Tradition tells us that James was one of three brothers who lived together in Scotland, where they wore kilts. Their mother spoke only Gaelic, the language of the Highlanders of Scotland. Their religion was Scotch Presbyterian and their occupation was raising stock. Before the Boston Tea Party (1773), they moved to Northern Ireland, a better land for grazing their sheep and cattle. James married in Ireland, which displeased his family due to religious differences. He chose to go to America, date unknown, taking everything except his wife who came later (1). According to this source he first went to N.Y. but settled later near Boston, where he had a fine estate, and kept stock and horses on an island in the Atlantic. In only one other source is a Massachusetts residence mentioned (2). Later documents prepared by James himself make no reference to a Massachusetts residence.

According to cemetery records, James was born in 1730 and wife, Ann Keogh, was born in 1732-33 (3). They had seven children (4):

1. John - - - - - born 1754/55 (5)
2. Samuel - - - born 1773, probably Pittstown (3)
3. Susannah- - born 1775 (?)
4. James - - - - born 1776 (?)
5. Isabella - - - born 6 Dec 1777 (6)
6. Ann - - - - - born 2 Feb 1781 (6)
7. William - - - born Nov/Dec 1781 (7)

An old Scottish tradition specifies the manner in which children are named (9):

• 1st son is named after the father's father
• 2nd son is named after the mother's father
• 3rd son is named after the father
• 1st daughter is named after the mother's mother
• 2nd daughter is named after the father's mother
• 3rd daughter is named after the mother

On the basis of the position in the family of the children named after father, James, and mother, Ann, it appears that this tradition may have been followed in naming all of the children, except William, the 7th child; apparently tradition didn't acknowledge more than 6 children. If so, then James parents were John and Isabella; Ann's parents were Samuel and Susannah Keogh. The time span between the births of the first and second child raises many questions, as yet unanswered. Could there have been some children born in Ireland, who died before James and Ann came to America? Or perhaps James and Ann were separated for many years after he left Ireland? In any event, the 6 youngest were born within 8 years.

James whereabouts and activities, except for the birth of his children, have not been discovered yet in my research until the beginning of the Revolutionary War. However, an old powder horn, a family heirloom (presently in the Prince Edward County Museum, Picton, Ontario), contains a map of N.Y. and is dated October 1761. This suggests that the family was in N.Y. at least by 1761 (10).

In July 1777, James, of Pittstown, joined the Kings Army under the command of Lieutenant General Burgoyne at Skenesborough, N.Y, after their defeat at Ft. Ticonderoga, and was assigned to the King's Loyal Americans under Lt. Col. Jessup (11). In August he was sent to Pittstown to collect some men and while there, was assigned by Col. Fister to join a detachment of the army at Wollomsack, near Bennington, on August 15, the evening before that battle, disastrous for the British. After the battle, James was "arranged" as an Ensign in Col. Fister's Corp, Capt. Leake's Company. He later rejoined Burgoyne's Army at Fort Miller, serving some time as an ensign in camp. In September (presumably when army was engaged at Saratoga (12), he was sent with dispatches to General Sir Henry Clinton in N.Y., where he was captured and confined to prison at Albany for 15 months (13). Although the above source has him confined for 15 months in prison, other records show him to be liberated to his own home in June 1778, on entering into "recognizance" for good behavior, with monthly appearances and a fine of 100#. Later the same month he appeared before the Commissioners for Conspiracies to request the return of a pocket book, which had been taken from him while in prison; it was ordered that this be done (14). He remained in his home until July, 1781, when he provided supplies to Matthew Howard and his capturing party, who had come from Quebec, in exchange for their prisoner John J. Blacker. (Could this have been his son, John?). When it was discovered that James had aided Howard, he was taken and tried for life. Evidence was inadequate, so he was fined 30# and sent to St. Johns, for exchange, with his family (13). Enroute with his family and 3 other families in October 1781, he stopped at Ticonderoga to deliver a message by secret service to J. Sherwood/ Capt. Matthews from Col. Walbridge, commander at Skenesborough (15). James' name has been found on a list of those whose estates had been confiscated by July 1781, by the Commissioners of Sequestration (16). It has been said that the U.S. govt. later offered him his fine estate back if he would take the Oath of Allegiance, but he declined (1).

Since all his property and belongings were taken, he was reduced to poverty in St. Johns. In March 1782 he filed a petition for relief for his family and himself to Haldiman, Governor and Commander in Chief of Quebec and the Territories (13). In April 1782, correspondence from Nathaniel Day, Commissary General, to Haldiman states if "loyalist Blakely understands Issuing Provisions, and can write sufficient to keep the proper accounts in such a station, and has bodily health to stand a wet issuing store", he will be "taken into pay at 3 shillings army pay per day" when there is a vacancy. However, "an old infirmed man is not fit for an issuer" (17). He was later appointed, by General Haldiman, an assistant Commissary at Chambly, and, while there, filed a deposition, in March, 1783, before the Commissioner of the Peace, Edward Abbott, in support of Matthew Howard's claim against three rebels, now British prisoners, who had "thrice" times attempted to hang him (Howard) while imprisoned in Bennington (18).

In Chambly, in July 1783, he was listed on a return of distressed loyalists victualized by the Province of Quebec (19). Along with James were listed 1 woman; 2 males over 6; 1 female over 6 and 1 female under 6. (Assuming that the oldest son, John, was not with them, this list still omits 2 children known to have been born before 1781) He served in this capacity at Chambly until the Reduction in 1783, when he requested to be discharged to move west onto 1and surveyed to loyalists (20). However, it appears that he remained at Chambly until at least September 15, 1784, the date on a "Return of Refugees end Disbanded Troops Lodged and Victualized at or about Chambly", on which James and family are included (21).

In July 1784, Sir John Johnson had written Governor Haldiman regarding the status of townships surveyed and loyalist settlements along the St. Lawrence. In this letter he states that the surveyors had begun a township "on the Peninsula on the opposite side of the Bay, which is about 22 miles west of Catarqui" (Kingston). This settlement was for "Brunswick Germans and men of the Established Regiments" (which included James). However, due to delays in providing provisions, this 5th township had not yet been settled (22). By October 1784, there were 305 people listed on the muster Roll of the 5th township, but James had not yet arrived. His name finally appears on a list for the 5th Township, later named Marysburg, in 1785 (23). A puzzling item was reported in the Kingston paper on July 31, 1786 - James Blakely, 2 woman and 6 children were included on a victualing list for Fredricksburg. Since all else indicates he was in Marysburg prior to this time, he either moved to Fredricksburg briefly, or the victualing list included the Marysburg area.

By 1790 he had been granted 500 acres of land, and petitioned as a loyalist for more "to put him upon a footing with officers of equal rank in the 84th Regiment" (24). By August 1790, he had received only 200 more acres (0.C. 2 June 1797), so petitioned again requesting 1500 more acres (20). In August 1799, he received an additional crown grant of 200 acres - Lot 35, 5th Concession in township of Cramahe, Northumberland County (25). Then in 1801 he was granted 400 acres - Lots 6 & 7, on the southeasterly side of West Lake in Township of Hallowell (26). His persistence apparently paid off. By June 1804, he had received more than requested - 2900 acres in all (20):

• 1500 acres in Cramahe, Northumberland Co.
• 1200 in Hallowell, Prince Edward Co.
• 200 .in Murray, Northumberland C.

He had taken up residence on some of his Hallowell land by 1798, when he was appointed an assessor for the township of Hallowell at their first annual meeting on March 5 (27). James seems to have been one of the largest landowners in Hallowell at that time. The assessment for the township in July 1798 rates James land as 4th class; assessment was 1O#. The majority of landowners on the list were assessed 2# or .5#; there were only 3 others having assessments of 10# or more (28).

On January 15, 1803, James' wife, Ann Keogh died, and was buried in Cherry Valley Cemetery, Athol Township (3). Over 2 years later, he remarried in St. Paul's Church, Fredericksburg, in Lennox & Addington County (29). A page from the marriage register of Rev. Robert McDowall includes the following: "James Bleckly, widower of Hallowell and Mary Smyth, widow of Marysburg, were married the twenty ninth of April, 1805 (30). It would be good to know how he spent the remaining 9 years of his life, but this period represents a gap in my research. On December 25, 1814, at 84 years of age, James died (30). His 2nd wife, Mary, had died in January of the same year (2). At the time of his death, he resided on lot 7 & 8, 1st concession, Hallowell Township (where Blakelys still reside). He had made a will earlier in the year - May 16. The will specifies which land is to be given to which child or grandchild. Total land in his possession at the time of death was 1950 acres: ~50 acres in Hallowell; 1300 in Cramahe. He named his son, Samuel Blackley and Barrett Dyre as executors. The inventory of his movable property included miscellaneous tools, 3 horses, one pair of oxen, 3 cows, 5 hefers, one bull. 17 sheep, 11 swine, a horse sleigh, 2 feather beds, eight rugs, one table, seven chairs, 3 chests, 1 small desk, 3 bibles, 8 small books, miscellaneous kitchenware and dishes, 3 brass candlesticks, one silver watch, one looking glass, one musket and powderhorn, one wooling wheel, one grindstone and more (31). Inscribed on the powderhorn is the route, it is said, taken by many loyalists through New York on the way to Canada.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The information included above has been obtained through my own research (documentation on next page), as well as correspondence with the following people, also descendants of James:

Descendants of son William:

• Brian Blakely, Oakville, Ontario
• Arthur Nix, Moorhead, Minn.
• L.M. Satterfield, New Haven, Mich.

Descendants of son, Samuel:

• Muriel Walton, Castlegar, B.C.
• Thelma A. Blakely, Picton, Ontario
• J. Woodrow Blakely, Picton, Ontario

Descendant of daughter, Isabella:

• Lois Kabbe, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Descendant of son, James:

• Noreen Smith, Hillier, Ontario

My hope is that this effort will receive the attention of even more descendants, who can fill in the gaps since errors are inevitable. I'm hoping to receive some corrections. Perhaps someone can find the missing link between the P.E. County Blakelys and those in Hastings County? I have much more information on the children of James, but felt its inclusion here would be cumbersome.

SOURCES