Some of the noble U.E. Loyalists pioneers of this county gave such unmistakable evidences of their undaunted courage as well as of their patriotism during the times of the American revolution that their heroic deeds ought to be kept in commemoration. We purpose now to refer only to three or four cases, selected from a very large number that might be mentioned. These were men well known among the early U.E.L. settlers of this county and whose descendants are among our well known families here today. At some future time we may make reference to others of the same truly heroic stamp. The descendants of such men have certainly good reasons to feel proud of their ancestry and that they have the honor to still bear their names.

LUKE CARSCALLEN

We are indebted to Dr. Egerton Ryerson's "Loyalists of America: for the following facts regarding Luke Carscallen, who was one of the first pioneer settlers on the Front of Fredericksburgh. He was a Sergeant in the New York Royal Regiment during the war of the revolution and appears to have been amongst the company of Loyalist refugees sailing from New York in the fall of 1873 and landing in Fredericksburgh in June of the following year. According to the authority already referred to he was an Irishman by birth, and had served in the British army in his native land in his younger days. He retired from the army and emigrated to the American Colonies, settling in New York prior to the breaking out of the great American rebellion. Being a man of peace he desired to remain neutral and take no part in the then exciting political contest. The Americans however, resolved that no man should thus be allowed to remain in peace and quietness. They insisted that all must either take active sides with them or be branded as traitors and have their property confiscated, and be driven from the country. They said to Carscallen that as he was a man of previous military experience, he must join them or be regarded as their enemy. His reply was that he had once fought for his King, and would do it again, if compelled to fight at all. An order was then promptly issued to arrest him, his loyalty being his offence. He secreted himself for the time, as did hundreds others, like-minded.

He possessed at the time a fine landed estate of 12,000 acres, which was now at the mercy of the agitators, and that was soon after confiscated. Not satisfied with that they seized his young and tender son and tried by threats and intimidations to extort from him where his father could be found. The plucky boy, however, well understood what was intended for the father in case his place of concealment was made known, and so bravely refused to tell. They then threatened to hang the boy unless he told. "Hang away" was the courageous reply, and the cruel men so far carried out their threat as to suspend him three times by the neck until he became insensible and almost dead. But all to no purpose. Then some of these monsters kicked his insensible body, but were foiled in their search for the absent father. That courageous boy was the ancestor of a large section of our well known Carscallen family in this county today.

The Carscallens were among the prominent members of the early Methodists of this province. According to Playter's History of Methodism it was at John Carscallen's log house, in Fredericksburgh, near the Upper Gap, that William Losee, the pioneer Methodist missionary preached his first sermon in this country. That was in the summer or fall of 1790. Luke Carscallen was a prominent officer in the Canadian militia and took an active part during the war of 1812-14. We have heard the late Col. Samuel Dorland refer to his deep piety and the respect in which he was held by all the men under him. Among other things he said that the men noticed that early every day Colonel Carscallen went away quietly in the woods and it was generally some time before he returned again. Being curious to learn why he thus secreted himself from the others, one of the young men clandestinely followed him and soon found that he was engaged in reading the scriptures and private prayer. All during the camp service that habit was kept up and the men made it a point that he should never be disturbed in these devotions.

JOHN DIAMOND

He was another of the early U.E.L. pioneers of Fredericksburgh, whose descendants are numerous and respected in this and the adjoining counties. He was a native of New York State, near Albany, where he and several of his brothers were born and reared. They were loyalists to the British cause, but one of the older brothers was drafted into the American ranks. Such a service was so repugnant to his feelings that he soon made his escape, but fell very sick and was kept concealed for a time. The visits of a doctor, who was watched, led to his discovery. His father was at once required to give a bond of $1200 that the son should not be removed while sick. He got well and again attempted to escape a service that was repugnant to his feeling. He was caught, made prisoner and handcuffed to another prisoner. While being thus removed from one place to another, the two prisoners managed to knock their guard on the head and ran for life, thus bound together. At night they managed to rub their handcuffs off, and finally escaped to Canada. Another of the brothers was similarly drafted, carried off, and was never afterwards heard of.

John was also drafted and taken to the rebel army when he became old enough for service, but he also managed to make his escape to Canada. He then enlisted in the Rogers Royal Battalion and was honorably discharged at the end of the war and later on, became one of the first company of settlers in Third Town, or Fredericksburgh. He married a Miss Loyst, also a member of one of the early U.E.L. families, we believe, who appears to have been possessed of the same patriotic and heroic spirit. In Upper Canada they spent their first summer in clearing a little spot of land, where in the fall they got a little grain in the ground. For weeks during that summer they slept under the shelter of a tree, but managed to erect for themselves a snug log hut before winter set in. Nearly all their neighbors had a similar experience, but many of them lived to see their farms cleared, under cultivation, with comfortable dwellings and their families well to do and educated.

The Diamonds have been ever since among the well known families of the township. They have also been prominently identified with the Methodists from the beginning.

THE ROBLINS

They have also been among the well known and respected families of this county since its very first settlement. According to Canniff's History of the U. E. Loyalists, they were originally of English or Welsh nativity. They were dwelling in New Jersey at the time of the outbreak of the Rebellion, but resolved to take no part in the contest though it was well known that their sympathies were with the British. Their experience also was that all who did not take any active part in overthrowing the government were treated as traitors and rebels. One day as John Roblin was sitting in his doorway, in New Jersey, a scouting party came along and fired fourteen shots in the house, without any previous warning or notice. He was wounded in the knee, though the other members of the family appear to have escaped unhurt. The house was then entered and ransacked for valuables. A demand was then made to know where their money was. John, already wounded, was stripped nearly naked and his brother Stephen was hung by his thumbs to a tree to extort from him where their money was concealed. One of the men of the party put a bayonet to the breast of Mrs. Roblin and dared her to call King George her king. She did not flinch, however, but just as the demon was about to fire at her one of his comrades knocked his weapon aside. John was afterwards placed in one of the American's hospitals, but he said that his treatment was so harsh and cruel that he became a life long cripple. Mrs. Roblin went to Gen. Washington who was then near by, and complained of their treatment, and the family was not again thus disturbed.

Both brothers soon joined in the British service and served during the war. They were both among the families who landed in Adolphustown on the 16th of June 1784, and made it their home there. The family have been well represented in that township ever since, as well as in Hastings, Prince Edward, and various parts of this county. In the first list of the families in the old Town Meeting Records of the township, in 1794, appear the names of John Roblin, with three in family, Owen Roblin, Jr., with two and Owen Roblin, senior.

Dr. Canniff states that John Roblin died and his widow, with the family, moved to Sophiasburgh, where she bought 100 acres of land for $25, and paid for it by weaving. She likewise cut down trees and made her own log hut.

In Playter's History of Methodism is given a copy of the subscription list of the Adolphustown Methodist church, the first of the kind built in Upper Canada, - bearing date of February 3d 1792, and the name of Mrs. Elizabeth Roblin, appears as the second largest subscriber. The author speaks of their trip to Canada by way of the Richelieu river, wintering at Sorel - and living on rations allowed by the British government, in common with the other Loyalist refugees. In the spring the families passed up the St. Lawrence, in batteaux, or flat bottomed boats. The trip thus made from Sorel to Adolphustown, a distance of a little over -- hundred miles, represented a very hard and toilsome journey of nearly an entire month, - from May 21st to June 16th, and it may not be considered bad time for the only methods of travel they then had. She was the grandmother of John P. Roblin, M.P.P. for years a prominent member of the old Reform party in the Upper Canada Legislature previous to the Mackenzie rebellion, and also in later years, who was afterwards appointed by the Hink's government Registrar of Prince Edward county, a position he held to the time of his death. The venerable Owen Roblin, J.P. , the founder of "Roblin's Mills" in Ameliasburgh, was also another grandson. He is now past 90 years of age, and is said to be the oldest commissioned postmaster in Canada.

We believe that David Roblin, M.P.P., who for years represented Lennox and Addington in Parliament, was also a grandson. He lived and died in Napanee, and is yet well remembered by the older readers of THE BEAVER.

John Roblin, a son we believe of the lady before mentioned, was among the first converts under Losee's labors in this province, and he became a zealous worker in the Methodist church and a popular local preacher. He was elected to parliament for the midland district at an early time, but being opposed to the Family Compact party, then in power, his seat was declared vacant because he was a local preacher. He was re-elected and again the seat was declared vacant, by the same party and for the same reason. He returned home and soon after was again elected, for the third time. He died, however, before the next session was held and thus what threatened to become a serious case of dissatisfaction, if not of disturbance, was bought to an end. The late Mrs. George H. Detlor, so many years a well known resident of this town, was a daughter of his.

T.W.C.