05/26/2026
🇺🇸 This month’s Local Loyalist is the man who warned Sir John Johnson last week about the impending attack on his home: Alexander Campbell!
Born in Scotland, Campbell arrived in Schenectady in the 1760s. He moved to Schoharie at some point, but he was back in Schenectady by 1775 under orders to “never return” to Schoharie; there must be an interesting story there! As mentioned before, his most infamous act was warning Sir John Johnson about the soldiers on their way to arrest the baron, giving him, his family, and his tenants time to escape. A mob of townspeople, in retaliation, burned Campbell’s warehouse in Schoharie, and another group destroyed his store in Schenectady. At this point, people were fed up with Alexander Campbell. He was arrested, sent to Connecticut, released to return home, arrested again, sent to Albany, and released again, all within two years. After refusing to sign the Oath of Allegiance, Campbell successfully petitioned to have himself and his family removed to Canada. There, the family lived out the rest of their days, with Campbell even trying his hand at local politics.
Thousands of Loyalists found themselves in the same boat as Campbell. They did not see a future for themselves in the new United States, so they moved to Canada (or other parts of the British Empire). Entire communities exist today due to this mass migration.
[Image description: an old photo of Johnson Hall from our collection. Campbell warned the residents of Johnson Hall of the baron’s imminent arrest so that they could flee.]
