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Series

American Loyalists Claims, Series I

Catalogue reference: AO 12

What's it about?

AO 12

Records of the claims for compensation of American citizens who suffered property losses through loyalty to the British Crown during the war of American Independence. The records consist of entry books and ledgers containing the evidence of...

Full description and record details

Reference

AO 12

Title
American Loyalists Claims, Series I
Date

1776-1831

Description

Records of the claims for compensation of American citizens who suffered property losses through loyalty to the British Crown during the war of American Independence.

The records consist of entry books and ledgers containing the evidence of witnesses, reports and other communicated documents, the examinations and decisions of the commissioners, lists of claims, etc.

Related material

For other records relating to American Loyalists see T 50

For records of the East Florida Claims Commission see T 77

For further records of the American Loyalist Claims Commission see T 79

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Legal status

Public Record(s)

Language

English

Creator(s)
American Loyalist Claims Commission, 1783-1790
Physical description

146 volume(s)

Unpublished finding aids
Researchers visiting the Public Record Office may consult an index to names in AO 12 which preceedes the printed list. In this index the person's name is followed by an abbreviation of the name of the state where the individual claimed to have suffered loss. A volume number and a further number follow these details. The volume number is the same as the piece number which can be found in the left hand column of the list. For example: Ackerly, Isaac, N.Y., V23, 21 In this entry, V23 translates into piece 23, and AO 12/23 is the reference to use when ordering the piece on the computer. The second number, 21, is an internal reference which should not be used when requesting the piece. It is the page number in the volume on which the information can be found. The page number in the document is the handwritten number; the printed numbers on the top right hand corner are the folio numbers and do not correlate to the index.
Administrative / biographical background

Under the American Loyalists Act of 1783, British commissioners were appointed to enquire into the losses of loyalists. Many received pensions or compensation from the British government.

Publication note(s)
A detailed inventory was published in 2011: An Inventory of Audit Office 12, by William Bruce Antliff (Antliff Publishers, Canada).
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C2369/

Catalogue hierarchy

Over 27 million records

This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

19,587 records

Within the department: AO

Records of the Auditors of the Imprest, Commissioners of Audit, Exchequer and Audit...

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American Loyalists Claims, Series I