This collection consists of several letters from exiled American loyalists, primarily the family of Massachusetts loyalist Nathaniel Ray Thomas, dating from 1783-1784, regarding their expulsion to Nova Scotia to William Lawrence (1729-1794) of New York City. Additionally, there are multiple receipts and bills related to William Lawrence and his family, as well as a eight Lawrence family letters, dating between 1794-1834.
No materials were removed from the collection during 2026 processing.
Materials were left in the order in which they arrived to the library.
The collection is open for research.
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under
Purchased from Open Boat Booksellers in 2026 (AM 2027-015).
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the
This collection was processed by Faith Charlton in August 2026. Finding aid written by Faith Charlton in August 2026.
William Lawrence lived in Newtown, Queens County, Long Island, New York during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Nathaniel Ray Thomas (1755-1823) was the son of Nathaniel Ray Thomas (1731-1787), a merchant and farmer from Marshfield, Massachusetts. Thomas and his family were loyalists and exiled to Nova Scotia following the Revolutionary War.
Nathaniel Ray Thomas (1731-1787) was a merchant and farmer from Marshfield, Massachusetts. Thomas served as a member of the Mandamus Council of Massachusetts. He also helped organize the Tories of Marshfield into a Loyal Association, which successfully petitioned Governor Thomas Gage to garrison a detachment of troops in Marshfield, which arrived by way of Thomas' estates on January 23, 1775, having set up their local headquarters at his home. Shortly thereafter, Thomas fled to Boston, and from there to London, leaving his wife, Sarah Deming Thomas, in Marshfield with their younger children. Following the Revolution, the Thomas family was exiled to Nova Scotia.
Includes seven letters from Nathaniel Ray Thomas Jr. (1755-1823) to William Lawrence with a single letter from Thomas' father, dated August 31, 1784, which describes the creation of the Province of New Brunswick. Another letter to Lawrence is from New York loyalist Thomas Barclay. The last letter is addressed by Thomas Jr. to his father, having been left with William Lawrence in New York on the day of his father's departure for Nova Scotia.
The letters from Nathaniel Ray Thomas Jr. (1755-1823) to William Lawrence document how he resided with Lawrence's family in Newtown, Long Island for the final portion of the War. The letters record his departure from New York to Nova Scotia on October 10, 1783, without the presence of either parent, and continue immediately upon his arrival in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, two weeks later on October 24. His second letter from Shelburne, dated November 11, provides a highly detailed description of the settlement and the experience of Loyalist refugees on their initial arrival in Nova Scotia. Throughout these seven letters sent from Shelburne, Thomas makes frequent reference to other loyalist peers in Nova Scotia, particularly George Rapalje (1739-1789) and Cornelius Rapalje (1748-1828), formerly of New York, and James Lent (1753-1838), formerly of New Jersey, who went on to become judge and member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Thomas' letters to William Lawrence continue through July of 1784, providing numerous further details of the settlement and his fellow loyalists.
Also included are two outgoing postal covers from the same period, both of which contain annotations regarding travel arrangements to Nova Scotia, and one of which contains a short list of sums beside the names of various loyalist settlers and merchants.
Includes 33 receipts and bills related to William Lawrence and his family as well as several letters, dated 1794-1834, from members of the Lawrence family to Sackett and Riker family members.