Here's a little fact for you Canadians.You may have known this I sure as hell didn't

[rpannier]

Today, ten percent of Canada's population (three and a half million people) are direct descendants of Americans who lost the fight for independence.

link:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/25514094/

[old mark]

1. My mother's family came to America in the 1600's,

some settled near Allentown, Pennsylvania. This town was named for a judge, William Allen, whose entire family were Royalists and fled to England when things went badly for them here. None of Allen's decendants remain in this country today.

mark

[Canuckistanian]

2. We look at it a little differently

To us, they're United Empire Loyalists, people who were so loyal to the Crown that they were forced to leave their lands.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Empire_Loyalists

For most of Canadian history, they've been praised as heroes and as the true founders of our modern Canada.

In fact, if it weren't for the UEL's I, as a resident of Ontario, would probably be speaking French.

[zanne]

3. Ahem. And what's wrong with speaking French? nt

[Canuckistanian]

4. Nothing at all wrong with speaking French

I didn't say that speaking French would have been bad.

I often DO speak French, it's just not the predominant language in Ontario.

[zanne]

5. I was just giving you a hard time, Canuckistanian. nt

[Bobbieo]

6. My mother's Canadian branch of her family, both white and Mohawk Indian, -

are part of that 10 percent!!!

[Canuckistanian]

7. ..

:hi:

[riverdeep]

8. Fascinating stuff.

Goes to prove that history is written by the victors. If the American Revolution would have been lost, the Founding Fathers would have been the Great Traitors and Benedict Arnold would be on the money. The principles of taxation without representation and non-monarchy rule would have been whitewashed somehow, just as right and wrong always do.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. A number of them were slaves who fled to the British for their freedom during the revolution.

Many of whom fought with the Brits against the American "freedom fighters". Including a slave named Harry Washington who was owned by a famous general.

[Gogi]

10. My Hammond branch were Tories or Loyalists if you prefer...

so I stopped looking for Revolutionary War pensions for my male (Hammond and Wells) ancestors on that line. One of my Hammond great+grandfathers stayed loyal to his dying day, he even freed his slaves when Great Britain abolished slavery. Very difficult subject for genealogists because there are so few records.

[MonkeyFunk]

11. I think they're trying to come back!

They're amassing on the border!