Military Films

I think I might have gotten back on track. At least I figured something out.

In September 2008, I ordered the films with the index of names for military records. It had a reference, but I didn't know what to do with the reference.

I decided to order LAC film C-11790 to see if there was any explanation and there is. On page two of the image to the right it says, "Unfortunately, the use of this C series prefix can be misleading for researchers and archive staff because the microfilm reels also use a C prefix."

Doesn't that just make more sense? On film C-11790 there is a Microfilm Conversion list that's only 17 pages long. I copied all the pages and now I know that I need LAC films C-2860 and C-2861. I'm going to order them today.

Lower Canada Land Petitions

Apparently there isn't an Upper Canada Petition for land by Adam Graves or John George Graves. There was a Patent granted in Upper Canada however, so I ordered it. Unfortunately it doesn't say much that's useful (but it was interesting).

The Lower Canada Land Petitions are searchable online, however, the ones that I'm interested in looking at do not have an image attached. I phoned the Library and Archives of Canada and the person I talked to didn't really know why it's like that. So to the microfilms I go. Again. I just want to get these brothers figured out. It's been over a year that I've spent on them, and I'm not sure I'm any farther ahead than I was a year ago.

Is it possible a petition was made in Lower Canada and granted in Upper Canada? I think it was if the petition was made before 1791 because there wasn't Lower and Upper Canada yet. All of the Lower Canada petitions I'm looking at are from 1792 or later. It's not looking good for me.

If they owned land in Maryland, would it have been confiscated and sold when they were sentenced? If it was confiscated, would there be a record of that?

Lower Canada Petitions for Adam Graves, John Graves, George Graves, Nicholas Andrews, Hugh Kelly .

Nicholas Andrews and Hugh Kelly are the other two men who weren't hung in Maryland and escaped. I think Hugh Kelly went to England so I'd be surprised if it's the same Hugh Kelly on the Lower Canada list, and I'm not sure where Nicholas Andrews ended up.

FOUND SOMETHING... BUT WHAT CAN I DO WITH IT?

On January 22, 2010 I thought I'd try again to find something about the GRAVES brothers. I'm getting fed up with trying to find the land records in Upper Canada or Lower Canada, but I thought I'd give it one last go on the internet to see if I missed anything about the GRAVES brothers. Google found a blog written by a descendant of Peter Suman who was executed for the same reason as John George Graves and Adam Graves left Maryland. So while it doesn't add any information to figure out who they were, it at least gives me hope that I can find out more about them.

But where to look? Peter Suman lived in Burkittsville, Frederick County Maryland. Peter went to the Pleasant View Church of the Brethren. Maybe they went to church with each other? Maybe they were neighbors? Being that only seven men were convicted, they must have a common link between them, but what is it?

The men were convicted on 25 July 1781. Peter and two others were hanged on 17 August 1781.

In 1783 they were in New York writing letters trying to prove they were freeholders in the Frederick County in Maryland. But what part of Frederick county?

BREAKING THE RULES

There's a possibility I will have to change my ISP. That means I also have to change my email address. Of all the things I could have done, I should have never signed up for a mailing list or added my name/email to a website for information if I intended to change my email address. If someone researches the same family lines as me, and they only have my old email address, they might not be able to get in touch with me. Unfortunately, it's a risk I'm going to have to take...