He is the son of Nathaniel and Bethania (Snow) Herriman. Nathaniel was born in 1758 and died in Forestville NY in 1809 and was buried in Pioneer Cemetery. Bethania was born in Mass. In 1760 and died in 1829.
He had eight siblings, Clariman, b. 1782, Martha b. 1783 d. 1821, Nathaniel b. 1785 d. 1865, Elizabeth b.1786 d. 1864, Bethania b.1788 d.1864, Abigail b. 1790 d. 1850, Diadamia b.1792 (kidnapped) Luther b 1796 d. 1880
I wrote this article for the Harriman Family Association newsletter and it was published in November 2006
Three Brothers In the War of 1812
While reading the Harriman Family Association web page to find out more about the 2016 Reunion in Portsmouth, I noted the link to “Harrimans in the War of 1812” and paged through looking for entries of my 3rd great grandfather and his younger brother, who is my third great uncle. Here is what was shown on that page:
3868 Nathaniel Harriman –“ (1785 – 1865)
Nathaniel6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=>Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard1
As a British subject, he saw active service with the Provincial Dragoons; as a result, he was granted land in the Owen Sound area in repayment for service to the crown.
3775 Luther Harriman – (1796 – 1880)
Luther6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=> Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard1
Saw duty in the action at Fort Erie; was in the Battle of Lundy's Lane.
How did the Harriman brothers, Luther and Nathaniel, get to what was then called the Province of Upper Canada (now Ontario) and why were they on the British side during the War of 1812? Their father, Nathaniel Harriman, was born in Hadley, Mass., in 1758 and died in Forestville N.Y., in 1809. (I will refer to him as Senior so we don’t mix them up). Nathaniel Sr., of Chesterfield, Mass., married Bethania Snow of Hardwick, Mass., on 14 March 1781 and they raised 9 children – six girls and three boys. The first child, Clariman, was born in 1782 in Mass. and the last, Luther, was born in West Rupert, Vermont, in 1796.
Nathaniel, Jr., was the second son and was born in 1785 in Chesterfield MA .
Members of the family often either spelled their names as Herriman or Harriman and even other variations. This could have been the decision of the recorder or clerk (of a form, census or application) or of the individual depending on who could actually write. Many of the grandchildren of Nathaniel and Bethania are divided about equally between the two main spellings. There was neither conflict, nor a particular reason for that and both spellings are considered interchangeable.
The growing family began gradually migrating northwest from Chesterfield, Mass., and after spending a few years in New York settled in West Rupert, Vermont, some time prior to 1790. The family was enumerated in Rupert in the 1790 census showing 6 children (2 boys and 4 girls). There were 3 more children to follow by 1796.
In 1791, British Army Officer, John Graves Simcoe, the recently appointed Lieutenant Governor of the newly created province of Upper Canada, advertised in a Philadelphia newspaper and other US media seeking settlers who would swear loyalty to the British Crown and would relocate to Upper Canada. They were offered up to 200 acres of land, farm equipment and tools and financial support provided that they cleared and developed at least 10 acres within a reasonable period of time. Nathaniel Sr., a veteran of the rebel side of the revolutionary war, decided to take the land and headed north to claim it. They likely traveled with other groups of settlers for what would have been a long and arduous journey of about 400 miles, some on foot, horseback, and wagon train, although much of it may have been by boat along the Mohawk River following the route that would later become the Erie Canal. They left Vermont in March of 1797 and arrived at their land grant site in May of 1797. A patent for their land was finally issued in 1804. But Nathaniel sold various pieces of his property over the next few years, including a large tract – “half of Coburg” – for a team of oxen.
Settlers who accepted Simcoe’s offer were referred to as “Later loyalists” or “Simcoe Loyalists” to distinguish them from the first group of people fleeing or being forcibly removed from the United States designated as United Empire Loyalists (UELs). Many UELs had served in the British forces and/or resisted the revolution and may have had their property confiscated from during the American fight for independence.
The “United Empire Loyalists” were estimated to number over 500,000, but perhaps only 10% to 20% of those UELs actually left the United States during and after the revolution. Although they went to many British Empire outposts, it is thought that 10,000 came to the area later known as Lower Canada, what is now Quebec. Some went to the Maritime Provinces and others to eastern Ontario. When Britain gained Canada after the Seven Years War, they made a political compromise with the French speaking population (the "Canadiens") and allowed the French speaking majority to maintain their customs. The province continued to use French civil law and institutions and the Catholic Church had religious priority and responsibility for education. However, the newly arriving United Empire Loyalists were unhappy with the French civil codes and the dominance of the Catholic Church. They also demanded the right to own land versus the seigniorial system that was used in Quebec. The result was the creation of two provinces, Upper (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) and those living outside Lower Canada were now subject to British common law and institutions. This kept the peace between the French and English speaking cultures.
Lieutenant Governor Simcoe wanted to settle the land between Montreal and York (now Toronto) which was sparsely populated. His rationale was that if the settlers developed their land, raised and schooled their children and benefited from that ownership, that they would eventually defend their “country” in the event of any future American attempts to expand into that part of British North America.
Fifteen years after the Harrimans arrived in Upper Canada (and well after Nathaniel Sr. and Bethania had actually returned to New York State) these “Later Loyalists” and their children honored the pledge and defended the land during the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.
When planning the invasion of Canada the American government assumed that, as most of the people who populated Upper Canada were actually American, those people would not resist the American invaders and welcome them gladly. That didn’t happen! Simcoe’s assumptions were correct!
Two Harriman brothers – Nathaniel and Luther – served the British side during the war. Luther Herriman was just 17 when he enlisted in 1812 in the newly formed Canadian Militia, known as the “Ploughboy Soldiers”. Most combat was led by British regulars, but militias and provincial forces were supportive and heavily involved throughout the war.
His older brother, Nathaniel Herriman, my third great grandfather, was a commissioned officer in the Provincial Dragoons and they each saw considerable action during the War of 1812 battles at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Stoney Creek, Fort Erie and Lundy’s Lane. For his service Nathaniel, Jr., was rewarded with a substantial land grant in the Owen Sound area where he started a saw mill, was involved in local politics, was a justice of the peace, and built and managed a hotel called “Rockford Castle.”
But as they say in the television commercials, “Wait there is more!” Looking again at the War of 1812 veterans I noticed that just below the listing of Nathaniel and Luther was this entry:
4034 Alanson Harriman – (1793 -1854 )
Alanson6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=> Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard Harriman1
Private, NY militia, 10th Regt., Prior's command; also Corporal, 6th Regt. Mounted Dragoon, NY militia (as Alanson "Hereman").
Alanson is the brother of Luther and Nathaniel and was born in 1793. He served in the N.Y. Militia’s 10th and 6th Regiments and likely was opposing Luther and Nathaniel in the same theaters in Upper Canada. When his parents left Canada and moved to Forestville, N.Y., around 1805 some of the younger children traveled with them But by 1815 Luther was back in Canada where he is named on a deed and where he married. Five of the nine children were married prior to 1805 and remained in Canada and two others married within two years. But they also seem to have traveled back and forth between Canada and, especially, New York
Nathaniel Jr., Luther, Alanson and their sibling’s descendants have spread far and wide and we are fortunate to have much detail on their lives and progress through time. After the War of 1812 Luther became a physician and two of his sons also were physicians. His son Elbridge Albert Herriman served as an U.S. Army Surgeon during the American Civil War. . Nathaniel died in 1865 and is buried in Owen Sound, Ontario. Alanson died in 1855 and is buried in Forestville, N.Y., probably with his parents. Luther died in 1880 and is buried in Port Hope, Ontario.
Many of the descendants continued their migration west and settled as far as Oregon, California and British Columbia and even one in Alabama! That’s me!
Paul E Harriman
I
He had eight siblings, Clariman, b. 1782, Martha b. 1783 d. 1821, Nathaniel b. 1785 d. 1865, Elizabeth b.1786 d. 1864, Bethania b.1788 d.1864, Abigail b. 1790 d. 1850, Diadamia b.1792 (kidnapped) Luther b 1796 d. 1880
I wrote this article for the Harriman Family Association newsletter and it was published in November 2006
Three Brothers In the War of 1812
While reading the Harriman Family Association web page to find out more about the 2016 Reunion in Portsmouth, I noted the link to “Harrimans in the War of 1812” and paged through looking for entries of my 3rd great grandfather and his younger brother, who is my third great uncle. Here is what was shown on that page:
3868 Nathaniel Harriman –“ (1785 – 1865)
Nathaniel6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=>Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard1
As a British subject, he saw active service with the Provincial Dragoons; as a result, he was granted land in the Owen Sound area in repayment for service to the crown.
3775 Luther Harriman – (1796 – 1880)
Luther6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=> Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard1
Saw duty in the action at Fort Erie; was in the Battle of Lundy's Lane.
How did the Harriman brothers, Luther and Nathaniel, get to what was then called the Province of Upper Canada (now Ontario) and why were they on the British side during the War of 1812? Their father, Nathaniel Harriman, was born in Hadley, Mass., in 1758 and died in Forestville N.Y., in 1809. (I will refer to him as Senior so we don’t mix them up). Nathaniel Sr., of Chesterfield, Mass., married Bethania Snow of Hardwick, Mass., on 14 March 1781 and they raised 9 children – six girls and three boys. The first child, Clariman, was born in 1782 in Mass. and the last, Luther, was born in West Rupert, Vermont, in 1796.
Nathaniel, Jr., was the second son and was born in 1785 in Chesterfield MA .
Members of the family often either spelled their names as Herriman or Harriman and even other variations. This could have been the decision of the recorder or clerk (of a form, census or application) or of the individual depending on who could actually write. Many of the grandchildren of Nathaniel and Bethania are divided about equally between the two main spellings. There was neither conflict, nor a particular reason for that and both spellings are considered interchangeable.
The growing family began gradually migrating northwest from Chesterfield, Mass., and after spending a few years in New York settled in West Rupert, Vermont, some time prior to 1790. The family was enumerated in Rupert in the 1790 census showing 6 children (2 boys and 4 girls). There were 3 more children to follow by 1796.
In 1791, British Army Officer, John Graves Simcoe, the recently appointed Lieutenant Governor of the newly created province of Upper Canada, advertised in a Philadelphia newspaper and other US media seeking settlers who would swear loyalty to the British Crown and would relocate to Upper Canada. They were offered up to 200 acres of land, farm equipment and tools and financial support provided that they cleared and developed at least 10 acres within a reasonable period of time. Nathaniel Sr., a veteran of the rebel side of the revolutionary war, decided to take the land and headed north to claim it. They likely traveled with other groups of settlers for what would have been a long and arduous journey of about 400 miles, some on foot, horseback, and wagon train, although much of it may have been by boat along the Mohawk River following the route that would later become the Erie Canal. They left Vermont in March of 1797 and arrived at their land grant site in May of 1797. A patent for their land was finally issued in 1804. But Nathaniel sold various pieces of his property over the next few years, including a large tract – “half of Coburg” – for a team of oxen.
Settlers who accepted Simcoe’s offer were referred to as “Later loyalists” or “Simcoe Loyalists” to distinguish them from the first group of people fleeing or being forcibly removed from the United States designated as United Empire Loyalists (UELs). Many UELs had served in the British forces and/or resisted the revolution and may have had their property confiscated from during the American fight for independence.
The “United Empire Loyalists” were estimated to number over 500,000, but perhaps only 10% to 20% of those UELs actually left the United States during and after the revolution. Although they went to many British Empire outposts, it is thought that 10,000 came to the area later known as Lower Canada, what is now Quebec. Some went to the Maritime Provinces and others to eastern Ontario. When Britain gained Canada after the Seven Years War, they made a political compromise with the French speaking population (the "Canadiens") and allowed the French speaking majority to maintain their customs. The province continued to use French civil law and institutions and the Catholic Church had religious priority and responsibility for education. However, the newly arriving United Empire Loyalists were unhappy with the French civil codes and the dominance of the Catholic Church. They also demanded the right to own land versus the seigniorial system that was used in Quebec. The result was the creation of two provinces, Upper (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) and those living outside Lower Canada were now subject to British common law and institutions. This kept the peace between the French and English speaking cultures.
Lieutenant Governor Simcoe wanted to settle the land between Montreal and York (now Toronto) which was sparsely populated. His rationale was that if the settlers developed their land, raised and schooled their children and benefited from that ownership, that they would eventually defend their “country” in the event of any future American attempts to expand into that part of British North America.
Fifteen years after the Harrimans arrived in Upper Canada (and well after Nathaniel Sr. and Bethania had actually returned to New York State) these “Later Loyalists” and their children honored the pledge and defended the land during the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.
When planning the invasion of Canada the American government assumed that, as most of the people who populated Upper Canada were actually American, those people would not resist the American invaders and welcome them gladly. That didn’t happen! Simcoe’s assumptions were correct!
Two Harriman brothers – Nathaniel and Luther – served the British side during the war. Luther Herriman was just 17 when he enlisted in 1812 in the newly formed Canadian Militia, known as the “Ploughboy Soldiers”. Most combat was led by British regulars, but militias and provincial forces were supportive and heavily involved throughout the war.
His older brother, Nathaniel Herriman, my third great grandfather, was a commissioned officer in the Provincial Dragoons and they each saw considerable action during the War of 1812 battles at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Stoney Creek, Fort Erie and Lundy’s Lane. For his service Nathaniel, Jr., was rewarded with a substantial land grant in the Owen Sound area where he started a saw mill, was involved in local politics, was a justice of the peace, and built and managed a hotel called “Rockford Castle.”
But as they say in the television commercials, “Wait there is more!” Looking again at the War of 1812 veterans I noticed that just below the listing of Nathaniel and Luther was this entry:
4034 Alanson Harriman – (1793 -1854 )
Alanson6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=> Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard Harriman1
Private, NY militia, 10th Regt., Prior's command; also Corporal, 6th Regt. Mounted Dragoon, NY militia (as Alanson "Hereman").
Alanson is the brother of Luther and Nathaniel and was born in 1793. He served in the N.Y. Militia’s 10th and 6th Regiments and likely was opposing Luther and Nathaniel in the same theaters in Upper Canada. When his parents left Canada and moved to Forestville, N.Y., around 1805 some of the younger children traveled with them But by 1815 Luther was back in Canada where he is named on a deed and where he married. Five of the nine children were married prior to 1805 and remained in Canada and two others married within two years. But they also seem to have traveled back and forth between Canada and, especially, New York
Nathaniel Jr., Luther, Alanson and their sibling’s descendants have spread far and wide and we are fortunate to have much detail on their lives and progress through time. After the War of 1812 Luther became a physician and two of his sons also were physicians. His son Elbridge Albert Herriman served as an U.S. Army Surgeon during the American Civil War. . Nathaniel died in 1865 and is buried in Owen Sound, Ontario. Alanson died in 1855 and is buried in Forestville, N.Y., probably with his parents. Luther died in 1880 and is buried in Port Hope, Ontario.
Many of the descendants continued their migration west and settled as far as Oregon, California and British Columbia and even one in Alabama! That’s me!
Paul E Harriman
I
He is the son of Nathaniel and Bethania (Snow) Herriman. Nathaniel was born in 1758 and died in Forestville NY in 1809 and was buried in Pioneer Cemetery. Bethania was born in Mass. In 1760 and died in 1829.
He had eight siblings, Clariman, b. 1782, Martha b. 1783 d. 1821, Nathaniel b. 1785 d. 1865, Elizabeth b.1786 d. 1864, Bethania b.1788 d.1864, Abigail b. 1790 d. 1850, Diadamia b.1792 (kidnapped) Luther b 1796 d. 1880
I wrote this article for the Harriman Family Association newsletter and it was published in November 2006
Three Brothers In the War of 1812
While reading the Harriman Family Association web page to find out more about the 2016 Reunion in Portsmouth, I noted the link to “Harrimans in the War of 1812” and paged through looking for entries of my 3rd great grandfather and his younger brother, who is my third great uncle. Here is what was shown on that page:
3868 Nathaniel Harriman –“ (1785 – 1865)
Nathaniel6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=>Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard1
As a British subject, he saw active service with the Provincial Dragoons; as a result, he was granted land in the Owen Sound area in repayment for service to the crown.
3775 Luther Harriman – (1796 – 1880)
Luther6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=> Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard1
Saw duty in the action at Fort Erie; was in the Battle of Lundy's Lane.
How did the Harriman brothers, Luther and Nathaniel, get to what was then called the Province of Upper Canada (now Ontario) and why were they on the British side during the War of 1812? Their father, Nathaniel Harriman, was born in Hadley, Mass., in 1758 and died in Forestville N.Y., in 1809. (I will refer to him as Senior so we don’t mix them up). Nathaniel Sr., of Chesterfield, Mass., married Bethania Snow of Hardwick, Mass., on 14 March 1781 and they raised 9 children – six girls and three boys. The first child, Clariman, was born in 1782 in Mass. and the last, Luther, was born in West Rupert, Vermont, in 1796.
Nathaniel, Jr., was the second son and was born in 1785 in Chesterfield MA .
Members of the family often either spelled their names as Herriman or Harriman and even other variations. This could have been the decision of the recorder or clerk (of a form, census or application) or of the individual depending on who could actually write. Many of the grandchildren of Nathaniel and Bethania are divided about equally between the two main spellings. There was neither conflict, nor a particular reason for that and both spellings are considered interchangeable.
The growing family began gradually migrating northwest from Chesterfield, Mass., and after spending a few years in New York settled in West Rupert, Vermont, some time prior to 1790. The family was enumerated in Rupert in the 1790 census showing 6 children (2 boys and 4 girls). There were 3 more children to follow by 1796.
In 1791, British Army Officer, John Graves Simcoe, the recently appointed Lieutenant Governor of the newly created province of Upper Canada, advertised in a Philadelphia newspaper and other US media seeking settlers who would swear loyalty to the British Crown and would relocate to Upper Canada. They were offered up to 200 acres of land, farm equipment and tools and financial support provided that they cleared and developed at least 10 acres within a reasonable period of time. Nathaniel Sr., a veteran of the rebel side of the revolutionary war, decided to take the land and headed north to claim it. They likely traveled with other groups of settlers for what would have been a long and arduous journey of about 400 miles, some on foot, horseback, and wagon train, although much of it may have been by boat along the Mohawk River following the route that would later become the Erie Canal. They left Vermont in March of 1797 and arrived at their land grant site in May of 1797. A patent for their land was finally issued in 1804. But Nathaniel sold various pieces of his property over the next few years, including a large tract – “half of Coburg” – for a team of oxen.
Settlers who accepted Simcoe’s offer were referred to as “Later loyalists” or “Simcoe Loyalists” to distinguish them from the first group of people fleeing or being forcibly removed from the United States designated as United Empire Loyalists (UELs). Many UELs had served in the British forces and/or resisted the revolution and may have had their property confiscated from during the American fight for independence.
The “United Empire Loyalists” were estimated to number over 500,000, but perhaps only 10% to 20% of those UELs actually left the United States during and after the revolution. Although they went to many British Empire outposts, it is thought that 10,000 came to the area later known as Lower Canada, what is now Quebec. Some went to the Maritime Provinces and others to eastern Ontario. When Britain gained Canada after the Seven Years War, they made a political compromise with the French speaking population (the "Canadiens") and allowed the French speaking majority to maintain their customs. The province continued to use French civil law and institutions and the Catholic Church had religious priority and responsibility for education. However, the newly arriving United Empire Loyalists were unhappy with the French civil codes and the dominance of the Catholic Church. They also demanded the right to own land versus the seigniorial system that was used in Quebec. The result was the creation of two provinces, Upper (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) and those living outside Lower Canada were now subject to British common law and institutions. This kept the peace between the French and English speaking cultures.
Lieutenant Governor Simcoe wanted to settle the land between Montreal and York (now Toronto) which was sparsely populated. His rationale was that if the settlers developed their land, raised and schooled their children and benefited from that ownership, that they would eventually defend their “country” in the event of any future American attempts to expand into that part of British North America.
Fifteen years after the Harrimans arrived in Upper Canada (and well after Nathaniel Sr. and Bethania had actually returned to New York State) these “Later Loyalists” and their children honored the pledge and defended the land during the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.
When planning the invasion of Canada the American government assumed that, as most of the people who populated Upper Canada were actually American, those people would not resist the American invaders and welcome them gladly. That didn’t happen! Simcoe’s assumptions were correct!
Two Harriman brothers – Nathaniel and Luther – served the British side during the war. Luther Herriman was just 17 when he enlisted in 1812 in the newly formed Canadian Militia, known as the “Ploughboy Soldiers”. Most combat was led by British regulars, but militias and provincial forces were supportive and heavily involved throughout the war.
His older brother, Nathaniel Herriman, my third great grandfather, was a commissioned officer in the Provincial Dragoons and they each saw considerable action during the War of 1812 battles at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Stoney Creek, Fort Erie and Lundy’s Lane. For his service Nathaniel, Jr., was rewarded with a substantial land grant in the Owen Sound area where he started a saw mill, was involved in local politics, was a justice of the peace, and built and managed a hotel called “Rockford Castle.”
But as they say in the television commercials, “Wait there is more!” Looking again at the War of 1812 veterans I noticed that just below the listing of Nathaniel and Luther was this entry:
4034 Alanson Harriman – (1793 -1854 )
Alanson6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=> Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard Harriman1
Private, NY militia, 10th Regt., Prior's command; also Corporal, 6th Regt. Mounted Dragoon, NY militia (as Alanson "Hereman").
Alanson is the brother of Luther and Nathaniel and was born in 1793. He served in the N.Y. Militia’s 10th and 6th Regiments and likely was opposing Luther and Nathaniel in the same theaters in Upper Canada. When his parents left Canada and moved to Forestville, N.Y., around 1805 some of the younger children traveled with them But by 1815 Luther was back in Canada where he is named on a deed and where he married. Five of the nine children were married prior to 1805 and remained in Canada and two others married within two years. But they also seem to have traveled back and forth between Canada and, especially, New York
Nathaniel Jr., Luther, Alanson and their sibling’s descendants have spread far and wide and we are fortunate to have much detail on their lives and progress through time. After the War of 1812 Luther became a physician and two of his sons also were physicians. His son Elbridge Albert Herriman served as an U.S. Army Surgeon during the American Civil War. . Nathaniel died in 1865 and is buried in Owen Sound, Ontario. Alanson died in 1855 and is buried in Forestville, N.Y., probably with his parents. Luther died in 1880 and is buried in Port Hope, Ontario.
Many of the descendants continued their migration west and settled as far as Oregon, California and British Columbia and even one in Alabama! That’s me!
Paul E Harriman
I
He had eight siblings, Clariman, b. 1782, Martha b. 1783 d. 1821, Nathaniel b. 1785 d. 1865, Elizabeth b.1786 d. 1864, Bethania b.1788 d.1864, Abigail b. 1790 d. 1850, Diadamia b.1792 (kidnapped) Luther b 1796 d. 1880
I wrote this article for the Harriman Family Association newsletter and it was published in November 2006
Three Brothers In the War of 1812
While reading the Harriman Family Association web page to find out more about the 2016 Reunion in Portsmouth, I noted the link to “Harrimans in the War of 1812” and paged through looking for entries of my 3rd great grandfather and his younger brother, who is my third great uncle. Here is what was shown on that page:
3868 Nathaniel Harriman –“ (1785 – 1865)
Nathaniel6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=>Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard1
As a British subject, he saw active service with the Provincial Dragoons; as a result, he was granted land in the Owen Sound area in repayment for service to the crown.
3775 Luther Harriman – (1796 – 1880)
Luther6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=> Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard1
Saw duty in the action at Fort Erie; was in the Battle of Lundy's Lane.
How did the Harriman brothers, Luther and Nathaniel, get to what was then called the Province of Upper Canada (now Ontario) and why were they on the British side during the War of 1812? Their father, Nathaniel Harriman, was born in Hadley, Mass., in 1758 and died in Forestville N.Y., in 1809. (I will refer to him as Senior so we don’t mix them up). Nathaniel Sr., of Chesterfield, Mass., married Bethania Snow of Hardwick, Mass., on 14 March 1781 and they raised 9 children – six girls and three boys. The first child, Clariman, was born in 1782 in Mass. and the last, Luther, was born in West Rupert, Vermont, in 1796.
Nathaniel, Jr., was the second son and was born in 1785 in Chesterfield MA .
Members of the family often either spelled their names as Herriman or Harriman and even other variations. This could have been the decision of the recorder or clerk (of a form, census or application) or of the individual depending on who could actually write. Many of the grandchildren of Nathaniel and Bethania are divided about equally between the two main spellings. There was neither conflict, nor a particular reason for that and both spellings are considered interchangeable.
The growing family began gradually migrating northwest from Chesterfield, Mass., and after spending a few years in New York settled in West Rupert, Vermont, some time prior to 1790. The family was enumerated in Rupert in the 1790 census showing 6 children (2 boys and 4 girls). There were 3 more children to follow by 1796.
In 1791, British Army Officer, John Graves Simcoe, the recently appointed Lieutenant Governor of the newly created province of Upper Canada, advertised in a Philadelphia newspaper and other US media seeking settlers who would swear loyalty to the British Crown and would relocate to Upper Canada. They were offered up to 200 acres of land, farm equipment and tools and financial support provided that they cleared and developed at least 10 acres within a reasonable period of time. Nathaniel Sr., a veteran of the rebel side of the revolutionary war, decided to take the land and headed north to claim it. They likely traveled with other groups of settlers for what would have been a long and arduous journey of about 400 miles, some on foot, horseback, and wagon train, although much of it may have been by boat along the Mohawk River following the route that would later become the Erie Canal. They left Vermont in March of 1797 and arrived at their land grant site in May of 1797. A patent for their land was finally issued in 1804. But Nathaniel sold various pieces of his property over the next few years, including a large tract – “half of Coburg” – for a team of oxen.
Settlers who accepted Simcoe’s offer were referred to as “Later loyalists” or “Simcoe Loyalists” to distinguish them from the first group of people fleeing or being forcibly removed from the United States designated as United Empire Loyalists (UELs). Many UELs had served in the British forces and/or resisted the revolution and may have had their property confiscated from during the American fight for independence.
The “United Empire Loyalists” were estimated to number over 500,000, but perhaps only 10% to 20% of those UELs actually left the United States during and after the revolution. Although they went to many British Empire outposts, it is thought that 10,000 came to the area later known as Lower Canada, what is now Quebec. Some went to the Maritime Provinces and others to eastern Ontario. When Britain gained Canada after the Seven Years War, they made a political compromise with the French speaking population (the "Canadiens") and allowed the French speaking majority to maintain their customs. The province continued to use French civil law and institutions and the Catholic Church had religious priority and responsibility for education. However, the newly arriving United Empire Loyalists were unhappy with the French civil codes and the dominance of the Catholic Church. They also demanded the right to own land versus the seigniorial system that was used in Quebec. The result was the creation of two provinces, Upper (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec) and those living outside Lower Canada were now subject to British common law and institutions. This kept the peace between the French and English speaking cultures.
Lieutenant Governor Simcoe wanted to settle the land between Montreal and York (now Toronto) which was sparsely populated. His rationale was that if the settlers developed their land, raised and schooled their children and benefited from that ownership, that they would eventually defend their “country” in the event of any future American attempts to expand into that part of British North America.
Fifteen years after the Harrimans arrived in Upper Canada (and well after Nathaniel Sr. and Bethania had actually returned to New York State) these “Later Loyalists” and their children honored the pledge and defended the land during the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.
When planning the invasion of Canada the American government assumed that, as most of the people who populated Upper Canada were actually American, those people would not resist the American invaders and welcome them gladly. That didn’t happen! Simcoe’s assumptions were correct!
Two Harriman brothers – Nathaniel and Luther – served the British side during the war. Luther Herriman was just 17 when he enlisted in 1812 in the newly formed Canadian Militia, known as the “Ploughboy Soldiers”. Most combat was led by British regulars, but militias and provincial forces were supportive and heavily involved throughout the war.
His older brother, Nathaniel Herriman, my third great grandfather, was a commissioned officer in the Provincial Dragoons and they each saw considerable action during the War of 1812 battles at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Stoney Creek, Fort Erie and Lundy’s Lane. For his service Nathaniel, Jr., was rewarded with a substantial land grant in the Owen Sound area where he started a saw mill, was involved in local politics, was a justice of the peace, and built and managed a hotel called “Rockford Castle.”
But as they say in the television commercials, “Wait there is more!” Looking again at the War of 1812 veterans I noticed that just below the listing of Nathaniel and Luther was this entry:
4034 Alanson Harriman – (1793 -1854 )
Alanson6=> Nathaniel5=> Nathaniel4=> Matthew Jr.3=> Matthew2=> Leonard Harriman1
Private, NY militia, 10th Regt., Prior's command; also Corporal, 6th Regt. Mounted Dragoon, NY militia (as Alanson "Hereman").
Alanson is the brother of Luther and Nathaniel and was born in 1793. He served in the N.Y. Militia’s 10th and 6th Regiments and likely was opposing Luther and Nathaniel in the same theaters in Upper Canada. When his parents left Canada and moved to Forestville, N.Y., around 1805 some of the younger children traveled with them But by 1815 Luther was back in Canada where he is named on a deed and where he married. Five of the nine children were married prior to 1805 and remained in Canada and two others married within two years. But they also seem to have traveled back and forth between Canada and, especially, New York
Nathaniel Jr., Luther, Alanson and their sibling’s descendants have spread far and wide and we are fortunate to have much detail on their lives and progress through time. After the War of 1812 Luther became a physician and two of his sons also were physicians. His son Elbridge Albert Herriman served as an U.S. Army Surgeon during the American Civil War. . Nathaniel died in 1865 and is buried in Owen Sound, Ontario. Alanson died in 1855 and is buried in Forestville, N.Y., probably with his parents. Luther died in 1880 and is buried in Port Hope, Ontario.
Many of the descendants continued their migration west and settled as far as Oregon, California and British Columbia and even one in Alabama! That’s me!
Paul E Harriman
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