John Valentine Detlor

Valentine Detlor UE was born in 1727 in Ballingrane, Limerick, Ireland to Irish Palatine parents, father being Johan Jacob Dedler (about 1687 in Germany - about 1755 in Ireland).

Tradition has that Valentine was secretary to his future wife's father, commanding officer of a regiment, and he travelled to America in 1756 with this man. He married Catherine Hill, a sister to Edward Carscallen's wife in New York in 1756. Catherine was born about 1736 in Limerick, Ireland, the daughter of William Hill (born about 1700).

He received his discharge from the army in 1763 and settled on a farm in Camden Valley, New York State. His memorial read "joined in 1776 at Crown Point". Valentine was a member of 3rd Company of Queen's Royal Rangers Commanded by Captain Justus Sherwood. He was taken prisoner in October 1777 after the British defeat at Saratoga but somehow managed to escape to Canada.

In 1777 Catherine took her children to Albany along with her sister Elizabeth Carscallen. Valentine’s name was on the muster of Leake's Corps taken May 1, 1781 at Carleton Island. Valentine passed away in 1798 in Fredericksburgh, Ontario and Catherine on March 10, 1826 at Napanee.

Their children were:

1. Mary (1758 - 1848) married to John Edward Embury
2. Catherine (1759 - 1810) married to Daniel McMullen and secondly to Jacob Detlor
3. Jacob (1760 - 1840)
4. Samuel (1761 - 1844) married to Catherine Empey
5. Elizabeth Detlor (1769 - 1848) married to Darius Dunham
6. John (1769 - 1813) married to Jerusha Simons
7. George (1774 - 1809) married to Lettie Van Pelt
8. Hannah (1777 - 1872) married to Elias Dulmage
9. Ann (after 1777 - 1808) married to Micajah Purdy

Elizabeth Detlor was born on May 2, 1769 in New York to Valentine Detlor UE (1727 - 1798) and Catherine Hill (about 1736 - 1826). Elizabeth was a twin in the middle of a family of nine. She moved to Canada with her parents after the American Revolution. Her twin John died as a result of injuries suffered at the battle at York during the war of 1812. Elizabeth married Darius Dunham, a Methodist saddlebag minister in 1792 in Ontario.

Darius was born in March 1762 and brought up to the study of physic and became a medical doctor, which he laid aside for the labour of the gospel. He was taken on trial in 1788 and stationed along the Shoreham Circuit, under Freeborn Garrettson, presiding elder, who had taken the charge of the most northerly district reaching to Lake Champlain. The next year Darius was stationed on the Cambridge Circuit and became the second minister in the Ashgrove Chapel, New York, the charge that had been Philip Embury's. In 1790, he was named a deacon and remained on the same circuit. In 1791 his station was Columbia and still in the north. In 1792 he was made Elder. He came to Canada from the USA with William Losee, a Methodist minister, later in 1792. Darius was the first ordained Methodist minister in Canada. He looked after the circuit from Gananoque to the Bay of Quinte. His name is the first listed Minister on the plaque at the back of the Hay Bay Church. Darius married Elizabeth Detlor after meeting her while preaching at her brother's home. Losee had also met and admired Elizabeth and her marriage to Darius caused him to have a mental breakdown, which ended his days as a minister. As an elder who could minister the sacraments, Darius was to supervise the Canadian work for seven years. After travelling four years in the state of New York and eight years in Canada, he settled down on a farm in the township of Fredericksburgh, near Napanee. He resumed the practice of medicine for the support of his family, yet continued to serve God and the church as a local minister to the close of his life. He was strong minded and firm in his opinions, and with a great booming voice. Because he was blunt and plainspoken, he came to be nicknamed " Scolding Dunham " although his scolding usually was accompanied by the spice of wit. Darius died September 13, 1825 in Fredericksburgh and is buried at Switzer’s Chapel at Switzerville, Ontario. Elizabeth died near Napanee, at her son Fletcher's house on March 1, 1848 and is buried in the Riverside Cemetery at Napanee.

Their children were Anna, Elizabeth (died 1848), John (died 1827), George Darius (died 1896), Ann (1799 - 1853) married to Jacob Peterson, Mary (born 1802) married to George Chamberlain, Enoch Fletcher (1812 - 1890) married to Amy Ann Chamberlain, and Ephraim A. (1814 - 1891) married to Nancy Long and secondly to Anna Maria ?.