James De Lancey (loyalist)

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James De Lancey
Col. James DeLancey
Member of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia for the Town of Annapolis
In office
1786–1793
Preceded byStephen De Lancey
Succeeded byThomas Henry Barclay
Sheriff of Westchester County
In office
1769–1776
Personal details
BornSeptember 6, 1746
Westchester County, Province of New York, British America
DiedMay 2, 1804(1804-05-02) (aged 57)
Round Hill, Nova Scotia, Canada
Spouse
Martha Tippett
​
​
(m. 1784)​
RelationsStephen DeLancey (brother)
Alice De Lancey Izard (sister)
James DeLancey (uncle)
Oliver DeLancey (uncle)
Etienne DeLancey (grandfather)
Cadwallader Colden (grandfather)
Thomas Barclay (brother-in-law)
Children10
Parent(s)Peter DeLancey
Elizabeth Colden
OccupationSheriff, militia officer, farmer, politician

James De Lancey[a] (September 6, 1746 – May 2, 1804) was a colonial American who led one of the best known and most feared of the loyalist units, De Lancey's Brigade, during the American Revolution. He was known as the "Commander of the Cowboys" by the loyalists and by the Patriots he was known as the "Outlaw of the Bronx".[1] He later became a political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Annapolis Township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1786 to 1794.[2] He has become a controversial figure for unsuccessfully trying to use the courts to retrieve a slave he brought to Nova Scotia.

Early life[edit]

He was born in Westchester County, New York, the son of Peter DeLancey (1705–1770) and Elizabeth (née Colden) DeLancey. Among his siblings was brother Stephen DeLancey, also a member of the Nova Scotia Assembly, and sister Susan DeLancey, who was married to Thomas Henry Barclay, a lawyer who also became one of the United Empire Loyalists in Nova Scotia and served in the colony's government.[3] Another sister, the socialite, Alice De Lancey Izard, married Ralph Izard, who later represented South Carolina in the United States Senate.[4]

His paternal grandparents were French immigrant Etienne DeLancey and Anne (née Van Cortlandt) DeLancey, herself the third child of Gertrude (née Schuyler) Van Cortlandt and Stephanus Van Cortlandt, the Chief Justice of the Province of New York.[5] His maternal grandfather, Cadwallader Colden, and his uncle, James DeLancey served as Colonial Governors of New York.[6]

Career[edit]

He served as sheriff of Westchester County from 1769 to 1776 and as an officer in the militia. Because of his loyalist sympathies, he was forced to leave the area and went to New York City, where he and his uncle, Oliver De Lancey, raised a loyalist unit known as "De Lancey's Brigade", "De Lancey’s Cowboys", and "De Lancey's refugees". De Lancey himself was called the "Outlaw of the Bronx".[7]

Forces under Delancy ambushed and killed Colonel Christopher Greene and Major Ebenezer Flagg of the Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental Army at the Battle of Pine's Bridge on May 14, 1781. From one account of the attack, "his body was found in the woods, about a mile distant from his tent, cut, and mangled in the most shocking way." A common conjecture is that this indignity was retribution for his leading Black soldiers against the British Crown.[8]

Nova Scotia[edit]

His historic house sits prominently on a knoll with views of the Annapolis River.

Around the start of 1783, following the Patriot victory in the American Revolution, he moved to Nova Scotia, settling at Round Hill in Annapolis County. De Lancey was elected to the provincial assembly after his brother Stephen accepted an office in the Bahamas. James took his seat representing Annapolis Township from Feb. 26, 1790 until he was named to the province's Council in 1794 by Governor Wentworth.[9][5]

He resigned from his seat on the council in 1801 due to poor health. A slave owner, he was thwarted by Richard John Uniacke in his efforts to have slavery legally recognized in Nova Scotia.[10]

Personal life[edit]

In 1784, he married Martha Tippett (1760–1837), the daughter of William Tippett and Martha (née Hunt) Tippett.[11] Together, they were the parents of 10 children, six sons and four daughters, including:[2][12]

  • William DeLancey (1783–1869)[12]
  • Peter DeLancey (1802–1882)[12]

De Lancey died at Round Hill three years after resigning from the Council on May 2, 1804, at the age of 57.[13] There is a prominent monument marking the burial ground.[14]

References[edit]

Notes
  1. ^ His surname also appears as Delancey, de Lancey or DeLancey.
Sources
  1. ^ p. 341
  2. ^ a b Moody, Barry M. (1983). "DeLancey, James". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. V (1801–1820) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  3. ^ Tulloch, Judith (1987). "Barclay, Thomas Henry". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. VI (1821–1835) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  4. ^ Sale, Edith Tunis (1912). Old Time Belles and Cavaliers. J. B. Lippincott. pp. 109–16. ISBN 978-0-7222-4647-4. Retrieved 8 July 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ a b "Loyalist, Col. James Delancey UE, born 1746 or 1747, died 1804". www.thefreelibrary.com. 2016 United Empire Loyalists' Association 02 Nov. 2017 | The Free Library. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  6. ^ Ketchum, Richard M. (2002). Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution Came to New York. Macmillan. p. 374. ISBN 9780805061192. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  7. ^ Franklin, Wayne (2007). James Fenimore Cooper: The Early Years. Yale University Press. p. 573. ISBN 978-0300108057. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Papers of Col. Christopher Greene". Rhode Island Historical Society. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  9. ^ Elliott, Shirley B. (1984). The Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758-1983: a biographical directory (PDF). Halifax: Province of Nova Scotia. p. 253&50. ISBN 0-88871-050-X.
  10. ^ "Opinions on the Subject of Negro Servitude". spcoll.library.uvic.ca. University of Victoria. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  11. ^ Baxter, Frances (1913). The Baxter Family: Descendants of George and Thomas Baxter, of Westchester County, New York, as Well as Some West Virginia and South Carolina Lines. T.A. Wright. pp. 66–67. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  12. ^ a b c Greene, Richard Henry; Stiles, Henry Reed; Dwight, Melatiah Everett; Morrison, George Austin; Mott, Hopper Striker; Totten, John Reynolds; Pitman, Harold Minot; Forest, Louis Effingham De; Ditmas, Charles Andrew; Mann, Conklin; Maynard, Arthur S. (1920). The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. pp. 73–74. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  13. ^ R. S. Longley, "The DeLancey brothers, loyalists of Annapolis County," N.S. Hist. Soc., Coll., 32 (1959): 55–77.
  14. ^ "COL James DeLancey (1746-1804) - Find a Grave". Find a Grave.

External links[edit]

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