Sencabaugh, William

From: An Island Refuge- Loyalists and Disbanded Troops on The Island of Saint John, The Abegweit Branch of UELAC, 1983

  • Our family legend has always maintained that WILLIAM SEN- CABAUGH, founder of the Sencabaugh family on Prince Edward Island, came as a Loyalist refugee from New York State. Although I cannot docu- ment a connection between William Sencabaugh and this group, there was a large and flourishing family of Sinsabaugh/Sensabaugh in and around Montgomery, New York, from 1730 on.
  • William Sencabaugh was not the only member of the family to side with the Loyalists. I have found mention of a Jacob Sencibought (sic) of New York who went in 1783 with his family of three persons from New York to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where the Crown granted him one town lot. His losses as a consequence of his loyalty were estimated at four hundred pounds.
  • There is no doubt that William Sencabaugh was a Loyalist, as the name William Sanchaback (sic) appears on a Muster Roll of disbanded soldiers and Loyalists dated July 27, 1784. He is identified as a member of the 17th Light Dragoons, arriving alone from Shelburne.
  • On August 4, 1784, William Sanchabock (sic) drew three hundred acres in Lot 19. Perhaps the land drawn was not to his liking, or perhaps some legal difficulty prevented his taking possession. Whatever the case, he did not make his home there. By 1788, William was identified as a resident of Charlottetown when he was issued a marriage license which was said to be dated March 21, 1788, and granted to William Sensibau (sic), farmer, and Ruth Hughes, both of Charlottetown.