The Chignecto Isthmus and its first settlers Part 23

RYAN.

Daniel Ryan came from Ireland to Nova Scotia soon after the Expulsion, and settled near Point de Bute corner. He married a Miss Henry. They had a family of eight--Daniel, Henry, James, William, and four daughters. One daughter married Joseph Black, of Dorchester, N.B.; another married a Mr. McBride; another, William Trenholm, of Point de Bute. William settled in Little Shemogue; Henry moved to Hastings, c.u.mberland, N.S.; James married Christina Forster, of Fort Lawrence, and lived for a time on the old place. About 1813 he moved to Millstream, King's Co., N.B., where the family for many years occupied a prominent place in public affairs.

OGDEN.

The Ogdens were U. E. Loyalists. John (first) came from Long Island, New York, in 1790, and settled in Sackville, N.B., on the farm owned by the late Bloomer Ogden. An uncle of John Ogden spent the latter part of his life in prison rather than swear allegiance to the United States.

John married Nancy Fawcett, a daughter of Mr. John Fawcett, Sackville, and had eight children--John, William, Henry, Thomas, Bloomer, Robert, Ann and Jane.

John (second) settled in Port Elgin. Edward Ogden, of Sackville, is a son of John. Amos and William of the same place are sons of Henry. The late Henry Ogden, of Jolicure, was connected with this family.

TOWNSEND.

John Townsend came from Prince Edward Island and settled in Upper Jolicure early in the last century. His descendants are living there now. The Townsends are of English descent.

ROBINSON.

The Robinsons were an English family that settled in Cornwallis, N.S., about 1780. Edmund Robinson, a son, removed to Parrsboro'. His wife was Miss Rand, a relative of the Rev. Silas Rand, the Micmac missionary.

John Robinson of Point de Bute is a grandson of Edmund Robinson.

PHALEN.

John Phalen came early to this country. He was educated for Holy Orders, but never entered the Church as one of its ministers. He was married in Halifax, and taught school in Point de Bute for a number of years. His son, John C. Phalen, was a member of the home of Thomas Trueman, of Point de Bute. John married Priscilla Goodwin, of Bay Verte, and had a large family. He settled at Bay Verte. John Phalen, of Amherst, is son of John C. Phalen. The Phalens of Westmoreland and c.u.mberland Counties are descendants of John. One of the name is in the Methodist ministry.

WILLIAM DAVIDSON.

William Davidson came from Dumfries, Scotland, to this country in company with James Amos, in 1820. Mr. Amos landed at Charlottetown, but afterwards settled on the Murray Road, Botsford, and Mr. Davidson on the Bay Verte Road, alongside of John Monro. The Davidsons were a most intelligent family. The late Hugh Davidson of Tidnish was a member of this family and the Davidson brothers of Tidnish are sons of Hugh and William.

TURNER.

William Turner, who settled in Bay Verte Road, came from the United States about the year 1820 or 1825. The Turners of Bay Verte are among his lineal descendants. Rev. E. C. Turner, of the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Conference, belongs to this family.

ROACH.

Thomas Roach was born in 1768, in Cork, Ireland, where he spent his early years. He was educated for the priesthood, and could speak fluently in several languages. About the year 1790 he accompanied his father to Nova Scotia and settled in Fort Lawrence. The elder Mr. Roach did not remain long in Nova Scotia, but pushed on to New York. His son never heard from him after they parted at Halifax. Thomas Roach was very successful in business and for many years was one of the leading men in the Methodist Church on the Isthmus. He was elected a representative to the Provincial Parliament five times in succession, and served the people in that capacity from 1799 to 1826.

Mr. Roach was married four times. His family of four sons and three daughters was the fruit of his first marriage. Ruth, daughter of Charles Dixon, Sackville, was his first wife; his second, Mrs. Sarah Allen; third, Mary Dixon, of Onslow, and his fourth, Charlotte Wells.

Mr. John Roach, of Nappan, and Dr. Roach, of Tatamagouche, are grandsons of Thomas Roach.

SILLIKER.

William Silliker was a U.E. Loyalist from Connecticut, and came to Bedeque, P.E. Island, in 1783, where he spent the last years of his life. His son, William C. Silliker, moved to Bay Verte in the early part of the last century. This son was a master mariner, and spent most of his life at sea. He married Amelia Chappell, and had a family of three children, two sons and one daughter. The Sillikers of Bay Verte are descended from Captain Silliker. Alderman Silliker of Amherst also belongs to this family.

HEWSON.

James Hoytte Hewson and his mother came to Nova Scotia in 1783 with a party of Loyalists, and settled in Wallace. His father, Richard Hewson, who was an officer in the British army, was killed in a negro insurrection in the south. Mrs. Hewson and her young son were sent north to live with friends, which explains how they came to be with the Loyalists. Mrs. Hewson's maiden name was Hoytte. They soon sold their property in Wallace and removed to Fort c.u.mberland, then one of the centres of trade in the new country. Here Mrs. Hewson opened a little store and also taught a school, and her son worked as clerk for t.i.tus Knapp. Mrs. Hewson was successful in her trade venture, and in 1796 she and her son bought from Spiller Fillimore his farm on Jolicure Point, which has been known ever since as the Hewson farm. This property is still in possession of the family, and has been the home of four generations. James Hewson married Jerusha Freeman, of Amherst, and had six children--Richard married Seraphina Bent, of Fort Lawrence, and lived at River Philip, N.S.; James married Phebe Wry, and remained in Jolicure; William married Elizabeth Chandler, and inherited the homestead; Olive married George Darby, of Bedeque, P.E. Island; Jerusha married George Baxter, Land Surveyor, and a Loyalist, and lived in Amherst; Phebe married John Schurman, of River Philip, the grandfather of President Schurman of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. John Hewson, of Jolicure, Dr. William and Watson, of Point de Bute, and Dr. Charles Hewson, of Amherst, are sons of William Hewson.

READ.

Several persons answering to the name of Read came to the Isthmus soon after the Expulsion. Thomas Read, who was one of the Yorks.h.i.+re emigrants of 1774, settled on the River Hebert. In 1786 Eliphlet Read and Joseph Read were residents of Sackville. In 1788 Stephen Read was one of the Trustees of the Stone Church (Methodist) at Point de Bute.

In 1800 an Eliphlet Read lived in Jolicure. He married a Miss Converse and had a large family. John Read, of Jolicure, and William Read,* of Amherst, are grandsons of this Eliphlet.

[FOOTNOTE: *Joseph Read, of Bay Verte, writes: William Read, from New England, came to Sackville about the year 1760. His sons were Benjamin, Joshua, Eliphalet, and William, the latter my grandfather. Grandsons: Eliphalet, William, James, Caleb, Harris, Asa, and John, the last mentioned being my father. END OF FOOTNOTE]

WRY.

John Wry emigrated from Yorks.h.i.+re to Nova Scotia about 1780, and settled in Sackville. He bought from William Maxwell the farm on which the Brunswick House now stands and made his home there. The Maxwells were from New England, and had been in the country some years. John Wry married a Miss Maxwell. The late Christopher Wry of Jolicure was a son of John Wry. The Wrys of Sackville are descendants of John.

BOWSER.

Thomas Bowser was one of the Yorks.h.i.+re emigration of 1774, and settled in Sackville. His son, Thomas, married f.a.n.n.y King, and lived on Cole's Island. Arthur and Blair Bowser of Point de Bute and John and Bliss of Jolicure are grandsons of Thomas (second).

LOWTHER.

Tradition says that the Lowther name was brought to England by one Colonel Lowther, in 1688. This Colonel Lowther was one of the trusted soldiers that the Prince of Orange brought with him from Holland, and was afterwards allotted an estate in Devons.h.i.+re. From there the family spread to other parts of England. William Lowther, who settled in Westmoreland, N.B., came from Yorks.h.i.+re, in 1817. He was accompanied by three brothers and one sister. The three brothers and the sister settled in c.u.mberland County, N.S. William had a family of nine children. William (second), married Lucy Chapman and settled in Great Shemogue. George married Mary Pipes and settled at the Head of Amherst.

Mary married Joseph Carter, of Point de Bute. Hannah married Edward Smith, of Amherst Head. Sarah Thomasina married Rufus Carter, of Point de Bute. Rufus first married Sarah Pipes; his second wife was Elizabeth Lowther. Jane married Richard Pipes, of Nappan. t.i.tus married Phoebe Carter, and remained in Westmoreland. Catherine married William Kever, and went to Minnesota.

ALLAN.

Benjamin Allan was a Scotchman who came to c.u.mberland from the United States about the time of the Revolutionary War. There is evidence that he was with Wolfe at the taking of Quebec. If so, he was probably one of the disbanded British soldiers that found their way to Canada at the close of (sic) American War. He married a Miss Somers, of Pet.i.tcodiac, at the Bend, and finally settled at Cape Tormentine.

Mrs. Allan was a very large woman, of pure Dutch stock, with, it is said, a marked tendency to stand upon her rights. Tradition also says that the pugilistic tendencies of the family were inherited from the mother, as the father was a very quiet, meek-mannered man. It might be that domestic felicity was more likely to be attained by such a demeanor. The Allan family consisted of eight sons and three daughters --Ephraim, Jonas, James, Matthew, Liff, Dan, George, and Ben were the names of the boys. It is told of Matthew that once when he was "on a time," the press gang took him and his boon companion on board a man- of-war and induced them to enlist. When the young men came to themselves they were in great trouble, and one night, when the s.h.i.+p was lying near one of the West India Islands, they jumped overboard with the hope of reaching the sh.o.r.e by swimming. Allan succeeded, and after spending some days on the island in hiding, he found a vessel which brought him back to Halifax, from which place he soon found his way home, none the worse for his experience. His companion was never heard from. A great many of the name are now living at the Cape where their ancestor first settled.

CHAPPELL.

The Chappells were early in the country. There were two brothers, Eliphet and Jabez. Eliphet settled at Bay Verte, and had a family of four sons and five daughters. George and Bill, two of his sons, married sisters, Jane and Polly, daughters of William Wells, of Point de Bute.

George's children were William, George, Joshua, Watson, Susanna, Peggy, Maria, Ann, Amelia, Almira and Jane. George married Betsy Freeze; Susanna, ----- Strange; Peggy, John Rawarth; Maria, Rufus Chappell; Amelia, Nelson Beckworth; Ann, William Fawcett; Almira, Rufus Oulten, M.D. Jane did not marry. Bill Chappell's sons were Bill, Rufus, James and Edwin. His daughters, f.a.n.n.y (Mrs. Capt. Crane), Matilda (Mrs.

Edward Wood), Caroline (Mrs. John Carey), Louisa (Mrs. Charles Siddall).

The Chappells were a prominent family in Bay Verte for many years, and have a good record there.

BETTS.

Three brothers by this name emigrated from England to New York shortly before the Revolutionary War. Two of the brothers fought in that war on the English side, and in 1783 came to Nova Scotia. Isaac settled at Wallace, c.u.mberland, and his brother settled on the Miramichi River, in New Brunswick, where the name is still found. George Betts of Point de Bute, is a son of Benjamin and a grandson of the brother who settled at Wallace.

IRVIN.

Joseph Irvin was another of the North of Ireland men that came to Old c.u.mberland early in the last century. He settled first on the north- west side of the Point de Bute ridge, where the road makes a slight angle to cross the marsh to Jolicure. Here he and his friend, Isaac Doherty, kept a store and built a vessel. The locality was called Irvin's Corner in the early days. Mr. Irvin married Ann Tingley, and soon after moved to Tidnish, where he spent the remainder of his life as a farmer. His family consisted of seven sons and three daughters.

Three of his sons, Joseph, Edwin and James, now represent the name in Tidnish.

HAMILTON.

Robert Hamilton was born in Tyrone County, Ireland, and emigrated to New Brunswick in the year 1824, settling at Tidnish. He had a family of four children, Gustavus, Mary, Eliza and Eleanor. His son, Gustavus, married Eleanor Goodwin, and remained on the home farm, which is now owned by his son, Isaac G. Hamilton. Rev. C. W. Hamilton, of St. John, and Dr. Hamilton, of Montreal, are grandsons of Robert Hamilton. Robert Hamilton had a brother, Gustavus, who was a Methodist local preacher, and for many years was a valuable a.s.sistant to the regular minister at Point de Bute when that circuit included the present Bay Verte circuit.

FORMER RESIDENTS OF OLD c.u.mBERLAND, NONE OF WHOSE DESCENDANTS OF THE NAME LIVE THERE NOW.

BURNS.--John Burns was from Ireland. He came to New Brunswick in the early part of the last century, and settled at Mount Whatley. He married a Miss Harrison, and had a family of six children. He carried on a large and profitable mercantile business for a number of years.

There are none of the name here at present.

PAGE.--William Page lived at Mount Whatley for some years in the early part of the last century, and carried on quite an extensive business in wood-work and dry goods.