PIONEERS ON THE ST. JOHN RIVER IN PRE-LOYALIST DAYS.
Considerable information has already been given in the preceding
chapters of this history concerning the first English settlers on the
River St. John, and the names of such men as Francis Peabody, Israel
Perley, James Simonds, James White, William Hazen, Jonathan and Daniel
Leavitt, Beamsley P. and Benjamin Glasier, Benjamin Atherton, William
Davidson, Gilfred Studholme and others will be familiar to the
majority of our readers. Some further information concerning the early
settlers may prove of equal interest.
BECKWITH.
Nehemiah Beckwith was an active and well known man on the St. John
river in his day and generation. He was a descendant of Mathew
Beckwith, who came to America from Yorkshire, England, in 1635. The
branch of the family to which Nehemiah Beckwith belonged lived chiefly
at Lyme in Connecticut. Two brothers, Samuel and John, emigrated from
that place to Nova Scotia in 1760, in consequence of the inducements
offered by Governor Lawrence to New Englanders to occupy the lands
vacated by the Acadians. A fleet of 22 vessels from Connecticut,
carrying a considerable colony, entered Minas Basin on the 4th day of
June, and the settlers landed near the town plot of Cornwallis.
Nehemiah Beckwith was born at Lyme, February 29, 1756, and was the
seventh, and youngest, child of Samuel Beckwith by his wife Miriam,
who was a daughter of Capt. Reynold Marvin. At the time of his arrival
in "bluenose land" he was little more than four years old. The exact
date of his arrival at Maugerville is uncertain, but it was probably
not long before the 16th December, 1780, when--as we learn from old
Sunbury County records--he purchased half of lot No. 78 in Upper
Maugerville from Joseph Dunphy for L100. Nehemiah Beckwith is
described in the deed of conveyance as "late of Cornwallis but now of
Maugerville, Trader." Mr. Beckwith was quite an enterprising man in
the early days of New Brunswick. He was the first to attempt the
establishment of regular communication by water between St. John and
Fredericton, and for that purpose built in August, 1784, a scow or
tow-boat to ply between Parrtown and St. Anns. A little later he built
at Mauger's (or Gilbert's) Island a ship called the Lord Sheffield,
which he sold on the stocks in May, 1786, to Gen'l Benedict Arnold. In
consequence of sharp practice on the part of Arnold he was financially
ruined. However, in a few years he succeeded in extricating himself
from his difficulties and again became an enterprising and useful
citizen. At the first general election in this province Mr. Beckwith
and James Simonds were candidates for the County of Sunbury, their
opponents being Capt. Richard Vanderburg and William Hubbard. The
election was conducted after the old fashioned style of open voting,
and lasted several days, during which the poll was held in succession
at the principal centres. After a sharp party contest between the old
inhabitants and the loyalists, the former were outvoted and Simonds
and Beckwith consequently defeated. This election helped to intensify
the ill-will and jealousy already existing between the "old" and "new"
inhabitants. Mr. Beckwith married Miss Julia Le Brun and, after a
time, made his residence at Fredericton, where he met his death by
drowning in 1815. His son, the late Hon. John A. Beckwith, born in
Fredericton, December 1st, 1800, filled many high offices. He was for
a time mayor of Fredericton, chairman of the provincial Board of
Agriculture, a director of the Quebec and New Brunswick railway and
for many years agent of the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Land
Company. His son Harry Beckwith was for several years mayor of
Fredericton; another son, Charles W. was for years city clerk, and a
third, Adolphus G., filled for some time the position of chief
engineer of the provincial public works department. A daughter married
James Hazen of Oromocto, Sunbury County, and is the mother of J.
Douglas Hazen, M. P. P.
QUINTON.
Hugh Quinton, who was one of the pioneers who came to St. John in 1762
with Captain Francis Peabody, was born in Cheshire, New Hampshire, in
1741. Being of an adventurous spirit he served, while only a lad in
his teens, in one of the provincial regiments at Crown Point in the
French war. His wife, Elizabeth Christie of Londonderry, New
Hampshire, was born in the same year as her husband. They were married
at the age of twenty and came to St. John a year later. According to
the late John Quinton (who was Hugh Quinton's grandson and derived
much of his information directly from his grandmother's lips) Hugh and
his wife Elizabeth arrived in St. John on the 28th August, 1762, and
on their arrival found shelter at the Old Fort Frederick barracks in
Carleton where, on the night of the day of their arrival, their first
child James Quinton was born: to him therefore appertains the honor of
being the first child of English speaking parents born at St. John.
Not long afterwards Hugh Quinton went up the river to Maugerville, of
which township he was one of the first grantees. He is described in an
old legal document as "Inn-holder," from which it is evident he
furnished entertainment to travellers, or kept a "tavern." In those
days the keeper of a tavern was usually quite an important personage.
Many of the first religious services at Maugerville were held at Hugh
Quinton's house, as being centrally situated and more commodious than
those of the majority of the settlers. He was himself a member of the
Congregational Church. In 1774 he sold his lot of land opposite Middle
Island, and removed to Manawagonish in the township of Conway where,
as we learn from an enumeration of the settlers made 1st August, 1775,
(yet preserved at Halifax) he lived with his family, comprising ten
persons in all, in a small log house, his stock of domestic animals
including 2 horses, 4 oxen and bulls, 5 cows, 6 young cattle, 13 sheep
and 5 swine. In common with the majority of the settlers who came from
New England, the sympathies of Hugh Quinton in the Revolutionary war
were at first with the "rebels." He was one of the "rebel committee,"
formed at Maugerville in May, 1776, and accompanied Colonel Jonathan
Eddy in his quixotic expedition against Fort Cumberland. After this
unlucky escapade Hugh Quinton thought better of his conduct, took the
oath of allegiance and on several occasions turned out and fought the
rebel parties. At the peace in 1783 he drew a lot in Parrtown, at the
corner of Charlotte and Princess streets, (where the residence of the
late Dr. John Berryman now stands), also one in Carleton. For many
years he kept a well known house of entertainment at Manawagonish,
Parish of Lancaster. He died in 1792, but his widow lived until the
year 1835. He was the ancestor of all of the name who are now resident
in the province.
JONES.
John Jones, the ancestor of the late Hon. Thomas R. Jones and many
others of the name in the province, claims a little notice at our
hands. His grandfather came to America from Wales about the year 1700,
accompanied by his family. They landed at Newburyport, settling, a
little later, at Amesbury. This immigrant ancestor met a tragic death
at the hands of the Indians. John Jones, who came to St. John, was the
youngest of his father's children. He learned the ship-carpenter's
trade, and came to St. John with William Hazen in 1775 as a master
workman to build ships for the firm of Hazen, Simonds and White. The
first vessel he was employed in constructing was on the stocks and
partly planked when she was burned by a party of marauders from
Machias. Mr. Jones' employers paid him his daily wages for some time,
in order to retain his services, under the impression that the
Revolutionary war would soon be ended and they would be able to resume
the business of ship-building. During this waiting period Jones was
not entirely idle--at least he found time to marry a New England girl,
Mercy Hilderick by name, who was visiting at the home of her
brother-in-law Samuel Peabody. The marriage ceremony was performed by
Gervas Say, Esquire, a neighboring justice of the peace. The ravages
of the Yankee privateers that infested the shores of the Bay of Fundy
obliged Mr. Jones and nearly all his neighbors of the Township of
Conway to move up the river. But previous to their departure there
occurred John Allan's famous invasion of the St. John. Allan left a
guard of sixty men at the mouth of the river to oppose the landing of
the troops under Major Studholme and Col. Francklin. The British
landed eventually at Manawagonish Cove near the house of Samuel
Peabody and were guided by Messrs. Jones, Peabody and others through
the woods to the place where the enemy were encamped on the west side
of the river near the falls. The Americans were apprised of their
coming and had ambushed themselves--some of them climbing into trees.
Major Studholme sent out flanking parties, which fired upon the enemy
from either side, killing eight of their number, who were buried in
one grave near the spot where they fell; the rest fled terror stricken
with all possible speed to Machias. John Jones at first went up the
river to Jemseg Point, which was then covered with white oak trees.
Later he became acquainted with Edmund Price and, concluding to become
his neighbor, removed to the head of Long Reach and settled at the
place called "Coy's Mistake" on Kemble Manor, where he had a property
of 400 acres of land. It would be quite impossible in this chapter to
follow the various ramifications of the Jones family, for John Jones
had a family of eight sons and seven daughters, fourteen of whom
married and reared large families. One of the sons, Samuel, born while
the family were at Manawagonish, in the first years of the last
century had the responsible duty of carrying his Majesty's weekly mail
from St. John to Fredericton. There was, by the way, a curious
circumstance connected with this mail, namely, that letters from
Halifax to St. John were first carried to Fredericton, as the
headquarters of the province, and then returned to St. John. This
involved a delay of about a week in delivery. Naturally the beauties
of such a system did not strike the citizens of the commercial
metropolis at all favorably, and the consequence was a vigorous "kick"
on the part of the citizens of St. John that led ere long to a change
for the better. The house of John Jones, at the head of Long Reach,
was a favorite stopping place for travellers in early times, and the
reputation of the family for hospitality was proverbial. The loyalist
settlers at Kingston during the summer of 1783 met with much kindness
from the Jones family while they were living in their canvas tents and
busily engaged in the construction of log houses and in making
preparations for the ensuing winter.
BURPEE.
The first of the Burpee family in America appears to have been Thomas
Burpee, who settled at Rowley in the County of Essex, Massachusetts.
This town lies near the north-east corner of the "Old Bay State." It
was settled about 1639, and Thomas Burpee bought a lot there
immediately after the first settlement was made. It was from this town
and its vicinity that many of the first settlers of the township of
Maugerville came in 1762-3. Included in the number were the Burpees,
Barkers, Perleys, Jewetts, Palmers and others whose decendants are
quite numerous in the province today. Rowley was a stronghold of New
England puritanism and, if we are to credit the testimony of the
Rev'd. Jacob Bailey, who was born there in 1731 and was a contemporary
of Jonathan Burpee and of Jacob Barker, the citizens of Rowley were
not remarkable for their enterprise. Mr. Bailey writes that in his day
"every man planted as many acres of Indian corn, and sowed the same
number with rye; he ploughed with as many oxen, hoed it as often, and
gathered in his crop on the same day with his grandfather; he salted
down the same quantity of beef and pork, wore the same kind of
stockings, and at table sat and said grace with his wife and children
around him, just as his predecessors had done before him." "An uniform
method of thinking and acting prevailed, and nothing could be more
criminal than for one person to be more learned, religious, or polite
than another."[123]
[123] Many facts of interest concerning the early days of Rowley are
to be found in the History of Rowley by Thomas Gage, printed
in 1840. It contains a genealogical register of the families
of some of the first settlers of the town.
Doubtless the emigration of the men of Massachusetts, who settled on
the River St. John, deprived New England of some of the more
enterprising of its people. An indication of the Puritan ancestry of
these immigrants who settled on the St. John river is furnished by the
Biblical names of a very large majority of the original grantees of
Maugerville.[124] Among these names we find the following:--Enoch,
Moses, Joshua, Elisha, Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Nehemiah,
Jedediah, Isaac, Israel, Jacob, Joseph, Benjamin, Zebulun, David,
Jonathan, Phinehas, Jabez, Nathaniel, Asa, Ammi, Thomas, Matthew,
Stephen, Peter, James and John.
[124] See names of grantees at page 159 of this history.
In the town and parish records of Rowley the name of Thomas Burpee
frequently appears--the surname usually in the form of Burkby or
Burkbee. The name of Jonathan Burpee (who was probably a great
grandson of the first ancestor in America) appears in the list of the
first grantees at Maugerville. He was a deacon of the Congregational
Church and his name is first in order among the signers of the
Church covenant agreed to at Maugerville shortly after the settlement
was founded. He was the head of nearly all Church movements up to
the time of his death in June, 1781. The papers connected with the
administration of his estate are still in existence, and much of
the information contained in Dr. Hannay's valuable sketch of the
Township of Maugerville is based upon them. His estate was appraised
by Jacob Barker and Daniel Jewett, two of his old neighbors and
life-long friends, and was valued at L525. He was considered, in his
day, one of the well-to-do farmers of the township.
The simplicity of life which prevailed in this country in the year
1781, is shown by the fact that Jonathan Burpee had no carriage or
wagon of any kind and no sleigh--probably the roads were too bad to
admit of the use of wheeled vehicles. The deacon, however, had a
saddle for himself and a pillion for his wife and daughters. Household
furniture was indeed meagre, for that of Deacon Burpee was valued at
only L5. 7. 8. But his three good feather beds with pillows, coverlets
and bankets were valued at L16. 11. 3.
The cooking in those days was done at the old-fashioned fire place
with swinging crane, and the cooking utensils were few and simple. All
the dishes in use were of pewter and their number was quite limited. A
similar remark applies to the wearing apparel of that time. A beaver
hat or a broadcloth suit was regarded as a valuable asset that might
be handed on to the second or even to the third generation. Deacon
Burpee's library included "a number of books valued at L2. 2. 6.," and
probably it was as good as any in the settlement.
Commenting on these facts Dr. Hannay justly observes, "We may gather
from all this that life was somewhat hard and dry in the Maugerville
Settlement, and that even the richest had very few of those things
about them which a modern man regards as essential to his comfort."
Jonathan Burpee's grandson, David, was a man of mark in the community
in which his lot was cast. He filled for a time the office of Sheriff
of the old County of Sunbury. To him also appertains the honor of
being the first school teacher, of whom we have certain knowledge,
within the limits of New Brunswick. In the winter of 1778-9 he
conducted a school distant only a few rods from the site of the famous
Sheffield Academy of later times.
Among the later descendants of Jonathan Burpee the names of the Hon.
Isaac Burpee, minister of Customs in the McKenzie government, and of
E. R. Burpee manager of the "Western Extension" R. R., were not long
ago as familiar in the province as household words. Descendants of
Jonathan and Jeremiah Burpee are now to be found in nearly all the
counties bordering on the River St. John.
PALMER.
The first of the name in America is believed to have been John Palmer,
a sergeant in the British army, who settled in Rowley, Mass., in 1639.
Daniel Palmer who was one of the founders of Maugerville, settled in
what is now Upper Sheffield in 1763. He was one of the seven signers
of the Maugerville Church Covenant and an Elder of the church. Many of
the early religious services were held at his house. His name in
common with most of the early settlers is found in the account books
of Simonds and White in the year 1765. He supplied them with musquash
and beaver skins, hogshead staves, clapboards and oar rafters in
return for such goods and supplies as he needed. Like the majority of
his neighbors he was disposed to sympathize with the Americans at the
outbreak of the Revolution and was one of the "Rebel Committee" but
afterwards accepted the situation and took the oath of allegiance to
the King. His grandson, David Palmer, born at Grand Lake, Queens Co.,
in 1789, was a man of literary ability, who in 1869, published a
volume from the press of J. & A. McMillan, entitled New Brunswick and
other Poems.
NEVERS.
Several persons of this name were grantees of Maugerville, including
Elisha, Jabez, Phinehas and Samuel. The Nevers family settled at
Woburn, Massachusetts, nearly a century before the pioneers came to
Maugerville. The first of the name was Richard Nevers (or Neverds) who
is mentioned in the town records of Woburn, August 26, 1666. Several
of his decendants served in the old French war, which ended with the
conquest of Canada, and it is probable that the offer of free grants
of lands to disbanded provincial troops led Elisha, Phinehas and
Samuel Nevers to associate themselves with Captain Francis Peabody in
the application for a township, "at St. John's River in Nova Scotia,"
made in the year 1762. Elisha Nevers was one of the seven signers of
the original Maugerville Church Covenant, and religious meetings were
often held at his house in early times. Phinehas Nevers was quite a
leading man in the early days of Maugerville. He was one of the first
magistrates, and in 1768 was chosen a member for the county of Sunbury
in the Nova Scotia legislature. He practised medicine and was the
first doctor, in all probability, who lived on the river. The practise
of medicine was by no means a lucrative one in his day, for we learn
from the account books of Messrs. Simonds & White, that in February,
1773, he attended one of the men in their employ, having come down
from Maugerville for the purpose, and received L1. 4. 0. for board for
sixteen days and L2. for his professional services. Dr. Nevers was a
strong sympathiser with the Americans at the time of the Revolution
and when John Allan invaded the River St. John in 1777, he joined him,
and when a little later Allan was compelled by Major Studholme to flee
to Machias, he was accompanied thither by Phinehas Nevers. Other
members of the family however took the oath of allegiance and were
thenceforth loyal to the king. Samuel Nevers was a man of enterprise
and was one of those who furnished masts to enable Francklin Hazen and
White to fulfil their contract for the royal navy.
PERLEY.
The founder of the Perley family in New England was Allan Perley,
who came from London in 1635 in the ship "Planter." A good deal of
information regarding the family may be found in the historical
collections of the Essex County Institute of Massachusetts. Israel
Perley was a native of Boxford, in the vicinity of Rowley, and the
house in which he was born was standing not many years ago and may
be still in existence. He was born in 1740, was educated as a
land surveyor, and came to the River St. John in 1761 at the head
of an exploring party said to have been sent by the governor of
Massachusetts to report upon the condition and resources of the
country with the view of effecting the settlement of a township
in that region. The story of the establishment of this township and
the important services of Israel Perley in that connection have
been already referred to in these chapters. At the time of his
arrival in the country he was a young man of twenty-one years of
age but in the course of time his education and natural abilities
made him one of the most prominent citizens of Maugerville. He was
elected a representative for Sunbury county in the Nova Scotia
legislature in 1768, and his name occurs a few years later as a
justice of the Peace for the county. Several of Justice Perley's
court documents are to be found among the old records of the
county of Sunbury, one of which reads as follows:
"County of Sunbury:--Be it Remembered that on the Seventh Day of
July, 1774, Nathaniel Barker of Maugerville in the County of
Sunbury and Province of Nova Scotia, yeoman, cometh before Me,
Israel Perley, one of his Majesty's Justices assigned to keep the
Peace in the sd County, and Informeth against himself that he had
been this day guilty of a breach of the King's Peace, viz., by
Striking with his fist the body of Rich'd Estey Jun'r of the town,
County and Province aforesaid, yeoman, for which offence he is
willing to submit to such a fine as the Law Requires.
"The sd Richard Estey Jun'r personally appeareth at the same time
and Declareth before me that he forgives the sd. Nathaniel Barker
the Injury he had Done him, being Convinced that it was not of
malice aforethought but the Effect of sudden passion: for which
Breach of peace I have fined the sd Nath'l Barker to the king one
Shilling.
"ISRAEL PERLEY."
However all the cases that came before Esquire Perley were not settled
in a manner so creditable to the offending party. The following case
will serve for illustration:
On the 22 June, 1775, a resident of Morrisania,[125] who shall be
nameless, was arrested on information laid by Richard Barlow for using
seditious and profane language. Abigail Barlow, wife of the
complainant, testified that the offender had in her presence uttered
the following words "The king I believe is a d--d Roman, and if he was
standing now in that corner by G-- I would shoot him, or stab him,"
with many other words to the same purpose. The prisoner was convicted
of profane swearing, and the magistrate decreed that he should forfeit
for that offence the sum of two shillings currency to the use of the
poor of the town of Maugerville, and it was further ordered that the
prisoner "stands charged with the Treasonable words spoken against the
King till he shall be further called upon to answer the same--there
being at present no gaol in the sd. county wherein to confine said
prisoner nor Courts held to determine such matters."
[125] Morrisania was in the Parish of Lincoln below Fredericton.
Israel Perley was a leading member of the Congregational Church and
frequently occupied the chair as moderator at important public
meetings. He was one of the committee who, in 1774, arranged with the
Rev. Seth Noble to become the pastor of the church at Maugerville. The
friendship that existed between Mr. Perley and the Rev. Seth Noble
very nearly involved the former in serious difficulty a few years
later, as will be seen in the following letter addressed by Major
Studholme to James White, Esquire.
"Fort Howe, 4 November, 1780.
"Sir,--The Inclosed letter from Mr. Perley to Seth Noble of
Newbury having fallen into my hands in the course of inspecting
the letters to be sent by the cartel, I have thought it necessary
instantly to secure the person of Mr. Perley and shall send him to
your house about 9 this morning, when I must request you will
closely examine him on the subject of the Inclosed letter. I
cannot but think it will be very difficult for him to reconcile
his styling himself the 'sincere friend' of a notorious rebel with
his own situation as one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace. *
* * "I am sir, etc., etc.
"G. STUDHOLME."
In the examination that followed Lieut. Samuel Denny Street, a lawyer
by profession and at this time a lieutenant of the garrison, appeared
for Major Studholme, and Mr. Perley was required to explain certain
paragraphs and expressions in his letter, also to explain why he
attempted a correspondence with "a declared and notorious rebel to
whom in his letter he subscribes himself a sincere friend." Mr. Perley
replied, "I meant not to maintain any correspondence with him, but as
his wife was going to him in the cartel I wrote the letter now
produced to acquaint him of the broken situation of the church here,
and that there would be no encouragement to him to think of
returning."
In regard to the expression, "your sincere friend," Israel Perley
stated that the Rev. Mr. Noble was "an old acquaintance before the
present disturbances arose and I had no reference, in styling myself
his friend, to anything but his person. I did not mean that I was a
friend to his principles."
Evidently there was a vein of humor in Mr. Perley's character. He is
said to have declined a second election to the House of Assembly of N.
S., after having served one term. The chaplain's prayer, "Prevent us,
O Lord, in all our doings," etc., he construed to mean, "We should be
prevented from doing the half we do there." Israel Perley died at
Maugerville in 1813 in the 73rd year of his age.
Oliver Perley, who was his brother, came to the River St. John in
January, 1765, in company with Jacob Barker, jr., Zebulun Esty,
Humphrey Pickard and David Burbank, as passengers in a schooner
belonging to Hazen, Simonds & White. His wife was a Palmer, whom he
married at Newburyport. In common with the majority of their neighbors
they were inclined to sympathize with the New England "rebels" at the
outbreak of the American Revolution, and the name of Oliver Perley
appears as one of the "rebel" committee appointed at the meeting held
at Maugerville in May, 1776. Soon after the peace, in 1783, he is said
to have removed to Newburyport, at the solicitation of his wife, but
they found so little to admire in the squabbles that prevailed between
the followers of Adams and Jefferson that they soon returned to the
River St. John declaring that the Americans were "cursed with
liberty." One of Oliver Perley's sons, Solomon, was married by Rev.
John Beardsley, March 8, 1798, to Elizabeth Pickard; another son,
Moses, was married by the same clergyman, March 10, 1802, to his
cousin Mary, daughter of Israel Perley. This Moses Perley and his wife
were members of the church of England and their son Moses H. Perley
was eminent in the history of his native province. Amos Perley,
another son of Oliver Perley seems to have inherited some poetical
taste from the Palmers, and is credited with the following amongst
other rhymes:--
"Wrapt in dark mantles of the night
Was Bonnel when he took his flight;
Elijah-like he tried to fly
To the bright mansions in the sky.
But snow was scarce and sleighing bad,
And poor success our deacon had;
For lo! his chariot, as you see,
Is lodged in this old willow tree."
The incident that gave rise to this effusion was a practical joke
played on a pious itinerant preacher, whose sleigh the Maugerville
boys had hoisted into the forks of a large willow. The family of
Oliver Perley lived at the spot now known as McGowan's wharf. Asa
Perley, another of the early Maugerville settlers lived at the head of
Oromocto Island in Upper Maugerville. The descendants of the Perleys
in the province are so numerous and so highly respected that it will
be needless to try to follow further their history.
PEABODY.
The founder of the Peabody family in America was Lieutenant Francis
Peabody of St. Albans, Herefordshire, England, who came to America in
April, 1635, in the ship "Planter," Capt. Nicholas Travice. The same
vessel brought the first of the Perleys, Beardsleys and Lawrences to
this continent. Lieut. Francis Peabody was then about 21 years old. He
lived a year or two at Lynn, Mass., and then removed to Hampton in Old
Norfolk County, where he married a daughter of Reginald Forster and
had a family of seven sons and six daughters.
Captain Francis Peabody, who came to the St. John river in 1762, as a
prime mover in the establishment of the township of Maugerville, seems
to have been a native of Rowley. By reason of his rank and character,
and the active part he took in the settlement of the River St. John,
he may justly be regarded as the most influential person on the river
while he lived. He served with honor in the old French war, and is
mentioned in Parkman's "Wolfe and Montcalm," (Vol.I., p. 428.) He was
one of the magistrates appointed under the first commission of the
peace for the county of Sunbury, August 11th, 1766, and was the first
collector of customs at the River St. John. The names of Richard,
Samuel, Stephen and Oliver Peabody appear in the list of Maugerville
grantees of 1765. Of these Richard was a brother of Captain Francis
Peabody[126] and seems not to have become a permanent settler; the
others were sons of Capt. Peabody. Samuel the eldest, has been
frequently referred to in these chapters. He was a man of parts--a
farmer, surveyor, mast contractor, ship-builder, trader and mill
owner. He died at his residence, parish of Lincoln, in 1824, at the
age of 82 years. Descendants of Stephen Peabody lived for some years
in the parish of St. Mary's, York County. Francis Peabody, the third
son, went to Miramichi where he became a prosperous merchant and a
very influential citizen. The youngest son, Oliver, married, Dec. 31,
1789, Hulda Tapley of Maugerville, removing to Woodstock, N. B., with
his family about 1812, where his descendants still reside and are
enterprising and successful farmers. Oliver Peabody died in 1819, but
his widow survived for more than thirty years. Mary Peabody, wife of
Captain Francis Peabody, lived to quite a ripe old age; she died on
the 22nd December, 1803, aged 84 years.
[126] Nathan Frazier of Andover, Essex Co., Mass., merchant, on 15th
October, 1767, delivered sundry articles--such as crockery,
sugar, spices, cloth goods, etc., to Richard Peabody "for his
brother, Capt. Francis Peabody." The articles amounted in
value to L311.18.1, old currency, and Richard Peabody gave his
note for this amt.
Captain Peabody's was the first will admitted to probate in the county
of Sunbury. It is a document of sufficient historic interest to be
quoted in full. And here it may be well to state that in the year of
grace, 1771, a will was made out in more solemn form than is the case
in modern times. As a rule it was read immediately after the funeral,
in the presence of kith and kin, and rarely were its provisions
disputed. Captain Peabody mentions his daughter Heprabeth in his will;
she married Jonathan Leavitt about the year 1773.
In the name of God. Amen.
I, Francis Peabody, of Maugerville in the County of Sunbury and
Province of Nova Scotia, being thro' the abundant goodness of God,
though weak in body, yet of a sound and perfect understanding and
memory, do constitute this my last will and testament, and desire
it may be received by all as such.
First, I most humbly bequeath my soul to God my maker, beseeching
his most gracious acceptance of it through the all-sufficient
merits of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I give my body to the earth
from whence it was taken, in full assurance of its resurrection
from hence at the last day. As for my burial I desire it may be
decent, at the discretion of my dear wife and executors hereafter
named. As to my worldly estate I will, and positively order, that
all my just debts be paid first. I give my dear and loving wife
one third part of all my estate in Nova Scotia, real and personal,
(excepting my wearing apparel), and one third part of my land in
Middleton and Rowley and Canada, and the use of two hundred
dollars now in New England, during her natural life, and the
principal if necessity calls for it.
Item, to my son Samuel I give one-fourth part of all my lands not
yet disposed of, excepting the land on Oromocto Island, and all
the money I have in New England, except two hundred dollars given
his mother, his paying all my just debts in New England, and
fifteen dollars to his sister Elizabeth White, and two dollars and
a half to his sister Hannah Simonds, and one hundred and fifty
dollars to his sister Heprabeth on her marriage day.
Item, to my son Stephen I give the same quantity of lands as I
gave to my son Samuel, his paying the same sums to his three
sisters as ordered for his brother Samuel to pay.
Item, to my son Francis I give one half of my lands not yet
disposed of.
Item, to my son Oliver I give all my lands not yet disposed of.
Item, I give to my daughter Elizabeth White thirty dollars, to be
paid by my two eldest sons in household goods.
Item, to my daughter Hannah Simonds five dollars, to be paid by my
two eldest sons.
Item, to my daughter Heprabeth I give three hundred dollars to be
paid by my two eldest sons in household goods on the day of her
marriage. As to my household goods and furniture I leave to the
discretion of my loving wife to dispose of, excepting my sword,
which I give to my son Samuel. I appoint my dear wife and my son
Samuel executors of this my last Will and Testament.
As witness my hand,
FRANCIS PEABODY, Sr.
Delivered this twenty-sixth day of October, the year of our Lord
1771; in presence of us:
Israel Kinney, Alexander Tapley, Phinehas Nevers.
This Will was proved, approved and registered this 25th day of
June, 1773.
BENJAMIN ATHERTON, Reg'r.
JAS. SIMONDS, J. Probates.
BARKER.
There were three of this name among the original grantees of
Maugerville, Jacob Barker, Jacob Barker, jr., and Thomas Barker. All
were natives of Rowley. They settled near one another in what is now
Upper Sheffield, just above the Sheffield Academy, having as near
neighbors John Wasson, Isaac Stickney, Humphrey Pickard, Samuel Tapley
and several members of the Burpee family. Jacob Barker, sr., served as
an officer in one of the Massachusetts regiments in the old French
war, and after his arrival at the River St. John was a leading man in
the affairs of church and state. He presided as moderator at important
church meetings and was one of the ruling elders. He was also one of
the early magistrates of the county. At the outbreak of the American
Revolution his sympathies were with the revolutionary party, and his
son Jacob Barker, jr., was termed by Major Studholme "a bitter rebel."
The father presided as chairman of the famous meeting held at
Maugerville on the 24th, May, 1776, at which resolutions hostile to
Great Britain were adopted. He regained the confidence of the
authorities of Nova Scotia, however, for we find that on the 3rd of
August, 1782, Lieut.-Governor Sir Andrew Snape Hamond made a grant of
8,000 acres on the Oromocto river to William Hazen, James White, Jacob
Barker and Tamberlane Campbell, as disbanded provincial officers who
had served the King in the late French war. Thomas Barker and his
neighbor, Richard Estey, jr., owned the first mill in the township.
This they sold to James Woodman in 1782. Thomas Barker also owned and
improved a tract of land in the township of Burton. He died shortly
before the arrival of the Loyalists.
Jacob Barker, jr., came to Maugerville from New England in January,
1765, along with Oliver Perley, Zebulon Estey, David Burbank, Humphrey
Pickard and others, in the schooner "Wilmot." He paid passage and
freight amounting to L1. 10. 5; and 13s. 6d. for his "clubb of Cyder
on the Passage." On November 13, 1775, Jacob Barker, jr., paid the sum
of L32. 10s. to Giles Tidmarsh of the Island of Grenada, planter, for
half of Lot No. 11 in the Township of Maugerville, comprising about
250 acres. Giles Tidmarsh lived for a while at Maugerville and was one
of the original grantees of the township.
Among the decendants of Jacob Barker may be mentioned Thos. B. Barker,
who was born in Sheffield in 1820 and came to St. John in 1853, where
he was associated in the drug business with the late Sir Leonard
Tilley, and eventually became the head of the firm of T. B. Barker &
Sons. The Hon. Frederic E. Barker, judge of the supreme court, is also
a descendant of Jacob Barker and a native of Sheffield.
ATHERTON.
Benjamin Atherton, the first English speaking settler at St. Anns, was
born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, December 20, 1746. His acquaintance
with Nova Scotia dates back to the time of the Acadian Expulsion, when
as a young man of less than twenty years of age he enlisted in Captain
Willard's company in Lieut. Colonel Scott's battalion of Massachusetts
troops. He sailed from Boston on the 20th of May, 1755, in the sloop
"Victory," and served a year in Nova Scotia under Colonel John
Winslow.
In the year 1769, by arrangement with James Simonds, Benjamin Atherton
settled at St. Anns Point, where he established a trading post near
the site of Government House, Fredericton. The position of a trader on
the outskirts of civilization, in the vicinity of Aukpaque, the
largest Indian village on the St. John, required tact and courage, but
Mr. Atherton was equal to the emergency. In 1783, when the Loyalists
arrived, he had at St. Anns "a good framed house and log barn, and
about thirty acres of land cleared--partly by the French." On March
30th, 1773, Benjamin Atherton married Abigail Mooers of Maugerville.
She was a daughter of Peter Mooers and a sister of Mrs. Israel Perley.
At the time of her marriage she was a girl of seventeen. She died at
Prince William, N. B., June 28th, 1852, at the great age of 97 years.
By exchange with government Benjamin Atherton acquired a valuable
property in Prince William in lieu of his lands at the upper end of
Fredericton. His place in Prince William was well known to travellers
of later days as an inn kept by one of his descendants, Israel
Atherton, for many years. Benjamin Atherton was a man of excellent
education. He filled the offices of clerk of the peace and registrar
of the old county of Sunbury when it formed part of Nova Scotia; a
little later he was a coroner. The old prayer book from which he used
to read prayers on Sunday for the benefit of his assembled neighbors
in the absence of a clergyman, is still in existence. Benjamin
Atherton died June 28th, 1816, and his ashes rest beside those of his
wife in the little burial ground in Lower Prince William, hard by
"Peter Smith Creek." His descendants are numerous and widely
scattered; among the number is Dr. A. B. Atherton, the well known
physician and surgeon of Fredericton.
GARRISON.
Joseph Garrison was born in Massachusetts in 1734 and came to the
River St. John as one of the pioneer settlers. He married in 1764,
Mary Palmer, who was born in Byfield, Mass., in 1741, and who was most
probably a daughter of Daniel Palmer, sr., his next door neighbor at
Maugerville. Whether the marriage ceremony was performed at the River
St. John or in New England the writer of this history is unable to
say; but if at the former place it was probably celebrated after the
fashion described in the following document:--
"Maugerville, February 23, 1766.
"In the presence of Almighty God and this Congregation, Gervas Say
and Anna Russell, inhabitants of the above said township, enter
into marriage covenant lawfully to dwell together in the fear of
God the remaining part of our lives to perform all the duties
necessary betwixt husband and wife as witness our hands.
GERVAS SAY,
ANNA SAY.
(Witnesses.) Daniel Palmer, Fran's Peabody, Sam'l Whitney, Richard
Estey, George Hayward, David Palmer, Edw'd Coy."
The respectability of the witnesses, and the solemn terms of this
marriage covenant, suffice to show that marriages thus solemnized were
regarded as perfectly regular, and it is probable that in the absence
of a minister competent to perform the ceremony this was the ordinary
mode of marriage.[127] It will be noticed that Daniel Palmer, whose
daughter Mary had married Joseph Garrison a little before this time,
was the first witness to the marriage covenant of Gervas Say and Anna
Russell.
[127] See Dr. Hannay's sketch of the Township of Maugerville; N. B.
Hist. Society Collections, vol. I., p. 72.
Joseph Garrison's lot in the township was No. 4, opposite the foot of
Middle Island in Upper Sheffield. His father-in-law Daniel Palmer and
his brothers-in-law Daniel Palmer jr., and Abijah Palmer were his
nearest neighbors. His third son, Abijah Garrison, born in the year
1773, married Fanny Lloyd who was born on Deer Island, near St.
Andrews, in 1776. Their youngest son, William Lloyd Garrison, was the
celebrated advocate of the abolition of slavery. Joseph Garrison is
said to have been the first of the settlers to engage in mining coal
at Grand Lake. The coal was shipped to New England on board one of the
vessels of Simonds & White. His name occurs among the first customers
in their books after the establishment of their trading post at the
mouth of the river in 1764, and he had frequent business transactions
with the firm.[128]
[128] See Page 234 of this history.
COY.
The progenitor of those of this name now living in the province was
Edward Coy, who came to the River St. John from Pomfret in Connecticut
in 1763. The name was originally McCoy; but the "Mc." was dropped by
Edward Coy's grandfather and was not again resumed by his descendants.
By his wife, whose maiden name was Amy Titus, Mr. Coy had a family of six
sons and five daughters. His third daughter was the first female child
born of English or American parents on the River St. John. The well
known inlet on the river, called "The Mistake," was originally called
"Coy's Mistake," the name doubtless suggests by the circumstance of
Coy's mistaking the channel in ascending the river, and after
proceeding some miles finding himself in a "cul de sac." Edward Coy was
one of the original grantees of Maugerville, his lot being opposite the
head of Gilbert's Island, but for some years he lived at Gagetown,
where his daughter Mary was born in 1771. This daughter published in
1849 a narrative of her life and christian experience, including
extracts from her diary and correspondence during a period of upwards of
sixty years. It is a curious and interesting old book. Edward Coy was an
active member of the Congregational church and one of the signers of
the original church covenant. As the children of the family grew up,
Mrs. Bradley informs us, their parents instructed them in the ways of
religion, furnishing them with such education as their situation and
circumstances admitted, which was little more than they learned at home,
except in the case of the two youngest. The early years of the family were
rendered more arduous by reason of ill health on the part of the
mother and failing sight on the part of the father. Edward Coy settled at
Upper Gagetown under arrangements with Col. Wm. Spry, who gave him (July
12, 1770,) a lease of 200 acres of land. Under the terms of the lease Coy
was to pay at the expiration of two years 4 shillings per annum, and at
the expiration of four years 8 shillings per annum for ever. This was not
a very large rental for a farm of 200 acres, but the tenant system was
never popular on the St. John. Mr. Coy was required to "leave a row of
trees on each side of the high road, thereafter to be laid out, at the
distance of about six rods from each other." About this time he sold
his lands in Maugerville to Moses Coburn.
At the outbreak of the Revolution the attitude of the Indians was so
threatening, and reports of the lawlessness of privateers so alarming,
that Mr. Coy removed his family once more to Sheffield, which was then
by far the most thickly settled place on the river. He attended the
meeting held on the 24th May, 1776, at which resolutions strongly
favoring the cause of the colonies in rebellion were adopted, and was
appointed one of the "rebel committee." His son Amasa went in arms
with Jonathan Eddy against Fort Cumberland. Both father and son,
however, subsequently took the oath of allegiance to the King and were
thenceforth loyal subjects. The family returned to Gagetown in a few
years, the public mind having become more settled respecting the
American war. Mrs. Bradley, in her narrative, gives a good description
of the general interest and excitement created in the Spring of 1779,
by the coming of the celebrated New-light preacher and evangelist,
Henry Alline, which made an indelible impression on her mind, although
she was only a child at the time. Shortly afterwards the small-pox
broke out in the settlements, and Edward Coy determined to have his
family "inoculated." Inoculation, it may be observed, was regarded as
the best preventative of small-pox before vaccination was introduced
by Dr. Jenner. The results, however, were not uniformly satisfactory.
In the case of the Coy family, Mr. Coy and his wife lay at the point
of death for a considerable time, and their second son, aged 24 years,
died.[129]
[129] Rev. Jacob Bailey writes regarding an epidemic of smallpox at
Annapolis in 1794. "What is somewhat remarkable, numbers died
under inoculation, while the old sexton who took it in the
natural way, though 98 years of age, recovered."
When the Loyalists arrived in 1783 Edward Coy was living in a log
house on his lot at Upper Gagetown where he had cleared about 15
acres of land. The circumstances of the pioneer settlers were still
rather straitened, but the exiled Loyalists were in a much more
unfortunate condition. Speaking of their distress, Mrs. Bradley says;
"My heart was filled with pity and affection when I saw them in a
strange land, without house or home, and many of them were sick
and helpless. I often looked upon them when they passed by in boats
in rainy weather and wished for them to call and refresh themselves
and was glad when they did so." Edward Coy shared with a Loyalist
family the accommodation of his humble dwelling until they could
provide themselves a shelter.
ESTEY.
The ancestor of the Esteys in America was Jeffrey Estey, an English
puritan, who sought refuge in New England from the persecutions of Old
England. He was living at Salem, Mass., in 1636, but removed later to
Long Island, N. Y., where he died in 1657. His son, Isaac Estey,
married Mary Towne, who was born in Yarmouth, England, about 1634. She
was among the unfortunate witchcraft martyrs of Salem in 1692; she
wrote a remarkable letter to the judges and court denying the charges
preferred against her. Isaac Estey was grandfather of Richard Estey
who came to the St. John river with the Maugerville colony. Richard
Estey lived at Rowley but he was born at Topsfield, Mass., the home of
his parents and grand-parents. His wife was Ruth Fisk of Ipswich,
Massachusetts. He was a member of the Congregational church in Rowley
until he was dismissed to the church at St. John river in May, 1764.
Among his children who were born at Rowley and came to Maugerville
were the following:--
1. Richard Estey, jr., born Feb. 9, 1728, married Hannah Hazen.
2. Sarah Estey, born Oct. 12, 1736, married Thomas Barker.
3. John Estey, born about 1739, married Mary Hart.
4. Zebulon Estey, born Dec. 14, 1742, married Molly Brawn and
died Oct. 10, 1806.
Richard Estey, sr., was one of the seven signers of the original
church covenant at Maugerville and served on important church
committees. The Esteys were well known and active men in the
community, and were among the pioneers of milling on the St. John
river. Richard Estey, jr., had a saw mill in 1779, on what was then
called Numahael creek. His brother Zebulon moved to Upper Gagetown
about 1778, where he built a grist mill--the first in that vicinity
and used by farmers on both sides of the river. The committee sent by
Major Studholme early in 1783, to explore the river and report upon
the state of settlement, mention the fact that Zebulon had been
settled about 5 years on his location. He had built a house and grist
mill and cleared about 3 acres of land. He had a wife and 8
children. The committee add:--"Said Estey is a good man, his
character very loyal and we beg to recommend him to be confirmed
in his possessions."
Moses, Israel and Amos Estey, who were of a younger generation,
removed from Maugerville to the Burton side of the river prior to
1783, induced thereto in all probability, by the inconveniences
consequent upon the Spring freshets.
Zebulon Estey was a ruling elder of the Congregational church at
Maugerville in 1775. Through the ministry of the Rev. Joseph Crandall,
one of the fathers of the Baptist denomination in the maritime
provinces, a considerable number of the old Congregationalists of
Waterborough and the vicinity were led to organize a Baptist church.
Their leader, Elijah Estabrooks, was foremost in the movement, which
was much aided by the unexpected conversion of the "old squire"
Zebulon Estey to Baptist principles. Father Crandall writes of that
day: "Nearly thirty candidates were baptized, and the meeting did not
break up until the going down of the sun. It was truly solemn and
delightful to hear the praises of the Lord sung by great numbers of
happy converts in boats returning home from the delightful scene. The
work of that day I can never forget. The clear setting sun, the large
expanse of unruffled water, the serenity of the atmosphere, the
delightful notes of the feathered songsters, and the solemn sound of
hymns sung by many happy voices, presented to me an emblem of the
paradise of God. It seemed as though heaven had come down to earth,
and that I was on the brink of the eternal world."
Of the church organized at Waterborough in 1800, Elijah Estabrooks
became the pastor, Edward Coy and Joseph Estabrooks deacons, and
Zebulon Estey clerk, "all by a unanimous vote."
Further particulars of the organization of this church, which was the
first of the denomination in western New Brunswick, will be found in
Dr. Bill's History of the Baptists.
The Esteys proved a prolific stock and their descendants on the River
St. John are numerous.
ESTABROOKS.
The first of this name in America is supposed to have been Joseph
Estabrooks, who was born in Enfield, Middlesex County, England,
and came to Concord, New Hampshire in 1660. It is said that he had
two brothers, one of whom, Thomas, was at Swansea in 1683, but
subsequently went to Concord. Elijah Estabrooks, who settled on the
River St. John, had in his lifetime many places of abode. He was
probably a native of Haverhill, Massachusetts, where his son, of same
name, was born in May, 1756. The family came to Halifax about the
year 1763, removing soon afterwards to Cornwallis, and from thence
to St. John. On the 18th October, 1765, Mr. Estabrooks entered the
employ of Simonds & White. In 1773 he made an agreement with Wm.
Hazen and James Simonds to settle in the township of Conway, near the
mouth of the river, Hazen and Simonds guaranteeing him a deed of
250 acres of land. An old return, or census, of the township,
dated 1st August, 1775, shows that Mr. Estabrooks' family included
a wife, three sons and three daughters. He had cleared and
improved seven acres of land and built a log house. His domestic
animals were one cow, two young cattle and two hogs. Before he had
made more than a good beginning the Revolutionary war brought
everything to a stand. We learn from Major Studholme's report that
Elijah Estabrooks was one of those who accompanied Hugh Quinton in
the expedition against Fort Cumberland in 1776, and shared in the
discomfiture of the party. His predilection for the American cause
did not save him from being molested by the "rebel privateers,"
and he was obliged in the Spring of 1777 to remove his family from
their exposed situation at the mouth of the river to the vicinity
of Gagetown. It is a little remarkable that Elijah Estabrooks and
his immediate neighbors on the St. John should have come from
Cornwallis and other parts of Nova Scotia, although they were in the
first instance natives of New England. They seem to have had no
legitimate title to the lands on which they settled themselves, while
awaiting the issue of the struggle between Great Britain and the
colonies in rebellion. The arrival of the Loyalists in 1783 rendered
their situation exceedingly precarious. However, they were befriended
by Governor Parr, who directed that such lots as were occupied by old
inhabitants of the country (although the occupants might not have
any legal claim) should not be appropriated by the Loyalists until
they had paid for the improvements made by those in possession. This
policy was continued, after the formation of the Province of New
Brunswick, by Governor Carleton and his council. A valuation of the
improvements made at Upper Gagetown by Robert Lasky, Robert Lasky,
jr., Elijah Estabrooks, sr., Elias Clark, Arculus Hammond, John
Richardson, Samuel Hersey, Francis Grant, Moses Clark, Samuel
Kemble and Benjamin Boober was made by Thomas Hart, Samuel Upton and
John Hart. As the valuators were old settlers and neighbors, the
interests of their friends were not likely to suffer at their
hands. They placed the value of the buildings and improvements of
the eleven individuals named above at L603.12s.6d. which was more
than the Loyalists who had drawn the locations were disposed to
pay; consequently the old settlers remained in possession. The
valuation put upon the house of Elijah Estabrooks, sr., was L10;
that of his "improvements" L46.
Elijah Estabrooks, jr., was led by the visit of Rev. Henry Alline, in
1779, to connect himself with the church formed on "New-light"
principles at Waterborough, and a few years later he commenced
preaching. In May, 1780, he was baptized by Rev. Joseph Crandall, and
his example being followed by several others a small Baptist church
was constituted in Waterborough of which Mr. Estabrooks was the
pastor. Several of the incidents of his ministry are related in Rev.
Dr. Bill's History of the Baptists. During the years he labored in
Waterborough and the adjoining settlements he supported himself and
his family by his own industry. He was held in universal esteem by
persons of all denominations and all descriptions. Today his
descendants and those of his brothers are very numerous on the St.
John river.
DARLING.
There were twenty-three proprietors of a township, which was
originally called "Amesbury" in honor of James Amesbury, a Halifax
merchant, one of the grantees. Among the few inhabitants of the
township, prior to the arrival of the Loyalists, mention may be
made of Benjamin Darling, the first English speaking settler on the
banks of the Kennebecasis. Mr. Darling was born at Marblehead,
Massachusetts, in 1730, and came to the St. John river a few years
before the war of the American Revolution. He used to trade with the
Indians and became very friendly with the chief of a small village at
Nauwigewauk. Here in early times the Indians used to raise corn and
tobacco. They were inclined to resent the intrusion of the whites
into their domain but Benjamin Darling, after prolonged negotiation,
obtained from the local chief possession of the island, the
consideration offered and accepted being two bushels of corn, one
barrel of flour, a grindstone, some powder and shot and sundry knives,
hatchets and other implements. Darling built himself a comfortable
log dwelling, the upper part of which served as a store-room for
goods for the Indian trade. After his wife's death his daughter Hannah
became the housekeeper with a young girl friend as companion. The
Indians, though otherwise friendly enough, objected to all attempts
to clear and till the land and would not even allow the young ladies
to beautify their premises by the cultivation of flowers. On one
occasion Benjamin Darling went in company with the Indian chief to
visit a beaver dam not far away. During their absence an Indian
entered the house with the avowed intention of taking one of the
girls for his "squaw." There being no man about the premises the
prospect was certainly alarming, but woman's wit proved equal to the
emergency. As the intruder advanced to lay hands upon her Hannah
Darling offered to go with him of her own free will, but immediately
after leaving the house cleverly eluded the Indian, slipped in again
at the door and fastened it. The despicable savage advanced to the
window with diabolical threats, whetted his knife before their eyes
and finally seized a club to make forcible entry only to find himself
confronted at the doorway by the plucky girl with a loaded musket in
her hands. Her spirit was now thoroughly aroused; she ordered him
off the premises forthwith, and the Indian after glancing at her
determined face slunk away. The old chief was greatly incensed at
this occurrence, and a day or two later the culprit was brought
before the young woman with his hands tied, the chief demanding
"shall we kill him?" To which she answered, "Oh, no! let him go." He
was thereupon chased out of the neighborhood and forbidden to return
under penalty of death. Hannah Darling, the heroine of this spirited
adventure, afterwards married Christopher Watson, and is said to have
attained the wonderful age of 108 years.
GAGE.
Among the large land grants on the River St. John, passed in the year
1765, was one of 20,000 acres to General Thomas Gage and nineteen
other individuals, most of them residents of New York. The tract
included the lower part of the parish of Hampstead and the upper part
of Greenwich, extending in front along the river from about the foot
of Long Island to Jones' Creek, a little below Oak Point. Many of the
original grantees were related by blood or marriage and the
association was in its way a "family compact." General Gage served in
the seven years war in America and was commander-in-chief of the
British forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill. His wife was a daughter
of Peter Kemble, president of the Council of New Jersey; Stephen
Kemble and Samuel Kemble, who were proprietors of the township, also
were her brothers.[130] Henry Gage, son of General Gage, although only
a child of five years, was one of the proprietors.[131] Other
proprietors were William, Samuel and Robert Bayard; they were related
to the Kembles. The Bayards were leading Loyalists and among their
descendants we have still with us Dr. William Bayard, the nestor of
the practising physicians of the maritime provinces. Archibald McCall,
a wealthy merchant of Philadelphia, was another proprietor; his wife,
Edith Kemble, was a sister of Stephen and Samuel Kemble. Another
notable proprietor was John Watts, a member of the Executive Council
of New York, a gentleman of wealth and reputation; his daughter
married Sir John Johnson, who was also one of the associates in the
grants.
[130] See Jonas Howe's interesting account of "Kemble Manor" in the
New Brunswick Magazine of September, 1898.
[131] Henry Gage served as lieutenant in the Seventh regiment during
the Revolutionary war, and on the death of his uncle, Viscount
Gage, inherited the family titles and estate in Sussex,
England.
KEMBLE.
On the 27th of May, 1767, fifteen of the original grantees, including
General Thomas Gage, transferred their rights to Stephen Kemble[132]
for a very small consideration--ten pounds current money of the
Province of New York--and the grant was thenceforth known as the
Kemble Manor.
[132] Stephen Kemble was born in 1740 at New Brunswick in New Jersey;
was ensign in the 44th regiment under Lord Howe at Ticonderoga
in 1757. In 1765 he became captain in the 60th or Royal
American regiment, major in 1775 and Lieut.-Colonel in 1778.
He was for a while Deputy Adjutant General of the forces in
America, a position filled a little later by Major John Andre.
Col. Kemble retired from active service in 1805. He eventually
returned to his native town of New Brunswick in New Jersey and
died in the house where he was born, Dec. 20, 1822, in the
82nd year of his age.
In the year 1774 Col. Kemble appointed Joseph Frederick Wallet
Des-Barres to act for him in the settlement of the manor, with power
to substitute and appoint one or more agents. Des-Barres immediately
named James Simonds as his deputy; the duties of the latter are
specified in the records of the old county of Sunbury under the
following heading:
"Instructions for carrying into execution the letter of Attorney
of Stephen Kemble, Esq., to Joseph Frederick Wallet Des-Barres,
Esq., to be observed by James Simonds, Esq., his substitute for
this purpose specially appointed."
Under the instructions the manor was to be divided into one hundred
lots of 200 acres each, to be laid out in such a way as to allow
communication with the river to as many settlers as possible. Half the
lots were offered at L5 sterling each to purchasers or to tenants at a
renewable lease of ten shillings per annum, but it was not until about
the year 1782 that any effectual measures were taken for the
settlement of the grant, the explanation probably being that Mr.
Simonds and his partners were too much engaged in securing their own
lands from forfeiture to pay much attention to those of Col. Kemble.
However on the arrival of the Loyalists a number of lots were speedily
disposed of and by the efforts of Ward Chipman, who succeeded James
Simonds as agent, the greater part of the lands were saved from
escheat. Col. Kemble visited the River St. John in 1788. His
correspondence with Ward Chipman relative to the improvement of the
Manor is of interest. The last of the lots on the river was sold in
1811, and in 1820 the rear of the property, comprising about one half
of the whole, was sold to Nehemiah Merritt, of St. John, for L1000.
STERLING.
Another considerable grant in the year 1765 was that made to Captain
Walter Sterling of the Royal Navy, and nine others[133], 10,000 acres
at the foot of Kingston peninsula, now known as "Lands End." This
tract was forfeited for non-fulfilment of the conditions of the grant.
Capt. Walter Sterling visited the River St. John in August, 1775, and
some business transactions with him are to be found in the old account
books of Hazen, Simonds and White.
[133] The names of the associates in this grant were Dorothy Sterling,
Walter Sterling, jr., Christopher Sterling, Ann Sterling,
William Sterling, Andrew Sterling, John Ewer, Walter Ewer and
John Francis.
GLASIER.
Another large grant of this period was known as "Glasier's Manor"
(subsequently as "Coffin's Manor"), extending from Brundage's Point in
the parish of Westfield up the river to a point two or three miles
above the Nerepis. Colonel Glasier is believed to have made his
headquarters during his sojourn on the River St. John at or near the
site of Fort Boishebert at Woodman's Point. The Nerepis stream was at
one time known as "Beaubear's river;" for example, in a description of
the River St. John, written a little before the arrival of the
Loyalists, we have the following: "At the entrance of a small river
called Baubier's River or narrow Piece [Nerepis] the land a
considerable distance back is good upland but no Interval. The land up
Baubier's River for three miles, which was included in Glasier's
original Grant, is good, both Interval and upland. On Baubier's River
mills may be erected and there is some good timber. On Baubier's Point
the salmon fishery is said to be the best on St. John's River."
Shortly after the arrival of the Loyalists Glasier's Manor passed into
the possession of General Coffin, and was by him named Alwyngton
Manor. Before this transaction was consummated, however, Glasier's
Manor had nearly shared the fate of other grants. Elias Hardy, a
clever lawyer employed by the government to investigate the state of
the old townships with a view to the forfeiture of lands vacant and
unimproved, claimed that the manor was escheatable in part as not
having been fully settled. It was shown, however, that Nathaniel
Gallop and others had made improvements, built dwellings, barns and
out-houses, but the Indians had burned the houses and destroyed the
crops and finally driven the settlers away. Owing to the distracted
state of the country at the time of the Revolution, no settlement was
practicable near the mouth of the river. Governor Parr used his
influence in Col. Glasier's behalf, assuring him that every effort
would be made to preserve his lands in view of his efforts to promote
the settlement of the country. General Coffin succeeded, after he had
purchased the manor, in getting some valuable settlers to take up
lands at the Nerepis, among them Capt. Henry Nase, a brother officer
in the late King's American regiment, whose descendants still live at
Westfield. In the course of the first year's residence General Coffin
expended more than L1,200 sterling in improving his property. He built
on the Nerepis stream an excellent mill and displayed much enterprise
in other ways.