Burleigh, U. E., M. D., Honorary Genealogical Adviser, and Mr. John A. Morris is Honorary Charter Publicity Editor. 

Attending the charter presentation from out of town were:

Dr. J. G. R. Dillane, U.E., President Elect of the Dominion Council and Mrs. Dillane of Hamilton; Mr. E. J. Chard, U.E., Pickering; Dr. and Mrs. H. C. Burleigh, U.E., Bath, Ontario; Major W. Maxwell Jessup, U.E., and Mrs. Jessup, O.B.E., Kirks Ferry, Que.; Mr. and Mrs. Edward Jessup, U.E., Ottawa; Mr. and Mrs. HowardW.Warner, U.E., Ottawa; Mrs. W. Warner, U.E., Norfolk Hall, South Augusta; Mrs. Harvey Rowsome, U.E., Jellyby; Mr. and Mrs. E. Murray Billings, U.E., Brockville; Mr. Murray B. W. McRae, U. E., President, Sir Guy Carleton Branch, Ottawa; Mr. E. J. Munro, Brockville; Mr. F. G. Jowett, White Gables, Riverside Heights, Morrisburg; Mr. and Mrs. H. P. Buell and Mikael Buell, U.E., Brockville; Miss Moffat, U.E. of Ottawa and South Africa. 

Mrs. Jean Wadds, M. P. for Grenville-Dundas, brought greetings as did Mr. J. A. Morris, President of the Grenville County Historical Society, and Mr. G. F. Jowett, Morrisburg. 

Mr. Edward Jessup, U. E., presented a tomahawk-shaped gavel to the Sir Guy Carleton Branch of Ottawa. It was fashioned from wood of a locust tree from the old Jessup home in Prescott, and the handle was of wood from the 135-year-old Maiden's Blush Apple tree still bearing fruit at U.E.
Lodge." -The Prescott Journal and The Loyalist Gazette, Autumn 1968 January, 1973