​Upcoming meetings: 
 NEW!!     HYBRID MEETINGS!!  Zoom links will be sent to members in our reminder luncheon notices.                   
In-person parts of our meetings are held at Betty's Restaurant at 8921 Sodom Rd., Niagara Falls.  Meetings begin at 11:45 am for lunch. 

February 1, 2025.  Bruce Wallace, UE.  Most of My Loyalist Ancestors Were Military Men. 
Our new President Bruce Wallace UE is a long time Niagara resident and a descendant of ten United Empire Loyalists, many of whom were officers in Butler’s Rangers or officers in the British Indian Department.  Bruce descends from Colonel John Butler, his son Thomas Butler, and from Adam Crysler, Lewis Cobes Clement and his son James Clement, as well as George Caughell Senior and Junior, and from George Upper, Petrus Ten Broeck and his son Jacob Ten Broeck.  In his presentation he will speak about his ancestors, how some families were split over whether to be loyal to King George or to follow George Washington’s rebels, and how some of these Loyalists became officers in the War of 1812. 

March 1, 2025   Daryl Learn.  Blood Outside the Tavern: The Learn Family Massacre.
In 1781 at the edge of colonized settlements just north of Philadelphia, a family fell victim to the brutalities of war.  Why were they targeted?  Who were their attackers?  How could it happen?  Most histories seem content to just report how it happened and little else, but through connecting the dots of various accounts and histories, the answers to all of these questions can be made clear.
 Daryl Learn is a direct descendant of John Learn, a victim of the Learn Family Massacre.

April 5, 2025.  Ron Dale.   John Butler:  Loyalist Hero or Traitorous Demon?
In Ontario, and particularly in Niagara, Butler is remembered, if he is remembered at all, as a hero of the American Revolution, a brave and loyal man who forged and maintained crucial alliances with the Haudenosaunee.  In the United States, he is still considered a murderous villain.  Who was John Butler? 
Ron Dale, retired from Parks Canada National Historic Sites, has been actively involved in the War of 1812 Bicentennial, the Friends of Fort George, and the Niagara Historical Society. 

May 3, 2025.  Arden Phair.  Life and Death on the Welland Ship Canal:  The Forgotten Story of 134 Worker Fatalities.
This illustrated presentation showcases a specific aspect of the Welland Ship Canal which is widely regarded as one of the engineering marvels of the twentieth century.  It focuses on the plans to build a Memorial to the workers whose lives were lost during the waterway’s construction between 1914 and 1935.
Until recently, the lives lost had been one of the untold stories of this transportation marvel.  Its 138 fatalities represent one of the largest losses of life in the history of Government of Canada infrastructure projects.
A photographic and historical narrative of the Welland Canal is provided as an overview of the Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial.  The Memorial was unveiled in the Fall of 2017 at Lock 3 in St. Catharines, 92 years ago after it had originally been promised during major events marking the Canal’s Official Opening in 1932.
This presentation is part of the Bicentennial celebrations for the Welland Canal.  Special events will be offered across Niagara beginning in 2024 and carrying on through 2029, the 200th anniversary of the Official Opening of the First Welland Canal in November 1829.
Arden Phair is a local historian and former curator at the St. Catharines Museum.

​If you are are a Branch member and are interested in applying for a certificate for your Loyalist ancestor, contact CJB Branch Genealogist Wendy Broda.
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Col. John Butler Branch, UELCA By-laws

Membership Renewal

Colonel John Butler Wants You!

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Claim your place in history!
 
We are PROUD of our history and heritage
​ and would love to share it with a new generation of scholars.
Membership is open to anyone who is passionate about history
​and would like to see if he/she has a connection to our Canadian past.

​What are you waiting for, contact us TODAY!

        Branch Executive for 2025:

               President:              Bruce Wallace UE
​               Vice President:      David Servos UE
               Past President:      Fred Gregory UE
               Treasurer:              David Fowler
               Secretary:              Liz Kerr
               Membership:         Wendy Broda UE
               Genealogist:          Wendy Broda UE
               Director:                 Paul Preece UE
               Director:                 Janet Hodgkins UE
​               Director:                 Bev Craig UE
               Director:                 Dale Flagler UE
​               Director                  David Ellsworth UE
               Director                  Sherry Bell UE

        Other Positions for 2024:

               Program Chair: Janet Hodgkins UE
               Website:  Paul Preece UE
               Newsletter:  Paul Preece UE 
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