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Archiver > PATRIOTS-WAR > 2002-10 > 1033705653


From: garymair <>
Subject: Re: [Patriots-War] New to list
Date: Fri, 04 Oct 2002 00:27:36 -0400
References: <183.f8fd47d.2ace641c@aol.com>


Hi Ginny,

Thanks for the reply, information, and advice. I have been through hundreds
of web sites regarding the battles but am looking for more specific
information such as whether Patrick actually participated or engaged in the
battle at St. Eustache or other area's and exactly what his role may have
been. Also, I am hoping it will give us clue's as to exactly what part of
Ireland they emmigrated from.

Thanks again in advance, especially for your warm welcome!!!!!

Gary
----- Original Message -----
From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 11:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Patriots-War] New to list


> In a message dated 10/3/2002 11:18:19 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> writes:
>
> << Hello, we recently discovered a listing for my Great Great Grand
Father,
> Patrick Purcell who was a member of the Patriots in 1838 in St. Columban,
> Deux Montagnes, Quebec and am wondering if any one on the list has further
> information.,
> >>
>
> Yes, Gary! If you run the search words "patriots" "Quebec" and "1838"
on
> google.com - you will be rewarded with lots of information about this
> intrepid band of (mostly) French farmers who were fed up having their
rights
> and liberties infringed (and sometimes denied altogether) under British
rule.
> There is in fact a website called "Les Patriotes" (has an English
> version, I think), that you will want to consult. Somewhere there is a
list
> of the names of those who participated in this conflict and its two
> or three engagements in Quebec. Google may be able to help you find your
> GGGrandfather's name, if you search for it directly after you get
information
> about the war overall. (Patrick Purcell may have been in a British
> regiment, though - gotta consider that! But, I digress.)
>
> Of course, the squirrel rifles and pitchforks wielded by the Patriots in
> Quebec didn't count for much against the trained British troops. There
were
> a couple of engagements, one in St. Denis (?) on the Richelieu River - you
> know who carried the day! Some of the Patriot leaders were hanged, many
of
> the rank & file were simply sent home, and about 40 were given death
> sentences which were then commuted to transportation to the penal colony
in
> Australia for a term of years.
>
> The 40 French prisoners from Quebec were then combined with a number of
> Canadian English prisioners AND several American prisoners who had been
taken
> by the British in the battles that were fought almost contemporaneously in
> Ontario - essentially the same issues. Off they all went as convicts to
> Australia . On the internet you will find accounts they wrote about the
> journey and what they found in the prison camps.
> Of the 40 French, two died and one stayed in Australia - the others all
> managed to return after about five years. The Canadians and Americans
were
> not so lucky - many of them suffered greatly and few returned, as I
> (imperfectly) recall.
>
> Writing from memory here, Listers, so please be forgiving! I'm so glad
to
> greet another relative of the French patriot combatants - welcome to this
> excellent list - full of information and populated entirely, it seems, by
> Very Interesting People. . .
>
> Salut!
>
> Ginny Crawford
>
> whose great, great grand-uncle, Francois Guertin, was one of those sent to
> Australia and who did return.
>
>
> ==============================
> To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records,
go to:
> http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237
>

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