Campobello history
Heather Leighton Waddingham is seeking information about
the island
including family histories and folklore
Another name for teachers could be Quizzers as it seemed they were always quizzing us on the lessons we had been taught. I hated dates and I couldn't figure out what difference it made if I knew that Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue in 1492 or that New Brunswick was called Sunbury County and was a part of Nova Scotia until 1784. If it happened before I was born, it was a long time ago to me. I knew, Sir John A. MacDonald was the first prime minister of Canada, Abe Lincoln studied by lamp light and George Washington cut down a special tree.
Today we were going to hear about another president of the United States. I really wasn't very interested. The old wood stove had really heated up the school room and I was getting very sleepy, when suddenly I realized that all eyes were on me. My stall time was to answer with, "Pardon?"
Ken snickered and whispered, "Campobello."
Since he was older than I, he certainly must know the answer, therefore I blurted, "Campobello!" Surprisingly the teacher smiled, thus I knew my answer was correct although I didn't have a clue as to her question.
The lesson went on to explain that as a boy, Franklin D. Roosevelt spent his summers on Campobello Island, swimming yachting, horse back riding and cliff-climbing. In 1933, after becoming president he returned and celebrated his victory by inviting half the island to a glorious picnic.
As the years passed, I became aware that politically, the island is a part of New Brunswick and is separated from the state of Maine only by a narrow tide-rip. It is the largest and outermost of a nest of small islands in Passamaquoddy Bay, which flows into the Bay of Fundy. Since1962 Campobello has been linked with Lubec, Maine by the Roosevelt International Bridge, named in honour of the United States President to whom the island was a second home.
I must admit that I knew little of the history of Campobello and its early settlers until I read the book, "Campobello - The outer island" by Alden Nowlan.
On September 30, 1767, Captain William Owen was named Principal Proprietary of the Great Outer Island of Passamaquoddy. In 1770 he acquired thirty-eight Lancashire settlers and upon arriving on his island found three families, one of them being Robert Wilson and his wife Mary - established there. Years later there was still problems over land titles between these two families.
In 1882, the Saint John Daily Sun reported, "American capital, American enterprise and American culture have laid hold of the little island of Campobello, and with a quickness savouring the days of Aladdin have transformed the old possessions of Admiral Owens into the most charming watering-place in the world." Between 1881 and 1883 three hotels were built and prospered until about 1910.
In this century one might say that the internet has laid hold of Campobello Island and still with the quickness of Aladdin's lamp is providing information to the world on its families. The Proprietary of the Campobello Parish site is Heather Leighton Waddingham and you can sail into her port at http://www.rootsweb.com/~nbcampob/. Captain Owen advertised for settlers to accompany him but Heather is seeking as much information as possible, whether it be transcriptions of church records, photographs, obituaries, cemetery records, vital statistics of any kind, as well as family histories and folk lore of Campobello Island to make accessible to others with roots on this island.