From the Colonies to Canada: Researching Your United Empire Loyalists

First Loyalists

 * Fled from the Colonies before the revolutionary war was over

Associated Loyalists

 * Refugees from New York in 1783, evacuated by the British to Canada

Treasury Loyalists

 * Those who fought and returned to England and received pensions

Late Loyalists

 * Went to Upper Canada (Ontario) in the 1790s, usually due to social circumstances

Black Loyalists

 * Formerly enslaved peoples who were offered freedom for fighting on the British side
 * Many later moved to Sierra Leone

United Empire Loyalists
The following are specific criteria set out by the United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada (UELAC). UELAC is a membership society for descendants of those who meet the following criteria:
 * Male or female living in the American colonies as of 19 April 1775 AND Joined the royal standard before the Treaty of Paris in 1783
 * OR otherwise demonstrated loyalty to the crown AND settled in land still under the crown
 * OR a soldier in an American Loyalist Regiment disbanded in Canada

Compiled Sources

 * "Loyalist Directory" United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada - list of confirmed Loyalists including biographical details like regiment, wife, and children, where they settled, and where they originated.
 * Family Search Digital Library - thousands of biographies and histories related to Loyalists and their descendants
 * FamilySearch Catalog - allows you to find books that have not been digitized but are held by the FamilySearch Library
 * WorldCat - a composite catalog of over 10,000 global libraries, many in Canada allowing you to find Loyalist histories near you. Some locations may also do inter-library loans.

British Loyalist Records

 * "UK, American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835," Ancestry $ - index and images
 * Loyalists could submit claims and receive compensation for losses sustained during or after the war due to their service.
 * Records are organized by what state your ancestor was living before the revolution
 * Nominal index microfilm (not including the original records) can be found at Canadiana Heritage
 * "Carleton Papers – Loyalists and British Soldiers, 1772-1784," Library and Archives Canada - index only
 * Also called the British Headquarters Papers, this collection covers the evacuation efforts of Loyalists.
 * In particular, it includes the names of:
 * Refugees leaving from New York 1776-1783
 * Evacuees from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York
 * Loyalists arriving in Port Roseway and Shelburne, Nova Scotia
 * "Carleton Papers – Book of Negroes, 1783," Library and Archives Canada - index only
 * While the peace treaty between Britain and the new America required all enslaved who fought for the British to be returned, about 3,000 had already departed for Nova Scotia.
 * A detailed log of those who arrived in Canada was kept to repay American enslavers.

Loyalist Military Records

 * "British military and naval records (RG 8, C series)," Library and Archives Canada - images of index cards
 * The index cards in this collection cover members of the British forces from Loyalist regiments, the War of 1812, Canadian militia, etc.
 * War Office 28: Headquarters Records (MG 13 WO28), Library and Archives Canada - microfilm
 * This collection contains records such as muster and payrolls, field officer letters, and more.
 * Only available in person at LAC, they have an online finding aid to help know what the collection contains.
 * "Index to Loyalist Muster Rolls," The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies
 * Full-text transcripts of muster rolls from dozens of regiments

Canadian Loyalist Records

 * "Loyalists in the Maritimes — Ward Chipman Muster Master's Office, 1777–1785," Library and Archives Canada - index and images
 * This collection only covers Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island and includes Casualty and prison returns, land grants, muster rolls, correspondence, etc.
 * "PEI Muster Rolls – UELAC Abegweit Branch," Island Register - index only
 * Muster rolls for Loyalist companies disbanded on Prince Edward Island in 1784.
 * "Record of Old Revolutionary Soldiers and Their Widows," Provincial Archives of New Brunswick - index and images
 * In 1839 the New Brunswick government passed an act allowing a pension of 10 pounds per year to Loyalists and their widows.
 * The records include petitions and payment schedules.
 * Sir Frederick Haldimand (MG21) papers - Library and Archives Canada
 * These records are only available in person at LAC but have been digitized on Canadiana Heritage.

Canadian Land Grants

 * Ontario Land And Property
 * "Land Petitions for Upper Canada, 1763-1865," Library and Archives Canada - index only
 * "Petitions for land grants and leases, 1791-1867," FamilySearch - images only
 * Quebec Land and Property
 * "Land Petitions of Lower Canada, 1764-1841," Library and Archives Canada - index and images
 * "Lower Canada land petitions and related records, 1637-1842," FamilySearch - images only
 * Nova Scotia Land and Property
 * "Nova Scotia Land Papers 1765-1800," Nova Scotia Archives - index and images
 * "Nova Scotia Crown land grant registers, 1732-1901; indexes, 1707-1999," FamilySearch, images only
 * New Brunswick Land and Property
 * "Index to New Brunswick Land Grants, 1784 - 1997," Provincial Archives of New Brunswick - index only
 * New Brunswick Crown Land Office land petitions, multiple volumes, FamilySearch - images only
 * Prince Edward Island Land and Property
 * PARO database includes former “PEI Petition Index, 1780-1915”

Other Loyalist Records

 * "Guide to the American Loyalists Collection" New York Public Library
 * This is a guide to materials shared with the NYPL by the British National Archives
 * "American Loyalist Claims Commission," National Archives
 * British counterpart to the Ancestry "UK, American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835" collection

Related Articles

 * Family Search Wiki - Hessian Soldiers
 * FamilySearch Wiki - Canada Loyalist Records
 * Library and Archives Canada - Loyalists