Momentum gathering for Loyalist event

The event at the Pines has 12 speakers lined up and each will share the history of their Loyalist ancestors.

The morning’s keynote speaker is David W. States, whose topic is Black Loyalist history and genealogy.

Families whose pasts will be highlighted are Dakin, Edison, Handspiker, Hains, Hankinson, Morehouse, Outhouse, Peters, Prime, Ruggles, Saxton and Titus.

There will also be 20-minute skits presented by Ken Eyre and Dorothy Outhouse.

Eyre will be playing the role of Rev. Roger Viets, the first Anglican minister in Digby, while Outhouse will be Catherine Hubbard, a woman who walked from Digby to Halifax to successfully assert her rights as the widow of a Loyalist soldier.

Keynote speaker at the banquet is genealogist and historian Dr. Terrence Punch.

Stanton says the idea for the Gathering of Loyalist Descendants began to take form a year and a half ago, after being suggested by Aubrey Prime. A loyalist descendant himself, Prime said he would make a donation to help fund a historical event in Digby. With 2008 marking 225 years since the arrival of the Loyalists, the timing for a gathering of Loyalist descendants was logical.

Stanton says others like the Municipality of Digby came on board with funding when news got out about the event. Speakers were so enthused that costs for their participation are minimal. This fact has made it possible for organizers to keep ticket costs extremely low, she said. Tickets are $10 for daytime activities and $25 for the three-course banquet plus daytime activities.