Dispossessing Loyalists and Redistributing Property in Revolutionary New York
The American Revolution was a civil war. It may have given rise to a republic in which the foundation for government legitimacy is a democratic citizenry offering its voluntary consent to law. But that was the hard-won outcome of a violent conflict during which loyalty to the Revolutionary cause was often coerced at bayonet point. Revolutionary governments likewise met non-allegiance with punitive measures. The lingering effects of coercive state policies enacted in the 1770s and early 1780s muddled the transition to consensual government. Nothing makes this clearer than the widespread seizure of property owned by known loyalists.
This is a blog posted by Mark Boonshoft. But it does make one aware that land was repossessed so there are more records somewhere. I can not post his data here only that he is discussing this topic. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2016/09/19/loyalist-property-confiscation?fbclid=IwAR38J_idlj6HjNO7Nylil9BJa8Emw5hpmoOVz4TElQHQ3-yZXtce
New York Public Library.
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Thank You sir for reminding us. Shame on me because I had an ancestor whom's brother went north. I should have followed that up.
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