Some 50,000 Americans who were loyal to the British king George III and who emigrated to Canada during the War of Independence. By 1784 about 35,000 had settled in Nova Scotia and some 10,000 in the Upper St Lawrence valley and round Lake Ontario, an area designated Upper Canada (later Ontario) in 1791. They came mainly from New England and New York and among them were several distinguished loyalists, or Tories as they were called, as well as thousands of farmers and artisans. In 1789 the governor-general ordained that all who had arrived by 1783 could put “UE” for United Empire Loyalist after their and their descendants’ names—later arrivals were called “Late Loyalists”. These “marks of honour” were treasured throughout the 19th century.