The Chignecto Isthmus
and Its First Settlers
by Howard Trueman
Cliff and I listened as Mum and her sisters
talked of the tragic death of their Uncle Theodore. He had been killed, more
than forty years ago, while driving a team of horses across the railway tracks,
above Saint John. His widow and three young daughters moved to the States.
Within a few days, these cousins, along with their mother, their families
and other relatives would be arriving for a visit.
Letters had been exchanged and much planning had taken place to arrange
to get everybody together to have a picnic. Mum’s concern was having enough
food prepared.
On 14 July, 1875, the Trueman family of the Chignecto Isthmus held an all-day
picnic at Prospect Farm, Point de Bute with about 500 in attendance. They
started their planning with a meeting at Prospect, the family homestead, on
4 January 1875. They wanted to celebrate in some fitting way the arrival of
the first Trueman family in Nova Scotia, which took place a hundred years
previously.
It was decided to number the descendants and have a written out short history
or genealogy of the family and also to place a marble monument to mark the
last resting place of those who first came to America.
Since family correspondence of the early 1800's from Snillsworth and Bilsdale,
Yorkshire, England had been preserved, the 500 friends, relatives and descendants
who attended, probably had an opportunity to read some of the lines that were
penned and thus caught a glimpse of life as it was in years past as well
as the news of births, marriages and deaths that had happened across the
ocean.
Howard Trueman and others felt that all letters of interest and accessible
facts in connection with the early history of the Truemans should be collected
and put in permanent form in order that the knowledge they had of the early
history, might not pass forever out of the reach of later generations with
the death of those whose memory carried them back to the original settlers.
The 1902, 206-page book, “Chignecto Isthmus and Its First Settlers”
by Howard Trueman gives us an in depth look into the events that influenced
the history of Chignecto as well providing details on the Trueman family and
others who were connected by marriage or were among the first settlers of
Cumberland with surnames such as, Allan, Allison, Atkinson, Bent, Betts, Bowser,
Brownell, Bulmer, Burns, Cahill, Carey, Carter, Chandler, Chappell, Coates,
Colpitts, Coy, Davidson, Dickson, Dobson, Doherty, Doyle, Doyle, Embree,
Etter, Evans, Fawcett, Fillimore, Finlay, Forster, Fullerton, Gallagher, Hamilton,
Harper, Harris, Harrison, Hewson, Hicks, Higgins, Irvin, Jewett, Jones, Keillor,
King, Knapp, Logan, Lowerison, Lowther, Main, McCready, McMonagles, Miner,
Mitchell, Monro, Ogden, Oulton, Page, Palmer, Patterson, Phalen, Pugsley,
Read, Ripley, Roach, Robinson, Ryan, Scott, Sharp, Siddall, Silliker, Smith,
Smith, Smith, Snowdon, Sutherland, Tingley,Townsend, Trenholm, Turner and
Ward.
“Chignecto Isthmus and Its First Settlers” is available at several
research institutions in New Brunswick.
**
Query 1201
Turner - I am trying to locate pictures of William H. Turner's
Clothing Store which was located first at 440 Main Street on the corner of
Sheriff Street in Saint John circa 1922 and later at 149 Union Street.
JENNIFER TURNER
2106 Route 845
Bayswater, NB
Canada, E5S 1K2
E-mail zoemax@nb.sympatico.ca
Query 1202
Willigar - Wilson: I am trying to find the siblings and parents
of George Willigar, born Belleisle, Kings County, New Brunswick in 1857, died
1935 in Saint John and also for his first wife, Mary Anne Wilson who died
in Saint John in 1895.
KATHYYN ROW
#1811, 19200 Space Center Blvd.
Houston, TX
77058, USA.
E-mail krow001@aol.com
Query 1203
LeBriton - McLaughlin: Eme LeBriton married Charles McLaughlin
at Tracadie, New Brunswick in 1789. I am interested in finding the names of
their siblings and parents. Charles died in 1842 and is buried somewhere in
New Brunswick.
L. MORRISON
4777 Clarence Road
Quesnel, BC
Canada, V2J 6X3
E-mail jean-mc@telus.net
Query 1204
Fuller - Alexander: Isaac Fuller settled in New Brunswick in
probably 1783 and possibly as a Loyalist. In 1812, he married Mercy, the
daughter of Gershom Alexander and they moved to Grantham, in the Niagara
area of Ontario. Any information would be appreciated.
KAREN LUNDIN
Box 908, Crossfield
AB, Canada
T0M 0S0
E-mail llundin@telus.net
Query 1205
Collrin - Colleran - Perkins: My great grandparents were
James Collrin born in Ireland about 1844 and Mary Ann Perkins born 08 Jan.
1843 in Portland, New Brunswick. After their marriage, they lived in Saint
John. I would be most grateful for any information or help, especially on
Mary Ann's family as she was born in New Brunswick.
PEGGY COLLRIN
3358 Cummings
Royal Oak, MI
48073, USA
E-mail Ocallarain@yahoo.com
