- Edward Jessup
Edward Jessup (
December 24 1735 -February 3 1816 ) was a soldier, judge and political figure inUpper Canada .He was born in
Stamford, Connecticut in 1735 and moved with his family toDutchess County, New York in 1744. In 1759, he served withJeffery Amherst in theLake Champlain region. In 1764, he moved with his brother Ebenezer toAlbany, New York where they established a community known as Jessup's Landing on theHudson River . He was a recipient of a large land grant from the Crown in theAdirondacks of about 500,000 acres.American Revolution
In 1776, with other loyalists from this area, they joined Sir
John Johnson 's regiment, later forming their own corps, known as the King's Loyal Americans. They fought with Lieutenant GeneralJohn Burgoyne at Saratoga and both brothers were taken prisoner. They were released and went toQuebec . In 1781, Edward Jessup was named head of a new provincial regiment known as theLoyal Rangers , which mainly maintained garrisons in southern Quebec and occasionally took part in raids into New York state.Life in Canada
After the war, Edward Jessup and his troops settled along the
Saint Lawrence River ; he himself settled in Augusta Township. He was appointed justice of the peace and a judge of the Court of Common Pleas. With his son, he founded the town ofPrescott, Ontario .Later in life, he suffered from the
palsy and he died at Prescott in 1816, aged 80.His son, Edward Jr., was elected to the
2nd Parliament of Upper Canada representing Grenville and became a lieutenant-colonel in the local militia. His grandson, Edward, was elected to the11th Parliament of Upper Canada for Grenville.External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2480 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
* [http://www.ripnet.com/sites/colonel_edward_jessup/UEL_Col_J/edwardjessup.html Col. Edward Jessup of Jessup's Rangers]
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