Glossary
Captain
A commissioned officer who commands a company. Responsible for leadership, discipline, and overall organization of the unit.
Lieutenant
A junior commissioned officer who assists the captain and may take command in their absence.
Ensign
The lowest-ranking commissioned officer, often responsible for carrying the unit’s flag and assisting senior officers.
Sergeant
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) who supervises soldiers and enforces discipline within the ranks.
Corporal
A lower-ranking non-commissioned officer who assists sergeants and helps manage small groups of soldiers.
Private
The lowest military rank. Privates made up the majority of the company and carried out most of the labour and combat duties.
Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO)
An enlisted member who has been promoted to a position of authority (e.g., sergeant or corporal) but is not a commissioned officer.
Company
A military unit made up of soldiers, typically commanded by a captain. The 1st Coloured Company was one such unit.
Paylist / Pay Record
A document recording soldiers’ wages, service periods, and sometimes additional notes such as desertion or death.
Service Period
The length of time a soldier served, often calculated using pay records or enlistment dates.
Desertion
When a soldier leaves military service without permission.
Enlistment
The act of officially joining the military.
Ethnicity (as recorded)
A classification used in historical records to distinguish groups. In this dataset, individuals are often identified as “Colored” or “White,” reflecting the terminology and racial divisions of the time.
Chatham
A town in Canada West (modern-day Ontario) associated with Black settlement and military organization, including the formation of the 1st Coloured Company.