Clench, Ralph

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Bruce G. Wilson, “CLENCH (Clinch), RALFE (Ralph, Rolfe),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 6, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/clench_ralfe_6E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Army officer, office holder, judge, militia officer, politician, and farmer; b. c. 1762 in Schenectady, N.Y., son of Robert Clench and Hannah Vernon; m. Elizabeth Johnson, granddaughter of Sir William Johnson, and they had at least 12 children; d. 19 Jan. 1828 in Niagara (Niagara-on-the-Lake), Upper Canada.
    • After the outbreak of the American revolution Ralfe Clench joined the 53rd Foot as a cadet and served in John Burgoyne’s campaign of 1777. He escaped the débâcle that befell Burgoyne’s army and was detached as a volunteer in Captain Henry Bird’s company of the 8th Foot. For a short time he was a volunteer with John Butler’s rangers and in April 1780 he was commissioned second lieutenant. 
    • His war service appears to have stood him in good stead with government. In 1790 he was appointed the first clerk of the Court of Common Pleas for the Nassau District. By 1800 he had garnered the offices of registrar of the Surrogate Court, clerk of the District Court, and clerk of the peace in the Niagara District. He received many other appointments during his life, including judge of the District, commissioner of the Heir and Devisee Commission, commissioner of customs for Upper Canada, and commissioner for the administration of oaths. 
    • In 1800 Clench and Swayze emerged as the most active leaders of local opposition to the regional élite. Together they proposed legislation championing the interests of small merchants, local office holders, loyalists, and farmers. Clench was initially attracted by the parliamentary opposition of Robert Thorpe and Joseph Willcocks, but as an office holder and hence essentially a member of the conservative establishment, Clench was careful on most issues not to align himself with the group. Its initiatives drove him to the defensive and consequently destroyed his political effectiveness.
    • During the War of 1812, Clench fought at Queenston Heights and was mentioned in dispatches. In March 1813 he became assistant quartermaster general to the militia forces stationed at Niagara. Three months later he was captured by invading American forces, and he spent the duration of the war as a prisoner.
  • Proven United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=1562
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69773881/ralfe-clench