Sayre, James

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Della M. M. Stanley, “SAYRE, JAMES,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/sayre_james_7E.html#citations
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Businessman, office holder, and jp; b. 7 Sept. 1761 in Philadelphia, son of the Reverend John Sayre, a Church of England minister, and Mary Bowes; d. 22 March 1849 at Dorchester Island, N.B.
    • Tryon’s decision to burn the homes of pro-revolutionaries inadvertently resulted in the destruction of loyalist homes as well, including that of John Sayre. Destitute, Sayre, his wife, and their children fled to Flushing, N.Y.; by 1781 they had reached New York City. There Sayre joined forces with loyalists seeking refuge in the province of Nova Scotia.
    • He was an agent and one of the famous 55 loyalists who in July 1783 petitioned the commander-in-chief in North America, Sir Guy Carleton, for substantial land grants in their proposed new home.
  • United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=7298
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39752537/james-sayre