Edward Jessup (December24, 1735February3, 1816), together with his brother Ebenezer Jessup (July 1739 – 1818), was a large landowner in present-day

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

before the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, and later a soldier and political figure in Upper Canada, now the present-day Canadian province of

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, Canada.

Early life

Edward Jessup was born in Stamford,

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. ...

, Connecticut Colony,

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestow ...

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

, on December 24, 1735, and moved with his family, to

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later or ...

, in 1744.

French and Indian War

In 1759, during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, Edward Jessup served under the leadership of British

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

Jeffery Amherst Field Marshal Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, (29 January 1717 – 3 August 1797) was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. Amherst is credited as the architect of Britain's successful campaign ...

in the

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; french: Lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The New York portion of t ...

region. Following the war, in 1764, he moved with his brother,

Ebenezer Ebenezer may refer to: Bible * Eben-Ezer, a place mentioned in the Books of Samuel People * Ebenezer (given name), a male given name Places Australia * Ebenezer, New South Wales * Ebenezer, Queensland, a locality in the City of Ipswich * Ebene ...

, to Albany County, New York, where they established a community, known as Jessup's Landing, on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

. Jessup was a recipient of a large land grant, from the British Crown, in the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular d ...

, around . In addition, in 1771, the Jessup brothers purchased in Hamilton County, New York from the Mohawk people in the " Totten and Crossfield Purchase" for three pence an acre. The "Jessup River" and associated "Jessup River Wild Forest" in Hamilton County are named after the Jessup brothers.

American Revolutionary War

In 1776, with other

loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

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 General

John Burgoyne General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several bat ...

at Saratoga and both brothers were taken prisoner. They were paroled and allowed to return to

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. In 1781, Edward Jessup was named head of a new provincial regiment known as the Loyal Rangers, or Jessup's 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 The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

; 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 of

Prescott, Ontario Prescott, Ontario is a small town on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Canada. In 2021, the town had a population of 4,078. The Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge, east of Presco ...

Family

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 the

11th Parliament of Upper Canada The 11th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened on 7 January 1831. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in October 1830, and all sessions were held at York, then later at Toronto. This parliament was dissolved on 1 September 1834. The House ...

for Grenville.

Later life and death

Later in life, Edward Jessup suffered from the

palsy Palsy is a medical term which refers to various types of paralysisDan Agin, ''More Than Genes: What Science Can Tell Us About Toxic Chemicals, Development, and the Risk to Our Children;; (2009), p. 172. or paresis, often accompanied by weakness a ...

and died, on February 3, 1816, in Prescott, Province of Upper Canada,

British Canada British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, now Prescott,

, Canada, in 1816, aged 80.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jessup, Edward 1735 births 1816 deaths Canadian judges Loyalists in the American Revolution from New York (state) United Empire Loyalists People from Stamford, Connecticut People from Dutchess County, New York People from Leeds and Grenville United Counties History of Leeds and Grenville United Counties 19th-century Canadian judges