"You Need be Under No Concern About My Treatment Here" - Massachusetts Loyalists Return Home

At the conclusion of the American Revolution, there was a massive exodus of loyalists from the former colonies to various locations throughout the world. With the passage of Banishment Acts by the American states, the overwhelming majority of loyalists were unable to return to their homelands. Thus, upon departure, many expressed a sense of despair as they left their homeland behind. As the Reverend Isaac Smith opined “"I wish nothing more ardently upon earth, than to see my friends and country again in the enjoyment of peace, freedom and happiness.”

Surprisingly however, there was a small percentage of individuals who were welcomed back into Massachusetts society after 1784.

At the conclusion of the War for Independence, a handful of Massachusetts loyalists started to reach out to family and friends in an effort to secure permission to return home. Those who lacked necessary contacts asked influential Americans such as John Adams or Congressman James Lovell for help. They consciously tried to show their affection for the new United States, especially the state of Massachusetts. In December 1786, three years after the conclusion of the war, exiled loyalist Dr. John Jeffries assured John Adams "that having been honored by my birth, education & many years residence in the capital of the same state [Massachusetts], I feel myself really interested in the rising honour & future welfare of it." To demonstrate his new found loyalty to Massachusetts, Isaac Smith spurned other loyalists and began to socialize at the Franklin Club in London.

Naturally, Massachusetts residents were opposed to their return. Many Bostonians feared returning loyalists would “destroy public virtue, advance episcopacy, and support an aristocracy.” In a letter to her husband, Abigail Adams noted "the spirit which rises here against the return of the Refugees is violent, you can hardly form an Idea of it."

In response, John Adams and Theodore Sedgwick advocated for a conciliatory policy towards Tories. Both argued that prosperous and well-educated citizens like the loyalists would encourage Massachusetts's economy and place the new nation in a positive light.

Starting in 1784, a small number of loyalists were granted licenses to return by Governor John Hancock. Naturally, many were fearful of violent retribution or arrest upon arrival in Massachusetts. Instead, returning refugees were warmly welcomed and very kindly received by old friends and foes alike. William Pynchon noted in his journal that loyalist "Dr. [John] Prince is graciously received here by all ranks, even by the intolerant G.W.'s and T.M.n.” Dr. Jeffries landed in Boston and was "very politely received, congratulated on my arrival by the company met on the warf." Frederick William Geyer, a former Boston merchant who fled at the outbreak of the war was not only permitted to return, but was encouraged to "pay respect to his Excellency Governor Hancock." The wife of loyalist merchant Thomas Robie assured him that the residents of Marblehead treated her kindly. "You need be under no concern about my treatment here for the Queen of Sheba when she made her visit to King Solomon could not be better treated.”

Many returning loyalists immediately visited their friends and family. Robie’s daughter apologized for not writing promptly following her return in the summer of 1784 and explained "we have been so much engaged in receiving the congratulations of our friends here on our return.” Salem’s Timothy Pickering eagerly welcomed Mehetabel Higginson and assured the loyalist Salem was filled with supportive friends. “I persuade myself you will meet with very little trouble, except from such worthless characters as a `certain ------" who conscious of their infamy, greedily seize every opportunity of acquiring some little popularity.. to cover their reproach. But these efforts of such wretches will be fruitless against the powerful support such numbers of gentlemen of the first characters & influence in Massachusetts, who are your friends.”

Returning loyalists were permitted to sue to recover seized property. Thomas Brattle sued William Foster for seizing his two acre home located adjacent to the Boston Common. The matter was eventually brought before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which ruled that if a loyalist’s property was illegally seized, then it must be returned to its legal owner. In 1784, the Suffolk Court of Common Pleas ruled if a loyalist’s estate was legally confiscated and sold during the war, the previous owner could profit from the sale. For those loyalists who could not recover seized property, they built new homes. William Walter, whose confiscated estate was sold in 1783, bought a house in the North End of Boston. One account described the new residence as “the finest house in that part of Boston, with a yard so large that a generation later nineteen houses were built on." 

The returnees also were able to collect debts. Mary Robie successfully recovered outstanding loans from Marblehead and Salem businessmen. Elijah Williams was able to collect debts owed to him by residents in Keene, New Hampshire.

Other loyalists moved comfortably into Massachusetts society because they had the needed skills or capital. Doctors like John Jeffries and William Paine established substantial medical practices were always needed. Mary Robie encouraged her husband to reopen his store in Marblehead because of a significant demand for goods from the residents.