The Chignecto Isthmus and its first settlers Part 22

The family still have in their possession their ancestor Campbell's sword and some other relics belonging to the old soldier.

The Atkinsons have always been a strong, vigorous and self-reliant family, and have made a good record in this new country.

LOWERISON.

The following information regarding the Lowerisons was secured chiefly from Robert Lowerison, of Sackville, a great-grandson of the first Richard Lowerison.

Richard Lowerison, the first to come to America, was born in Yorks.h.i.+re, England, in the year 1741, and married Mary Grey in 1762. Ten years later Mr. Lowerison sailed from Liverpool, Eng., bound for Halifax, where he landed on the 1st of May. He settled on the Pet.i.tcodiac River, in Westmoreland County, N.B., but the frequent raids made by the Eddy rebels in that district caused him to purchase and remove to a farm adjoining the western bounds of the Garrison lands of Fort c.u.mberland.

The buildings first erected by him have long since disappeared. The farm has been occupied by his son Thomas, by his grandson James, and at present by William Miner.

Six children survived Richard and Mary Grey Lowerison--Elizabeth, who married William Doncaster, and settled at Amherst Point; Anne, who married John Carter, and settled east of Fort c.u.mberland; Thomas, who married Hannah Carter, and occupied the homestead; Richard, who married Abigail Merrill, and after spending twelve years between the old home, Amherst Point, and Mapleton, moved to Frosty Hollow, Sackville, on September 18th, 1817, on the farm now occupied by his son, Thomas Lowerison, and his grandson, Bradford Carter; Joseph, the third son of Richard, married Mary Siddall and settled near Mount Whatley, about two miles from the homestead. Mary married James Carter, who for a time kept a public house in Dorchester, but afterwards moved to Amherst, Nova Scotia.

Richard Lowerison and his wife attended the Methodist church in Point de Bute, as may be seen in the deed given by William Chapman to John Wesley. He acted as precentor in the old stone "Meeting House." He died February 24th, 1825, and was buried in the Point de Bute Cemetery. Mary Grey Lowerison, born in the East Riding of Yorks.h.i.+re, England, died September 16th, 1834, and lies beside her husband.

Mr. Lowerison must have had some means when he came to the country, for while living near Fort c.u.mberland he did an extensive business in sending beef cattle to Halifax. His partner for a time was a man named Rice. He seems first to have deceived Mr. Lowerison, and then robbed him by running away with the proceeds of three droves of cattle, leaving Mr. Lowerison accountable for the cattle, with no cash on hand to meet the bills. The worry from this affected his mind to such an extent that he never fully recovered. The Lowerison name, until quite recently, was p.r.o.nounced as if spelled Lawrence. The family has not increased greatly in the new country. Although the sons had large families, there are very few grandchildren. Robert Lowerison, of Sackville, is the only living member of a large family. Captain Richard Lowerison, of Amherst, is a descendant. Captain Thomas, Joseph, and Siddall, grandsons of Richard, represent the name at Westmoreland Point.

The Lowerisons were always understood to be men of their word.

FILLIMORE.

John Fillimore came from New England to Fort Lawrence, N.S., in 1763 and soon after settled in Jolicure. He had a number of sons, two of whom, John and Spiller, settled at home--John on the homestead, and Spiller on an adjoining farm.

At the close of the Revolutionary War, Spiller sold his farm and returned to the United States. John married Jemima Tingley, of Sackville, and had a family of twelve children. W. C. Fillimore, of Westmoreland Point, and Lewis Fillimore, of Amherst, are grandsons of John.

The Fillimores came originally from Manchester, England, to Long Island, New York. Captain John, father of John, who came to Nova Scotia, was once commissioned by the State of Connecticut to clear the coast of pirates, who were causing a good deal of trouble at the time.

So well did Captain Fillimore perform the duty that the town of Norwich presented him with a handsome cane as a mark of their appreciation of his services. This cane is still in possession of the family.

The Fillimores are a long-lived race of men, and have shown themselves well able to hold their own in the compet.i.tion of life. The name has given a president to the United States.

MINER.

Sylva.n.u.s Miner, the first of the name on the Isthmus, was of New England stock. He and Robert King, "Schoolmaster King," as he was generally called, came from Windsor on foot to Mount Whatley, N.B., about 1810. Mr. Miner's father died when he was a boy, and his mother apprenticed her son to a blacksmith. His mother was a Miss Brownell, of Jolicure.

When young Miner had completed his apprentices.h.i.+p he came to Jolicure by invitation to see his uncle, and afterwards settled at Mount Whatley. He was twice married. His first wife was a Miss Church, of Fort Lawrence; his second, Miss Styles, from Truro, N.S. The sons, James, William and Nathan, now represent the name at Mount Whatley. Mr.

Miner was an upright man, and successful in his business of blacksmith and farmer.

DOBSON.

The Dobsons were among the first of Yorks.h.i.+re emigrants to arrive in Nova Scotia. There were two brothers, George and Richard. George brought with him a wife and grown-up family. His daughter Margaret was married to William Wells before the family left England. Richard was a bachelor, and tradition says he had been a soldier. George purchased a farm in Upper Point de Bute. Neither of the brothers lived long in their new home. Richard died in February, 1773, and George in July of the same year. George's will is dated the 24th July, 1773, and is recorded the 24th November by John Huston. It is witnessed by Mark Patten and J. Allen.

George had four sons, George, David, Richard and John, and two unmarried daughters, Elizabeth and Mary. George and John settled at Point de Bute. Richard sold his share of the homestead to John in 1795, and moved to Cape Tormentine, where he secured a large tract of land and became one of the substantial men of the place. A large number of his descendants are in that locality at the present time. The Dobsons, of Cape Breton, N.S., are descendants of Richard. John sold his farm and moved to Suss.e.x, King's Co., N.B. George Dobson, of Suss.e.x, is a grandson of John. David went to Halifax. George remained on the homestead at Point de Bute, and the Dobsons of Jolicure are descendants of George by his son Abraham.

Mrs. Dobson, the widow of George (first) married a Mr. Falkinther. He did not live long, and Mrs. Falkinther, who was said to be a very fine looking woman, had one of her grand-daughters to live with her during the last years of her life. Her grandchildren called her "Grandmother Forkey."

"Old Abe," as Abraham was familiarly called, was a character in his day. He used to make annual and sometimes semi-annual trips to St. John to dispose of his b.u.t.ter and farm products, and was the kind of man to get all the enjoyment out of these journeys that was in them. It was said that he had large feet, and that early in life one of them was run over by a cart wheel, making it larger than the other. One day, while sitting in a St. John hotel, with the smaller foot forward, a man, noticing the size of it, said, "I will make a bet that that is the largest foot in the city." "Done," said Old Abe. The bet was made, when Mr. Dobson brought forward the other foot and won the wager.

Abraham was one of the best farmers in the towns.h.i.+p. He named his eldest son Isaac, and had Isaac name his eldest son Jacob. Perhaps the likeness to the old patriarch ended here. He had a large family of boys, to all of whom he gave farms. His youngest son, Robert, was drowned in the Missiquash Valley one December morning as he was skating to his farm on the Bay Verte Road.

The Dobsons were good men for a new country, and did not take life too seriously. Jacob, Frank, Alder, Alonzo and John Dobson and their families represent the name now in Jolicure. Dr. Gay Dobson, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., U.S., is a descendant. John, a brother of Abraham Dobson, left no sons.

JONES.

William Jones came from Wales. He was one of the first settlers at Point de Bute Corner. He married Mary Dobson, a daughter of George Dobson. They had a large family. Ruth, their youngest daughter, married Stephen Goodwin and lived on the homestead. Stephen Goodwin came from St. John to Point de Bute with his mother, who was a widow. She subsequently became the second wife of Christopher Atkinson. By this marriage she had three sons, George, Abel and Busby, and one daughter, Nancy, who became the wife of John Fawcett, Esq., of Upper Sackville.

J. H. Goodwin, of Point de Bute, is a son of Stephen Goodwin.

TINGLEY.

Palmer Tingley emigrated from Kingston-on-the-Thames to Malden, Ma.s.s., in 1666. Josiah Tingley, a descendant, came to Sackville, N.B., in 1763. William, a grandson of Josiah Tingley, married Elizabeth Horton and settled in Point de Bute in 1794. He bought land from Josiah B.

Throop. The witnesses to the deed were Joseph and Ichabod Throop. Like most of the early settlers, Mr. Tingley raised a large family, and all his sons became farmers. Four of them, John, Harris, Caleb, and William, settled near their father. Josiah settled in Jolicure, Joshua at Shemogue, and Isaac at Point Midgie. There were four daughters. Ann married Joseph Irving, of Tidnish; Mary, Cyrus McCully, Amherst, N.S.; Helener, William McMorris, of Great Shemogue; and Margaret, Asa Read, also of Shemogue. There were eleven children in all, and their longevity will surely bear comparison with that of any family in Canada, and is well worth recording:

John Tingley, born 1794, died 1874, aged 80.

Harris " " 1794, " 1875, " 80.

Joshua " " 1797, " 1897, " 100.

William " " 1799, " 1868, " 69.

Ann " " 1801, " 1881, " 80.

Mary " " 1803, " 1890, " 87.

Josiah " " 1807, " 1888, " 81.

Helener " " 1809, still living in 1902, aged 93.

Isaac " " 1812, died 1891, aged 79.

Margaret" " 1816, still living in 1902, aged 86.

Caleb " " 1805, died 1880, aged 75.

The Tingleys are generally adherents of the Baptist Church. Robert, Obed, Harvey, William, Alfred and Err are grandsons of William Tingley and represent the name in Point de Bute and Jolicure.

SIDDALL.

Ralph Siddall came from Yorks.h.i.+re to Nova Scotia in 1772, and soon after, in company with Richard Lowerison, settled at "The Bend," now the town of Moncton, N.B. The Eddy rebels proving too strong in that locality for the loyal Englishmen, they soon returned to the protection of Fort c.u.mberland, and eventually settled near the fort. Mr. Siddall had a family of five children--two sons, Ralph and Francis, and three daughters. The daughters married, respectively: Thomas Carter, ----- Cook, and James Deware. The Dewares of Jolicure belong to his family.

Ralph (second) married ----- Ayer and had two sons, Edward and William and three daughters. William settled on Gray's Road, near Wallace.

Edward remained on the homestead. One of the daughters married Joseph Lowerison, another Ephraim Rayworth; one remained single. Francis Siddall settled first on the farm now owned by James Colpitts, near Point de Bute Corner, and married Mary Oulton, by whom he had a family of five children, Ralph, Stephen, Charles, Susan and Experience. Susan was twice married--first to Mariner Teed, of Dorchester, N.B., second, to Hugh McLeod. The late John Teed, of Dorchester, was a son of Mariner and Susan Teed. Experience married William Copp, of Bay Verte Road. The Copps were from New England, and settled first in Jolicure. Hiram, Harvey and Silas Copp, of Sackville, Albert and George, of Bay Verte, are sons of William Copp.

Ralph Siddall (third) married Susan Oulton and remained on the homestead at Westmoreland Point, which he named "The Crow's Nest." Mrs.

Siddall is now living, at the age of eighty-six. Charles married Louisa Chappell, of Bay Verte, and is still living, at the ripe age of ninety- two years. G.o.dfrey and Bill, of Bay Verte, N.B., and Charles, of Sackville, are his sons. Stephen married a Miss Brown and had a large family. His youngest son, George, is the only one living in the vicinity of the old home. Stephen had a remarkable memory, and greatly enjoyed a good sermon. He followed the sea for a number of years. After settling down at home, near Fort c.u.mberland, he was appointed to an office in the Customs, which he held to his death. Few men could tell a story better than Capt. Stephen Siddall.

BROWNELL.

Rev. J. H. Brownell writes: "The present Brownell family are unable to tell definitely when their grandfather came to this country, but I find it recorded in 'A Biographical Sketch of the Loyalists,' by Lorenzo Sabine, in Vol. I, which I have by me, that in the year 1783 two brothers came from Vermont to New Brunswick. Joshua Brownell went to St. John, and Jeremiah came to Westmoreland, and settled in Jolicure.

He married Annie Copp. They were the parents of nine children. Their names, etc., are as follows: Aaron married first, Vinie Dixon; they had one girl. His second wife was Margaret Weldon; they had two sons and five daughters. He settled in Dorchester. John married Eunice Polly; they had two sons and seven daughters. He settled in Jolicure. Jeremiah married Rebecca Dixon; they had seven sons and six daughters. He settled in Northport, N.S. Thomas never married, and lived in Jolicure.

William married Annie Davis; they had five sons and five daughters. He settled in Northport, N.S. Sarah married Thomas Weldon. They lived in Jolicure for a time, and then moved away. When Weldon died Sarah came back and lived with Thomas. She had six children, one son and five daughters. Edward married Margaret Adams; they had thirteen children.

He settled in Jolicure. Annie married George Church; they lived in Fort Lawrence, and had four sons and five daughters. Lovinia married Jesse Church, and lived in Point de Bute for a time, then moved to Amherst.

They had five sons and seven daughters."

My information, up to the receipt of this letter, was very positive that Jeremiah Brownell came to Nova Scotia in 1763, with the Fillimores and others, landing at Fort Lawrence. The family were adherents of the Presbyterian Church, and took an active part in building and sustaining that church in Jolicure. The name has given two ministers to the denomination, Rev. J. H. Brownell, of Little Shemogue, N.B., and Rev.

Hiram Brownell, of Northport, N.S.

KING.

Thomas King came from a small village near Hull, Yorks.h.i.+re, with his uncle, Christopher Harper, in 1773. Before starting for America Mr.

Harper hired his nephew, who was a blacksmith, to work for him for three years for forty pounds sterling. When Mr. Harper found wages were high in this country, he released his nephew from the bargain, and young King worked several years in the Government Armory at Fort c.u.mberland. He married his cousin, Miss Harper, and they were the parents of six children, one son and five daughters. The son, Thomas, married a Miss Chandler; Jane married George Oulton; f.a.n.n.y Thomas Bowser; one remained single; of the remaining two, one married Otho Read, and the other Jesse Read. Thomas King (second) owned a large farm that joined the Garrison land. He had a family of two daughters and four sons, Jane, -----, Watson, Edward, James and Samuel. None of the sons, and but one of the daughters married. Edward and Samuel occupy the old place, and are the only members of the family now living. The "King boys," as they were called, were well read and good conversationalists. James was a school-teacher in his early years, and had a local reputation as a mathematician.