History of Sackville
Before we went to bed on Friday evening, Mum had told us not to expect a hot breakfast the next morning as she wasn’t going to be putting a fire on in the kitchen stove until a later hour. Cliff and I knew this meant pipe-cleaning day was at hand.
After a breakfast of puffed wheat and cold milk, we hurried outside in time to see Gord walking from the pasture, carrying the top of a spruce tree.
I whispered to Cliff, “October is a bit early to be cutting a Christmas tree.”
We watched as Dad tied a rope to this small tree and attached a small weight. He climbed the ladder to the peak of the roof next to the chimney and dropped the tree down the flue and pulled it back up. This manoeuver was repeated several times until he was certain all the soot had been brushed from the sides of the chimney.
Next he went into the house and removed the stove pipes and carried them outside and shook and hammered them until they were as clean as a whistle. While he was doing this Mum scraped the soot from the stove pipe opening in the flue.
The Enterprise kitchen stove was the next to be cleaned. A long handled scrapper was used to remove all the ashes from under the stove covers as well as under the oven and then the tin box that held the ashes was taken outside to be emptied.
Dad seemed to be making a very careful examination of the lining of the fire box and requested a flashlight.
He turned to Mum and told her there would be an unexpected expense this Fall as new liners for the firebox as well as a new grate would need to be ordered from the Enterprise Factory in Sackville.
By the way the Enterprise Foundry was started in Sackville in 1872, by Captain R. M. Dixon. At the time of his death in 1874, the property was purchased by W. S. Fisher, a wealthy Hardware merchant of Saint John, who developed it, until it became one of the most successful stove foundries in Canada.
Sackville has a very interesting history. It was first settled by the French. In consequence of the Proclamation of Governor Lawrence, dated 12th of October, 1758, offering free grants of lands, right of worship, in 1761, twenty-five families from Rhode Island arrived in a vessel and settled on the vacated French farms in the Sackville area.
“The List of the Subscribers for the Township Lying on Tantramar River in about 1760 represented by Benjamin Thurber, Cyprian Sterry and Edmund Jincks from Providence in Rhode Island” gives many names, such as: Olney, Wheat, Burr, Tower, Luther, Tripp, Bucklin and others. It is not known if all those who subscribed came to this country or if they did come and were dissatisfied and thus returned to the colonies.
The first town meeting or meeting of the committee for Sackville township took place on 20th July, 1762. It was held at the house of Mrs. Charity Bishop, who kept an inn at Fort Cumberland. There were present Captain John Huston, Doctor John Jencks, Joshua Sprague, Valentine Estabrooks, William Maxwell and Joshua Winslow. Captain Houston was made chairman and Ichabod Comstock, clerk.
In 1934, Dr. W. C. Milner, Historian and former Archivist compiled a detailed History of Sackville, New Brunswick. Three reprints of his work have been done, the latest being in 1994.
Some Chapter headings are, French Occupation, English Settlement, Tantramar Settlement, Inhabitants 1876, Yorkshire Settlers, Provincial Settlements, Sackville in 1777, The Public Schools and Teachers, Churches, Mount Allison, The Graveyards, Mills and Shipbuilding, The Port of Sackville, Old Time Business, The Marshes, Marriages, Statistics which includes an 1826 list of farmers who received a bounty in grain, Old Soldiers and their widows living in Westmorland who served in the American War and the Honor Roll of World War I.
The sixty page chapter on ‘Some of the Pioneer Families’ is a book in itself as detailed genealogical and biographical information is given on Joseph Avard, Hon. Charles F. Allison, Atkinson men, Thomas Anderson, Thomas Ayer, Barnes family, William Black, Senator A. E. Botsford, Amos Botsford, Judge William Botsford, Edward Bowes, Thomas Bowser, George Bulmer, Michael Burk, Jonathan Burnham, John R. Cahill, Ronald Campbell, Thomas Carter, William Carnforth, Squire Rufus Cole, Col. Joshua Chandler, Hon. William Crane, George and Richard Dobson, Charles Dixon, Estabrooks, Captain Evander Evans, Fawcett Brothers, Fisher, Harper, Thomas Herritt, Hicks, Humphrey, Lawrence, Ogden, Mark Patton, Eliphalet Reed, Rogers brothers, Charles Seaman, James Smith, Elizabeth Smith, Richard Thompson, Tolar and John Thompson, Upham family, Jonathan Ward, Captain Richard Wilson and the Wood family.
Reading the pages of the History of Sackville will fan the flames of desire to learn more about the interesting past of this area of New Brunswick.
In the Sackville Tribune Post, ‘Tantramar Flashback’ by Bill Hamilton takes an informative and entertaining look at the history and people of that region. You can read his columns at http://www.tantramar.com/columns/. I enjoyed reading about the Missaguash Ghost, History In A Grocery Bag: The Mysterious Mary Cannon, the "Remarkable" Career of Dr. Clarence Webster and Murder On The Marsh - William Fawcett.
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Query 913
Ewing - Melvin: Annie Hall Ewing was born in Millstream, New
Brunswick. She married Robert Roscoe Melvin of West Saint
John. I have
no information on the Ewings of New Brunswick. Can anyone help?
-Carolyn Cameron, PO Box 169, Sherbrooke, NS, Canada, B0J 3C0.
E-mail to cam1@ns.sympatico.ca.
Query 914
Kaye - Akerly - March: I am looking for the parents
of Jacob Kaye of Saint John, who married Mercy Akerly on
Jan. 30,1852. He was sea-captain and owned a ship, which was wrecked in
the Saxby Gale in October of 1869 nearby the coast of Maine. Both he
and his brother drowned. Was there any news in the newspapers then
about his ship on the way from Saint John to Portland, Maine? His
widow, Mercy Akerly Kaye was buried in Saint John on Mar.30,1916 at the
age of 83 years. Her father was listed as Ward Akerly, born in England.
Her residence at the time of her death was 95
Coburg St. in Saint John. The daughter of this couple was Clymene Kaye
born
in Saint John in1861, who married the well known Dr. John Edgar March.
Does
anyone have information to share on these families?
- Jan Toirkens, Heistraat 50 B, 5701 HP Helmond, The
Netherlands. E-mail to J.Toirkens@chello.nl.
Query 915 - Removed
Query 916
Knox - McCaw: I am currently starting a genealogy search for
my Mother’s father’s family from the Chipman area of New Brunswick.
Herbert Knox was the son of Odber Issac Knox and was born about 1898.
He married Edith
McCaw and they had 5 children: Arthur, Lorreta, Anita, Marilyn, and
Marjorie.
Any information would be appreciated.
-Matthew Glenn, 17 Allingham Cr., Saint John, NB, Canada,
E2M-5A7. E-mail to glennmt@nbnet.nb.ca.
Query 917
Foster - Keirstead - Mowry - McCafferty: I am looking for
information on Mary E. (Keirstead) McCafferty, wife of Nathaniel
McCafferty. She died in 1897 and was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery,
Kings County. I am also interested in the families of James Adam
Foster, George and Mary (Kincadine) Foster
and Minnie W. (McCafferty) Foster as well as Jennie Isabel Foster who
married Otto Charles Mowry, son of Albert Lawrence and Julia Annie
(Fowlie) Mowry. Otto Mowry had at least 3 siblings: Walter, Marshel and
Lydia.
-Georgette Crothers, 123 Sandy Point Road, Saint John, NB,
Canada, E2K 3R6. Phone: (506)-652-8139 or email to croww@nb.sympatico.ca.
Query 918
Alexander - Morrow: I am looking for information of Robert
A.H. Morrow and his wife Jane Alexander from the St. Stephen area of
Charlotte County. They were married in 1866.
-Elizabeth Severin, 11 Cardinal Terrace, Quispamsis, NB, Canada,
E2E 1M8. Telephone 506-849-3502 or email to wseverin@nbnet.nb.ca.
Query 919
Sutherland: I would like to have information about George
Sutherland, who settled on the Miramichi.
-Marion Coburn, 894 Main Street, Springfield, Maine, 04487, USA.
E-mail to marion@kai.net.
Query 920
Watt - Stilwell: Abigail Watt was born about1814 and was
married to John Stilwell of Waterborough, Queens County, New Brunswick
on Jan. 02, 1836. I am most anxious to find the names of her
parents. Any help
will be appreciated.
-Dorothy J. Smith, PO Box 394, Bradford, NH, 03221, USA. E-mail
to fanjoy@tds.net
Query 921
Allen - Kirwan - Dinn: James Bowman Allen was born in
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia about 1858 to James W. Allen and Sarah Kirwan. He
married Anne Agnes Dinn on Oct. 03, 1888. His last child was born on
Apr. 11, 1896. I am
trying to find his date of death which I believe to be between 1896 and
1901.
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
-Shirley Kirk, 22 Limardo Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada,
B3A 3X5. E-mail to s.kirk@ns.sympatico.ca.
Query 922
Camber - Magee: I am seeking information on the parents of
James Edward Camber, who was born in York County in 1850. He married
Lydia Magee in about 1870 and they had five children: Percy
Valentine, Archie, Elizabeth, Florence and Frances.
-Joan M. Camber, 23859 Falconer Dr., Murrieta, CA, 92562, USA.
E-mail to mrscamber@email.msn.com.
