NJ Loyalist Information Help

Question

I need help looking for information for a supposed loyalist ancestor, David Stout of New Jersey.  He is rumored to have left for Canada and signed over his property to someone.  All I am sure about is that his side lost and his daughter, Phebe, did not go with him.  I am also missing information on his wife, also named Phebe.

Where does one even go to hunt down NJ Loyalists?

Comments

This family search page has links to many resources for Loyalists: Loyalist Ancestors in the U.S. Revolutionary War • FamilySearch  

Most of them had their property attainted, so you can often find court records of what was forfeited.  If they managed to transfer property before that happened you may find deed records

Try searching the United Empire Loyalists site, their lists don't include everyone, but they also have links to useful information

There are also muster rolls and other records for Loyalist regiments

Answer 1

Dear BB,

 You would want to contact the Monmouth County Genealogical Society = https://www.njmcgs.org   Their publication, The Monmouth Connection, has tons of information on NJ families.  Within the publication MCGS has transcribed a great number of wills from NJ.  They also have information from family Bibles.

  I am a charter member of this group, which formed out of the Monmouth County Historical Society.  One of the members' access items is a book - The Stouts, Bollens, Throckmortons, and Higgins - all local families.    I have not examined it.

  Good luck with your ancestor hunting. -NGP

Comments

I went to the website, but it doesn't provide a contact email or phone number.  How does one reach them for questions about access to the collection?

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I also read the application blurbs left for perusal.  My spousal line is connected to many of them.  Do members have access to the lineages of these applications?

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Dear BB,

    I don't think the lineages of applicants is available online.  I haven't lived in Monmouth County for fifteen years, but the MCGS was an in-person meetings and research group when I was there. If you could read back issues of the Monmouth Connection....

    I just requested a password for the PDF book.  When it comes (a manual process), I'll take a look to see if any Stouts match your loyalist David there.

   Meanwhile, if you know which religious affiliation he had, there are a number of historic churches, temples, and meeting houses which have published histories from the Rev War time. One cross street in the town of Shrewsbury has an Episcopal Church, a Quaker Meetinghouse, and a tavern which hosted revolutionaries, all looking at each other!  -NGP

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A sample issue of The Monmouth Connection:   http://sites.rootsweb.com/~njmcgs/PDFfiles/newsletterjan2011.pdf

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Dear BB, 

    I received that password and check the book The Stouts, Bollens, Throckmortons, Ashtons, and Higgins by Betty Harrell Gerlack, pub. 2014.   Your David is not in there;  she follows a line from Richard Stout (1615-1705), through David (1667-1734), to Benjamin Stout (1707-1789) in NJ.  This and the allied families are the author's ancestors.

    Mentioned as sources forming a base for her research are John F. Stillwell's history of Monmouth County [not sure of the exact title] 1916, and a Stout genealogy, 1823, by Nathan Stout.  A genealogy by Herald F. Stout, 1970, is also mentioned.

   Good luck! -NGP

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I did notice that the Monmouth Historical Society has the actual records in their resource library.  They only require making advanced reservations to access their collection.  As this is the nexus of my spouse's family lines (Applegate, Parker, Stillwell, Throckmorton, Stout, Tilton, Grover, among many others),  I will be making that reservation as soon as I finish harvesting the information available at the Ocean County Historical Society, which also has family files for most of these people.  I will be untangling this mess very slowly, as once again, old "world trees" have obscured the lines in this family lineage.

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Dear BB,

   I am glad you will be able to get a trip there.  The library was a treasure!  Also, I have met Applegate, Stout, and Tilton descendants who still carry those surnames when I lived there.  The Applegates, there were a lot of 'em, had a farm next to Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Monmouth County, NJ.

    I think the Monmouth County Archives is still in the Manalapan branch of the Mon. Co. library.  It was about a fifteen minute drive between the Historic Society building and the library.  You might want to check that out if you get there.

Good luck! -NGP

Answer 2

Kathy,  most of the links are for books or protected images located in FS physical Libraries. I checked on Ancestry, but it is not for certain I have the correct person.  There are very few background details about the listees.

I wish there were better records of this period in the NJ Archives that were digitized.

Comments

Email the NJ State Library for help.